*Warning: Descriptions of birth, if that bothers you!

Chapter 36: I Am The Fire

April 23rd, 2014 - 0235 (2:35 am)

It was nearly a month later when Kara went into labor.

Rachel was awoken by a gentle touch on her shoulder. She blinked sleepily; it was Tom, and he had a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong, love?" she asked, realizing as she sat up that he was still in his dress blues. He'd taken the night shift on the bridge that night, and it must have been early for him to still be in uniform. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was, indeed, the middle of the night. "Is something wrong with the children?"

"Kara is in labor," Tom said quietly, but urgently. "She's asking for you."

Rachel moved much more quickly after that. She had known that Kara wanted her present for the birth, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.

"It's too early," she said, quickly pulling on the stretchy leggings that Tom handed her. She barely fit in anything else at this point, being 23 weeks pregnant. "She's got over a month left."

"Well, baby says now's the time," Tom shrugged, grabbing her sweater and helping her pull it on over her tank top. "She thought it was Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they've gotten more intense and more regular over the past few hours. Doc Rios says she's 4 centimeters diliated."

"Shit," Rachel said, frowning as she slipped into her shoes and tied them as quickly as she could. "That means she's in active labor. This isn't a false alarm."

Tom shook his head, waiting for her to finish tying her shoes before ushering her out the door. "Will the baby be OK?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as they walked quickly down the p-way.

"He should be. He may need some supplemental oxygen and to be kept an eye on for a week or so. 35 weeks isn't bad; he should be about 5 pounds, which is small, but not considered severely premature. He might have issues with breathing or his blood sugar, but chances of survival are around the same percent as a full term baby."

Tom breathed a sigh of relief. They had some medical equipment for infants on the ship, but he knew that they weren't equipped to handle a severely premature infant by any stretch of the imagination.

A minute later they were outside the medical bay, and Rachel paused, taking a deep breath and trying to erase the panic and worry on her face. She knew, logically, that Frankie would be fine. Small, yes, and maybe needing a little bit of help, but he would be fine. But at the same time, she was imagining that it was her getting ready to give birth to her baby five weeks early, and the thought scared her.

She pasted a smile on her lips, and pushed the door to the med bay open.

"Frankie is feeling a little impatient to meet his mummy and daddy, then, huh?" she asked, walking over to where Kara was being hooked up to the fetal monitor. The young Lieutenant offered Rachel a weak smile, and then turned her attention back to her son's vitals.

"I guess so," Danny said, and when Rachel looked up at him he was as white as a ghost.

"Tom," she said, and turned to the Captain, who was still standing in the doorway. "Please grab Danny a chair. He's going to pass out if he doesn't sit down."

Danny started to argue, but quickly gave up when Tom pulled up a chair and forced him to sit in it.

"I passed out at Sam's birth. Just 'cause you're big and strong doesn't mean that this isn't the scariest moment of your life. The bigger you are, the harder you fall. Sit and take deep breaths, son."

Danny nodded, pressing his head down between his knees while he gasped in great breaths of air. Tom stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder, coaching him through it. Rachel smiled at them for a moment before turning her attention back to Kara.

"Everything's going to be OK, love," she reassured her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I know it's frightening, that Frankie decided to come a little early. But I promise you, 35 weeks is not that scary. He'll be about 5 pounds, and he may be a little wrinkly because he hasn't had time to put on a lot of fat, but he'll be nice and pink. He's going to be perfect."

Kara nodded, and reached up a shaking hand to brush her tears away.

"I got scared," she admitted. "When I realized that it was real, that this was it. I'm afraid I freaked Danny out a little bit."

"Ah, don't worry about him. He would have freaked himself out just fine all on his own if you hadn't helped," Tom said, chuckling as Danny finally sat up. His face had a bit more color in it, and he offered Tom a small smile before turning his attention back to Rachel.

"It's really not too early? We won't... we won't lose him?"

Rachel shook her head, and started talking. Facts always comforted her, and she hoped they would comfort Kara and Danny, too.

"You won't lose him. 37 weeks is considered full term, so he's almost fully cooked, anyway. His lungs are the most important, and they should be almost fully developed. I'm going to go ahead and give you a shot of betamethasone, Kara." As she spoke, she worked on drawing up the medication and inserting it into Kara's IV. Rios was working on taking her blood pressure and other vitals. "It's a corticosteroid that should help develop Frankie's lungs a little bit more before he comes out. We will also do surfactant replacement therapy after he's born, to strengthen his lungs. It sounds scary, but it's kind of like getting a breathing treatment if you have asthma. We'll hold an oxygen mask over his face and let him breathe it in for a few minutes. It sounds a little harsh, but we'll try and make him cry while he's getting it, to help it penetrate deeper into his lungs."

When she looked up, Danny and Kara were both staring at her with wide eyes. She smiled at them both, and then paused what she was doing to take Kara's hand in her own.

"Kara. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure Frankie is healthy when he's born. I've delivered babies before that were more premature than he is; it's going to be OK. I know what I'm doing."

"Thank you," Kara whispered, and squeezed Rachel's hand before letting it go. She was about to say something else when she winced, clenching her teeth and setting her hand on her stomach. "Contraction," she said, and Rachel noted the time.

"How much time between contractions?" she asked, turning her attention to Danny as she snapped a pair of gloves on. She quickly checked to make sure that Kara hadn't further dilated while she'd been waiting for Rachel. She hadn't, and was still at 4 centimetres.

"About five minutes."

"Good. At five minutes apart and 4 centimetres dilated, you are in active labor, love. This is the second stage of labor, and lasts a few hours. All you need to do right now is rest, try and relax, and let me do my job. I will take good care of you both."

Kara nodded and finally relaxed against the bed, blowing out a breath as the contraction passed. Danny murmured to her in a soft voice, rubbing her back and telling her what a good job she was doing.

Rachel took her gloves off, disposed of them, and turned to find Tom staring at her with a small smile on his face.

"I love how focused you are in a crisis," he said, reaching out to touch her arm. "You're so in your element. So competent. It's sexy."

Rachel laughed, swatting him gently on the chest. "Now is not the time to be thinking about sexy things, Captain. We're a few hours from birth here, and while you may not remember the gory details of Sam's birth very clearly, I promise you there is nothing sexy happening in this medical bay for a while."

Tom just grinned, not backing down. She was very attractive when she was in her element. So focused, smart, and commanding. He loved that about her.

"Go get some ice chips for Kara," she suggested. "And, if you're wanting to be here for the birth, get someone to cover the bridge and change clothes. This will take a while."

Tom nodded and squeezed Rachel's arm once before turning to follow her directions.

Rachel turned back to her friends and smiled.

"All right. Let's talk about your birth plan."

April 23rd, 2014 - 0820 (8:20 am)

The hours passed as Kara slowly moved from active labor to the transitional phase. By the time she was fully dilated, she was having contractions every two minutes and they were lasting over 90 seconds with barely half a minute in between.

"That's it, love," Rachel encouraged her, rubbing her back as she rocked back and forth on her hands and knees. "Breathe through the contraction. It's almost time to push and you'll get to meet your baby."

Danny and Tom were both at the head of the bed, Danny holding one of Kara's hands and Tom offering encouragement and support. The contraction lasted longer than any of the previous ones, and by the time it was over, Kara was crying, gripping Danny's hand so tightly he was afraid it was broken. She let herself lean back on her haunches, squatting over the bed in what she had discovered was the most comfortable position between contractions.

"Have some ice," Tom said, holding out her cup, and Kara gratefully took a mouthful of the ice chips, sucking on them while Danny brushed her forehead with a wet cloth.

"Thank you," she whispered, staring up at the Captain as she breathed in and out deeply, preparing her body for another contraction.

"For what?" he asked, setting her cup down and taking her hand.

"For being here for me. I swear to God this is not an old joke," she said, chuckling at the look on Tom's face. "But ... my father died when I was young. I know you're my commanding officer, and not my father, but it's nice to have someone here that reminds me of him."

Tom sucked in a breath, fighting tears. He smiled at Kara and leaned forward, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"You're welcome."

The moment was over seconds later when Kara felt the next contraction coming on.

"If you feel the need to push, love, go ahead and do it," Rachel coached her from her spot at the foot of the bed. "Your body is ready. As soon as Frankie is ready, he'll let you know."

"I feel... pressure. Like, a lot of pressure," Kara said, and Rachel hummed, her voice calm and gentle.

"That's good. That's Frankie, he's about finished descending the birth canal. Whenever you feel like you need to push, go for it, love."

Kara nodded and gripped onto Danny's hand, screaming as she bore down, pushing with all her might. It was over quickly and she took a deep, shaking breath in, rocking back and forth on her hands and knees while she waited for the next contraction.

"You're doing so good, babe," Danny encouraged her, kissing her sweaty forehead and rubbing circles low on her back. "You're almost done. You're almost there. I love you."

Kara smiled up at him, tears in her eyes, and then her breath hitched as the next contraction began.

"Almost done," Rachel said when it was over. "I can feel his head. He's almost here, love. Just a few more big pushes, and you'll have your baby in your arms."

Kara nodded and looked up at Danny, tears shining in her eyes.

"He's almost here," she said in wonder, and Danny nodded, unable to hold back his own tears.

"Yeah, he is. He's almost here. I can't wait to meet him."

Two big pushes later and Rachel was cupping the baby's head in her palm. She reached her free hand out to touch Kara's lower back as she eased the baby out of the birth canal.

"Gently now, love. I have his head. Just give me a few more gentle, slow pushes, and he'll be out. You're almost done. You did the hardest part, it's all smooth sailing from here."

Kara nodded, sobbing, and less than a minute later Rachel was holding the tiny, squalling infant in her hands. She quickly grabbed the birthing blanket that Tom held out to her and rubbed the baby's skin in circles to help it absorb the vernix. She talked while she worked, letting the new parents know exactly what she was doing.

"This white stuff on his skin, it's called vernix. It's very good for him; we shouldn't wash it off. Instead I'm rubbing it in. It helps moisturize his skin, has a ton of vitamin E, and will help him regulate his body temperature. We're also not going to cut the cord yet, either; it will help him increase his blood volume and iron levels, all of which are important considering he's a little premature."

She finished wiping the baby off and wrapped him loosely in the blanket. "Take your shirt off, love. Skin-to-skin and breastfeeding right away are a great way to bond," she said, and when Kara had removed her top Rachel laid the baby on her chest, cord still attached, and watched in wonder as the tiny boy rooted around for several seconds before latching on, greedily suckling. His tiny hands waved in the air and his eyes opened for the first time, seeking out his mother.

"Hi there," Kara whispered, running a finger along his forehead. His skin was wrinkly but pink, and he had a tiny amount of peach fuzz on his head. "Hi, Frankie."

Rachel stared at the little family, tears in her own eyes. She stayed where she was, knowing that she would have to clamp and cut the cord soon before delivering the placenta and cleaning Kara up. Tom came to join her, though, kissing her on the temple and wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"Good job, Doctor," he said, and Rachel looked up to find him smiling at the little family in much the same way she was.

"Kara did all the work," she said, and Tom nodded in agreement.

"Yes, she worked very hard. But you were the most level-headed, calm doctor I have ever seen present at a birth. I don't suppose you'll be that calm when it's our turn?"

Rachel smirked and shook her head. "Somehow I doubt it."

Tom chuckled, and then pulled away, moving back to the head of the bed to give Kara privacy so Rachel could finish the delivery.

"Congratulations, Kara, Danny," he said, and busied himself helping Doc Rios with cleaning up the area.

April 23rd, 2014 - 0910 (9:10 am)

Thirty minutes later and everyone in the Foster-Green family was fast asleep. Rachel had finished with the delivery, had cleaned Kara up and changed the bedding, and had settled the new mom and baby in for some quality cuddle time. Danny had managed to find room on the bed to curl up behind Kara, and he was fast asleep, one arm around her and one arm protectively around the baby.

"How are they doing?" Tom asked, reentering the medical bay after stepping out briefly to check in with the bridge.

"Kara and Frankie are both doing great. Frankie took his breathing treatment like a champ and I haven't had to use any supplemental oxygen on him yet. His blood sugars look good and he nursed for a while before falling asleep. We'll keep an eye on them for a few days, but I am cautiously optimistic that we won't have to intervene medically."

"That's fantastic," he said, and reached out to envelop Rachel into his arms. "Now, you. Take a break. Rios can take over for a bit. We're going to shower, have some breakfast, and take a nap."

Rachel sighed, smiling as she laid her head on Tom's chest.

"That sounds wonderful."

"I thought it might."

Rachel cast one final look back at the little family before allowing Tom to lead her out of the med bay and into the p-ways. They headed straight for their cabin where, she noticed, he already had breakfast sitting out.

"Shower or food?" he asked, and she contemplated for a moment whether she could eat in the shower before deciding.

"Shower, then food, then sleep," she said, and Tom laughed, helping her with her sweater and tank top as they headed toward the bathroom. They were naked and under the spray in record time, and as soon as the hot water hit her body, Rachel relaxed, melting under Tom's touch as he rubbed her vanilla shampoo into her hair. She allowed him to wash her from head to toe before returning the favor, taking her time to clean him slowly and thoroughly. It wasn't sexual, they were both far too tired for that, but it was nice, intimate.

When they were finished, she dressed quickly in panties and one of Tom's shirts, and then headed for the couch where he encouraged her to sit before handing her one of the containers of food.

She inhaled the eggs, potatoes, and bacon quickly, and then looked up at Tom sleepily.

"Nap?" she asked, and he nodded, holding out his hand.

She took it and let him lead her to the bed. It was still a disaster from when she had woken up so suddenly in the middle of the night, and she crawled right back into her spot, waiting for Tom to crawl in behind her before pulling the blankets over both of them. She snuggled back into his arms, sighing happily when he placed one hand over her baby bump and the other around her shoulders.

"That'll be us, soon," she whispered, smiling as she thought about when they would get to hold their little boy.

"Soon," he agreed, and kissed her neck before snuggling as close as he could possibly get.

She fell asleep imagining what it would be like to hold their baby in her arms for the first time.