CHAPTER 78 - BOYS

"Hi sweetie," a smiling Elizabeth called out to her son when the door slid open to the infirmary and she saw the little boy.

"Hi, Cassie," she said as she gave a friendly smile to Lt. Cassiopeia Greenview, while moving to her son who was sitting on the floor watching a computer screen of graphics and listening to classical music.

Elizabeth picked up Aaron Daniel and gave him a quick kiss on one of his pudgy cheeks.

Noticing a piece of cloth attached to each tiny hand like some sort of make-shift mittens, she gently began pulling them off as she held the boy against her chest. "What's with the hand covers?" she asked the other woman.

"His nails are a bit long and we were worried he would scratch himself, so we covered his hands," a somewhat anxious Cassie replied with her normal nervous tone. At least, it was always nervous around Elizabeth. Ever since the first time they had met over the condom debacle. "We didn't want to cut his nails without your permission," Cassie explained.

"That was very nice of you, thanks," Elizabeth said appreciatively. "I can cut them now if you have some small clippers."

Aaron, glad to be in his mother's arms, smiled and then turned his attention back to the computer screen, straining to watch it from his position.

When the young medic went to retrieve a pair of nail clippers, her shaking hand knocked a tray of supplies onto the ground, causing a clatter of noise which startled both Elizabeth and Aaron.

Cassie, seeming more edgy than her usual worried self, bent down to gather the scattered needles, clippers, and tongue depressors, which had spread in different directions across the sterile floor.

"Ahh, Mrs. Thornton," the doctor spoke out as he entered the room and saw Elizabeth.

He set his laptop on a nearby counter and briefly glanced at Cassiopeia, who was on her hands and knees looking under a desk, before returning his attention to Elizabeth. "You've come to retrieve your son. Do you have any questions about his condition?"

"Not really," Elizabeth said pleasantly. Aaron Daniel sat on her hip and happily patted her face in rhythm to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. "I'm just going to clip his nails."

"That's a good idea. But what about the problem with pain? Any concerns?"

"No, we're okay."

"Really? No questions?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I know teething can be painful for babies. Apparently, an iced washcloth didn't work, but he seems perfect now. I guess my only question is whatever did you use?" she said in mild but pleasant surprise. "He seems totally pain-free. And really into classical music," she laughed as she gently pulled the baby's hand away from her cheek.

The doctor clicked a button to turn off the music and turned to Cassiopeia. "Didn't you tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Elizabeth spoke up.

"Not yet, Doctor," Cassiopeia hurriedly replied. "I was . . . um just about to.. . to. .. explain the situation. . . and then you came in and. . . .I think that you could maybe explain it better than me if you wanted to. Not that you need to because you're the doctor but if you thought you could do a better job than me. I mean obviously you could do a better job than me because you're the doctor but if you are telling me to explain it, I will. I'm just not sure how much you want me to explain. About it. To her. Right now."

Cassiopeia took a gulp of air after her long rambling which had Elizabeth staring at her as if the medic might be having a panic attack.

"Need to tell me what?" Elizabeth repeated, although she didn't think that whatever would be terribly important. Teething was natural for all babies.

Elizabeth juggled Aaron in her arms as the little boy now pulled at her hair.

"Your son was having some gum pain-"

"I know. He's teething," she replied as she pulled her hair from her giggling son's grip.

"Right. And normally we would recommend a mild analgesic gel," the doctor continued after Elizabeth's interruption. "However," he paused for a second before continuing, "we are not stocked for having a child on board. As you know, it was very last minute."

Elizabeth ran her hand over Aaron's mouth, wiping some drool from his cute baby lips and chin.

"I know. But so far, things are going okay," she noted casually. She gathered a small diaper bag that was on the chair and slung it over her shoulder.

"I had a list of last-minute supplies to add to the inventory when I was notified of your son's addition to the manifest, but obviously basic supplies alone are not always sufficient. Knowledge and experience are necessary."

Elizabeth had no clue what the doctor was talking about. "He's fine now. So, whatever Cassie did worked, or else his incoming tooth isn't bothering him anymore. Thank you."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Lt. Greenview is an excellent medic. When it comes to adults. . . . "

Aaron babbled gleefully as he pulled on Elizabeth's messenger bracelet and smooshed the button on it. She absent-mindedly removed his hands before he sent a message, and tried to focus on the discussion at hand.

Elizabeth glanced at Cassiopeia, who was now looking steadily at the floor either in an effort to find something or to avoid Elizabeth's gaze. "Okay, well thanks again," Elizabeth told her.

". . . . She is, however, naïve when it comes to babies as young as your son," the doctor continued.

Elizabeth stopped moving towards the door. "I'm confused. Is something wrong?"

The doctor put out his hand to stop Elizabeth from reacting. "Now there's nothing to be worried about. It's just a mild inconvenience."

"Inconvenience?"

"Your son's health is not in jeopardy in any way. As long as you keep an eye on him. Or, if you'd like, we can keep him here under observation since it's our fault."

"Your fault? What's your fault?"

Elizabeth stared at the doctor and medic and then, before they could respond, she suddenly and hurriedly set Aaron on the examining table. Without bothering to waste another second, she immediately began the standard inventory that becomes an automatic process for every woman beginning on the day she becomes a mother.

Ten fingers.

Ten toes.

Two ears.

Two eyes.

An anxious Elizabeth, still wondering what fatal, incurable, and possible amputation injury had happened to her son, pushed up the fabric on her son's onesie and ran her hands along his legs.

Two legs

Of course, he has two legs," she realized stupidly. I already counted ten toes.

No rash on his legs.

She hurriedly unbuttoned the snaps.

No rash on his stomach.

One belly button still there. Where else would it be.

No burns.

Oh, God! Maybe he's a hemophiliac! Internal bleeding!

No, he's not, she thought with a brief sigh of relief. No bruises.

It was when she pushed up the arm sleeves that she noticed several long scratches on one of his arms.

Elizabeth lifted her face and stared at the other two adults in the room.

"What happened?" she asked with a mild frown. "Did he scratch himself? Is that why you were worried about his nails? It doesn't look that bad," she noted as she examined his left forearm.

His normal pale perfect baby skin had four long dark-pink marks.

They're just scratches, she again thought with relief. Not bloody gouges left by an unfortunate accident with a wood-chipper or mad ax-man. Thank goodness! Although, if she had stopped to think about it, she would have remembered that the transporter didn't have a wood-chipper or a mad ax-man on it.

"I'm surprised he scratched himself so often", she added with mild curiosity.

"Perhaps you should sit down, Mrs. Thornton," the doctor instructed. He motioned to a chair.

"Is there a problem? With the scratches? Did you put antibiotic cream on them?"

"Yes, yes, of course, we did. The scratches are fine," he replied dismissively. "Let's get back to his teething pain. As I understand it, - I wasn't here when your son was brought in – he arrived upset about a tooth coming in. Sore gums."

"He was crying," Cassiopeia interjected. "I felt really bad for him."

"I've been giving him a teething toy and a cold washcloth to help," Elizabeth explained.

She didn't bother taking the doctor's suggestion to sit down as she didn't see that the situation was that serious. She could handle four scratches. Elizabeth didn't like to see her son's perfect skin damaged, and it was his first injury, but she knew that it was bound to happen sometime. Her little boy was growing up. Mild injuries – bumps and boo boos - were a part of being a healthy adventuresome boy.

She remembered the old saying that little boys were made of snips, and snails and puppy dog tails. Aaron would be like Jack. Rough and tumble at times. And sweet and caring and nurturing at other times.

Her shoulders sagged in gratitude that no bones were broken and she wondered if pediatricians back home on Earth were this attentive to babies getting their first teeth or simple scratches.

I suppose it's because he's the only baby on board and he's technically listed as a scientific study.

Gosh, by the time we get back to Earth, I'm going to be spoiled with all this medical attention and not having to wait for appointments for him, she thought as she looked at the doctor and medic.

"And that was very admirable to use an ice cloth or teething toy. I would recommend the same thing to any mother. Unfortunately, . . .," the doctor gave Cassiopeia a stern look before continuing, "Lieutenant Greenview gave your son a pain relief medication more suitable for an adult."

A stunned Elizabeth jerked her head from the doctor to her son.

The little boy was babbling gleefully as he pulled on Elizabeth's shirt in an attempt to pull it open so he could nurse. She gently removed Aaron's hands, and vaguely thought that he wasn't due for a feeding for another two hours. The second she moved his hand, the baby reached for her breasts again.

"You gave him medicine? Adult medicine?"

Cassiopeia nodded guiltily.

"You over-dosed my son? But he's fine. He's hungry. He's happy," Elizabeth said in confusion.

"He is fine," the doctor said re-assuredly. "No serious side-effects to worry about."

A sudden thought caused Elizabeth's eyes to widen in alarm. She felt herself becoming hysterical but didn't care.

"Did you have to pump his stomach?!" she shrieked. "Oh my God, you had to pump his stomach! You over-dosed him and then pumped his little baby stomach! You –"

"No. Calm down" the doctor interrupted.

"You pumped his precious adorable baby stomach!" she shrilly accused them.

"We did not pump your son's stomach," the doctor said firmly. "Calm down. He's just been given a medication that is not necessarily suitable for someone of his age and size."

Elizabeth's eyes remained wide in fear.

"You poisoned him?!"

"Poison can be an ambiguous word," the doctor observed after first cringing from Elizabeth's high-pitched voice. "Was it the wrong medication for him? Yes. Will it cause his death or illness? Absolutely not. Will it make him feel different for a while? Yes."

Elizabeth looked at her happy son who didn't seem to have a care in the world other fiddling with her shirt and grabbing for her breasts.

"It may make him a bit hungry. A minor side-effect," the doctor added casually when he noticed Elizabeth's gaze.

"He's happy and hungry," Elizabeth mumbled quietly before the meaning of the doctor's words finally infiltrated Elizabeth's worried mind.

"YOU GOT HIM HIGH?! YOU GOT MY BABY HIGH?!"

A guilty Cassiopeia cringed at Elizabeth's outburst.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she wailed. "It was an accident. He's very happy!"

"MY SEVEN-MONTH OLD BABY IS STONED?!"

Up Next: Chapter 79. The Prognosis.