Lisa woke up in a haze and wondered where she was. She looked around the familiar surrounding until she saw Rick's sleeping form slumped over a chair beside her. His hand was still holding hers. She squeezed his hand and watched him wake up.
"Hey, welcome back," he chirped cheerily. "You gave me quite a scare." From how he looked, she knew what he meant.
"How long have I been asleep?" she managed to ask.
"Three days!" He stretched against the chair before moving closer to her.
"That's probably why I feel hungry," she said, hoping to lighten the mood.
"So do you want to eat a horse?" he teased.
Lisa looked at him in confusion before realizing he was joking. "Rick, I used to own a horse."
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it literally," he said.
"I know what you meant," she said with a weak smile.
"Well, I'll cook you up a feast," he declared and kissed her on the cheek before heading out.
"Well, look, who's awake," Jean said when she entered the room. "You were beginning to worry me with your long slumber."
"How did I end up here?" Lisa wondered, sensing that Jean would have preferred her to be at the hospital.
Jean related how Rick had refused to leave her side and how she came up with the idea of home care. It had been the only way to get Rick to get some rest himself.
"Thanks, for putting up with us," Lisa said with an appreciative smile. "He is a little stubborn sometimes."
"Just like someone else I know," Jean teased, nodding in her direction.
"Breakfast is served," Rick announced proudly when he came back. He carefully placed the tray on the bed.
"What is that?" Lisa asked at the oddly shaped pancakes.
"I was trying to make them look like farm animals," he explained. "This one is a cow, that a pig, and that a chicken."
"I don't want to know do I?" Jean said shaking her head.
Lisa chuckled and Rick thought it was the loveliest sound he had ever heard.
"Come on, eat," he nudged her.
"Which should I eat first?" she joked.
"Well, I can see that you've got things under control here," Jean interjected. "I guess my work here is done. Oh, I meant to give you this." She handed Lisa the results of her blood tests.
"What does it say?" Rick asked in anticipation as he watched her read through it.
"That her blood work is normal and the organic material we found wasn't toxic," Jean explained quickly, she watched as Lisa read the last page of the results.
"Is this right?" Lisa looked up in surprise at her.
"What?" Rick asked with concern.
"I checked twice," Jean assured her. "It's certain."
"What's wrong?" Rick insisted. He was at a loss as to what the two women were smiling about.
"Everything is fine," Lisa said at last. "And by the way, you're going to be a dad again."
Rick's eyes widened in disbelief and then a goofy grin splashed across his face when he read it for himself after Lisa handed the report to him. He jumped off the bed and spun Jean around with joy.
"Was he like this the first time?" Jean asked when she regained her balance after Rick stopped spinning her around.
"Pretty much," Lisa said with an approving smile.
"We can't leave yet," Lisa said following Rick into the kitchen. She felt her strength returning after the hearty breakfast she just had.
"Why not?" Rick asked half-heartedly as he cleaned up in the kitchen.
"Because I promised I'd help them restore their systems," she explained.
"They attacked you," he reminded her. "They're the reason you were in a coma."
"No, they didn't attack me. They may have grabbed me but they thought they were rescuing me from Miriya."
"Rescuing you? From what?"
"From a Zentraedi. They had a very bad encounter with them and lost quite a lot of their comrades during the ensuing battle. They thought we were Miriya's prisoners."
"How did they know Miriya is a Zentraedi? She's micronized."
"I don't know exactly how but they knew. And when I realized that their systems had been damaged, I offered to help them get it working again. But I must have pushed the wrong button when the whole thing collapsed."
"You caused the mountain to collapse?"
"I didn't mean to," she said sheepishly. "That's why I need to undo the damage."
"But why did they abandon you in there?" He still wouldn't believe the tree-like creatures weren't hostile.
"I must've fainted," she said, thinking back to the events prior to his rescue. "I was fainting a lot and they smeared me with some sap."
"Why would they do that?"
"I think it's their form of medicine or food. I don't know but I know they weren't trying to harm me."
Rick was still resistant until Lisa explained the whole history of the Dendronites. She explained how the Zentraedi's cut them down and destroyed their cities.
"How is it that some of them can move while others don't?" Rick wondered why only the group where Lisa was sprung into action while the group around him didn't.
"They don't achieve mobility until they're much older. As it is, there are a dwindling number of elders and tending to the new saplings takes a lot of their energy. We need to help them restore their systems to ease the load on them. It's tantamount to their survival."
"Alright, I'll go and help them out," Rick said at last.
"I have to go, it is a sign of goodwill," she said. "Besides, they trust me. And I need you to stay here to keep the ship shipshape." She knew the joke was corny but appreciated him chuckling at it. She started nibbling at his ear to seal the deal.
"This isn't fair, you know I can't say no to you this way," he said and turned to kiss her.
Lisa smiled sweetly for good measure, knowing full well her effect on him was.
"I'm taking Max, Miriya and Emil with me if that helps ease your mind," she said when he released her.
"But I thought you said they hated the Zentraedi?"
"I think it's a great time to broker peace between the Dendronites and the Zentraedi," she said, the twinkle in her eye showed that she already had a plan.
"Alright, enough of that, you still need your rest," Rick ordered her. "Jean put me in-charge of your health."
"Since when?" she mockingly objected.
"Since you came back sick," he declared. "And now that you're expecting our next baby, I'm electing me in-charge until further notice."
Lisa turned to argue the point but was cut off.
"I also think that Clarisse will be on my side on this because she wanted me to make you well again," he added. "So two to one, you can't win."
Lisa knew that Clarisse couldn't possibly understand to make such a vote but decided not to argue further. Besides, she enjoyed the pampering Rick was giving her.
"Mommy," Clarisse happily greeted Lisa when she arrived home.
"She couldn't wait to see you," Jean said, trying to catch her breath from running after Clarisse.
"Hi there," Lisa greeted back and lifted her little girl off the floor. "Thanks Jean."
"I missed you so much mommy," the little girl said and hugged her tightly.
"I missed you, too," she said and tickled her daughter. "Say thank you to Auntie Jean."
Clarisse gave a quick wave at Jean and resumed hugging Lisa.
"I guess you don't miss me," Rick said teasingly from behind them. He watched Lisa and Clarisse turn and give him twin looks of disbelief.
"Daddy," Clarisse said and stretched her arms out to him.
"Clarisse, we have something to tell you," Lisa started after Jean left, trying to decide how best to tell her 3-year old about the impending arrival of a sibling. She walked over to the kitchen and got a cookie from the cookie jar and offered it to the little girl. She waited for her little girl to finish.
"What mommy is trying to say," Rick picked up for her. "Is that we're expecting a little baby."
Clarisse who had been preoccupied with eating her cookie was now attentive.
"You'll be having either a baby sister or a baby brother," Lisa explained.
"I want a baby brother," Clarisse declared matter-of-factly.
"It could be a baby sister," Lisa insisted.
"No, I asked for a baby brother for my birthday," Clarisse insisted back. She then squirmed out of Rick's arms to get down to the floor.
Lisa was preparing for a temper tantrum but was surprised when Clarisse didn't throw one. The little girl merely looked expectantly at her. She knelt down to explain to Clarisse that there was a possibility of a little sister and got her to accept it.
"When do we get to see the baby?" Clarisse asked, looking around in case she missed the baby.
"Not for a little while," Lisa tried to explain. She could see that Clarisse eagerly wanted a little sibling.
"When?" Clarisse asked again.
"Soon, but if you don't get to bed now, it might take longer," Rick teased and tickled her. He chased the squealing girl into her bedroom.
After putting Clarisse to bed, Rick came back into the kitchen to find Lisa making tea.
"So do you want to find out if our baby is a boy?" he asked.
"Not you, too," she said and sipped her tea.
"It wouldn't hurt to know ahead this time," he chuckled. He knew that she wanted to wait and be surprised.
"And if we're having a girl, are we supposed give her back for an exchange?"
Rick almost spilled his cup of tea. He just had a mental picture of a trading post for babies. He certainly wasn't about to trade his own child.
"Rick, I'm serious," she complained at his apparent nonchalant manner towards their predicament.
"Lisa, I'm just saying that if we know ahead, we can prepare Clarisse," he explained. "I really don't care if we're having a boy or a girl."
"Oh, now you don't care," she said in a huff. She slammed her tea cup on the counter and headed off to their bedroom.
"What did I say?" he asked and followed her. He ducked when she threw a pillow at him.
"I don't want to disappoint our daughter," she said, close to tears, knowing full well that it was out of her hands now. "What if she doesn't like having a baby sister? You saw how excited and adamant she was about a baby brother."
"I think she gets that from you," he teased, trying to lighten her mood. "Once she has an idea in her head, she just won't let it go. But luckily half of her is like me; she'll roll with the punches." He quickly moved next to her to prevent her from throwing another pillow at him.
"You think so," Lisa said with a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Boy or girl, I'm very happy to have another child with you. Clarisse will be happy just to have a baby sibling."
Rick returned home to find Lisa packing for her mission.
"Hi," Lisa greeted him when she noticed him by the bedroom door.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know how long it will take," she admitted. "But with Emil's help, I hope it won't take too long. If anyone can figure out their system, he would."
"I wish I was going with you," he said.
"I know, but you're needed here," she explained, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Who's going to take care of Clarisse and the fleet? Remember, I want this ship in one piece and don't spoil Clarisse too much." She reached up to kiss him.
"The ship will be in one piece and when have I spoiled Clarisse?" he asked, watching Lisa raise her brow knowingly. Rick conceded by nuzzling against Lisa's neck.
"I better get going," she said after a while. "I can't keep them waiting."
Rick picked up Lisa's packed bag and took her hand in his other hand as they headed to the hangar to meet Max, Miriya and Emil.
Rick and Lisa arrived at the hangar just as Miriya and Emil were getting into her VT. Max was waiting for Lisa.
"Well, hold down the fort for me ok?" Lisa said as a farewell to Rick. She watched him nod with a forced smile. She knew it was tough for him as it was for her when they parted especially after the recent episode.
Rick motioned to Max and they talked in private.
"What's up boss?" Max asked.
"Take care of her for me," Rick said with concern. "At the first sign of trouble, get her out of there fast. I don't care if she is kicking and screaming or ordering you to stay; I want her back here safely." He didn't want a repeat of their recent separation.
"You got if boss," Max assured him and then headed for his VT.
Lisa waited patiently for Max to climb into his VT. As their VT started to taxi out, Rick gave her a quick salute which she acknowledged with a smile. Soon the two VTs with their escorts were on their way to the surface to negotiate peace and reconstruction.
Lisa waited for the hubbub of the take off to subside before asking to speak with Max in private. He switched to private comm link so they could speak freely.
"Would you mind telling me what Rick wanted to talk with you about?" she asked, guessing correctly that it had something to do with her.
"He wanted me to take care of you," he admitted. "He loves you a lot."
"He worries too much," she noted.
"That's how I knew he loved you long before he would admit it," Max revealed.
Lisa was surprised by this information. She had always assumed that Max found out like everyone else, through the grapevine that the Trio seemed to cultivate. But now that she thought about it, that seemed out of character for Max.
"What do you mean?" she asked, hoping he would explain further.
"Well, you know that he always goes off to protect Minmei," he began to explain. "But that's because she can't take care of herself. Rick knows very well that you are quite capable of taking care of yourself and still he worries about you."
"I'm his wife," she reminded him. She thought that Max was talking about Rick's concern for her when she was trapped on the planet that they were returning to.
"No, this was long before you became a couple on Earth," Max insisted. "We'd be out on patrol and he'd say just how worried he was leaving you unprotected in the SDF-1. Even if he knows that there are dozens of squadrons patrolling near it."
Lisa hadn't realized that Rick was concerned for her safety way back then. She thought they were just friends and even that was unclear during those times.
"Rick may have flown anywhere to rescue Minmei but he would have flown and fought relentlessly to rescue you."
Lisa pondered on this new discovery as they approached the planet.
Miriya's VT came along side Max and she signaled for him to switch to the regular comm link. Max obliged and saw an angry Rick on the screen.
"What is the matter?" Rick asked urgently. "Are you alright?"
"Uhm, sorry boss," Max stammered an apology. "I must've accidentally flicked the wrong switch."
"You're approaching the planet now," Rick informed him. "Stay sharp."
"Yes Admiral Hunter," Max replied and heard Lisa chuckle behind him.
Lisa thought of the times she and Rick had a similar exchange in the past. She realized he was acting that way because he worried about her just as she did. She was harder on him about protocols because she wanted him to focus and not get injured during the skirmishes.