This is Prompt No. 86-Science

Two weeks after the wonderful, unexpected Christmas surprise Mitchie had received, she was sitting in Caitlyn's apartment with another cup of hot chocolate in her hands, blowing on the wispy steam that curled up from the cup. She took a hesitant sip, testing to see if it was too hot, and she pulled back sharply. The hot liquid had burned her tongue…again.

Caitlyn appeared with her cup of coffee and she grinned. "Did you burn your tongue again?" she asked as she watched Mitchie try and suck on her aching tongue.

"Yes," Mitchie said with a sigh. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this," she said. "Hot chocolate is just too difficult to drink."

Caitlyn laughed, knowing that Mitchie was teasing her. She sat down and noticed Mitchie wince slightly. "Is the baby as active as ever?" she asked.

Mitchie nodded, placing a hand on her ribs where the baby had just kicked. "Yes, I think it's a boy," she said, slightly breathless.

"Why?"

Mitchie winced as the baby kicked again. "Because it never stops moving!" she said with a wry grin.

Caitlyn smiled again. "You're probably right," she said. "It's either a boy, or a very active girl." She grew serious and asked, "Which would you rather it be?"

Mitchie thought for a moment and then said slowly, "I think I'd be perfectly fine with either," she said. "All I want is a healthy baby, and so does Shane." She paused and took a sip of her drink. "That being said, if something should happen to Shane, I think I'd like my baby to be a boy just like him."

Caitlyn nodded and said, "I think that's perfectly natural. Nate and I are thinking about having a baby."

"Really?" Mitchie asked excitedly, smiling when Caitlyn blushed bright red. "That's great! Our children can have play dates. They'll be cousins!"

Caitlyn had to smile at her friend's excitement over such a simple concept. "You're one of the happiest people I know," she remarked.

Mitchie paused, thinking that through. "Is that a good thing?" she asked, unsure.

"Yes of course!" Caitlyn laughed. "You make the people around you happy. Look at Brown! He used to be so shy around us, and now we have a problem getting him out of our house at the end of the night!" She winked at Mitchie. "Not that I'm complaining about the company. Shane would be pleased that his uncle is starting to fit right in with us."

Mitchie couldn't help but let out a giggle as the baby within her moved. Her giggling turned to full out laughs as she leaned her head back against the chair. "I'm sorry!" she managed to choke out as she saw Caitlyn staring at her, wondering what was so funny.

"What is it?" Caitlyn asked, confused.

"Something you said reminded me of something else," Mitchie managed to explain in between giggles.

"And it was that funny?" Caitlyn asked, trying to remember what she had said.

Mitchie nodded. "It was because you mentioned Brown," she explained.

Caitlyn frowned. "How is that funny?" she asked. "Granted, Brown himself is funny, but I can't see how that would make you laugh."

"It isn't that," Mitchie told her. "It was something he told me one day when I went to visit him."

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. "Go on," she said, interested now.

"We were talking about the baby, and all the different things that go on inside the body that carries the child," Mitchie explained as a preface.

"Okay," Caitlyn said, able to keep up with Mitchie's story so far.

"So we were going on about the processes, and Brown started to get this disgusted look on his face, so I asked him what was wrong, and he looked at me and said, 'Honestly, love, I just can't abide with the fact that the baby is pushing your liver and kidneys up, and pushing your small and large intestines together.'" She grinned as she remembered it, and saw that Caitlyn was trying to laugh as she watched Mitchie impersonate the faces she saw from Brown. "That's all," she added with a shrug.

"You do his face and voice very well," Caitlyn told Mitchie. She stood and collected the cups from their visit and smiled down at her friend. "You only have about three months left, right?" she asked. "Then we'll have a new family member."

Mitchie nodded. "I'm excited, yet I'm scared," she admitted.

"Why?" Caitlyn asked. "What's there to be scared about?"

"Well," Mitchie said, blushing, "I've never handled pain very well."

"Pain?" Caitlyn asked, trying so hard not to laugh. "You, who got shot twice and had to have a small amount of surgery done on your arm because you couldn't move it, are worried about pain?"

Mitchie nodded. "Yes, because-" she said, stopping immediately and blushing again. "Never mind. It's silly."

"What?" Caitlyn asked curiously. "You can tell me."

"I'm afraid because each time I've been in pain, Shane's been there to help me through it," Mitchie told her.

"That's not silly. That's natural. I've never seen two people more in tune to each other than you and Shane." Caitlyn patted Mitchie's arm. "Who knows? Maybe the mission will be over before you have to worry about giving birth by yourself."

Mitchie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You'd let him into the birthing room?" she asked, shocked and pleasantly surprised. "I've never heard of anyone doing that." It was customary that the men be kept away from the birthing room until the baby was born.

Caitlyn shrugged. "We don't have many of the same rules here at the base that other people have," she explained. "We have to think more practically that the rest of society, and that's just a silly custom. If Shane's here, and you want him, he can come in as long as he stays out of my way." She grinned and then tried to look threatening, but it was rather unconvincing since she was trying not to laugh.

Mitchie stood, happy that she had such wonderful supportive people in her life. "Thank you," she said sincerely. She brushed off her skirt and said, "I suppose I should be getting back. I need to clean up my own house."

Caitlyn nodded and walked her to the door. "Don't do too much," she warned, her face twisting into a mischievous smirk. "Your kidneys are already squished!"

Mitchie's laughter rang out through the base.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Thanks to the other people who nominated me! You know who you are! ;) Please review!!!