Chakotay sat by Seven's biobed shut out from the world around him. The Doctor looked on in concern, it was approaching 0600 hours now, and Chakotay had been here most of the night. The Doctor gave Seven a through scan and breathed a sigh of relief; his theory seemed to be working. "It seems to be going well." He commented, hoping to get some sort of reaction from Chakotay.
"Going well?" whispered Chakotay, his eyes fixed on his wife's still body, hooked up to every machine possible. Only a doctor could think all this was in anyway promising.
"Yes. Her implants are stable again, the contractions have stopped and the babies are healthy."
Chakotay stared blankly up at him. "You…you stabilised her implants before…why did you have to do this now?"
"This way her implants don't need to do anything. She went into labour because her implants got overstrained and triggered it. Maybe if she'd been a couple of weeks further along I would've let her deliver but right now the babies need as much time as we can give them okay?"
Chakotay listened to the steady beeping of the machines, the rhythmic beats echoing from the babies' heart monitor and knew that resisting the situation would only make it more difficult for himself and certainly wouldn't improve his family's lot. Sighing deeply he took Seven's hand and fell back into his mental void.
"Chakotay?" He jumped out of his skin as Tom and B'Elanna came up behind him. "The Doctor told us what happened, how are you doing?" asked B'Elanna carefully, hiding her shock at seeing Seven like that.
Chakotay forced his eyes to leave Seven and turn to them. "I can't do anything…"
Tom squeezed his shoulder. "Anyone else you want to call?"
"Icheb should probably know. It's a good thing he's off world; I don't want him to see her like this."
"We'll call him and we'll sit with her while you go and get some sleep." Tom told him.
The Doctor intervened, "All of you should go home. Seven will be like this for the rest of her pregnancy, there's no point holding a vigil."
"I'm not leaving!" Chakotay snapped.
"She's fine Chakotay. You can see her during visiting hours. This is going to go on for a while and you shouldn't exhaust yourself."
Tom and B'Elanna could see the logic in this argument; they didn't want their friend cooped up in here pining away. "He's right Chakotay; you're going to need all your energy reserves when there are two newborns crying for attention at the same time." B'Elanna reasoned softly.
Chakotay's gaze flickered round his three concerned friends before glancing back at Seven, that life sapping helplessness setting in again. Without a word to any of them he kissed Seven's forehead lightly and walked out of the room.
Over the next two and half weeks Chakotay's friends rallied round to attempt to console and distract him but it had little affect for every night he had to return to his marital home, walk past the empty nursery and try to sleep alone. He visited Seven at every chance he got and the Doctor kept him regularly updated but it didn't relieve his longing for her awakening, to speak with her and hold her.
He glanced up at the old fashioned calendar on the wall above Seven's bed, 3rd of November 2378. He couldn't believe that they had been in this state of limbo for almost three weeks now, though he could see the difference in Seven, the pregnancy was obviously progressing despite it all. He rubbed the back of his hand over her cheek, "You're doing so well sweetheart. When you wake up it'll be time to bring our children into the world and we'll forget all the pain…" He stopped speaking as he saw the Doctor come on his night time rounds.
"Hey Chakotay, thirty weeks tomorrow, how are you doing?"
"The best I can." He replied, tensing as he saw the Doctor's face darken as he ran the scan. "What's wrong?"
"She's a little less stable than I'd like."
"What will you do?" he asked urgently, trying desperately to halt the panic rising within him.
"At this point? I think I'd let nature take its course."
"They'd still be ten weeks premature!"
"I know, but ten is a lot more promising than thirteen I assure you. Most babies recover from that now after a few weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit." He saw the fear in Chakotay's face and backtracked slightly, "Look, I'm not saying she's in labour right now. I'm saying prepare yourself for the fact that it may be soon. Go home and I'll call you if the situation becomes more definite."
By now knowing that he had very little choice in the matter Chakotay returned to Arizona and spent the rest of the evening packing and repacking a hospital bag for Seven and each of the babies, trying to release his anxious energy before giving up and going to bed around midnight, but sleep was not destined to be his refuge for long.
An insistent beeping pierced his dreams and he sat up drowsily. "Computer, date and time."
"Stardate 7811.4, 4th of November 2378. 0338 hours."
The sound continued until the knowledge finally crashed into his brain that it was the phone and he jolted up and out of bed and ran to the phone, activating it to see the Doctor's face who spoke urgently. "Chakotay you need to come, she's been labouring consistently for half an hour now and I believe it would be unwise to try and stop it."
Chakotay didn't need or want to hear any more. "I'm on my way." He said curtly before switching of the phone and dressing at top speed, just remembering to pick up the bags on his way out the door.
He got a shock when he arrived at the hospital, Seven was still unconscious. He rounded on the Doctor, "You told me she was in labour!"
The Doctor met his frantic eyes with a calm gaze. "Oh she is, a decent contraction every five minutes like clockwork for the last hour, but she has to come out of the coma gradually to be safe.
Chakotay let go of the breath he'd been holding and settled down beside Seven to wait. She did come round gradually, the pain hitting her before sentient thought, a moan of pain escaping her lips every so often that made Chakotay wince in sympathy.
It was four hours after the start of her labour before she was awake enough to recognise Chakotay. "Chakotay? What's happening?" she whispered hoarsely.
"You're in labour sweetheart; the Doctor had to bring you round."
A pain coursed through her to confirm what he said and fear filled her. "How long has it been?"
"Almost three weeks, you're at thirty weeks now."
"No! That's too soon; get the Doctor to stop it!"
"He can't…"
"What do you mean he ca…" she stopped mid word as another contraction gripped her and she allowed Chakotay to lower her back against the bed. No more argument came from her lips as the reality of her situation sunk in.
Both Seven and Chakotay were reaching what they thought was their breaking point by the twelve hour mark, the Doctor checked her progression and they felt hopeful until he spoke, "You're four centimetres dilated." He told them with an air of satisfaction neither Seven or Chakotay could understand.
"Four centimetres in twelve hours and she needs to get to ten?" exclaimed Chakotay incredulously.
"That's a centimetre every three hours! Surely the process isn't this inefficient?" Seven could feel herself getting aggravated at her own body, every inch of her self control already being used to suppress the cries of pain for Chakotay's sake.
"This is normal, especially for a first time mother and you've been in a coma for three weeks…"
"And who's fault is that?" she snapped, fighting her irrational urge to cry.
The Doctor let the outburst go; he'd heard a hell of a lot worse from B'Elanna after all. "I do have some good news, you're far enough along now to get painkiller."
Seven sank against the pillows in relief and exhaustion, submitting to the injections in silence.
After another half an hour had passed, Chakotay felt that Seven had gone unnaturally silent and noticed in shock that her eyes had glazed over. "Doctor!" he cried, "Seven! Seven!"
The Doctor pushed him out of the way, tricorder in hand. "She's having an allergic reaction to the painkillers…we'll have to withdraw them…"
Chakotay swallowed, "You mean she's going to have no pain relief at all?" When the Doctor sighed in confirmation Chakotay felt sick to the stomach. "Can't you do a caesarean instead?"
The Doctor shook his head as he brought Seven back, "Too many implants."
Seven began to lose track of time despite her internal clock, minutes seemed like hours and hours felt like days as the contractions grew so close together that she could hardly breathe. At one point though she dimly realised it was once again dark outside. "Chakotay…how…long…" she gasped out to him.
He understood her but realised he himself didn't know. "Computer, date and time." He ordered.
"Stardate 7811.5, 5th of November 2378. 0305 hours."
Seven began to feel hysterics close in on her, "Twenty four… hours…" A pain wracked sob shook her body.
"Don't worry, they'll soon be here. The Doctor said you were at eight centimetres about half an hour ago, remember?" Chakotay soothed softly.
Seven couldn't remember everything was blurry. As another contraction pulled at her body she tried to think on anything else other than what was happening. "It's your…mother's…birthday…"
Chakotay smiled at her still excellent memory. "Yeah it is, guess we must have been having a premonition when we chose the name Aylen huh?"
Seven was in too much pain to respond and Chakotay sent a quick prayer to his mother's sprit to please help bring her grandchildren into the world soon to ease Seven's suffering. He got his wish in an unpleasant way, about three hours after that the Doctor seemed to become concerned and kept scanning Seven before leading Chakotay away out of her earshot. "One of the babies' heart rate keeps fluctuating more than normal."
"What can we do ?" asked Chakotay fearfully.
"Hope that that one is born first." Said the Doctor quietly.
A nurse suddenly shouted, "Her waters have broken Doctor!"
Chakotay and the Doctor turned round to see that Seven was covered in bloody fluid. "Is it supposed to be that bloody?" asked Chakotay though he already knew the likely answer.
The Doctor, tight lipped, shook his head and ran over, checking her rapidly. "Time to push." He muttered, he faced a disturbingly silent Seven. "Seven, I need you to push as hard as you can with the next contraction and do exactly as I say, do you understand?"
There was no verbal answer but she did seem to push for the Doctor kept saying "Good! Again!" over and over.
Chakotay was petrified as he stood by unable to do anything, as people rushed past him, radiating nervous energy, he continually prayed to God, his people's Sprits, his father and mother, anything that may have listened, to spare Seven and bring the twins to them in good health.
Finally Seven uttered something between a groan and a scream and Chakotay saw what had worried the Doctor as a tiny baby girl, his daughter Aylen, appeared with the cord wrapped several times round her fragile neck, she looked as if she was being strangled. Everything fell silent as the baby was whisked away. Oh little one, please cry, please be alive, he thought as a horrible wait descended. Suddenly he heard Seven's voice, "No crying…" she whispered, tears streaming down her grey, drained face.
He went up to her, taking her face in his hands. "She will, my love…she will…concentrate on Michael right now okay? Everything's going to be fine…" What will I tell her if it's not? Just as this thought was passing through his head he heard what sounded like choked raspy gasps and glanced over at the nurse pressing an oxygen mask against Aylen's face and saw her arms and legs finally move. A heavy breath left him and he gave a quick prayer of thanks, not exactly the healthy wail he had wanted but she was definitely alive and the Doctor confirmed it as he returned to Seven.
"Seven, your daughter's out of the room being cared for. You have to do that all over again for your son okay? Same thing again." The whole process began again and within a few minutes Michael joined his sister in being born, though he was more vocal, crying weakly almost immediately.
Chakotay was allowed a quick glance at his son before he too was taken to the intensive care unit. "Look, Seven…" he began to exclaim before he saw that blood was beginning to flow everywhere, Seven's blood. He stood against the wall trying desperately not to pass out as he though about what could happen. No, no, she can't die! Not after all this!
He was unaware that a nurse was talking to him until she laid a hand on his arm. "Sir…" Why did her voice sound so far away? "Sir, your wife is haemorrhaging, you need to leave while the Doctor works…" He stood there without moving, unable to process anything until he was led into the corridor and sat on a chair where everything hit him like a tidal wave and he cried from joy and fear.
A/n: Please review since I updated within a day!