Seven slowly rolled onto her side but her precautions were pointless for her nerves still screamed in complaint at the movement so soon after giving birth. She forgot all this of course as baby Max in his cot beside her bed absorbed all her attention once again, lying flat on his stomach as he slept, his face turned towards her and his tiny hands up around his face. She smiled fondly remembering that Aylen always assumed the same position in her cot, even now at nineteen months. She ran a finger up his spine half hoping he would stir and give her an excuse to pick him up but exhaustion and common sense banished such a wish, they both needed rest and from the way his month worked as he slept she knew he would be asking for another feed soon enough anyway. With a sigh she laid back on the pillows, hoping that sleep would reclaim her but June's early sunrise streaming through the window refocused her attention on Chakotay, slumped in a chair in the darkest corner, soundly asleep. She watched how utterly relaxed and calm his face was in sleep, even more so than his newest son and felt love and gratitude for them both overwhelm her for a moment as well as a pang for the other half of her family, her lively but sweet natured twins. Oh, it would be so good to interact with them again, even if she did face at least another four days in hospital, escape was now promised!
As if he could sense his wife's eyes on him Chakotay blinked awake, a tired smile forming as he remembered where he was and what had happened. Running a hand through his hair as he yawned, he asked, "What time is it my love?"
"0729 hours." Seven replied quietly as she watched his eyes shift to Max.
He let go an exhale of breath. "Almost eight hours old. It seems an age since Aylen and Michael were that young."
"Nineteen months, twelve days." Seven answered precisely but with a teasing glint in her eye. "When did you arrange for Aunt Irene to bring the twins in?"
"As soon as visiting hours start at nine. Tom and B'Elanna said they'd come too, and Harry and Debbie are coming in for an antenatal appointment…"
Seven felt her face fall in disappointment. "Do they have to come so quickly?"
Chakotay frowned slightly. "Why not? You're feeling alright aren't you?"
"As well as can be expected but I wanted to have the twins to ourselves for a little while to help them adjust. Everyone else as well as us paying attention to Max may make them jealous…and I've missed them a great deal whilst I've been here…"
He approached the bed and brushed her face with his fingers. "I know you've missed them and vice versa but it's all over now and we have the rest of our lives with them okay?" As she nodded slowly in agreement he added, "We'll give them attention on their own before we introduce them to Max, I have a feeling Irene's going to want to hold him as soon as she comes in."
"A reasonable assumption." Seven murmured, leaning forward to kiss him but having to pull back prematurely as Max began to cry.
"Right on cue." Chakotay muttered to Seven as he lifted the baby so that a stiff Seven didn't have to move. "Am I hogging your Mama when you need her?" he cooed as he cuddled him close. "How about she feeds you and I feed her, deal?" he asked jokingly as he passed him over to Seven's waiting arms. "What do you want for breakfast?"
Seven gave a preoccupied sigh as she pulled Max against her and let him nurse. "Anything that fulfils my nutritional needs."
"It a hospital replicator, I wouldn't get my hopes up!"
After a not particularly nutritional but filling breakfast of tasteless cereal and toast, they were fully occupied attending to the baby and had just settled him back in his cot when familiar chatter filtering through the hallways alerted them to their elder children's arrival and within a minute they had broken free of their great-aunt's guiding hands and burst through the door. "Mama! Papa!" they both shouted in greeting, excitedly grasping their mother's duvet and tugging it in an effort to climb up. Aylen suddenly had a brainwave, grasping her father's leg. "Papa wift up."
"What do you say?" In response to his prompting he was sure he caught Aylen rolling her eyes slightly but Michael cottoned on.
"Papa wift up pwease!"
"Okay." Said Chakotay, lifting him up to join his mother first in reward for his politeness, Aylen following a minute later where they were immediately happily welcomed by Seven.
Irene could now get a word in, leaning over the twins to give Seven's hand a squeeze. "How was it dear?"
"Fine." Seven responded tiredly, her exhaustion coming back in more than full force after the twins exuberant greeting, bouncing all over her strained body. "He's over there if you want to see him."
Irene sniffed, "If I want to see him?" She replied sarcastically, going over to her new great-nephew, gently scooping him up and cuddling him. "What a lovely baby you are Max, your Mama's good at having beautiful babies isn't she?" she cooed enthusiastically.
While Irene monopolised Max Chakotay joined Seven and the twins on the bed. "Were you good for your Great-Aunt Irene?" Seven asked as they clung to her like limpets.
"Yes, good." Aylen replied as Michael nodded. Seven glanced at Irene who nodded smilingly in confirmation.
"What were you doing?" asked Chakotay.
Michael's face lit up in remembrance. "Aunt Rini swing."
"Aunt Irene pushed you on the swing? How high?" Chakotay smiled, glad he had installed the swing in the garden just before Seven went into the hospital.
"High! Touch sky!" Michael answered excitedly.
"Me higha." Aylen told her father in a confidential tone.
Michael took instant offence, "No! Me higha!"
Sensing an argument brewing Seven intervened. "What else did she do with you?"
"We read a lot of books didn't we?" Irene encouraged from her place sitting with Max.
"Yes lot. Need more." Aylen replied.
Not wanting his daughter to whine for a book as she sometimes did Chakotay spoke again, "What did you play?"
Alyen thought for a moment before a smile spread across her face. "Pway sap!"
"Sap?" Seven repeated in confusion, having no idea what she meant.
"She means snap, playing that with them kept them happy for hours." Irene clarified.
"What's that?" Seven asked inquisitively.
"It's a card game. You throw down picture cards and when you see one that matches one you have you shout "snap"." Chakotay explained but Seven's face changed to a deep frown.
"Card games encourage gambling." She stated with blunt disapproval.
"It's not like that! It's just a children's game I promise." Chakotay reassured her, remembering too late Seven's deep aversion to gambling.
Seven realised that she'd made a mistake and blushed slightly. "If they like it so much, I'll have to learn how to play." She said trying to save face as she sank back onto the bed again with a yawn which she couldn't suppress.
"Mama tired." Michael commented sympathetically.
"Yes I'm very tired." Seven admitted softly, stroking her elder son's hair as Max began to whimper and Irene brought him back to her. "Let's see your new brother." She told both the twins as calmly as she could, tilting Max in her arms so that they could see.
Michael peered at the small face, his curiosity evident in his own. "Max?" he questioned, looking at his mother for confirmation.
"Yes, this is Max." She guided his hand to brush his brother's face and as Max gurgled Michael smiled.
"Talks!" he exclaimed happily.
Seven wasn't sure what to say, since that wasn't really true, glancing at Chakotay for support who gave a small laughed as he said, "Not quite yet, but he will. You have to be gentle with him until he grows a little okay?" Michael immediately nodded determinedly but soon lost interest and began playing with his toy car.
Seven looked at Aylen who had been silent during this whole exchange. "Aylen my love, come and see."
Aylen, always the more sceptical about having a new brother, perhaps because she already had experience of having one, drew away fretfully. "No…" Seven gently urged her closer but Max chose that time to shift in his blankets and Aylen jumped. "Moves!"
"Yes…" Seven began patiently. "Just like when you move." Taking Aylen's hand as she had done with Michael's, she made Alyen gently touch the baby.
Aylen's face relaxed significantly. "Sof." She mumbled in awe, watching as the baby yawned and making a valiant attempt to tuck the blankets tighter around him as she'd seen her mother do a moment before, almost all of the nervousness gone.
Seven kissed her for the effort and allowed her to back away as Max began to fuss again. Irene helpfully led the twins away from the bed Seven said quietly to Chakotay, "Why didn't you help to explain more fully?"
"Because you were doing just fine, better than fine." Chakotay responded confidently and Seven felt some of that confidence transfer to her, maybe she could handle three children, not just adequately but well, after all.
A/n: Hi, I hope this is okay! It's not as long as I planned because I've run out of time tonight but I'll write the next chapter soon. Please review! Thanks to all the new people who favourited and story alerted.
I have completed "Disunity" and started two new fics, "The Hansen Identity" and "The Loving Game", please read and review!