A/n: The 70th chapter! I can't believe it! Thanks so much for the support everyone! :D
Oh no, not now, please… Seven mentally pleaded with her unborn daughter as another flash of Notsinian phaser fire sliced through the humid city air. Aylen's mouth dropped open to scream but her mother's groan as a contraction hit cut her off, her panic stricken blue eyes swivelling round wildly to stare at her mother's buckled over frame, "Mama! What's wrong with you?"
Gasping for air Seven dragged herself upright using the wall and tried to plaster over the pain on her face with a reassuring smile, "No…Nothing baby, will you go and get Michael for me please?"
"I'm over here Mama." Michael said in a small voice from his bedroom threshold. He frowned at her uneasily, "Mama…is it my sister's birthday?"
Seven laughed hoarsely, remembering how Chakotay had explained to them how their baby sister would come. "Yes, yes I think it is…" She gulped as another contraction hit, they were scarily close together, it had taken hours with her other two labours, and stumbled towards the phone, glancing back at Michael and Aylen, who was already hugging a whimpering Max, "I need you two to look after Max while I call your Papa and the Doctor, alright?"
Although pale faced they both nodded vigorously and Seven collapsed into the chair by the phone, entering Chakotay's work number with superhuman speed, but instead of Chakotay, who despite the attack she'd been fervently hoping would answer, it was Captain Yates' young secretary, Ensign Fuller who answered. "Can you put me in contact with my husband now?" Seven ground out at her through gritted teeth.
"A comm. blackout has been declared ma'am." Fuller replied with cool formality.
"This is an emergency!" Seven retorted sharply, her fists clenching around the arms of the chair until her knuckles went white.
"We're having a bit of an emergency here! The city, no, the entire planet, is under attack! The Commander is in the strategic bunker and there's absolutely no way to get in contact with him until the state of emergency is lowered." Fuller explained.
Panic began to burrow even deeper into Seven's heart; Chakotay was in the heart of Starfleet headquarters, the logical place for the Notsinians to firing on? What if he was in danger? What if he was already? Every shred of learned courtesy within her was worn away and she resorted to her old Borg bluntness as she snapped, "Well, when you can find a way to communicate with him, tell him his wife is in labour!"
"Oh…" Fuller choked out, embarrassed understanding flooding her features, "I'll do the best that I can to get through to him Seven."
"Thank you…" Seven breathed, managing a weak smile of gratitude before redialling to get through to the Doctor.
It took him several horribly drawn out minutes to answer and when he finally appeared he looked seriously frazzled, "Seven? What's wrong? Is Chakotay injured or…" He began to ask urgently but Seven cut him off, surprised to feel tears sliding down her cheeks in relief and fear.
"I don't know…but I'm in labour…" She choked out, trying not to sob as her mind became overwhelmed.
The Doctor blanched, his lips parting in shock. "Are you sure?"
"My membranes ruptured eleven minutes ago, there was blood…"
The Doctor gulped, but his medical programming soon overtook his emotional subroutines. "We've got a triage situation here, we're not meant to be taking non acute emergencies…" He trailed off, his brow deeply furrowed in worried thought, "You've still got your emergency beacon though haven't you?"
"Yes." Seven answered immediately, thinking of the small comm. badge sized device hidden from the children's curious eyes in her bedside table.
"Use that then, it should still get you here. Are the kids with you?"
"Yes!" She braced herself for another contraction, let it pass, and then continued, "Chakotay isn't here, and I…couldn't get through to him! What am I going to do?"
The Doctor frowned at her, "How far apart are the contractions?"
"Between four and…three and a half…minutes."
"Well then, you don't have a choice. Get to this hospital as soon as you can and Chakotay will just have to join you when he can."
"But…" Seven began to protest weakly.
"Seven, this is your fourth child, time is of the essence here! I don't think Chakotay would forgive me if I let you deliver while you're there waiting for him, do you?"
"No…" Seven admitted reluctantly, "I'll see you imminently." He nodded and she clicked off the phone, walking painfully over to her bedside cabinet to pick up the beacon before gathering her children around her, "Come on, we're going to see the Doctor." She told them as the transporter kicked in.
And the night had stared out so peacefully… Chakotay groaned to himself as he shouted orders to his subordinates in the bunker while his eyes never left the viewscreens fixed high on the wall which revealed the level of chaos outside. Despite himself every time he heard a new report the fear nibbled at him that the apartment had been obliterated and that Seven and the kids were gone. Thankfully the shield was holding up for now, but it had been under constant bombardment for over three hours and the Notsinians had adapted, with a speed the Borg would admire, to their weaponry. "Captain Yates! Commander Chakotay! There's a weakness forming in the shield, it'll spread fast!" Lieutenant Cooper shouted, making Yates wince.
"We need a weapon that will drive them back or else we're done for! This is their largest fleet yet; our starships are dropping like flies!" Yates exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low as he leaned closer to Chakotay and ordered, "Go and see what Icheb's doing about those shields, we need more time."
"Yes sir." Chakotay replied quickly, immediately setting off on the convoluted path to Icheb's console. "Yates wants to know how long the shields are going to hold up for."
Icheb sighed grimly. "30 minutes, perhaps a few more but not much." Seeing Chakotay's face fall in horror, he looked up at him seriously from his position bent over the scans, "I think we can adapt the weapons to be more destructive but…"
"But?" Chakotay asked with impatient terseness.
"I'd need to use the multi phasic cannon."
"The ones Species 8472 used? I thought you and Seven ruled that out."
Icheb shrugged, "The Federation may not find them completely ethical, but if they worked on the Borg…"
Chakotay swallowed, "How long would it take you?"
"25 minutes at least." Icheb replied quietly.
That's pushing it a little close… Chakotay worried privately but as he glanced up at the battle scenes on the screens and heard alarms blare in his ears he said, "Do it."
"10 minutes until shield failure." Lieutenant Cooper updated them once again, his voice now shaking with fear.
Come on Icheb, come on… Chakotay willed silently, closing his eyes for a moment in silent prayer just as Icheb's voice fizzled through Yates' comm. badge within his earshot, "The cannon are ready Captain."
"Aim and fire Ensign." Yates replied tightly.
Within seconds the sky was lit up with gold balls of all powerful energy, even in the bunker they could hear the explosions of contact. Abruptly the sound of weapons fire bouncing off the shield stopped and Cooper's astounded voice filled the room, "They're retreating… They're leaving!"
"He's right!" Chakotay exclaimed joyfully. Almost immediately he felt an anxious tap on the shoulder and twisted round to see Fuller staring anxiously at him. "Fuller? How did you get in here?"
"Thank God they finally let me in!" She exclaimed breathlessly, "Your wife phoned over four hours ago to say that she was in labour…" She didn't get to finish the statement as Chakotay swore vividly and pushed past her in a mad rush to the doors, "She's in Starfleet Medical!" She shouted helpfully after him.
Almost dizzy with breathlessness Chakotay crashed through the door of the room he'd been told Seven was in. "Doctor! Doctor!" he shouted wildly, only stopping when he saw Seven writhing on the bed in the full throes of labour and ran to her, grasping her clenched and sweat soaked hands in his. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry…" He groaned, feeling guilt ridden, but his only response was a cry of pain, her eyes glazed and unseeing.
The Doctor now finally moved his concerned gaze from his patient to her husband, "Good, you're finally here, for the home stretch at least, this one's coming a little quicker than her implants can handle…"
"Are they in danger?" Chakotay asked in a near whisper, paling in shock when he saw that the nurses were preparing Seven for pushing.
"I don't know…" The Doctor replied quietly before pushing him back to his wife's side. "You concentrate on getting her through this emotionally and I'll focus on everything else, okay?"
Chakotay nodded hastily when he saw he had no choice in the matter and knelt by Seven's bedside, stroking her face over and over. "The Doctor says you have to push now sweetheart alright?"
Finally her dazed, pain wracked eyes settled on him. "Cha…Chakotay, what's happening?"
"You're in labour honey, just relax and push." He soothed as the Doctor shouted orders at her, which thankfully she seemed able to obey despite her semi-conscious state.
"I…I was so worried…" She choked out between pushes, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks.
"I know, I know, but I'm here now. Just focus on that new little daughter of ours." He coaxed and after a few more perilous minutes the weak, but familiar, cry of a newborn baby filled the room and he kissed her, happiness miraculously overriding the strain for a moment or two before he saw the Doctor's face darken, "What's wrong?"
A nurse took him gently by the shoulders and pulled him upright, "Why don't you go and sit in the waiting room while we're stabilising them? Your other three children are out there being watched by a student."
Chakotay saw from her face that the decision wasn't optional and nodded dumbly, walking out of the room as his wife and new daughter were worked on by a crowd of staff with a dead mind and slumping into a chair in the hallway, his head flopping against the wall. "Sir?" A young nurse poked her head out of the room next door, "Your elder three are asleep in the crèche, I'll keep watching them for you."
He mustered up a smile from somewhere. "Thanks." After she'd disappeared he lost track of time, until that is a baby's whimper jerked him out of his stupor and he realised the Doctor was standing directly in front of him, a bundle of pink blanket in his arms and a smile of relief lighting up his face. "Is…Is that her?" Chakotay asked, barely willing to breathe. "How's Seven?"
The Doctor laughed, "Why else would I be giving you this baby unless she was yours? Seven's weak for now but she'll recover in time." He placed the baby in Chakotay's arms, which immediately closed around her in protective pride. "I think she'd better stay your youngest though Chakotay, for the sake of Seven's health, no more pregnancies."
Chakotay nodded vigorously as he gazed down at the barely awake baby, her impossibly blonde eyelashes and brows framing eyes that were as dark as his own. "I love her Doctor, wouldn't replace her now, but I'm not putting Seven through that again."
The Doctor nodded in understanding, "Do you want to take your newest arrival to meet her mother?"
Chakotay beamed in reply and allowed the Doctor to lead him to the chair by Seven's bedside, sinking into it and rocking the baby against his chest as the Doctor checked all of Seven's drips and machines before giving her a hypospray to wake her up and leaving the couple alone. Chakotay carefully watched until her eyelashes began to flicker, "Seven?" he asked gently as she gradually became aware of him.
"Chakotay?" she mumbled sleepily, her eyes widening as her memories came back."What happened? Where's my baby?" she cried fearfully.
"Shh… She's right here, gloriously unaware of all the trouble she caused." Chakotay murmured, immediately moving their daughter from his arms to hers.
Seven cuddled the baby to her possessively, giggling in relief as his comment sunk in but tears sliding down her face in tandem with the sound. "You…you both gave me such a fright! I thought…I thought that I'd lose…"
"We're all fine, thank God!" He exclaimed, kissing her. "The planet's fine too, that's to Icheb's last minute intervention."
"They're gone?" Seven whispered in disbelief.
"We won this battle."
"Good…" Seven murmured, falling into silence until she'd fed the baby and rocked her back to sleep, "Did…did the Doctor tell you I shouldn't have more children?" she asked quietly.
Chakotay nodded gently, hearing the nervousness in her voice. "How could we get more perfect than two of each? Four has always been my lucky number anyway, well, except for seven of course."
"You're not disappointed with me?" Seven asked but got only an intensely loving kiss in response. "Thank you my love." She whispered as he finally pulled back.
"Thank you." He replied seriously as he stroked the baby's tiny hand. "So, if this is going to be our last chance in the name choosing game, how do you think we should choose?"
"I've already chosen her name." Seven admitted nonchalantly as she stroked the baby's downy blonde head
"Oh?" Chakotay questioned, taken aback, "What is it then?"
Her smile widened. "Taya Irene Kotay." She informed him decisively.
A/n: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! :D I want to know what you think of the name!