Chapter 20

Puttering around her quarters, Harriett cleaned and straightened as she waited for Bud to wake again. She had just ordered breakfast from the replicator when he hurried into the room. "Harriett! I had another dream! This time I was with you when you had the baby. Well, a different baby…it was our second son, and he was born after the baby girl that died. What was strange though was what we named him."

"Why was that strange?"

"Well we named him James Kirk Roberts after my childhood hero Captain Kirk."

"So what was strange about you naming our son after your hero?"

"How would the me living in 2004 know that Captain Kirk, who wouldn't even be born for more than one hundred years yet, was my today self's hero?"

"Gosh, you're right! I hadn't thought of that. Do you think that the Bud Roberts of then could be an ancestor of yours? Like a several times great grandfather or something? Maybe you're psychically connected to him!"

"You mean like a ghost haunting me?!" his eyes were as round as saucers at this idea.

"Well why not? And he isn't really haunting you…I mean most of them have been good dreams…right?"

"Yeah, but how come all the people I know are in the dreams? Wouldn't it make more sense if this was an ancestor that the dreams would be full of the people he knew not me?"

"It could be that they are and you're just putting faces that you know to the people that he knows."

"I don't think so Harriett, all the people have the same names as they do now even if they have different ranks or titles."

"Oh…I forgot about that."

"Could it be more likely that the dreams are memories of a past life? You know like reincarnation?"

"That's possible, but wouldn't that mean that all of us, those in your dreams and those you know now, have all been reincarnated together?"

"Gosh, do you think? Maybe somehow this whole group of people are bound together until we accomplish something?!"

"Okay, if that is what's happening and since this time you seem to be getting messages from these other lives, then we need to figure out what the differences are and see if the 'now' group is happier than the 'then' group. Maybe things are already fixing themselves!"

"That's a great idea! Since we both have tomorrow off why don't we make a list and check up on everyone to see if they're better off now than then?"

"Okay we can start right after breakfast tomorrow. You will be staying for breakfast, won't you?" she asked coyly as they left her quarters and headed for the Bridge.

Bud blushed and nodded his agreement.

As usual when Commander Roberts got to the Bridge, he received a briefing of what had happened on the night shift, as expected, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the report. Normally if something major happened the Captain and First Officer would be notified immediately. After signing the report, Bud prepared the morning's announcements that Captain Rabb would make when he arrived on the Bridge. Adding the news of his and Harriett's engagement to the list, Bud finished just as Harm stepped out of the turbo lift.

Captain Rabb made the morning announcements, smiling at his First Officer when he read the last one on the list and adding his personal congratulations to the happy couple. Bud was ready to hand Harm the nightly report as he finished, but the Captain surprised him by adding an announcement of his own. "I'd like you all to know that Mrs. Rabb and I are expecting our first child. The baby is due in about seven months so the betting pools can start at any time!"

Everyone on the Bridge laughed at the last comment. They all knew that Star Fleet had a policy against shipboard gambling, but no one had even been able to stop pools like this.

Bud offered his congratulations as he handed Harm the report and both men grinned at each other. It was always good to share good news.

To be continued…..