1.
Magdalane paced, a growing unease deep in her mind. Something was…..wrong. Something she just couldn't put her finger on. She roamed the ship, looking both with her eyes and her mind, and couldn't find it. Only when the droid told her she had a priority call, and she saw Akaavi Spaar at the other end, did she know. Miriah's hurting, she thought, even before the Mandalorian spoke a word. Akaavi told Magdalane what was going on, and was gone abruptly, moving on to notify Maura in her clipped yet concerned fashion.
"Felix, we're heading to Carrick, okay? Miriah is in trouble." She moved quickly to the navcomp, knowing that she had at least 14 hours of hyperspace travel ahead but feeling the need to hurry nonetheless. She put in the coordinates and turned, into Felix's arms, and held on tight. She explained what she'd been told, then sat heavily. "I should have been keeping up with her more closely," she said woodenly, "I'd have seen something happening, maybe prevented it."
"You can't feel guilty here, Mags, we needed the time we had alone and she probably would have told you to get lost long before you knew anything anyway. You know she can be stubborn. Who's to say she would have even let you help her? I love her too, but you have to know that there's only so much you can feel responsible for."
"I know, you're right, but all her life people have let her down, now I'm on that list too." She felt miserable, knowing her sister was in danger now, not to mention the nausea caused by the stress of this knowledge. She looked at Felix, and he saw her pallor, then saw it clear as she force pushed it away.
"Do you know how Corso is holding up?" Felix asked, counting the Mantellian as a close friend.
"I can only imagine he's in agony, waiting and wondering," she told him, "I know him well enough to know that he's beside himself with worry for them both." She moved to the conference room, " I'm sending this note to Shan, she'll just have to understand." He nodded his agreement, and they settled in for the trip.
2.
Maura was crying, the twins were joining in, and Aric was trying to understand what Akaavi was saying. When he thought he understood, he told her that one of them would be there shortly, and disconnected, turning to his family who were all still in tears.
"Okay, I can handle the little people crying, but Maura, I need you to get it together. We need to do something to help."
"I know, I know. You go, Aric, and I'll make arrangements here to get there as quickly as I can." She picked up Colin and handed him to his dad, then took Calleigh out of her seat. "Let's get these guys settled in for naps, then we can talk." They quickly changed and washed faces, then put the twins down in the playroom, watching as they scooted closer to each other for comfort.
They walked back to the kitchen, both of them feeling at loose ends, unable to voice their concerns. Aric spoke first, "So, you think I should go to Carrick now?"
"Yes, Corso needs someone with him. I know he's probably blaming himself and worried sick. On his own, he won't eat or sleep or anything. I'll come up tomorrow, and bring the twins. We can use the squad apartment there, have a base of operations." She got up to pace, thinking of what to take. "There's no telling right now how long she'll be there but we'll be there, too."
"Good thinking, Maura," he reached out to stop her pacing, hugging her. "You'll be okay to travel? I know you're upset too." He rubbed her back, feeling her silent sobs against his chest. They stood for a few minutes like that, both of them absorbing the shock of the situation.
Aric grabbed an already-packed gear bag, and kissed Maura, holding onto her a few seconds longer than normal. "She'll be okay, and so will the baby. Don't worry yourself sick, and call Elara—she'll want to know what's going on." Tanno Vik had already been told, and was approaching them, his own gear bag in one hand.
"Let's go, boss," he said, "I'm driving." He nodded at Maura, "He's in good hands, Major. I might be scared of that little woman," referring to Miriah,"but you gotta respect guts." He climbed into the shuttle, starting the preflight. Aric looked at Maura with raised eyebrows.
"I guess he's driving," he said, and kissed his wife once more. "See you soon, honey. I'll call when I get to talk to Corso." She nodded, tearing up again, and waved as they lifted off.
3.
Corso looked around him, noting the lighting change that signaled nighttime on the station. He must have dozed for more than a few minutes, he thought, can't let that happen again. He saw Akaavi walking toward him, her stride calm and measured. She shook her head slightly; she hadn't had any news since he'd napped. She lifted a bag with food toward him, which he shook off.
"You have to keep your strength up, Corso, she wouldn't want to know you were sitting here tired and hungry. You know that. She'd be disappointed." There weren't many things that would make him do something he didn't want to do, but invoking Miriah and the possibility of disappointing her would make him do practically anything, and Akaavi used this to her advantage.
He ate a few bites, and walked to the double doors to see if he could see anyone. He finally got a tech's attention but was told that Miriah was still sedated and stable. His son was still doing well. That was at least something, he thought. Mir would be pleased about that. He went back to the bench and joined Akaavi, who guilted him into eating a bit more. She told him she'd secured two rooms in the inn that was just across the walkway, so he could shower and rest, but of course he refused. She knew he would. She hadn't always liked the human, but she admired his loyalty and the love he showed the captain, who was her family.
It was some hours later when he heard his name being called and looked up to see Aric jogging toward him. It was a relief to see him, and he reached out his hand, but Aric hugged him instead. When they sat, Corso was able to tell him what had happened, feeling some relief for the first time, having someone to share the burden with. They'd walked for a while, talking, and when they returned the tech took Corso back to see Miriah for a few minutes.
"Hey beautiful," he told her softly, kissing her forehead. "I miss you being with me, but I know you need to be here right now. " He looked at the monitors, all lights green, and caught the kicks of his son under the huge hospital gown. "Your son," he told her with a grin, "is awake." The grin crumbled, and he rubbed his eyes, feeling how tired his body was. "Soon, love, soon you can put him down in his crib, or give him to me to carry for a while, but not just yet." He sat there holding her hand until the tech nodded at him and he left her, reluctantly.
Aric insisted that he go to the inn, made sure the tech knew where he was in case he was needed, and followed him up. They sat and had a drink together, and before he'd even finished it, Corso was asleep on the couch. Aric left him a note with the location of the squad apartment, and left the exhausted man to rest.
Aric called Maura when he'd reached the apartment. "She's sedated, he got to see her for about five minutes before I got him to the inn. Gave him a whiskey to relax, but the poor guy was out before he drank half of it. Akaavi made him eat a little, but he's in rough shape. Hopefully he'll sleep and not dream, at least for part of the night." Maura shook her head.
"Aric, do you think that taking care of the twins started this? I've been going over it in my mind, and that's when the strong contractions started."
"Honey, no, don't do this. That baby is just too large for such a small woman, that's the only issue here. She made too good a growth area for him, that's all, but ran out of room. Corso said he was pushing ten pounds right now."
Maura's eyes widened, "Wow, that's huge compared to the twins." She told him she'd be there by afternoon tomorrow, and they disconnected. Aric walked back to the couch, and thought about how he'd feel if it were Maura, unconscious and isolated from him. He shivered, and was thankful they'd been spared. He fell asleep there, thinking of Maura and Miriah, knowing they'd both get through this.