Hannah raised her head to check on Daniel's progress. He dangled several feet above her and swung over to a ledge, getting his footing. Looking down, he gave her a thumbs up and cinched the rope, making it taut for her ascent. Hannah pushed against the rock face with the balls of her feet, searching for a solid step up. Slowly she climbed upwards, using the rope as her aid. When she reached the ledge, Daniel put out his hand and pulled her over. She fell into him, but he remained standing, gripping her arms to restore her balance.
Daniel looked up. "We're almost there. One more section to go."
Hannah looked up as well, then over at the beautiful green scenery stretching for miles. When she turned back, Daniel had already resumed the climb. His agility astounded her. She'd never been rock climbing before, but Daniel loved it and wanted to take her. After about ten minutes, he'd reached the top of the face. He secured the rope, then tightened it so she could ascend. Hannah felt for a handhold, found one and used all her strength to pull up. She traced Daniel's steps, following his footholds. When she reached the top, she put out her hands and pushed herself over onto the flat surface of the mountain. Daniel took her hand, helping her stand. He grasped her shoulders and gently turned her around.
"See? It's worth the climb, isn't it?"
Hannah stared. She could see the city in the distance, surrounded by lush green. The ocean glimmered, a thin blue line on the horizon. Closer, to her right and left, she spied a few summits of various low-lying mountains; the tops of all the other mountains disappeared into clouds far above their position. Valleys below displayed flowering trees, turning the ground into a rainbow of color. She had to agree that the glories of Eden Prime looked all the more stunning from above.
"The view is worth it," she breathed. "But I don't know if my muscles agree."
Daniel laughed and slid an arm around her waist. She folded her hands on top of his arm and leaned back into his chest. Almost two years and they had managed to stay married. She didn't kid herself—the first year had been rough. It was one thing to say "I do," and a whole other thing to live it out. Meshing two different lives turned out to be harder than she expected. They'd experienced a few months of fiery, continual passion and then real life set in—arguments over the smallest things, hurt feelings and a thousand apologies as they learned to communicate with one another.
Hannah figured part of the reason they'd had such a hard time in the beginning was because of their removal from familiar surroundings. The Avian didn't house couples. Three months after their marriage they'd been transferred from the Avian to the SSV Geneva which provided small, but adequate rooms for married officers. Being in such close quarters easily provoked attitudes of anger and frustration. She would never have admitted it to Daniel, but there were days she wondered if she'd made a mistake, if she shouldn't have married him at all. But she also knew that Daniel was completely committed to her; he'd been so destroyed as a kid by his parents' divorce that he was determined not to repeat history. Little by little they learned how to navigate and read each other, how to love and support each other. After that first year, things improved greatly; Hannah now felt she couldn't exist without Daniel beside her.
After their marriage onboard the Avian, they didn't have a proper honeymoon, only two days off in consideration of their nuptials. So when they'd been given two weeks leave at the same time, Daniel had arranged for a real honeymoon. Somehow he'd tracked down his mother's second cousin's friend, one of the first colonists to settle on Eden Prime. She'd agreed to let them stay at her home during their leave. Hannah had been a little concerned that they would be intruding on the home of someone they didn't know, but all turned out well. Alice was a generous, older woman, feeding them breakfast every morning and not caring if they came back late. Some days they just stayed in completely, making use of the bed she'd provided. In three more days, their "honeymoon" would be over and they'd be shuttling back to Trammal Station to await a shuttle transfer back to the Geneva.
"How long do we stay up here?" Hannah asked.
"As long as we want," Daniel answered. He let go of her waist, stepped in front of her, placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her tenderly. Hannah sighed when his mouth left hers, content.
"This was a good idea," she commented.
"You mean the rock climbing?"
"Oh, that's okay. But I meant the whole trip. The honeymoon. Thanks."
"No problem." Daniel grinned at her, then touched an object hanging from her neck, rolling it around in his fingers. "I'm glad you kept it, no matter how mad you were at me."
Hannah smiled and glanced down. She wore the necklace he'd given her for her thirteenth birthday, a silver chain with a tiny, silver rocket charm. "I was mad, but I also didn't want to forget the good times we had. Though, there must have been a dozen times I thought about just getting rid of it."
"Maybe fate wouldn't let you. Didn't you tell me once you had a great destiny out here in space? I tend to think that destiny was marrying me."
Hannah guffawed. "Right. Not that I don't love you, but that wasn't what I meant at all. There's still some great destiny out there, I just have to find it."
"Or move up the chain of command to get it," Daniel half-teased.
"Well, step by step," Hannah agreed.
"Don't worry. You'll be an admiral someday."
"You're a fortune-teller then?"
Daniel snickered. They'd been accosted by a "fortune-teller" when they'd first arrived who implored them to hand over a few credits for a reading. He'd assented only because the poor woman exuded desperation. She'd read their palms and announced their destinies ran together and they would one day achieve wealth beyond the stars.
"I just know the woman I married will get what she wants no matter how hard she has to work to get it."
"You would know," Hannah assented. More often than not she won their arguments because she never backed down and knew exactly what buttons to push to make Daniel do what she wanted. Some days she felt guilty for it; others, she exalted in her ability.
Daniel sat down on the ground, his knees bent. He pulled Hannah's hand, directing her to the ground. She sat between his legs, resting her head on his chest. She stared up at the clear, blue sky, then closed her eyes. The warmth of the sun lulled her into a pleasant slumber.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," a voice whispered. Hannah's eyes fluttered open. She sat up quickly.
"Oh goodness, I fell asleep."
Daniel brought his hands up to massage her shoulders. "You've been so tired lately, I'm glad you got some sleep."
Hannah nodded, rolled her neck and yawned. She'd felt so fatigued lately, what with her new duties onboard ship. She'd been promoted six weeks ago to Staff Lieutenant. The stress of the job was nothing new, but she figured taking on the extra work brought on extra fatigue as well.
Hannah heard a rumbling and her stomach clenched. She smiled with half her mouth. "I think I'm hungry."
"Well, it's about noon. Let's go back down." Daniel pulled her up and walked back to the edge of the rock face.
"So," Hannah said, looking at the ground far below, "We get back down by…"
"This is the best part of the whole thing," Daniel declared. "We repel back down." He hooked himself back up to the rope, leaned over the side and pushed back. Hannah watched as he swung out and in, thrusting the rock face with his feet to keep himself descending.
"Alrighty then," Hannah said to herself, hooking her own climbing apparatus to the rope and following behind her husband.
Lunch was a quick affair. They returned to a small restaurant they'd found early on in the trip that utilized local produce as well as imports. The owner recognized them and gave them a discount on their meals since they'd graced his place for the second time. As they began the walk home, Hannah brought her hand to her head and sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes.
"You alright?" Daniel asked.
"I'm just not feeling good all of a sudden," Hannah replied. She felt dizzy and wondered if she might collapse in the street. She reached out and clasped Daniel's hand for support. He put his arm around her back to keep her upright.
"Let's just…get back," Hannah breathed.
"Maybe we should go to a hospital," Daniel suggested, worry on his face.
"No, I just need to lie down."
They made their way through the city and then into the outskirts, back to the small dwelling of their hostess. As they approached the door, Hannah felt her stomach heave and when they entered vomit hit the floor, splattering the door. She doubled over and kneeled to the ground.
Alice peeked out from the kitchen, her blue eyes wide in surprise. "Oh, my dear!" she cried, then hurried back into the kitchen and returned with a towel drenched in cold water.
"Here," she said, handing the towel to Daniel. "Take her to the bedroom and put it on her head." Daniel helped Hannah stand and directed her towards the guest room.
"I'm so sorry," Hannah mumbled back at Alice.
"No problem, dearie. I've raised five children," Alice spoke, not looking up as she cleaned the floor. "They say they've eliminated pretty much all disease on Earth? Ha! My little darlings proved them all wrong."
Daniel aided Hannah into the small bed, lay down next to her and pressed the towel to her forehead. His eyebrows creased in worry.
"I'm okay," Hannah assured him.
"Probably food poisoning," Daniel thought aloud, recalling how much they'd eaten out over the last several days. "Hopefully it's out of your system now, if not, you'll be over it in 24 hours."
Hannah rolled her eyes at him. "Way to make me feel better."
"Let's just hope it's the short kind," Daniel encouraged, pulling the hair band off her ponytail and running his hands through her hair to relax her.
It wasn't the short kind. Hannah threw up four more times between the afternoon and evening, then it seemed to let up. However, the next morning she vomited twice. They ended up sequestering themselves in the guest room, not wanting to pass any possible virus onto Alice. Alice brought meals to the room and kept replacing cold compresses. Daniel spent the time either holding Hannah's hair back so she could puke in the bathroom or laying next to her on the bed as she managed to sleep, exhausted from retching so much. The afternoon saw three more rounds of sickness. By the evening, Daniel's worry had been replaced by the fear that something was really wrong with his wife. When she vomited again in the evening and there was no sign of it letting up, he insisted they take her to the hospital. Hannah tried to persuade him that she was sure she'd get better on her own, but he won the argument this time. He handed her a bucket and they called a cab that ferried them to the local hospital.
As they waited in the lobby, Hannah clung to Daniel's hand, her heart beating fast and her hands sweating. She turned weary hazel eyes on him. "I'm so sorry I ruined the end of our honeymoon."
Daniel smiled lightly and squeezed her hand. "Well, it's just another chance to practice our vows: 'in sickness and in health.' Though, I think I like the health part better."
Hannah managed a muffled laugh, then found her head in the bucket again. After an hour, they were finally seen by a doctor. He asked numerous questions, then sent a nurse in to take blood work and have it analyzed. After what seemed like hours, the doctor came in and told them all the tests were normal. He asked them to wait a moment and left the room.
A nurse entered and informed them the doctor wanted one more test performed. She pulled a small handheld device with a screen on it out of her pocket. The device had a cord attached to it with a knob at its end. She directed Hannah to lift up her shirt and unzip her pants, then proceeded to move the knob all over Hannah's abdomen. She then called for the doctor. He entered again and the nurse pointed at the screen.
The doctor's face broke into a smile. Hannah wondered what was up—why would the doctor smile at her predicament? Did she have some rare disease that he was eager to study or something?
"Well," he announced, "There's nothing wrong with you that nine months won't fix."
"Nine months?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows raised.
"You're going to be parents."
Hannah pushed herself up on her elbows in the bed. "What?"
"You're pregnant," the doctor clarified, taking the screen from the nurse and pointing out a tiny bean shape in the black and white image. "Congratulations."
Daniel leaned over to stare at the screen and mirrored the doctor's wide grin with one of his own. He then turned a mischievous look on Hannah. "So I thought you were on birth control. I'm not mad, but you could of just said you wanted to try for a baby."
"I didn't try," Hannah protested. "I just…missed a few pills here and there. I didn't think it would be a problem."
The doctor chuckled, then beckoned the nurse to follow. They ducked out to leave Hannah and Daniel alone to discuss the doctor's findings.
"A baby," Hannah muttered. She laid back down and closed her eyes, trying to work through the information she'd just been given. This wasn't how she'd planned it. She wasn't supposed to be pregnant, not now. She'd just been promoted. If a baby came, she'd have to give her career up for several years.
Daniel had picked up the screen and held it, gazing in wonder at it. If his smile could have, it would have spanned the whole length of the room. Hannah read the ecstatic emotion in his eyes and wished she could have shared it. He turned to her and his smile slowly faded as he observed her face. "You're not happy."
"I…I…" Hannah stammered. "I want to be."
"What's wrong?"
"It's just…the timing of it."
Daniel frowned and sat down in a chair next to the bed. "We'll make it work. I know we don't have a lot of money saved…"
"It's not the money…it's…" Hannah paused. The more she thought about it, the more egotistical she sounded to herself.
"Then what?" Daniel spoke with a challenging tone.
"Oh, it sounds so selfish to say it, but…it's my career. I just got promoted, Daniel. If I have a baby, I'll be out of the military for at least three years."
An irritated look appeared on Daniel's face. "A baby's more important than a career, Hannah."
"I know that," Hannah protested angrily. "I'm not saying a baby is less important. It's just…well it's how I feel and I can't change it!"
"So are you saying you don't want it?"
Hannah took a deep breath and glanced at the screen in Daniel's hand. She could hardly believe that little bean was growing inside her, depending on her for life and protection. She reached out and touched the bean on the screen. "I'm not saying that."
"Then what are you saying?"
Hannah turned an exasperated look on Daniel. "I'm saying this is going to be hard, saying good-bye to my dreams!" Hannah understood all too well the sacrifices she would need to make for a baby. She recalled Alice's statement that she'd raised five children, cleaning up the vomit behind them. Being a parent took dedication and selflessness, but she wasn't sure she had those in her.
Daniel sighed, stood and walked over to the bed, running his hand through her hair. "Sorry I got upset," he murmured.
Hannah felt the tears well up. Daniel sat on the edge of the bed and she lay her head on his shoulder as she cried. When her tears ceased, Hannah pulled herself up and looked at Daniel. "I don't think I'll make a good mom," she finally admitted, lowering her eyes.
"What?" Daniel asked. "Of course you'll be a good mom."
Hannah shook her head, unsure.
Daniel put a hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to face him. "You're Hannah Shepard, a woman who stops at nothing to excel. I know you'll be a good mom because you'll try more than any woman I know. Trust me. He'll think you're the best mom in the universe."
Hannah smiled slightly. "How do you know he's a he?"
Daniel shrugged. "I don't think I can handle two women in the Shepard family."
"You might have to," Hannah pressed.
"Well, I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it." He held his hand out and Hannah took it, letting him help her stand.
"Girl or boy, it doesn't really matter," Daniel said as they exited the hospital. "I'm going to be a better dad than mine ever was." Hannah thought then that she saw more determination in Daniel's eyes than she'd ever seen on any mission.
They spent the last two days of their "honeymoon" isolated in Alice's home. Hannah went through several more bouts of vomiting, but by the last day, it seemed to let up somewhat. Hannah ironically thought how wrong they were to call this "morning sickness." For her it was morning, afternoon and night sickness. As she and Daniel packed their bags in preparation for their departure, Hannah tried to remain upbeat. The thought of her career put on hold still niggled at the back of her mind. She'd really tried to push that thought away and out of her mind, but it kept appearing no matter how much she fought with it.
She became aware that Daniel sensed her inner war when he'd stopped packing and sat down on the bed, asking her to do the same. She sighed. She didn't want another argument over this. She was trying to resign herself to the fact that her military career was basically shot and she didn't need him trying to "help" her get there.
"You won't need to quit," Daniel told her, putting his hand in hers.
She looked at him sadly. "I'm not unhappy, really, Daniel. I mean, the more I think about it, the more I'm getting used to the idea of being a mom. It's a whole new adventure, right?"
"You won't have to quit," Daniel repeated. "I called Maddock and he's going to pull some strings for me. I'm joining the reserves. I'll stay home with our child and you can still pursue your dreams."
Hannah stared at Daniel, her mouth open, flabbergasted. "You…you're giving it all up?"
"Not entirely. Maddock said he's going to try to get us assigned to a station so we can be together as a family as much as possible. He said he can also try and find you a posting that won't keep you away much. Oh, and he says congratulations to the new mom."
"But, your own career. You can't drop it for me."
"Not to dismiss you or anything, but I'm not dropping it entirely for you. I'm dropping it for him, too," Daniel said, pointing at Hannah's abdomen.
"I know, but, it just feels wrong."
"Why? You were going to do that for him. Why can't I? Hannah, it's the most logical thing to do. You've advanced farther than me. You're still my superior. I joined the military as my only option, for you, it was a commitment to a career. I don't want you to give it up. I won't let you give it up."
Hannah shook her head back and forth in amazement. At that moment she loved Daniel more than she ever had. His selflessness, his affection, his commitment to her and to their child overwhelmed her. She flung herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I love you," she whispered. "You're a good man and you're going to be a great dad."
"I hope so," he sighed.
Hannah looked him straight in the eyes. "You will be." She drew close to him and opened her mouth to kiss him, then suddenly pushed back and rushed to the bathroom. When she returned, Daniel had finished packing both their bags and looked over at her with a tired smile.
"This is going to be a long nine months, isn't it?"
"It's going to be a long eighteen years," Hannah amended.
Daniel walked over and put his arms around her. "It'll be worth it. I know it. We're two of the best people around. He's got to be amazing, right?"
Hannah grinned. "As long as she gets more of my qualities, I think she'll turn out fine."
Daniel pinched her sides, tickling her and Hannah laughed weakly, pushing him away. "Come on, our flight's in an hour and I need to get there early so I can pick up some extra barf bags."