round 18 Crewman Gypsy Hawker (PNPC): All the Comforts of Home

[Sedrin Belasi]

((Officer's quarters, USS Mercury))

::When her shift in Sickbay was through, Gypsy went back to the quarters she shared with Rick. She wasn't surprised that he wasn't there, just like she wasn't surprised that he hadn't put yesterday's uniform in the cleaning processor. She smiled, rolled her eyes and did it herself, making a mental note to remind him that as she got bigger, it was going to get harder to bend down and pick up his discarded clothes. A little guilt would go a long way.::

::Before she was through tidying up the room, her stomach growled.::

Hawker: ::to her belly:: Are you hungry, too, little one?

::She gently rubbed her abdomen, which seemed to her to grow firmer and rounder every day, as she made her way over to the replicator.::

Hawker: What do you think Daddy wants for dinner, hmm? Pot roast and mashed potatoes? Spaghetti and meatballs? Chocolate-covered pickle chips?

oO Wait. That might just be me. Oo

::Gypsy was trying to decide between pork chops smothered in stewed onions and tomatoes or macaroni and cheese with ham when she heard her fiancee's voice through the comm.::

Rawden: =/\= Rick to Gypsy.=/\=

Hawker: =/\= Gypsy here! You've got good timing, honey. I was just trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Are you in the mood for anything special? =/\=

Rawden: =/\= Sorry angel, I’ve got to go on an away team.=/\=

::Her throat closed up. Those were words no spouse or soon-to-be spouse ever wanted to hear from their partner. The last time she'd gone on an away mission, she'd come back infected with alien DNA that had nearly killed her and the baby growing inside her. What might happen to Rick? She couldn't imagine. Didn't want to imagine.::

::But that was life in Starfleet, wasn't it? Nothing was ever certain, and all you could do was to make certain that the people you loved knew, without a doubt, that they were loved. Because tomorrow was not a guarantee.::

Hawker: =/\= Oh. Well...I guess I can have chocolate-covered pickle chips, then. =/\=

Rawden: =/\= RESPONSE =/\=

Hawker: =/\= Nothing. I was kidding. Mostly. =/\= ::Hand on her belly, she drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.:: =/\= Be safe and we'll see you when you get back. =/\=

Rawden: =/\= Take Care of Junior=/\=

Hawker: =/\= I will. =/\= ::Her lower lip trembled; she caught it between her teeth to steady it.:: =/\= I love you, Rick.

Rawden: =/\= RESPONSE =/\=

Hawker: ::whispering:: =/\= Bye. =/\=

::Although she'd lost her appetite, Gypsy replicated a bowl of split pea soup, her favorite comfort food, and managed to get down most of it, for the sake of the baby. After she finished, she retreated into the bedroom, curled up with Rick's pillow and surrounded herself with his soap and sandlewood scent. It must have been the pregnancy that made her eyes slowly close, because otherwise she would have been wide awake until he returned.::

::Gypsy's last thought before she fell into a dreamless sleep was that she would gladly pick up Rick's uniforms for the rest of her life as long as he was there to leave them on the floor.::

Crewman Gypsy Hawker

Medical Crewman, First Class

USS Mercury

Simmed by LtCmdr Velana

CMO: USS Mercury