round 5 Lt.Cmdr Velana and Lt. Aribelle Tagren - The Most Beautiful Thing Ever

[Sedrin Belasi]

((Sickbay, USS Vigilant))

::Everyone always said that doctors made the worst patients. Velana knew it to be true of other physicians, but she had always assumed that she was the exception, perhaps because of her innate sense of logic. It would have illogical to do any of the things that doctors usually did when they were on the other side of the tricorder such as self-diagnosing, downplaying symptoms to either get back to work or to appear tougher, or questioning their attending physician’s ability to do their job.::

::But apparently logic went out the proverbial window when it came to her child. As Velana lay on the bio bed, waiting for Dr. Aribelle Tagren to begin a visual scan of her baby, it was all she could do to keep still.::

Velana: Can you check to see if the baby seems small? My last exam put it well within the normal range for this stage, but I’d like a second opinion.

::Aribelle turned to face her and offered a warm, reassuring smile as she, and a tech, prepared the equipment. Even if she hadn’t experienced pregnancy herself, Ari felt that she could understand what the other woman was feeling, at least on some level. Every woman wanted healthy and happy offspring, if they were to have any. And that was the most important thing of all, above any gender preference. In Velana’s case, her child was going to bring the best of two separate backgrounds. Aribelle understood that plenty well as she was a hybrid herself.::

Tagren: Of course. If it helps at all, you are measuring where you should at this point of your pregnancy. Fetal heart rate is excellent.

::The physical exam did not reveal anything concerning, either. For a hybrid pregnancy, Velana was carrying the child and herself well.::

Velana: ::releasing a pent-up breath:: That is very good to hear. Thank you.

Tagren: Has your child has been plenty active? Have you been keeping track of fetal kicks?

::Velana nodded. She was entirely aware of the kicking now, but what about all the time she’d spent in alien stasis? She felt as if that precious time had been ripped away from her. Even if being unconscious had kept her emotions in balance, she had still lost out on a good chunk of her pregnancy and there was no way to get those months back.::

Velana: I have. ::She smiled.:: It usually happens when I’m trying to sleep. But then when it’s not kicking, I get nervous, so I’m already learning to live with less sleep.

::Aribelle nodded with a smile.::

Tagren: Your baby seems to be in a good position, from what I can tell, so I think you’re going to be happy with the images.

Velana: I just want to see its face. I know it’s not logical, but I want to be surprised. ::She touched her belly.:: The mother of the first child I ever delivered waited until the delivery to find out the sex. The look on her face...there was something so special and wonderful about that moment. I’d like to experience that, too.

Tagren: I want you to experience that as well. The birth of your first child is very special and I am here for you, every step of the way.

::Raising the head of the bed give Velana a good vantage point, Aribelle smiled again.::

Tagren: You ready?

Velana: Yes. I think so.

Tagren: I will keep away from images indicating the sex of the baby. I’ve also asked the computer to not reveal that information as well. Would you like a copy of these images?

Velana: Um...just the face. ::Her expression softened.:: I want to see its face.

::With a warm smile, Ari nodded to her.::

Tagren: Let’s find this baby.

::Ari grinned as she moved the bed’s scanner over Velana’s abdomen. Velana tried to relax while Tagren was working, but it was hard. She was far too used to being the one carrying out the examination. But there was a tranquility about Aribelle Tagren’s bedside manner that made her want to be as good of a patient as possible.::

Velana: I read about a study on hybrid children that said they are 14% more likely to develop cosmetic abnormalities during development. Can you see anything like that?

Tagren: Not at all. Your baby looks great.

Velana: ::after a moment:: What about…

Tagren: Doctor… Velana.

::Ari stopped the scanner for a moment and smiled warmly over to her CMO. Her patient. When she spoke, her voice was gentle.::

Tagren: You’ve been an excellent patient, following all your prenatal care. Hybrid or not, prenatal care is extremely important. You even prepared your body for this pregnancy. You’ve done everything you can possibly do. The scans performed earlier in your pregnancy don’t suggest any kind of abnormalities or anything that would be concerning. With your child being hybrid, it is considered high risk but there isn’t anything that concerns me based off the information we have.

::She paused a moment and smiled once again.::

Tagren: I am confident in that, Commander.

::She was right and Velana knew it. Taking another deep breath, she rolled her shoulders and offered the other doctor an apologetic smile.::

Velana: I’m sorry. My anxiety is getting the better of me. I should probably meditate after this.

::It was completely normal for the mother-to-be to be anxious. If it were her child, Aribelle would have read all the medical literature and educated herself to the point where she was focusing only on the extreme cases of things that could go wrong. It didn’t help when you were medical and you knew what could actually go wrong.::

::Ari smiled warmly to Velana and nodded in front of her.::

Tagren: I think you’re going to feel much better after you see this adorable face.

::The bio bed’s sensor bar projected the image a moment later. As soon as Velana saw the three dimensional image of her baby’s head...the entire world changed.::

::It was one thing to know the baby was there and to feel it moving, but it was another thing entirely to see its face.::

::Two eyes, although they were tightly closed. A perfectly curved nose. Two ears, slightly less pointed than her own, but definitely not round. Sweet little lips. Cheeks that promised to be positively chubby one day.::

Velana: Oh…

::She couldn’t have kept her emotions in check even if she had wanted to. As she stared at the picture, tears welled up and spilled over.::

Tagren: Say hello to your little one.

::Ari grinned over to the dark-haired woman as she watched her bright blue eyes take in the image of her child. It was moments like these, did Aribelle truly enjoyed her job. Her ability to help. She felt honored to experience this moment with her.::

Velana: ::whispered:: I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

Tagren: I can print this for you. Hold on a second, and I’ll capture the image...

Velana: Thank you. ::She wiped away her tears, but more welled up.:: Thank you very much. For everything.

Tagren: You are very welcome. That’s what I’m here for.

Velana: I’m supposed to be monitoring a Parrises Squares match in an hour. ::She laughed though her tears.:: I really should get myself under control before then.

::Ari smiled, eyes sparkling with pure joy for the woman, and tucked strands of red behind her ears.::

Tagren: You take your time and enjoy this moment. They can wait.

::Easing herself off the bio-bed, Velana paused to rub her belly. In less than two months, she would get to meet this little person. She was already a mother, but at that time, motherhood would become her full-time job and being a doctor would become a part-time occupation, no matter how many hours she logged in.::

A JP by:

Lt. Commander Velana

Chief Medical Officer

USS Vigilant

&

Lieutenant Aribelle Tagren

Medical Officer

USS Vigilant