by Dabin Reece
90719.2300
After I Call No Way
-=USS Serendipity=-
90719.2300
After I Call No Way
-=USS Serendipity=-
[Blane to Reece.]
“Yeah,” Dabin answered, as he tapped the control panel in annoyance.
Getting through to Lair Kellyn upon her return had been about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. Assuming of course that you have a tricorder so locating the needle is actually very easy, but the needle, being inanimate, has no intention of returning your calls or answering your questions.
That was Lair Kellyn.
She had called her husband, just checking to make sure each other was all right, Dabin assumed. Then she was moving all about the ship, at least that’s what the sensors told him. He tried twice to hail her and got a “not now Dabin,” both times before she hung up on him.
Finally he had gotten a name and location out of her of a Vulcan ship where February was.
Then the pleading began.
Zanh Liis had given him every excuse in the book as to why he’d just have to wait until the Sera could limp to a rendezvous with the Vulcan ship for the transfer. Granted they were all legitimate and perfectly reasonable excuses, but they were excuses, and excuses sucked.
If that wasn’t enough the forward sensor array was malfunctioning, meaning Reece was stuck manually targeting the sensors to make sure they didn’t warp right on by the Vulcan ship… or into it, if their course setting abilities were accurate to the point of being deadly.
Then they all had the nerve to leave! Liis and Keiran were tending to Rada’s office and then off to other matters, Salvek was helping below as well with repairs, and Blane was supposed to meet some crisis Counselor in the transporter room. So now Reece was stuck minding the boat while everyone else was away, when this was the last place in the galaxy he wanted to be right now.
[There’s… a potential situation… developing.]
“You’re tellin’ me!” Reece answered. If he didn’t find this Vulcan ship soon February was going to think they had all forgotten about her.
[It’s the crisis Counselor we just brought aboard. She…] Blane paused.
“OH! VULCANS!” Dabin completely lost interest in anything the man who'd been speaking had to say as the sensors caught sight of the Vulcan ship. “Sorry Blane, gotta go!” Reece hung up the link to TC.
“Take us out of warp and hail them!” Reece ordered. He skidded down the ramp into the command area, and smoothed out his uniform top.
“Channel open,” Tenney reported, then added, “You’re welcome,” under her breath. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of the fact that Dabin Reece, no matter how annoying, was anxious get to the woman he loved.
A Vulcan woman appeared on the viewscreen. Dabin rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
[This is Captain Sullera of the Yeht-urgam. I bid you welcome Serendipity. Are you ready to retrieve your crew?]
“Boy howdy!”
[Excuse me?] She answered, puzzled.
“It means yes! Is the Trill female there? February Grace?”
[She is in our medical bay.]
“Medical bay? Is she all right?” Reece asked, his smile fading.
[She is well.] Sullera said, as she divided her attention between Reece and her own work.
“McKay probably just wanted to keep an eye on her.” Reece mused. “Look, how do you want to do this?”
[Your people are all in our cargo bay, except for the four in Sickbay. You may transport at your convenience. The sooner the better in fact.]
“Four in Sickbay? Is anyone hurt?” He knew February was there and probably McKay, but who were the other two?
[No one is hurt.]
“Cool. Let’s start with the four in Sickbay. Can I talk to them?”
Sullera did not answer, but merely patched him through to the Vulcan’s medical bay, specifically the office of their chief medical officer, who was sitting at his desk, across from Dalton McKay. The LMH was gesturing with his hands as he told a story, which Dabin caught the tail end of.
[And so the frog says to the Targ, y’all can keep the umbrella but I want my skeeter back.]
There was an awkward silence between the two, then McKay tried to explain.
[See son, cause a frog could never even hold an umbrella, let alone…]
[I understood.] The Vulcan replied.
“Hey!” Dabin yelled to get their attention. Both men turned toward the screen.
[A friend of yours, no doubt.] The Vulcan said, before departing the office to let them speak in private.
[Well look who showed up! How’s the ship Commander.]
“Uh, long story. The Vulcan chick told me there are four of you. How’s my Bru? Are you all ready to transport back?”
[Oh we’re ready. The question is, are you ready?]
“Of course I’m ready! I’ve been ready since she left! Do you need me to send you to Sickbay?”
[If you don’t mind.]
Dabin thought for a moment, about everything going on in Sickbay. Rada suffering a breakdown, the Admiral nearly dieing, and there was still a Domox prisoner down there.
“Does it have to be Sickbay? It’s kind of a zoo down there.”
[I suppose your quarters will be fine. I need a few things but I can get them when we get there.]
“I’ll be down there to meet you!”
Reece closed the channel, and signaled the Ensign as tactical to go ahead with the transport. He broke for the turbolift, but Tenney stopped him just short.
“Wait!”
“What is it, Susan?” Reece said, his back to her and his body frozen in a running position.
“Who has the bridge, sir?”
“You do.”
“I do?” She asked, “But Lieutenant Parsons is the ranking…”
“Fine, you two can arm wrestle for it. I’m outta here.” Reece dove into the turbolift, quite literally, and headed straight for his quarters. At least, what were still his quarters for now. He had almost completed the remodeling on the Captain’s old quarters, and was going to be moving in as soon as the baby arrived.
As the doors to his quarters opened, he found McKay and Vedek Jariel standing in the living room.
“Uh.” Dabin grunted, before pushing past them and looking around.
“She’s in the bedroom,” Jariel said.
“Uh,” Dabin grunted again, and headed for the door.
“Nice to see you too,” The Vedek said, as Reece vanished.
As the doors snapped shut, Reece saw February sitting on the edge of the bed, still wearing a long medical gown courtesy of the Vulcans, and holding a blanket which was wrapped around a very tiny and very spotted little baby.
“Look Sophie, daddy’s home.”
February turned the baby so Dabin could see her face. For the first time in his life, Dabin Reece was speechless. He crept slowly towards her and she placed Sophie in his arms for the first time. He lifted her up slowly, and the biggest smile imaginable spread out across his face.
“Dabin, this is our daughter, Sophia Relanna Grace Reece. Sorry you missed the birth, you can’t really control these things.” She said shyly, hoping he wouldn’t be upset.
Dabin sat down on the bed beside her, and proceeded to kiss February all over her face. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! Bru this is our child! Thank you so much!”
“Thank me? But we each helped bring her into this world.”
“Well yeah but, I mean you did all the, you know, stuff.” Dabin kissed Sophie on the forehead and bobbed her gently in his arms. “Oh you are definitely going to be pretty. You have your mommy’s cheeks, and eyes and chin. Were you alone?” Dabin asked, feeling panicked all of a sudden.
“No, the Vedek stayed with me, and Doctor McKay said everything went just like it was supposed to.
“Who’s Relanna?” Dabin asked, as the name clicked in his head.
“I’ll let the Vedek answer that one.” February said.
Dabin stood up and motioned for Bru to follow him, and he went back out into the living room. McKay and Jariel were both still there, grinning broadly at the sight of the very surprised Dabin Reece with his brand new baby.
“Thank you both so much.” Dabin said, “For being there for Bru.”
“It was my pleasure,” Jariel said. “More like she was there for me. I think her bravery was the only thing that kept me from passing out.”
“Just doin’ my job Commander. You and the Missus have a fine young lady there. I think its time for the Vedek and I to make a discreet exit and let you three have some time together. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on mom. She’s still on bed rest for a few more days before she can return to active duty.”
“But I wanna fly.” Bru pouted. Truth be told the only thing she wanted more then sleep was to just sit at the helm for a full shift and pilot.
“Soon enough darlin’.” McKay made his way towards the exit, after patting Bru reassuringly on the back. Jariel kissed February on the cheek, and followed the LMH out of the Reece family quarters.
“Now what!” Dabin said, as if he had just been handed a million bars of gold pressed latinum and had no clue what he wanted to spend them on first.
“If it’s all the same to you, daddy, I’d like you to spend some time with your daughter, while mommy gets some sleep.”
“Wait! Is she hungry? Does she need a change? Is she tired?” Dabin asked, having had no idea when the last time Sophie had a nap or feeding was.
February groggily answered each of his three questions in order, before disappearing into the bedroom.
“Definitely not, wait ten minutes, and never.”
*************************
Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012