The Big Reveal

Posted on 06 May 2017 @ 6:59pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Commodore Harvey Geisler

4,097 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: The Finnean Crisis
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD 1 || 2000 Hours

After leaving sickbay, Joey returned home to do a little unpacking while she attempted to let the news sink in. Shock was definitely an understatement at hearing her diagnosis, and it would take some time for her to process everything. But what had her worried was... she had to tell Harvey. Maybe she could get away without telling him for a while, but then again, this was major. If she kept it from him for any amount of time, it was sure to upset him.

She took a deep breath and stopped what she was doing. The last thing she wanted to do was break something because she was so distracted. With that in mind, Joey made her way over to the replicator. Even though she wasn't hungry, didn't mean Harvey wouldn't be when he arrived home. The fact that he wasn't home yet didn't bother her. He was the Captain of a starship, and it was their first day aboard their new home. It only made sense that he would want to get to know her a bit.

Without even thinking, she ordered his dinner... baby back ribs, grilled baby red potatoes and various grilled baby vegetables. The second she realized what she'd done, Joey blinked. Maybe he'd pick up on what was going on without her having to tell him. He was definitely a smart man. She took a deep breath and made her way over to the table to set it out for him, then went to feed the dogs.

It had been hours since Harvey had read the message that Zach... erm... Harvey sent himself. Most of that time since then, he remained in the Ready Room. He'd tried to figure out what that message meant, if there was something else hidden behind those words.

He'd been unsuccessful.

Harvey had stayed in the Ready Room until he knew all the Senior Staff had vacated the bridge. He couldn't understand what would compel Future-Harvey to try and warn his past self. Did it mean that there was a traitor among his crew? Was there a danger that awaited him? Would the situation on Finnea Prime be so secretly devious? Would he be forced to enter into an arrangement that would unravel the already uneasy balance of power in the quadrant?

There were too many questions. All he knew was that he had to retire for the night before his mind self destructed. Joey... he thought. What am I going to tell Joey?

It also didn't help that he hadn't yet seen his quarters. Instead, he had to follow a map on a PADD down to Deck Nine, and then the forward-most section of the ship. Judging by the schematics, his quarters were rather sizable, bigger than his previous cabin. The sensors had already been programmed with his combadge signature, allowing him to enter immediately as soon as he was within range.

At least the schematics were trustworthy. The quarters were indeed bigger, and dinner was waiting for him at the nearby table. Steam was present, so the dish had to be recently made. Harvey smiled. Joey knew him too well. He then shook his head and closed his eyes. Surely he could trust her. The message didn't apply to her... right?

Joey looked up when she heard the door swish closed and saw Harvey. Her immediate reaction was a smile, but it quickly faded. He looked troubled, and that didn't sit well with her. "Honey... what's wrong?" she asked, closing the distance between them.

Harvey blinked when he saw Joey approach. "Nothing," he lied, shaking his head. He'd have to keep that bit about the letter to himself for now. He didn't want to say a word until he knew what more to make of it. Embracing her as she arrived, he added, "It's been a long day, that's all. Getting used to the vigor of command once more."

"That's understandable. It's going to take some time to get used to everything again," she said, wrapping her arms around him with a smile. On the outside, Joey kept herself cool, calm and collected, but she inside was a different story. Her nerves were frayed, and the longer she waited to tell him, the less likely she'd have the courage to tell him. "I went to sickbay once we were well underway."

He gave her a kiss, one that was soft, but the passion absent. It was all too brief, and Harvey soon released her from the embrace and made for the table. There was only one plate there, and he could assume that she'd already eaten. "Getting the boarding physical out of the way?" he assumed. "I'll have to squeeze one of those in before too long."

Joey returned the kiss. "Yes, I'm okay," she said, fighting back panic. "So is the baby."

Harvey, who had just sat down and picked up a fork, froze. He'd received a number of unexpected surprises that day, from messages from the future to revitalized traditions to gifts to... No, this couldn't be.

Slowly, he turned to look at Joey, his jaw slowly falling open as he did. "The... The baby?"

Joey swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. "I'm pregnant," she said softly, feeling that wave of emotion surge through her again. Maybe telling him wasn't the best idea. At least not yet. A few more days... weeks... that wouldn't have hurt anything. "Eight weeks."

"Eight?" he repeated. Instantly, his medical background kicked in, trying to figure out when they'd last had their contraceptives. In all of the commotion that followed the Battle of Deep Space Eleven, it was evident that medical inspections (aside from triage) were overlooked and standard procedures overridden. Therefore, both of them had been ready for children just as they left for shore leave. "Wow," he said softly, before a gentle chuckle escaped his breath and a smile formed. "We certainly didn't waste much time, did we?"

He was still sitting down. His instincts took over, and he pushed the chair back from the table and turned it towards her. Harvey reached out and gently took one of her hands to pull her close.

"No, we didn't," she agreed softly, moving closer as her free arm slipped around him. His smile... his chuckle... they brought a smile to her own lips, and it was in the moment she knew everything was going to be okay. This was the Harvey she liked to see... not the haunted man that walked through the door initially. "I got to hear the heartbeat, too."

Harvey nodded. "Human babies generally have a heart beat by around six weeks," he said matter-of-factly. It was a random fact, probably generated when he didn't know what else to say. He was going to be a father, something he'd never thought possible. "It explains quite a bit too," he said.

"It does, and I've already had my first round of prenatal vitamins," she said, settling down on one of his knees. "Jayla had quite the meltdown on me, too. She told me to get the baby off of the ship."

"Oh?" Harvey asked, adjusting his posture to accommodate for her. "That doesn't seem like our child-loving doctor."

"I think there were a number of factors that came to play in that," Joey admitted. "The events that took place with the Consortium... the fact it's your baby, and you two have a past. I don't think she was very happy."

Harvey groaned. That was quite a number of factors, and Harvey chastised himself for not considering either of those. And, thinking of the Consortium and the potential threats that they would face, Harvey thought that he might need a phaser to keep somewhere hidden in the cabin, just for emergency's sake. Part of him begged him to confess that revelation to his fiancé, while the other begged him to keep the plans quiet for now.

Still, he wouldn't press the matter any further. To do so would not suit any of the involved parties fairly well. "She's probably still healing, like most of us." Even though it'd been two months, certain events tended to stay in a person's memories and dreams for years. Decades even.

Joey nodded. "It takes time to bounce back from things that happen, especially when those things are as huge as what we all faced just months ago. If it weren't for Gutierrez, Miller and Sanchez, I wouldn't be here right now," she said softly, thinking back on what happened on Deep Space Eleven. "I ordered them to continue on, but they didn't, and I'll never be able to thank them enough for that. That's why... even though I'm still in a pretty huge state of shock... I consider the baby to be a blessing."

"Indeed he or she is," Harvey said, wrapping an arm around Joey. He was low enough to press an ear to her stomach, and he did so knowing full well he wouldn't feel or hear anything. "We're going to be parents," he said softly, the gravity of the situation beginning to reveal itself on his shoulders.

"We are, and I know you're going to be an amazing dad," she said softly as she ran her fingers through his hair as she smiled down at him. "Do you think we could replicate something so you could hear it?" Joey wasn't a doctor, and given his background, she thought he might have a suggestion or two.

Harvey instantly shook his head. The replicator units in personnel quarters were configured for clothing, food and smaller items only. Anything else would require clearance from Operations, or a visit to the quartermaster. "Not really. I'll have to go with you on your first checkup, I think. Which shouldn't be too long, right?"

"In a few weeks, I think. I'll get a reminder before too long," she replied, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Your mom is going to be really excited. She told me she wanted a grandchild or two. I think your dad might even be a bit thrilled, too, even if he doesn't show it."

He grunted, thinking a grandchild might be the one thing that would put a smile on his dad's face for once. "It's great timing too," he muttered, his mind thinking of both the life changing news and the letter that had been sent to him.

"Okay..." Joey said getting to her feet to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. "What's wrong aside from what we found out in the briefing earlier? You came home looking troubled, then you almost seemed happy for a few minutes. Did I do something wrong?"

Harvey blinked, but his composure remained unchanged. "You didn't do anything," Harvey stated. He knew he had to think quickly to shake any deceptive thought or inquiry. "It's been a long day. I was looking forward to it for a while now, and it just... just wasn't what I thought it would be."

"Two and a half months is a long time to be out of commission for any officer, honey. You can't expect everything to be wine and roses your first official day back," she said. There was no reason for her not to believe him. "Why don't you eat your dinner, take a shower with actual water... we have that now," Joey couldn't help but grin at that. "Then, you can crawl into bed and get some sleep."

"Real water?" Harvey asked, turning back to his dinner. He did cherish that thought, especially with all of that time on Earth. As he began to eat, he took note of what was in front of him. Baby back ribs, baby potatoes... had she wanted to break the news with a themed dinner? "We're going to be parents," he said again, this time his voice louder and a bit more confident.

"Yes, we are," she agreed, moving over to one of the trunks she'd brought back from shore leave and lifted it from the floor to settle it on the couch. "And yes... there's a water feature. I plan to use it before I go to bed, too. You can use it first, though. I'll unpack a bit more."

"No, no no!" Harvey declared, instantly rising from the table. Rico and Pequeno, who were both resting, perked up when Harvey suddenly stood and moved over to the the couch. "You've lost all rights to heavy lifting around here. Doctor's orders."

Joey blinked and raised her hands in defeat at his declaration. At least he hadn't pulled rank on her, but the night was still fairly young. "But... it's not really that heavy, this one has stuff in it for the boys," she said, indicating the two dogs that were currently watching them with interest. It was when she opened the trunk and pulled out one of Rico's socks that the eldest dog was on his feet and running toward her. Sadly, she had no time to react when he jumped through the air. Her only option was to catch the white German Shepherd and fall back onto the couch.

Rico gave her face a quick lick and pulled the sock from her hand before he was gone again, trotting back off toward his spot. Joey laughed. "I've got to stop doing that."

"The catch shouldn't hurt the baby," Harvey cautioned, looking in the trunk to find a few shreds of pant legs, which he held out for Pequeno. "The fall, however, that I would worry about. Speaking of boys, what do you think the little one will be?"

"A girl," she answered with a smile. "I don't know why, but I think we're having a little girl. If the baby turns out to be a boy, I won't be disappointed, though. As long as she... or he... is healthy, then I'll be happy. What do you think?" As she spoke, Pequeno, who was growing bigger as each day went by, trotted over to Harvey and barked at the scrap of fabric with his tail wagging happily.

"Oh," Harvey said, rummaging around in the trunk a bit more. He'd never thought of having children before, but seeing how he was the responsible one of the Geisler siblings, someone would have to carry on the family name eventually. "I'll be pleased either way," he confessed. "And the ship has the finest medical facilities, so there should be nothing to worry about."

"Actually... I thought you could deliver him or her right here in our quarters," Joey said, keeping a straight face. "You can handle that."

Harvey looked up at Joey. To be honest, he'd never delivered a child before, at least not a real one. "Something tells me we'd have an audience," he suggested, indicating with a nod towards the occupied dogs. Harvey sincerely doubted they'd do well with Joey screaming as she dealt with contraction after contraction.

Joey smiled. "You're right, and I doubt they'd let anyone get that close to me if they knew something wasn't right. Sickbay it will be." She pulled out a few toys and tossed them onto Rico and Pequeno's direction. "Did you ever think about being a dad at all?"

Her answer came with the shake of his head. "Alison and I had the conversation once or twice," he said, turning to watch Pequeno ignore what was tossed his way. "We were both determined to get our careers in order before thinking about it." Harvey had always been certain that she had always wanted children but was willing to wait Harvey out on them. Sadly, they'd never know for sure. "You?"

"Honestly... no. The life I led was a dangerous one, and it would have been selfish of me to bring a child into that world," she answered honestly as she settled down on the couch. Was now really any different? "Aside from that, there was never anyone in my life I would have considered starting a family with... until you. Now... now that I don't have to worry about if my next assignment will be my last, it seems like as good a time as any."

Joey brought a hand to rest on her stomach, wondering if the baby would look more like him or her. "It may not have been planned, but I think we'll be able to do this. But... if you'd rather I leave the ship once our mission is done, I'll go. So the baby stays safe." In fact, she'd understand if that's what he wanted.

"Why would I want that?" Harvey asked, being as blunt as he could ever be. Until he met Joey, his life had been solely dedicated to Starfleet, and now they shared that dedication. If she left the ship, he'd have to leave with her, and he saw how boring and mundane civilian life was during their extended furlough. "Statistically speaking, spaceflight is still the safest way to travel. There are far more deaths, illnesses and injuries on stations and planets. No, you're safer here."

Joey rose from the couch, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "Thank you for saying no, because I didn't want to leave. I was always meant to live among the stars no matter how dangerous it can be at times, and I have no doubt we'll be able to keep our little one safe," she said, running her fingers through his hair at the base of his skull. "Everything is going to be okay... no matter what. Now, tomorrow, always."

Harvey felt as though he passed an unexpected exam as a wave of relief washed across his nerves. He returned the kiss and stated, "We have plenty of time to prepare. If you're only eight weeks in, that means you've got a long way to go. It's time to start figuring out if there are any triggers."

"Triggers?" she repeated. "What kind of triggers?"

He blinked, half surprised that she didn't know what was about to come. Were it not for his medical training, he was certain that he would not know either. "Morning sickness," he simply replied. Yet another natural occurrence in childbearing that no physician could overturn.

"Getting out of bed," Joey said honestly. "My nausea sticks around for a large part of the day, but I only get physically sick in the mornings. I didn't even eat dinner tonight, though, just to see if it helps me in the morning."

"It won't," Harvey said, letting Joey go as he walked back over to the table where his mostly untouched dinner lay. He picked up the plate and brought it back over to the couch. "Besides, starving yourself, is starving the little one. Eat."

Joey shook her head. "That's yours," she said, moving over to the replicator where she selected a fruit salad, then moved back over to him with her bowl and fork in hand. "This appeals to me more right now."

"And then there's cravings," Harvey remarked, sitting on the couch and placing the plate on the coffee table so that he could resume eating. "I swear, I don't know how anyone managed before the invention of the replicator."

"I have a feeling I'm going to have to do some reading. I've never been around anyone that was pregnant before. This is going to sound sad, but what you've told me over the last few minutes is more than I've ever known," Joey said truthfully, and that was an embarrassing admission considering she was a woman. "I love the replicator. It makes things so much easier, and now I think I might be able to eat more cake."

"And that's only because I used to be a doctor," he told her, enjoying the sweet flavor of the ribs. "Were it not for that, I'd be just as clueless as you I think. And it's okay to be clueless. After all, childbearing is not something women experience often."

"So I'm not off to a horrible start at being a mother because I'm clueless?"

Harvey reached over and placed a hand on her knee. "If anything, you're off to a typical start."

Joey looked over at him, feeling rather comforted by his words. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "If we do have a little girl, what would you think of giving her the middle name Alison?"

He couldn't help but raise both eyebrows as he was completely surprised by the suggestion. It was a challenge to move on from Alison, even though he knew she would always be a part of him. But to carry her name to a child of his... well, it did just seem right. "I think that's an excellent name," he replied to Joey with a smile. "As for a first name... or if the child is a boy, I think we're going to have to get a book to figure that one out."

She returned the smile. For her, it wasn't weird wanting to give her child that particular name. It was meant to pay tribute to a woman who was always going to have a place in Harvey's heart, and that was something Joey never wanted to take from him. "It really is a beautiful name, and I would love to honor her that way," she said. A large part of her felt she was having a little girl, but time would tell.

Harvey finished with the ribs and started on the vegetables. He'd left the fork on the table, but it wasn't worth going back to get since he could easily pick up the vegetables and eat them that way. "We're going to be parents," he said one more time. It didn't matter that this was the third time he'd said it. The news was life changing, and his mind was working overtime now, trying to figure out its implications, and not a single one of those scared him. He never thought he'd be so keen on children, yet here he was.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it? And makes me very happy that I'm not in Security anymore," Joey said, taking a bite of her fruit. She was going to be the mother to a tiny little person that would depend on her for everything. Not just her, but his or her father, too. "And there isn't another man live that I would want to be the father of my child."

"Indeed it is fortunate," Harvey said, realizing he sounded like a Vulcan after the elegant speech escaped his lips. "Though I fear our greatest challenge is still ahead of us."

"Yes, and when I left there, I never thought I'd be going back," she said with a frown. But, that didn't matter. Nothing about how she felt mattered when there were bigger things at stake. "Why don't you go take a shower and crawl into bed? I'll take one after you."

Harvey finished his dinner and agreed. He stood up and walked over to her, only to lean down and kiss her once more. "I love you," he told her, secretly wondering whatever it was he did to deserve her.

Joey returned the kiss and smiled. "I love you, too," she said. "We'll be in there to join you shortly." And since the dogs were asleep with their sock and scraps of fabric, she was referring to herself and their little peanut.

Smiling, Harvey left the main room to take his shower, intending to enjoy the luxury of the hot stream of water while it lasted before Operations insisted on going back to sonic only.

Looking to the trunk still in the couch, Joey realized she didn't really have the energy to unpack anymore. She'd already spent a few hours doing just that, and now exhaustion was beginning to set in. After closing the lid on the trunk, she disposed of their dishes, then made her way to the bedroom where she crawled into bed. As much as she wanted to shower, it wasn't happening right now, but she could take care of that before her shift began the following morning.

Joey pulled the covers back on the bed and settled down on the edge of it for a few minutes. She was going to be a mother. There was just something that seemed so... she just couldn't quite put it to words. With a smile, she laid back and tucked an arm under her head to wait for Harvey to join her. Everything was going to be okay. She just knew it.

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