This is a Chapel, Not a Damn Delivery Room!

Posted on Thu Feb 28th, 2019 @ 11:26am by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Commander K'Niras Sh'howul & Lieutenant Aeryn Vinia & Lieutenant Junior Grade Shras th'Zarath & Lieutenant Junior Grade Ethan O'Donoghue
Edited on on Thu Feb 28th, 2019 @ 11:56am

Mission: S01E04 The Outpost Has Eyes
Location: USS Musashi | Chapel

The day started almost like any other. The Captain was somewhat back on her feet, though as pregnant as could be. Everything was going as it could go towards a positive, if the positive was she was pregnant with child, a child sired unintentionally by a savage beast who had captured her and kept her his captive. The gestation for a human female was approximately 280 days... forty grueling weeks. Her estimated day of giving birth? Somewhere between uncertain and unknown, and with a very strong sense of right now several weeks ago if Donatella Figueroa had any say in the matter. She of course had some say in the matter, but it was against medical advice to use any medications or chemicals to alter the delivery time. She could hardly even take anything for the pain in fear that the fetus in her womb would have some sort of reaction. She could not risk an induced labor.

Fig had her "maternity leave" already after some false contractions and a little labor pains scare in the turbolift on her way to see an Admiral who was ghostly white when he thought that he would have to deliver the baby in the turbolift with her. However, the pains stopped. Labor never seemed to actually occur, and Fig was helped back up onto her feet. They slapped her with light duty at first, then maternity leave, only the baby did not come, and now she was back to light duty. Betazoids often had long difficult pregnancies into the tenth month. Medical information on Klingons was spotty at best, but from what Fig and Aeryn were able to 'borrow,' it seemed that, on average, Klingon pregnancies lasted about 8 months. However, sooner and later were also documented.

I'm several months into this pregnancy, I'm huge... I can't put my boots on without help. I can't fit in a Jefferies tube for the life of me, and I'm incredibly irritable, thought Fig as she made her way down one of the ship's corridors. Usually, the crew would seize the opportunity to greet the Captain, especially those who rarely caught a glimpse of her. However, these days if you saw Fig, you moved out of the way immediately and kept quiet. Fig was one her way to the Turbolift to head to the ship's chapel. She was going to meet with her First Officer to discuss matters. She was still the Captain of the Musashi, but Fig was only merely there as a figure head these days. She let Commander Samuels and Lieutenant Sh'howul stand watch and have the "Captain's chair" on the bridge of her starship.

Captain Figueroa was merely aboard to take care of the bureaucracy of things. She reviewed reports that required her attention, signed off on this and that to keep busy, and was in constant contact with Starfleet Command. However, the actual commanding of the starship and the day to day operations rested on Samuels.

A cup that had once held steaming coffee was now a blob of congealed sludge next to Aeryns elbow as she reviewed once again her supplies for the upcoming delivery. The midnight appointments to avoid being seen by any of the crew were long since over, and the crew knew very well that the captain was going to have a baby. Thosw appointments had the added benefit of allowing Aeryn to get to know a little of the enigmatic captain Fig. Every day past the point of viability Aeryn had obsessively checked every piece of equipment in the space she'd made into a delivery room.

As the child grew, however, the concern changed from "will this hybrid child live?" to "how are we going to get this child out?" Well, modern Medical Science allowed for precise measurements of both the head and pelvic outlet, they were rapidly approaching the point where, physically, the babe could not come out. And so Aeryn begin to review a procedure, that she prayed to every God she didn't have to do. It had become her wake up screaming nightmare that she was going to have to perform a C-section on the captain without a licensed doctor aboard the ship. This was so far outside of her scope of practice that she'd requested the aid of a obstetric specialist to be placed on standby just in case she needed assistance.

Captain Figueroa felt a little woosey as she proceeded down the ship's corridors and headed toward the chapel. Morning sickness, she thought to herself. She was supposed to be taking it light, but she had to admit that she had been pushing herself a little harder than Aeryn had recommended. Fig leaned against a bulkhead and pushed the comm. "Figueroa to Sickbay," she said hesitantly. "Aeryn, I'm feeling a little nauseous... could you come down to the chapel at your earliest convenience?"

"Of course Captain," she answered, after reaching over her desk to press the glowing comm button. Briefly, she wondered what the Captain was doing at the chapel, for she thought she remembered the captain not being particularly religious. Shrugging it off as a human idiosyncrasy, she loaded a hypospray with an anti-emetic and walked out of sickbay. A moment later she walked back in and grabbed her kit - just in case.

No sooner did Fig enter the chapel did she feel progressively worse. She found the nearest pew and let out a awful moan of agony and pain and she felt a sharp tightness within her and she clenched her stomach and abdominal region. She let out several curse words and colorful expressions which would have garnered a lot of attention in a place of worship and solace. However, nobody came to check on her. Damn it, he's not even here, she thought. She was supposed to meet her Executive Officer, but the man was nowhere to be found. He was probably tied up with some ensign needing assistance or guidance.

Another scream for mercy and Fig was digging her nails into the pew. Is this thing just kicking... turning... or, before her thoughts could even fathom that her delivery date could be as soon as NOW, the pain was worsened and Fig screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that her call for Nurse Vinia was going to be answered before the half-Klingon inside her womb fought its way out.

Aeryn hurried down the hallway, towards the chapel, wondering just what possessed the Captain to go there in the first place. The hint of what could only be a scream came to her ears when she entered the mostly deserted part of the ship and she broke into a run.

Another agonized scream floated down to her and she bit her lip in sympathy. She entered the chapel, without a glance at the religious imagery from many cultures that decorated the walls. Dropping her kit on the pew beside Fig, she pressed a hand to her lower back. "Breathe, like I taught you..."

"I'm TRYING!" screamed Fig as she felt the child within her womb kick or move about in a way that placed her in great discomfort. "I'm going to grab that blue hair of yours and rip it from your scalp if you tell me to calm down or breathe. Get this damn child out of me, Aeryn," she said loudly, but not screaming. The commotion was definitely enough to attract attention from any passerbys roaming the corridors outside.

Aeryn almost giggled at the threat of violence and gently laid her hand on Fig's big belly. The band of muscle was hard under her hand and Fig was clearly having a contraction. "Have your waters gone?"

K'Niras heard the screaming the moment he stepped off the turbolift and onto the deck where the chapel was. His sharp ears picked up sound from a great distance. He also broke into a run and flipped open his com to call medical and to be informed that Nurse Vinia was already enroute or already there. It gave him some relief. It wasn't that he had never seen a birth, he lived with many females when he was young. Communal living exposed you to a lot of things, but he was concerned that the captain was going to drop the baby at any moment. Apparently, that moment was now... and in the chapel of all places. He stepped through the doors to the room and nodded. "Do you all need anything?" he asked.

Shras was just sitting in his security office, wishing for something to do really. The Andorian didn't really do "downtime". So reports of "screaming" was welcomed. "The chapel?" he asked himself. "What?" he said, puzzled. He was confused as heck, but he grabbed his phaser anyway.

Entering the lift if finally clicked. "The Captain is there," he said to himself. "Expedite, Chapel," he said. He nearly slumped to the floor as the car sped off. "Not that fast!" he grumbled to himself. As if heading by warp, the car did indeed arrive. A rather disheveled Shras stepped out, seeing K'Niras walk in. He followed.

Aeryn heard the question, but her attention was solely on Fig. She needed the more advanced scanner in her kit, but she wouldn't remove her hands from supporting her friend. "Open my kit, and put it within reach of my left hand."

Fig took a deep breath and focused on everyone gathering around. "Great... I'm a damn spectacle," she muttered through the pain. The question Aeryn had asked was on her mind, but Fig could not think of anything of the sort happened. "N--No. No, I don't believe anything has 'broke'," she said in reference to her water. "I was nauseous this morning... walked... came down here and then this. It just hit me suddenly."

K'Niras stepped forward quickly and grabbed Aeryn's bag. He brought it up right next to her and placed it where he had been instructed to and opened the bag. "You're not a spectacle..." he said. "You're having a baby. It's a perfectly natural process. Now, if you were just laying on the floor pretending... that would be a spectacle." He chuckled softly.

Aeryn couldn't help but smile at the reassurance Fig was getting from her crew. "Do you want to try to get to sickbay?" The question came at the same time she began a more detailed scan, and placed a fetal monitor pad on Fig's belly.

EJ had been tinkering at the helm station, he was getting used to it now, after months. He stood and pushed the internal comm station. "Shras, you in security?" he asked, as he looked to his communicator. It was buzzing. "O'Donnaghue, go ahead," he spoke.

"You're needed in the chapel, Ensign." The voice crackled as they spoke.

"Understood," EJ said in a quizzical voice. Marching for security first, Shras always kept the door open. "Yo, Mr. Blue, we gotta go to the chapel. Just got a communication," he said, lingering by the door.

"Sure, EJ. Coming," Shras said, grabbing a bag and joining his friend in the hall. "Let's go."

Fig screamed as she grabbed onto the nurse. "We're having this right here... right NOW!" shouted Fig. "The baby is coming, Aeryn. It's not going to wait for you, for Samuels, for me, or for any God damn person! It is coming and it's part Klingon," said the Captain as she tried her best to keep herself together. The pain was almost unbearable. I have been tortured by Klingons and this is nothing I have ever felt before, she thought to herself. "Aeryn, don't let me die giving birth to this thing," added Fig looking the blue haired woman heatedly.

Aeryn supported her, and matched her look for look when she said. "No one is dying today. You're going to hurt, but you're not going to die."

"Oh that's splendid," countered Fig. "Now, tell it to the Klingon because it feels like it is tearing me apart from the inside out," she said trying to steady her breathing. "I never thought I would be giving birth on my own starship... ugh in a chapel of all places too."

Aeryn couldn't help but laugh at that last line. "It is not the most ideal location on the ship. You never do anything by halves do you my friend?"

"Only the baby," K'Niras said, trying to make light of the situation.

Captain Figueroa winced as she fought through some laughter. Damn your quick wit, she thought of her Chief Communications Officer. "Aeryn... I it's coming," said Fig before letting out a terrible scream and push. "Can you see it's head?!" asked Fig, shouting. "Which way is it coming..."

"He's head down Fig, but it's still a tight fit." Spreading the absorbent pad out under her, Aeryn hands rested on Figs hips. Turning she looked at security over her shoulder. "Keep everyone else out please."

"Ridges... does it have ridges?" she asked with concern. "Can he pass through safely without causing internal bleeding?" she asked with more and more concern in her voice. Fig had never had a child before. This whole thing was new to her, but she knew even after impregnation some species who got together... things did not always go right in childbirth.

"We won't know till hes born. None of the ultrasounds showed ridges." Grasping Fig's hands she squeezed them gently. "You are going to birth this baby, and everything is going to be alright. Any problems we will solve as they arise, but now it is time for you to trust your body and push."

"Don't forget to breathe while you push..." K'Niras added and then demonstrated the breathing part with a nod.

Fig glared at the Caitian. "GOOD!" shouted Captain Figueroa as she pushed. She found very little entertainment from the crew in the moment. She was enduring such pain during this process. However, now seemed like as good of a time as any. Why the hell not? she thought to herself as she tightened her grip on everything. "I am glad you have a knack for offering me advice and support, Lieutenant. Because that is exactly what you will be doing by the end of the week as my new First Officer," she said making the rather abrupt and informal announcement.

K'Niras stared at the captain. He even blinked slowly several times in surprise. He had been acting as First Officer, but he never expected the position to become permanent. His whiskers vibrated with anxiety and he laid his ears back slowly. "Of course, Sir... but..." He paused. He wanted to ask more. A lot more, but perhaps now was not the right time. Instead he simply nodded again. "Breathe..."

EJ walked into the chapel taking his place next to the others "How is she doing guys?" he asked, as he waited for Shras to join him. He looked around at the chapel. Soon enough this would be the only thing he saw in his dreams when Craig's funeral, but today was a different day.

Biting her lip to keep from giggling at their facial expressions, Aeryn set up a few supplies. A laser scalpel and cord clamp, a blanket and bulb syringe. Extending her hands between Fig's spread thighs, suddenly she had the crowning head of a baby in her hands.

Captain Figuera mustered all her might and gave one hard push that felt like she had somehow pushed her intestines, but she was still alive and still alert. The pain was still there but it was all being overshadowed by the silence being cut by this insufferable screaming. The baby was not just coming... the baby was out... or mostly out. Fig was not sure and she did not want to move at risk of injuring herself. "Is it out?! Is it out?!" she screamed over the screaming of the newborn.

"Hello there little man," Aeryn greeted the squalling baby boy that was cradled against her forearms. Fig's scream of 'is he out' created just enough pressure to finally push the child fully into the world. There was something special about being the first person to touch the newest citizen of the universe. "He's out Fig, he's out. Just relax and breathe." Cleaning the blood from the baby, she traced the slight ridges with her forefinger. She clamped and cut the cord, before giving him a quick scan.

Breathing was one thing, relaxing was another entirely. It just was not in her damn nature to do so and relaxing did not come with the uniform. "Tend to the child and see to it that it's healthy. Meanwhile, someone fetch me a fresh uniform and I might need some help back up onto my feet," she said dispensing of small orders. She had just given birth to a half Klingon child, and the only thing on her mind was the compromising position she was in, the uniform that was ruined, and her drive to get back onto the Bridge.

K'Niras had been looking at the baby, but he now turned his attention to his captain and stared at her, his nose wrinkled in disbelief. "Uh... you just gave birth to a pretty good sized baby. Not only was it a baby, but it was a half-Klingon baby, which are larger than most. You're gonna sit right there, Ma'am. I will get you a blanket, if you would like to cover up, but in no way am I going help you to your feet. It hasn't even been ten minutes. Sit there." He wouldn't normally talk to a commanding officer like he had just done, but she was being completely unreasonable. "Besides... there is afterbirth to consider... which has not passed. I'm not sure that standing right now is a good idea."

"This is still my damn ship!" shouted Captain Donatella Figueroa as she mustered all the strength she could to get herself back to her feet and stabilize her posture which was shaky at best. No sooner had she stood up did she regret doing so. It was quite the sensation. Everything was as it should be one second...then it all startled to blur together like a child's finger painting or a fine piece of art from a lack luster monstrosity of an era. Fig teetered for a moment longer before being swept away, her feet coming out from under her as she collapsed and blacked out.