A Choice Position

Posted on Tue Dec 4, 2018 @ 10:17pm by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

2,426 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: The Box of Delights
Timeline: MD 02 1330

[ON]

Amia hadn't been into the Box of Delights in a good while. She remember the last time she was here and had been unhappy about not seeing much of Cade, how little she had known then and how the future had turned round and bitten her on the butt! She walked in ruefully looking around to see how much it had changed and to her pleasant surprise it had changed a lot. She remembered suddenly that there had been a lot of damage done which had had to be repaired so that explained it. Sad that it had been at the expense of a bad incident but a silver lining for Amia albeit a small one.

She sat down, wondering if she really should have come but then again, it was worth a try. What did she have to lose?

Yolanthe had been moving around collecting empties when she saw Amia drop into a chair on one of the side tables, a little bundle snuggled on one shoulder. Depositing her tray she walked over, smiling broadly. "Hello Doctor." Her violet skin and hair darkened a shade or two. "And who is this tiny thing?"

Amia looked up beaming as any new mother would. "Hi Yolanthe" she replied, tilting the baby away from her shoulder so that she could be seen. "It's good to see you again. This is Liana. She looks like her dad, doesn't she?" Now the infant was turned towards the Bokkai who was smiling at her she gurgled back, her tiny face with green eyes like her mother but a full set of immaculately formed although a little bit pale in colour (as yet undeveloped in pigment) tiny Trill patterns visible up the side of her neck and to her temples.

Liana seemed to like the beautiful purple lady and followed her mother's example, joining in the happy beaming, totally oblivious to any reason why, but happy to respond anyway.

"Hello Liana," Yolanthe lifted the baby's hand with a purple finger and the infant instinctively gripped on. "She's adorable! Can I hold her?"

"Of course!" Amia said and held out her arm with the baby on it, leaving room for Yolanthe to reach in and transfer the weight across to her own arm.

Yolanthe carefully took the little child, tucking her into the crook of her arm and then cradling the other around her protectively. "She's definitely got her daddy's spots. I heard about Commander Aldrex. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, I'm getting better at dealing with it. I guess it's what could happen to any of us, we are here in military roles..... well, us Feddies that is." she looked a little sheepish as she realised that Yolanthe wasn't a Starfleet 'soldier' in the same way but she knew she'd understand, living as she did amongst so many of them on this busy station.

Yolanthe's attention was entirely on the baby, playing tug of war with her finger and watching her coo. "I know what you mean. You never know when your life can get ripped out from under you." The violet faded for a moment, distinctly grey, and then turned to shades of blue. "And sometimes, it gives you something to make up for it. Doesn't it?" she asked baby Liana "Doesn't it just. I bet your mummy lives right here!" She lifted Liana's tiny pinky with her own. "Can I get you a drink?" She was in no hurry to give Liana back though.

"I think I'd like something soft.... perhaps Patanberry juice if you have any.... but no rush!" Amia grinned, secretly glad of the rest for her own arms. Liana was beginning to put on weight nicely but it was a bit of an arm ache some days. Small price though because exactly as Yolanthe said, she was Amia's whole universe.

Perhaps getting someone to look after her was not such a good idea. Amia began to think she might just go back .... just a quick drink first though?

"Shall we see if we can sneak you away from mummy for sixty seconds?" Yolanthe cooed at the baby. The bokkai was a lot taller than Amia, and Liana was so tiny she was no weight at all to the bigger woman. "Shall we try it? Yes, lets try it."

Yolanthe moved away from the bar, jiggling the baby gently, finding the drink and a glass with the other hand, before beckoning a waiter to carry it over. Liana started to fret a bit, so Yolanthe carried her over and passed her back, "Back to mummy, little pudding. Your're gorgeous! Yes you are!" She picked up the bottle and poured out the juice over a few spheres of ice. "You're lucky. This is my last bottle for the time being. My suppliers are out, and harvest isn't for another three months."

Amia took the baby back and despite her earlier thoughts of how her arm was tired, it did feel nice to get her back in close again. It was the most unfathomable feeling to have a new baby and how powerfully that new life magnetised its parents, and also other adults around it too. It was all new to Amia but it was a wonderful experience and it made her feel as if she were whole again. That had been hard when she had lost Cade and she had wondered if she would ever be able to feel that special again but Liana had the magic.

"That's terrible news!" she protested. "How am I going to get through three months waiting for some more to be squeezed." bemoaning the lack of her favourite juice as she settled Liana in for a feed too. The infant instantly nuzzled up and guzzled greedily. "She gets her appetite from her dad as well as the Trill spots!" Amia commented with a smile at Yolanthe.

"Sadly she doesn't sleep as well as he used to." she added.

"You must be run off your feet." Yolanthe sympathized, wiggling her fingers at the baby. "Have you got any family staying?"

"I don't have any family, fullstop" Amia muttered but then looked up at Yolanthe. "Sorry, that's not fair. I have ... we have Cade's family but Grandpa Telamon is very ill and Grandma can't leave him and the daughters try their best to support her. I can't ask any of them here to help me with one tiny baby! I mean.... it's just one teeny child! How can it be so hard?" she shook her head, still unable to understand how she could run an entire Starbase Sickbay with dozens of staff and dozens more patients on a regular basis or hundreds in an emergency but yet she could be so exhausted and overwhelmed by one tiny bundle of infant. "She just never lets up, day or night, 24/7, then she finally sleeps in the only time of the day that I can't!"

"I must confess, where I come from, the babies get handed over to the men, You only have to show up to do the feeding. They take care of everything else." Yolanthe shrugged. "But since I lack a stable full of bokkai men, I can offer you the next best thing. Come with me."

Yolanthe picked up Amia's drink, and led her and the new baby over to the turbo lift and up into the holospa, before heading into Klia's office.

"I'm busy," said the small orion woman without looking up from the screens she was staring at.

"This is life or death." Yolanthe replied, ignoring her and walking to the desk.

"But this is sex, therefore I win." Klia gave a little squeal. "Got you!" she said to the code displayed across two screens. "That's where you're hiding." She started making furious adjustments on the screen, her fingers tapping on the touch keyboard projected on the desk in a barrage of clicking finger nails.

"I have a baby." Yolanthe replied.

Klia looked up instantly, saw Amia and squealed "baby! Can I hold her?" Coding completely forgotten.

Amia smiled widely. "Of course you can" she said and handed Liana over gently. "She's been fed so she might be a little grumpy due to wind...." she explained as if she was anxious about how the baby might be restless.

"She gets a lot of hiccups" she said as Klia held the baby who was seeming to try to call her mother a liar as she cooed happily at Klia as if butter wouldn't melt. Amia just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes.

Fortunately for Amia's credibility and unfortunately for Klia's dress, Liana suddenly changed her mood and threw up what appeared to be a lot of milk all down her kind host.

Amia jumped forwards with wipes, apologising profusely and mopping frantically.

"Its nothing." Klia waved away the fretting Amia. "I've been sprayed with far worse in my time. Have you ever had to clean up holosuites that don't self sanitze?"

Amia grimaced. "Er.... no, thank goodness although I wouldn't recommend this little person's disposable underwear!" she grinned, referring cryptically to the soiled "nappies" and cleaning up the baby inside them, even once the item itself was disposed of.

The two seemed to have common ground over gross things they had to deal with and it helped them to trauma bond.

"Hi, I'm Amia. We met before. I'm a doctor. Klia isn't it?" Amia smiled. "And this is Liana" she indicated the baby even though it was evident who she meant. "Sorry again for her rather disgusting greeting."

"Its okay." Klia took some wipes and finished dabbing up the worst of it. I'm guessing you need some help?"

Amia looked a little abashed. "Well, I do. I really need a nanny or a full time minder if you know of anyone who might be willing to do work like that?" She felt it was a little bit of a failure as a mother to be passing the infant off on someone else for long parts of the day.

"I was thinking, we still have the EMH. Would that, reworked and given a better outfit. And personality. And body. would that work?" Yolanthe asked

"Oh, perfect!!" Amia was relieved and inspired all at once. "If you can you reprogram one of those we could make it completely bespoke to our needs. That would be amazing!!" Amia was warming to this idea much more as the possibilities began to make more sense.

"We can do something like that." Klia agreed "But you'll need holo-emitters fitted in your quarters, and I can do that, but you need permission from Operations, because its altering the station specs."

"I'll go up there right now!" Amia said with enthusiasm. "I'll take the little madam and she can cry or sick over them and that will get their permission even if just as a means of getting me to leave!" she chuckled and stood up. Downing her juice she thanked Yolanthe for all her help and promised to come back with news of how she got on asking for permission to install the necessary equipment.

"One last thing!" Klia said. "Give me some basic parameters for looks and personality. Then i can work up a draft whilst you drag operations into line."

"Oooh!" Amia looked thoughtful but excited at the same time as she began to try to pick out features she thought she would like and went through a whole list of proposals that she changed as fast and as frequently as would make anyone trying to follow her lines of thought feel dizzy.

Klia took the spec when she was finished, and nodded as she quickly skimmed through. "I can have something done fairly quickly. Can you survive till the day after tomorrow?"

"I've got this far" Amia nodded and pulled a face. "She's not so bad to be fair, it's just hard to be with her and at work all at once. Not that I mind having to stay home with her if i have the chance!" she admitted, gazing lovingly at the gurgling infant. "I'm very lucky she's such an angel as well as a little miracle. I don't want her to grow up with me always at work at the times that matter. Two days is a fine target, if that fits with you. Thank you so much for doing this for me. I'll sort out your fee, just let me know what i owe you, I know it will be worth it."

Klia shook her head. "Its fine, Consider it a baby shower gift."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you but I couldn't let you do all of that for nothing. It's such a lot of time, effort and I seriously doubt it wouldn't cost you anything to get the parts etc. I'd really like to do something for you in return..... please?" Amia protested, concerned at the generosity although it was very kind.

Klia shrugged and looked at Yolanthe who also shrugged. "You could always bring the baby back for cuddles," Klia said. "We don't get many of those in here."

"I'd LOVE that and so would Liana." Amia gushed but made plans in her head to get flowers and chocs to bring as well. "How about if you both come over for dinner? I could cook? What sort of food do you like?" she asked, still beaming with excitement at the double treat of her new "holonanny" program and also company for dinner and new friends to brighten up the evenings.

"I like Terran food. And Andorian." Klia said, "So probably best not cook those, I might not leave."

"Dinner would be lovely."Yolanthe agreed. "I eat pretty much anything, as long as it's not too spicy. We could get together once you've got permission for the emitters."

Amia wrapped up Liana into her body carrier and strapped her back onto her front ready to take her 'home'. "I would love it if you didn't leave!" she laughed and touched Kia's shoulder gratefully. "but I can settle for your holonanny standing in for you between dinner parties." she grinned.

"I'll apply for those emitters today and get straight back to you both as soon as I can get permission." she promised and after lots of hugs and kisses and coo-ing goodbyes, she was gone and a peace settled back into the Box as if someone had unplugged a noisy juke-box.

[OFF]

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner
The Box of Delights

Klia N'shahdra
Holoengineer
NPC by notty

Dr Amia Telemon
CMO
Deep Space Five

 

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