New Liberty

Posted on Mon Aug 7th, 2023 @ 9:03pm by Vice-Consul Josephine Carlyle-Cragen & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant J'airesh Mora-Heath & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik} & Senior Chief Petty Officer Emily Charles {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Season 6: Episode 3: Far From Home
Location: The Carlyle-Cragen Quarters & Sickbay
Timeline: 3/11/2397 early Morning.
1875 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

IC:

Josephine's heart was heavy. Arrianna was dead, and now she felt more alone. She had just finished moving back into the small cabin she had been assigned, when she felt what the doctor had described as Contractions, but these were no Braxton hicks. She all but doubled over in pain. She gasped and took a shaky breath as the pain ebbed away. She grabbed her comm and hit it. "Carlyle-Cragen to Medical... is Doctor Sthilg there?"

Emily was on duty in Sickbay, she was just finishing off a check up with Kara when Josephine’s voice came over the comms. Knowing Josie was one of the ship’s expectant mum’s she tapped her comm badge. “Josephine this is Emily Charles, is everything alright?”

Kara sat trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation, she knew Josie wasn’t really interested in keeping a family link between her and Kyle’s baby but she worried nonetheless. The baby was family after all, as was Josie in a way.

"Oh yeah just fine... I think the baby is coming, its... definitely not false...labour. " Josie got out as she walked around her new cabin to get her breath. "Ca-can I come up to medical?"

“Of course you can” Emily responded and motioned for one of the other nurses to go and get Sthilg. “Call me if you need any help getting here.”

"Ok.. I will be...10 to 15 or so....." came the reply then she severed the connection and slowly began the walk from her cabin to the turbolift. She was now on deck 19 and needed to get to deck 12. Josephine took her time and had to stop for the contractions. They were still a fair time apart, and she knew that babies could not be rushed, would not be rushed. She made it to the tubolift as the second contraction hit and was just reaching medical when the third hit, at 12 minutes apart.

Kara had sensed Josie coming, meeting her in the corridor outside Medical she offered a supportive smile. “Here let me help you” She offered Josie a supportive arm. “I was here for a check up when you called.”

Josie merely nodded "hello Kara." She got out. "I am sorry to interrupt your appointment. Is Doc Sthilg here?"

“I think so” Kara nodded. “He was here earlier I saw him dealing with a patient. Don’t worry everything will be fine.”

Appearing in the doorway Emily was ready for Josie’s arrival, being a surgical nurse and medic she would be there incase anything happened and Josie required a c section. “Hello Josie, we’ve got a bed all set up for you. Privacy screens are up so you don’t need to worry.”

The door slid open as Sthilg hurried inside " Give me a ssseconed." Sthilg said as he hurried off into the changing section to don his surgical gear.

Josie doubled over as another contraction hit "Ahhh I swear when we get home, Kyle Cragen is getting castrated!" she all but screamed. She allowed herself to be helped onto the bio bed.

" If he'sss lucky my dear." Sthilg said as he returned knowing of many far more painful ways to deal with that man that would make him wish he'd never been born. " How many contractions have you had my dear?" He asked calmly as his arm turned into it's scanner mode.

Josie took a breath "Ummm.. not many, but they are very painful and getting closer together, maybe 10 or so.."

" Well jussst lean back and breathe in ssslowly. " Sthilg said calmly offering his normal hand for her to hold.

Her hand reached out and clutched his hand in her's. "I am trying" she said her voice filled with pain and fear.

" Jussst breathe ssslowly. In and out." He said calmly in his best grandfatherly tone.

Josie nodded and tried to do as he said, the pain hit again and she cried out.

Emily offered a calm smile as she stood the other side of Josie’s bed. “You’re doing fine Josie, baby’s vitals are just fine so you don’t need to worry.”

Sthilg kept monitoring her as he prepped a hypospray with mild muscle relaxant. " In and out my girl. It will be time to pusssh sssoon enough."

J'air finished with the patient she had been treating in a farther cubicle and without anyone else in need of anything right now, she quietly joined the team helping Josie.

Standing close to Dr Sthilg she reached over and tapped in a silent question onto the PaDD that he had on the side, to his left, and while they were all waiting for Josie's current contraction to finish, J'air wrote silently, not showing anyone else around that this was what she was doing.

It was bad enough that she had to ask, and very embarrassing too, especially with her Boss in the middle of a full on surgical procedure, so she tried to do it subtly.

There was no chance of course, that she would ever question such a brilliant doctor as Sthilg, and she hated the idea that anyone might think she could ever do such a thing, but this was for her own expansion of experience and methods - how else was a doctor to grow better and more experienced herself if she didn't make sure she was keeping up with the Maestro and learning his ways and wisdom. She wouldn't try to second guess him because she *knew* how good he was. So she just wrote:

"Please may I ask what made you decide against an epidural or hypospray spinal analgesic in this case, Sir?
I don't ever mean to question you on 'the why' you made the choices, I'd just like to inform myself of the current considerations in play, for my future debates on the pros and cons of those particular procedures, if that's okay?
I expect there will be plenty of cases like this for me in time and I'm sure to need all the criteria to refer back to.
So maybe we could discuss this after the birth please?
I just know I'll forget to ask in all the excitement when the baby is here. :'(
Thank you. J"

She handed it to him carefully, just as the previous contraction eased off and everyone else was distracted with Josie's progress and support. Whilst the CMO was reading for the few split-seconds it would take, J'air added herself to the chorus of how well Josie was doing, taking care to read off the screens and data showing the mother and baby vital stats as she did so, to reassure herself if it was actually true. It was fine to encourage and support her but it needed to be for real, or she'd find herself letting the patient down.

Josie's hands were clenching tightly. She cried out as another pain wracked her form. She wanted this over with... over and done with... "Doc... i.. need to push please!" She got out.

The gorn held up three figures slowly dropping them as a countdown as he kept his eyes locked on the reading. " And pusssh my dear." he said softly keeping an eye on her breathing.

She did so and cried out as she did so. Gods she wanted this done with! She was going to kill Kyle when she saw him next, child or not.

" Your doing well Josssie. Breath in and out, one, two three and pusssh." he instructed calmly. The baby would be here soon.

Josephine took a breath and did as instructed. Her daughter wanted out, and she wanted her out. One hand reached blindly out and grabbed Kara's hand, the other grabbed the ACMO's.

J'air bore the tightness of Josie's squeeze, understanding that she was in great pain and was totally unaware of the pressure she was applying as she bore down. It was a beautiful moment for all of the rest of them and the ACMO had great empathy for the woman who was making it happen. There was something so emotive about the creation of new life and J'air had tears in here eyes as it was all happening right here. She didn't know josie well, although she had been at some of her anti-natal appointments, but she felt deeply happy to be able to be a part of this amazing event.

The gorn kept monitoring. Jossie was doing very well. " Nearly there my dear." He said as he slipped his hand free from there and moved to check on the infiant. " I can sssee her head. A few more pussshesss and ssshe'll be out." He said happily as his artificial hand morphed to hold the infant.

Josie barely heard him but she pushed again, and cried out in pain as she did so. She barely got her breath back when she had to push again.

Sthilg smiled as he carefully caught the small creature who started crying almost immediately. " One healthy girl. " Sthilg said calmly as he began wiping her down before wrapping her in a foil blanket.

Josie gasped and sagged back onto the bio bed, and closed her eyes. It was done, Liberty was here and it was done.... "Thank you..."

J'air carefully set about cleaning Josie up gently. She helped the remains of the placenta into a receptacle as the last of it ejected itself and then she took it away. She returned and began to to make sure Josie was comfortable, very delicately and gently settled her with new soft clean underwear and a soft coverlet to ensure she stayed warm as well as the baby did.

The ACMO then offered more congratulations knowing there would be plenty more tests, checks, weighing, fuss and caregiving that would need to be resumed in a while but for now, she was keen to provide just a little break to have some time to rest and bond first.

She stood back to allow Josie's two closest friends to sit beside her and see the baby. Whilst they all talked with Josie, J'air carried on with more of the preparations that would shortly be needed, setting up the scales and the program for measuring little Liberty's height, head circumference and all the medical boring bits as she was sure they would be thought of. She put out a sucker bulb in case Liberty's nose, throat and sinuses were full and needed to be cleared again, even though she knew that the CMO would have done them earlier had she needed it, but Liberty had taken in a powerful lung full of air to wail right away, which was a good indication that she was going to be a strong little girl. It was a very rewarding time to be a doctor, when something like this was happening. The feeling in the room was alive with joy and relief.

When Liberty was handed to her, Josie held her close and studied the small face. She considered everything as she lay there, her child in her arms and felt herself smile despite the loss of Arri and their current circumstances.

" Another happy delivery. You did well J'airesssh." Sthilg said to his second. Giving her a knowing look he added.

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