August, 2262
[thoughts]
*emphasis*
(almost seven months later . . . )
Zack returned when Lyta's baby was due and had settled it's head down into the birthing canal, he was able to get leave since Byron's group of rogue telepaths had already had their combination of death and running away, the month before. (They never knew of the vorlon interference, however.) The Centauri war hadn't yet gotten bad enough to keep him on B5. A day after he arrives, Labor occurred without any need for assistance. Lyta delivered a girl without any problems (or regaining consciousness), Zack caught her as she emerged and cut the umbilical cord. Girl was 9 pounds and 6 ounces (whatever in metric), had over an inch of thick, very red hair, and brown eyes the same shade as Lyta's. Zack was holding the baby as she started to scream, and he cried for the first time in many years.
Zack had already arranged amnesty for his child - through minbari citizenship - from the Corps, since the baby will probably be a telepath like her mother was. [IS!] Zack's mind corrected itself. [She's not dead. Lyta's just . . . sleeping.] A Ranger who had several children already, all but one was grown up (latest was a big surprise), and knows how to care for kids, is nursing a two month old, has agreed to be wetnurse/nanny for the baby. She won the position, there were several who offered to take job.
Zack had been sending voice messages for the hospital staff to play to Lyta, and they've been aiming the little speaker on the audio set at her stomach, so the baby would know his voice. She also knows Lise, who'd go and talk to Lyta and the baby, and read stories out loud in practice for her own daughter. They'd found Lise's daughter, were in custody battle to have her returned. She had money on her side this time, and Franz's new wife had lost her love for the girl so it looked hopeful at that point.
Zack didn't know exactly how he was going to make it all work out, but he was determined to try. He had already set up cradle, clothes, etc, in his/their quarters. Took baby back to B5 after a few days of getting used to being a father (with everything that entails), when Lyta started producing normal milk instead of first milk (the mega-nutrient and vitamin stuff newborns need), so the baby could be switched over to the wetnurse.
Zack's coworkers were totally happy for him, they - just like Garibaldi - hadn't guessed he was married - they 'know' it by now, and thought it was kept quiet to avoid extra fuss by corps, but they'd known long ago that something had been up, since Zack's wandering eye had disappeared last summer, unless Lyta was around, and he only looked at her then.
When they finally were in customs, the receiving officer - a narn - asked if he could see her. Baby was all wrapped up to keep breeze off, snuggled up to her proud - if sad - daddy. "This is my little angel," Zack said as he showed her sleeping face.
Baby wrinkled her face up for a moment, eyes scrunched shut tighter against the bright lights before she relaxed off into a deep sleep again.
"Hi, little Angel," officer said softly. He hesitated, then asked Zack if 'little' is part of the name, it seems more like a description?
"Uh, no, angel is . . . well . . . yeah, it's a good name." Zack smiled, more to himself than the officer. "I hadn't been able to pick one. Uh - little is a term of affection. She must seem quite large by narn standards. But don't arrange a presentation ceremony yet - I need some time with her first, to get settled in, ok? It's been a long trip. Plus, I need to make sure she isn't allergic to anything you might have there. Incense and the like."
Officer sighed with a little bit of drama, and said "We can put the decorations away for a week or so. But everyone is anxious to meet the baby. Can it be soon?"
Zack nodded vaguely, then moved off. He carried her close to him through the crowds, carefully, not recognised by many people because he was wearing his civvies still. They got to his room without any incidents, which was a relief for the already-weary father. The ranger had been moved into the next room, in case Zack wanted advice or baby needed an extra sucking of milk.
Zack laid her in the cradle (hand carved on the station, wood imported, was a gift from ? ) to finish her nap and unpacked, then got a bottle from the ranger and fed her. Some of the baby's clothes were way too big still, a few pieces were too small already. Zack had made standard deal with merchant: unused, clean clothes would be swapped back for same amount credit-wise of other items. He didn't want to know the baby's gender early, so he got 1/4 blue stuff, 1/4 pink stuff, and half that would go on either. Zack would stop by to swap boy's and too small stuff in a day or so, but he needed to *sleep* first. He held her after she'd eaten and been burped (an art Zack still needed much practice in), rocking her back and forth, just staring at her as she peered around with unfocused eyes. "My Angel. My own sweet Angel," he whispered to her, smiling.
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It'll be a while (my muses are not co operating!!!) before I can 'flesh it out', but here's what's going to happen before the next part 'begins'. Thanks for your patience, and pray I win big in the lottery so that I can write fulltime! :)
interim notes:
Angel was a 'good' baby. No colic, sleeps most of the time, cries very little, but wants to be held constantly to hear heartbeat. This doesn't prove to be a problem: there's several coworkers and family of co's who've already lined up for babysitting shifts. Angel is very popular. She's very pretty, attentive, and friendly. Everyone who's met Lyta says she's going to look like her (thank god).
Zack just clears his throat and looks somewhat annoyed, but it never lasts because Angel gurgles at him of does something else cute (everything she does, he finds cute, unless her diaper is full, but he can manage *that* just fine). Zack is even shorter on sleep than before, but he's able to take it in stride. He wouldn't have lasted in Security if he couldn't lose sleep. She gets a tad spoiled as she starts to grow up, but careful guidance keeps her from acting spoiled. Very rambunctious, even for a toddler. She was walking by 10 months, and running soon afterwards. Very smart, gets lots of mental stimulation, Zack reads at least one story to her every night, no matter how tired he is. A few times he's woken up still sitting in her bed, and she's put her blankie over his lap, tucking him in like he tucks her in.. They're very protective of each other.
They record a message almost everyday and send it to Lyta, first by Zack as a way of keeping track of Angel's growth and progress, for when Lyta wakes up, but as time passes and further careful scans show they can't draw her out and she doesn't seem to be able to come out on her own, Zack keeps copies of what he sends more as a personal journal, and to let Angel have some sort of link to her mother. Zack's troops - those who were around when Lyta was - tell her what they remember, as do many rangers, and whenever Zack gets leave time, they go to Mars. See Lyta, as well as the other touristy things suitable for child to see. Angel likes to visit 'unka mike', since he's got all sorts of great things for kids at his 'huge' (by b5 standards) house, and to play with Deborah, Lise's daughter. Deb calls Garibaldi 'mike', since she can remember her 'real' father, who she doesn't like, but is still her dad.
There were two close calls when Psi Cops (first in uniforms, then trying to sneak) trying to kidnap Angel and bring her 'home', but Zack was smart enough to have implanted tracking devices (one long-range, one short) in her, so they didn't get away with it. Corps couldn't get her officially since Angel had Minbari citizenship, and Lyta was still safe in the small hospital with Garibaldi.
Zack's iron-hard you-better-respect-him reputation ends up with a few dints, but nothing major. It's hard for a security member to keep a straight face when s/he sees the boss in the gardens, sitting with a 4-month old who's clad only in a diaper, playing with her toes on the grass where Zack had thought no one could see them. . . to say nothing of the phrase 'oh no you don't you little nudist, not THIS time!' being heard halfway down the hall as he scooped up a (usually damp from the shower) giggling toddler in his jacket/a towel/whatever he managed to grab on his way to catch her.
Angel turned 4 in August, 2266. She kept her latency until early October '66. Had a hard time with being active, Zack couldn't help her himself, but they found help from minbari teeps and human teeps who belong to the rangers (the man who first tried to wake Lyta up among them), who all help teach her to use her abilities wisely. Angel soon tested out higher than a strong P12.
Lyta was still in a coma, with no signs of ever going to recover.
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