By: Lena
By: Lena
Rated: PG
©2002
jetcgroups01@yahoo.com
Summery: Janeway and Chakotay are married and patiently awaiting for their daughter to be born. This covers the first year of her life. This takes place a few months before “ENDGAME.”
Author’s Note: Yes, this is a baby story. But the baby here is a large part of the plot. You will understand it when I write the sequel. I would also like to thank my sister again. I would also like to thank Anita Cochran for such a wonderful song. You can find it on her “Back To You” tape or compact disc.
=/\=
The scene opens with a very sterilized area. Several people are rushing about. The Doctor is attending to Janeway. She is having a baby. She looks very tired and perspiration coats the blue sickbay gown she is wearing. Chakotay looks just as exhausted as his wife. She seems to have been in labor for several hours.
“Push Captain, I need you to push one more time and the baby’s head will be out. I know you are tired but we need to get this baby out. Come on one more push.”
Janeway leans her head on the pillow behind her. Chakotay is there holding her hand and coaching her. With some encouragement she finally agrees, although she is very tired she gives it one final push.
“Oh, Chakotay I am so tired. I don’t want to do this again for at least five years.”
We hear a high pitched squeal, it is a cry from a baby. Chakotay leans over and looks at what he and Janeway have created. She looks just like him. Although he is sure that she will have her mother’s personality and stubbornness.
“Chakotay, what is it?”
“It’s head is the only thing that is out. We need another push and the rest of it will come out. Come on Kathryn push for me, push for the baby.”
Janeway does as asked and the baby finally emerges out completely it’s a baby girl. She has a full head of curly, dark, hair like her daddy. She briefly opens up her eyes they are a very deep blue. Nearly brown. But it will be several months before her eyes change to the color they will be. Chakotay new that this little baby was going to be his little girl. The Doctor places the baby on Janeway’s chest.
“Congratulations it is a baby girl. Just as you suspected. She is perfect and very healthy. I must say that she looks a lot like her father. Chakotay would you like to cut the cord?”
“Of course I would, I waited nine months to do something with this baby finally I can do it.”
The Doctor hands over a laser scalpel, the humming cuts the cord and Chakotay returns to his wife who is crying so hard she can barely breath.
“She is so beautiful Chakotay and she looks so much like you. Thank you so much for making my dreams come true. I love you.”
Chakotay smiles and kisses his wife, than his daughter. Just then she opens her mouth and cries again. He gives her the sweetest teddy bear. Chakotay can almost hear what she is saying.
“Daddy can you see me? Can you hear the words I say? I’ve got your hands, your eyes and your hair. And this thing you call a teddy bear. I’ve done all I can to make you proud. Daddy can you see me now?”
Chakotay smiles as The Doctor places his daughter in his arms. Janeway can’t help but notice the connection she already has with her daddy. While the Doctor cleans Janeway up the nurse takes the baby over to a scale.
“Six pounds and two ounces. Eighteen inches long. She is perfect.”
The nurse brings her back over to her father who places her into her mother’s arms.
“We are going to have to pick out a name? We haven’t thought of one that was just right for her. I love both of the names Chakotay you pick out the one you want first.”
“Okay, I like the name Isabella first. It is perfect for her. In French it means “Beautiful” and Renee would be her middle name.”
“That’s beautiful Chakotay. I just can’t believe how much she looks like you Chakotay. It’s like I didn’t have a part. But I did we created this little girl together, this is us.”
Chakotay and Janeway look on as the baby opens her eyes momentarily. Janeway and Chakotay smile as she closes her eyes again.
=/\=
Several hours later in the darkened Sickbay, Janeway is asleep and Chakotay is looking into his daughter’s bassinet. He can’t resist this baby girl. Suddenly he hears a shuffle of Sickbay sheets. Janeway opens her weary eyes and glances in the baby’s direction. She smiles as she sees Chakotay leaning over into it.
“Chakotay honey, she needs her sleep. It has been some day for both of us. It is hard being born. Come on come over and climb in bed with me.”
Chakotay smiles and pulls the baby’s bassinet closer. Gently he climbs into bed with her. Together they look at their daughter one more time and drift off to sleep. It will be a few hours before she needs fed again.
=/\=
The next day Janeway is release from Sickbay but when she gets home, she needs to rest. Chakotay carries her bag, she is placed in a 24th century wheelchair and wheeled out of Sickbay with her new baby daughter in her arms.
“I want to see you in two weeks I need to see if everything is back in place. I also need to check out Isabella. I’ll see you around. I may want to stop in and see the newest member of the crew. Naomi must be pleased she can spend a lot of time with her. I bet they will be great friends.”
“Probably. See you later Doctor. I will come by with the baby in two weeks so you can check us out. Don’t be a stranger.”
The Doctor nods and Chakotay leaves Sickbay with is wife and new daughter. Now he has finally gotten what he has always wanted, a family.
=/\=
At 2:00 AM the next morning as clocked in, Isabella cries from her bassinet in her parents bedroom. Chakotay leans over and kisses Janeway on the forehead.
“I’ll get her, you just get yourself ready to feed her. Besides I don’t get to feed her very often. I want to have some bonding with my daughter.”
Janeway laughs and sits herself up against the pillow and prepares to nurse her daughter. Chakotay leans over and gently pulls her out of her bassinet. The moment she is picked up she stops crying and Chakotay and smiles he then places her in her mothers arms as Janeway unbuttons her gown. Right away Isabella feeds and Chakotay watches the bonding between his wife and daughter. This is going to be one of the best years of his life.
=/\=
One Year Later...
Janeway and Chakotay can barely believe that they have been parents for one full year. The crew has been excellent and love to come by and see Isabella. Naomi is quite taken with her. Even at thirteen she loves to babysit for Janeway and Chakotay so they can go out to enjoy some time alone together. However, Janeway does miss not being with her even for only a few hours. The crew is throwing a birthday bash for Isabella in honor of her first birthday. The theme is Teddy Bears. To celebrate the bond she has with her father.
“Okay everyone, now we all have loved having a new baby on the bridge at one time or another. She may even take over her mother’s job in a few years. But we know that Captain Janeway will not give up her job so easily even if it was for flesh and blood. I also have seen Isabella sitting on Tom’s lap. I believe that he was showing her how to fly the ship so she might take over his job first. Now Isabella in honor of your first birthday we got you this gift so you can feel more like a member of the crew.”
B’Elanna hands Janeway a box that is wrapped in starfleet wrapping paper. Janeway hands the box over to Chakotay who opens the wrapping paper. Chakotay smiles as he looks inside to what it is. He pulls out the item, it is a infant uniform in the colors of her parents, pips and a communicator too. Janeway holds it up to Isabella whom pulls at it. She already likes it.
“It is a little big for her but we figured that in a few years she will still be able to remember that her family on VOYAGER gave it to her. Suggesting we make it home as expected, only a few months to go.”
Isabella squeals with delight as other members of the crew hand boxes to Chakotay to open for his daughter while Janeway holds her in her lap. The next box is wrapped in gaudy paper, it had to have been from Neelix. Chakotay opens it to reveal a picture of the Crew that they took on “11:59.” With a few minor adjustments now there is a picture of Isabella on Janeway’s lap.
“How did you do that Neelix? I didn’t know you knew how to do this kind of work. You have been keeping some things from me. So how did you do this?”
“Well, Naomi helped out a lot. I guess having someone who grew up with computers all her life helped. She found out a few things and the rest Mr. Kim helped with. I believe it turned out rather well, considering that it took me fifteen tries to get it the way I wanted it.”
“It turned out beautiful. She will always treasure it. Thanks again Neelix and all that helped him out. I will have to keep it up where she can’t reach it so it doesn’t get broken.”
Neelix nods. The next gift was from Tuvok. It was larger than most of the others but not because he got her a better gift it was more of a training device. It was very normal for him. Inside was a “Kal Tou” game. Janeway smiled and handed it to Chakotay. He just smiled.
“Well Tuvok, we know you will be training her how to play this won’t you?”
“Of course Commander, this is a training game for all Vulkon children. It with their telepathic abilities. She will need intense training. I used it on all of my children and their mental powers are at their peak.”
“But Tuvok, she is not telepathic. She is human. However, with your help I am sure she will be able to control her emotions. This will come in handy when she goes through adolescence. Thanks Tuvok.”
The next gift was from Naomi. It is in beautiful glitter wrapping paper. It was also a box. Chakotay opened it, inside was a blanket and a photo album. Inside the album were all the pictures that Naomi has collected over the last several years of Janeway and Chakotay’s relationship. Including some with Naomi and Janeway. Several were during “get together’s” including Paris and B’Elanna’s wedding.
“Oh, Naomi, it’s beautiful. When she gets older you will have to tell her all about how crazy things were before her parents got together. This blanket did you make it yourself?”
“Well most of it, Mom stiched the edges for me. I just thought that since you made me a blanket I only guessed that it would be fitting if I made one for your daughter. I asked mom to teach me how to sew and she did. It turned out better than I had expected.”
“You both did a wonderful job.”
The last but not the least present came from the Doctor. It was wrapped in silver paper. When Chakotay opened it, it had a few baby toys inside and another photo album. All from Janeway’s records from the moment she found out she was pregnant to the very day she was born. Including all the ultrasounds she had and her follow-up exams and Isabella’s shots. She was in tears for those ones.
“How thoughtful Doctor, I didn’t even know you were taking pictures. I knew that we had all these ultrasounds but I didn’t know you had her birth and shots. I looked terriable.”
“Well I am the Doctor so I did have access to all of your medical records the other pictures I had to be creative. I hid the camera behind some supplies on the table. I thought that you would want to show this to her on her 18th birtday.”
“I will. Thanks again everyone for making Isabella’s first birthday one we will never forget.”
When all the gifts are unwrapped Neelix brings over the biggest cake anyone had ever seen. The base of it was a big as Isabella’s head. After the candle in blown out and removed Isabella places her fists in. Then she took a nose dive. She had frosting everywhere and touched her mother’s face. Janeway laughed as she continued to do it this time to her father. Eventually it ended up on the Mess Hall’s floor. But Neelix didn’t mind. It was worth every penny. Suddenly without a sound Isabella opened her mouth and...
“Peek-a-boo”
Janeway took Isabella and kissed her. She didn’t care that she had frosting everywhere.
“She just said her first words. I can’t believe it she is really growing up. It seems like only yesterday that I was holding this tiny bundle in my arms barely minutes old and now she is talking.”
A few minutes later when Janeway places her down on the floor to clean up her face she rolled over and climbed up on her mother’s legs and turns around. Naomi was just standing around when she walked over to her with shaking legs but she walked Naomi took her in her arms when she reached her. Again the crew was amazed.
“You have been busy. Naomi have you been working with her on this too as you were watching her with your mother?”
“Of course, we figured that if she would do it, it would be a surprise to you. I guess she decided to do it. What do you think?
“You are wonderful both of you.”
Naomi smiles and places Isabella down who walks to her mother and father. She does with a big smile on her face. It was the best year of Chakotay’s life. Just yesterday he was welcoming her into the world an now she was really there.
TBC