Surprise!
Posted on Mon Dec 21st, 2020 @ 9:38pm by Commodore Mardel Shayron-Connor & Lieutenant Commander Daniel Connor Mr.
Edited on on Mon Dec 21st, 2020 @ 9:39pm
1,784 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission: Shake Down Mission
Joint Log
Mardel Shayron-Connor
Daniel Connor
Mardel got to her quarters, unable to make it to the bridge. She sent a message to Commander House letting him know that she was told to take the rest of the day off and would be back on duty in the morning. Then she thought about how to tell Daniel the news.
She also thought about what Nightwing said about eating more and groaned. She already looked like a green beached whale and she wasn’t eating enough? Good grief, what did she want, for Mardel to blow up like a house?
Well, it gave her a place to start. She set the table in the dining room table with china and crystal and silver and candles. Then she went into the kitchen and decided she would actually cook dinner instead of order it from the replicator. She pulled out two large steaks and seasoned them and set them aside for now. Then she pulled out two giant potatoes, washed them up, poked them, rubbed them down with compound butter, wrapped them in foil and put them into the oven. She then pulled out the ingredients and mixed up the dough for homemade rolls and let it rise in the warm kitchen near the oven.
As it was near Christmas, she asked the computer to play Christmas music and she sang along with those she knew. Christmas was something she learned about on Earth and had come to love. On Orion, they didn’t have holidays like they did on other planets. They celebrated the change of seasons with a special feast, but that was about it. Birthing days were also celebrated with a special berry dessert for those whose day it was.
She finished making the rolls and put them in the second oven to bake. Finally she turned her mind to a dessert. With both ovens in use, she couldn’t do a baked dessert. Then she smiled. She made some coconut ice cream and put it in the freezer to ripen. Then she made a pineapple sauce and put that in the fridge to cool. She whipped up some cream and put that in to chill and set in the fridge as well. Finally, she chopped up some pecans finely and set them in a dish.
Ten minutes before Daniel was due to get home, she started the steaks on a hot grill pan on the stove top. Taking out the giant lobster tails, she put those in the oven to cook for a few minutes along with the steaks. She pulled the rolls out and put them in a linen lined basket and covered them to keep them moist and hot. Then she pulled out the potatoes and put them in the stasis until ready to serve. She finished it off with a green salad and a fruit salad. She put all the fixings for the potatoes on the table, along with clarified butter and lemons.. Then she pulled the steaks off, rare for her, medium rare for Daniel, and set them in stasis as well until Daniel came home.
Then she waited, still wondering how she was going to break the news to him. She was a little worried he wouldn’t take it well, especially as it meant there would be complications with her.
Daniel finally finished his shift and was anxious to see his wife. Thankfully, House allowed him to see her and Mitchell took over for him on helm.
He made his way to his quarters and smiled as the door opened. He sniffed the air and sighed softly smelling the aroma of steak. "Oooo. Smells great." He spoke as he walked in to find his wife.
Mardel smiled at Daniel. “Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes, if you want to wash up.” She then took the lobster and steak and potatoes from the stasis and set them on the plates on the table. Lighting the candles, she put the music on soft background sound. “I hope you don’t mind surf and turf. Nightwing said I wasn’t eating enough.” She finished by putting the rolls and salads on the table. She poured the Arnold Palmer into Daniel’s glass and whole milk for herself.
Daniel went into the restroom and got himself washed up and changed into casual clothes. After straightening his hair, he walked out to join his wife.
He walked into the dining room and smiled seeing the set up. "I don't mind at all. Love the set up, Love." He was excited to have this dinner date with her.
Smiling at him, Mardel gave him a kiss before taking her seat. “So, how were things on the bridge after I left? I really hate missing duty shift, but I suppose I do need to cut back a little for the next couple of months. I am only going to get more awkward and uncomfortable.” She said, serving up some of the salads in her salad bowls.
"I'm sure they understand." He spoke and gave her a kiss on her cheeks and took his seat with her. "Things on the Bridge were good. I gotta admit, that was a fun run." He made himself a caesar salad in his salad bowl and looked at his wife. "How was your time in Sickbay?
She smiled at him. “I really like how it was redesigned and it was nice to see Nightwing.” She then frowned. “She told me I wasn’t eating enough for my pregnancy. How am I supposed to eat more? I’m already a green beached whale and walking is only getting more awkward.” She waved her fork at everything on the table. “Thus this feast, I am going to attempt to eat some more and actually finish what I put on my plate.”
He listened to her about her not eating enough. How is she not? He then rubbed her pregnant belly and looked in her eyes. "You are not a whale, Love. You're still beautiful." He picked up his fork and smiled more. "Though it is odd. You have been eating well and enough for two. So it is odd."
Mardel looked down at her plate. “We are in for a rough few months, Daniel. Orions don’t do well with pregnancies like mine. So Nightwing is going to have to monitor me carefully. And I’m not eating for two, Daniel. I’m eating for three.” She set her fork down, her appetite gone.
Daniel listened to her and gulped hard when he heard that Mardel was eating for three not for two. Twins? She is carrying twins? This was amazing. They thought they had one. But they had two. This was happy news.
He set his silverware down and kneeled next to Mardel. "Love… this is wonderful news. I don't know about you but… I am excited." Happy tears ran down his cheeks and he kissed her bare belly and rested his head on it.
She reached out and cradled his head a moment. “I’m glad you are taking this so well. The last set of twins born on Orion was about 50 years ago, before my time, and the wise ones and healers had to combine to save the mother and children. The twins were one of each gender and both grew to become wise ones in their own clans. I am worried, because it’s affecting my breathing already and I still have 3 months to go. Daniel, this is going to be rough.” She tried again to let him know how dangerous this was for her. It was why most healers and wise ones never went through the ceremony to become breeders, they were too rare and pregnancy could be very dangerous.
Daniel looked up at Mardel and rubbed her belly more. "Anything we can do to help you get through the rest of this pregnancy more… smoothly?" He looked at her with hope and concern.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there the last time to know what went wrong. But we are going to try.” She looked at him, her face clouded with worry. She looked at her plate, the only thing gone were the two salads. The meat was still untouched, same with the roll. There was still dessert to come. “How am I going to eat more? I’m already full and I haven’t even gotten started.”
"Don't force yourself. Just eat what you can." He kissed her belly and sat back in his seat. He started working on his steak. "You should leave room for dessert."
“I kept it simple. Tropical ice cream sundaes. Coconut ice cream, pineapple sauce, chopped macadamias, whipped cream. It sounded good at the time.” Mardel explained and then took a single bite of her steak, knowing she needed the protein.
"Mmmm. I love it. Oooo. Can we add chocolate syrup and maybe some marshmallows for me?" He laughed and ate another piece of steak. He was all about his sweets and he was sure Mardel didn't mind.
Chuckling softly, Mardel nodded. “You can add anything you want to it.” She paused and waited for the spasm to pass and ease before speaking again. “I think I’m going to keep it simple for now.” She finished, slowly.
Daniel smiled and nodded back to her. He finished his steak and grabbed the dirty dishes and went to the dispensary to have them cleaned. He went over to her and hugged her gently.
“I hope you don’t mind, Daniel. But I’m not feeling well right now. I’m going to go lie down and maybe I’ll feel better after a nap. Please, help yourself to the ice cream. It’s in the cold stasis, complete with the fixings. You will have to replicate the chocolate sauce and marshmallows though.” She stood up and grabbed the edge of the table to keep her balance. Then she slowly waddled into the bedroom and crawled into bed.
Daniel looked at Mardel as she spoke and stood up. He nodded and hugged her again. "Ok dear. Sleep well." He kissed her cheek and watched as she went to the bedroom. He went to the cold stasis and grabbed some tropical ice cream and went to the replicator and got some fudge sauce and marshmallows.
He sat at the table and drizzled the sauce and marshmallows onto his sundae and smiled. He started eating it and thought about his wife and his new twins. He hopes she will have a good and healthy pregnancy. He also hopes there is a way to help her get through it.
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