Making Memories

Posted on 24 Apr 2019 @ 12:48am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

2,794 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Truth and Justice
Location: Talons
Timeline: MD 7 || 1230 Hours

Joey made her way into Talons and took a moment to catch her breath. She was a bit early, but knowing Mila, she would be early, too. It seemed these days the Intelligence Chief spent her days constantly hungry and extremely uncomfortable, but both of those things came with the territory of having two little humans growing inside of her. Despite it, though, she really did enjoy every moment of it, and was beyond glad her all day sickness was nothing more than a memory.

There was just so much going on lately that Joey barely found time to meet with Mila like they used to, and guilt was beginning to eat away at her, which had a lot to do with her extending this lunch invite to her Russian friend earlier in the day. Things would hopefully slow down a bit, but that likely wouldn't happen until they were back in their own part of space. Soon. Or so she hoped it would be soon.

Mila saw Joey's belly enter before she did and smiled. Soon, she would be a krestnaya mat' (godmother) and that made her happy. "Joey, over here!' she called out before her setra could take another seat. The Russian woman sat by a port window with a view of the unfamiliar stars of the zone and a cup of black tea with replicated black currant jam in front of here.

Her assessment about Mila being early had been correct. Joey offered a smile as she made her way to the table she was sitting at, then took up residence in the empty chair opposite her. "And here I thought I would have gotten here before you," she said, ordering a lemonade from one of the wait staff that came to the table. After she left, her attention went back to Mila. "How are things?"

"For someone to be getting somewhere before me, they are needing to arrive before I am knowing that I am needed there," Mila said with a smile. "Is my job to be ahead of Captain, so rest of ship crew is easy. Things are being well now that I am no longer hallucinating that Chow is calling me liar. How are you feeling?"

"Like if someone poked me just right I would explode," she answered honestly. "I never realized how much skin stretched until I was farther along in my pregnancy, and stretchy skin is incredibly itchy. When your time comes, make sure you have lotion handy."

"I will be remembering that," the Yeoman said. "I would be asking if you are hungry, but would is obvious since we are in Talons and you are eating for two. What are you wishing?"

"A bacon cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, onion rings, and a side of chips with guacamole," Joey answered without missing a single beat. The scary part was that she'd be able to eat most of it. "And a blueberry donut, too. What are you getting?"

"I am thinking Schweinsbraten with bread roll Knödeln and cabbage salad," Mila said. "is being roast pork with dumplings."

"As good as that sounds, I give Hope and Jameson what they want. That's probably why I've put on nearly forty pounds, but I can work on losing the extra weight once they're here and I've recovered," she stated, wondering if she would spoil her kids once they arrived. The answer to that was probably yes considering Joey felt she was doing it already.

"Nyet, you have not put on forty pounds," the shorter brunette said. "Babies are seperate weight from you and are still growing. You would not be doing well if you are not gaining weight. Besides, as active as you are being prior to getting pregnant, you will be losing any extra after they are being born."

Joey read in one of the books Harvey provided her with that nursing helped take off some of the baby weight, but she didn't know of she actually believed that or not. The proof would be it actually happening. "We'll know in a couple of months," she said as her lemonade was placed on the table in front of her, and like she'd recited it to Mila, Joey placed her order, opting for a small pepperoni pizza if she had any chance of eating everything.

Their server got Joey's order down and looked toward Mila. "How about you?"

Mila requested what she had told Joey she was going to get and waited until the server had left. "Running all over place and taking over ships is great way to be losing weight," she said. "Same as running after children when they are heading for something dangerous. Panic is same, I am told."

She took a sip of her lemonade. "My days of taking over ships and infiltrating starbases are over," Joey stated, leaning back in her chair. Long over, she thought, thinking back to the time she'd considered giving it all up. That was, until her new career path presented itself, which still showed its share of dangers, but in very different ways. "I'm happy wearing the red collar now. It's a little safer than the yellow one."

"Red is looking good on you," the other woman said. "Then again, I am being biased when it is coming to that color on collar. Is only color I have ever worn since I am joining Starfleet. There are times that I am regretting not going to Academy, but I have found career that I am having love for. That is being the most important thing, and as you are saying, is not nearly as dangerous as being gold."

"Starfleet has its dangers no matter the color we wear, though," the Intel Chief pointed out. Being inside the Zone had proved that on more than one occasion, and she couldn't wait to be out of this godforsaken place. Hopefully, that would happen sooner rather than later. "This place... this Zone... and everything that's happened since we've been here... it makes me think we're never going to see our part of space again."

With her mood beginning to deteriorate rapidly, Joey felt she needed to focus on something that made her happy. Or in this case... someone. That someone happened to be her husband. "Time to focus on something more positive. Harvey's birthday," she told Mila. "He hasn't celebrated his birthday in a very long time, and I'm looking to change that. As much as I'd love to do something ship-wide, I know he's not ready for that, so I thought baby steps would be the way to go."

"I am not meaning to be making joke, but he has already taken baby steps," Mila said with a look at Joey's stomach. "But what are you to be having in mind?"

That got a laugh from Joey. "I was thinking about something on the holodeck. There's a beach in Hawaii that he absolutely loves that would make for a good location. A little fun in the sun would do him some good all things considered. I haven't told him I'm planning anything, either, so it will be a surprise."

"Would not somewhere he grew up not be more appropriate?" The Russian woman asked. "After all, we are doing your birthday in Hawaii to celebrate."

"When we were back home visiting family, we went to this particular beach nearly every day we were there, and it's where he chose us to be for our honeymoon even though it was on the holodeck," Joey replied. "It's a special place, and I think he would appreciate it. Why not go with a place he's comfortable with since he hasn't celebrated in so long?"

"Then is being good idea," Mila said. "Is also saving on resources that we are not having and will be private with just you and he, da?"

"No. I want you and Aidan to be there, of course, and some others."

"Is good idea, but is sounding like very private affair if it is being where you and he were having your honeymoon," the Senior Chief pointed out.

Joey couldn't help but smile. She held off speaking for the moment as their food arrived and was placed in front of each of them. After thanking their server, she looked back to Mila once they were alone again. "It's a place that has some very special memories," she began, plucking a chip from the basket of many, then dunking it into the guacamole. "And I want to keep those special memories coming. I've even got his birthday presents already. As a matter of fact, I've had them for a while now." Unable to help herself, she leaned in to her companion to whisper each of her husband's gifts. "What do you think? Think he'll like them?"

Mila's eyes went wide and she gave a bright smile. "Da, da!" she exclaimed. "I am thinking he will be loving them. Will be very hard for anyone to be topping, too."

The way Mila reacted solidified Joey's confidence in the choices she'd made. "I want him to love them, and I think he will. Hee doesn't have any of them, either," she said. "All I want is to make the day a special one for him. He deserves it."

"I am knowing it will be," the Yeoman said as she added one more secret to her impressive mental collection of them and put a special mental note to it. It would be hard to top, but she wasn't going to try to top it. Instead, she decided to give the Captain something else for the other part of his career and leaned over to whisper her hidea into Joey's head.

A smile formed. "I really think he's going to love it. It hasn't been easy keeping everything I got him hidden, but they're all tucked away safely inside the cargo bay. I'll be able to rescue them soon."

"You should have been giving them to me," Mila told her. "I am having access to many hiding areas on ship. Or areas that people are thinking are hidden." She gave a conspiratorial wink.

"I had to get it all on board without Harvey noticing, which required me to be as sly as possible," Joey explained. "The more people I involved, the more suspicious he would have been. It's okay, though, because they made it on board, and I'll be able to give them to him soon."

Joey popped the chip into her mouth and chewed it, then swallowed it before she began speaking again. "I should be able to get him to the holodeck without a problem. Do you think you can help me with setting up?"

Mila worked on cutting her pork roast up and then took a bite of her cabbage salad. "I have been slacking if I am not catching this. Is something that I am hoping will not happen again. Is not you, but some are always trying to smuggle things onto ship. As for holodeck, this is being easy. We can be working on it later, da?"

"We can do that," the pregnant woman agreed, eating fairly steadily as the two women spoke. "I'm going to work on the guest list later tonight. When I have it done, I'll send you a copy. I want to make the day as special as I can for Harvey."

"I will be giving it a look over," the shorter brunette assured her. ":Are you wishing me to vet them, or merely have copy for records?"

"A copy. I don't anticipate any problems from anyone, and if there are, I really have no issue going walking hormone on them," Joey stated, taking another sip of her lemonade.

"Speaking of whining moan whore, have you been meeting new Assistant Medical Chief?" Mila asked after a bite of her food.

Joey began to pick at her food. "I have," she answered simply. The last thing the expecting woman wanted to do was go into that. And, despite how she felt, she had no intentions of resorting to any kind of name calling.

The Russian Yeoman didn't have to be an expert in microexpressions to see that the Assistant Chief of Medical hadn't made any lasting friendship with Joey, so she decided to change the topic. "I am finding new recipe for something that is being called Triple Threat Roll. Is three kinds of chocolate, rolled into chocolate cake. Are you being interested in being pig of guinea?"

"It's chocolate. Of course, I am."

"So what is being plan for this evening?" Mila asked as she finished her meal.

Joey gave a one shoulder shrug. "Other than going home when my shift is over and getting off of my feet for a while, there aren't any," she replied. She hadn't even been to the gym much lately, and that was always something she'd done to help herself think and relax. "You?"

"I will be heading back to quarters and begging Aidan to be massaging feet," the shorter brunette said. "Then I will begin checking to see what I am needing to be making triple threat."

"I wonder if I can train Rico and Pequeno to massage feet?" the taller woman mused out loud.

"Be putting something they are liking on feet," Mila said. "Then teach them to be using paws instead of licking it off."

Joey wrinkled her nose. "I don't think that would go over very well. Rico is a sock dog, and I'm not all that comfortable letting him gnaw at my feet. The same could be said for Pequeno, as well," she said, popping one of her fries into her mouth. "But, to get back on track, I'll get you everything that you'll need for the party, and hopefully, Harvey won't suspect a thing."

"How many are you to be expecting?" the Russian asked.

"I'm not sure right off the top of my head. I do want to keep things relatively simple as to not overwhelm him. After all, it has been a long time since Harvey has celebrated his birthday," Joey explained. "I'll get a list together and send it to you."

"Then I will be looking forward to it," Mila said, but really wished she had a rough estimate so she could start wheeling, dealing, trading, and coercing the right people for what she'd need. With how low supplies were, almost everything was going to be replicated and fewer would be willing to settle for promises or deals that would have to wait until they got back to their space.

Joey finished up the most of her food and sat back in her chair with her hands on top of her belly. If she tried to eat anymore, she was afraid she'd explode where she sat, and no one wanted to clean that up. "I am, too, and I hope everyone else will, too. We all need something positive to focus on," she said.

Mila checked the time and sighed. "As much as I am not wishing to, I am having to get back to Administration," she told her sestra. "But be letting me know later if you are being able to train Rico and Pequeno when you are getting me list."

"I can assure you I won't be training them to massage my feet," the taller woman said with a laugh. "I need to get back to work, too. And hopefully find the time to do a few other things that need to be done. But, we know that life in space is never a dull moment."

The Russian woman got up and moved to kiss Joey on the cheek. "And in meantime, be getting rest. You will be needing it later."

Joey smiled and returned the kiss to Mila's cheek. "I try to rest when I'm able to, but current circumstances don't really allow for that to happen. I'll be going on maternity leave in the not so distant future, and I'll be able to rest then. I read babies sleep a lot in the first few months or so."

"Then be getting what you can and I will be looking forward to hearing from you later," Mila said with a smile before she headed off.

The Intelligence Chief watched the Yeoman leave, then looked back to her unfinished food. For a brief second, she thought about finishing it, but knew she'd be sick if she tried. It just wasn't worth it. Joey still had a long list of things she needed to do, and sitting at the table staring at food wasn't going to get that done. With that in mind, she rose to her feet and gave a little stretch before she made her way out as well.

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