Be Happy Children

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 3:46am by Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Captain Nycolas Temple & Cailus Griffin
Edited on on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 6:56am

Mission: New Moon Rising
Location: Crew Quarters
Timeline: Morning after "Demons"

Nycolas was standing in the corridor outside Lieutenant Brennan's quarters with trepidation. Though he had checked her scheduled and liaised with Nurse Davies on the right time to pay a visit, he still wasn't quite sure if the Lieutenant would appreciate a surprise visit. That's the thing you learn as parents, especially with young kids, there's very rarely a clear window of opportunity in which one can focus on other matters. Still, Nyx felt the need to follow up with the Chief Scientist, especially after their previous conversation.

He gripped the present he had brought along within his right hand and used the other to press the door chime, fixing a half apologetic smile to his face as he waited.

It took a couple of minutes before the chime was answered, and then he was face to face with a very sleepy Shae, still dressed in her colorful fleece pajama pants and loose sleep shirt, her hair still curled from her dinner date the night before. She blinked at Nyx for a moment, like she was having trouble comprehending what she was seeing.

"Captain?" she said sleepily, inviting him in with a subtle gesture of her hand, not really thinking about the consequences of such an invitation; it had been a rough night after Aoife's episode, and nightmares continued to disturb the child throughout her slumber, so neither she nor Cailus had gotten much sleep, otherwise she might have thought better of inviting the Captain into her quarters when the Chief Security and Tactical Officer was currently only half dressed in her bedroom.

Nyx grimaced as he caught sight of the tired Lieutenant, instantly wishing he hadn't shown up unannounced. Clearly she'd had a bad night with her daughter, Temple could see that. He remained politely in the doorway, despite Brennan's invitation inside, not wanting to impose any further.

"Oh Lieutenant Brennan, I do apologise," Nyx started sheepishly, rubbing his chin, "I have come at the wrong time. Clearly you've had a rough night."

"Oh, uh, no need to apologize, sir, it's never the wrong time for the Captain," Shae said, rubbing at her eyes.

Nyx frowned, "I mean, it looks like you haven't slept a wink, must have been a long one."

"Huh?" Shae said, looking a bit dazed and confused. Then she finally realized the innuendo he was alluding to and she blushed. "N-no sir, nothing like that, Aoife just had a bad night. Ensign Griffin and I, uh, we went on a date last night, and it was the first night since Aoife and I were reunited that I wasn't immediately nearby to comfort her, and I think she got scared that I was gone, so she was up all night with nightmares," she explained.

In the bedroom, out of sight of the door, Cailus winced at the innuendo as he switched to his uniform pants. Of all the people to come by, it just had to be captain...

Nyx gasped as he realized what Shae believed he was saying, wishing once more that he'd not shown up like this.

"What... no!... I meant..." Nyx groaned, firmly slapping his palm to his face. "Of course I meant with Aoife. I didn't realize Ensign Griffin was here, honestly. Not that he shouldn't be here, you're both free to do whatever you please." Oh Nyx "No. Not that you were doing anything, just that you could... uh date." Stop talking.

Shae's face continued to grow increasingly red as she shifted her stance uncomfortably as he rambled on. Star above, she wanted to crawl back into bed and forget this day ever happened!

Nyx just held out the present in his hand, a rectangular parcel the size of two PADDs, wrapped in purple tissue paper and adorned with a pale lilac bow. "I have a present for Aoife."

"Oh...." Shae said awkwardly, reaching out to take the delicately wrapped gift. As if on cue, Aoife started whimpering softly, lifting her head from where she lay on the bed to look around for Shae. "Excuse me for a moment," Shae said, now looking even more weary than she had when she answered the door. She set the gift on the table and went to the bedroom to pick up Aoife, who quieted as soon as she was in her mother's arms. After a nuzzle from Shae and a few whispered words, Aoife rested her head on Shae's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I may need to keep Aoife with me when I go on duty," Shae said as she returned to speak to the Captain. "I know I shouldn't, but she seems a wee bit clingy today. I'm scheduled to be in the Astrometics labs today, and I can have Nurse Davies on hand in case I do need to report to the bridge, but after last night I don't have the heart to leave her now."

Nyx nodded, he wanted to support a fellow parent but he had his concerns, "Science labs aren't especially child friendly, and there's safety protocols at risk. You may wish to make arrangements to set her up in your office, perhaps work from there today?"

Shae wanted to argue the point that there was nothing hazardous in Astrometrics, but she bit back the response; his ship, his rules, and she would respect that. "Yes, sir, I think I can get most of my work done in my office today," Shae said instead, then moved over to the table to take a seat. "Aoife, the Captain has brought you a gift, let's see what it is," she said softly to her daughter. Hearing her name, Aoife opened her eyes, but showed little interest in the Captain or gift, that is until she heard the rustle of the tissue paper being pulled away, then her ears perked up as she grew curious. "Look at that, a book! You will have to learn to say 'thank you' so you can thank the Captain," Shae said to Aoife, then looked up to the Captain to give him a smile.

"Thank you, sir, this is wonderful! I remember having one of these when I was little," Shae said as she opened the book to see the images on the pages animate. Aoife was definitely interested in the colorful moving pictures, and all Shae could think was this was the most perfectly timed gift ever! "My father made a recording of him reading, and when he wasn't home I would fall asleep by the fireplace listening to his voice," she continued, smiling fondly at the memory. "Although I'm not familiar with this story," she added as she flipped through the pages.

Nyx smiled, glad to see the present was well-received by mother and child, "How sweet, I hope Aoife can have the same precious memories, and it brings her comfort too. This story is 'Thumbelina', by Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson. Nothing scary, lots of friendly animals, a fairy prince, and featuring a girl who's a little smaller than usual as the main hero."

"Ah, that sounds nice," Shae said as she let Aoife look at the pictures. "Are you my Thumbelina? Look, you go on an adventure looking for the wee little fairy boy and his home. Are you going to spirit away to Tir Na Nog and become a fairy?" she said to Aoife as she picked up a few details from the flourish text on the pages, which sounded all the more fantastical in Shae's gentle Irish lilt. "Thank you, Captain, this was incredibly thoughtful," she thanked him once again.

The sight brought a warmth to the Captain's face, as he leaned against the doorframe and watched the joyful interaction with a bittersweet smile. "My absolute pleasure. I think I made a book for every one of Anderson's tales for my little girl before I left, well except the really sad ones. And I also made one of this song I liked to sing to her at bedtime. It's good for when..." he sighed, "when you can't be there."

Shae nodded knowingly. "When Aoife was first recovered, the staff caring for her reached out on long range subspace channels so I could finally see her; I sang to her and they recorded it, played it for her every night, even gave that recording to my brother when they rendezvoused with his ship and he played it as he ferried her to me... The joy I felt was indescribable when I saw recognition in her eyes when we were finally reunited; she had heard that song so many times that she recognized my voice, and now it's a source of calm when she is scared," Shae said. "Gentle, gentle," Shae cautioned Aoife when the child started getting a little too eager with turning the pages herself; Shae knew these books were designed to take a beating, but she didn't want it to get too beat up when they only just got it! "So your family chose not to come with you?" she asked Nyx, offering a sympathetic smile.

Nyx could only shake his head, amazed and astounded at how these events had taken place in her life, how Shae had managed to live through such torture. But as she had said, it was all for the joy of their reunion. He looked to little Aoife with tender eyes, "What a moment that must have been."

He shifted a little, standing upright again, feeling selfish for having brought up his own family once more. Of course it was weighing heavily on his mind but he began to feel foolish for bringing it up with everyone. Though he struggled to accept the situation, the crew were not here to listen to his woes. "No, sadly, I guess my wife chose to stay at home. I tried to reach them before the Pandora left the Luna Shipyards but there was no answer. I guess they must have gone out." He gave a shrug and a sigh.

"It was a relief, to be sure," Shae said. Aoife yawned in her lap, so Shae closed the book and put it on the table then cuddled Aoife close. Aoife rested her head on Shae's shoulder and closed her eyes; good, maybe Aoife would sleep long enough for Shae to get in a shower before her shift. "I'm sorry you weren't able to reach your family," Shae said as she rocked her daughter back to sleep. "Perhaps you'll be able to reach them on subspace before we get to the Expanse," she offered in a hopeful tone.

As Shae said that last sentence, the bedroom door opened to reveal Cailus in his yellow undershirt and uniform pants as he towelled off his hair and beard. "There's still time, sir," he said quietly, noticing that Aoife was beginning to doze off. Glancing at the book, he couldn't resist a small smile. "I see that Aoife liked your gift."

Temple simply nodded to the Chief of Security, hoping not to repeat any of his earlier faux pas.

Nyx shrugged as he replied, "Thank you both for your concern. You're right, there's still time and I haven't given up hope yet. Anyway, I've disturbed you both for too long already. I should let you get ready for your duties."

"Thank you sir," Shae replied with a hint of relief that this awkward exchange was finally coming to an end; not that this had been unpleasant, she was glad that she had trusted Cailus' instinct to confide in Nyx, and his gift for Aoife had been truly touching, but her embarrassment from their earlier misunderstanding would take some time for her to get over. "And I hope you're able to reach your family before we're out of communications range," she added with a smile.

"Aye, I do too," Temple replied, deliberately turning his face and pretended he needed to scratch his beard. He was thankful for their sympathy but at the same time was reluctant to keep talking about the subject. "Well I hope to see you both later at the crew briefing."

"Absolutely, sir," Shae replied with a nod; she would likely have to deal with a fussy Aoife afterwards, but such was the life she had chosen... "Well, if you'll excuse me, I think she's asleep enough that I can escape to take a shower," she said, having noticed his desire to leave in his body language, so she gave him an out. And she really did need to get ready for her shift.

Temple leaned over and gave little Aoife a wave, putting a big broad smile on his face. "Bye bye little Thumbelina."

With a smile, Shae took one of Aoife's hands to make her wave goodbye to the Captain, then retreated back to the bedroom, laying Aoife on the bed to snooze for a little while longer while she went to take a shower.

The captain straightened up and turned to the Security Chief, giving Cailus a nod. "I believe Major Halliwell has an important briefing with you, regarding a secondary mission. I wanted you to be informed so that you can prepare if necessary, but I still believe the priority is the defence of the Pandora."

"Understood captain," Cailus said with a curt nod, dropping the smile for his usual dour look as the talk turned to business. It was downright bizarre to be discussing work with the CO in Shae's quarters, especially with a drowsy Aoife there. "I'll give the Major my full support. I really should be headed to the Bridge now if you want to share a turbolift."

"Sure," Nyx replied brightly, turning on his side to let the man past. As the two walked, Temple couldn't help but whistle that song he used to sing to his daughter, as it was now stuck in his head.

Once in the Turbolift, Nyx called out for the computer to take them up to the Bridge. As the doors closed, Nyx turned to Griffin and sighed, "I really didn't mean imply anything."

Cailus shook his head with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, his hands behind his back as the 'lift rose. "It's quite alright, sir. You are the captain; that gives you a lot of leeway when it comes to awkward situations." With a somewhat softened look, he added "It was a very nice gesture, sir."

Nycolas gave Calius a smile, "Ah see, I knew there was a big softy in there somewhere!"

Cailus' answer was merely to frown as the 'lift doors opened, regarding the captain skeptically.

Nyx let out a laugh, "As you were, Mr Griffin."