All That Glitters Ch. 21

The two looked at each other, then around the room, eventually landing their gaze on Capt. Noor.

"It's not my decision to make," she told them with a smile. "Whatever you decide, we will do our best to help you, but you must be aware that you may eventually wind up leaving the ship, this is a warship after all, and not a place to raise a family."

"Well, technically, that is not really the case," Raymond said. "According to FAdm Thenton, this is a 'pleasure' ship, as our two young members can attest to," he told them with teasing smile.

"Raymond!" Ayesha snapped. "Such a tease at such an important event in their lives," her tone disapproving.

"Ooohhh!! I like her!" Liea stated, giving Noor a significant look.

"Behave, Raymond," Noor ordered, a smirk of her own on her lips.

"Before you say anything," Ayesha took over the conversation, looking at the young couple. "If you decide to keep this baby, we need to remove the Mideral implant and give you a couple of shots to counteract its effects. You will need to stay here for a couple of days until your hormones settle into normal levels which, hopefully, will bring the morning sickness to near normal levels and we have determined that your pregnancy will continue as it should.

"If you decide to stop the pregnancy, then I need to give you another series of shots and you will have to stay here until your bleeding stops. Either way, you are on sick leave for at least three days," she informed them.

Jennifer looked at Dan, who just smiled and gave her a slight nod, informing her without saying a word that it was her decision, but he would back it. Jennifer reached up and cupped his face in her hand. The look in her eyes was pleading. "I want to keep it," she told him.

Dan gave her a smile and a soft kiss. Jennifer's face broke into a beautiful smile, that tugged at the hearts of all in the room. She looked to Capt. Noor, who just smiled and nodded her agreement.

Raymond snapped at his comp. "Mr. Sucre, I need you in the Infirmary two minutes ago," he barked.

The hatch to the infirmary opened and Master Chief Sucre stepped in. Raymond barked a laugh.

"I assume you have been out there since being informed that the three of us had been summoned?" Raymond asked.

"It's the Boatswain's job to anticipate his bosses wishes," Callum stated simply.

"Mr. Sucre," Liea took over, "can you make two quarters available on deck ten with king sized beds? One for our new nurse, Ayesha Seito and her fiancé Sean Murphy, and trust me if you haven't yet met Sean, they will need a king sized bed. The second for the happy couple here?' she asked.

"Happy couple?" Callum asked.

"I'm pregnant, Master Chief," Roust informed him.

"Well, that should get everyone excited," the Master Chief acknowledged. "They will be staying on the ship?" he asked of his three superiors.

"For now, Mr. Sucre, but that may change. We still have to determine policy for this situation," Noor admitted.

"You will have to get some one to help the PO move, Mr. Sucre," Ayesha informed him. "She is confined to the infirmary for the next few days."

"Surprisingly, that should not be a problem, once the crew discovers why I need the help," Callum stated with a smile.

"No visitors today," Ayesha informed them all, giving them a stern look. "Except for you," she said to Chief Polit, "you have visiting rights around the clock. The rest of the crew can come in tomorrow in small groups, if everything goes as it should."

"Come along, Chief," Callum called to Dan, "lets go get the two of you moved." He clapped the younger man on the should and pushed him in the direction of the hatch.

Raymond, Liea, and Noor all gave Jennifer a warm hug and congratulations. Then stepped out to let Ayesha do what was necessary.

"I'll say it again," Liea started, "I like her. With only just shy of 400 personnel on the ship, we don't need a doctor, however, Ayesha can be awarded Nurse Practitioner status, and that would be almost as good as a doctor," she finished, giving a significant look to the other two.

"Still, it is her intent to finish her medical degree," Raymond stated, for the record. "Maybe we could strike a balance with her. She could finish what she needs to online, and we could 'lend' her to the hospital at Liramor-23 to finish her practical. We could even pay for her internship at an approved teaching hospital for her license."

"That is a more than fair compromise," Noor said. "Shall I tell her, or do you wish to?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Liea quipped, smiling.

Raymond won.

End of chapter twenty-one.

The Wanderer is finally wandering. She will be involved in many adventures in the next chapter, as will all of our principle characters.

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