Chapter Text
A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.
Chapter 20: Miracles
One evening eight days later, when Kathryn was thirty-seven weeks and three days into her pregnancy, the labor pains she’d been experiencing for most of the day – labor pains that she’d convinced herself were false – really started to intensify. And after permitting herself to have a long, hot bath to help with the pain, which didn’t help with the pain nearly as much as Kathryn expected and hoped it would, she knew that it was now time to tell Harry and go to Sick Bay. Kathryn knew that she had a very high tolerance level for pain, and she knew that for her to be as badly uncomfortable as she was now, it had to be the real thing.
After Harry came and helped her out of the tub, and after Kathryn got dressed in a comfortable white silk, short-sleeved maternity nightgown, she went out into hers and Harry’s bedroom with him, and he asked her, “So how are the pains? I know you’ve been getting them a lot more frequently today. Do you still think they’re false labor pains?”
Kathryn shook her head and told Harry, “No, I don’t. They’ve been coming at much more regular intervals today.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“And they’ve really been getting a lot stronger. Ordinarily, nothing soothes whatever aches and pains I may be feeling, and nothing calms me down and relaxes me more than a nice, long, hot bath. But this evening, it didn’t work. I think it’s time, Harry. I really do.”
“Okay,” Harry said nervously as he wrapped his arms around Kathryn. He was now wearing a long-sleeved, gray turtleneck sweater with black pants and shoes, and despite all the inner fear and turmoil taking place inside him, he looked very nice as he stood before his wife now. “Okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Kathryn laughed, still in her husband’s embrace, and she told him, “I know it’s okay, darling. I know. But I think you need to hear that more than I do right now.”
Harry laughed then at his own nervousness, and he said, “Yeah, you’re right. But I already know that it’s okay. I’m just a little nervous right now, but don’t worry. I’ll get it together.”
Kathryn then reached up and lovingly stroked Harry’s cheek, both of them still in each other’s arms, and she said, “Don’t worry, my love. You’re doing great.”
“No, you are the one who’s doing great. You’re way calmer than I would be in your shoes. There’s no doubting that.”
“Maybe, but even so, I think that you and I both are doing great right now,” she said so encouragingly. And Harry responded by giving her a very passionate kiss.
And afterwards, he put Kathryn’s white slippers on her feet for her, and then with a supporting arm wrapped around her, Harry walked with Kathryn to Sick Bay.
Once they arrived in Sick Bay, Dr. Luke examined Kathryn and determined that she was already nine centimeters dilated, and he gave her a hypospray for the pain. And after he and Harry helped Kathryn get settled in the new obstetric biobed, with her still wearing the same white silk nightgown she’d come to Sick Bay in, and with a dark gray blanket covering her legs, Mr. Neelix came in with severe heartburn from the very spicy dinner he’d made for everyone in the Mess Hall that evening. And since Kathryn and Harry had been the only ones in Sick Bay beforehand, neither they nor the Doctor had felt the need to draw the new curtains that had been recently installed around all the biobeds in Sick Bay, so Mr. Neelix saw them there. They all greeted him, of course, and explained that Kathryn was now officially in labor. Naturally, Mr. Neelix then expressed how very happy and excited he was for them, and that he would be praying for Kathryn to have a comfortable and safe delivery, and Kathryn and Harry thanked him. Dr. Luke then gave Mr. Neelix an antacid hypospray, and after that, he quickly left Sick Bay so that Kathryn and Harry could be alone with the Doctor.
And less than ten minutes later, Seven of Nine came into Sick Bay.
“Do you need medical attention, Seven?” Dr. Luke inquired.
Seven then shook her head and answered, “No, Doctor. I did not come here because I needed medical attention. I do not. I am well. I only came because I wished to inform you and Mr. Kim, Captain, that upon learning about your labor from Mr. Neelix, as First Officer, Commander Chakotay immediately started a prayer vigil for you and your babies. Every crewman in the Mess Hall is now praying for yours and your babies’ safety now, Captain. And as the babies’ godmother, I believed it was my duty to inform you of it so that it would give you peace of mind during the birth.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Seven. Thank you,” Kathryn said softly. “You’re right. Knowing that does give me peace of mind now.”
“Me too,” said Harry. “Thank you, Seven.”
“You are welcome,” Seven told them. And then, she asked, “Do you wish for me to remain here, Captain, to provide you with emotional support now, or would you prefer that I leave so that you and Commander Kim can have more privacy?”
“I really appreciate the offer, Seven, but if you wouldn’t mind, I really would prefer for it to be just Harry and me right now,” Kathryn replied.
Seven then gave Kathryn a respectful nod and said, “As you wish, Captain.”
And in the following moments, Seven turned around and left.
About twenty minutes later, shortly after the Doctor had gone ahead and broken Kathryn’s water for the first time, Kathryn told Harry and the Doctor that she was now getting the urge to push. Dr. Luke then examined Kathryn with his medical tricorder and informed the happy couple that Kathryn was now fully dilated and effaced and that it was time for her to start pushing. He also informed them that it was their daughter Celeste who would be coming first. And then, Harry gave Kathryn his hand, and Kathryn pushed for the first time, while the Doctor crouched down in front of the obstetric biobed with a silver blanket in his hands, and with his sleeves rolled up, ready to catch Baby Celeste.
After the first push, Harry looked into his wife’s eyes and told her, “Good job, honey.”
“Thanks,” Kathryn said happily with a smile, and then Harry leaned in and gave her a big kiss.
Several moments later, Kathryn got the urge to push again, and she took a deep breath and pushed as hard as her body needed her to as Harry continued holding her hand.
“That’s right, Kathryn. That’s right. Push. Push,” Harry whispered. “You’re doing great.”
“Oh, God. The head,” Kathryn gasped.
“The head’s coming now,” Dr. Luke announced. “And we need it to come more slowly, so don’t push right now, Captain, if you can possibly help it. Just blow now, Captain. Blow.”
Kathryn then immediately stopped trying to push and just took in one deep breath after the other and quickly blew each breath out.
“That’s it, honey. That’s it,” Harry said encouragingly. “Blow, Kathryn. Blow. Blow.”
“The head’s coming,” Dr. Luke happily told them. “You’re doing great, Captain. You’re doing great.”
“Yes, you are, Kathryn. You’re doing a great job,” Harry agreed.
“Good, Captain. Good. You did it. You got the head out,” said Dr. Luke a few moments later, and then, Kathryn laid back and relaxed a bit. “I believe you’ll be able to get the baby out with the next contraction.”
Kathryn nodded, and then Harry gave her a long, passionate kiss.
And then, about twenty seconds later, the next contraction began, and Kathryn took Harry’s hand again and gave a good, hard push like her body told her to do.
And it was in those moments that Baby Celeste came out into the Doctor’s waiting arms, crying just as hard and loud as her little lungs would allow her to. And as the Doctor quickly wrapped the newborn infant up in the silver blanket and placed her onto her mother’s chest, both of her proud parents cried with her.
After allowing Harry to cut Baby Celeste’s umbilical cord and after giving her a thorough examination and assuring her parents that she was perfectly healthy, weighing in at five pounds, eleven ounces, the placenta came, and Dr. Luke disposed of it. And then, he broke Kathryn’s water the second time with her permission. And just a couple of minutes later, another contraction began and Kathryn needed to start pushing again, so Dr. Luke quickly placed Baby Celeste in one of the two waiting bassinets near the obstetric biobed, grabbed another silver blanket, and crouched down in front of the obstetric biobed again, ready and waiting to catch Baby Ariel. And Harry took Kathryn’s hand and held it and gazed down lovingly into the blue eyes he so adored as she pushed.
Once the contraction ended, Dr. Luke said, “Great work, Captain. Your son is already crowning.”
Kathryn chuckled then and said, “I just can’t get over how fast this is going.”
“I know, right?” Harry agreed. “I can’t get over it, either.”
“When the next contraction begins, I want you to try to push as lightly as possible, Captain,” Dr. Luke told Kathryn. “And if you start to feel like the head is coming too quickly, then I want you stop pushing and just blow your son’s head out, like you did with Baby Celeste.”
Kathryn responded with a nod and said, “Understood, Doctor.”
And in the next moment, another contraction started, and while still holding onto her husband’s hand, Kathryn began to gently push for a few seconds. And as soon as her body told her that she needed to slow down, she stopped pushing, and she just continued to blow as the head started to come.
“That’s it, Kathryn. That’s it,” Harry told her. “Blow now, sweetheart. Just blow.”
“The head’s coming now, Captain. You’re doing great,” the Doctor reassured her.
And a few seconds later, the head fully emerged, and then Kathryn stopped blowing and just laid back on the biobed and relaxed.
“Good job, Captain. You got the head out,” Dr. Luke announced.
“I am so proud of you,” said Harry. And then once again, he leaned in and gave her a very long, passionate kiss.
“I’m proud of both of us,” Kathryn told him with such great contentment in her voice. And in the next second, another contraction began, and Kathryn said to her husband, “Oh, this is it. Here we go.”
“It’s alright,” Harry reassured her.
And then, Kathryn took in a deep breath and pushed with all her strength, and in the following moments, Baby Ariel slid right out into the Doctor’s waiting arms, and his loud cries filled Sick Bay.
As Kathryn and Harry cried more rivers of joyful tears, Dr. Luke then wrapped Baby Ariel up in the silver blanket and placed him onto his mother’s chest.
After letting Harry cut the umbilical cord once again, and after disposing of the second placenta when it came a bit later, Dr. Luke gave Baby Ariel a thorough examination. And after giving the newborn baby boy a clean bill of health, he informed Baby Ariel’s thrilled parents that he weighed six pounds, one ounce, and was twenty inches long, one inch longer than his older sister, Baby Celeste. And then, Dr. Luke went into his office to give the new family a little privacy. However, it was the last bit of privacy they would be able to enjoy for a good while.
Over the next three months, crewmen were constantly coming by Kathryn’s and Harry’s quarters to check on them and to visit Voyager’s two newest crewmembers. And Kathryn and Harry took great delight in all the love, warmth, and support of their Voyager family.
And on the Saturday before Kathryn would be returning to duty, all that love, warmth, and support enveloped Kathryn and Harry as they happily stood together underneath a wedding arch in the Mess Hall with Mr. Neelix and said, “I do,” once again, in front of all their crew. While Harry wore the Starfleet dress uniform he’d worn before, this time, Kathryn chose to wear a beautiful, long-sleeved, floor-length, white silk wedding gown with a white veil, and with her shoulder-length, auburn-red hair down and a pair of sparkling diamond earrings in her ears. Wanting to ensure that Tom and B’Elanna were not hurt over not being chosen to be Baby Celeste’s and Baby Ariel’s godparents, Kathryn made B’Elanna her matron of honor, and Harry naturally made Tom his best man. Seven of Nine and Samantha and Naomi Wildman were bridesmaids for Kathryn, and little Miral was the flower girl, and Dr. Luke stood beside Tom on Harry’s side of the aisle as a groomsman. And it was Tuvok who walked Kathryn down the aisle and gave her away to Harry. Meanwhile, Crewman Chell held Baby Celeste in his arms during the ceremony, and Commander Chakotay, who was sitting beside him on the front row, held Baby Ariel in his.
Once Kathryn’s and Harry’s public wedding ceremony came to end, they all enjoyed a big wedding reception in Holodeck Two, running the simulation of the happy couple’s favorite Caribbean beach resort. And as they both just drank in all the love the Voyager crew saturated them in, they simply could not thank Jesus enough for getting them through the painful journey they’d had to endure to get to the place they were now with their babies and with each other. And even though the journey had been pure hell, especially for Kathryn, both she and Harry knew, now more than ever before, that what they had with each other now was more than worth it. And they also knew now more than ever before that no matter what life may have in store for them, they would always be endlessly grateful to God for all the miracles He’d blessed them with.