Surprise

Posted on Sat Nov 15th, 2025 @ 7:56am by Lieutenant Samaire MacBride-Reece [Lalor] & Commander Kyle Reece & Staff Sergeant Liam "Swede" Reece [Reece]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 6: Conglomerate
Location: Main Medical
Timeline: MD3 - Midday
1945 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The ship’s morning cycle had begun, soft gold light spreading through the medbay. Most of the chaos of the night before had faded to quiet efficiency — nurses moving between biobeds, monitors humming in low tones, the smell of sterilised air replacing smoke and scorched metal.

Samaire lay awake, staring up at the ceiling’s gentle curve. The regeneration sheath around her left leg had been removed sometime before dawn; now only a faint shimmer of tissue regrowth remained beneath a transparent dressing. It ached — a deep, steady ache that reminded her she was alive.

Cassia was asleep in the next bed, curled slightly on her side with a cooling patch behind her ear. Sapphire sat propped against her pillow, reading from a PADD with her good arm, her hair tied back into an untidy knot. The three of them had spoken briefly during the night, half jokes, half reassurance — the kind of conversation born out of exhaustion and gratitude.

Samaire exhaled slowly and closed her eyes again, willing her pulse to slow. She’d dreamt of the hound’s claws tearing through the hatch, of the heat, of the smell. Every time she blinked, she saw the creature’s molten eyes.

A soft chime drew her attention. Doctor T’Lina Revek approached, holding a data padd and the calm expression of someone who’d seen far worse and still found meaning in healing.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” the Vulcan said quietly. “Your regenerative progress is satisfactory. You will retain full function of the limb.”

“That’s… good news.” Samaire tried to smile, though her voice came out rough. “My husband’s going to be grateful you didn’t have to replace half my leg.”

Revek inclined her head slightly. “Indeed. You should regain normal mobility within forty-eight hours.” She paused, then added, “There is another matter I wished to discuss before discharge.”

Something in her tone — not cold, but measured — made Samaire frown. “Is something wrong?”

“On the contrary.” The doctor tapped her padd, and a faint medical schematic appeared above the display. “During your scans last night, we detected elevated hormonal levels inconsistent with standard metabolic response. Further analysis confirmed the presence of an early-stage gestation.”

Samaire blinked. “Gestation—?” She stared, comprehension dawning in slow motion. “You mean… I’m pregnant?”

Revek inclined her head again. “Approximately six weeks, based on the hormonal markers. The fetus is healthy. The regenerative treatment posed no risk.”

For several seconds Samaire could only stare at the ceiling. The noise of Sickbay — the hum, the quiet footsteps, Cassia’s breathing nearby — faded into a blur. Her hands trembled slightly where they rested on the blanket.

She had dreamed of this moment for years — whispered hopes shared with Liam in the dark, the two of them laughing that perhaps Starfleet would always come first, that maybe they weren’t meant for family life. They’d both stopped saying maybe months ago.

Her voice cracked when she finally spoke. “We’ve… we’ve been trying for months.” She swallowed hard, blinking away sudden tears. “I thought the stress, the attacks — I thought it wasn’t going to happen.”

Revek watched her quietly, then said with the faintest trace of softness, “It would appear life finds a way, Lieutenant.”

A small, unsteady laugh escaped Samaire’s throat. “He’s going to lose his mind when he hears this.”

“Then I suggest informing him soon,” Revek said. “But for now, rest. Physical recovery remains your priority. I will schedule a prenatal consult once you are medically cleared.”

Samaire nodded, still dazed. She brushed her fingers over her abdomen — there was no sign yet, no change she could feel, but the knowledge settled into her chest like a pulse of warmth.

Outside the window, the stars drifted past — silent, endless, indifferent. But for the first time since the attack, she smiled.

Life had survived.

===
When She was finally allowed to leave, Sam sent Liam a message to tell him she was on her way home. Then she slowly made her way back to their cabin.

Lism was busy helping the damage repair teams finish clearing up the gore of the battle, not having had a chance to even check on Sam, though he knew that she had been injured and taken to sickbay. That was one of the drawbacks of being a soldier in battle. You rarely got to be with your family when danger was near.

When Samaire's message beeped from the small PADD he kept in his pocket. After pulling it out, his face broke out into a wide smile. He quickly typed a reply. "My love, I am so happy thst you are alright! It pains me that I havent been able to be near you while you were in Sickbay! As soon as we are done clearing this deck, I'll be home. I am going to wrap my arms around you so tightly, that even an antimatter explosion wouldn't break my grip! I love you, baby!" He then sent the message and got back to work, a new rush of energy in his movements.

Samarie merely sent him a smilie face.

A few hours later, when the clean up had been completed, and the engineers could start repairing the damage from the attack, Liam nearly sprinted home, after he had been dismissed for the day. When he reached the quarters, he nearly squeezed through the doors before they finished opening. "Babe! Little Miss?!" He called out when he saw the living room area empty.

Sam came out of their bedroom with a smile. "Hey." She said. "Skylah is with Harper."

Liam immediately moved to his wife, enveloping her in his arms protectively. "I'm so sorry I wasnt there, my love!" He whispered as he held her close.

She smiled and hugged him back, snuggling close. "Its all good Love. We survived." She lifted her head and gave him a smile. "I have news."

Though he still felt a feeling of blame for not being there to protect the woman he loved, Liam tried to let it go for now. When she looked up at him and smiled that gorgeous smile of hers, he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. "News?" He asked simply, a smile of his own filling his face.

She took his right hand and placed it on her still flat stomach. And raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk. "Guess"

It took his tired brain a couple beats to catch up. When it did, Liam's face lit up brightly. "Really?!" He asked excitedly, gently squeezing her belly with his fingertips.

Samaire nodded. "Yes. Still early weeks. So shhh no telling anyone." she smiled more broadly now. "I hold to the no telling until 12 weeks thing."

Liam suddenly whooped in excitement. Afterwards, he wrapped his arms around Samaire and lifted her off her feet, spinning them both around several times, kissing her happily as he set her feet back on the deck. The smile that was plastered on his face looked so firm, that it would take an antimatter explosion to wipe it away...if that.

Samaire laughed as he spun her around and said once she was back on her feet. "6 weeks along. And you cannot go around grinning like a fool!"

"Who? Me?" He asked, the smile softly bright his face was glowing. He then tried his best to make his face neutral, but the grin kept threatening to break free.

Just then, the comm panel for their cabin desk chirped. The voice of Liam's older brother, Kyle could be heard. "Liam, Sam, it's Kyle. Are either of you home?"

Samaire leveled a finger at her husband. "Not a word. Or it's the couch for you." she threatened as she headed for the comm. She opened the channel. "Hello Kyle."

"Sam!" Kyle replied over audio. "I'm so glad to hear that you recovered from you injuries. I'm...I'm sorry we didnt stop them sooner." Just like his younger brother, Kyle felt a huge responsibility for the injured and dead now aboard Elysium.

"That's ok." She replied. "We all survived here. Cassia was released earlier today as well."

Relief filled his voice. "Oh, that's wonderful! And how about my little niece, Sky? Is she okay too?"

"She is good. Visiting Harper at the moment. Our cabin is a bit of a mess so we are clearing things."

"I was actually about to go see Harper," Kyle offered, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "Well, if you three need anything, or if Sky wants to spend some time with her uncle or cousins, you know she's always welcome." He cleared his throat, then added. "Alright, I'll let you two go. Ive got a lot of work to do here."

Liam spoke up, "Hey, bro, if your that busy, why dont you send the kids to us, once we get things straightened out, that is." Liam knew that Kyle, as Chief of Security, was extremely busy now, post attack. There had been rumors going around that a larger force was probably on its way, but no one had any concrete facts to support that rumor.

"Thanks, Li. I appreciate the offer. Nick said the same thing. I'll see how things go the next couple of days. Zhavna and Jassirc have been asking for another big family dinner, so, we shall see what the next few days bring."

"Once things calm down we will organise it." Sam assured him warmly. "Go and stay safe."

"I will," Kyle promised. "Talk to you later, my love to Sky." Then the channel closed.

Liam let out a heavy breath. "He's worried," he said quietly. "I've only heard him like that a few times before, and eachvtime, bad things happened soon after." He reached out and pulled Samaire to him, holding her protectively. "I won't let anything happen to any of you, sweetheart," he said softly.

She snuggled against him. "I know." she whispered.

For several moments, the husband and wife duo simply stood there, holding each other tightly. Then, slowly, they relaxed their hold on each other. Liam gently touched Samaire’s flat stomach. "Both Sky and this little bundle of joy are the most important things in our home," he said softly. "Well, we get to have at least two percent to ourselves." He gave her that boyish handsome grin that he always had when he was feeling frisky, which was a lot.

Sam rolled her eyes at him with a smile. "When we get home, and we will because I know we will, we will throw a massive party for the family, everyone."

Liam nodded. "Oh, hell yeah! My mom's probably gonna rent out the biggest party hall on the island, just so we can boogie and eat!" He chuckled softly, then kissed his wife tenderly, then spinning her around, pulling her back against his chest. In this position, he was able to put both of his hands over her belly. "This is the future. Girl, boy, I don't care which. Just so long as they are happy, safe and healthy." He gently kissed the side of Samaire's neck as he finished speaking.

A shiver went through her but she smiled. "Come on Liam lets clean up the cabin then we can go rescue Harper." then she lowered her voice "But tonight.. after she is asleep..."

A quiet growl vibrated deep in Liam's chest when he heard the hunger in his wife's words. "Yes, Ma'am," he said heavily. He then kissed her again, before releasing his hold on her and they got to work, cleaning up the mess that the recent battle had caused to their home.

~OFF~