A mess but a Hot one

“FUCK” Shouting out, she nearly doubled over form the pain, only to feel Miranda’s arm under her own, propping her up. Feeling wetness travel down her legs, she started counting. 1. She vaguely felt Miranda move her to a bench on the wall, as she tried to focus on her breathing. 16.

“Riley!? What’s wrong!?” Miranda asked, choosing to kneel in case Riley fell over. Riley looked over, brows furrowed, taking a few deep breaths as the pain subsided.

“40. Yeah” Riley breathed out before laughing at Miranda’s incredulous look, “I believe it was a contraction, and my water broke” Riley stood back up, pulling against Miranda to help her.

“We need to get to medical. I’ll call the Colonel” Miranda said beginning to guide Riley to the doors of the gym. Riley rolled her eyes, pulling her arm from Mirandas grip, and coming to a complete halt.

“We should wait actually” At Miranda’s annoyed look Riley elaborated, “We’ll need to time the length of both the contractions and the how close together they are” Riley rested a hand on her swollen abdomen laughing at her friends unmoving gaze

“I promise this is not me avoiding medical” Riley started walking forward again, “But if it will make you-" Riley pointed at Miranda “-feel better, then we can meander over there. But we will not bother Miles until I’m much closer” Putting emphasis on the word not, she opened the door to the gym.

“WHERE IS HEEEE?!” Riley cried out, “I CAN’T DO THIS” She curled up on her side on the medical bed as another contraction ripped through her. She felt Miranda’s hand on her back. Pulling on the bed rail, she grit her teeth against the pain.

“I called him an hour and a half ago. He should have been--” Miranda was abruptly cut off by Riley grabbing her by the shirt collar and yanking her down. Her friends eyes widened at the scowl written on Riley’s face.

“IF YOU TELL ME THAT ONE MORE TIME, I WILL MAKE YOU HAVE THIS FUCKING BABY!” Riley growled in her friends face, before letting go to let out a low groan while rolling back onto her side, missing the eyeroll Miranda gave her.

“Mrs. Quaritch, you really need to push on the next on contraction” Doctor Moore encouraged, placing a hand on her forearm. Riley pulled her arm away, shaking her head and pressing her face into the bed. Unaware of the concerned look the nurse gave her and Miranda, she heard the doctor move from in front of her and start having a quiet conversation with someone.

“Miles” It came out as a whimper. Feeling Miranda’s hand rub her back, she let any tears she might have fall. She did not want Miranda. She wanted her husband. The father of her child. She needed him. Where the fuck was he? He promised he wouldn’t go out as far as he usually does so he could get back. So why wasn’t he here? Why?

She knew she needed to push. She really did. She was fully dilated. But she just couldn’t have this baby without him. He needed to be here. She needed him. Letting out a guttural moan as she resisted the urge to push with another contraction.

Distantly, she heard a rough voice yelling at people. She let her heavy body sag as she panted, the contraction leaving her.

Feeling a calloused hand brush hair off her sticky forehead, she lifted her face off the sheet. Greeted by the apologetic blue eyes of her husband. He was crouched next to the bed she reached out and gave him a flick on the forehead.

“Where have you fucking been, you asshole!” She glared at him, “Zee called you a fucking hour ago” She was angry, but that didn’t stop her from running her fingers over his temple where she hit him. “I can’t do this, Miles” Well, now she just sounded pathetic.

“I’m sorry, Baby” He ran his hand down her arm, grabbing her hand in strong grip, wiping at her damp cheeks with the other hand. “Let’s have this baby, then you can scream at me and curse me out all you want. Deal?” He stood, pulling her into a sitting position.

“Deal” She nodded, the words scratching the back of her throat.  He climbed up behind her, pulling her heavy body back against him. She sagged into his large chest, pulling one of his arms across her chest.

“Alright Mrs. Quaritch, you need to push with this next contraction” Nodding at the words of nurse Moore, Riley bore down, white-knuckling Miles’ arm, as another contraction coursed through her. “Good, Mrs. Quaritch, We can see the head” She heard Doctor Moore speak as the contraction dissipated.

She panted letting her head fall back onto Miles’ shoulder, relaxing her grip on his arm, with her eyes closed. He brushed her hair back out of her face, feeling him press his lips to her temple. She opened her eyes to the sound of Doctor Moore.

“Next contraction, Big push” Doctor Moore stated as the Riley felt, once again, like her body was getting ripped apart. Grabbing onto Miles’ hand, she squeezed tightly.

“FUCK THIS FUCKING SHIT” Riley cried out, everything felt like it burned. She fell back as all the pressure suddenly ended. Miles kissed her temple between telling her how great she did, as the doctor and nurses started moving to the side with a small body. Riley’s heart began to pick up as she noticed the stark silence.

“There’s no crying. Why aren’t they crying?” Her attempt to check on her baby was thwarted by her husband pulling her back. No one responded as they all gathered by the bassinet. She felt the tension in her husband’s chest, the hard set of his jaw. “No, stop, what’s wrong? Somebody say something” She pushed at his arm across her in desperation, failing to hold back the tears.

A high-pitched cry filled the room, as all the medical personnel seemed to sigh all at once. Riley let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Feeling Miles’ body relax she rested her head on his shoulder, the tears becoming joy. Doctor Moore turned around, a small little blue blanket in her arms.

“You have a son, Mr. and Mrs. Quaritch” Riley reached out, as Doctor Moore placed the bundle in her arms. She gently bounced her son in her arms cooing slightly, and one of Miles’ large hands ran over the top of his head.

“Now, ‘Doc’, you wanna tell me why my son wasn’t breathing” At Miles’ growl, Riley placed a soothing hand on his cheek. She glanced at him to see him glaring at the doctor and rolled her eyes.

“He had some mucus in his mouth and nose blocking his airway. We just had to suction it to allow air into his lungs” Doctor Moore wiped her hands with a towel as she answered. “Other than that, he’s perfectly healthy, Mr. Qua—” “Colonel” Riley lightly flicked Miles’ for his interruption, tapping his cheat lightly with one hand, while Moore took pause. “Colonel Quaritch, Your son is perfectly healthy” She gave them both a slight smile. “Now, one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Have you picked a name?”

Riley looked up at Miles, mirroring the smile on his face before she looked back down at her little boy in her arms. She nodded, turning back to Doctor Moore. “Yeah, we have, but we’d like to tell the rest of our family first. Can you send them in?”

Doctor Moore nodded as she exited the room. She was quickly replaced by Miranda and Lyle fighting each other to get through the doorway. Miles and Riley both laughed at the two of them as they straightened themselves out, while Mitchell and Jamie followed more with more civility. Miranda came to stand where she could see the baby’s face, while Lyle took a spot at the end of the bed. The other two stood on the opposite side of Miranda. Miles kept his arms wrapped around his wife and son, but the smile never left his face.

“Damn, Madam, I don’t ever think I’ve seen the Colonel smile” Jamie poked fun before quieting down at the glare from Miles. Riley laughed at his reactions before focusing back on her baby.

“We’d like you to meet the newest member of the squad. Miles James Quaritch Jr.” Riley cooed smiling down at the little baby in her arms. As the rest of her found family smiled and cooed, choosing to keep their distance for fear that Miles might break their fingers if they go to close for his comfort.

Miles laid back on the sofa, his long legs draping off the end or simply not even fitting, as Riley was nestled between them. Her own legs didn’t fully fit on the sofa, hers hitting his being the only thing keeping her lower half off the floor. The movie they had been watching continued in the background as her weight sagged fully into his torso, the soft sounds of her breathing telling him she had fallen asleep. He placed his hand on his son’s back just above his wife’s, assuring himself the boy was still breathing, and keeping him from slipping off his mothers chest and hitting the floor.

He let himself focus back on whatever movie his wife had chosen for them. It was a young person’s movie, or at the very least rated PG. It was goofy as hell is what it was. But Riley has insisted on them watching non-violent or graphic movies with Miles junior in the room. He didn’t disagree per se, but he believed that their son was so young that he wouldn’t even understand.

He let out a contented sigh, as his wife breathed deep on top of him. Running his free hand down her bare arm, he chuckled lowly when she shivered, shifting away at the touch. Her head tucked further into the crook of his shoulder. He stopped when Miles Jr. started to stir at her movements, not wanting to wake his son or wife, neither having gotten much sleep the last weeks since his arrival. Miles Junior didn’t sleep through the night yet, waking up every two hours or so.

Riley was always getting up with him, feeding and settling him before crawling back into bed. It wasn’t that Miles didn’t get up to him, he did, often sitting up with her or getting her water from the kitchenette, as she worked to settle their son. A few times he had told her to lay back down, getting up himself to rock their son. But Riley was exclusively breastfeeding, at least for the first months, making it difficult for Miles to help.

His body jerked at a sharp knock on the door. At the sound of soft fussing, he realized he had jolted his wife, who remained asleep, and son who was far more sensitive. Rubbing a gentle hand of the tiny boys back, he soothed him back into sleep. The buzzing of his MiniPad turned his attention to the table. He tried to move as little as possible as he reached over to grab it. Tapping in, he saw an unread PriMessage.

1 Unread Message: Wainfleet, Lyle

Wainfleet, Lyle: Hey, Colonel, It’s Z-dog and I, can you let us in?  Sent 13:36

Quaritch, Miles: It is unlocked. Be quiet, Miles Jr. is sleeping. Sent 13:37

Jostling was heard behind him as Lyle and Z-dog came in the door. Z-dog shushed Lyle when he closed the door a little harder than he should have. The hushed voices grew louder as the pair drew closer to living room before stopping abruptly. Miles craned his neck back to look at the pair of idiots.

“Don’t just stand there starin’. Sit” Miles gestured with his head for them to come all the way in. Z-dog made her way over to the coffee table, placing a set of meals before sitting on the floor and grabbing one. Lyle had chosen to sit in one of the other chairs in the room, his gazed having left the trio to try and figure out what was playing on the T.V.

“What is this?” Lyle gestured, leaning back in the chair. Miles glanced over, rolling his eyes as Lyle became engrossed in the movie.

“Riles chose it. It’s called elements or something” He shrugged slightly, keeping the rest of his body still. He glanced down at the coffee table in an attempt to see what meals the pair had brought them.

“How are Riley and Junior doing?” Z-dog piped up, pausing in stuffing her face. Miles turned back to the pair on his lap. Rubbing a hand gently on his wife arm, a small smile formed.

“They’re doing alright. Miles Junior gets up every couple of hours to feed. And with Riley wanting to breastfeed for the first months,” He rubbed his sleeping wife’s arm with his free hand, “So is she”

Miles’s head snapped around at the sound of a camera shutter. Landing a glare, as Z-dog failed to hide their MiniPad before he could notice.

“What are you doing, corporal?” He snapped slightly, a frown etching into his features. Z-dog’s cheeky smile disappeared, replaced by wide eyes and a hint of fear.

“Nothing, Sir” The words flew out her mouth, as he continued to glare at her. Letting out a huff, he jerked his head in the direction of the door.

“I think we should reschedule, with Miles Junior and Riles being asleep” Z-dog nodded packing up her food and shoving a meal into Lyle’s hand as they both moved to the door. “I’ll have Riley text you when she wakes up” Z-dog whisper-shouted an okay as she shut the door.

Leaning over, Miles grabbed his MiniPad off the back of the couch.

Z-dog paused in the hallway, pulling out her MiniPad from her jacket pocket.

1 Unread Message: Quaritch, Miles

She hesitated opening the message. Dreading whatever punishment he might’ve decided to enact.

Quaritch, Miles: Send me that photo. sent 14:15

Miranda let of a breath of relief, before sending the picture she had sneaked.

Zdinarsik, Miranda: *attachment* sent 14:18

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A/N: Thank you all for being so patient with me.

“Research, Miles, I’m doing research” She replied in kind. She heard his sigh and felt him get ready to lecture her. She spun around, hand on her hip, and one on her belly. “No.”

“No?” He quirked an eyebrow at her and tilted his head as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his broad chest, and she resisted the urge to give in to him. Steeling her resolve, she straightened her spine.

“No. I’m not going back to the apartment” She stared him down, her own golden eyes locked on his icy ones, “I’m tired of being in the apartment.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, “I want to go out. I agreed to stop linking because we don’t know how it would affect the pregnancy. I agreed to stay in the apartment when I was high risk” She took a deep breath, running a hand over her belly. Miles straightened from his spot on the counter and moved to stand in front of her.

“I’m just trying to keep you both safe” He leaned his forehead against hers, placing his hands on either side of her, pressing her back against the desk.

“I know” The words came out louder than intended. She paused, running her hand over the side of his face. The rigid scars a stark reminder of the harsh validity of his fear. “I know” she chose to whisper this time, she leaned back enough to look at him. “I just want to walk around….. out of the apartment. And continue researching” She looked up into his cool eyes, stoic as ever. Frustrated tears began to well up.

 “I’m feeling stifled, Mies, I sit on the couch all day” She let out a huff. “I don’t SEE anyone besides you and Miranda, don’t TALK to anyone” Wrapping her arms around herself, she stayed in Miles’ loose grip.

“I don’t feel like a person” She finished by pressing her head into his chest. She felt his lips press into the top of her head. He stepped back, lifting her face with both hands.

“Okay” He conceded, “But I must be with you” She groaned slightly, interrupted by his finger pressed to her lips, “Or Miranda, or Lyle. So that I know you have someone with you” She pressed her lips to his, pulling him as close as possible. Whispering a thank you against his lips, she ran her hands down his muscled chest.

Riley jumped slightly at the feeling of being lightly punched. She laughed as it happened again. Under Miles’ quizzical gaze she placed one of his hands on her belly. She watched his face, as she waited for it to happen again. She laughed as his eyes widened when a tiny little punch hit him right in the hand.

“Was that?” He looked down at her swollen belly, mouth agape slightly. She laughed and nodded at his reaction.

“Yeah, a kick, or maybe a punch” She laughed wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. She let out a gasp as a pair of strong hands came up under her thighs, lifting her feet off the floor and settling her on the desk. Warm hands settled back on her swollen belly, the little flutter kicks returning in response.

“Hey, little guy” Miles’ nose brushed against the thin material of her t-shirt, as he knelt down in front of her, “I can’t wait to meet you, you’re gonna have the best mother any little kid can ask for” He tapped  his finger against her belly, eliciting a giggle from her, before pressing a kiss to it.

Standing, he took her hand, helping her off the table. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, before going and dropping into one of the lab chairs. The force of which sent him sliding backwards a few inches before he stopped, lifting his feet up and promptly dropping them on the table and reclining back.

“Oooooohh, No you don’t” Riley’s eyes widened at him, as she came and pushed his feet of the table, pulling a laugh from the marine “You know better” She pointed a finger at him, feigning anger before joining him in his entertainment. Leaning over she pressed a smiling kiss to his lips.

“But seriously” She pointed, tapping his nose “Do. Not. Put your dirty-ass boots on my work tables” She patted his thigh before turning to gather a couple sheets of data off the worktable, ignoring the little flutters radiating across her belly.

She went on like this for a couple of minutes. Referencing and cross-referencing the data from Grace with her own, before feeling a cool pair of eyes on her. Turning around, she came to find Miles trailing over her. She rolled her eyes slightly with a slight laugh, but she did nothing to hide the pink that bloomed across her cheeks.

“You have nothing better to do?” She giggled

“What?” He shrugged “Watch my beautiful, loving, genius of a wife and mother of my child in her absolute element?” He had stalked over to her, pining her against the table gently. “There is literally nothing better to do than this” Warm air fanned over the shell of her ear as he growled in her ear, sending a thrill up her spine. One of his hands trailed up her side, leaving heat in its wake, before abruptly pulling away.

“Asshole” She mumbled, turning back to her work. Hearing the slight roll of wheels under his laughter as he sat back in his chair. They fell into silence, save shift of papers and scratching of pencil. Every once in a while Riley would hear Miles’ MiniPad go off followed by an annoyed huff. A soft clink as she moved vials from other scientists out of her way, a ping as Miles moved from one app to another.

She lost track of time in the array of numbers and formulas. Only pulled away at the sound of a throat clearing. Setting her current computations to the side, she focused of her husband over her shoulder.

“You alright, Honey?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Miles was staring back at her, arms crossed over his large chest. Tilting his head side to side in thought.

“I was thinking” He drummed his fingers on his bicep, “We haven’t talked about names yet” He looked at her expectantly. Riley flushed under his gaze, giving a shrug, she turned back.

“I haven’t thought about it much” That was a lie. She’d thought about it quite a lot. But instead, she busied her hands with shuffling the papers in her hand.

“Why’re you lying to me, Mama?” He didn’t sound annoyed, just confused as to why she wasn’t being fully honest with him. She turned back, leaning against the table, folding her arms over her chest.

“Fine, I’ve thought about it a lot” He gestured at her to continue. Letting out a sigh, she ran a hand over her bump. “For a boy, I’d like to follow my family’s tradition” Miles’ nodded at her words, as if deep in thought.

“And that tradition is?” His eyebrow quirked slightly. She ran her hand through her hair, pulling out the band holding back the strands in the process.

“I wanna give him your name” She looked back up at him, “My grandfather was a junior, so was my uncle. Mom and Dad planned to give me his name if I had been a boy” She shrugged, as if it wouldn’t crush her if he didn’t like the idea. As he simply stared back at her, her heart began to race.

“That ain’t a bad thought” Miles rubbed his fingers over his lower jaw, “I actually quite like it” He broke out into a grin, as she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, smiling back at him.

“But—” He held up a finger at her, “I wanna name our daughter if we have one” She nodded at him, grin growing even wider. She stood there for a moment just looking at him.

He always looked so handsome with a smile, and the way it softened his sharper features. Her eyes trailed over the side of his face to the scars lined the side. He had gotten them on his first day on this moon, an encounter with a lone viper wolf. That was the day he took an intrinsic wariness to being here. His hair always kept high and tight, now grey rather than the darker blond it had been. Down over his large chest, even on earth he had cared quite a lot about his fitness, even more so on pandora. To the eagle tattoo splayed across his large bicep, he’d had it since long before they met claiming the only other on he’d get would be their children’s names. Lord only knows how he’d manage that now.

Damn, she couldn't wait to watch him be a father. To hold their child, rock them to sleep. Those strong arms cradling something so tiny, so fragile.

“Like what you see, Mama?” He smirked at her, as if he knew exactly where her mind had was wandering. Sticking out her tongue, she turned back to table, grabbing a book of the corner.

“After sixteen years, you know I do, Colonel” She laughed out the word, loving the sound of his own laugh joining hers.

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She really thought that it all could be attributed to stress on both mind and body. Looks like she owes Miranda five dollars.

Riley got pulled from her thoughts at the sound of her comms going off. Pulling it out of her pocket, lifting it to her ear.

“Hello, Doctor Quaritch, How can I help you?” Riley answered without looking, tapping out of her MediChart, tossing the datapad haphazardly to the side.

“Hi, this is Nurse Blevins from Medical, Can I speak to Riley Quaritch?” The nurse from earlier asked.

“This is she” Riley responded, shifting on the sofa in her quarters, her knee bounced.

“Hi” Blevins started again. “I’m calling about the results of your blood tests—” “I’m pregnant” Riley cut the poor nurse off, with a sigh. Pushing back her hair, Riley stood and began to pace the length of the room.

“We- well, yes. According to the results you are. And we would like you to come back to medical when convenient, so we can discuss next steps……” Riley hummed in response to nurse Blevins. The rest of the spiel nurse Blevins gave fell on deaf ears as her mind began to race.

Pregnant. Carrying. With child. No matter how she phrased it, the thought didn’t get any less terrifying. Fuck. Could she handle this? Could they handle this? Gods, what was Miles going to say? Would he want this? Here? On this hellscape, as Miles would say. On Pandora.

Riley wasn’t stupid. She hadn’t done too much digging, but she’d heard about the losses. Pandora was a stressful environment. She wasn’t sure exactly how many women had gotten pregnant on Pandora.

But, she did know, none had carried to term.

“Alright, I’ll be in sometime tomorrow” Riley stated curtly before ending the comm-call, potentially cutting off the poor nurse. She tossed the handheld comms device onto the sofa. Pausing her pacing, she grabbed her datapad from off the coffee table. Logging in, she resumed her pacing, tapping the side of the screen to get to her PriMessages.

Quaritch, Miles: Apologies for having to leave before you woke up this morning, my Darling. Couple of new SecOps men got in a fucking  fistfight over a damn beer last night. Had to go down and exact punishment. I’ll likely be busy for the rest of the day. Message me if you need anything. X  Sent 04:34

Quaritch, Riley: No worries Honey. I’ve got some notes and projects I need to get done. I’ll see you at dinner. X Sent 07:20

Quaritch, Miles: Of course. I love you. X Sent 07:30

Quaritch, Riley: I love you too, Mies. X Sent 07:33

Quaritch, Riley: Change of plans. Can you get us dinner from the mess hall and come home? I have something we need to talk about. X Sent 17:27

Sending that new message, Riley tapped her fingers on the sides of the tablet. Continuing her pacing, she waited for Miles to respond. Or, just as likely, burst through the door.

Miles looked up from his pile of paperwork when his datapad buzzed on the corner of his desk. Logging in, he saw a PriMessage notification.

1 new message: Quaritch, Riley

Smiling slightly, he tapped on the icon.

Quaritch, Riley: Change of plans. Can you get us dinner from the mess hall and come home? I have something we need to talk about. X Sent 17:27

His smile fell, replaced by furrowed brows. He hadn’t seen his wife all day. What could possibly have happened? He resisted the urge to go home and deal with it right away.

But re-reading her message, he decided against it. Typing a response instead.

Quaritch, Miles: Of course, My Love. Is everything alright? X Sent 17:40

She replied near instantaneously.

Quaritch, Riley: Yes, I think so. It’s not urgent. X Sent 17:41

Alright. Not the most helpful. But, if something were seriously wrong, she would have said so. Miles exhaled, leaning back in his chair, turning slightly.

Quaritch, Miles: Alright, What would you like for dinner? X Sent 17:43

Quaritch, Riley: The blandest meal you can get me -_- X Sent 17:44

Bland? Miles face twisted into something of a frown. Something was definitely up. Riley didn’t do bland-bland. But he would find out soon, hopefully.

Quaritch, Miles: I can do that. I’ll see you soon, Darling. X Sent 17:47

Logging out, Miles turned back to the small stack of paper on his desk. Letting out a sigh and running his hands over his face, he debated leaving the paperwork for tomorrow and just going home. Shaking his head, he grabbed his pen and reached for the papers, resolving to do at least another hour of work before going to see his wife.

Miles walked down the hall, carrying two meal packs in his hands. He had passed Z-dog and Lyle on his way out of the mess hall. Z-dog had given him an odd look when he said that Riley had asked to eat at home instead of in hall, as if she knew something he didn’t.

Brushing the odd interaction off, he continued down to the private quarters. Passing a few other RDA personnel, he finally reached the door of his own quarters. He balanced both meal packs in one arm as he twisted to unlock the door.

The door swung open to reveal Riley, pacing back in forth in front of their sofa. From the deep furrow of her brow, Miles gathered she was in deep thought, furthering his concern for what she wanted to talk about. Unable to hold back a smile as she made more laps, he let out a chuckle.

“If ya keep on like that, Sweetheart, you’ll wear a hole through the floor” Miles chuckled as she jumped, her hand covering her heart. She let have it with a slight glare, at which he only laughed harder.

“You ass! You fucking startled me!” She chided with a laugh as she walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. Wrapping his free around her, he pressed his lips to her hairline.

“How was your day, Bubba?” was mumbled into his chest, the slight tension in her body dissipating. He placed another kiss on her forehead before leaning back to look at her.

“It was alright. Long.” He started “But I got worried after you messaged me”  Taking one of her hands and guiding her over the sofa, he set the food on the coffee table. She pulled him down with her onto the sofa. She held his hand with both of hers and had turned her whole body to face him.

He leaned back as she fiddled with his fingers, twisting his wedding ring around a few times. He tilted his head to the side, a look of concern written on his face.

“What is it, Riley?” Miles asked, trying to give her the space to open up. Watching as she alternated between staring down at his hand and looking anywhere but his face. His brow furrowed in concern. After a couple minutes of this, he reached over with his other hand to cup her jaw. His heart filled when she leaned into his hand.

“Come on Mama, talk to me” At his words she finally looked him in the eye. He felt her pull his hand against her.

“Miles. I’m pregnant” she let the words all out in one breath. His own breath caught in his throat as his eyes traveled down to where their hands were joined, pressed against her stomach. His heart swelled, feeling like it was going to burst out of his chest. Silently, under Riley’s worried gaze, he opened his hand to press it flat against her stomach. He didn’t know what he thought he was going to feel.

His heart about stopped as he managed to fully process her statement. Pregnant. A child. They could finally have actual family. He had given up the thought. Resigned himself to the knowledge that it would simply never happen for them. But it was happening. And it was happening now.

“Miles?” Riley’s worried voice pulled him out of his reverie. He looked into her eyes before pulling her forward into a deep kiss. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and into his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she returned the kiss. They sat there exchanging kisses for a minute, before his wife pulled back with a laugh.

“You’re okay with it then?” She looked at him, worrying her lip between her teeth. He kissed the crease out from between her brows. Then he leaned back on the couch with a grin, resting his hands on her hips.

“Riley, Darling” He half laughed the words, “We’ve always wanted to have children, so yes” He leaned forward to kiss her nose, eliciting a small giggle form his wife  “I’m more than okay” He paused, staring at his wife perched on his lap. She had a slight smile on her face, but it did little to hide the worry in her eyes.

“Aw, Mama, don’t start hidin’ your feelings from me now” His wife sighed at his words, before she buried her head in his shoulder.

“Bu ere in hiss ellcape” Riley mumbled into his shoulder. His chuckle shook them both as he pushed slightly on her hips, forcing her to sit up.

“You wanna say that again? In English this time” Miles chided with a smile. Fuck, he couldn’t stop grinning. It fell only a little as Riley took another deep breath and played with short hair on the back of his neck.

“But here? On this hellscape?” Riley worried, standing up from his lap, “This is no place for a child, Miles, look what happened on your first day” Riley gestured, as if to point at the whole of pandora, while Miles ran his right hand over his scars, “We don’t know how the gravity or atmosphere will affect the pregnancy, or them” Miles watched as she walked over to the small window in the corner off their living room.

“Not to mention, no other known pregnancy here has made it to term” He stood as his wife wrapped her arms around herself, “And as harsh as it is” She took a long breath, as he started to walk over to her, “I don’t want to start loving them, only to lose them” Miles heart dropped at the pain in her voice. He hadn’t thought about the risk of loss. Only about his joy that his wife was pregnant. He reached up, crossing his arm over her chest, sighing as she leaned back into him.

“Even if we were on earth, I’d be higher risk” Riley started up again before he could offer any verbal comfort. He leaned over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. She looked at him from the corner her eye “With my age, I’m geriatric—” “Babe, you’re thirty-nine” She snorted slightly at his words, resting her head against his jaw.

“Yes, but most women have babies in their twenties. Early thirties at the latest. Though it’s not lik—mmmgh” “Darling, as much as I love your medical rants” Miles started cutting his wife off with a gentle hand over her mouth, able to feel her heart pounding under the hand on her chest.

“I’d much rather focus on doing everything we can to keep you” He moved his other hand to her lower stomach, “and the baby safe, alright?” His voice was much lower than he intended as Riley’s eyes fluttered closed, giving him a lazy nod. He could already feel her heart slowing “Good” He practically purred in her ear. Reaching up, he took one of her hands and backed away. Smiling at the smile he got in return him spinning her, he pulled her back to the couch.

Pulling her legs up into his lap, rested his hand on her thigh, leaning over them to get the now cold meals off the coffee table. He handed one to her and began to open the other for himself.

“Fuck” He turned his head at the moaned curses of his wife, cocking an eyebrow. Her hand holding her fork was covering her mouth, holding back a laugh, “Sorry, I just realized how hungry I am, haven’t eaten all day” Miles let out a chuckle, deciding to let it slide due to the new circumstances.

THE NEXT DAY

Miranda let out a grunt as she pushed through another rep on the bench press. Hearing her MiniPad go off, she sat up grabbing it and her water bottle. Taking a long drink as she logged in, she saw a new notification.

1 new transfer: Quaritch, Riley 12:22

Oh, good. She hadn’t heard from Riley since she dropped her off at medical. She had assumed everything was fine. Or at the very least Riley hadn’t said anything. Tapping in, her eyes about bugged out of her head.

InterRDA Money Transfer: From: Quaritch, Riley To: Zdinarsik, Miranda Value: 5$ Memo: You Win *See attachment*

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“You good, girl? You never fuckin’ bolt like that” Miranda sat against the opposite wall. “Should I get Colonel?” She looked at Riley with concern. Shaking her head, Riley stood up and pushed her hair back from her face.

“Nah, I’m fine” She stepped out to the sink, cupping her hands under the faucet. Taking a drink, she saw Miranda lean against the wall with a skeptical look.

“If you say so” Miranda said with a shrug “But you’re going to medical” Riley narrowed her eyes in response to Miranda’s orders.

“You know I’m a fucking doctor, right?” She all but glared at the slightly taller woman. At Miranda’s laugh, she glared even harder.

“And as a doc, you’d know it’s a good fuckin’ idea to get checked out” Miranda chided, moving to guide Riley out the door. Riley opened her mouth to begin a protest. “Orrrrrr, I’ll tell Quaritch” Any argument Riley might have made died in her throat at Miranda’s words.

Fuck. Randa was right. She should get tested to make sure she wasn’t getting sick. And if Mile’s heard she vomited, twice, and didn’t go, she’d be in big trouble. And not the fun kind.

“--ya like that?” The last half Miranda’s question pulled Riley from her thoughts as they walked down the hall. She hummed a what in response. “What could get ya hunched over like that?” Miranda repeated the question with a laugh.

“Well, Emesis is a symptom of many conditions. the stomach flu, Gerd, pregnancy-“ “I bet you five bucks you got knocked up by Quarbitch” Riley rolled her eyes at Miranda’s childish bet as her friend smirked like a fucking dumbass.

“One. You didn’t have to phrase it like that. Two. I take payments in cash or crypto” Riley joked back, breaking off to go down another hall. She turned to look at Miranda, laughing at the middle finger flashed her way before turning back down the hall to medical resources.

“Mrs. Quaritch, Come on back, Sorry for the wait” Riley stood, following to nurse to the small examination room. “Hi, I’m nurse Blevins, I’ll be doing your intake today” The nurse stated whilst turning to shut the door, before giving Riley a kind smile.

“kay, look, I’m only here cause Randa saw me throw up on the cafe bathroom, a’right? I’m fine” Riley stated getting ready to walk back out. Frowning when nurse Blevins took a step back effectively blocking her escape.

“I’m sure, Mrs. Quaritch, but let’s be safe. Hm?” Blevins turned to face her with something akin to disappointment. “Considering you’re a doctor, one would hope you’d take your health more seriously, Mrs. Quaritch” The nurse chided her, sitting down at the monitor on the small desk. Riley rolled her eyes at the sentiment, before plopping down on the examination table.

“What symptoms have you been experiencing the last few days?” Nurse Blevins kept her eyes trained on her monitor as she began asking her questions. Letting out a sigh of annoyance, Riley fiddled with her wedding ring before answering Blevins’.

“The last few weeks, I’ve been more fatigued than typical for me. But that can be attributed to long hours in the link bed. My appetite has increased over the last two weeks, along with occasional nausea. But again, long hours in the link bed. Only just today, I had two rounds of emesis, one after waking up and one just 20 minutes ago when I tried to eat lunch. I’ve had no headaches, no congestion, no cough, no other pain” Riley rattled off her symptom list, dropping in to surgeon mode. Nurse Blevins turned, grabbing the blood pressure cuff of the wall before coming to stand next to the table.

“And how has your sleep been?” Nurse Blevins asked as the cuff squeezed Riley’s bicep.

“Fine, no more or less than usual” She half shrugged after the cuff released her arm. She looked over at Blevins.

“126/72, A little elevated, but well within normal range” Riley rolled her eyes at the nurse, “What can you tell me about your last menstrual cycle, Miss” Her brows furrowed at the question, trying to remember exactly when it was, a month, two?

“About 2 months ago, I’ve never had the most regular cycle, especially when I’m pushing myself and again stress” Riley rolled her shoulders, giving them a light stretch before crossing them over her chest. Nurse Blevins gave a shrug in response before sitting back at her desk.

“I’m sure, but we’ll need to run some blood work anyhow. Policy and Procedure, you understand, Doctor” Blevins gave her a half smile while Riley nodded in response. The nurse turned, pulling out a set of tubes, tourniquet, gauze, and a butterfly needle.

“Yeah, get it” Riley sighed, pulling up the short sleeve of her scrubs as the nurse tightened the tourniquet, before wiping her arm with a swab. Flinching ever so slightly when the needle went in, Riley watched as the tubes filled. Within seconds nurse Blevins replaced the needle with gauze, telling Riley to hold it.

“Alright, Mrs. Quaritch, You’ll get the results somewhere around an hour” Nurse Blevins placed labels on the tubes. “If any of the results come back abnormal, we’ll call you” Blevins gestured to the door as Riley stood from the bed and walked out the door.

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