---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 06:52:59 -0500 From: Aqua Valley Farm To: leigh@phoenix.net Subject: (SQFF) Baby Steps: Part 1 Well folks, the first part of my Ben/Katie story is ready. The story behind the story is something like this: I am a huge Ben and Katie fan, I could only find a few fanfic stories on the net that even mentioned them, so I decided that I wanted to write my own. One day, I was talking to my friend Suzanne (who is the only other seaQuest fan for miles around; hey, I live in Kentucky, and the only thing most people care about is UK basketball, so that's understandable...)about this. Somewhere along the way, we decided that there are very few things that would a.)cause Katie to take Ben back and b.) make Ben grow up (just a little). Baby Steps is the result. Oh yeah, this is probably a good time to mention that the characters, etc., belong to Universal, Amblin Entertainment, NBC, the Sci-Fi channel, and probably someone else that I left out. Any resemblence to other stories, ideas, is completely coincidental and no infringement or copyright violation is intended. Another thing: Larie, thanks for fixing the grammer and suggesting the title (e-mail me; due to tragic incident, my e-mail program got wiped out--in addition to most of my other programs that have to do with the internet...) On with the story: Baby Steps By Dottie Brundige Part 1 Katherine Hitchcock swallowed hard. It wasn't like her to become seasick - especially on a submarine. "Maybe I'm not seasick," she thought. "I probably just caught a bug. Yeah, that's it. It's just the flu." She reassured herself and tried to block out the other thought that had crossed her mind. Another wave of nausea passed over Katie. She wasn't going to let the thought at the back of her mind keep nagging her. "Sit up. Take a deep breath," she commanded herself. "Katie, you are a Lieutenant Commander in the UEO navy. You will not allow yourself to be affected by this. You have the flu. That's all. You have to be on duty in an hour. Get out of bed, take a shower, and get a little something to eat," she ordered. As her stomach churned agin, Katie knew that, even as good as she was at ignoring things, it was going to be a difficult task. ******************************** "Bridge. Thank you for riding Maglev". Katie exited the maglev. She had taken a shower, but hadn't been able to eat anything. Her breakfast had been two swallows of ginger ale. She took a deep breath, zipped up her uniform and stepped onto the bridge. To Katie, there was almost no feeling in the world that could even compare to the way she felt whenever she stepped onto the bridge. Her heart rate quickened and adrenalin rushed through her veins in anticipation. The feeling always reaffirmed her desire to rise in the ranks. She dreamed of the day when she would have her own command. It was her main goal, and she didn't plan on stopping short of it. The bridge was bustling with activity; people running to and fro, monitoring systems, and updating others. The only sight out of the ordinary was Captain Bridger. He was lying on his backside underneath one of the workstations, fumbling with wires and cables. Commander Jonathon Ford was observing the Captain. "Well, how is it, sir?," he asked as he pointed towards the console. "Not good, I'm afraid. Part of the wiring has frayed. It's going to take awhile to get this station back up. When's Hitchcock coming on duty? She'll have better luck getting this mess straightened out," the captain chuckled. "I designed this boat and she knows it better than I do!" "You're in luck. She just came on," Ford indicated as he pointed towards Katie. "Hey, Commander," Ford shouted, "We need your help over here." Katie turned at Ford's shout. "All right," she answered back. As she started across the bridge to where the two men stood waiting, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her. It came so swiftly, in fact, that she couldn't control it and stumbled forward. Ford and Bridger, noticing how suddenly pale she'd become, instantly came forward and caught her before she hit the deck. "Easy does it, Commander," Bridger said with a look of great concern on his face. "I think you should head down to medbay." Ford had stepped back as Katie regained her composure. Now he spoke up. "Katie, have you been feeling okay lately?" It was, as it turned out, the wrong question to ask. "I'm fine, Commander." Katie stiffly replied. But even as she said it, she saw a look on the captain's face that said he didn't believe a word of it. "Well, you may be fine, but you're still going to go see the doctor." With that said, Katie reluctantly left the bridge. ******************************** "Well, based on what you've told me and your test results, I think you may have a slight problem," Dr. Kristin Westphalen spoke while giving Katie a knowing look. Katie, in a state of semi-shock, muttered more to herself than the doctor, "No, no, no. It can't be that. It can't be. Can it?" Her blue eyes quietly begged Dr. Westphalen to not say what she knew to be true. "Commander, I think you know what I'm about to tell you," the doctor said kindly, placing her hand on Katie's shoulder in a motherly fashion. "You're pregnant." Katie sat quietly in disbelief. Finally, after a few moments, she spoke softly. "That night was a mistake." She acquired a faraway look, then continued. "I can't believe I took him up on that stupid dinner offer. We were just going to get caught up with each other. He wanted to know how my parents were doing. We ended up going back to his hotel room. Things went much farther than they should have. I let my guard down. He was there and I was there...and maybe the alcohol had something to do with it, and it it... it just happened. One second we were standing there staring at each other, and the next... Just like old times..." she trailed off. "Look where it got me. Now I'm carrying Ben Krieg's child." "Oh my," exclaimed the doctor. "And my career. Well, I'm never going to get my own command now. No one wants a captain who also goes by Mommy," Katie said bitterly. Then she suddenly softened, "But it's a baby. My baby. And you know, I haven't seen her or held her, but I _love_ her already." Katie's mood changed again. "Oh, what am I going to do? I like kids, but I don't know anything about raising one. I don't want to do this alone. I'm sure my parents will help, but they're in Wyoming..." Katie was in tears; it was the first time the Doctor had ever seen her cry. "Dear, don't be so worried," Westphalen attempted to console Katie. "No one really knows how to raise a child. You just have to kind of make it up as you go along. You're going to make a wonderful mother, and another thing.." the doctor continued. "Yes?" Katie questioned. "I think you know as well as I that you're not going to be alone," Westphalen counseled. Katie smiled. "Ben is going to be thrilled. But do you actually think that he's ready for the responsibility of a child? He's still a child himself. Shoot, for that matter, I'm not even sure I'm ready," Katie commented. "Oh, I don't know about that," Westphalen expounded. "Becoming a father turns the most childish of men into adults." Katie started to speak, but Westphalen stopped her. "Trust me on this. It's going to be okay. Things are going to be okay," the doctor soothed Katie as if she were her own daughter. Kristin Westphalen and Katie did not know that a particular talking dolphin had overheard their conversation. ******************************** Lucas Wolenczak looked up from his computer and smiled. Darwin was watching him intently. Lucas picked up the vocorder and hit a few buttons. "Hey buddy, what's up?, he asked his friend. "Katie have baby. Westphalen tell her," Darwin replied. "Whoa," Lucas reacted. He then questioned the dolphin, "Katie as in Hitchcock?" "Yes," was his reply. Lucas decided to see what else the dolphin knew. "Who is the daddy, Darwin?" "What is daddy?" a confused Darwin asked. "It's another word for father or dad," Lucas explained. "Krieg," the dolphin responded. Even at seventeen, Lucas understood the repercussions of this. "Looks like someone's been busy," he muttered under his breath. It occurred to Lucas that the subject at hand was one to be careful with. He thought for a moment then spoke. "Darwin, can you do me a favor?" "Yes" "Listen, buddy, this is going to be a our little secret. We're not going to tell anyone we know about this, okay? It's none of our business." "Okay," the dolphin replied before swimming away. Even though Lucas had finished telling his dolphin that Hitchcock's condition was none of their business, he couldn't control his own curiosity. He sat back down at his computer. Within a few moments, he had managed to bring up Hitchcock's medical record. He quickly scrolled down to the last entry. "Well, what do you know, the dolphin knew what he was talking about," Lucas commented to himself as he read. "Look's like I'm not going to be the only kid on this tub anymore." ******************************** Ben Krieg shut the door to his bunk and began the walk to the bridge. One thought kept running through his mind: he was going to get to see Katie. Although he had told her otherwise, he still loved her. He loved everything about Katie: the way she laughed, the way she smiled, and those eyes... to Ben, there was no woman more gorgeous than Katie. There was nothing he loved more than her; she meant absolutely everything to him. Krieg made his way to the bridge. He looked around; his favorite Lieutenant Commander was nowhere in sight. "That's odd," he commented to himself. "She's supposed to be on duty right now." Across the bridge, Captain Bridger noticed that the lieutenant had finally come on duty. He put down the wires he had been working with and made his way to where Krieg was standing. "Lieutenant," he began, "you're going to need to take over Hitchcock's duties for today. She's feeling a little under the weather." A look of concern crossed Ben's face. "What's wrong. Is she all right?" he interrogated the captain. "She nearly fainted this morning," Bridger informed Krieg. "Fainted!?!," Ben exclaimed. "Calm down," Bridger tried to reassure Krieg, "We took her down to medbay. Dr. Westphalen checked her out. Kristin said that she probably just has the flu. She wants her to take it easy today," the captain explained. "Absolutely," Krieg agreed. The captain turned to leave, but then he spoke again. "Oh, Lieutenant, try not to bother her. She needs to get some rest," Bridger instructed. "Yes, sir," Krieg replied. ******************************** Lucas was proud of himself. He had managed to keep up his end of the secret for thirteen hours. It hadn't been easy--especially when he had seen Krieg at dinner. Krieg had been talking about how worried he was about Katie having the flu. Lucas had had to bite his tongue in order to prevent himself from telling Krieg the whole story, which he obviously did not know. Oh, how Lucas wanted to tell what he knew. It was great gossip, but it would be the wrong thing to do. He debated the pros and cons of letting such a thing slip to the scuttlebutt. Lucas would undoubtedly become a popular person among the ship's gossipers, but it he knew it would be wrong. He would almost talk himself into it, then his conscious would kick in, and he would talk himself out of it. It was a losing battle; Lucas didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep his mouth shut. Finally, Lucas worked out a compromise: he would tell Bridger, but no one else. Bridger would not repeat what he had been told, yet Lucas would be able to get rid of the pressure of keeping such a secret. ******************************** Nathan Bridger was in his quarters reading when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he answered. Lucas entered the captain's room. "Captain, I need to talk to you," the teen stammered. "Yes," Nathan encouraged. "Did you ever know something that you shouldn't?" Lucas hesitantly began. Bridger acquired a look of understanding. "What do you know that you shouldn't?" Lucas spoke. "Commander Hitchcock is pregnant.... with Krieg's baby." "What!" was the captain's startled reply. "How did you find this out?" he questioned. "Darwin told me," the young man responded. "Darwin?" Bridger questioned. Lucas explained, "Darwin was hanging around by my room. I saw him, so I decided to ask him what was going on. He told me 'Katie have baby'. I asked him as in Hitchcock, and he said yes. Then I decided to see how much he knew and asked him who the father was. Krieg was the answer he gave me." "How exactly did Darwin learn all of this?" Bridger bemusedly asked. "From what I can figure out, he must have overheard Hitchcock and Westphalen discussing it. He made a comment to the effect of 'Westphalen tell her'," Lucas theorized. After a moment he nodded. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" the captain asked. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure that's what happened. I had told Darwin it was going to our little secret, but curiosity got the best of me. I wondered if Darwin was telling the truth or not, so I kind of, um, ... broke into Hitchcock's medical file," the teen embarrassedly told of what he had done. "Lucas!" Bridger reprimanded. "You shouldn't have done that! Medical records are private!" "I know, I know," Lucas grumbled. Bridger spoke again, "At any rate, your secret is safe with me." He continued, "Don't tell _anyone_ else. Do you understand?" "Yes," Lucas replied. "Okay then, it's getting late. Why don't you go get some sleep?" "You act just like you're my father," Lucas teased. "Goodnight Lucas." "Goodnight Captain," Lucas began, "Oh, one more thing I want to ask you..." ******************************** Bridger and Lucas's conversation had not been completely private. Tim O'Neill and Miguel Ortiz had overheard every word. The two men had just gotten off duty and were returning to their quarters. When they passed the captain's room, they had heard voices, and--against O'Neill's better judgement--they had stayed to listen. Ortiz turned to O'Neill in disbelief, "Can you believe that one? Oh boy, is the crew gonna have a field day with this one or what?" O'Neill gave him a look and pushed his friend down the concourse. When they reached O'Neill's room, he opened the door and pulled Ortiz in after him. "Are you crazy? We can't tell anyone else we know about his; it was wrong of us to eavesdrop. You know that the Lord frowns upon such activities. We shouldn't know _any_ of this," O'Neill reprimanded his friend. "Will you calm down? This is the biggest thing to hit the high seas since the seaQuest," Ortiz countered. "Miguel, this isn't the same things as someone stealing ice cream from the mess and the scuttlebutt making a big deal out of it. This a personal, private situation." O'Neill had finally reached his friend. "You're a far better man than me. I guess you're right, Tim. It wouldn't look good for us to share this with the whole ship. I suppose we should just keep quiet about this." "Exactly," was O'Neill's reply. ******************************** Commander Ford looked up from his work to see Hitchcock bolting off the bridge. He turned to Ortiz, who was directly to his left. "Whoa, what's wrong with her? She is sure in a hurry to get out of here. I thought she was better." Ortiz, wrapped up in his work, absentmindedly replied, "She must have morning sickness." "What are you talking about?" Ford questioned in a half angry, yet hushed manner. "Oh, no. I think I just said too much," Ortiz moaned. "Well...?" Ford pressed. "Last night, Tim and I were passing by the Captain's room, and we heard voices. We stayed and listened in." "Yes... Get on with it." "Well, we heard Lucas tell the Captain that Darwin had told him that he had overheard Westphalen tell Katie that she was in a family way. It gets even better thought," Ortiz paused for effect. "Krieg is the father." Ford's eyes grew as round as saucers. "You have got to be kidding. I thought that they had agreed to be just friends." "Apparently, they've been more than just friends." "Apparently so." "Look, don't tell this to anyone. I don't even know that Ben knows yet. He doesn't need to hear the news from anyone but Katie." Ford nodded his head in agreement. The two men had failed to keep their conversation as private as they should have. They hadn't noticed that Dagwood had been standing only three feet behind them. ******************************** Ben spent a great deal of time thinking about Katie; wondering what she was doing, worrying about her. He had actually spent almost all of the previous day and night, and the current morning, worrying about her. Ben hadn't laid eyes on Katie in almost two days, and going that long without seeing her was driving him crazy. Ben wouldn't be able to relax until he had seen her for himself. One of the things he hated the most about the current work schedule was that Katie went on duty a full four hours before he did, and he went off duty a full four hours after she did. Ben thought it to be incredibly unfair; he was losing a full eight hours of being around Katie. At 11:52 a.m. Ben began is walk to the bridge. On his way there, he spotted Dagwood sweeping. "Hey, what's up, Dagwood?" he called to the GELF. "Katie have baby," he answered back. The importance of the GELF's words didn't sink in; in fact, it seemed as if Ben hadn't heard what he had said. His reply to Dagwood was only, "That's nice." Krieg arrived on the bridge at precisely 12 o'clock noon. He looked around until is eyes focused on one beautiful sight: Katie. She was sitting at her station, working away. Ben just took it all in, adding another image of her to his mental store. He decided he would take a chance and ask her how she was feeling. "Hey, Katie," Ben called as he walked towards her. At the shout of her name, Katie turned towards the direction it had come from. It had come from Ben, and he was walking in her direction. "Oh no," she panicked. "Does he know?" She braced herself. Ben came to a stop next to Katie, then he began to speak. "I heard you almost fainted yesterday and that they had to take you down to medbay. I just wanted to see how you were feeling," Ben spoke with concern. Katie felt relieved. She didn't know why, but she did. "I'm fine. I just have a touch of the flu. Thanks for asking." She allowed herself to give Ben a tiny smile. He returned the smile. "Well, I guess I better be getting to work then..." "You probably should," Katie agreed. Ben turned and went to his station. ******************************** Finally, at 5:17 p.m., it occurred to Ben just what Dagwood had said. "Katie have baby." There was only one Katie on seaQuest; Katherine Hitchcock. _His_ Katie. His thoughts immediately went back to a night two months before. It was definitely possible. Then it hit him like a ton a bricks; there was a very distinct possibility that he was going to be a daddy. He smiled, then laughed, and then the smile faded. A thought had occurred to him; his information had come from Dagwood. Although he very much wanted to believe what the GELF had told him, Ben couldn't take what he had said at face value. Dagwood could have just been confused. He needed to see Katie's medical record, and he knew just the person to ask for help. ******************************** Even over the load music blaring in his room, Lucas could hear someone pounding on his door. He sighed disgustedly and turned the music off. "Come in," he called. The door opened to reveal Ben Krieg. Lucas had an uncanny sense he knew why Krieg had decided to pay him a visit. Krieg spoke first. "I need as favor. A huge favor." "How can _I_ help you?," Lucas bounced. Ben shut the door behind him. "Look, kid, I need you to keep a secret. You promise you won't tell a single soul?' "I promise." "Have you ever known, I mean been absolutely certain..." "That I was gonna die?" "No.... I mean been absolutely certain that your life was going to change in a big way?" "I don't know, Ben," Lucas replied. He knew what was coming next. "Here's the story. When I was only my way to the bridge to report for my shift, I saw Dagwood. I asked him what was going on. He said, 'Katie have baby'. At time, I didn't put two and two together, but it's kind of dawned on me since then." Lucas was trying to figure out how Dagwood had found out. Still, he wanted to know what two and two was. "And what would two and two be?" "Actually, it's none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway. You know the last time we went in for dry dock?" "Two months ago." "Yeah. Well let's just say Katie and I , um ..." "I get the picture, man. You were stupid." Krieg gave him a look. "And now Katie is supposedly pregnant. That's the thing, you see. I know Dagwood is a good person, but what if he was just _confused_. That's why I need you to break into Katie's medical record for me." "Okay. First thing first. What's in it for me?" "Heh, Heh, what's in it for you? What about helping out a friend..." "I'm just kidding. It shouldn't be much trouble at all," Lucas spoke as he took a seat at his computer. Lucas hit a few keys, and Katie's medical record flashed on the screen. He stood up and indicated for Krieg to sit. Lucas gave instructions. "The most recent entry will be at the bottom." Ben quickly scrolled down to the bottom of the document. At the bottom there was a recent entry: "Pregnancy diagnosed 6-26-2019." Ben Krieg had never felt so many things at once: utter elation, utter fright, and utter anticipation. It was overwhelming. "How about that. I'm gonna be a daddy," he said quietly, half laughing, half awestruck, and definitely smiling. Lucas had to smile himself; then he began wondering if his father had been this pleased when he came along. He doubted it. Although he remained happy, Krieg became serious. "You know, I never thought that this would ever happen--Katie and I having a baby. It's something I had dreamed about, but it seemed impossible.. We weren't ready for kids when we were married; we were still kids ourselves. Katie was barely 21 when we married, and I was only six months older. Right after our wedding, I had expected that we would eventually have kids, but then we divorced. And, well, that went out the window." Krieg paused, then he began again. "I always hoped and prayed that someway, somehow we would end up together again. I never seriously thought it would happen, but now..." he trailed off. "You think she'll take you back?" "I don't know. Oh gosh, I've got to go see her..." Ben jumped up. "Whoa, slow down," Lucas demanded, suddenly acting like he was 27, or even 37, rather than 17. "Do you think it's a good idea to let her know that you know she's pregnant?" Lucas thought for a moment. "Maybe you should wait until she tells you. You want her back, right?" "Yeah, of course I do." "If you go to her, it's probably just going to make her mad. You have got to let her make the first move." Lucas reasoned. "Probably," Ben somberly nodded his head. "Do you think I ought to ask her to marry me?" Lucas didn't answer the question. "Look Ben, I'm only seventeen, so I'm not real sure if I'm the best person to ask for advice. Maybe you should talk to Bridger. He would come more near knowing what you should do than me." "I don't know...." "Give it a try. He's a good listener. Won't say anything to Hitchcock either...." "Alright." ******************************** Bridger had just emerged from the shower when he heard a knock on his door. He figured it must be important, so he called for the person to come in. "Hey, Captain. Do you have time to talk?" Ben hesitantly asked as he stuck his head through the partially open door. "Yes, come in," the captain replied. "Take a seat". Bridger had a feeling he knew why Krieg wanted to talk. Ben began, "Today I found out something that's going to change my whole life." He paused. "Katie's pregnant... with my baby." Bridger feigned surprise and shock. "How did you find this out?" he fished. "Well, earlier today, Dagwood told me 'Katie have baby.' At first, it didn't dawn on me what he had said. Then about 5 o'clock, it hit me. But it occurred to me that maybe he was confused, so after I got off duty, I went and saw Lucas. I kind of, got him to break into Katie's medical file, and sure enough..." he stopped. "Have you talked to Katie yet?" "No, that's the thing. I was going to go see her, but Lucas stopped me. He thinks I need to let her come to me, but I don't know." Krieg became thoughtful, "I love her, and our baby now, more than any other two things in the world, and I want to do what's right by them. I want the three of us to be a family. I want her to by my _wife_again. I have this urge to go to her, tell her how much I love her, and ask her to marry me. What would you do if you were me?" Bridger nodded, then thought for a few moments before he spoke. "You know as well as I do that doing nothing is sometimes the hardest thing to do." He went on. "In your case, that's what you need to do. Lucas is right; let her come to you. Try to play it cool until she does. Don't let her suspect that you know anything. She'll tell you when she's ready for you to know. After that, take things as slow as she wants, if she wants anything. Tread very, very lightly. Don't try anything slick; she's not going to go for anything like that, and you don't want to make her mad. Just see where things go, and maybe, just maybe, things will work out." Krieg sighed, "It's not going to be easy." "No, it's not. But it's going to be worth it if she does want to start a relationship again." "I hope you're right, Captain." "Give it two weeks; if she hasn't talked to you by then, and I'm sure she will have by then, you should try talking to her." "Yes sir," Ben answered. He knew the next couple of days, or weeks, were going to be tough. End Part 1 Aqua Valley Farm cows@midwest.net -------- Here it is folks, what you've all been waiting for.... Baby Steps Part 2 The story behind the story is something like this: I am a huge Ben and Katie fan, I could only find a few fanfic stories on the net that even mentioned them, so I decided that I wanted to write my own. One day, I was talking to my friend Suzanne (who is the only other seaQuest fan for miles around; hey, I live in Kentucky, and the only thing most people care about is UK basketball, so that's understandable...)about this. Somewhere along the way, we decided that there are very few things that would a.)cause Katie to take Ben back and b.) make Ben grow up (just a little). Baby Steps is the result. Oh yeah, this is probably a good time to mention that the characters, etc., belong to Universal, Amblin Entertainment, NBC, the Sci-Fi channel, and probably someone else that I left out. Any resemblence to other stories, ideas, is completely coincidental and no infringement or copyright violation is intended. Another thing: Larie, thanks for fixing the grammer again. By-The-Way, this is a second season the way it should have been according to Dottie Brundige story. This means that the boat didn't sink at the end of season one too . This takes place in late June/Early July 2019. On with the story: Baby Steps By Dottie Brundige Part 2 "So, do you think he knows yet?" Miguel Ortiz asked his commander, who had sat down at the table beside him. Jonathan Ford shrugged, "Who knows? Let's see, it's been two days, so I'm going to say probably not. I'll bet you Katie hasn't worked up the nerve to tell him yet." He pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. "Put me down for tomorrow night." "Well, we'll know when she _does_ tell him. Either Ben will be happier than a kid in a candy store, or the argument those two will have will clearly be heard throughout the boat," Ortiz added. "Man, would I love to see that one," Lucas commented as he took a seat. "It's going to be better than an episode of Days of Our Lives." "Have you heard anything?" Miguel asked. "No, nothing I didn't know this morning. I don't think she's told him yet. She'll probably tell him sometime tomorrow morning; Dr. Westphalen is doing some blood work on Katie tomorrow afternoon." Lucas played along; he wasn't about to divulge the fact that he knew that Ben knew. He figured that no one needed to know that Ben already knew; they weren't betting on whether Ben knew or not, but whether Katie had told him. Tim O'Neill joined the group at the table. "What are you all talking about?" "Ben and Katie," Ford answered. "Ah, the topic of choice." O'Neill shook his head. "You know that absolutely none of us should know about this." "I know," said Ford. "But you have to admit this is great gossip." Ortiz grinned, "How right you are, my friend. The third-in-command Lieutenant Commander of the UEO flagship is going to have the baby of the supply officer Lieutenant of the flagship, who also happens to be her ex-husband. Gossip doesn't get any better than this. Care to place a bet, Tim?" "Oh, I don't know. I'll feel guilty," he replied uncertainly. "Come on. It's just a couple of bucks. It won't hurt anything," Ortiz encouraged. "All right. I'll put 10 dollars on tonight," O'Neill assented. Lucas spoke suddenly, "Guys, he knows _look_." The young man pointed towards Krieg, who had just entered the mess. He had a grin a mile wide and was whistling. He was not in such a good mood because Katie had finally told him. Ben was happy because he had just managed to pull off a very lucrative trade: a crate of relatively cheap data disks for a box of hard-to-come-by computer chips. Ben spotted his friends and made his way towards them. Ortiz scooted over a seat to make room for Ben between himself and Ford. "Hey, Ben! Right here!" Ortiz shouted. Ben took the seat that had been saved for him. Before he could speak, Ortiz and Ford slapped him on the back. "You sly dog you," Ford teased. "Congratulations!" "Way to go, daddy," Ortiz added. Ben was shocked. "How in the world do you know?" His gaze fell on Lucas, "You told them, didn't you? Can't you keep a secret?" "You knew, and you didn't tell us?" Ortiz gave Lucas a disgusted look. "It was none of your business," Lucas cracked. Ben was impatient. "How do you know? Katie hasn't even told _ me_ yet." "What she hasn't told you yet? Then how do _you_ know?" Ford questioned. "Dagwood told me, and Lucas and I checked her med-record," Ben confessed. "How did you find out?" Ortiz offered an explanation. "Two nights ago Tim and I were going back to our rooms when we heard voices in the Captain's room. We stopped to listen; Lucas was telling the captain that Darwin had overheard Westphalen telling Katie that she's in a family way and that Katie said you were the father." "What?" Ben stammered. "The dolphin knows? And you didn't tell me you knew Katie was going to have a baby immediately after you found out?" Lucas defended himself, "I didn't want tell you for my own good." He became cocky. "I didn't want to mysteriously disappear from the seaQuest, never to be seen again." Ford piped up, "I found out when Miguel slipped it to me. But how'd Dagwood find out? Lucas?" "Don't look at me. I only told the captain." O'Neill added, "And he wouldn't tell anyone. Neither would Kristin. Maybe Darwin?" "No, we made a pact not to tell anyone. Darwin wouldn't break it." "But_you_did," Ben retorted. "Either I told him or I exploded, so I told him," Lucas responded. O'Neill spoke up, "Hey Ben, if she hasn't told you yet, why are you so happy?" "Oh, because I managed to get my hands on a box of rare computer chips. But that doesn't really matter. All that matters is...Ow!" Ben groaned as Ford punched him in the shoulder. "Hush," Ford whispered in a panic. "There's trouble at 12 o'clock." "Huge trouble," Lucas expounded. Ben looked up to see Katie walking through the mess entrance. She paused in the doorway and looked around. Her eyes focused on the group of men; she could tell they were up to no good. Katie started to make her way towards the table. "Oh, great," Ben muttered under his breath. Katie stopped two feet in front of the table and faced the quintet. "Hi, guys," she began, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Whatcha talking about?" "Nothing, really. Just talking about sports and stuff," Ben volunteered lamely. Katie could tell he was lying. "Oh really?" "Come on, Katie, we're just talking about guy stuff," said Ford, uncharacteristically backing Ben up. Lucas, Ortiz, and O'Neill were solemnly nodding their heads in agreement. She didn't believe a word he had said; they had to be up to something. Although Ben and Jonathan were getting along much better, and were friends to some extent, they weren't exactly best buddies. Still, Katie let the subject drop; she figured she didn't really want to know what they were up to. "Okay, whatever you say." Katie turned and went to get something to eat. "That was close," Ortiz whispered. "Yeah," Lucas echoed. "This isn't a safe place to talk," Ben whispered. "For the time being, this topic is not up for discussion. We've got to keep this low profile; Katie's already suspicious. If she overhears us talking... and she loses her temper..." "Things could be real bad," Ford finished. "My sentiments exactly," O'Neill concurred. *********************** Katharine Hitchcock stared across the mess at the group of guys that had conglomerated. "They're up to something," she thought as she picked at her salad. It wasn't exactly what she had wanted for lunch. What she was craving was a pizza with extra cheese and pineapple. Katie looked over at the guys again. It wasn't unlike Ben, Miguel, or Lucas to be acting suspicious. But Ford and O'Neill? "Do you mind if I pull up a chair?" Kristin Westphalen asked, bringing Katie out of her thoughts. "Not at all," she answered back. "How are you today?" the doctor asked quietly. Katie smiled, "I think I'm fine." "It's really fun, isn't it? The nausea, the mood swings, food cravings, being tired, and everything else." Katie nodded her head in agreement. "You notice anything suspicious about those five?" she asked, indicating the unholy alliance with a nod of her head. "Of course I do. A group of five men can _never_ be trusted. You can hardly trust one by himself. Once they group together, their IQs drop drastically and they act like they're in middle school again." "Wonder what they're up to? They said they were talking about guy stuff, but ..." "Who knows?" was Westphalen's answer. "I'll guarantee you it's not what they told you." Katie became worried. "You don't think they know, do you?" "No, I don't. You're just being paranoid. We're the only two people who know." After a few seconds, she spoke again, "Pardon me for asking, but _when_ are you planning on telling Ben? You can't wait forever, you know," Kristin reminded Katie. "I know. I'm going to tell him soon; maybe even tonight. Neither of us is on duty tonight, so it would probably be a good time," Katie rationalized. "Oh gosh, what do I say to him? I'm probably either going to end up screaming or bawling. And you know Ben; he's probably going to suggest we marry again right on the spot." "You'll just have to see how things go," Kristin counseled. "And if he asks you to marry him, tell him how you feel." "That's the thing; I don't _know_ how I feel. Should we give it another chance? Or just try to be friends?" Katie explained. "Then tell him that. Yes, he can be a jerk sometimes, but for some reason I don't think he'll try to pressure you too much," the doctor encouraged. Suddenly the table full of guys erupted in laughter. They were slapping each other on the back and acting like typical males. Katie's voice took on a mischievous tone. "Do you ever think about putting super glue on their hands, so when they slap each other's backs, they'll really bond?" Kristin Westphalen almost doubled over in laugher. "It would be a sight," she agreed. The two women laughed again. ********************** It was late at night and the science lab was deserted except for one person--Ben Krieg. He was absentmindedly playing fetch with Darwin. Ben was lost in fantasy. "Welcome to Shay Stadium where today, Ben Krieg Jr. is on his way to pitching yet another no-hitter. If he manages no hits today, he will own the all time record. And sitting in the stands are his proud parents, Benjamin and Katherine Krieg. You know Bob, Ben Sr. taught the boy everything he knows about the game." Unbeknownst to Ben, Katie was casually propped in the doorway of the science lab, watching him play with Darwin. She had to admit that Ben was going to make a great father; a real daddy. She could see him playing with their daughter, teaching her how to play baseball better than any of the boys. Katie watched Ben play for a few more minutes, trying to summon up the courage to speak. As it turned out, she didn't have to speak at all. Noticing her presence, Darwin joyfully called, "Katie!" Ben turned, mildly surprised, towards Katie. "I didn't see you standing there," he shyly commented. "Well, you never _have_ noticed much of anything," Katie teased. Ben chuckled uneasily and smiled back at Katie. She looked gorgeous as usual. She was casually leaning against the doorway, smiling a half-smile. Katie wasn't wearing her uniform; instead she wore a pair of khaki shorts, a matching tank top, and a plaid shirt, which she had tied at her waist. Ben didn't get to see her out of uniform too often, so he took it all in. It was almost enough to make his heart stop beating. Ben wiped his hands on the seat of his blue jeans, and started to speak. He searched for the right words, but he couldn't find them. Ben spoke the only words he could think of. "You know, I really like your hair long like that." Katie smiled; she had grown it out to two inches below her shoulder. "It's something different." Not knowing what else to say, Katie decided to move closer to Ben. She hoped the proximity would be enough inspiration. Actually, Katie half-hoped that Ben suspected they were expecting. "Surely he knows something's up," she thought. "He may be pretty shallow sometimes, but he's not stupid. He must have noticed how sick I've been, mainly in the mornings, and my odd food choices." She stood next to Ben and stared out into the moon pool at the dolphin, who was swimming lazy laps. She started to speak but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Katie started to faint, but Ben caught her. "Whoa, easy darlin’, easy darlin'," Ben murmured. Katie leaned against Ben's chest, trying to draw strength from him. After a few moments, Ben suggested that they sit. He held on to Katie until she was safely sitting down. Ben sat down beside her and gently placed a hand on her back. "I thought you were getting over this flu stuff," Ben commented, fishing for a response. Katie looked into Ben's eyes. "Oh, Ben. I think you _know_ I don't have the flu." She paused and said, "You're going to be a daddy." She waited for his reaction; he was grinning like it was going out of style. Although Ben had known for two days, hearing Katie say it made it seem real. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and kissed Katie's stomach. She giggled; Ben was taking things very well. He took a deep breath and whispered, "I kind of suspected it. You're sick in the morning and have been eating some _really odd_ stuff." Katie nodded her head. "These food cravings are killing me. You know what I really want?" "What?" Ben asked, still smiling. "A pizza with extra cheese and pineapple." "Mmm. I'll have to see what I can do about that," Ben chuckled. He grew serious. "So, um, how's our little one?" Katie smiled, "According to Dr. Westphalen, she seems to be fine. She's going to do some blood work tomorrow..." "You're dreading it, aren't ya." It was a statement, not a question. "Yes, I am. I hate needles," Katie mildly complained. "I remember," Ben said reflectively. "When is the baby due?" "Late January, right around your birthday." Ben sighed, "Wow, you know, all of this seems so unbeleiveable, and so wonderful. In 10 million years, I would have never thought..." "I know. Just a couple of weeks ago, my main priority was making captain, but now..." "There's this little person to think about," Ben finished. "Yeah, now she is my main priority. This baby is probably going to be a one and only, and I...we have to do what's best for her." Ben smiled, "So, you think it's going to be a girl?" Katie good-naturedly replied, "Well, all that really matters is if it's healthy. But yes, I think it's going to be a girl. I have a gut feeling about this." "You're right, all that matters is if it's healthy. But I really, really want a boy." She laughed, "Benjamin Paul Krieg Jr., huh?" "Well, yeah." "I think were just going to have to see what we get." Ben became serious. "What are you planning on doing about work?" "I think I'm probably going to hang around here until I'm about 5 or 6 months along. This baby is definitely going to be born in a hospital. I'm afraid that the delievery room is going to end up being crowded, though; I'm sure my parents, and probably yours, are going to try to figure out some way to be in there." "Ugh," Ben groaned. "My mom and your mom should be named co-world champions of meddling in their children's business." Katie nodded her head in agreement. "I haven't told my parents yet, but you know how excited they're going to be. This is probably going to be their only grandchild." "This is going to be my parents' third, but I still think they'll be on top of the world. You know, my mom is probably going to want us to have a girl. Stephanie says that Jake and Brian are enough for her. This is going to be my mom's only shot at having a granddaughter to spoil rotten." "How are those nephews of yours?" "Up to no good. Last week they decided that they needed a pet snake. They caught one by a creek somewhere, brought it home, and put it in the bath tub. I believe my sister is about to pull her hair out." "You know, that's what's going to happen to us pretty soon." "Yep, pretty scary," Ben dwelled. "We'll just have to take things one step at a time. I think we'll do what's right for this little one," Katie said thoughtfully. Without thinking, Ben suddenly blurted out, "Katie, I think we ought to get married." "Slow down," Katie admonished, trying not to lose her temper. "Look, Ben..." she didn't get a chance to finish. "Katie, I want to do what's best for the baby," Ben pleaded. "I'm sure you do, but it's not that simple," Katie mused. Sensing what she was getting at, Ben replied, "I've changed from when we were married. I'm ready to settle down and take care of you and our baby. I want the three of us to be a family." Katie was almost in tears. "But we could barely get along. No child is going to be happy with parents who fight all the time." She paused for a moment. "I suppose we _at least_ owe it to this little one to give our relationship one more try." "At least," Ben echoed. "What do _you_ want?" "Ben, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you; I don't know what I want. All of this is just so ... confusing." Tears slipped down Katie's cheeks. "Oh, great," Ben thought, "I've made her cry. Good going. See if you can't upset her. Maybe then she'll marry you." For the first time in a long time, Ben took the time to consider his words. "I know it's confusing. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Maybe getting married would be rushing things, but I've got an idea..." "Yes?" Katie skeptically replied, as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. "We date, and see where things go. We'll take things as slow as you want." "It could work. But Ben, you have got to promise that we'll go slow at first." "I promise. We'll do what ever you want," Ben agreed. He grinned, then spoke again, "Hey, I've noticed you hanging around here and I was wondereing if you wanted to have lunch with me tomorrow? I know this nice little place we can go to. The food's not real, but it's okay." Katie laughed hysterically, "Sure. Pick me up on the bridge at 12. Don't be late." She had a feeling things were going to be okay. End Part 2 Questions, comments, complaints? E-mail me at cows@midwest.net Oh, I'll try to have part 3 finished in about 3 weeks. I haven't started writing yet, but I have a couple of ideas of what I want to do with it. If you have any suggestions, e-mail me. Dottie Aqua Valley Farm cows@midwest.net Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 19:30:59 -0500 (CDT) From: cows@midwest.net (Dottie Brundige) To: seaquest-ff@escapenet.org Subject: (SQFF) Baby Steps: part 3; 1/2 Message-Id: <199707020030.TAA17298@cdale3.midwest.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3D"iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Well, part 3 is _finally_ finished. I meant to have this done sooner, but I had a huge case of writer's block, then my real life got in the way..... The story behind the story is something like this: I am a huge Ben and Katie fan, I could only find a few fanfic stories on the net that even mentioned them, so I decided that I wanted to write my own. One day, I was talking to my friend Suzanne (who is the only other seaQuest fan for miles around; hey, I live in Kentucky, and the only thing most people care about is UK basketball, so that's understandable...)about this. Somewhere along the way, we decided that there are very few things that would a.)cause Katie to take Ben back and b.) make Ben grow up (just a little). Baby Steps is the result. Oh yeah, this is probably a good time to mention that the characters--with the exception of one--, etc., belong to Universal, Amblin Entertainment, NBC, the Sci-Fi channel, and probably someone else that I left out. Any resemblence to other stories, ideas, is completely coincidental and no infringement or copyright violation is intended. I'd also like to give a huge special thanks to Larie, my editor, idea helper, argument dialog writer, cheerleader.... And another thanks to Angela and Kaley for beta reading. By-The-Way, this is a second season the way it should have been according to Dottie Brundige story. This means that the boat didn't sink at the end of season one too . This takes place in late June/Early July 2019. On with the story: Baby Steps By Dottie Brundige Part 3 Ben stared up at the ceiling of Katie's immaculately clean cabin; they had gone there to talk after deciding that the moon pool wasn't the safest place for a discussion. "Katie, are you absolutely _sure_ you want this baby?" Ben asked, his voice full of concern as he rubbed his weary eyes. Katie spoke with a combination of fear and utter seriousness, tinged with uncertainty. "I-I think so." She paused for a few moments before continuing. "Ben, I cannot stand the thought of _not_ having this baby. She's our child; we can't just get rid of her because it's not convenient for us to have a baby. Besides, I love her so much already. Despite everything, I've loved her since I first suspected I was pregnant. She deserves to be born and to be loved by us." She was quiet for a few seconds, then spoke again. Her voice was colored with fear. "Ben, please tell me _you_ want this baby." Ben sat up in shock. "Katie, of course I do. This baby is our own flesh and blood. I want to be a daddy to this little _Squirt_. Show him how to play baseball and fish and everything else." He desperately wished it was seven-and-a-half years earlier. They were married and in love; it was also right before their marriage had started to fall apart. He imagined what it might have been like to have his wife of six months tell him they were having a baby. Ben wondered if a baby would have saved their marriage. He quickly discarded the idea; they hadn't even been mature enough to handle a marriage, much less take care of another little person. Katie sighed with relief. "Regardless of what happens between us, we have to figure out some sort of plan." Ben nodded in agreement. "Look, no matter what happens with us, I don't want you to have to do this alone. I want to go the whole nine yards; change diapers, and get up with the little thing at 2 a.m. A baby is going to be a lot of work, and there's no way you can do it alone even as independent as you are," Ben quickly added. "I know I can't do it by myself. Besides, I'd kind of like to be home with her until she goes to school," Katie said, half-dreamily. She just didn't see how she could pull it off. "What about getting your own command?" Ben asked. "I thought it meant everything to you." "Eventually I'll get one. It's going to take longer than I expected or would have liked, but my priorities have to change now. This is probably going to be my only child and I want to do this right. I want to be the very best mother I can be. That means putting my career on hold so _I_ can take care of her. I don't want her off in some day care somewhere to catch who knows what. And I certainly don't want to be off on a submarine when she talks or walks for the first time. _I _ have to do this." Ben spoke slowly and deliberately. "I think we can swing it you staying home with the baby. You can take a leave of absence and I'll put into be transferred to Malibu. That way we can live in the house." Katie raised an eyebrow, "_We_?" "Well, yeah. Even if things don't work out between us, and I think they _will_ that house is huge. Sheesh, it's got five bedrooms upstairs alone," Ben matter-of-factly stated. The house was one of the few large possessions that they had purchased when they had been married. Ben and Katie bought the house after they had only been married for two months. They had initially rented an apartment after being transferred to California, but they had been cramped living in the tiny quarters. They had decided to look for a bigger place, and they found it; a large two-story a block from the beach in Malibu. It had a total of seven bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a den, a huge utility room, a finished basement, and a nice big back yard. Katie and Ben both fell in love with the house. It was the last house that the realtor had shown them, she had said it was just for fun. Although they loved it, Ben and Katie didn't see how they could afford it. They didn't even ask what they owners wanted for it. Then they met them: an old couple by the name of Anderson. The Andersons had lived most of their married life in the house and were only selling because they were moving to Colorado to be closer to their children. They took a liking to the newlyweds and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. If Ben and Katie agreed not to sell the house for 50 years, they would sell them the house for $75,000, dirt cheap. They had been asking five times that. So Ben and Katie bought the house; they had been young and idealistic, and thought things would last. Besides, they had figured they would need the space if and when they had a child. "Ben, if things don't work out, _how_ are we going to be able to live in the same house?" Katie reminded him. "Besides, who knows what shape its in; no one has lived in it in seven years," she added. After the divorce, she'd bought a condo to live in when she was between tours; the house was much too big for one person to live in alone. "I don't know, Katie. All I know is that I'm not planning on being one of these dads that shows up every other weekend and two weeks in the summer. I want to be around _all_ of the time. For the good times and the bad. For the little stuff and the big stuff. The everyday things, like putting Squirt to bed or being there when he, or she for that matter , has a bad dream." "Ben..."Katie began. She was stopped before she could say any more. "Katie, I'm not even going to try to lie. I want us to get married and be a family. We had something really good going and we were too young not to mess it up. We're older now...and now there's a baby... and maybe it would work this time," Ben pleaded. "Ben, I know you love me and you know that I love you too. But you also know that loving someone doesn't necessarily translate into being able to live with them." Katie closed her eyes and thought back to two months previous. They had admitted they loved each other; they had tried to start something again, but she had gotten scared and backed out. Now Ben wanted to start something again; of course, the circumstances were quite different. There was a baby to think about, not just themselves. Ben broke the silence that filled the room. "Katie, we can make it work this time. I want to take care of you and this baby. Money doesn't grow on trees, and we're going to be needing plenty of it. The house is paid for, but there's going to be food, clothes, diapers, and baby furniture. If you're not working, you're not going to be able to afford all of that. My salary and my cut of the money from the business, which happens to be booming; all of Florida seems to be flocking to Krieg and Jackson's Sportsworld, should be enough to support you, me, and Squirt. Look, even if we don't get together, I promise you won't have to worry about money or anything like that, and that I'll be around to help," Ben added. Katie was too taken aback by Ben's sudden maturity to speak. She could not believe that Ben was thinking like an adult for once, actually taking something seriously. It was almost frightening. Still, she had doubts his behavior would remain that way. Even if it did, would they be able to get along for an extended amount of time? Raise a child together? Have a marriage? She wished she could believe him; when they had attempted to start their relationship again, they had gotten along just fine. He hadn't bugged her too badly. The only reason Katie had ended it was because she had gotten scared. Scared that she was falling head-over-heals in love with Ben Krieg again and was going to end up getting her heart broken again. Katie wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing at all. Ben broke the silence in the room. "What time is it?" he yawned. Katie glanced at her watch. "1:17 a.m. If you're tired we can finish this tomorrow, but..." Her voice was edgy. Ben sensed this. "Nah, not unless you want to. I don't have to be on duty 'til noon." "I'm fine. Besides, the later I go to bed, the later I get up, and the longer I can put off being sick," Katie wryly commented. "How have you been feeling?" Ben asked with concern. "Okay, I guess. A little more tired than usual and some fatigue. Then there's the morning sickness; it's been pretty bad," Katie answered. "What about the fainting spells?" "Dr. Westphalen says it has to do with fatigue and my body adjusting to being pregnant. I also get dizzy when I get hot. I'm okay, really," she tried to reassure Ben. "And the baby?" Ben asked for the umpteenth time. "Seems to be fine. It's too early to hear her heart beat or anything. We'll know more after the blood work is done. Dr. Westphalen says that there shouldn't really be any problems; I'm only 29 and in good health." "Katie, have you told anyone about this yet?" Ben questioned, testing her knowledge. "Well, Dr. Westphalen knows, I know, you know, and Kimmy knows," Katie rattled off the list. "You told your sister before you told me?" a slightly angry Ben asked. Katie smiled, "Yes, I tell her _everything_, don't I? Besides, she promised she wouldn't tell Momma or Daddy or anyone else. You know _Kimmy_ doesn't make promises _she_ can't keep." "How much do Kim and Westphalen know?" Ben inquired, wincing a little at the jibe. "Well, Kimmy knows the whole story. Westphalen only knows about the night the baby was conceived; I didn't tell her anything about us trying to start something up again." "And what night do you think that was, the night the baby was conceived?" Katie smiled, "It had to be the first night. It was the only night we weren't careful." Ben nodded his head; it figured. "So it was that night?" "Uh huh." Katie became more serious. "You know, I've got to tell Captain Bridger. He's my commanding officer, so he needs to know what's going on." Ben made a split-second decision to tell Katie the truth. "Uh, Katie, Bridger kind of already knows." "What?" Katie exclaimed, her voice a mixture of anger and shock. "How do you know this?" Ben desperately wished that he had not just opened this can of worms. "Why didn't I keep my big mouth shut?" he silently scolded himself. There was no going back; he had no choice but to tell her everything. "Katie, I didn't just suspect that you're pregnant; I knew. I've known for three days." He closed his eyes and waited for her reaction. Ben knew it wasn't going to be pretty. "You've known for _three_ days?! How in the world did you find out, and why didn't you tell me you knew when you found out?" Katie let him have it with both barrels. "Calm down," Ben said, trying to soothe Katie. "Calm down? Why should I calm down? Start talking! You have some explaining to do," Katie glared. "Apparently Darwin overheard you and Kristin talking," Ben began. "Darwin....." Katie groaned. "... And he told Lucas. Then Lucas broke into your medical record," Ben continued. "Uhhhhh. Just wait until I get my hands on him," Katie angrily interjected. "Lucas made a pact with Darwin that they were going to keep it a secret, but Lucas couldn't." "_That_ figures," Katie retorted. "So, he went and told Bridger. That answers one of your questions." "Well, how did you find out?" Katie demanded. "I'm getting to that. Tim and Mig overheard Lucas telling the Captain and..." "They told you," Katie incorrectly finished Ben's sentence. "No. The next morning, Mig saw you leaving the bridge in a hurry." "Oh wonderful; this just gets better." "And Jonathan said something about thinking you were over the flu and Mig slipped up and told him." "So _Jonathan_ told you." Katie was past speaking and was now yelling. She couldn't believe Jonathan would do such a thing. "No, Dagwood did," he said, wincing. "Dagwood?" Katie skeptically repeated. "Uh-uh. Dagwood. I asked him what was going on and he said that you we're going to have a baby. I didn't put it together for several hours. You, me, dry dock, those two weeks, it just didn't click at first. I went to Lucas, who didn't say anything to me, by the way, and had him check your med record." Katie shook her head. "Incredible. The whole crew knows, an you couldn't even put it all together right off the bat. I swear, just when I think you're maturing.... And I knew you were shallow, but I didn't think you were so shallow you couldn't even figure out that you're going to be a father for several hours after someone tells you." She was quiet for a few moments, then she spoke again. "Tell me, Ben, why you didn't tell me you knew?" Katie was on the verge of tears. "After I saw Lucas, I went and saw Bridger, to ask for advice. He told me to wait until you came to me... I didn't want you getting mad or upset and it seemed like good advice..." Ben tried to explain. Katie was sobbing; she felt hurt that Ben hadn't immediately come to her. "Ben, you should've known better than to not come tell me. Sure, Bridger usually gives good advice, when he bothers to give it, but he wasn't married to me for a year. Wasn't engaged to me for 6 months and didn't date me for almost two and a half years. You, of all people, should know how much I _hate_ it when people don't tell me the truth. I though you knew me better than that." Ben stood up and walked toward Katie. "Katie, darlin'...." Ben tried to explain as he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. She shook his advance off. "Don't try to touch me and don't call me darlin'," Katie screamed. "Don't try to explain; _just get out_." Ben stared in shock. He had expected her reaction to be bad, but not like_that_. "Get out!" she screamed again through her tears. "Just get out!" "Okay, I'm going," Ben reluctantly replied. He made her way towards the door. He left without saying another word. As he shut the door behind him, he hoped she would be in a better frame of mind when morning came. ************************ Kimberly Hitchcock ran a hand through her blond curls as she studied the spreadsheet on her computer screen. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She hit a few keys and waited for the screen to go black; there was no way she was going to figure out what the problem was as tired as she was. "This is great; a masters degree in accounting, and I can't figure out why a column of horse feed prices isn't adding up right," she remarked to herself. Kim flicked the computer off and began to straighten her desk. She had only managed to stack a few letters when her vid-link began to blink, indicating she had a call. "Who in this world needs to talk about horses at almost 11 o'clock at night?" Kim sighed as she brought the call up; her sister's image came onto the screen. She only had to take one look at Katie to know that something was terribly, terribly wrong with her little sister. "Katie, what's wrong?" Kim asked with concern. "Oh no, something's wrong with the baby?" she panicked. Tears were streaming down Katie's cheeks and her eyes and nose were bright red. Kim hadn't seen Katie that upset since she and Ben had called it quits. Katie began to talk in a wavering voice, "No, the baby's fine. But I told Ben...." "Oh no. He doesn't want the baby, does he? That....that _toad_." Kim was spitting mad at her ex-brother-in-law. "No, he wants the baby, but...." Katie started sobbing again. "But what? What did he do this time?" Kim tried to encourage her sister to talk. "He's known for three days, and he didn't tell me," Katie said, almost in despair. "What? How in the world did he find out?" Kim blew up. "And the whole crew knows too!" Katie added. "Oh no. How did all of this happen?" Kim asked as she took a seat at her desk. "The dolphin overheard me talking to the doctor. Then he told Lucas, who told captain Bridger. Tim O'Neill and Miguel Ortiz -- I've told you about them, too -- overheard Bridger and Lucas. Miguel slipped up and told Jonathan. Then, somehow _ Dagwood_ , the _ janitor_ ...." Katie was crying so hard she could barely talk. "Yeah, I know about him, too," Kim gently reminded her. "Told Ben," Katie managed to spit out. "Oh no," Kim groaned. "Well, tonight I decided to tell Ben. And he wants the baby, but he wants us to get married, or at least date." "I can see why you're mad. What else happened?" Kim asked, sensing that her sister had more to say. "You know, things were really sweet at first. I started to faint and he caught me. He asked me about having the flu. I told him that he probably knew that I didn't have the flu, and told him that I'm pregnant. He kissed my stomach after I told him." "You let him _do_ that?" a shocked Kim questioned. "Yeah, I don't know whatever came over me. I guess I just got caught up in the moment. Besides, I was trying to be nice," Katie explained. "I know how you feel about him. You can hide your feelings from everyone else, but you can't hide them from me. I still can't believe you told him you loved him. Why in the world did you tell him that?" Kim remarked. "Kimmy, I don't know. I guess because I _do_ love him. I just think he's a jerk most of the time, and I can't stand to live with him. For some reason, as hard as I try, I can't stop loving him!" Katie answered. "You didn't think he was such a jerk that you didn't start a two-week relationship with him," Kim reminded her. "You can't help who you love. It's one of those things you can't control no matter how hard you try," Katie defended the brief relationship. "I know," was Kim's only reply. "Anyway, we kind of talked about the grandparents and he asked how the baby was," Katie went on. "Then what happened?" "Then he said we ought to get married," Katie said quietly. "What did you tell him?" "I told him pretty much how I felt. That I didn't see how having parents who fight all the time would be good for the baby," Katie summarized. "You didn't tell him the other part of how you feel, did you?" "No, I didn't. I would if I could only trust him," Katie began, "but I can't." "I wouldn't be able to trust him either. Not after the marriage that you two had." "It was good for a little while," Katie reminisced. "And it was bad for a little while too," Kim added. "You know, he had me convinced to date him. I swear, if I let my guard down for one second, I just get, I don't know, taken in by him. I hate that. I should be strong enough to resist him, but he kind of has this way of getting to me," Katie said, sharing her feelings with her sister. "He _can_ be charming," Kim agreed. "After that he talked me into a date. And you know, he didn't have to really talk all that much. Gees, what is wrong with me?" "Yes?" Kimmy requested. "Well, we went back to my cabin to talk about the baby. And you know, there for a little bit, I thought he'd changed. He was talking about taking care of the baby and me. Then he brought up the house; how we could live there together -- even if we weren't married or involved." "What did you say to that?" "That I didn't see how we could live in the house together if we couldn't work things out between us," Katie told her sister. "Then what happened?" "We got to talking about who knew about the baby, and I said I was going to have to tell Bridger. That's when he told me he knew and how he found out," Katie explained more of the events that had occurred earlier that night. "Oh, Katie," Kim sympathetically remarked. She felt terrible for her sister. Katie poured out her feelings. "You know, he couldn't even put it together until several _hours_ after Dagwood told him. This is _his_ baby, for crying out loud. I thought he was shallow, but not _this_ shallow." "He's Ben," Kim reminded. "I know. And that's not all. After he and Lucas broke into my medical record, the second time for Lucas might I add,." "They did what?" Kim angrily exclaimed. "Yeah, they broke into my medical record. Well, anyway he went and saw Captain Bridger, who told Ben _not_ to come to me. Ben shouldn't have had to go ask anyone for advice. I mean for goodness sakes, we were married for a year, engaged for six months, and dated for two and a half years. We were together for nearly four years! He should know me," Katie vented. "No kidding, but that's Ben for you," Kim commented. "And I don't know what I'm going to do. You know Ben's going to want to be involved in the baby's life, and she does need a daddy, but what about Ben and I? And then there's work, and the whole crew knows. I just need to think, and I just can't do it on this boat." Kim thought for a few moments. "I've got an idea." Katie looked at her sister. "What?" "Take a leave of absence and come up here. You know Momma, Daddy, and I are all going to be here for you." Katie knew that very well. If there was one thing in life she could count on, it was her family. It would be the perfect place to go think; her momma, daddy, and sister would be there and it was the safest place she knew of. "You know, that's just what I may do. I'll take an indefinite leave of absence. Let's see, we're in the Middle Atlantic right now. I could fly out of New York about noon and be in Chicago by one. From Chicago, I could fly into Cheyenne. Then I'll rent a car and drive to Cody. I could be home for supper." Katie's mood brightened. "Don't rent a car; I'll come get you," Kim offered. "Okay, listen, don't tell Momma and Daddy why I'm really coming home. I'll take care of that when I get there," Katie instructed her sister. "What do you want me to tell them?" Kim asked. Katie made up a lie to keep her parents from becoming suspicious. "Just tell them that I have an unexpected vacation and I'm going to come home for a little visit." "Okay. Can do. Look, I hate to be rude, but I need to be getting to bed." Katie smiled at her sister. "No problem. I need to get some sleep too. I'll call you from the airport in New York." "I'll be expecting you to call. Try to get some sleep," Kim told her sister. "I will. Talk to you tomorrow." Katie said good-bye to her sister. "Talk to you tomorrow," Kim echoed. With that exchange, the two sisters ended their phone call. Kim leaned back in her chair. "Oh Katie, are you going to do?" she said out loud. She knew her sister had a lot to sort out. ************************** Nathan Bridger chuckled mildly in surprise as he read over the letter he had received from UEO headquarters. He began to read aloud, even though he was the only person in the ward room. "Due to his outstanding performance in the Schraeder Hijacking Situation, Lt. Benjamin P. Krieg is being promoted to the rank of Lt. Cmdr. Promotion goes into effect immediately." He was just about to have Krieg called to the ward room when he heard a knock on the wardroom door. After calling for the person to come in, Lt. Cmdr. Hitchcock burst into the room. It was obvious she was quite angry. Without a word she thrust a white envelope into her captain's hands. Bridger opened the envelope and removed the letter inside. He slowly read the neatly formed words. After a few moments, he looked up. "You're leaving? Why?" Bridger asked, even though he had the feeling that he already knew the answer. Katie looked down at her captain. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we, Captain? You know why I'm leaving." She desperately wished she could keep her emotions in check, but she was too close to the boiling point. Bridger nodded his head; there was no use in trying to pretend otherwise. "Yes, I'm aware of your pregnancy. I'm assuming you've spoken with Krieg." "Oh, yes. We've spoken," Katie vehemently confirmed. By the tone of her voice, Bridger sensed that things had not gone well. He had a pretty good idea of the probable cause of his chief engineer's anger. "He told you he knew. I told him not to," the captain tried to smooth Katie's ruffled feathers. She was the best chief engineer he'd ever had, and he wanted to put off losing her as long as he possibly could. Bridger felt that if he could only talk long enough, he could persuade her to stay. "With all due respect, Captain, that's not exactly what happened," Katie began to explain. She didn't want to tell him that Ben _not_ telling her when he found out was one of the chief causes of her anger. "Care to talk about it?" Bridger offered. Katie shook her head no. Bridger was a wise man, but Katie didn't feel comfortable discussing her particular problem with him or relaying the events of the previous night to him. "I'd rather _not_ talk about it, sir. Please just accept my request. I have to get off of this boat and think." Bridger groaned inwardly; he didn't see how he could feel comfortable without the knowledge that Hitchcock was carefully monitoring the ship's systems. Finally, he spoke. "Commander, I really wish you'd reconsider, but...." Sensing his hesitation, Katie quickly gave more support to her cause. "Captain, I'm not going to be able to fully concentrate on my duties when I have to sort out the future. I can't do that with Ben constantly around. Knowing that the rest of the crew knows about the baby isn't going to make things any easier, either." Katie's last comment was news to Bridger; he had assumed that only Dr. Westphalen, Lucas, Darwin, Katie, Ben, and himself knew the news. "How did everyone else find out?" Bridger questioned the commander. Katie didn't care to repeat the exact way in which the crew members had found out; the thought of it was almost enough to make her start fuming. She neatly summed it up for the captain. "Sir, from what I gather, there was a whole lot of eavesdropping." Bridger rubbed his temples, trying to ward off the headache that was starting to develop. There was really no way to stop her from taking leave; she had a valid medical reason. "I hate to lose you, but your request is granted." Katie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir." She stopped for a moment, then continued. "Captain, I'm not going to be gone forever. I'll be back someday." Bridger smiled. "I hope so. What about your child?" Katie returned Bridger's smile, then she began to talk. "Captain, I'm planning on having and raising this child. She'll grow up someday, though. When she's old enough to come with me, I'll be back." Bridger offered some words of advice to the young Lt. Cmdr. "I honestly hope that everything works out for you. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I'm sure that, even with a child, you'll have your own command someday. Take care of your baby and enjoy him or her. Children are truly precious gifts. There will be time later to make captain, but your child is only going to be little once." Katie was touched by Bridger's words; they made her feel better about the future. She allowed a thought to cross her mind. "Maybe I can have it all, a career and a child." Before she could stop it, another thought crossed mind, "and a husband." "Oh my gosh," she thought. "Do I really want to be married to Ben again?" The very notion was enough to greatly confuse her. Just a few minutes earlier, she was sure she hated him and that their future relationship would only be as parents of the same child, not as his wife. Bridger's voice brought Katie back from her thoughts. "Have you made travel arrangements yet?" "Yes, sir, I'm leaving on one of the launches going for supplies this morning. I'm booked on the 11:30 flight to Chicago out of La Guardia. I'm switching planes at O'Hare in Chicago and flying into Cheyenne. My sister is picking me up there," Katie told her travel plans. She then made a request."Sir, please don't tell Ben, or anyone else, where I'm going. I have to get away from him; there's no way I'll be able to think about things if he's around." She wasn't sure what she wanted; it would be much easier to figure it out far away from Ben. Katie knew that distance would help her put things into perspective. Bridger understood. "I won't say anything to him about you're whereabouts." Gently, he added, "You do need to tell him _something_ before you leave." Katie hadn't even thought of speaking to Ben before she left. She felt that it would be much, much easier for her to leave if she didn't have to face him. Katie had a feeling that he would try to stop her if he found out. Still, she knew that Bridger was right; she needed to tell him something. Hesitantly she spoke, "I know I need to, sir, but it's not that simple." "I know it can't be," Bridger sympathized. "Just tell him you need some space so you can think about the future," he advised. "I'll think about it," Katie replied. Bridger looked down at his watch. "The launch is leaving in an hour and 15 minutes. You're dismissed, and good luck," he added as he shook Katie's hand. He fervently hoped that she would be back someday. The second section of part 3 should be right behind this one, in the next post..... Dottie ***************************** Jonathan Ford knocked lightly on the wardroom door. After Captain Bridger acknowledged his presence, Ford entered the room. "You had me paged, sir?" Ford was the first to speak. Bridger looked up, "Ah, Commander Ford, just the man I wanted to see." "How can I help you, sir?" Ford asked. "I need you to draw up a new duty schedule; we're losing Commander Hitchcock," Bridger instructed his executive officer. Ford was shocked to hear the words. He had assumed that Katie had a lot on her mind, but he hadn't even considered her leaving. "What? For good?" the commander questioned. Bridger wondered if the executive officer knew that the Lt. Cmdr was expecting. After a few moments of consideration, Bridger concluded that it was more likely than not that Ford knew. He and Katie seemed to be good friends, and Hitchcock had told him that the whole crew knew. Bridger tested Ford, "You do know that she and Lt. Cmdr. Krieg are expecting?" Ford did a double take; he knew that Ben and Katie were having a baby, but he didn't know that Ben had been promoted to Lt. Cmdr. "Yes, I know," he began. "But _Lt. Cmdr._ Krieg? When did _that_ happen?" Bridger smiled, "He was promoted due to his performance during the Shraeder Hijacking Situation. I just found out this morning; the promotion goes into effect immediately," he added. "I need to call him down here and tell him." "Well, what about Hitchcock?" Ford questioned. Bridger started to talk, "I'm getting to that. She came in and saw me this morning. She said that she needed to get away and think and was taking an indefinite leave of absence." Ford nodded his head. He supposed he could understand Katie wanting to get away and think; she did have _a lot_ to sort out. Still, he wondered if she was trying to run away from her problem. She wasn't usually one to avoid difficult situations, but Ford knew that there was always a first for everything. "When's she leaving?" the younger man asked. The captain glanced down at his watch. "In about an hour." "Whoa, that's _awful_ quick." Ford shook his head in disbelief. He didn't think she'd be leaving that quickly. Bridger offered a brief explanation, "She's in a hurry to leave." Ford was quiet for a few seconds, then he spoke. "Sir, if it's okay with you, I'd like to go talk to Katie. I want to see her before she leaves." "That's fine with me," Bridger assented. He hoped that Ford would be able to talk her into staying. *************************** "Hey Katie, mind if I come in?" Ford called as he knocked on his friend's cabin door. He waited for an answer, but didn't get one. Finally, after a lengthy space of time, the door opened. Katie stared at Jonathan for a moment; she had a pretty good idea of why he had come. She gave her friend a knowing look and began to speak. "Jonathan, I know why you're here, and no, you can't talk me out of it." Ford knew he had his work cut out for him; convincing Katie to stay would be a daunting, if not impossible, task. Once she made up her mind about something, there was hardly anything anyone could do or say to make her change it. Still, he had to try. Katie was one of his best friends, not to mention a tremendous asset to the crew. "Well, at least let me come in," he pleaded. "Okay, okay," she agreed. Katie figured that it might help to talk to someone, especially one of her best friends. Katie opened the door and allowed Ford to enter. It was obvious that she had already been busy that morning; the contents of her cabin had been packed into several suitcases and a couple of boxes. The only evidence of the room being occupied was stack of horse magazines and engineering journals and a paper plate with some crackers on it. Jonathan took a seat on Katie's bed, the only place left to sit, and gave his friend an appraising glance. "So, you're really leaving?" "Yes, I'm really leaving," Katie confirmed as she picked up a cracker to nibble on. "Why?" Jonathan questioned. "You know that running away isn't going to solve anything," he gently reminded his friend. "I'm not running away," Katie snapped. Although she had just told her friend otherwise, she knew that's exactly what she was doing: running away. Katie suddenly felt guilty; she usually never ran from her problems. She knew that there was no way she could hide from Ben forever; the baby was his, too, and Katie knew that he would make sure he was a part of his child's life. Since Jonathan didn't say anything, she spoke again. "I just have to get off this boat, and away from Ben and everyone, and think. There's no way I'll be able to sort anything out with Ben and everyone else pestering me." She attempted to explain her thinking. Even though Jonathan was one of her best friends, there was no way he could possibly understand what she was going through. "You know that you don't have to have this baby, Katie," Jonathan told his friend, a serious expression on his face. He immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut. "Yes, I _do_ have to have this baby," Katie admonished. "She's alive; a real person. She's not some sort of stray animal; she's a baby. _My_ baby," she emphasized as her subconscious reminded her that the child was Ben's baby, too. "You really want this baby?" Jonathan questioned. He knew how badly Ben wanted the baby, but he wasn't sure if Katie would want the child, too. Jonathan knew that his friend liked children, but he didn't know if she wanted one of her own. Katie made an attempt to explain her feelings about her unborn child; the feelings were so strong that she doubted she could find the right words. "I... I've loved her from the moment I even thought I might be pregnant, even though I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind," Katie began. "You know, I feel so guilty about that. I supposed that if I ignored all the symptoms, they would just go away. That first morning I had morning sickness, I knew it for sure. But I still tried to pretend otherwise." She was quiet a few seconds. "I guess I've known, without really knowing, that I, that _Ben and I_," she was surprised at how quickly she corrected herself, "were going to have her since the moment she was conceived." She smiled lightly, "The thought of this life inside of me is _indescribable_." She paused to collect her thoughts. "You know that I don't talk about religion all that much, it's something I'd rather keep private, but I believe that God means for this baby to be born or she would not have been created. I'm not sure why, but this baby is meant to be." Ford decided to ask a very personal question; he had no idea whether Katie would answer him or not. "What about Ben and you? I mean, how did this baby..?" Ford stammered. "Come into existence?" Katie didn't feel comfortable sharing such personal information with many people, but Jonathan was an exception. She looked down. "Ben and I were back together for two weeks." Noticing the shocked look on her friend's face, she went on to explain more. "Yeah, two weeks. We kept it a secret." She decided to go on, "It all started when we were in dry dock in Pearl Harbor. Ben and I went out to dinner; he wanted to know how my parents were. Well, after supper, we went back to his hotel room; he had some new pictures of his nephews that he wanted to show me. I guess somewhere between the bread sticks and the spaghetti, I let my guard down. Things went much farther than what they should have." She stopped. "Well, we decided that we wanted to give it another try. So we did, for two weeks. Then I got scared and decided that we were better off as friends." "What happened to scare you?" Jonathan gently questioned. "Did he get on your nerves? Want too much too soon?" Katie shook her head. "It was nothing like that; I just plain got scared. I got hurt so bad last time around, I didn't want the same thing to happen again." "Katie, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what happened to cause you and Ben to divorce?" He didn't expect to get an answer. Although they had been friends since their academy days, even though Jonathan had been a year ahead of Katie, he had never been told the exact reason behind the divorce. He knew that they had had trouble getting along, but he didn't know if something besides their differences had caused them to divorce. Jonathan was surprised when Katie began to speak. "You know that the Ben that I fell in love with and married is not the same Ben that I divorced." She paused for a second, then went on, "The Ben that I fell in love with was sweet, attentive, and affectionate. Sure, he got into messes and schemes, but it was part of his charm," Katie fondly reminisced. Her mood then darkened, "Somewhere along the way, he changed. It was like he didn't care as much, if he cared anything at all, about me or our marriage. Things just fell apart. Of course, it didn't help matters that we were so young; he wanted to play, and I was more worried about my career. Neither of us knew what it took to make a marriage work." "We were _so_ young," Katie lamented. "We married a month after my 21st birthday. Someone, one of our parents, anyone, should have stopped us. Sometimes, I wonder if it would have lasted if we had been older." Suddenly, she stopped to ask a question: "How do you date someone for two and a half years, spend 6 months engaged to him, and still not know him?" "I don't know, Katie," Jonathan answered. He'd never had that serious of a relationship. "I first saw him my very first day at the academy," she recalled. "I knew, absolutely knew, he was the one. Good looking and that sense of humor. Then that blind date; I couldn't believe that _he_ was the one hat you had set me up with. And all the off-and-on dating our first year at the academy. Then there was summer break. I missed him so bad; I'd had a boyfriend before I left for the academy, but I forgot about him when I saw Ben. I didn't forget about Ben when I went home for the summer, though; you know, I officially dumped that guy very first thing when I got home. Ben and I wrote letters constantly, and ran up a huge phone bill." She smiled, recalling their courtship. "The fall of our second year, we were inseparable. I wanted to be around him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I didn't feel whole if we weren't together. Then, he came home with me for half the summer, and I spent half of the summer in Florida with him. Finally, on Valentine's Day, during our final year in the academy, he popped the question." "I know," Jonathan managed to get in a few words. He had been the one responsible for getting them together in the first place. At one time, he and Ben had been friends. Jonathan had met both Ben and Katie his second year at the academy. He had taken two classes for extra credit; Katie had been in one, and Ben in the other. After getting to know the two younger cadets, he had decided that they were just right for each other. So, he had played cupid and set them up. Jonathan had thought that he had been successful until Ben and Katie divorced. Ben had ended up hurting Katie very badly, and Jonathan had never been able to forgive his former friend for that. Only 7 years later were they able to begin to repair their friendship; they weren't best buddies by any means, but they did not completely dislike each other anymore. Katie's eyes sparkled as she told the story. "When I got up that morning, I found this note that someone had slipped under my dorm room door. It was from Ben, and it said to look outside in the hallway. So, I immediately looked outside, expecting to find him there. He wasn't there, but there was a huge bouquet of flowers, and another note telling me to meet him at Valentino's, our favorite restaurant, at 7 for supper. Valentine's was on a Saturday that year. I spent all day getting ready, making sure that my hair was perfect, and that my make up was just so. I got to Valentino's at exactly 7. I was kind of disappointed when I saw the closed sign on the door, but before I could leave, the door opened. It was Valentino himself; he knew Ben and I quite well because we went there so many times. He told me to come in. And when I stepped inside..." Katie smiled dreamily, "The whole place was filled with flowers and balloons, and there was Ben, in a dark suit that made his eyes just..." She couldn't find the words. "At that point, I knew what was coming, but I didn't want to spoil it. I knew that renting that restaurant and the balloons and flowers must have cost a fortune. I kept waiting for him to propose during dinner; you know, I kept thinking that the ring would show up in my food or in a glass of tea, but it didn't. Then supper ended, and he still hadn't proposed. I was starting to get a little bit worried at this point. We went for a walk by the docks then; do you know how cold it was? February in Annapolis. I was freezing; I think I would've have picked something a little warmer than the dress that I did pick if I would have known we were going for a walk." Katie chuckled a little before continuing."Finally, he walks over to this bench, where Bobby Bridger was sitting, holding a teddy bear. Ben went over, got the bear, and Bobby left. Then Ben walked back over to where he left me standing, and hands me this bear. There was a nice big red ribbon tied around its neck, and on that ribbon, there was a diamond engagement ring. He just looked at me, grinning that grin of his. After a few seconds, he took the bear out of my hands, and took the ring of the ribbon. Then he dropped to his knees, and asked my to marry him. You know what he said?" "What?" Jonathan replied with a smile. He'd heard the story before; in fact, he'd first heard at 3:00 am. He had been stationed on a small submarine; it had been his very first post out of the academy. He had been sound asleep when he had received the call from his best friend; she had been so excited she had been beside herself. Still, he loved to hear her tell it. He doubted he could hear _that_ one too many times. "I was expecting some sort of mushy spiel, but instead, he says, 'If you're not doing anything for the next 50 or so years, I was wondering if you'd like to get married.' I melted right on the spot. He slipped the ring onto my finger, and stood up. I was too happy to say anything at first. Then I just flung my arms around him in this huge bear hug and told him, 'Yes, a thousand million times yes.' Then we kissed," Katie finished. "Katie," Jonathan began. "Do you think that you and Ben have a future together?" He hoped he hadn't gone too far. Although they were close friends, he knew that there were just some things that were too personal to discuss. Katie thought for a few moments before she quietly began to speak. Her voice was uncertain. "I - I don't know. I love him with all my heart, that's something I can't help," she confided. "But, I don't know if it would be the best thing for any of us. When Ben and I were married the first time around, we spent more time fighting than we did getting along. If we get married and fight all of the time, I'm not going to be happy, he's not going to be happy, and the baby certainly isn't going to be happy. He can make me madder than any other person in the world. Plus, I'm not sure that he's responsible or mature enough to handle a marriage. If, and I'm talking about a very big _if_ , if we get married again, I want it to last, not end like it did last time. I know that we have to have a relationship of some sort, I'm just not sure of what nature it's going to be. Husband and wife, parents of the same child, I just don't know. I do know that we can never ever be completely separated, not with a child. We're permanently linked now." Jonathan nodded his head. He could kind of understand Katie's reasoning. "And what if you don't get back together?" he probed. "I suppose we'll have to work out some sort of functioning relationship. I _do_ want Ben to be a part of the baby's life. My not getting along with him is no reason for me to deprive him of being involved in his child's life or depriving her of having a daddy. You know, one of the few things that I know for certain is that Ben will love this baby," Katie replied. Only for one second had she doubted that Ben wanted the baby. Katie knew that Ben would love their child very, very much. "What about your own command?" Jonathan asked. He knew just how badly Katie wanted her own ship and that having a baby would complicate her career plans considerably. "I still want my own command, but I'm going to have to put that aside for now. I have to put my child first. Someone has to take care of her." "Why don't you get a nanny?" Jonathan questioned. "Because _I_ want to take care of her, Jonathan! I don't want to miss her walking and talking for the first time, and I don't want her off in daycare, catching one thing after another. And when she does get sick, I want to be the one to stay up all night with her, and I want to be the one to comfort her after a bad dream." Katie stopped to catch her breath. "I'm sure I'm going to miss all of this, but I don't really have a choice. It's going to take a whole lot longer, but I'll get a command eventually. I'll have plenty of time to work on my career once she's older, after she goes to school, but while she's little.... This is probably going to be my only child, and I've only got one chance to raise her right." Jonathan nodded. "I guess I can kind of see where you're coming from." His voice sounded slightly disappointed. Katie tried to cheer up her friend. "I'm not going to be gone forever." "I have no doubt about that," Jonathan replied with a smile. "So, where are you going?" he inquired, trying to keep the conversation going. "Home, to Wyoming. It's a good place to think about everything. Away from Ben." She collected her thoughts before speaking again. "You know, I'm so mad at him for not telling me that he knew, but for some reason, I can't figure out if I should forgive him or tell him to forget it. This little part of my self-conscious keeps telling me that a child deserves two parents who are married, but I don't know if I can trust him." "That's one of the things you're going to have to figure out for yourself," Jonathan counseled. "I know; it's one of the reasons I'm going home. I think I'll be able to put my feelings about him into perspective if I'm far enough away from him. He won't be able to cloud my judgement that way," Katie explained. "Uh, Katie, what are you going to tell Ben about you leaving _seaQuest_?" Jonathan asked. His voice was serious. Katie looked down at the floor, "I was actually planning on doing the completely immature thing and just leaving. When I went to get a copy of my medical record from Dr. Westphalen this morning, I gave her a note to give to Ben after I left. I just don't feel like dealing with him right now. I need some time and space. When I'm ready to talk to him, I'll call him. I did promise him that he would be part of the baby's life, no matter what happens with us, and that he will be there when the baby is born; even though I can't say for sure whether he'll be holding my hand or if he'll just be observing." Katie suddenly started to grin evilly, "Besides, I'm going to need _someone_ to yell at." Jonathan glanced down at his watch; her launch would be leaving in 30 minutes. "I guess if you're going to be leaving, I should let you finish packing." Katie made Jonathan an offer to stay. "You don't have to go. It's probably going to be awhile before I see you again." Jonathan turned his friend down. "No, I've got some work I need to get done." He didn't tell her the wild notion that had just entered his head, to go and find Ben. Although Ben wasn't his favorite person in the world, Jonathan thought that he needed to know that Katie was leaving. Jonathan knew that if he were ever in Ben's position, he would want to know that the mother of his child was leaving on the next launch. "Okay, whatever," Katie said; she knew that he probably needed to get back to work. Jonathan climbed to his feet and gave his friend a little hug. "I'm going to miss having you around here," he said as he released Katie. "Well, I'll miss being here," Katie remarked. As Jonathan made his way to the door, he was stopped by Katie's voice. "Hey, Jonathan, don't tell Ben where I'm at, okay?" "Sure," Jonathan answered as he opened the door to leave. "Oh, Katie, good luck; I hope that everything works out," he added before leaving the room. *********************** Ben whistled as he strolled down the corridor of sea deck B. Life was good; finally, after being turned down two consecutive times, he had been promoted to Lt. Cmdr. He supposed that the old saying, "The third time s the charm," had to be true. He was on his way to see Katie; Ben hoped that she'd come to her senses and calmed down since he had last seen her. With any luck at all, she'd still be joining him for lunch. The future was indeed looking bright to the young Lt. Cmdr; he'd gotten promoted, in seven months he and his "Darlin'" would have themselves a brand new baby, and with any luck, he'd be a married man soon. The knowledge of his impending fatherhood had a peculiar effect on Ben; he was starting to think it was high time for him to grow up, settle down, and be a father and husband. He figured that he had been a child long enough, and it was time for him to let someone else take on the role. There was only one matter of business he had to take care off in order to make the future he now pictured a reality: win back Katie. Ben knew that it probably wouldn't be easy; she'd agreed to lunch, but that was before the argument. Still, he'd won her heart once before, and he was sure that, if he tried hard enough, he could do it again. All he had to do was prove to Katie that he had changed. As Ben passed by one of the the seaQuest's numerous science labs, he noticed a plain, white envelope lying in the corridor. "How about that. There's a trash can not two feet away and someone throws their trash on the floor anyway," Ben remarked to himself, knowing that he would probably be apt to do the same thing. He reached down and picked the envelope up. "Well, look at this. It hasn't been opened. Someone must have dropped it," Ben neutrally commented under his breath. He gently turned the envelope over to check for a name so that he could forward it to its rightful owner. Ben was shocked to see his name written in Katie's delicate, swirly handwriting. Ben frantically ripped into the envelope and began to read the letter inside. Dear Ben, As you probably know by now, I left this morning on the 10 o'clock launch. I know that I should have told you that I was leaving, but I didn't feel like getting into it with you. I'm still angry that you didn't come to me, and I think we would have ended up in a shouting match. There are a lot of things that I have to sort out, and I just can't do it on the boat. I will call you when I figure some of this out. I don't know exactly when that will be, but I can promise you that it will be before the baby is born. One thing I know for sure is that, no matter what happens between us, I do want you to be a part of the baby's life. I'm just not sure what kind of relationship we will have. If I do, and it's a big if--all things considered-- if I do decide that I want us to try to give _us_ another try, you're going to have to prove that you are a mature adult, one who I can count on to be there for me for the rest of my life. You are also going to have to prove that you can think of someone besides yourself on a regular basis. I cannot be married to someone who never listens, can't have a serious conversation, and is more interested in spending time inventing half-baked schemes than in spending time with me. It takes more than love to keep a marriage together. Katie Ben felt like he had been slapped in the face. He knew that he had upset her very badly, but he hadn't thought he had made her so upset that she would leave the seaQuest. Ben suddenly had an encouraging thought. "What if her launch hasn't left yet?" he wondered aloud. Hoping against hope, he looked down at his watch. It blinked 9:57 am. Ben took off running; he hoped he could make it to the launch bay before Katie's launch left. ***************************** Ben ran like he'd never ran before; he had to stop Katie from leaving _somehow_. He wasn't about to stand by and let his entire future, and the two people he loved the most in the entire world, leave on that launch. Finally, he reached the launch bay in time to see Katie hand one of the crew men another box of her belongings. Ben did the only thing he could think of: he shouted her name at the top of his lungs. Katie knew the voice without turning around. "Oh, no," she moaned. He was the last person she wanted to see at this moment. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew that there was no way she could avoid having to talk to him before she left. She set the box down and walked toward Ben. She stopped about a foot in front of him; she didn't want to get too close to him out for fear of being drawn in by the almost magnetic power he had on her if she was any closer to him than that. Katie began to speak, but was cut off before she could say more than one syllable. "I found your letter. Why are you leaving?" Ben questioned in a hurt tone. He wore a wounded expression on his face. "Because I have to think about this," Katie answered, her voice serious, as she tried not to make eye contact. "Why can't you think _here_?" Ben pleaded, hoping to convince her to stay. "Because everybody's pestering me. I see those little looks everyone is giving me -- giving _us_. It bothers me to be the source of all this gossip," Katie emotionally replied. She was on the verge of tears. "If I make the looks and gossip stop, will you stay?" Ben coaxed, his voice full of sincerity. "How can you do that?" Katie questioned. "I'll find a way," Ben answered with confidence. Katie turned down Ben's offer. "I don't think so. I've already made travel plans." Ben spoke in a resigned tone, "If that's what you want. Where are you going?" "Away," Katie evasively replied. "To where?" Ben questioned. "Just away. I don't need to tell you anything -- it's not like we're married," Katie became frustrated with Ben. "We could be," Ben commented as he stared directly into Katie's sapphire eyes. Katie quickly looked away. "Maybe I don't want to be. Did you think of that?" she spoke with anger. "Yeah, I have. I don't think that's how you feel though, Katherine." Immediately, Katie knew that he _was_ very serious. He only called her Katherine when he was dead serious about something, which did not happen very often. "How can you even know what I feel?" Katie's voice was full of anger. Ben tried to get Katie to calm down. "Katherine, just stop it. I don't like to see you like this." "Then don't say another word. Just let me go. I'll call you when I'm ready," Katie quietly spoke as she tried to get Ben to back off. "And when will that be?" Ben interrogated. "When I'm _ready_ to talk to you," Katie answered in exasperation. "Katherine, I _need_ an answer," Ben angrily pressed. "I can't give you one, so just drop it." Ben shook his head, "I can't do that." Ben's last remark set Katie off; she was spitting mad. "If you don't back off, it'll be a very long time before you see me or this baby." "You can't mean that." Ben was in disbelief that Katie would do such a thing. "Yes, I can, and I do." Katie contemptuously answered. Suddenly, Ben softened, "Look, Katherine, I don't want to fight with you. All of this couldn't be good for you or the baby." He paused to consider his next words. "I worry about you all the time, especially now, and I'm not going to be able to function if I don't know how you and the baby are. I can't stand the thought of not knowing how you and the baby are doing. The two weeks that we spent together made me realize that I have never felt, and could never feel, what I feel for you and our baby. There will never be anyone else. I love you two more than I love any other two people in the world." Ben's words cut through to Katie's soul; he'd never before told her what he had just told her now. He wasn't going to make things easy, that much was certain. For a second, she considered staying, but then thought better of it. She had to get away and think. "Ben, look, I need to think, okay? I just have to have some peace to sort all this out. I have to leave now, okay?" Katie was in tears as she tried to get Ben to understand. "I wish that you would stay, but I guess I don't have a choice," Ben said defeatedly, trying to hide the fact that he was about to cry himself. "Well, I've kept the launch waiting long enough. I better be going, or I'm going to miss my flight," she said with a hushed tone. With those words, Katie turned and walked towards the open hatch. Before she could descend into the waiting launch, Ben spoke up, "Katherine, I love you. Just remember that." His voice was full of raw emotion. Katie gave Ben the barest hint of the tiniest of smiles before she started to climb down into the launch. Her mind did not allow her heart to echo the words that rang through it; 'I love you, too.' Ben could only watch in shock as Katie descended into that launch and the hatch closed. Ben was hurting worse than he ever had before in his life at that moment, but, oddly, he was also numb. It was like someone had ripped out his insides and stomped on them. Finally, after a few seconds, Ben somberly spoke out loud, his voice full of hurt and despair, "My entire future has just left on that launch." We do more in one day than sane people do in a month. Aqua Valley Farm cows@midwest.net Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 13:18:55 -0500 (CDT) From: cows@midwest.net (Dottie Brundige) To: seaquest-ff@escapenet.org Subject: (SQFF) Baby Steps; part 4; 1/2 Message-Id: <199707161818.NAA06003@cdale3.midwest.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Here it is folks, what you've all been waiting for.... Baby Steps Part 4 The story behind the story is something like this: I am a huge Ben and Katie fan, I could only find a few fanfic stories on the net that even mentioned them, so I decided that I wanted to write my own. One day, I was talking to my friend Suzanne (who is the only other seaQuest fan for miles around; hey, I live in Kentucky, and the only thing most people care about is UK basketball, so that's understandable...)about this. Somewhere along the way, we decided that there are very few things that would a.)cause Katie to take Ben back and b.) make Ben grow up (just a little). Baby Steps is the result. Oh yeah, this is probably a good time to mention that the characters, etc., belong to Universal, Amblin Entertainment, NBC, the Sci-Fi channel, and probably someone else that I left out. Any resemblence to other stories, ideas, is completely coincidental and no infringement or copyright violation is intended. I'd also like to give a special thanks to Larie, my proofreader, idea consultant, technical consultant, my cheerleader, .................. By-The-Way, this is a second season the way it should have been according to Dottie Brundige story. This means that the boat didn't sink at the end of season one too . This takes place in late July/ Early August 2019. On with the story: Baby Steps By Dottie Brundige Part 4 "Supper was good, Momma," Katie complimented her mother's cooking as she straightened the place mats on the kitchen table. Her mother's cooking was nothing short of extraordinary. "Thank you, sweetheart," Marcie Hitchcock warmly thanked her youngest daughter. "I'm almost finished putting these dishes in the dishwasher. Why don't you two go into the living room and talk to your Daddy," Marcie instructed her daughters. "Now scat." Marcie smiled as Kim and Katie put down their dish rags and left the kitchen. She _loved_ having both of her daughters home. Marcie rarely got to see her youngest child, and her visit was a rare treat. She knew that there were very few things in life that could make her happier than having both of her girls home. "If only I could get you two married, " Marcie commented wryly to herself. She then sighed wistfully; it would probably never happen. Kim refused to marry her long-time boyfriend, Jace Herndon, due to the fact that she was a severe diabetic and it was not safe for her to have children. She refused to marry if she couldn't give her husband a child. Katie had ended up getting hurt so badly when she had been married that she has vowed she'd never marry again. Marcie resigned herself to the fact that there would be no marriages and no grandchildren. Once upon a time, she had imagined that she and Kevin would have many grandchildren. Slowly, those visions came to an end. Their oldest child, and only son, Kyle had tragically drowned when he was only 24 — and two weeks away from his wedding day. Then Kimmy's diabetes worsened to the point that it would most likely kill her to have a child. Katie had been her last hope, but she had divorced and was too involved in her career for children. "Enough dwelling for tonight," Marcie gently scolded herself as she switched the dishwasher on and went to join her family in the living room. ********************* Katie snuggled deeply into her chair, trying in vain to disappear into its thick, lumpy stuffing. For as long as Katie could remember, the old chair had been in her parent's living room. When she had been a child, she had always came and sat in the chair whenever she'd been frightened or scared the two emotions she was feeling at that moment. Ever since her early childhood, she'd associated the chair with comfort. Katie stared over at the pictures hanging on the wall above the mauve and country blue couch that her mother and sister were sitting on. Her eyes focused on a picture of her brother 18-year-old Kyle Hitchcock, frozen in time forever, beamed a mischievous smile. Katie found herself smiling too; life had been much simpler then. It was much easier to be 15 than it was to be 29. At 15, all Katie had to worry about was horses, school, and dance lessons. At 29, she had a baby and her relationship with its father to worry about. She wished it were 14 years earlier. Katie had been dreading the moment in which she told her parents the news. She knew that they would be _thrilled_ that they would be getting a grandchild, and would be behind her 100 per cent. The part Katie was dreading was the "you're - not - married -and-the-father-is-Ben-Krieg" part. It wasn't going to be easy to tell her parents that their unmarried daughter was pregnant with her ex-husband's child. She knew she could wait to tell her parents that she didn't have to do it that night, but she believed that there was no sense in putting off. Finding the exact words was a daunting task; Katie and Kim had discussed possible ways for Katie to tell their parents the news. Both sisters had agreed that the "Guess what? I'm pregnant!" approach was not the route to go. Eventually, they had decided that he best thing to do would be for Katie to emphasize the "getting a grandchild" part. Kevin and Marcie Hitchcock had made it no secret that they desperately wanted a grandchild. Still, telling them would undoubtedly be difficult. As Katie searched for the right way to approach the subject of her pregnancy, Marcie relayed the latest comings, goings, and doings of various family members and friends. Sensing that Katie was a million miles away, and not paying a bit of attention, Marcie tried to get her attention. "Hey Katie, there's a big purple dinosaur in the front yard." Absentmindedly, Katie replied, "That's nice, Mom." "Will you look at that, it's got Kimmy in its mouth," Marcie continued as Kevin gave his wife a strange look. "That's real good," Katie commented, still not paying attention to the words her mother was speaking. "And look now. There's an alien spacecraft, too. It's beaming Kimmy and the dinosaur, and the _seaQuest_ up," Marcie rambled on. The last words that Marcie uttered managed to catch Katie's attention. "Yeah, like _that_ would happen. Aliens taking the seaQuest to another planet," Katie shook her head. "You seem like you're a million miles away," Marcie remarked to her daughter. "What's wrong?" Katie looked up and caught Kim's eye. Kim nodded her head and gave her sister a good-luck smile. Katie knew it was time to break the news. There was no way she could put it off any longer. Katie took a deep breath, then slowly released it in an attempt to calm her nerves. She grappled with words for a few moments, then she hesitantly began to speak. "You - you know how much you've wanted a grandchild?" Both Kevin and Marcie nodded their heads, anticipating what was coming next. "Well," Katie continued, "you're getting your wish." She waited for a response from her parents. Kevin and Marcie just sat, both feeling a mixture of dumbfoundedness, utter joy, and worry for their daughter. Although they were both thrilled to be getting the grandchild they thought would never be born, they were concerned about their daughter. She wasn't married, yet, and they both knew how hard it was for two people to care for an infant. Neither one could imagine trying to do it alone. Finally, Marcie found her voice, "A grandbaby?" she said with a gentle smile on her face. "You're pregnant." "Yeah. 2 months," Katie confirmed. "Wow..." Kevin sighed as he ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. He'd previously thought that he would never be a grandfather, but there was going to be a grandchild in seven months. He didn't have to worry about not having a grandchild anymore. Ironically, his grandchild's existence did bring on a whole new set of worries. Kevin was worried about his own baby girl; he wanted nothing more than for his children to be happy. He didn't see how Katie could be completely happy with the stress of having and raising a child by herself. "Are you keeping the baby?" Marcie asked her daughter with concern. Katie smiled, "Yeah, I'm keeping her. There's no way I could stand the thought of someone else raising her, and I'm certainly not getting rid of her." Marcie returned her daughter's smile; she had been pretty sure that Katie was keeping the baby even before she asked the question. Her mind was full of questions — all of which would not have easy answers. She decided to start with a rather simple one. "How long have you known?" "I've known for sure for about four days, but I've known with out really knowing since she was conceived," Katie answered, a light smile on her face. Marcie smiled at her daughter, "I was the same way with Kim, Kyle, and you. I knew I was going to have you before the doctor gave us the word. When is this little thing going to be born?" the older woman asked another question, excitement in her voice. "Sometime around January 21st," Katie gave the requested information. "You know, it seems so far away." Kevin, who had been fairly quiet, spoke at that point, "It's really not that far away. Just make sure you sleep a lot between now and then. After the baby's here, you won't get to sleep for a very, very long time," he remarked with a big smile. His mood then became more concerned, although he was still in good spirits. "How have you been feeling?" "Not real well," Katie replied. It was an understatement. Kevin made a face; he didn't like for his kids to be sick. He supposed that there was really no way around Katie being sick, though. "Morning sickness?" Marcie shook her head. "I remember that. Ugh," she sympathized with her daughter. "I threw up twice with Kyle, and then with you girls... It was terrible, let's just put it that way. How much have you been sick?" "A lot. Every morning for about 6 weeks. At first I tried to convince myself it was the flu, but......" Katie explained. Marcie sensed that there was more to the story, but she didn't want to push it just yet. Instead, she asked another question, "How about everything else?" "Well, I get tired real easy, have to go to the bathroom a lot more than usual, I've fainted a couple of times, I get dizzy when I get hot, and I'm having some pretty unusual food cravings," Katie rattled off the list of symptoms that had been bothering her. Katie leaned back in her chair and gave her mother a smile, which she returned. Her mom and dad seemed to be quite happy with the news. After a few moments of companionable silence, Marcie spoke again, her voice thoughtful, "I bet you're having a girl. They say that the worse the morning sickness is, the more likely it is that you're going to have a girl. You know, my morning sickness with you and Kim was just about like yours. Just wait until it starts hitting at other times..." "You mean it gets worse?" Katie groaned. She thought she'd already paid her morning sickness dues. "Unfortunately, yes," Marcie said, trying to sound as soothing as possible. "So, do you want a boy or a girl?" Kevin asked his daughter the question he'd been dying to ask. Katie grinned. "A girl. I definitely want a girl. I really think the baby is a girl too. Besides Mom's little theory, I just have this feeling that she's a girl." "Oh, I hope so," Marcie said excitedly. "All those cute little frilly dresses." "Yeah," Katie echoed her mother. Marcie decided that it was time to move onto the tougher questions. There were some serious issues that needed to be discussed. She decided to ask the most simple and nonthreatening question she could think of. "What are you going to do about work?" Katie let out a little sigh; when her mother's demeanor had changed, she had thought she was about to ask the daddy question. Although she knew they would have to find out eventually, she didn't mind putting it off a little while longer. She looked at her mom, dad, and then Kim. Katie then began to talk. "Well, If it's possible, I'm planning on staying home with her until she goes to school." "I thought you wanted your own command?" Kevin asked a question of his own. "I do, eventually. It's just that I want to be the very best mother I can possibly be, and to me, that means being home with her when she's little," Katie explained. "What about money?" Kevin asked another question. "We're going to live in the house, and the baby's father as been more than gracious about offering financial support," she answered, avoiding using Ben's name. "Are you going to get married?" Kevin inquired. "He wants us to. I just don't know if it's the best thing for us. We don't exactly get along all the time," Katie responded, trying to delay revealing the baby's father's identity. "Oh," Marcie remarked, slightly dejected. She had hoped that her grandchild's father was the man who could make her daughter happier than she ever imagined. A man who would take care of his baby and her mother. "Just who is this guy?" she questioned, trying to be as mild as possible. "When are we going to _meet_ this guy?" Kevin asked his own question. Katie groaned inwardly; things had been going so well. She wondered why her parents had to spoil it by asking questions that they weren't going to like the answers to. Her mother had been very disappointed and angry at Ben for hurting her daughter like he did. The usually even-tempered Kevin Hitchcock was not one to hold a grudge, but he did hold one against Ben for what he'd done to his baby girl. Now, Katie was carrying his child. It wasn't going to be easy news for them to accept. Katie felt trapped, like a deer paralyzed by the lights of an oncoming car. She knew that she had to answer her parents' questions and that there was noway around it. She tried to steel her nerves once again. Katie looked into her mother's hazel eyes, then into her fathers sapphire gaze which mirrored her own. Then she found her voice."You know him," Katie quietly stated. "We do?" Marcie questioned, a puzzled expression on her face. Then, in an instant, she had a gut feeling she knew who the father was: Ben Krieg. She'd figured that her daughter still had some feelings for Ben, but she hadn't thought that they were _that_ strong. She tried not to let on about her realization. She was both shocked and surprised. Ben's lack of paying attention to Katie had caused them to divorce. Katie had once said she'd never forgive him for it, but apparently she had. Or had at least come close. "Who?" Kevin asked for clarification. He had an equally puzzled expression on his face. Katie looked over at Kim, wishing that her big sister could somehow rescue her. Kim's eyes were shut and her hands were clenched; she knew what was coming next. Then Katie glanced at her mom. Although Marcie was trying to cover it up, her eyes told it all. She _knew_ her mom knew. Katie's heart was beating wildly; she could feel it thumping in her chest. She had never dreaded saying something so badly. She swallowed hard, then forced herself to tell her father her the identity of her baby's father. "The baby's dad is Ben. Her daddy is Ben." With those words spoken, Katie could only watch and wait for her parents' reaction. Marcie had buried her face in her hands. Kevin on the other hand, had turned beet red and looked as if he was shaking with repressed fury. "Ben? As in Ben _Krieg_?" Kevin questioned, his voice full of contempt. Katie nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes, he's her dad." In shock, Marcie uttered a single word, "How?" Katie looked over at her brother's picture again, hoping that his face would be comforting. It wasn't. She just wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face. She didn't know where to begin. When Katie said nothing, Kim spoke up for her sister. "Mom, Dad maybe _now_isn't the best time for you to hear this." Kevin looked over at his eldest daughter, "You knew, and you didn't tell me? Incredible....." "Don't push it Daddy, please don't," Kim pleaded on her sister's behalf. She wanted to spare Katie as much grief as she could. Katie spoke at that point. "Kim, it's okay. I might as well tell them now." "Okay," Kim said sincerely. Katie struggled with words, then she began to speak. "About two months ago, probably more like two-and-a-half, Ben and I were on shore leave together, and I agreed to go out to dinner with him just as friends. I guess I ended up letting my guard down..... After supper, we went to his hotel room; he wanted to show me some pictures of his nephews. And it just happened, okay? Then we decided to try to give our relationship another go. I ended it two weeks later. It wasn't because he'd done anything it was just that I got scared," Katie quietly told her parents of the short-lived reconciliation. "And you know the ironic thing? I had morning sickness for the first time the very next morning......" Katie added. Marcie wanted to ask if she and Ben had any plans of reconciling once again, but she held her tongue. Instead she only made a single comment, "Oh, Katie honey...." Kevin could feel his blood boil. Although Katie had said that the relationship had been mutual, he couldn't help but feel that that creature had taken advantage of his baby girl again. Kevin jumped to his feet. "Alright, I'm killing him now," he boomed with anger as he made a bee-line for his gun case, knocking over a chair in the process. When he reached the cabinet, he pulled out a shotgun and began to load it. "If that, if _he_, ever comes here, I'll blow him to pieces." He looked over at Katie, who was in a state of shock. She hadn't thought her father would be as mad as he was. Both Marcie and Kimberly jumped up at the same time and made an attempt to calm Kevin. It didn't work. "And you're not planning on letting him see this baby, are you?" was his next question "Yes, I am. I think he'll be a good father," Katie calmly answered her father. "Good grief, Katherine Michelle. You know that that child's going to grow up to be some sort of scheming con artist if its father has any influence on it." Immediately, he knew he'd said too much. Kevin normally didn't lose his temper, but when he did, he tended to say things without thinking about the consequences. "Kevin Hitchcock!" Marcie angrily scolded her husband. Her father's words stung Katie, and pushed her to tears. "I can't believe you!" Katie said through her sobs. "This is _my_ baby too, you know! You don't think I'm going to have some sort of influence on her? Besides, she deserves to know her daddy. And I know that he's hurt me before, but I still love him. This baby might be the one thing that makes him grow up and think about someone besides himself." She sobbed for a few moments, then she felt Kim put a hand on her shoulder. Katie looked at her father, then jumped up and started for the door. "It's nice knowing I can count on you for your support," she sarcastically remarked to her father as she walked past him, Kim on her heels. Kevin and Marcie just stared at each other as they listened to the angry, heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs, and then Katie's bedroom door slammed shut. "Kevin, I cannot believe what you said," Marcie angrily began. "Marcie, I didn't mean to..." Kevin trailed off. There was remorse in his eyes. "You should have thought. I know you're still mad at Ben, I am too, for the record, but Katie is your daughter. She needs you, us, more than ever right now. Look, I know how you feel about Ben, but obviously she still has feelings for him. We wouldn't have a grandchild on the way if she didn't," Marcie said in a hushed tone. "I know that he broke Katie's heart once, but maybe he deserves a second chance, Kevin. This baby could turn him around. He's bound to have grown up at least some over the last seven years. There's a big difference between being 21 and 29. I think that if Katie does decide to give things with Ben a second go, and _if_ he proves that he's changed, that we should forgive him." Kevin looked over at his wife, "I guess you're right, but he hurt her so bad. I just don't think that I can ever forgive him. I'm not like you, Marcie..." "Everyone deserves a second chance...even Ben. Kevin, look, it isn't easy for me to say it, but he does." Marcie tried to convince Kevin to look at things from a different angle. "He just hurt her so bad..." Kevin said quietly, his voice full of pain. "I know, Kevin, I know. But maybe, just maybe, this baby will change him. It changed you," Marcie remarked. Kevin nodded his head. He had been quite the playboy until he had met Marcie Whitaker on that fateful Christmas Day in 1984. He'd had a sick cow, and thankfully, Dr. Salinger had been willing to make a house call. He'd brought his young, new partner, freshly graduated from Vet school in the spring of 84', with him. The rest was history. They were married a year later, and two years after that, their son was born. He had been followed a year-and-a-half later with Kimberly, and a year-and-a-half after Kim, Katie had been born. Kevin let out a sigh, "I suppose you could be right, but..." "No matter _what_ Katie decides about Ben, we have to be there for her. Besides, you don't want your grandchild to be born out of wedlock, do you?" Marcie gently questioned. "No," Kevin replied. "You know what you should do? You should go upstairs, give Katie a big hug, and tell her that we're behind her all the way. Okay?" "Okay." Kevin echoed. **************************** Kim laid a hand on her sobbing sister's trembling shoulders. "Katie, it's okay. I'm sure he didn't mean it," Kim gently tried to soothe her sister. Katie lifted her head from the pillow she had it buried in, "He probably won't even love this baby, even though it's his grandchild. He won't be able to get past Ben being her father." "Katie, you know better than that. It's just your hormones getting the best of you," Kim tried in vain to make her sister feel better. "Besides, Daddy was just running off at the mouth. He'll calm down." "Even if I decide to work things out with Ben, Daddy won't forgive him," Katie complained. "What about you two?" Kim asked. "Have you decided anything yet?" "No, nothing yet. If I decide that I want to give marriage another shot, he's going to have to prove that he's changed and has changed for good," Katie told her feelings as tears continued to run down her cheeks. "It can't be easy to decide...." Kim trailed off. She felt bad for her sister. "It's the hardest thing in the world. Part of me wants to just say, 'Yes, I love you! Let's get married and be a family.' But I just can't do that. How would I know that he wouldn't do an about face in six month's time and just put the baby and I on the back burner? If I decide to do this, he's got to prove that he'll be there for me and this little one." "Do you think he can change?" Kim questioned Katie. "I don't know I _hope_ so. I think that he has changed some. And he really seems serious about settling down for good, and I'm sure he has the best of intentions, but he's Ben..." Katie trailed off. "I'm sure things will work out in the end. It's all part of God's plan," Kim tried to encourage her sister. "Maybe so," Katie echoed in agreement through her tears. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door. Then, it opened, and Kevin entered the room, followed by Marcie. He quietly walked over to the bed, and sat down beside his crying daughter. Katie was lying face down on her bed. Katie felt her father touch her back; she didn't want to talk to him again at that moment. He was the last person in the world that she wanted to see right then. "Go away," she mumbled. "I don't feel like another fight." Instead, he began to speak. "I'm sorry about what I said before. I just lost my temper. You know how I feel about him..." Kevin stopped, not knowing what to say next. Katie turned over and looked her father in the eye. She waited for him to speak again. He didn't let her down. "Katie Michelle, your mother and I, and Kim, are all going to be here for you during this. We won't desert you, I promise." Katie offered her father a shy smile. "I'm glad to know that. I've got a lot of things I've got to sort out mainly I've got to try to figure out exactly what I want to happen between Ben and I." "I'm sure you'll do what you think is right. And if Ben changes, and does settle down to be a family man, I'll just have to accept it," Kevin said in a soothing voice. "You don't know how much that would mean to me," Katie whispered. Kevin gave his daughter a gentle smile as he brushed the tears off of her tear-stained cheeks. In a gentle voice, he began to speak, "You know, it's going to be nice to have another little cowboy or cowgirl in the family." Katie nodded; her father's words were making her feel better. Suddenly she felt very safe. Her family's presence gave her a comforting feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. Quietly, she spoke, "I love you. All of you." "I love you too, honey," Marcie and Kevin told their daughter in unison as Kimmy nodded her head in agreement. Marcie and Kimmy then joined Kevin and Katie on the bed, and the Hitchcock family shared a large hug. They could always count on each other. ********************** "Hey, what's wrong with you?" Ortiz teasingly asked Lucas as he let out a yawn. "How late did you go to bed last night?" Lucas shook his head, "It's not how late I went to bed, it's what time I got up. Or should I say, what time I was _woken_ up," he added, his voice hinting at annoyance. "Who woke you up?" Tim O'Neill asked as he stabbed a slice of cucumber with his fork. "Lt. Cmdr. Hitchcock," Lucas replied. "You shouldn't have broken into her med record," Ortiz remarked, slightly scolding. "I know, I know. But how did I know that Darwin wasn't confused? Imagine if Darwin had been wrong. You know, Ben could have been in worse trouble than he is now," Lucas tried to defend his actions. "What exactly happened?" Ortiz asked another question. "She knocked on the door, and woke me up. I was having a nice dream about a very pretty girl too," Lucas lamented before continuing. "I thought it was urgent, so I told her to come in. Then she gave me a good _talking_ to about exactly why medical records are private, then she started in on men and how immature they are." "Lucas, medical records _are_ private," O'Neill reminded the team. "She gave you a hard time?" Ortiz chided. Lucas nodded his head, "A very hard time." "Ah, it's just the hormones and stuff. You know how pregnant women get. Ouch." Ortiz shook his head, sympathizing with Lucas. "She was not in the best of moods," Lucas began confidentially. "The second I said 'come in' she just burst into the room, like she owned the place. She was pretty hot under the collar. Whew...." Lucas said with a grimace, making the scolding sound worse than it really was. "Katie's one of my best friends, but she is a pregnant woman. Who knows what those hormones are doing to her......" Ford added his two cents. "Let's get serious here for a minute," O'Neill spoke up, "What do you think is going to happen between Ben and Katie?" Ortiz shook his head, "I was hoping they'd work things out for their baby anyway, but after this morning, who knows?" "I don't know," Ford began. "He hurt her pretty bad, and their marriage wasn't the happiest, especially toward the end." "Fighting and stuff?" Lucas innocently asked. "Yeah," Ford said quietly. He didn't offer any more information. "You know, everyone seems to think that they should just get married, but a child isn't going to be happy with parents who fight all of the time," Lucas spoke from experience. His parents' constant arguing and bickering had not made him the happiest of children. He deeply felt that his parents, and himself by extension, would be much better off and happier if they were divorced. "Sometimes, as much as two people love each other, it's better that they're apart. Even if they have a kid." Ortiz nodded in agreement. "I can see where you're coming from, but I think that if they could work things out they'd be really happy." "Do you think it's possible?" O'Neill wondered aloud. "You knew them back when they were married. What do you think, Jonathan?" Ortiz questioned his friend. Ford tilted his head to one side in a half-shrug, not wanting to share too much of his friend's personal life, "At one time, Ben made Katie very, very happy. But he changed _a lot_ when they got married. I'm not sure if Katie would be able to trust him not to change again, but if he did change back, and stayed that way....." "It would be possible," Ortiz finished. He then glanced across the mess at the table Ben was sitting at, alone. Ben looked positively miserable. "He sure looks miserable enough. I bet he'd be willing to do anything to prove it to Katie that he's changed," Ortiz voiced the thought that had crossed his mind after taking the appraising glance at Ben. Ben was sitting at a table on the far side of the mess, his untouched supper in front of him. He was slouched in his chair, his chin propped on his hands. "Do you think that a baby will change him?" O'Neill pondered aloud. "I don't know. Stranger things have happened," Ortiz gave his answer. Ford shrugged again before answering, "Maybe. If there's anything that's ever going to change him, it will probably be this. I won't believe it until I see it, though." "He looks pretty bummed out," Lucas remarked, glancing over at the man who was like an older brother to him. "I would be too, if I were him," Ortiz said sympathetically. "It has got to be hard on him. I imagine it about killed him when Katie left this morning." "It just about has," O'Neill quietly commented. It was obvious that Ben was in terrible shape. He appeared to be in a state of total shock and disbelief. "Do you think he'll be okay?" Lucas asked quietly. He was worried about Ben. He'd never seen Ben in such low spirits, and it was beginning to scare the teen. "Not until he sees Katie," Jonathan remarked. "How soon do you think that will be?" Ortiz questioned. "As soon as he can get his leave cleared and track her down," Ford gave a straight answer, not divulging Katie's location. "It will probably be at least a couple of weeks, though. It's not a medical leave like Katie's was. And, fighting with your child's mother isn't considered a major emergency." "He is not himself at all," O'Neill began. "Did you see him on duty this afternoon? He was all business no mischief, no funny business. I don't think it has a thing to do with his promotion either..." he finished. "Maybe he'll actually be able to stay out of trouble while he's on duty," Ford said, his mood changing from serious to almost mischievous. "And speaking of work," he continued, "It's about time for us three to be getting back to the bridge." Ford indicated himself, O'Neill, and Ortiz with a sweep of his hand. "I suppose so," Ortiz said, half groaning. "I hate the evening shift," he added, half teasingly, as he and the others climbed to their feet. Before the small group could disperse, Lucas spoke up, his voice full of concern. "Do you think he'll be alright by himself? Maybe I should stay here and try to talk to him......." Lucas wondered aloud. "I don't know, Lucas," Ford replied. "He may just need some time to be alone and sort out his feelings." "He's probably not in the mood to talk either," O'Neill backed Ford up. "I know I wouldn't be," Ortiz echoed. "Okay," Lucas agreed. There was doubt in his voice. He thought that Ben could use the company. "Trust me on this Lucas," Ford tried to reassure the teen. "Now, let's get out of here," he said, pointing towards the door. "Tim, Miguel, and myself have to get back to work, and I'm sure you can find something to do." Lucas reluctantly followed the others; however, before leaving the mess, he cast one last glance at Ben. "You are in bad shape, my friend," he said under his breath as he turned and left the mess. ****************************** Ben ran a gentle finger over the photo that he had pulled out of his wallet. 21-year-old Katie smiled back at him. He desperately wished that he was holding _her_ in his arms, rather than holding a picture of her in his palm. Ben wanted nothing more than to hug her close, whisper into her ear that he would love her and their child for always and forever, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. That they were going to better than okay that things were going to be great. Instead, Katie was thousands of miles a way, in Cody, Wyoming. No one had to tell Ben where Katie was going he'd figured it out by himself. He knew that Katie turned to her family when she needed comfort and support, and her family was in Cody. "At least you're not alone, my love," Ben thought to himself. "But you've got me, too. Even if I wasn't always there for you when we were younger, I am here for you now. And I promise to be." He knew Katie couldn't hear his thoughts, but it made him feel a little better to think them. He closed his eyes and thought of the two phone conversations he'd had earlier one with his parents, and the other with his sister. As expected, initially his parents had been happy about the baby. Then, they found out the state of Katie and Ben's relationship. They'd asked if Ben and Katie were getting married, assuming that they were. When Ben told them of the events that had transpired, they seemed disappointed. Then came the advice: go after her and do whatever it takes to win her back. His older sister Stephanie's reaction had been different. She had been glad that her brother would get to experience fatherhood, and as she put it, he'd get paid back for all the crap he'd put his parents through with his endless scheming and mess-making. Then the long discussion about his future. She'd told him to make sure his emotions didn't cloud his judgement that what the heart wanted was not always best. She'd gone on to say that if he did want to have a future with Katie that he was going to have to grow up and grow up quick. Then she gave the some more advice: she'd thought he had grown up a little since the failed marriage, and was capable of more change, and to go after Katie and prove it to her that he had changed. It was exactly what he was planning on doing. The only problem was that he couldn't go after her at least not immediately. His request for an immediate leave of absence had been denied, and it would be at least two weeks before his personal leave of absence request would be approved, if it was approved at all. Bridger had told him that maybe it was a good thing, that Katie needed time and space to figure out her own feelings, and that Ben himself probably need it too. Ben knew how he felt; he didn't need time to figure it out. He sighed in desperation and buried his head in his hands. Meanwhile, Tim, Mig, and Ford were passing by the mess, on the way back to their quarters after the evening shift. As he passed by, Mig looked into the mess. He was surprised to see Ben still sitting at the table he had been at earlier. "Hey, guys!" he called in a whisper. "Ben's still in the mess." "You're kidding," Ford whispered. "Maybe we _should_ talk to him. This moping isn't doing him any good,"O'Neill remarked. "I don't think it'll make things any worse." "An intervention of sorts?" Mig questioned. "Yeah," he replied. Ford peered into the mess, deciding that his two friends were probably right: that they needed to talk to Ben. "After you," he instructed, pointing inside the mess. The three men filed into the room and walked over to the table where Ben was sitting. Mig was the first to speak, "Ben, do you want some company?" he asked. He didn't know what kind of reaction to expect. Ben looked up, a blank expression on his face. "Sure, why not?" he replied blandly. Reluctantly, the others pulled up chairs and sat down. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Ben spoke. "You know, just when you think that you're about to get your life on track, bam, it just derails." Tim, Mig, and Jonathan exchanged concerned glances. The Ben Krieg they were talking to was not the Ben Krieg that they knew. "Ben, are you okay?" O'Neill worriedly asked. Ben looked at his friend with wide eyes. "Sure, I'm okay. I'm just fine. It's just that the woman I love the most, who's carrying _our_ baby, left on a launch this morning. I'm just dandy," he sarcastically added. His eyes then acquired a far away look. "You know, I love her so much. I don't care how many times I told her otherwise, I fell in love with her the moment I first saw her, and I haven't stopped loving her since. It's like I _knew_ she was the one I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." "Does she feel the same way about you?" Ortiz quizzed. "Oh, yeah. I know she loves me. You know, we were back together for two weeks...." Ben trailed off. Tim and Mig were surprised to hear of the two week relationship. They'd had no idea. "Two weeks....." "Yeah. It all started back in Pearl Harbor. We went out to dinner, things went a wee bit to far...We decided to give us another try the next day. We kept things so quiet didn't want to let anyone know until we knew if things were going to last. Then two weeks later, she says she's scared and calls it quits again," Ben shared the barest of details of their short-lived second romantic relationship. No one knew what to say next, so the small group just sat in eerie silence until Ben spoke again. "You know, gentlemen, if you're ever lucky enough to find a woman who makes you happier than you deserve to be, don't spoil it. Don't be this suave gentlemen from the time you meet until you say I do, then think that your work is over, and just do a 180 on her. It gets you nowhere except split city... I took it all for granted, and I lost her... Man, we were so young. Neither one of us knew what it took to make a marriage work." Ben paused for a second. No one said anything, so he went on. "No one should get married until they're at least 28. Before then, you're still trying to figure yourself out. I wasn't ready to be married then, and I was so gung-ho about getting married then that I did so too early and ended up wrecking our relationship. I suppose both of us did, when it comes right down to it, but I think that I'm more responsible for the way things turned out than Katie was. I couldn't give her what she needed, so she took it out in little ways. I don't think it was really crooked rugs and dirty clothes that bothered her, but that I up and changed on her. I got the girl and didn't want to be bothered with the upkeep of the relationship. Why did I stop sending her flowers, and giving her back rubs, and why did I stop listening to her? It's almost like I deserted her. I _did_ desert her..." Ben stopped talking and looked at his friends, waiting for a reaction. "You're right about that," Jonathan began. "You did desert her. I know you were young, but that was no reason to hurt her like you did," he scolded. Ben nodded, "I know that, I do. And if I could go back, I would do things differently. Now, I just want the chance to make things up to her." "It's not going to be easy," Jonathan reminded him. "I suppose you're right about that." Ben agreed. Tim glanced at Ben, then he began to speak. "Ben, can I ask you something?" "Sure," Ben answered, tilting his head slightly. "Are you really sure that you want to work things out with Katie?" Ben sighed, then nodded. "Yes, I've never been so sure about something before. I'm ready to settle down and be a daddy and husband now. With this baby on the way, it's all that I can think about. All the scheming and on-the-side businesses just don't seem worth it anymore. They can't take the place of Katie or our child." "So, you're ready to settle down?" Ortiz asked, almost incredulously. This definitely wasn't the Ben he knew. "Yes, absolutely. You know, ever since I found out that Katie's pregnant, I've been having this little fantasy. It's just Katie and I and this perfect little tiny newborn nestled in her arms. All of a sudden, spending time with Katie and our child is much more appealing than wheeling and dealing. Most of the stuff that I've done in my life seems so infinitesimal now." Ben stopped to collect his thoughts. "When I stop to look at my life I guess that knowing you have a baby on the way makes you do that I look back on all the mistakes and dumb stuff I've done, and I realize that most of the stuff that I've done was purely pointless and insignificant. Then I think about the baby. That tiny little life that's growing inside Katie represents the future. To me, our baby is a second chance a message from God saying 'you were meant to be together'." Tim smiled at Ben's words, "The Lord knows what's best, and maybe your baby is just that a second chance." "I hope so," Ben said with a sigh. "But first I have to convince Katie of that." "I heard you're going after her," Miguel said off-handedly. "Yeah. I'm going after her. As soon as I can get that leave cleared," Ben answered dejectedly. He would have left that morning if he could have. "Do you have any idea where she's at?" Miguel probed. "I know where she's at," Ben confidently replied. "You do?" Jonathan asked, a puzzled expression on his face. He hadn't told _anyone_ where Katie was going, and he didn't think Bridger would tell anyone either. "She's in Wyoming with her parents. It didn't take me long to figure it out. She said she needed to go somewhere to think. I _was_ married to her for a year, and I practically lived and breathed her for three years before that," Ben expounded, noticing the expressions on his friends' faces. "Are you sure that's the best thing to do?" Jonathan questioned. "She needs some space to think." "I know that she does, but I just can't turn my back on her, and to me, not going after her would be turning my back on her. Do you have any idea how worried I am about her? God forbid, what if something happened to her or the baby?" Ben explained his feelings. "Ben, I'm pretty sure its difficult..." Jonathan was only able to say a few words before he was interrupted. "It's _excruciating_. I want to be by her side more than anything in the world right now. I would give anything to be able to give her a big bear hug and kiss and tell her things are going to be okay. She's bound to be scared I know I am. I know she's not alone that she's got her family but I am pretty sure that she really doesn't want to not be married. I think that when it comes right down to it, despite her insecurities, that she wants us me and her to raise our baby together, as husband and wife," Ben gave his point of view. Jonathan was awestruck by Ben's maturity; he'd forgotten that Ben was capable of reading Katie like that. It had been a long time since Jon had seen Ben make such a serious attempt to understand Katie's thinking. Jonathan took a moment to consider his words, then he offered his opinion, "Ben, I talked to Katie before she left this morning, and she is very, very confused right now. I don't think that she's really sure exactly what she wants yet. Just give her some space to figure things out for herself, okay? Don't try to push her." Ben pondered Jonathan's words for a silent eternity. Finally, he spoke, "I guess you are right, but it's hard for me to go against my instincts. I just want her to know that I care..." Ortiz chose to offer a couple of words of wisdom of his own, "I'm sure that she knows how much you care about her. I know that there's no way I can see things from your perspective, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give her some space. I'm not saying not to go after her because I would probably do the same thing if I were you but at least try to give her the time until you get to Wyoming." Ben nodded, understanding what his friend was saying, "Not call her or anything. I don't know if I can do that..." "Just try, okay?" Miguel said encouragingly. Ben looked down at his watch and checked the time. "Look guys, I'd really love to stay and chat, but I need to make a call." After exchanging looks with each Miguel and Jon, Tim piped up, "Who are you calling?" "Don't worry, it's not Katie." Ben answered, noticing his friends apprehensive tone. "I'm calling my lawyer in California." "Why?" Miguel asked in a puzzled tone. "I'm going to have ownership of my half of our house and property transferred to Katie, no strings attached," Ben answered as he climbed to his feet and turned to leave the mess, leaving the three other men to their inquisitive looks. We're still hoping that yesterday will get better. Aqua Valley Farm cows@midwest.net Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 13:21:43 -0500 (CDT) From: cows@midwest.net (Dottie Brundige) To: seaquest-ff@escapenet.org Subject: (SQFF) Baby Steps; part 4; 2/2 Message-Id: <199707161821.NAA06333@cdale3.midwest.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit And here's the second section....... Katie glanced shyly around the crowded waiting room. The tastefully decorated room was full of mothers-to-be, most of whom had been accompanied by their husbands. Katie watched as one husband placed his hand on his wife's belly, undoubtedly to feel their child kick. She then looked to the far side of the room; a young couple, who looked to be around her and Ben's ages, we're holding hands, giving each other reassuring glances. With a jealous sigh, Katie tried to turn her attention back to the magazine she was pretending to be flipping through. She wished for a moment that Ben was there, holding her hand, but he wasn't. She was there alone; she wasn't supposed to be, but it was the way things happened. Jace had invited Kim to go with him to take a load of sheep to Cheyenne that morning, and she'd accepted. Then, Marcie got called out on an emergency at the Doughty's Goat Farm just as they were walking out the door. When left to choose between going alone, and going with her father, she'd chose to go alone. There were just some things that she couldn't share with her father. Katie put down the magazine that she had been looking through and picked up the latest copy of "Parenting" magazine. She scanned the table of contents and quickly chose an article to read. Katie was thumbing through the magazine, trying to find the page that the article of interest was on, when she heard the waiting room speaker crackle to life. "Katherine Hitchcock." "Well that was quick," Katie commented to herself as she put down the magazine and gathered her purse and jacket — it had turned oddly cool for early July and made her way to the door that led to the examining rooms. As soon as she made her way through the door, she was greeted by a warm, friendly middle-aged nurse, who was eager to talk. "This must be your first time here," the nurse chattered. "Is this your first one?" Katie smiled and nodded. "First one," she confirmed. "I notice you didn't bring anyone with you," the nurse tsked. "I guess Daddy couldn't get off of work today." Katie glanced away from the nurse, suddenly wishing she were talking to anyone but that particular nurse. She knew that the nurse was only trying to be friendly, but she still couldn't help but feel like asking the nurse to please stop asking such personal questions. Instead, Katie tried to be as polite as possible. "He's in the UEO Navy and is in the South Pacific right now," she answered, not giving the whole story. "Ah," the nurse shook her head sympathetically. "Well, let's go into examine room 2 and get some of the preliminary things out of the way." Katie followed the nurse into the room. After taking Katie's pulse and blood pressure, weighing her, and asking numerous questions about Katie's medical history, the nurse left the room with instructions to change into an exam gown and wait for Dr. Haskins. After what seemed to be an eternity, Katie heard a knock at the door. Expecting it to be the doctor, she called for the person to enter. The doctor was the first to speak, "You're the last person I expected to see here," the red-haired, green-eyed doctor said as she enveloped Katie into a small hug. Katie returned the hug. "Ally, I couldn't think of anyone better than my almost sister-in-law to be my doctor." Both woman exchanged sad glances, both of them thinking of the life that had been cut tragically short. Kyle had seemingly been blessed: good looks, amazing academic ability, and a gift for basketball. He'd played on a full scholarship at the University of Kentucky during college and had gone on to lead U.K. to 3 consecutive national titles. After college, he'd played for the Chicago Bulls, and had been named Rookie of the Year. He seemed to have a bright future; not only was his basketball career on track, but his personal life as well. Ally had been his high school sweetheart and had followed him to U.K., and then to Chicago, where she'd gone to medical school. Two weeks before he and Ally were to be married, it all came to a tragic end. He had drowned trying to save a child he had never met before from drowning. Katie and Ben had only been married for 3 months when Kyle had drowned. In fact, Ben had been the one who had told Katie of her brother's death her parents had been too distraught and had asked him to do it. She'd had a navy training drill that day while Ben had had the day off his group had done the drill the day before. Katie had been exhausted when she came in that day — ready to fall into bed and into a deep sleep. When she came in the house, Ben greeted her with a huge bear hug. Then he'd told her that he had some news some very bad news that she needed to hear from him before she heard it anywhere else. They'd sat down on the couch, and after what seemed to be an eternity, he told her. Katie didn't remember much of that night from that moment on except Ben holding her. Almost eight years later, it was still a fog. Almost simultaneously, Katie and Ally pushed the sad thoughts to the back of their respective minds and turned their attention to subject at hand; Katie's pregnancy. The doctor was the first to speak, "I do have to admit that I was kind of shocked to learn the news. You and Ben being divorced and all." Katie nodded, "News sure does travel fast. All you have to do is tell my Aunt Melanie, and the whole town knows." Ally smiled; Melanie Hitchcock-Martin was the biggest gossip in all of Cody, Wyoming. If the woman heard something, she had to tell it. "Pardon me for asking, but what exactly happened between you two? The last I had heard, you weren't on the best of terms," she gingerly asked. "No, I don't mind you asking. We're practically sisters," Katie reassured Ally. Despite the three-year age difference, they had been quite close growing up. "It is a pretty private subject. I didn't know how much you wanted to say on it," Ally quietly remarked. "Well, it just kind of happened. We went out to dinner one night during a shore leave, and well, you can guess the rest of it. We were back together for two weeks we didn't tell anyone about the relationship, though. Then I broke it off, and after that..." Katie trailed off. "You found out you were pregnant," Ally finished. "Yeah," Katie replied. "I assume that you're not getting along well, considering you're here and he's on the seaQuest," Ally cautiously continued. "Not exactly." Katie responded. "Somehow, he found out I was pregnant a couple of days before I told him and he didn't tell me he knew. Besides that, he kept trying to pressure me into marrying him..." "But you're not sure it's the best thing?" Ally took a guess at what her friend was getting at. "Exactly. You know how he up and changed on me. He says that he's changed and is ready to grow up, but I'm not sure that I can trust him," Katie explained. "I understand. I don't think I would have been able to trust him, either," Ally agreed. "To tell you the truth, though, I'm not really sure what I want: part of me wants to believe him, to believe that everything will work out between us, but the other part keeps telling me to be cautious and not to let him pressure me. That's part of the reason why I'm up here to figure out what I want," Katie confided in her friend. "Home is always the best place to be," Ally said thoughtfully. "Besides, you being here does have another advantage," she playfully continued. "What?" Katie questioned, one eyebrow raised, and a smile on her face. "I get to take care of you!" Ally cheerfully answered. "I can think of nothing more wonderful than delivering Kyle's niece or nephew. I'm not sure if I'll be able to, though," she finished somberly. "Why not?" Katie asked, puzzled. "I may be transferring to Los Angeles. Lawrence Fisher, who's the head of obstetrics at UCLA right now, wants me to work on a drug study. It deals with a new drug that might make it possible for women with severe diabetes to have children without it causing kidney damage," Ally explained. "It sounds like it would be interesting, and it would help a lot of people, like Kimmy." Katie offered her opinion, her voice hopeful. "That's what I was thinking. Oh well, at least I can take care of you now." Ally changed the subject. "I read the initial report from the UEO doctor, and she said that things looked good." "That's what she told me," Katie said with a smile. "We better get going with this appointment," Ally began. "First off, how have you been feeling in general?" "I've been more tired and fatigued than usual, and the morning sickness has been pretty bad," Katie answered. Ally nodded her head. "All of which are to be expected. What about weight gain?" she asked in a professional tone. "I've gained a couple of pounds which is really surprising to me since I can't seem to keep anything down anymore. It was just in the mornings until I got here, but over the last week, it's gotten to where I head for bathroom anytime anyone's cooking anything with a strong smell," Katie explained with dismay "The farther along you are in pregnancy, the more hormones you have in your blood stream. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of that can be increased nausea," Ally explained with a sympathetic smile. Her voice took on a teasing tone, "It won't last too long four or five months at best..." "Oh, that's terrific news," Katie sighed, smiling bleakly at her friend's attempt at humor. "If it gets too bad if you can't keep anything down at all we may have to put you in the hospital for a day or two to get some fluids back into you," Ally warned. "But if you're gaining weight, even a little, that means you're probably getting enough nutrition to the baby," she continued brightly. The doctor asked another question. "How about food cravings?" Katie smiled, "Definitely having those. I keep having a craving for a pizza with pineapple and extra cheese in the worst way. I also seem to want blueberry muffins and cheesecake, too." Ally made a few notes on her chart, then stood up. "I'm going to have my lab technician come in and draw blood." Before she could continue, Katie spoke up, "What kind of test are you going to be running?" she asked, her voice concerned. "I'm going to check the Rh factor, check for rubella antibodies, and do a Fetal Cell Screening." she quickly answered. "Fetal Cell Screening?" Katie questioned. "I didn't think that genetic testing was done on woman under 35." "They didn't use to. But the FCS is so quick and since blood is being drawn anyway, it's become a pretty common test," Ally answered. Noticing the nervous look on Katie's face, she continued, "I'm sure that there's nothing to worry about. You're only 29. One thing to look forward to is that you'll probably know the gender, if you want, before you go home." Katie grinned at the thought; she didn't care for waiting until the baby was born. She didn't buy any of the 'you won't be surprised' nonsense; Katie believed that it would be a surprise no matter when she found out. Noticing that Ally was grinning as well, and waiting for her to say something, Katie spoke up, "I'd love to know the gender. I've got my fingers crossed for a little girl." "You never said growing up, but I'd always figured that you'd want a girl," Ally remarked, remembering their childhood. "Look, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm already backed up. I'll be back in a little while to examine you, though. Until, then you've got blood work to keep you busy..." Ally trailed off, remembering her friend's fear of needles. Katie knew what Ally was thinking, "I'll be okay. I'm a big girl now," she added with a smile. "Okay, whatever you say," Ally said teasingly as she shut the door behind her. *********************** Forty-five minutes later, both the exam and the blood work were over with. The two woman were having a question and answer session with Katie doing the asking and Ally doing the answering when there was a knock on the door. At the sound of the knock, Ally jumped up in a rush. Noticing Katie's expression, she gave a quick explanation, "They've probably got the blood work done. I told them to bring the results to me as soon as they got finished." Katie smiled in anticipation as Ally went to retrieve the results. In just a few second's time, she would know for sure if her instincts had been right. Katie said a quick, silent prayer, "Dear God, please let this little baby be a girl, but most of all, please let it be healthy." At the sound of the door shutting, Katie opened her eyes to find Ally grinning a grin a mile wide. Knowing that Ally would not be smiling if anything had been wrong with the blood work, Katie immediately asked the one question that had been driving her crazy: "Well, what is it?" "A girl," Ally replied. Katie could feel the tears of joy coming to her eyes. "A little girl. I' m getting my little girl," she quietly, yet excitedly, whispered. Deep down, she known all along that her instincts were correct. ************************** Ben smiled contentedly as the vid-link screen went black. It had cost a fortune, but he was glad he'd done what he had called the Cody, Wyoming Pizza Hut and ordered a pizza with extra cheese, pineapple, and a pan crust. "Katie, Darlin, I hope you enjoy your pizza," Ben said aloud, although there was no one in the room and there were thousands of miles between himself and the person he was speaking to. He had just slipped his credit card back into his wallet when he heard a knock on the door. He called for the person to hang on, and then opened the door to his cabin. Lucas was standing on the other side. "You wanted to see me?" he asked in a puzzled voice. Ben nodded his head, "Yes, come in." He gestured for Lucas to go into his cabin. Lucas stepped through the door, and was greeted by an unusual sight. Ben's cabin was absolutely spotless; nothing was out of place. Noticing the shocked look on the teen's face, Ben offered an explanation, "I've been doing a little cleaning." "I'll say," Lucas said as he looked around the room again. The Ben Krieg in front of him was not the Ben Krieg that he knew. Ben's behavior had changed dramatically since Katie's departure two weeks earlier; it was almost to the point that Ben was starting to scare people. He no longer created trouble, and he no longer tried to work his sense of humor into everything that he did. Ben had definitely not been himself. "The place needed it," Ben remarked. Then he changed the subject, "You're probably wondering why you're here?" "Well, yeah," Lucas replied a little uncertainly. "I don't need all those videos and magazines anymore, and I thought you might like them," Ben explained. Lucas grinned, "Thanks, man." "Don't mention it. I thought that you would like them," Ben said with a wry smile. "At least you're not totally gone," Lucas thought to himself as he approached the small table that his new possessions were sitting on. Lucas started to look through the stack, but a pile of books caught his eye. "What to Expect When You're Expecting, 8th edition? What Every Father Needs to Know? Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby?" Lucas questioned. "I've been doing a little reading," Ben answered. "Where did you get all these?" Lucas asked. "I got Dr. Westphalen to pick them up when she went up world last week," Ben replied. Lucas decided to let the subject drop. "If you don't mind, I think I want to get back to my room," he said as he picked up the thick stack of magazines and videodiscs. "I understand," Ben said with a grin. "Besides, I've got a few calls I need to make." "Okay, whatever," Lucas called over his shoulder as he left the room. ********************* Katie pulled her sister's black Chevy Camaro into its spot inside the garage, put it into park, and cut off the ignition. She had just climbed out of the car when she heard a car horn honk. At the sound of the loud noise she turned her head to see a Pizza Hut delivery truck coming to a stop. Katie walked towards the delivery boy, wondering _why_ he was delivering a pizza. Before she could say anything to the delivery boy, he spoke up, "I have a pizza for you, ma'am." "You do?" she asked, completely befuddled. "Yeah, pan crust, extra-cheese, and pineapple. It was ordered by a....Mister Ben Krieg. He paid for it when he ordered it," he said, looking down at the slip of paper attached to the box. Katie couldn't help but smile at the gesture. She did have to admit that it was a very sweet thing for him to do even though she was sure he had ulterior motives. Katie reached out and accepted the pizza from the delivery boy's hands. After saying thanks, and giving a small tip, Katie turned and went to the house to enjoy a piece of the food she'd been craving. No sooner than Katie had gotten settled down with a piece of pizza, she heard her father's voice echo through the house, "Katie, are you home?" "Yeah, Daddy," she called back. "I'm in the living room." Within moments, Kevin had made his way into the living room. "Where'd you get that?"he questioned, noticing his daughter's snack. Not wanting to set her father off, Katie simply replied, "Long story." Kevin didn't say anymore on the subject; instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an official-looking letter. "This came for you today." Katie wiped her hands on a napkin, and accepted the letter from her father. "Donald Smith, attorney-at-law," she read from the envelope. "That was Ben's lawyer," she said, her voice concerned, as she carefully opened the letter. "What does he want now?" Kevin angrily questioned, thinking that Ben was about to sue for custody. Katie quickly skimmed over the letter. Almost in tears, she quietly spoke, "He had his half of the house and property signed over to me." "Huh?" Kevin asked, puzzled. "He would do something like that?" Katie read from the letter, "Dear Katherine, Ben has chosen to sign his half of the property and house that you jointly owned at 235 Tompkins Road, Malibu, California, to you. Please return the enclosed forms signed and initialed in the designated places." "Well, I'll be...." Kevin trailed off. Maybe he _does_ care about her, Kevin speculated in spite of himself. "He's giving the house to me," Katie said quietly. Although she was extremely touched by Ben's gesture, she felt like she was about to cry. "Are you okay, honey?" Kevin asked out of concern. "Yeah, I'm okay," Katie distractedly replied. "Well, I've still got some work I need to get done outside, so I'm going to go back out," Kevin said gently to his daughter. "Okay, Daddy," Katie responded. "Come out to the barn if you get lonely," Kevin said as he patted his daughter's shoulder. He then left for the barn, leaving Katie to her thoughts. She found herself missing Ben very, very badly at that moment; she couldn't help herself. In the two weeks she'd been in Wyoming, she'd been struggling with her feelings about him. Some days, she tried to convince herself that there was no way they could be married again; they weren't compatible, he was a child, how could she trust him? Then, on other days, she found herself wanting to marry him again for the sake of their child at least. For as long as she could remember, she'd been taught that being married to your child's husband was the only acceptable, moral thing. Then there were her feelings for Ben. There was no way Katie could deny that she had romantic feelings for Ben that she_ loved_ him. That part of Katie wanted them to be married again to be a real family. More often than not, Katie found herself missing Ben, wishing he was with her. Most of the time, it was late at night, or early in the morning, although anything could trigger it. She missed him when it was late at night, and was wishing that she was snuggled into his shoulder, talking about the child they had created. She missed him when it was 6:00 in the morning, and she was so sick she couldn't stand it. It was at those times she wished that he was laying beside her, rubbing her back and whispering that he loved her. At those times, she knew that all she had to do was call him, and he'd be there as fast as he could. In fact, she'd actually dialed the number twice, but each time, she'd stopped herself. The practical side of Katie would jump in and convince herself that she wasn't ready to talk to him yet, so she wouldn't make the call. Katie was having one of those internal battles at the moment. Ben's gestures had been very sweet, and had touched Katie deeply, especially the house. The property was worth a considerable amount of money, and Ben usually wasn't the one to turn down an opportunity to earn cash. "You must really care about us a lot to do something like that," Katie remarked to the empty room. Most of all, there were the residual feelings from the visit to the doctor that day. She'd wished that he'd been there with her; holding her hand, sharing her excitement and anxiety. Katie tried to imagine what the look on his face would have been when Ally told them they were having a little girl. She supposed that he would have been a little disappointed, but awed too. Katie protectively placed a hand on the tiny bulge that was starting to develop, "I suppose we should call your Daddy, and tell him that you're a little girl, but I don't think I'm ready to talk to him yet, sweetie." Katie sighed; there was no way she was ready to face him yet. She had no definite answers for him, and until she had them, she couldn't talk to him. No matter what sweet gestures he had made, or what good news she had for him. Although she had talked herself into putting off the phone call for the mean time, Katie was still completely confused. "Oh, little one, what are we going to do?" she quietly whispered as she allowed the tears that had welled in her eyes to fall. ************************ "But it's been three weeks, sir," Ben complained to Captain Bridger, who was seated at the ward room table. Bridger sighed, "I know it has been, but your paperwork was misplaced. It'll probably be another week." "Another week?" Ben questioned as politely as he could. He was trying hard not to lose his temper. "I know it's hard, Ben, but these things take time. I am sorry that your paper work was misplaced, but maybe it was for the best," Bridger philosophically stated. "It's given Katie time to think. If you would have gone after her immediately, she probably would have slammed the door in your face! Maybe she'll be ready to talk when you do get to Wyoming." "Hopefully..." Ben trailed off. "Is there any way to speed this up?" "Unfortunately, no," Bridger replied. "Every request is treated the same." "I suppose they are, sir," Ben begrudgingly agreed. "It's just that being away from her is torture." "I'm sure it must be. I remember how much I hated being away from Carol when she was going to have Bobby," Bridger sympathized. "Sir, it is a bit different," Ben began. "You and your wife were married, and Katie and I aren't..." he finished. "You are right about that," Bridger agreed. "I'd really like to change that before the baby is born, and the only way I can do that is to prove to Katie that I'm capable of taking care of her and the baby and not just financially, but emotionally as well. I can't do that when there are literally thousands of miles between us." "You're probably right," Bridger remarked in agreement. Bridger considered the younger man's situation for a moment, then he shared what he had thought of. "Tell you what, Ben: there may be something that I might can do to speed things along. No promises, though." After hearing the Captain's words, Ben began to grin uncontrollably. "Thank you, sir. You don't know how much this means to me." ************************ Ben smiled as he picked up the framed photo beside his bed; it was one of Katie and himself, made shortly after they had become engaged. Neither one was looking at the camera, but both were smiling staring directly into each other's eyes. It was one of Ben's favorite pictures. "I wish you were looking at me like that right now." Ben said to the photograph. The previous 3 and a half weeks had been nothing but torture for Ben. He worried constantly about his Darlin, and their little baby. His only break from worrying came from work. He had submersed himself in it as a way to occupy his time until he could get off the boat and to Wyoming. He knew that there was no way he would feel better until he knew how they were doing. Ben had heard absolutely nothing from Katie. He'd expected her to call after he sent her the pizza, or after she'd received the papers from the lawyer, but she hadn't. He'd considered calling her, despite what his friends had told him, but he'd thought better of it. Ben knew that his call would probably be intercepted by one of Katie's parents or her sister. He wasn't exactly their favorite person, and knew that he would just be wasting his time. Ben sighed in exasperation; there had to be a way to let Katie know how much he cared about her and the baby and that he was thinking about them. He thought for a few moments, then an idea hit him; have a song dedicated to her. With a gleeful smile on his face, he jumped up and placed a call to the oldies station in Cody, Wyoming. Just as soon as he finished placing the call, he heard a knock at his door. Ben was quite surprised to find Captain Bridger standing on the other side. "Sir, is there a problem?" Ben asked, thinking the worst. "Not at all," Bridger said with a smile. "You're leave of absence has been approved. Tomorrow morning, there will be a launch to take you to shore." Ben was grinning hopelessly, but he was able to acknowledge what the captain had said. "Thank you, sir. You have no idea how happy this makes me." ****************************** "I look four months pregnant, and I'm only three," Katie complained to her mother and sister as she examined her image in the full length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. Marcie smiled, "It's the Whitaker curse. You show early, are bigger than you're supposed to be, and end up being as big as one side of a barn by the time it's all over with." "That's something to look forward to," Katie groaned. "But then, you'll give birth to this tiny baby. The biggest baby ever born to a woman with Whitaker blood was 6 pounds 14 ounces," Marcie tried to make the "curse" sound better. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Katie questioned. "None of my jeans fit anymore." "Didn't Aunt Melanie bring all of Macy's maternity clothes over here after she got done with them last year? There were a lot of nice things, if I remember right," Kim said, hoping to be lucky. "Yeah, she did," Marcie confirmed. "We'll look for them tomorrow, though. I'm beat. Why can't _any_ of the Murphys keep a hold of any horse of theirs? I went to give that mare an injection, and she was gone." "I don't think they really care," Kim commented mildly. "You've seen the way they keep those horses." "I know," Marcie said with a sigh, "I ought to turn them into the Animal Protection Agency for abuse. They feed them, but they sure don't care about keeping that barn in good repair, and they're not exactly always patient with them..." "That's just terrible," Katie added, making a face. She loved horses and hated to hear of any one treating one badly. Marcie stood up and headed for the door. "If its alright with you, I'm going to bed." "Good night, Mommy," both Kimmy and Katie coursed together, trying not to laugh. Marcie shook her head, "Sometimes, I wonder about you two," she said teasingly as she slipped out the door. As soon as their mother had left the room, Katie flipped on the radio, tuned it to the local oldies station, and stretched out on the bed. "I love oldies music." "Me too," Kim agreed as she traced designs on the plush turquoise blue carpeting with her finger. "Oldies music is definitely the best. Give me Bryan Adams and George Srait over Kelly Roberts or The Gear Smashers......." "You know who else likes oldies?" Katie asked quietly. "Ben," Kim answered. "Why don't you call him? He's pulled a lot of crap, and I'm not planning on ever letting him forget it, but maybe the guy's ready to change." "You, giving Ben the benefit of the doubt?" Katie said in almost mock surprise. "What's happened to you?" Kim grinned, "Nothings happened to me. I still think he's a toad of the highest order, but maybe he's got some potential... You know that potential could be developed with a little bit of discipline," she added wryly. "What are you thinking?" Katie asked, a bemused smile on her face. "Nothing like a little slave work, that's all," Kim innocently replied. "Hmmm," Katie remarked as an evil grin formed on her face. Kim spoke again, but her voice was serious. "Katie, are you any closer to deciding what you want to happen?" Katie stared at the ceiling and sighed. "I honestly don't know. I go back and forth between thinking that we should try to fix our relationship and thinking that it's a terrible idea — that it will never work." "I know you still love him," Kim matter-of-factly stated. "Yeah, I love him, and he is my baby's father..." "But that's not enough," Kim finished. "No, it's not. There's the trust factor, too. What I thought I had married was not what I got. I do admit that he has changed some since then, but he still acts like such a child sometimes," Katie shared part of her feelings. "The pizza and the house were sweet," Kim remarked. "More than sweet," Katie corrected her sister. "I literally don't have a thing to worry about when it comes to financial matters and the baby. The house is paid for, and he's offered to pay for everything else. I feel guilty about it, though." "Why? It's his baby too, and he wants to take care of you and her," Kim gently scolded. "I think he cares about you." "Yeah, but..." Katie stammered. "I know he hurt you, and didn't pay attention to you, and didn't want to spend any time with you after you'd been married for six months, but I think he cared about you." "I guess he did care..." Katie agreed. "He was young and stupid. It's been proven that 18-21-year-old males are the most collectively ignorant group of people in the world. They only have one thing on their minds. I'm not saying what he did was right, because it was about the most down right stupidest, most hurtful thing I've ever seen, but you never know with these guys..." Kim offered her opinion. "You're right about that..." Katie trailed off, deep in thought. Suddenly Kim sat up, and blurted out, "Katie, do you know how lucky you are?" "Me, lucky? I'm pregnant with my ex-husband's baby. How is that lucky?" Katie answered. "I mean the baby, Katie," Kim clarified. "Oh, Kimmy, I didn't mean to be insensitive," Katie groaned. "I wasn't thinking." "It's okay, it really is, Katie. You're not exactly in the best of situations. But, in six months you're going to give birth to a baby girl. You're going to get to be a mommy. I'm not going to get to do that," Kim said, almost in tears. Katie considered her words carefully, then spoke. "I know how lucky I am, Kim. I really do she's healthy, and I know that no matter what happens between Ben and I that she's going to have a Daddy who loves her very much." Katie stopped for a few seconds before continuing in a hopeful voice, "You could be a mommy though — and a wife, too." "Katie, I don't want a child if it's not my own. If I can't give Jace that....I don't see any reason in marrying him," Kim said, trying to get her sister to understand where she was coming from. "Jace loves you so much, Kim," Katie reminded her sister. "I know, Katie, and he's said that he wouldn't mind in the least bit if we adopted, but..." Kim spoke in almost a whisper. "You know, Ally said they were doing research on pregnancy in severely diabetic women. She said they're real close to developing a drug that won't harm the baby and will keep the woman from sustaining severe kidney damage..." "Really?" Kim asked, cheered by the thought. "Yes, really. She said it'll be within the next couple of years. You won't be to old to have a baby in 3 years. You'll only be about 33..." "That would be nice," Kim said with a smile. Katie was just about to speak again, when the radio D.J. spoke up, "It's midnight, Cody, Wyoming, and we have a song dedication. This one goes out to Katie from Ben. He says that he loves you, is worried about you, wants to prove that he's changed, and wants to work things out. Sounds like a real sweetie.. From 'way back in 1997, here's Bryan Adams with, 'I'll Always Be Right There'." Kim and Katie were only capable of giving each other surprised looks as the song began. I swear to you -- I will always be there for you -- there's nothin' I won't do I promise you -- all my life I will live for you -- we will make it through Forever -- we will be Together -- you and me Oh 'n when I hold ya -- nothin' can compare With all of my heart -- ya know I'll always be -- right there I believe in us -- nothin' else could ever mean so much You're the one I trust Our time has come -- we're not two people now We are one Ya, you're second to none Forever -- we will be Together -- a family The more I get to know ya -- nothin' can compare With all of my heart -- ya know I'll always be -- right there Forever -- we will be Together -- just you and me The more I get to know ya -- the more I really care With all of my heart -- ya know I'll always be -- Ya know I really love ya -- ya, nothin' can compare For all of my life -- ya know I'll always be -- right there When the song ended, Katie was in tears. "Our song..." Kim got up off of the floor, and sat down beside Katie on the bed. As she wrapped an arm around her little sister's shoulders, Kim whispered, "You've got to let him know something." Katie nodded, "I know. But I can't call him just yet." "Katie..." Kim trailed off. "I just need some more time, Kim. I haven't decided anything yet," Katie pleaded with her sister. "Katie, you're going to have to talk to him sometime," Kim tried to reason with her sister. "I know, Kim, I know. I just need a couple of more days," Katie said in a whisper. "I'm not trying to pressure you, okay?" Kim spoke in a soothing voice. "You need to get ready to do it soon, that's all. He obviously knows _where_ you are, and if you don't say something, he'll be up here, and things probably won't go on your terms." "I know what you're saying, and you're right," Katie agreed with her sister. "I just need a little more time." ******************** The late afternoon sun was streaming in through the windows of the Hitchcock's large attic. Kim, Marcie, and Katie were poring through its contents in search of maternity clothes and other baby keepsakes that Marcie had saved from when her children had been babies. "Oh, Mom, I can't believe you kept this!" Kim exclaimed as she lifted a lop-sided clay pot from a box. She'd made it the summer she and Katie had decided that they wanted art lessons. "And this?" Katie questioned as she pointed to her third grade science project. "What can I say? I'm sentimental," Marcie explained with a smile. "I think I found something," Kim said as she lifted a box labeled 'Baby stuff.' Kim picked up the cardboard box and carried it over to where her mother and sister were sitting. After Kim had taken a seat on the floor as well, Marcie opened the box. The first thing that she took out was a tiny pair of cowboy boots. "These were Kyle's," she said fondly. "Kevin found them in a little shop downtown," Marcie recalled. "Oh, look at this," Katie squealed as she lifted a tiny pink dress from the box. "It's _so_ tiny." "I know. That's what you wore home from the hospital," Marcie smiled at the memory. Then, she reached into the box and pulled out a different pink dress, "And this one was the one that you wore home, Kim." Kim smiled, "I can't believe that we were once that little." The three women sorted through the box, Marcie telling the stories behind all the outfits. Afterwards, they resumed their search for more boxes. Katie noticed an unlabeled box sitting in the far corner of the room. Curiosity overcame her, and she decided to take a peak into the box. Katie couldn't believe her eyes when she pulled out the first item; it was a framed photo of her and Ben on their wedding day. They were standing on the front steps of the church, Ben's arm wrapped around her slender waist. Katie was staring directly at the camera, smiling, while Ben's eyes were lovingly focused on Katie. Katie ran a finger down the glass, admiring the way her wedding gown had hung on her body and the way the bottom of the dress blew in the wind. Then she stared at 21-year-old Ben, handsomely dressed in his white dress uniform. They'd been so happy that day. They had thought it would last forever that day. Katie carefully laid the picture on the floor and picked up a photo album. It contained more pictures of herself and Ben--candids from their wedding. Each picture brought back happy yet painful memories. Painful in the fact that things had gone so terribly wrong. Noticing that Katie had become quiet, Kim walked over to see what she'd discovered. "Oh, Katie," she groaned as she realized what Katie had found. "It's okay, Kim," Katie reassured her sister with a smile. "If I hadn't wanted to look at them, I wouldn't have." She turned another page, and sighed, "We were so happy that day. I thought it would last forever." "You're thinking about him," Kim remarked. It was a statement, not a question. "Yeah," Katie said matter-of-factly. "Are you any closer to deciding anything?" Marcie gently asked, coming up behind her daughters. "No, not really. I try to think about it, but my feelings end up getting so mixed up..." Katie have a brief answer. Katie turned the pages of the photo album, stopping to admire pictures along the way. When she got to the next-to-last page, she stopped turning and her eyes focused in on one picture. It was one of her and Ben dancing, except it was not a usual new-husband-and-wife-dancing photo; Ben was holding his cousin Andrew's daughter, Sarah, who had been their flower girl. That picture, and the memories that it brought back, deeply affected Katie. In one moment, she knew it was worth it. "Mom, Kim. I know what I want. I want to try to work things out with Ben," Katie said aloud before she could change her mind. She climbed to her feet before Marcie or Kim could say anything and went to make the call. After dealing with several layers of UEO bureaucracy, Katie was patched through to the seaQuest. The first person she spoke to was O'Neill, who was more than surprised to receive the call. He hadn't expected her to call, and he told her so. "Katie! I didn't think you'd be calling us so soon." Katie smiled, "I've had some time to think, and I'm ready to talk to Ben. Is he where he can talk right now?" Tim sighed dejectedly, trying to figure out exactly what to say to Katie. Finally after a few seconds he answered, "Katie, he has taken a leave of absence. He left this morning, and is probably on his way to Wyoming where he says you're at." "Yeah," Katie confirmed. "What time did he leave, and where are you at?" "We're off the California coast right now. He took a launch into Los Angeles this morning at about 7. He said he was going to run by his place, and then start driving," Tim relayed the details of Ben's departure to Katie. "If he got into Los Angeles at nine, and say it took him an hour to go by his place, and it takes 16 hours to drive, and accounting for the time difference..." Katie began to figure. "He'll be to your place at 2 a.m.," O'Neill supplied the answer. "Two a.m.," Katie repeated quietly. "Tim, I'd love to talk, but I'm sure that you need to get back to work, and there are some things I need to take care of," she said slowly and convincingly. After saying their goodbyes, Katie went to the kitchen to talk to her waiting family. They were most definitely going to be surprised. If you have any questions or comments, let me know! E-mail me at cows@midwest.net We're still hoping that yesterday will get better. Aqua Valley Farm cows@midwest.net