The Pain of Humanity
Seven tried to do as the Doctor told her but found that the discomfort was increasing with every breath she took. Chakotay paced back and forth on the other side of the bio bed, waiting for the Doctor to make a diagnosis.
"Well? What's wrong?" he finally demanded. The Doctor looked at him and closed his tricorder.
"She's going into labor."
"What?" it had escaped both their lips simultaneously.
"I told you that multiple fetal pregnancies carry some risk of early delivery. You're about 37 weeks so they'll be just fine."
"We are not prepared."
"Try to relax and take deep breaths. I'm going to give you an anesthetic." He quickly prepared the hypospray and administered it. The pain and discomfort of the contractions lessened instantly. Chakotay slid his hand into hers and gave it a firm squeeze.
"Try to stay calm."
"I am." It came out through gritted teeth. This had not been what she was expecting. Deep down she was scared of what this meant; the changes it would bring, the possibility that something could go wrong. Neither had noticed the Doctor walk off until he returned with two nurses.
"I'm going to need some help with this delivery."
"How far along is she?" The Doctor checked his scans.
"She won't begin pushing for another few hours."
"Hours?" Her tone had taken on anger.
"You can't rush these things, Seven." She simply glared at him and breathed through another contraction.
"I'll be back to check on you in half an hour." He and the nurses left Seven and Chakotay alone.
"I…I am scared."
"I know this is frightening but it will be fine. You're in good hands. And I'm not going anywhere."
"What if something goes wrong?"
"Nothing is going to go wrong."
"It already has. They are not due for three more weeks."
"Well, I think they've decided it's time now. Two votes to one."
"Your attempt at humor is lacking." He just leaned over and kissed her forehead. She tried to close her eyes and rest a little, something deep inside her telling her she would need all the energy she could muster in a few hours. She was semi-conscious when the Doctor returned to examine her.
"Good, things are moving along surprisingly fast for a first time mother."
"Doc…is there anything I can do to help?"
"You can coach her when it comes time to push."
"I have to admit, this threw me for a loop. And we all know how much Annika loves unexpected events."
"Well she seems to be adapting well enough." Just then, she gave a groan as a contraction waved through her body. Her eyes opened and her hand reached for Chakotay.
"I'm right here. You just rest." She caught him trying to hide a smile.
"You're smiling"
"I guess I am…I'm excited…and nervous. To hear your child cry for the first time…is supposed to be an amazing feeling."
"Perhaps you can experience it for both of us. I believe I will be busy with other tasks." He just gave her hand another squeeze.
"So who do you think will be born first?"
"Taya. She is positioned lower."
"I thought from the scan a few days ago that Nik had moved lower."
"No. He is still above her."
"Well you'd know best." She cracked a smile of her own.
"Seven." She looked over at the Doctor.
"Yes?"
"You're going to experience some increased pressure. I'm going to break your bag of water You'll feel the contractions more fully and you should be able to start pushing. Her hand tightened to an almost iron-like grip around Chakotay's when the pressure built and then subsided. The momentary ease was soon replaced by much stronger contractions. She did her best to breathe through it.
"That's it, nice and slow."
"You have to push," Chakotay whispered against her cheek. She turned all of her attention to the task at hand. She wasn't sure how, but it seemed her body knew what was expected of it. Her entire world became the contractions. She could vaguely hear Chakotay urging her on.
"I'm right here with you." A kiss on her cheek, a squeeze of her hand. They felt minuscule compared to the pain in her stomach. And then…
"I see a head." Seven lay back against the pillow, exhausted.
"You've got to keep pushing."
"You push then."
"Annika, look at me." She turned her head and their eyes met.
"You can do this. You're almost there." He stroked her hair and helped her to sit up again.
"Good. Another one like that and we'll have our first baby." She bore down as hard as she could, squeezing Chakotay's hand all the while until it turned bright red. As she began to lean back from the contraction she felt an odd sensation. It was as if something had been lifted, or rather pulled from her and the pain seemed to lessen.
"It's a girl." She smiled tiredly at Chakotay.
"You were right."
"Commander, would you like to cut the cord?" He pulled his hand from Seven's and took the instrument the Doctor was holding out. Just as he severed the link between mother and child, the newborn gave a loud cry. Both Chakotay and Seven found themselves smiling in awe.
"Can I hold her?"
"For a moment. We've still gone another baby to deliver and I think Seven's going to need all the support she can get."
Chakotay took the squirming baby from the Doctor and held her close to him. A nurse handed him a blanket and he gently wrapped it around her.
"She's beautiful," he breathed, taking a few steps backwards to show Seven.
"She has your eyes." After a moment or two more, the nurse reappeared to take the baby and clean her up.
"Alright, are you ready to meet your son?" As if on cue, another contraction hit and Seven was enveloped in the process once more. She clung to Chakotay as if he were the only thing keeping her going, feeding her the energy to keep pushing.
"You're almost there," the Doctor assured her.
"I can see his head. He's got a lot of hair." Seven could only nod briefly before she felt the need to push. Some five or so painstaking minutes later, Nik joined his sister in the world. He gave a loud squawk as well when Chakotay cut the cord. He was allowed to show Seven before the other nurse whisked him away. The Doctor turned his attention to final bits of the birthing process and in no time, Seven was resting comfortably. She looked drained but she wore a smile nonetheless.
"You did it." She tried to sit up but Chakotay placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her still.
"I want to see them." The nurses seemed to have been waiting for such a declaration because they brought the newborns over, wrapped warmly in blankets.
"Two very healthy babies, Congratulations."
"Thank you, Doctor." She held both children to her chest, gazing into their watery, sleepy eyes. She had done this, she had brought these two lives into existence. In that moment she felt fully human, as far from her Borg past as she could get.