Baby blues (Beginning)

Posted on Wed Apr 1st, 2020 @ 4:26am by Lieutenant Verdeath Newmark & Ensign Nhallia Newmark

1,253 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Food for the Gods
Location: Newmarks Family Quarters

ON:

Nhallia swayed and sang softly. Her daughter had fallen asleep on her shoulder several minutes ago, but Nhallia hadn't yet put her down, just enjoyed for a little longer holding her and singing to her. Her heart was filled with such a joy that went past contentment, past bliss, and she lived each moment like this as if they would never end.

It was only when she finally started to get hungry that she gently laid the baby down in her crib and scampered back to the dining area to throw together a nice meal. A large salad with cheese and egg and some chickpeas for protein tonight maybe, she thought... Nothing too heavy, and stay away from some of harder to digest vegetables, which always seemed to give the baby gas. No broccoli or cauliflower for instance, not for several months now, and not for several more.

Still humming, Nhallia put together her dinner so she could eat before nap-time was over.

Verdeath had a long shift as he was working the physicals for the crew and with a ship the size of the Calypso it does take time. It was a long shift without a break and he had to skip lunch to keep up with the flow and his Breakfast was a replicated sandwich and coffee on the fly.

"Hello Love, I am back, finally." He sigh and walk up behind his wife and ran his fingers along her shoulders. "How is Mommie doing?"

She smiled back at him. "Maisha is wonderful," she said using the Nuvian word for mommy that they were using instead of the English one, which Nhallia wasn't comfortable with. "And so is Aurea. She's down for a mini-nap before she wakes for dinner, so I thought I'd get mine while could."

"Make enough for two?" He nuzzled her neck a bit.

Nhallia reflexively snuggled back into the arms that came around her and began to relax under the caresses. She wasn't even aware of her body doing it as she gave a little sigh. "I can if you want one. Chef salad with chickpeas instead of ham and chicken," she described what she was making for herself.

"I think I'll go replicate a hoagie." He moved away.

She laughed softly. "It's not that bad. Packed with vitamins, minerals, lean protein, and healthy fats; add a little fresh fruit for dessert and it's an almost perfectly balanced meal, Doctor," she teased.

"You did not offer the fruit desert.... mean wife." He called up his sandwich and he wished he had a real beer as this is not the first time today she forgot he existed in a manner of speaking.

He was becoming used to being number two of late.

"You only get dessert when you eat your dinner, Baba," she called over her shoulder as she drizzled the dressing over her salad and took her first bite.

Newmark put his meal down and walk past to take a look at the sleeping baby, then came back to the table and sat.

"If only we all could just be so contented, eat and sleep." He joked. "The bliss of youth."

"Oh, but Baba, we are so busy all day," Nhallia claimed as she brought her bowl to the table. She glanced at his sandwich and barely refrained from rolling her eyes. If there was half a lettuce leaf on it, she would be surprised. "We have music time, and then we have playtime, and tummy time, and dance time, and reading time, and after dinner we'll have a little bath. Every day is busy-busy for the little bee."

"Good to know we are having a good time with her." Newmark complemented.

Nhallia put her fork down and reached across the table to squeeze his hand for a moment and her smile showed a comfort and confidence and calm that she never thought she'd experience having to do with having a baby. "We are. She's amazing. I never thought..." she tried to explain but couldn't.

"That is a look every Doctor hopes to see on a new mother." He admitted and return the squeeze.

Newmark knew what was happening and that it was normal; and like most doctors, he is his worst patient as he knew so well it made him feel guilty. When he married her she did not want children in any form and it took a brush with death to convince her the fears she had of having children were exaggerated. She is a good mother and his being jealous of losing time with her is normal by text book Psyc 101 it did not make it easier on him.

She leaned forward to kiss him, standing up out of her chair to get across the table enough and brushing her lips softly to his.

Newmark moved to meet her lips.

The tiniest whimper came from the other room, and Nhallia jerked her head up, honing in immediately on the little sound. "Aurea!' she called as she pushed away from the table and was immediately at the crib, scooping Aurea into her arms. "I'm here, my little love. Maisha's here. What does Maisha's little love need?" she murmured soothingly as she started to check for all the baby needs. Hot or cold, twisted a sleeve around her arm, gas... she started running down the checklist of things she could fix.

"Leave her..." He quietly suggested with an undertone. "It will come to bite you of you move at every noise; she will cry when she needs."

Nhallia didn't respond as she kept checking... finding the problem with a dirty diaper and carried Aurea over to the changing table. "Did you say something?" she called put to the dining room between talking to the baby as she changed the diaper.

"Nothing of consequence obviously." He said as he decided it was time to just eat.

She paused for a second and leaned back a little to she could glance over her shoulder and out the main room. A little frown crossed her face, but quickly disappeared as she turned back to a gurgle from Aurea. "Now, you normally don't wake up until dinner time. Are you hungry already?" she asked as she traded her shirt for the large, soft house-coat she preferred to wear when breastfeeding and went to the rocker there in the nursery. "There you go, my hungry tonight," she murmured as they settled into feeding.

Newmark ate his sandwich and moved to the doorway to watch his family; Nhalla was a beautiful sight and as a mother just made her nearly irresistible. Her jumping up at every noise; he had heard enough stories to conclude this is a bad thing.

"You know she did not have a chance to cry, which is good for her lung development." Newmark pointed out. "She needs to learn to express herself."

"She needed her diaper changed and feeding," Nhallia countered gently, rocking back and forth.

"You know if you contour to her too much she might get spoiled?" Newmark mentioned. "And that means a fussy baby later?"

"Verdeath, it's food and a clean diaper, I hardly call that spoiling her," she answered, looking up for a moment and frowning.

"I will let you do it your way, Love." he put his hands up in surrender. "Enjoy the time with her." He said then backed away.

Nhallia continued to frown after him, confused, until a squirm and a whimper called her attention back to Aurea.

TBC

 

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