Baby's Day Out (Extended Cut)

Posted on Mon Aug 24th, 2020 @ 9:39am by Ensign Nhallia Newmark & Lieutenant Verdeath Newmark

2,992 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Storm
Location: Arborium

ON:

Nhallia smiled as she picked Auria up and settled her into the simple cloth sling the baby rode in while they went out. “Ready for a little walk? How about the arboretum? I have a blanket and a few toys, so we can play in the fresh air. How does that sound, Little Love?” she asked as she slung the small bag of baby things over a shoulder. Nhallia didn’t carry huge diaper bags, but preferred smaller ones with only the bare necessities in them. One change of diaper supplies and one burpcloth rather than the huge stacks that other women carried. She didn’t stay out long enough to need more…

Besides, she couldn’t carry Aurea and a huge bag at the same time. The smaller tote allowed her to carry the baby in the sling easily.

Baby in sling and little outing bag over the other shoulder, Nhallia stepped out into the hallway.

Coming around the corridor with his small Med kit on his left side, the uniform was still comfortable; he had taken the earlier shift so he could be home and with his Girls earlier than usual. He knew that Nahallia would not be expecting him .

"Hallo Love." Newmark came from an intercept direction.

Nhallia drew up short and looked up at him. “Baba,” she said, obviously surprised to see him. “What are you doing home so early?”He was supposed to be on duty for another several hours; Nhallia had thought she and Aurea had more than enough time to go out and be back before he got off work.

"I went in early for a medical call and get to leave early so I came home to spend time with my girls." He said with aq grin. "Where are you taking the Little One?" He asked. "Arboretum or Holodeck?"

“We were going to go for a walk in the Arboretum and have some playtime there.”

"Like to make it a family day?" Newmark suggested.

“Oh,” she said, surprised and taken a little off guard by the suggestion. “Yes, if you want to come along.” Nhallia looked down at Auria. “What do you say, Little Love? Can Baba come play in the Arboretum with us? Would you like that?” she asked cheerfully.

"I do miss my Ladies when you are not with me." He lean to kiss the baby and then his wife. "Missed you."

Nhallia adjusted the angle she was standing at give him easier access to Aurea’s cheek for his kiss, then her own. “We’re happy to have Baba come play with us, aren’t we Aurea?” she said with a smile at the baby as she started off down the hall.

"Next time I will call ahead." Newmark began. "I could carry the baby and give you a break."

“I’ve got her settled pretty well at the moment,” Nhallia said. “After we get to the Arboretum and she’s out of the sling you can take her.”

"Aurea and I might take a little stroll and just see the pretty flowers and let someone get some relaxation for a bit?" Newmark said with a smile. "You do so much you deserve a break for a bit." He winked.

“I’m fine, I don’t need a break,” she said quickly, completely confused at why he would even offer such a thing. Did he think she needed a break? Why would he think she needed a break?

"Love, everyone needs to just relax. It is a medical fact. So just rest and enjoy the moment as she gets older you will be really wanting of breaks soon enough." They were coming close to the destination.

“Aurea and I are just fine, thank you, I do not need a break,” she repeated clearly, frowning at him just a bit.

"Why do you make it sound like what I am trying to give you is bad?" Newmark asked. "Getting a respite is normally thought of as a treat. I try to give you time for all your passions and yet you do not seem to appreciate the efforts?"

“Baba, what are you talking about, who asked for a respite?” Nhallia countered as they walked into the Arboretum. She headed for an open area of grass and set down the small diaper bag, kneeling next to it and pulling out the small blanket she’d brought for Aurea to play on.

It was not hard; his emotional reflex was eight knuckles cracking as he took a breath, he could not understand why he had to spell it out.

"Nhallia; when was the last time you wanted to practice your piano or have a jam session with the Girls?" He shook his head. "That was something deciding to break up rather than wait until after the tour ended, now you never seem to touch the keyboard anymore?"

She stared up at him. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She better not be hearing what she thought she was hearing. Her tour? The one she and girls has been ordered on and transferred into a different department for? What did that have to do with anything? “Excuse me?” she asked, her hands speaking a fraction of a second before her voice.

"Music was your passion, it was a major part of your life and now I do not hear that beloved voice just coming from your heart as you do things anymore." Listening to you and the girls laughing in the next room. The life that came out from the your adopted family." He shrugged. "The baby will enhance our lives, not be everything because she will live with us and be part of our lives, not compartmentalize ourselves."

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she said with a sigh and a shake of her head. She loosened the sling slightly and pulled Aurea out, smiling at the baby as she was laid down on the blanket. “Aurea and I sing all the time. Don’t we, my Little Love? And I’m still on maternity leave- there’s plenty of time to get back to rehearsing later,” she said with a little wave of her hand.

"Can you go back?" He asked. "And when was the last time you let the girls see Aurea?"

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know- whenever it was they had time to come over last,” she said dismissively. Her hands started talking again with her voice. “Baba, we came here to get Aurea some fresh air and outside play time before her nap. I thought that’s what you wanted to do, too.” Her words were getting short and clipped and just a little louder and her hands were snapping in quick, sharp motions.

Aurea started kicking and making little frustrated noises as she reached up at her parents.

Newmark reach down and picked up his daughter; looking into her little eyes he could not help but smile. "Let's have a small party." He said out of the blue.

Nhallia sat back on her heels suddenly, thrown for a loop at the sudden suggestion. “A party?” she echoed. “What- what brought that up?”

"I miss family." He grinned in that odd way. "Have not had much of a chance to see Kitt and Stevie and I know they would love seeing the baby."

“All… right...” she agreed slowly as she gave him a confused look. He wanted to have a party? Then again, as he used to point out quite often, he was raised on Risa- they had parties and gatherings all the time. He was a very social person, and they hadn’t had people over in a group since Aurea was born. Maybe that had something to do with why he was so cranky lately. “If you want to,” she gave permission.

"They are the God-Mothers of Aurea." Newmark cuddled the Little One. "Would you like to see Auntie Kit and Stevie... that would be fun right?"

Aurea gurgled and smiled and squirmed happily, reaching up to grab at her Baba's face.

Nhallia shifted so she was sitting cross legged beside the baby-blanket. "They stop by sometimes- not usually together, but they come over every now and then for a few minutes. You're just usually working I guess."

"It will be good to see them both and let This little person become social." Newmark cooed and loook to his wife. "You ever think 'We' might need to be social as well, not just our own little pack?"

She shrugged. "I already said you can have your party; you don't have to keep trying to convince me. The girls will be fun to see.” She paused, remembering his parties on Risa. By the time she had come into his life, they were ‘small’ parties- less than fifty people coming and going over the course of an afternoon and late into the night. In his youth, apparently the parties had been over a hundred on any given weekend. Even adjusting for a Starship and the limited space, just the girls didn’t really seem like what a Risan would call a party. “What about your friend Shan and Savar? Do you want to invite them, too?” she offered.

"They are about the only friends that I have." Newmark admitted. "I suppose that does not say well to my personality does it."

"Says you work all the time. Throw a party on Risa and our house would be swarmed with dozens of your friends and practically-family members," she pointed out.

"I think we need to have more time out and about?" Newmark said. "Work on those social skills?"

Nhallia rolled her eyes slightly. "I already said you can have your party," she repeated a little more forcefully.

Newmark shook his head. "You used to be social as well, now you and the baby are pretty much the only company you appear to enjoy anymore."

"Baba! For the last time, I said you could have the party," she said for the third time, hands moving with her voice.

Newmark gave the baby a smile and turned to take her for a walk. "Next time we have vacation what say we go to a real planet for you to play on?" He cooed the baby as they put distance from an argument.

Nhallia huffed out a breath as she turned to the small diaper bag and pulled some soft, bright toys she had brought and scattered them in the center of the blanket. They were made for grasping-play, so Aurea could practice reaching, grabbing, squeezing, and holding. That is, if Baba ever brought the baby back so she could actually have some playtime. Nhallia cast a frustrated glance at the two as they strolled around.

The glow of his daughter's face; the innocence and just way she knew so little of life and anted to experience everything through; in some ways quite literally, tasting of life. He just lost himself when she is around; so pretty like her mother; Aurea definitely got the better part with strong influences from her mother.

Your mother is putting out toys." He put his forehead to the baby's for a second. "Suppose this is too pretty not to let you play with toys on a day like today." He told her as they moved back and he placed his daughter on the blanket and knew his time was pretty much either gone or under scrutiny from now on.

Nhallia reached over to Aurea with a smile and picked her up for a moment. “Hi there, my Little Love. Ready for play? Ready for some tummy time play? Yeah, that’s fun,” she said as she shifted Aurea to lie on her stomach by the toys. Nhallia picked up a toy and wiggled it to get Aurea’s attention.

Aurea pushed up a little bit and reached for the toy, grasping it and tugging, gurgling happily and shaking it, then dropping it as she saw another one and reached for that one.

Nhallia shifted the toys as Aurea’s attention moved, making sure there were two choices to reach for at all times, and moving them from left to right to encourage her to use both hands.

"She is such a intelligent little one." Newmark said with pride. "Takes after her mother all right."

Nhallia smiled down at Aurea. “Yes, she’s doing great, isn’t she? Building up all those muscles- going to be big and strong, like Baba, yes, Little Love?”

'I'll cross my fingers..." He managed to do 'the trick' of crossing all his twelve fingers.

Laughing, Nhallia traded toys with the baby again. “Crossing fingers only does so much. Lots of playtime and exercise and healthy eating and good sleep will do the rest. Isn’t that right? We get all of that every day, and more,” she said to Aurea.

"As the human say Momma knows best." He hought that might get him out of trouble, not reminding her a Doctor might know somethings she does not, but he is not in mood for argument.

“As far as we’re concerned, Maisima knows best- and you, my Little Love, had better remember that as you grow up,” she laughed.

As Aurea started to get bored with the game they were playing, Nhallia rolled her over onto her back. “All done with that one, hmm? What shall we play now, then?” she asked.

He had to admire the look of Nhallia with the baby; she was trying to be the Perfect mother." He wanted to shake his head. That was a danger that could boomerang later as Newmark had seen it happen more than once when Parents read up on all the data and thought they knew it all. It was not going to be pretty and the longer it went on the harder it might get? But now is not the time to wonder about how to fix this; he would just sit back and enjoy the sight of his wife and daughter fr a few more minutes.

Nhallia lifted the baby into a position she could hold her sitting up, with Aurea's back leaning against her own stomach. "How about a song, hmm?" she asked as she took the baby's hands to move with with hers. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands," she sang softly and tapped the little hands together on cue.

"Can we do this little light of mine next?" He smiled.

Nhallia glanced up at him. "I don't know that one, you'd have to teach her," she said and then looked back down at Aurea. "What do you think, Little Love? Can Baba teach you a new song? Would that be fun?"

Moving the baby to face him; he look into her eyes and took her hands. "This little light of mine..." He began softly and put one hand higher." I' gonna let it shine... he moved her hand in a circle. "This little light of mine... He did the alternate hand. "I'm gonna let it shine.. " Let shine..." first hand again. "Let it shine... Second hand..." Let it shine... both hands twirling in little circles.

He did it again just to see the giggle.

Aurea laughed and kicked and reached for her Baba’s nose, her favorite target lately.

Nhallia smiled and leaned back on her hands. Aurea was such a happy, outgoing baby. She loved being held and played with, especially by her Baba and Maishma. She was alright with most others, but she very definitely differentiated her parents. Even between her parents. She liked grabbing her Baba’s nose, but never did that with Maishma. Maybe because Baba had more nose to grab. Besides, it was adorable, her affection for her Baba. “You don’t spend enough time playing together,” she said with a quiet sigh.

"Her dance card has been full of late." He had her doing a cha-cha slowly. "Lift your feet... swing your hips... cha cha cha..."

Nhallia laughed. “Yes, she’s a very busy girl. She’s got her playtime, and her tummy time, and we talk sign language, and sing. And of course naptime. We like naptime, hmm, Little Love?”

"You can sleep on Mommie time..." He winked. Dad's are bigger and stronger playgrounds." He winks. "Mommie gets you more of time so Daddy gets more play time til you sleepy then back."

Frowning at him a little, Nhallia crossed her arms. She hated that word. She hated the title Mommy. And he knew it. "Yes, that's right, Little Love. Maishma" she said, emphasising the Nuvian word for 'mother' that they were using, "is there to take care of everything while you sleep, and is there to take care of you when you wake up."

"And feeds you, keep you happy and content." Newmark added. "You are a busy little girl."

"Speaking of... Knowing you, young lady, I think we've got about half an hour before it's time for your afternoon snack," Nhallia said as she started to gather up the toys. She wanted to get home, get Aurea fed and down for her nap. "It's about time to get back home."

"You want go with Baba back home and then he can make dinner and give Maishma a little break." He smiled. "Baba found a leafy green salad with a fruit salad for dessert."

Nhallia finished packing the toys then reached for the baby. "Come on, time to go," she said.

"I can take her home." Newmark smiled. "Or do you want me to be take the gear?"

"You can carry the bag. I'll take my Little Love. Yes, there she is," Nhallia smiled as she took Aurea back in her arms and settled her into the sling. "There, snuggle in all comfy, yes?"

Newmark held his tongue; he took the gear and they headed home.

END

 

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