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Posted on Mon Jul 27th, 2015 @ 1:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Morai Keen & Chief Petty Officer Adriana Keen

1,868 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: A Civil Act
Location: Keen Quarters
Timeline: Shortly after "Keen to Meet the New Arrival"

ON:

Keen had to get his face washed and a quick shower; after what Kitten had been through it was a toll on him as well. He knew what had to be done and after a bit of a clean-up he went to get a pair of shorts and a polo style shirt before sitting in front of the comm. He knew that Earth time it was later in the evening, not as late as it could have been but the smaller children should be asleep.

He chimed the Earth Comm for the Joz Clan.

The comm rang a few times, not at all unusual in the Joz house. It was a large house, after all, and with so many people coming and going all the time, it was easy to think that 'someone else would get it' when a call came in.

Finally, a face appeared on the other end.

Fill, full name Fitzwilliam, one of Adriana's brothers answered the call. "Joz home- Oh, hi there, Morai," he said. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Where's Ads?" he asked as he realized that his sister wasn't in the frame.

"Is Mams and Da around?" Keen asked. "Adriana is in sick bay so I thought I should let you all know." He said with a solemn face. "I-I would rather say with the parents around?"

Fill blinked and froze for a moment. "Yeah- yeah, they're here. Just a second," he said quietly and dashed from the frame. "Da! Mams!" he could be heard to shout.

It barely took two minutes for Edmund and Elinore Joz to appear in the frame. In the background Fill was joined by Teddy (another brother), and Uncle JJ came into view a moment later.

"Morai? What is it?" Mams asked breathlessly, brushing her blonde hair back away from her face. She was the only blonde in the picture, all the others had the Joz family trait of black hair, though Edmund, known as Da, and JJ were both getting more like salt-and-pepper than black-haired.

"I thought you should know that Adriana was taken to the Sick Bay this star date." Keen started. "She is recovered and is resting quite comfortably so do not worry about her health." Keen relayed.

Mams gasped a little, and took her husband's hand.

Da seemed to stiffen a little. "What happened?" he asked.

"I thought you should know that the Joz Clan had grown by one young man." Keen beamed. "Anthony Edmund Keen was born just eighty three minutes ago. Both Adriana and Anthony are resting well in Sick Bay; the birthing had a minor glitch but nothing that was not easily compensated. Young master Anthony is doing well and resting upon Adriana as we speak."

Mams gasped again and covered her mouth with a hand.

"Anthony Edmund...." Da echoed while in the background Teddy seemed to really grasp first that he had a new nephew with a laugh.

"But- she should still have three weeks- Is everyone alright? A boy? You've had a boy?" Mams recovered quickly and her hands began to flutter in excitement and joy.

"Anthony Edmund," Da echoed again, starting to grin himself.

Uncle JJ clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Yes, 'Anthony Edmund', after you," he assured Da.

"Well, it did seem to be the right thing to do at the time." Keen smiled. "He came out of crying pretty quick, started looking about for his parents once he was cleaned up." Keen was smiling as he recalled. "He has the same sparkle in his eyes as Adriana does, get lost in those little eyes." He mused almost quietly.

Mams was crying in joy and hugging her husband. Da laughed at Keen. "Didn't I tell you? I told you that holding your child for the first time..." He ruffled Teddy's hair, his youngest child who was now 'all grown up' in his mid 20's. "And you get to have that with each one, I promise you."

Teddy shrugged his father off with a good-natured grin. "How's Ads? You said she's alright? Happy and... 'purring like a Kitten' I bet?" he teased, knowing full well the embarrassing private nicknames the Keens used with each other.

"And the Little Anthony is doing the same thing I believe, like mother and son." Keen joked. "He was healthy and alert and tired. I suppose it was as hard on the baby as it was Adriana." Keen explained. "Anthony and she were exhausted and I am sure they are still asleep. Sick Bay will give me a call when they wake for Anthony's first feeding."

"I hope you don't expect her to be doing much other than that for the next few days," Mams pointed out. "Resting and feeding, I mean. And even in a few weeks, she'll still be tired easily."

Uncle JJ smiled. "You will get to help out as much as you are willing to. I'd like to say I remember it well, but I think I was almost as sleep deprived as my wife was- We were practically sleep-walking part of the time," he said with a little laugh as he recalled those days with his wife; in fact their youngest, Lu-Lu, had barely been out of the 'baby' stage when his wife had died, so those sleep deprived memories were some of the last ones he had of love of his life.

"She will be in sick bay for a couple of days at least; there was some surgery, the Bajoran physiology did mesh with her human but made a few more complications; a shorter pregnancy is one sign of a Bajoran influence." Keen explained. "I will be taking as much time as it will allow to be with her and the baby between counselor and Second Officer of the ship I will be quite the..." He thought for a second. "Zombie is it?"

"You'll have your hands full, alright," Uncle JJ agreed.

"Where are you?" Mams asked. "Are you coming near Earth any time soon? Can we come meet little Anthony?" she asked.

"Not all of us, of course," Da clarified. There were 20 people in the Joz family, if you counted the cousins and children in the whole clan. "But we know hard it is for you both to get time to come here; Mams and I, or even just Mams, would be happy to make the trip to meet our new grandson."

"Hey, don't forget me," Teddy argued. He and Adriana were closest among the siblings. "I need to see this baby- you'll need portraits, right? What do you want, paintings or photographs? Watercolors, oils, whatever you want. Send me images- I can make a painting from a holoimage, you'll love it," he insisted with a smile. Teddy was an artist who had in the past few years been becoming quite popular; his first 'big' show had gone on tour around the Federation and had actually been inspired by his sister and her husband- it had featured inter-species couples and families.

"It has only happened less than two hours ago and were I to send a holo of my Beloved right after childbirth..." He thought it funny. "I would be sleeping in my office too much. I am not sure of our destination at the moment." It was an official lie as he could not say where they are going. "But our port after that will be Earth as that is in our operational center." Keen explained. "We are doing a little sight-seeing out here, just the routine stuff and no date for return officially that I can relay."

Mams sighed in slight disappointment. None of her other children, or grandchildren, lived so far away. It was quite different to not be able to show up to help now that there was a new little Joz. Anthony Edmund Keen. She gazed at her son-in-law and tried to imagine which features Anthony had inherited from which parent. "What does he look like?" she asked.

"As for an image, I have agreed with Adriana that she wants to see your faces when she introduces Little Anthony to you so if you can wait a few days for her to be ready we will have a package ready for transmit *after* she comms you with the baby." He put his hands up. "This I cannot change her mind, the fact she let me call at this time was the only concession that I could get out of her. She was so hoping to give birth closer to home but it was 'early' and only by chance we are headed away from home."

"Some children have a mind of their own, even in the womb. You'll have your hands full with this one. Impatient as his mother, it sounds like," Da laughed, thinking of how Adriana had been growing up. He put an arm around his wife. "We can wait a little while longer to see him. Just tell us he's healthy and that he and his mother are doing fine, and we can wait as long as we need to."

"Anthony was looking about his world and quite happy to be nestled with his mother and even cooed a little for me when I held him. Both of them are quite well off considering they had an ordeal of birthing." Keen looked at them on the screen. "He is... amazing, all his digits and toes accounted for and just ... I can only say he came out with a spark in his eyes."

Da and Mams traded a look. They knew that feeling. Like all the babies in the universe that were... well, essentially the same, babies didn't really differ much... Except yours. YOUR baby... was different. Nieces, nephews, grandchildren, all were special to you, but YOUR child... There was no feeling like that of YOUR child. "We can't wait to see him," Mams said with a grin. "When Adriana is ready, we will be so happy see them both. Until then... just enjoy this time with them. And sleep as much as you can while they are still in sickbay; you'll need to rest up!" she laughed.

"I was planning as I have an early feeding, duty and then more feeding and seeing to one very belabored Adrianna." Keen admit with a sigh. "I think it is really setting in that the adventure is just beginning?"

"Good night, Morai. All our love to you and Ads and little Anthony. Say hello to your parents for us," Mams said as she kissed her hand to the screen. There were happy tears in her eyes as she thought about when her babies were babies and all the experiences Morai and Adriana were going to be having now. "We love you. Congratulations, Morai. You have no idea how many wonderful things are in store.

"I am sure that the tally will be high." Keen agreed. "Be well." He said just before closing the channel.

He was able to make the ten paces to the bed before face planting into it.

OFF:

Lt. CMDR Morai Keen
Chief Counselor/2XO

Edmund (Da), Elinore (Mams), Fill, Teddy, and Uncle J.J. Joz
(NPCs by Adriana Keen)

 

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