Home Sweet Home

Posted on Wed Nov 2, 2016 @ 12:50am by Ensign Jonathan Baker & Ashley Baker

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Personal Quarters
Timeline: MD 2 || 1630 Hours

Jon changed out of his gold Operations uniform and stretched, his muscles rippling as he did so. The young Ensign still couldn't believe that Ashley had married him and he spent every day thanking his lucky star that she had came into his life.

After he changed into a pair of blue jeans and a white button down shirt that he left unbuttoned, he headed out into the living room area where he was assaulted with a hungry meow from Mister Fluffykins. He knelt down to give the furball a scritch and headed to the replicator. "I know, I know," he said as another plaintive meow followed him. "I'm hurrying, give me time."

He replicated a bowl of the feline's favorite dish and a bowl of water before he set both down. The furball immediately set to it with a happy purr and Jon went to pick up a PADD that had a order link to The Black Hole on it. He had set up a transporter pad for the Captain in his personal quarters that went directly from the restaurant to there and had set up a similar one in his and Ashley's quarters.

PADD in hand, Jon sat down on the couch and pondered what he wanted to eat that evening.

A few minutes later, the door swished open and Ashley made her way inside, unceremoniously dumping her things off to the side of the door. She still had another hour and a half before The White Lotus was set to close for the day, but her aching muscles and swollen ankles just couldn't take it anymore. Her entire body demanded to relax, and after vomiting, there was no way she could deny it any longer. After sending a quick message to her clients with an apology and a promise to reschedule them as soon as possible, she closed down the salon/spa and made her way back to the quarters she shared with her husband of a little over a year.

At eight and a half months pregnant, working was becoming more of a chore for her and less the enjoyable experience it normally was. Then again, she was at the tail end of her last trimester, so things were going to be getting a bit harder for her to do. Even putting on her shoes was difficult, and often times resulted in her needing the help of Jon. He never seemed to complain, though.

When she saw him settled on the couch, she smiled and made her way over to him, settling down next to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "I think the time has come for us to talk about maternity leave," she said softly.

"Hey, babe," Jon said as he wrapped an arm around her. "Haven't I been trying to get you to do that for the past two and a half months? You have a manager who is more than qualified to handle things for you and he could easily run it full time while you're on leave. Did little Andy get you again?"

Ashley angled her head just right so she could press a kiss to his lips and shook her head. "It wasn't little man this time. It was me. I pushed myself too much today, and now I'm paying the price for it. I think I am going to turn things over to Lance for a while. I can't keep doing this," she said, looking at him with a pouty lip. "Can you help me take my shoes off?" And by shoes, she meant stiletto heels that she seemed to live in.

He returned the kiss, then got up from the couch after removing his arm from around her and knelt down to remove her shoes. "Honey, your feet are swollen pretty bad. Did you walk around in these things all day?" He asked as he gently began to massage her ankles.

"Yes," she answered rather sheepishly. Her feet even showed marks where her heels were cutting into her skin. "I know I should probably wear flats, but I just can't be without my shoes. I'll send Lance a message soon and let him know I'm going to be going on maternity leave starting tomorrow. He can hold down the fort for me." When he began to massage her ankles, she closed her eyes and groaned. "That feels so good."

Jon worked on the marks that the shoes had left in her tender skin and shook his head. "Ashley," he shook his head. "This would need a dermal regenerator if it got much worse. I'm going to take all your heels and hide them in the transporter buffer if I see you in them for the next three months."

"If I'm still pregnant in three months, then Doctor Johnson had no idea what she was doing. Do you want to go see the new doctor on board for some peace of mind?" she asked, shifting around a little when a cramp began to develop in her back. "And I'll just have to replicate some flats to start wearing just so I don't have to lose my heels. I think I'd cry if they were hidden in the transporter buffer."

He switched to her other ankle and began to work on it as he looked up at her. "If you're still pregnant in three months, something would be wrong," he chuckled. "They wouldn't be gone, but you wouldn't be able to get them, either. Put your feet up on the couch, love and I'll work on them some more."

Standing up, he leaned down to give her a kiss and went to the replicator to get some skin lotion before he returned. "Now tell me how your day was and the latest gossip."

Doing as she was told, Ashley stretched her legs out on the couch and settled back. She didn't know how she'd gotten to be so lucky to end up with the perfect man, but she did, and there was no way she was ever going to take him for granted. "My day was great up until lunch time. That's when I started feeling really tired and worn out, but I was determined to motor through it and see the rest of the day out. Piper came in briefly with little Liam. I got to snuggle him for a while, which made things a bit better. He's just the cutest little man ever," she said, offering him a smile. "As for gossip, though... I didn't really hear much of that. Before you get deep into massaging my feet, though, why don't you order your dinner? I saw you checking out the menu when I first got home. You can put the order in and have it placed on hold for an hour or so if you're not ready."

"I'll order in a bit," John said. "You're more important than my stomach is." Saying that, he spread lotion on his hands and rubbed them together before he sat on the end of the couch and began a slow massage of her right foot. "No gossip? I'm surprised but with a mostly new crew, it'll take a while. I did see the Chief of Operations this morning and he looked like the cat that ate the canary, so something must be up. It's still odd having an enlisted as a chief, though."

"It's not something that's unheard of, though. It just means that he's definitely good at what he does. But... you said he looked like the cat that ate the canary. I wonder what that's all about," she wondered aloud, relaxing against the couch while he worked on her feet. The young woman had gotten so lucky when she'd met Jon. He was everything she ever wanted and then some. She watched him and couldn't help but smile. "How did I get so lucky?"

"I couldn't tell you about the Chief," Jon said as she switched to her other foot. "All I know is that I'm in charge of transporters again, but I didn't expect anything less. As for you getting lucky, I disagree. I'm the one who got lucky enough to wander in The White Lotus for a haircut last year and got your attention."

"I don't know about that. I still think I'm the lucky one," Ashley said as she offered him a smile. "I suppose you coming in that day happened for a reason, and I'm not one to question fate. I'd be a fool to do that. My parents didn't raise a fool, either."

"Let's say that we're both lucky and continue to enjoy our luck," he said as he abandoned her feet for a moment and moved to give her a kiss. "How does that sound?"

Ashley smiled and returned the kiss, shifting around a bit so he could settle down next to her. Her feet were already feeling a bit better now that she was off of them. "I can live with that. You know what I could use right now? A triple bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and a side of onion rings. And a chocolate peanut butter milkshake so thick I need a spoon."

Jon laughed. "You know, that sounds really good," he said as he reached for the order PADD that he had set down on the coffee table before she came in. He ordered a double with the request that the milkshakes be so thick they needed spoons. After he transferred the credits, he set the PADD down and turned to her. "Is your back hurting, too?"

"Just for the last month or so," she replied. Despite her aches and pains, Ashley never lost her smile or bubbly demeanor. "It's okay, though. It's all for a good cause, and I'm getting excited because soon we're going to meet our baby boy."

"It won't be long now," Jon said as the food materialized on the transporter pad table that stood in the breakfast area. "And dinner has arrived, love." He gave her another kiss and got up to retrieve their food before he brought it back.

"I could have walked to the table, you know," she commented as she accepted her food.

"You could have, but I got it for you," he said as he sat down beside of her. "You know that I'd do anything if it meant you didn't have to do a thing. That's how much I love you, Ashley."

Ashley smiled. "I know you would, but I also know that you work. So, just this once I'll let you do it. And, I love you, too."

Jon lifted the huge triple bacon cheeseburger and took a bite. "I'll tell you one thing," he said after he chewed and swallowed, then reached for his milkshake. "The Black Hole knows how to make a great burger and everything else. I'd gain a hundred pounds a week if I didn't work out every day."

"Like me?" she asked with a grin. Ashley didn't exactly gain a hundred pounds, but she'd gained about forty. For her, it was a good cause, and when there was time to work out once the baby came, she'd get the weight off. She began to dissect her burger, popping a piece of bacon in her mouth. "I can't wait to get back into the gym with you."

"You haven't gained a hundred pounds," Jon laughed. "And you're still just as beautiful as the day I met you, Ash. You'll always be beautiful in my eyes." He gave her a kiss and reached for a chili cheese fry.

Ashley grabbed one of her own fries and held it for a moment so she could speak. "Only forty, but it's worth it, and thank you for complimenting me like that even if I don't feel it right now. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate it," she said, giving him a genuine smile as she finally popped the fry into her mouth.

After he chew and swallowed his own fry, he reached for a spoon to dig into the milkshake and offered her the first bite. "It's nothing that I wouldn't tell you at any time, babe," he told her. "I mean every last thing that I say."

"I know you do. You've never been a liar in the three years I've known you, and I don't imagine you'd start now," she said, resting her head against the back of the couch. "If it wasn't so early, I'd crawl into bed and try to sleep for a forty-eight hours."

"If you're tired, I can put your food away and you can get some sleep," Jon told her. "You are carrying around little Andy and that takes a toll."

"I'm not going to disagree with you there," she said, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face as she continued to eat. "I am tired, but like with the swollen ankles and achy back, it comes with the territory. I'll be okay for a while longer."

"Tomorrow we can go see the new Chief Medical Officer to see if he can prescribe something to help with that," he said as he picked up his burger for another bite.

"I don't mind seeing the new doctor. I'm ready to have the baby, so maybe he might have some suggestions on what I can do to induce labor short of drugs," Ashley said, reaching for her onion rings. She rested them on her belly and popped one into her mouth.

"You only have two weeks left and you've made it this far," Jon said as he reached for more chili cheese fries. "You also said you were putting Lance in charge of the salon, so that's covered. What more could you want?"

"To have our son in my arms?" she answered in return with a grin. "It still can't hurt to ask him to see if he has any suggestions."

"That's true," he said as he thought about it. "We'll talk to him tomorrow."

"I'll make an appointment for when you're off duty," she said, shoveling more food in her mouth.

Jon smiled and went back to his chili cheese fries. "Are you really okay with putting Lance in charge of the salon?" he asked her after he chewed and swallowed. "I know it's been your baby ever since you first thought of it. I also know he's a good man."

"I don't really want to put anyone in charge of the salon, but I just can't do it anymore. I'll pop in from time to time to see how things are going, and I do trust Lance to do the job. He's up for the task," she said, finishing off her food. "For now, though... it's time for this mommy to be to take a relaxing shower and curl up in bed for a little while. I think that will help."

Why don't you go do that and I'll join you in the bedroom in a few minutes," he said. "I need to do about five hundred pushups to get rid of that milkshake."

Ashley kissed him with a smile. "Why does that not surprise me?" she asked as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'll see you shortly, then." With that, she made her way to their bedroom.

Jon watched her go before he put the dishes in the recycler, then went to do his pushups before he went to join his wife.