<USS Avalon> Shuttle Bound

"Shuttle Bound."
Maggie Stuart, Melanie Redgrave, Annabelle Garrity, Ect...

Panic was the first thing that gripped Melanie as the announcement came over 
the comm. They were abounding ship? Bloody hell what was going on that they 
were abounding ship? Somehow Melanie doubted that this was going to mesh with 
Doctor McEntire's bed rest order. Casting the blankets of the bed she now 
shared with Vevay aside, Melanie tried in vain not to look like a walrus as she 
tried to get up. "Sodding bloody hell." Began her rather colorful rant.

Maggie was already flitting about the cabin, gathering together everything 
Melanie would need for her time on the shuttle. The moment she heard the 
expletive from the other room, she chuckled to herself and popped her head in.


"Need a hand, quine?" she chimed. 

"More like a bloody crane." Melanie moaned. "Who the bloody hell evacuates a 
bloody ship full of pregnant woman anyway." She huffed.

"You're Captain, I'd assume," the Socts woman said. Offering her hand to 
Melanie, Maggie helped her up. "Now, I've got your bag packed and, once we get 
to the shuttle, I'll close myself doon into the bonny broach your wee engineer 
made for me."

Melanie offered Maggie a warm smile as she stood there and waited to see if 
anything was going to happen. She'd been a bit of a bear since being placed on 
bed rest and the poor old woman and Vevay were taking a lot from her. It made 
her love them all the more. "The footie kit? You got it right? And Vevay's 
things?" It suddenly hit her that Vevay was out on the ship somewhere. "Vevay.. 
Where's Vevay?"

"On her shuttle, I suspect." Maggie led Melanie through to the main room and 
finished off the last of the packing. "She dashed in aboot ten minutes ago and 
grabbed her kit bag and dashed oot again. Said she'd been assigned to the 
Captain's yacht."

"Shuttle assignments..." Melanie groaned as she looked hers up. "Genevieve. 
Right." Waddling over to Maggie she reached for one of the bags as she sighed. 
"I hope the lifts are crowded." 

Maggie swatted her hand away from the bags. "I'm a hologram, not a little auld 
lady, quine." 

Melanie blinked at the chide and then smiled brightly. "No, but your V's Aunt 
Maggie and therefore should be respected."

"Respect's one thing, treating me like a senile auld fogie's something 
completely different," Maggie said as she led Melanie to the door. "Now, we all 
set?" 

After a quick look around Melanie nodded. "Ok, we're set." She followed Maggie 
slowly, trying as they made their way towards the closest lift, not to get 
overly anything. The last thing she needed or wanted was for her blood pressure 
to spike. "I hope the chairs on this shuttle were made for wide loads."

"You're not a wide load quite yet, quine," Maggie said. "Long and round, but 
nay wide."

Again Melanie blinked. "Yet? I'm going to get bigger!?"

"Aye, if the wee bearn decides tae be late, you'll be as big as a hoose."

Looking down at her swelled middle as they waited on the lift Melanie ordered, 
"You will not be late." Nodding her head as if that was that she reached out 
and pressed the call button again, this time she noticed nothing happened. "Oh 
no."

"You're joking," Maggie sighed. "The lifts cannae be doon, can they?"

"They're down." Melanie answered as she pressed her head against the closed 
door. "But that's not the blood worst part of this."

"What's the worst part?"

Turning Melanie pointed to the small marker that listed the deck. "We just left 
V's cabin which is the security deck, deck eight. The shuttle bay is on deck 
ten."

"Only two decks," Maggie chimed cheerfully. "Could've been worse. There could 
be a hundred decks and we could be on the lowest one." 

"You've never seen the size of a access hatch have you?" Melanie asked with a 
sigh before conceding to her fate. "Alright," She paused to pinch the bridge of 
her nose. She felt the faint tickle of headache coming on. "can you access the 
computer and find a straight shot up from the ship's lay out? I don't think I 
could make it in the j-tubes."

"Of course dear," Maggie said as she recalled the specs of the ships. Wow, that 
wee boy had put a lot in her memory core when he'd designed her. "Aha, it's 
easy enough." Waving her hand back the way they'd come, she said, "Just a 
little over this way, there's a hatch. You'll be fine in fitting through it." 

Melanie sighed with a touch of relief. She wouldn't breath easy until she and 
Maggie were with V where ever it was they were going. She toddled after the 
Scot with one hand on her belly and the other on her back. Without realizing 
she was doing it Melanie began to hum softly as a way to keep herself calm. 

Opening the hatch up, Maggie waited for Melanie to arrive. "In you go, lass. 
You first, it's just straight doon, you can't miss it."

Down, thank goodness for small favors. Sliding in less then gracefully Melanie 
started the slow decent. "This was a lot easier when I was climbing for one."

"Och well, you'll be fine. Baby's not in the way really." Maggie slid in after 
her and climbed nimbly down. 

"No, if I were bigger she could, but I just fit." Melanie said softly as she 
look one rung at a time. "Though as she gets older the story might vary."

"Aye, that I ken." 

Half way down Melanie was awfully winded. She had to pause more then once, and 
just before reaching the bottom she'd felt dizzy. Once they were on deck ten 
she retrieved one of the hypos Doctor McEntire had given her before they 
started towards the shuttle bay. 

Placing a gentle hand on Melanie's shoulder, Maggie frowned. "Are you alright, 
quine? You've gone awfie peeliewallie."

"I think so, just a bit out of breath." She replied, closing her eyes a moment. 
"I'll be fine. Lets get to the shuttle before whatever's going on goes any 
further."

"Good idea," Maggie nodded. "It's just round the bend and a few doors doon. No 
hard from here." 

Melanie nodded and began the slow walk down the call and around the corner. 

The sight coming through the shuttle bay doors made Annabelle gasp. "Oh shit." 
She whispered as she rushed over to the Lieutenant. "Come on you two, your on 
my shuttle."

"Och that's a fine thing then," Maggie chimed. "I'm going tae have tae leave 
you now, dear." Patting Melanie's cheek softly, she smiled. "There's no really 
enough room for me on the shuttle. But just tap the broach if you need me." 
With that, she shut herself down and landed on the floor with a plop.

Melanie flinched even though she knew it didn't hurt the old Scot. "I hate when 
she does that." 

Annabelle laughed and waved over the blonde yeoman as she picked up the broach 
and handed it to Melanie. Mia took charge of the bags while Annabelle helped 
Melanie to the shuttle. As she guided the pregnant woman up the ramp Annabelle 
was a glad they had the Bajoran nurse with them. "Lets get you settled, Ok? 
Everyone but some chick named Xavier is here, so we're just about ready to go."

"I need to lay down or at least recline." Melanie informed her. "I'm surrpose 
to be on bed rest."

Lilin beamed at the pregnant woman and bustled over. "The chair recline all the 
way back, 180 degrees," she said as she demonstrated. "There's more than enough 
room. Plus there's beds out the back. It's a long distance shuttle, after all."

"One of the beds then." Melanie nodded. She let Lilin help her into the back 
before asking, "Can we contact the other shuttles?"

"Not really, only for emergency stuff, why?" the small Bajoran asked. 

Melanie eased onto the one of the small beds and held in her huff of distain. 
V's bed was so much better. "My..." She stilled wasn't sure what term to use 
when it came to V. She was so much more then her 'girlfriend' and partner just 
sounded so- legal. Finally she settled on, "girlfriend is on the Captain's 
shuttle. I want to know if she's alright and to let her know the baby, Maggie 
and I are ok."

"If she's on the Captain's shuttle, won't she know that automatically once we 
take off?" Lilin asked.

"I hope so." Melanie said softly and she placed a hand on her belly and rubbed 
Maggie's emitter softly. Her family was spilt apart and it made her uneasy. 

"Buckle up ladies we're about to head out." Annabelle's voice rang over the 
comm system.

Taking a seat next to Melanie, Lilin reached for her hand. "Everything'll be 
fine. Just you wait and see."

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