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Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome to the Family...Baby Harland

Posted May 8, 2021, 1:17 p.m. by Ensign Chloe Harland (Nurse) (Kate O'Neill)

Posted by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Counselor) in Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome to the Family…Baby Harland

Posted by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Counselor) in Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome to the Family…Baby Harland

Posted by Ensign Chloe Harland (Nurse) in Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome to the Family…Baby Harland
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP

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Harland Quarters
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Chloe followed Nathan into their bedroom and slid the door shut leaning on it. The chaos in the living room as the grandparents fussed over the kids the others raided the kitchen for refreshments became a dull hum behind the metal.

“Nathan…what did we do,” she looked at him with a serious expression as she busted out laughing.

“We have wanted this… for a long time. Years really… and now…” Nathan said with a slight wide-eyed look as he began to contemplate the situation. “I wonder if I can get more sessions in emergency cases for the new few days…”

“You are not leaving me with this no matter who has a mental health break down. Change your message in the office to rub some dirt in it and take a lap,” Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. Too many times in the past work had come in the middle of things for the family. Nathan was in the business of crisis management which were not things one could schedule around. She knew he was joking about needing to run from the family but on second thought a scheduled crisis might not be such a bad idea to keep on the back burner. Her parents and his were around to take care of the kids. It could give them a few minutes alone over the next week which was priceless. Shaking her head Chloe pushed the thought from her mind.

“Don’t get me wrong I love everyone here but where are we putting them. My parents were taking Mara’s room and your dad was with Logan but I guess....Mollllly…can....share.” Chloe’s words dragged out as she circled around the. bed.

Looking at the right side she did a double-take with a surprised expression before shifting her gaze to Nathan.

“I can so explain,” Molly’s head popped up from the floor beside the bed. She took one look at her uncle before focusing all her attention on Chloe.

Nathan turned as he looked over at the voice of Molly, his eyes almost searching for answers as he knew no good came from a child ever starting anything with I can explain.

“Yep the bed looks super sturdy,” a voice pounded on the frame. “I don’t see why we can’t make create a loft out of it.”

“Oh… who the devil are you and why shouldn’t I kick you out of my home right this second?” Nathan said with a fiery rage in his eyes as he locked onto the boy. He wasn’t dumb, he had been whoever this kid was several times over. Time changed a man, and children, even ones that were not his, changed one’s point of view.

“This is so not what it looks like. I told him I wanted to fix my bed and we were looking at the support…beams,” Molly struggled to find something plausible her uncle would believe.

Chloe looked at Nate and bit her lip. From his point of view Chloe had just been staring at something on the floor. This would have been the first indication Molly was both in their room and not alone.

“Uncle Nate. Aunt Chloe. This is Dax Miller,” Molly gestured to her left. Her hand dropped when the person did not readily reveal himself. A small shuffling sound accompanied by a rustling then produced the head of a young man about Molly’s age.

“Dax Miller,” the boy held his hands up confidently like he had just scored a touchdown or some other play and was responding to the crowds cheering. Hastily Molly put her hands over Dax’s and brought them to rest at his side

“No…” Nathan said simply as he shook his head as he looked over at Chloe, expecting the same reaction.

“Hello ma’am,” Dax gave Chloe a dazzling smile. “It is so nice to meet you. You have a beautiful home here.” He turned a glance to Nathan but instantly regretted it. “Aunt Chloe,” Dax greeted her again.

“Dax is our dinner guest,” Molly hastily added.

“No!” Nathan said once more, emphasizing this time as he pointed at the kid. Nathan had been both doctor and soldier, and both needed a tactical precision to all situations.

“He has never experienced a fun old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner,” Molly added with a slight whine to her voice. When a no response came this fast, whining was often needed to alter its response to the desired one. It could not be outright whining. That just annoyed Uncle Nathan. It had to be whining with a purpose he could not refuse.

“Right now he saw a threat and his training told him to correct the situation with extreme prejudice. “No.” he added once more.

“Thank you but,” Chloe started as both Molly and Dax stood up completely revealing where they had been hanging out in the room.

“But you said I could bring him to Thanksgiving dinner. Remember I asked last week and you were like sure the more the merrier,” Molly shifted the conversation to where she needed it to go. “Is Nana and PaPa here?” If Molly played her cards right this whole situation would be forgotten. How had she not heard everyone come in?

“Who said this? Why am I just now hearing these things? ” Nathan asked as he now turned his attention to Chloe. “I will deal with you later…” he said as he pointed his finger at Chloe as he looked back to the two that were causing the biggest issue right now.

“Me…you tune her out as much as I do at times,” Chloe put her hands on her chest innocently. “When did you ask,” she looked at Molly. The past few weeks had been busy. It was entirely possible Molly mentioned it and either her or Nate back burnered the comment for a later moment. Unfortunately that later moment was now staring at them in a letterman jacket and a grin.

“Chloe. Chloe,” she heard her name being called in the next room. “I gotta go see what they want.” Throwing up her hands she palmed the door open and walked out followed by Molly and then Dax.

Chloe Harland

“You…” he said pointing now at Dax. “Blend in, don’t talk to anyone, and if I see you touch her in any way I don’t like I will surgically remove the appendage, do I make myself clear?” he said as he began to steer them out the door to the family awaiting.

Harland, CNS

“Yes. First base. Dax Miller,” the young boy hollered out triumphantly grinning at Molly.

“I’m starting pitcher for OP42 senior school,” he announced. “Always take first when you can even if you have to slide hard and fast into. That’s how I roll…hard and fast and always making the play,” he draped an arm over Molly’s shoulder with a grin trying to make conversation with Nathan.

“Oh son, everyone knows a Pitcher only wants to strike out… strike out fast and hard… remember… Pitchers strike out” Nathan said as he placed his arm on Dax’s shoulder as he gripped a tiny bit too hard as the young man would flinch a little. “And no one ever slides into first unless you want a broken nose.”

“Ow ow ow ow,” Dax leaned into the friendly pat from Nathan.

Interlocking her fingers in Dax’s, Molly hastily pushed past her uncle calling out her grandparents name as if they had been calling for her. “What…you said he played ball like all his life. The man knows baseball analogies. Everyone knows you run hard and fast to get on first. It’s the hardest place to score without being tagged out. Since I am still here....Uncle Nate hasn’t tossed me from the game. It’s a win thing. You wouldn’t get it,” Dax rolled his eyes.

“Yeah I think he did not see it as you scoring a win to eat turkey Dax,” Molly cast a glance over her shoulder looking at her uncle.

“Molly,” Jen embraced her granddaughter in a hug. “You look so good and who is this fine young gentleman,” she gestured to the boy next to her.

“Dax Miller,” he belted out again complete with the touch-down hands and crowd-rousing tone.

Chloe moved up next to Nate and handed him a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, hers was black but his wasn’t. “At least if we lose him in the apartment again all we have to do is call out his name and we will be able to find him,” she joked taking a sip of the drink. Nate always took a bit of sugar and cream to lighten the drink however, this time it was flavored with Mr. Stack’s Holiday Nog. It made the cup look normal but the creme liquor gave it a soothing effect much like chamomile tea. “You did tell him to blend in,” Chloe pointed out as Dax with each introduction repeated what would go down in the Harland family history.

“Can we at least test his IQ before we give our blessing to date him… or maybe a criminal background check… see if he has late library fees… you know basic get to know your stuff before we let him date our niece… I think it’s the least we can ask.” Nathan said with a small smile as he leaned over at kissed Chloe’s cheek.

“I think he is too dumb to be able to commit a crime. He would probably asked the clerk the best way to rob them,” she leaned into his kiss.

“Chloe…can I um…talk to you,” Meredith patted her communicator between her hands and nodded off to the back of the room. “Hold this and check the turkey,” she asked passing him the cup. “It’s that or some one-on-one time with my sister?” Chloe held a mischievous smirk on her face. Meredith always tried to interact with Nathan however in Nathan’s defense every conversation with him and Meredith was more akin to a therapy session than a brother-in-law and sister-in-law catching up. “Going once…going twice....”

“Chlooooooooo,” Meredith repeated her name a bit more stringently with a more furious head nod to the back of the room.

Chloe walked to the back of the apartment and abruptly was pulled back into Mara’s bedroom instead of the hall. The topics were always limited with Meredith in these situations: Money or men. Only once has Meredith ever asked Chloe for money for a man she was dating. Luckily Nathan stepped in without discussion and handed her copy of the self-help book The M in Men is For Money. Meredith took it easily assuming it was a self-help book about how to marry for money and ended the need to tell her no to the five hundred credits she was asking for. Nate only further questioned the IQ of her sister prompting Chloe to point out again that there was a good chance she was adopted into the Kendrick family and no one wanted to break Meredith’s heart with the truth.

“What is going on,” Chloe asked Meredith in a semi-hurried tone. “I got a turkey in the oven and you know how Dad complains when it is dry.”

“I’m dating Ben,” Meredith said with a glow on her face.

“Ben…Ben…My Ben,” Chloe half shrieked before slapping a hand over her mouth and looking back at the door. That statement did not come out like she intended if anyone had heard.

“Well not your Ben since Nathan threw him off the balcony. Nathan is lucky there was a pool there,” Meredith said in a slightly chiding tone.

“Noooo Ben is lucky that there was a pool there,” she corrected her sister looking back at the door. This was not a conversation Chloe needed to be having anywhere near Nathan. “And why are you dating Ben. Wasn’t Peter Alindor on the verge of asking you to marry him,” Chloe pulled her farther into the room. This was not the first time Meredith went after an EX of Chloe’s. Often Meredith only saw the positives and fun of a relationship so she romanticized the relationship until it fell apart which it always did.

“Peter is so self-absorbed with work,” Meredith flopped back on the bed with a smile on her face. “Ben…Ben gets me. The real me. We have taken trips and go out to dinner like five times a week. I think he loves me. I need you to be happy for me,” Meredith extended her hand shaking it slightly for Chloe to take.

“How am I supposed to be happy for you when the man you are bumping uglies with was the man I cheated on Nathan with who Nathan threw off a three-story building in Boston!” Chloe felt her heart rate begin to rise and a thin sheen of perspiration beaded her brow. Placing a hand on her forehead, Chloe brushed it away letting out a deep breath. A sharp pain richotted down her hips and spine causing Chloe to hold her breath and sit down.

“The baby isn’t coming now,” Meredith looked at Chloe. “I swear we never get a second to talk.” Meredith was excited about the arrival of her new nephew or niece but right now she needed her sister and not have to fight for the spotlight with a newborn.

“Braxton Hicks” Chloe lied letting out the breath slowly.

“Huh I thought you had decided on a J if it was a boy but Braxton is different,” Meredith mused thinking the medical condition was the name of her future nephew. The dead silence of Chloe realizing how dumb her sister was , was reflected by Meredith mulling over what to say next to her sister. “Anyway,” Meredith waved her hand to bring them back to the important topic. “I just wanted to give you a head up that Ben is stopping by for dessert. He told me he has something exiting to tell me and wants to share it with the entire family. I think he might propose,” she did a happy ance. “I am only telling you, you know just in case you want to prep Nathan,” she stood up fluffing out her hair and looking at her communicator that was dinging.

“Prep Nathan that the man that was diddling his wife is about to sit in his living room, drink his coffee, and eat his pie,” Chloe felt like she was in a dream as she uttered the words.

“Yes,” Meredith spun around with the biggest smile on her face as she kissed Chloe’s cheek and showed Meredith the incoming call from Ben. “Can I take this in your bedroom?”

Chloe sat on the bed feeling the room spin as Meredith left already moving forward with the agenda she had planned. “Oh scrapper,” she rubbed her belly feeling the baby moving all about, “I wish you could have met your Aunt Meredith but I am pretty sure Daddy is going to strangle her.”

Exiting the room, Chloe walked into the kitchen. “Nate I have to talk,” she stated firmely before seeing her husband. All the words left her mind as she watched him with Logan basting the turkey. Few things about Nate’s general personality led one to think Nathan could relate to kids but anyone that saw him with his children instantly knew how great of a father he was. While he was perpetually busy, Nathan always found time to teach them things, coach baseball, and read bedtime stories with all the gusto of an OMAP production even when he was dead tired. “Nathan I....I,” Chloe felt her mind go blank. As crazy and difficult as the journey was for them in reaching the Outpost, it was one of the best things they had ever done in their marriage.

Logan looked up at Chloe with a huge smile and pointed to the perfectly cooked turkey and then his dad. It was easy to see how proud Logan was of the job he and his dad were doing with dinner. Chloe leaned against the wall giving the two most important men in her life a thumbs up.

“Dax Miller needs Logan for F-Box,” a now more familiar voice rang through the space causing Logan to scamper off.

“How is the scraper?” Nathan asked as he placed his hand over her belly.

The baby moving all over indicated something was off even if Nathan missed the dazed expression on his wife’s face as he asked the question.

“Oh Meredith is fine,” she waved off the question without realizing she never answered it.

“Hey Nate when is the turkey going to be done,” Meredith called out from the back room.

“Never…he didn’t put it in,” Chloe responded quickly.

“You didn’t put in the turkey,” Andrew walked into the kitchen. “When the heck are we going to eat then? You know I need to eat to take my back pills? Are you planning to feed us something then or just have us starve,” he looked at this son-in-law.

“I know the stress and you are a dangerous cocktail, do I need to run a few tests on you?” he asked as he looked at her with his discerning and concerned look. They had been through so much and he knew now more than ever is when mistakes could happen.

Harlan, CNS

“No, you need to give me a drink. You are gonna give me a stadol when I am in labor so think of it like a pre-labor prophylactic,” she said fully serious.

Chloe


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