STF

Location Unknown - Miracle On Ice

Posted July 18, 2021, 12:55 a.m. by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Counselor) (Steven Sigle)

Posted by Ensign Chloe Harland (Nurse) in Location Unknown - Miracle On Ice

Posted by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Counselor) in Location Unknown - Miracle On Ice

Posted by Ensign Chloe Harland (Nurse) in Location Unknown - Miracle On Ice

https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf3/outpost42/posts/143832/

Now - En Route to Teller Industries Medical Facility

“If someone had told me after that day things would have gotten better, I would have laughed at them. We were raw, said a lot of things and I think we can both admit there were more than a few we didn’t mean. I remember, the night things began to fix themselves. You found me drunk and angry, and for the first time, we seemed to click. The sex was amazing, but what made me the most hopeful was waking up to find you cooking the bacon. I know things felt awkward still, but you invited me to come to dinner with the kids… we hadn’t all four been together outside of dropping them off for nights with me in over 6 months. I don’t think I ever told you how nervous I was that day.” Nathan paused as he remembered the day. They had eaten and watched Star Wars and stayed the night for the first time as a family. It was healing and life-affirming in many ways, but they were not fully out of the woodworks.

“Finding out Mara only ate orange items and seeing Logan so quiet despite all of us there… it made me understand I had to do something else. So I took a leap a few days after… I remember my Chief Residents, Doctor Cox, gave a speech to me once about relationships and love. He told me how fragile they were, a tiny little offense and everything can snowball on you. He went on telling me how relationships don’t work as they do in the movies and tv, will they won’t they… half the ones getting married ended in divorce but he made a point. He said the ones that were truly right for each other wade through the same crap as everyone else but don’t let it take them down. One of those two always will fight and say something, and I knew I needed to say something. ” Nathan said as he leaned back thinking about the day. He recalled it as the resurgence for them, a moment they both would look back as knowing their lives had begun to find peace between the pain.

3 Months Ago, Chloe’s Quarters - OP 42

Nathan sat in front of the door, pink carnations in hand as he paced back and forth. He wasn’t sure if he could do this. The last few days had been wonderful, but this was a step that felt awkward even for him. Nathan though seldom backed away from any challenges he set forth, and right now he had a challenge, win back his wife. Pausing as he pressed the chime he waited for Chloe to answer. He knew she should be home, and he was even aware Logan would be at school so it leads him able to mostly be alone with her at this moment which he felt he needed. The kids were part of them, but they couldn’t be all of them.

“Nathan,” she said looked up shocked. Blinking twice she cast a side glance at the clock. There were only two reasons Nathan appeared at her door. Breakfast to walk Logan to school when she couldn’t and dinner to spend time with the kids and help with homework. This was not either of those two times. Shaking off the confused expression, Chloe tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Hello,” she started over with a small smile leaning against the door. Maybe she had forgotten a schedule but even if she had it was nice to see him unexpectedly.

As the door open he couldn’t help but smile as he saw Chloe, it was still early but she wasn’t due on shift, and with Logan at school she got to just lounge around in her PJ’s like she often did. “Hey…” he said softly as he bit his lower lip as he stood in the door. Normally he would enter but he didn’t want that for this moment. He wanted it to feel right, he wanted it to feel special.

So many responses filled her mind yet she could not settle on one. The moment was awkward but also exciting. It was a step in the right direction that he thought he could just show up and not need an appointment. Maybe one day he would be showing up for her and not their children. He had been spending so much time with Logan, it was sweet and endearing that Nathan was wanting to start Daddy-daughter day like he had in the past. “Mah,” Chloe started to announce her father’s arrival but Nathan spoke up first.

“Can you give me a minute alone?” he asked her knowing Mara would most likely be glued to the tv and not even care that her mom stepped out the door for a second.

“Oh…um,” Chloe looked over her shoulder. Seeing Zombie Mara glued to the TV meant she had some time. “I can give you exactly seventeen,” she hooked a thumb at the room behind the closed door. Maxy Mermaid just joined forces with Uma Unicorn to defeat Tentacle Timmy. They have this thing going on,” she blushed waving her hands as if to clear the air clearly embarrassed. “That sounded way worse than it should be for a kid’s show. New topic,” she could not help but laugh and avoid looking directly at him. He would be wearing that half-smirk showing he was amused with something and it would make her knees go weak.

“What’s up,” she said asked putting her hands in her pockets to try and not fidget.

“I don’t have much time, I wanted to give these to you,” he said handing her the flowers as he felt the butterflies nearly escaping and breaking his resolve before he got the words out. Choking back saliva he let himself settle as he looked her in the eyes.

“These are for me,” she took the flowers clearly surprised this was not part of the daddy-daughter day. Bringing them up she smelled them even though carnations had little to no fragrance. It was more of a way to let her slip into past memories of when he had given her a bouquet. “They are beautiful. Really,” she smiled up at him.

“Go out with me, on a date… just us. Let’s get some sitters… and, let’s just go out. Away from our past and just… find each other.” he said, hoping that at this moment she would feel the same spark he had been feeling lately. This had been a risk he knew, but he wasn’t going to avoid taking it. He had to know if there was life in their marriage, and he would never know without asking this question.

Harland, CNS

“When,” she asked already trying to figure out how to move her schedule around to accommodate this. “Logan has little league on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Mara has dance Monday and Wednesdays. Shooot,” Chloe moaned. “We have that recital of hers on Saturady. I mentioned that right?” Instantly Chloe regretted what she had said. Already she was sliding into mom mode instead of a wife. “I will make it work. When do you want to do it?” The nervousnes coming off Chloe was palpable but so was the eagerness to make this all work.

Chloe

“Right now…”

Chloe looked at him bewildered. “Right now as in get your coat Clo Bell and follow me now…now.” The logical side of her did not have a chance against the emotional side of her. Names of sitters flew through her head like a file downloading with each getting a huge X next to them based on the immediacy of her need. It did however settle on one: Blanche Deveraux. The elderly woman next door probably already knew what was going on and what was about to be asked of her. She patrolled the hallways through her peephole like a sniper on a mission. Nothing escaped her purview. She was the perfect person to ask since she was retired even if she smelled of mothballs and chicken fat. While Mara would be less than pleased to see old Blanche pop in, Chloe was not going to backburner Nathan or postpone this invitation. Over the past year, leaving her children with Blanche would rank low on the scale of bad things she did as a mom recently.

” I have someone to watch Mara. The XO is looking for kids to socialize with their daughter and I volunteered her to go on a play date. Logan won’t be back for hours.

With one problem down, Chloe moved to the lesser problem of work. “I,” she opened her mouth to explain that she was just going to call out sick yet Nathan had seemed to think of everything.

“Teller also changed the duty roster. You do not have to work today.”

Chloe leaned against the wall wearing a soft, sexy smile. “You found me a babysitter and got me off work,” she beamed. “How can I say no to that,” she flirted with him for the first time in months. It felt good. It was a rush filling her with something she hadn’t experienced in a long time: hope. “We haven’t played hookey since San Francisco.”

“I know day dates are not nearly as glamorous but… I want you now… I need you now. Our schedules are always going to be chaos, might as well find the moments when we can and latch onto them.” Nathan said, hoping she would be just as eager. As Nathan was out of uniform, but just wearing simple acid wash jeans and with a white t-shirt and a denim jacket over. It wasn’t classy, it wasn’t fancy.

“Aedan Teller and I had been talking, his first date with Jessica of all things was bingo… not to recreate their first time, but I thought something simple and easy just fun would be in order. I am thinking burgers and bowling, I got a holodeck reserved and some burgers from Nagtaini Burgers, that new joint near the Bajoran Soup Factory.” Nathan said, hoping that this slice of simple, yet fun would work for her. They had evenings in black and silver gowns and balls and all kinds of high-end social functions. Right now he just wanted to be with her, and now worry about pomp and circumstance.

Harland, CNS

“Yes,” she said extremely eagerly before turning around and walking into the shut door behind her. The thump echoed in the hall like a gong. Chloe let out a small chuckle as she rubed the spot on her forehead before looking back at Nathan.

“Helps when the door is open,” they said in unison.

“Jinx,” she replied instead of throwing herself onto his chest and providing a scene that Blanche would view with popcorn and a racing pulse. It had been so long since they had been on the same page enough to know what each other was thinking. Well thinking happy thoughts at least.

“So maybe I can go throw something on and you drop off Mara,” she asked already moving into the quarters and heading to the bedroom to change.

“Perfect lemme go get cuddle bug,” Nathan said, knowing it wasn’t going to be long before she flung herself at him once she realized it was him.

“Daddy,” Mara squealed half falling and half running to the door. When Nathan was prepared, as in times like this, his knees were saved from a small body slamming into them. Scooping her up, Mara began to pepper his cheeks with small fast kisses.

“Hey pipsqueak…” he said as he held her tight in his arms as he let his heart melt at the tiny kisses she was giving him. These moments, they were something you only got when you were all in the same roof. Or in the case of them right now, the same outpost. Which, from a certain perspective, meant they were all under the same roof. The outpost in many ways was just a giant home with several rooms to allow people to function in their day to do. It was like a high-rise apartment, just in space.

“I’s misted you so much. I was so lonewee waiting for you,” she threw a hand over her face and swooned back in his arms like the cartoon damsels on her shows. “I be waitin’ and waitin’ but you never comin’.” Logan was old enough to know something was wrong with his parents. Mara on the other had Chloe’s sense of time management and thought five minutes translated to one hour. In reality, there was so little time, he was not around his daughter for the most part. Mara was used to him being gone at work so the eight hours Nathan was missing daily in her life was almost one hundred percent due to work. He often wasn’t there when she woke up because Mara was a sleeper. He was there however from the time they started dinner until the time the kids were tucked into bed.

“I want chicken nuggets and mac and cheese,” she already was claiming the dinner menu for the night. While she loved having Nathan back, her daddy did need to understand that having pizza and nuggets at least twice a week now was the course of events. It would take him time but soon he would stop raising his eyebrow everytime she told him what was for dinner.

“We can certainly try and accommodate your very sophisticated pallet my pip… but first you get to have a playdate. You remember Mrs. Teller and little Cera? I told me you loved all her cool toys and I think you tried to steal a few which we will need to pat you down before you leave their place… but they invited you over again. Grab your backpack and I will get you some of your toys and a change of clothes and bathing suit in case she takes you swimming.”

WHILE NATHAN WAS GONE......

Chloe stood in the bedroom musing about how the room now looked like something a teenager would reside in and not a thirty-something mother of three. Clothes were scattered about everywhere as she tried to settle on an outfit. Time was of the essence so she had to make some decisions. She had managed a boot camp shower getting all the main parts clean so that she did not feel grimy. Dropping the towel wrapped around her body, she first pulled on a pair of cut-offs. Nathan was in jeans but her jeans were maternity and flared out making her legs appear skinnier under her bulging belly. Jeans were a complete no go because they constantly slid off her tummy making her have to hike them up. Nothing fit and everything made her look like she was six months pregnant or a mother which was exactly the two looks she did not want to have. Normally Chloe would bemoan this and Nathan would put on some song and dance about how she looked good in anything, eventually settling on a random outfit from the bed. This was just one of those moments where she remembered how much past they had between them.

Hearing the door open, Chloe knew her timetable was shrunk but thirty minutes. Nathan was far more adept at dropping the kids off than her. They never pulled the neck clinging and leg prying off like they did with her with him. The bad mom in Chloe had wished however Mara had refused to to go so that she had more time to get ready. Time was up however so Chloe went simple. A graphic t-shirt that said no coffee....well that is a problem and a pair of leggings. Shoving her feet into a pair of sneakers she walked out seeing Nathan going through some of Logan’s school papers. THe scene felt warm and natural. It felt like home until she saw what he was about to open up.

“Don’t” she said putting a hand over his. “I mean wait,” she instantly repaired her answer. “It’s his report card and I was saving it for dinner. I was kinda hoping you would do that thing you used to. You know,” she stopped, squared her shoulders and got a stern expression on her face pretending to hold it out and reading it in disbelief. Adopting a tone that was as close to Nathan’s as she could manage Chloe continued. “Wait. What is this sport. All A’s. Are you serious? All A’s? What am I going to do with you?”

“That is not at all how I sound,” Nathan said with a bemused look as he took the paperback from her as he began to look over it with a large smile crashing over his face.

Chloe let out a laugh and smiled at Nathan. “Oh you so look like that. I was dead on baby. Spot.”

Chloe

“Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that chuckles,” he said as he put the paper down as he then let his attention soak in Chloe as he couldn’t help but feel a warm smile come over his face. “Okay spin around…” he said as he began to twirl his finger for her to take as a queue. Chloe always had a knack for staying super tiny even after four kids. Modern things like dermal regenerators made loose skin a thing of the past and yet she somehow always stayed petite. It was for other women often a slap in the face but Nathan couldn’t deny it made her extra adorable. From behind she just looked normal, till she turned the side and watermelon came poking out.

Chloe laughed holding her arms out to the side. Nathan only did this when she pestered him enough about how she looked. He always said she looked great but when she complained enough, he made a game out of really inspecting her before he gave her the thumbs up.

“Stop…” he said, almost with a stern tone but clearly playful as she got to a 180 pose with her back clearly to him as he couldn’t help be take it all in before he came up behind and wrapped his hands around her. As he said it, he let his hands gently lay on top of her belly as he softly rubbed her belly with a goofy smile coming over his face.
“I can’t believe we let another one get past the goalie,” he said in her ear as he leaned closer to kiss her cheek as he wanted to let this moment last forever. Despite their past, this was a normal feeling, one he was willing to move past the comfort zone he had been in and branch out with her.

Chloe jumped slightly. It was not that he actively showed her attention but more than attention was directly focused on their baby. This pregnancy was far different than her other three. First off Nathan wasn’t there for most of it This was entirely her fault. Second off, Chloe had been distracted by everything in her life to do anything but take prenatal vitamins for it. There was no celebration of the new Harland edition or endless debates on names. This was the first time he seemed to show any affection towards the baby. As fast as she had been startled by the action, Chloe settled into it relaxing into his body. Rarely if ever did Nathan hold her this way except when she was pregnant. Curling up on his chest was nearly impossible with her baby bump so her back to his chest was the easiest way to cuddle up whether it was in bed, on the couch, or standing up. Closing her eyes she savored the moment. It felt normal and peaceful, two sensations she had not experienced in a long time. “If you were a better hockey player then maybe it wouldn’t have happened,” she teased.

“I …” Nathan paused, it was on the tip of his tongue. ‘…love you.’ but he couldn’t bring himself to say it at this moment. It felt as if a brick wall hit him as he tried to shake off the feeling as he needed. “I made sure the bowling balls were a weight you could handle and still had the force you liked. The beauty of holodecks you can muck with physics,” he said, hoping she would have bought the recovery as he let go of her as he turned around as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Harland, CNS

“I carry around Mara all the time and she is far heavier than a bowling ball,” Chloe tried to keep her voice light and fun. She had wanted something other than talk about bowling balls but beggars could not be choosers. She was lucky enough to have him in the apartment and even luckier that she did not have to prove paternity. She would take what she got and work towards what she wanted. Turning around, Chloe made sure the disappointment was not plastered on her face before he could see her.

“So should we leave,” she asked him grabbing a coat from the closet. “I am starving. I’m in the hobbit phase where I am looking for second breakfast again.” Pulling an apple out of the bowl on the counter she took a bite. “This will tide me over until we get those burgers you promised. Ready,” she asked moving towards the door. Nathan could have been taking her to a five-star restaurant or simply made food here. She didn’t care about the where. She was happy focusing on the who.

Exiting the quarters, Chloe on autopilot reached out taking Nathan’s hand. It wasn’t until her fingers wrapped around his hand did she realize what she had done. While it was not the most uncommon thing, Chloe rarely walked without holding Nathan’s hand. As soon as she noticed what she had done, she quickly let go to search her purse. FIshing about for a second she looked at him trying to act casual. “Just making sure I put my communicator in there…in case one of the kids needs to reach me…us. Hold the turbo,” she said raising a finger to the people facing her. Inside she cringed at what she let happen. Life with Nathan was confusing and hard right now. Things had definitely gotten better over the past few weeks but it was nowhere near patched up. Baby steps Chloe. Just take it slow, she reminded herself. Too much had happened for them to just act like nothing was wrong anymore. Lies like that is what led them here. If they were going to give it a shot at starting over, they both needed honesty to build the new foundation.

Chloe

Nathan waited as he let her come in, feeling a sense of dread that things wouldn’t be able to get to normal before he just shook his head. “Computer halt,” he said as the lift paused as he looked over at her. “We can’t keep doing that… I know things are weird, but this is a date… we get to do date stuff… it’s a rule.” Nathan said, wanting to try to help her feel at ease. He wasn’t certain he bought that line, but he had already regretted not telling her before he still loved her. Now she felt like she couldn’t take his hand. He was tired of the eggshell approach and he was just going to make it clear to her, he missed his wife.

“Look… I know this is weird, but neither of us needs to hold back… it’s not going to help us. I would tell any patient of mine to be truthful… so, yes I still am hurt… but I don’t really care about the ball weight… I love you… still… which is crazy but I do… I can’t not be in love with you and I tried REALLY hard. We need to be able to say what we feel and let those chips lay, even if it doesn’t solve everything. I am not expecting this all to be a magic wand today, but… we can’t go back to hiding what we feel and expect that to be better… we both deserve more from each other.” Nathan said as he knew he threw a lot at her just then but he wanted to stop putting barricades up. There nervous angsty feeling they both had was almost palatable but it didn’t need to stop them from being honest.

“Computer, resume,” he said with a large smile as he took her hand in his as he kissed the back of it as they let the lift take them to the promenade area. “Also you like banging hot… I felt I should just keep that truth gravy train going,” he said as he looked over at her as he pushed her playfully with his hip. “Were gonna make this work, I’m done failing everyone that matters the most to me.”

As the lift came to a halt the Promedae opened up which was a shoppers delight. Stores, food, casinos, hotels, holodecks. It was a plethora of opulence and fun. “There,” Nathan said as he nodded toward the direction of Nagtaini Burgers. “They claim to have real wagyu beef, which… seems untrue in outer space but I don’t care I want a big greasy cheeseburger with you,” he said, it was simple foods like this that always connected to them. They had always been beer and burger folk and this really hit that niche’ for them. “Go tell them Harland party of 2 is ready… I am gonna just go down the area to the holodeck and make certain the reservation is still in my name for us.” he said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

As he got out of sight for a moment Nathan paused as he reached into his pocket, his personal comm had been vibrating as he looked down to read the message. “Test Subject 19 showing signs of improvement from treatments 9B. Approve regiment of 9b to refine for a 6-week trial run on subject Alpha?” he knew what this might mean, if they ran the figures the treatment they had been looking for could be finally here. The timing might have been better, it took them right to Thanksgiving but he wasn’t going to delay.

‘Approved, wait for trial on Alpha for my arrival to go over the beta results of 9B though.’ Nathan replied as he put the communicator back in his pocket as he made his way back to the entrance of the restaurant as he looked around for Chloe was he smiled widely as he walked over to their seat. “Got us all squared away, now it’s time to get some grease… you want to start with the stuffed crab mushrooms and old bay-crusted mozzarella sticks?” he asked her, this had been something had tried last week when the place first opened, and knew she would love both as he sat down next to her.

Harland, CNS


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