What do I do with a baby

Posted on Tue Dec 16th, 2025 @ 11:18pm by Nollel Livaam (*) & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein

Mission: Shackles
Location: Engineering Officer
2380 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure

“But I am not telepathic.” Was Nollel’s comment when she had been asked to have the baby to see if she could be away from a telepath for a couple of hours. Nollel was not sure what to do with a baby as she had not been around many on Ardana but she suspected that Michael would have a better idea as his family on Earth was so large and full of children. She pressed the chime to her husbands office and waited to be let in. She refused to be that person who just strode in and demanded attention.

Burnie beamed, seeing Nollel; he'd have had no problem with her dropping in any time he wasn't up to his armpits broken components. "Hey, come in, to what do I owe..." he paused, noticing the baby, and then his smile got bigger. "Do we get baby duty?" he asked, surprised - he was sure someone would've objected to letting the resident pyro anywhere near a infant - but came right over, cooing to the newborn, "Look at you - so tiny. but don't worry, before you long you'll be big enough for *fwoosh*..." he gently spun Nollel around with the baby, "...all sorts of fun."

“I do so by extension you do.” Nollel said as she was spun around and grinned up at the man. “They want to see how she gets on without being with telepaths for a few hours so here I am.” Nollel looked down at the little baby a little clueless. “There were not many children on Ardana and certainly never any this size in the artist halls.”

"I've seen enough this size," Burnie said, and looked at her with a wry smile. "I was just never allowed to hold them. My sister didn't let me touch Sophie until she was almost two," he added with a joking grin. It was an exaggeration - a family joke - but not entirely untrue. Ellie had watched her 'wild' younger brother like a hawk whenever he was around her infant daughter. It had taken the Terrible Twos to wear her down since 'wild' antics had a decent chance of short-circuiting a tantrum. "From what I recall, at this age, they mostly just need food, cuddles, and diaper changes."

“Well would you like a cuddle?” The woman wondered as she slowly started to unlatch the carrier that she had been holding the baby in so she had the security that a telepathic baby seemed to need more than another species. “And I am sure Sophie would have coped. I have seen how she climbs over you.” She teased.

"Yes," he said, though he took the carrier gingerly - the baby was so tiny he nearly held his breath until it was strapped on securely. "Sophie climbs all over me now, but she's a Big Girl - as she'll tell anyone who tries calling her a little one. This one," he smiled down at the little ball of warmth, "is..."

"WAAHHHH!" The baby waking up at the change and finding herself in unknown surroundings with unknown minds around her, made her alarm known.

“Awake.” Nollel said kindly. “Hello little one. Remember me we bonded before you went to sleep. Michael just wants a cuddle and we like him.” Nollel soothed in the same voice she had spoken to Sophie with.

"WAAAHH! WAH! WAH!"

"Hey, now," Burnie cooed, starting to sway and rock the way he remembered seeing Elle do with baby Sophie, humming vaguely while trying to remember a lullaby. What came to mind wasn't strictly speaking a lullaby, but sort of worked. "Once there was a way... to get back homeward. Once there was a way, to get back home..." he crooned in a slightly off-pitch tenor, "Sleep, pretty darling... Do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby..."

Nollel took a few steps back watching the man rocking. “I definitely did not see this version of you in the future.” She teased a little as she looked at the bag that held the baby’s items and wondered if she was maybe hungry. “She might be hungry.” She suggested.

He'd ducked his head a little, not sure how to feel about no kids in their future. Granted, given how little he was helping with this baby, that might be for the best... His came back up at 'hungry'. "Yeah, that might be. Babies grow fast, so probably has to eat every couple hours. Did they give you any milk or formula?"

Nollel knew she had said something that had thrown him by the way he looked away. She frowned a little but nodded. “They did. Would you like to feed her?” She wondered as she pulled out the bottle from the container.

"Yes, let's give that try," he said, taking the bottle and shifting the baby carrier a bit so that he could it to her lips. The crying stopped, replaced by eager sucking. Burnie released a relieved breath and smiled. "There we go. That's what you wanted."

Once things were settled down Nollel looked at Michael and smiled. “Just because I did not see you holding a newborn like this does not mean I did not see children.” Nollel said watching him carefully. “I just did not think you would want to know much about what I saw in the futures.”

He looked up at that. Interesting. Then reminded himself not to read too much in. "I didn't want to know. I've been through enough timey-whimey stuff to know that potential futures are only that and knowing them can sometimes lead out comes that wouldn't have happened otherwise." He paused, gave her a warm smile. "Though that's one where I wouldn't mind a self-fulfilling prophecy."

“It’s the one future I want to see too.” Nollel said sitting slowly down on the other end of the couch watching the baby happily suckling on the bottle. It was a relief that the girl was able to be away from other telepaths and to be comforted. “I certainly do not want to see the Borg.” She shivered at the memory of being on that version of SS Mary Rose. It had been terrifying and had left her having weird dreams for weeks which was why she had never discussed it with him.

"Borg?" He suppressed a shudder. He'd never personally crossed into that Alternate, but Erica had - one where a version of him had taken an AI virus and set himself up to be assimilated. They'd shared a bitter laugh over his willingness to become a sort of human bomb. He shook aside the memory of her face, the grief and quiet horror in her expression, as she told him. "You could have told me," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know that Alternate is out there. I've known... others that have crossed into it."

“We had an unwritten agreement on not discussing it.” Nollel shrugged but turned to kiss his hand playfully on his shoulder before watching him pick up the bottle to resume feed the baby. “It does not matter but the ship was crash landed on an unknown planet with a broken keel and full of bodies both crew and Borg, me and Jaxx spent a lot of time crawling through the ship and only discovered Borg in the moments before I ended up back in the hydroponics bay. Why I was so shook,” she admitted wrapping her arms around herself.

He settled onto the couch next to her. "I should have asked. I was ...processing everything I'd seen and, well, not quite thinking straight."

“Not like I was forthcoming,” Nollel said, gently turning to look at him properly. “There was a lot to process.” She wished they had had this type of conversation before, but it was hard for things like this to happen sometimes. “I even saw a future where I finally got that chocolate fountain.” She tease,d trying to lighten the moment.

"I wouldn't mind processing a chocolate fountain," he chuckled, and leaned closer with a smile. "I'm sure I can fab you one. Or, next time we're on earth, I can let slip that you want one and there'll be one in every room wherever they decide to throw the belated wedding reception."

Nollel laughed softly as she watched the baby stop gulping down the milk. "Yes, we really do need to go to Earth soon." She admitted wondering if there was a way to get at least his parents to one of their long ports of call to celebrate with them.

He nodded, smiling as the baby finished her bottle and drifted back to sleep. "Yes, but after this one goes to a home. I do want children someday, but my family doesn't need any more excuse to keep asking 'when?'."

Nollel blinked a few times before she looked at him. "You want... You want a child with me?" She asked quietly, thinking back to the day on earth when his family had said it would be no problem, but she had not considered it them.

"Well, yes ...that is, if you want one," he added hastily. "I'm okay if you don't - heaven knows there are a lot of people, including my own sister, who'd consider not risking a child that might take after me to be the most sane possible choice you could make."

“I married you and everything that entails.” Nollel said without a moments heartbeat when he stopped speaking. “I could not think of a better parent to enforce safe practices if they do take after either of us in that regard.”

Burnie laughed, flashing a smile. "Nothing like experience to deal with that in a kid, I guess. But I was apparently a handful in more ways than just like things went Kaboom. I know starships have childcare, even for the hyper kids who try to take everything apart, but we don't. Reprogramming K-9 as a childminder and leashing a kid to him would only work for so long."

The blonde glanced down at the baby. “I know it is not a now thing but I do not know if we are genetically compatible like that but you can tell our family that it is something we have considered.” She said pointedly. It was not like she had family and his family had accepted her without hesitation.

"That will make them very happy," he said, reaching over to squeeze her hand, with an expression that showed it made him happy as well. Not just that this amazing woman was somehow open to having a child with him, but the way she had accepted becoming part of his whole big chaotic family. "But, fair warning, it'll probably have my Mom prodding for more than just considered," he added with a small grin. "I can guarantee that when we're ready she'll call in every doctor in the family to provide free genetic counseling and any intervention necessary to make us compatible."

Nollel laughed a little more and moved her hand to squeeze his back. “They did hint as much when we were on earth.” She laughed a little before returning her gaze to the baby taking in her calmness she was taking this experiment as a success. She was not fretting or upset without telepaths around.

He thought a moment. "I know there's a rift, and a regular human like me is not the mate they wanted for their daughter, but should we at least tell your parents we're married? Especially if we're starting to think about children someday - a lot of family divisions go by the wayside when the other option is never seeing grandkids."

Nollel blinked a few times as she took in what he said before she paled. “I am not sure. They were pretty sure they never wanted to see me again and they can never be involved if they think you are a simple human as there is nothing simple about you Michael.” She said fiercely. She was not about to let him think that about himself when he was the perfect mate for her.

He smiled, touched by her vehemence on his behalf. "Thank you. But I want you to know that I'm prepared to be not so readily accepted, so that shouldn't stand in the way of reconciliation, if you ever feel like there's an opening."

“There is no opening.” Nollel said simply. “They wanted to sell me like earth cattle at a market and thankfully they chose a good man and family who would never marry someone who did not want to be married to him. I am dead to them and I suspect that is for the best and any children in the future.” Nollel said sadly as she looked at the baby.

"All right, you know best here," Burnie said kindly, squeezing her hand a moment. For all that his family didn't necessarily understand his interests, they had always been loving and supportive. It wasn't that he hadn't known any number of people who had come from rotten families and had gone no contact for very good reasons, but he always sensed an emptiness in that rift and it broke it his heart to see it in Nollel; she deserved so much better.

Before he could think of anything better to say, the baby hiccuped and started to fuss. "Hey, there, there," he soothed rocking her again as the fussing grew. "Maybe I should be thinking happy thoughts, like about watching fireworks."

“I should take her back to Jaxx.” She declared thinking she needed to change the subject as they had delved into something deep without meaning to.

"Hmm," Burnie sniffed, and unstrapped the carrier. "Probably a good call."

“She is not going anywhere for a bit I am sure that you can have more cuddles with her.” Nollel said gently knowing they were going to have a to have a bit of a better talk without a telepathic baby there with them. But not there and then, she needed to think through how to explain her family better. Maybe Leiddem or Gregnol would be helpful as they had met them and been there when she chose her own path.

 

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