With Arms Wide Open

Chapter 23

Jaal stood in the tech lab, trying to keep himself busy deconstructing a piece of remnant tech. Piece by piece he took it apart and put it back again, but no matter how much he discovered the excitement he once had in such trivial things just wasn't there.

"Do you understand what your insolence could have done!?"

"I beg your pardon!? I am positive between SAM and myself no harm would have come to Ryder or the child."

"This is precisely why I should have come earlier Jaal, she clearly has no understanding of what it is she is dealing with!"

"Excuse me!? I will have you know that I have been a physician for longer than you have possibly been alive!"

Jaal growled, tossing the remnant tech down on the desk, watching the pieces scatter along rough drafted prototypes and sketched schematics. So much was happening, too much. The moment his mother had arrived her fearful tone has only furthered his own, and even more so, his guilt. He recalled his mother rushing onto the Tempest, immediately taking Sara into the med bay for observation. It's been one too many times he had been forced to wait outside those cold steel doors, his mind bombarded with the same intrusive thoughts. Was the child ok? Did he truly let the excitement of becoming a father trio him into overseeing the betterment of their child? Or worse did it have him oversee the betterment of Sara?

Thankfully when his mother reemerged she told him the danger wasn't immediate, but without proper medication Sara's human form will begin to reject their child. He remembered the overwhelming heaviness his guilt felt, weighing in his chest like lead. He wished he could go back months prior and accept the proposal the moment his mother offered to join them, but it was too late for that. He must now bear the consequences he had brought upon Sara and their child.

The doors screeched open, pulling Jaal back to reality. He turned away, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes when Liam greeted him with a hard pat on the back. "Hey big guy!" Jaal gave him a quick nod before returning to the pieces of remnant tech on his desk, but no matter how much he tried to hide it, at this point Liam could read his friend like a book. He hopped up, sitting down on the empty table beside them. "I'm surprised to find you here, isn't Sara having another appointment?"

"I...I couldn't bring myself to wait there, staring, wondering....what could have happened." Jaal said, fidgeting with a piece of tech in his hands.

Liam leaned down, looking Jaal in the eye. "You know it's not your fault right? Things like this happen. The good thing is it was found out before anything COULD happen. If nothing else be thankful for that, yeah?"

"I suppose." Jaal shrugged.

"Here, follow me." Liam said, jumping down from the table.

Hesitant at first, Jaal followed him to the engine room where Gill and Drack waited patiently. They had a table set up filled with shot glasses and bottles of liquor. "Ah! Just in time!" Gill said, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Yea hurry up I'm getting thirsty!" Drack hollerd.

Jaal looked on curiously as the doors shut behind them. Liam took a seat, motioning for him to take the one beside him."Since you didn't exactly get a bachelor party before tying the knot, we figured we could throw a small one. Come on it'll help you to destress."