[Isabelle Cooper]

1430    
Vedas Base    
Col. Hamricks Office


It had been almost two weeks since she had told Bobby the news...or had it been longer? She was finding it hard to remember some things these days, between the ever constant headaches, mixed with the nausea and the fact that she still had anxiety about the future, little things easily slipped her mind. But the biggest little thing was still there...and she was finding it harder and harder to hide. This was mostly due to the fact that her body had decided it no longer wanted to be the size she had been before all this, at first she could pass it off as a little weight gain, it happens to people all the time, but weight gain did not usually come with mood swings or random food cravings. 

Isabelle walked down the hallway towards her CO's office, Hamrick was one of the people she had avoided telling, mostly because she knew as soon as he learned, she wouldn't be leaving the Base for anything except to go back to Earth, and her trips through the Stargate were not something she realized that she wanted to give up so soon. But now she had more than herself to think about.

Reaching the office she knocked on the door and entered, "Colonello, do you have a minute?" she asked as she stepped into the office, "There is something we need to discuss." she added. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick

 

[Steve Hamrick]

1430
Vedas Base
LTC Hamrick's office/Base Comms office

Steve knew he had loaded several sealed boxes with Cisco routers and now he couldn't find them. They had brought them on Shiva and he'd secured them in this office space, but they were now at the bottom of the computer equipment and he was now moving the boxes around, uniform jacket tossed haphazardly on the desk and lifting boxes that were really supposed to be a two-man lift. He was holding a box of hardened laptops when the knock came on the door and Cooper stepped in, the automatic doors closing behind her.

His hands were full and he wasn't sure where he wanted to put the box, so he still held it. "Trying to find some routers, but yeah I've got some minutes. While we're at it, could you look at the serial numbers on the boxes over there? Searching for a Cisco 4321 ISR router to get the botany lab back up, theirs died unexpectedly. You can move those boxes, right? They're about thirty pounds, I don't know."

He set aside the laptops and picked up another box, which had the wireless routers and he grunted in displeasure as he read the model number.

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1431
Vedas Base
LTC Hamrick's office/Base Comms office

The room was full of computer equipment, she forgot the office also served as an unofficial storage room at times. Then again the SV3 Commanding Officer was the bit of a computer fanatic. "Trying to find some routers, but yeah I've got some minutes. While we're at it, could you look at the serial numbers on the boxes over there? Searching for a Cisco 4321 ISR router to get the botany lab back up, theirs died unexpectedly..."

She moved towards the boxes Steve had mentioned and started looking for the box in question,  "...You can move those boxes, right? They're about thirty pounds, I don't know." Isabelles hands froze over the top box and she glanced back to Steve, "No, I can't at least not right now." she told him, she looked down at the box then back up again, "At least it is not advisable at this point in time." she added. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1431
Vedas Base
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office

Steve blinked at her and set down the box of Linksys routers. "I've taken you to the gym, I know you can lift more than thirty pounds, Cooper."

But it wasn't like she was obligated to help him with his own inventory problem right now. He find the box he'd been looking under the wireless routers. "Bingo! 4321s, I know I had them."

And yet again, his habit of recording the configurations for every router under his responsibility was going to pay off. He'd have botany back up in an hour.

He pulled one out and set it on the desk, but he'd load the configuration file later. It could wait until tomorrow really, but Dr. Landsing in the botany lab was a stunningly pretty guy. "Do that later. What did you need to talk about?"

It had to be important for Cooper to have come looking for him, right? But personal important or professional important. Maybe training. "Did you need to cancel going to the range Friday?"

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1432
Vedas Base
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office


"I've taken you to the gym, I know you can lift more than thirty pounds, Cooper."

Isabelle nodded in agreement, "I know you know that I can lift-" she stopped as he announced his findings, Cooper gave him a tired smile, even though she had slept great the previous night, she still felt tired, "Do that later. What did you need to talk about?" she now had his full attention, "Did you need to cancel going to the range Friday?" she shook her head, "No, we have already rescheduled that once before and I need the practice, you know that." she replied, while her aim had improved considerably thanks to the help of people like Col. Hamrick, it was still nothing like the far more experienced military members of the expedition. If anything she was probably one of the worst shots out of the whole group, though not the last person you wanted holding a gun...at least not anymore. "It is not advisable for pregnant women to lift more than twenty five pounds, so given that I am currently sitting around eleven or twelve weeks...any heavy lifting will have to wait a bit" at least that was what she had read, there did not seem to be any real evidence backing it up, but she did not want to take any risks. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1432
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office
Vedas Base

"You are getting to be a lot better shot though. I wouldn't stick a cigarette in my mouth and let you shoot the flame out, but you're getting more accurate." But that wasn't it, as she mentioned the lifting. He knew that, his sister had already had six kids, and she kept talking and he put the pieces together.

Sure, he'd noticed Cooper had gained weight, even with their missions but he had a mother, a sister and numerous gal pals. He'd learned saying anything about weight gain was a good way to get murdered. And the mood swings, and hell, he should have noticed this earlier.

She wasn't the first woman to come up pregnant under his command, but a female Marine would have told him immediately so her duties could be altered, with a pregnancy profile from the Navy doc.

"12 weeks? 12, as in three months? And you didn't think I needed to know that about two, two and a half months ago?" Steve was thinking of the missions they'd been doing over the past months, the range times, the training. And none of it would have been on the agenda if he'd known she was pregnant.

"Well, range is canceled. I can't have you shooting indoors now that I actually know. The lead's a hazard." Steve ran his hand through his short hair. Last time he'd had a pregnant Marine, she had told him as soon as the doctor had confirmed it. But Cooper was no servicemember.

"Who's the father? I can grab about anybody on this base by the scruff of the neck and make him do the right thing." But he considered the card game, and the rumors floating around base. And was pretty sure the father outranked him. "Or get a court martial trying, that too. Did you at least get him tested before you slept with him? Ask to see the last yearly HIV test?"

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1432
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office
Vedas Base


"You are getting to be a lot better shot though. I wouldn't stick a cigarette in my mouth and let you shoot the flame out, but you're getting more accurate."

She could see him processing what she had said, everyone had a look they got when they realized things, some more obvious than others.  It did not take long for everything to fall into place and when it did it was clear. "12 weeks? 12, as in three months? And you didn't think I needed to know that about two, two and a half months ago?" Isabelle had thought about telling him the moment she had been sure, but she also needed to tell someone else, of course that had taken her longer than she wanted due to other factors. The weeks had gone by fast and she knew as each week passed she was creating a greater and greater risk, you never knew what the next day would bring. 


"Well, range is canceled. I can't have you shooting indoors now that I actually know. The lead's a hazard." she frowned, even though she was not a fan of firearms, she did enjoy practicing. "Who's the father? I can grab about anybody on this base by the scruff of the neck and make him do the right thing." she did not speak, his offer was touching, though she had a feeling he would not be the last person to offer to do so nor did she think it would be needed. "Or get a court martial trying, that too. Did you at least get him tested before you slept with him? Ask to see the last yearly HIV test?"


Isabelle "Yes, three months. Believe it or not you were one of the few people I first thought about telling when I learned this "glorious news"!" she fired back probably a little bit to heated, she paused and look a breath, "You will not be grabbing the father by the neck, he already knows, I told him about a month ago and while he expressed his concerns, he is also willing to let me decide what we will do, for the most part." Bobby had been willing to let her have time to decide what they were going to do, but lately he had been more and more adamant about making sure she did not take any risks. "And asking to see his medical history was the last thing on my mind that night before we first slept together, do you really think I am stupid enough to not protect myself?!" she scoffed, "I might be naive about some things but that is not one of them." Pregnancy? Yes. Hooking up with someone? no. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1433
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office
Vedas Base

"You should have. So you were pregnant while we might have been blown to smithereens in orbit. And going into completely enemy territory to find Kamadeva, and could have been captured with me. Or the depot, if your baby daddy hadn't found a friendly, we wouldn't have come back alive." Steve sat down on the corner of his desk, deeply bothered by looking over the past few months with new info.

When she mentioned protection, he laughed. "Your baby bump says otherwise. 'Stupid' wasn't the word I would have said out loud but now that you mention it. Blake told me about the kid he already has, if you don't know. He bailed on that baby mama, so yeah. Stupid. The baby trap doesn't work on forty-something year old men. They just dump you and then refuse to pay child support."

It was neither professional or any of his business, but psychological buttons had been pushed. Yes, in his eyes she'd been stupid. You didn't let someone f*** you bareback without years of certainty they were clean and not having s3x with anyone else. But she was straight and on the pill probably. "Sometimes I wonder why breeders are so freaking lackadaisical about condoms. Didn't let Blake stop using a condom for three years myself, even when the whining started." He remembered how afraid he'd been on the next military HIV test months after they'd put down the protection and chosen to trust each other's loyalty. Trust was scary, after all. And monogamy really was the sticking point, wasn't it?

"Do you really believe he's only f***ing you, Cooper, after a few measly months? You'd bet your life on it, and you die horribly if you're wrong. Because that's a pretty stupid bet to make. But congratulations, anyway."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1433
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office
Vedas Base

"You should have. So you were pregnant while we might have been blown to smithereens in orbit. And going into completely enemy territory to find Kamadeva, and could have been captured with me. Or the depot, if your baby daddy hadn't found a friendly, we wouldn't have come back alive."

Yes, of course he list all the times in the past three months when they walked head long into danger and could have died, when he used the term "baby daddy" to describe Bobby, Isabelle's eyes narrowed, she had never been a fan of the word, especially now that it could be used to describe her. "Your baby bump says otherwise. 'Stupid' wasn't the word I would have said out loud but now that you mention it. Blake told me about the kid he already has, if you don't know. He bailed on that baby mama, so yeah. Stupid. The baby trap doesn't work on forty-something year old men. They just dump you and then refuse to pay child support." 

"You mean the baby bump that I had to point out for you to even notice!?" she asked, while she trusted Blakes judgement on lots of things, he clearly only knew the bite and pieces of Bobbys history with his first borns mother, while it seemed like the man had just upped and left the woman, that was far from the case. "Sometimes I wonder why breeders are so freaking lackadaisical about condoms. Didn't let Blake stop using a condom for three years myself, even when the whining started."

Isabelle gritted her teeth, it was becoming harder and harder to bite her tongue, "Do you really believe he's only f***ing you, Cooper, after a few measly months? You'd bet your life on it, and you die horribly if you're wrong. Because that's a pretty stupid bet to make. But congratulations, anyway." that was it. If she had something in her hands she would have thrown it at him, at this point she considered picking up one of those stupid routers and throwing it at his head, that would do fine. 

"Vaffanculo!Figlio di puttana!" she yelled in Italian as she threw her arms up in the air, "Che diavolo stai pensando di legarmi alla protezione, agendo come se non hai mai avuto qualcosa che andava storto ?! Almeno io sono-" she realized what language she was speaking and decided that if she was going to waste her energy in responding, it at least better be in a language that the other party could understand.

"First.." she started again, her usually mild native accent becoming a considerably thicker mix of her native accents. "How was I being stupid when I had been using my half of protection since I was in college and was very diligent in keeping up with it, I can't help it that I somehow ended up being the point one percent that had an accident like this happen? Second, you have no god damn idea what the two of us have discussed for the future and last I checked I believe I know something about how to go about taking someone to court for child support, which won't be needed believe it or not, thanks to my cazzo law degree!" at this point any formality that she used to respect was out the window, she did not care that he was a ranking officer, commander of her team and she was just a civilian, if he could share his thoughts, dammit she could do the same. 

She hadn't been this mad at someone in a while and while she was mad, she also was sure hormones had something to do with it, either way it was making her a little dizzy. "And yes, I am sure I am the only person he is screwing, I really appreciate the concern though, it is very touching after you all but call me a whore." despite all she said, she still wanted to punch him. 


*_{Lets just say that this is the F-bomb mixed with him being called a SoB...}
**_{"What the hell are you thinking lecturing me on protection, acting like you've never had something go wrong?! At least I am-"}

TAG: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1434
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comma office

It was her snapping at him at full fury, and he recognized exactly one word, that got his brain-mouth filter back on and Lieutenant Colonel Hamrick struggled out from under the pile of neuroses that was Steve.

Cooper wasn't Kelly, getting knocked up by every useless deadbeat guy to cross her path. Maybe Oxford would be a better man about an unwanted pregnancy than most of the straight guys he knew, immediately calling their girlfriends cheating whores and denying they could be the father.

He sat down behind his desk, taking a deep breath. Shoving the buttons she'd blindly pushed back in the little box and cramming the lid shut.

It wasn't her fault that a baby was an unwanted accident of a broken condom and a failed pill for her and Oxford and a small fortune for him.

It wasn't her fault his trust issues ran to the bone and only one person had ever cared enough to work past them.

It was none of his business, except for strictly operationally. It was her row to hoe. He wasn't responsible for any harm she'd done to the baby by staying on mission status. He wasn't.

He ran a hand over his face and mentally stomped on the little boxes to hold those lids shut. Steve pointed back over his shoulder. "The line was five feet back thatta way, huh? I deserved that. I did notice the signs but didn't put the pieces together. And I should have. My only business is mission status and anything else was out of bounds."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1435
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comma office

Her face was flushed and she had one hand clenched into a fist at her side while the other was lightly placed over her stomach, Isabelle wanted to hit him, throw something at him, something to get it through his head that he had it all wrong in his head, maybe one of those routers he mentioned earlier would do the trick. She watched him sit down behind his desk, maybe she didn't need to throw anything after all, "The line was five feet back thatta way, huh? I deserved that. I did notice the signs but didn't put the pieces together. And I should have. My only business is mission status and anything else was out of bounds." 

Was this his way of apologizing? Coopers brow furrowed a little as she listened to his words, it sure sounded like one. She relaxed her clenched hand, "You crossed it but were smart to catch yourself sooner rather than later." she replied, most people would have kept going and then tried to back track. He had been doing his job, looking out for his people on missions and making sure things went smoothly was an important part, "I can not blame you for doing your job, Colonel." she took a deep breath, if anything, her waiting to tell him about her condition had put people at risk. It had been a rather selfish move on her part.

Isabelle walked closer to his desk, picking up a box from a chair seated before his desk, she set it on the ground before taking the seat for herself. "You'd be surprised how many people pass off the signs of pregnancy in a woman as being just normal weight gain or the random mood swings, so I can't really also blame you for not noticing, though I do thank you for not commenting on the weight gain." she told him. "I did not believe it at first, I will admit, I did not want to believe it because I knew that it would be the end of all this...but then I realized that this is my new reality and I had to face it one way or another." it was hard to go thru all your options when you were galaxies away from your home planet where most of the options lay, so many what ifs and possibilities. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1435
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a mother, an older sister, and most of the friends I've ever been able to make were women. I learned not to say a thing about weight. I'm just used to female Marines, that's all. And got issues, that too."

12 weeks. There would be at least some things she could still operationally do until 20 weeks, he'd have to pull up the regs there for at least a guide. "Well, depending on situation. If I'm satisfied with the security situation and we need your skills, with medical clearance, you could still go on missions for at least the next two months. You can still shoot on an outdoor range, ventilation is good enough to not be a hazard. I'll handle ammo loading and weapons cleaning for you."

But hell, she needed more from him but the strict parameters of a Marine Corps Order memo, right? Steve put aside that little place that wanted to ask if she knew how much what she was willing to do for Captain Oxford was actually worth in dollars and cents. Because he knew, more than both of them combined probably made in a year. At least he was pretty sure that between his pay and Cooper's, wouldn't be $150,000. "He's not been an ass about it, too, has he? He's going to be there for you? Whether he steps up or not, you've got me, and Blake too."

Maybe it was too much, too personal but, "I've got six nieces and nephews, and all their dads ran for the hills as soon as my sister said she was pregnant, even with the courts she's never gotten so much as one child support check out of any of them, hard to get money from five unemployed deadbeats. It doesn't give an outsider a positive outlook about a pregnancy when the dad isn't already chained in place by a marriage, Isabelle."

At least Oxford couldn't whine in court about how he had no job and no ability to pay. "But, just, whatever you need, you've got me, Cooper. Whatever you need, if you need options to a different reality, we could do something open. We'd, him and me, would have to talk about it but there'd be time for that." It was the most awkward way imaginable to bring up adoption.

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

<<http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCO%205000.12E%20W%20CH%201-2.pdf And this is Steve's regs basis for what Cooper can and can't do while pregnant.>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1435
LTC Hamrick's Office/Base Comms Office


"Well, depending on situation. If I'm satisfied with the security situation and we need your skills, with medical clearance, you could still go on missions for at least the next two months. You can still shoot on an outdoor range, ventilation is good enough to not be a hazard. I'll handle ammo loading and weapons cleaning for you." Isabelle gave him a thankful smile, still being able to do some parts of her job were better than not being able to do anything at all, "He's not been an ass about it, too, has he? He's going to be there for you? Whether he steps up or not, you've got me, and Blake too." she had shared his concerns at first, when she had first been trying to figure out how to even tell Bobby, or if she wanted to tell him, but lots of talking had changed her outlook on things. 

"I've got six nieces and nephews, and all their dads ran for the hills as soon as my sister said she was pregnant, even with the courts she's never gotten so much as one child support check out of any of them, hard to get money from five unemployed deadbeats. It doesn't give an outsider a positive outlook about a pregnancy when the dad isn't already chained in place by a marriage, Isabelle."

"But, just, whatever you need, you've got me, Cooper. Whatever you need, if you need options to a different reality, we could do something open. We'd, him and me, would have to talk about it but there'd be time for that."

"He wants to get married." she replied after a moment, "Here I was thinking about returning home, and handling things myself, without even telling him because I was worried that he would up and vanish as soon as he could and the man asks me to marry him." of course the asking part had not come in the traditional way one would expect but it had happened. "I appreciate your concern, it is nice knowing someone I trust also has my back on something besides work stuff. Then again...I think that is what friends do." she gave him a small smile. 

[Steve Hamrick]

1436
LTC Hamrick's office/Base Comms Office

At least Oxford was doing the right thing. Otherwise he'd totally have had to get a shotgun from the armory.

But Steve didn't say that. She didn't seem to sound exactly overjoyed. "Is that what you want? If I was in your shoes, well, I know my in-laws would be bodily dragging Blake down to his father's church. Though if either one of us was a woman, he'd have a divorce claim on my retirement by now. He can't make you keep it if you don't want to."

Friends, he would consider them to be. "That's what friends do. I just hope Oxford appreciates what you're doing. There's people who would pay you a lot of money for this, the whole pregnancy thing. At least two years of either of our salaries, unless you make way more than I was guessing you do."

He gave a small, sad laugh,  it wasn't like a fertile straight woman had any reason to know how much surrogacy cost. "So you feel free to be the most demanding pregnant lady on this planet, Cooper."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1436
LTC Hamrick's office/Base Comms Office


"Even if he did not want to do the right thing, I'd still be keeping it." the idea of what the "right thing" to do was open to opinion, but mostly everyone seemed to agree that marriage was the true right thing to do, even if it seemed a little rush, they honestly did not have years to wait. She shrugged when he mentioned how much she made, "I make enough to pay my bills and still have some left for my retirement." she replied, of course now she'd have to re-budget everything to consider the cost of a child.

By the way he spoke, she had a feeling that he was talking about surrogacy and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, not every couple was as fortunate as she and Bobby were. "So you feel free to be the most demanding pregnant lady on this planet, Cooper." Isabelle gave him a look, "I can't be to demanding otherwise people will start to hate me, right now I don't have many demands, just peanut butter at random hours, and a request that people don't drink coffee around me because as much as I want some, it also makes my stomach turn over."