The BLTS Archive - The Right One #5: The Right Words by Karahkwa (karahkwa@startrekmail.com) --- Disclaimer: All things Trek belong to Paramount. The situation is purely my own and I mean no copyright violations. No money is being made. --- Jake Sisko lay on his bed and stretched. Life didn't get much better than this he thought as he rolled towards his lover. When he touched the warm flesh, he sighed and cuddled up. It was only 0300 and Julian didn't have to be to the infirmary for another five hours. They'd been up to 2300 and by all rights Jake should still be asleep, as was his companion. But in the two months since they'd become lovers, Jake had found that he loved to watch Julian sleep. Julian's face was so relaxed. He looked serene and calm to an extent he never showed when awake. He was so beautiful when he lost all the worries of the day. Jake smiled and run his hand up his lover's chest. He stopped when his hand rested over Julian's heart. He could feel the pulse beneath. So steady and strong… Like the doctor himself. Jake snorted softly at his thoughts. He always got fanciful in the middle of the night. He rubbed his face against the nearby shoulder and thought back to the last few weeks. Julian had been wonderful. Sending him little messages and sneaking away from work to neck in the access tunnel. The best part had been the night Julian had given him a full body massage. But Jake could tell his lover was unhappy about something. And he had a pretty good idea what that was. They still hadn't told anyone that they were together and Julian didn't seem to like the secrecy. Jake didn't understand it. This was there was less pressure from friends and should they break up no one would be placing the blame on either one of them. Besides, Julian had just ended a relationship and this kept people from thinking this was a rebound thing. It really was better this way. Jake sighed. He couldn't get Julian to understand that. It wasn't that he was ashamed or embarrassed by their relationship. He just wanted it to be the two of them for a while. Julian shifted and Jake sat up to let him moved. Of course, the motion brought the older man out of his peaceful sleep. "Jake?" Smiling, the younger man leaned down and kissed him. "I'm right here. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." "Mmm. Wha' are you doin' awake at…" Julian glanced at the chronometer and then he glanced again. "0330?" Jake chuckled at the surprise in Julian's voice. "I was watching you sleep and thinking about us." "Oh? And what were you thinking?" Julian accompanied the question with a caress and some shifting so that they were once again snuggled together. "How good we are together. How lucky I am to have you. Why I don't want anyone to know about us yet. Julian, I know you don't like keeping this a secret but… I just don't understand why." Julian smiled and pulled Jake a little bit closer. "You had lunch with Nog yesterday." "Yeah. And you had lunch with that Bajoran doctor who was visiting. What does that have anything to do with-" "While you were eating a group of women came in and a couple of them flirted with Nog and you." "Julian… I‘m in a relationship with you now." "But none of those women knew that. They think you're still fair game when you're all ready taken. I sat across the room and watched as those women tried to take you away from me." Jake lifted his head to look into Julian's eyes. "No one is taking me awa-" Julian's comm badge beeped for Jake could finish. They both jumped at the sound and then sighed. The older man rolled out of bed and search for where his uniform jacket had been tossed last night. "Bashir here," he answered when he finally found the badge. "Julian, it's Kasidy. I- I think it's time." Julian held back his sigh. For the last two months she'd been worried about going into labor too soon. However, this was actually pretty close to her due date… "Can you make it the Infirmary or should I come to your quarters?" "I'll ask Jake to help me. He should be home now." "No!" "Doctor?" "No, don't wake him. If this isn't a false alarm, there'll be plenty of time to wake him. I'll be over in a few minutes." --- Jake sat outside the main room of the Infirmary. He didn't know what was going on. All Julian had said when he commed him was that he was taking Kasidy in for tests. That was too vague for Jake and his imagination was already thinking up all sorts of terrible scenarios. "Jake?" He looked up to see Julian in the doorway. He didn't look pleased as he crossed to sit beside him. "How bad is it?" "It could be worse. It could also be better. She is in labor and it's too far along to stop it. The only time she doesn't come to me at the first pain…" Jake laughed at Julian's exasperation. But it was too nervous by far. "I've called in Ensign Davidson. When she arrives, we're going to deliver the baby by cesarean section. Basically, I'll transfer the baby instead trying to let Kasidy deliver her." Jake nodded. But he didn't look convinced. Julian knew it wasn't any lack of confidence from his lover. But he did say softly, "Hey. I'll take good care of them. Trust me okay?" "I do trust you. I just keep thinking that if Dad were here he'd handle this better. I just don't have his-" "Jake, your father is a good man. And so are you. If you weren't I don't think I'd love you so much." "I know; it's just that sometimes… But now isn't the time. Can I talk to Kasidy for a bit before…" "Sure. But make it quick. I want to start as soon as Davidson gets here." --- Just over forty minutes later, Tiana Marie Sisko was born. Despite her early arrival she seemed healthy. Her mother was ecstatic and her big brother couldn't get the smile off his face. It was another forty minutes before the mother and child were asleep and under the watchful eye of the nurse allowing the doctor and brother to leave. They walked slowly through the halls, partly due to fatigue and partly because they wanted to savor the company. "Julian?" Jake asked as they waited for the ‘lift to take them to the habitat ring. "Yeah?' Julian was busy nuzzling his neck and thinking up ways to help Jake celebrate his sister's birth. "Did you mean what you said earlier? That you love me?" Julian pulled away and looked into his lover's eyes. He saw the hope and doubt in their chocolate depths. "Well, yeah. Couldn't you tell after two months?" "You really love me? You're not just saying that?" "Jake Sisko… I love you. I'm not saying it just because we're lovers. Okay? It's you. It's the talks we have over dinner and the way you light up when you're writing and you're lost in that imagination of yours. It's the way you-" Jake smiled and kissed Julian to stop him. "I love you too." --- The End