Congratulations! It's a BOY!

Posted on Mon Jun 5th, 2023 @ 10:53am by Warrant Officer Samual Johnson
Edited on on Sat Jun 10th, 2023 @ 1:37am

2,102 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: History Speaks
Location: Earth, South Tahoe
Timeline: Several months prior to assignment

"No, go on, go on," Glenn said to Rook as the young man walked beside him. "No need to wait for me."

"No," Rook said, looking ahead to the restaurant. He saw his mother waiting among the large group of people. In total, between natural and adopted, Glenn and Katherine had eighteen children and numerous grandchildren. All of which were here tonight. It was tradition for the family to gather for important occasions, such as the high holidays and birthdays. Tonight it was Rook's birthday they were celebrating. He was touched they included him as part of the tradition but still found it daunting. Rook wasn't used to the idea of being celebrated. Even after all this time.

His mother's eyes lit up and she smiled as she saw him. The shawl he found for her on DS5 shimmered in the early evening light. She waited until Rook and Glenn caught up to them, him moving slower tonight than usual after fighting off another flare up of his Pah Nahrani syndrome.

"Samual," Almathea said as her gaze traveled over him. Her smile remained large and genuine but he did note her eyes searching him for flaws or defects. He stood straighter - not quite at attention - but also recalled that his TIs never made him feel like this. "Happy birthday," she said, giving him a kiss on both cheeks. Once again he felt the relief of passing her inspection.

"Thank you, Ma," he said and was all he could get out before the rest of the Barnes family started moving toward him. Somewhere in the well wishes he heard Jim's voice distinctly call out "Monkeybutt!" and saw the Starfleet lieutenant easily lift the young girl - herself adopted - onto his shoulders. He also saw the girl's mother glare at him and Katherine's exasperated eye roll.

“I swear that boy is going to be the death of me,” Katherine muttered, but there was also a smile in her voice as she watched him.

“Don’t be so upset,” Glenn said, “he was much worse before you. Eventually he’ll grow up and you can take all the credit for it.”

“Oh, you,” Katherine deadpanned as she rolled her eyes. Then leaned in for the kiss her husband planted on her cheek.

“Come on,” Glenn said. “I’m in the mood for some good Alfredo. And birthday cake!” He and Katherine resumed their trek toward the restaurant. Rook and his mother waited several moments.

“They mean well,” Almathea said to her son.

“I know, Ma,” Rook said, “but it was just you and me for so long this still feels unreal.”

“Nonsense,” Almathea said, twining her arm in his. “We are very lucky to have met them. They’ve been very good to us for no reason other than your friend asked them.”

Rook nodded, still able to pick Jim out of the crowd. “Yes,” he said, his voice tight. Once again he worked to push aside the memory of what he and those he thought were friends plotted and almost did. “How’s Glenn?” he asked to change the subject before he had to recall the depths out of which Jim pulled him up.

“Better now. It was rough a few weeks ago but he’s pulling through.” Almathea squeezed Rook’s arm. “Help him not to overdo it tonight. We don’t want him to relapse again so soon after the last episode.”

“I’ll do my best, Ma,” Rook said, “but he’s a prime example of where Jim got his stubbornness.”

Amalthea nodded. “But you just ask him with your kind heart and he’ll acquiesce.”

“Yes, Ma,” Rook said, realizing that he was still as obedient to his mother as Jim was to his. The overwhelming crush of people once again surrounded them as they entered the restaurant and waited as the staff prepared for them by moving several tables together into a large square. Rook noticed the other diners watching the activity and the large party about to enter with some trepidation.

Dinner had been excellent as usual. Glenn jokingly complained he’d eaten far more than he should but the Alfredo - prepared and served the traditional way - was too good to pass up. The family tried to keep the noise level down and not be a bother to other diners but they knew they failed. Fortunately, the rest of the restaurant were amenable to being brought into the celebration.

The owners knew the family and loved that they could depend on their presence several times throughout the years. They had just brought out the large devil chocolate and fudge cake and the lit candles. The song was sung, annoyingly the other diners accepted the invitation to join in (and Rook realized the cake was large enough to serve everyone in the restaurant, which was of course shared around to all who wanted a slice).

It was time for gifts. This made him more uncomfortable. For most of the thirteen years since Jim brought him and his mother to Earth, the Barnes had been there with gifts for his birthday, for some holiday they'd called Christmas. He still felt guilty, somehow, when he received gifts from anyone other than his mother. Or Jim. But he also discovered the joy of finding the perfect gift to give to the members of the family as well.

He was fortunate, though, that Jim let it drop that he understood how Rook felt about the attention and so the family decided they would all chip in to get him one gift from all of them. He was better that he saw it was relatively small and thin. Nothing too extravagant. He felt guilty whenever he felt Katherine and Glenn, especially, spent too much of their limited income on him.

"This," Glenn said, holding the brightly wrapped package in his relatively stable hands, "is something that comes from all of us, Almathea included."

Rook glanced at his mother, taking her hand under the table. What could it be? Glenn handed him the package and then looked around the table, his watery blue eyes bright. "Remember, this comes from all of us."

"Thank you," Rook stammered, putting it on the table. "You really didn't have -"

"Just shut up and open it," Jim said, his tone full of laughter but there was an eagerness in his expression. He leaned forward, sitting next to Glenn and pointed to the package, his expression and gestures one of excited impatience.

Again, Jim acted out of character. Rook glanced between his mother and Glenn. “Open it before I discover I have time to tell work stories.” He shifted his gaze to Amalthea and back. It was quick and subtle but Rook got the implied threat. He could only ever be only partially sure Jim wouldn’t blurt out things better left unsaid to certain people. Like to Rook’s mother. Rook’s eyes narrowed as he snatched the package from the table.

"Yeah, hurry up, Monkeybutt!" Dahlia said into the relative silence, giggling.

"James Ramses Barnes!" Katherine hissed while Nora glared at her brother in law. Dahlia's father attempted to look upset and stern while also trying to hide a smile. Others joined in the subdued laughter. They’d known Jim far too long to remain that upset with him. Except Nora. To be fair, however, Dahlia didn’t understand that she could only use that name with one part of her family. Nora’s parents, stiff and uptight as they were, were far less amused by it. Nora’s mother once even tried to file a complaint about it to Starfleet.

The wrapped package was light in Rook’s hands. He gave it a visual inspection, noting the straightness of the paper seams, the hand curling of the ribbon into a jaunty bow. It seemed almost a shame to destroy the thought and effort that went into wrapping this. He carefully opened the seams of the wrapping. it was almost perverse in how it made Jim practically dance in his chair. Jim was always a ripper, too impatient to wait any longer than needed to reveal the gift underneath.. Rook, however, took his time, honoring the effort people put into making the gift presentable..

A plain white box, rectangular, was underneath the paper. He slid the top off the box, hoping that he would sound sincerely happy to receive whatever it was.

"A PaDD?" he asked and heard the note of disappointment in his own voice. He didn't want to be seen as ungrateful, but he had all the PaDD's he needed at work. More than he ever needed.

"Turn it on," Jim said, seeming as if he was going to leap past his father and do it himself.

"Okay," Rook said as he activated the display. A document appeared on the screen almost immediately..

In the Matter of Adult Adoption
Comes now Glenn James Barnes, petitioner...
...the matter of the adult adoption of Samual Bradley Johnson...

"Wha-" Rook tried to say but couldn't. His eyes were fixed on the PaDD's display, tracing the symbols that made up words and sentences - paragraphs even - but one moment he thought he understood them and other times they were just a jumble of lines. "Wh-" he tried again to get words past the lump in his throat. The display blurred, and as he looked up, he realized that the world blurred. The members of the Barnes family blurred together. It was quiet. So quiet.

"If you want it," Glenn said, bringing some rationality back to Rook's thoughts. "Nothing would make me prouder today than to know today’s my son's birthday."

"But-" Rook said, glancing again at the blurred jumble of lines on the PaDD in his hand. "Ma?" he asked. "I couldn't -"
"You wouldn't," Almathea said, taking his hand in both of hers. Her touch was warm and grounding.. "Glenn would be your adopted father, Katherine would be," here she turned to find the other woman and give her a smile, "a wonderful stepmother. I'm still your mother."

“And Almathea will always be considered part of the family, no matter what you decide,” Glenn said. “We love the both of you and, well, it’s a gift your mother and I thought you might have wanted for a long time, but it’s also a gift I want. I’m already so proud of who you are and what you’ve already become. I’ve long considered you to be another one of my children even before I ever had any right to do so. This is just a gift we think you’d like more than socks.” His eyes twinkled as he smiled. “Though, if you’d rather have socks…”

"Glenn would be..." Rook looked around, realizing the table was quiet, expectant. Except for Dahlia and a cousin whispering, asking why he was crying. Wasn't he happy with his present?

"Yes," Glenn said. "I'd be your father. Your dad."

"I-I'd have a..." Rook stopped to take a breath, speaking the small word with weighty reverence, "a dad?"

He stood suddenly, unaware that he would do so. He became aware, though, that the restaurant was watching them, not just the...it struck him...his family. "I have a dad?" He wasn't sure if he yelled it or not, it seemed to fall heavily from his mouth. Heavier than the load Atlas held every day of his mythological life. "I have a DAD?" He knew that was shouted because the joy of it couldn't be contained.

Glenn smiled and Rook realized his eyes weren't watery because he was feeling the effects of Pah Norani, it was because…

"Yes," Glenn said, "if you agree and sign the petition."
"What?" Rook asked, righting the chair and sitting again. He picked up the PaDD and saw the place waiting for his thumbscan. He worried, as he hurriedly pressed his thumb to be scanned, that he would shatter the screen with the force of his eagerness. But his thumbprint was accepted and after a few moments, a message appeared stating the petition was filed.

"You have a dad," Glenn started to say but it was cut off as Rook threw his arms around the older man. His father!

"Dad," Rook whispered. And, for the first time in his life, he felt his father's arms return the hug, patting his back. For the first time in his life, his father held him.

 

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