Title: Not Enough Time – But We’re Trying Anyway

Series: Home is What You Make of It

Author: Ladyholder Fandom: StarGate: Atlantis

Because there is never, ever a right time to do things… All you have is now.

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Mid-February 2013

Atlantis Natrium

The best part of Carson Beckett’s day was going to the Natrium and checking on the wee ones growing within. Almost two dozen artificial wombs were now in service and each had a small plate affixed to the front, displaying the names of the child’s parents. Atlantis’s own baby-boom was set to start with the birth of little Jamie McKay-Sheppard.

 

The babe was looking to be a very long child, and not too chubby. The womb they had found, allowed visual observation in, but protected the child’s developing eyes from light. Very convenient, that. Since he was the first child to be gestated in the wombs in ten thousand years, the medical department had monitored his growth closely, discreetly checking to make sure everything went correctly. Just like with the little goats, the babe was bang on with his development. All in all, he was as healthy as could be.

Genetic testing of the baby had been limited, but it did show that little Jamie had a very strong expression of the ATA genome. Strong enough that Rodney was already looking into installing physical locks and lights in the baby’s room and possibly throughout their suite. Having the baby decide on his environment was not likely to be good or even comfortable for either of his parents. On the other hand, Carson was expecting that the boy would be completely comfortable with Ancient tech and how to use it from his first moment.

 

Rodney and John had gotten the nursery decorated in yellows, greens and lots and lots of white diapers. Carson was convinced that they wouldn’t be enough, but at least they had a washing machine in the suite to help keep ahead of the tide. At his suggestion, Teyla had taken the soon to be proud parents on a visit the Athosian village for some hands on parenting classes. Apparently the lessons on how to diaper a baby’s butt had been deeply funny, with their ‘volunteer’ managing to christen both of them before all was said and done. Ronon had been a good man and gotten both events on film and he was looking forward to watching them later.

 

Carson patted Jamie’s womb and moved on to the next ones in line, checking the health and viability of each fetus. Teyla and her young man had filled one womb not long after Jamie had been confirmed along with Lorne and Parrish. Over the months following the first three couples, over a dozen more had followed and there were lots of babies floating in their wombs. The latest addition was the womb housing the O’Neill/Jackson baby. At twenty days gestation, the placenta for the babe was fully attached to the nutrient pad and growing rapidly.

 

Since the technology was still new to them, special care was taken in the first ‘trimester’ of each pregnancy. Every bit of data, from the Ph of the amniotic fluid to the date of the baby’s first heartbeat was exhaustively recorded. A new tradition had sprung up over the last bit, where the new parents were brought in to hear that first sound that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that sleep was now an even more precious commodity. Looking at the readouts, Carson realized that Baby O’Neill/Jackson was going to be very special indeed.