Meeting with Dad (Backpost, Part 1)

Posted on Wed Apr 30th, 2025 @ 4:38am by Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Lieutenant Commander Brennyn Scott M.D.

1,395 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Indivisible
Timeline: Sometime after 'Relaxation for Childbirth'

It had been some time since meeting with Dr. Delling about Keisuke's impending fatherhood. As well as it had gone, there was only one thing left for it, and that was to find out what Dr. Scott had to say on the matter: So, one day, Keisuke had requested to meet with Dr. Scott over lunch, a more casual setting just like Maho had done.

The childbirth prep meetings with Maho were going well and despite the non-traditional circumstances that had brought them together, Bree was pleased she was getting to know the commanding officer better. She knew even less, however, at least personally, about the father to be, and the chance to know him more excited Bree, who always enjoyed getting to know other people's stories and personalities. She was particularly looking forward to getting to know him one on one, as she couldn't recall any time she had spent with him that his wife was not present.

Keisuke had struck Bree as being a man of few words, but someone who spoke meaningfully when he did speak. He also seemed to be utterly devoted to his wife. She couldn't help but wonder if the power differential between them ever became an issue, and how it fit in the grand scheme of impending parenthood.

The counselor had ultimately decided to set this meeting in her office. She would've preferred a less formal location, but considering privacy the most important factor for this first meeting because she wasn't certain where the discussion would go, it made sense not to risk setting this anywhere else. Of course, she hoped and planned to have more meetings, individually, as well as with both parents to be working together. She could only h'ope their professional obligations would not get in the way.

"Thank you for meeting with me, sir. I hope to have additional meetings in a less official location, but for now, I thought it best to prioritize privacy. Please feel free to make yourself at home and just start with any questions you might have or thoughts on how I can be most useful to you. I have my own ideas, of course, but I value your input."

"The pleasure is mine:" Keisuke said. "I believe it's time that I stop running from my fear that I'll be a bad father. Beautiful as my wife has become over the past few months, the end is unfortunately in sight, and I'll soon have to reckon with how I fit into the picture of my own family. I've heard it put so often that it's the woman that does the lion's share of the work in the creation of new life, and it makes me question how the man fits into the picture without becoming the stereotypical abusive or absent father."

It was a deeper response than she expected, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness and his honesty. "If it's any comfort, I think every first time father questions what kind of father he is going to be and experiences uncertainty about his role in this process." Not wanting to confine her response to something so surface level, she added, "I wonder why you fear being violent or absent as a father specifically?"

"Well, I was a really angry youth:" Keisuke responded, being blunt off the bat. "Getting picked on and being called a 'Starfleet Baby' really got to me, and I led a delinquent gang for many years. My brother eventually got me out of that dark place, but it wasn't easy; and even as a street racer and even a Starfleet officer, I was still prone to the occasional temper flareups. Miyahara could barely control me before Maporin came aboard five years ago. Man, how different I would be today without her... I may have personally snapped Aisaka's neck when Miyahara stepped down, but that's beside the point: What I'm trying to get at is that Maporin is the major calming force in my life, and I'm worried that as hellish as a newborn baby usually makes one's life, I may be driven to do something stupid that I would regret, or try burying myself in work and wind up making a careless decision that puts lives at risk, including wife and daughter's."

"That's a lot of pressure and worry about things that haven't happened and might not," Bree replied. "Let's for the sake of argument focus on what we do know right now. We do know you've had a history of anger and perhaps violence. At the same time, you've grown up since then and managed to become a senior ranking Starfleet officer. In my experience, you don't get to be there if you have angry impulses on a regular basis that could put other people at risk or an inability to manage stress. So, what makes this situation different?"

"Well, having a kid I've heard isn't very easy, especially in the early months." Keisuke said. "I've spoken to some officers who had been first time dads, and they told me that a baby is an added stress in their home life, and you're constantly going back and forth between the stress of work and the stress of new family life. Some of them have even told me their spouses go through postnatal mood swings, which can be particularly nasty. And if we consider how my wife is our captain, and how her dangerous behavior turned a routine trip to Beta Antares into nearly getting us all killed, what is she going to do if she has these postnatal mood swings?"

"Have you mentioned these worries to her?" Bree asked. His concerns weren't unreasonable, but one way to keep from spiraling was to express concerms directly to the person in question. As someone contributing to Maho's care, Bree could and would address post-partum issues as a matter of course, but it was also important for the two of them to tackle challenges as a couple.

"No, I haven't." Keisuke sighed. "She's already doing so much, and I don't want to burden her with any more."

"Have you considered the possibility that perhaps she is feeling a lot of the same things you are and is equally afraid to burden you with it? Maybe if you share what you're feeling, it will give her an opportunity to do the same and then you can both explore ways to cope with them as a team."

"It's certainly an idea worth trying..." Keisuke admitted, stroking his chin. "I'm sure it can't be easy to be a Starfleet captain in her condition..."

"I understand the beginning was especially difficult, but each stage of the process comes with its own challenges that would test anyone even without leadership responsibilities." Scott paused when asked, "I'm curious. Are you normally this reluctant to share your feelings with her?"

"If I'm being honest, ever since she got pregnant, I've been trying to be her sounding board and keep my concerns to myself." Keisuke sighed. "After Alvatar, when she had just found out, she was chewed out for following orders, and I was so freaking helpless trying to calm her down. That was when I decided I didn't want to burden her with my worries."

“It’s difficult to see those we love struggle,“ Bree acknowledged. “Many people, especially men, are driven to be fixers, the problem solvers, but you know I’m not saying anything profound when I point out that not every situation is a problem to be solved, but simply a challenge to be endured together. Childbirth is an ultimate example of that. I’m wondering, why would being vulnerable in front of your wife be such a terrible thing?“

"Because when she's at her vulnerable, she's looking to me to have things figured out." Keisuke explained. He probably mashed words and made his argument sound worse. "The last thing I want to do is tell her that I don't have a damn clue either. So, I follow the old adage and fake it until I make it."

"If you were someone who didn't have a damn clue, to quote you, what would that mean? Who are you or what are you?" Scott was attempting to uncover the core belief being triggered by these circumstances, the global label that drove him to fake confidence.

To Be Continued...

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