Perfectly Logical
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.
Chapter Four: A Family of Sorts
"Tasha?"
"Yes?"
"Does this belong to you?" The four-year-old held out a doll in her tiny hands. "It does not belong to me, and it is unlikely to be the property of anyone else in this home."
"Yes! Where did you find it? I've been looking everywhere for it."
"Apparently not everywhere, or you would have found it." Asil handed the doll to Tasha. "In any case, why was it essential to find this one? Could you not simply replicate another one?"
"It just wouldn't be the same."
"Why not?"
"Well-" Tasha knew that arguing the case of sentimental value would probably make no sense to someone who'd been raised with the teachings of logic. "It's not so much about the doll itself as it is about what it represents. This doll was given to me by the very first friend I ever had. It represents the care she had for me. A replica wouldn't be the actual doll that she gave me, so it wouldn't have the same symbolism. It's like - like an heirloom, sort of. I mean, you could always replicate an heirloom piece, and yet people are always so careful to take care of the original. A replica just isn't the same, even if it seems like it should be."
"Okay." Asil seemed to consider something for a moment before speaking again. "Will you tell me about your friend?"
A pang went through Tasha's heart as she thought of Kate, but she pushed it aside. She knew Asil loved her stories, even if the little Vulcan would never admit it. Tasha adored Asil and didn't want to disappoint her.
"All right. Sit down."
"Why?"
Lesson learned: don't ask a Vulcan to do something unless you're prepared to explain your reasoning. "It - it gives a sense of having time. When you're standing, it sort of seems like you're about to rush off somewhere else.
"Oh. Okay." The girl immediately planted herself on the floor by Tasha's feet.
xxxxxxxxx
"Sir, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"It's about Vulcan customs. It says here that Vulcan marriages are usually arranged."
"That is correct."
"Why?"
"Because it is logical. Many species choose their mates based on emotions. Since Vulcans have no emotions, they could not choose a mate in such a manner."
"So you've always known you would marry T'Pel?"
"No."
"No? But you said -"
"It was an old Earth poet that said 'The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry'. Putting aside the rodent reference, it is an accurate statement. My promised wife was killed in an accident before we could be bonded, and T'Pel's promised husband was married to another - it is a long tale and touches on private matters that I would prefer not to discuss. We were both alone, and therefore we bonded."
"So you chose each other?"
"Yes. We did, against the wishes of our families."
"Your parents didn't want you marrying?"
"No. It was in defiance of tradition, and they have not spoken to us since."
"That doesn't sound logical to me."
"It was their way of refusing to condone what they saw as a breach of tradition. It was clearly a decision made after a lot of logical thought."
"Whatever you say." Tasha smiled to herself. Whoever said Vulcans were uninteresting hadn't met Tuvok and his family.
xxxxxxxxx
Tasha groaned inwardly as she woke. She felt as if she had hardly slept at all. This wasn't the case - she'd fallen asleep early and not woken until her alarm, just as she'd been doing for several days. She'd been feeling progressively worse throughout those days too. She had known she was getting sick, but she'd hoped it would be mild. She could tell now it wouldn't be.
Not that it mattered. Turkana had taught her that being ill changed nothing. No matter how awful she felt, she had had to keep running, keep hiding, keep finding food. To take a break was to jeopardize everything. Tasha hadn't survived ten years on the streets not knowing that. She'd learned how to push illness aside.
She ate her breakfast in silence, focused only on getting the food through her sore throat. She struggled not to gulp down her glass of water - she was so thirsty. No one else seemed to notice anything amiss.
She fell into the routine she'd become accustomed to. She began her studies as soon as the family had finished eating. The words, however, seemed blurry and out of focus. She squinted. It cleared up slightly, but she still had trouble concentrating. Maybe it would be easier if she didn't feel so cold.
Halfway through lunch, Tasha's determination to pretend all was normal was compromised. She had been eating when her stomach turned itself inside out. She swallowed hard, but it was no use. She nearly overturned her chair in her haste to dash to the bathroom. She fell to her knees, throwing up everything in her stomach.
"You are not well." Tuvok had come up behind her unnoticed.
"No, I'm fine." Tasha drew a deep, shaky breath. "Really."
"You are not fine." Tuvok placed a hand on her face. "Your temperature is significantly elevated, and you are shivering, to say nothing of losing your lunch. How long have you been feeling unwell?"
"I-" The Vulcan's face clearly told her she couldn't get away with lying. "A few days."
"Why did you say nothing?"
"I didn't want to be a burden."
"Illness is not something you can control." Tuvok's voice was as frank as ever, but years later Tasha would realize it had been softer than usual.
"I can still work, sir. I can still do whatever you want me to."
"Attempting to work is a near-certain way to worsen your condition. You must rest. Have you finished?"
Tasha nodded miserably. She couldn't see how there could be anything left to come up.
He handed her a glass of water to rinse her mouth. "Go to bed," he ordered. "I will contact a doctor."
Tasha just barely managed to change into her sleepwear before she collapsed in her bed. It felt so good to lie down. She drifted off, waking to an unfamiliar voice.
"A rare strain of flu virus. I've been seeing a lot of cases It's resistant to treatment, especially at this late stage. As far as we know, it doesn't affect Vulcans, so your family should be safe, but watch them carefully for symptoms."
"What sort of treatment do you intend to provide to Tasha?"
"I can give her an antiviral to help fight it off, but she's likely to be ill for at least a week. If her fever gets above thirty-nine degrees, call me immediately. In the meantime, she'll need rest and fluids."
She heard the speaker leave, and then she heard Tuvok's voice.
"You are awake." It wasn't a question. He could see that her eyes were half-open.
"Yes."
"I do not want you to get out of bed unless absolutely necessary until the doctor says you may. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now sleep."
"Mhm." Tasha was already dozing off.
xxxxxxxxx
It was dark. That was the first thing Tasha noticed when she woke again. The next thing was that she was hot and very thirsty. She sat up quickly, and the room immediately started spinning.
"I would advise against that." T'Pel's voice startled Tasha: she hadn't realized anyone else was in the room.
"Right." Tasha slumped ungracefully back to her pillows. "I'm just really thirsty. I wanted to get something to drink."
"You were instructed not to leave your bed." Not a criticism, just a basic statement of fact.
"I know, I know."
She heard T'Pel moving around the room and then felt something cool pressed to her lips. "Drink. You will feel better."
Tasha's mouth filled with the sweet taste of apple juice. She gulped eagerly, only to find that the cup was quickly pulled away.
"Drink slowly, or you could cause a repeat occurrence of your nausea." T'Pel placed the glass to Tasha's mouth again, and this time the young woman was careful to sip slowly, lest the wonderful liquid be taken away before she was finished.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"For causing you so much trouble. I'm sure there are things you'd rather be doing than taking care of a sick houseguest."
"Perhaps. But it is nothing you can control. I would do the same if it were Asil or one of the boys."
"But they're your children. I'm not."
"You are under our roof, and therefore you will be treated as a member of this family. Now do not continue this conversation. It will only tire you." She paused. "Are your eyes bothering you?"
"No." Tasha wished she could tell T'Pel why those words had brought tears to her eyes, but she was far too exhausted to give a lengthy explanation. Instead, all she said was "thank you."
xxxxxxxxx
Tasha threw off her blankets as soon as she woke up. It was so hot in the room.
"Tasha?" Tuvok pressed a cup to her lips. "You are dehydrated. You must drink. No - I know you're thirsty, but you will make yourself ill by drinking so fast."
She sipped more carefully, and he allowed her to completely drain the glass. She heard the soft beep of a tricorder.
"Your temperature has risen but is still below thirty-nine. How do you feel? The truth."
"I feel terrible," she admitted. "Hot and tired and I ache. Everywhere."
"You should continue to sleep."
"That's about all I feel up to right now."
"Then it is logical that that is what you should do."
"Right." Her eyes were already slipping shut.
xxxxxxxxx
Tasha jerked violently awake and bolted partially upright. Instantly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You should not do that." Tuvok. He was still there.
She swallowed hard. "I'm going to throw up."
Instantly, he'd pulled a basin from beneath the bed. "I had prepared for that contingency." He helped her to sit up and lean over the side of the bed, supporting her as she lost the contents of her stomach.
"Your fever is dangerously high." He lowered her back onto the pillows. "I have already called the doctor."
His hand briefly brushed her face, and it felt wonderful, cool and comforting. Without really thinking about it, her hand had covered his, pressing it to her cheek, not wanting to lose that sensation.
For someone who claimed to be unemotional, Tuvok exhibited quite a bit of care. He allowed her to cling to his hand for a few seconds before carefully withdrawing it. He returned a few seconds later, pressing a cold cloth into her hand.
"Hold that against your face. It might help you feel more comfortable."
She did as he instructed. "Thank you."
Someone else entered the room. She heard a voice, male, unfamiliar. The man placed a hand on her chest and she pulled away, her fevered mind not able to think rationally and falling back on the memories of other strange men -
A firm hand clasped her shoulder. "Tasha. Is something wrong?"
"I'm scared," she admitted.
"There is nothing here for you to be frightened of." But Tuvok quickly realized that she was too sick and too terrified to think rationally. "Here." He placed his hand in hers. "I will protect you."
She gripped his hand as tightly as she could in her weakened state. The doctor began to examine her again, and this time she didn't pull away. Tuvok was there. She wouldn't be hurt.
Everything became blurry. Tasha fought to keep her eyes open.
"There is no need for you to remain awake for the examination."
"He's right." The same unfamiliar voice. It must be the doctor. "Your body is telling you to rest. Listen to it."
Tasha allowed her eyelids to slip shut. She felt herself floating away.
She wasn't exactly sure how long it was before she opened her eyes. The first thing she realized was that she no longer felt so hot. The second was that her mouth and throat felt as dry as a desert.
She tried to sit up and instantly became dizzy. She slumped back against the pillows, willing the room to stop spinning.
"You are awake." Tasha hadn't realized T'Pel was there.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Four days. You have been very ill."
"I don't feel so bad anymore." Her dry throat made her voice rough.
"Your fever broke last night. Are you thirsty?"
Tasha nodded and T'Pel brought her a glass of water. She drank slowly, fighting her instincts to gulp it down.
"Is there anything else you require?"
"Yes." She swallowed hard. "I wanted to thank you."
"You have already thanked me."
"Not for taking care of me. For what you said when I was sick. You said that as long as I lived here, I'd be treated like family."
"You do not need to thank me for simply stating a fact."
"Maybe not from your perspective, but - I haven't had a family since I was five, and with one exception, no one has ever treated me like family since. To you, it might have been just a fact, but to me -" her voice choked, but she'd said enough. T'Pel understood.
"You will have a family here for as long as you require one."
Tasha's first instinct was to embrace the woman, but she knew Vulcans rarely showed physical affection and she had no desire to make the woman uncomfortable. She didn't know what to say - "thank you" seemed so inadequate. So she just smiled, blinking back the tears in her eyes.
I'm sorry for the delay, but my keyboard jammed up and then I donated blood and was really out of it for a day and a half. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait.
Please review.
