Title: Old Friends
Amanda's pregnancy went well with little complications; Lady Philomena came to visit often, about every other week, to check on Amanda's progress. She often muttered about how little the healers at the Vulcan Academy Hospital knew when dealing with a hybrid child.
"They're going to do serious damage if they keep testing her like this." Lady Philomena looked over the healers' notes about Amanda. She and Sarek were sitting in his office waiting for Lord Christopher to join them. "She's bearing a child not some scientific anomaly."
Sarek opened his mouth to point out his child was a scientific anomaly but stopped when Lady Philomena glared at him. He wisely closed his mouth and moved on to another topic that needed to be discussed.
"I understand you had a discussion with the healer in charge of when Amanda gives birth."
"Discussion my foot!" Lady Philomena retorted back. "That a full on knockdown, drag out argument close to physical blows only without the actual event of one of us hitting the other or yelling."
"Should I even ask what you two were discussing?" Sarek asked hiding his annoyance. This was not the first time that Lady Philomena had a rather intense discussion with the healers at the Vulcan Academy Hospital.
"Argument," Lady Philomena corrected. "And no because it was the same as last time; but this time I pointed out something that they could not dismiss."
"Which was?"
"They have no experience in aiding in a birth of a hybrid child – I do." She mashed several buttons on the consul she was using to view the file in frustration. "I'm not good with old computers!!"
"That is not an old computer," Sarek stated in confusion.
"For you maybe," She muttered under her breath, but instantly calmed down. "I'm sorry Sarek; I'm not upset at you it's just I'm under a lot of pressure from the Keeper's Parliament right now."
"Is it Cruz causing you trouble again?" Sarek asked. The Engels had told Sarek about a Lord Alvaro Cruz who was a member of the Keeper's Parliament and a chief opposer of the Vulcan treaty. Lord Cruz, since the day the Engels landed on Vulcan, had been working to reverse the Parliament's decision to contact the Vulcans. His efforts came with little success if any.
"Lord Cruz," Lady Philomena corrected. "Remember he's titled; yes him and others, for Vulcan's treaty and other things. I believe they are expecting too much of me."
"And you need a break my dear sister," Lord Christopher said as he entered Sarek's office. "Why don't you go to Adquietus for a while?"
"No I don't think so," She said after a moment of consideration. "Amanda could give birth at any moment; I need to stay here."
"Speaking of Amanda, we should head back to my house." Sarek said standing from his desk and the Engels followed him out of his office
"She's asleep," Lady Philomena as she and Sarek and her brother approached the front entrance.
"Fascinating," Serak said as he opened the door.
"Vulcans seem to say that a lot." Lord Christopher whispered to his sister.
"We also have very good hearing." Sarek called from the house. The Engel siblings laughed quietly as the also entered the house.
As Lady Philomena predicted outside Amanda was fast asleep on their bed when Sarek entered their bedroom. He came in quietly not wanting to awaken his wife. In the past few weeks Amanda had become increasingly tried which caused the healers at the Vulcan Academy Hospital to worry about her health. Lady Philomena had said many times that being overly tired during the last trimester was not uncommon among mothers of hybrid children.
"Amanda," Sarek was quietly to wake his wife. Her eyes fluttered open and when she was Sarek she smiled.
"I think our son wants to get out soon." Amanda slowly sat up with the aid of her husband.
"All in good time," Sarek said sitting next to his wife. Sarek had notice that during his acquaintance with the Engels he had begun using Terran adages more frequently much to the pleasure of his wife and the disapproval of his mother.
"I really hate to break up such a tender moment," Lord Christopher said as he and Lady Philomena walked into the room.
"What's going on?" Amanda asked.
"Well you're about to go into labor and I think it best you were at the hospital before it started." Lady Philomena eased Amanda to her feet and looked around the floor for Amanda's shoes.
"The healers will say you are acting illogical." Sarek pointed out. He had grown to trust the Engels' instinct of knowing when things were about to occur. When he asked them about it they simply said that they just knew.
"Not by the time we get there," Lady Philomena explained. "Amanda, where are your shoes?"
"By the door," She pointed to where they were as Sarek helped her up. "How soon?"
"I say about half way to the hospital your water will break." Lady Philomena guessed. "Maybe closer."
"Let me help you," Lord Christopher offered help to Amanda and Sarek which they gladly accepted.
The four of them got to Sarek's shuttlecraft, and exactly as Lady Philomena predicted Amanda's water broke when they were half way to the hospital. Everything was going well with some tension in the air between Lady Philomena and the Vulcan healers until one Vulcan healer reminded Lady Philomena of something.
"Say again," Lady Philomena prompted.
"The fathers are not present during the birth as tradition dictates." The healer was young by Vulcan standard and just started practicing the art of healing.
"Vulcan tradition, right?" Lady Philomena asked as she looked over Amanda's chart.
"Yes," This particular Vulcan healer was one of the many who saw the Engels as, to use Terran terms, a plague on Vulcan society.
"You've done it now," Lord Christopher whispered quietly to the healer as he passed by. He could not but smile to Amanda as he approached her bed.
"I would like to point out a few things to you… what's your name?" Lady Philomena asked.
"Tel'ik." The healer answered in the typical Vulcan fashion.
"Well Tel'ik," Lady Philomena put her arm around the healer's shoulders allowing her to direct the Vulcan to Amanda's bed. "I would point out to you a few things; one, your experience in aiding in the birth of a child, much less a hybrid child, is limited, two the mother is Terren, not Vulcan so hence we're going to have a mix of traditions just like the child is a mix of cultures, and three, I know you have an irrational dislike of me and my brother like most of your race so you are going to oppose every decision or suggestion I make regarding this birth. So here's what going to happen." Lady Philomena, as she spoke to Tel'ik directed the healer to the door then removed her arm and moved the Vulcan to face her. "You are going to go and get Sarek because, since his wife is Terren, Amanda will need him by her side. And after that you are going to boil some water for me."
With that Lady Philomena opened the door and gently pushed Tel'ik out to retrieve Sarek. Lady Philomena shook her head as she returned to the foot of the bed.
"Boiling water?" Lord Christopher asked unbelieving. "I can't believe you just sent Tel'ik to boil water – such an old excuse to get rid of the Vulcan."
Amanda suddenly let out a shout from the pain and her heartbeat became faster.
"Amanda, I really need you to control your breathing," Lady Philomena said soothingly. Sarek entered the room as Amanda got control of her breathing.
"Did you really send Tel'ik to boil water?" Sarek asked as he came to Amanda's side taking her hand.
The three humans in the room all let out a well needed laugh and that disbanded the tension in the room.
Authoress' Note: The Vulcan name Tel'ikis one that I just made up and I think is sounds Vulcan. Thank you for all who reviewed!! The reviews really motivated me to continue, so please keep reveiwing!!!