Hope
"You have to tell Jim. Now."
Uhura had been dreading this conversation since McCoy had confirmed her suspicions a month ago. Unfortunately, something about Spock's half of the DNA incubating inside her gave her nausea and vertigo almost as bad as that she experienced during her empathic emergence. Neither McCoy nor M'Benga had ever revealed her prior pregnancy to her or to Spock; it ended in a miscarriage. Her stomach faired no better in these first 2 months this time around, forcing her to leave the bridge 7 times in the last month seeking Sick Bay.
Damn, Spock! she fumed. He would go off and leave me alone and pregnant. The truth, however was not so simple. He'd left contraceptive decisions up to her a while ago. She'd just picked the wrong time to stop getting the sprays; she'd planned this as her wedding present surprise for him.
Tears welled up. The situation on New Vulcan didn't look to improve anytime in the next decade. This baby might be all she had of him despite their "bond".
McCoy, mistaking her tears for frustration at his medical orders, tried again.
"We've got a long time to get this baby here. You need to start accommodating his wishes. Have a few more spoons of this boiled rice and some more crackers. I'm calling Jim. Relax. That's an order... and advice."
Giving her hand an affectionate squeeze, McCoy left her momentarily to page Kirk to Sick Bay. She heard bits of it: "Sick Bay", "Uhura" and "Don't rush".
McCoy clearly forgot who he was paging. In what seemed only seconds, Kirk burst through Medical's door, locked on her location and sprinted to her bedside. Kirk, a psi-mute (though there were times she wasn't sure), made the mistake of grabbing her hand and the room tilted. Uhura's tenuous control of her stomach broke when his panic hit her. It was all she could do to turn her head before emptying all she'd consumed in Sick Bay all over the floor.
"Dammit Jim! Get away from her!" McCoy shouted as he bolted out of his office. More gently than his words, McCoy supported her as she transferred to a different med-bed, tenderly cleaning her face before he turned on Kirk.
"Why they let you command a star ship I'll never understand! How many times have I told you - 'Jim, she's an empath and a telepath. DON'T TOUCH HER UNTIL SHE TELLS YOU TO!' If I didn't need you here I'd throw your ASS out RIGHT NOW!"
Chastened, Jim blinked to keep his own temper in check. Remorse emanated from him mixed with the panic he barely contained.
"It's o.k., doctor. He's scared to death, don't ride him too much."
Jim moved closer to her new bed to thank her, although he knew she felt his gratitude. Walking past the display he took a quick peek at her chart. He figured it out; the look on his face was unmistakeable.
"You're PREGNANT?! When did this happen? Spock's been gone.."
"5 weeks, 4 days and 17 hours..." she finished in a near whisper.
"Has he gone INSANE? He can't go through with that 'arranged marriage'! Not now, not when - " And then he saw her, overcome with grief at their separation and crying silently but uncontrollably.
"Uhura, honey; I... It's just... He doesn't deserve you. You are out of his league." That got her smiling, if with a touch of sorrow.
"It's nice to know I can still turn a man's head. Especially one I just threw up on."
"You missed. You think you're the first girl who's tried to throw something at me?"
"Girl!?" she shot back at him with serious attitude, her eyebrows raised. Kirk chuckled to himself, Still feisty.
He quieted, staring at her. Placing a finger inches above her abdomen, he asked her, tentatively,
"May I?"
Her nod gave him permission to touch her. Frustration with Spock broke through (although she wasn't sure if that was Kirk's or her own), so did Kirk's happiness for her and for... himself? Noise originating in McCoy's office prompted his quick withdrawl, but not before she registered her son's fuzzy attempt to reach the man who'd just touched her.
Kirk made a mental note to contact her parents if she did not. They would want to know and he wanted to get off on the right foot with them.
McCoy returned from his office with her dietary recommendations.
"Bones, what's the plan?"
One side of McCoy's mouth rose; the captain was back having regained his composure.
"She's going to need revised duty hours and -"
"Done" Kirk cut him off before McCoy was finished.
"AND she's going to need some help along the way."
"Why?!" Uhura injected indignantly. For the women in her family, having babies was as natural as breathing.
"Because I don't want you carrying or moving or pushing anything unless it's carrying this baby to term, checking to see that he's moving or pushing him out when it's time - and not before. Understand me, Lieutenant?" McCoy knew the whole story concerning Spock's departure, including the parts Kirk had not revealed to her. His eyes hadn't left Kirk's during his speech. Kirk didn't need empathy or telepathy to read McCoy's mind: Take care of her.
"It's a boy?" Kirk grinned like an idiot, completely flustering Uhura.
"What are you grinning about?" Uhura shot back at him.