T'Pel sat in the medical centers waiting room in slight meditation. The surgery was supposed to last one hour ten minutes and fifteen seconds, it was now three hours and no word from the healers as to the condition of the patient. It was not right, and illogical why they would keep her waiting so long without information. She stood and looked out the window. One of the assistants cleared their throat behind her and she turned. "You have news?"
"No my lady, your husband is on the Comm for you." She bowed and showed T'Pel where the access panel was.
Sovar blinked into the room, "You are late in telling me how the surgery went, my wife."
"Greetings to you as well, Sovar. " she said with an eyebrow raised. "I have not let you know, because I do not know anything yet. I asked an orderly fourty five minutes and ten seconds ago and all he would say is that she is still in surgery."
Sovar steepled his finger in front of him. "I find that unacceptable."
A surgical nurse approached T'Pel from behind, "Lady T'Pel, there has been a problem."
T'Pel turned and the nurse guided her away from the screen.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Sovar watched as things unfolded and clicked off the view screen. He tapped his communications button, "Is the T'Kumbra still in orbit from their last delivery?"
"Yes, Ambassador."
"Contact the Captain and inform him I will be beaming aboard in ten minutes precisely. Tell him to have the heading set to Vulcan."
"Yes, Ambassador."
"Father, " he heard from the door as he shuffled his things into order, "It is agreeable to see you again."
"Solok." Sovar said as relieved as any Vulcan would ever sound, "Prepare yourself to transport to the T'Kumbra. We must go back to Vulcan."
Solok raised an eyebrow, "May I ask why? What is so urgent?"
Solok sighed deeply, "Cleo, is on Vulcan at the medical institute for surgery. I do not know what has transpired, but while speaking with your mother, the nurse stated that there was a problem."
"What is wrong? Is she ill?" Solok said picking up his pack and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Come I will tell you on the way."
O_O_O_O_OO_O_OO_OO_O_O_O
T'Pel was lead into the room where Cleo was still sleeping, and the bio bed was monitoring her vitals. A Vulcan doctor walked in "Are you her advocate?"
"Yes."
"We were able to regenerate one of her ovaries. So she will have her own genetic structures if she has children. Her body rejected two of the uterus replacements, we were able to find a match but it is of Vulcan origin. There was excessive scar tissue throughout her cavity which we cleaned and removed. Did she complain of much pain?" he asked dispassionately.
T'Pel stroked some stray blond hair out of Cleo's sleeping face, "She never complains of any pain."
"Odd for a human. " tapping the button, he brought up the video from the surgery, "You see, here and here are wide swaths of internal scar tissue connecting her internal organs much like a web. In human terms it would have been excruciating. The injuries she sustained that required the pelvis restoration and uterine removal apparently leaked blood and caused deeply damaging tissue damage. The first symptom of this is pain, as it tears at the other organs causing more…"
T'Pel held up her hand, "That is enough Doctor. Will she be well."
"I believe so, her body is regenerating fast, but we are in the process of replicating human blood she is very low. Had she not come in for this surgery she would have been dead in three months and six days from the deterioration of her internal organs from this scarring. She will need to rest for at least three weeks, and we will monitor her blood levels." He put his padd in his lap and lowered his head, "Now, I must ask a personal question, and you may not know the answer."
T'Pel kept her hand on Cleo's head, "Yes."
"Is she pair bonded with anyone?"
T'Pel did not know exactly how to answer that, "She has an arranged marriage on the horizon."
"A Vulcan man?"
"Yes, Doctor, though I do not see the relevancy."
"Her heart stopped beating for two minutes, and we had to revive her. When we did a cortical scan to determine if there was brain damage, we noted that unlike some humans she has in the area of the brain that are active when we use our telepathic abilities, a mild state of activation. That is atypical among humans, so we ran some genetic tests. It appears she has several generations back, Vulcan ancestry. "
"What relevance does this have to her well-being, Doctor?" She asked flatly.
"She has the early stages of Pon Farr. The partial bonding, reintroduction of reproductive organs have activated latent genetics. Her physical trauma will probably retard the process, but we will keep her sedated until we run more tests. The physical exertion of sexual activity at this point would kill her."
"Will she recover, Doctor, that is all I wish to know at this time."
"Yes, she has a ninty five percent chance of recovery now. I was just making you aware."
"Thank you Doctor, that is all I require from you. May I please be with her now, alone."
"Yes, I will go and check on the blood. A nurse will be in to being the administration shortly."
T'Pel pulled up a chair next to the bio bed and took Cleo's hand in hers. She examined the hand, realizing she had never been that close to her before. It was a human hand, with calluses and areas T'Pel could tell had been broken at least once, if not more. She thought about all the doctor said, that her heart had stopped beating that she should have complained of pain. "We could have lost you, Cleo. And we would have been diminished for the loss. A human and Vulcan heart, with a spirit neither race has seen, sitting humbly inside a fierce warrior and protector. You do not belong to Vulcan, nor do you belong to earth. You belong solely to yourself. It is hard to see you in this state, so vulnerable, so unlike you…" she fell into a whisper as a single tear ran down her cheek onto Cleo's hand.
O_OO_O_O_O_O_OO_O_O_O_O_O_O
"Why did you and mother not make me aware of what was going on?"
"There was no logic to pulling you away from your study, over a simple procedure. T'Pel went with her, Solok, in case something went wrong. "
"Mother is not her mate, I am, or I will be. My place was with her whether it was a simple procedure or not." Solok snarled and then tried to catch his breath.
Vorik stood watching their discussion. "Shall I engage, Ambassador at maximum warp?"
"Yes, Captain."
"You," Solok snarled,Vorik,"the little…"
Sovar placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Listen to yourself my son, you are not behaving rationally."
Vorik took his leave quickly heading to the bridge.
Solok closed his eyes, "Forgive me, Father. I am not sure why I just behaved that way." He focused on deconstructing the emotions he was feeling and suppressing them to a logical place.
The communications officer came over the comm system, "Ambassador, your wife is on the com for you."
"Put her through to our quarters."
"Greetings my husband. I am not surprised to find you on your way to Vulcan. "
"Solok is with me as well, T'Pel. Tell us, what is wrong."
"I am transferring her medical records to the T'Kumbra now. The doctors tell me there is a ninty five percent chance of recovery, but I thought you might want to look at them yourself, and perhaps consult with a human doctor to assure us all they are not in error of their judgment."
"Is she awake yet, mother?" Solok asked calmly.
"No, Solok, they have her heavily sedated right now to allow her to rest, and her body to deal with the trauma."
Solok nodded his understanding. The comm flickered off and Solok looked at his father, who was now reading the medical reports, "She should have gone to a human doctor, Father."
"No my son, she went to the right place," he handed Solok the PADD containing the medical report.
Solok read over the entire thing, "Forward this to the doctor on Deep Space 9, he is genetically enhanced, he will be able to see if there is anything the Vulcan doctors missed.
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Solok and Sovar entered the room. Sovar flinched slightly and held his hand out for his wife, who came to his side. Solok looked down at the bio bed and up at the vitals. "I would like a moment with her, alone." He said softly.
The two elder Vulcans nodded and left without protest.
Carefully, Solok, placed the tips of his fingers to Cleo's face and whispered, "My thoughts, to your thoughts, your thoughts to mine."
Solar found himself standing on top of the rock formation to the west of his parents' estate. Cleo had her back to him, she was doing some kind of Tai-Chi dance, in flowing Jade green and silver robes. Her long blonde hair was free, sparkling in the Vulcan sun. He blinked, and he felt himself tumble forcefully to the ground. He felt the weight of her on his chest and when he looked up she was looking down at him, and what he assumed was a snarl was fading into a smile.
"Solok, you startled me. I didn't expect you. " she laughed but did not move from his chest, "You just missed both my fathers." She added looking into the distance then turning her gaze to him smiling wider. "I wish you had seen them, they both look so well. " She stood from his chest and offered her hand to help him up, which he took and stood before her. "They are proud of my, my fathers are, they called me their phoenix rising from the ashes." She laughed and began her Tai-chi again. "What are you doing here, Solok?"
"Are you in any pain, my love?" he asked softly as he watched her moves.
"No," she answered quietly, "I feel better than I have in years. You have not answered me Solok." She said in a low growl. The scenery changed and they were suddenly standing in a cave, on which were painted primitive glyphs of battles, that Solok could only faintly see from the flicker of a fire burning at the mouth of the cave. She was standing before him naked, with her back facing him, a giant Jade tiger on her back growled from her skin, "Or do I know why you are here." She said turning and pouncing on him in one fluid move. He crashed against the fur covered floor, and before he could say anything she ripped his robe from his body like she was tearing a tissue paper wrapping. He watched her eyes move over his body. He trembled in spite of himself as her head lowered to his chest and her pink tongue began to etch a trail upward toward his neck. He felt himself surrendering to her, as her hot moist breath caressed his ear. "Is this why you are here? Could you feel my primal call to you?"
Sovar closed his eyes, his resolve was fading, and when he felt her teeth nipping at the tip of his ears he let his own growl, and rolled over pinning her to the ground. "Every time I think of that little man kissing your lips I want to rip him apart! You are MY MATE." He growled and bit her hard over her heart.
He felt her back arch in pleasure and pain. She desired him as much as he desired her. He knew if he took her now, in this mind bond they shared, it would be done and over. Her growing Pon Farr would resolve and when she opened her eyes to the physical world again, they would be bond mates. He desired that so much, and yet swore he would honor her human traditions. Allowing themselves to be swept away together was a Vulcan tradition, one he would gladly welcome…after he had shared her human customs with her.
It took a supreme force of will but he pulled away from her. "No Cleo, I have come here to help your resolve the conflict growing in your head, so you may heal. Not to take you as my mate."
"You are rejecting me?" she hissed.
He pressed her to the ground, his eyes softened and he let his pelvis playfully grind against hers. His eyes fluttered as she moaned. "Never would I reject you, my Cleo, never. " he spoke soft and breathlessly, "But you demanded I respect you, and your human ways. I will now and always. " he kissed at her neck, "But make no mistake, my little tiger, when the time is right I will show you the pleasure a son of Vulcan can bring a mate, and why we keep our mating practices such a secret." With that he threw her onto the fur bedding. "Prepare yourself to fight." He growled.
Cleo was a skilled warrior in the physical realm, but here in the mind, Solok had been trained far better than she. She fought well, and hard,but in the end as he stood over her mental avatar's body he could feel them both come to a peaceful resolution. He backed out, releasing the mind meld and sat exhausted in the chair at her bedside. He watched as the signals from her brain came into normal stable rhythm, it was resolved, and he was pleased.
The doctor approached him, "She needs to rest. It is an interesting method you used."
Solok shot him a look, "That you will never speak of."
"Of course."
O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O
Solok joined his parents in the waiting room, "Come we will leave now, she needs to rest undisturbed."
Sovar nodded, "Is she well?"
Solok nodded, "She is, and she will recover."
Sovar put his hand on Solok's shoulder and the younger Vulcan answered the unspoken question, "I will but not a moment before she is ready. I have been bond mated twice, and neither of them were strong. This one, I will not allow to break, I will put as much devotion to it as I have my career."
Sovar nodded and placed his hands in his sleeves, "This is agreeable. If you do this, then you will finally have what your mother and I have achieved."
Solok looked back at the door, "Indeed."
