Episode 11: Family Matters
Phlox worked constantly for ten hours synthesizing the treatment needed to alter the flaw in Elizabeth's DNA. The information Daniels sent to Phlox let him know the exact nature of the flaw and the various steps needed to take to rewrite her DNA. The final step necessitated the presence of her parents. Bone marrow was taken from both Trip and T'Pol, it was added to the centrifuge and then mixed with the solution Phlox had been working on. The final product would replace any missing parts of her DNA, as well as boost her immune system. Once Trip and T'Pol were done giving their donations they moved to the incubator holding their daughter. She was sleeping peacefully. Trip placed his hand on the glass.
"Hey there baby girl, I'm your daddy." He smiled at her. "We're gonna do everything we can to make you feel better."
T'Pol mirrored his action wanting to be as close to their daughter as possible. "Your name is Elizabeth. I am your ko'mekh." T'Pol turned and addressed the nurse. "Can I hold her?"
The nurse shook her head sadly. "Not yet, she has to remain isolated. Once the treatment has been successful you can hold her."
T'Pol nodded and turned back to her sleeping daughter. She responded absentmindedly, "Thank you nurse."
The treatment was administered soon after and it was just a matter of waiting. Trip and T'Pol silently watched the medical screen in the waiting area as their daughter's heart rate increased, her body temperature stabilized, her blood pressure decreased, and her white blood cell count entered normal range. After eleven hours of waiting Phlox finally smiled.
"It looks like Daniels was true to his word. The flaw has been repaired. She's sleeping right now and I'd like to keep her here for another twenty-four hours for observation. After that, you two can take her home."
Trip let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks Doc. When can we hold her?"
"You can hold her now, but not for long. She needs to rest and so do you two. Perhaps you should take part of tomorrow to buy some necessary things? Having a baby can be exciting but it also takes a lot of work."
"We shall take your advice doctor. However, we would like to see our daughter now." T'Pol wanted to hold her daughter, to make the parental bond permanent.
"Very well."
Phlox led them into the nursery and pulled two chairs next to the incubator. They sat down silently, never taking their eyes off of their daughter's sleeping form. Phlox gently lifted her from the incubator and handed her first to T'Pol. Once she had the baby in her arms she held her close to her body and began rocking. She placed her two fingers on Elizabeth's temple and closed her eyes. Trip placed his two fingers on her other temple and closed his eyes as well. They began murmuring together and Phlox watched on in fascination. This was the first time he had ever seen a parental bond initiated. It was fascinating. He was hoping to be able to observe many aspects of little Elizabeth's upbringing. He made a note in her medical file:
Name: Elizabeth Tucker
Birth Date: August 23, 2155
Age: 1 month 5 days
Father: Charles Anthony Tucker III
Mother: T'Pol daughter of T'Les of Vulcan
Paternal Grandparents: Charles Anthony Tucker II, Caroline Elizabeth Tucker
Maternal Grandparents: Soran son of Sopal, T'Les daughter of T'Mir
Notes: Baby Elizabeth was brought into my care after being created through a binary cloning process. Upon admittance into my care I began the process of repairing a flaw in her DNA. The treatment was successful as of 2100 on September 28, 2155. 2115: Elizabeth's parents have successfully created a parental bond. Baby Elizabeth will be held until the morning of September 30th and will then be released into the care of her very anxious parents.
Phlox left them alone for an hour letting them bond and then escorted the exhausted parents out of the building. They walked the short distance from the medical bay to the front entrance in silence. Once they were out in the cool night air Phlox spoke to them.
"Go and sleep." He held up a hand to stop any protest. "You do her no good being exhausted. Enjoy the sleep while you can, having a new born is hard work and long hours." He smiled remembering having to deal with an infant while on Enterprise. Though it was a tough memory it did give him a new respect for Human parents and an intimate knowledge of what lay ahead for his two friends. "Come back tomorrow with a change of clothes for Elizabeth and tonight I'll begin working on all of the paperwork needed to register her birth and citizenship. I have to ask, is her name only Elizabeth? I know that human tend to have three names. Hmmmm."
T'Pol had been looking longingly at the building as he spoke, her only thoughts of Elizabeth. She turned to look at him. "We spoke to Malcolm earlier and he informed us that Susan Khouri, the woman who aided him, was calling her T'Mir. That is my second foremother's name and so we will honor them both by using it as her middle name."
Phlox nodded jovially. "I'll make the change to the records. Elizabeth T'Mir Tucker." Phlox smiled. "Now you two go, I don't want to see either of you until after 1230 tomorrow."
"Thank Doc, for everything. If you need us we'll be in our apartment at HQ." Phlox nodded.
Trip and T'Pol laid in bed exhausted but unable to sleep. Finally Trip needed to speak what he knew was on both of their minds.
"Darlin', if we have a baby we can't serve on a ship."
T'Pol lifted her head from where it was resting on his chest. "I know. Starfleet would not allow an infant to live on Enterprise."
Trip ran his hand down her back. "Do you think we could, I don't know, petition for special treatment? I mean, we just saved Earth, you would think that would count for something."
T'Pol put her head back down and sighed. "From what I understand the children from Lorian's ship are all being placed on a space station. The families living there are all aware of the mixed heritage of their colleagues. Perhaps if we are denied special treatment we could transfer to the station? We are both experienced officers with command experience, they may even offer us command."
Trip didn't like it but he was seriously considering that. "Jon won't be happy but if it's what we have to do to stay together I'll do it." He kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at him. "I know. I too will do all I can to keep our family together." Trip smiled. Family. We're a family.
Together they drifted off into sleep, sharing dreams of what the future holds.
"Trip, I will not allow you to dress our daughter in such a shirt." Trip was holding up a shirt with Hawaiian flowers all over it in clashing colors. He looked hurt. "Put it down. She will already have a difficult time in life without you adding to it by dressing her in such a way." He chuckled. If he was honest with himself his sense of style always left something to be desired. Recently T'Pol had begun strategically hiding all of his garish clothing and was replacing his entire wardrobe. A few things she left where they were knowing they had some sentimental value but most she simply threw away. He walked over to where she was standing pondering which dress to get their daughter.
"Darlin', Beth has blue eyes. Why don't you get her the blue one?" They had already had the conversation about nicknames and Trip had miraculously won. He told her that nicknames are a form of affection between parents and children. T'Pol could hardly deny Trip the opportunity to show his affection to his daughter in a uniquely human way so she conceded. Her only request was that the nickname be a part of her name and not a food. He actually laughed when she said that but soon stopped when he realized she was serious.
"I agree that Elizabeth would look pleasing in the blue dress but I do not wish for all of her cloths to be blue." They had already picked out a considerable amount of clothing in various sizes in different shades of blue and lilac. She held up the dark green dress. "This dress will match her complexion." Trip smiled.
"Honey, why don't you get both? Then we can go to the Vulcan Shop across the way and buy her some robes." T'Pol nodded and added both dresses to their basket. They finally left the store with two bags filled with everything a baby could possibly need. Bottles, dresses, socks, blankets, pacifiers, a stuffed sehlat, pants, jumpers, shirts, and even a beanie. They made their way to the Vulcan Shop and Trip let T'Pol do all of the talking.
The attendant standing just within the door gave them a curious look. He addressed them in Vulcan. "Greetings, how may I be of service?"
T'Pol dipped her head. "Greetings. My husband and I are shopping for our daughter. She is an infant of one month. Are you able to provide robes for her?"
The attendant looked at her and said nothing. "I asked, are you able to provide robes for her?"
he looked over her shoulder at Trip before returning his attention to T'Pol. "I apologize for the inconvenience but we only serve Vulcans." T'Pol raised an eyebrow.
Trip came up and placed a hand on T'Pol's elbow. "Maybe we should go. They don't want us here."
T'Pol nodded. "Very well, but you will receive no business from myself nor any of my associates. Good day." She turned to go, Trip was ready to follow her out of the door he held open for her but stopped when he heard a throat being cleared behind him.
From the back of the shop an elderly Vulcan had emerged. He said something to the attendant in Vulcan. The attendant straightened up and responded in a clipped tone. It was too quick for Trip to pick it all up but he knew the attendant was in trouble. T'Pol had turned to watch the interactions with a raised eyebrow.
The elderly Vulcan approached them and held up both hands to stop them from leaving. "Forgive my young employee. He has only been on Earth for a few months and does not yet embrace humanity." T'Pol dipped her head in recognition. "I understand you are interested in purchasing robes for your infant daughter. What is your clan?"
T'Pol straightened and answered. "We are of the clan Surak." The elder raised an eyebrow and cast a withering look at his employee who seemed to shrink under his gaze.
"You honor us." The Vulcan turned to Trip and gave him an appraising look. He seemed to approve of Trip because he bowed his head to him. "Your mate honor's your people by allowing your daughter to wear Vulcan robes."
"Thank you tela'at." Trip responded. He seemed to have impressed the elder even more. "Our daughter is very young and will need robes for her naming ceremony as well as various other occasions. We would like to purchase several sets that will fit her as she grows."
"A logical decision. The clan of Surak honors IDIC. I will have five sets of robes made that will fit your daughter as she passes through the stages of infancy. Your clan colors are not common but we hold a small amount of fabric with your clan insignia. Would you both like to purchase matching robes for the ceremony?"
"That will not be necessary." T'Pol responded. "How long until the robes are done?"
"Two days, if you give me an address I can have them delivered there."
"Thank you tela'at. We will give you the address."
Trip paid for the robes, left their apartments address, and thanked the shop owner. They made their way to their apartment at HQ. T'Pol picked the blue dress and white booties to put on Elizabeth when they visited. They dropped off the rest of their bags and headed for Starfleet Security. Tomorrow they would be taking Elizabeth home with them. They had a meeting at Starfleet Command at 1430 that day and only had an hour to spend with their daughter.
Hoshi sat on the couch with Malcolm watch Monty Python. Neither of them had said anything about the fact that Hoshi was now living with Malcolm. They were sharing the same kitchen, bathroom, and bed. Nothing had happened between them, not yet. Somehow Hoshi never even questioned it, it just felt so right. Malcolm seemed more comfortable around her than he had in all the years she had known him. She still harbored a girlhood crush on Jon but that was slowly falling away. She looked over at him, he was completely engrossed in the movie. He even laughed. She just shook her head. This new Malcolm was unlike anyone she had ever met. He was strong, loyal, caring, private, funny, and reserved. She reached over and grabbed his hand in hers and laced their fingers together. He looked down at their joined hands and then over at her and raised an eyebrow. He smiled at her.
"You know, I've been thinking." He didn't remove his hand, this was good. "We should throw Trip and T'Pol a baby shower. I know you've been pretty busy planning things, weddings and funerals, but I figure if I help you if won't be too much work." He smiled.
"You want to plan a baby shower with me?" She grinned. "I don't know how T'Pol will feel about a party. Elizabeth's naming ceremony is in two days. Maybe we could have a party for that? Tell people to bring them stuff for the baby?"
"You're a genius." He smiled at her and she grinned back. Then he got a serious look on his face and looked down to their joined hands. "Hosh," God she loved when he called her that, which was just silly. "About this," he held up their hands, "I, uh, I'm not so good at this."
"It's okay Malcolm, you don't have to be good at this. I can help you." She leaned in for a kiss and he met her part way. When their lips touched it was like her whole body was on fire. She deepened the kiss and he released her hand. He pulled her over until she was sitting in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair and she did the same. When they finally broke the kiss they were both panting. "I'd say you're pretty good at that." Malcolm blushed at Hoshi's compliment.
"You're not too bad yourself love." He laughed and then pulled her down for another kiss. They stayed on the couch for another hour just enjoying each others company. That night they sent out messages to the crew and gave a list of things to buy the Commander's. Hoshi felt like it was a job well done. She'd even managed to convince a few people to bring Vulcan friendly food.
Admiral Forrest sat quietly across from Trip and T'Pol. No one said anything they just sat in the silence. Finally Admiral Forrest cleared his throat.
"Commander Reed already sent me his debrief on your daughter. I understand that this wasn't planned but the fact is: you have a daughter. Your marriage has been filed with Starfleet and we just received the birth certificate from Doctor Phlox. All of this is well within Starfleet's new approach on families. The only problem is, we'll never let a baby live on a space ship. No matter how much pull you have, which is quite a lot I might add, you will never convince us that having a baby live on a ship is a good idea.
"Right now dozens of families from Lorian's Endurance are being transferred to a space station in deep space. It's designed to resupply our ships and offer repairs. It will also provide a safe place for R&D off world. Considering your current situation, would you two consider taking over as leads of the station. You would both be promoted and each would take on a specific role. Of course because of Trip's longer service record he would have final say in all command decisions. I trust you two to work out all of the minor details and how command really works once you're there. That is, if you're willing to take the job."
Max would be lying if he didn't think that this unplanned parenthood was the best thing to happen to Deep Space Research. He had actually hoped to use their marriage as leverage but now baby Elizabeth seemed like a better bargaining chip. Besides, like he said, they could never stay on Enterprise. Deep Space 1 gave them a place to live as a family without taking them out of space entirely.
Trip and T'Pol sat in silence. They knew going in that this was probably going to happen. They had even spoken about it the night before. The reality of the situation was still setting in for them though so it took a little silent communication to make a decision.
"Trip, this is a remarkable opportunity. I do not believe that we will be offered anything better. Admiral Forrest is being very generous."
"I know Darlin', it's just that, I don't know. A space station? Me in command? I don't know if I have what it takes."
"You will not be alone in command and even if you were you have proven yourself to be an ingenious and trustworthy commander." She transferred all of the pride she held in him throughout the bond.
"Thanks Hon. So, do we take it? Do we pack up and take Beth into deep space?"
"I think it would be wise."
Trip took a deep breath and looked Forrest right in the eye. "Sir, we would be honored to serve Starfleet in such a way. Thank you."
Forrest beamed. "I was hoping you'd say that Trip. We'll have your new orders processed by the end of the day. Your promotion ceremony will take place at the end of your shore leave. That gives you a month and a half to make preparations and enjoy a family vacation." Forrest stood and extended his hand to Trip who grasped it for a shake.
Trip sighed. Now he just needed to find a replacement and let Jon know that he and T'Pol wouldn't be returning.
Trip and T'Pol left Forrest's office and headed right back to their apartment. Tomorrow their daughter was coming home for the first time and Trip still needed to assemble the crib. T'Pol had made arrangements for the naming ceremony for the next day and was verifying that the robes would be in by then. They had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in. All of the grandparents had been told about Elizabeth and all of Trip and T'Pol's closest friends. Everything was moving pretty fast but they seemed to be able to handle it all.
The morning started out on a high note. Trip woke up from a full night of sleep with T'Pol curled up against him. They had a good breakfast, he had eggs, toast, and bacon, she had oatmeal and fruit. They finished folding and putting away all of Elizabeth's clothing and packed a baby bag to take with them. T'Pol had already spoken to Trip about her plan to stimulate her mammary glands. She sent the message to Phlox that morning and immediately received a message from him stating that he thought it was a wonderful idea and that he would do the procedure, a simple manipulation of hormones, when they arrived. They climbed into their rented air car and flew the short distance to Starfleet Security to pick up their daughter. Everything was going so well, that should have made Trip nervous. In his long experience, when things were going well it was just a matter of time before all hell broke loose. He wasn't nervous though, he couldn't care less about what might be lurking in the shadows.
They entered the building, flashed their IDs and headed straight to the medical bay. Phlox ushered them in and pulled T'Pol aside while Trip filled out the discharge papers and signed the birth certificate. T'Pol followed him silently and obediently sat down on the biobed he indicated.
Phlox turned to her, hypospray in hand and smiled. "Now, before I begin I must ask: why to do want me to do this?"
T'Pol was confused. "I clearly indicated my reasoning in my message to you this morning. I think it would benefit Elizabeth if she were to receive nourishment the natural way. I also believe it will strengthen the parental bond I share with her." Phlox just looked at her. How could she explain such an emotional need to him when she herself didn't fully understand? Finally she sighed and explained it to him the same way she had explained it to Trip. "I do not know how to describe it doctor, I simply need to do this. I... feel that it is what Elizabeth wants and needs. I have no explanation for my desire to breast feed other than it is what feels right."
Phlox nodded and moved forward. "That's perfectly natural T'Pol. Now, in this hypospray is a hormonal mixture that will stimulate your mammary glands. It will take approximately three hours for you to begin to feel the effects. You will want to remain home for the rest of the day and perhaps even invest in clothing used for breast feeding."
"What effects should I expect?" She tilted her head to the side as Phlox pressed the hypospray into her neck.
"Oh, sensitivity of your nipples, increased cup size, leaking of breast milk, some moodiness perhaps, and increased libido." He explained quietly. Trip walked in on the last part and raised an eyebrow to T'Pol who answered with an eyebrow of her own.
"Thank you doctor. I will let you know when I begin exhibiting symptoms and if anything unusual happens." He nodded. Trip handed her the PADD with the birth certificate on it and she signed it. She handed the PADD to Phlox who took it gratefully. "Thank you doctor."
"You're quite welcome." Trip waved to Phlox as they walked out of his office and headed home with their daughter. They were ready to begin the next part of their lives.
