I don't own anything, not even the orange Rigellian parrot!
Whirlwind
"This is so strange", thought Rachel to herself as she lay on the couch with her head on Sirin's lap. "I shouldn't want to be anywhere near him after what he just put me through. And I sure won't want to have sex for a while, but I need to be touching him and to feel his comforting warmth. This has got to be love, other wise I'd have to turn myself in for another psych eval!"
Sirin had the same thoughts running through his head.
"Why does she not pull away? How can she stand the sight of me, let alone my touch? Yet she seems to want this. I will not deny it to her. My beloved is truly a worthy bond-mate."
Spock had enjoyed a very quiet weekend at Sirin's house. He had completely caught up on all his class work and spent several hours practicing the guitar. Ivan had been surprisingly quiet.
Spock was becoming a bit anxious, as he had not yet heard from Rachel and Sirin. He hoped everything was alright.
His comm unit chimed, but it was only his room mate Pete, saying that he and Fred were going out for Chinese food. Did Spock want to tag along?
Spock considered this for a moment. He really liked Chinese food. However, he was some distance away from them at Sirin's house. It would take to long to get to Wong's. He made his apologies. Perhaps another time. He closed the comm link and put the unit back in his pocket,
Spock did not often speak to himself aloud, but there was no one to hear him except Ivan.
"Sirin, please contact me soon. I am growing concerned."
"Awwk. Oh, Sirin, yes please, ooh! Awwk. Would you like me to touch you here, Rachel? Or perhaps there....Oh, yes, please.....Oh!"
Spock turned a very bright shade of green. He had no such experience yet himself, but he had heard similar sounds when he had accidentally walked in on Pete and his girlfriend Helena. After that, the room mates had agreed that it would be a good idea to draw a heart on the message board on the outside of the room door. Pete was a thoughtful friend, though, and had only ever "sexiled" Spock once. Spock spent the night with Fred and Loomis, Fred's room mate. Loomis snored like a pig.
Ivan continued his repetitions for a quarter of an hour. It was like a ground shuttle wreck. Spock initially tried to tune it out, but he could not stop listening. It was really quite educational.
"Hi Mom, it's Rachel."
"Rachel! How are you?"
"I'm doing surprisingly well. I'm just a little stiff and sore, maybe a little dehydrated. Sirin is fine, too. We're going to head home tomorrow morning. We were hoping that you could drive up and get us. Sirin's car is still at your place."
"I'd be happy to do that, honey. I'm so glad to hear your voice. May I speak with Sirin, too? I need to hear from both my kids!"
Rachel hands the comm unit to Sirin.
"Mom says she wants to talk to both her kids."
He accepts the unit with a puzzled expression.
"Hello, Esther. How are you?"
"Call me Mom, son. I always wanted a son. I'm fine, just fine now that I know that my kids are okay. Is there anything I can do for you two before I pick you up?"
"Can you make us an appointment with the rabbi for Tuesday, if possible? We need to get married. And could you please warn this person that I am a Vulcan? I do not wish for there to be any surprises. They may have objections to an inter-species marriage."
"I'll make an appointment for you. I don't think you'll have much trouble with Goldie Epstein, though. She has married other inter-species couples. Besides, you'll win her over with your charm."
"I hope that you are correct, Est...Mom. We'll see you in the morning. Sleep well and drive carefully."
Sirin closed the comm link, shaking his head.
"She does not hate me."
"Sirin, she loves you. And when my Mom loves, it's unconditionally."
"That must be where you get it from." Sirin kissed Rachel's hand and then traced one of her cute little round ears.
They contacted Spock next.
"Hello, Cousin. How would you like to be the best man at my wedding?"
"I would be honored to serve in such a capacity, though it seems a curious title. Logically, the best man would be the one who is getting a bride. I take it you have both survived your ordeal."
"Indeed, Rachel is a most worthy bond-mate. We will be returning home tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of Ivan for me. I hope he was not too disagreeable. "
"No, Sirin. He was not disagreeable. Actually, he was somewhat enlightening. However, we will speak of it another time. Contact me as to when the wedding will be."
"I will do so, Spock. Sirin out."
Sirin contacted Paula next. He gave her an update on their conditions, including vitals for both of them.
"Sirin, it would make me really happy if you two could give each other some inter-venous fluids. I included everything you might need in the kit I gave Rachel. You will both recover a lot more quickly that way."
"We will do so. Paula, will you and Trethis be witnesses for us at our wedding?"
"It would make us both very proud to do so. Contact me the second you two get back to San Francisco. I'll make a house call to check on you both."
"That is not necessary."
"Yes, it is. All three of us know what lousy patients doctors make!"
It had been years since Sirin had put in an I.V. and it showed! Finally Rachel took it from him and inserted the thing herself. Once the fluid started moving through, she put Sirin's I.V. in. Then she started convulsing with laughter.
What is so amusing, beloved?
Sirin, this gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "playing doctor"!
I am unfamiliar with that phrase. Please explain.
In lieu of an explanation, Rachel sent him an image of of herself, giving Sirin a very thorough "examination."
I see! Now it is time to fulfill my promise to you. I will show you our son.
Sirin raised his hand to Rachel's face, his fingers finding her psi points. He placed his other hand on her lower abdomen.
Her mind was instantly filled with gentle images, swirling, cool colors of blues and greens and a small flicker of light. It was beautiful, but a bit overwhelming after a moment, a tiny whirlwind.
Our son is beautiful, Sirin! But how can you tell he is a boy?
A female child would have a color signature of reds and yellows.
I'm a Mommy! You're a Daddy! It's a miracle!
Rachel slept, still cuddled up to Sirin, while the fluids did their work. Sirin gave them each a second bag and when it was finished, he packed their luggage as much as possible. While Rachel was still sleeping, Sirin put Rachel's room back together. He wanted to tuck her into a familiar bed tonight, not the futon from the "Pon Farr suite." He would dispose of that at the first opportunity. It held unpleasant memories in addition to assorted body fluids.
Then he prepared them a light meal of vegetable soup, crackers and juice. Rachel woke when she smelled the food.
"You are too good to me, Sirin."
"I wish that were true."
He brought their dinner to the coffee table and sat on the couch next to her. She leaned against him, his warmth soothing her sore muscles. When they had eaten, Rachel rose.
"I could really use another nice warm bath."
"May I do the honors?"
"Yes, please. There's some lavender bubble bath in the cupboard with the towels."
They slept a long time on Rachel's little bed, both too exhausted to move much. They slept so soundly that even Sirin did not hear Esther enter the cabin. In fact, Sirin did not awaken until Esther stood in the bedroom staring at them. He woke with a start, and moved to rise.
"Sleep a little longer, sweetie. I brought breakfast with me. I hope you like bagels and cream cheese."
She pulled the covers back over him and kissed both her "kids" on the foreheads. For not the first time in his life, Sirin envied his cousin Spock for his human mother. Then he realized he had just been given his own.
Esther had brought bagels, which she toasted and served with cream cheese and strawberries. She was shocked when Rachel refused her usual strong, black coffee.
"So, what are we, pregnant already?"
"Um, well, um....actually, yeah. It's a boy."
"Wow, that was fast. Well, waste not, want not."
Esther drinks Rachel's coffee herself.
"I'm gonna be a grandma."
"Mom, it's a hybrid pregnancy. It might not workout."
"Nonsense. I'm gonna pray for my grandson everyday, multiple times. It worked to get you two through this thing. It will work for the baby. Now, finish your breakfast so we can get on the road. We should get the marriage license on the way home, so make yourselves presentable."
They were the first in line at City Hall when the City Clerk's Office opened after lunch. Half an hour later, they left with the necessary documentation in hand. They could get married anytime after 1330 hours on Tuesday. The next stop was Sirin's home. He called Paula to let her know they were on their way there.
Paula met them in the driveway. After Sirin got the door open, he directed Paula to the master bedroom so she could examine Rachel in private. Rachel was in better shape than Paula had expected, though she could use a few more sessions of dermal repair. She listened wide-eyed as Rachel told her about the image of the baby that Sirin had shown her.
Sirin was in pretty fair shape, although he had pulled a few muscles in a very sensitive area. Fortunately, he would not need to use them again for a while. Paula gave him some muscle relaxants.
"Don't operate any heavy equipment while you are taking these! You two were incredibly lucky. I don't see any serious problems. Call me if anything changes or when you know your wedding plans."
"We will be completely compliant patients, Paula."
"There's no such thing, Sirin. Just try to behave."
Paula hurried back to SF General. She still had patients to see. Ivan serenaded her on the way out.
"Bye, bye baby! Awwk! There goes a hottie!"
Rachel gave Ivan the evil eye.
"One of these days, that bird is going to go too far."
Esther was looking a little uncomfortable.
"Ivan isn't the only one who might have gone too far. You two might not be too happy with me."
"What are you talking about, Mom? What did you do?"
"Well, Rabbi Goldie is going to be out of town for two weeks, starting Wednesday. I invited her for dinner at our place tonight. If everything is in order, she can perform the wedding Tuesday evening."
"Mom, Tuesday evening is tomorrow night."
"I know that, baby girl. You said you wanted to get married as soon as possible. This was the only way to make it happen."
"Well, okay, I guess. What do you think, Sirin?"
"Rachel, I will do whatever is necessary to satisfy the demands of your culture and your faith. You are already my wife in every way that counts for me. I want to be your husband."
Esther was wiping her eyes and sniffing.
"That's so sweet!"
"Oh, good grief, Mom. Save the tears for the wedding. Well, we've had a whirlwind romance and bonding. There's no point in slowing down now."
It was decided that it would be best for everyone if Sirin spent the next few days at the Silverstein's. Esther could keep an eye on both of them, and they would be all together for any planning that needed done. Sirin had Rachel help him select suitable clothing for the wedding. She found a nice dark gray suit and white shirt in the back of his closet. He had not worn these clothes since his interview at SF General, but they still fit nicely.
"Okay, you two. We need to hurry. I made vegetable soup in the slow cooker, but there are still things to be done before the rabbi comes.
Sirin and Rachel got cleaned up and then helped Esther set the table. They got everything ready with about fifteen minutes to spare. Esther had a spinach salad and whole wheat muffins in addition to the soup. There were lemon squares for dessert.
Rabbi Goldie arrived right on time. Rachel met her at the door and took her coat, showing her to the dining room.
"Rabbi Goldie, this is my fiance, Sirin. Sirin, meet Rabbi Goldie Epstein."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Rabbi Epstein."
"Rabbi Goldie, if you please. Sirin, you look very familiar. I can't quite place you...Of course, Amanda told me Spock had a "look-alike cousin." That must be you. You and I are not such strangers, after all. Sarek and Amanda were one of the first couples that I married, right after I came to Beth Israel."
Esther entered the dining room with the soup tureen.
"Everything is ready. Let's sit down and eat. Rabbi, would you offer a blessing on the food?"
"I will."
Rabbi Goldie asked God's blessing on each of the different types of food that were to be consumed. When they had eaten, she gave thanks again.
Over tea, the young couple discussed their wishes for their wedding. They decided upon a simple ceremony that would take place in the Silverstein's living room. Rachel would wear Esther's dress and veil. They would use the canopy Rachel's parents had used. There was a lot to be done before tomorrow evening.