A/N: I'm getting better, day by day. Thanks to all of you for your kind notes. The swine flu is no joke, so I suggest you all bathe in hand sanitizer and steer clear! I wrote this chapter in between naps and I hope you like it. It was difficult to think of how a confrontation between Vulcans (not the violent kind, of course) would go, but here is my interpretation. Let me know what you think and again—thanks for everything!
*
I waste no time finding my father.
"I am taking Nyota off of this planet," I say. My father looks up from his research, sighs.
"Treating her elsewhere could create a potentially dangerous complication in her pregnancy."
I bristle at his statement of the obvious.
"I am aware of the risk. But I believe that she can be treated properly in a more comfortable environment. I do not want her to suffer any more undue stress."
"She has expressed discomfort."
It is not a question. I nod.
"Yes, I see how that could be so. The elders are not particularly attuned to the nuances of human interaction."
"This slight is more grave than a cultural misunderstanding," I say, annoyance creeping into my voice. "They have made statements about Nyota and our child that are...unacceptable."
He purses his lips.
"I see. And the Lieutenant was privy to those statements?"
"She was. The healers were ignorant to Nyota's skill with the Vulcan language."
I let the statement hang between us.
"You are also uncomfortable here," he says.
His words are not accurate, not entirely. The truth is that I have little connection to this planet, and little connection to its people. The elders' behavior is nothing more than a confirmation of what I already know.
He stands from his desk. "If you want her to be treated on the Enterprise, you must speak directly with the healers. They are the only ones with knowledge of the medicines she is being given."
"That is why I am here. I am asking you for your help during this meeting," I say. "You will be more diplomatic than I."
He quirks an eyebrow in my direction.
"Indeed."
*
We shared a tense meal together before he left. I wanted to say something to smooth things over, but I found that I was at a loss for words.
When we were done, he put his hand on my belly and kissed me. I could feel the strain in him through his lips and fingertips.
I watched him leave and realized that my stomach was in knots. For him? For me? I couldn't be sure.
Shortly after that, I wandered back to my room where I decided that a hot bath would be in order. A soak to sooth my muscles, maybe even soothe my mind.
Now, I open my robes and stand in front of the mirror. The sound of the water running is relaxing. I listen to it as I stare at my reflection.
It's hard for me to believe how much my life has changed, how much my body has changed, how much has happened to me in the span of three months.
Every inch of me is different somehow, and I remind myself that the real transformation has only begun. My waist and arms and thighs are softer, fuller. My breasts are swollen and tender.
I put my hands on my belly and turn sideways, examine it closely. I walk my fingertips gently across the swell. My pregnancy is only obvious because I'm nude; it's easily hidden when I wear my robes.
I remember that my mother didn't get huge until her final months and I suppose that I am following suit. I wonder what it will feel like in those final months, when I'm swollen and can't move and ready to pop.
I slide my hands over my stomach in circles, press down on it and close my eyes. I imagine that I can already feel the movement of my child, imagine that I can already communicate with it.
"Baby," I whisper. "Don't worry. We're going to leave this place."
*
My father has arranged a meeting with the healers. Our footsteps echo in the large hall where they are waiting for us. It is a cold, spartan room. Fitting of the women seated inside.
The eldest stands. "Sarek, what is the nature of your call?"
"I have--"
I interrupt. This is my meeting. Concerning my family.
"I wish to speak with you regarding Lieutenant Uhura's care."
The healer walks around the table in small, labored steps.
"Your Lieutenant has received the highest level of care we can afford her, Spock. Do you find it lacking?"
Sorely.
"Your care has been..." I stop and consider my next word.
"...adequate."
"Spock.." I hear my father warn me with his tone. I regulate my breathing until I feel the firm grip of my control again.
"Was your purpose in coming here to insult us, Spock?"
I wait for a moment before answering. Remind myself that I am here for Nyota.
"It is not my intention to insult you, elder. I simply ask for your cooperation so that she can be treated elsewhere."
She snorts.
"Have her treated anywhere you wish, Spock. She is of no concern to us."
Her arrogance is grating. I grip my hands tightly behind my back.
"That may be, but she is my utmost concern. I must ask you to divulge the medicines you have been treating her with. I plan to continue her care on the Enterprise."
"And you would take that knowledge and go back to your Starfleet with this woman?"
I steal a glance at my father who seems transfixed on the tension between us.
"Affirmative."
She narrows her eyes at me.
"I cannot allow it. Your people do not benefit from this solution, Spock."
I resist the urge to tell her that I am not concerned with the benefit of my people. They have demonstrated little concern for me.
"My only concern is my family."
"Family, Spock? This woman is not your bondmate."
In my eyes, she is. Bonding is a formality not yet addressed.
I repeat myself, "This is my family, elder. And I intend to care for them to the best of my ability. That means taking them off of this planet and away from those who might wish to disrespect them," I pause. "Or disrespect me."
I ignore the heat from my father's stare.
"No one has disrespected you, Spock. Quite the opposite. We wish to have you stay on our colony, bond to a Vulcan partner. I take it that you find this proposition disagreeable?"
"Quite."
Anger flashes across her face, but only momentarily. In a fraction of a second, she is still and placid again.
"You must think of the greater good. We need able-bodied men to continue our proud lineage. Would you have all that you have known as a child wither and die?"
My hackles raise up at her words. I grind my teeth together to offset the tension in my body.
"I wish for you to continue building our race on this colony," I say. "Without me."
I take a step closer. "And I want you to show me how to care for my wife and child so that we may leave this planet."
She sneers.
"Your claim of independence from our people is in direct opposition with your needs, Spock. Stay and be bonded. Produce children here, and we will see to it that your human is cared for."
My jaw is tight when I answer her. "I will not stay."
The cracked, wrinkled lines of her mouth turn upwards. "Then we are at an impasse."
I ball my hands into fists at my side, and my father, perhaps sensing my crumbling control, steps forward.
"There is no impasse," he says. The elder turns her attention to him.
"Sarek, you cannot support his request. It goes against all that we are working for."
"You will give my son the information he needs and allow him to take the Lieutenant back to his ship."
She raises an eyebrow at him. I am silent, taken aback by my father's words.
"We will not," she hisses.
"You will. You admit that our people are in need. It is in this time that we need the support of our allies most. It would be illogical to consider a course of action that could estrange our people from the Federation."
She narrows her eyes at him. "Make your meaning clear, Sarek. Am I to consider this a threat?"
His lips thin.
"I cannot determine how you will interpret my words, elder. But I will say this--there will be much to answer for if the Federation is made aware that our people were asked to help a Starfleet Lieutenant and chose not to. That knowledge alone could jeopardize our standing with the council."
He pauses, looks at me before turning back to her.
"And as ambassador to Earth, I am in frequent contact with the Federation council. I am certain I would be called on to answer their questions, should such a situation arise."
She stands still, eyes widened on my father as she considers his warning.
"I see. You mean to give us no choice." She stands alone as the others sit at the stone desk, whispering.
"Then you will have your medicines. Take this woman off of our planet."
I look over at my father and think of something I have heard Jim say before. I never knew he had it in him.
*