So sorry for not updating in so long. I have had major writer's block. Any ideas for what you want to happen next are greatly appreciated! Any character relationships anyone wants me to explore? I'm dying here! I love your input! Thank you!
Tishbing
Chapter Twenty-One
Spock sat ramrod straight watching as Charlotte slept, the cardiac monitors quietly beeping reassuring him that she was safe and physically whole. He had tried holding her hand but the emotions that had bled through that small contact had forced him to withdraw. Her fear was overwhelming. Fear for herself, the children and even for him. It was unnerving. The strength of her emotions were so severe that he had had to partially block their bond to be able to function. He was concerned his own rage was adding to her fear. He needed her to wake so she could be helped. The doctor had said that she should be coming around soon and so he waited.
It was a full two hours before her cerulean eyes finally fluttered open. The bruise on her face had began healing under McCoy's ministrations. The sight was welcome to the vulcan and his hand reached to her only to have her flinch away with wide eyes.
"You are safe. No-one is here to hurt you." He murmured quietly.
Her shoulders came down slightly but she was still tense. He pulled back to give her some space but did not leave. Her eyes trailed around the room as though searching. It pained him to see her in fear. He forced his own anger and fear aside and pushed his own relief and calm thoughts to the forefront of his mind to where she could feel them through their link. It was not as strong as physical contact but he did not think it wise to push her.
"Thank you." Charlotte mumbled.
She looked down at her arm and started to mess with the IV in her arm and it was this inopportune moment that Dr. McCoy made an appearance, scowl firmly in place.
"I'd suggest you knock that off Charlotte. If it was ready to come out, it wouldn't be in there."
She dropped her hands and gave him a small smile which served to almost eliminate his gruff demeanor as he moved to scan over her prone body. Spock watched as the doctor attached monitors to her abdomen, pulled a hood over her head to confirm no brain damage from the seizure and double checked her blood pressure readouts.
"So, when can I get out of here?"
Her voice, though it sounded cheery, almost was too high pitched to be truly non-chalant. McCoy sputtered and almost dropped his equipment and Spock's brows furrowed as he turned his eyes towards her.
"I think I will leave you to the doctor's care for the time being. He will be more than adequate at explaining your treatment."
He left the medical bay to return to his quarters. He needed additional support. His first task was to contact T'Pau to inform her of recent developments. He closed his eyes for a moment before typing in her comm code. The IDIC came onscreen before her lined face. He could see concern radiating in her dark eyes but she showed no other signs of emotion. An impressive feat to say the least.
"Spock. Any news of your ko-telsu?"
He gave a small nod, his lips pursed.
"Yes. She was found, relatively unharmed. She suffered extreme fluctuations in blood pressure resulting in seizures. They are under control and she is required to rest for the next fourteen days. I...do not believe that she will adhere very well to the restrictions. I am in need of advice, elder, and possibly assistance. Mr. Jacobs was not located and he is resourceful."
The older woman on the screen nodded in understanding, her face looking off to the side deep in thought.
"I believe I may have a solution that should not be considered...overbearing. I am concerned that there may be someone onboard your ship who passed the information of Miss Jones' whereabouts and familial status to her former husband. She may still be at risk."
Spock agreed. The inside knowledge that Jacobs seemed to have amassed was indeed unusual. Their coupling had not been made public knowledge and her resistance, though not hidden, had not been viewed off of the ship.
"What is your proposal?" He enquired.
"I need to gain approval from your captain and chief medical officer first."
Before Spock could say more, the screen went blank. His thoughts whirled with possibilities and he decided that now he needed to meditate. The current crisis was over and his grasp of control was tenuous at best.
"Are...are you serious?" She hissed.
The alarms above her bed began to wail and Charlotte closed her eyes and began to will herself to calm down. To slow her breathing and her pulse. It took a minute but soon everything calmed down and the noise quieted. Once that happened she was able to open her eyes and view Dr. McCoy without being interrupted.
"I'm stable. I don't see why I need such a prolonged rest. I understand twenty-four or forty-eight hours but not two weeks."
McCoy rolled his eyes and put his hands on the side of her bed, fingers spread, and gave an exasperated sigh.
"Look. You were in status epilepticus resulting from severe hypertension. You had enough drugs in your system to start a damn pharmacy and it was only after I made sure that your brain wasn't leaking out of your ears that I was able to check on the babies and the rest of you. This was close. You are a higher risk pregnancy because of the hybrid status alone not to mention that it's multiples."
Charlotte nodded mutely, knowing that once McCoy started on his rant it was best to let him finish. It was as cathartic for him as tears were for others. Fortunately, he started to calm down slightly and took a deep breath.
"Also, I want you to take time to process what happened. I read the file about this guy. I want you to talk to someone about this. Dr. Helen Noel is available or if you wanted you could talk to me."
Charlotte hated talking to people about her past. In her opinion it was better for her to just move on and shut it away. To dwell on it was fruitless. As though he could read her mind, the doctor put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know it seems better to just forget about it but you're causing yourself stress. This stress will affect the babies. If not for yourself, then do it for them."
He really knew how to hit where it hurt. She gave a curt nod and laid back on he biobed.
"I'll set up an appointment with Dr. Noel for sometime next week. Is that ok?"
He gave her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder before finishing his report. She waited until he was done before speaking again.
"I'd prefer to rest in my quarters if that's ok."
"That's fine. I'll be releasing you in the morning but with a biomonitoring bracelet. It'll just keep an eye on things and I'll check on you each day to be sure everything's ok."
She gave him a wry smile.
"House calls? You really are an old fashioned country doctor at heart."
Her release was delayed until late afternoon and though she was tired she was eager to have some time to herself. She had been poked and prodded throughout the night and morning. It gave her a new perspective of what her patients were subjected to when they took up residence in the medical bay. Her walks had been limited to just bathroom trips and she suspected that Leonard had stationed people to be sure she stayed in bed. There wasn't a moment alone and it was difficult to sleep when Nurse Baker or Cho or Chapel or any number of other people were within eyeshot of her at all hours.
It was with absolute joy that she was able to go back to her room even if she basically had a leash attached at her wrist. Spock had taken the day off since they were still docked at Jupiter station around Earth until tomorrow when the updates to the communications array were completed.
Lieutenant Cho helped settle her in her bed. She double checked her monitor and placed some PADDs next to her bed. Charlotte always loved working with Mi-Cha Cho. Whereas Christine was a force to be reckoned with Mi was a calming and peaceful influence. She moved with a grace that Charlotte never could and always had a smile even when the situation was dire.
"Thanks, Mi. I'm sure I can manage at this point."
The young Korean nurse just shook her head and laughed.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah. I appreciate everything you guys have done but I'd like a little time to myself though."
"I would if I was you. Hey, did you realize you're finally in your second trimester today? Twelve weeks."
Charlotte put a hand to her small bump and smiled. The risks were smaller now but still present.
"Yeah. I'm not sure if I want to know the genders yet and I'm just glad I'm not feeling like throwing up all the time. I do miss bacon though."
Nurse Cho gave her an indulgent smile and one last check to the bracelet monitor before leaving. The moment the doors shut Charlotte ran to the bathroom and spoiled herself with a long shower. It had been days since she had been able to have one. The sonics in the medical bay just never really did it. It was something else entirely as the hot water beat down on her back and shoulder, easing the tension out of her muscles.
Once fully clean she stepped out of the steaming bathroom and grabbed her PADD. She was a little hurt that she hadn't seen Spock since she had first woken up in sickbay but she understood that he needed time to handle what had happened. It still hurt though. She was about to pull up an article on complimentary medicine when she heard the door to their quarters open. She placed the PADD next to her and waited.
She didn't have long to wait before her bedroom door was opened. Spock walked in followed by a young Vulcan woman. Charlotte recognize her from the compound's medical facilities when she had been examined by the vulcan healers. Suspicion darted through her mind but she gave a pleasant smile.
"Adun'a, I am pleased to see you...resting."
His eyes darted to the PADD that had yet to enter sleep mode and they narrowed but he said nothing further.
"I'm just doing a bit of reading. You'd be surprised at how little there is to read in sickbay."
She pushed the PADD aside and sat up straighter but it was hard to look authoritative in pajamas. The young woman walked over and picked up the PADD and her eyebrows raised in slight surprise before she moved it to the bookshelf.
"Charlotte, I would like to introduce T'Peni. She will be assisting the Enterprise staff in your care for the remainder of your pregnancy and after."
Surprise flittered through her mind and she pushed it aside.
"It's nice to see you again but I already have a doctor. Leonard McCoy is more than sufficient at caring for my needs." She stated.
T'Peni stepped forward and gave a small nod of understanding.
"And he will remain as your primary physician. My main role will be providing care for the fetuses you are currently carrying. I will also be supporting Dr. McCoy in his duties as your obstetrician and I have been contracted through Starfleet as a shipboard physician. This is to provide relief to the overtaxed medical facility aboard the Enterprise."
Well, that sort of made sense in her mind. It helped her feel that it wasn't just about her. Charlotte didn't particularly like the idea of having a vulcan doctor in her sickbay but she had to admit that the lack of personnel on Taurus VI made the recovery efforts that much more difficult. Spock stood at the side of the young doctor and almost looked uneasy. His emotions were too close to the surface and she could see dark lines under his eyes. She pushed at the link between them and received nothing in return. Her brow furrowed in concern as she looked at him closer. His posture was too stiff and Charlotte could see his muscles were bunched. The affection and stability she had seen the morning that they had shared in the compound was gone. If T'Peni was going to be an Enterprise physician then she would need to care for all staff.
"Healer T'Peni? When do you start?" Charlotte asked.
"I have received my shift and list of responsibilities already."
Charlotte smiled and turned to look at Spock but spoke to the healer.
"Then if you have been assigned could you please assist Commander Spock? I have been attended to and I have yet to see him rest or eat. He has been shielding himself from me since I returned and I am unaware of his true state of health."
Charlotte was rewarded with a look of surprise from Spock, his eyes widened then narrowed. He opened his mouth only to be cut off by slight woman standing next to him.
"Is this true?"
Spock shifted before turning to T'Peni. Charlotte felt a small victory. Spock was so concerned about her that he had stopped his own self-preservation instincts. If he wasn't going to take care of himself she would do so for him. She had promised that much to Sarek.
"I have had numerous duties that have required my attention over the past several days." He said evenly.
T'Peni pushed past his excuse with such clinical precision it was only equal to Dr. McCoy's ability. Charlotte started to gain a small amount of respect for T'Peni.
"As Miss Jones has stated that she has been cared for and I see the evidence to support her claim my next responsibility is currently standing next to me. Commander Spock, you have been through a trying ordeal these past few days. It is not shameful to take the time to heal therefore, I am placing you on medical leave for the next 48 hours."
Spock opened his mouth to argue but T'Peni put up a hand to forestall him. Charlotte appreciated the woman's no-nonsense attitude. Charlotte needed Spock right now. Though she was loath to admit it, she needed his support and clearly he needed hers. Apparently, T'Peni picked that up too and hit Spock where it hurt.
"Your bondmate also needs you."
Spock looked toward her and she watched as his features softened. His shoulders lowered fractionally and he took a deep breath.
"Agreed. I will adhere to your recommendations."
T'Peni gave a curt nod to them both before leaving with instructions for Spock to see her in the morning for an exam. Charlotte was watching as her husband (oh, God. Now she was referring to him as her husband!) returned from seeing the Healer off. He was carrying a tray containing two large dishes of vegetable stir-fry with drinks. The sight made Charlotte gave him a tentative smile as she positioned herself so that he could sit next to her. He positioned the tray between them and kept his distance.
"Hey." She said quietly.
His eyes turned to hers and it was then that she was able to see the depth of his pain and fear.
"I'm fine. Thank you." She put a hand on his arm but felt it stiffen and she moved to gently rub up and down. His eyes closed and he took a deep breath and Charlotte felt his shields lower. His relief was palpable as was his exhaustion and a deep undercurrent of anger and guilt.
"I am pleased." He mumbled.
He turned and began to eat and she followed suit. It was quiet and almost awkward but tolerable. Once they finished Spock went to leave. Charlotte had a feeling that he would shut himself off. She needed to let him know.
"Spock, don't go."
His body jerked as he stopped at the door and he slowly turned around. She knew what he was feeling. The guilt was overpowering as he looked at her.
"It wasn't your fault. What Jacobs did was not your fault. Not being able to find him is not your fault. You found me. You saved me. Let me save you."
She put out her arms and was pleasantly surprised to have them filled with his body as he joined her on the bed. She could feel his tension melting away as he held her just as tightly as she held him.
"I nearly lost you. I lost my mother right in front of me and the same nearly happened to you. I do not know what I would have done had that been the case."
She gently stroked his back and kissed the top of his head.
"I know and I'm sorry."
They held each other for several more hours before they fell asleep together, arms and legs intertwined, holding each other as if their lives depended on it and in a way maybe it did.