Author's Note: This ending sets up the next story. I promise you it's in production; I can't promise you when it will be completed.

Hints: Spock does indeed leave to solve the Vulcan repopulation problem. Sarek's master plan is involved. Uhura becomes a free woman, sort of. Kirk is charged with her care. Bones remains unready for V-H obstetrics. Past that I haven't written.

Thanks again for hanging in there. Another 100 years and I'll have this writing thing down.

Epilogue

The Vulcan star base near Epsilon Eradarii stood as the only advanced medical facility left in the Vulcan inventory. Wait list times for the Vulcan remnant extended to months. But when James Kirk requested permission to dock and have a crew member treated, his request hit the top of the list.

McCoy punted to the Vulcan physicians when Uhura's nausea prevented her from eating for weeks. They had the best available experience with emergent evolution relating to psionic capabilities. He'd forced her onto the emergency medical leave list and kept her there. McCoy's concern extended to Spock; poor guy was going crazy with concern. When he wasn't on the bridge, he sat holding her hand (and occasionally, when no one was looking, holding her). When he was on the bridge, McCoy caught him maneuvering the SickBay cameras to check on her. McCoy would have done a double take if he'd known that a second bridge officer did the same during Spock's off-duty hours.

Arriving at the base, McCoy raised more alarms with Spock by having Uhura med-evac'd to the base hospital. So much for a dignified departure. McCoy followed his patient in a shuttle with Spock, piloted by Kirk.

While the courtesy and quiet efficiency of the Vulcan medical staff did not surprise McCoy, their deferential treatment of Uhura and Spock on arrival did. Local staff relieved him of most of the routine duties an attending physician would perform at any other base hospital in the quadrant.

With nothing to do, McCoy traipsed behind Uhura to her suite through pathways reserved for med staff and patients to await her examination. She napped while Spock and Kirk breached the patient visiting protocols to enter her room.

"So how many laws did you break getting in here?"

"Enough" Kirk spat back, irritated, "Stiff-necked elves and their rules. Just have to out-think their 'logic'" Kirk's exasperation with the hospital management added one more situation where rules were stupid.

"How'd you breach the walls?"

"He told them he was her brother" Spock's exasperation at Kirk's grandstanding was almost as funny as McCoy's mental image of Kirk proving a sibling relationship with Uhura.

"Wait a minute? They could check her file to verify that. How'd he get past that?"

"I told them to check me telepathically for a familial bond When they found it, they let us in. Uhura told me it was there. How is she?"

McCoy rechecked the monitors before answering, noting that Kirk got the question in before Spock.

"Stable. Her caloric intake is better. She was already at her fighting weight; not many reserves to call on."

McCoy checked Spock out; he wasn't used to being without her and it showed.

"How you holding up, Spock?" Spock's jaw tightened before he responded.

"I am looking forward to some answers.

While Uhura slept, the feeding bag dripping nutrients steadily into the IV, the 3 Musketeers bivouacked in her room.

Pulling chairs and tables from nearby locations, the room soon took on a lived in quality that McCoy hoped wouldn't last long. Kirk lifted a deck of cards from somewhere and pretended to play poker with McCoy. McCoy, anticipating the trials the day might bring, fortified himself and Kirk with two flasks - one of Kentucky bourbon and one of Tennessee sour mash. These sat next to the players untouched. Spock stood by the window looking at God knows what. McCoy forbade him from touching her while she slept, lest that bond of theirs disrupt her sleep and he demanded Spock stay shielded in her presence. The shielding would help Spock as much as Uhura; he could save his strength for when they both would need it.

The door opening snapped them all to attention, recognition spreading across McCoy's and Spock's faces.

"M'Benga! I didn't know you were stationed here"

"Leonard. Commander. Actually, I just got here from Star Fleet Headquarters. I've been assigned as attending."

M'Benga's feet never stopped their progress towards her bedside. Kirk waited for the examination's end before introducing himself.

"James Kirk"

"Kofi M'Benga. Good to finally meet you, Captain"

M'Benga turned back to Spock before speaking again, much to McCoy's amusement and Kirk's frustration.

"There's a cocktail of meds I'd like to administer, Commander, to get her past the nausea. She's still showing neuro-receptor expansion in both cortexes and the limbic areas. Amazing. You must care for each other a great deal."

M'Benga, a specialist on Vulcans, stated the obvious to avoid the necessity of a response from Spock. The Vulcan standing before him was like no other in the diaspora.

"We do, doctor. As do all here with her today." M'Benga's shock at the buzz coming off of Spock and Kirk resolved into careful consideration. He turned, rerunning some tests and adding additional. Only after he checked and rechecked his results did he speak.

"You have shared telepathic links with her in the recent past?"

The answer "Yes" came from two mouths - Spock's and Kirk's.

M'Benga signaled McCoy with his eyes to come with him before leaving her bedside. He wanted a private conversation with McCoy before he made his final decisions as attending.

"I'll get this formulated and we'll get the treatment started. Gentlmen."

M'Benga turned towards the door and left with McCoy in tow. Spock and Kirk were left to consider their sharing of Uhura's ample mind.

"Have a seat" M'Benga pointed to a comfortable chair in the staff lounge then selected one for himself.

"Interesting case, Leonard. She has always been a remarkable young woman." McCoy wondered whether this was still a medical conversation or something different. M'Benga's next statement rattled him even more.

"You knew she was pregnant, right?"

"Hell no! I thought she was but all the tests said she wasn't. That's why I came here - the emergence was the only diagnosis left."

"I thought you might not. We didn't see any Vulcan-Human O.B. patients in our private practice, as I recall. Blastocysts in Vulcan-Human hybrids don't pump out much HCG. You have to recalibrate to look for progesterone changes both as raw counts and in ratio to estrogen."

McCoy caught the past tense.

"You said 'was'. Spontaneous miscarriage?"

"Yes. She's passing the tissue now. But there's still significant endocrine impact. That's the source of the nausea, the conjunction of the pregnancy and the emergence working on her brain at warp 10."

M'Benga stretched and yawned.

"Sorry! Long day."

"Don't. We're in the same club. Let me ask you something: you took a damn long time with those readings - I'm a snoop; sue me. Why?"

"I have to tell you Leonard, I almost thought my readings were wrong. The buzz those two guys were giving off made me re-run the DNA tests on the tissue to figure out which one was the father. She's got bonds to both."

"Bonds?"

"Uh-huh. They're pretty strong but they're different. That's why I reran the tests. Spock's the one; he's the father."

"What do you mean by 'buzz'? How the hell do you?..." McCoy's mind slugged through the evidence at hand.

"You're a telepath!"

"Nope. I'm an empath. Not in Uhura's class, but sufficient."

M'Benga smiled at McCoy's incredulous look.

"When were you going to tell me? Dammit, man - we used to be partners!"

McCoy's irritation brought a laugh from M'Benga.

"I have a Vulcan grandmother. She was deployed on one of those deep space science research vessels with a good-looking guy from Earth's Congo region - my grandfather. Nature had a plan one dark and starry night." M'Benga laughed.

"And before you ask - yes that's why I specialize in Vulcans, especially Vulcan-Human combinations. And no, I do not experience Pon Farr."

"Too much information." the acerbic physician interjected to M'Benga's Pon Farr confession.

M'Benga grew serious, gathering himself before speaking again.

"Leonard, what I'm about to say may go against the way you're practicing medicine on the Enterprise and if it does, I understand. But we've known each other a long time. Just hear me out before you make a decision.

"I would recommend against telling Uhura or Spock about this pregnancy. At this moment, neither one of them has any emotional reserve. Spock's in no shape to grieve another death - especially not his own child."

McCoy considered this.

"If you're worried, don't be. It's so early they have not established a telepathic link. Uhura will just believe all the stress delayed her cycle a few weeks and they can start adjusting to life after emergence."

"M'benga, you're the attending. You don't need my concurrence."

"You're with them everyday. I want to make sure I'm reading them right. This pair bond is unique: Spock's childhood mate died on Vulcan. Both he and Uhura were virgins and are monogamous. They are intertwined in ways that make my head hurt to think about."

"What about the bond to Kirk?" McCoy could't believe he was asking this.

"It's different but just as strong as the one to Spock. More like a beloved brother, maybe?"

"Beloved LITTLE brother. The annoying kind. I concur; let's keep it simple. You'll handle the med files?"

"She's here as a VIP, Vulcan diplomat's dependent; they're sealed. By the way, I don't see any reason for them not to have a bunch of healthy kids once the world is back on its axis. They produced this one on their own. Should work for them the next time"

"Amen to that."

They rose and headed for the dispensary.

"Hey, I owe you a solid. Thanks for requesting me." M'Benga busied himself with the nausea formulation.

"Requesting you for what?"

"To be attending. C'mon Leonard, don't be modest. I got a priority alpha emergency dispatch from you via Star Fleet. Why do you think they pulled all those strings for her?"

All business now, McCoy asked to see M'Benga's PADD. There it was, right there signed by Leonard McCoy and endorsed by the head of Star Fleet medical.

Except he hadn't sent it.