All Good Things

Chapter Fifty-three - Meditations

On Board the Enterprise

October 2277

Spock

McCoy was sitting across from Spock, saving space at the table while their wives herded the children through the breakfast line. This put him in an excellent spot to notice the amount of food on Nyota's tray when she settled down beside her husband. At first, he assumed that part of the food was for their children, but then he noticed that Grayson was setting dishes before the two younger boys, and Nyota was calmly laying all the small dishes and plates off her tray out before her. Spock took her empty tray and set it on the other side of him and gave her one long look as she began to sample her breakfast selections, then turned back to his conversation. McCoy sat there stunned.

On Nyota's tray were pancakes with soy sausage, an omelet with cheese and vegetables, whole wheat toast with butter and jam, a bowl of fruit salad, and some sort of pastry with nuts, among other things. More food than three people needed for breakfast. Spook looked at his wife's breakfast again and spoke softly to her. "Perhaps a few more fruits and vegetables tomorrow." She nodded and continued eating, looking happy at her prodigious intake.

McCoy started to say something else, and then shook his head. "Spock, I haven't seen Nyota eat that much at once since the last time she was pregnant. Maybe I ought to give her a quick checkup. Something may be wrong."

"I assure you that nothing is wrong. She is indeed pregnant again, just as I informed you that she would be."

McCoy sputtered a bit. "But, but, it's too soon, you big elf! Neither of your contraceptives should have worn off yet."

"However that may be, nonetheless, the objective has been obtained."

"I'm ordering the two of you to sick bay as soon as you get those kids to day care. Something's wrong here and I'm going to find out what."

From across the table, Spock looked at him calmly, and Nyota smiled as she finished her second slice of toast, with strawberry jam spread thickly on it.

.

Half an hour later, Nyota lay on a biobed while Spock stood by her side. McCoy fussed about with his instruments, but could not deny what they showed. "This is outright impossible! These things take time, and sufficient time has not passed yet. You can't just speed up the secretion of those chemicals by thinkin' about it!"

Spock raised one eyebrow. "It is possible that I did just that, without realizing it. I have been meditation on the desired result, which was to achieve a pregnancy as soon as possible to relieve Nyota's longing. It is possible that my body reacted by excreting the contraceptive chemicals without my being aware of it." His eyes took on a faraway look as he considered this possibility.

McCoy stared at him in consternation. "You can do that? Why didn't you ever tell me about that before? And how did that affect Nyota as well?"

Spock spoke slowly, his mind not completely attentive to the conversation. "I was not aware that this was possible, else I would have used this technique before. I can only conjecture that my body took on the task of cleansing hers as well, through skin contact during the night. This is quite interesting. I shall have to contact the healers on New Vulcan to discuss this. Are you finished with my wife now, doctor, so that we may commence our shift on the bridge?"

McCoy waved them off, muttering to himself. At the very last minute, he turned and ordered Nyota to continue with the supplements that had been prescribed. And then he wandered off towards his office, still muttering under his breath.

.

Elsewhere in the ship, as Tanik bent over the exposed engine of one of the shuttles, Tilek pointed out the maintenance being performed and then made a strange request. "I have been meditating on a problem for some time, but have not been able to resolve it. Might I ask your assistance?"

Tanik concealed his startlement as best he could. "I have no particular skills in this area. It would be best if you could talk to one of the elders on New Vulcan."

"I feel the need to speak to someone face to face. This problem is important."

"If you feel that discussing your problem is important, perhaps one of the ship's counselors could help. I understand that Dr McCoy's wife is particularly understanding of the types of problems that Vulcan crewmen are apt to encounter and knowledgeable about Vulcan customs and cultural mores."

The younger man was becoming slightly agitated now, his hands shaking somewhat and his eyes wide and darting from one spot to another. "No, no, it must be someone who has experienced this problem."

Tanik began to be concerned. "Perhaps you might explain what the problem is. If I can help you, I will."

Tilek calmed himself and leaned in closer. "I have been meditating over the fact that I have not yet entered Pon Farr, although I have completed my fortieth year. I have not reached any satisfactory conclusion in this matter."

Tanik now began to be alarmed. "This is not something you should meditate about. It will come when your body is ready. Not all reach this stage before their fortieth year, this is only the most probable age."

Tilek did not seem to be mollified by these statements and moved restlessly about the shuttle, touching the tools laid out, but not doing anything to complete the repair work. Tanik watched him for several minutes, and then suggested that he go to sick bay and have them run a series of diagnostics. "They will be able to tell you more about your body's status than I can."

Tilek nodded, and finally walked off, but Tanik was not convinced that the other man was thinking entirely clearly. He went straight to a communications node and called first Spock, and then McCoy. By the time he was finished with those two conversations, it was too late. Tilek was loose, somewhere on the ship, in the first stages of Pon Farr.

.

In the Communications Lab, T'Cila was deep into the translation of a series of highly technical communications which had been sent to the Enterprise by one of the new civilizations that they had contacted recently when she sensed her husband's distress. At first, she could not tell what the exact problem was, only that he was agitated. But eventually, she began to recognized the warning signs that Nyota and the other wives of Vulcans who had been through the fires had told her about. She rose from her station and went to the door of Nyota's office, where her superior was busy with the quarterly paperwork. "I believe my husband has entered his time, but I do not know where he is, and I do not believe that he knows where he is currently. He is becoming very agitated."

Immediately, Nyota reached for the switches of the comlink on her desk and sent out the alert that everyone shuddered to hear. At once security teams formed to begin searching the ship. A team of two came to escort T'Cila to her quarters, to await her husband there. When found, he would be herded in her direction. The team that had escorted her blocked off the ends of the corridor, keeping everyone else away from that section to prevent accidents.

The whole ship went on lockdown - each section being closed off as soon as it was searched. Somewhere on the ship was an increasingly agitated Vulcan male who no one wished to cross.

.

Tilek wandered blindly, not sure where he was. Wherever it was, T'Cila was not there. He stumbled over objects in his way and occasionally sent some piece of equipment flying when it blocked him from his destination, which changed every few minutes. He could not get a clear image of where she was! All he could see was red - she appeared to be in a cave, and there were no caves on the ship! Someone must be hiding her from him, and he needed her. He stumbled around, moving deeper into the relatively unused storage portions of the ship, seeing no one, becoming more desperate with each passing moment.

It was in this precarious state that he was found after an hour's extensive search. The team that located him backed off immediately, and began to close the bulkheads in all directions except the one they wanted him to take. Keeping back, mostly out of his sight, they maneuvered him back into the more densely populated portion of the ship, towards crew quarters. As he drew closer to his quarters, and thus to his wife, he began to sense her more clearly. She was waiting for him! She was aware of his need, and readied herself to assist him! He began to move faster, his objective clear now.

The security teams were jogging now, trying to keep up with him. They had most of the corridors blocked, leaving open only those which led in the direction they wanted him to go in. When he came into sight at the end of the corridor where his quarters were, the teams in position there retreated as well, not wanting to aggravate him. The door to his quarters was triggered by the leader of the team in the best position, and Tilek staggered in, and the door was shut behind him. Everyone drew a deep breath of relief and life on the Enterprise returned to normal, except for one very puzzled doctor.