I don't own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings. And, no matter how much you guys beg, I won't post these chapters ahead of schedule.
Ahead of Schedule
Like most orthopedic surgeons, Sirin secretly dreaded Monday mornings. People, especially young Human males, tended to act foolishly on the weekends. Often, alcohol consumption was a factor in what Rachel called "stupid Human tricks." For this reason, Sirin tried to never schedule routine procedures on Mondays.
However, there were only three procedures requiring his attention, none of them complicated. Sirin even finished his rounds ahead of schedule. He would be able to meet Rachel, Esther, and Jason at Wong's.
Rachel, however, was enduring her share of cadets suffering from Monday morning afflictions. She shook her head as she treated the fifth male cadet for Kergian strep throat. Apparently they had all been to the same party and kissed the same female. The illness had serious consequences for Humans if not treated promptly. Rachel gave them all large doses of antibiotics and a stern warning to avoid the aforementioned young woman.
At last sick call was almost over, just one more patient left. Rachel tried not laugh as the nurse led her in. Cadet Mooga was coughing and her face was dark purple instead of the appropriate pale lavender. Rachel had located the source of the Kergian strep infection. Mooga also got a lecture and then confessed to Rachel that she had played spin the bottle at a party Friday night. She had kissed at least twelve other people. Rachel made Mooga promise not to kiss anyone else until the infection had cleared up.
Nurse Ella gave the patient her meds and had her write down the names of those she had kissed. They would all need treatment. Hopefully the Kergian strep could be stopped before it became an epidemic.
Rachel checked her chronometer. For once she would be in plenty of time to meet her family at Wong's. She might even get there ahead of schedule.
Dr. Peng hated conducting interviews in his office, so he had arranged to meet Spock at Wong's for lunch. Mr. Wong was his brother-in-law, so he always got a good deal on his meals.
When he reached Wong's, Spock found that he was a bit early for his lunch time appointment with Dr. Peng. Mr. Wong said this would not be a problem and showed the young Vulcan to Peng's favorite table. He settled himself in, thinking he would review one of the latest xenolinguistics journals. There was a fascinating article on Leptonian chanting dialects that he had been wanting to read. The author had recorded several samples of the interesting speech. As Spock plugged his headphones into his PADD, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to find his old roommate, Pete. Pete and his very pregnant wife Helena were on their way out.
"Hey, buddy, fancy meeting you here. What's new with you?"
"I am waiting for Dr. Peng, who will be interviewing me for an instructor position in the Xenolinguistics Department. I will be leaving Discovery at the end of May."
"Cool. Right now I'm on temporary assignment to the Engineering department of the Academy, filling in for an Instructional Aide who's on maternity leave. After our baby is born, Helena and I will be going to UFP Headquarters in Paris. I'll be taking a job in Environmental Engineering and Helena will work in Communications."
Just then Helena grimaced and grabbed her husband's hand.
"Pete, we need to get going. NOW!"
"Oh, okay. Spock, I wish we could stay and chat but Helena thinks that she's in labor. It seems our daughter wants to make her appearance ahead of schedule."
"Pete, you must not keep your wife waiting. I still have the same comm code. Let me know when your child arrives. Have a safe delivery, Helena."
"Thank you Spock."
Helena practically hauled Pete out the door.
Though there was nothing he could do to prevent it, Skar was still embarrassed. His pon farr was not due for another six months, however for some reason it had come early. He was scheduled to spend the next ten days at a trade conference in Brussels and to make a very important presentation.
Realizing that he had no choice, Skar contacted Sarek. The Ambassador and his wife left for Terra immediately, taking the Embassy's small, high-speed transport. Amanda was not distressed at all. She would have a little time to spend with her son.
Dr. Peng arrived right on time and seated himself opposite Spock. Mr. Wong brought them tea and menus.
"Brother, I didn't know you were acquainted with young Spock here, though it certainly makes sense. He's quite the linguist."
"I'm aware of that, Wong, but how do you know?"
"When he was just a little tyke, maybe three years old, his parents started bringing him here. He ordered his meal in Mandarin. I had to get Mai Lee to translate for me. Spock was the one who inspired me to study Mandarin."
Peng laughed at this. Imagine his brother-in-law embarrassed into finally studying what he should have learned as a child. Peng ordered the Monday Vegetarian Special for two and questioned Spock extensively about his recent missions. Spock had written two well-received papers on the Kholourian written language and the Draconi's telepathy. It was all fascinating, so much so that Peng forgot to ask the typical interview questions.
Any way, those were hardly necessary. Spock had already proven his abilities while serving as an Instructional Aide and tutor. Peng needed someone who spoke both Vulcan and Romulan. It had been many years since the Academy had a native speaker teaching Vulcan language courses. Civilian Vulcans had showed no interest in the position. The Academy had never been truly concerned over this as most of the Vulcans Starfleet personnel encountered were fluent in Federation Standard.
"Spock, I'm going to offer you the position. I hope you'll accept."
"Indeed I will. Thank you, Dr. Peng."
Dr. Peng smiled as he ate his moon cake. Spock's position was the last he had to fill. For once his staffing issues would be handled ahead of schedule.
As Dr. Peng and Spock were leaving, Sirin was coming in. The healer persuaded his cousin to stay and have a cup of tea while they waited for rest of the family to arrive. Spock had errands, but none were pressing, so he complied. Sirin ordered the special for four and then asked Spock the dreaded question.
"Spock, how did things go with Dr. Kalomi?"
"We will no longer be seeing each other socially. She does not possess the qualities I seek in a bondmate."
"I am relieved to hear this. Rachel and Esther do not like her and they are both very perceptive women."
"You are very fortunate to have such a family, Sirin. I can only hope that I will someday find a mate as suitable as Rachel."
"That is my wish for you, as well, Spock."
Just then, Esther arrived with Jason, followed a few moments later by Rachel. The ladies were both curious as to how Spock's interview had gone. Spock tried not to appear prideful, but his shining eyes betrayed him.
"I was offered an Instructor's position, which I accepted. I will be teaching Vulcan and Romulan language courses."
Esther wanted to hug Spock, but she knew better than to embarrass him in public.
"Congratulations, Spock. Good work."
"Good 'Pog!" yelled Jason as he clapped his hands.
Rachel laughed as she tried to get her son to accept his bib. Jason shook his head as she fastened it around his neck. He just didn't want to be bothered with it.
"It's about time the Academy had a Vulcan Instructor who could actually pronounce what he was teaching. It was very frustrating for me when I took the Conversational and Medical Vulcan courses. Thank God I had Sirin to help me read Spock's medical records."
"Rachel, you read Vulcan much better than you give yourself credit for. You would have sorted everything out eventually." As he spoke these words, Sirin's pride and affection for his wife were obvious. Rachel looked at him and blushed.
The server brought their food and Spock excused himself to complete his errands.
When their lunch was finished, the family headed off to the Vulcan Embassy to keep a very important appointment. Healer T'Mena would be giving Jason his one-year checkup. Though Sirin was a qualified healer, he had little pediatric experience. T'Mena had been treating Spock periodically throughout his life, starting from the time he was just a few months old. No one knew more about Vulcan-Human hybrid pediatrics than she.
Sirin was dreading the trip to the Embassy grounds. Most of the Vulcan staff would know that he had been declared without logic. It was possible that there would be unpleasantness.
Sure enough, the Security Officer on duty at the gate recognized him. The man questioned him extensively.
"You have been declared without logic. Perhaps this has hampered your ability to practice the Healer's Arts. It is clear that your judgement is clouded. Why else would you have taken a Human bondmate?"
Sirin found himself clenching and unclenching his fists, struggling for emotional control.
"Though I find her most worthy, my choice of bondmate is none of your concern. I have answered all of your questions. We are expected by Healer T'Mena, who will not be pleased if she is kept waiting. You do not wish to waste the hesaler's valuable time. Now direct us to her office and allow us to pass."
"Very well."
Sirin found the Healer's residence and office with no difficulty. T'Mena welcomed them and had Rachel strip Jason down to his diaper. Jason was thrilled with this, as he liked wearing as little as possible.
T'Mena picked the little one up, checking his muscle tone and body mass. He was much sturdier in build than Spock had been at the same age. She set Jason down on the floor and watched as he stood and walked. When his vision and hearing were tested, they were found to be well within the Vulcan normal range. Jason already had a vocabulary of about thirty words. T'Mena did a quick diagnostic meld, and found the child to be in excellent health.
"He is a strong telepath and could easily follow his parents' path to become a healer. He is strong and healthy, far healthier than Spock at this age. His development is all well within the normal range. His speech and motor skills are far above average. You have done an excellent job with him thus far."
Rachel was relieved.
"Thank you, Healer T'Mena. That is so good to know."
"Good 'Mena!" screeched Jason as he clapped his hands.
Spock hurried to O'Grady's, where he bought himself several sets of guitar strings. Next was a quick trip to Maxi's for several pairs of extra-long socks. While there, he got a message from Pete. The child had been born and she and Helena were perfectly healthy. The last errand was the uniform shop, where he picked up another blue overshirt and a pair of black pants.
As he was paying for his purchases, his comm unit went off. He let the call go to voicemail and then played it once he was outside. It was Amanda.
"Hello, my son. Your father and I will be arriving at the Embassy in about an hour. Stohl will be picking us up at the Shuttle Port. Are you free to meet me for dinner at Wong's?"
Spock contacted his mother at once.
"Greetings, Mother. Yes, I am free this evening."
"Good. I'll see you at seven."
"Understood."
Mr. Wong was amused to see Spock for the second time that day.
"You just can't get enough of our fine food, can you?"
"I am still growing, Mr. Wong. However, I am meeting my mother here in a few minutes."
"Excellent! I'll show you to her favorite table, then."
Amanda arrived just seconds later. Spock stood and pulled out her chair for her. She did a double take. The last time she had seen her boy, he was still recovering from the Vulcan flu. He certainly looked healthy now.
"I do believe you've gotten taller. My goodness, you are so handsome. Spock, you're going to have to beat the girls off with a stick."
"I hope that will not become necessary, Mother. At least not until I improve my interpersonal skills and learn to read Human behavior better."
"Oh, dear. What happened?"
Spock sighed and related his recent experiences with Dr. Kalomi.
"Honey, I don't think you were at fault in this. Dr. Kalomi seems to have some issues. I think she might lack behavioral filters. You're right about one thing, though. She wouldn't make a good mate for you, or any Vulcan for that matter."
"Perhaps so, Mother. However, I shall exercise more caution in the future."
Spock enjoyed a leisurely meal with his mother. As they ate dessert, his comm unit went off again. The message was a Priority One Alert. Captain Pike had cancelled all leaves. Spock would have twenty-four hours to report to Discovery, three days ahead of schedule.
