A/N:
Chapter Seven
"Where is she, Cap'n?" Trip asked impatiently.
"I don't know. She said she'd be here before they docked," Captain Archer answered.
"Well, she'd better hurry. She's got about forty-five seconds and I don't want t' greet a bunch of Vulcans by m'self."
"Don't worry, Trip. She'll show up."
"I sure hope so 'cause I-" before he could finish, T'Pol walked around the corner to meet them. He heard Trip breathe a sigh of relief, but also saw the look on his face. Trip had never seen T'Pol wearing her more traditional Vulcan robes before. And he wasn't good at hiding his surprise. T'Pol also seemed to notice his expression.
"Doctor Phlox told me to wear an outfit other than my uniform for the duration of my…" she paused, probably making sure no one was around. When a crewman walked by, she continued in a softer tone, "…condition." It was more obvious than it ever had been that T'Pol didn't want ANYONE to know that she was pregnant. She had always been a private person, but she seemed even more private than usual.
Fortunately, she didn't have to add anything further. "There docked, Cap'n," Trip told him. His comment seemed to make T'Pol a bit nervous, although she tried unsuccessfully to hide it. She nodded to them, letting Trip know that he could open the airlock without her objection.
Trip complied with her unspoken request and the door began to slide open. T'Pol, he noted, was standing up straight--probably trying to look as confident as was possible given the circumstances.
As the door locked into place, four Vulcans--two males and two females-- all with gray hair and stern faces, stepped out cautiously into the corridor. He was about to introduce himself, but the Vulcans all turned to T'Pol and said something in Vulcan which he couldn't understand. T'Pol responded in Vulcan and the visitors turned to Trip, then the Captain. He hoped that T'Pol was just introducing them.
When the Vulcans had stopped talking, T'Pol turned to look at the chief engineer. "T'Pol?" he asked her.
She looked surprised, and not very happy, even for a Vulcan. "May I speak with you for a moment, Commander?" she asked him politely.
"Sure…" he responded. She walked away from the group and he followed her as they walked around a corner. Once she stopped and turned to face him, he continued. "What is it?" he asked, worried.
She began speaking very quietly. "My parents," she told him quickly.
"Those are your parents?"
She nodded.
"You have four parents?" he asked, thinking that maybe he knew even less about Vulcans than he thought he had.
She didn't seem to notice how stupid the question was. "No. Two of them are Koss' mother and father."
"Wait--Koss? You don't mean the same one that you broke up with?"
She looked confused. "Broke up with?" she asked.
"Never mind. You aren't talkin' 'bout the same Koss who you were gonna marry, are you?"
"Yes, I am."
"But didn't you decide NOT to marry him?"
"Yes."
"Then what are his parents doin' here?" Now it was his turn to be confused.
She paused a moment before answering. "To tell me to marry Koss."
"But they can't do that!" he shouted-- a bit louder than he'd expected. He made sure to continue at a lower volume when he spoke again. "You told 'em you didn't want to. It was your choice, no theirs."
"They are claiming that it was not my decision to make, and that I must return to Vulcan immediately to attend the ceremony."
"But they gave a you a choice. Doesn't that imply that you could decide which option to go with?"
"Obviously they didn't believe it did."
"Well, have you told them that you're-" he stopped himself before he said too much.
"No. I will tell them only when and if it is absolutely unavoidable. Until that point, I intend to keep it between those who already know."
"Well you-" he decided to whisper directly into her ear this time, as the Vulcans standing by the airlock all had very good hearing. Once he had leaned forward enough, he started over. "You can't get married when you're gonna have someone else's kid-- let alone three."
"You mean when I will have what are most likely YOUR children?" T'Pol was now whispering as well in a very un-Vulcan fashion.
This made Trip jump back. "Hey!" he shouted, sounding hurt.
T'Pol didn't raise her voice from a whisper at all as she continued. "The evidence clearly shows that you are the most likely candidate."
"If that's true, then-" he once again cut himself off and leaned into her ear. "If that's true, then how come neither of us remember anything happening that could have led to this?"
"I don't know," she admitted into his ear.
He leaned back and looked her straight in the eyes. "Then why do you say it's me?"
"I-" Before she could finish, her face went very pale, and she put her arm over her stomach.
"T'Pol?" Trip asked, confused and concerned.
Instead of an answer, he got a blank stare as her eyes rolled up into her head and T'Pol began to slump backward. He realized what was happening and quickly moved to catch her before she could be injured from the fall.
Fortunately, he had been standing close enough to her that he got behind her in plenty of time. She landed safely in his waiting arms behind her. When he was satisfied that she would fall any further, he gently lowered her to the ground. Once she was down, he pulled his arms out from under her.
It wasn't until that moment that he began to panic. He checked her pulse and breathing. She was alive. He relaxed and moved so that he could talk into her ear again. "T'Pol?" he whispered. He moved back. She didn't move. "T'Pol?" he asked again into her ear, louder this time. Nothing.
What would her parents do if they found her like this? He decided not to tell the Vulcans just yet that she had collapsed. He stood up again, and, after taking a last glance at T'Pol, walked back to where the Captain and Vulcans were waiting. "Cap'n," he said. "Can you come 'ere for a minute?"
"I'll be right back," the Captain told the Vulcans politely before following Trip. When they rounded the corner the Captain saw T'Pol lying on the ground. He looked up at Trip. "You mind explaining this?"
"Sorry, Cap'n. She just collapsed," He whispered. "But what should we do with her?"
The Captain thought for a moment. "Well, we don't want to Vulcans to see her unconscious-- they might start asking questions that she doesn't want them to know the answer to," He paused, apparently thinking again. "I've got an idea. Take her to sickbay. I'll tell the Vulcans that the two of you had to go to engineering to finish some work. Hopefully, they'll believe that. As soon as the Doctor gives her a clean bill of health, go to engineering for a few minutes, then get her back to her quarters."
Trip stood there for a moment without answering, then as He was told, went over to T'Pol. He picked her up gently and carried her toward sickbay a the Captain went back to the Vulcans. Trip hoped that the Captain's plan would work, and He silently wished him luck. He carried her to sickbay as fast as He could, the whole time thinking about the situation at hand. T'Pol's parents were here, telling her to get married, not knowing at all of T'Pol's situation.
He hoped she could get out of it…
A/N 2: I know the fainting thing was kinda cheesy, but it was necessary for the Vulcan thing to not be resolved yet…. Plus I got to include Trip carrying T'Pol to sickbay….
Chapter Seven
"Where is she, Cap'n?" Trip asked impatiently.
"I don't know. She said she'd be here before they docked," Captain Archer answered.
"Well, she'd better hurry. She's got about forty-five seconds and I don't want t' greet a bunch of Vulcans by m'self."
"Don't worry, Trip. She'll show up."
"I sure hope so 'cause I-" before he could finish, T'Pol walked around the corner to meet them. He heard Trip breathe a sigh of relief, but also saw the look on his face. Trip had never seen T'Pol wearing her more traditional Vulcan robes before. And he wasn't good at hiding his surprise. T'Pol also seemed to notice his expression.
"Doctor Phlox told me to wear an outfit other than my uniform for the duration of my…" she paused, probably making sure no one was around. When a crewman walked by, she continued in a softer tone, "…condition." It was more obvious than it ever had been that T'Pol didn't want ANYONE to know that she was pregnant. She had always been a private person, but she seemed even more private than usual.
Fortunately, she didn't have to add anything further. "There docked, Cap'n," Trip told him. His comment seemed to make T'Pol a bit nervous, although she tried unsuccessfully to hide it. She nodded to them, letting Trip know that he could open the airlock without her objection.
Trip complied with her unspoken request and the door began to slide open. T'Pol, he noted, was standing up straight--probably trying to look as confident as was possible given the circumstances.
As the door locked into place, four Vulcans--two males and two females-- all with gray hair and stern faces, stepped out cautiously into the corridor. He was about to introduce himself, but the Vulcans all turned to T'Pol and said something in Vulcan which he couldn't understand. T'Pol responded in Vulcan and the visitors turned to Trip, then the Captain. He hoped that T'Pol was just introducing them.
When the Vulcans had stopped talking, T'Pol turned to look at the chief engineer. "T'Pol?" he asked her.
She looked surprised, and not very happy, even for a Vulcan. "May I speak with you for a moment, Commander?" she asked him politely.
"Sure…" he responded. She walked away from the group and he followed her as they walked around a corner. Once she stopped and turned to face him, he continued. "What is it?" he asked, worried.
She began speaking very quietly. "My parents," she told him quickly.
"Those are your parents?"
She nodded.
"You have four parents?" he asked, thinking that maybe he knew even less about Vulcans than he thought he had.
She didn't seem to notice how stupid the question was. "No. Two of them are Koss' mother and father."
"Wait--Koss? You don't mean the same one that you broke up with?"
She looked confused. "Broke up with?" she asked.
"Never mind. You aren't talkin' 'bout the same Koss who you were gonna marry, are you?"
"Yes, I am."
"But didn't you decide NOT to marry him?"
"Yes."
"Then what are his parents doin' here?" Now it was his turn to be confused.
She paused a moment before answering. "To tell me to marry Koss."
"But they can't do that!" he shouted-- a bit louder than he'd expected. He made sure to continue at a lower volume when he spoke again. "You told 'em you didn't want to. It was your choice, no theirs."
"They are claiming that it was not my decision to make, and that I must return to Vulcan immediately to attend the ceremony."
"But they gave a you a choice. Doesn't that imply that you could decide which option to go with?"
"Obviously they didn't believe it did."
"Well, have you told them that you're-" he stopped himself before he said too much.
"No. I will tell them only when and if it is absolutely unavoidable. Until that point, I intend to keep it between those who already know."
"Well you-" he decided to whisper directly into her ear this time, as the Vulcans standing by the airlock all had very good hearing. Once he had leaned forward enough, he started over. "You can't get married when you're gonna have someone else's kid-- let alone three."
"You mean when I will have what are most likely YOUR children?" T'Pol was now whispering as well in a very un-Vulcan fashion.
This made Trip jump back. "Hey!" he shouted, sounding hurt.
T'Pol didn't raise her voice from a whisper at all as she continued. "The evidence clearly shows that you are the most likely candidate."
"If that's true, then-" he once again cut himself off and leaned into her ear. "If that's true, then how come neither of us remember anything happening that could have led to this?"
"I don't know," she admitted into his ear.
He leaned back and looked her straight in the eyes. "Then why do you say it's me?"
"I-" Before she could finish, her face went very pale, and she put her arm over her stomach.
"T'Pol?" Trip asked, confused and concerned.
Instead of an answer, he got a blank stare as her eyes rolled up into her head and T'Pol began to slump backward. He realized what was happening and quickly moved to catch her before she could be injured from the fall.
Fortunately, he had been standing close enough to her that he got behind her in plenty of time. She landed safely in his waiting arms behind her. When he was satisfied that she would fall any further, he gently lowered her to the ground. Once she was down, he pulled his arms out from under her.
It wasn't until that moment that he began to panic. He checked her pulse and breathing. She was alive. He relaxed and moved so that he could talk into her ear again. "T'Pol?" he whispered. He moved back. She didn't move. "T'Pol?" he asked again into her ear, louder this time. Nothing.
What would her parents do if they found her like this? He decided not to tell the Vulcans just yet that she had collapsed. He stood up again, and, after taking a last glance at T'Pol, walked back to where the Captain and Vulcans were waiting. "Cap'n," he said. "Can you come 'ere for a minute?"
"I'll be right back," the Captain told the Vulcans politely before following Trip. When they rounded the corner the Captain saw T'Pol lying on the ground. He looked up at Trip. "You mind explaining this?"
"Sorry, Cap'n. She just collapsed," He whispered. "But what should we do with her?"
The Captain thought for a moment. "Well, we don't want to Vulcans to see her unconscious-- they might start asking questions that she doesn't want them to know the answer to," He paused, apparently thinking again. "I've got an idea. Take her to sickbay. I'll tell the Vulcans that the two of you had to go to engineering to finish some work. Hopefully, they'll believe that. As soon as the Doctor gives her a clean bill of health, go to engineering for a few minutes, then get her back to her quarters."
Trip stood there for a moment without answering, then as He was told, went over to T'Pol. He picked her up gently and carried her toward sickbay a the Captain went back to the Vulcans. Trip hoped that the Captain's plan would work, and He silently wished him luck. He carried her to sickbay as fast as He could, the whole time thinking about the situation at hand. T'Pol's parents were here, telling her to get married, not knowing at all of T'Pol's situation.
He hoped she could get out of it…
A/N 2: I know the fainting thing was kinda cheesy, but it was necessary for the Vulcan thing to not be resolved yet…. Plus I got to include Trip carrying T'Pol to sickbay….