Ten Forward
"Ah, Ten Forward. Completely inconspicuous and… filled with people," Deanna commented as she and Riker sat at a table in the back.
"Yes, but it's also a nice place to relax," Riker retorted.
"How are you feeling?" Guinan asked Deanna as she walked up to their table.
"Fine, why?" Deanna asked, glancing up at the bartender and a woman she considered a friend.
"Oh, you know… just wondering," Guinan answered with her all-knowing smile.
Deanna glared at her, teasing, "How did you find out?"
She cast an unnoticed wink at Riker, saying, "When you've been around as long as I have, you just know. Congratulations."
"Thank-you."
"Can I get you anything?" Guinan asked, shifting from her gossiping nature.
"Hot chocolate, please," Deanna ordered.
"Uh, I'll have the same," Riker ordered, earning him a smile from Deanna.
"I'll be right back."
"You told her, didn't you?" Deanna asked when Guinan was out of hearing range.
Riker did a bad, mock impression of being stabbed in the heart and said, "I'm hurt that you would accuse me of such a thing!"
"I don't mind," Deanna told him with a smile a grin on her lips.
"Good." Riker nodded just as Guinan walked up with two drinks in hand.
"Here you go."
"Thank-you," Riker said as he accepted their orders from the waiter. "So, when are you going to have all those strange food cravings?"
"You're insufferable, you know that?"
"That's my best charm," Riker flirted.
"Unfortunately."
Sickbay, A Few Days Later
Deanna sat patiently on a biobed in Sickbay as she waited for the results of her tests, observing Beverly as she looked them over. Beverly had decided that, considering the baby's growth was twice the speed as normal, Deanna should come twice a month, which only served to annoy Deanna.
After a few moments of waiting, Beverly came back, a PADD in her hand. "Well, you're daughter is still growing at the abnormal rate and you're now the equivalent of six weeks pregnant. At its rate, you'll give birth at only five months."
Deanna's brow creased, a distant voice echoing in her head.
"Wow, five month pregnancies. You guys are lucky."
But she shook it off and listened to what Beverly was saying, thinking it better to wait until later to figure its relevance out.
"I found something strange, though. There seems to be a liquid forming around your uterus, which is actually bathing the child."
"What is it?" Deanna sighed internally, to worn from previous shocks and restless nights to be sufficiently disturbed by the news. Instead, she just waited to hear more about what Beverly had to say.
"I'm not completely sure. It may be a foreign substance that is actually causing the abnormal growth… or it could be something completely natural. I'll need a small sample if I'm going to even try to analyze it farther."
"Alright."
Deanna's Quarters
"How are you feeling?" Riker asked when Deanna walked through the door. He was sitting on the leather coach facing the door, giving him the advantage of seeing her first as she walked in.
She stopped and smiled when she saw him. "So, Will, when did you switch your career description to braking and entering?"
"The day I meet you," he replied and stood up to meet her half way. He too began to smile as he leaned in to give her a kiss. "I asked the computer where you were and it said Sickbay. So?"
They had not stopped holding each other and Deanna could only put her forehead on his chest to show her irritation with his incessant concern. Not that she didn't find it cute just extremely irritating. "It was just a check up. And both me and the baby are just fine."
"Good. Any more… news?" Riker asked, hoping that Beverly had found an answer to the baby's conception and growth.
"Not yet. She's still analyzing something which might provide some information," Deanna answered.
"How long until she gets some answers?"
"She said it would take awhile."
Riker nodded and said, "So what do we do until then?" Deanna laughed and pushed him away.
Beverly's Office
This new problem was more then a headache for the CMO than she had originally thought. Beverly had been running tests after tests, scans after scans, and went over and over the data of the strange liquid, but had so far found nothing that could help her.
So far she had only come up with a few thing. First of all, she had disconcerted that the liquid was almost certainly the cause of the fast growth of the fetus. There were also indications that suggested that it either created or sped up the production of certain hormones- of which, she had no idea.
The only thing that she had determined for sure was that it was blue and it was 35 alcohol. She sighed and rubbed her face. This was going to be another long, endless night…
Engineering, Two Days Later
Geordie stood over the middle console, his eyes starring down at the screen. He was pretending to be overlooking a new proposal for the warp core but, in reality, he was just more comfortable there and less likely to be disturbed.
His headache had not gone away the entire week; in fact, it felt as if it were getting worse with every breath. He had hoped that it would have gone away on its own accord. He had hoped not to involve Dr. Crusher with it, but was afraid he would have to if it didn't go away before long.
For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, he removed his VISOR and set it aside before starting to rub the bridge of his nose. It didn't make the pain go away, but the darkness and halting the flow of images and data to his brain did help.
"Geordie, are you unwell?" Geordie heard the monotone voice, easily identifying it as Data's.
"I-I'm fine, Data!" Geordie felt for his VISOR, startled that he had not been paying more attention.
"Are you-"
"I'm sure, Data. Is there something you needed?" Snapping his VISOR into place.
"The Captain had asked me to confirm that our E.T.A. is still two more days."
Geordie turned to face Data now that he could 'see' him, asking, "Why didn't you just go to the Bridge?"
"Engineering was closer and Captain Picard asked me to find out from you," Data explained.
"Right. Uh, yeah, we're still on time," Geordie replied.
"Thank-you." And with his answer, Data walked out, confused by Geordie's behavior.
Deanna's Quarters
Riker's mind slowly woke, becoming more conscious of his surrounds. He sighed, shifting his position but froze as he did so, realizing that he was not in his own bed, but sharing someone else's.
It took him a moment to recall that he was staying with Deanna that night, as she had asked.
He felt next to him, but noticed that he was alone. Slowly opening his eyes, he took in the room. It took him a moment, but soon he spotted the light on in her bathroom. Pushing the covers away, he stood up, taking slow, uneven strides towards the room.
He entered the bathroom, seeing Deanna kneeling on the ground, her head ungracefully lying on the toilet. Will ran a cloth under cold water, placing it on the back of her neck. Then he knelt besides her, rubbing her back comfortably. After a fashion, he handed her a cup of water and let her rinse her mouth.
"I'm sorry if I woke you," Deanna apologized.
"Hey, that's why I'm here." He smiled reassuringly and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know, Beverly can give you something for this."
"What fun would that be?"
"I think your stomach would find that's a lot more fun than throwing up every morning," Riker retorted in a joking manner; Deanna just smiled. "Feeling better?"
"With you here? Yes." Riker's smile grew when he saw that she was serious.
"Good, I hope you never have to feel bad again."
