Finally a new chapter! I know I took a while, but. now you know what
happens next!
Chapter 15
Recovery
When I walked in, the only people in the room were David and Dr. Phlox, so I automatically knew Phlox was ready to tell us what he found, and at knowing that, I felt my heart start to race. His face showed no sign of relief or pain, so little at all, in fact, that there was no possible way to determine whether the news was in our favor or not. As I stepped inside and closed the door, I felt scared, more than I had been seconds ago, more than I had been in my life. David looked just as scared, if not even more, than I was, sitting there on the hospital bed, trembling. He looked so helpless there.
"So.... What did you find?" I asked, sitting beside David, who grabbed my hand for comfort almost right away.
"Some good... some bad." Phlox looked distressed. He looked suddenly very tired, his eyes weary, his body slumped over a little.
"Are ya gonna let us pick which one we wanna hear first?" David joked weakly.
A wan smile played over Phlox's features, but the situation itself denied him an actual grin at David's dry humor. "Alright."
"How 'bout the good news. I need all I can get."
Phlox's voice was hoarse as he spoke, but at least his lips had turned up in a slight smile. "It seems that... it's impossible in this situation for David to become pregnant."
David let out the breath he had been holding, gratitude clear on his face and obvious to us all.
"In order for Xyrillians to procreate, the use of a specific transferral medium is essential. It is also something we don't have. This... medium... acts as a way to bond two individuals through chemical means, linking the two not only mentally, but also physically, and thus allowing the transfer of genetic material necessary to result in the formation of an embryo."
I was too happy about the fact that David was not going to go through the same thing my father had to figure out half of what Phlox had said.
"However, there is also the bad news."
//How could there possibly be bad news?// I thought. //Problem solved, right?//
"The database also fails to describe any other means of forming a mental bond similar to the one formed with the use of the medium." He paused. "It appears that no such prospect exists, that there is no way to form a deep telepathic bond without it."
I shook my head. "No.... What about-"
"You've already explained to me that the link had occurred previously between the two of you. But for what length of time, K'Ela?" For the first time, he looked as though it was all hopeless. "For thirty seconds? Less than that?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid it has to be much longer than thirty seconds."
I nodded, resisting the urge to cry, but failing. I could feel the rage building up inside me, ready to explode. I couldn't believe it. It was all over. And that meant that I was going to gradually become weaker and weaker until I wasn't strong enough to stay alive. "So that's it, then, huh?" I said bitterly. "Turns out David's fine, but that's only because we can't do a damn thing about *me*!"
No one knew what to say. David tried to put his arm around me but I shoved it away, standing up to distance myself from him. Phlox guiltily turned his gaze to the floor.
Tears began to form streams down my face. "So what happens t' *me* now?" I accused, the tears choking my words.
Everyone in the room knew that our failure meant certain death for me, and so the room became silent once more.
Phlox said quietly, "I don't intend to give up."
"Could'a fooled me," I told him coolly. I knew I was feeling sorry for myself the entire time, but I just couldn't care any less.
Phlox tried to ignore that comment, then insisted, "I will speak to a colleague about this, and we will try to come up with something. I promise."
"Don't promise me," I slowly said, each word venomous, tears slipping down my cheeks without me really feeling them fall from my eyes. "I'm sick of hoping. An' I'm sick of you tryin' so hard t' make me think I'm gonna be fine."
I turned away and ran out of the room, despite both David and Phlox calling me back, and jogged quickly down the hall, hearing David behind me the entire time. He caught up with me quickly, grasped my shoulders, then pulled me into his arms. I weeped loudly, trying to resist his hold on me, but I had no more strength left and I was crying too hard to pull away. All I could do was collapse, sink to my knees, but David still held me tight, dropping to the floor with me, and ignoring the stares we received from the other people in the hall.
"I love you too much to let you just give up like this," he told me, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "Don't you dare give up now."
I tried to struggle free again, but he didn't want to let me go. And truthfully, I think a big part of me didn't really want him to let me go either. But my mind was made up that I wasn't going to have him watch me die. I had decided it was over, and despite Phlox's efforts to delude himself- and me- I was sure he knew it was hopeless too. So why have the people I love fool themselves into thinking I would be fine? Why pretend anymore that I would pull through?
"Leave me alone, David..." I sobbed, my voice cracking. "It's over.... Just let me go...."
"If you don't care enough about yourself to keep goin' for you, then do it for me. Because I'm *not* gonna lose you."
I cried even harder. I wanted him to let me go, to hate me, to go away, so maybe when I *did* die he wouldn't hurt so much. So that when I knew it was over, *I* wouldn't hurt so much. But he made me fight.
I didn't want to fight anymore. I wanted to let go. I wanted so badly for it all to be over. But David wouldn't have it. He told me to fight, he told me he loved me, and so I was going to keep going. I kept living, no matter how much it hurt some days, no matter how weak I would get, no matter how much I wanted to just rest and let whatever was going to happen, happen. But I never did. I fought every day, because David wouldn't give up on me.
I fought for life all through the next week, the week after that, and a long while after that when the days all blended together until I couldn't remember them separately anymore. I was still in the hospital, awaiting something that would free me from this prison- what it had become to me. I had gotten extremely thin and weak, barely able to eat before I wanted to collapse. Phlox tried to explain to me that my weakness had something to do with utilizing my own energy to compensate for the energy I should have acquired through a telepathic link. However, because there really is no way for my body to ever accumulate that much of that kind of energy in that way, the entire process was in vain; it nothing more than a last desperate struggle for life. I wasn't really listening at the time, and didn't really care, so it all just went in one ear and out the other, never really giving me the opportunity to understand how this whole process worked. But to me, it seemed senseless anyway to learn about what was killing me; I knew enough, and besides, it was my job to get better, not to be my own doctor.
Phlox tried to buy me more time by increasing the strength of the stimulants he now gave me at very short intervals, but I was still weakening. And even though I felt that heavy weight dragging down my body and mind, day after day, David stayed beside me, never willing to leave my side, never giving me the opportunity to forget my promise to him.
It seemed to me that everyone else thought my time was coming close too, because Jon, who hadn't seen my father in nearly thirty years, had been called and had come to see me, along with Malcolm, and even Travis was expected to arrive in a few days. It was sad that people worried that Travis might not come in time. But I tried not to focus on that- just on staying strong.
I was happy that Jon arrived, and that, in a way, I accomplished my goal of getting him and Malcolm to come see my father, though I admit, it didn't happen in the best way possible. However, I was glad to hear the first day Jon came that he and my dad had put the past aside. The hatred that they once found growing between them had dissipated over the recent years as they realized it was unjustified, and that there really wasn't much reason why they felt that to begin with. They had reestablished the friendship they once had, and I could tell they both felt like they had regained a part of themselves that they had lost a long time ago. I couldn't help but smile, knowing I had been successful in bringing the two back together again.
As I looked around the room every day, I began to notice how much everyone looked so different, so old compared to the people I saw in picture that day in the attic, a day that felt so far away. No one mentioned old fights or old grudges, because none of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered in the room was that I had to get better soon, or I would die. They all knew it, but they stayed strong. I guess they figured... if *I* could do it, so could they.
My only escape from my poor condition was the conversations between everyone, which I was happy to listen to, but I was still always tired and frail, and I couldn't get away from that for long. I was unhappy to live every day knowing that every one of those days was a blessing to me, and for some reason, I was starting to be comforted by the idea of the release death would bring. I didn't know what was scarier to me: death itself, or the fact that thinking about it didn't bother me as much anymore.
It was on one of my worse days that Phlox surprised me. He had brought a colleague of his, just like he had told me he would weeks ago. The woman was Xyrillian like me, and had a sweet and soothing smile on her face as well as a kindness about her that masked her diplomatic status. But as nice as she seemed, it was still odd being around another person of my own species, almost uncomfortable. I hadn't ever seen another Xyrillian before in my life, let alone *meet* one. It was different seeing her, almost scary, and what felt even stranger was that she felt like an alien to me.
"K'Ela, this is a colleague of mine, Doctor Rei'Ahn," Phlox introduced us.
"Hello," she greeted, smiling still.
"I am so sorry that I took so long to find her. Doctor Rei'Ahn was stationed over on Viris IV, and so contacting her took longer than I expected. It is so crowded on that planet that it has become extremely difficult to locate just one single person there. And even more difficult to find a transport ship that will take you as far as Earth."
Doctor Rei'Ahn turned to Phlox. "I do apologize for not arriving here sooner."
Phlox shook his head, waving his hand in the air and dismissing her apology. "No, no, no.... No apology necessary. The IME sometimes sends us places where it is just naturally difficult to leave quickly." He paused a moment in thought. "What were you doing over there on Viris IV?"
She sighed. "There was an outbreak of disease- brought by a Viskan trader. He didn't know he was a carrier of this virus, and because his species isn't susceptible to it, and doesn't believe it to be anything harmful, I don't hold him at fault for not knowing. But the what struck me most was that neither did the people who let him onto the planet."
Phlox made a noise of disappointment, shaking his head. "It's discouraging, really, that a species as advanced as they are could be so careless with protocol."
"Hopefully, now they know the consequences, and will be more cautious."
I was a little irritated that they had carried on their conversation, completely ignoring me, but I just listened and said nothing.
Rei'Ahn at last turned her gaze on me, again smiling that smile of hers. "K'Ela.... I've heard much about you from Phlox. You're Commander Tucker's daughter, right?"
I nodded, afraid my throat was too dry to speak.
"I've heard much about *him* as well." For the first time in possibly my entire life, someone that had never met either of us had said that in a very nice tone- and on top of that, she sounded even *delighted*! And so that made *me* feel happier.
"All good things, I hope," I said weakly.
"Oh, of course!"
She took a moment to just politely stand by my bed, but I didn't exactly like that. It felt like she was being too silent after coming all this way.
"I don't mean t' be rude, or anythin'... but d' ya think you can help me?" I tried not to sound as sarcastic as I intended it to be. After all, she meant well, she was probably just distracted by something she remembered as she looked at me.
"Yes, I believe so." She came around the bed to my side and sat down in the chair that David would have been sitting in if he hadn't gone downstairs to get some breakfast. "And I understand why you didn't want to do this before, but it is the only way for you to get your health back. There isn't much choice now."
It took me only a second to realize what she meant. She wanted me and David to use the "transferral medium"- whatever that was. "Don't you know another way?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. There isn't one."
I opened my mouth to say something, but Phlox interrupted before I could get a word in. "K'Ela, I'm worried that after today you may not have enough strength to fight anymore. Please just do this."
He was right. I had struggled to do everything that day, from breathing and moving to talking and paying attention. It was so hard lately to do anything. "I'll only do this if David agrees."
They both nodded. As long as I wasn't against it, they were happy, and as long as my reasons were understandable and not just out of stubbornness, they would be patient and accepting.
But I at least was going to try for an alternative. An idea suddenly came to mind. I turned to Rei'Ahn. "But what if you an' I do this? Wouldn't I be alright, and wouldn't nothin' happen as a result?"
She sighed sadly, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be the same. I'm not sure if you understand, but I cannot give you the telepathic connection you need. Two Xyrillian females can't transfer energy or DNA. We would only be able to transfer enough energy to create a telepathic bond, nothing more. You can only benefit from creating the bond between yourself and a male. Do you understand?"
I nodded, though I barely did. I was running out of time, so if I had any questions, I figured I would ask them later. It didn't really matter, anyway.
She nodded her head once, more out of politeness than anything else, then left to get the thing I hoped never to see in my life. The one thing I wanted to never have to deal with. But if there's one thing I learned in all these days spent in the hospital, it's that never is a very long time for nothing to happen and a thing that hardly ever occurs.
There was a silence filled with apprehension in the room, but not for long.
Dr. Phlox came to my side and told me comfortingly, "I know you're worried that David will become pregnant and experience the same hardships your father did. I can only offer *one* piece of good news." It was almost too long of a pause between what he said next, at least to me. "You may not have enough strength to transfer any genetic material to him. You may only be able to absorb the energy *he* will give *you*."
I managed a shaky nod.
At that point, I was starting to not care too much what happened. I did nothing but wait the entire time Rei'Ahn was gone. I didn't even think. I didn't even feel scared, or sad, or happy, or anything.
When she returned, she came back with David, who looked like he had gone through the entire explanation with her, and was surprisingly fine with it.
I laid in the bed, unmoving, not listening, not speaking, as they all set up something beside my bed. It took only a few minutes, but the entire time, I couldn't help but be interested.
When they were finished, Phlox came over to me and helped me sit up. I had just enough energy to drag myself over to the chair they set up for me, and fall into it. David was in the other chair across from me, and he smiled at me. But I didn't smile back.
Rei'Ahn told us, "Dr. Phlox and I will monitor both of you from here," she told us, gesturing toward the section of the room separated with a curtain. "We'll come in every few minutes as well." She then gave us a smile, and went around to the other side of the curtain.
I stared down at what looked to be a bunch of that silica stuff the malls always have in shoeboxes, contained in an oddly shaped metal dish and stand. I almost refused, but I literally was either to do this or die. And at that point, with David's consent and my own desperation, I wasn't about to be stubborn.
Knowing what to do because Phlox had explained it all to me earlier, I, slowly, with caution, immersed my hands into it, surprised at the feeling that came with doing that. As an eerie blue shimmer crept up my forearms, so did an odd tingling along with it- somewhat cold, like the feeling of pins and needles, but also with a warm sensation afterward, like the feeling of cold bourbon trickling down my throat. And in my hands, which were completely covered by the glowing, crystalline "pebbles," I continued to feel a slight pulsing, very slight, but still there, like suddenly being able to feel the blood coursing through my veins. Only stronger than that, as though what I had my hands in had amplified it.
David mimicked me, and suddenly, I felt a burst of energy as the iridescent glow moved up *his* arms as well. By the amazed, but still delighted look on his face, I could tell he felt the same thing I did. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was really pleasant. It was just... surprising.
A thought then came to me from him. I smiled. He thought it was weird, but he liked it.
"I know it's weird," I told him, agreeing.
"How the hell...?" he muttered in awe.
"Can't you hear anythin' from *my* thoughts?"
He looked confused, shaking his head.
"Concentrate, David," Phlox butted in from his station on the other side of the hospital curtain. "You just need to focus a little bit harder."
Phlox was very cheerful again, and that I was happy for. But I kind of wished he had taken his newfound cheer and gone with it to the other room. I didn't know how David felt about it, but having two doctors behind a curtain making suggestions and comments while we were doing this was more than a little awkward to me.
David let out a small laugh. He definitely heard that.
"You two are obviously making jokes at my expense." Phlox didn't seem angry, just a little peeved. I think he was more eased, to tell the truth. "I don't need to be telepathic to know that."
I smiled knowing Phlox had a smile on his face. Making someone else happy always made me feel better.
We spent a few seconds exchanging thoughts before Rei'Ahn then came from behind the curtain and raised a scanner over me. She tilted her head up strangely to read the device, then told us aloud, "K'Ela, it seems that this has *already* begun to rebuild your strength. Your body no longer needs to compensate for the lack of energy that this interaction is providing." She paused. "Though I'm not going to take any chances that you haven't stayed like this long enough." She then realized we were both a little uncomfortable with her next to us, and so turned off the scanner, dropping her arms to her sides, then folding her hands behind her. "I'll leave," she announced, then went back behind the curtain.
There was silence for a second or two after, but our minds buzzed with activity.
David's face turned down in a frown. "I told you not to worry about me. I'll be fine."
Even though he said that, I could feel the fear from deep within him for telling his parents about it all.
Wait a minute. "It all?"
"Yeah," he told me vaguely, and nothing more. I tried to look through his thoughts for the answer, but he stopped me from knowing what it was. I could feel barriers in his mind go up, and, though I tried to get through at first, I had to respect that he didn't want me to know.
Only a few minutes later, Phlox and Rei'Ahn told us we didn't have to sit there any longer. I was a little disappointed, but I was glad that I already felt my strength returning. I went back to my bed, and endured another few minutes of scans and fussing, while David stood aside and watched.
He had a wan smile on his face, and I could tell he was more than a little nervous now that he would soon have to face the possibility of carrying a child. It was obvious he was scared; I could tell by how much he was fidgeting. When he saw that I was worried about him, he tried to assure me he was all right, but I wouldn't believe him.
Then Rei'Ahn turned to David and scanned him as well. The room went silent, my conversation with Phlox ended. I could feel my heart pounding anxiously within my chest.
Rei'Ahn turned off the scanner, but then she pressed the button once more and scanned again, double-checking her findings. She turned around to look at me and Phlox. She obviously could sense the tension, because she was hesitant to share her diagnosis. The look on her face was one of disappointment, one that showed her reasons for the delay before she would announce the results.
***************
Unfortunately, *I* am soooooo much meaner, and that's where I'm ending it! *Evil laugh* Just review, and as I said before, the more reviews I get,
the faster I'll write the next chapter.
^ - ^
happens next!
Chapter 15
Recovery
When I walked in, the only people in the room were David and Dr. Phlox, so I automatically knew Phlox was ready to tell us what he found, and at knowing that, I felt my heart start to race. His face showed no sign of relief or pain, so little at all, in fact, that there was no possible way to determine whether the news was in our favor or not. As I stepped inside and closed the door, I felt scared, more than I had been seconds ago, more than I had been in my life. David looked just as scared, if not even more, than I was, sitting there on the hospital bed, trembling. He looked so helpless there.
"So.... What did you find?" I asked, sitting beside David, who grabbed my hand for comfort almost right away.
"Some good... some bad." Phlox looked distressed. He looked suddenly very tired, his eyes weary, his body slumped over a little.
"Are ya gonna let us pick which one we wanna hear first?" David joked weakly.
A wan smile played over Phlox's features, but the situation itself denied him an actual grin at David's dry humor. "Alright."
"How 'bout the good news. I need all I can get."
Phlox's voice was hoarse as he spoke, but at least his lips had turned up in a slight smile. "It seems that... it's impossible in this situation for David to become pregnant."
David let out the breath he had been holding, gratitude clear on his face and obvious to us all.
"In order for Xyrillians to procreate, the use of a specific transferral medium is essential. It is also something we don't have. This... medium... acts as a way to bond two individuals through chemical means, linking the two not only mentally, but also physically, and thus allowing the transfer of genetic material necessary to result in the formation of an embryo."
I was too happy about the fact that David was not going to go through the same thing my father had to figure out half of what Phlox had said.
"However, there is also the bad news."
//How could there possibly be bad news?// I thought. //Problem solved, right?//
"The database also fails to describe any other means of forming a mental bond similar to the one formed with the use of the medium." He paused. "It appears that no such prospect exists, that there is no way to form a deep telepathic bond without it."
I shook my head. "No.... What about-"
"You've already explained to me that the link had occurred previously between the two of you. But for what length of time, K'Ela?" For the first time, he looked as though it was all hopeless. "For thirty seconds? Less than that?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid it has to be much longer than thirty seconds."
I nodded, resisting the urge to cry, but failing. I could feel the rage building up inside me, ready to explode. I couldn't believe it. It was all over. And that meant that I was going to gradually become weaker and weaker until I wasn't strong enough to stay alive. "So that's it, then, huh?" I said bitterly. "Turns out David's fine, but that's only because we can't do a damn thing about *me*!"
No one knew what to say. David tried to put his arm around me but I shoved it away, standing up to distance myself from him. Phlox guiltily turned his gaze to the floor.
Tears began to form streams down my face. "So what happens t' *me* now?" I accused, the tears choking my words.
Everyone in the room knew that our failure meant certain death for me, and so the room became silent once more.
Phlox said quietly, "I don't intend to give up."
"Could'a fooled me," I told him coolly. I knew I was feeling sorry for myself the entire time, but I just couldn't care any less.
Phlox tried to ignore that comment, then insisted, "I will speak to a colleague about this, and we will try to come up with something. I promise."
"Don't promise me," I slowly said, each word venomous, tears slipping down my cheeks without me really feeling them fall from my eyes. "I'm sick of hoping. An' I'm sick of you tryin' so hard t' make me think I'm gonna be fine."
I turned away and ran out of the room, despite both David and Phlox calling me back, and jogged quickly down the hall, hearing David behind me the entire time. He caught up with me quickly, grasped my shoulders, then pulled me into his arms. I weeped loudly, trying to resist his hold on me, but I had no more strength left and I was crying too hard to pull away. All I could do was collapse, sink to my knees, but David still held me tight, dropping to the floor with me, and ignoring the stares we received from the other people in the hall.
"I love you too much to let you just give up like this," he told me, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "Don't you dare give up now."
I tried to struggle free again, but he didn't want to let me go. And truthfully, I think a big part of me didn't really want him to let me go either. But my mind was made up that I wasn't going to have him watch me die. I had decided it was over, and despite Phlox's efforts to delude himself- and me- I was sure he knew it was hopeless too. So why have the people I love fool themselves into thinking I would be fine? Why pretend anymore that I would pull through?
"Leave me alone, David..." I sobbed, my voice cracking. "It's over.... Just let me go...."
"If you don't care enough about yourself to keep goin' for you, then do it for me. Because I'm *not* gonna lose you."
I cried even harder. I wanted him to let me go, to hate me, to go away, so maybe when I *did* die he wouldn't hurt so much. So that when I knew it was over, *I* wouldn't hurt so much. But he made me fight.
I didn't want to fight anymore. I wanted to let go. I wanted so badly for it all to be over. But David wouldn't have it. He told me to fight, he told me he loved me, and so I was going to keep going. I kept living, no matter how much it hurt some days, no matter how weak I would get, no matter how much I wanted to just rest and let whatever was going to happen, happen. But I never did. I fought every day, because David wouldn't give up on me.
I fought for life all through the next week, the week after that, and a long while after that when the days all blended together until I couldn't remember them separately anymore. I was still in the hospital, awaiting something that would free me from this prison- what it had become to me. I had gotten extremely thin and weak, barely able to eat before I wanted to collapse. Phlox tried to explain to me that my weakness had something to do with utilizing my own energy to compensate for the energy I should have acquired through a telepathic link. However, because there really is no way for my body to ever accumulate that much of that kind of energy in that way, the entire process was in vain; it nothing more than a last desperate struggle for life. I wasn't really listening at the time, and didn't really care, so it all just went in one ear and out the other, never really giving me the opportunity to understand how this whole process worked. But to me, it seemed senseless anyway to learn about what was killing me; I knew enough, and besides, it was my job to get better, not to be my own doctor.
Phlox tried to buy me more time by increasing the strength of the stimulants he now gave me at very short intervals, but I was still weakening. And even though I felt that heavy weight dragging down my body and mind, day after day, David stayed beside me, never willing to leave my side, never giving me the opportunity to forget my promise to him.
It seemed to me that everyone else thought my time was coming close too, because Jon, who hadn't seen my father in nearly thirty years, had been called and had come to see me, along with Malcolm, and even Travis was expected to arrive in a few days. It was sad that people worried that Travis might not come in time. But I tried not to focus on that- just on staying strong.
I was happy that Jon arrived, and that, in a way, I accomplished my goal of getting him and Malcolm to come see my father, though I admit, it didn't happen in the best way possible. However, I was glad to hear the first day Jon came that he and my dad had put the past aside. The hatred that they once found growing between them had dissipated over the recent years as they realized it was unjustified, and that there really wasn't much reason why they felt that to begin with. They had reestablished the friendship they once had, and I could tell they both felt like they had regained a part of themselves that they had lost a long time ago. I couldn't help but smile, knowing I had been successful in bringing the two back together again.
As I looked around the room every day, I began to notice how much everyone looked so different, so old compared to the people I saw in picture that day in the attic, a day that felt so far away. No one mentioned old fights or old grudges, because none of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered in the room was that I had to get better soon, or I would die. They all knew it, but they stayed strong. I guess they figured... if *I* could do it, so could they.
My only escape from my poor condition was the conversations between everyone, which I was happy to listen to, but I was still always tired and frail, and I couldn't get away from that for long. I was unhappy to live every day knowing that every one of those days was a blessing to me, and for some reason, I was starting to be comforted by the idea of the release death would bring. I didn't know what was scarier to me: death itself, or the fact that thinking about it didn't bother me as much anymore.
It was on one of my worse days that Phlox surprised me. He had brought a colleague of his, just like he had told me he would weeks ago. The woman was Xyrillian like me, and had a sweet and soothing smile on her face as well as a kindness about her that masked her diplomatic status. But as nice as she seemed, it was still odd being around another person of my own species, almost uncomfortable. I hadn't ever seen another Xyrillian before in my life, let alone *meet* one. It was different seeing her, almost scary, and what felt even stranger was that she felt like an alien to me.
"K'Ela, this is a colleague of mine, Doctor Rei'Ahn," Phlox introduced us.
"Hello," she greeted, smiling still.
"I am so sorry that I took so long to find her. Doctor Rei'Ahn was stationed over on Viris IV, and so contacting her took longer than I expected. It is so crowded on that planet that it has become extremely difficult to locate just one single person there. And even more difficult to find a transport ship that will take you as far as Earth."
Doctor Rei'Ahn turned to Phlox. "I do apologize for not arriving here sooner."
Phlox shook his head, waving his hand in the air and dismissing her apology. "No, no, no.... No apology necessary. The IME sometimes sends us places where it is just naturally difficult to leave quickly." He paused a moment in thought. "What were you doing over there on Viris IV?"
She sighed. "There was an outbreak of disease- brought by a Viskan trader. He didn't know he was a carrier of this virus, and because his species isn't susceptible to it, and doesn't believe it to be anything harmful, I don't hold him at fault for not knowing. But the what struck me most was that neither did the people who let him onto the planet."
Phlox made a noise of disappointment, shaking his head. "It's discouraging, really, that a species as advanced as they are could be so careless with protocol."
"Hopefully, now they know the consequences, and will be more cautious."
I was a little irritated that they had carried on their conversation, completely ignoring me, but I just listened and said nothing.
Rei'Ahn at last turned her gaze on me, again smiling that smile of hers. "K'Ela.... I've heard much about you from Phlox. You're Commander Tucker's daughter, right?"
I nodded, afraid my throat was too dry to speak.
"I've heard much about *him* as well." For the first time in possibly my entire life, someone that had never met either of us had said that in a very nice tone- and on top of that, she sounded even *delighted*! And so that made *me* feel happier.
"All good things, I hope," I said weakly.
"Oh, of course!"
She took a moment to just politely stand by my bed, but I didn't exactly like that. It felt like she was being too silent after coming all this way.
"I don't mean t' be rude, or anythin'... but d' ya think you can help me?" I tried not to sound as sarcastic as I intended it to be. After all, she meant well, she was probably just distracted by something she remembered as she looked at me.
"Yes, I believe so." She came around the bed to my side and sat down in the chair that David would have been sitting in if he hadn't gone downstairs to get some breakfast. "And I understand why you didn't want to do this before, but it is the only way for you to get your health back. There isn't much choice now."
It took me only a second to realize what she meant. She wanted me and David to use the "transferral medium"- whatever that was. "Don't you know another way?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. There isn't one."
I opened my mouth to say something, but Phlox interrupted before I could get a word in. "K'Ela, I'm worried that after today you may not have enough strength to fight anymore. Please just do this."
He was right. I had struggled to do everything that day, from breathing and moving to talking and paying attention. It was so hard lately to do anything. "I'll only do this if David agrees."
They both nodded. As long as I wasn't against it, they were happy, and as long as my reasons were understandable and not just out of stubbornness, they would be patient and accepting.
But I at least was going to try for an alternative. An idea suddenly came to mind. I turned to Rei'Ahn. "But what if you an' I do this? Wouldn't I be alright, and wouldn't nothin' happen as a result?"
She sighed sadly, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be the same. I'm not sure if you understand, but I cannot give you the telepathic connection you need. Two Xyrillian females can't transfer energy or DNA. We would only be able to transfer enough energy to create a telepathic bond, nothing more. You can only benefit from creating the bond between yourself and a male. Do you understand?"
I nodded, though I barely did. I was running out of time, so if I had any questions, I figured I would ask them later. It didn't really matter, anyway.
She nodded her head once, more out of politeness than anything else, then left to get the thing I hoped never to see in my life. The one thing I wanted to never have to deal with. But if there's one thing I learned in all these days spent in the hospital, it's that never is a very long time for nothing to happen and a thing that hardly ever occurs.
There was a silence filled with apprehension in the room, but not for long.
Dr. Phlox came to my side and told me comfortingly, "I know you're worried that David will become pregnant and experience the same hardships your father did. I can only offer *one* piece of good news." It was almost too long of a pause between what he said next, at least to me. "You may not have enough strength to transfer any genetic material to him. You may only be able to absorb the energy *he* will give *you*."
I managed a shaky nod.
At that point, I was starting to not care too much what happened. I did nothing but wait the entire time Rei'Ahn was gone. I didn't even think. I didn't even feel scared, or sad, or happy, or anything.
When she returned, she came back with David, who looked like he had gone through the entire explanation with her, and was surprisingly fine with it.
I laid in the bed, unmoving, not listening, not speaking, as they all set up something beside my bed. It took only a few minutes, but the entire time, I couldn't help but be interested.
When they were finished, Phlox came over to me and helped me sit up. I had just enough energy to drag myself over to the chair they set up for me, and fall into it. David was in the other chair across from me, and he smiled at me. But I didn't smile back.
Rei'Ahn told us, "Dr. Phlox and I will monitor both of you from here," she told us, gesturing toward the section of the room separated with a curtain. "We'll come in every few minutes as well." She then gave us a smile, and went around to the other side of the curtain.
I stared down at what looked to be a bunch of that silica stuff the malls always have in shoeboxes, contained in an oddly shaped metal dish and stand. I almost refused, but I literally was either to do this or die. And at that point, with David's consent and my own desperation, I wasn't about to be stubborn.
Knowing what to do because Phlox had explained it all to me earlier, I, slowly, with caution, immersed my hands into it, surprised at the feeling that came with doing that. As an eerie blue shimmer crept up my forearms, so did an odd tingling along with it- somewhat cold, like the feeling of pins and needles, but also with a warm sensation afterward, like the feeling of cold bourbon trickling down my throat. And in my hands, which were completely covered by the glowing, crystalline "pebbles," I continued to feel a slight pulsing, very slight, but still there, like suddenly being able to feel the blood coursing through my veins. Only stronger than that, as though what I had my hands in had amplified it.
David mimicked me, and suddenly, I felt a burst of energy as the iridescent glow moved up *his* arms as well. By the amazed, but still delighted look on his face, I could tell he felt the same thing I did. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was really pleasant. It was just... surprising.
A thought then came to me from him. I smiled. He thought it was weird, but he liked it.
"I know it's weird," I told him, agreeing.
"How the hell...?" he muttered in awe.
"Can't you hear anythin' from *my* thoughts?"
He looked confused, shaking his head.
"Concentrate, David," Phlox butted in from his station on the other side of the hospital curtain. "You just need to focus a little bit harder."
Phlox was very cheerful again, and that I was happy for. But I kind of wished he had taken his newfound cheer and gone with it to the other room. I didn't know how David felt about it, but having two doctors behind a curtain making suggestions and comments while we were doing this was more than a little awkward to me.
David let out a small laugh. He definitely heard that.
"You two are obviously making jokes at my expense." Phlox didn't seem angry, just a little peeved. I think he was more eased, to tell the truth. "I don't need to be telepathic to know that."
I smiled knowing Phlox had a smile on his face. Making someone else happy always made me feel better.
We spent a few seconds exchanging thoughts before Rei'Ahn then came from behind the curtain and raised a scanner over me. She tilted her head up strangely to read the device, then told us aloud, "K'Ela, it seems that this has *already* begun to rebuild your strength. Your body no longer needs to compensate for the lack of energy that this interaction is providing." She paused. "Though I'm not going to take any chances that you haven't stayed like this long enough." She then realized we were both a little uncomfortable with her next to us, and so turned off the scanner, dropping her arms to her sides, then folding her hands behind her. "I'll leave," she announced, then went back behind the curtain.
There was silence for a second or two after, but our minds buzzed with activity.
David's face turned down in a frown. "I told you not to worry about me. I'll be fine."
Even though he said that, I could feel the fear from deep within him for telling his parents about it all.
Wait a minute. "It all?"
"Yeah," he told me vaguely, and nothing more. I tried to look through his thoughts for the answer, but he stopped me from knowing what it was. I could feel barriers in his mind go up, and, though I tried to get through at first, I had to respect that he didn't want me to know.
Only a few minutes later, Phlox and Rei'Ahn told us we didn't have to sit there any longer. I was a little disappointed, but I was glad that I already felt my strength returning. I went back to my bed, and endured another few minutes of scans and fussing, while David stood aside and watched.
He had a wan smile on his face, and I could tell he was more than a little nervous now that he would soon have to face the possibility of carrying a child. It was obvious he was scared; I could tell by how much he was fidgeting. When he saw that I was worried about him, he tried to assure me he was all right, but I wouldn't believe him.
Then Rei'Ahn turned to David and scanned him as well. The room went silent, my conversation with Phlox ended. I could feel my heart pounding anxiously within my chest.
Rei'Ahn turned off the scanner, but then she pressed the button once more and scanned again, double-checking her findings. She turned around to look at me and Phlox. She obviously could sense the tension, because she was hesitant to share her diagnosis. The look on her face was one of disappointment, one that showed her reasons for the delay before she would announce the results.
***************
Unfortunately, *I* am soooooo much meaner, and that's where I'm ending it! *Evil laugh* Just review, and as I said before, the more reviews I get,
the faster I'll write the next chapter.
^ - ^