AN: Here we are, another piece here. I apologize. This one is a bit long, but there was a lot that I wanted to be sure made it into this one as we move forward, and I didn't want to split it. There were a few things that simply needed to be established, and I thought it was better to just do it in one chapter.
I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
111
Raffi had practically pushed the Doctor through her physical since they had insisted that they could get started with Seven's at very nearly the same time. When the Doctor had pointed out that Raffi's pulse was a little faster than it should be, she'd simply explained to him that this whole thing was anxiety producing and, really, she'd be much better if he would just let her accompany Seven during her examination, and then she promised to submit to whatever torture he might have in mind, afterward, if he were still not convinced—she just needed to be with Seven.
He had finally submitted. He'd given her a clear pass for the mission and she'd dressed in record time, thankful for all the training her career had given her in donning her clothes with awe-inspiring speed.
Luckily, or unluckily, Crusher had waited some time to get started on Seven, and then she'd found the blood sample difficult enough to obtain that it had taken most of the time that Raffi was being examined to get what she needed to start the tests she intended to run, so that she could begin learning everything there was to know about Seven's unique physiology.
Crusher had immediately healed the puncture wound from the blood draw, but Raffi still insisted on running her thumb over the soft skin at the inside of Seven's elbow.
"I am not damaged," Seven assured her.
"We may have to move to a larger gauge if the nanoprobes continue to multiply," the Doctor offered, without need of other prompting.
"Seven—do you mind if I…?" B'Elanna asked. She didn't have to finish the question. The connecting cable that she held in her hand was indication enough of what she was asking. She was there to help examine and tweak any of Seven's Borg systems that might need it, and she was simply giving Seven the autonomy to say "yes" or "no" to the undeniably invasive procedure.
"Please," Seven said, though Raffi knew her well enough to catch the hint of nerves behind the polite sounding acceptance. B'Elanna connected the wires, and Raffi noticed the tell-tale flinch that Seven gave. It was a clear indication that B'Elanna was already accessing something—and the feeling must be at least a little unnerving. Seven closed her eyes for a moment, and Raffi found her hand and squeezed it. Seven opened her eyes and held Raffi's. "Your examination results?"
"Everything's fine," Raffi assured her. "No change from the last one. I'm as healthy as a horse."
"I am relieved," Seven said. Raffi was sure she hadn't really been worried—there had been no reason to suspect anything less than exactly the same results as she'd gotten at the examinations prior to beginning the journey to creating their little one—but she understood the sentiment.
"I'm sorry—I'm in awe. Is this the regular amount of nanoprobes?" Crusher asked. She activated a screen that allowed all of them to see the image from the labs she'd just put into the machine to process. Normally, there would be a number of nurses in the room with them, but for now they were simply handling things themselves. Raffi and Seven had been assured that they would be bringing the rest of the medical staff up-to-date on Seven and her condition, but they wanted the first examination to be done in private. Raffi was glad of that. It was important for Dr. Beverly Crusher to get a chance to become familiar with Seven and her physiology, but that didn't mean that it didn't turn Seven into something very "other" for at least a few moments, and Raffi knew that absolute "otherness" was uncomfortable for Seven, even if she seldom expressed that sentiment.
"Not at all," the Doctor said. "The nanoprobe count now that she is pregnant is a lot higher than her normal count. Seven's normal nanoprobe count ranges from 3.5 to 4 million when she is healthy and not in a state of active healing and repair. The test I ran a few days ago gave her a count of approximately five million nanoprobes."
"We're higher than that, now," B'Elanna said from behind her PADD. "The data I'm getting suggest that there are closer to six million active nanoprobes at the moment."
"Can you—extract some of them, Doctor?" Seven asked.
"I could," the Doctor said. "However, they would only multiply again, as you know."
"Are you in any distress?" Crusher asked.
"At this moment, I feel…what I am quite certain is distress," Seven said. Raffi felt panic rise up in her.
"I think what you feel is anxiety," B'Elanna offered. "And me downloading information from one of your new nodes."
"One of my new nodes?" Seven asked. "How many new nodes are there, exactly?"
Raffi took her hand and, instead of simply squeezing it, she stood patting it, hoping that the rhythm—which had to be impossible to ignore—would help to ground Seven and distract her a little from everything.
"There are two new nodes," B'Elanna said. "Though, at the moment, one appears to be very new and has only the most basic information coded into it. The nanoprobes are hard at work, though, and I imagine that they'll work on this one as much as they've worked on the others."
"Can you tell the function of the new nodes?" The Doctor asked.
"I'm downloading everything I can to study when I'm not being so intrusive into Seven's systems," B'Elanna said. "From the small amount of information that I can see immediately, your assumption seems to be correct. One node is definitely tied directly to the hormone monitoring chip. In fact, it seems the nanoprobes might be dedicating a whole portion of this node to the experience of emotions."
"That's fascinating—an entire node for Borg emotions," Crusher said, "after so much has been written about the absolute absence of such a thing."
"Seven is not your typical Borg," B'Elanna said.
"Seven was assimilated when she was very young," the Doctor said. "Her time spent in maturation chambers, and the fact that she hardly had a chance to be fully human, means that the Borg systems she has remaining cannot be removed. Unlike several of our Starfleet officers that have been temporarily assimilated and were able to be fully restored to human, Seven cannot be restored."
"I am Borg," Seven said. "And without my Borg components, I would die. I cannot be human."
"She cannot be entirely human, at least. The assimilation has changed parts of her that most people wouldn't imagine," the Doctor said. "For instance, the presence of so many nanoprobes in the bloodstream of anyone who is fully human would be problematic for a number of reasons, but the most practical would be because of the risk of clots. Seven's body allows for the passage and production of nanoprobes at a rate that gives, as you can see, a sometimes-viscous quality to her blood, yet she suffers no problems because of it."
"You can remove some of the nanoprobes, Doctor, if you have need of them," Seven offered.
The Doctor smiled at her.
"Thank you, Seven, but I believe you have need of them right now," the Doctor said. "Though—we will likely allow Dr. Crusher to study the ones from the sample you just gave." He addressed Crusher again. "If I ever need the nanoprobes for difficult cases, Seven never hesitates to offer what blood she can spare. Even if her blood is incompatible, the nanoprobes make the necessary changes, when they're introduced into a patient, to work. It's fascinating the number of things we can program these little things to do."
"I have read some research about nanoprobes," Crusher said, "and I've participated in a study or two, but I'm surprised that you haven't published more, given that you've had so much experience with them."
"I haven't published any research on my work with nanoprobes, Doctor Crusher," the Doctor said. "I have to protect my patient. For the time being, Seven is the only active producer of living nanoprobes to whom we have access. I don't have to explain to you the danger she could be in if a certain interest were to be taken in nanoprobe technology. And, even though Seven is always willing to provide me with anything that I need, I have done some extensive study of both her human and Borg systems. I know how much she can spare, and how much she needs before she begins to pay the proverbial price for her donation."
"With that in mind," B'Elanna said, "I would recommend avoiding blood tests for a while, unless they're absolutely necessary. It appears that the nanoprobes don't respond well to that right now. There is some evidence in her new node that suggests they may see the draws as a form of attack, at the moment, because she is, very understandably, in a type of defense-mode. I can access most data you might need from here."
"What is that?" Crusher asked, as B'Elanna disconnected the wire that had allowed her to do her work.
"It is a device that Lieutenant Commander Torres-Paris created to help maintain my Borg systems," Seven said. "In the Collective, there is always someone checking to make sure that systems are functioning correctly, to upgrade systems, and to repair damages. The nanoprobes naturally do a great deal of that work, even since I've been severed from the Collective, thanks to the intuitive nature of their abilities. However, it is beneficial to have an engineer who can help on a scale beyond that of the nanoprobes."
"About three or so years ago," B'Elanna said, "I realized that this implant has a direct connection with the central cerebral implant that, in turn, has access to all of Seven's systems. A tricorder can usually diagnose whenever there's a problem, but to work on anything, I was having to subject Seven to surgeries where, with the Doctor's help, I could gain access to these nodes implanted in her brain and other systems. As you can imagine, that puts a lot of stress on the body and all of its systems. There are a lot of risks involved in those kinds of very invasive surgeries. That's not to mention the suggested link between repeated surgery and possible feelings of depression. It took some trial and error, but I created this to allow me to do what I would need to do as an engineer, and it removed the surgical aspect of things."
"I am thankful for the device," Seven said sincerely. "And for B'Elanna's dedication to creating an easier way to access my systems."
"I have all the information I need for now," B'Elanna said. "I can study it and let you know what I find—we'll check in with the progress later. What I can tell you, immediately, is that one new node is absolutely tied to that chip. The other one has very rudimentary coding so far, and it's under construction, so to speak, but I'm almost certain that it has to do with your new role as a mother."
Seven smiled, and Raffi couldn't help but smile in response.
"It is a node for the baby?" Seven asked.
"Or for Seven as a mother," B'Elanna said, smiling too. "I've got to study it. I'll let you know, and I'll probably check it again in a week or so—just to see how the nanoprobes are doing. But—in the meantime, I'd recommend that you don't take any more of Seven's blood. The nanoprobes are busy, and they don't want to keep losing workers. If you need a count or anything like that, I can access that information in her central implant. If you don't need me for anything else—I have a date with a warp core."
They all thanked B'Elanna, and the woman left, leaving them to finish the examination and, as Raffi thought of it, Crusher's somewhat intense cramming session for how Seven functioned. Raffi, feeling otherwise useless in the room, continued to draw at least a portion of Seven's attention to her—turning her arm over and drawing invisible designs on the soft skin of her arm with her fingertip.
"All of the remaining Borg components are functional?" Crusher asked, stepping close enough to Seven that she practically pushed Raffi out of the way. She was examining Seven's ocular implant.
"And necessary," the Doctor said. "Nothing else can be removed without causing damage to Seven. Not with our current technology."
"I'm sorry," Raffi interrupted. "Can we please stop talking about my wife like something we're breaking down for spare parts?"
"Raf…" Seven said. There was a hint of warning to her tone.
"No," Raffi responded. "I'm not going to be sent to the corner on this one. Whether you say it bothers you or not, it has to. And I get it—OK? I do. It's fascinating. I've asked a million questions. I'll ask a million more, but…let' s make it best practice, or whatever, to remember to ask those questions to Seven whenever it's relevant. OK?"
Crusher gave Raffi a look that wasn't at all offended. In fact, she seemed somewhat amused.
"My sincere apologies," she said to Raffi. Then, she looked at Seven, easily holding her eyes thanks to their positions. "Truly—I apologize. I meant no disrespect."
"You are forgiven," Seven said, "for any offense that might have been taken. Please forgive my wife."
"She's protective," Crusher said, smiling and shining a light in Seven's eyes to, presumably, watch the difference between the reaction of her real eye and her ocular implant. "I appreciate that. It's a good trait to find in a partner."
Raffi saw Seven's shoulders relax a little, and she felt her own follow suit.
Crusher picked up Seven's hand, next, and examined the implants and enhancements there.
"What is the purpose of this?" Crusher asked. "If I'm allowed to ask…"
Seven eyed her own hand.
"On the surface level," the Doctor offered, "the Borg enhancement offers superior strength, especially to Seven's left hand. That's in addition to the extra strength that Seven enjoys as a result of being Borg."
"In addition," Seven offered, "I have…assimilation tubules."
"They can't be removed?" Crusher asked.
"Not without amputating the arm," the Doctor offered.
"Are they functioning?" Crusher asked.
Seven and the Doctor hesitated a moment.
"Yes," Seven said. "They are functional. I can use them to—inject and extract information from computer consoles and the like. I can also use them to transfer nanoprobes."
"So—why go through the process of allowing the Doctor to extract nanoprobes and inject them into others?"
"As you know from any of the research you've probably read," the Doctor interrupted, "nanoprobes are dangerous to most human systems. One or two isolated nanoprobes will die out or, at the very least, can be killed when their work is done. Too many nanoprobes, however…"
"Create Borg," Seven said. "I cannot control the output of nanoprobes in the same way that the Doctor can. That is not the function of the assimilation tubules."
"Their function is to assimilate," Crusher said.
"Correct."
"This is the Borg reproductive system," Crusher said.
"Correct," Seven said again.
Crusher was still holding Seven's hand, flexing her wrist and fingers, and examining it. Raffi could tell that Seven was uncomfortable with the practice, but she allowed it as a medical practice. They wanted Crusher to have an absolute understanding of Seven's physiology so that she could assist her in any way possible. Still, if she was trying to get a look at Seven's tubules, Seven was forbidding it as much as she could. They remained retracted. After a moment of flexing Seven's fingers and examining the mechanical functions of her implant, Crusher brought her eyes back to Seven's.
"Seven—you can still assimilate others, can't you?"
Raffi felt a certain coldness run through her body—a response to a fear reaction that was ingrained in her, the same as it was ingrained in all of their society. Seven blanched slightly, and her alarm blared from the personal device she kept among her clothing, folded neatly to the side. Raffi felt relieved—distracted from her societally programmed fear of Seven's natural threat of assimilation—to think of the alarm as the nanoprobes demanding a hormone donation for their comfort over the distress this conversation caused. The Doctor produced a hypospray and injected it into Seven's neck without disturbing anything, though he did break some of the tension.
"I am no longer part of the Collective. Any potential drone would be, like me, alone. Disconnected."
"But they would be Borg," Crusher said.
"I have not assimilated anyone since being severed from the Collective," Seven said. "Nor will I do so. I am not a threat."
"I never thought you were," Crusher said. "I'm only trying to learn what is still—intact and functioning."
"I possess assimilation tubules, and I produce nanoprobes," Seven said with a certain finality.
Raffi reached a hand up and squeezed Seven's shoulder. She supposed, somewhere in the back of her mind, she'd known that—all of it—but they hadn't actively discussed it. She wanted Seven to know, without saying it at the moment, that it didn't matter and didn't change anything. Raffi was thankful that Crusher's expression changed into something undeniably maternal for a moment.
"May we check on the progress of your…what term do you prefer to refer to the embryo?"
"Baby," Seven said. "I prefer—baby."
Crusher smiled and nodded.
"I do, too," she said. "Shall we check on the progress of, from what I understand, the youngest member of the Musiker family?"
"I am—both excited and terrified," Seven admitted. Raffi felt a shiver run through Seven's body in response to the words. Crusher, who was still holding Seven's hand, presumably for comfort and reassurance that she had no fear—after all, she was embracing the very hand that could cause her own assimilation—must have felt the same tremor.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Crusher asked.
"The first time I saw our babies, there were two," Seven said. "Then—one. Though they tell me that—it was through no fault of my own that one of them is gone. I am excited to see the progress of my remaining baby, even though it must be similar to what it was a few days ago. However, I am afraid of what I may see."
Crusher smiled at her and nodded her head.
"I understand," she said. "As a mother…I understand." Raffi felt her pulse pick up. Seven needed that, perhaps. She needed to be talked to "as a mother." Her face showed that. "Seven—it is not at all unusual for babies not to survive early in the pregnancy, like your other baby. The only difference is that many of us never even know they're there, so we don't know to miss them. I can assure you that, from the blood test I already ran, you are still pregnant. That is not something that's going to surprise us." Seven took a deep breath and let it out. Crusher smiled at her. "Shall we?"
Seven nodded, and Raffi helped Seven to get comfortable without her asking. The disc, once in place on Seven's abdomen, showed them the same kind of image as they'd seen before.
"I will let you do the assessment," the Doctor told Crusher, passing her the PADD where they were recording information.
"Intake information for Baby Musiker," Crusher offered with a smile. "Is that a good title for the file?"
Raffi smiled at Seven, and Seven returned it.
"Perfect," Raffi offered.
"Everything is fine?" Seven asked.
"Everything looks excellent," Crusher said. "You can see the nanoprobes at work."
"Nanonannies," Raffi teased. She'd only admitted to Seven her growing affection for the nanoprobes and their care of both Seven and Baby Musiker.
"Doctor—I do have one question," Crusher said.
"Which is?" The Doctor asked, leaving off something he was doing with another file—clearly comfortable with leaving Dr. Crusher in charge of things for the time being—and coming over to examine the image projected to them. Crusher indicated something with her finger.
"You reported to me that this was an embryo—baby, my apologies—that should measure at three weeks."
"That is correct," the Doctor said. "Two weeks' worth of development was done in the lab. The embryo was artificially attached, and then it fully attached and embedded within half a week of the procedure. It should now be at three weeks, entering the fourth."
"This baby is not measuring as that," Crusher said.
"Is there something wrong?" Seven asked, starting to sit up. Raffi somewhat pushed her back and hushed her gently, stroking her cheek and trying to soothe her despite the fact that she, too, felt a little overwhelmed with the possibility.
"No," Crusher said quickly. "No—not wrong. Not in that sense. There's no reason to be upset. There's only something to look at here. Baby Musiker is measuring as at least five weeks."
"That's not possible," the Doctor said, perplexed. "I have monitored every moment of the development since the embryo was created."
"There's a heartbeat," Crusher said. "And—it's actually quite strong for even five weeks gestation." The Doctor studied the same image that they all were. Raffi imagined that they could see things that she couldn't see, since they were trained to do so. What she could see, however, beyond the blurring of the busy little nanoprobes, was the undeniable blinking beating of a tiny heart.
"There is a heartbeat," the Doctor ceded. "And the…baby…clearly measures at five weeks gestation."
"There is—Baby Musiker's heartbeat," Crusher said, bringing a sound into the area that Raffi immediately recognized from her own pregnancy many years ago. Her pulse picked up, and she smiled as she watched Seven's reaction to hearing the baby's heart beat for the first time.
"It's very fast," Seven said.
"It's very much what we expect from five weeks of development," Crusher said. "Honestly—maybe six is a better estimate. "If we're willing to cede that it measures a little small in size. The development appears closer to six weeks than five."
"This is fascinating, yet…impossible," the Doctor said.
"Is our baby healthy?" Raffi asked. "Five weeks…or six…or three. Is our baby healthy?"
"It appears to be very healthy," the Doctor said. "Though, it is developing a little outside of the expected timeline."
"I think it's fair to say that it's developing outside of a wholly human timeline," Crusher offered. "However, you said it yourself, during my briefing—we have no actual knowledge of how a Borg gestation might progress." She removed the disc from Seven's abdomen. "You can sit up. I'll send a holo-recording to your personal device, if you like. You did mention that you enjoy collecting those. This way, you'll keep the recording of the heartbeat, so you can hear it again, whenever you want."
"Thank you," Seven said. She did sit up with Raffi's help, though Raffi knew that her acceptance of the help was more for Raffi's sake than Seven's. Raffi could see that Seven was clearly processing things. Raffi didn't feel, either, that she'd fully processed anything. "Should we be alarmed, Doctor?" Seven asked, allowing either doctor to take the question. The two doctors exchanged looks and the Doctor made a very dramatic movement, with a smile, to indicate that he gave Dr. Crusher the full reign to answer the question.
"We have to learn how you, in particular, become a mother," Crusher said, after a moment of consideration as to how she might answer Seven's question. "That's a bit of a learning experience for all of us. Still—you indicated that you both might wish to have another child in the future."
"We wanted two," Seven said. "If that's possible."
Crusher nodded.
"And there is no indication, for now, that it will not be possible. In fact, everything we're learning may make it even easier the second time around. We'll know what to expect. For now, we're all learning what it is that you need, and how you do this. It's a unique situation, but that doesn't mean it's a negative one at all. Your baby appears to be absolutely thriving. It's developing its own way, but that way is what's perfect for you and your baby."
Seven looked at Raffi. Raffi tried, but she couldn't read Seven's thoughts at the moment. Instead of trying to respond, she smiled at Seven, as reassuringly as possible, and squeezed her arm.
"Our baby has a heartbeat," Raffi said.
Seven smiled and relaxed.
"Our baby has a heartbeat," she echoed.
"A strong one, really," Crusher said.
"Do I pass my examination?" Seven asked.
"You and Baby Musiker pass every examination," Crusher said. "And—I thank you for allowing me to examine you and ask you so many probing questions. I hope that my research will not be a problem for you."
"It is part of your role aboard the ship," Seven said. "And—I am happy to help."
"I'll find a way to make sure you're protected in anything I release," Crusher assured her.
"You may not be able to keep that promise," Seven said. "But—as I've told the Doctor—I am willing to face some possible adversity in the name of advancement for our society."
"A true scientist," Crusher offered. "And humanitarian," she added with a wink. "I suggest that we schedule regular, weekly scans of Baby Musiker for the time being. Just so that we can get a feel for their development."
"Likewise," the Doctor added, "you can come in at any time that you feel there might be something we should explore."
"Is there anything we should be doing?" Raffi asked.
"I would say, you're doing everything exactly as you should," Crusher said. "Carry on with that. We'll share the pertinent information for duty rosters and assignments."
Seven gave a warm thanks to both doctors and, seeing that she seemed to be doing OK for the time being, Raffi offered her own warm thanks—even though there was still a piece of her that was always uncomfortable in medical situations where she felt she couldn't protect Seven from anything she might find upsetting.
The curtain was closed to give them some pretend sense of privacy, and Raffi watched as Seven got dressed again—nearly as quick at performing the action as Raffi usually was. There was a lot to talk about—so much so that Raffi wasn't sure where to start.
"What do you—want to do?" Raffi asked. "We have a little time."
"I am starving," Seven said without hesitation.
Raffi laughed quietly and nodded.
"It's not quite time for lunch—brunch?"
"I don't care what we call the meal," Seven said. "I simply require nourishment."
"Fine—we'll have nourishment," Raffi said. "Shall we—check out the mess hall?"
"I would rather examine the replicators in our quarters with careful attention," Seven said. "And then, perhaps, we can remain there until we are scheduled to attend further events."
Raffi smiled at her.
"I can't wait to spend some time carefully examining our quarters with you," she offered with a wink.