Is the Enterprise ready for pregnant Uhura?

Disclaimer: There is a high dose of medical technobabble gobbledygook in this chapter. I'm not a doctor or scientist (shocking, I know). I barely passed high school biology, so please read any sciencey mumbo-jumbo with a large grain of sodium chloride.

Baby On Board

Uhura went for her first prenatal visit and consultation the next day. Dr. M'Benga was talking softly with Dr. McCoy when she entered the exam room.

Spock was supposed to be with her as promised, but they needed him as a liaison in engineering to help interpret the Vulcan crew members who had beamed over to help effect repairs. The ship had taken a pretty big hit by the raiders breaching the hull and they needed all hands to effect repairs. In the meantime, they were limping along on impulse power on the way to the nearest Starbase, with the two Vulcan cruisers flanking them in case of any more pirate attacks. With Starfleet on high alert, the Orions would not likely make another move any time soon.

Uhura assured Spock she would fill him in on the prognosis after his shift if he couldn't make it to the meeting and sent him off with her blessing.

"Doctors, how could I be pregnant and not notice it? I have not had any of the symptoms I would consider normal for a human?"

"Nothing?" McCoy asked, "Then why did you take a pregnancy test a while back?"

"It was just after I got back from Vulcan. I was feeling tired and restless and out of sorts, but... I only did it as a precaution, just in case. And might I remind you it came back negative! You led me to believe those symptoms were because of Spock's katra and our bond."

"Well, after consulting with M'Benga here, and comparing all your scans, we conclude you likely conceived during your own Pon Farr. That episode when you returned, and you had the fever, we think your body was reacting to having Vulcan antibodies in your system since your Pon Farr on Vulcan. Your immune system was trying to adjust and prepare you. That triggered the Plok Tow fever. And since Vulcans are very fertile during Pon Farr..." McCoy's voice trailed off.

"I believe conception occurred at that time," M'Benga said, finishing the thought.

"I don't understand. What does that mean, my immune system was preparing me for what?"

The two doctors looked at one another and nodded. "Miss Uhura, you have a special condition..." M'Benga began.

Uhura tensed, and her senses were on high alert hearing that. "What special condition?" Was something wrong with her baby already?

"Nothing to worry about," M'Benga rushed to add. "It's just... some races have different methods of ensuring their species continues."

"So?"

"So, Vulcans have rather aggressive mating drives. The males go into heat, what they call Pon Farr and they are extremely fertile during that time. They aggressively seek a receptive mate. If the female partner's fertility cycle is not in sync with the male in Pon Farr then they get bombarded with his pheromones until they are. It is not unheard of, and it rarely causes any serious issues for Vulcan women. However, in your case, I think the flood of pheromones triggered an immune response," M'Benga finished.

"What does that mean, doctor?" Uhura asked. She wished Spock was with her to interpret this medical mumbo jumbo.

McCoy spoke up, "It means that Spock's body chemistry has changed you. That's why the normal pregnancy tests failed. Our scanners are calibrated for humans. That's something Starfleet will need to address in the near future. We have more Federation members joining of all different races all the time. We cannot afford to be a human-centric force anymore."

"Doctor, forgive me when I say I don't give a damn about your scanner problem. What's this mean for me!" Uhura shouted.

"Now calm down, little missy. This is not a big deal. You're not the first woman this has happened to. It's not that common, but neither is it unheard of, so cool your jets."

To M'Benga's surprise, that outburst from McCoy seemed to calm Uhura down. Still, he tried to smooth things over. "What Doctor McCoy is trying to say is that the reason we didn't catch your pregnancy sooner is because you're carrying, for lack of a better word, an alien baby. This pregnancy has changed your body chemistry to create a suitable environment to gestate a Vulcan baby. We'll have to recalibrate our instruments to match those we use for Spock from now on."

That did not reassure Uhura at all. "What am I, some kind of mutant now? Am I turning Vulcan or something?" she asked, horrified.

"No, no, nothing like that at all. Please do not become alarmed. You're still human but your baby is not quite human and therefore your body is trying to adjust to accommodate them."

"However, even in human pregnancy the mother's body can see the pregnancy as a parasitic invasion and try to reject it, so we'll need to observe you closely to make sure your body keeps accommodating the fetus and not reject them."

Uhura placed her hands over her belly protectively and shook her head. "Where is Spock? I need him here," she said anxiously. "I can't think right now."

"He's over on one of the Vulcan ships. I gave Scotty instructions to send him here as soon as he gets back." McCoy told her.

"Is everything alright? Is my baby okay?" she asked.

"Everything is fine. For now," McCoy answered honestly.

"You told me I wasn't dying!" Uhura said with growing panic.

"You are not dying. You're just pregnant and since the baby is part Vulcan, your body has been trying to adjust. I know this is all a shock but I promise you, you'll be fine."

Dr. McCoy tried to comfort her with his most confident smile, while Dr. M'Benga looked on with a strained expression on his face. This first meeting was not going as planned. The last thing they needed to do was upset Mr. Spock's wife at a time like this. Logic only went so far with a Vulcan male who had a family to protect. "Dr. McCoy, may I speak to you?"

McCoy looked at M'Benga and nodded, then he turned to Uhura. "You just rest here until Spock gets back and then we'll discuss our game plan." McCoy gave her shoulder a firm squeeze, and then he and M'Benga left her alone in the exam area.

As McCoy led M'Benga out of her cubicle, they heard Uhura sniffle. M'Benga was sweating by the time they reached McCoy's office.

"Well, that was about as much fun as facing a le-matya without a phaser," he said.

"Yeah," McCoy said. "Care for a drink?"

"Give me your best shot," M'Benga said, and he took a seat in a chair opposite McCoy's desk. The two doctors shared a drink in silence and when they finished, M'Benga asked, "How do you do it, Dr. McCoy?"

"Do what?"

"Deal with all the emotional drama? I guess I'm used to Vulcan patients who stoically accept whatever I tell them. Human patients are so..." he rooted around in his mind for an adequate word but ended up just saying, "so human."

McCoy laughed at that apt observation. "Yes, they are. But you'll get used to it and develop empathy. You've been on the ship for a few years now and you haven't gotten used to it yet?"

"I tend to stay away from the emotional stuff. I can deal with physical trauma, and I'll do surgery and exams all day long. But I usually allow the nurses to deal with the follow-ups and make sure the patients follow our recovery orders. But this is a special case. Uhura's carrying the heir of the Sch'ta gai family dynasty."

"The what now?"

"Mr. Spock belongs to the Sch'ta gai clan," M'Benga said as if that explained it all.

"Oh, it's a dynasty, is it?" McCoy asked skeptically.

"You bet it is. I told you, doctor, you have no idea what you've stepped into and neither do I, for that matter. I've tried to stay out of Mr. Spock's way but now I'm neck-deep in it."

"Are you having second thoughts about this assignment?" McCoy asked.

"No. No, I am a healer, this is where I belong."

"Healer? Is that what you are, one of their Vulcan healers?"

"No. A Vulcan healer would use psionic diagnostics and telepathic treatments. Like most humans, I'm almost psi null, but they trained me to do everything else. I'll never be a true Vulcan healer but I'm a healer in my own right."

McCoy nodded as if he understood the situation. "I've learned, you can't just treat the illness, you have to treat the whole person. In this case, Spock and Uhura are a team, bound in a way I cannot even begin to understand, but maybe you do? Anyway, they'll need all the bedside manners I can muster up. That goes for you too, Jeff. You can handle Spock and I'll handle Lieutenant Uhura, how's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan," M'Benga agreed.

"I have to say though," McCoy continued, "Uhura usually is more put together than this. Is there some link to her recent anxiety and Spock's Katra or these pheromones she's got? "

"Well, she's definitely hormonal. As for Mr. Spock's Katra, that's where a talented telepath comes in. You'll need to consult with someone on Vulcan for that."

"You haven't received word from any of your colleagues back on Vulcan yet?"

"Not Yet. I told you, the Sch'ta gai family is a dynasty? Well, they don't want Mr. Spock's medical records scattered about subspace communication channels. We have to bring them in person. Luckily, we are headed to Vulcan now with two cruisers for company."

"Yeah. Lucky those cruisers showed up when they did too," McCoy looked at M'Benga's face closely.

"Yeah, that was lucky," M'Benga said, reaching to pour another glass of brandy. "Real lucky indeed."

*/*/*

Nurse chapel overheard the sound of crying and went to investigate.

She found Uhura alone in an exam room, sniffling and dabbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. Christin's heart cracked. Despite their recent differences, Uhura was such a sweet person, and she had been a good friend to her in the past. She couldn't have gotten past Roger's death if Nyota hadn't been there as a shoulder to cry on.

She remembered how tough Uhura usually was. She didn't even cry when she woke up after Nomad had wiped her mind. But lately, Uhura wasn't acting like herself. She'd had that panic attack in the rec room and now here she was alone and crying!? Where was her husband? Or where were all her so-called friends?

Look who's crying now, Christie thought bitterly. But just as quickly, she checked herself. She was a nurse and someone needed her comfort. Whatever happened between her and Nyota personally was in the past and if she wanted to move forward, she had to forgive as well. Besides, she was a professional.

She poked her head in the room cautiously. "Uhura, are you okay?"

Uhura sat up straight and tried to wipe her eyes clean with her hands. Christine ran in and went to a cabinet where she pulled out some hankies and offered them to Uhura. "Here you go."

Uhura took them and used them to dry her eyes and blow her nose. "Thank you."

Christie stood there awkwardly. Did she just leave while her friend was crying? Did Nyota even want her to stay after what happened at their last run-in? "Ny, um Uhura, why are you here alone? Are you ill?"

Uhura laughed, but the sound was humorless as she continued to sniffle. "Dr. McCoy says I'm not dying, so I guess there's that."

Christine frowned. That was not what she was expecting Uhura to say. "You're not dying, but you are ill?" Christine asked. "Ny what is it?"

Uhura shook her head. "I'll be alright, I'm just being overly emotional. Spock will be here soon. I don't want him to see me like this. He worries too much."

"Spock worry?" Christine was skeptical.

"He's very sensitive," Uhura said as she tried to straighten her hairstyle and smooth down her crumpled sickbay gown. Ha! She'd like to see him take this gown from her. Then she'd be naked in the sickbay.

She looked up and Nurse Chapel was still there. "Christine, I hate to bother you. You don't have to stay here with me I'm sure you're busy."

"No. I just finished an all-nighter. Sickbay is loaded with victims of the attack."

"Oh yeah. Hard to believe that was only yesterday. So much has happened since then."

Christine noticed a strange look cross Uhura's face. Yesterday Nyota was in the rec room freaking out, but today she looked... radiant. Not even the dark smudges under her eyes caused by her smeared makeup could dim her beauty. "Here, let me get you a damp cloth so you can fix your face."

She ran to the adjoining room and grabbed a hand mirror and the cloth and brought them back to the bedside, handing them to Uhura.

Thoughtlessly, Uhura took them. "Thanks, you're a doll," while she wiped her face.

"Am I Ny?"

"Huh?" Uhura stopped what she was doing and looked up at Christine.

"Am a doll?"

Uhura sighed. She really could not care less about Christine and her drama right now.

"Look, Chris. I-"

"Never mind. I shouldn't have asked that. I knew you didn't mean it. I know you hate me."

Now Christine was crying, and in her hormonal state that triggered Uhura to cry again.

"I don't hate you, Chris. I was just angry at you. And jealous," Uhura admitted.

"I'm so sorry Ny. But Spock never even liked me at all. He turned me down flat. You've got nothing to be jealous of. He's crazy about you."

"I know..." Uhura cried even harder.

Christine hated to see her friend crying like this. She knew Uhura had a rough couple of months, and she patted her back reassuringly. Before she knew it, they were hugging and crying together.

That was how Spock found them a few minutes later when he walked into the exam room.

"What is going on here?"