Worf was troubled. He stood uncomfortably close to Lieutenant Yar and breathed in deep, trying not to be obvious. The scent he had caught briefly before was still there, and now he had confirmed it without a doubt. He took a step back to a more reasonable distance and switched his focus back to his present duty. He would address this new information with Lieutenant Yar in private. He monitored the sensors carefully, but the scent kept the information at the back of his mind.
At the end of the shift, he followed Yar into the turbolift as normal and let the door slide shut. In the enclosed space, the scent was inarguable, inescapable. As the lift began to move, he turned to her and halted its progress.
"Lieutenant, I must speak with you on a matter of some delicacy," he said, meeting her eyes. She looked up at him with surprise.
"What is it, Worf? Is everything alright?"
He nodded briefly. He was unsure if he should even bring it up, but had considered the issue at length during their shift and decided that he would want to know in her position.
"I know that this is none of my business and I apologize for the intrusion, but I detected today a faint change in your scent." Yar's eyebrows raised.
"A change in my scent?"
"Yes. It has been my experience that in human women this change usually indicates the very early stages of pregnancy. If this is the case, you have my congratulations." His words didn't match his grim expression. He was almost certain that this revelation would be unwelcome, and he was correct.
Yar was stunned. She steadied herself with a hand to the wall of the turbolift. "I… but… I don't…" she trailed off. She took a deep breath with her eyes closed, then stood up straight. "Worf. Thank you for telling me. I must see Dr. Crusher right away. Resume lift, sick bay."
Worf nodded, searching her face. "Tasha. I consider you a friend, and I would be remiss not to ask. Is everything okay?"
Yar shook her head, but smiled, gathering herself before answering. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just confused. I'm sure this goes without saying, but please keep this between the two of us."
Worf nodded. "Of course. You have my word." The lift slowed to a stop and she beamed at him over her shoulder as she stepped off into sick bay.
"Oh, hello Tasha. What can I do for you?" asked Dr. Crusher, smiling happily. Sick bay was unusually empty of patients, and the regular crop of orderlies were out of sight.
Tasha sat heavily on an exam table and looked around the room. "I, ah… I think I need a pregnancy test," she said, smiling faintly. Dr. Crusher blinked, then nodded quickly and brought over her scanner.
"Yes, of course. Please sit still and breathe normally." She slowly moved the scanner over Tasha's abdomen, staring at the readout on her handheld.
"Well?" Tasha asked when she had completed the scan. Dr. Crusher looked up from her instrument at Yar.
"The scan confirmed that you are currently three weeks pregnant."
Tasha shook her head, laughing, and Dr. Crusher stared at her with concern. "That doesn't make any sense," Tasha said, running a hand through her hair. "The only person I've been with in the past… four months, I'd say, is Data."
Dr. Crusher was taken aback. Her eyes were wide and her lips pressed together in shock. "Are you certain?" she asked, staring back down at the readouts to try to make sense of the new information.
"Yes, I'm certain. The last person before him was a woman." Dr. Crusher nodded, still thinking.
"Has Data mentioned his… fertility to you?" she asked delicately.
"No, we hadn't discussed it. I just assumed he was infertile since he's an android. I have an implant like everybody else, so I don't really think about things like that very often." She was hunched over, propping her head up with one hand pressed against her forehead.
"Well, no implant is one hundred percent effective…" Dr. Crusher replied, inclining her head as she finished the sentence. "What made you think to come to me? Have you spoken to Data about it yet?"
"I haven't, I didn't know until a few minutes ago. Worf told me he could tell a difference in my scent. I didn't believe him at first, but I have been feeling off the past week, so it seemed like a good idea to come in."
Dr. Crusher leaned against the exam table behind her, crossing her arms. She and Yar both were lost in thought. It was a marvel that no one else had entered sick bay as they spoke.
Tasha broke the silence with a long sigh. "I can't keep this pregnancy," she said, shaking her head. "I don't have the time or the inclination for parenthood, and I suspect that Data would say the same."
Dr. Crusher nodded, standing and straightening her jacket. "Of course. It's a minimally invasive procedure, but the recovery will take a couple of days. I can notify the captain that you'll need to be off duty during that time. Is this your first pregnancy?" she asked, her tone as delicate as possible. She knew that Tasha had no children, but that didn't always mean a person had never been pregnant before.
Tasha nodded. Dr. Crusher was relieved. That would make the process simpler.
"The first time can be difficult. Do you need anything for your symptoms right now? Fatigue, nausea?"
Tasha smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you, doctor, I'm fine for now. I've got to go talk to Data."
"Yes, I'd like to speak with him as well. Please let him know for me." Tasha nodded in response. Before she could stand, the turbolift door slid open and Commander Riker walked in. Seeing the two women looking so serious, he stopped short, a look of concern on his face.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," he said, holding up his hands. Tasha smiled and shook her head, getting up from the table.
"No, I was just leaving. Thank you, doctor," she said, turning to Dr. Crusher. She smiled at Riker as she passed him, and he stared back with his brow furrowed. When the lift door closed, he turned to Dr. Crusher and opened his mouth to ask after Tasha. She cut him off, crossing her arms.
"What can I do for you, Commander?" she asked pointedly. He looked over his shoulder once more at the lift door, then turned back to Dr. Crusher who stared back at him with raised eyebrows. He decided to drop it.
"I came to ask you about Wesley's schedule…"
Tasha walked slower than usual down the corridor to Data's quarters, trying to formulate what she would say when she arrived. They'd had several more encounters after that first intoxicated night. She had apologized for her embarrassed outburst and they had turned their relationship into a regular fling. She'd been surprised by how much she was enjoying herself, but now all she felt was a creeping sense of unease. She thought back to the second time they'd had sex, after she apologized and explained her behavior. When they were finished, lying in bed together, they had talked for a long while.
"Data, is sex pleasurable for you?" she asked, staring at him in the dark from her pillow. His yellow eyes looked back at her.
"Yes, very much so," he answered, nodding. "I also enjoy the feeling of closeness."
Tasha smiled, relieved. Part of the reason why she'd been so embarrassed the first time was from the feeling of having taken advantage of Data, having used him with no regard for his own preferences or interests. She twined her legs with his under the sheet. He was briefly surprised, but then relaxed and moved closer to her, smiling. "I like closeness too," she said, wrapping an arm around him. He responded in kind, if a bit awkwardly.
"Do you desire sex? Do you crave it if you go for a long time without it?" she asked. She was intensely curious. Data opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together and looked away, thinking, before turning back to her.
"No, I do not. I do think about it from time to time, but the thoughts are not accompanied by urges as described in medical texts I have read about humans," he answered thoughtfully.
"Hmmm," she answered, nodding. "Have you ever had sex before me?" she asked without thinking. Immediately she blushed and turned her face away. "I'm sorry, that's much too personal. You don't have to answer, it's none of my business."
Data looked confused by her response. "I do not mind. Yes, I have in the past. Once in Starfleet Academy and once aboard the USS Trieste. I still consider it a relatively new experience." She'd smiled and changed the topic after that, and they had talked until she fell asleep.
It hadn't even occurred to her to ask him about his fertility at the time. She'd taken it for granted that he was sterile since he was an android. She had no clue if he was aware of his reproductive ability or not.
He met her at the door with a smile and invited her in, but frowned when he saw the look on her face. The door slid shut behind them. She sat down on his small couch and he followed suit, sitting across from her. "Tasha, is everything alright?" he asked, leaning in. She ran a hand over her face and rested her chin on her knuckles. She was fatigued. She should have asked the doctor for something before she left, but it was too late now.
"Not exactly. I'm not sure how to tell you this," she said. He leaned forward further, his concern growing. "I guess I should just do it." She put her hands in his and stared into his eyes. "Data, I'm pregnant, and you're the only possible father."
Data sat straight up, his eyes wide. "Oh," he said. "I did not think that would be possible." Tasha shook her head, looking up at him.
"I didn't either. Data, did you know that you were fertile?"
He shook his head once, quickly. "No, I was not aware. I would have told you if I had known. I apologize. I… am not sure how to react."
She put a hand on his knee. "It's okay, Data. My prophylactic implant failed as well. No one is at fault." She looked down at her lap. "I… I don't intend to keep the pregnancy." Tasha's emotions were catching up to her. The last hour or so had been a whirlwind of new and overwhelming information. She put her head in her hands and cried. Data rose immediately and crossed the short distance to her, putting his arms around her in comfort. She leaned into his embrace.
"I'm sorry, it's just too much," she said through tears. "I only just found out. I came straight here from sick bay." Data nodded along, gently patting her back. He let her sob quietly into his chest for a little while before speaking again.
"Thank you for telling me. You did not have to do that. I support your decision completely," he said, looking down to meet her eyes.
Tasha's head snapped up to look at Data as he held her. "Data, I care for you deeply. I could never keep information like this from you. Circumstances aside, it's incredible to know that you're capable of procreation." She smiled as Data wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"Yes. I must say that I am quite shocked," he said, turning introspective. "I want to know more about this. It feels very… human."
Tasha nodded, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Right. Dr. Crusher said that she wanted to talk to you about it," she said, sniffling. Data crossed the room and generated a box of tissues for her. He carried them to the couch, sitting back down beside her. She thanked him and blew her nose, trying to will herself to look normal again. Her eyes were still rimmed with red.
"Yes, I will discuss it further with her. Does anyone other than Dr. Crusher know about the pregnancy?" he asked. He considered this a private matter.
Tasha gave a sharp laugh. "Worf knows, but only because he could sense it. He doesn't know that you're involved. He's the only reason that I know already, he pulled me aside earlier today and told me. I'm grateful to him for that."
Data considered this. "So am I. I will not tell any others."
Tasha nodded. "No, neither will I. I also wanted to ask… can you stay with me while the procedure is taking place?" She leaned on him again, her muscular body tensed with stress. "I know I have nothing to worry about, but I'm nervous regardless. I would feel better if you were with me," she said, holding his hand.
"Of course," he replied, meeting her eyes. "I would not want to be alone for such a procedure either. I will be there with you."