Disclaimer: I don't own it.
A/N: The last chapter was quite long. Sorry about that. This one isn't as long. The birth is this chapter is not canon but that's okay seeing as most of this fanfic is non-canon. I hope you're liking so far. It would be great to hear some feed back.
Reviews are like parents; some are great, others are not so great, but they all give advice. Please, don't be a terrible parent. Be a good parent and give me advice.
Origins: The Journey Begins
Chapter 18: One More Push
STARDATE: 2231.240 (Sun, Aug 28th, 2231) [13 months Pregnant]
Amanda was given strict instructions to stay in bed. She had made it to her due date, which many thought highly improbable, including Sarek. Due to the mixed heritage, the child had embedded into his DNA even the doctor, D'Torres, thought Amanda would deliver on an earlier date.
But here she was. In her bed. On her due date. With a bad case of the cold.
Amelia, Amanda's older sister, had arrived on Vulcan two weeks prior to this day. She had knowledge of the harsh conditions of Vulcan but was not aware that the raised temperature and lower atmosphere could rock the nervous system of a human.
Amelia arrived healthy and happy. However, she hadn't been properly condition to endure the harsh climate and ended up with a dry throat, which caused her to cough endlessly. This then subjected her to an unwanted case of the cold.
Amanda had been warned to stay away from her sister until she recovered from her cough. But this was her sister. She hadn't seen her in over two years, so of course, she didn't heed the warning.
Now she was stuck in bed, weakened by a cold. She wanted D'Torres to give her a flu hypospray, but he denied, saying that he had given his last human flu hypospray to Amelia. Vulcans never got colds so they never needed flu hyposprays and D'Torres had very limited human supplies.
She didn't have much strength to begin with and now she was twice as weak thanks to her cold. Amanda was just glad that she and Sarek had agreed to a caesarean. Ever since examining the baby in the tenth month of pregnancy, D'Torres had explained that the child was too big for a natural birth. It would cause Amanda to tear and possibly loose too much blood to recover back to full health.
Although Amanda was a little disheartened by the fact that she wasn't going to experience a natural birth, she was much happier knowing that her son will be born with full health. She happily obliged to the caesarean in the end.
Amelia was downstairs currently talking to S'Reiyah. She had heard a lot about this Vulcan woman from her sister and was eager to learn more about this her through face to face conversation. They were in one of the many sitting rooms on the ground level.
It was late afternoon so Sybok was home. He hastily changed from his uniform robes into something a little more his style; loose fitting long pants and his golden yellow tunic that had 'House of Surak' written upon it. It was his favourite tunic.
Zahntu was in the kitchen, as per usual, cooking up a feast. If the child inside Lady Amanda's womb was as Vulcan as the rest of the colony, he will be born tonight. Exactly 13 months from conception. Zahntu would never admit it to anyone but S'Reiyah, but he was silently…nervous? No, excited. He was internally excited about tonight's event. There was soon to be another child to add the S'chn T'gai clan.
Sarek was talking to DTorres in his study. They were not to be disturbed as the topic of their conversation was based around the delivery of Sarek's second son. A topic, on Vulcan, which is considered to be very private.
Sarek did not want to be present during the birth of his second son, but Amanda was very stern on what she wanted. It was Vulcan tradition for the father to be absent during the birth of a child, but given the circumstances, Sarek found himself reluctantly obliging in the end.
Amanda was left to herself to think, and sneeze.
Achoo!
Every time she sneezed the large child within her would flinch or kick her softly.
"I'm sorry, little one." She said as she rubbed her tummy after another sneeze had overcome her. "Mummy is very sorry to put you through this."
She was rewarded with a very small feeling of love. The emotion didn't belong to her, or Sarek. It was from their child. Over the last month, Amanda and Sarek had experienced small mental images and emotions sent from their son. He was becoming quite sufficient in his mental abilities.
Achoo!
She had sneezed again. If she was correct that would have been the 33rd time she had sneezed that day.
She relaxed into the mountain of soft pillows behind her. She was propped up so she could see over her large stomach. She hated lying down flat and not being able to see anything around her due to her belly. It made her feel claustrophobic.
She closed her eyes and pictured what her tiny baby would look like once he was born.
She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the bell chime for dinner.
Zahntu had finished setting up the table and rung the dinner bell to signify the household that food was prepared for them.
Amelia heard it too. When she first had arrived at the place she was in awe of the massive mansion, and was instantly in love the idea of a dinner bell.
Amelia jumped up off of the seat. "Sorry, S'Reiyah, that's the dinner bell. I should go and check on Amanda."
S'Reiyah simply nodded her head in understanding. She liked Lady Amanda's sister, she was very much like Lady Amanda herself. Except Lady Amanda was more logical and calm, then her easily excited, over-the-top sister. With Amelia already darting off in the direction of Amanda, S'Reiyah made her way to the dining room.
Amelia made it to the bottom of the staircase and looked up to see her very pregnant sister at the top of the staircase.
"'Manda! What are you doing?!" Amelia exclaimed as she started to ascend the stairs.
"I heard the dinner bell," Amanda stated with a small smile. She felt as if her older sister was going to start lecturing her about something.
"Yes, but you should've waited for me to come and get you."
"Well, I'm here now," Amanda said just before she sneezed.
Achoo!
Pop.
Gush.
Amanda looked down at her belly as soon as she felt the weird sensation of her water breaking. Her tummy was too large for her to see exactly what was going on but she did manage to see the water, her water, running down the stairs like a babbling brook.
Amelia, on the other hand, saw everything; the sneeze, the wet patch on her sister's robe and the man-made waterfall racing toward her. Amelia didn't know what to do. She was a mother herself with two children of her own but she had never been on the other end before. She didn't know whether to run away from the water or to try and dodge it as she made her way up to her sister.
She was momentarily stunned, until her brain yelled at her do something quickly; so she screamed.
Amelia screamed. She didn't know why maybe because she was excited that her baby sister was finally about to give birth or the fact she was scared of this entire situation.
The water rushed down the stairs, Amelia saw it approach and tried to dodge it only to miscalculate every, step on a slippery step and slide to the bottom of the staircase with a smash.
Amanda, not feeling any pain as of yet, keeled over as far as she could and laughed so hard her eyes watered.
Amelia, noticing that she was now at the bottom of the staircase sitting in a pool of her sister's juices, squirmed vigorously in disgust.
Sarek, feeling a strong bout of delight through his tel, abruptly finished his conversation with D'Torres, strode out of his office and stopped when he reached the foyer.
There he saw his sister-in-law on the floor covered in some sort of clear liquid. He slowly raised his gaze, his eyes taking in every information from the squirming sister to the slippery steps to his laughing wife at the top.
Realisation dawned.
"Amelia, inform the doctor of my wife's condition," Sarek said a little too sternly. Amelia just brushed it off. He was probably panicking like a maniac on the inside.
After a couple of slippery attempts, Amelia got to her feet.
"He should be in the office," Sarek said to her, never taking his eyes of his wife, who was trying hard to recover from her laughing fit.
Amelia took off in the direction of the office. However, after barging in whilst shouting at the top of her lungs, she realised that the doctor was not in the office at all.
"Great." She muttered to herself as she closed the door and headed for the main sitting room. S'Reiyah should still be there.
She skidded to a stop once she had entered the main sitting room. No one was present.
"Oh, come on," Amelia grumbled as she took off for another room.
12 rooms later and Amelia still hadn't run into anyone. She was told that Vulcan births happened in isolation but this was getting ridiculous. She found Sybok in the kitchen with Zahntu. They were talking about the impending birth of Sybok's younger brother.
"Where's the doctor?" Amelia shouted. Zahntu remained impassive as his head looked up from his workstation to see a very dishevelled looking woman. Sybok jumped out of shock and nearly fell off the table he was currently sitting on.
"He is in the back garden," Zahntu responded calmly. "May I inquire to what has got you so distressed?"
Amelia turned to face a very concerned looking Sybok. She pointed her finger towards him and shouted with glee, "Your mother has gone into labour!"
"That is excellent news!" Sybok was clearly excited. He sprung himself off of the counter, ran to his Aunty and gave her a fierce hug. Being so caught up in the embrace, neither Sybok nor Amelia noticed the tiny twitch of Zahntu's lips.
"I have to get the doctor," Amelia said as she refocused.
"I'll help you!" Sybok jumped to his feet and started to drag Amelia out of the kitchen and towards the back garden.
"Good. Because I've already gotten lost more times than I can count."
Meanwhile, Sarek had made it to the top of the stairs without any delays. He checked over his wife's body, soul and mind. Everything was fine.
"I must get you to bed." Sarek seriously stated.
"Sarek, Ashayam, now is not the best time." Amanda groggily as she sniffled. She smiled with a wink before a strong jolting pain in her abdomen had her keeling forward.
Sarek was already in front of her to support her as she bent forward. She needed to lie down. He must take her to the delivery room.
After deciding to deliver the baby via caesarean, Sarek had commanded his servants to transform one of the rarely used guest rooms into a delivery room for when Amanda finally went into labour.
Under normal circumstances, a Vulcan couple who were expecting would either deliver in the hospital or in their master quarters of their lodgings. However, after analysing the conception and gestation of this child, he realised that everything was going to go against the regular routine he so much desired.
Sarek slowly guided Amanda back down the hallway she had come. His hand was light and gentle on her arm as he steered her in the direction of the room.
The room was large and bright, but not colourful. The walls were painted white with large windows to allow the hot Vulcan sun to fill the room during the day. The white marble floors reflected the white painted ceiling.
It was very much like the hospital, however, the hospital seemed more 'homely' than this room. The only thing that decorated this room was a small grey clock that hung on the wall above the window. Everything in this room was pristine clean.
The room was sparse save for a few crucial instruments and monitors needed for the delivery of the child. Including a singular white bench top and a small crib.
In the middle of the room was a white wooden bed. The bed looked as if it were a wooden countertop; it didn't have a headboard and the mattress atop of the frame was quite thin.
Sarek led Amanda over to the bed and helped her get up onto it. As Amanda was swinging her legs up onto the bed she realised getting up on top of this bed was a lot easier than getting down on her mattress she shared with Sarek in her quarters.
After helping Amanda onto the bed Sarek looked at the instruments surrounding them. He continued to study the monitors while he waited for the doctor and his team to enter. He had told Amelia to inform the doctor precisely one hour and thirteen minutes ago. Where were they?
Sarek was almost overcome by the urge to go and find the doctor himself when his bondmate screamed in pain from behind him. He quickly leapt over to the bed and took hold of her hand, sending her waves of calmness.
He could feel the intensity of her contraction echo in his mind. It took a moment to centre himself from the onslaught of human pain. He clasped his hands around his wife's and closed his eyes. He will not allow his wife to suffer from this pain. When the next contraction comes he will draw it away from Amanda's mind and into his own. He will take the pain for her.
The next contraction hit soon after the last one had ceased. This was happening all too quickly for Amanda's liking, but she had no control over her contractions, every time one hit, her body would instinctively push the baby further south. The contractions were precisely one minute and thirty seconds apart. If the doctor didn't arrive soon Amanda and the child within her will be in very big danger.
Amanda smiled up at her husband as she felt her abdomen tighten from the contraction. However, she didn't feel the pain that normally accompanied the tightening of the stomach muscles. She knew her husband was taking the pain away from her.
After the contraction passed, Amanda felt a different sensation coming from with her womb. The baby was moving. The baby was moving south.
"Sarek…" She said quietly. The phlegm in her chest made her voice crack.
Sarek nodded his head, "I feel him moving. If D'Torres does not arrive soon you will have to risk a natural birth."
"But D'Torres said that the baby is too big for a natural birth." Amanda's blocked nose made her voice sound unusual, her eyes were large with concern.
"Our son doesn't think that," Sarek said as he rubbed where the baby was. The baby, was indeed moving into position. "If my calculations are correct the child will be born within the next hour if you continue to push."
"It's not my fault!" Amanda became defensive. "I have no control over my body at the moment. My body is doing what it can to get this baby out of me. Achoo! This means every time a contraction hits, my body is doing its best to push a baby the size of a watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon!" Her flu-affected voice became more aggressive as another contraction wracked her body.
Sarek remained silent. He understood that if he made any sort of comment after her short rant, she would become infuriated with him and quite possibly kick him out of the suite while she gave birth to their son on her own.
Sarek decided to brush the loose strands of sweaty hair away from his bondmate's face. He did have to admit that she was very beautiful. Even in the state that she was currently in, she seemed somewhat appealing to him. He would never voice his opinion in the company of others, but he often told Amanda how beautiful she was to him.
Amanda's eyes locked onto his once more as another contraction overcame her, pushing the child within her further south.
"One more push like that and he'll be crowning." Amanda huffed then sneezed. Sneezing didn't help much. If anything, it made things worse. Every sneeze sent the baby further 'downstream'.
Sarek heard footsteps approaching. They weren't running, definitely Vulcan. Not far behind the walking footsteps came the sound of footsteps frantically running, definitely human.
Sarek looked to the door to see D'Torres, his three healers, Tu'Saak, Yone and Payar, followed lastly by a very exasperated Amelia.
"Where have you been?" Sarek inquired D'Torres. Sarek wasn't angry, merely curious.
"Where have I been?" Amelia answered for the Vulcan doctor. "I've been everywhere. I even found a hidden passageway that leads to some underground room. This mansion is HUGE! I got lost several times trying to find 'Mr Logical' here." She pointed at the doctor who just stared at her with a blank expression.
"In my defence, I stayed in the same spot for over three hours." The doctor said as he cautiously approached the bed.
"Who cares?! Just get this child out!" Amanda yelled from the bed.
D'Torres checked over his patient while the other healers started hooking up tubes to the monitoring systems. Payar grabbed the folded white sheet and placed it over Amanda's lower half.
Amelia came to stand by her sister's head on the opposite side of Sarek.
D'Torres made his way to Amanda's feet and ducked his head beneath the sheets. His head reappeared from behind the sheet. He looked sternly at Sarek. "She is completely dilated. The child is attempting to enter this world via natural means." D'Torres' head vanished beneath the covers once again only to reappear seconds later, "And he is progressing marvellously."
"He will surely rip my wife if he is born naturally." Sarek's voice was heavy with concern. It was more of a question than a statement. It was D'Torres who had informed Sarek of the dangers of a natural birth in the first place.
"Indeed, he will. Which is why we must perform the caesarean immediately." D'Torres reassured Sarek. He spoke quickly but calmly. He turned to his healers and gave them each precise instructions.
"Tu'Saak. Lady Amanda will need to be completely under anaesthetic. The child has pushed himself into a dangerous state and we do not need the mind of his conscious mother interfering." D'Torres said to Tu'Saak. Tu'Saak nodded and proceeded with his instructions.
"Yone, prepare for incision on my mark." De'Torres faced the younger Vulcan who had already equipped himself with the correct utensils for the job.
"Payar, prepare your station. Once this child is out, he will be placed in your care." D'Torres turned around to give this order to the female Vulcan. Payar simply nodded, her hair tied up in its usual bun.
She cleared the bench top ready for the child once he was born.
Thirty minutes had passed and Amelia was getting restless. She hated seeing her sister passed out on a white bed with her belly cut open. The sight of blood made her woozy. She tried to look at one of the healers so she didn't have to see the blood, but it didn't help when all of them had some form of blood splatter on their medical robes. Amelia's voice died in her throat as she tried to whine. Her knees became weak as she suddenly became aware of the blood circulating in her own system. Must focus on something else. She looked up at the clock. 11:58 p.m.
D'Torres had taken over Tu'Saak while Tu'Saak assisted him.
"I have the child," D'Torres said, his hands lost somewhere within the open stomach of Amanda. "Tu'Saak." He called calmly. Tu'Saak approached and assisted the doctor in retrieving the child from the womb of Amanda.
Up from the confines of Amanda's womb came a large baby boy resting in the hands of the doctor. As he separated from the warmth of his mother, his young cries pierced the air.
"Time?" D'TTorres asked Payar as he looked over the child for anything unnatural.
"0000 hours," Payar stated without looking at the clock, "exactly."
All heads turned to the grey clock on the wall above the window.
"Indeed, it is," D'Torres answered as he handed the wailing child to Payar. Payar took the child and placed him on the bench top. Sarek made his way quickly to where his newborn son lay.
Sarek watched on as Payar poked and prodded his son with needles and tubes. Payar, noticing Sarek's presence decided to reassure him before he broke her neck for hurting his son.
"I need to take samples of his blood to gain a better understanding of his entire system. We need to know if being half human will affect his Vulcan biology." She said and noticed Sarek's shoulders relaxing.
Amanda was woken an hour and twenty-four minutes later. She had been stitched up and cleaned. She felt exhausted. She looked around the room, her eyes were still a little fogging.
Amelia smiled at her sister and waited for her to respond. After Amanda's visioned focused she noticed her sister smiling broadly at her. Amanda couldn't help but smile back. She had made it. She had done it.
"Where?" Amanda croaked.
Sarek picked up his son and turned around to face his A'duna (wife). Amanda let out a small chuckle as she saw the naked baby squirming in her husband's arms.
Sarek placed the child on her cloth covered chest and watch in awe as his son calmed almost instantly.
A small knock on the door draws the attention away from the baby.
Sybok stood, half hidden by the door.
Amanda smiled at him and extended her hand towards him in invitation, making sure she supported the baby with her other hand.
Sybok walked briskly to the side of the bed and Amelia helped him up. He sat on the side of the bed and stared at his newborn brother.
"Sybok, you should be sleeping," Sarek said. His voice more questioning than punishing.
"I was awakened," Sybok said quietly as he ran his finger down the side of the baby's face.
"Isn't your bedroom on the other side of the mansion?" Amelia questioned the young Vulcan boy.
"It is. But I did not wake because of the noise." He said as he turned to face his Aunty.
"Why did you wake?" Amanda asked, stroking the small pointed ears of the baby.
"He sent me," Sybok said quietly and nodded towards the sleeping baby on Amanda's chest.
