Chapter Eighteen: The Arrival

Upon beaming aboard the Enterprise, we were greeted by Geordi and Cmdr. Riker, both of whom wore very puzzled expressions upon seeing the baby in my arms.

"Something tells me we definitely missed something." Geordi whispered to Cmdr. Riker.

"Data. What's going on?" Cmdr. Riker asked, with a perplexed expression still etched on his face.

"It is complicated, sir. We need to meet with the captain immediately."

"Data," I said, "I'll take Shinzon to sickbay for evaluation."

"A wise decision, Kadalynn. After I brief the captain, we will meet you there." Data replied.

I immediately left the transporter room and all eyes seemed to follow me. When I entered sickbay, Beverly was thoroughly surprised.

"Kadalynn, who is this adorable little guy?" she asked with a smile as she regarded the baby.

"I don't think I can discuss it at the moment. Data's meeting with the captain about him now."

Beverly smiled slightly, her face wearing a distinct expression of pleasant astonishment.

"Kadalynn, have you and Data adopted this baby?" she whispered as her smile broadened.

"No. We…" I said before giving Beverly a 'nice try' glance, "I really can't discuss it right now, but he needs a thorough examination."

I gently handed the baby over to Beverly and he screamed bloody murder. His cries echoed throughout sickbay, awakening one of the sleeping patients.

"My goodness! He sure has a set of lungs doesn't he?" Beverly replied as she tried to hush little Shinzon.

After failing miserably, she handed the baby back to me and he immediately became quiet.

"Looks like I'll need your assistance throughout the examination." she said.

By the time the evaluation was complete, Shinzon's weight, length, visual acuity, hearing and blood type had all been measured. Upon viewing the particulars of his blood, Beverly gasped quietly.

"What the hell…?" Beverly whispered, "I've only seen blood like this from one other person…"

As if on cue, Capt. Picard, Cmdr. Riker and Data walked into sickbay. Based on the grim look on the captain's face, it was clear that Data had told him everything. The captain approached me and regarded the baby in my arms.

"Would you like to hold him, sir?" I asked, my voice shaky.

Capt. Picard silently declined. His composed demeanor seemed forced and I could tell that he was very unnerved — maybe even a bit afraid — to see his clone and would-be replacement. Seeing himself — or rather a copy of himself — as a vulnerable child, could not have been easy for him.

"Captain, this child's blood…" Beverly started.

"Yes doctor, I know. This child… is my clone." Capt. Picard interrupted.

Capt. Picard immediately notified Starfleet about the situation. Over the next few weeks, the baby stayed with me in Data's quarters since he only seemed to feel comfortable with us. Meanwhile, Starfleet officials repeatedly met with the captain. The officials also evaluated Shinzon for themselves. They and the captain struggled to determine the best course of action they would take to solve their new dilemma. There was nothing that could be done about the Romulans who created Shinzon since they were now in the past. After much thought discussion, Starfleet ultimately left the decision up to Capt. Picard, who eventually decided to raise Shinzon. The crew felt the captain's decision was an admirable one. However, some were incited to chuckles when they thought of the image of Capt. Picard changing dirty diapers. I myself found myself giggling at the prospect of the captain initiating a red alert due to the smell.

In the weeks to come, Shinzon finally became acclimated to Beverly and a few other crewmembers; all of whom would take turns caring for Shinzon when the captain and doctor where on-duty. Shinzon's acclimation to his new caretakers came not a moment too soon. I had to return to the academy after the next two weeks and I hadn't spent much one-on-one time with Data. My vacation was rapidly coming to a close. The day before my return to the academy was a tough one. I didn't want to leave Data again, especially since we hadn't been able to spend much time alone while I was caring for Shinzon. Data made things easier for me by telling me it was my final quarter at the academy and that we'd be together again soon. However, he seemed to dwell on the fact that he couldn't prevent me from getting tortured by the Romulans. Data began to doubt his ability to protect me. I explained to him that we faced an impossible situation and that he handled it the right way since I was still alive. After we made love that night, I refused to sleep. I wanted to absorb every moment as I lay in his arms, knowing I wouldn't be able to do so again for months.