Chapter Twenty-Two: Strange Ailment

After our honeymoon, I looked forward to returning to my duties. However, by midweek I noticed I was often lethargic. I just couldn't seem to get going. My appetite had also become erratic. I attributed the whole thing to being jittery about being the wife of the ship's First Officer. Nevertheless, I pushed forward and reported to Engineering for my shift. Geordi was in the process of explaining an assignment to me when I staggered forward for a moment. He caught me before I could do a face plant into the console.

"Hey, Kadalynn, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine, Commander. I didn't have much to eat today. I think I just need to lie down." I replied. "I haven't been sleeping well lately either."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to sickbay?" Geordi asked.

"I'm sure. I think I just need a nap. I'm sorry. Permission to be excused, sir?"

"Yeah, sure. I hope you feel better." He replied with a concerned look on his face.

Geordi ordered one of the other Ensigns to escort me to my quarters to make sure I arrived safely. After I entered my quarters, the Ensign left. For a moment, I thought I would be alright, but then I became extremely nauseous and dizzy. I immediately began vomiting violently and it felt like the room was spinning around me. My head and stomach ached so badly I was incited to sobs. I didn't even realize that Data had entered until I felt him crouch beside me on the lavatory floor.

"Data! Something's wrong!" I managed to gasp before vomiting anew.

"It is alright, Kadalynn. Your body is likely rejecting toxins." He replied calmly as he caressed my shoulders gently.

I was finally empty, but still suffered an attack of dry heaves. It felt as if my insides were going to rupture with each painful retch.

"Come, I will escort you to sickbay." Data said gently. There was an oddly serene expression on his face, even for him.

The very thought of leaving our quarters exhausted me. I just wanted to go to sleep. Sleeping is something I always preferred to do whenever I was ill. I think it was my way of locking the suffering out of my conscious mind.

"No, Data. I can't. I'll throw up all over the corridor! I don't want people seeing me like this! I can barely stand you seeing me like this!" I exclaimed before gagging anew. I then sighed when I though how disgusting I must've looked at that moment.

"Health is of higher importance than vanity. Up we go." He replied as he gently helped me to stand.

Data and I walked into the corridor, arm in arm. We made it about a quarter of the way to sickbay when suddenly; I saw a bunch of dots before everything went black. I fainted, but Data caught me from falling and effortlessly carried me the rest of the way. When I awoke, I was on a bio-bed. Data and Beverly were looking down at me.

"This is becoming a very bad habit for me." I replied, half-joking.

"What is, Kadalynn?" Beverly asked.

"Ending up here." I replied feebly. I felt very sluggish. "Alright, how long was I out this time?"

"Only a few minutes." Beverly replied. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Walking here… with Data's help. Is everything alright? Is this happening because of one of my old injuries from the crash? Is it my heart?" I asked as I attempted to sit up, only for Data to gently press my shoulders, causing me to lie back down.

"Kadalynn, it is best that you remain still." He advised softly.

"I don't know the cause of your illness. I'll have to run some tests to be sure, but relax; you've already seen that we are more than capable of nursing you back to health. I'm sure this time will be no exception. Just lie down and rest, your body demands it." Beverly said reassuringly as she gave me an oral disinfectant to rinse the bad taste out of my mouth. It also seemed to alleviate the nausea.

"Do not worry about your duties, Kadalynn. I have had Geordi reassign one of the other officers to fulfill your duties while you recover."

"You sure don't waste anytime, do you?" I asked.

"No, I do not. I would like you to focus your energy on your recovery." Data explained with a reassuring smile.

"That's sweet, Data." I replied softly.

"And necessary." Beverly added. "Hopefully, we'll determine the cause of your ailment within a few hours."

Data held my hand and continued to smile gently.

"Unfortunately, I must leave for bridge duty, but I will be sure to check in on you." He explained before giving me a gentle kiss. "I love you."

I returned the sentiment before he kissed my forehead and left.

The next few hours were the longest of my life! There was nothing to do but wait. Beverly tried to help the time go by; telling jokes and making small talk. However, I was too terrified to pay attention to her since I feared I had a life threatening illness. I immediately began thinking of worse case scenarios and doing things like mentally planning my will. It figures! I thought, Just when I get my life together, I get sick and die! My barrage of negative thoughts was interrupted by the doctor.

"I can't find anything wrong." She said in a state of puzzlement. "Apparently, there's nothing wrong with you. I ran all sorts of tests and checked for every imaginable form of food poisoning and found nothing!"

At that very moment, I leaned over the side of the bio-bed and vomited. Apparently there was still food in my system after all.

"I'm sorry about that. Doctor, clearly there's something you've overlooked." I replied somberly as I wondered how much longer I had to live.

"There might be one thing… but it's just can't be possible." She said to herself.

Beverly frowned slightly and went over to her computer and punched in a few configurations. After analyzing her findings, her face dropped and became white as a sheet.

"Oh my God! What's wrong? I'm going to die aren't I?!" I exclaimed frantically as I sat up.

Beverly came to my side and gave her response.

"Yes, Kadalynn… you're going to die." Beverly replied and I dropped my head. I was too sad to cry and I thought I had finally run out of tears. However, what she said next made everything worse, "That's exactly what's going to happen when Data finds out you're pregnant!"

Beverly might as well have punched me in the face, for the shock would have been the same.

"No! No! There must be some sort of mistake!" I exclaimed as my eyes proved me wrong about their lack of tears.

"The only mistake is the one you made by cheating on Data! How could you?! Data's not only a valued colleague, but a good friend of mine! He treats you like a queen and you repay him by… sleeping with someone else behind his back!"

"No, Beverly! I didn't cheat on Data! I love my husband, I didn't cheat on him!" I sobbed. "Data's the only person I've been with since I got to this century I swear! Please… please, you've got to believe me!"

"Kadalynn," Beverly chuckled bitterly. "I might believe you if Data had the ability to conceive, but he doesn't! You're going to have to come up with a better excuse than that!"

"I know he can't have children! I don't know how this happened!"

"I can't express how disappointed I am of you right now. You, of all people… to do something like this! You two were just married for goodness sakes!"

I couldn't say anything more and I cried into my hands as I sat on the bio-bed. I was thoroughly frightened and confused. If Data were to find out, what would he think of me? What would he do to me? Would it cause him to malfunction? Would he hate me as much as Beverly did or would he believe me? Even worse, how did I become pregnant in the first place?! Did something happen on Risa during the very few times Data and I had been apart? Had I been violated by one of the other crew members of the ship without my knowledge? The very thought made me cringe!

"Beverly. Do I… have any options?" I asked.

"If you're referring to terminating the pregnancy, it is one of your choices. There are also adoption programs available. Those are all alternatives to keeping the baby and raising it yourself. Being a single parent isn't easy, but it's possible." Beverly replied, forecasting my doom, "No matter what you decide, I urge you to think it through carefully — something you should've done before you got into this mess!"

"Beverly, please, I beg you… don't tell Data!" I pleaded, hiccupping on sobs.

"Unfortunately, although Data's my friend, I can't tell him about your condition since I'm bound by a doctor-patient confidentiality clause. However, he will undoubtedly find out either way. All major medical procedures and adoption procedures are compiled into a report that he receives. And you certainly won't be able to hide the truth from him once your belly starts to expand."

At that moment, Data contacted Beverly via her Com-badge, causing me to gasp quietly.

"Doctor, have you determined the cause for Kadalynn's condition?" He asked.

As I stared at Beverly with pleading eyes, I thought I would faint again. The doctor reluctantly stalled for time by saying she was still investigating the cause of my sudden illness. He spoke to me for a brief moment and noticed that my voice was unsteady. I told him that I was just very afraid of what would happen next. He calmly attempted to reassure me that everything would be fine.

I realized that it was inevitable that Data would discover I was pregnant. That was a fact that terrified me. When I was released from sickbay, I didn't return to our quarters. Instead I wandered aimlessly through the corridors, contemplating my future. Eventually, I went to the holodeck. I initiated the program that was running the night Data and I got married. I gathered a handful of stones, but didn't have the strength to skip them across the water. Instead, I sat on a boulder and cried for what must've been hours. I feared the end of my marriage to Data was imminent. The moonlight reflected against the placid water creating a peaceful scene that contrasted with the chaos in my mind. I jumped when a hand touched my shoulder.

"Data!" I gasped as I attempted to dry my tears. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Kadalynn, what has happened? Why are you are crying?" He said with a somber expression etched on his face.

"I don't..." I replied, unable to face him. "I mean… Beverly… couldn't find anything wrong with me."

There was silence and I instantly began to wonder if he believed me or not. I gathered the courage to look at his face. He was wearing a very somber expression.

"She did not find anything at all? Are you certain of that?" he asked. He looked heartbroken and I immediately thought that he already knew the truth and was waiting for me to come clean with him. Feeling that I had no choice; I decided tell him the truth, all the while thinking I should have been doing so in a more populated environment.

"Data, that's not exactly true." I sighed and began sobbing as I took his hands, "She did find something, but I'm afraid to tell you what it is! I'm afraid that it will end our marriage!"

"What could possibly be so damaging to cause such an occurrence?" He asked with grave concern on his face.

"Data, I love you! Please remember that no matter what! Please understand that I don't know how any of this happened! I…" I was so distraught I couldn't finish the sentence. Data held me in his arms.

"Kadalynn, please, just tell me what the doctor found." He asked with a note of desperation in his voice.

I gently pushed away from him and walked a few steps along the pond. I felt it would be wise to put a bit of distance between the two of us. Gathering my next bout of courage, I faced him once again.

"Data, I… I'm pregnant!" I sobbed and saw a look of astonishment spread across his face and I cried desperately. "Please don't hate me! I've always been faithful to you! I don't know how this happened!"

To my surprise, Data began laughing, almost hysterically. I thought he had lost his positronic mind and I became even more afraid. I tried to move further away from him, but he quickly grabbed me, lifted me in the air and spun me around as he continued laughing.

"Data, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I am more than alright! This is the happiest day of my life! I am going to be a father! Kadalynn, you are pregnant because of me!" He jubilantly exclaimed.

"Data! What are you talking about? You can't conceive, remember?"

Data gently placed me on the ground so that I stood to face him. He got on his knees, wrapped his arms around my hips and repeatedly kissed my tummy. After he was done, he rose to his feet and held my shoulders, staring deeply into my eyes.

"Kadalynn, during the time when I avoided making love to you, it was not due to lack of desire. I was in the process of conducting an experiment; one that would allow me to procreate. I refused intimacy with you during that time because it would have been premature to do so. When the experiment was complete, I wanted to make love to you as frequently as possible, not only due to my love and attraction towards you, but to fulfill our desire of creating a child together and raising a family. I did not wish to tell you about it since I was not certain the process would work. I did not want your heart to be broken. I did not want to present you with an unattainable dream."

New tears welled in my eyes, but I was still confused.

"What? How…?"

"It is very complicated to explain. However, it involved utilizing the DNA present in my hair."

"What? Your hair has DNA?" I asked with amazement as I stroked his luxurious locks.

"Technically, it is the DNA of my father, Dr. Soong."

"What?! So I'm having your father's baby?! Your brother?!" I exclaimed, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Kadalynn, please allow me continue my explanation. While you were away at the academy, I spent many months researching methods of altering the DNA in order to resemble that of a theoretical offspring of Dr. Soong. In other words, I created a DNA sequence very similar to what I would have had if I were human. Once I created a stable structure, I duplicated it billions of times and integrated it in my sexual program, thus giving me… us the ability to reproduce. I was initially discouraged when my earlier attempts to impregnate you were unsuccessful, but now…" his voice trailed off with amazement and he kissed me passionately.

I was beyond elated. It was the most dedicated thing anyone had ever done for me. I cried anew. This time, tears of joy!

"I love you, Data!" I exclaimed, not knowing what else to say before I kissed him.

He locked the holodeck and secured it with an encrypted password, before lowering me softly to the ground and gently making love to me beside the shimmering moonlit pond.