The Two Big Ones

Chapter Seven - Clinic

Metterson Fertility Clinic, Switzerland, Earth

June 2263

Spock

After the heat and noise and laughter of Africa, Switzerland was cold and damp and quiet. He found he much preferred the former. Well, after all, they were not here to celebrate. They were here to find out. He pressed the button at the side of the door printed simply with the name of the clinic, his other hand against the small of Nyota's back. A voice requested his identity and he gave it. The door slid open and they walked through. There was a short hall before them, which appeared to open into a waiting area. He could see chairs. They walked in that direction and then across the room to the desk, where a young woman sat. He gave their names and she did something on her comlink and then smiled at them.

"If you will just have a seat, it will be a few minutes. Someone will come for you when it is your turn."

He thanked her and turned to assess the area. There in one corner were several empty seats. Gently he steered Nyota in that direction and they seated themselves beside each other. He clasped his hands in his lap, sitting stiffly, but Nyota slid one hand over and twined her fingers around his, and he relaxed a little. He had no reason to be afraid. None at all. What ever they found out, that was what was. Kaiidth. He tried to make himself believe that, with little success.

Through their twined fingers, he could feel Nyota's trepidation. She was almost afraid. He did not want her to be afraid. He tried to send her comfort, but found it very difficult. He suppressed a sigh. The waiting was making them both uncomfortable. It would be better if they could just get this done. And then there was a young woman before them, checking their identity, and beckoning them to come with her. They were led to a small office, with comfortable chairs, in soft colors. There was a small table between the chairs, with cups set out. The woman asked if they would like coffee. Nyota shook her head. "But do you have hot tea?"

With a smile, the woman went to the side and came back with an insulated pitcher and a small box of tea packets. She set both on the table and said the doctor would be there in just a minute, then turned and left. Nyota rifled through the tea packets and found Chai, offering it to him. Yes, that was fine. She poured the water into the cups and dipped the small bags in. Soon the scent of spices filled the air. When the proper amount of time had passed, he drew the bags out of the cups, holding them to drain for a moment before setting them in the small saucer that had been left to one side. They had just lifted their cups when the door opened and a middle-aged human woman came in. He started to rise, but she motioned him back down.

"Please don't get up. I see you got some tea. That smells good. I'll just get another cup." She went over to the side of the room and came back with another cup, sitting down and starting to make herself a cup as she introduced herself. "I'm Dr. Chandra and I am in charge of your case. That sounds awful doesn't it? But we have to call it something. I have read all the medical records that your Dr McCoy sent me and the forms you filled out when you applied. This really seems very straightforward to me and I don't see any difficulties in finding out what you want to know. I do have just a couple of questions, though, before we start with the procedures. First I need to be sure that your bodies are free of contraceptives. When was the last time that you had the injections?"

Quickly he replied with the dates, and Nyota nodded. Yes, that was right.

"Good. I did think that Dr McCoy would have ensured this, but we do need to make sure. And then I need to ask you about genetic counseling. Did you want that?"

They looked at one another. He dipped his head to Nyota. He would prefer that she answer for both of them. She squeezed his fingers gently and turned to the doctor. "Yes, please. I do think that's necessary."

The doctor nodded her head and made a notation on her PADD. "Okay, then. Let's take the DNA samples first then, so that they can get started on that right away." She took two small sealed packets from her jacket pocket and handed one to each of them. "Your names are printed on the packets, so don't get them mixed. Just peel open the end and rub the little swab around the inside of your cheek, then put it back inside and seal it up again and give them back to me." She waited while they complied and then touched a button on the arm of her chair. In less than a minute, the door opened and a young man walked in, took the two packets, and walked back out.

"Here is the way we do things. First we do the simplest tests and based on the results of those, we decide what to do next. So I am going to take you into the next room, where we have some special scanning equipment. You will not even need to get undressed. These scans will look for blockages, abnormalities, anything physical that might cause a problem. Do you understand this?" She waited for their response before continuing. If we find something at this point, then we will need to do further tests to determine what effect this might have. If we don't find anything, then we will go on to the next test. That will involve two different things. For you (and here she turned to face him directly) it will consist of giving us a very fresh sample of your semen. That will be checked for sperm count and other things. The chemical composition of semen can sometimes be off - too thick, too thin, too acidic - these things can cause problems. So we will check for all of that. And then the other part of the test will be for you (and here she turned to face Nyota). This part will be just a bit trickier. We will insert a small probe with a camera and examine your ovaries, to be sure that they are functioning properly. If possible, we will retrieve an ovum to study." She was watching them closely, to see how they reacted. "Are you ready?" When they both nodded to her, she rose and beckoned them to follow her.

They walked into the other room, which was full of medical diagnostic machines. Dr. Chandra led Spock over to one large screen and positioned his body carefully. When she was satisfied, she turned to the console and picked up a long wand and touched the controls on the handle. She moved the wand over his body, covering several areas that confused him. And then she began to talk. "I need to check several places where blood flow can become constricted. If this happens, certain malfunctions can occur. So we need to rule those out quickly." She turned her head to watch the readouts. "Ah, everything is fine. No blood flow problems at all."

Now she directed the wand much closer to the area he had expected her to explore. She made several small notations and checked the readouts several times. Finally she stopped and set the wand aside. "I can find no physical anomalies. Everything seems to be put together the way it should be. This is good." She smiled at them. "You have passed this part of the test with flying colors."

Now she turned to Nyota, bringing her to stand where he had been. She fussed about with her as well, getting her positioned just so. And then she began again with the wand. She appeared to be very conscientious in what she was doing. Very thorough. When she laid the wand aside this time, her smile was even wider. "Perfect, young lady, just perfect. I see no problems whatsoever."

Nyota sighed in relief, relaxing a little.

"Now it's time for the next part." she went over to a small cabinet and came back with a covered container. "Come this way." They followed her out the door and down the hall to another door, one with a light above it. She handed the container to Nyota. "Go in here. Lock the door. Take as long as you like. When you have the sample, seal the container and put it in the niche in the wall, then press the button. After that, come back out here and go right down there and take a seat. As soon as the analysis is complete, I will come and get you and we will do the second part. Do you have any questions?"

Nyota looked at the container, then up at him, then to the doctor. "No, I think I can handle this."

The doctor grinned at her and Nyota flushed, realizing what she had said. He could think of absolutely nothing to say that would not be even more embarrassing, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

The doctor pressed the button beside the door and it sprang open. Nyota walked in and he followed her. The door shut and he turned and found the locking mechanism and shut it firmly. He looked about the room. There was a medium sized bed, several different types of chairs, a long couch, and several large floor pillows. Obviously, they were making every effort to make their clients feel comfortable. Everything was spotlessly clean. On one wall there was a viewscreen, with a selection of vids on a shelf beneath. He imagined Jim would love those vids. He and Nyota, however, would have no need of them.

Nyota sat the container she had been given on the small table beside the bed and began to remove her clothing. He watched her in some confusion. Why was she removing her clothing? And then she turned around and he saw her nipples, already hardened. She walked toward him and he smelled her. Ah, yes, that was definitely his Nyota. Her soft hands stripped his clothing off and touched him here and there. He made no attempt whatsoever to subdue his body's reaction to her, growling softly as her hands stroked and teased. She turned him about and walked him backwards to the bed, pushing him down and climbing up to straddle his body. She started with his ears and tickled and nibbled until he breathlessly told her "enough".

"Are you ready, ashayam?"

"Ah, yes, k'diwa. Very ready."

She reached out and picked up the container, leaning her slender body against his. She removed the cover and then she moved her body, positioning herself between his legs. She bent her head and began to nibble and lick his testicles, making them pull up against his body. He arched his back and growled at her, warning. And then one hand clasped about his lok, right at the base, and she brought the container close, sliding it down over the end of his lok. And then she squeezed with the hand wrapped around him and he surrendered to her, feeling her love all around him, and released into the container. She moved it quickly, backing up, shifting her body, trying to catch it all and not spill anything. She sat up between his legs and fastened the lid on tightly, setting the container back on the table. And then she slid her mouth down over him, enclosing him in her wet wonderful mouth, and he emptied himself again, crying out at her. She lay down, her face upon his belly, and held him, and he wrapped his arms around her. When he had caught his breath, he pulled her higher up his body, until he could wrap his hands around her hips. He lifted her up and she began to moan, knowing what he was going to do. He pulled her over his face and feasted, listening to her moan and cry above him, continuing until he felt her tense and buck and scream his name. And then he let her back down and held her close until they could both breathe again.

She rose shakily from the bed, taking the container and crossing the room to set it in the niche. She pushed the button and watched the shelf revolve, taking the container away. And then she went back and knelt beside him, running her fingers through his hair. "Time to get dressed again."

"Yes." He pulled her down against him just once more and spoke softly into her ear. "Thank you, Nyota."

She turned her face and smiled at him, such a wonderful glow. "It was my pleasure." And then she was up and pulling on her clothes and he must do the same.

They checked each other over and then they exited from the room, walking down the hall and finding seats in the small waiting area.

It was only a few minutes before another handsome young man came to lead them off to another room. There was a large biobed in the center of the room. The young man led them off to the side, where there was a small partition. Hanging over the top of the partition was an examining gown. Nyota was to completely undress and put that on. The young man left. Nyota undressed again, folding her clothing on the small shelf against the wall. She slipped the gown over her head and stood here, shifting her weight a bit. He reached out and cupped the nape of her neck, drawing her forehead toward his. They stood there like that for several minutes, until they heard the door open again. He straightened up. It was Dr Chandra again.

"Over here now. Let's get this done."

Nyota crossed the room and sat on the biobed. Dr Chandra helped her to swing her legs up and positioned them on braces that she pulled out from the end of the biobed. She motioned at him and he crossed the room to stand beside her. "You go stand up there, beside her, where she can grab your hand if she needs to."

Feeling a bit confused, he nevertheless did as she instructed. Why would Nyota need to grab his hand? But when he stood where he had been told, she slid her hand out and grasped his tightly, and then she began to relax. Apparently the doctor had much experience in this.

The doctor pulled several instruments down from the lines suspended in the ceiling and set controls on the handles. She turned on a bright light. And then she began to talk, describing what she was doing. Nyota clenched his hand tightly for a moment, tensing, but then began to relax again. After several minutes, the doctor said that the first side was finished and now she would move to the other side. Nyota tensed again, clenching her teeth, breathing harder, and then relaxed again, as he stroked her hand gently.

Dr Chandra continued to talk and suddenly exclaimed loudly. "Oh, very nice. A ripe ovum, just waiting to be plucked. And I have it! This will certainly help." A few minutes later, she began to withdraw her instruments, letting them retract back toward the ceiling. She turned off the light and slid the leg braces back into the biobed and then told him he could help her to sit up. She smiled at them. "Okay, now, you can get dressed again. Go right back out where you were waiting before. It won't take long before we have all your results. Someone will come and bring you back to my office shortly." And then she turned and headed out.

He helped Nyota down from the biobed and she crossed back to the partition, dressing quickly. Back out to the waiting room they went, settling down again to wait.

The wait this time was longer than any of the others, but not actually that long. It was not much more than fifteen minutes before the same young man came to escort them back to Dr Chandra's office. They settled back down in the chairs to wait, but Dr Chandra came in almost immediately, several PADDs in her hands. She laid the PADDs on the table and settled down in the chair she had been in before. She had a big smile on her face. He began to relax, unaware until this moment of how tightly he had been holding himself.

Dr Chandra took the first PADD and held it out to them. "This is the result of the semen test. Spock, your sperm count is very high. And very mobile. There is absolutely nothing wrong there. Very well formed, healthy, mobile sperm. Highly conducive to a successful pregnancy."

He let his breath out with a highly audible sigh. Nyota squeezed his fingers, her face glowing.

Now the doctor took up the next PADD. "And this is result of your test, Nyota. Very, very good. And a lovely, healthy ovum that was, too. Everything just looked perfect." Now she picked up the last PADD. "This is the DNA compatibility test. Now I am sure that the two of you know that there will be some potential problems here. I don't think you are naive enough to think that this will all be smooth sailing. Spock has copper-based blood, and certainly has the capability of passing that characteristic along. And that can cause problems. So I want you to be very aware of this. Nyota, you will need to be monitored very early in every pregnancy to detect whether the fetus has iron or copper based blood. If it is copper-based, certain preventative measures will be to be taken and you will need to be monitored much more closely all during the pregnancy." She looked from one to the other to be sure they understood her. Then she continued. "There is also a much higher risk of early termination of the pregnancy if the fetus has copper-based blood. You really need to be aware of this."

Nyota squeezed his fingers harder, and he sent a wave of soothing comfort to her. This had not happened, might never happen. She should not be so concerned about it now.

Dr Chandra continued. "We did not find any other significant problems. I am certainly that the two of you can have healthy babies." She was smiling widely. "You can take those PADDs with you, they are part of your report. We do not feel that any other tests are necessary. Now I have one question - do you intend to start a family right away?"

He looked to Nyota, this was her decision. She looked at him and shook her head slightly. He nodded. He turned to the doctor. "Not immediately, no. We must consider several factors before making this decision."

"Well then, do you want contraceptive shots now, before you leave? You would need to continue using whatever other method you have been using for another week, and then could discontinue it."

Nyota did not hesitate. "Yes, please." He could not help but agree with her. The stopgap method obviously worked, but he could well do without it. He much preferred to feel Nyota's body against his with nothing in between.

Dr Chandra pulled two hyposprays from her pocket. "Let's go right back into that other room and take care of this then."

He picked up the PADDs and followed the two women. In only a few minutes, they were back in the hall, headed for the door of the clinic. When they stood outside, Nyota leaned against him, holding him tight. He could feel her relief, her joy, so clearly. Somehow Switzerland did not feel so cold and dreary anymore.

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Kaiidth = what is, is