A New Life

"Spock!" Dr. McCoy snapped when he stepped out onto the bridge. Not only Spock, but everyone else present turned to face the doctor rushing off of the turbo lift.

"Doctor," Spock acknowledged, not showing one pinch of the nervousness he felt for Dr. McCoy's urgent behavior. Then again, there was no need to jump to conclusions; Dr. McCoy was an excitable man.

He rushed over to his Vulcan friend and said, "Maybe you can be more persuasive than I can. Your wife has canceled her last three check ups with me and I'm starting to wonder if she doesn't have something going on that she's worried that I'll find out about! She keeps telling me that she's been busy."

Both of them turned to look at Nyota. She was actually quite busy at the moment. She was having to switch between several different frequencies and translate to follow the communications going from one ship to another. At the moment, Kirk was at her console as she switched back and forth, telling him what was being said on each frequency.

"This is hardly a good time for her to visit you, Doctor." Spock said.

Dr. McCoy nodded his head and said, "I suppose. I just worry about her. For one thing, she has missed her last few contraceptive injections. Then, there's that spot on her brain that we still can't explain. There's no way of telling if it's bothering her."

"She has seemed quite well, but I shall see to it that her next appointment with you is kept," Spock said.

Kirk bounced over to the two of them and said, joyously, "Bones! Glad that you're here. We're going to the surface for negotiations."

"Damn it, Jim. I'm a doctor, not a negotiator! What kind of situation are you trying to get me into now?" he asked.

Spock had faced Nyota, although he was still listening to the conversation right next to him. Nyota was still switching frequencies, still translating, and recording what she was hearing as she translated it. They had been back on the ship for eleven months, two weeks, and five days. For the past two months and three weeks, she had been working shifts every single day, sometimes only an eight hour shift, but sometimes twelve, even sometimes sixteen, and four times in that time frame, she had worked for eighteen hours. It was believable that she had missed check ups with Dr. McCoy and even not surprising that she had missed injections, but that was a testament to her exhaustion, and Spock had no desire to allow her such discomfort.

Kirk had said, "It appears that one of the planets that the Federation helped to form has been being strong armed by a nearby, non Federation planet, and our bright and dazzling star, Lt. Uhura caught them in the act! We are going to crash their meeting with our planet and see what we can do that might help the little guys out. Spock, back to reality, my friend. We're headed out."

Spock turned to face Kirk. "Back to reality, Captain?"

"You seemed caught up in a daydream. I understand that your wife is pretty beautiful..."

"Most beautiful, Captain, but that is not why I was observing her," he said. And it was true. He was concerned about her wellbeing.

Captain Kirk squeezed his shoulder and said, "Whatever the reason, we have things to do. Uhura, have Scotty come to the bridge."

"Aye, Captain," she said, quickly contacting Mr. Scott. Spock went over to her chair and she glanced up at him. "Yes, Commander?" He stroked a hand across her womb, then fought back a tiny grin. She tilted her head and smiled, then he leaned down and brushed his lips across her forehead. He felt her face grow hot as her color changed and she looked around the bridge, but no one seemed to have witnessed what she had just experienced.

"When we return to the ship, I need you to visit Dr. McCoy." Spock said firmly.

She laughed, lightly and said, "Oh, I see, you try to soften me up before you order me to see the doctor!" She was only slightly joking. He simply stared at her until she nodded once and said, "Aye, Sir." He nodded too, then joined Kirk and McCoy on the turbo lift.

He looked at the doctor and said, "She will see you when we return."

Kirk walked over to Spock as Spock leaned over the communications console monitoring some of Uhura's work, and he said, "Just the two people that I have been wishing to talk to." Nyota glanced at him, but quickly returned to her work. Communications had been quite busy over the past few months, due to the fact that the Federation had been establishing several small planets all throughout sectors, and new planets always made high amounts of contact, for confusion of what each next step was in making their civilization successful.

Kirk said, "I have looked over the schedule changes that you made for Lt. Uhura, Spock and it is actually a little bit bothersome for me. This has been a very busy time for us and I need her on the bridge whenever she is available, Spock."

Nyota did not get into the conversation. Spock had already asked her not to do so.

Spock replied, "The schedule is quite efficient, Captain. I assure you. I have never created a flawed schedule for the bridge."

"Here is the flaw..." Kirk said, holding out the PADD to Spock, "I have Hawkins working more hours than Uhura and Martine has way too many hours. She's alright, but not as good as Uhura."

"Of course not. Lt. Uhura is the best communications officer in the fleet. However, the schedule will remain just as it is. The lieutenant has worked for far more hours than should be expected and in fact if you will check the statistics, captain, has in deed worked even longer hours than Mr. Scott and Dr. McCoy. The only two people on the ship who have worked more hours than she has are you and I."

Kirk laughed, slightly. Spock frowned. He failed to find the humor in this conversation. Kirk said, "Spock, I don't know what it is about you, but I think that if Lt. Uhura was not busy right now, you'd be in a little trouble for babying her. Stuff like this is what she signed up for. It's her duty as the best communications officer in the fleet, and she can handle it. Who are you to decide that she can't? You're her husband, not her father."

"Highly illogical observation, Captain, and remarkably unnecessary. I do find it slightly interest that you use the word "baby" as a verb. Certainly, your vocabulary is advanced enough to realize that your usage is improper."

"It's another word that we use for senseless protection, unneeded protection," Kirk explained.

"Then, it is a highly inaccurate usage of said word, as a baby does need protection," Spock said.

Kirk waved a hand and said, "Okay, Spock. Semantics are strange across the human and Vulcan lines, but we're getting off subject..."

"Actually Captain, we are closer to the subject at hand at this moment than we have been since the initiation of this dialog," Spock said.

"Talking about babying?" Kirk was still confused.

Nyota finally said, "Talking about A baby, Captain. I am three months along. It's a girl." She threw Spock an apologetic smile. She had tried to stay out of it, but Spock was having trouble just coming out and saying it, and Kirk was having trouble following what Spock was and was not saying.

Kirk's face brightened and he smiled, "Congratulations, Mr. Spock, Ms. Uhura!"

"Thank you, Captain," they said in unison. Spock backed away from Kirk and leaned over the console again, as though the conversation over the schedule had ended, and Kirk had to admit, it had. He may have been able to talk Spock down from babying his wife unnecessarily, but there was no way that Spock was going to allow his pregnant wife to work the way that Uhura had been working.

Nyota and Spock met with their sons in the mess hall. Styik had already gotten himself and Sytar food, which Sytar had already practically bathed in. When they shared the news with the boys, Styik let out a frustrated sigh and asked, "Does this mean we're spending another year on New Vulcan?"

"Actually, your mother and I have decided that we will spend the year on Earth," Spock said.

Styik's face brightened and he said, "Earth? I've been wanting to go there for a while, now. The way that Pavel's always talking about Russia, and Jim always talks about Iowa, and Grandmother Ashaki always talks about Africa..."

"I'm African!" Sytar said, with a mouth full of food. Nyota tried not to laugh. Sometimes, her son only heard portions of the conversation, and still attempted to make his way into them.

Spock corrected, "You are filthy. We are going to have to work even harder to clean you up... how did you get food into your hair? Your mouth is on the front of your face, Sytar, not the top of your head."

Sytar solemnly attempted to collect the food from his hair, but made it worse. Spock took his hand away from his head gently and said, "Just, leave it. We shall deal with it later. Why are you not using your utensil, Son?" Sytar shrugged his shoulders sadly. Spock handed him the fork that set idly on his tray, collected some of the food from his curls, then offered him a small smile. With just that little gesture, Sytar's face and mood changed again, and he was happy.

Spock looked over at Nyota. She was smiling, too, and so was Styik. He had done something right. The conversation went back to Earth, where they would be living, what kinds of things they would do while there, and work. It was a nice conversation. Nyota was pleased with the direction that the life of their family was going.