- "The earth is a beehive; we all enter by the same door but live in different cells." -
African proverb
"Commodore Roseleaf, Admiral Pike. Come to see my newest patient?" Dr. Leila Maliki greeted them when they entered her office at Starfleet Medical. "That' s a lot of attention for one little girl. But then, she's a special case, isn't she?"
Rebekka nodded, looking displeased. "I still don't know which urge is stronger right now - to cry or to yell at somebody. We completely overlooked her existence!"
"Well, her mother didn't exactly volunteer the information, did she?" Dr. Maliki replied. "In any case, the damage is done, and all we can do is to try and make sure that Delia's future will be brighter than her past."
"I am going to personally take care of that," Rebekka promised.
"There is no need for you to feel guilty about it," Dr. Maliki tried to comfort her.
"Maybe not, but I feel responsible for her."
"Huh." The doctor looked at Chris. "And I am guessing, so do you?"
"Gaila was my student."
"So were a few hundred others."
"She died defending Earth and the Federation."
"Along with most of her class."
"That's true, but it doesn't make her death any less tragic or meaningful."
"And you're still feeling guilty about it," Dr. Maliki stated, sighing. "You know, actually I'm wondering why Leonard isn't here, too. He'd make this little gathering of people, who feel guilty about things they didn't do and responsible for people who aren't their responsibility, complete."
"Your point being?" Rebekka asked, sounding faintly annoyed.
"That you guys are just a little too good for this big, bad and ugly world." She shook her head. "But come along, I'll introduce you to our pointy-eared princess."
"Princess?" Rebekka asked, raising her brows.
"Well, she's gorgeous and she behaves like one. I've never met a confused, scared fourteen-year-old who carried herself with so much dignity. The mixture of Vulcan and Orion heritage produces some pretty interesting results."
"So she is part Vulcan?" Chris asked.
"Oddly enough, yes, she is. Which is a little tragedy in itself; because it means that the odds for her father still being alive are… well, not too good."
"He probably wouldn't have acknowledged her existence."
Leila Maliki shrugged. "Who knows. I've never heard of a Vulcan having a child with an Orion before. It must have been a somewhat special relationship. And the result of the relationship is pretty remarkable, too. I'll show you to her room."
The room that had been chosen for Delia, was large and sunny, the walls painted in a pale yellow that made everything look bright and friendly. There were flowers, books, stuffed animals, toys. It was, in short, a room furnished for a child, but the girl resting on the sofa by the large windows didn't look very childlike at all.
She was dressed in a navy skirt and light-blue shirt with matching shoes. Somebody had taken pains to make sure the clothes were exactly her size and they were neat and pretty enough, but it wouldn't have mattered. Delia would probably have looked exotic and fairy-like in rags. She had sleek, gleaming black hair that came down to her waist and flowed along with her movements like a living thing. Her eyes were large, deep-brown and overshadowed by long dark lashes, her eyebrows slightly slanted and her lips perfectly curved and full. The one ear that was visible looked distinctly too pointy for an Orion and her skin was a paler green than her mothers had been.
She lifted her head when they entered, measuring them with an inquisitive gaze, but not getting up. Letting them come to her. Dr. Maliki was right. There was something stately in her bearing.
"Delia, I have brought you visitors," the doctor said, slowly approaching her patient. "Please meet Commodore Rebekka Roseleaf and Admiral Christopher Pike."
The girl studied them intently for another minute, then rose gracefully and stood to greet them.
"I am pleased to meet you."
It sounded… indifferent. Maybe even slightly arrogant. In any case, there was neither insecurity nor hesitation in her voice.
"How are you feeling, Delia?" Rebekka asked carefully.
"Fine. What will happen to me now?"
"Well, we are trying to find your mother's relatives, but it may take some time."
Delia shook her head. "They won't take me."
"Excuse me?" Rebekka said, looking startled.
Delia fixed her with an almost hostile gaze, then pointed to her ears. "I'm a half-breed. Grandmother took me in because Mom begged her to take care of me, but the others never made a secret of the fact that they don't want me. I'm different. People are scared of people who are different."
She managed to keep her voice even, but Chris caught the flicker of anger mixed with loneliness when she said it.
"Starfleet will take care of you, Delia," Rebekka promised, sounding a little helpless, "Even if your family really refuses to take you in."
"Like it took care of my mother?" Delia replied bitterly. "She's dead, in case you hadn't noticed."
What do you reply to that…? She's right, we let Gaila get killed, and we abandoned her daughter…! Chris thought.
He turned to Delia. "Your mother was a remarkable woman, Delia, and her death was a great loss. And I understand that you are angry and sad because she had to die that way. I am sure you miss her very much."
Delia turned her beautiful eyes from Rebekka to him. "Yes," she replied, sounding apprehensive. "But why should that concern you?"
"Because I knew her personally," Chris replied.
Delia raised a slanted eyebrow in a look that reminded Chris forcibly of Spock at his most indignant. "You mean, you slept with her," she replied accusingly.
Rebekka hid a chocked sound of disbelieving laughter behind a cough. Leila Maliki frowned to cover her grin.
"Er… no, not really," Chris replied. "Your mother was my student."
"So?" Delia shrugged. "Things like that happen all the time. And human men treat Orion women like prostitutes."
"Not this one," Dr. Maliki said, fighting to keep a straight face. "I can vouch for Chris. I am sure that he always treated your mother honorably and appropriately. Particularly, since he isn't interested in women to begin with."
Chris cast her a disapproving look. He did not mind his sexual orientation being discussed in public, but certainly not with a teenage girl…?
Leila shrugged. "She's seen it all, Chris. You can't treat her like a normal child."
Delia was looking at Chris with renewed interest. "So you never even felt attracted to her?" She asked, as if that was hard to belief.
"No, but I am sure that she was a very attractive woman, so please don't take it personally," Chris replied with a small smile.
To his surprise, Delia answered the smile, if only briefly. "I think I like you," she stated. All three adults were now looking at her with varying degrees of astonishment. Delia pointed to the sofa. "You could sit down and tell me about my mother," she suggested and there was something pleading in her look.
Chris felt sorry for her. Despite her somewhat imperious manner, deep down, she was only a sad and frightened child.
"Certainly," he replied.
Chris stayed over two hours, telling Delia everything he knew about Gaila and her time at Starfleet Academy. Gradually, the girl's manner grew less reserved and she bombarded him with questions, first about her mother, whom she had last seen as a seven-year-old, but also about himself and his family.
"So you have children?" She inquired.
"A son and a daughter," he replied.
"Do they look like you?" Delia asked. "Mom used to say that I look like my father."
And I bet you do, because there is something distinctly Vulcan about you, Chris thought.
"No, not really. But then, Jim is my adopted son and Joana is my stepdaughter."
"Adopted?" Delia asked, looking confused.
"Meaning that he isn't my biological son. His real father died a long time ago. He is all grown-up by now, but sometimes even grown men need a father's advice."
"And because his father isn't there anymore, you take care of him?"
"Well… more or less, yes."
Delia's eyes lit up. "That is so nice!" She said warmly. "And your daughter? If she is your stepdaughter, then she's not really your child, either, is she?"
"Technically, she is my husband's child. But she is like a child to me. It makes no difference that we are not blood-related."
"I really envy her," Delia said longingly. "How old is she?"
"About your age. If you'd like to, you could meet her one of these days."
Delia pondered that for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then her face lit up. "Yes, I think I would like that. Will you come to see me again?"
"I promise," Chris said.
"You're late," Leonard said when he opened the door for Chris that evening. "I hope you don't mind that we already ate. Oh, and Laurel was here, and she wanted to ask you something, but she'll call again tomorrow."
Chris nodded distractedly, following him to the living room. "I met Gaila's daughter today."
Leonard looked at him in surprise. "Gaila? I never knew she had one. How old is she?"
"A year older than Joana. She's half-Vulcan."
"She what? But that's not possible, Chris, as far as I know, Spock is the only half-Vulcan there is."
"Well, not anymore," Chris replied, walking to the window and drawing the curtains. "The crew of the Avicenna picked her up when they were delivering medical supplies to Geltsun Colony after an outbreak of the Modlari Virus."
"Yes, I heard of that at Starfleet Medical," Leonard replied, frowning. "That really is one nasty virus to catch. As of now, there's no vaccine against it and they have been working on it for fifteen years, ever since it was discovered." He looked at Chris in concern. "She didn't catch the virus, did she?"
Chris shook his head. "No. She seems perfectly healthy and Leila says that they tested her before bringing her aboard the Avicenna."
"What was she doing there, anyways? It's a long way from her mother's homeworld."
"Trust me; you don't really want to know. Sufficient to say that she was sold by Ferrengi traders at the age of eleven. There's no telling what she's already been through."
Leonard looked disgusted. "But how could that happen…? Surely her family…"
"According to Delia, her family didn't want her because she's a half-breed. Apparently, Vulcans and humans aren't the only people with racial prejudices."
"Poor girl," Leonard shook his head. "What'll happen to her now?"
Chris shrugged. "As nobody seems to feel responsible for her but Rebekka and Leila's people at Medical, she will probably be turned over to Child Protective Services and placed in a foster family. Starfleet will pay for her education and upkeep, they owe that much to her and her mother."
He did not sound particularly happy at this prospect. Leonard cast him a sidelong glance, studying his face, then sighed heavily.
"Please tell me that you're not serious, Chris…?"
"About what?"
"I know what you're thinking right now. It's showing on your face."
Chris turned to look at him. "Well…?"
Leonard shook his head. "Chris, I do love you, and I have the highest regard for your abilities as a parent, but an outcast teenage Orion, who has every reason to be severely traumatized…? Don't you think we've got enough on our plate already with a little girl who has tragically lost her mother, Jim, and most likely, a newfound grandkid?"
Chris sighed. "You are right, of course. But I feel responsible for her."
Leonard stepped behind him, drawing an arm around him and resting his chin on Chris' shoulder. "I know," he murmured, "you always do. It's one of the reasons I love you so much."