Premature
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2269.220, 1605 hours.Spock reached in through the isolette and stroked his son's cheek, as there was no other significant part of his tiny body left free to touch. Sensors were affixed to his chest, shades were pulled over his eyes and an oxygen mask was affixed over his mouth and nose, obscuring 83.4% of his body. One of the nursing staff had also placed a small blue and white striped cap on his head to help keep him warm so that he could not even tell if his son had any hair.
He was so small; he only weighed 1240.38 grams.…
"What's his name?"
Spock turned to see the new nurse, an Andorian named Beth'liev, standing behind him. He did not have adequate time to wipe away the mist in front of his eyes before answering her question. "His name is S'chn T'gai Selas Uchenna."
The nurse took another step closer, pulling out a pair of gloves from her pocket and slipping them on. "That's beautiful." They both stared down at Selas, watching as his chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. "I assume there's some significance behind it?"
"That would be correct." Spock rested his hand alongside his son's body, not wanting to interfere with the equipment intended to keep him alive. "Selas is both an African and Vulcan name. On Earth, Selas means Trinity, which is appropriate in this setting as he is our third child. On Vulcan, Selas and his brother Senal were considered the first true followers of Surak, and Selas is the one that is alleged to have first proposed the modern day IDIC symbol." He paused and stared down at his son's half-covered face.
It was only logical that their son be named thusly. The name Selas had been an early front-runner on their list but they had only just begun compiling it and Spock chose it now mostly due to the nurse's prompting. He believed that when Nyota was recovered she would not object to his choice. Dr. McCoy was keeping her rather heavily sedated for the time being and it would be an indeterminate amount of time before she regained consciousness.
Although he was uncertain, Spock believed the Doctor was extending a kindness to his wife. Being born three months premature by all Vulcan/Human hybrid standards it was unlikely that Selas would survive the night.
Nurse Beth'liev rubbed her cold hands together to try and create a little warmth before checking the connections of the various wires monitoring his son's vitals. Spock was grateful for her thoughtfulness.
"And his middle name, Uchenna? What does that mean?"
He knew she was using her inquisitiveness as a way of setting him at ease; despite that knowledge he felt her efforts prevail. "Uchenna is an African name that is reflective of my wife's upbringing. The name means 'God's Thoughts'."
"Ahhh." Apparently Nurse Beth'liev was familiar enough with Terran religion to know to whom he referred. Spock was not a religious person; his adun'a, however, was a spiritual one, and in this instance he was not above invoking her deity to save his son's life. He watched the nurse gently touch Selas.
"He'll be well, Commander," she said matter-of-factly, slowly stroking his little forehead. "I can feel it. Can't you feel it too?"
Overcome with emotion and not knowing what else to say he merely nodded and kept his eyes on Selas until the nurse backed away. When he was certain he was alone he reached in among the blankets for the boy's hand. His son was warm to the touch and inwardly was a mass of pain and confusion but still, he was determined to live.
Spock was no stranger to pain and tried to take as much of it upon himself as he could through their tenuous connection.
"Yes, my son. You are strong. You will survive."
It would be several more weeks before they knew for certain that Selas would live; at the same time they would also learn that their son was blind.
A/N: Annnnnnnnd I just couldn't wait. Please read & review if you get the chance. Also, Selas is pronounced "Say-lass", just in case you're wondering.