Disclaimer: I own nothing Star Trek-related…though I might consider the idea of beaming Kirk, Spock, Khan, and the actors who play them to my house, once I manage to construct my own transporter. Until then, nothing is mine except original characters.
AN: This is the last chapter of this story; the next part will be an epilogue, and up soon. The next story will be a Cap and Adena story arch (the inspiration of which we can all thank the Winter Soldier film for). Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!
Chapter 9: The New Arrival:
Although I had been thrilled to return to the Enterprise and to duty, it was a joy that didn't last long.
While my friends remained loyal and willing to help, the rest of the crew were wary of me, and tended to pull back in the halls whenever I walked by. It was like they expected me to go into a berserker rage at the drop of a hat, so they tried to stay out of my way whenever possible. Even the people I worked with tried to not upset me for any reason.
I guess it might have been due to my being pregnant, and the fact that I was a bit moody because of the hormones. On the other hand, they likely remembered when Khan had been aboard the first time, and how many people had died because of him. Since I'd been his captive and science experiment, they expected me to be the monster that he was.
The attitudes and actions of the crew hurt, but I tried not to let it get to me. As much as I wanted to be friends, or at least on good terms with them, I knew it would take a lot to win them over –and even if I managed to win some friends, there would always be those who would never trust me.
But there wasn't much I could about it, other than do my duties, be pleasant to everyone, and not act out. I had real friends who were willing to face hell for me, and that would do very well.
"So, how's the mom-to-be doing?" Bones asked as he prepared to run a scan of my enormous, eight-and-a-half month baby belly. "Any odd sensations or food cravings I should know about?"
"Not this week," I commented as I struggled to first get up onto the bed, then lay down on it. "I think I ate about a pound of French fries a few days ago. It kind of made Carol uncomfortable, since she was over for lunch and had to watch me eat them."
He chuckled and started his handheld scanner. "Well, you're allowed to eat a few bad things, but I hope you've been sticking to the diet I put you on."
I was, and told him so. There were also numerous supplements and vitamins that I was taking, to keep me and the baby healthy, as well as the exercise routines I had to do every day. It felt like I was going on a weight-loss diet, and it a lot of cases, it annoyed the hell out of me.
Luckily, Carol was a health nut, so she was happy to help whip up nutritious meals for me that didn't taste like the carpeting in my quarters. Uhura made excising fun by mixing it up with Starfleet fight training, so I was able to stay in shape and sharp. Jim and Spock sometimes helped with the exercise routines, too, though Jim was far more merciful –he was always worried about hurting the baby, which I thought was cute.
Spock was the best when it came to keep me in shape: he was gentle, as he was restrained with his Vulcan strength, but he always stayed focused. He was also always there to offer help, if he thought I could use it, and had even taught me a few Vulcan meditation techniques, which came in handy when I felt the hormones take a swing.
"So, any discomfort and pain?" Bones asked again, finishing his scan of my head and moving down to my neck and upper body.
Yeah, of course there was; I was pregnant for goodness sake! My back and head hurt, my ankles were swollen (and ached), and I wished there was someone I could call 24/7 for a massage whenever I needed it (which was constantly). And with the baby kicking me in the ribs constantly, it was a wonder that my grumpiness didn't show more often than it did. But thanks to Spock's meditation techniques, I was able to keep it well-contained, and outbursts only came out in complaints, grunts, and very threatening scowls, which cleared an area around me very quickly.
Lately, however, my stomach had begun to get the occasional cramp, with a bit of discomfort that I couldn't quite pin down a description for. I didn't think I was going into labor, but it had been bothering me, so I brought it to Bones' attention. He quickly moved his scan from my chest down to my belly, his hazel-green eyes looking at the accumulating results on the small computer in his hand.
I hadn't been too worried, but that changed when his face got that focused look a doctor gets when he realizes something's wrong. "Nurse, I need some help, now!" he called.
One of his assistants, a woman with silvery blonde hair and large brown eyes, came rushing over. Bones told her to bring over a full-body scanning machine, while another nurse began assembling an assortment of other instruments. I, meanwhile, began panicking.
"Bones, what's wrong?" I cried, hands flying to cover my stomach.
"The baby is showing signs of distress," he replied as the large scanner was put in place. "I need to know exactly what's going on inside you so that I can decide what to do."
I spent some of the longest minutes of my life lying there, waiting to hear what it was that Bones had discovered. Just when I thought I'd reach out and grab him by the collar, Bones finished looking at the scanner and removed the machine.
"I know you want an explanation, Ria, so to save time, I'm going to do it while I work," he said as a nurse passed him a hypo-spray. "Your baby is in distress. The cord is wrapped around its neck –it must have happened recently, while he was turning and preparing to be born. You can't have the baby the normal way, because it might strangle the poor tyke."
My heart leaped into my throat, stopping me from speaking. This allowed Bones to keep going. "I can't perform a C-section, either, for the same reason. So, to keep you both alive, I'm going to try a very risky move. Do I have permission to do it?"
Swallowing hard, I nodded. "Just save my baby."
Since she'd been experimented on by Khan, Leonard knew that the usual amount of sedative wouldn't work on Ria, and that the amount he needed to use on her would likely harm the baby inside her. So, he was forced to warn her that he could only give her what was safe for the typical human mother, and hope that was enough.
Ria didn't think twice before agreeing –she simply told him to get her son delivered safely, no matter what happened to her. "I guess I should have told Jim that I wanted him to act as godfather," she said wistfully.
"Jim?" Leonard asked, horrified. In his hands was the hypo-spray with the sedative, hanging in midair. "The man couldn't look after a goldfish responsibly!"
She chuckled, causing him to roll his eyes. "Nice," he dryly commented. "Don't do that again."
Giving her the sedative, Leonard began to prep his machines. Two nurses stood beside him, in case Ria began to go into shock, or worse. Two others stood by the bassinet, to help the infant in any way necessary. Everything was in place.
Taking a deep breath, he turned towards the nearby computer console and pressed the correct sequence. As it activated, Leonard McCoy watched Ria's face and hoped for the best.
I felt the drug kick in, and felt the oddest sensation in my stomach. The baby kicked, right in the ribs, as usual, and then, mid-kick, it was gone. All of the weight and pressure that I'd been carrying vanished, like magic, as did most of my discomfort. Whether that was due to the procedure or the drugs, I didn't know, not until I heard people rushing around the room.
"Bones?" I called weakly, suddenly feeling dizzy, but still wanting to know what was happening.
"Just a second, Ria," he said from someplace distant. "Nurse, keep a sharp eye on her vitals. The second something looks odd, let me know."
I let my consciousness drift a bit, just before I remembered that I'd just given birth –in a way. "My baby," I called out. "Is he alright?"
The nurse beside me was a shadow against the bright lights of the room, but I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder. "He looks fine, Ensign Drake," she said. "They're weighing him and cleaning him up, that's all. You'll see him soon."
All around me, I heard machines beeping, making all sorts of other technological noises as my mind drifted. How long would it be before I could hold my baby? Would it be soon, or would I have to wait until the drugs wore off? Hopefully that wouldn't be too long from now, I really wanted to hold him soon…
"Doctor, she's fading out!" the nurse called out, getting Leonard's attention.
"Damn it," he muttered, allowing two of the nurses to take care of the fussing infant as he rushed to Ria's side. "I need the brain stimulators, now!"
Janet fastened two of the devices to Ria's head while he prepared the machine itself. He was about to begin the count when Janet called him to wait. "Sir, she's stabilizing –vitals returning to normal, and remaining so."
Well, thank goodness for that serum that Khan had been treating her with, otherwise there'd be a death certificate along with the birth entry. Leonard did not want to think about what Uhura and Carol Marcus would do to him if he let anything happen to Ria!
Once several medicinal injections were in her veins, and after making sure that her vitals remained steady, Leonard went to check on the newest member of the crew. According to the data entered into the ship's computer, the little bundle of joy was a healthy weight, though he seemed a bit on the small side. Right now, the tyke was sleeping, wrapped tightly in a warm blanket and sucking enthusiastically on a pacifier. A thatch of thick dark hair damply clung to his head, a clear nod to his father's genetics.
'Makes me both wonder and worry what else the boy's got from his dad,' Leonard thought, scowling as he went to make a call to the bridge.
They had been talking baby gifts for months, but had never gotten the chance to throw a baby shower for Ria. Mostly, they felt it a bit inappropriate, considering the circumstances behind her pregnancy, so they'd let Ria replicate everything she needed on her own.
However, behind her back, Uhura and Carol had worked together to put together a basket of items they thought Ria might have forgotten to get for the baby. Personally, the best item was a schedule for someone to look after the little one while Ria was working, or to give her a break when she wanted some 'alone time.' To the relief of the male members of their group, their allotted time with the baby was minimal, since it was obvious that babies weren't their strong suit. Uhura felt the same way, but she was willing to put up with a lot, for her friend's sake.
Now the baby was here, and as soon as all of their shifts had ended, Ria's group of loyal friends had gathered in sickbay, waiting for permission to visit. Bones had told them it would be a while, but they were willing to wait. There had been a lot of concern over Ria's well-being, following the birth, but Bones had quickly assured them that she was alright.
"A most unusual means of delivering a child, Doctor," Spock commented, after they'd been told of the baby's means of birth.
"You can say that again," Jim remarked. "I don't think Scotty will ever forgive you for hijacking the transporters for that particular procedure. He nearly had a heart attack when control switched over to sickbay."
Rolling his eyes, his chief engineer chose to ignore him. "So, what do you think she'll name him?" Scotty asked the group. "Personally, I think Montgomery is a good name, but a bit of a mouthful. Scott might do, though."
Uhura laughed. "I don't think she's going to name her son after any one of you."
Jim pouted and pretended to look hurt. "Why not? Jim's a good, solid name, and one that goes way back in human history."
Uhura chose to ignore him and turned towards Carol. "You know, Ria's going to be seriously sleep-deprived for a long while. We should ask Dr. McCoy to shorten her hours, or give her a chance to take a nap during her time in sickbay."
"Good idea," Carol agreed, blonde hair bobbing as she nodded. "I think he'd be open to that."
"Who'd be open to what?" Bones asked, walking up to the group. He listened to her suggestion, and agreed with her. "It should be no problem. I'll see what I can work out with the nurses." He grinned. "In the meantime, there's a certain person I know you're eager to see."
I'd woken up all nice and comfy in the hospital bed, with a blanket tucked over me and several puffy pillows behind my head and back, which were feeling much better. Without the added baby weight, the aches were beginning to fade, and that was a huge relief.
It took a few minutes to fully gather myself together, and when I did, Janet brought me a tray of food, telling me that as soon as I finished eating, I would get to hold my new baby. Needless to say, I wolfed down that food faster than I'd ever eaten anything in my life, and before long, my beautiful boy was in my arms.
I'd been nervous, of course, about what he would look like –the fear that he would be the exact image of Khan terrified me. But when I looked at the warm, soft bundle in my arms, I felt those fears melt away. My son did have Khan's dark hair, but that's where the resemblance ended. Even though it was far too early to tell, I knew he wouldn't have Khan's unique, chiseled face, or his cold, clear, ice-blue eyes.
No, my son's face would undoubtedly be fuller, and his eyes a deep blue that gleamed with a touch of violet. I had no idea where such a unique eye color had come from, but I didn't care. My son was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
"I love you, precious," I whispered as he yawned, our eyes meeting and locking on one another. "I'll protect you from the bad man who wants to take you away from me. And your aunties and uncles will keep you safe, too."
"You can say that again," Jim's voice put in, startling me. "No one's touching my godson."
Uhura gave him a disbelieving smirk. "Godson, huh? When was that decided?" she asked as she leaned over to give my son a good inspection. "He's a handsome devil, Ria. He's going to break hearts with those eyes of his."
Laughing, I thanked her for the compliment and reached out to receive Carol's hug and kiss on the cheek. "So, Captain, what do you think of the newest addition?" I asked as he eyed my son.
Jim grinned and placed a bouquet of white and yellow roses in a crystal vase on the table beside me. "He looks like he'll make Captain soon –or at least First Officer. We'll have him trained up before you know it."
Everyone except Spock laughed at the joke. The laughter startled my dozing son, causing him to let out an outraged sound that was half squeal, half cry. My maternal instincts kicking in, I began to rock and shush him back to sleep. Luckily, he quieted down quickly, but rather than go back to sleep, he began looking around a bit. A minute later, he was asleep again, his tiny fingers opening and closing as he dozed.
"So, what's his name?" Chekov asked, popping out from behind Spock's stoic form.
It was something I'd been considering a long time, and had only just decided on it a few days ago. "His name is Caleb James Drake, after the Captain who so dutifully defended me to the Starfleet Council and made my new life possible," I said, grinning as Jim puffed up with pride.
Stepping forward, Jim put a gentle hand on my son's head, all of a sudden completely serious. "Welcome aboard, Caleb Drake," he solemnly said. "May you make us all proud."
Meanwhile, in another area of space, a pair of cold eyes looked out into the darkness and scowled. Below him, the growing structures showed signs of progress. They would be done soon, and would be part of the legacy that he would leave behind once he was gone.
But first, he would find what belonged to him, even if it took the rest of his days. And once he found it, he would never let it go again.
AN: Thanks so much for reading this story, and for reviewing. See you at the next installment!