Hi! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hope this chapter makes up for it and please, please review because they are like virtual cookies and keep me going! Also, I'm leaving it up to you guys to determine the baby's gender! Most answers will be what the baby is! Let me know what you want!
Tishbing
Chapter Nine
The sight of a less than immaculate Uhura worried Kirk. She quickly helped the other woman into her quarters, her earlier glow from the evening fading in light of the current situation. She settled the woman on the small couch and brought her water, giving the lieutenant time to compose herself. She refused to judge her, after all, these difficulties were because of Jamie's childish crush.
"Hey, whatever it is, it can't be that bad?" Jamie laid a tentative hand on her shoulder and waited. Uhura wouldn't look at her, her eyes were screwed shut and she breathed deeply to calm herself.
"What happened? Is there something I can do?" She asked quietly. Dark brown eyes looked up, tears still dotting the lashes.
"He knows. Spock knows everything and he's going to take the baby." The words dripped like poison from Uhura's mouth and Jamie felt like it was sucking her life away. He knew? How? And what exactly did he know? He was taking the baby?
"You're lying." She breathed. The room was spinning, hot and it was too much. It felt as if every good thought and emotion was trickling away like water in her hands, the tighter she tried to hold it, the faster it left her until only heartbreak and pain was left. Her chest burned as she forgot to breath and her stomach clenched.
"Jamie? Kirk?"
Uhura's voice was lost in the buzz of her created chaotic mind. Vaguely, she felt a small fluttering in her abdomen...the baby kicking? It was the first time she had felt it but her shock was overwhelming her. Everything was numb, she heard a faint beeping on her comm. A hand shook her shoulder and it took overwhelming effort to pull out of her panic. Uhura's face was inches from her own. Wide eyed and frightened.
"I'm...ok. Just give me a minute." Deep breath in, deep breath out. The technique from her childhood therapist coming in handy. Uhura didn't seem convinced even as Jamie patted her arm. The panic was still there, under the surface. A primal sense of protection and fear of someone stealing what was hers.
She stood on shaky legs and opened her computer, already knowing what she would find, Uhura's warning moments before only helped a small amount. Legal documents from New Vulcan. Declaration of intent to obtain sole custody of the unborn progeny of Spock and temporary custody already awarded to S'Chn T'Gai Spock based on presented evidence of past emotional instability, lack of support, lack of evidence of cultural sensitivity, and the list continued. Recommendation of termination of parental rights of James T. Kirk. Jamie's legs wobbled as she saw her whole life in bright technicolor, cold facts written out to make her seem like a wreck. Hell, they even included her Kobyashi Maru hearing to show lack of integrity and honor.
She saw press pictures of herself from Tarsus, hollow-cheeked and vacant-eyed. Even though her name wasn't listed, it was obvious it was her. Court papers had somehow been pulled showing her juvenile offenses and even social worker's reports during her mother's divorce were present. Once she got to the pictures of herself, again, she felt the bile rise up into her throat. She couldn't stop it. Uhura quickly grabbed the small trash can as Jamie threw up her dinner.
"Oh, god!" Moaning and throat burning, Jamie could feel Uhura rubbing her back but it didn't stop the utter sense of horror and betrayal. Her life was out there, in the open, and Spock had just...
"I'm so sorry." Uhura whispered. Kirk just clutched the trashcan and heaved until she was spent. She couldn't believe it. Why? Why would he go to this extreme?
Once she was able to calm down, she leaned back against the wall. The young lieutenant handed a glass of water and wet towel to her.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I do know he's planning on living on New Vulcan." She looked away, ashamed. "With me and the baby." She added hesitantly.
"Get out."
Uhura scrambled back. Jamie's eyes were like ice, all warmth gone, empty.
"It's not like that! He planned it without talking to me."
There was nothing, no feeling. Uhura's tears and apologies didn't register. All she knew was that her baby wasn't hers anymore. It felt like a part of her had been ripped from her.
"Get out!" Uhura watched in horror as her captain stumbled to stand.
"Wait. Let me help you." She pleaded, the blond's muscles not cooperating. Uhura had never seen her look like this. Carefully, she pulled on Jamie's arm to try and help her up only to have the woman collapse. A searing pain shot through her abdomen and Kirk gasped and recoiled.
"Don't touch me!"
She reached down and felt wetness between her legs. She was bleeding. The hard carpet made her back itch. When had she laid down? Brown eyes frantically bore into hers, sounds started to muffle as the edges of her vision started to gray and the pain from her belly faded. Jamie remembered she was mad but why? As the world turned black, she wondered if Spock was right. She couldn't even stay pregnant, maybe she wasn't supposed to be a mother.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Uhura was terrified. Everything was falling apart. There was blood on her hands in more than one sense. The medical team had been quick to get to the captain's quarters, almost seconds after she had called. Uhura moved to the sink in her exam room, washing her hands again. She could still feel the stickiness of the blood on her fingers, the images of Jamie's empty eyes haunting her.
"You keep washing, you're not gonna have any hands left." Uhura jumped at the intrusion.
The doctor pulled off his scrub cap and rubbed his hands over his face. He looked haggard and very tired but the eyes he fixed on the lieutenant were sharp, assessing and curious.
"Is she..?" Uhura felt her stomach knot in fear at the possibilities.
"She's stable and the baby's fine." The unspoken for nowwas heavy in the air. McCoy shifted and pulled Uhura's tense frame towards the biobed.
"Geoff and I were able to stop the contractions and the placenta had started to separate from the uterus but we were able to repair the damage."
Uhura felt like she'd been punched. It had been close. "Is she going to be ok?"
Frowning, the doctor replied. "It's...delicate, right now. She needs as little stress as possible. From what I've read, hybrid pregnancies are extremely risky and something had to have set her off."
Uhura bit her lip, guilt pooling and she felt responsible. "It.." She swallowed. "It was a letter from Commander Spock's lawyer."
McCoy raised an eyebrow at the formal address. "And just what did the commander's lawyer have to say?" There was a suspicious growl in his tone.
"It was a custody judgement awarding temporary custody to Spock with the possibility of it becoming permanent and..." She twisted her hands in anxiety. "...there was talk of terminating her parental rights to the baby."
"What the...how in the hell can a judgement like that be made?" His face turned ruddy with suppressed anger. The surgical cap in his hands ripped in half as he balled his fists. "She hasn't even had the kid. How can they know what kind of parent she'd be?"
"This is not right, dammit!" She could see he was wanting to put his fist through the wall or punch something but he held it in, breathing raggedly.
Uhura cringed away from him when he threw the shredded cap against the wall. Closing his eyes, he mentally counted to ten and turned back to the young woman, scanner in hand.
"I'm sorry. I just hate seeing my friend go through something like this. No-one should have to go through something like this." His eyes took on a faraway look. She knew there was more to what he was saying.
"It's alright. I understand." And agree, she added mentally.
McCoy ran the handheld over her, familiar scowl in place. "I'm not seeing anything alarming but your blood pressure is a little elevated." He put the scanner down and looked at Uhura. "The commander is waiting outside, if you want to see him."
She was pretty upset at him. Even though he didn't send the email that caused this mess, he was still behind it. The controlling behaviour, his almost cruel attitude towards the captain.
"I...guess." She mumbled. McCoy's eyes narrowed.
"I could tell him you need to rest." He tried, sensing her hesitation.
She shook her head. "No..I need to talk to him."
McCoy gave a curt nod and opened the door to the room, glaring as the vulcan commander walked by him. "If you need anything, I'm just outside." His eyes were firmly on the vulcan but the words were for Uhura, assuring her that he was watching and ready to protect her.
She gave a wan smile but it faded fast once the door shut, leaving her and Spock alone. Immediately, Spock moved to press his fingers to hers and she pulled away. His eyes widened in surprise but he quickly schooled his features. "I was concerned when I felt your fear and pain. I consulted the computer for your location and sent security and a medical team to the captain's quarters." His hand came up to her cheek to gently turn her to him.
"I was not sure if she had injured you due to the discovery of my gaining custody." His chest puffed out and he scrutinized her as if looking for injuries. He didn't know?
"I'm not hurt but I was scared." She spoke slow, her thoughts whirling. She had wondered how medical had gotten to the captain so quick.
"Why would I have been hurt? And what did you say?" She didn't want to believe what she had heard. How could anyone think that the captain would hurt anyone? She had died for them before and always had put her crew first.
Spock's arm dropped. "I should not need to repeat myself. Are you injured? I was informed that the doctor was in surgery and I believed it was you."
"It was the captain. She nearly lost the baby."
There was concern but it wasn't for Jamie and that scared her.
"The letter caused it."
Spock's body stiffened and a flicker of guilt passed. "Is..."
"She's stable."
"And my child?"
Her jaw dropped and it was like ice was going through her veins. "What?"
Spock's eyes flicked to the door to where McCoy was definitely still waiting. The ice was quickly replaced by lava when Spock still didn't show any sign of caring about the captain. It was like he had lost all focus. Before, he would have been hovering over her like a mother hen out of eyesight but now...it was like he blamed her for everything. He had shut off all emotion regarding her except negative and it frightened her. If he could be like this with Jamie, what was he capable of with her?
"Don't you care?" She whispered.
Spock tilted his head, like he was trying to understand her but failing.
"She could have died! She was so upset that she almost lost the baby!" She said forcefully.
It was like a curtain was dropped. Suddenly, he was cold towards her. "That is precisely why she is a danger to my child. Her emotional state is dangerous to a vulcan."
It was like a slap and she couldn't help recoiling. "I think we need to take a break."
Spock's shoulders hunched and his facade fell slightly. She could see the hurt but it wasn't enough. "I do not understand."
Uhura was angry and Spock had made her decision for her. The thought of treating another human being like that was unthinkable. It was anathema to her and it should have been to Spock. The Vulcan philosophy was to treasure all life and IDIC, infinite diversity in infinite combination. He was the embodiment of it and yet he was rejecting it by rejecting Jamie. She was carrying a miracle, going through the stress and discomfort with as much grace as possible even trying to remain unobtrusive in her and Spock's relationship.
"My emotions, right now, are dangerous to a certain vulcan." She spat acidly.
