Chapter Nineteen: Misconception

Marla knew she was awake.

She could hear words coming from people's mouths. She could hear machines around her chugging along. The heavy clattering steps of men paraded in the hallways outside. She couldn't open her eyes. She tried to will herself. Marla could feel her pulse quicken at the panic of not being able to see. Khan was on board the Enterprise and here she was bed ridden again, helpless. Whatever had caused her to bleed wasn't happening anymore. Marla could feel the dryness around her.

"Doctor Edison," An unfamiliar voice insisted pressing on her shoulder gently. "I'm going to need to ask you to calm down." She tried to breath, but couldn't. Instead she forced her eyes open to see her doctor, male with neatly combed hair and a square jaw. "Hell of a day, huh?" She looked to the machines then down at herself. There was a blanket covering her.

"What happened to me?" Her hand moved to her side feeling the skin was covered in a bandage.

"Shot, not so bad." He swallowed pushing himself away in a chair. "Slight burning. Easy fix" He seemed to play around with a pad before throwing a look over his shoulder. An army of men marched the prisoner pass them. Blue eyes locked on hers. They held no emotion. She was glad for it.

"I was burned." She concluded. "But the –"

"When was your last medical exam Doctor Edison?" She peered to the man in the blue shirt.

Marla found herself uncertain on how to answer. Her thoughts fluttered around the possibilities behind the question. Had Khan's blood not worked? It was an impossibility. She was healthy. She had to have been shot.

"I d-don't know." She said feeling a bit dizzy.

"According to your records it was around a week or so ago." Marla nodded at the response watching the medical officer carefully. He was gripping onto the pad with clasping fingers. She could see him swallow more often than not, Adam's apple bobbing prominently. His eyes wouldn't meet her until finally he decided to speak. "Were you aware you were pregnant, Doctor Edison?"

She stared at him trying to focus on each work together. Was she aware? No, most certainly not. Marla hadn't been able to get pregnant since she had been exposed to radioactivity, however it was possible now that Khan's blood had healed her. And it had in fact healed her. She should have noticed the signs though. She had felt ill boarding the various ships she had taken, before space travel did not bother her. Her appetite had changed slightly as she craved salty foods when she had been able to find food. The word pregnant then sank in. Pregnancy meant sex and therefore Khan, the only lover she had taken in months, was in fact the man who had impregnated her. A half augment fetus grew within her, the aim to a progressive future. Had grown.

"Were?" Her voice was shaking in asking.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Edison." The pad went down in his lap. "It appears that the mixing of the stress of the firefight on Kronos, your abdominal wound, and I suppose the stress of the mission has caused you to miscarry." Were. Was. She wasn't pregnant anymore.

"How," She wondered why the question in her mind mattered anymore. "How far along was I?"

"Not far." He concluded. "At most a few weeks, though probably not even that."

Marla closed her eyes slowly feeling her heart rate accelerate. It hadn't been that long since she and Khan had had sex however she was aware that augments developed much quicker than humans. Dr. Pierce had addressed that in her book.

Her shoulders tried to relax into the pillow, but she shook. She couldn't breathe. Panic began to set in and she wasn't sure why. The doctor called warnings of her to calm down once again. Eventually Marla found herself calmed enough. She found her hand grabbing at her stomach, it was soft and painfully flat.

The flesh felt empty in that moment. She had a chance to mother Khan's offspring. A small and fleeting chance to bring a brilliant child into the world. She wasn't strong enough to hold it, to bring a child to term. She knew that's why she was crying. The emptiness in her stomach was a reminder that despite everything she had done to prove herself to the augment her body would never be quite worthy, never quite strong enough.

"I want to," She paused knowing if she asked to see Harrison it would be more then suspicious, but she felt as though he had to know. Khan had to know of their loss. Remind him what they could have. Give him more than enough fire to do what was needed. "I don't."

"Please just relax. Kali right?" She nodded her head feeling her knuckles rub her eyes. "It's going to be alright, Kali." Marla knew it could be. She just needed to remind Khan that they had more to avenge now.

"What do I do?" It sounded too true.

"Bed rest. That's all you can do."

"But my post."

"Forget about your post." The doctor told her with stern eyes. "I'll tell the captain of your –"

"Please don't!" She sat up leaning to grab his hand with both of hers. Marla stared into his eyes that seemed surprised. She didn't want anyone to know of her failure. Perhaps the situation couldn't have been helped either way, but Marla still felt incredibly unworthy. "I can't – I don't want – Nobody can know." She swallowed unsure of the story that was forming around this idea. Perhaps Kali had had an affair with someone. She could play it that way.

"I won't say the specifics. Just that you won't be able to return to your post for the time being. Does that sound alright?" She slowly nodded. "Good." The doctor patted her hand before pulling away and getting up from the seat at her bedside. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got a cranky superman to look over." She watched the man leave looking down at herself.

Every plan her and Khan had laid out was thrown away. The presence of the potential new life labored heavy on her. Marla had never imagined becoming a mother. She had loved her own mother however she knew that being one herself would take over her. However imagining herself as a mother with Khan beside her seemed fairly simple. She palmed the emptiness in her stomach. If she had stayed on Earth, if she had left Khan to deal with things on his own she wondered if the fetus would have survived. It was impossibility to think of considering Khan had desired her to watch his people.

It's what he wanted. Survival was key to the augments, which included the breeding of their species. As far as she knew Marla would have been the first human to birth the offspring of an augment. The possibility of that happening now drove her. It was another reason to survive this mess, to keep Khan alive. Despite the fact that he was her partner and that he promised her Marcus' end she wanted to be his equal. She wanted to be strong enough to be the mother of his children. From then on everything would be a test.

"I thought I recognized you." The blonde, Carol had her head tilted as she walked into the room. "You look, different," Marla felt her hand worm from her stomach to her collar. They hadn't removed the scalpel under her skin. "Healthier." Carol had a pad in her hand looking back and forth before she approached. She appeared to be pulling up an image on her pad. "When I was looking through my father's records," Father? The admiral. She was the admiral's daughter. Marla felt the pressing need to stab her in the neck. "I saw your face once then it was gone within days," Her eyes searched Marla's. "Your records were completely erased, Dr. McGivers." She shook her head slightly. "Why? What was my father using you for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Marla said slowly. "Could you please let me be? I just . . ." Even though it was supposed to be a distraction she was genuinely upset to discover that she had a miscarriage.

"I know you aren't exactly in the frame of mind to discuss this, but those torpedoes –"

"They really aren't any of your concern are they?!" Marla felt herself yell to the woman. Carol seemed surprised by the response. "Leave me alone, please."

"You lied." Carol concluded. "You lied about your identity. I won't leave until I know why." She swallowed slowly nodding. "I've done the same thing so I understand how you feel. I won't judge you." Of course she would. She could see the look in the woman's eyes. She was trying not to judge her, but her eyes showed a wavering and caution. "I remember you. On the elevator. You were sick. I saw in your file you were on the Reliant when the warp core mal . . . ." She stopped herself. She looked over at Marla. "Like ours." She whispered. Carol searched Marla's face. "What did my father have you doing?"

"Your father," She paused. "Had me dying for his own amusement." The woman felt good to admit the truth and see the shock fill Carol's eyes.

"My father wouldn't –"

"But he did. I was there. He had me work while I died from the inside out. He had me make him weapons while my life slowly ended." Marla felt hopeless in that moment. "Do not think of Admiral Marcus as a man who is beyond using the people around him as pawns. That would be a mistake. And he will use you too if need be." He would throw his daughter to the wars if it meant his success.

"The torpedoes." She repeated.

"I don't know anything about the torpedoes." Marla lied. "I worked on restoration."

"Why are you here, Doctor McGivers?" Carol searched her face standing by her bedside. Marla scratched her shoulder feeling the metal in her shoulder.

"I wanted to stop Harrison." Not the exact reason she was there, but close to it. She was there to ensure Harrison succeeded.

"You didn't want to rescue him?" The words faltered a bit from Carol's mouth. "That's why you're really here right, Marla?"

"Please, you don't know what you're saying." Marla didn't want to take the weapon out. She didn't want to expose herself, but she would have to kill the admiral's daughter.

"I think I do," She swallowed turning around. "There wasn't just records on my father's computer," Marla could see the discomfort. "There was footage," Their eyes met and that's when Marla knew just what footage Carol had seen. "Footage of you and Harrison." She could see Carol's hand reach.

Marla was faster. She ripped the blade from her skin and whipped it to Carol's throat. Her throat extended backwards. The blade traced the pale skin of Marcus' daughter's neck. It would be so easy to slit her open then and there, but she would be completely exposed.

"Please don't." Marla breathed out feeling calm with the blade in her hand. "Do not tell anyone of this."

"Put the weapon down!" Marla's eyes shifted for a moment. Kirk had his weapon aimed toward her. She felt her heart sink slightly. She was exposed. More guards were on the way. "Doctor put the weapon down!" She felt the blood rush to her head as her hand pressed forward. The skin broke as Carol gasped. "I'll be forced to stun you, Doctor Edison."

"McGivers. Marla McGivers." Marla wasn't sure if the words had made her hand slip or if she had already known she was gonna cut her. The skin was open and exposed as Carol gurgled and warm blood tickled on Marla's fingers.

Instantly she felt the stun pummel her. Her body collapsed once more.

Author's Note: Did Marla just kill Carol Marcus?! Will Marla tell Khan of her miscarriage? Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. And again sorry for the cliffhanger.