AN: Here we are, another piece to this one. I only recently posted Chapter 3, so please make sure that you read that one, first, if you missed it.
I do hope that you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
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"I'd like to do a scan," Doctor M'Pram said, "just to have a look at everything."
"Later?" Beverly said. It was a question, but Jean-Luc also sensed that it was also a request. The Caitian doctor looked at Beverly with a slightly furrowed brow, but there was also an unexpected tenderness or familiarity there that he couldn't truly account for based on how little time they'd known each other. "When she's awake, it may do her good to have a chance to see the baby," Beverly added.
"We'll do another scan then," the doctor agreed. "If you think that's best. For now, I would like to see how things are going."
"Understood," Beverly said, nodding and ceding the point.
"A scan?" Jean-Luc asked, as Doctor M'Pram began moving things around.
"A visual scan to see the baby," Beverly said. She drew in a deep breath and let it out. This sigh sounded like one of exhaustion more than the ones of discomfort that Jean-Luc had been hearing throughout their time aboard the Sinclair—what felt like weeks, now, but had only been hours.
Jean-Luc squeezed her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She gave him a tired smile.
"You're exhausted," he said. "You were exhausted before all of this, and you haven't rested."
"And I'm pregnant," Beverly said. She made a noise—something along the lines of a laugh. She ran her hand over her abdomen. She was very thin—Jean-Luc had noticed that when they'd made love to each other not a whole day in the past, though it felt like a lifetime ago. Now, there was a bump there that was noticeable to him, though he doubted that anyone who hadn't spent time carefully studying Beverly's body would have noticed it. "I guess I should get used to be tired."
"You've been through a great deal in a short amount of time," he said. "You need to rest and recover."
She hummed.
"At least the baby's iron levels are good," Beverly said.
"They're perfect," Dr. M'Pram said, purring out the word a bit more than someone who wasn't of her species probably would have done. "The fusion appears complete, but I would like to have a visual check of everything. Do you mind?"
Beverly allowed her to readjust the gown, moving it out of the way and covering Beverly with a blanket, so that she wasn't exposed though, at this hour, there were very few people in sickbay.
Laris was in an intensive care containment field. She was still in critical condition, but she was growing more stable by the moment—that's what they'd been told. There was a team that was still working with her, having traded out with the team that was there before, and they wouldn't allow Jean-Luc to even see her closer than at a significant distance, until they felt that they had done enough work healing her to keep her from possibly picking up some sort of infection from his mere presence.
For now, all he could do was trust them to do what needed to be done, and take care of Beverly as much as possible.
"Are you comfortable?" Dr. M'Pram asked.
"Yes," Beverly assured her. "And ready to see how things look. I admit—I would have liked a better transporter than what I had. I was scared that I might not be able to pull this off. If it hadn't been an absolute emergency, I never would have tried with that equipment."
"Remarkable," Dr. M'Pram offered, "given how much precision was needed."
Jean-Luc closed his eyes a moment and willed his mind not to focus on all the possible ways that every last bit of this could have gone terribly wrong. For now, the only thing that any of them needed to focus on were the positive aspects of everything.
"There we are," Dr. M'Pram said. Jean-Luc opened his eyes to see what she and Beverly were seeing.
"My goodness," Jean-Luc said, before he could stop himself. Both women looked at him. "Well, it's just—it doesn't look…does it look as it should?"
Beverly laughed. Her laugh was almost musical.
"It's a seven-week-old fetus, Jean-Luc," Beverly said.
"Half-human and half-Romulan," Dr. M'Pram said. "A very unusual combination, but we have enough of the same sort of hybrids between humans and Vulcans, that there are some guidelines in our databases."
"The fusing is complete," Beverly said. "Do you see that, too, Doctor?" She leaned forward slightly and traced her finger along the screen, where the doctor had brought it close enough to her to do so. It was clear that the Caitian considered Beverly her patient, but she also recognized that they were collaborating with each other, to some degree.
"It's remarkable," Dr. M'Pram said. "Your body is responding to the transfer far better than most I've seen in studies. I've been reading a lot since you arrived. This is the first transfer of its kind."
Beverly hummed to acknowledge that she was listening. She'd placed her own hand over the doctor's hand, and she guided the apparatus that was allowing them to see things on the screen.
"The cord is correctly fused," Beverly said. "There is no rejection of the placenta. It's connected. There are no apparent leaks. Nothing that hasn't sealed as it should."
"Copper levels are virtually nonexistent now," Dr. M'Pram said. "However, I recommend continuing with the Cufenol, just as we would recommend with any hybrid pregnancy."
"Of course," Beverly said. "The vitamins, as well. The amniotic fluid is increasing."
"Rather rapidly," Dr. M'Pram said. "However, I wouldn't recommend stopping with the supplements for that, either, until we're completely satisfied with your fluid level. If you don't object, I would like to draw a sample of the amniotic fluid for analysis."
"I will agree," Beverly said, "but only under the stipulation that you stop, immediately, if there's any sign of distress."
"Of course," Dr. M'Pram assured her.
Jean-Luc hadn't known what to expect, but he'd held Beverly's hand through the procedure that had made him uncomfortable, even though she'd assured him that it was tolerable—especially to be certain that the amniotic fluid was correctly balanced for the fetus. When Dr. M'Pram had what she needed, she'd remained to scan Beverly a few moments more, reassuring herself that everything was as good as it could possibly be.
"I tolerated the suffering," Beverly said, her voice thick with fatigue. Jean-Luc was exhausted. He knew that she had to be, too, since she hadn't slept any more than he had. "Now—can I have the good part? I'd like to hear the heartbeat."
Doctor M'Pram smiled at her.
"Of course," she purred out. She moved something, and Jean-Luc was overwhelmed by the sound that he heard.
"That's the heartbeat," Beverly said with a smile. "Oh—Jean-Luc, listen to it. It's so strong!"
"And extremely rapid," Jean-Luc said.
"Fetal heartbeats are usually fast," Beverly said, "and Romulan heartbeats are extremely fast."
The doctor had begun to put things away. The scan was through. The baby was healthy, it seemed, and so was Beverly—even if they both still had some adjusting to do to their new situation.
"Forgive me," Jean-Luc said. "I believe—I am simply overwhelmed. I am having a very difficult time processing everything. I understand that there is, indeed, a baby, but…it almost seems impossible that it's truly real."
"It's very real," Doctor M'Pram said. "Though I have to admit that my sickbay hasn't seen this much excitement in a while. I'd like you to stay here overnight for observation. You're free to move about, if you'd like. Tomorrow, we'll assign you quarters."
"And Laris?" Jean-Luc asked.
"I want to see her," Beverly said. "I'd like to start helping with her treatment as soon as possible."
"The burns have almost all been healed," Doctor M'Pram said. "Major bleeding has stopped. There is still some minor internal bleeding that's being worked on at this time, and she's been placed in a full-body regenerator to help with the rest of the burns and damaged tissues. Most of her organs are functioning independently, though her lungs are healing a bit more slowly than the rest."
"There was a large piece of…her ship," Beverly said.
Doctor M'Pram nodded.
"It pierced one lung entirely. It did damage her heart, as well, but that tissue is healing well and more quickly than the lung tissue. At first, there was a bit of struggle keeping enough fluids and supplements going to support the healing, but we've adjusted for her increased metabolic rate and her muscle density."
"What does all this mean?" Jean-Luc asked.
"She's going to be OK," Beverly said. "She needs some time, and she need some care, but…she's going to be OK. We have both time and care to offer her."
"She should be stable enough to transfer to another facility in twenty-four hours," Doctor M'Pram said. "If that's what you want. I'm predicting forty-eight to seventy-two hours before she's ready to get on her feet."
"Is she conscious?" Jean-Luc asked. "Can I see her?"
"She's being kept under sedation for now," Doctor M'Pram said. "And I would rather keep her away from the risk of any infection for a little longer."
"It's for the best," Beverly offered, patting Jean-Luc. She looked at the doctor. "I'd like to evaluate her in the morning."
"I have no problem with that," Doctor M'Pram said. "For now, I'd like to request that you try to get as much rest as you can." She looked at Jean-Luc. "There is an open bed over there. You may sleep there, if you like, or I can find out what quarters have been arranged for you."
"I would rather stay close," Jean-Luc assured her.
They both thanked the doctor and she left them.
Jean-Luc leaned over her and stroked Beverly's cheek.
"I don't even know what to say," he said. "I don't know—how to proceed from here."
She smiled at him and stroked his cheek in response.
"For every time you've told me I'm exhausted," Beverly said, "I can't help but notice that you've failed to see that you're exhausted, too, Jean-Luc. You've been through a great deal, yourself. You have a lot to process. You have a lot of emotions that you haven't even begun to feel. I know you, Jean-Luc. You need to feel your feelings. If communications are up, I know that everyone knows where we are. Tomorrow, we'll reach out. We'll contact Jack. We'll discuss the future—where everyone and everything goes from here. We'll talk to Laris, as soon as she can safely be brought out from under sedation."
"I don't want to leave you," Jean-Luc said. "I don't want to take my eyes off of you. Some small part of me halfway believes that, after all that we've been through—I may simply open my eyes to find that you're no longer here, or that I'm not."
"You are exhausted," Beverly said. "But—so am I. Come here—there's enough room for us here, and I know that you won't let me fall."
Jean-Luc started to protest, but Beverly asked him, again, to join her on the bed. He was surprised to find that they both fit on the bed, although with little room to spare, and he sighed to feel her in his arms. She sighed, too.
"This is much better," she said.
He laughed quietly.
"I was just thinking the same," he said. "Though…"
"Go ahead," she pressed.
"It is overwhelming to think that…we are not the only two gathered here."
"I'm still getting used to that, myself," Beverly admitted.
"I haven't been considerate enough of all that you're going through," Jean-Luc said.
She laughed in response.
"You've been nothing but considerate," she said. "Now…go to sleep. We're both going to need our rest for tomorrow. It's going to be another busy day, and we're both going to need to have as much patience, understanding, and consideration as possible when we speak to Laris. She's going to need everything either of us can offer her."
Jean-Luc started to say something else, but Beverly shushed him.
"Hush now, Jean-Luc. Just hold me, and let's sleep for now."
Jean-Luc drew in a breath and let it out slowly. He focused on the feeling of Beverly in his arms. He focused on the way that he could feel her breathing. He focused on the sound of her breathing—a promise that she was there. He listened to the sounds coming from where he knew that Laris was being treated—where she was healing. Her monitors, now, marked sounds of life. It had been some time since one of the claxons sounded that made him fear that they would announce her death. He let the sounds of her life soothe him as much as they could. He felt the weight of his own body. He felt the slightly unnerving sensation like both of them were rocking on a ship caught in a storm. He recognized it as one of the effects of absolute exhaustion.
He worried that his concerns about everything would keep him awake. Mercifully, however, his exhausted mind allowed him to drift off into a restful, deep sleep.