Completion chapter 2/?
Completion
Chapter 2
In Medical each returning member of the away team was met by a nurse or physician’s assistant as they trickled in and then was led to private exam rooms. They were all loaned a set of surgical scrubs until they could get their own clothing from the storage area, borrow from a friend, or visit the quartermaster for a new uniform.
Jim paced anxiously outside Marissa’s room as she showered. He would have followed her in, but Spock had pulled him aside to ask him if he wanted to let Starfleet know of the recovery effort now or at a later date.
Jim just shook his head. “Have the helm lay in a course for Galdonterre. We’re to meet Pike there in five days, whether we were successful or not. Until then maintain radio silence. I have an encrypted message I will send to Pike once I’m in my quarters, but nothing else should go out. We don’t want anyone knowing we recovered the team.”
“You do not believe that our transmissions are secure?” Spock asked.
Jim shrugged. “I don’t trust Dekker or UNISTAR. If nothing gets out, then they don’t hear anything. If they managed to find out about our mission and the President’s knowledge of it, then they’d expect us to start sending messages home to the families. If we’re silent they might think they are off the hook.”
“And the returning crewmembers?” Spock pointed out. “What should we tell them? I imagine they will want to contact their families.”
“Tell them that communications are down, or that we’re in a black out area,” Jim offered. “Look, I know it sucks, but bringing down Dekker and UNISTAR is more important. There’s an old naval adage: ‘Loose lips sink ships.’ A couple days won’t hurt anyone and once we reach Starbase 23 they can use the bases’ communications array to talk to their families. I’ll even foot the bill. They can talk for as long as they want.”
“I do not believe simply telling the crew they are unable to send messages will be enough,” Spock said. “Someone will attempt to circumnavigate the problem or fix the supposed error. Perhaps Lieutenant Uhura or I should arrange for a more…believable malfunction.”
“That’s a great idea,” Jim agreed, with a distracted nod. “See to it, if you would, please, Mr. Spock.”
Spock merely cocked his head to the side and nodded, before turning to leave. “I believe Lieutenant O’Donnell has exited her shower,” he stated.
Jim hadn’t heard anything, but he turned quickly to listen at the door. He couldn’t hear a thing, but he trusted Spock. Knocking twice, he waited.
“Come in, Jim,” Marissa called and he could hear the humor in her voice.
Opening the door he stepped inside and stopped cold. She stood in front of him in a set of blue scrubs, clean and with her hair out of its usual pony tail and now past her shoulder blades. She looked so small, and in the baggy scrubs it was obvious that she’d lost a lot of weight.
“What?” she asked self consciously, tugging her hair into a pony tail. “Do I look that horrible?”
“You look absolutely amazing,” Jim told her honestly, once again taking her into his arms.
“But…” she prompted, looking up at him with a frown.
“But…” Jim said seriously, “you’ve lost a lot of weight. I could tell earlier, on the planet, but now…”
“It’s more obvious,” Marissa finished for him. Reaching down she tugged on the string holding her pants up. “These are two sizes smaller, and still too loose,” she admitted. “I mean I always wanted to lose some weight, but this is ridiculous.”
“Lose weight?” Jim looked at her incredulously. “Why the hell would you want to do that?”
She wryly grimaced up at him, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes. “I always kind of wanted to wear the skant and actually, you know, look good in it.” Jim made a derisive noise in the back of his throat. “But my butt was always an obstacle. Way too big for those little skirts.”
“Hey, what did I tell you about saying bad things about your ass?” Jim said in a mock scolding tone. “There is nothing wrong with your ass.”
“Good thing,” Marissa grinned up at him impishly, “because even three months of short rations and three weeks of nothing but meal replacement bars and fish could barely make a dent in it. I think it’s the only part of me that remained the same.”
“Oh really?” Jim grinned lasciviously, his hands wandering down from her waist to cup her bottom. It was the first faintly sexual touch they had shared, beyond kisses, since he had finally found her and they both felt a frisson of awareness shoot through their bodies. Marissa’s nipples immediately pebbled where they were pressed against Jim’s chest, and his cock began to stir against her belly.
Before he could lean down and kiss her, the door swished open and McCoy walked in. “Teenagers, the lot of you,” he said in his usual growl, giving them a put upon look. “First Scobee and Jamison and now you two. I shudder to think what Onizuka and Reznik might be up to without any supervision. Haven’t you two had enough making out on the shuttle?” During his rant he started placing instruments and scanners on a tray and brought it over to the bio bed.
“Not even close,” Jim told him honestly, releasing Marissa who hopped up on the bio bed at McCoy’s pointed look.
“Sorry, doc,” she told him with an unrepentant grin, swinging her legs like a little girl. “It’s been a long time and I missed him.”
“I know, darlin’,” McCoy said, gracing her with a small smile and letting her know that he was just teasing. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you back on the ship.”
“It’s good to be back,” she agreed. “Even if I’ve only seen the hangar and Medical so far.”
“I’ll get you out of here as quick as I can,” McCoy promised. “I know you have other places you want to be.” He was already focused on the bio bed readings above her head. “Tell me about how you’ve been feeling. Any morning sickness? Fatigue? Spotting or bleeding?”
“No, yes, no, no,” Marissa immediately replied. “Aside from an occasional catnap on a cot, there weren’t a lot of chances to rest. I was okay with the fresh supplies we had coming in, and the stockpiled rations weren’t too bad, but once we had to start catching and eating fish…I totally lost my appetite.”
“Fish is good for you,” McCoy said absently. “Lots of good fatty acids and protein. Just what a pregnant lady needs.”
“Well, they tasted horrible,” Marissa told him with a moue of disgust. “I ate what I had to, but it always left me queasy.”
“Well, you’ve certainly lost some weight,” McCoy said, jotting something onto his PADD. “14.3 kg to be exact, and you’re anemic. Did you ever pass out?”
Marissa shrugged. “A time or two,” she admitted, “and I did get lightheaded occasionally, but mostly only when I stood up or moved too quickly.”
Jim reached for her hand, not liking hearing how she had suffered. She smiled at him patiently. “We all had problems with the altitude,” she told him honestly. “I did really well compared to the others. I grew up in the Rockies after all. Roth was great help. He would stay with me or carry me if I couldn’t walk. He stuck to me like glue.” She glared playfully up at Jim. “Don’t you ever call him Cupcake again, Jim. He deserves a medal for all he did and how he took care of us.”
“I’ll look into it,” Jim agreed with a pained smile. He was glad that Roth took his orders to heart and watched over Marissa, but it still hurt that she had been put in that position at all. She should have been safe on the Enterprise with Abby and him.
“Jim, you gotta let go of her hand,” McCoy scolded. “You’re throwing off the biometrics.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jim said, letting go of her, but not backing away from the table. “I don’t need to defend your honor or anything?” he tried to quip, though it came out much more serious than he intended.
Marissa just shook her head. “Yes, Jim, there’s such a huge chance for dalliance and illicit romance when you’re hiding out and living in caves,” she joked wryly. “He took your orders seriously and when I tried to get some alone time, to give me a moment of peace to myself he’d say, ‘I’m just following the Captain’s orders.’” She looked worriedly over at McCoy. “Is he okay?” she asked. “He really had problems with the thin air.”
“I haven’t seen him,” McCoy responded. “One of the nurses is checking him out now. Don’t you worry, darlin’,” he gave her a pat on the arm, “I’m sure he’s as healthy as a horse. Now do you know how far away you were from the city when the explosion happened?”
“We’d driven in a landcar about 60 km outside of Malloribia before we had to get out and start hiking up into the mountains,” she explained. “We were going through a tunnel system when the bomb went off. We didn’t even know it happened until we reached Alpha base.”
“How long were you in the tunnels?” Jim asked.
“Almost three days,” Marissa said, shuddering slightly. “It wasn’t really a tunnel; more of a bunch of connected cave systems. Hamon in geology would have wet his pants, I’m sure, but I didn’t like it much.”
McCoy and Jim shared a concerned look. It was obvious to them that she really hadn’t liked it at all from the elevated heart rate and breathing on the bio bed monitors and the sudden paleness that came over her face.
“We monitored the air quality after we found out about the explosion and never picked up a large increase in radiation. I thought about that later when I was really sure I was pregnant, but the wind direction was away from us so we didn’t pick up much fallout from the atmosphere, if any. Honestly, I feel fine, aside from being tired and very hungry for real food. I’m just really happy to be home.”
McCoy nodded as he continued to make notations, but then he looked up at her and smiled. “Well, it’s nothing that a little R&R won’t fix.”
Marissa grinned over at Jim, reaching out to take his hand. “Pizza and cake for everyone! And strawberries. I would love some strawberries.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Jim finally spoke, his voice soft, but his eyes were worriedly following McCoy as he pulled out more equipment. “Bones, what are you doing?” he finally asked.
“Everything looks good,” McCoy replied, plugging a wire into the bio bed and hooking it up to another contraption. “But I would like to do a more in-depth scan of the baby. Jim, relax. I’m certain there’s nothing to worry about,” he continued rapidly, seeing the blooming look of concern on his friend’s face. “I just don’t want to leave anything to chance. The thing is,” he turned his attention to Marissa, placing a hand on her leg, “this scan is so clear, at four months we’ll be able to see who this kid looks like and if it’s a boy or a girl. Are you all right with that, darlin’? I can keep a secret, even if Jim here will try to get it out of me.”
“It’s okay,” Marissa nodded. “It’s a boy.”
McCoy glanced at her in curiosity at the sureness in her voice. “Did you have any tests done on M’Qtobau?”
Marissa shook her head. “No, nothing like that. There was a midwife, but she didn’t know anything about terran pregnancies. I just know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It feels different this time.”
“Well of course it does,” McCoy replied sarcastically. “You’ve been living in a cave under stressful conditions. It feels different,” he muttered under his breath as he started up the machine and reached for a tube of gel.
“That’s not what I meant,” Marissa told McCoy and then looked over at Jim with a grin. “I just know it’s a boy and if it is…that means I get to name him.”
Jim nodded, though he still looked worried as he watched McCoy type on his PADD with one hand, the tube in his other. “If it’s a boy,” he agreed. “But it’s fifty-fifty, boy or girl.” He grinned lopsidedly at her, his thumb rubbing soothingly against the back of her hand. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her now that the initial exam was over.
“It’s a boy,” Marissa said confidently, turning her head to watch McCoy. “Oh, you heated it up, doc,” she laughed as McCoy squirted her belly with the gel he had used when she was pregnant with Abby.
McCoy winked. “Only for you, darlin’ But don’t get used to it. I just thought the captain might get upset with me if I caused you any more discomfort.”
“Damn right,” Jim agreed.
Marissa laughed again. “Like I haven’t been bathing in mountain streams and sleeping in a cave.”
Jim’s eyes briefly took on a haunted look that neither Marissa nor McCoy missed. “You’re back on the Enterprise again,” he said quietly, kissing the back of her hand. “Bones can heat up the goop.”
McCoy and Marissa shared a look and Marissa decided to let what she wanted to say drop for now. Jim had been extremely attentive and… hands-on, since he’d found her. She knew he was happy to see her, but there was also an underlying desperation that broke her heart. It was something they were going to have to talk about later, but right now she wanted to give him the peace of mind that she and their son were both healthy.
“Heated gel is a one time offer, now hush while I get this done,” McCoy scolded lightly.
“Yes, sir,” Marissa replied.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, during which McCoy maneuvered the wand over Marissa’s belly, entered info onto his PADD, and then pushed more buttons until Jim thought he was going to combust with worry, McCoy finally turned on the screen for Jim and Marissa to see. Even having seen it once before with Abby, though not with such clarity, both parents were awed by the sight of their child.
“His face… it’s… the chin…” Marissa whispered in awe.
“It’s pointed like mine,” Jim finished for her, the same amazement in his voice.
“And the fingers, they seem longer,” Marissa continued softly.
“Heart, lungs, and liver all look good,” McCoy interjected in his no nonsense tone. “The skull and spinal cord are excellent, I was most concerned about that with the lack of proper food you’ve had. If everything stays on track, I’m guessing you’ll have a 3 kilo kid.”
“That’s smaller than Abby,” Jim commented with concern.
“True,” McCoy nodded. “But if we get mama fattened up a bit he’ll be bigger.”
Jim’s head shot up. “He? It really is a boy?”
“The lady is correct, look,” as McCoy moved the wand around to focus on the little guy’s lower belly and his obvious boy parts.
“A boy. You were right!” Jim whispered as her kissed her hand, suddenly excited about having son. All this time he’d known she was pregnant. They’d made the decision to have another child and had tried for months, but he’d never thought beyond them having a baby. Boy or girl hadn’t mattered, but now he knew they were having a boy and all the things he could do with his son came rushing into his mind. This would be a totally different experience than having a girl.
“Jim, of course I’m right. Women know these things,” Marissa said smugly, pulling down her shirt and moving to sit up, after McCoy had wiped away the gel and turned off the machine. Jim was standing immediately and helping her to shift her legs over the side of the bed.
“So, what are you going to name him, Darlin’?” McCoy asked. “Or are you going to make us wait?”
“No, I know,” she said, leaning against Jim who had put an arm around her. “I’m going to name him after his daddy,” she smiled beatifically over at Jim, who started to blush. “And you, doc,” she added when McCoy started smiling with evil glee at Jim.
Both men managed to look flattered and disconcerted.
“Jim Junior?” McCoy asked, with a raised eyebrow and a dubious look.
Marissa laughed at the expression of distaste on Jim’s face. “Now that would be confusing to have two Jims in the family, though I suppose we could call the baby James. But that’s not it,” Marissa shook her head, a gleam in her eyes as she waited for the men to figure it out.
“Then what…?” Jim began to ask, but then a horrified look began to cross his face. “Not…”
“Yes,” Marissa was nodding vigorously. “Tiberius Leonard Kirk,” she smiled widely.
McCoy looked stunned and Jim just looked disturbed.
“Darlin’, you can’t do that to a child,” McCoy said slowly. “Leonard is bad enough, but at least it’s the middle name. But Tiberius? That’s just cruel.”
“It’s old fashioned,” Marissa countered.
“It’s ancient,” McCoy responded.
“It’s classic,” Marissa replied, while attempting to glare at McCoy.
“More like classical,” McCoy muttered.
“No, that’s just the worst,” Jim managed to mutter, running a hand through his hair as he looked between Marissa and McCoy who were having a staring contest.
His comment and expression made Marissa chuckle and she broke eye contact with McCoy. “It’s a boy and I get to name him,” she stated firmly, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest, which caused both men to share a smile at the sudden resemblance to her daughter when the toddler was told she couldn’t have something she wanted or when the adults around her were being particularly stupid in her opinion.
“Yes,” Jim said slowly, “that’s the deal.” An uncomfortable look came over his face, but he managed a pained smile. “The lady is right, Bones. She gets to name him.”
McCoy gave him a sour look. “You’d let her name the poor little guy Pegasus right about now, you’re so happy to have her back,” he said grumpily, transferring his glare to Jim.
“True,” Jim smiled sheepishly, “but I might have to put my foot down at having my son called Peggy,” he continued, surprising a chuckle from Marissa and McCoy.
“I don’t want to name him Pegasus,” Marissa said, calmly. “I want to name him Tiberius. You’re lucky I went with Leonard. I actually like the name Horatio,” she told McCoy.
“Lord help us all,” McCoy threw up his hands. “I’m staying out of this. It’s only getting worse.”
“We can call him Ty, right?” Jim asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Marissa nodded graciously causing McCoy to snort.
“You two rest here for a minute or two,” McCoy told them. “I’m going to go pull the blood panel and get some meds.”
“You said everything was fine, Bones,” Jim accused, the worry suddenly back in his voice. Neither missed how he grabbed Marissa’s hand once again.
“Everything is fine, Jim,” McCoy said patiently. “But she has been living in a cave on short rations. I’m only getting her some vitamins and her pre-natals. Standard stuff. Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, good,” Jim replied sheepishly.
They silently watched as McCoy left the room. Once the door slid closed, Marissa leaned against Jim, sighing when he brought his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “We’re having a boy,” he mumbled into her hair.
“Yeah. You’re gonna have to learn a whole new diapering technique there, Kirk. You have to lean waaay back,” she said as she chuckled against his chest.
Letting go of her shoulders, Jim placed his hand over her belly. She was so skinny, her four month belly seemed huge on her this time around. There was no extra padding at all. “Hello, Ty,” he said softly with a small smile, rubbing his hand in small circles. “I’m your daddy and I’m very happy to finally meet you.” On cue, he felt a fluttering kick against his palm.
“He’s happy to meet you too,” Marissa said, her voice watery, as she placed her hand over his. Tucking her head under his chin, Marissa gave a hiccoughing laugh. “Jim, I’m so happy to be home. I missed you so much.”
Jim took a deep shuddering breath, squeezing her against him as if he could absorb her whole body. “I missed you too, Mariss. So much…I… there aren’t words.” He pulled away slightly and looked down at her, gently wiping away a tear as he stared at her, his heart in his eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” was her soft reply.
The door slid open suddenly and McCoy strode in. “All right, I have…” He paused mid-step when he saw them huddled together. They hadn’t broken apart, but he had the distinct impression that he’d interrupted something. “I’m sorry, I can…”
“Come on, Bones,” Jim said, letting go of Marissa slightly. “The sooner you give Marissa your magic potions the sooner I can get her back to our quarters. She’s hungry and she wants to see Abby. And I want her all to myself, too.” he said softly, looking down at Marissa fondly.
“Right,” she agreed with a wobbly smile. Turning to McCoy she sat up straighter. “All right, Doc. Give me your worst. I can handle it.”
Please review
Chapter 2
In Medical each returning member of the away team was met by a nurse or physician’s assistant as they trickled in and then was led to private exam rooms. They were all loaned a set of surgical scrubs until they could get their own clothing from the storage area, borrow from a friend, or visit the quartermaster for a new uniform.
Jim paced anxiously outside Marissa’s room as she showered. He would have followed her in, but Spock had pulled him aside to ask him if he wanted to let Starfleet know of the recovery effort now or at a later date.
Jim just shook his head. “Have the helm lay in a course for Galdonterre. We’re to meet Pike there in five days, whether we were successful or not. Until then maintain radio silence. I have an encrypted message I will send to Pike once I’m in my quarters, but nothing else should go out. We don’t want anyone knowing we recovered the team.”
“You do not believe that our transmissions are secure?” Spock asked.
Jim shrugged. “I don’t trust Dekker or UNISTAR. If nothing gets out, then they don’t hear anything. If they managed to find out about our mission and the President’s knowledge of it, then they’d expect us to start sending messages home to the families. If we’re silent they might think they are off the hook.”
“And the returning crewmembers?” Spock pointed out. “What should we tell them? I imagine they will want to contact their families.”
“Tell them that communications are down, or that we’re in a black out area,” Jim offered. “Look, I know it sucks, but bringing down Dekker and UNISTAR is more important. There’s an old naval adage: ‘Loose lips sink ships.’ A couple days won’t hurt anyone and once we reach Starbase 23 they can use the bases’ communications array to talk to their families. I’ll even foot the bill. They can talk for as long as they want.”
“I do not believe simply telling the crew they are unable to send messages will be enough,” Spock said. “Someone will attempt to circumnavigate the problem or fix the supposed error. Perhaps Lieutenant Uhura or I should arrange for a more…believable malfunction.”
“That’s a great idea,” Jim agreed, with a distracted nod. “See to it, if you would, please, Mr. Spock.”
Spock merely cocked his head to the side and nodded, before turning to leave. “I believe Lieutenant O’Donnell has exited her shower,” he stated.
Jim hadn’t heard anything, but he turned quickly to listen at the door. He couldn’t hear a thing, but he trusted Spock. Knocking twice, he waited.
“Come in, Jim,” Marissa called and he could hear the humor in her voice.
Opening the door he stepped inside and stopped cold. She stood in front of him in a set of blue scrubs, clean and with her hair out of its usual pony tail and now past her shoulder blades. She looked so small, and in the baggy scrubs it was obvious that she’d lost a lot of weight.
“What?” she asked self consciously, tugging her hair into a pony tail. “Do I look that horrible?”
“You look absolutely amazing,” Jim told her honestly, once again taking her into his arms.
“But…” she prompted, looking up at him with a frown.
“But…” Jim said seriously, “you’ve lost a lot of weight. I could tell earlier, on the planet, but now…”
“It’s more obvious,” Marissa finished for him. Reaching down she tugged on the string holding her pants up. “These are two sizes smaller, and still too loose,” she admitted. “I mean I always wanted to lose some weight, but this is ridiculous.”
“Lose weight?” Jim looked at her incredulously. “Why the hell would you want to do that?”
She wryly grimaced up at him, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes. “I always kind of wanted to wear the skant and actually, you know, look good in it.” Jim made a derisive noise in the back of his throat. “But my butt was always an obstacle. Way too big for those little skirts.”
“Hey, what did I tell you about saying bad things about your ass?” Jim said in a mock scolding tone. “There is nothing wrong with your ass.”
“Good thing,” Marissa grinned up at him impishly, “because even three months of short rations and three weeks of nothing but meal replacement bars and fish could barely make a dent in it. I think it’s the only part of me that remained the same.”
“Oh really?” Jim grinned lasciviously, his hands wandering down from her waist to cup her bottom. It was the first faintly sexual touch they had shared, beyond kisses, since he had finally found her and they both felt a frisson of awareness shoot through their bodies. Marissa’s nipples immediately pebbled where they were pressed against Jim’s chest, and his cock began to stir against her belly.
Before he could lean down and kiss her, the door swished open and McCoy walked in. “Teenagers, the lot of you,” he said in his usual growl, giving them a put upon look. “First Scobee and Jamison and now you two. I shudder to think what Onizuka and Reznik might be up to without any supervision. Haven’t you two had enough making out on the shuttle?” During his rant he started placing instruments and scanners on a tray and brought it over to the bio bed.
“Not even close,” Jim told him honestly, releasing Marissa who hopped up on the bio bed at McCoy’s pointed look.
“Sorry, doc,” she told him with an unrepentant grin, swinging her legs like a little girl. “It’s been a long time and I missed him.”
“I know, darlin’,” McCoy said, gracing her with a small smile and letting her know that he was just teasing. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you back on the ship.”
“It’s good to be back,” she agreed. “Even if I’ve only seen the hangar and Medical so far.”
“I’ll get you out of here as quick as I can,” McCoy promised. “I know you have other places you want to be.” He was already focused on the bio bed readings above her head. “Tell me about how you’ve been feeling. Any morning sickness? Fatigue? Spotting or bleeding?”
“No, yes, no, no,” Marissa immediately replied. “Aside from an occasional catnap on a cot, there weren’t a lot of chances to rest. I was okay with the fresh supplies we had coming in, and the stockpiled rations weren’t too bad, but once we had to start catching and eating fish…I totally lost my appetite.”
“Fish is good for you,” McCoy said absently. “Lots of good fatty acids and protein. Just what a pregnant lady needs.”
“Well, they tasted horrible,” Marissa told him with a moue of disgust. “I ate what I had to, but it always left me queasy.”
“Well, you’ve certainly lost some weight,” McCoy said, jotting something onto his PADD. “14.3 kg to be exact, and you’re anemic. Did you ever pass out?”
Marissa shrugged. “A time or two,” she admitted, “and I did get lightheaded occasionally, but mostly only when I stood up or moved too quickly.”
Jim reached for her hand, not liking hearing how she had suffered. She smiled at him patiently. “We all had problems with the altitude,” she told him honestly. “I did really well compared to the others. I grew up in the Rockies after all. Roth was great help. He would stay with me or carry me if I couldn’t walk. He stuck to me like glue.” She glared playfully up at Jim. “Don’t you ever call him Cupcake again, Jim. He deserves a medal for all he did and how he took care of us.”
“I’ll look into it,” Jim agreed with a pained smile. He was glad that Roth took his orders to heart and watched over Marissa, but it still hurt that she had been put in that position at all. She should have been safe on the Enterprise with Abby and him.
“Jim, you gotta let go of her hand,” McCoy scolded. “You’re throwing off the biometrics.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jim said, letting go of her, but not backing away from the table. “I don’t need to defend your honor or anything?” he tried to quip, though it came out much more serious than he intended.
Marissa just shook her head. “Yes, Jim, there’s such a huge chance for dalliance and illicit romance when you’re hiding out and living in caves,” she joked wryly. “He took your orders seriously and when I tried to get some alone time, to give me a moment of peace to myself he’d say, ‘I’m just following the Captain’s orders.’” She looked worriedly over at McCoy. “Is he okay?” she asked. “He really had problems with the thin air.”
“I haven’t seen him,” McCoy responded. “One of the nurses is checking him out now. Don’t you worry, darlin’,” he gave her a pat on the arm, “I’m sure he’s as healthy as a horse. Now do you know how far away you were from the city when the explosion happened?”
“We’d driven in a landcar about 60 km outside of Malloribia before we had to get out and start hiking up into the mountains,” she explained. “We were going through a tunnel system when the bomb went off. We didn’t even know it happened until we reached Alpha base.”
“How long were you in the tunnels?” Jim asked.
“Almost three days,” Marissa said, shuddering slightly. “It wasn’t really a tunnel; more of a bunch of connected cave systems. Hamon in geology would have wet his pants, I’m sure, but I didn’t like it much.”
McCoy and Jim shared a concerned look. It was obvious to them that she really hadn’t liked it at all from the elevated heart rate and breathing on the bio bed monitors and the sudden paleness that came over her face.
“We monitored the air quality after we found out about the explosion and never picked up a large increase in radiation. I thought about that later when I was really sure I was pregnant, but the wind direction was away from us so we didn’t pick up much fallout from the atmosphere, if any. Honestly, I feel fine, aside from being tired and very hungry for real food. I’m just really happy to be home.”
McCoy nodded as he continued to make notations, but then he looked up at her and smiled. “Well, it’s nothing that a little R&R won’t fix.”
Marissa grinned over at Jim, reaching out to take his hand. “Pizza and cake for everyone! And strawberries. I would love some strawberries.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Jim finally spoke, his voice soft, but his eyes were worriedly following McCoy as he pulled out more equipment. “Bones, what are you doing?” he finally asked.
“Everything looks good,” McCoy replied, plugging a wire into the bio bed and hooking it up to another contraption. “But I would like to do a more in-depth scan of the baby. Jim, relax. I’m certain there’s nothing to worry about,” he continued rapidly, seeing the blooming look of concern on his friend’s face. “I just don’t want to leave anything to chance. The thing is,” he turned his attention to Marissa, placing a hand on her leg, “this scan is so clear, at four months we’ll be able to see who this kid looks like and if it’s a boy or a girl. Are you all right with that, darlin’? I can keep a secret, even if Jim here will try to get it out of me.”
“It’s okay,” Marissa nodded. “It’s a boy.”
McCoy glanced at her in curiosity at the sureness in her voice. “Did you have any tests done on M’Qtobau?”
Marissa shook her head. “No, nothing like that. There was a midwife, but she didn’t know anything about terran pregnancies. I just know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It feels different this time.”
“Well of course it does,” McCoy replied sarcastically. “You’ve been living in a cave under stressful conditions. It feels different,” he muttered under his breath as he started up the machine and reached for a tube of gel.
“That’s not what I meant,” Marissa told McCoy and then looked over at Jim with a grin. “I just know it’s a boy and if it is…that means I get to name him.”
Jim nodded, though he still looked worried as he watched McCoy type on his PADD with one hand, the tube in his other. “If it’s a boy,” he agreed. “But it’s fifty-fifty, boy or girl.” He grinned lopsidedly at her, his thumb rubbing soothingly against the back of her hand. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her now that the initial exam was over.
“It’s a boy,” Marissa said confidently, turning her head to watch McCoy. “Oh, you heated it up, doc,” she laughed as McCoy squirted her belly with the gel he had used when she was pregnant with Abby.
McCoy winked. “Only for you, darlin’ But don’t get used to it. I just thought the captain might get upset with me if I caused you any more discomfort.”
“Damn right,” Jim agreed.
Marissa laughed again. “Like I haven’t been bathing in mountain streams and sleeping in a cave.”
Jim’s eyes briefly took on a haunted look that neither Marissa nor McCoy missed. “You’re back on the Enterprise again,” he said quietly, kissing the back of her hand. “Bones can heat up the goop.”
McCoy and Marissa shared a look and Marissa decided to let what she wanted to say drop for now. Jim had been extremely attentive and… hands-on, since he’d found her. She knew he was happy to see her, but there was also an underlying desperation that broke her heart. It was something they were going to have to talk about later, but right now she wanted to give him the peace of mind that she and their son were both healthy.
“Heated gel is a one time offer, now hush while I get this done,” McCoy scolded lightly.
“Yes, sir,” Marissa replied.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, during which McCoy maneuvered the wand over Marissa’s belly, entered info onto his PADD, and then pushed more buttons until Jim thought he was going to combust with worry, McCoy finally turned on the screen for Jim and Marissa to see. Even having seen it once before with Abby, though not with such clarity, both parents were awed by the sight of their child.
“His face… it’s… the chin…” Marissa whispered in awe.
“It’s pointed like mine,” Jim finished for her, the same amazement in his voice.
“And the fingers, they seem longer,” Marissa continued softly.
“Heart, lungs, and liver all look good,” McCoy interjected in his no nonsense tone. “The skull and spinal cord are excellent, I was most concerned about that with the lack of proper food you’ve had. If everything stays on track, I’m guessing you’ll have a 3 kilo kid.”
“That’s smaller than Abby,” Jim commented with concern.
“True,” McCoy nodded. “But if we get mama fattened up a bit he’ll be bigger.”
Jim’s head shot up. “He? It really is a boy?”
“The lady is correct, look,” as McCoy moved the wand around to focus on the little guy’s lower belly and his obvious boy parts.
“A boy. You were right!” Jim whispered as her kissed her hand, suddenly excited about having son. All this time he’d known she was pregnant. They’d made the decision to have another child and had tried for months, but he’d never thought beyond them having a baby. Boy or girl hadn’t mattered, but now he knew they were having a boy and all the things he could do with his son came rushing into his mind. This would be a totally different experience than having a girl.
“Jim, of course I’m right. Women know these things,” Marissa said smugly, pulling down her shirt and moving to sit up, after McCoy had wiped away the gel and turned off the machine. Jim was standing immediately and helping her to shift her legs over the side of the bed.
“So, what are you going to name him, Darlin’?” McCoy asked. “Or are you going to make us wait?”
“No, I know,” she said, leaning against Jim who had put an arm around her. “I’m going to name him after his daddy,” she smiled beatifically over at Jim, who started to blush. “And you, doc,” she added when McCoy started smiling with evil glee at Jim.
Both men managed to look flattered and disconcerted.
“Jim Junior?” McCoy asked, with a raised eyebrow and a dubious look.
Marissa laughed at the expression of distaste on Jim’s face. “Now that would be confusing to have two Jims in the family, though I suppose we could call the baby James. But that’s not it,” Marissa shook her head, a gleam in her eyes as she waited for the men to figure it out.
“Then what…?” Jim began to ask, but then a horrified look began to cross his face. “Not…”
“Yes,” Marissa was nodding vigorously. “Tiberius Leonard Kirk,” she smiled widely.
McCoy looked stunned and Jim just looked disturbed.
“Darlin’, you can’t do that to a child,” McCoy said slowly. “Leonard is bad enough, but at least it’s the middle name. But Tiberius? That’s just cruel.”
“It’s old fashioned,” Marissa countered.
“It’s ancient,” McCoy responded.
“It’s classic,” Marissa replied, while attempting to glare at McCoy.
“More like classical,” McCoy muttered.
“No, that’s just the worst,” Jim managed to mutter, running a hand through his hair as he looked between Marissa and McCoy who were having a staring contest.
His comment and expression made Marissa chuckle and she broke eye contact with McCoy. “It’s a boy and I get to name him,” she stated firmly, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest, which caused both men to share a smile at the sudden resemblance to her daughter when the toddler was told she couldn’t have something she wanted or when the adults around her were being particularly stupid in her opinion.
“Yes,” Jim said slowly, “that’s the deal.” An uncomfortable look came over his face, but he managed a pained smile. “The lady is right, Bones. She gets to name him.”
McCoy gave him a sour look. “You’d let her name the poor little guy Pegasus right about now, you’re so happy to have her back,” he said grumpily, transferring his glare to Jim.
“True,” Jim smiled sheepishly, “but I might have to put my foot down at having my son called Peggy,” he continued, surprising a chuckle from Marissa and McCoy.
“I don’t want to name him Pegasus,” Marissa said, calmly. “I want to name him Tiberius. You’re lucky I went with Leonard. I actually like the name Horatio,” she told McCoy.
“Lord help us all,” McCoy threw up his hands. “I’m staying out of this. It’s only getting worse.”
“We can call him Ty, right?” Jim asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Marissa nodded graciously causing McCoy to snort.
“You two rest here for a minute or two,” McCoy told them. “I’m going to go pull the blood panel and get some meds.”
“You said everything was fine, Bones,” Jim accused, the worry suddenly back in his voice. Neither missed how he grabbed Marissa’s hand once again.
“Everything is fine, Jim,” McCoy said patiently. “But she has been living in a cave on short rations. I’m only getting her some vitamins and her pre-natals. Standard stuff. Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, good,” Jim replied sheepishly.
They silently watched as McCoy left the room. Once the door slid closed, Marissa leaned against Jim, sighing when he brought his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “We’re having a boy,” he mumbled into her hair.
“Yeah. You’re gonna have to learn a whole new diapering technique there, Kirk. You have to lean waaay back,” she said as she chuckled against his chest.
Letting go of her shoulders, Jim placed his hand over her belly. She was so skinny, her four month belly seemed huge on her this time around. There was no extra padding at all. “Hello, Ty,” he said softly with a small smile, rubbing his hand in small circles. “I’m your daddy and I’m very happy to finally meet you.” On cue, he felt a fluttering kick against his palm.
“He’s happy to meet you too,” Marissa said, her voice watery, as she placed her hand over his. Tucking her head under his chin, Marissa gave a hiccoughing laugh. “Jim, I’m so happy to be home. I missed you so much.”
Jim took a deep shuddering breath, squeezing her against him as if he could absorb her whole body. “I missed you too, Mariss. So much…I… there aren’t words.” He pulled away slightly and looked down at her, gently wiping away a tear as he stared at her, his heart in his eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” was her soft reply.
The door slid open suddenly and McCoy strode in. “All right, I have…” He paused mid-step when he saw them huddled together. They hadn’t broken apart, but he had the distinct impression that he’d interrupted something. “I’m sorry, I can…”
“Come on, Bones,” Jim said, letting go of Marissa slightly. “The sooner you give Marissa your magic potions the sooner I can get her back to our quarters. She’s hungry and she wants to see Abby. And I want her all to myself, too.” he said softly, looking down at Marissa fondly.
“Right,” she agreed with a wobbly smile. Turning to McCoy she sat up straighter. “All right, Doc. Give me your worst. I can handle it.”
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