“I have returned,” Malcolm told Ethan Shapiro’s still prostrate form, on a Sick Bay bio bed. Ethan’s eyelids fluttered slightly. “What, er, what does that mean?”
“Oh, yes, that’s a part of the process,” Phlox told him, “Now, you can stay as long as you like, but Tracey and Amanda – that’s the little Amanda,” he smiled, a tad too broadly, as per usual, “will be here soon.”
“I shall leave then,” Malcolm turned back to Ethan. “So, I had told you who was wed. But I have not yet told you who’s attached, and who isn’t, of course. And that’s the most interesting.”
He pulled up a stool. Phlox chuckled a little bit as Malcolm spoke. “There’s Jennifer and Aidan. You know about them, right? They have been living together for a while now. I imagine he’ll make an honest woman of her one of these days.”
“An honest woman?” asked Phlox.
“It’s a very old expression. It means that Mister MacKenzie would marry Miss Crossman.”
“Oh, how interesting. What a strange expression.”
“Now that you mention it; you’re quite right. It is odd,” Malcolm shook his head at the absurdities of English. “Hoshi, on the other hand, isn’t quite taken just yet, but she appears to have two suitors – Mister Torres and Mister Khan. Confidentially, my money is on Mister Khan,” he stated more quietly. “But don’t tell her I said that, all right?”
Ethan’s eyelids fluttered a little. Whether he was agreeing or acknowledging or listening at all was not something that could be readily determined. “Now,” Malcolm continued, “there’s also the good doctor here and Amanda Cole. You know her; she’s a MACO. And Travis is with Julie McKenzie, another MACO. She’s not related to Aidan or anything. It’s a different spelling, you see. Deborah Haddon and Chip Masterson aren’t quite living together, but I imagine they will be soon enough. There’s also Sophie Creighton and Brooks Haynem. I think I told you about them before. Do feel free to stop me if I am repeating myself.”
Ethan moved his eyelids down, and it seemed to be a more deliberate act than before. “Doctor!”
Phlox came over. “Ah! I see some pressing down. Very good, Mister Shapiro! It’s going to take a while, and you will need to be patient. But you are getting your abilities back. Now if you can push the lids down, you may find that you can also pull them up. Take your time.”
“Stephanie Ayers and Lloyd Ketchum – they are also a couple, as are Tara Balcescu and Gavin Prentice. That may be it. I can never say Tara’s surname correctly. Hopefully she’ll take Mister Prentice’s name. Of course, I don’t believe she’s dating him for my convenience.”
Ethan’s eyes crinkled a little, and the right-side corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “Did you see that?” asked Malcolm.
“I did. Lieutenant, I do believe Mister Shapiro is laughing at your joke.”
Malcolm felt a small tear squeeze out of the corner of his eye. “I have never had a family member or a friend or anyone I’ve known who’s ever been in a similar medical predicament. I scarcely know what to say or do.”
“You should be doing precisely what you have been doing. It is, after all, working.”
“Very well,” Malcolm continued, “that brings me to the very interesting point of our discussion. Allow me to inform you as to which of the women remain available. First, there’s Diana Jones, but she has told me that she is uninterested in men. So she is off the table. Maryam Haroun also remains available, but naturally she will have two suitors.”
“She already does,” Phlox confirmed, “I have been giving Crewman Hamidi and Private Azar the occasional tests and the like. I’m working on an intellectual test.”
“Perhaps they could play Scrabble,” Malcolm suggested, “I can demonstrate for you some time. It’s a fun game, but it’s also a bit of an intellectual exercise. But recognize that there is a spot of chance involved. Sometimes a rather skilled player can be demolished because of how the tiles go.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Phlox took note of that on his PADD.
“Ah yes, the remaining eleven. There’s Meredith Porter and Colleen Romanov. There’s also Kate Shelton and Nyota Warren. Plus there’s Patti Socorro and Ingrid Nyqvist. Nan Myers and Lili O’Day are also available. Plus there’s Victoria Dietrich. On the MACOs side of things, there’s Susie Money. I think that’s it.”
“That’s only ten. You’ve left out Sandra Sloane.”
“Oh, yes,” Malcolm asked, “How is she?”
“Doing better,” Phlox reported. “I can’t share the specifics of course, but she is having some luck with her treatments. She will also come here today.”
“Perhaps I should clear out now. Mister Shapiro – er, Ethan – I shall return, of course, but it might again be a few days. In the meantime, I’m very glad that you’re making progress.”
The Sick Bay doors swished open. It was Tracey and Oscar with their daughter.
“Right on schedule,” Malcolm turned, “Doctor, I shall see you.”
=/=
Tripp walked into the kitchen, a place he didn’t normally go to, ever. “Uh, anybody home?”
“Hiya,” Lili greeted him, “I didn’t hear you come in. Did you want Chef? He’s, well, I’m not sure where he is right now.”
“No, that’s all right. Actually, I came to see you.”
“Me? Well, I can’t tell you what’ll be replicated at dinner tonight although of course there will be something vegan for T’Pol.”
“It’s, uh, it’s not about food.”
“Oh?”
“Ensign, um, I was wonderin’. You see, uh, well, T’Pol ‘n me, I dunno if we’ll be able to have kids.”
“I’m sorry about that,” she wondered what this had to do with her.
“And I was, well, I was wonderin’, seein’ as you won’t be havin’ any of your own, would you, uh, would you consent to acting as a surrogate mother for us?”
“Commander, what makes you think I won’t be having any children of my own?”
“Aren’t you, um, past that?” he asked, and then immediately regretted saying that.
“What is it? Does everybody think I’m seventy or something?”
“What? Oh no, ‘course not.” He began to back out of the kitchen.
“Because, Commander,” she was a little sharp in her tone, “I’m not at the end of my childbearing years. And I hate the fact that people always seem to just up and assume that.”
“Well, I, uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump to any conclusions. Why, uh, why don’t you tell people?”
“What?”
“Tell ‘em.” He then regretted saying that as well.
“Why should I?”
“I dunno; people would stop making assumptions. People like me would stop, uh, putting our feet in our mouths and all.”
“But why should they know my business? It’s personal. It’s private. And now suddenly you know.”
“I’m, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It was dumb of me.”
“Actually, can I ask you a question?”
“I guess so.”
“It’s a personal question,” she countered, “now that you know something personal about me, well, I think you might owe me this much.”
“Uh, all right.” Tripp shifted his weight from one foot to the other, in anticipation of her inquiry.
“When you and T’Pol agreed to get married, did you think at all about the fact that she probably can’t have your children?”
“I, uh, a little bit, yes.”
“But you went ahead anyway, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“You looked beyond it.”
“Yeah,” he confirmed, “it didn’t really matter, ‘cause I love her.”
“See,” her voice quavered just a tiny bit, “This is why I don’t go around advertising it. It’s because, you see, I want there to be someone who also doesn’t really care whether I can have kids or not. Someone who looks beyond that, and who cares about me, and maybe even loves me, for who I am. And not for the kids I might or might not have.”
“He’s, he’s out there; I’m sure he is.”
“There need to be three or four of them, actually,” she continued, “because I know that the guys, they look at Meredith the same way. And I think they may look at Susie and Patti that way, too, even though God knows they’re younger than Meredith and me. Are there that many of them on board the NX-01?”
“I, I don’t know,” he admitted. He sighed. “But I think they’re out there. Somewhere.”
“I hope you’re right.”
=/=
“She’s in perfect health,” Phlox assured Amanda Tiburón’s anxious parents. The baby began to wail. “And she has a good, strong cry, too.”
Tracey picked up her daughter and the baby quieted down. She walked over to Ethan. “How is he?”
“He’s better,” Phlox reported, “It may not be readily apparent, but he is. He can hear us and there are small bits of purposeful movement.”
“Oh,” Tracey then thought for a moment. “Ethan, I’m sorry Amanda cried so loudly just now.”
In response, Ethan’s eyelids slowly, tremblingly, opened.
“Doctor!” Tracey yelled.
“Dios mio!” Oscar yelled. “Es un milagro!”
=/=
Dan hit the chime on Sandra and Colleen’s quarters. “I’m here to take you to Sick Bay. Hiya, Colleen.” Sandra opened the door for him.
“Just about ready,” Sandra reported.
“I don’t think you have to dress up.”
“I just, uh, want to wear something that isn’t a uniform,” she adjusted a belt, “I lost some weight while in, uh, solitary. Lots of changes. Hell, I came back to a new roommate, even.”
“Well, Sophie moved out, Kate moved over and then Tara moved out, too,” Colleen explained. “See ya at dinner.”
Dan and Sandra left. “Now, how are you really feeling?” he asked as they walked.
“Eh,” she replied, “I don’t like revealing all that. And now I’ve gotta reveal lots of things. It doesn’t make me feel comfortable or confident at all.”
“I think you’re not supposed to be,” he told her as the Sick Bay doors slid open.
“We can come back later,” Sandra stated, seeing everyone in Sick Bay.
“No, no, that’s all right,” Phlox assured her.
“We were just leaving,” Oscar stated. Holding a huge bag of baby gear, he left with his wife and daughter.
“Now, let’s get started today, shall we?” Phlox’s tone was expectant.
“What about him?” Sandra indicated Ethan.
“He’s doing a lot better,” Phlox told her, “open eyes and everything, see?”
She looked over. “Yeah, wow. I guess you didn’t expect that.”
“I did, actually,” Phlox replied, “and my expectations have been happily fulfilled. “I have more expectations, though.”
“And you have expectations of me, too,” she looked away.
“That I do. Private, perhaps you should wait outside,” the Denobulan told Dan.
“No, that’s okay,” Sandra informed him, “I don’t really mind.”
“We’ll be talking about things, and those may be intimate subjects.”
“I, uh, I need to learn how to open up more, I think,” she stammered.
“That is true,” Phlox confirmed. “Let us begin.”
=/=
Aidan awoke as Jenny was coming back to their quarters after her shift had ended. “How are ya, sleepy head?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” he yawned, “I, uh, Jenn, um, how would you like to get married?”
“Huh,” she stood there, “you sure you’re awake?”
“I am positive. This is not the first time I’ve asked you, yanno.”
“I know,” she confirmed, “I just, um, getting married feels like, I dunno, like this is all permanent.”
“Well, it is.”
“I guess it is. I can deny it all I want to, but that doesn’t change anything now, does it?”
“Nope,” he answered, “uh, it doesn’t have to be immediate.”
“Let it be later this month,” she decided, “I’ve always like August for weddings.”
“Jenny, I love you.”
“I love you, Aidan.”
=/=
Rex Ryan was walking down the hall when he spotted Colleen Romanov and Meredith Porter. “Ladies! Are you baseball fans?”
“Sure,” Meredith told him, “but there’s no baseball. On Earth there’s a war going on.”
“Don’t be so sure,” he smiled slyly, “I’ve done some research. Major leagues are gone, but a kind of minor league is very much alive. They barnstorm throughout the Americas. There’s a game on almost every night. I think Chip can pipe it into the Observation Lounge.”
“Are they any good?” Colleen asked.
“Does it matter?”
=/=
Rex Ryan’s Personal log, August fifteenth, 2038
Baseball! Whooda thunk it would be my in with the honeys?
=/=
Charlotte Lilienne O’Day’s Personal log, August fifteenth, 2038
It’s been a few days since Sandra attacked me. I’m glad she’ll be getting some treatment now, but God, it was scary. It’s starting to really hit me. Thank God Jay and Dan were nearby.
I really have to get my mind away from guys I can’t have. The Major – he smelled a little bit like limes. I bet that was his aftershave. I like it. A lot.
When Tucker approached me today about being a surrogate mother, it gave me pause. I wonder why other guys don’t think that way about me. After all, I am not being approached, well, at all. It’s like they’ve mostly forgotten it as an option.
=/=
Sandra Sloane’s Personal log, August fifteenth, 2038
I don’t really mind Dan hearing my business. I’m finding I guess I don’t care as much right now. The doctor said that some of it’s the medication. It isn’t necessarily happy pills, per se. Rather; it just makes you give less of a damn about some things.
I saw that Shapiro is getting better, too. It’s funny. I care less about some things, and I care more about others – already! It’s working pretty quickly, I think. I’m starting to feel almost normal again. It’s been far too long since I felt anything resembling normal.
=/=
Aidan MacKenzie’s Personal log, August fifteenth, 2038
Jenny finally said yes! I guess it’ll be in two weeks or so. I love her, but it seems like I’m always the one who says it first.
=/=
Malcolm Reed’s Personal log, August fifteenth, 2038
Ethan is doing better. That makes me glad. Phlox says I’m having an effect. I had no idea that was even possible. To know that I can make a difference, well, isn’t that a big part of what matters in the world?
I told him I’ll return when I can.