Prenatal check up

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2020 @ 6:17pm by Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik} & Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 4: Episode 3: Guided by Starlight
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current
1553 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

Heather was taking a well earned break, enjoying her glass of fruit juice when the doors to Sickbay opened. She smiled warmly as Alicia’s familiar form walked through the doors, the two of them were only a month or so apart in their pregnancies and Heather had a bump too, just not as large as Alicia’s. “Hi Alicia, you must be here for your check up.”

Alicia smiled and nodded. “I certainly am, but don’t rush your drink I’m a little early I can wait.” She looked around for her father, she was confident everything would go fine with her pregnancy in his care.

“He’s in his office if you want to go and say hello.” Heather smiled before sipping her juice.

“Thanks, I’ll do that” she nodded. Walking across to Sthilg’s Office she smiled as she peered inside through the open door. “Knock, knock, I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

" Come in my dear." The gorn replied looking up slightly for the computer he was typing on. A smile spread over his face as his adopted daughter stepped in.

Alicia stepped inside, her one hand supporting her back as she walked over to the desk. “I’m due my six month prenatal check up so I thought I’d drop in and see if you were free.” She offered a smile.

"Of course I'm just working on sssome paperwork. Take a ssseat on the biobed and i'll get you ssseen to. Any complaintsss or issssuesss sssince the last visssit?" He asked

“Apart from feeling like a baby space whale?” Alicia grinned. “Just backache, general muscle aches and a few headaches. I put those down to tiredness.” She shrugged her shoulders.

" Have you been doing the exercisesss I recommended?" he asked as he helped her onto the biobed.

“Just as you told me” Alicia nodded. “I’ve been doing them regularly.”

" Good let'sss take a look and sssee if everything okay." the gorn said as he slid a small scanner onto his finger. Activating the holo-projector at the side of the biobed he began ruiing it over her belly as an image of the unborn daughter. " Ah, there we are. Looksss like everything going well." the gorn said warmly.

Alicia looked at the image in sheer amazement, the holo image was so realistic that she could see her daughter’s features quite clearly. “Oh wow! She’s gorgeous!!” She couldn’t help but she’d a few overjoyed tears. “Can I have some images to show Savar please.”

"Of courssse my dear. Ssshe'sss got hisss earsss. " He said as he zoomed in to her small pointed ears.

Alicia grinned as she looked at the tiny formed point on her daughter’s ears. “It makes her even more special, she’s already amazing and she won’t see the world for a few more months yet.”

Heather was watching her hand resting on her own bump. “I can’t wait until my prenatal now!” She grinned as she reached for a PADD upon which to put Alicia’s results. She looked at the biobed readouts. “Blood pressure ... is looking a bit high Doctor.”

The gorn took the padd taking a look at the results looking slightly worried. His hands started typing as he ran another scan as he turned to his adoptive daughter. " Isss there anything other than your current condition that may be resssponsible for your risssen blood presssssure?" He asked already haveing an idea what may be causing it.

Alicia shook her head. “Not that I can think of. I’ve cut back my working hours to half of what I was doing in readiness for my maternity leave starting next month. Is it a problem?”

" No that'sss exactly what you ssshould be doing. It may be sssomething in your daughter'sss biology let me take a look. " the gorn said as he looked at the incoming scanning data.

Heather kept an eye on the readouts. "Alicia I know you're worried but try not to get yourself worked up. Even if your blood pressure becomes a problem there are treatments for it that won't hurt your baby." She smiled warmly trying to reassure her.

"Dad?" Alicia looked at Sthilg almost pleadingly.

The gorn offred his hand reassuringly and gave his pregnant daughter a smile as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. " It's okay my dear," he said as he finished looking at the data. " Well, nothing in my grandaughter is causssing it. Asss Heather has said we have drug'sss that can bring it back to normal. I'm going to give you a prescription of sssome herbal tea'sss that ssshould lower it before we ssstar with thossse." he said caminlgy yet reassuringly.

Alicia nodded. 'I'll do whatever I need to do, I can't and won't, let anything happen to my baby!" She took a few calming breaths. "I guess this explains my headaches."

" Nothing'sss going to happen my dear." Replied the gorn as he kept her hand gripped tightly. " Ssshe'sss coming along great and in a few monthsss you'll be able to hold her in your armsss."

Alicia smiled. “Thank you dad” she had to admit she liked calling Sthilg Dad. “You’re the best doctor there is and I trust you. I should learn to take my own advice and relax.”

" Indeed. " Sthilg said hoping she was right. His eyes looked back to the data of his grandaughter. Noting something he tapped a few buttons to highlight it. " Hum, now that's interesting," he said calmly giving her another reassuring squeeze. " Nothing'sss wrong my dear. My granddaughter jussst appearsss to have a sssupernumerary heart. It'sss very common with hybridsss and it won't be a problem."

Alicia looked at Sthilg with a frown. “A supernumerary heart? What does that mean?”

" It meansss ssshe has an extra heart my dear." Sthilg said giving her a reassuring squeeze of the hand. " Asss i sssaid it'sss very common among hybridsss. "

“I’ve never heard of that” Alicia looked more curious now. “So that’s why my blood pressure is up? She’s drawing more from me than a baby usually would? What does that mean for her future? Can she function normally with two hearts?”

The gorn clicked his tongue from side to side as he tapped a few buttons. The holo image changed to show his as of yet unborn granddaughters growing organs. Zooming in slightly it was clear something was amiss. The unborn girl seemed to be taking her organs from her father's Vulcan side, but to the side of her growing heart was another one far similar to the trill. " Amazing," he said as the hologram let out a beat as the two of them moved in unison. " One is doing the circulation of the blood to the left ssside of her body and the other one is doing circulation of the blood to the right ssside. " He explained as he looked at the data. " Thisss isss very rare. Offen when this happensss the ssspare organ never connectsss to the needed sssystem. A sssuccessssful merger is very rare. Thisss would explain why your blood pressssures up."

“She needs both hearts doesn’t She?” Alicia looked at the hologram with concern. “Will it harm her in any way? Will she continue to thrive and have a normal life?”

" No my dear. Ssshe'sss in no danger. In fact ssshe'sss probably going to be more energetic because of thisss. If sssomething doesss go wrong with her heartsss me and doctor Paazur can easily fix it. " The gorn replied giving her another hand squeeze to calm her down. His voice showed complete confidence. "You are having a really ssspecial girl my dear."

Alicia smiled feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Thank you. That puts my mind a lot more at rest. So what happens if my blood pressure continues to go up?”

" We can ssstart you on a courssse of drugsss to help lower it. Don't worry they won't hurt my granddaughter." The gorn said as he reached for the neck monitor. " Here let'sss jussst put thisss on ssso we can keep an eye on your bloodpressssssure level. "

Alicia held he hair up out of the way for her father to place the monitor on her neck. “I’ve been organising cutting back my hours ready for my maternity leave. Tate is going to be helping with my workload and Savar as well. I’m lucky we have so many counsellor’s onboard ship. I do want to carry on working for as long as I can though if that’s alright with you?” She grinned as she looked at Sthilg.

" Light work only my dear. If you need me to look after my grandssson you have but to ask." the lizard replied as the monitor started scanning.

Alicia smiled. “Oh I will be taking you up on that. Am I good to go?”

Sthilg nooded as he handed her a memory chip. " Here'sss a copy of the holo image."

“Thank you Dad” She held onto his large hand as she slid down off the biobed. “You too Heather. “If I have any worries or problems I’ll call.”

"I'll be on call whenever you'll need me." the doctor replied as he watched her go.

{OFF}