Medical Catch up

Posted on Thu Mar 7th, 2019 @ 7:47am by Lieutenant Commander Jaeih t'Noramei-McKinley

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Medical
Timeline: MD2
984 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure

Jaeih had wandered down to medical after they had docked at DS9. With no where to go currently, and shopping had bored her within moments, she chose to follow up on the conversation she had had with the assistant chief of medical.

Entering she looked around. She waved down a nurse. "Excuse me I am looking for Doctor Hertz?"

"Uh, try the medical lab?" the nurse said. "She's in there studying something, took a very large pot of coffee inside with her, too."

Jaeih nodded and headed down the hall to the lab. Once there she rapped on the door, knowing better than to walk right in.

Estelle almost didn't hear the knocking, as she was whistling a tune while looking at her lab work. But there was something in the back of her mind that drew her attention. "Come in?" she said, unsure if she'd heard right.

Jaeih stuck her head around the doorjam. "Hi." She said brightly. "Sorry to interrupt, you can tell me to go away if you are busy.."

"No, come in", Estelle said. "What can I do for you, Jaeih?"

"I ah... " She stepped in and let the door close behind her. "I need a favor. I need a pregnancy test."

"That's easy enough", Estelle said, suspecting there was more to the request. "You can get one from any replicator you've passed coming here. Who is it for, what are the circumstances?" Estelle remembered the last time she had come to her, and wondered whether there was a connection.

"It's for me. And I came because I.. have concerns around the genetics of the child due to my genetics and the genetics of the father." Jaeih replied.

"We can certainly run a check", Estelle said. "Though, I recommend you talk to Sthilg. He's a lot more experienced in reproductive medicine. But if you'd rather have me do it, I'm qualified, too."

"I.. would prefer a female doctor in this case." Jaeih said. She leaned against the wall. "It also stems from a very weird mission.."

"Okay", Estelle nodded. She pushed a few more buttons to put her experiment on halt. "I'm growing a voice box in a petri dish", she said just so Jaeih knew what was going on. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Jaeih nodded "A few missions ago, we found a pocket universe, where this ship and its crew, crashed into a planet. Badly. People died, the Captain died 10 years after the crash, but Commander Holmes died in the crash, and others were gravely wounded. It was a big mess. The crash sent that crew back nearly 20 years in time. And when we arrived, there were the survivors, and their... families." Jaeih paused. "You could say it was confusing. There, I had survived, and married the chief of Intelligence. We had 4 children with one on the way. My Alternative Self told me her pregnancies were hard and difficult. Not because of the lack of technology or medical supplies. But because of the genetics. I am half Romulan, Half Human. Wynter is half Human, Half Ullian. For me, being with Wynter was not that big a deal. We were already in a sexual relationship before we ran into our duplicates or past selves, which ever way you want to phrase it." She paused and took a breath. "So I am concerned about if I fall pregnant, I think I am. But the baby.."

"As I'm sure you're aware, natural pregnancies between members of different species are extremely difficult, and once you've got hybrids, especially both partners, the chances are almost zero. However, it still happens occasionally. It shouldn't be happening at all, and wouldn't be, if not for the meddling of the Preservers throughout the evolution of all our species." So much for the basics. With some, it was still a controversial theory, but as far as Estelle was concerned, it was a scientific fact. "Now, the good news is that we have the technology to adapt the genetic makeup of the unborn baby so it will be born healthy. It takes some doing, but it's manageable and, unlike designer babies, perfectly legal. I might not be able to spare you the discomfort of a difficult pregnancy, however. That might be too late. But we can certainly make sure you won't have any lasting health effects, and won't be in pain."

"Then there must have been something on that planet that made my alternate's children viable?" Jaeih mused. "And I would want Wynter to know before anything medical was done."

"Quite possibly", Estelle said. She took out a tricorder and ran a scan. "You're not pregnant, Jaeih", she said simply. "But I think coming here was still the right decision. If you do want a child, I strongly recommend coming to me beforehand. I could combine your DNA with that of your partner in a way that is compatible, so that there will be the smallest number of issues during pregnancy, or later in life. It might not sound all that romantic, but nothing says you can't enjoy each other just as much. Chances are, you'd be unable to conceive without medical help anyway."

Part of Jaeih felt relief, the other part, regret. But she gave Estelle a smile. "Thank you. I do not think Wynter and I are ready for children yet. We are still building our relationship."

Estelle put her hand on Jaeih's upper arm for support. "I'm not going anywhere. If and when you're ready, come to me. You can see I'm more more willing to indulge when there's not an emergency going on." She smirked. "And if you want to see something curious, come back in a week. By that time, this voice box should be fully grown, and the results will speak for themselves."

"I might do that." Jaeih smiled back. "Thank you though for taking the time to see me."