All I Want......

Posted on Fri Dec 4th, 2020 @ 11:02am by Lieutenant Anna S. Thesia M.D. & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Aurora Vali

Mission: Healing of Minds
Location: Sickbay

{ON}

The morning had seemed a long time away after a restless night more due to excitement than anything else, Aurora stifled a yawn as she arrived at Sickbay with Savar to speak to Anna about their plans. She offered Savar a tired yet excited smile.

“Knock, knock” Aurora grinned at Anna. “I hope you’re up for a challenge. We’ve talked and we’ve decided we want to go ahead with the procedure to have a baby.”

"Oh, that was fast", Anna chuckled. "Good morning, let's get right to it." She smiled at both of them as she started to make some fresh tea. "Have you decided what you want in your child?"

"All the major organs and systems is an excellent starting point Doctor." Savar replied dryly.

Anna laughed. "That's a given. No, what I mean is the following. There's a reason hybrids are infertile. Cells that are perfectly fine dividing through mitosis run into problems during meiosis, that is the formation of germ cells. This is because of a differently numbered set of chromosomes, and in extreme cases, various template strands being distributed over different chromosomes altogether. During mitosis, an exact copy is made of all chromosomes, and both cells end up with the same set. Meiosis distributes chromosomes into germ cells differently, and hybrids run into problems because neither germ cell ends up with what they'd need as half of a full set, for later combination with germ sells from the opposite sex."

Anna looked at them for signs of their eyes glazing over. "So we need to figure out which parts of your genome we want to pass on, and which we don't, so that a healthy embryo is created. There is more than one way."

Aurora looked thoughtful. “I would like for our child to be able to have children when he or she is older but altering the genome will make our child less a hybrid than it would normally be, wouldn’t it?” She looked at Anna. “Plus genetic manipulation is illegal isn’t it?” She sighed. “I just wish ... I could have conceived naturally.”

"No, I'm not suggesting anything illegal here", Anna said. "Though the result of my work would have to be reviewed by an ethics commission before we can proceed." She sipped her tea before continuing. "I could isolate your Vulcan half and pair that with half or your genome, which is genetic selection but not manipulation." She looked from Aurora to Savar, so as to avoid having to speak about someone present in the third person. "The child would be fully Vulcan. I'd make sure to screen for genetic defects. Correcting them is genetic manipulation but correcting a genetic disorder is seen as treating an inheritable disease, which is permitted. You won't have to worry about any legal fallout, and your child will be able to procreate naturally."

“Fully Vulcan, so there’d be no Betazoid like me?” Aurora frowned as she thought about it. “As much as I want my child to be able to have children, I don’t want him or her to be losing part of themselves. I’d be taking away what would be natural if we could conceive ourselves.” She shook her head. “No ... I don’t want to do that.” She looked at Savar hoping he’d agree,

"There's a very small chance that you could indeed conceive like this, provided a gamete just happens to be either fully Vulcan or fully Betazoid by random chance. But you'd more likely be trying naturally for thousands of lifetimes rather than succeed once", Anna offered. She figured someone with Vulcan genes could do the maths on that more easily than her.

“So what do we need to do first?” She looked at Anna curiously.

Savar shook his head, "Doctor, that is unacceptable. I like Aurora wish the child to reflect both the Vulcan and Betazoid heritages. Can you do that?"

"Of course", Anna said. "But I can't fulfil both your wishes. I can't make your children have both your species' heritage, and be able to naturally procreate themselves. It's either or, I'm sorry."

Aurora looked at Savar then back at Anna. "Then our child will be as nature intended, he or she will have options like we do and will be lucky to have a doctor as good as you."

"Precisely." Savar added.

"I keep a check on my cycle, I'm just about at the right point to be able to conceive so can we do this today?" Aurora hoped she wasn't sounding desperate.

"We can start today", Anna said, now that they had agreed on what they wanted, and knew their options, Anna could indeed begin her work. "I'll have to start by mapping and matching your genomes. And Aurora, not just your core DNA, also other components of your cells. This will take me a while, I'll say a week depending on my other workload. Then we can submit the results for review in front of the ethics commission."

“A week!” Aurora nodded. “It’s going to seem like a really long time but I’ll wait.” She offered a smile. “Do what you need to do.”

"You do realise that people have to be patient in sickbay, if they're not part of the medical staff?" Anna smirked. "I became a doctor because I'm not patient." She brought up two small needles, enough to take the samples she needed, and based on what they seemed to enjoy in the bedroom, nothing to worry about, Anna figured.

Aurora was sitting on a biobed when she looked at the needles Anna was holding, “You seriously need to use those to collect samples? You can’t do it using a hypo?” She looked at Savar concernedly.

"I need to grab a few cells", Anna explained. "A hypospray injects tiny droplets of fluid through the skin under pressure. It only works one way."

Aurora nodded. “Sorry to sound so nervous, I’ve never had samples taken via needle.” She grinned. “I’m no chicken though, do what you have to do.”

"I prefer ducks, anyway", Anna said, taking the sample. "Chicken meat is so dry, especially that big fight muscle."

Aurora squeezed Savar’s hand as Anna took her samples, the needle wasn’t the most comfortable sensation in fact it was bordering on painful. “Are you kidding? Chicken is lovely! I prefer the legs myself.”

"Perhaps we have found a nickname for our CMO, 'Ducky'. Savar mentioned as he held Aurora's hand to keep her calm.

"You're claiming I'm a quack just when I'm working to make your child rearing dream come true, Savar?" Anna smirked. She poked the other needle into his hand to get some of his cells. "Do you think that's wise?"

Aurora sat watching their exchange with interest. It seemed Savar was picking up more of a sense of humour, perhaps from their shared bond.

Savar shook his head, "Nonsense Doctor, I am simply referring to your comment on ducks." Savar replied, his expression neutral.

"Rule number one for leading a long and good life: Be kind to your local duck-tor." Anna grinned.

Aurora grinned as well. “You have the best bedside manner ever! Did anybody ever tell you that?”

"Well, yes, but only the morning after a first date", Anna joked.

Aurora grinned. “So when you’re done with the ethics committee and we have a decision, what will you need to do next?”

"That depends on their decision", Anna replied, though she knew that's not the question Aurora had meant to ask. "If they say no, I'll have to formulate an alternative solution. If they say yes, I'll have to get an egg from you, take out the nucleus and put in a new one with the DNA profile generated. Maybe I'll have to tweak the mitochondriae and some other components of the cell as well, I will know by then. Once the embryo is made, it can be implanted, and then your part begins. You'll have to watch your activity, your nutrition, come in for regular check-ups and so on.”

Aurora nodded. “Why does it have to be so complicated? Aren’t doctors the ones best suited to decide if something like this should go ahead? Doctors know their patients better than anyone else.”

"Because doctors can also abuse their power, so I think it's best for all concerned that more than one person looks at this. Besides, if I make a dumb mistake, your child would have to live with it. Consider it a safety precaution."

“Of course” Aurora nodded and looked at Savar offering an excited smile. “Give it a week or so and we could be on our way to being parents!”

"Aurora, I understand you're terribly excited at the moment, and I know you should be. But don't expect miracles. It'll take more than a week. The ethics commission alone... let's just say, they're not known to be quick", Anna cautioned. "Unless there's some strings you can pull, you'll have to wait a while. Probably also designed to make sure this is really the decision you'll want to stick with, and it's not a spur-of-the-moment kind of deal."

"Patience Aurora." Savar urged his wife. "All good things come to those who wait." He continued.

Aurora shot Savar an angry look “I wish you’d stop saying that!” She Let Anna finish before hopping down off the biobed. “Do you have any idea how it felt to be told that you can’t conceive?!” She paced back and forth clearly quite agitated. “To feel like a special piece of you has just been taken away? A piece of you that would honour your loved one by providing a new generation to carry on tradition and the family line and ...” she stopped pacing and simply sank sobbing to the floor with her back against the biobed base, resting her head on her knees.

Savar looked at Aurora and then to Anna. "I see." He said simply as he picked Aurora up like she was a flower. "So your answer is to fall to the floor and cry. Which changes nothing. I will leave you to talk to the Doctor since my appearance and my words upset you Aurora." With that he turned and walked out of Sickbay.

Aurora looked distraught as Savar walked away as though he wasn’t interested in being in the same room anymore. “Now look what I’ve done!” She looked at Anna hoping she’d have some golden nuggets of advice.

Savar however hadn't left, he stopped and took a seat in the main lobby of Sickbay, wondering why he was unable to comfort Aurora. Which was all he wanted.

In her desperation Aurora reached out mentally for Savar surprised to get a sense of confusion from him via their connection. Confusion and longing for her. She looked to Anna. “I’ll be ... right back.” She dried her eyes and went in search of Savar finding him in the lobby. She stood for a moment before rushing over to him, sitting down and giving him a loving cuddle. An ‘I need you’ cuddle. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me!!”

Savar shook his head, "No forgive me Aurora. I was unable to comfort you when you needed it the most. I was unable to provide you with the emotional support you needed. The fault is mine.''

“No” Aurora shook her head. “It’s mine. All I need is you! I’ll wait for a baby as long as it takes, as long as I have you that’s what matters to me!”

In the meantime, Anna started processing the samples. She wasn't going to insert herself into what was clearly something they had to work out between themselves.

"Aurora. I failed you. I failed you when you needed me the most and I know how much you want a child." Savar replied.

Aurora nodded. “Call it what you like but I feel a tug right here ...” she placed her hand over her heart. “I didn’t feel it so strongly until I was told I couldn’t have what I wanted. Our child. I want to honour this union with a child, a grandchild that our parents can be proud of. I never used to believe much in tradition but once I became your wife I felt differently.”

"I understand your feelings Aurora but you must be patient. Rome was not built in a day. This takes time you heard what the doctor said. Wishing will not make it happen sooner or speed the ethics commission into making a decision." Savar pointed out.

“I know, you’re right, you’re both right” Aurora nodded. “Let's go back inside, Anna will wonder where we are.”