Summary: What would have happened if Tucker had stayed pregnant?
Disclaimer: I don't anybody. They all belong to somebody else and I
definitely don't have their permission to write this.
A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for a long time. I decided to
post it and if anyone liked the idea I'd write some more for it.
***
Mr. Mom
I was on the bridge when we found what was left of their ship. I can't say exactly what went through my mind when I saw the wreckage but the general theme was 'Oh, crap.' I had been hoping for an easy answer an easy fix, wasn't going to happen now.
"Captain Archer there are traces of Klingon energy weapons around the debris." Cmdr T'pol reported.
"Well I guess we found the Xyrillians. But not before the Klingons." John was looking at me when he said it. I found it hard to control my expression. My feelings were at war with each other. I just didn't know what to do or how to feel. Maybe it was the hormones but I just had to get out of there. I couldn't stand the pity and concern in John's eyes. The others shot confused glances at each other. As the lift doors shut the last thing I heard was John calling my name.
The trip to my quarters was a blur. The next thing I remembered was sliding down the wall feeling the tears slipping down my cheeks. Struggling to get up I made my way over to my bed feeling the spasms from the silent tears racking my body. Collapsing on top of my bed I curled up in a ball and cried myself to sleep.
Slowly waking up the next morning the first thing I noticed was the feelings of peace, happiness, love, and warmth I was feeling, except they weren't my feelings. The second thing I noticed was that the size of the lump had doubled. I couldn't deny it anymore, I really was pregnant. I felt the tears returning but then the feeling increased bringing with them a kind of quiet laughter only the laughter was in my head. My despair disappeared it was dispersed by the feelings coming from the baby. As if sensing that everything was alright the feelings subsided and grew faint. I could still feel them though. They made me admit to myself that the baby was real and not going to go away, until this point I always thought of the baby as 'the lump' or 'it' not wanting to acknowledge that it was really a baby and really alive.
Glancing at the old style digital clock I keep on my dresser I found it was 1000 hours. 'Damn I'm late for my appointment with the Doc.' I jumped up to take a quick shower because I always figured that late was late might as well be a little later than rush off dirty. I felt another giggle. I guess the baby agreed with me.
Walking down the corridors I felt the eyes of the crew on me, you don't often see someone in civilian clothes on the Enterprise, but I could no longer wear my uniform. It would never fit. More giggles, I guess everything's funny today. I didn't mind I actually found the giggles kind of comforting.
Taking a deep breath I steeled myself before entering the sickbay and found myself facing John and Dr. Pholx. They clearly had been arguing. They stopped as soon as I entered the room and an uncomfortable silence followed.
Glancing back and forth between them I said, "Okay guys, what'd I miss?" John looked a little uncomfortable at my question but didn't say anything.
"Commander Tucker I believe you're late." Phlox said as he bustled me over to the scanner.
"Well, yes..."
"Then we better get on with it before we waste any more time. If you would excuse us Captain." John looked like he wanted to argue but just nodded and left. I tried to ask what had happened again but the Doc basically manhandled me into shutting up.
When the exam was over Phlox didn't look happy. Concerned I asked, "What's wrong, Doc?" thinking there might be something wrong with the baby, strangely this caused panic to set in where not an hour ago I would have been relieved.
"Nothing is wrong Commander. The fetus seems to have doubled in size in the last 30 hours is all and the dormant genetic material that I assumed would begin taking on characteristics is. But it seems I made a mistake in my earlier diagnosis."
I smiled relieved that there was nothing wrong. "What I'm not pregnant?" I joked weakly.
"Oh, your certainly pregnant, but I was wrong when I said that it really wasn't your baby. It appears that 80% of the genetic material of the fetus is taking on human characteristics when I assumed they would continue their genetic predisposition."
I felt something squeeze in my chest. "Are you trying to tell me that this baby is going to be part human?"
"Yes, in fact mostly human. It is quiet fascinating. Humans are made up of 50% of the genetic make up of their mother and 50% of the genetic make up of their father. But this child will be made up of 80% of your DNA and only 20% of the mother's."
I was still hung up on the part human part. "I thought you said that it would only be Xyrillian like Ah'Len."
"I assumed it would be. It showed no signs of trying to integrate human DNA in to its makeup until recently. It's most fascinating. For most conceptions you need all the genetic material at the time of conception to create the zygote, then the embryo, and then the fetus but this species is completely different than any I have encountered. I had wondered if they procreated asexually since they seemed only to need the genes of one parent to create a child. I'm sorry that I made the assumption that the child would be composed of only the mother's genetics. It appears Commander Tucker that this child will most certainly be yours as well as its mothers. I was in error."
"So this is really my baby?" I said placing my hand on top of the growing child. The facts had finally sunk in but I wasn't really sure how I felt about them. Sort of like puking actually. I had just barely accepted the fact that I was pregnant but the fact that I was a father was throwing me through a loop.
"Yes." He said a little impatiently. "A healthy baby girl from the looks of it."
My mind was in turmoil the baby confused by my distress tried to sooth me with loving feelings again. It helped but not as much as before I felt myself start hyperventilating, an old nervous habit of my youth. The doc seeing the trouble I was in gave me a hypo of what I assume was a sedative. When I felt my breathing come back under control I felt ashamed. I thought I had gotten over this. I wondered briefly how the Doc knew how to have a sedative ready but that thought was pushed aside as the distress of the baby made itself present. Not knowing what else to do I tried to send mental reassurances. They seemed to settle her and relax me at the same time.
"Are you alright now Commander Tucker?" I wondered if I should tell the doctor about the silent communication between the baby and me.
I found, "I'm fine," coming out of my mouth without consciously deciding to do so. It was reflex. The doctor nodded as if he expected as much.
"Well then Commander I recommend you start taking it easy no strenuous activity. In a few days I believe you should stop working in the engine room, to decrease your exposure to potentially hazardous substances. I'd tell you to stop working all together until the baby is born but I strongly suspect that you would strongly protest. That is all Commander." Numbly I slide off the bed and headed back to my quarters. The stares followed me. The baby was a lot more visible now than it was yesterday, but no one dared ask. The look on my face probably scared them off.
I was on the bridge when we found what was left of their ship. I can't say exactly what went through my mind when I saw the wreckage but the general theme was 'Oh, crap.' I had been hoping for an easy answer an easy fix, wasn't going to happen now.
"Captain Archer there are traces of Klingon energy weapons around the debris." Cmdr T'pol reported.
"Well I guess we found the Xyrillians. But not before the Klingons." John was looking at me when he said it. I found it hard to control my expression. My feelings were at war with each other. I just didn't know what to do or how to feel. Maybe it was the hormones but I just had to get out of there. I couldn't stand the pity and concern in John's eyes. The others shot confused glances at each other. As the lift doors shut the last thing I heard was John calling my name.
The trip to my quarters was a blur. The next thing I remembered was sliding down the wall feeling the tears slipping down my cheeks. Struggling to get up I made my way over to my bed feeling the spasms from the silent tears racking my body. Collapsing on top of my bed I curled up in a ball and cried myself to sleep.
Slowly waking up the next morning the first thing I noticed was the feelings of peace, happiness, love, and warmth I was feeling, except they weren't my feelings. The second thing I noticed was that the size of the lump had doubled. I couldn't deny it anymore, I really was pregnant. I felt the tears returning but then the feeling increased bringing with them a kind of quiet laughter only the laughter was in my head. My despair disappeared it was dispersed by the feelings coming from the baby. As if sensing that everything was alright the feelings subsided and grew faint. I could still feel them though. They made me admit to myself that the baby was real and not going to go away, until this point I always thought of the baby as 'the lump' or 'it' not wanting to acknowledge that it was really a baby and really alive.
Glancing at the old style digital clock I keep on my dresser I found it was 1000 hours. 'Damn I'm late for my appointment with the Doc.' I jumped up to take a quick shower because I always figured that late was late might as well be a little later than rush off dirty. I felt another giggle. I guess the baby agreed with me.
Walking down the corridors I felt the eyes of the crew on me, you don't often see someone in civilian clothes on the Enterprise, but I could no longer wear my uniform. It would never fit. More giggles, I guess everything's funny today. I didn't mind I actually found the giggles kind of comforting.
Taking a deep breath I steeled myself before entering the sickbay and found myself facing John and Dr. Pholx. They clearly had been arguing. They stopped as soon as I entered the room and an uncomfortable silence followed.
Glancing back and forth between them I said, "Okay guys, what'd I miss?" John looked a little uncomfortable at my question but didn't say anything.
"Commander Tucker I believe you're late." Phlox said as he bustled me over to the scanner.
"Well, yes..."
"Then we better get on with it before we waste any more time. If you would excuse us Captain." John looked like he wanted to argue but just nodded and left. I tried to ask what had happened again but the Doc basically manhandled me into shutting up.
When the exam was over Phlox didn't look happy. Concerned I asked, "What's wrong, Doc?" thinking there might be something wrong with the baby, strangely this caused panic to set in where not an hour ago I would have been relieved.
"Nothing is wrong Commander. The fetus seems to have doubled in size in the last 30 hours is all and the dormant genetic material that I assumed would begin taking on characteristics is. But it seems I made a mistake in my earlier diagnosis."
I smiled relieved that there was nothing wrong. "What I'm not pregnant?" I joked weakly.
"Oh, your certainly pregnant, but I was wrong when I said that it really wasn't your baby. It appears that 80% of the genetic material of the fetus is taking on human characteristics when I assumed they would continue their genetic predisposition."
I felt something squeeze in my chest. "Are you trying to tell me that this baby is going to be part human?"
"Yes, in fact mostly human. It is quiet fascinating. Humans are made up of 50% of the genetic make up of their mother and 50% of the genetic make up of their father. But this child will be made up of 80% of your DNA and only 20% of the mother's."
I was still hung up on the part human part. "I thought you said that it would only be Xyrillian like Ah'Len."
"I assumed it would be. It showed no signs of trying to integrate human DNA in to its makeup until recently. It's most fascinating. For most conceptions you need all the genetic material at the time of conception to create the zygote, then the embryo, and then the fetus but this species is completely different than any I have encountered. I had wondered if they procreated asexually since they seemed only to need the genes of one parent to create a child. I'm sorry that I made the assumption that the child would be composed of only the mother's genetics. It appears Commander Tucker that this child will most certainly be yours as well as its mothers. I was in error."
"So this is really my baby?" I said placing my hand on top of the growing child. The facts had finally sunk in but I wasn't really sure how I felt about them. Sort of like puking actually. I had just barely accepted the fact that I was pregnant but the fact that I was a father was throwing me through a loop.
"Yes." He said a little impatiently. "A healthy baby girl from the looks of it."
My mind was in turmoil the baby confused by my distress tried to sooth me with loving feelings again. It helped but not as much as before I felt myself start hyperventilating, an old nervous habit of my youth. The doc seeing the trouble I was in gave me a hypo of what I assume was a sedative. When I felt my breathing come back under control I felt ashamed. I thought I had gotten over this. I wondered briefly how the Doc knew how to have a sedative ready but that thought was pushed aside as the distress of the baby made itself present. Not knowing what else to do I tried to send mental reassurances. They seemed to settle her and relax me at the same time.
"Are you alright now Commander Tucker?" I wondered if I should tell the doctor about the silent communication between the baby and me.
I found, "I'm fine," coming out of my mouth without consciously deciding to do so. It was reflex. The doctor nodded as if he expected as much.
"Well then Commander I recommend you start taking it easy no strenuous activity. In a few days I believe you should stop working in the engine room, to decrease your exposure to potentially hazardous substances. I'd tell you to stop working all together until the baby is born but I strongly suspect that you would strongly protest. That is all Commander." Numbly I slide off the bed and headed back to my quarters. The stares followed me. The baby was a lot more visible now than it was yesterday, but no one dared ask. The look on my face probably scared them off.