The change in his relationship with Spock had taken Leonard's mind off of other things in his life, such as the threats against his child's life and that fact that he now waddled more than walked. The threats might be a more serious issue, but the waddling was more immediate as he was reminded of it every time he went anywhere. It had been a while since the second threat, so he was caught off guard when the latest threat became a reality. He heard a shout of warning and, on turning, felt the slight sensation of something slicing into him, while a weight pushed him sideways into the wall. The last thing he felt was his head crashing against the wall, as he slid down towards the floor, before everything faded away.
Leonard struggled to open his eyes. They felt like they were glued shut. His head ached and his back and side felt like they were on fire. Something else felt off as well. Lifting his hands to his stomach, he registered that it was no longer extended as it should be at this point in the pregnancy. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he tried to call out, but all he heard was an odd croaking sound. It was enough to alert someone close by, as a shadow loomed over him and one of his flailing arms was grabbed to hold it still.
"Please keep calm, Leonard," he heard Spock say. "Our daughter is well. Doctor M'Benga had to perform a Caesarean section. It was imperative if you were to survive. You had carried her to a viable stage. It was a safe procedure."
Leonard could see Spock beckoning to someone as he was speaking, so he wasn't surprised to hear Geoff's soft tones as soon as Spock finished. "You had us all worried there, Leonard, deciding to take a very long nap."
"Baby?" he managed to gasp out.
Geoff gave a little nod to Spock and said, "Spock will go and get her now, so you can meet your little girl. While he's doing that, Christine and I will check you over and make sure you're doing okay."
Leonard lifted his head slightly to take in Christine standing at the end of the biobed. She gave him a small smile before reading off the results from the display to Geoff. It only took them a few moments to assess Leonard's condition, which was fortunate as Spock returned quickly to the biobed with their little girl. The Vulcan carefully laid the child on Leonard's chest, and the doctor's hands moved instinctively to hold her. He was concerned. Spock could not have left sickbay to have fetched her so quickly. Why would she still be in the sickbay? Leonard's mind was racing with the worst scenarios.
As though reading his mind, and, considering it was Spock, he may have done just that, the Vulcan said, "She is staying in sickbay only because you are here. According to the Abrbonians, there is a residual connection, as she was born ahead of schedule, and it is best to keep her close to you."
Leonard grimaced at the mention of the aliens. He had hoped to never see them again, but had the sinking feeling that they were onboard. This suspicion was confirmed when Geoff spoke.
"You were taking your sweet time waking up, and we wanted to be certain it was somehow connected to the threats they had made about the pregnancy needing to go to full term," Geoff explained. "We had to operate and it was too risky to allow the pregnancy to continue. The Abrbonians checked you over and assured us that your condition was not connected to the various protections put in place as part of their process."
Leonard gave a little nod and turned his attention back to his little girl. Pulling up the edges of the cap she was wearing, he traced her ear with his finger. Smiling, he turned to Spock and rasped, "Yours."
"Indeed," Spock agreed. He scooped out a few ice shavings from the small cup Christine gave him. "Take this. It will help your throat."
Geoff looked over at Christine. "He's doing fine. Let's leave them to do a little family bonding. Call us if there is anything you need."
Once the two had left, Leonard looked up at Spock and tried to utter words he felt were imperative, especially after everything that had happened. His voice was not strong after being unconscious for so long, but he managed to murmur, "Love you."
Extending two fingers, Spock brushed them along Leonard's upraised fingers. "And I you."
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