The Rule of Three

Posted on Sun Jan 12th, 2020 @ 8:28am by Lieutenant Commander Jonah Wilson MD & Lieutenant JG Jaya Maera Garlake

840 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: S1E4: The Hills Have Eyes
Location: Sickbay | Deck 6 - Overwatch Station
Timeline: MD 1

"Test complete," Johan remarked, as he exited the room that was now dedicated to his remote medical suite. Quantum Entanglement Medical Interface was a remarkable idea and he knew that it would prove to be invaluable to the members of this command. The name and the abbreviation QEMI was unfortunate he decided that instead, he'd refer to the system as 'Gwen'. He tapped furiously at a PADD until he felt like he was being watched and looked up from his ramblings and saw a bald woman. Upon further inspection, he recognized the woman was Deltan.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

Jaya did a double-take. There was nobody else around that she could see or feel. "Hello, Doctor... Who is 'Gwen'? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Gwen is a what not a who," he said. "Just an affectionate name for fancy equipment. So no interruptions here. I'm Doctor Wilson," he said, moving to her and presenting his hand.

"Forgive me... I'm a little out of sorts today." It was true enough that Jaya felt her cheeks blush against her will. Was pregnancy going to be like this the entire time? "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Wilson. My name is Jaya Maera-Garlake, and, well, I believe I'm with child."

"Well, then I suppose we should find out for sure?" Jonah asked, taking his hand back. "Shall we?" he motioned toward a biobed.

Realizing she'd neglected a proffered hand, Jaya chided herself for being so rude. "Yes, please. Forgive me, I just have a lot to think about right now." She walked toward the biobed and slid her posterior onto it with a short hop.

"Not a problem," Jonah said, as he began to activate the biobed. "Are there any other concerns that you can think of?" he asked, looking up at her momentarily as the biobed did its job.

Jaya had clamped her mouth shut to keep from babbling again. Excessive apologizing was a textbook sign of anxiety and she was normally above such things. Laying down, she took a breath and answered Jonah's question. "Yes, but none that have medical solutions," she quipped with a light chuckle. "I suppose I just need confirmation of viability... The father is human and I am Deltan."

"Sometimes an ear to listen to those concerns can help at the very least. Who better than someone who isn't allowed to judge or share?" Jonah pointed out. He finished the scan and looked at the results for a moment.

"Triplets..." he announced, sounding surprised.

The announcement made Jaya shoot up to a sitting position. "What?!" she gasped. "Triplets! Are you sure?"

"Very, Identical as well... very rare," Jonah said. "Almost unheard of... I uh, surmise natural no hormones or anything?"

Jaya coyly shook her head. "No, though I did supplement with some Seyalian fertility herb mixtures..." Her words trailed off as she began to wonder what Storr would think. "Still... I never expected triplets..." As she heard the words come out of her own mouth, she looked down at her fit and trim waist. It was about to get a whole lot bigger.

"Appears it worked..." he said, he was surprised himself. "Would you like to know the gender?"

It was all happening so fast. One day Jaya and Storr were trying for children, and the next she felt life awaken inside her to the tune of triplets. "I suppose," she said, "it would be better to know as soon as possible."

"Boys," he said, with a smile. "Congratulations, Miss Garlake."

"Three boys." Jaya was nearly breathless. "It's all so surreal..." As her hands pressed against her womb, she looked up at Jonah. "So... the human and Deltan physiology is known to differ enough to cause pregnancy complications. Just... what are the odds of carrying the baby... babies... to full term?"

"I think the odds are good," he said, realizing he hadn't answered her question before. "I think that we will have to monitor them closely but we can look into some therapies if we need to address the concerns. If you give me a day I can give you a much better answer?" he suggested. "I also think we need to address your duty status with the Captain," he added, after a pause.

Jaya nodded. That had already occurred to her, but hearing it from the doctor made it altogether too real. "You're right. Maternity leave is one thing. Resignation is another. We certainly have a lot to consider..." Her words trailed off as her thoughts began running together. What did she really want? How would she get it? The next few months would be very telling. At length, she looked back to Jonah with a bright smile. "Thank you, Doctor. I guess we'll be spending much more time together."

"That we will," Jonah agreed. "Make a follow-up appointment in two weeks give you some time to think and we can discuss your options in detail. If you need me to duty status you before then please let me know."

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