Unforeseen Complications (backpost)
Posted on Sat Aug 17th, 2024 @ 2:49am by Major Chiyo Shimada & Captain Elizabeth F. "Liz" Beurling & Lieutenant Dr. Eli Ellis M.D.
Edited on on Sat Aug 17th, 2024 @ 2:49am
1,416 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission: Starship Graveyard
Liz hadn't been feeling great in recent days. It had been over a month since Tatsuo had given her the one night she had wanted, and while she still didn't regret it in the slightest, she was starting to suspect that there might be something of a lasting impact from that event, as she had been feeling overly tired, sore, and nauseous.
When she had some free time, Liz had slipped off towards sickbay, expecting to have her suspicions confirmed.
Eli was deep into the guts of a malfunctioning biobed unit, working on getting it back into operational status. Not much of an engineer but he knew his way around medtech and biotech, so fixing a biobed should prove too difficult for him.
He heard the sickbay doors slide open, pulling himself up from the floor, he brushed off his uniform and saw Liz entering the sickbay.
Liz saw Dr. Ellis pull himself up from the faulty biobed he was working on and made her way over.
"Ah, there you are, doc." She greeted. "I've not been feeling right in recent days, and I have a bad feeling that it could be something serious."
“Well, you’ve come to right place. Hop up onto the Biobed and tell me what symptoms you’ve been experiencing”
Eli said as he brushed off his uniform, the skant variation and pulled a tricorder from his labcoat pocket.
"Well," Liz said as she climbed up on the biobed as instructed. "I've been feeling very nauseous. Like I want to vomit really badly, but nothing comes up. I've also been very tired and sore, particularly in the chest area."
Liz gave her breasts a quick jiggle to emphasize her point.
"Wearing a bra has become quite uncomfortable, to say the least..." She said.
Eli look deadpan at Liz.
“With the greatest respect, Major Beurling, I must ask of you, when the last time you had…relations was?”
"What? You mean the last time I had sex?" Liz asked. "Well, probably about a month ago, give or take..."
“Okie dokie, that tracks. Based on what symptoms you’ve described to me and the date you gave, congratulations are in order”
"Congratulations?" Liz asked, feigning confusion, though deep down, she already knew based on what the doctor had just said.
“On your pregnancy.”
Eli beams and hands her the medical tricorder with her bioscan.
Liz took the tricorder as the word 'pregnancy' rang in her ears. There was no denying what the tricorder displayed: The readings almost made her sick.
"Um... Thank you, I guess?" She muttered as she set the tricorder down before looking back at the doctor. "So... What are my options, doc? I'm 101 years old; probably fine for a full Vulcan, but what are the risks of a half Vulcan being pregnant at this age?"
Eli tilted his head, curiously. "I don't foresee any complications, but I'll have to dig into the medical archives once the computer is more stable."
Liz sighed. It would seem she would need some other excuse to get an abortion...
"Well, thanks, anyway, Doc." Liz said, getting off the Biobed. "I'm gonna... Need some time to process this..."
Liz knew her chance to tell Chiyo everything was short, as there was a senior staff briefing scheduled later that day. But her fear of facing Chiyo so soon after finding out that she was pregnant with the child of her sister in arms' soon-to-be-husband meant that she wasted precious time pacing in the corridor outside the marine CO's office as she worked up the courage to ring the chime.
"Come on, Liz: You've got this..." She muttered to herself over and over again.
Finally, whether Liz was actually ready for it or just a desire to get it over with, Liz reached out and pressed the chime to Chiyo's office.
"Come in." Chiyo's voice said on the other side of the door.
As Liz stepped through the door, Chiyo glanced up from the inventory she was taking and saw that it was Liz.
"Captain Beurling:" She greeted, glancing further up to the Chronometer on the wall. "It's a bit early for the changing of the guard, isn't it?"
"It... It is..." Liz muttered.
It was at this moment that Chiyo noticed that her normally pale XO seemed especially colorless as Liz stood before her.
"Is everything alright, Captain?" Chiyo asked. "You look paler than usual."
"Not exactly:" Liz said, making her way towards one of the chairs in front of Chiyo's desk. "There's something I need to tell you:"
Chiyo set down her PADD. She could tell by Liz's tone that the other woman was serious, and had requested her full, undivided attention.
"Go on?" She said.
Liz took a deep breath. Okay, here we go... She mentally assured herself.
"Do you remember about a month ago Tatsuo working late?" Liz asked. "Something about a faulty perimeter sensor?"
Chiyo placed a finger to her chin as she attempted to recall what Liz had just described.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Chiyo said. "He said it was a particularly nasty bugger, had to call Kisad out to give him a hand."
Well, that sure sounds like a cover story and a half: Liz thought to herself.
"You know that... Because I reject logic, my pon farr cycles can become erratic, yes?" Liz continued.
"I'm... Not following?" Chiyo tilted her head to one side, confused as to why Liz was bringing up her pon farr and how it related to a particularly faulty sensor.
Liz sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Chiyo, we've talked about this:" She said. "You should know I've harbored feelings for Tatsuo."
Chiyo blinked as one and two clicked together in her mind.
"You didn't..." She said as her eyes narrowed.
And judgement has now been cast... Liz thought as she guiltily nodded, tears beginning to fall down her face.
"I did..." She admitted. "And I did him good, too... You have every right to be disappointed in me..."
Chiyo sighed and pinched her own nose.
"Damnit, Liz: Do you not have a single logical bone in your body?" She asked. "Frankly, I should've expected your horny ass to pull a stunt like this, but you covered it up?"
Liz only sniffled in response, too ashamed to explain her reasoning for doing so.
"There's something else you need to be aware of:" She said.
"Which is?" Chiyo asked.
"I... I... I'm..." Liz spluttered as the words struggled to leave her mouth. "Five weeks... Pregnant."
Chiyo sighed heavily once again.
"And the father is..?" She began.
"Alice's father..." Liz completed. "More than likely..."
Chiyo sighed.
"Bend me over and f**k me up the ass, this day keeps getting worse..." She muttered under her breath before looking at Liz. "Well, Captain: That is a lot of information to take in, so while I figure out my place in this great maelstrom you've unleashed upon me, keep this whole... Pregnancy thing on the down low, will you? The last thing Captain Aisaka needs to hear right now is that we now have four expecting officers."
"I understand..." Liz sobbed, her stomach acid beginning to work its way up her throat. "You won't have an issue... I think I'm gonna be sick."
Chiyo nodded, wordlessly dismissing Liz, who stood up and bolted out of the room. She'd been there before - at the rank of Second Lieutenant, expecting Alice... Briefings always seemed to prevent her from reaching the nearest toilet in time and she wound up making a mess in some random corridor.
But still, something was very wrong about what she had just been told: Not only did Liz do her fiancé behind her back and cover it up, but she also gotten pregnant with his child. She'd been betrayed in many ways before, but never in a way so below the belt...
It seemed that Chiyo had just as much soul-searching as Liz would in the coming days and weeks, as the two of them would inevitably have to figure out a path forward from this.
Posting by
Major Chiyo Shimada
Marine Commander
Second Officer
USS Tokyo
Captain Elizabeth F. "Liz" Beurling
Marine Vice Commander
USS Tokyo
Lieutenant Dr. Eli Ellis M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Tokyo
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