A quiet little check

Posted on 30 May 2022 @ 3:35pm by Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka & Lieutenant JG Rosaline Belikov

Mission: Picking up the pieces
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: After MU mission
3084 words - 6.2 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Making her way down to sickbay, Rose was anxious to check something with the CMO. Her relationship with Desmond had become fairly stable and serious and Rose wanted to make sure that she could still have another child if Desmond wanted. Stopping just outside the doors to sickbay, Rose took a deep breath before stepping inside.

C'Tora leaned up against the side of a bio bed, Holding a PaDD in one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. It had been a slow day and he had sent half of the doctors and nurses out for a meal break since there was nothing really going on. " By the Goddess, How I hate doing the end of the month inventory reports. And to top it off I've got to complete the staff evaluations within the week. " He muttered slightly out loud to no one in particular. He was lost in thought and failed to notice the door opening.

Rose initially felt a little embarrassed at what she wanted to discuss with the doctor, but seeing him engrossed in his work and yet still not really wanting to do it made her feel a little better, “well if you need a small case to take your mind off things I’m happy to help” Rose said, standing a little of to the side of sickbay.

C'Tora was briefly startled when he heard rose's voice and placed his hand to his chest. " I'm sorry rose, I didn't hear you come in. And yes I'd love to take my mind off of this right now. Medical inventory and quarterly staff evaluations are always so fun. Your a department head so you know what I'm talking about. So what is it that I can help you with today? " He asked eagerly wanting a bit of respite from the dull drudgery that was his task.

With a slight blush of embarrassment coming to her face, Rose took a deep breath before giving her answer, “can I ask you to take a scan of me and see if I’m still capable of bearing a child? I’m currently in a relationship that is starting to get pretty serious and, if my partner agrees, I’d like to have a child with them” she said, trying to be a little discrete. While she hadn’t discussed this with Desmond yet, Rose wanted to be sure that she was able to have another child before broaching the subject with him.

C'Tora noticed the change of coloration in rose's face and paid attention to it. " would you care to move this conversation to my office? It appears that you are uncomfortable discussing the subject here. " As he picked up a field kit and waited for her answer. " So tell me how Zeva is doing? She is more then welcome here at any time, and all the nurses think that she is adorable. They're right in thinking that you know. " He said with a grin. " I don't let just anyone pet me or scratch me behind my ears you know. " Hoping that he could make her feel more comfortable with the privacy and a subject he knew she loved dearly. " You know the last time Zeva was in here the nurses talked about it for two days. " He said with a warm smile.

Hearing C’Tora’s words, Rose smiled as she looked up at him, “I will keep that in mind. I’m sure she would be more than happy to visit” she said before thinking over the doctors original question, “if we could move to your office I would appreciate it. Though I’m not usually so private, and while I am sure non of your staff would deliberately say anything, I’d rather not have my private life become gossip throughout the ship”

C'Tora walked over to his office door and allowed Rose to enter and then motioned for her to sit down as he took his own seat. " So your visit here today is to see if it would be safe for you to have another child? Or are you just wanting to know IF you can have another child? Please tell me your concern and we'll get right to work and get the answer for you. "

Now in a private room, Rose felt a little more comfortable to discuss her request more openly, “I would like to know both if I can still bear a child and if it would be safe for both myself and the hypothetical child. Ziva was born just over 2 years ago and while she is perfectly healthy, and I’m still considered young by Romulan standards only being 35 myself, I just want to err on the side of caution. I haven’t taken any contraceptive injections since Ziva was born just incase it inhibited my milk production or some other unknown side effect” she said before looked up at C’Tora, “am I being too silly here? Worrying about nothing?”

" Let's take a look then. " Said C'Tora. He took a medical tricorder from the med kit and began scanning her. " As you stated your young and strong, Your BMI is at 17.5 which is excellent, your weight is 59.1 kilos which is ideal and all vitals are within normal parameters. " The tricorder chirped briefly. " Hmm.. Interesting. It seems you have an 11.3 millimeter Ovarian Cyst. " He removed another tool from the medical kit. " Could you stand up please? The sensation will tickle a little but it won't be unpleasant, I should have it removed in about a minute A very simple procedure. "

Standing up as requested, Rose lifted up her shirt over her belly so the doctor could work a little more easily, “so, it’s not something I should be worried about? Will it effect my fertility at all?”

" It might have if you were on earth say three to four hundred years ago. " Said C'Tora. he worked quickly and quietly and placed the tool back in the med kit. " There we are, all done and it is gone. " He looked at Rose and grinned. " I'm going to tell you a secret, there is nothing wrong with you or your fertility, so stop worrying. With your genetics and strength, you'll most likely be able to produce offspring into your sixties. So if you desire to have more children with your intended, then there is nothing stopping you. And I'll be here to help make sure you and the child are healthy. So is there anything else that's on your mind that you'd like to talk about? I could even spare the time for a couple of hands of go fish if your so inclined. " He rubbed his chin briefly and spoke softly. " It's strange how hungry i get after playing go fish. " He muttered.

Giving a sigh of relief, Rose sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, “thanks Doctor, I appreciate it. If you’re willing to wait for about 20min, I can bring Ziva down for another visit.”

" We would be delighted to have Ziva as our guest, She certainly brightens up our day around here. I'll let the nurses know we have a guest coming and to not crowd her to much. I shall see you upon your return. " Said C'Tora with a warm smile.

Giving C’Tora a nod, Rose hurried off to pick up Ziva from her quarters where she’d left her with a holo-nanny while she made this quick run to sickbay. After almost 30min, Rose retuned, carrying her excited daughter in one arm and a shoulder bag in the other, “you know little one, you’re getting a bit big for mummy to keep carrying you around”

C'Tora was standing in the doorway of his office with his hands behind im when Rose and Ziva returned to Sickbay. " Hello Ziva. Your mother is right, you are getting to be a big girl. " He crouched down. " Did you come down here to see Doctor Kitty again? That makes me happy. " He looked at her and smiled. " Of course your being a good girl to and helping your mommy a lot to, Aren't you? "

Ziva happily nodded in response to the big kitty’s question. She was thrilled enough to be allowed to visit C’Tora again

Looking at how happy her daughter was, Rose had a thought, “C’Tora, I know this is rather presumptuous, but if I’m ever off on an away mission, could I ask you to keep an eye of Ziva for me? I trust my partner with her, but if the ship is ever in danger he’ll be needed in engineering and besides what place is safer then sickbay”

C'Tora grimmed. " I would be delighted to help out if that should ever happen, provided I'm not on the same away team. Even if I am, I believe I could talk to M'Tara and she would be willing to do so. I'll speak to her about after my shift today and let you know. " He said to Rose. He turned to Ziva and smiled warmly, crouching low enough to let her look him in the eye. " Ziva could I ask you to do something for me? " He pulled a twenty centimeter tall teddy bear in a light pink nurses uniform from behind his back and held it in front of her. " She needs a name and get scared a lot. Could you take care of her? " He glanced up to Rose to see if she approved. " She likes to be hugged and takes naps every now and then. Ok? " He nuzzled her hand with his nose and rubbed his head against her hand gently to allow her to pet his head, remembering how she liked it the last time Ziva visited Sickbay.

Taking the plush toy offered by C’Tora, Ziva gently placed it in the floor beside them before giving her full attention to patting the good doctor.

Giving a smile, Rose watched her daughter play with the doctors fur and felt more comfortable then she had in some time. Now, not only did she have Desmond, but C’Tora was proving to be a good friend she could rely on. She thought that perhaps one day she would find a way to return the favour and help C’Tora out in some way.

" This reminds me of when I was younger. " Said C'Tora, as he gave a delighted laugh. " I do have some experience, I did help my mother raise my eight younger siblings and was the primary babysitter in the household until my sisters got old enough to help out. " C'Tora gave a optimistic sigh. " One of these days M'Tara and I will start our own pride. " He thought a moment. " Sorry. Caitians call their family a pride. " He chuckled briefly to himself. " The day I turned seventeen, my mother started trying to introduce me to her friends daughters and hoping I'd find someone I'd be interested in. She is the eternal matchmaker and still is to this day. It got to the point that I was actively avoiding any female that she brought to me. It wasn't until i met M'Tara on my own and I knew that I had found my soul mate and I now look forward to us having our own family. "

Rose nodded, “I know the feeling. I wasn’t too interested in relationships when I was younger. I guess I was too focused on my career. Demitri, Ziva’s father, was the first suitor that I ever gave any thought to. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” She said looking down to Ziva, “but it seems I have another chance with my new partner”

" That will be for the two of you to decide when that happens. I am sure that Ziva will make a great older sister and both children will be brought up by loving parents, I believe that there is nothing greater in the universe then the love that a family shares. As long as I have M'Tara in my life, I have everything I need, as do you and your partner. " C'Tora said warmly. He looked down at Ziva. “Does Ziva want a horsey ride? " He asked her.

Reacting to C’Tora’s question, both Rose and Ziva looked around for a horse. After a moment of searching, Rose looked back to the doctor, “Is there a horse here in sickbay? Or are you intending on taking Ziva to the holodeck?” She asked, not understanding the expression he had used. She’d never heard it said that way before and the absence of an actual horse to ride on only made her confusion worse.

" It confused me the first time I heard that expression as well. " C'Tora said seeing the confused looks on they're faces. " I saw it for the first time when an ensign came and picked up his child from the daycare center. "He looked down at Ziva. " I'm going to pick you up Ziva, Ok? " He waited for her to acknowledge and gently placed her on his back. " Now hold on to my neck. " He gently trotted her around a couple of the bio beds and came back over to where Rose was standing. " It seems humans call that a horsey ride with their young children. It's not something that I've ever seen done on Cait, but it looked fun and I've wanted to give it a try to be honest. " He said grinning. " Did you like that Ziva? " He asked glancing over his shoulder at her.

Gripping onto C’Tora’s fur tightly, Ziva was a mix of emotions. Excitement and fear being the two most prominent as sge was happy to be playing with the big kitty, she wasn’t sure about ridding him around. Unsure weather to squeal in excitement or cry in terror, Ziva just clung onto C’Tora waiting for whatever might happen next.

Feeling her daughter’s fear, Rose quickly stood up and was about to rush over to take her off of C’Tora when she saw how gentle the doctor was being with Ziva. Taking a deep breath in and out, Rose swallowed her more paranoid tendencies and simply smiled, “it seem Ziva doesn’t know what to feel right now” she said, moving to meet the pair and place a gentle hand in the middle of Ziva’s back to reassure her. “Do you do this for all your smaller patients?” Rose asked rhetorically, “maybe you should charge for rides”

C'Tora, smelling Ziva's excitement and fear came to a gentle stop and brought her around to look in her eyes. " I'm sorry, I didn't scare you did I ? " He asked Ziva. " I thought you might have wanted to play that way. " He looked to Rose and gave her a curious glance. " Charge for giving rides? Why would I do that? A childs smile is the best payment anyone can get. " As he set Ziva down and crouched down by her. " I'm sorry if I scared you Ziva, I hope we can still be friends, Ok? "

Giving a sigh, Rose shook her head, “it was ment as a joke, I know you would never actually charge for such things”

Looking up at the big kitty, Ziva put her arms as far around the doctor’s neck as they would go in an attempted hug

Holding back a laugh, Rose placed a hand on C’Tora’s shoulder, “I believe you have earned Ziva’s trust my furry friend”

" I'm glad to hear that. " Said C'Tora. " Our young are our most precious resource and must be protected and nurtured. Without them the future is bleak, Family is the most important aspect of our society. you want to know the fastest way to enrage a Caitian? Try to harm a young one in our presence, you'll see a calm and passive person turn into something fierce and protective. " C'Tora smiled as he felt Ziva hug his neck. He gave Ziva a very gentle hug in return. " Ziva is your precious miracle, and I am honored to be friends with both of you. " He stated with a smile.

Rose gave the pair a warm smile. This was the happiest she’d seen Ziva with anyone short of herself and Desmond, “you should be careful there Doc, if you keep giving her hugs like that, Ziva’s going to want to adopt you as a pet”

C'Tora handed Ziva back to Rose. and rubbed his chin. " I don't really think that would be such a bad thing myself. Plenty of pets and hugs sounds good to me. " He smiled. " Most pets don't talk back to their owners, or are willing to babysit when needed. I have always been very comfortable around children and get along with them well. I will talk with M'tara after shift and let her know that we may be watching Ziva from time to time, that and it's always a pleasure when the two of you come and visit us here in sickbay. It really brightens up the day around here. "

“I’ll be sure to talk with Desmond as well, i’m sure he won’t mind the extra help if needed” Rose said as she took Ziva from C’Tora and handed her the doll the doctor had given her earlier, “well, we better be going. Thank you for everything Doc”

" Your most welcome Rose, Tell Desmond I said hi and you have a wonderful evening. " Said C'Tora. " And it is always a pleasure to see you Ziva, Feel free to come by anytime. and take care of your new friend ok? " C'Tora watched as they made their way to the door. " Until next time. " He called out and waved at them.

Behind him two nurses were whispering. " It's so cute the way he melts every time little Ziva comes around, It's so adorable! " Said the first. " I know. M'Tara is so lucky! That and he's going to make a great father one day. "

C'Tora's ears twitched. " I can hear you. You know that, right? " he turned a smiled at them. " I consider myself to be the lucky one for the Goddess sending me the perfect mate, and I do look forward to us having a family one day. " He looked up as some people walked into sickbay. " Well I guess it's time for us to get back to work. "