Visitors

XIII

Mac'hla couldn't sleep... again.
There was too much going on in their head, how could they even think about sleeping?
She sat up and glanced at T'Ve, who was sound asleep beside her. She always looked so lovely when she was sleeping.
They crept from their bed slowly to avoid waking her, and stretched in the dark room.
There was only one thing on their mind at the moment– Ensign Tissa.
She checked the nursery to ensure that her little ones were sleeping, but as she opened the door she was met with S'chn's glowing hazel eyes in the darkness.
She nearly jumped out of her skin before sighing and stepping into the warm and dimly lit room.
"What are you doing awake, my child?" They inquired softly, running their fingers through his dark curls.
He looked up at her happily and cooed softly.
"Shhh..." she whispered, "Do not wake your sister."
She lifted him from his crib and held him on her hip, "Would a walk help you sleep?"
She knew he wouldn't respond, but she took his yawn as a yes.
"Come. We will visit a friend."
Mac'hla snuck from their quarters and padded barefoot down the hall, still in their soft sleepwear that coincidentally matched with S'chn's.
Mac'hla yawned, knowing they should be asleep by now. They made a promise to themself that once they returned to their quarters, they would get some rest.
Mac'hla was fortunate that S'chn was half-asleep. He had a tendency to make quite a bit of a fuss when he was wide awake, but at the moment all he wanted to do was cuddle up to his mother's chest with his thumb in his mouth and his eyes fluttering.
Mac'hla approached sickbay just as S'chn's eyes closed and she paused at the door, wondering if she should return to her quarters to put him to bed.
But as they waited by the open door, they heard hushed conversation.
"I really am sorry."
"Admiral, you weren't the one who blew up the ship."
Admiral Kirk and Ensign Tissa?
Mac'hla slowly entered, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.
"Hey, Captain." Sivna smiled, noticing their Captain entering.
Sivna had been moved from the regeneration chamber to a bed and their vitals looked healthy and strong. It seemed that their regeneration had been successful, and they were almost fully healed despite their massive injuries.
"Good morning." they whispered, "You are looking better."
"I'm feeling better." Sivna smiled, "Admiral Kirk was keeping me company."
Jim looked up and smiled awkwardly, "Have you come to join us?"
"I came to assess Ensign Tissa's current condition, but I can see that they are doing much better... if you wish for me to stay, I will."
"Yeah, come here." Sivna said tiredly, pointing to the chair next to their bed.
Mac'hla sat slowly so as to not wake up her sleeping son.
"You're full of surprises, Maggie." Jim marveled, "I didn't know you had a son."
"They've got a daughter too." Sivna said.
Mac'hla nodded in confirmation.
Jim shook his head with a quiet chuckle, "May I hold him?"
"Of course," Mac'hla said quietly, "Be gentle, he is sleeping. His name is S'chn."
"S'chn," Jim repeated as he held the infant, "Does Spock know about that?"
"He seems to be quite pleased."
"What do you think of the name Sivna?" Sivna asked, "I think it's a good name."
Mac'hla allowed herself a smirk, "I will consider it, Ensign."
"So... I guess I was out for a while, huh?" Sivna asked.
"It would seem so. I do not know how long you were asleep for, but your vitals were struggling for quite some time. The medical team decided it would be best if you remained in a temporary state of mental stasis while your body attempted to reach homeostasis."
"I'm a Navigator, not a doctor." They smirked, "Could you translate that into Federation Standard?"
"You took a long nap while you healed." Mac'hla simplified.
"That's all you had to say." They laughed.
"What happened down there, Siv? I only know the general idea of what happened." Mac'hla inquired, leaning forward onto the cot.
"The ship was starting to self-destruct... I wasn't about to just let them die down there, so I held the door open while they took the box and ran. They didn't want to leave me, but I insisted. As soon as they left, I pressed my emergency beacon and the door started to crush me. Suoh beamed me up just as the ship blew, and I guess I escaped most of the blast... but clearly I caught some of it."
"Evidently." Mac'hla muttered, "Your act of bravery... I can hardly explain how admirable it was. You selflessly put your life on the line to save the lives of your fellow officers."
"You should have seen Ejhisseh down there, Captain. She was incredible. She was like... so fast and clever, she got us into the ship in just a minute. You could tell she was having a rough time, but she kept on moving through it."
"I would expect nothing less from the two of you." Mac'hla said kindly, taking Sivna's hand, "I am immeasurably proud of the both of you."
Sivna smiled and yawned.
"You should get some rest." Jim said, finally looking up.
"I just spent 6 hours in a coma, Admiral." they smirked.
"Your body is still recovering, Ensign. You need to sleep." Mac'hla added.
Sivna rolled their eyes, "Someone better get me up for duty tomorrow."
"Right." Mac'hla said, their eyebrows raised. Surely they didn't really think they'd be back at the helm that soon, "Sleep well, Siv."
"'Night, Captain. Admiral."
Jim nodded and stood, "Goodnight, Ensign."
Mac'hla and Jim left sickbay silently, not needing to speak to be comfortable with each other.
"You know, you should get some rest too." Jim said.
"I am aware. I intend on sleeping once I return to my quarters. I needed to ensure that Ensign Tissa was stable before I could even consider sleeping."
Jim smiled, "You've always had such a big heart."
Mac'hla frowned, "Cardiomegaly is a serious medical condition, Admiral. I do not have any heart conditions."
He chuckled, "'A big heart' means you're caring, Maggie."
"Ah... yes, because humans claim that they feel from their hearts." Mac'hla nodded, "I understand."
He shook his head with amusement.
"Are you capable of finding your way back to your quarters?" Mac'hla inquired, gently taking their son from their former Captain's arms.
"I think I'll find my way." he said, riffling their white curls, "Sleep well, Captain."
"You as well... Admiral."