Fred Reports to Sickbay

Fred turned with a start, to find Captain Kirk standing by her chair. "What?"

"I asked if you'd received the week's dispatches from Starfleet Command."

"Oh, uh, s-sorry, Captain, I was just, um..."

His brows knitted together in querilous concern. "You seem to be lost in a dream today, Lieutenant - perhaps you should see Dr McCoy."

She smiled at him. "Really, Captain, I'm just -"

Kirk frowned "That wasn't a suggestion, Lieutenant." Then his expression softened again. "I can't afford to have my command crew at less than peak performance - besides," he added with a charming twinkle, "This really isn't like you, Uhura. Now - go see Bones. Ensign Carmicheal can cover for you for a while."

Fred knew a direct order when she heard one. "Aye, sir," she said.

Using Uhura's memories, Fred rode the turbolift to Deck five, and made her way to sickbay. Seated at a desk, going over some sort of report, was a craggy-looking man, easily old enough to be her father, dressed in a short-sleeved blue tunic. To Fred's eye, he looked like the sort of man who would be a powerful mage, or a learned cleric. Thanks to Uhura's memories, though, Fred recognized him as the ship's physician, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

McCoy looked up at her entrance and smiled. "Well, Uhura, what breings you down here> Come to save me from these lab reports?"

Fred laughed Uhura's laugh - a light and melodic sound that he still wasn't entirely used to. "I'm afraid not, Doctor," she said. "The Captain seems to think I need a check-up."

McCoy's smile remained, but there was an undercurrent of concern. "Oh? Are you feeling out of sorts today?"

Fred shook her head, wonder just how much to tell the physician. "Just a bit - distracted, I suppose."

"Well, then," McCoy said, walking over to what Fred now recognized as a diagnostic table, "Hop up here and let's see what we can find." It took about an hour to run all the tests. McCoy looked over the results:

1. Then smiled at Fred. "There's only one thing wrong with you , Lieutenant Uhura - you're six weeks' pregnant."

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