Beginning: A Star Trek Novel (New Frontier Reloaded Book 2)

by ROVER MARIE TOWLE

  Maybe paradise is better experienced in small doses. Odo mused when Kira relaxed into his arms.

  "I need a nap after that. Two in a row, mmmh." Kira sighed hotly against his throat. "You smell like cinnamon."

  "I do?"

  She smiled. "It's my shampoo. It rubbed off on you."

  Odo wished he could smell it with her. He remembered the scent so vividly that he almost detected it when he nuzzled his nose against her ear.

  "I'll let you finish up your shower."

  Kira caught him in one more deep kiss. Then he released his humanoid shape, letting all the water on his surface fall to the tiled shower floor. Being in his true form no longer brought him shame. He oozed under the shower door, passed through the seams in the bathroom door and reformed looking perfectly dry without a fold of clothing out of place.

  Odo grabbed the first Shaarlek novel in the pile and sat down in the chair by the oval window.

  Kejal came inside. Without a word he curled up in Odo's lap. Odo kissed his son's forehead as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

  "It's going to be this empty when he's gone for good." Kejal whispered.

  Doctor Mora's absence was palpable. Odo closed his eyes, set down the PADD and let his cheek rest against Kejal's brow. He liquefied his torso and arms, enveloping his son.

  Kejal did the same, keeping his head on Odo's still-solid shoulder. His control was getting better.

  Life without him won't be the same. Odo expressed through the link.

  I still can't picture it, mother. Kejal replied, wrinkling his nose.

  Nor can I...Kejal, I wish I had the happy memories with him that you have.

  He didn't hurt you on purpose.

  I know. Still, I'm struggling to reconcile what I experienced with what is happening now.

  Father loves you as much as he loves me.

  Kejal passed it so simply across the link, yet it ran over Odo like a tsunami. Of course, he knew Doctor Mora cared about him. But love? Paternal love? He still had a hard time believing it.

  Mm... Odo distracted himself with memories of Kejal's return to the Great Link. I love you, Kejal...I always have and I always will. Your life is mine, and mine is yours.

  I love you, too, mother. You're upset...did you and mom fight about the wedding?

  What? No. Quite the opposite. I...I'm looking forward to it, Kejal. I never imagined marrying her. It feels right. Like you feel when you water your plants.

  At that, Kejal pulled himself free of the link and met Odo's eyes, grinning. "Come water them with me."

  "Now?" Odo also solidified, relieved at not having to rehash the lab again.

  Kejal grabbed his hand. "Why not? It's easy."

  Chuckling, Odo let Kejal haul him outside.

  "I do this in a specific order because-- don't step on the rocks!"

  Odo jumped back like he'd been burned. Then he grinned-- Kejal definitely inherited that from him!

  He got handed a big, silver watering pail. Kejal guided him through pouring it gently over the more delicate flowers.

  "You have to make sure to fill up the little reservoirs around them."

  "Won't they, uh, drown?"

  Kejal shook his head, his brown eyes shimmering. "Only if you water them too often. Once a week is fine unless it's boiling hot outside. Then I do it every day. Now, here's the best part."

  "What is the best part?" Odo asked.

  Kejal began singing to the plants.

  Exactly eighteen hours after that moment, a message came through Doctor Mora's communications console. Kejal whooped excitedly and crashed into the guest bedroom, spilling morning gleam into the darkened space. In doing so, he successfully woke up Kira and made Odo lose his place in the Shaarlek novel he'd almost finished.

  "Kejal!" Odo snapped, "What did I tell you about stomping around like a targ?"

  Kejal ignored him. "Aleexa is bringing father home in an hour. He wanted to take a hover tram."

  "Mm..." Kira rubbed her eyes and sat up. Fortunately, Kejal hadn't interrupted something more intimate. She was clothed in a long pink nightgown. "Odo, move, I need to get up and decent."

  "You don't have to, Nerys. I can-- "

  "There should be a nice breakfast waiting when they get here Besides..." Kira yawned, rubbing her eyes, "I need to keep a regular sleep cycle."

  "I already got his deka tea." Kejal said proudly. He skipped away to clean up the kitchen counter and straighten out the cushions on the couch.

  Odo just rolled his eyes at Kejal's exuberance.

  Kira snorted and playfully shoved him. "Is he like that in the link?"

  "He's worse." Odo groaned good-naturedly. He moved to let Kira get up and dressed in proper clothing. She crackled a comb through her tangled hair before pulling it into a loose ponytail.

  A little later, Doctor Mora's arrival was announced by Kejal bounding towards the front door with all the silence of a charging elephant.

  "Father!" Kejal exclaimed. "Oh, that nightshirt looks good on you!"

  Odo rounded the corner to see them embracing tightly in the doorway. Doctor Mora wore a knee-length white nightshirt with matching pants made of the same material. The long sleeves hung loose off his wrists, hinting at the weight he must have lost during his short time in the facility.

  But Doctor Mora didn't appear to care. He was too busy enjoying Kejal's tight hug. When he saw Odo there, he extended a hand.

  "It's good to see you home," Odo said politely. He took the offered hand and shook it.

  "It's fantastic to be home. Oh, come here." Doctor Mora pulled Odo forward into Kejal's embrace. "I'm glad you kept things running in my absence. Thank you."

  Kejal beamed. He helped Doctor Mora into the living room and let him sit in the chair by the oval window. Odo noticed Doctor Mora favoring his left leg. He shook his head and stepped outside to meet Aleexa.

  "Ah, good morning, Odo." The Talaxian woman flashed a jolly grin. She paid the tram driver and the vehicle pulled away with a soft whoosh.

  "Good morning." Odo replied. Behind him, dishes clanked as Kira finished preparing breakfast.

  "Kejal!" Kira laughed, "What are you doing with that orange?"

  "Trying to...nope, still can't taste yet." Kejal sounded disappointed.

  Doctor Mora snorted. "Someday, perhaps. This fruit salad is delicious, Nerys! Thank you."

  "I see they got breakfast started." Aleexa straightened the purple vest draping her plump frame.

  "Nerys wanted to." Odo replied off-handedly. "Does Doctor Mora require any specialized care while he recovers?"

  "Always detail oriented, aren't you?" She eyed him shrewdly.

  Odo shrugged, allowing himself a half-smile. He beckoned Aleexa inside. The chilly morning air didn't bother him, but he didn't want to let the heat in the house leak outside.

  "He is still on antibiotics. Tramoradine twice a day." Aleexa stepped past Odo. "I've got him on metorapan patches now for a constant stream of pain control. They need changing once a day, and he can still use the hypospray for breakthrough pangs. The tram driver bumped his bad knee closing the door."

  "That explains the extra limp."

  "Mmhmm, it's just a bruise. He said it didn't hurt until he stood up."

  "What about the kidney issue?"

  "The swelling is down to what's normal for him. This infection cost him a lot of that kidney's function. I'd say it's working at fifty percent. The other one is at about eighty. I noticed his anterior spleen is starting to show signs of swelling, too. I increased the dosage of his dexalin to combat his fatigue, so don't be alarmed if he has a chunky cough for awhile. It's going to take his body a few days to get used to the higher dosage." Aleexa pulled her white knitted knapsack forward and took out a portable oxygen mask. "I've also ordered him oxygen for shortness of breath. It's more of a comfort measure than anything. It won't breathe for him if he stops. He made that desire very clear. No life support devices."

  "Mm." Odo nodded slowly, glanci
ng into the living room. "Thank you for being so thorough with him, Aleexa."

  "...and they're over there whispering about me." Doctor Mora spoke with a knowing grin.

  "Aleexa was updating me on your condition." Odo shot back without malice. He recognized Kira's famous fruit salad on sight. She often brought it to parties aboard Deep Space Nine.

  "I ate an orange slice." Kejal made a face. "It was slimy."

  Kira chuckled, elbowing him in the side. "Oranges are juicy, not slimy."

  "Blech."

  Doctor Mora laughed and ate the last two alvas off his plate. "Mm, that was delicious. Aleexa, come and help yourself! Nerys, what wonderful salad."

  Odo eased himself onto the couch. He let out a soft 'oof' when Kejal hopped into his lap. His good mood was infectious.

  "Aren't you glad father's home?"

  "Of course I am." Odo deadpanned. He ruffled Kejal's hair and smoothed it back down.

  Kejal grinned, scrambled back to freedom and collected the empty bowls from everyone else. He dished a bit of salad up for Aleexa, who thanked him.

  Kira settled on the couch beside Odo. He wrapped his arm around her. She laid her hand on his chest. Her betrothal bracelet glistened enticingly.

  Tomorrow evening, she would return to Deep Space Nine for three weeks and come back two days before their chosen wedding date. Odo didn't know how Kira worked it out, but he found it convenient. The only annoyance would be the long distance wedding planning. There was so little time and so many details to work out!

  "Have you decided on a dress?" Odo murmured against her hair.

  "I have an idea of what I want." Kira's eyes twinkled when she glanced up into his. "And no, I'm not telling. You have to wait until our wedding day to see it."

  "Mm, can't wait."

  "So, lovebirds," Aleexa faced them with a twinkle in her eye, "when's the wedding?"

  "One month." Kira answered her. "You're welcome to be there. In fact, I want you there."

  "Really? Are you sure?" Aleexa brightened. Then her cheeks suddenly pinked up. "I always cry at weddings."

  "It's not a wedding without at least one crier. Cry all you want, just make sure you come." Kira grinned.

  "Are you trying to invite the entire population of Bajor?" Odo asked, only half serious.

  "No, no, mom, it's not enough to invite Bajorans." Kejal perched on the arm of the couch. "Let's invite the Klingons, too!"

  "Klingons?" Kira balked.

  Kejal promptly burst into a tenor aria from Gav'ot toH'va, knowing full well Odo despised Klingon operas.

  Doctor Mora chuckled. Aleexa stared open-mouthed. Kira giggled. Odo cringed and bore it. Not even Kejal's singing talent covered up the disorderly arpeggio runs present in the piece he chose.

  Odo looked for the nearest window to ooze out of, but none were close enough.

  Aleexa jumped to her feet and applauded Kejal's high note finale. "Kejal! They said you can sing, but...you can sing!"

  Kejal mock-bowed, beaming. "Mother hates Klingon opera. I sing it to annoy him."

  "It works," Odo grunted. "I'm surprised the windows are still intact."

  "Oh, no, you need a soprano for that."

  Doctor Mora snorted and flung his napkin down in pretended defeat.

  "Well, as much as I'm enjoying the company, I need to rest."

  "Have we been keeping you up?" asked Odo.

  Doctor Mora shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just old."

  .o

  Watching his father struggle onto his feet tore into Kejal's soul. He escaped into the bedroom where he adjusted Mora's bed lower and arranged the pillows how he liked them. The click of Mora's cane and shuffling feet came closer.

  Kejal fashioned a smile he didn't really feel. "I thought I'd get your bed ready. Do you want me to take your slippers off for you?"

  "Oh, thank you, no. I can do that." Mora let himself collapse onto the bed and kicked his slippers off himself. His cane found its home on the magnetic hook Aleexa placed near the bed. He pressed the control console until the left side of the bed stretched itself out. "Climb on."

  The invitation made Kejal's smile genuine. He reclined next to Mora and felt a still-strong arm encircle his shoulders.

  "I hate hospitals. They aren't home...I don't think I slept more than three hours at a time during my stay."

  "Hospitals are chaotic," Kejal grumbled. "Did you see the tile floor in the bathroom there?"

  "No..."

  "Prophets, it's awful! So many irregular spiral patterns. Someone must have flung the tiles down onto the grout and called it finished!"

  Mora chuckled softly. "Chaos to you is art to someone else."

  "Do you remember the art museum?"

  "Oh, yes. You were terrified of the Taking Flight sculpture. An abstract bird."

  "I still don't 'get' abstract art. Why carve a bunch of triangles and say it's a goose? Just carve a goose."

  "An artist's mind is a strange place."

  Kejal grinned. "So is mine!"

  "Hm, you have a point." Mora grabbed a PADD off his bedside table and switched it on.

  He was looking at biodegradable coffins.

  In the other room, Aleexa's jolly laugh reverberated off the walls. She said, "I'll never squeeze into something like that! Now come on, show me the wedding bowl you two chose."

  "Oh, sure!" Kira answered. "Hold on, I'll get the other PADD."

  Mora looked through a selection of wicker coffins. The blurb underneath said it would take three years for them to break down once buried.

  Kejal slowly realized he had a say in the vessel his father would rest in after death. Something as important as Kira's wedding gown, if not more so.

  "Those don't look comfortable," he whispered. "There's no padding inside."

  "Hm, I agree." Mora glanced at Kejal. "Is this bothering you?"

  "No." Kejal reached over and opened a selection of cloth coffins in a variety of colors and designs. "You should get something soft and warm."

  He felt rather than saw Mora lift an eyebrow.

  Their description said they took approximately one to two years to biodegrade underground. About the same amount of time it took an adult Bajoran to go from flesh, fat and muscle to bare bones.

  Kira's voice filtered into the room, "...and I can wear my comfortable boots under the dress and still look fine..."

  Mora selected a gray cloth coffin and enlarged its picture. The white cushioned inside looked similar to a sleeping bag, and it could handle a body up to three times Mora's weight.

  "Look, you can have it custom embroidered," Kejal pointed out.

  "I don't know what I would say."

  "It's for the living."

  "Hm..."

  "I'd keep it simple." Kejal gestured in the air. "Scientist. Husband. Father. Loved."

  Mora inhaled through his nose. His eyes were misty. "I...I like that. Here, you type it in. I'll feel silly doing it myself."

  Kejal swiped the PADD and wrote in the Bajoran script. Mora scanned his thumbprint to finalize his selection. It was all done faster and less painful than Kejal thought.

  Sighing, Mora switched the PADD off and set it aside. He curled up on his right side, his back to Kejal. "I'm glad that's over with. I was worried about it being left until the last minute."

  Kejal scooted off the bed long enough to pull the covers up to Mora's shoulder. Then he climbed back on behind him.

  "Mother said you were upset that you won't see my birthday."

  Mora flinched noticeably. "I'm sorry about that." He twisted a little to meet his gaze. "I know how hard this is for you, Kejal...and I-I'm sorry to put you through this."

  Kejal made a face. He gently pushed Mora to lay properly again and kissed the back of his head. "Don't be. Age is just a stupid number anyway. I'm sorry that I missed your birthday...you just had it three months before you came to see us, didn't you?"

  "Mm, I did...and here's what makes it funny. I found out my birthday is Christmas day on
Earth's calendar. Nearly everyone there exchanges gifts on Christmas." Mora's voice sounded faraway, a sign he was falling asleep.

  "Really?"

  "Mmhmm."

  "Maybe it's Earth's birthday." Kejal mused. "I like that idea, father."

  "Hmmm..."

  A minute later, Mora's breathing regulated into rhythmic snores. His fingers and eyebrows twitched as he slept.

  Footsteps approached the bedroom.

  "Oh, bless his heart," Aleexa whispered. She stood in the doorway, sipping a mug of something emitting too much steam to be deka tea. "He had trouble sleeping in the facility."

  "Yeah." Kejal nodded. He carefully extricated himself from the soft mattress. "We picked out his coffin. It's gray cloth...like a sleeping bag."

  "I've seen those. They're gorgeous." Aleexa led him into the living room. "How are you doing, Kejal?"

  He sat down on the couch. "I'm alive. Where are mom and mother?"

  "They went to the market to get more alvas for Pol." She leaned forward. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

  Kejal finally met her eyes. They held only compassion for his well-being, not pity.

  "He's going to die. I can't fix that, but dammit, someday, somehow, I'm going to find or help someone else find a cure for this disease. Maybe not for my father, but somebody deserves a second chance. So that person's sons or daughters don't have to go through this."

  Aleexa squeezed his shoulder, smiling. "Knowing you, I think you'll succeed."

  "I hope so." Kejal glanced at his hands, which he held clasped in his lap. "He barely wanted to talk out here. Is he tired from not sleeping, or is it the disease?"

  She sighed. "Both. He lost most of the inflamed kidney, and his anterior spleen is showing signs of swelling because it isn't getting enough oxygenated blood."

  "So he's getting sicker?"

  "I'm afraid so." Aleexa sat beside him on the couch. "You might notice him losing interest in the things he used to enjoy. People at the stage he's in begin withdrawing from the physical and focus more on the spiritual. Even people who don't know they're dying yet do this-- it defies explanation."