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

by ROVER MARIE TOWLE

  Odo pushed Kejal through the door and closed it after stepping inside. He glanced nervously around the room. There was no delicate way to broach the question he wanted to ask.

  "Aleexa, how will we know Doctor Mora is near death?" He focused briefly on Kejal. "You said there are signs when it is imminent. I think it's time we learned what they are."

  Aleexa gestured to the couch, where they sat down together. "Everybody does it at their own pace, but the sequence of changes is almost always the same. I'll go step by step from where we are now. First off..."

  .o

  Days melted together like the Great Link, remembered only by the rising and setting of the sun.

  Kejal climbed into bed with Mora and let morning sunlight pour through the open bedroom door.

  "It's almost spring, father," he said.

  Mora awoke and flashed a sleepy smile. His eyes were twinkling.

  "I brought you a bowl of warm, chunky alvasauce sprinkled in kava." Kejal showed him the mushy red concoction. "Do you want it?"

  "Mmhmm."

  "Here, I'll sit you up a little." Kejal inclined the head of the bed until his father was comfortably in a sitting position. "Does that hurt your back at all?"

  Mora adjusted his pillow. "Not enough to bother me." He felt underneath his bottom lip with his front teeth. "I need a shave."

  Kejal handed him the spoon. "We'll do that after you try this."

  Mora stared intently at the utensil in his hand. Finally, after a long moment, he said, "Kejal, help me."

  "Oh." Kejal took the spoon. If he had a heart, he knew he'd feel it breaking at the sight of his father too weak to feed himself. He dipped the spoon into the alvasauce and lifted it to Mora's lips. "Here you go. It's not burning hot."

  Mora had trouble swallowing the alvasauce, but eventually he did. He fell asleep with the second spoonful still in his mouth and it dribbled all down his chin.

  Kejal wiped away the sticky mess with a cloth napkin. "Father? Wake up, you need to swallow that."

  "Mmh." Mora stirred. He made chewing motions and his neck muscles worked several times.

  Kejal offered more when the swallowing movements stopped.

  Mora didn't react at first. Kejal slipped the spoon between his parted lips. That roused him to take the next bite. As soon as Kejal leaned back, Mora grimaced and coughed, splattering alvasauce on the napkin under his chin.

  "Oops!" Kejal covered Mora's mouth to minimize the mess. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

  "No," Mora cleared his throat and laid back. "Done eating."

  A few bites isn't going to nourish you.

  "Do you want to try something else? How about Aleexa's soup?"

  "No."

  "Larish pie?"

  "Kejal, I don't feel hungry."

  Rather than question it, Kejal set the bowl aside and slipped into the bathroom for Mora's shaving supplies. Mora liked to shave the old-fashioned way using a straight razor, hot gel and water.

  "It is, isn't it?" Mora mumbled. "Yes, darling...we'll watch a sunrise together soon, won't we? Oh, is the baby kicking? Let me feel."

  Talking to her again... Kejal warmed the gel on the heating plate. Through the bathroom door, he saw Mora touch a nearby pillow as though feeling an unborn infant kick.

  "Here we go." He walked back into the bedroom carrying the gel tube, a mirror, a small basin of water and a dry towel. "Is step-mother still here? I don't want to step on her foot by accident."

  "She just left," Mora said matter-of-factly. "Could you replicate me a hot towel?"

  "Of course."

  Mora pressed the hot towel to his face. Kejal helped him apply shaving gel and steadied his hand when he brought the razor to his face.

  "Ah, Kejal, this is important. Please shave my face for me after I die. I don't want to go to my grave looking like an old goat."

  Everything in Kejal's chest contracted around itself. "I promise you'll look your best, father."

  Two days later, Kejal had to shave Mora's face for him because he kept dozing off and dropping the razor. Afterward, Mora turned down a plate of orange slices imported from Earth, but he took two tiny sips of deka tea.

  Aleexa gave him a triptacederine patch for a constant stream of pain medication. Despite it, Mora required steadily increasing bolus doses via hypospray to stay completely comfortable. He still experienced episodes of breakthrough pangs. They could be stopped, however it sometimes took several minutes for the medications to kick in. Mora commented once that pain had a time dilating effect, and a single second of it felt endless.

  Watching his father writhe made Kejal want to flee the room, yet he couldn't leave.

  Aleexa said the dying process can mirror the birth process...but this is awful! This is suffering!

  "We've reached the hard part," Mora said. He hid his face behind one hand. "Kejal, you've been so helpful these past few days...I don't know what I would do without you."

  Kejal gazed at the only father he knew. Mora looked so small among the pillows and blankets. The agony of the last three days added lines to his face that weren't there before. He couldn't bathe, walk, shave, eat, drink or get on the bedside commode without assistance. Just turning over nearly made him scream. Even his voice, which had always been deep and soothing, sounded breathy and thin.

  Kejal's eyes glimmered. He turned his gaze away.

  This is no way to live.

  Mora moved his hand off his face and stared out the window. His eyebrows remained drawn in a perpetual frown.

  Prophets, give me strength...please.

  Kejal climbed onto the bed and laid his head on Mora's shoulder. He wanted to say this while his father was alert.

  "Father?"

  "Hm?" Mora peered at him. His ocean blue eyes were wet in the corners.

  "Father, I need to tell you something."

  "Then spit it out!" Mora snapped. "Oh, Kejal...I'm sorry...it's the pain..."

  Kejal closed his eyes, unable to look at him and speak these words at the same time.

  "If the pain is too much...if you think you need to get out of that body..." He forced the words past his lips, "then i-it's okay with me. Go to the Celestial Temple when you think the time is right. Don't suffer like this to protect me, father."

  The pillow rustled. Kejal felt Mora take his hand. He heard him sniffling.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw his father weeping.

  "I want to go so badly." Mora's face contorted. "I pray for death every night, and it hasn't come yet. Leruu tells me I'll know when it is time, but I don't see how. The pain isn't anything like I expected. I'm ready now!"

  "Father?" Kejal had never known Mora to actively wish for death, but he didn't let his terror drive him out of the room.

  "Oh..." Mora wiped his eyes and composed himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk like that to y-- "

  "No, don't apologize. You're sick and in pain. You have every right to cry right now. I would cry with you if I could."

  Mora blinked and groaned through another pang. "Kejal..."

  The substance in Kejal's chest tightened like a ball. "I want you to feel better, father. You don't deserve to suffer."

  "Ah, son..." Mora's eyelids fluttered. He rallied and patted Kejal's hand. "I'm so proud of you. You couldn't speak of this two months ago, and look at where you are now." He relaxed as the triptacederine kicked in, and his voice returned to its normal low pitch. "You're growing up, Kejal. You're truly growing up."

  Kejal sneered. "Adulthood stinks."

  "It does!" Mora snorted with laughter. "It sure does."

  He actually fell asleep again mid-snicker, and his snorts became snores. Kejal reverted to his gelatinous state, slithered to the floor and regained his humanoid shape. He didn't realize Odo had entered until he finished reforming.

  "Mother?"

  "How is he?"

  "The pain is getting worse." Kejal threw himself into Odo's arms.

  Odo embraced him tightly. "You're taking wonderful care
of him."

  "It's the hardest thing I've ever done," said Kejal. He met his mother's eyes. "I gave him permission to die."

  "Oh." Odo held him closer. He reached over and rubbed Mora's arm. "It's happening so fast now."

  "I know." Kejal sighed. "Have you...?"

  Odo shook his head. His face darkened in the dimness of the room.

  "Do it soon, mother." Kejal whispered.

  For the next two days, Mora didn't eat a single bite of solid food. He drank an entire mug of Aleexa's broth when Odo put the straw in his mouth for him. That was his only nutritional sustenance.

  Hours became filled with pillows, hyposprays and patches.

  Kejal lived for the brief times Mora reacted to outside stimuli. He convinced Odo to sit down and read the Shaarlek series out loud. Odo had a great voice for reading. He never got tired of doing it, much to Kejal's delight. Mora turned his face towards whichever side Odo chose to sit, and he outright smirked at mention of a Yridian getting swindled in the fourth novel.

  Mora opened his eyes right at sunset. He held his arms out to Kejal. Kejal accepted the embrace without hesitation and felt a kiss pressed against his ear.

  "Thank you." Mora whispered.

  Kejal knew what it was for. He hid his face against Mora's neck. "You're welcome."

  Then something changed literally overnight.

  It started when Mora suddenly hurled off all his blankets. He grabbed at the air. Then he piled up every single small cushion within reach and mumbled ceaselessly to himself.

  "Father, what are you doing?"

  "I'm packing my supplies," Mora said.

  Kejal leaned on the bed. "Why?"

  "Moving...the second floor addition is complete and I have to transfer my equipment. It's a lot of work and I'm not finished yet."

  "Oh." Kejal grasped the cushions and helped Mora lay down again. "I can take care of that for you."

  He covered him with the blankets he'd thrown on the floor. Mora twitched more than usual in his sleep.

  An hour later, he awoke, and the confusion started over.

  "I need to reach Doctor Weld. Now!"

  "Father?"

  "My son is ill. He is dying. The morphogenic virus-- he is infected! Those bastards in Starfleet are using my research to commit genocide! They didn't tell me...they-- I trusted them. It's all my fault! Odo and Kejal may be dying, and I'm at fault!"

  "Wait, what? No! I'm fine. I'm right h-- "

  "Blast it all, the induction didn't work. I need a biobed! He's in pain! Don't you see? He's in pain!"

  "Fa-- Doctor, it's all right. I will stabilize him."

  "But I must hold his hand. He needs me at his side. He-- "

  "Shhh, you need to sleep. You're no good to him with no sleep. I'll tell you if anything, uh, changes."

  "One hour. Get me in one hour."

  "All right."

  Exactly sixty minutes after Mora dozed off, he stirred. His eyes had a faraway glaze.

  "He's gone."

  "Hm?" Kejal took Mora's hand. "No, I didn't die...I'm right here."

  "What are you talking about? I meant Odo. Odo is gone!"

  "No! He's fine. Father-- "

  "You don't understand!" Tear streaks glistened on Mora's face. "I drove him away. I failed him...I-- the Cardassians, they'll find him. He isn't prepared to be out there on his own. If the Cardassians get their hands on him-- please, you have to help me. Tell Doctor Weld we need to find Odo!"

  "Father!"

  "He must be found! Please! I need to tell him I'm sorry. Please..."

  "All right! All right, shhh. We will find him."

  "We have to go now." Mora tried to get up. His eyes were wild. "I want to help."

  Kejal caught Mora's shoulders and pushed him back down. "N-no, you should, uh, stay in case he comes back. Is that okay?"

  "Fine...but hurry. It's storming." Mora picked violently at the fraying pocket on his nightshirt. "Thunder terrifies him."

  "Okay, stay here. I'll find moth-- I'll find Odo for you."

  Then, almost in a panic, Kejal bolted into the living room. "Mother! Mother, come quick!"

  "What?" Odo poked his head in from the garden. "What is it?"

  "It's father. He's very confused and said I had to find you." Kejal grabbed Odo's hand. He practically dragged him into the bedroom. "Seeing you should calm him down."

  By they time they got there, Mora had slipped back into restless unconsciousness. The quilt was thrown off one side of the bed and the sheets were on the other.

  Odo shot Kejal a glare.

  "But he...he was just..."

  "Call me when he really needs me." Odo growled. He left the room in a huff.

  Kejal grabbed the discarded blankets. They were wet. So was Mora's nightshirt. Alarmed, he called Aleexa into the room.

  "It's fine. I'll take care of it. Pol, sweetie, we're going to get you cleaned up." Aleexa swapped out the soiled linens for dry ones. She did everything without removing Mora from the bed.

  Kejal prepared to pull a clean nightshirt over his father's head.

  Aleexa stopped him. "Wait, don't redress him yet. I need to wash him off."

  Kejal helped Aleexa give Mora a sponge bath. He saw more of his father than he ever wanted to. Finally, she reached into the closet for something he hadn't seen her bring in.

  "Oh, Prophets..." Kejal groaned. "Diapers?"

  "Briefs." Aleexa corrected him. "I call them briefs. It's more dignified."

  At least they looked like typical jockey style undergarments. He wouldn't have realized the difference without seeing the package.

  "Kejal, I know this is embarrassing, but listen. It's extremely important to keep him clean." She set a pack of large swabs on the table beside a jar of disinfectant salve. "Every time you change his briefs, dip a swab in this, pull his foreskin back and wipe the tip of his penis. You won't hurt him if you're gentle. Make sure your hands are clean before you start."

  "Why?" he asked.

  "It's very delicate skin, and his urine is getting more acidic as his remaining kidney fails. This will prevent infection and irritation. Trust me, Kejal, having itchy or sore genitals is not fun." She straightened. "Oh! One more thing. Point him down towards his feet before you close up the briefs, or there's a chance they might leak at the waistband."

  Kejal wasn't keen on looking at or handling someone else's genitals, however he knew it was necessary.

  Aleexa showed Kejal how to apply and remove the briefs before they dressed Mora in a clean nightshirt. Mora never moved throughout the process. He just laid there, sleeping with his mouth hanging open.

  "Check the briefs every few hours. The stripe on the front turns blue when he needs changing. Don't be surprised if you see brown or purple urine. His right kidney is just about done."

  "What about solid wastes?"

  "I wouldn't expect him to. Food has to go in first and he hasn't eaten much. All you have to do is wipe his rear end with a warm wet washcloth. Call me if you have any doubts. I'm not squeamish about taking care of that."

  "I see. Um, okay, I-I can do that." Kejal pursed his lips. "How much longer?"

  Aleexa touched his arm. "We're down to days. I'd estimate he has five at the most. I'm amazed he is still with us now."

  "Father is strong." Kejal closed his eyes. "I think he's waiting for everyone to be in the house again."

  "It wouldn't surprise me."

  Kejal stared down at the red and gold quilt on the bed. "Aleexa?"

  "Hm?"

  He smoothed a wrinkle out of Mora's sleeve. "Father took care of me when I fell seriously ill. I almost died, and he was there. He barely left my side. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing enough for him."

  "Aw. You're doing fine, Kejal. You really are."

  At Kejal's sad smile, Aleexa let go of his arm and slipped out.

  "Is something wrong?" Odo's voice filtered into the room.

  "Not really. I'll tell you about it in the kitchen." Aleexa replied.

>   Their quiet talking faded from the doorway.

  Kejal changed Mora when he needed it. Somehow, he performed the task without shying away from his private parts.

  Mora did not wake up at all during the afternoon. That night, his breathing was labored and irregular. Kejal spent every moment he could lying in bed next to him. He listened intently for the congested exhalations Aleexa said meant imminent death.

  Early in the morning, Odo encouraged Kejal to regenerate.

  "His color is good. I don't think he'll die tonight."

  "I don't want him to wake up alone."

  "He'll be all right." Odo kissed Kejal above the ear. "You're stretching yourself too thin, Kejal. You need to rest, or you won't be in any shape to help him later."

  "I'll regenerate if you alert me when anything changes."

  "Fine." Odo sat by Mora's bed and took his hand. "I'll sit with him. Go regenerate."

  Chapter 15: A Gift for the Future

  The trees sang as heavy rain impacted their leaves. How did an entire forest surround his bed? Had he been transported, or was his bedroom transformed?

  Mora brushed a butterfly off his shoulder. He watched it flutter around Leruu, it's iridescent wings shimmering like a sunrise.

  "Oh, Leruu, the forest is singing."

  "I love listening to it." Leruu rubbed her growing belly. She looked lovely in her purple wrap dress, which accentuated her pregnant frame. "The baby kicks more when you're with me. He wants to know you, Pol."

  Mora played with her blonde ponytail. Above her head, the tree canopy was too thick to see the sky.

  "He will know me soon."

  She placed his hand on her abdomen. "Very soon. Can you stay and watch the sunrise?"

  "I'm sorry...I can't this time..." Mora felt his eyes growing heavy.

  Leruu pressed her lips to his brow. "It's all right. Sleep, my love. We'll watch the sunrise together when you're ready."

  He slept.

  Later, when he woke, his bedroom had gone back to normal. Kejal was curled up in Leruu's place.

  "Father, hey." Kejal smiled at him. "How do you feel?"

  Mora tugged on the edge of his nightshirt.

  Kejal sat up and looked. "Oh, you need a change."

  The cool air in the bedroom wasn't exactly comfortable. Mora no longer cared that his genitals were being cleaned by someone else. One less issue to worry about.