A/N – Alas, I do not own any part of the Star Trek franchise. I do not intend to profit from the use of its character. This story was crafted for my own entertainment and hopefully the enjoyment of fellow fans.
Bones noticed the hobgoblin leaning against the wall in the corner of the room with his eyes closed. It had been nearly three hours since Spock and Uhura beamed back to the ship with an unconscious Khan. Despite some obvious bruising, Spock refused all treatment. McCoy had been too focused on obtaining as much of Khan's blood as possible without killing him outright and then synthesizing a serum Jim's body could handle to press the point. With several slightly different formulas now being produced, Bones had a moment to look around the ward.
Spock looked worse now than when he'd walked into Sickbay. He had remained out of the way, standing next to the cryotube Jim rested in waiting for Bones to pull off a miracle. Bones picked a scanner and walked across the room. When Spock did not immediately become aware of his presence, McCoy knew there was something seriously wrong.
Before Bones had moved the scanner beyond the Vulcan's skull, he called out to the nearest orderly. "Miller, help me get him onto a biobed." The pointy eared idiot remained oblivious as he was carefully positioned on the nearest examine bed. Healing trance, Bones thought. "Fat lot of good that's gonna do on microfractures throughout your skull, a lacerated liver, multiple broken ribs and an enlarged spleen." He grumbled at Spock.
"Nurse Chapel, I need you now," Bones shouted. He opened a drawer in the biobed and pulled out a pair of scissors to cut away Spock's shirt. The bruising across his chest and abdomen was extensive.
Christine rushed in from the next room. McCoy had left her in charge of triaging the injured crew while he worked to save Kirk. Her footsteps may have faltered slightly as she approached his side, but her voice was steady when she replied, "Yes, Doctor?"
"I have to do surgery to repair Spock's liver among other things. How is everything going in there?"
"We lost 2 more both of who were found after Spock returned. Yeoman Owens had severe head trauma and Engineer's Mate Berkley died from severe internal injuries. Otherwise, we've stabilized the remainder and are working through the lesser injuries – simple breaks, lacerations and burns." While she'd been giving her update, Chapel had been prepping a tray with the equipment McCoy would need. "Do you want me to get Mr. Spock's stored blood supply?"
"Yes," he took a moment to glance up from the readouts, "are you able to assist?"
She quirked her eyebrow at him in an oddly Vulcan fashion. "The patients are still coming in, but the current staff is handling things. I probably have more experience with Vulcan physiology than most of the nurses and I'm no more sleep deprived than you are."
"Ask a simple question," he groused. "Fine, get the blood and get back here while I put him under."
Chapel hurried off. McCoy picked up a hypospray from the tray, checked the medication and set the dosage. As he reached forward to inject Spock, Bones felt a remarkable strong hand grab onto his other wrist.
"Doctor, your attention is better served taking care of the Captain." Spock's voice did not match his grasp.
"Jim will be pretty pissed when he wakes to find out I let his stubborn as a Missouri mule first officer die from internal injuries." McCoy gently pressed the hypo to the man's neck.
"I assure you Do..." Leonard did not find out what Spock was going to assure him of as the medication took effect mid sentence.
"Everybody thinks they're a doctor."
Spock came slowly back to consciousness. He could hear the slow respirations of someone sitting to his right. He predicted a 77.4% chance that it was Nyota. He opened his eyes and slowly is able to bring into focus the person in a chair beside the bed and recognizes Uhura napping there. He cautiously turns his head to the left and does not see the cryotube. He struggles to sit up. Several of the readouts above the biobed spike into the red causing alarms to sound.
Nyota startles awake knocking her PADD to the floor. "Spock!"
Spock scans the room. The cryotube containing Jim is gone. Fear threatens to swamp him. He must find the doctor. He swings his legs off the side of the bed and works to sit completely upright. The blanket that had been covering him pooling at his waist
Bones runs into the room. "Goddammit Spock! What are you doing?" He shouts as reaches Spock's side.
"Where is the Captain?"
"Lay down Spock, you're going to reopen the incisions." He counters firmly.
"Is he dead?" The anguish he would deny experiencing is evident.
"I swear I am going to sedate your Vulcan ass into next week if"
"WHERE IS JIM?" Spock surprises McCoy by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling the doctor off balance.
Uhura places both of her hands on one of Spock's bare arms. "Jim's in isolation." Spock turns his focus on her. "Bones has started him on the first serum." He releases McCoy's shirt. "Jim is still with us." Spock can do nothing to deflect her outpouring of concern for him through her contact, but it does allow him to pick up her cautious glimmer hope for Jim's recovery.
Spock gently removes his arm from Nyota's grasp. He takes a deep breath to center himself. "Forgive me, Doctor."
Bones watches Uhura place her hand on the bed next to Spock as she seems to lean against it to steady herself. Her stunned expression concerns him and makes a mental note to talk with her later about it.
"Hmpf," the doctor replied. He already had his scanner out passing it over Spock's head and chest. "I have Jim intubated and connected to a respirator. He is also on full cardiac support and dialysis. We are mechanically keeping Jim's body functioning while Khan's blood, we hope, works to salvage his brain function and repair the radiation damage throughout his body.
"Has there been any indication that Khan's blood is helping?" Spock's voice is now much closer to its normal tone.
"Lay back down and I'll tell you." Bones had been treating this crew long enough to know that if he allowed Spock to stay upright another minute, the man would be wanting to leave.
"Doctor, I …" The protest died on Spock's lips. He had taken in McCoy's rigid posture and telltale head tilt and realized that the doctor would not be swayed and if he were to be completely forthcoming, he was not close to being physically ready to be on duty. Jim would call it picking his battles. "Very well."
With his mental shields now in place, he allowed the doctor to assist him into a much more comfortable reclining position. It was only then that McCoy answered Spock's question.
"We have noticed a very slight increase in brain activity. It is still barely detectable, but it's a reason to hope." Spock simply nodded his head. The fact that Spock isn't blathering on about the illogic of his last statement is a clear indication of how unwell the Vulcan still is.
Bones is surprised to find that Uhura has returned to the chair on the far side of the bed. "Nyota, darlin', why don't you inform your idiot boyfriend of the extent of my handiwork on him today while I go check on Jim and the rest of my patients. Maybe that will convince him to sit still"
Spock turned his gaze to the woman he had been fortunate to have in his life for the last four years, first as student then as a friend and lover. Once McCoy had left the room, Spock quietly called out to her as he stretched out his right arm extending his first and middle fingers to her, "Nyota?"
With a small sad smile, she stood. She crossed to the bed and returned the gesture placing her fingers under his. Spock slid over to allow her room to sit beside him. She settled herself instead at his knees facing towards him.
Spock could tell that he had upset her. He was not certain what he had done, but his mother had advised that in these circumstances when dealing with humans an apology was a good place to start a conversation.
"I regret that I have caused you distress."
"It's not your fault." Uhura began to move her hand away when his finger closed around hers.
"I believe it must be, but I am unsure as to what I did."
"It's not so much anything that you have done, but rather the situation we're in."
"Are you referring to Jim's death in the warp core?"
"I don't blame you for his death if that's what you mean, but I think it was a catalyst for what you're feeling."
It took only a moment for him to realize that she was being literal. In that unguarded moment, when she touched him his thoughts had solely been focused on the fact that he hadn't had time to tell Jim how he felt. He didn't want Jim never to know exactly what his feelings were even though the extent of them where still developing.
"I never intended," he began.
"I know." Uhura leaned forward and kissed Spock lightly on his cheek. "I think I actually suspected your feelings for him were growing – changing for some time; I just didn't want to admit it." She eased herself off the bed.
"Nyota?" He still held onto her hand. She could hear so many questions infused in that one softly spoken word.
"I'm okay, Spock. We are okay. And more importantly, I believe Jim is going to be okay.
He released her hand then and she followed the path McCoy had taken into the main ward. Spock allowed his eyes to close. He knew that there was every possibility that Jim might not recover. And even if he did, he might not return his affection. Whatever the outcome, Spock would never regret his decision.
A/N – this is intended to be the follow up to He's Right Again. I hope I have done justice to some of my favorite characters. Reviews are greatly appreciated.