Based off the prompt, "You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."
All around him his crew worked diligently going above and way beyond their duties to help this planet that Jim himself had only been to once before during shore leave. Back then it'd been beautiful but now it was in shambles. Roads were destroyed, houses looked like burnt out carcasses, the waterbeds were dry as bones and crops dead or dying. That's the part that got Jim – the plants. In the report that'd been brought to his desk a week ago it'd read natural disaster on planet, colony affected. Natives asking for assistance. Plant and crop life heavily damaged. Food shortage probable. Respond immediately.
Enterprise wasn't the closest ship but Jim had sprung her to action bypassing their scheduled upgrade stop at Star Base III and jumping to warp over to the planet.
When they'd arrived it had been chaos and not the organized kind that came with running a starship. It was been absolute madness as Jim and the first of the crew beamed down to the planet to asses so they could decide what these people needed. Heat and the smell of decay assaulted their senses and Jim had to fight the flashback that tried to worm its way into his head. The team had quickly found the person responsible for the SOS and begun the relief effort accordingly.
That had been eight days ago and now, as Jim walked past two native children clinging bottles of water to their chests and running after each other Jim was starting to feel tired. More than tired, actually. Exhausted. Beat down. Like he needed to fall asleep for a year or four. But he couldn't. There was too much needing to be done. They needed to decide if it was a viable option to evacuate the members of this planet or fix what they had lost and set up some precautionaries so it didn't happen again – or if it did they wouldn't take so much damage.
Jim drew back a tent flap as he entered into the medical area of their tent city set up. Bones was somewhere in here but Jim didn't care to see him at the moment. Day six had been Bones' breaking point when it came to Jim constantly staying down on the planet. An argument of –
"Jim, you need to take care of yourself first and that means getting some rest and-"
"Bones, we need to secure the city and check the outer woods to make sure no one's out there and then I'll rest okay? I promise."
It was a lie, of course. He didn't rest. They'd found a handful of starving people out in the woods hiding trying to live off the sparse vegetation and one look into their eyes had Jim jumping headlong into anything and everything he could get his hands on. If an ensign or ten questioned why the captain of Enterprise was moving boxes and serving food and moving bins of water and digging up dirt in the dried waterbed to show the natives there was still moisture deep down, well, Jim just pretended he didn't hear them.
"Captain." Someone said as Jim looked around at the beds where sick natives lay. Jim turned feeling his neck crack and aches throb down his back. The soles of his feet were blistered in his boots from trekking through the woods two days ago. He really wanted to sit down but he wasn't sure he'd be able to get back up again. Spock came up to his side and Jim didn't even have the energy to smile at his first officer as the Vulcan squared up next to him.
"I feel it is the correct time as we have succeeded in stabilizing this area of the planet to inform you that I believe you should take a–"
"I don't need to take a break, Commander," Jim snarled unnecessarily angry. One of Spock's eyebrows rose to his bangs.
"I was merely going to suggest a possible shower and a proper meal however a break would also not be out of the question."
Jim gaped at him then looked down at his uniform. It was dusty and dirty, sweat stained and he probably smelled like a Klingon. He definitely didn't look like a captain at the moment. He opened his mouth to defend himself when an angry all too familiar shout made him jump.
"Spock!"
It was Bones and he was storming over to them. The small part of Jim that was still slightly scared of the older man wanted to run away but that would involve moving and his protesting body just wouldn't allow that at the moment.
"I'll get to you in a second," Bones growled at Jim when he was close enough before turning to the Vulcan. "Would you care to explain why a certain Lieutenant Sulu informed me that under your orders he and bunch of wet behind the ears ensigns decided it was a good idea to go up to the mountains this morning…"
Bones kept up his dress down with loud gestures and colorful words at Spock but Jim wasn't listening. He felt strange, like something was wrong. Saliva collected in his mouth almost like he'd throw up but he didn't feel ill, just off. He moved his legs out further to get a more solid stance but then his knees trembled. The large tent surrounding him morphed and twisted.
"Bones…" He thought he called loudly but maybe it was just a whisper.
"Just a minute, Jim," Bones replied slightly annoyed turning back to Spock. The doctor dove back into his lecture as Jim felt the world begin to tilt. Lights exploded over his vision making it seem like stars were shooting over his eyes. He felt himself listing to the side feeling very light, like he was floating. His head spun and his last thought before everything went dark was that the stars in his eyes were nowhere near as beautiful as the stars in the sky.
Jim woke slowly feeling warmth and lethargy pulling at his muscles. He opened his eyes with a pop noticing they were crusty. He felt something touch his hair tracing his skull and moved slightly against it. The person touching him didn't stop but pressed harder massaging his head and down his neck.
"Hmm," he sighed noticing for the first time that a heart beat under his ear. Jim looked up taking in his surroundings with confused eyes. He lay in his large bed inside his cool quarters. Bones was under him, holding him loosely against his chest while gently rubbing his fingers over his head. Jim was curled against his chest in his sleep ware of a shirt and loose shorts. "What..?"
"You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes, darlin'." Bones chuckled blowing his breath on Jim's forehead. "Jim? When's the last time you ate?"
"Uhh," Jim had to think for a seconds, then a moment, then a minute.
"Jim."
"What? My watch didn't go off," he mumbled bringing up his protesting arm with his wristwatch that reminded him to eat attached to it. Sure enough it was blank. Dead. "It must've run out of power sometime during the week."
"Oh, kid." Bones held him tighter.
"What's going on down–"
"Spock's got everything handled," Bones interrupted quietly. Jim could feel his eyelids start to droop. "Everything's fine." The this isn't Tarsus went unsaid and Jim was grateful for it. Warmth spread down from his neck to his feet as Bones rubbed circles into his back.
"You did good, kid."
"Yeah?" Jim asked with a yawn closing his eyes.
"Yeah."