Disclaimer: I make no profit from my writings, nor do I own Star Trek, or the canon characters. Healers without Borders appears with the permission of Starquilter57
Unfinished
All the diplomats had been delivered to the Babel conference.
Jim was mentally exhausted from the strain of fighting the Orions. The battles between the diplomats hadn't made things any easier.
Bones had released him from sickbay, but he was still on limited duty. That meant that his favorite method of strain relief was not available, he would not be permitted to spar with anyone or perform any strenuous exercise.
The stab wound was repaired, but still itched.
Reaching his quarters he opened a small drawer in his dresser. It was filled with odd socks. Like many of the colonists of Tarsus IV he had learned knitting. It had been hoped that the colonists would be able to knit for the arts and crafts market and profitably use the wool from the colony's sheep.
Since that time he found the repetitive process of knitting and purling to be calming. Unfortunately since he only ever worked on one sock at a time there were no matching socks. All of them fit his feet but there was no place outside of his quarters to wear them.
To keep them from filling his quarters entirely he packaged them up when the drawer was full and shipped them off to Healers without Borders. On the primitive worlds and disaster sites that HOB sent teams too, they often needed single socks for amputation patients.
The current sock that he was working on was ready for the heel to be worked. The yarn was a variegated rainbow shading from a dark blue to dark red. The banding pattern created was pleasing to Jim. He hoped that who ever got this sock would enjoy the colors and striping pattern as well.
He set the timer on his computer terminal for two hours as a reminder to stop. He knitted the ribbed portion of the heel. Then picked up the stitches needed for the gussets. Just as he finished the last decrease round. The timer went off. Reluctantly he set the sock, needles and yarn down in the canvas bag that he kept them in. Then he took the bag back to the drawer.
Leaving his room he headed off to dinner.
He sat down across from Bones, with a salad and a small steak with mashed potatoes and a double helping of green beans.
McCoy looked at Jim. When he left sickbay only two hours ago he had been like a bow string, ready to react to anything. Also he looked and walked like a man in pain. But now he looked like he always did when relaxed. His limbs were moving freely and easily and there was no trace of tension in him at all. Just like he had come back from the gym.
"Jim, I thought I told you light duty and no strenuous workouts or sparring for a week."
"If I thought you would believe me when I say no, I would just say no. But you'll want to check with them and I won't spoil your fun."
"You wouldn't tell me to check with the gym if you had gone there, so you probably didn't do that. It doesn't look like you've had anything to drink either."
"Nope, had too much too drink while we had all the diplomats onboard."
"If you were a Vulcan, it would be either a healing trance or meditation, but you aren't so those are out. So its not physical or chemical …."
"And it isn't animal, mineral or vegetable either." Kirk's smile was nearly a smirk.
"Wish I knew what it was, and if it worked with others as well as it works for you. But you're not going to tell me are you?"
"Nope" Kirk picked up his tray and headed for the recycling station.
Bones was left wondering what Kirk had done, his investigation unfinished.
Three days later Kirk took a small sealed package down to supply to have it shipped of at their next opportunity.
The supply petty officer looked at the label curiously. "That is odd."
Kirk asked, "What's odd about it."
"Just yesterday, Nurse Chapel brought in a box for the same address. And half an hour ago, Commander Spock dropped off a box for HOB."
"Well you know HOB can always use help."
Kirk thought to himself after leaving supply, "Doing things for others is a great way to relax."