A Father's Terror
by Starsinger
Sarek learns of the events that unfolded in STID, and for a heartbreaking moment, fears it is Spock who is dead. I'm done with the rant. It's not that I don't believe it, I do. It's also not that that review was rude and to me clueless, it was. It's just that, I learned I lost a friend last night. Maybe it just wasn't the best time to post a story. I won't apologize. Don't own them.
Sarek's day started out normally. He awoke and went into the kitchen in his new home on New Vulcan. Amanda had gotten him addicted to coffee years earlier, and he still relished the taste of it. He poured himself a cup and went to turn on the newsvid of the morning. He didn't expect much until an alarming report caught his immediate and undivided attention.
"…crashed into San Francisco today. After a running battle with an unnamed Starfleet officer the assailant was apprehended. Casualties on the USS Enterprise and in San Francisco are high, and unconfirmed reports state that a command level officer on the Enterprise is, in fact, dead."
Sarek's heart dropped. He spent a frantic morning booking passage to Earth and trying to contact somebody, anybody who could tell him something. He even found himself yelling at an unfortunate Yeoman, "My son's a command level officer on that ship and you can't tell me if he's alive?"
As Sarek boarded a ship headed for Earth he continued to try and find out anything that would tell him if his son lived. Finally, a message came through from Uhura that simply contained this interview:
"Commander! Commander, how does it feel to be the hero who stopped Khan!" Sarek stared at his son, absorbing the pain in his very frame.
"I'm not a hero, madam, I was just doing my job," Spock replied.
"But, we heard that you captured him after he seriously injured your Captain. Is that true?" One asked.
"While the Captain was injured he is currently receiving the best of care in a Starfleet facility," he said with a sigh. He needed to get back to the ship.
"We had a report that James Kirk is, in fact, dead! Is that true!"
"Last time I saw him he was not dead," Spock replied. "If you'll excuse me, I have a ship in dry-dock I need to oversee."
Sarek breathed a sigh of relief, his son lived. He looked at his aide, "Can you contact Uhura and ask if I might visit the facility where the Captain is being treated? It might be beneficial if a member of the Federation Council could confirm his condition." That was an understatement, under the circumstances, the President would want answers, so would Starfleet, with so many dead and injured they might not be easy to find.
Sarek finally talked to Uhura, "I don't know, Ambassador. McCoy's very protective of Kirk. I've seen him myself and he doesn't look so good."
"He is alive?" Sarek pressed.
"Oh, yes, he lives, not for lack of trying," Uhura's lips pressed together in suppressed emotion. "Alright, he's being treated at the Starfleet Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. The one in San Francisco took a hit, and that one is pretty far out of the way. Spock, last I saw him, was on the Enterprise."
Sarek arrived at the hospital and kept his hood over his face. He did not want to draw attention to this place. As he entered Starfleet personnel scrambled to their feet and promptly fell over them to show him to the ICU where Kirk lay. McCoy was startled to see the hooded figure standing there, almost hesitant to go in, "Ambassador?" McCoy said. "Spock is on the Enterprise."
Sarek looked at McCoy, "I would like to see the man who saved my son."
McCoy chuckled, "You should hear the story of how your son saved his life by simply running the madman who caused all this down." Sarek stared at the doctor, "Ambassador, it isn't very simple. Jim suffered from severe radiation poisoning. He's in a coma, and, much to everyone's dismay, can't answer any questions. You have no idea how many Starfleet Admirals I've chased away from here. Jim's died from a build up of fluids in his lungs caused by his body's attempt to rid itself of the poison."
"He did die," Sarek stated flatly.
"Oh, yes, he was quite dead," McCoy continued, and proceeded to tell Sarek the whole sordid story. "The only reason I haven't been interrogated, I'm sorry, debriefed, is because Jim's too ill for me to leave."
"I can report to the Federation Council the truth of his condition, and recommend that for the time being, leave him alone," Sarek replied.
McCoy stared at the Ambassador, "I would appreciate that, Ambassador. I'll only tell you this, he has what's called a nasal cannula. This provides oxygen directly to his nasal passages. Please, don't touch anything."
The man who lay in the bed bore little resemblance to the vibrant personality that Sarek had encountered over a year ago. The pale skin had a faint yellowish tint to it, his blue eyes were closed. Lines in his face spoke of the agony he must have experienced before he died. His breathing still sounded labored. He coughed occasionally, his body trying still to clear his lungs. The bed sat at a slight incline and was surrounded by machines of all kinds. Sarek lifted the chart and read that Kirk's body was trying to fight what they had given him to save his life.
Sarek reached out and touched Kirk's face. Not really a mind meld, it told him much. That Kirk still lurked in there, in a state of pain and confusion, but also there was satisfaction, his ship and friends were safe. This told Sarek a lot about this man that had befriended his son. The son who had been so very lonely on Vulcan. Sarek no longer disapproved of his son's friends, and was willing to see where this relationship with Uhura would lead.
"Come back to us, my friend. You have much work ahead of you," Sarek murmured. He turned and left the room. He was then surprised to hear McCoy's strident voice echo through the hallways.
"No, I WON'T wake Jim up so you can talk to him. He's very sick, and my patient. He nearly died," his voice trailed off as the President stepped in.
"We need to talk to him, he has answers about Admiral Marcus and John Harrison that we need!"
"And Mr. Scott and Dr. Carol Marcus will be more than able to help you. As will Mr. Chekov, Mr. Sulu, Miss Uhura, and myself when Jim is at the point where I can leave him. I should say if he's at that point! Now, don't make me call security…" McCoy's tired voice trailed off as Sarek laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. President, I myself have seen Captain Kirk. He is in no wake up, much less talk. We must let Dr. McCoy guide us in this matter," he at least sounded reasonable.
The President nodded, bewildered, "May I at least see him?"
Sarek looked at McCoy, and jerked his head, indicating that he would accompany the President. McCoy nodded as the two men swept back into the room. The President stared at the comatose man a few moments before leaving, "Keep me informed, Doctor."
"Up yours," McCoy muttered under his breath. Sarek quirked and eyebrow in agreement before arranging transport to the Enterprise to see for himself that Spock, indeed, still lived.