It was late, very late. It was seven fifty-two PM and it was getting dark. Leonard was sitting on the edge of his bed in the dorm room he shared with James Tiberius Kirk waiting for the boy to come in drunk or not come in at all. But only to come in the morning with a crazy story. Too predictable. Leonard looked toward his watch with a sigh then made his way out of the dorm room. Sometimes it paid to be friends with the most predictable but rather I-SLEEP-WITH-EVERY-GIRL-I-CAN-SEE! He was attempting to woo a cadet named Uhura.
Too bad she was seeing a teacher.
Everyone on campus knew she was seeing Mr Spock.
Except Jim.
Jim seemed to be the only one on the campus who seemed not to know or heard of the Vulcan named Spock. One time Leonard saw the infant go past the Vulcan without even greeting him. It would have made matters worse if Uhura was there. Leonard had seen plenty of this Spock character for the past two years. Jim had spent a semester in space on the USS Farragut under Captain Stephen Garrovick and earned a award for his diplomacy in it or something like that. It was the Palm leaf of Axanar mission something. Had to do something about peace. Jim was making his way to being Star Fleet's academy's treasurer of the Xenolinigistics club. He was also a assistant instructor in hand to hand combat. He was going to be taking Tactical analysis and Survival Strategies on his third year.
True, Leonard genuinely cared about the kid.
It would break him into pieces if something very bad had happened to Jim.
It would be like someone applied a hammer to his heart and it would shatter into numerous pieces beyond repair.
"Did you see a kid this tall with blue eyes goin' out with a girl by any chance?" McCoy asked Sulu.
Sulu was leaning against the wall reading a padd that involved plants.
"He is in the men's room: puking." Sulu said.
"Oh god, what did he get himself into this time?" Leonard grumbled out loud. "Thank you."
Leonard went past Sulu.
"No problem." Sulu said, swiping on the screen.
Leonard made his way to the men's room where he could see that Jim was sitting against a wall with pale skin and he appeared to be sick. Leonard put one hand on the man's forehead then he could feel Jim had a temperature. Damn it, Jim! He had a standard issued anti-alcohol hypospray commonly issued to doctors in training in the academy and was strictly to use for emergencies. This could be called one of those emergencies.
"Hey Bones." Jim said, with a weak smile on his face.
"You worried the hell out of me!" Leonard helped the man up. "What did you do this time? Flirt with Carol Marcus's girlfriend?"
Jim had his arm along Leonard's shoulder.
"Eh." Jim mumbled.
"So you did! And she blew you off," Leonard said. "I told you not to approach her at the bar."
"I am tired." Jum whined.
"Did you eat?" Leonard asked.
"I am too tired for that, daddy Bones." Jim said.
"I am a cadet not your father!" Leonard said.
"Mmmph," Jim said. "Or so you claim daddying me."
Leonard gave Jim one of his most dirtiest looks.
"You are the most messed up kid I ever met." Leonard said.
"And you love me for that." Jim said.
"Damn right." Leonard said
Leonard reached their dorm room. The door was wide open. Leonard walked into the room with Jim dragging his feet like a drunk. Leonard placed Jim on the bed on the bottom bunk. He applied another hypospray to the boy's neck. If he was treating a sick person in his dorm room then Leonard is going to do all he could to make sure that kid recovers. He is not going to bed with a grumpy stomach. Leonard had all ready eaten.
"I will be right back, don't fall asleep." Leonard said.
"Niiight." Jim said, tiredly.
"I don't want you to wake up searchin' for dinner and then being caught wonderin' in the halls by some campus security." Leonard said.
"M'kay, I will try." Jim turned over on the bed fluffing out the pillow.
Leonard shot Jim a 'I am serious!' glare that went unheard. The in-training doctor turned away then walked out of the room. Jim was catching a snooze. He was on a colorful ship with a assortment of people. Bones was even there! There was a Vulcan like person at the science station reporting about the atmospheric conditions. Uhura was in the dream, significantly older and with a weird hair style. It seemed she had a short hair cut. Two cadets that Jim would usually see during the day, a Russian and a Asian, were at two stations. Space was before him. Dream Leonard came over to Jim then took the younger man's hand, comforting him for something, with a pair of understanding eyes. Dream Jim squeezed dream Leonard's hand feeling like a trapped waterfall about to burst. Someone close to Jim had died. But who? He wasn't that close to anyone.
Dream Jim could see matching emotions in the Vulcan's eyes while his face was a stoic one.
Why did he look so familiar?
Dream Vulcan said, "I grieve with thee."
Jim was shaken awake from the dream by someone sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What does 'I grieve with thee' mean?" Jim asked.
"You took the Vulcan culture class with me, you should know that." Leonard said.
"I don't." Jim said.
"It means condolences in the Vulcan way," Leonard said. "Now turn around and have some fluid for your stomach."
Jim turned around.
"How was your day?" Jim asked, as Leonard put the tray with soup on Jim's lap.
"Same as usual," Leonard said. "I learned about the biology of the Vulcan even further. And asides to all the stressful parts of being in the academy it is going quite chippery. On the way back I saw Cadet Uhura minglin' with Instructor Spock." Jim used the spoon. "I told them to get a room."
Jim raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, who is Spock?" Jim asked.
Leonard rubbed the side of his face.
"The Vulcan hybrid." Leonard said.
Jim gasped in realization with a "Oooh".
"Oh the guy you talk about on your bad days." Jim said.
"I don't talk about him." Leonard said.
Jim gave Leonard a look of disbelief.
" 'Jim, you wouldn't believe who crashed my class today with his intern!'," Jim said. " 'Spock is a class-crasher, period.' 'Spock and Uhura should get their own room' pretty much fives time a week, 'My class is a medical orientated class not a chess tournament for computer software speaking robots to join in unexpectedly without alertin' the teacher and preparin' us.', 'For once can a Vulcan alert someone they are comin'?', and so on."
"He did that for the fifth time when we were not learning about Vulcans," Leonard said. "He hijacked my class!"
Jim grinned.
"You like him, don't you?" Jim asked.
Leonard's cheeks turned red.
"Jim! I have no feelings toward him." Leonard said.
"It is okay if you do. You are still exploring your sexuality and so am I." Jim said, taking another sip of his soup.
"You are like a machine built for sex of every species," Leonard said. "I don't know how you are so calm and acceptin' about this when I have nothin' to like about him."
"I learned from the best." Jim danced his eyebrows at Leonard.
"I am a cadet, not a love doctor." Leonard said.
"That should be your motto." Jim jokingly said.
"Like 'I don't believe in no-win scenarios'?" Leonard said.
"My perfect motto." Jim said, after a sip.
"How was your day?" Leonard asked.
"More exciting than yours," Jim said. "Less of a drooling through xenobiology."
"It is a very important class, Jim," Leonard said. "It will come in handy one day."
Jim took a sip from the soup with the spoon.
"I believe you on that part." Jim said.
"What was the most exciting part in your day?" Leonard asked.
"In one of the battle simulations, the ship suffered heavy damage and the medical team was unable to reach me in time so I died," Jim said. Leonard froze where he sat soaking in the words that came from Jim. He could hear the words coming slowly out of Jim's mouth but they were not computing in his head. The words 'medical team unable to reach me in time so I died' echoed in his brain. Etching themselves forever into his cranium. Just how lost would he be knowing Jim really died on a starship and he wasn't there to make sure he was still alive? "The funny thing is that that Cadet Cheri was able to reach first officer Simon WaltchWells in time." It occurred to Leonard that he would be beyond saving. Lost. If Jim had died on a separate starship miles and miles away from him in space. "Head science officer dead, navigator dead, helmsmen had a burned forearm, some of the security and engineering personnel were dead." There was so much potential in Jim. Star Fleet couldn't lose that potential. Nor could Leonard afford to lose one of his best friends in this sorry-ass-world. "The communications officer was. . . severely burned. He died in the simulation too."
If Jim were to captain his own ship, that would never happen on my watch, Leonard thought.
"Well," Leonard said. "Next time you go on a simulation. . .Why don't you suggest your daddy Bones?"
Jim nearly spat out what he was drinking from the soup.
"Bones!" Jim said.
"Or should I start callin' you . . . Kiddy Kirk?" Leonard asked.
Jim stuck his tongue out.
"Nah." Jim said.
"So what is the verdict?" Leonard asked.
"You will know," Jim said, looking up in the direction of Leonard. "You might be on the next simulation with me."
"I hope I am." The words came out of Leonard's mouth.
"Normally I would be concerned about you not chasticing me about defining dying as an exciting moment in ones life but . . ." Jim said. "You are a doctor."
"In training doctor, excuse me." Leonard corrected him.
"What are the chances that we are going to serve with a Vulcan, anyway?" Jim asked.
"Zero." Leonard said.
"Zero to hero, he's got all that swag!" Jim sang.
"That's not the lyrics to zero to hero." Leonard pointed out.
Jim grinned.
"I got the most hottest man taking care of me," Jim said. "I am the luckiest man in the world."
"And if we do get assigned to the same ship," Leonard said. "I am going on the missions with you to ensure your survival. You have a bad case of death wishes. Someone has to make sure your attempts are not successful."
Jim waved his free hands.
"Hey!" Jim said. "That's where we have first officers for."
"But when you are injured?" Leonard said. "Can they mend that wound only a doctor can make sure is not infected properly?"
"Okay, you make a valid point." Jim said.
"I normally do with you around." Leonard said, arms folded.
"Can you promise me something?" Jim asked.
"Sure." Leonard said.
"If I don't make it. . . Can you tell my mom?" Jim asked. "In person? She knows you. I think it would be appropriate coming from you when I am gone."
"I would," Leonard said. "But don't think about that because long as you are around me. . . You are never going to die. Ever."
"And you are always going to take care of me." Jim said.
"Through better or for worse." Leonard said.
"We are actually kind of married." Jim said.
"Yes, but a more genuine married relationship." Leonard said.
Jim looked up with a raised eyebrow.
"What do we say to people who compare us to a old married couple?" Jim asked.
Leonard did not miss a beat.
"We redirect their question to the nearest Vulcan." Leonard said.
Jim laughed.
"Good one, Bones!" Jim said.
And that is why Doctor McCoy is always on the bridge even before a emergency situation comes.
The End.