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Author's Notes: Oh gosh, I did it again. Am I rambling or does the story flow properly? Let me know. I hope you enjoy the meanderings of my mind.
#10 Left Behind
"Mr. Spock, be sure and keep your communications open. Use the emergency beacon if needed and we'll be back as soon as we can."
"Yes, Captain, I am confident that we will be fine. All preliminary findings show no humanoid or alien presence. Small animals and plants. They are into their winter season and we will be aptly dressed."
"I just want you to be careful." Kirk said. He knew Spock could handle the details, but he hated leaving a crew behind if they got into trouble.
"We will, Captain and thank you for your concern, sir."
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The long range shuttle was being packed with supplies for the next week if needed. Lt. Sulu, Ensigns Kirk, Spock and Dr. Anastasia were preparing the shuttle with winter gear, testing equipment, water, food and medical supplies for the six crew members. Security guard David Jones helped to stow the gear.
The Captain met his crew in the flight deck. They stood at rest as he gave his final instructions.
"Remember to stick together and don't take any unnecessary chances. The planet has not been fully studied. I'm sorry that we can't stay around but Starfleet Command has us picking up a passenger twelve parsecs away. We will return within four days. Any questions?"
"No, sir," they responded.
The Captain shook their hands and wished he could be with them. They entered the shuttle and prepared to lift off. He left the flight deck and returned to the bridge.
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"They've lifted off, Captain."
"Thank you, Scotty."
"Uhura, open communications with the shuttle."
"Aye, sir."
"Captain Kirk to shuttle Galileo II."
"Spock here, Captain."
"Report to us once you've landed, Mr. Spock."
"Aye, sir."
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"Lt. Sulu, here are the coordinates." Spock said.
Sulu took them down to planet Moana 5. He adjusted the area they were to land and set the craft softly down on a flat surface.
"Galileo II to USS Enterprise." Spock said.
"Kirk here, Spock."
"Captain, we have successfully landed."
"Good, Spock. We will be back in three to four days. Good luck."
"Thank you, Captain."
Sulu went through the shut down procedures.
Commander Spock said, "Let's suit up and see if we can find a good place to camp."
They suited up in winter gear of boots, thermal socks and thick hooded parkas. They checked their tricorders before opening the door.
"Dr. Ana, please remain behind until we find the correct spot we want. Keep in touch and stay warm."
"Yes, sir."
"Alright gentlemen, open the hatch."
A cold wind blew into the shuttle as they jumped to the ground. The trees were barren and the ground was hard.
Sulu scanned the area and said, "Mr. Spock the temperature is around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind is clocked at 15 miles per hour, the wind chill is considerably colder."
"Turn up your body suits to a comfortable zone. I believe the area we wanted to investigate is this way."
The search party walked for several miles in two groups. The readings they had taken from the Enterprise were not correct. The magnetic storm of the night before had thrown their readings off and they were kilometers away from where they had wanted to land.
"Spock to, group two."
"Sulu here, Mr. Spock."
"Return to the shuttle. We'll examine the maps and find our position from there."
"Yes, sir."
The two groups met back at the shuttle. They quickly climbed aboard and removed their warmer clothes.
Mr. Spock and Lt. Sulu went over the figures and maps.
"Start up the shuttle, Mr. Sulu. I believe we are about one hundred kilometers from our position. Strap in."
The shuttle was ready in two minutes. They began lift off and went south east to the region they were looking for. A storm was coming in from the west and the shuttle was being battered around in different directions. Mr. Sulu was a fine pilot and did his best to hold her steady.
Mr. Spock looked at the radar and said, "Mr. Sulu, prepare for a large gust of wind."
Just as he finished speaking the shuttle was brought straight up and shoved to the right. As it dropped down, all of their stomachs did a flip flop.
"Hold on, people," Spock called out.
Sulu said, "Mr. Spock, I'm having trouble with the controls."
"I know, Mr. Sulu, continue as you are."
A fierce downdraft of wind caught the shuttle and brought her abruptly to the ground. They crashed and slid into the rock hard ground. They were thrown about in their seats and some of the gear had become loose. Mr. Sulu and Mr. Spock were unconscious at the controls.
SJ and Lucas were the first to wake up. Lucas rubbed his neck and looked around. "SJ, are you hurt?"
"No, just sore. Ana?"
He spun in his seat and she was slumped forward. They unbuckled and sat her up. She moaned, but looked okay. SJ kept talking to her. Lucas looked at the security guard David. He had become unbuckled from his seat belt or never latched it.
When he rolled him over, his face was bloodied. He touched his neck to feel a pulse and there was none.
"Oh, no, I think he's dead." Lucas said. He looked to the front of the shuttle and ran to Sulu and Mr. Spock.
"Lt. Sulu, are you hurt?"
Sulu sat up and rubbed his neck. Blood was coming from his chin. "No, not too bad. Mr. Spock?"
Lucas gently pulled Mr. Spock off of the console and leaned him back in his seat. Green blood was splattered down his face.
"Anastasia, Mr. Spock is injured."
SJ helped her to her feet. "Get my bag, SJ."
He grabbed her medical bag and helped her to the front of the shuttle. He got each of them a bottle of water.
She ran her scanner over him. "Gently lay him on the floor, but be careful. He has internal injuries." She guided him and they propped his head up on his jacket.
Lt. Sulu said, "Ensign Lucas, help me go over the shuttle to see what's damaged."
"Yes, sir."
SJ helped his wife with supplies from the bag. "How is he Ana?"
"He has a concussion and internal injuries. I can't operate here, we'll have to try and keep him comfortable until the Enterprise comes back."
"Mr. Sulu, is the Enterprise out of range?"
"I've already tried to contact them, but no answer. I sent out the emergency beacon. We'll have to make due until they return. But we have a bigger problem. We can't start the shuttle. Lucas follow me with the tools. We'll see if we can fix it."
They opened the door and closed it as fast as they could. The two went to the engine hatch and opened it. Sulu groaned when he looked inside. Lucas pulled parts aside and looked at them.
"Mr. Sulu we don't have the spare parts for any of this. We can't fix it. We'll need heat. The shuttle is loosing it quickly."
"Yes, I know. We'll go back and fill our packs with gear. We have to find a cave or some cover and get a fire built. Mr. Spock will need to be kept warm. Then we'll come back for the others."
Lucas looked up, "It's starting to snow, Mr. Sulu, we better find something fast."
They jumped in the shuttle quickly and shut the door. "How is he?" Sulu asked.
Ana replied, "Not good, his temperature is dropping. I think if we can get him into his suit and turn up the heat we can keep him warm, but the batteries will go dead before four days."
"How is Cpl Jones?"
Ana said, 'He's dead Mr. Sulu. I'm sorry.''
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Sulu shook his head and said, "Ensign Lucas and I will go search for a proper shelter. It's snowing so we'll need to find something soon.
SJ follow us on the tricorder and keep in touch."
"Sir, I scanned the area and there is a small incline about three hundred feet to the right. It is rocky, but you may find protection there."
"It's a start. We'll be back within the hour. Stay warm."
"Yes, sir," SJ responded.
They packed up back packs and quickly jumped out the shuttle door. Lucas followed Sulu. The snow was coming down heavy and the wind was bitter cold. They went to the area that SJ had pointed out. The wind was blowing the snow sideways. They covered their faces and struggled head long into the wind.
"Mr. Sulu, I think I see something up above. It looks like an indentation," he yelled over the wind.
"Go ahead, I'll follow you," he answered.
Lucas looked up and tried to find the easiest way up to the area he had spotted. He pulled himself up and they found a shallow cave.
Sulu looked around it and said, "This is not deep enough. Keep looking."
Lucas was beginning to feel the cold on his face. He pulled his hood tighter to his face and followed the path around the hill.
"Mr. Sulu, this way."
Sulu ran up. They walked inside a cave and the sound of the wind was quiet. They pulled off their hoods and looked around.
Sulu said, "This will have to do. We've got to get everyone here and bring in the supplies we'll need. Find something to mark the opening so we can find it when we come back."
"Sulu to shuttle."
"Ensign Spock here."
"We've found shelter. Put together anything you think we'll need for the next few days. Make sure the doctor has all of her gear. How is your Father?"
"The same, sir."
"We'll be there in a short while."
SJ and Ana stacked all the gear near the door that they would need. They had covered up Cpl Jones and waited for Mr. Sulu to return.
"Ana, how is he?"
She looked up at his dark eyes, "Your Father has self healing abilities. Let's hope that's what he's doing now."
"No, he has to be aware first."
She tugged on his sleeve, "SJ, don't give up, he's strong."
He smiled, "I won't give up, I…."
The shuttle door slid open and the two jumped inside and shut the door.
"It's very cold, we may have to make two trips," Sulu said. He looked at the stack of supplies and said, "Doctor, you come with me and Lucas. I want you to tell us the best place to lay Mr. Spock. I'll come back with Lucas and the three of us will carry him to the cave. In the meantime SJ, I'll have to put you on burial detail. Can you handle that by yourself?"
"Yes, sir."
"Just cover him with whatever you can find. We'll take his body back when the Enterprise returns."
"Yes, sir."
They gathered the supplies and split them up amongst the three of them. They struggled through the snow which was four to five inches in spots. The wind blew the rest around and made it difficult to see.
"Be careful, we don't want anyone falling," Sulu said.
They found the cave and helped Ana up the side of the hill. They slipped a few times with the weight of their gear. Once inside they dropped their packs. Ana walked to the back of the cave and found a level spot on the floor.
"I'll get this ready for Mr. Spock. Be very careful of his torso. Keep him as flat as you can."
Lucas nodded and left with Mr. Sulu. They ran the last distance to work up some body heat. They needed to conserve the battery power on their thermal suits. They slid open the door again and jumped in.
SJ had his Father in his suit and wrapped in a survival blanket. They put the rest of the supplies in their back packs.
SJ said, "I will carry my Father. I am much stronger than you. If I need help I will ask."
Sulu said, "It's freezing out there and the ground is slippery. You can't climb up the hill with him by yourself."
"You can assist me when we get that far, but Ana said to be careful of his torso. I can carry him in my arms."
Sulu knew Vulcan's had amazing strength. "Alright, SJ, if you need help let us know. Ready?"
"Yes, sir," they answered.
They continued to struggle through the snow and cold. They had to leave some supplies back at the shuttle, but they would return in the morning.
Mr. Sulu tripped and fell three times on the way to the cave. Lucas helped him to his feet, but the last time he passed out in the snow.
"Mr. Sulu, are you hurt?"
There was no response. SJ stood behind Lucas carrying his Father.
"What happened?"
"I think he passed out, SJ. He hit his head on the console when we crashed. Delayed reaction, maybe."
Lucas strained to pick him up. He finally dropped their two back packs and then picked him up. "I'll come back for these. We're not far from the cave.
They had to lay Sulu in the snow on the ground so the two could carry Mr. Spock up into the cave. Ana met them at the opening and took one of his arms. She had a bed made with thermal blankets and heat packs radiating around the area.
"Where's Mr. Sulu?"
Lucas was trying to catch his breath and stood up, "He passed out at the foot of the hill. Come on SJ."
They ran back to Sulu and put on the back packs. They both picked him up and started up the incline. They slipped twice and almost dropped the Lieutenant.
Ana was able to start an IV fluid in Mr. Spock. They laid Sulu next to him to conserve body heat.
"What exactly happened?"
"I know he hit his face on the console. His chin was bleeding when I got to him after the crash. He fell twice coming here and on the third time he passed out."
She ran her scanner over him. She adjusted his head and tried to wake him.
"Sulu, do you hear me? Wake up, Sulu, wake up."
He moaned and rolled his head to the side.
"His injuries are not serious. I think he was too hot and tired from all the trips you guys took up the hill. He needs rest and fluids. We have to put him in dry clothes. He's too sweaty he'll get chilled."
Lucas said, "We left our clothes back at the shuttle. We couldn't carry it all. I'll go back."
SJ said, "I'll go with you."
"Okay, come on before it gets dark."
"Guys, please be careful."
SJ kissed his wife and said, "We'll be right back. Then I'll fix us something warm to eat."
Outside the cave the snow was blowing like a blizzard. They used their tricorders to find the way back to the shuttle. SJ paused at the temporary grave of the young Corporal.
"Captain just hired him this year," Lucas said.
Once inside the shuttle they gathered up all the gear. "Is there anything else we can use?"
SJ looked around and checked all the closets for any items. Lucas was writing a note and left it attached to navigator clip board.
"If someone comes along, they can find us with the coordinates I left," Lucas said to SJ.
They began the long hike to the cave. It was getting late in the day and the temperature was dropping. As they walked they grabbed any dead wood they could find along the way. They may have to resort to making a fire inside the cave to get more heat.
They wind continued to blow into their faces. The snow felt like small needles hitting their bare skin. They dropped the firewood just inside the cave and ran in to get warm.
They huddled in the back of the cave where Anastasia had heated some dehydrated soup and made some tea.
SJ looked up and sipped the tea, "This is good, Ana. I'm glad you had it ready. It's very cold out there."
"Drink the soup too, and then you can help me with Mr. Sulu.
She crawled over to Sulu and said, "Sulu, wake up, sir." She propped him up and tried to get him to drink some tea.
He moaned a little and slowly opened his eyes. He was startled and looked around.
"You passed out, sir. Here, drink this." He slurped the tea and closed his eyes.
He whispered, "How is Mr. Spock?"
"The same, sir."
SJ and Lucas got a dry uniform for Mr. Sulu.
"Sir, we're going to help you get into a dry uniform. Yours is soaked in sweat and I'm afraid you'll get chilled."
They put him in dry clothes and settled him back into his sleeping bag.
"How are you feeling, sir?"
"I'm achy all over."
Ana ran her scanner over him and checked his throat. She pulled out an injection and shot him in the hip.
"You're running a fever, sir. I just gave you a broad spectrum antibiotic. Can you finish the soup?"
He nodded his head. She set the empty bowl aside and covered him up.
"I'll just set your temperature on seventy. I'll turn it down later. Try to get some sleep."
They all drank some warm soup and crawled into warm sleeping bags and fell asleep.
The next morning, Ana woke and checked on Mr. Sulu.
He was shivering and said, "Get Ensign Kirk."
"Yes, sir. Lucas come here."
He knelt down at Sulu's side. "Yes, sir?"
"Ensign, I am in no condition to command. I pass the command onto you until I feel better or until the Captain returns."
"Yes, sir."
"Your orders are to keep everyone safe. Do not worry about anything else. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good," he closed his eyes.
"You'll feel better soon, just sleep," Ana said.
SJ and Lucas organized their gear and food supplies.
Lucas said, "We've got enough rations for a week. I hope we're not here that long," he glanced over at Mr. Spock and back at SJ. "he's strong SJ, he'll pull through this."
"I have confidence in my Father."
Ana checked over Mr. Spock and found his uniform and sleeping bag was soaked in urine.
"How stupid of me," she whispered. She motioned for SJ and Lucas to come over to her.
"You have to help me," she whispered.
Lucas said, "Okay, what?"
"Father is going to be embarrassed but he's wet through his clothes and sleeping bag. We need to get dry clothes and use Cpl Jones' sleeping bag."
They nodded their understanding and Ana heated up some water to bathe Mr. Spock. They moved as quickly as they could to bathe and redress their Commander. Ana prepared the catheter and inserted it in his body. They ran the tube out of the sleeping bag and got him as comfortable as they could on the rock slab.
The day passed slowly. They took turns watching near the cave entrance and taking care of their officers. Lucas and SJ played with a deck of cards until it was too dark to see well enough. They warmed up more food and prepared for another long night.
Ana continued to monitor Mr. Spock. SJ got their own sleeping bags and gathered his wife in his arms. "It's time to sleep doctor. We'll wake you if anything changes."
"You two need your rest, too."
"We're just going to keep an eye on things for awhile. I'll let Lucas sleep. I am not tired."
"Yes, but your part Human, too."
Ana quickly dozed off. SJ and Lucas walked to the caves entrance. The snow was still coming down and had accumulated to over one and a half feet. Lucas tried his communicator in case the ship had returned early.
SJ said, "Lucas, go sleep."
"I am tired. Wake me if you need to."
"Aye, sir."
Lucas smiled and happily crawled into his sleeping bag.
Mr. Sulu shivered throughout the night. He awoke only to have one of them try to get some liquids down him.
Morning came and the snow still fell.
In the late afternoon Sulu whispered to SJ, "I have to use the bathroom, again."
"Can you stand, sir."
"I don't know."
Ana heard the conversation and said, "Mr. Sulu, you're too weak. I have a bottle you can use."
She went through the medical supplies and pulled out the male urine bottle. "Sir, I'll have SJ help you," aware of his embarrassment.
When he was finished, she prepared him more tea and a small amount of soup. She helped him to sit up and drink.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm having crazy dreams. I don't want to go back to sleep, but I'm so tired. I'm freezing all the time."
"You have an infection and your body is fighting it off. You're due for some meds for your fever."
"How's Mr. Spock?"
"The same, sir. I wish I could give you better news."
Sulu crawled deep into his sleeping bag and she turned up his temperature a few degrees while he slept.
Lucas went through the food supplies, "What will it be tonight, stew, spaghetti or more soup?"
Ana laughed, "I'll have the spaghetti and I'm sure SJ will have soup and a vegetable."
"I'm going to complain to the kitchen staff when we get back. We're growing boys and need better nourishment," Lucas said.
"Are you ever filled up, Lucas?" SJ laughed from behind him.
"Only when I sleep," he answered.
After a warm meal SJ motioned for Lucas to join him near the mouth of the cave.
"Look, Lucas the snow is piling up."
"I know, I kicked some of it away earlier. We can't allow it to cover the opening. We'll take shifts tonight and try to push some of the snow away if it starts to build up again. You need some sleep, I'll take the first shift. Get your wife to rest too."
"I intend too."
"I'll see you in six hours." SJ nodded and Lucas walked the perimeter of the cave to keep warm. He didn't want the battery on his suit to die before the next few days were over.
During the night SJ relieved Lucas who fell asleep as soon as he curled up. Ana woke up and went to her father in-law. She scanned his body and was overcome by emotion.
She held his hand and felt his forehead for a fever. She became alarmed when she noticed his body temperature had dropped. She turned up the control on his suit and knelt near his head.
She whispered in his ear, "Father, I'm scared. I can't do surgery on you here. I am doing all I can to make you comfortable." She held his hand and laid next to him, "Please, Father, keep fighting." A tear dropped from her eye and she fell asleep.
The next morning SJ found her outside the sleeping bag and lifted her off of the ground. He wrapped her in a blanket and Lucas helped to put her into the warm sleeping bag. The rest of the morning was spent tending to Sulu and letting Ana succumb to exhaustion. They removed the snow from the entrance with their boots and one of the long branches they had brought in for firewood.
Ana woke and went outside to relieve herself. SJ made sure she didn't get lost in the snow storm. Sulu was sleeping and she examined her father in-law again. He was not worse, but not any better either.
The rest of the day they were quiet in their own thoughts. They were hoping the Enterprise would return today, but they didn't pick up any signal.
Inside the cave they felt a small vibration. It became darker and somehow more quiet. Lucas ran to the opening and was alarmed.
"SJ," he called. "I think we've had an avalanche."
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Captain Kirk paced the conference room while he waited for Commodore Picking to return. He was already one day late returning for his crew. The Commodore was in no hurry to leave. The door slid open and Commodore Picking came in with a young female yeoman on his arm. The Captain tried to remain calm.
"Commodore, I insist we leave now, my crew are waiting for me to return."
"Captain, I have a few more items to take care of."
"No, sir, we leave now or you can remain here until the next available ship can pick you up."
"Captain, may I remind you…"
The Captains communicator buzzed. "Kirk here."
"Captain, Lt. Uhura has picked up a faint signal from the emergency beacon. We think it's from Mr. Spock, sir."
"Alright, Scotty, prepare to leave orbit and to beam aboard two. Kirk out."
He spun to face the Commodore and said, "By regulations I must answer the emergency beacon. We leave now, sir. Do you wish to remain?"
"No, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."
"Sorry, sir, I have to beam up now."
"Captain, my gear?"
The Captain opened his communicator and said, "Scotty, one to beam up."
"Aye, sir."
The Captain dematerialized on the Enterprise and ran to the bridge. "Mr. Scott, leave orbit now. Chekov plot our course to Moana 5."
"Already plotted, sir."
"Ensign Davis, ahead warp six."
"Aye, sir," responded the helmsman.
"Lt. Uhura, send a message to Starfleet Command that I had to leave the Commodore behind. Explain our situation and try to track the beacon."
"Yes, Captain."
Chekov left his navigation seat and sat at Mr. Spock's control and scanned the galaxy looking for the source of the beacon.
"Chekov at this speed how long will it take to get there?"
"Captain, at present speed it will take eighteen hours, twenty-three minutes."
Kirk half smiled at his precise time. He was becoming more like Spock as he learned under the Science Officer.
"Increase to warp 8."
"Yes, sir, warp 8."
Mr. Scott stepped down near the Captain. "Sir, what happened to the Commodore?"
Kirk looked up at his chief engineer and said, "We had a disagreement about the importance of an emergency message, so I left him."
Scotty smirked and said, "Serve him right, sir, I hope we reach Mr. Spock and their troubles are only mechanical."
"Me, too, Scotty."
The Captain signed his reports and waited in his quarters until they were within scan range of the planet.
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SJ and Lucas examined the entrance. The snow was solid and packed tight.
Lucas said, "Let's hope it's only a few feet thick. It'll take forever to dig this out with a branch. We'll have to use the phasers and try to melt an opening."
"What will we do with all of the snow that melts. We can't have it rolling back into the cave. We're cold and wet enough."
"Let's dig out as much as we can and build a retaining wall. We'll pack it tight and that will slow down the trickle of water. I hope."
They worked together for a few hours, digging out sections of snow and building a snow wall.
"We have to get a small opening. I'm not sure how much oxygen we can retain in here. I hear the wind, but I don't see any openings in the ceiling," Lucas said.
Ana warmed up some food and wrapped herself tight in her parka. She brought SJ and Lucas some hot soup and watched as they each took turns digging out snow.
"You guys have been digging for hours, why don't you rest?"
"No, we have to break through at least a small opening. "How are they?"
"Sulu is sitting up and starting to eat more, but your Father is the same. Any signal on the communicators?"
They shook their heads no and handed back their empty mugs of soup to Ana.
Lucas said, "Thanks, Ana, that warmed me up a bit."
"Good, don't get too cold, come get warmed up in a while."
SJ gave her a hug and whispered, "I'd love to snuggle with you later."
"SJ," she warned.
They dug for a short time and decided to try the phaser. They both worked on the left side to get any opening. Snow melted and flowed past their feet. The snow wall was holding.
Lucas signaled to stop. They had melted a two foot deep by one foot wide hole. He jammed the end of the branch into the hole to see if it would break through, but no luck.
"Try it again, SJ."
Water began to flow around the snow wall. They quickly scraped off more snow to stem the flow.
"We better stop and see if some of this freezes." Lucas said.
They walked back and Sulu was sitting up.
"How is it going?" he asked.
Lucas answered, "Slow, sir. How are you feeling?"
"I think my fever broke. I have to get some energy back. Maybe I can help you tomorrow."
Ana looked up and shook her head, no. They warmed up some food and looked at the opening they were carving in the snow while they ate.
SJ stared at the snow wall and said, "Lucas, what if the other side of the opening is only a few feet thick and the side we're working on is ten feet thick."
"Don't even go, there." They got up and examined the wall to see if the water had stopped rolling to their living area. They were pleased it had started to refreeze. Lucas grabbed the stick and started jamming it in the hole they were creating. It still did not break through.
After resting for a short while they began to melt more snow away. The hole was about five feet deep and they continued to fire on it.
Sulu had fallen back asleep and Ana checked on Mr. Spock. She held his hand to determine if he stayed warm enough. They had run
out of IV fluid during the night.
"Father," she whispered in his ear. "Do you hear me?" She leaned back and looked at his face for any reaction. She thought of the last night they had tea in the observation deck and he had encouraged her by saying to always remain calm in a situation.
She ran the scanner over his torso again, hoping to see an improvement. At least he was none the worse. She dipped a cloth in warm water and bathed his forehead and face. She said a simple prayer to help bring her father in-law back to them.
She chuckled out loud to herself when the thought came to mind, that Christine would be furious if she failed to take good care of, Mr. Spock. She leaned over him again and said out loud, "Father, you have to wake up. The Captain and Christine are waiting for us to return. Please, wake up."
She pulled his blanket up closer around his head to keep body heat in. She held his hand and jumped when she felt his hand tighten onto hers. "Oh my gosh. SJ, come here," she called.
They ran up to her and knelt down.
"He just squeezed my hand."
"Are you sure,?" SJ asked.
"Yes, I'll try again," she held his hand in hers and said, "Father, wake up. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."
All three saw his fingers tighten on her hand.
"See," she said. She hugged him and said in his ear, "We're trying to keep you warm. The Captain will be here any time."
SJ said, "Father, can you begin to heal yourself?"
Mr. Spock squeezed SJ's hand and he smiled down on him. "He hears us. Now we just have to let him rest."
Ana laughed and said, "That's all he's been doing, I'd like to see him sit up and get moving."
She leaned against the cave wall and closed her eyes. "I'm so happy, SJ. I was really worried about him. It's been almost five days."
SJ hugged his wife. Lucas left them alone and began to blast the snow away. He pressed on until he had dug another two feet out. The water was almost ankle deep and was cold. He reinforced the snow walls and sat down with his friends. He checked the tricorder for too much carbon dioxide, but they were still in the safe zones.
"There must be an opening somewhere in this cave," Lucas said, He shown a flash light up on the ceiling but they did not see anything that looked like crevices.
The damp cold was setting into their bones. SJ turned up his suit temperature. Lucas cooked two pots of oatmeal and added brown sugar to his.
He passed the oatmeal around and gave orders to eat. "This will stick to your ribs. We should get some sleep and try to blast away after it freezes some more."
SJ looked at the slop in his bowl. He added some dehydrated fruit and water. He looked up and saw Sulu smiling at him.
Sulu laughed and said, "You better listen to your Commander and eat."
"Yes, sir, but I will request more Vulcan fare in the survival kits the next time."
They finished their meal and moved in closer to each other to keep warm.
SJ woke in the middle of the night. He checked his Father and looked in on everyone else. He covered up his wife and took the phaser and heated a few rocks to throw off more heat in the cave.
He heard scrapping near the wall and looked for a rodent. He shone a flashlight around but did not see anything moving. He jumped when a communicator went off. He looked around and saw Sulu had placed his on the floor. He scrambled over sleeping bodies to pick it up.
"Ensign Spock, here."
"Ensign, this is the Captain."
"Captain, it's good to hear your voice, sir."
Lucas woke up and SJ threw the communicator to him.
"Captain, this is Ensign Kirk , in temporary command, sir."
"Ensign Kirk, where's Mr. Spock?"
"He's been injured, sir and Mr. Sulu is sick. We sure could use some medical help."
"Kirk, we are outside your cave, we think. We found the note and used the coordinates."
SJ and Lucas ran to the cave opening. "Yes, sir, we think we had an avalanche. We've been trying to melt the snow with our phasers, but we get cold water rolling near our camp. We've cleared out about five feet deep, sir."
"Step back and we'll blast through from our side."
"Yes, sir, we're back about fifteen feet."
Ana woke up and saw the boys talking on the communicator. She checked Mr. Spock and spoke into his ear. "Father, we've been rescued, hang in there."
She bent over Sulu and woke him up. "Lt. Sulu, the Captain is here."
Sulu slowly sat up and said, "I'm glad. I don't think I could have stood this cold much longer."
"I'll give you another injection. You're overdue for the antibiotic."
Ana warmed up some tea and passed it around as they waited for the Captain to dig them out.
Lucas could see a light faintly through the snow. "Sir, you're getting close," he said into the communicator.
"Lucas, can you push the snow out our way?"
"Yes, sir."
He and SJ ran to the opening and took the branches and started jamming it into the section the Captain had been heating through.
The wall of snow finally pushed out and sunlight came through. The Captain had his men finish digging them out. Dr. McCoy ran in with Christine and their equipment.
Ana quickly filled him in on what had happened. Christine knelt by Mr. Spock and stroked his hair.
"Christine, he heard us. He squeezed our hand. SJ said he's in the healing trance, now."
McCoy said, "Yes, the damage is being repaired, but we need to get him to the Enterprise."
He went over to Mr. Sulu and ran his scanner over him. Sulu grinned at him and said, "I'm feeling better Doctor."
"Yes, I see. You had a case of strep throat. We'll get you to sick bay and have a look at you. Can you stand?"
"Yes, sir." Dr. McCoy helped him to his feet.
He opened his communicator and said, "Scotty, can you get a fix on us?"
"Aye, sir."
"Beam me, Christine and Mr. Spock and Mr. Sulu aboard."
"Yes, doctor."
Christine kissed Spock's forehead and got ready to beam aboard.
SJ and Lucas stayed behind to give report to the Captain.
"Well done, Ensigns," the Captain said, "We have parts being sent down to fix the Galileo. One of them will bring her back."
"Captain," SJ said, "I'll have to show you where we put Cpl Jones's body."
Kirk squeezed SJ's shoulder and said, "We found him already and beamed him aboard. Are you ready to go home?"
They both nodded. Lucas said, "Let's gather our equipment, SJ."
The Captain interrupted, "No, we'll bring it back. You need to get back to the ship and have Dr. McCoy check you over."
They started to complain, but he held up his hand and quietly said, "Captains orders."
"Yes, sir," they responded. They took one last look at the cave they had spent almost five days in. They were happy they had discovered it, but thoughts of a soft bed, good food and their wives called them home.
They recuperated quickly and returned to their shifts. Dr. Ana who always seemed to pull the night shift was taking her break in the observation room. The sick bay was empty and she worked on some paper work while she had tea. One recurring problem had her stumped and she had been working on it for a week. She had kept the lights off and worked off the light of her computer screen. She was deep in thought and did not hear the door swish open.
Commander Spock saw his daughter in-law working at a table near the window. He poured himself some tea and walked quietly to the window.
Moments later Anastasia looked up and jumped. "Oh my gosh, Mr. Spock, er, Father, I never heard you come in."
"I did not mean to scare you, but I could tell you were deep in thought."
"Will you join me?" she asked.
He brought his tea to her table and sat across from her. He stirred his tea and glanced her way.
"How have you been feeing?" she asked.
He looked up at her with his intense eyes. Most Humans were turned off by the intensity of Vulcan's eyes, but Anastasia was fascinated by them. It's the first thing she noticed about SJ.
"I have recuperated fully, thanks to you."
"No, you began to heal yourself, sir. I had no hand in that."
He raised his eyebrow and repeated, "Sir? Are we back to being formal in private?"
"Oh, no, Father, forgive me. It's that time of the month and I'm afraid my brain does not function properly, and oh my gosh I can't believe I just said that." She quickly covered her face with her hands and reprimanded herself. "SJ said I have no filter, and I'm afraid he's correct. I apologize."
She found the courage to look up and her father in-law had a curious look on his face. "One of the most odd characteristics of Humans, is the ability to embarrass themselves over and over again."
Anastasia said, "I better get back to work, Father…"
"Anastasia, stay for a moment."
"Yes, sir."
He glanced at her again, "My dear daughter, because that is how I see you,"
"You do?"
"Of course, should I not?"
"Yes, it's an honor."
Spock continued, "I appreciate what you did to keep me comfortable in the cave. Your foresightedness to put IV's and catheter's in with the medical supplies, may have saved my life. Without the IV's, I would have become dehydrated and may not have survived. I wish to thank you."
"Father, as you are fond of saying,' why thank me for something that is my duty'?"
Spock raised his eye brow and said, "Touché my dear."
Anastasia started to laugh. "I just want you to know that all of us were very worried about you. SJ rarely slept. Lucas was so calm and tried to keep our minds busy while we waited. Mr. Sulu felt completely helpless, he was very ill."
Mr. Spock stood and said, "You let your training take over and you worked well together, he paused and looked down at her, "May I give you a hug?"
Anastasia set her computer down and practically jumped up into his arms. "Yes, Father. I was so scared down there. If we had lost you I don't think I could have faced SJ, or Christine and the Captain," she said tearing up.
Her father in-law hugged her softly and responded, "My dear, you are as emotional as my wife. Are all Human females like this?"
"I'm afraid so. Oh gosh, I'm practically blowing my nose on your shirt." she pulled back and wiped at the front of his shirt. "I give up, Father." She put her head back on his chest, "I'm a mess, and now you are."
Spock stood apart from her and said, "Well, this is a first for me, Christine will undoubtedly get a chuckle out of it, but I'm afraid she will be teasing you tomorrow."
Anastasia looked up at her tall father in-law and said, "That's okay, it will balance SJ's reaction when I tell him what I did. Good night, Father."