I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters. Chris didn't die because I hated that he did. I always thought he could have been a good father figure for Jim. Shout out to Starsinger who is awesome and actually inspired this story. Also have used a few facts found in their stories.
Chapter One
Christopher Pike was trapped in a hospital bed when the USS Vengeance crashed into San Francisco. His room was close enough to the ground that he saw two men beam down, one being Spock. Chris also saw the look on the Vulcan's face and it caused a shiver of dread to run down his spine. Not long after, he was bundled up to be shipped off to an affiliated hospital in Zurich, Switzerland to make room for the critically injured in the city.
"Stable patients are being moved to hospitals all over the planet so we can treat the immediate injuries here. I'm told Dr. McCoy of the Enterprise asked that you be sent to Switzerland." The nurse's words only served to heighten Pike's fear. For McCoy to request for him to be transported to a specific location when the man hadn't even been on planet for the past few days spoke of a deeper reason. Chris just hoped it wasn't too bad. He didn't allow himself to think about Jim, as the bad feeling only got worse if he did.
Turns out Chris saw McCoy sooner than he expected. The shuttle being used to transport him to Switzerland had originally come from the Enterprise. Entering the shuttle, Chris was somewhat startled to see it already contained Leonard McCoy and what appeared to be a cryotube, even though they hadn't been used in centuries. Chris couldn't prevent fear gripping his heart as he looked between the cryotube and the expression on McCoy's face. His face showed hope, grief, devastation, and he seemed to be only a hairs breadth from a complete breakdown.
Chris wasted no time in steering his hoverchair over to the small window in the cryotube and felt tears welling in his eyes as he looked down and at Jim's face, agony still evident in the lines etched into his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and asked, "What happened?" Bones hesitated for a moment before he launched into the whole story, answering Chris' unasked questions about Spock's pursuit only a few hours earlier. McCoy had also arranged for Chris and Jim to share a room even though they would be housed in the ICU and Pike didn't really need to be there.
McCoy had learned early on in his friendship with Jim that he viewed Pike as the father he'd never had and Pike reciprocated, treating Jim like the son he'd always wanted. Jim had also confessed that Pike and his father had been friends and Chris had been the one to rescue him on Tarsus IV, even though neither man had mentioned that fact since reuniting.
McCoy had taken pity on the worried father and roomed them together so Chris could keep an eye on Jim and reassure himself that he was all right when the synthesized serum worked. Bones wasn't allowing himself to think if, only when. Chris stayed right next to Jim's cryotube for the entire shuttle ride and kept glancing over his shoulder as they were transported through the hospital. Both men were settled fairly quickly and only then did Bones administer the serum.
Time seemed to pass slowly after that moment. The command crew of the Enterprise, joined by Carol Marcus, made their way to the hospital as they finished their duties aboard the now dry-docked ship. The Admiralty kept stopping by as well, although none of them had stayed for very long. Fortunately, the paparazzi hadn't gotten wind of Jim's condition or his location, so Starfleet was merely saying he was recovering in a secure facility.
After what seemed like days, everyone's attention was drawn to Spock when his head suddenly jerked upright from its partially bowed position, his gaze fixed on Jim. The movement focused the room's occupants enough that they clearly heard when the sound occurred again. There was a collective intake of breath as Bones moved to Jim's bedside and used his stethoscope before slowly and carefully turning off the life support machine. Without the machines, the small coughs and the beeping of the heart monitor were a lot more clearly heard and as the group sat there listening it seemed to get even stronger and steadier.
Everyone gathered in the ICU room exhaled noisily, most of them crying in relief. Chekov had to be comforted by Scotty as he started sobbing. Carol and Uhura, the only women in the room, clung to each other as they cried. Carol had quite frankly been astounded when no one on the Enterprise held a grudge against her for what her father had attempted to do. It had made a little more sense when she learned that her conversation with her father and subsequent forceful removal from the bridge had been broadcasting through the ship and everyone had heard. Now, she just held onto the other woman as she cried with relief that the man who had shown her what a Starfleet captain was supposed to act like was going to survive. She was also forced to acknowledge that there was also relief that the man she was attracted to was going to live and that she'd have a chance with him.
Once Bones had regained his composure he shooed everyone but Chris out and began giving Jim a more in-depth examination. Chris lay there in silence, watching until he succumbed to emotional exhaustion combined with physical fatigue and fell asleep. Bones left the room to sit in the doctor's lounge with Pike's file to see if the serum he'd synthesized could heal the remaining nerve damage from Nero's torture.
Back on the Enterprise, the command crew gathered on the bridge, dropping into available seats or even on the floor, leaving the captain's chair empty. They sat there for a long time just thinking about all that happened and basking in the hope that their captain, the man who had given them all something to believe in, would have a chance to recover and take command again.