Little Boy's Wish
by Starsinger
Jim grants a wish by a very sick little boy. Don't own them.
Jim sat at his desk. Another long day exploring the universe. Although, tomorrow, they were arriving at Deep Space 6. Ostensibly they were picking up supplies and exchanging crewmembers. They were picking up some passengers bound for Earth. The eight year old son of Marie and Daniel Austin was very ill. He would be transported directly from the station to Sickbay into an isolation chamber. The normally dangerous transport was made necessary by his weakened immune system. No one was sure why it had happened, but the life of this little boy hung in the balance.
Spock, Scotty, and Chekov had spent hours on the algorhythms and consulting Spock's older counterpart to get the transport right. "It's hard knowin' they can pull this off in another 30 years!" Scotty proclaimed. "We dinnae hae the technology to do it now!"
"Indeed, Mr. Scott, it is quite frustrating given the stakes," Spock responded. He opened his communicator as the three stood at the transporter controls on the station. "Spock to Dr. McCoy," he said.
"McCoy here," came the response.
"We are attempting the transport now, Doctor," Spock responded.
"Understood," McCoy said. Spock located the boy in the station's Sickbay and activated the controls. He noticed Scott crossing his fingers as Chekov seemed to utter a prayer. Curious human customs Spock had observed on many occasions as he finished the procedure.
"Transport complete, Doctor," Spock announced.
"He's here, Spock," McCoy answered. Chekov and Scotty let out explosive sighs of relief. "Good work. He's in the isolation unit just as we'd hoped."
"Understood," Spock responded. "We're on our way back."
McCoy looked up. The boy was otherwise healthy inside his bubble. He was playing on a computer he had brought with him. His parents were scared. Young Stan was old enough to understand what was going on, but young enough to believe everything would be alright. "How are you feeling, Stan?" Bones asked.
"Alright, I guess," Stan said.
"Is there anything I can do?" Bones asked.
Stan's teeth gnawed at his lower lip, "Naw, it's stupid."
"What?" Bones asked.
"My class told me I'd never meet him," Stan said.
"Who?" Bones asked, although he had a good idea where this conversation was going.
"Can I meet Captain Kirk?" Stan asked.
"I'll see what I can do," Bones said with a smile. It seemed like a small thing to do. He encountered Jim after Alpha Shift. "Hey, Jim, can you stop by Sickbay?" Bones asked.
Jim gave Bones a wild look. "I had my physical last month, Bones," he said.
"Yes, Jim, you did. It's that little boy, Stan. He wants to meet you," Bones told him. "I told him I'd see what I could do."
Jim smiled. "Alright, let's go meet Stan." The two strode down the hallway and made their way to Sickbay. There, sitting outside his isolation chamber, were his parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Austin?" Jim asked, extending his hand.
"Captain Kirk! It's Captain Kirk!" the excited little boy announced as Jim shook his parents hands and turned to Stan. Jim smiled as the little boy saluted him. Jim returned the salute with a grin. "Can I have your autograph?"
"Sure," Jim told him sitting down as Bones passed a piece of paper to him. "To Stan, all the best, James Kirk," Jim said as he wrote on the paper. He passed the paper into the sanitizer where it would be made safe before heading over to Stan.
Bones left the room to take care of paperwork. As he returned to go to his quarters he passed Geoff on his way to the boy's chamber. He found Jim walking out of the outer room. Stan was sound asleep, autograph clutched tightly to his chest. "Will he make it?" Jim asked.
"I don't know. Initial tests show a virus similar to HIV. It may have attached to him because of his immature system. I have the feeling growing stem cells into white blood cells will allow to resettle themselves. We need to beat this virus first," Bones said.
"And you've never seen its like before," Jim said.
"No, but the best minds on Earth will help," Bones said. Jim yawned as Bones smiled. "Come on Captain, let's go get some sleep." They both turned away from a very happy little boy. A little boy whose wish being granted made him the happiest little boy in the quadrant.