Chapter Two
McCoy couldn't believe it! He just couldn't believe his eyes. She had done it. Somehow, Jim had beaten the unbeatable test. He watched as she beamed, her eyes bright with happiness and relief as she stepped down from her space near the captain's chair, fellow classmates slapping her on the back and whooping in joy.
As much as McCoy wanted to join in a sense of foreboding stopped him. It shouldn't have been possible. Even with the genius battle tactics it should not have been possible. No one passed this test!
Jim moved close to him, face flushed with excitement and happiness and McCoy couldn't help smiling back.
"This! This is why I did it!" Jim's arms went up and she spun around.
The entire "crew" was triumphant and so happy at beating the impossible. It was amazing but the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Someone was watching them but they were far from celebrating. Looking up, McCoy saw a shock of dark hair in the observation lounge for only a moment before it was gone.
"Bones, the crew are going out to celebrate."
A shiver raced down his spine and he had to force himself to smile.
Jim bounced in front of him full of energy, the vivid blue of her eyes catching his dark brown and they narrowed, seeing his discomfort.
"Kirk? Are you coming? Jorski wants to go to the Red Star Pub and celebrate." Uhura moved to stand next to Jim, putting a hand on her shoulder and jerking her from her daze.
"Uhm...no. I think I'm going to head home." Jim continued looking at him, her gaze calculating and he knew that she could sense his uneasiness, his need to be with her.
Uhura nodded, leaning towards Jim's ear. "Tell him." She whispered and left. Jim's lips pressed into a thin line, her face turning grim and she endured the rest of the simulation crew leaving, congratulating her as they left.
It was strange. Normally, after each simulation, the instructor would always meet the participants after. No one met them and it added to McCoy's unease at the situation. Tell him what?
They made it to their quarters, Jim holding his hand and subdued, the complete opposite of what she should have been considering what had just happened. His momma had always said that he had a knack for reading people and something about Jim was sending him alarm bells ringing damn loud and clear.
"Jim, what is going on? What's wrong?" His voice was hoarse. He pulled Jim to the couch in the living room, her movements sluggish, most likely from the exhaustion from the past several weeks.
"Tell me what? What did Uhura mean?" He sat next to her, his hands itching to grab his med kit from the bathroom. Up close he could see that she was scared, tired and weary.
Jim took a deep breath, shuddering with it. "Bones-Leo." Swallowing hard, she turned to him and took his hands. "There's something I haven't told you. There was another reason why-" she laughed and shook her head. "Actually, several reasons why I did what I did today." Squeezing her hands, he tried to show his support for her to continue.
"Captain Pike is set to take the Enterprise at the end of the semester and he wants me to join him but..." Tears started to pool in her eyes making her look vulnerable. It was the same look their daughter Ella made when she was hurt and afraid. "The Enterprise isn't a generational ship and I can't bear the thought of being away from you and Ella even if it would only be for a little while."
McCoy felt as if someone was squeezing his heart. "You cheated on this test to what? To prevent being sent on the Enterprise?" That ship was every cadet's dream and the fact that she chose to throw it away to stay with him and their child.
Jim huffed a wet laugh. "Yeah. But it's not cheating. I altered the parameters a bit and it doesn't say anywhere that that's not allowed in the test guidelines."
The laughter bubbled up. "You are crazy!"
Shrugging her shoulders, Kirk chuckled. "I figured, what's the worst they can do? The discipline parameters, at the worst, is a year's remedial courses at the academy and I decided why not go out with a bang? Besides, the Farragut will have room for all four of us when that time is up. This year will let you finish your research on intestinal parasitic infection treatments and let us spend more time on us rather than rushing. The past few years I've been so focused on me that we've not had time for us."
It was like time stopped, his heart fluttering in his chest like a trapped hummingbird. "You are certifiably insane, Jim!"
Biting her lip, she shifted on the couch. "Well...with this extra time, you'll be able to certify that. And it's certifiable tactical genius."
But something was niggling at him. Jim's words weren't quite right. 'Besides, the Farragut will have room for all four of us...' All...He spun to her and gripped her shoulders, the words stuck in his throat and she nodded slowly, smiling and still afraid but joy pouring through.
"All..."
"Yes." She laughed.
The tears she had been holding back fell, the lines on her cheeks causing the path to be jagged as she smiled, beaming with happiness. She took his hands and moved them to her stomach.
"All four of us." Whispering as she rubbed small circles over his knuckles.
"You're-"
"Yes!" She exclaimed and McCoy's jaw dropped. His hands shaking as they touched her.
"We're having a baby?" He said stupidly and it was as if he had been suckerpunched. He was always able to say something but Jim, being the confusing whirlwind that she was, has stumped him into silence.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!" Giggling, Jim went to the bathroom, leaving a stunned doctor in her wake and returned with his medkit, pulling out his scanner and handing it to him, wordlessly giving him permission to verify it himself.
With numb fingers he calibrated the device, knowing that it was rare that Jim let him check her. She hated being a patient but she was allowing this, for him.
He ran the small device over her and noted the changes. Her pulse was high but she was nervous. He moved the device further down, towards her abdomen and the readings confirmed it. He could see that her uterus had grown in size, the amount of blood circulating was different, hormones elevated. Too see a more accurate picture he's need a biobed and take some samples but it was definitely there. His child.
By the time he finished his readings, Jim was squirming. Her natural displeasure at being under a doctor's scrutiny and, more importantly, under his scrutiny was making her wriggle. Her lip was red and swollen from where she had been biting it and a small frown creased her forehead.
"Bones, say something!"
As gently as he could, he slipped his hand under flight suit. Her skin was so soft and warm and he imagined he could feel the tiny life growing there. A part of him and her and he was able to be there this time because Jim had risked her career to make sure that they would be together. He would have this chance to see her grow with his son or daughter. He had missed Jim's first pregnancy and subsequently Ella's birth, missing so much but this time he would be there.
"Bones-mph!" He surged forward, one hand still on her belly, the other tangling in her hair holding her by the fine blond strands as he rushed forward, claiming her lips. The soft skin yielding as he kissed her, pouring everything into it. His tongue entering her mouth and twining with hers, tasting sweet apples and something that was pure Jim. He loved this woman. This amazing woman giving him so much.
The need for air forced him to pull away, his forehead resting against hers. "I guess that means you're ok?" She panted and her tongue darted out, touching her lips. He looked down from where he had practically climbed over her. Jim's forehead was still wrinkled in worry, her cheeks still damp from tears and McCoy took his hand off her stomach, brushing it against her cheek.
"We are more than ok." He whispered. Jim sighed and the muscles relaxed under his hands. He moved his hand under her chin, pushing up so that her eyes met his and a smirk lit his face. "You do know that means you're going to need prenatal vitamins and supplements and the best way is via hypospray."
Jim blanched, then glared. "I blame you, Bones."
Laughing, he pressed a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I seem to remember you being there too."
"Yeah. Well, you only had to deal with the fun bit. I get stuck with the rest." She sniffed and McCoy chuckled, moving down her body to rest his head against her stomach.
Delicate fingers carded through his hair and he closed his eyes in contentment. "But it's worth it." She murmured and he couldn't agree more.
Humming his agreement, he let Jim continue to stroke his hair. "Uhura knew?"
"Yeah." The stroking stopped but her hand remained there, holding him. "She caught me puking my guts up after a lecture and threatened to drag me to the medbay or tattle to you." He could feel her shift under him guiltily. "I wanted to tell you but, at the same time, I was scared." Her fingers traced nonsense patterns on the back of his neck. "That's why Ella's at Cathy's. In case you-" Her hand stopped and his his stomach dropped. How could she even think that he wouldn't want something so precious?
Reaching up, he gripped her hand tight, willing her to carry on.
"I just wanted to be sure."
He pulled her hand to him, kissing her palm. Leonard McCoy knew that he needed to prove to her that he was never going to abandon her.
Just as he was about to turn, Jim's PADD chimed with a message. He was about to ignore it when she ushered him off to collect it from her messenger bag. She rifled through the bag and pulled it out, scowling as she read whatever it said.
"That was certainly fast. Apparently, I am scheduled for a meeting in the main auditorium." Tossing the PADD on the end table, Jim almost sat down but his own PADD started to beep. That sense of foreboding came back with a vengeance. She scooped his PADD up and handed it to him.
McCoy scanned the document, frowning at the orders for him to report to the main auditorium in Cochrane Hall tomorrow morning at 0900 hours.
Jim smiled wryly. "What's the chance that I'm getting an award ceremony for beating the unbeatable test?"
"Pretty damn unlikely, kid." He snorted.
