The Waking Man, Chapter Two
From his seat next to Sarek's bed, Spock keyed a series of commands into his padd and examined the results. T'Miren had coped well with his absence. As a matter of fact, the transition had been so smooth that one might not even notice that he was gone. He studied tomorrow's schedule until he finally found a flaw. The talks were stalled in a rather tedious stage, and it was too soon to include the Kzet high regent; she was only interested in the final summation of the agreement, and there were still too many details in flux. He saved his changes just as he heard voices in the hall.
He turned wearily when Doctors McCoy, Angelluci, and Pruit entered, accompanied by two Vulcans. The male Vulcan was very young, and Spock knew that he could not have been out of medical training long. The woman was somewhat older, with a few thin streaks of gray at her temples that blended into her long, straight hair.
"Hey, Spock." McCoy patted him on the shoulder. "How are you holding up?"
Spock shrugged lightly. "Sarek is asleep, and he has been quiet for approximately six hours. This is the longest he has remained calm since I arrived."
"Well, we think there's a reason for that." McCoy pointed toward the two Vulcans. "This is Dr. T'Val, and this is Healer Setap. They're going to run some tests on your father, but we think we know what's going on."
"Indeed? Normally, I would think that this was good news, but judging by your demeanor, I believe that such a conclusion would be premature. Am I correct?"
Dr. T'Val nodded, and he was surprised by the open compassion in her expression. "We believe that he is suffering from Bendii's Syndrome. Have you heard of it?"
Spock resisted the urge to rub his eyes. "I have not. Am I to assume that it is serious?"
Healer Setap nodded. "I fear that it is, Ambassador. It is a progressive disease of the brain that begins with the deterioration of the area that controls emotional restraint. A worst-case scenario would be that eventually he succumbs to complete dementia and then death. It is generally considered an affliction of the elderly."
T'Val frowned at the dispassionate description. "It is not necessarily a sentence of death, Setap. With the proper precautions, he could have many good years left."
McCoy patted her on the back. "That's right, darlin.' It's not all doom and gloom."
Spock was too tired to react to the odd sight of McCoy patting a Vulcan woman on the back and calling her "darlin." Instead, he simply said, "What are the proper precautions?"
T'Val replied, "A good diet, an abundance of sleep, the removal of unnecessary stress. All of the typical common-sense things one might expect."
"You stated that there is a reason he is resting calmly now," Spock said to McCoy.
"Well, it's odd, but it was the clue we needed. The cyclical nature of his symptoms is unique to Bendii's, and the more I dug around in the medical journals, the more certain I became that it was Bendii's. Healer Setap here is a specialist in Bendii's, and he's going to help us run tests to confirm the diagnosis."
"I see. Since he is the specialist, I assume that his prediction of 'doom and gloom' is accurate."
"Well, you see, it's not that easy. While it's true that for many patients the outlook isn't good, doctors are learning more about Bendii's every day. There's a promising new medication that we would like to try. It's still experimental, but it's performed well in clinical trials. Bendii's is a rare disease, and we just don't know much about it."
Finally, Spock allowed himself to rub his eyes. "How rare?"
McCoy gestured toward T'Val. "We brought T'Val in from Atlanta because except for Setap, she's the only one of us who's actually seen a case of it."
She pulled a chair close and sat down next to Spock. "It was a pediatric case, very tragic. The child was born with a number of chemical imbalances in his body, one of which was an inability to metabolize the vitamins that nourish the portion of the brain that controls emotional restraint. The parents became concerned when he passed the age of logic but still displayed excessive emotions."
He did not take his eyes off Sarek. "What happened to the child?"
"He died," she said sadly, "but we learned much from him."
Healer Setap walked over to the bed, and Spock saw that he held a hypospray. "We will start a regimen of medication and vitamins that will boost his immune system, and we will monitor his progress."
McCoy motioned toward the door. "C'mon, Spock. Nothing's going to happen right away. Let's go down to the cafeteria and grab a bite. I'm starved, and I'll bet you haven't had anything to eat since you arrived."
The doctors were trying to crowd around Sarek, and Spock could see that he was in the way. He rose and followed McCoy out of the room.
...
Hoping that he would end up with more than just a bunch of vegetables, McCoy sat patiently at the table while Spock selected their meals. McCoy had given the excuse that his feet hurt from standing around all day, but he could tell by Spock's calm acquiescence that his friend knew he was just too damn old. He was glad to be here, really he was, but he'd also be glad to get back to his home, his easy chair, and his bed. Maybe he'd be there this time tomorrow if they were right about the Bendii's.
He moved the salt and pepper shakers out of the way when Spock approached with the two trays.
"Well, Spock, I don't know how you do it, but you still look the same as you did fifty years ago." He picked up his fork and speared a green bean. "So how's it going? The diplomatic life and everything."
"I was on Delar brokering a treaty when I received notice of Sarek's condition. I turned it over to the junior ambassador, and my aide stayed behind to help. They appear to be coping with my absence, but I cannot help but be concerned that a crucial detail will escape their notice."
McCoy looked more closely at Spock. "For someone who's supposedly concerned, you sure don't sound very concerned."
"To be honest, it is difficult to generate enthusiasm for the project. It is very much like every other project I have undertaken in the past eighteen years. The diplomatic life, as you described it, is not always particularly challenging."
"I can't believe my ears. The last time I talked to you, you were raving about this agreement you'd settled or that meeting you'd chaired. You're one of the best-known and most well respected ambassadors in the Federation, and you've accomplished great things. What happened?"
"Do not misinterpret my explanation—I am very pleased that there is peace in the Federation—but it does not take a great deal of skill to settle a squabble between neighbors over a boundary dispute, or to reestablish a trade agreement that was revoked because of a perceived slight between one self-inflated potentate and another."
"Well, I'll be damned. I never thought I'd hear it. You're suffering from a midlife crisis, my friend."
"I most certainly am not. That is a human predilection, and I am not going to buy a boat as Mr. Scott did, or take up skydiving as Jim did."
"Maybe not, but believe me, I've heard 'My career isn't any fun anymore,' or 'I'm stuck in a rut,' or 'I only did it because I was bored' a thousand times. Sure, those men are coming to me because they're worried about their expanding guts or their receding hairlines, but it never fails that their real problem is middle age. You're suffering from stagnation, sure as can be."
"I will not argue that my life has become rather predictable, but it is far from a crisis."
"Well, yeah, maybe that term's a bit too extreme for you, but I still think that you need to find a way to spice up your life. Don't do anything drastic, though. Buy a new flitter. Take up coin collecting."
Spock raised an eyebrow, clearly expressing his opinion of McCoy's suggestions, and changed the subject. "How have you been, Doctor? Do you still spend several days a week at the Crawford Long Medical Center?"
"Oh, yeah, I'll do that until the day I die. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning." He chuckled. "Well, that and the cat. Did I tell you that a friend of mine gave me a damned cat? It tears up the furniture and coughs up hairballs all over the place. But for some reason it's taken a shine to me, and I guess it's okay."
"I can tell that you are not entirely displeased with it."
"Nah, it keeps me company. So how about you? Got anything—or anybody—keeping you company these days?"
"No."
"What about that woman, er, T'Oto or T'Utu or whatever her name was?"
"T'Tia? I only saw her twice socially, Doctor, and that was four years ago. There has been no one else since then."
"It's been that long? Hell. Where did the years go?"
"They have gone where all the other years have gone. At any rate, I am at home less than fifty percent of the year due to my ambassadorial duties, so there is no need for an 'anything' or 'anybody' else to occupy my time."
"Well, maybe that's your problem. A new woman in a man's life will heat things up, and it doesn't matter if he's human, Vulcan, or whatever. You can believe me, if I wasn't so damned ancient, I'd be finding me something softer than a cat to warm my bed."
"I do not doubt it, Doctor."
McCoy tried to keep a straight face, but when he met Spock's eyes, he started snickering. "Yeah, like you believe that. I was lucky to get a woman into my bed even back when all the equipment still worked. Now shut up and eat your salad."
...
Sarek was released two days later, and Spock accompanied him out the front door of the hospital and into the brightness of a clear Terran morning. Both McCoy and Sakketh had left the hospital yesterday when it was evident that the worst had passed, so it was just the two of them now.
"Once again," said Sarek, "thank you for coming. I know that it was an inconvenience."
"That is of no consequence," replied Spock.
"It is of great consequence. You will have much work to do when you return to Delar. Perhaps it would have been better if you had remained there."
"My place was here."
Sarek did not meet his eyes. "It is unfortunate that you had to witness my time of weakness."
"Father." Spock stopped walking, which forced Sarek to stop and turn toward him. "You were ill. It implies no weakness on your part."
"Nevertheless, you should not have neglected your duty," Sarek said stubbornly.
Spock did not know whether to be provoked or amused, so he decided to choose amusement. As he started walking again, he said, "Someone once told me that my primary duty was to my father. This person was very wise, and while I did not see the logic of this statement at the time, I do now. I believe that you would agree."
"Who was this person?"
"Mother. She became quite upset with me."
"Ah. I see. Then perhaps we should accept the wisdom of her logic."
The teasing tone in Sarek's voice reminded Spock of the banter he had often heard between his parents, and he realized that he had never heard that kind of banter between Sarek and Perrin.
"Mother always knew that family came first," he said. He could not resist adding, "Obviously Perrin does not agree."
"Do not bring Perrin into this." The lightness had vanished from Sarek's voice. "She did what she thought was best, and I agree with her choice. At any rate, it is not your place to question her choice." They had reached the taxi stand, so Sarek stopped. "I will take my leave of you now."
Squelching a sensation of regret at having ruined their conciliatory mood, Spock asked, "Are you certain that you do not want me to accompany you to your apartment?"
"I am quite certain. I am not an invalid."
Spock drew himself up. "Very well. Goodbye, Father. I hope that your health continues to improve."
"I trust that you will speak of my condition to no one."
"It is no one's business but your own."
Sarek nodded sternly and seated himself in the nearest taxi without another word. When he had left, Spock climbed into the next taxi and programmed a course to the San Francisco Spaceport.
End chapter two