CHAPTER SIX

It was the next day that Nathan and Spock had perfected the cure that they could administer to the sick, it sounded simple, but it was more complicated. They had to take more samples of Spock blood, putting it through a process that would separate the Red Blood Cell's from the White Blood Cells. After that they had to extract any DNA that was left, Spock's and the foreign Vulcan DNA - so that the Human body wouldn't reject it. After that, they had to make it into hypo-spray, and enough-so that everyone that was still alive could get the shot.

After that, Nathan, Spock and Leonard beamed back to the planet and went door to door, giving the sick the shot that would rid their bodies of the bacteria that had killed so many of them. The effect worked over the next few days, the recovery process horrendous. Nathan had been right when he had said that when the body purged itself of the sickness, it retched up the black fluid.

That was when the Markus arrived, near the end - so their crew were the ones who help with the clean, while Nathan wanted to sleep for a few years straight.


Nathan collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. Though that felt like an understatement, he felt more like dead weight. It may have only taken five days to find a cure, but thousands were dead. And hopefully because their bodies now had the means to fight off this Bacteria, if it ever came around again this wouldn't happened. McCoy had dubbed the sickness Yellow Fever, as the yellow eyes and raging fever were the most prominent of the sickness.

Nathan hadn't bothered to take any of his clothes off; he had barely made it to his room without collapsing in the corridor or even the sterilizer unit. He was slightly hot and almost as dizzy to make him want to throw up, but he knew it was due lack off sleep and having eaten little food - at least he was 95% sure that it was because of that - he had taken the shot, so even if he was getting sick it would be fought off.

Nathan tried to toe off his boots, but he gave up after he found that they were too tight to slip off. He grabbed the tail of his shirt intending to take it off, but only got it halfway over his head before he was out.

He didn't know how long he was out for, it could have only been seconds or it could have been hours. All he knew in that moment was the most intense pain he had ever experienced in his life. He could even start to explain this feeling in his stomach, all he knew was that he was screaming. That only chocked off as the contents of his stomach came up - which, as far as Nathan knew was nothing; he hadn't eaten in day - but he need not worry, because as he retched, all that came was dark blood and foul-smelling black fluid. It covered his front and his bed, he retched and retched until he was chocking and his body couldn't take it anymore.

He passed out.


Spock was in Jim's Ready Room along with Leonard as they updated the Captain.

". . . The crew from the Markus is helping with grave for the Dead . . ." Leonard was saying. "It's like a mass grave . . ."

Spock couldn't seem to concentrate; something was wrong, very wrong. He could feel it, but he couldn't seem to link it to anything. He knew it wasn't him, but he could seem to pin anything down. And that was when it hit him. He yelled in surprise, jerking from his chair and falling to the floor. Jim and Leonard where up from theirs in an instant. Spock clamped his mouth shut, cutting off another yell. He curled up into the fetal position, his hands wrapped around

his stomach and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Spock!" McCoy yelled. "Answer me, what's wrong?"

Spock let out a pitiful groan. "Something's wrong . . ."

"No Shit!" Jim snapped out nervously.

"Not me. . ." Spock tried again.

"It sure look's like it to me!" Jim said sarcastically.

"Jim!" Leonard scolded before turning back to Spock. "Spock, talk to me."

Spock was silent as he tried to put up shields around his mind, tried to block out the pain. If he thought that it was hard to before when what Nathan had been feeling before, it was a thousand times stronger now. Finally he got it up, but already they were cracking under the pressure.

"It's not me," he finally panted out.

"Who, Spock? Tell me who," he said in a firm but soft voice.

"Nathan," Spock gasped out. "Nathan Scott!"


Jim stayed with Spock, while Leonard ran through the corridors like a crazy man until he finally came to Nathan's room. He had to override the doors code with his medical one; the stench of sickness hit him the instant the door slide open. Next was Nathan, half on and half off of his bed and not to mention covered in blood and black fluid. Instantly, Leonard knew that Nathan had been infected with the Yellow Fever.

Leonard rushed to him, dragging him off the bed to lay flat on a clear patch on the floor. It didn't matter that he wasn't wearing any protective gear; Nathan could have been sick for God knows how long. Jim had already contacted nurse Chapel so Leonard knew that help was on the way, but that stop him from internally cursing Nathan. From what Leonard could tell from just looking at Nathan was that he was breathing rapidly, the whites of his eyes were yellow and he was hot to the touch - definitely Yellow Fever.

The very first thing that Leonard did was give him another shot of the vaccine, but just like the first; his body rejected it. Nathan was moved to a sterile until in the Medical Bay, making so that he couldn't get anyone else sick. Every hour on the hour he was bathed and cleaned or whenever he puked up that foul-smelling black fluid. McCoy put him on a fluid drip, but couldn't risk putting him on pain killers. He had to be strapped down because when he was awake, he struggles and thrashed - or to be more exact, he was delusional. Because of the fever, of how high it was, they surrounded him on ice packs.

Other than Leonard - who had taken to basically living in the Medical bay - and Jim - who would check in occasionally - Spock would come by. He would ask how Nathan was doing, why would he when he could feel it? But he would stand and watch, just to observe. Not for long moment at a time, probably only five minutes - but it was enough.

And every time he visited, he was always in time with when Nathan was awake and mumbling. Sometimes he would call out for a woman named Haley - every time that happen, Spock pictured they woman he had seen when Nathan had first touched him - other times he was yelling for someone to leave him alone and other times he would cry - when that happened, Spock could just picture Nathan as a child. He didn't mean for it to be that way, but he could always feel Nathan, feel his mind and it just drew him there. The Vulcan wasn't even really aware of it, not until Jim and Bones cornered him.

He had just taken a seat in his place at the bridge, when Jim stuck his head out of his Ready Room and called him in. Unlike before, it was more formal and this puzzled Spock. Could there be another crisis at hand? As he entered the Ready Room, the door slid shut behind him and he found himself in the company of not only Jim, but Leonard too.

Spock just raised a brow in inquiry as he looked between the two.

"Have a seat," Jim told him with a gesture.

Spock stayed where he was for a second before taking the same seat he had been in when the pain had struck and he had found out Nathan had been infected with the Yellow Fever. He sat up straight and kept his face and eyes clear of anyobvious emotion.

"May I ask what this is about?" he said finally, glancing between Jim and Leonard before focusing his gaze on neither.

"You're not in trouble, Spock." Jim assured him.

"I am aware of that; as I have done nothing to warrant it." Spock said, adopting his old speech pattern from when he had first boarded the USS Enterprise years ago.

Jim shared a look with Leonard and that was when Bones took over the conversation.

"Spock," he sighed. "We're just curious to know how you knew that Dr. Scott wasn't well." he glanced at Jim who looked relieved.

Spock looked at him or looked through with him; he saw no reason not to tell them. He was going to tell McCoy that day on his check-up, but things had turned in a different direction when he had met who the mind was connected to. Then the crisis with the Yellow Fever had taken place and there was no time to confront the issue as well as the fact that the Vulcan had gotten used to Nathan's company, whether he was aware of it or not. Also, somewhere deep inside, Spock felt like he was protecting the other man whether it was scrutiny or criticism or maybe something completely different. But, as Spock had found many Human's would say, the cat is out of the bag.

"As you may know," Spock finally started. "All Vulcan's can process and detect emotions from other species either by mere contact or even just a simple association. Very few Vulcan's like I are telepaths, which associate by contact, but if something is strong enough it doesn't matter if there has not been any contact or association."

"So you're saying that what Nathan was feeling was so strong that you felt it?" Leonard tried to clarify.

"Not precisely," Spock replied.

"So then what is it?" Jim asked.

"His mind and mine are compatible," Spock said, thinking that that was the simplest way to put it.

"Compatible how?" Jim contradicted him.

Spock closed his eyes for a quick second before opening them again. "Compatible; they are able to connect with each other, able to work together if you will."

"Like in a relationship?" Jim raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"In a sense, yes." Spock agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

"And are you . . .?" Jim said slowly, waggling his brows.

"Please explain," Spock asked him.

Jim looked desperately at McCoy, "Help me out?"

"You're such a child," Leonard shook his head before he turned back to Spock. "Are you having a sexual relationship with Nathan Scott?"

Spock looked at him, one brow raised ever so slightly. "No," he said truthfully.

Leonard kept his gaze on Spock, keeping an eye out for the faintest of twitches.

"Why do you keep coming to visit Scott in the Medical Bay?" Jim asked him. "A few times a day, every day, it's been to weeks."

"Like I have said-" Spock started, but Jim cut him.

"You're compatible, I know. That's not a real reason, Spock."

"It is logical-" Spock tried again, but Jim cut him off again.

"Cut the bull crap, Spock!" Jim all but shouted.

"Jim!" Leonard reprimanded him.

Spock only raised his brows. "I go out of concern for the man who is partly responsible for my health,"

"Spock . . ." Bones looked at him.

"What does it matter the reasons to why I visit Nathan?" Spock asked, standing from his seat and leaving Jim's ready room without further notice.

How was Spock supposed to tell them the reason why he did come and visit Nathan, when he didn't know the reason why he did it himself? Just like the reason why he didn't understand why his mind and Nathan were so compatible or why whatever had happen in that Science Lab had happened.

It was all a mystery to the young Vulcan, one that he planned to solve.

ST09-OTH –NOFM-ce