"Starfleet Command, Admiral Pike's office," the man announced.
"Captain Kirk to speak to the admiral," Jim replied nervously. The line clicked over.
"Jim?" Pike greeted him. "Hey. What's up?"
"Um, Admiral Pike, I need to speak to you about a concern," Jim began.
"No 'Chris', no 'whazzup', no smile. And you look like something beat on you recently. What's wrong, son?" Pike asked gently.
"Do you mind if Commander Spock sits in on this call?" Jim asked suddenly.
"No, of course not. What's wrong, Jim?"
Jim explained about Spock's dilemma with Science Command, and backtracked to the instances when Starfleet Command had either not responded or didn't respond fast enough to his complaints. He brought up McCoy and Spock's conclusions, and then fell silent.
Pike rubbed his chin. "You think someone in the Admiralty is gunning for you?"
"Yes, sir."
"But you don't think it's me, or you wouldn't have told me," Pike answered himself. He looked at the screen. "If it was just McCoy, I'd say the man was paranoid. Honestly, if it was just you and McCoy, I'd say you were hatching conspiracy theories. But Spock is the one who brought it up?"
"Admiral, it pains me to bring such an accusation, and I would not have done so without thorough consideration. I have seen my captain placed in peril too many times for it to be a coincidence." Spock hesitated. "I did not wish to make the complaint myself without Captain Kirk's participation. However, this last episode was 'too close for comfort', to use my captain's words. Something must be done."
Pike nodded and grimaced. "You're absolutely right, Spock, something has to be done. Let me try a few things here and we'll see if we can draw anybody out in the open. Hang tight, boys. We'll get to the bottom of this. Pike out." The screen showed the confirmation logo for the office.
"Does this alleviate any of your feelings of persecution?" Spock asked Jim.
"Not yet. But it does make me feel better that he didn't laugh at me. Thanks, Spock." Jim started to get up and Spock wavered for a moment before putting a hand under the elbow of the arm that hadn't been regenerated. Jim pointed to the next door. "Gotta pee."
"Do you wish me to remain with you?" Spock asked.
"You would do that for me?" Jim replied in surprise. Spock did not answer, but remained with the captain in the bathroom. Jim lowered his pants and waited. "This is going to hurt," he sighed.
"Then grip my arm as tightly as you wish," Spock told him. "You will not injure me." Jim took hold of the arm and began to urinate. He squeezed down and cried out, and Spock steadied him. When he was done, he pulled up his pants and turned around to lean against the bulkhead.
"Oh, God, how long is this hell going to last?" Jim posed to himself.
"I suffered the effects of a bruised kidney for three days, six hours, and approximately ten minutes," Spock informed him. "Granted, I did not have a ruptured spleen to complicate the situation. Do you require your pain medicine?"
"I'm just really tired," Jim sighed. He turned and washed his hands and walked back out. He headed for the desk but Spock guided him to the bunk. "What are you doing?" Jim asked.
"You are fatigued. You cannot rest adequately sitting up. I have no qualms with you resting in my bed." Spock pulled a blanket out and covered him. "Sleep now. I will remain here with you."
"You know you're bossy when you're being protective," Jim commented. He tried rolling over on his left side and watching the First Officer work on reports. "Hey, you know, I never thanked you for taking on a double duty," Jim told him. "I could have found a Science officer before long. You didn't have to do both."
"It does not concern me, Jim," Spock replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "The work loads are complementary. The Science division, including Life Sciences, is highly efficient, so the most I do there is delegate work to other officers. There is a pattern to the work of the First Officer, and the structure allows me comfort."
"What do you mean?"
Spock thought about it. "When you partake in recreation, you play poker, you sing karaoke, you run in the gymnasium, or you watch videos with your friends. When I find the need to relax, I can either meditate or I can focus my attention on a project. It is actually soothing for me to correlate reports and formulate duty rosters."
Jim rolled over on his back. "That doesn't sound fair, Spock. What about Uhura? Don't you two spend time together?"
"We enjoy our meals together and we have attended the recitals of the music group on board. She is attempting to organize a theatrical group as well. However, those situations are often stressful for me, because I do not belong. I feel ill-at-ease in most social situations." Spock was thankful Jim couldn't see him blush.
Jim grunted. "Well, I don't really get to play with anyone on board because I have to remain professional. Bones is the only exception, and he's pretty busy usually. Why don't you and I hang out together? You know, I was serious when I said we were supposed to have an epic friendship."
"You seemed quite earnest when you informed me, regardless of your intoxication," Spock agreed. He sat quietly for a moment, then shut off the screen to the computer. "Jim, may I use your computer?"
"Mmmm," Jim answered, half-asleep. "Sure. You know my codes."
"Thank you," Spock told him. "I will return shortly." He walked through the bathroom to the next room. He had to watch his step in the next quarters. Jim had asked his yeoman to clean his room, and the man had laughed at him. Jim still hadn't straightened up in there. Spock moved a dirty t-shirt and sat at the computer, dialing a number.
"Jim?" the elder Vulcan spoke, not looking at the screen.
"No, Ambassador. It is I." Spock waited for the man to acknowledge him. "I am using the captain's computer while he rests in my room."
"Is he 'on the lamb' from Dr. McCoy again?" Solion questioned.
"Not precisely. He is recuperating from a serious injury and the doctor did not believe him safe enough to remain unsupervised."
"You are babysitting him again?" the curious man replied.
"No. I reserve the phrase 'babysitting' for when he has done something ignorant and I must fix whatever problems he has created. I am not babysitting him. I am …."
"Nursing him back to health?"
"You are entirely too amused at this situation," Spock objected.
"I apologize, child. That was insensitive of me. It is admirable that you are assisting your commanding officer during this crisis. How may I assist you?" Solion focused on the screen.
"Were you in a platonic relationship with your Jim?" Spock asked.
Solion looked up for a moment. "Yes, I was friends with my Jim. We were very close friends."
"And did you tell that to my captain?" Spock tilted his head. "Specifically, did you tell Jim that we were to have an 'epic friendship'?"
"I may have used the phrase," the old man admitted. "I was no less subtle with you, I recall."
"What is the urgency involved in my friendship with Jim? Will an adverse event occur should this not come to pass?" Spock asked, slightly frustrated.
"Not that I am aware of, child. However, it would be most tragic if you did not cultivate a relationship with someone. At our last conversation, things were strained with Lieutenant Uhura. Have you resolved your differences?" Solion questioned politely.
"Nyota has withdrawn her earlier objections and seems to be supporting me becoming closer to Jim. We have not spent a great deal of time together; however, I had intended to lavish more attention on her once Jim has recovered." Spock waited to hear his counterpart's praise.
"I wish you the best, child. Remember, destiny is not absolute but it has an uncanny manner of correcting itself."
"Tomasu," Spock interjected, "I am of an age where I should be allowed to know. Was Nyota your bondmate?"
"Your age has nothing to do with it, Spock. It has not come to pass. You will know your bondmate when you meet the person. At least, I pray you do. As of now it is not so certain." Solion frowned.
"So it was not Nyota?"
Solion relented. "I was very close with Lieutenant Uhura, however there was nothing romantic between us. She once made a veiled comment to me in the hopes of seeing me respond, which I did not. She was not insulted, nor was she surprised. We remained close friends."
"You will not tell me who your bondmate was." Spock was disappointed.
"When I was small and I did not get my way, my mother would sit me on her knee and tell me, Spock, no is not a bad word. No is a gift. Take it and make something wonderful out of it," Solion replied. He rarely used his true name anymore.