Time is the Longest Distance

Chapter 10

"You never know ahead of time what something's really going to be like."

Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia

Leonard knelt by Felicia and opened her hoodie. Very carefully, so as not to disturb the broken arm, he pulled it off, first from the uninjured arm, then holding the injured arm immobile, he pulled it completely off. Under the hoodie, she was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt which was a blessing. With gentle, probing fingers he felt down the bare arm, definitely feeling the two pieces of the broken bone. "Clean break of the ulna," he told Jim. "Nothing else feels like. A couple of sessions on an osteo regenerator should fix it, but with a clean break like this, it's best to immobilize it for a day or two afterward so the bone heals completely."

He palpated the bent leg over Felicia's jeans, not wanting to disturb the leg further by pulling off her snug jeans. "The leg also feels like a clean fracture, so same prognosis with the osteo regenerator." Leonard spread the warm hoodie over Felicia's torso to keep her warm.

His comm still held to his ear, Jim held up a hand to stop Leonard's flow of words. "You have our coordinates now? Yes, thank you, we'll wait for the air ambulance. Dr. Howard is still unconscious. My uncle, who's a retired surgeon, has a med kit with him and is checking her vitals."

Jim closed his comm. "The air ambulance is on its way, Bones. How is she?"

They both turned hearing Beverly running back towards them, Leonard's medical bag in her hands. "Here, Dr. Davis, I ran all the way there and back." She thrust the bag at him, then bent forward breathing heavily.

"Thanks, Beverly. Sit down here by your grandmother, sweetheart, catch your breath. The air ambulance is on the way. I'm going to give her somethin' for pain, and somethin' to help wake her up. We won't do more, let the hospital take care of the rest. You can hold her hand, Beverly. That arm," he pointed, "isn't broken."

Beverly picked up her grandmothers hand and held it gently. "Is she going to be alright?" the child asked anxiously.

"Yep, right as rain." Leonard ran his tricorder over Felicia to confirm his diagnosis and nodded, satisfied. There was nothing else wrong with her. He pulled out a hypo and a cartridge with a red cap, the universal code for pain medication. He checked it carefully, this newer derivative of Hydrocortilene. It was two steps more advanced than anything he had back on the ship in his store of pain medications. Leonard had carefully vetted everything in his med bag as soon as the agents had given it to him filled with all the appropriate era medications in it. As was his custom, since traveling with Jim Kirk meant he had to be prepared for anything, he had familiarized himself thoroughly with the contents

He injected the hypo into Felicia's carotid artery so the pain medication would act quickly. He pulled out another cartridge with the newest triox medication, tricordrazine. It was a potent stimulant and would help her regain consciousness. He injected that into her carotid artery as well. Thank God, the delivery hypos had remained almost exactly like those in his own time, you really couldn't improve on them.

Felicia moaned softly and opened her eyes. She looked up at Beverly and then at Leonard. "Rafael...what...happened?"

"I'm afraid you took a bad tumble, Felicia. Broke a couple of bones," Leonard explained succinctly.

Her eyes turned to Beverly. "Beverly, sweetheart, are you alright?"

Beverly nodded, but her blue eyes suddenly filled with tears and a sob escaped her.

"Shhh, don't cry, it's alright, Beverly, your grandmother is going to be fine. She broke a couple of bones, but it's nothing we cain't fix," Leonard soothed the distraught little girl.

Felicia tightened her grasp reassuringly on the small hand. "I'll be fine, Beverly. Don't you worry about me, baby. Broken bones are easily fixed."

Jim crouched on his heels beside the child. "It's true, Beverly. I've had a couple of broken bones myself, and I'm good as new. Uncle Rafael fixed me up perfectly."

"Clean breaks of the ulna of your left arm, and of the fibula of your left leg," Leonard reported clinically to Felicia, doctor to doctor. "Looks like you came all the way down the hill on your left side, but your jeans and hoodie protected you from being scraped raw. Emergency air rescue is already on the way," he assured her.

Felicia sighed. "I stepped on some loose pebbles and my leg slid right out from under me. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't. Then my head hit something and that's the last I knew.

"Could've been a lot worse," Leonard murmured. "You have a very mild concussion."

"I have a hard head," she smiled wanly up at him.

They all looked up hearing the air ambulance. It set down a short distance away from them. The shuttle doors opened and two uniformed EMTs hopped out, running toward them with medical bags and a collapsed hover stretcher.

"Dr. Howard," one of them said, "Glad to see you conscious. Looks like you had a bad fall. We'll fix you up to get you ready for transport."

"Francisco Gayda, Tamara Silver, this is Dr. Rafael Davis, and his nephew James Davis. Dr. Davis has already done some first aid on me. He can fill you in."

Leonard gave them his report and the meds he'd given Felicia, assuring them he was a licensed surgeon and physician back on Earth. "I didn't have anythin' with me to stabilize her arm or leg, so thought I'd best leave that to you."

"We'll stabilize the bones, Doctor Davis, and then transport her to our hospital. It's small, but very well equipped thanks to Federation medical consultants who set it up. The three doctors here on Caldos take turns staffing it, and we have two very good PA's on staff. Good thing you were here to help Dr. Howard. If you'd like you can follow us in your flitter. I'm sorry but it's against our regs to transport family members in the rescue ambulance."

"We understand," Jim assured her. "We'll follow you."

"Felicia, don't you be worrin' yourself about Beverly. Jim and I will stay with her as long as necessary."

"Thank you, Rafael."

"Alright, Dr. Howard, stay very still, we're putting the stasis casts on your arm and leg. We'll try not to hurt you."

"Don't worry, Francisco, I'm on the good stuff, thanks to Dr. Davis," Felicia smiled wanly up at him.

The medic brought out the portable stasis generator, felt gently at the arm and leg until he found the two breaks, then turned on the machine. Immediately, with a faint hum, the leg was immobilized first and then the arm. The stasis casts were now in place and would stay immobile until released by the machine. Tamara then opened the hover stretcher. The two medics gently placed Felicia on it and strapped her in securely.

"Our flitter is parked down below," Jim told them. "Will you give me the coordinates to the hospital and we'll be there as soon as possible."

"I'll go ahead and put her in the ambulance," Francisco said. "Tamara will give you directions to the hospital."

"Come on, Beverly," Leonard ordered. "Let's get in the flitter."

Jim gave his comm to Tamara and she put in the hospital coordinates. "Mr. Davis, I didn't want to say anything in front of Beverly, but I think Dr. Howard will have to spend the night. I'm sure the doctor who sees her will want to monitor her concussion, and she'll have to have several bouts on the osteo regenerator for those fractures. Afterward, she'll have to stay off that leg for at least two days for it to fully heal." There was a worried frown on her face. "I don't know if there is someone available to take care for Beverly."

"Don't worry about Beverly, Ms. Silver, Dr. Davis and I are distant family members. We won't leave Beverly alone. If necessary we'll take her to our hotel, maybe Solange Fane would be willing to help out. She's a patient of Dr. Howard's."

Tamara laughed "Most of us are her patients, unless you're a kid, or need surgery. Talk it over with Dr. Howard. Maybe Beverly could just spend tonight in Dr. Howard's hospital room. I'm sure they have cots or recliners for family members."

Jim nodded. "My uncle and I will speak with Dr. Howard, see what she'd like for us to do. Thank you for your help, and we'll be right behind you." He smiled his sweetest smile at her and she blinked under the wattage of that smile.

Tamara nodded and ran to the waiting ambulance. Jim hurried to the flitter where Beverly and Bones were already strapped in. He got in and took a quick survey of the controls. They looked like basic shuttle controls, nothing too advanced. Unfortunately, he had only glanced at the controls when they'd first boarded the flitter, but it looked as if Felicia had purchased a simple model without bells and whistles. Jim prided himself on being an excellent pilot, able to fly anything he could get his hands on, but he'd been a little concerned that this future vehicle would have unknown piloting configurations.

He turned back to Bones and Beverly. "I got the coordinates for the hospital from the medic; we'll be there in a few minutes." He put in the navigation coordinates into the flight computer, because apparently there was no air control on Caldos II. The population of the town must be too small to need flight controllers directing the air traffic.

Jim took off slowly, getting the feel of the small vehicle. In the distance, he could see the air ambulance in front of them. "Look ahead, Beverly, there's the ambulance. We're right behind your grandmother."

In the back seat, Jim could hear Leonard murmuring, consoling the little girl. "I want you stop worrying, Beverly, your grandmother is gonna' be just fine, I promise,"

The hospital, a plain, square, spare building, came into sight below them. The air ambulance was not visible and had obviously already descended. Jim circled the area looking for the public parking. "There, Mr. Jim," Beverly pointed. "That's where people park."

It took Jim a few minutes to come down, park the flitter safely and lock it. They hurried through the ER doors and waited impatiently for someone to attend them. A nurse came in from the hallway and smiled at Beverly as she greeted them. "Your grandmother is in room 2, Beverly. The surgeon was waiting for her and he's already examined her. Dr. Tovar had to get back to his office, but said Dr. Howard will be just fine. We've started her on the osteo regenerator for her arm fracture. Would you like to go in and stay with her during her session?"

Beverly nodded and grabbed Jim's hand. The nurse noticed and smiled. "Dr. Howard said to let the three of you in. She's waiting for you. Please come this way." She led them down the hall to the ward section. "I'm Lucia Stedman, the nurse assigned to Dr. Howard," she told the two men. "I know Dr. Howard and Beverly very well. We'll take good care of her." She opened the door to Felicia's room and left them.

Felicia was in the bio bed with the osteo regenerator strapped to her arm. Leonard saw that her leg was on top of the hospital blanket and still in stasis. "Grandma," Beverly wailed and promptly threw herself across the bed to hug her. In spite of her misery, she was still careful of Felicia's arm.

Felicia brought up her good arm and held the child close. "Beverly, dear. It's alright, darling. I'm going to be fine, I promise you. Don't cry, baby."

Beverly raised tear drenched eyes. "Really, grandma? I was so scared!"

"Really, sweetheart." Across the child's head, her eyes met Leonard's in mute appeal.

"Beverly, your grandmother is gonna' be just fine. Remember, I'm a doctor too, so I know these things. Her leg and arm will be good as new in a couple of days. Now then young lady, that's two doctors and the paramedics who've told you the same thing, so no more tears."

Beverly sniffed deeply. "Okay, Dr. Rafael. I won't cry anymore."

Felicia looked up at the two men. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to spend the night. This arm is going to take some time on the osteo regenerator and then they'll start on my leg. It will take two full sessions for each fracture so I asked Dr. Tovar to try to finish it tonight. I also have to stay off the leg for 24 hours afterward, and then put on a walking cast for another 48 hours. At my age, bones don't mend as quickly as younger bones do."

"Grandma, where am I going to sleep?" Beverly's eyes were huge. "I don't want to sleep all alone in the house!" Her big blue eyes began to fill with tears again.

"Of course not, Beverly! I would never let you stay in the house alone. I've already requested a cot for you so you can sleep right here with me. You're going to need night clothes, your toothbrush, a hair brush, and some clothes for tomorrow. I will also. Rafael, I hate to trouble you, but would you and Jim mind going to the house and getting those things for us? I'll make a list and tell you where everything is."

"Of course, Felicia we'll be glad to do that for you, anythin' you need. But are you sure you don't want a woman friend to do it?"

"Rafael," Felicia teased. "And you a doctor. I'm sure you've seen many women's underclothes and night wear before."

Leonard blushed and Jim laughed outright. "Of course he has, Felicia. It's just the southern gentleman coming out in him."

"Harrumph," Leonard frowned at Jim. "That's the way my mama raised me, young man, to be a gentleman, and yours did too for that matter."

Beverly was giggling now and the three adults shared glances of relief.

"Beverly dear, would you like to go with Dr. Rafael and Mr. Jim to help find our things? It would be faster that way, but only if you want to go, dear."

Jim looked at the dubious little face. "We could also bring your chess set, Beverly, and I could give you a lesson. Uncle Rafael and I don't mind staying here for a while with you. After we bring your things, we could go to the hospital cafeteria, eat lunch and play a game of chess. What do you think of my idea?"

"Will you be alright if I go with Mr. Jim and Dr. Rafael just for a little while, grandma?"

"Of course I will. I'm going to lay on this bed with the osteo regenerator...I'm not moving, and Lucia will check on me while you're gone. Hand me my comm, Beverly, and I'll make a list for Doctor Rafael and Mr. Jim. It's just clothes and toiletries for tonight and tomorrow." She made some quick notes and sent them to both men.

Jim looked down at his comm. "Got it. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere. I'll have someone bring in your cot while you're gone, Beverly, sheets and a blanket too. It gets chilly in these rooms at night."

They hurried to the flitter. The house was fairly close to the hospital so their flight was quick. "Can I park in front of the house for a few minutes, Beverly?" Jim asked.

"It's okay. The patrol won't ticket you if it's just for a little while."

"We better take your foraging bags inside and put away the plants," Jim said, "but we'll leave the basket with the snacks with you so you and your grandmother can eat them later. Can you get everything by yourself or do you need help?"

Beverly put in the security code. "I can do it, if you'll get a duffle down for me from the hall closet. Dr. Rafael, could you please help me with the high up things?"

Jim handed Beverly his comm with Felicia's list and he took the foraged plant bags to the kitchen. He looked around and saw that although the kitchen was small, it was very tidy and filled with light from the two windows that faced the back yard. He placed the bags on the counter and quickly unpacked them. The plants and herbs in the glassine bags he put in the cooling unit, then he checked that the back door and windows were secure. Although Caldos seemed a peaceful and law abiding place, and even with the security shield engaged, vandalism and break-ins were still possible when it became known that no one was at home.

"My chess set is there on the table, Mr. Jim, if you'd grab it for me," Beverly called from one of the bedrooms.

Leonard and Beverly soon came in with the packed duffel and Leonard handed Jim back his comm. "We're ready to go, Jim." Beverly engaged the security shield code and they left the house quickly.

When they entered Felicia's room, she opened her eyes and her face brightened. Leonard raised an impressed eyebrow when he saw Beverly's sleeping cot was there already, made up with sheets, a blanket and a small pillow.

"Rank has its privileges," she smiled. "I'm on my off hour from the osteo regenerator, so why don't the three of you go eat lunch and I'll take a nap. You know, Rafael, that these regenerators make you very sleepy."

"Yeah, they do, and I am getting hungry."

"I could eat," Jim agreed.

Beverly placed the duffle on the cot. "I'm hungry too. Shall I bring you something to eat, grandma?"

"No, dear, I'm fine. I just want to take a nap. My next session with the osteo regenerator is scheduled for early this afternoon." She shifted restlessly. "Rafael, could you stay a moment?"

"Of course. Jim, Beverly, you all go on, I'll meet you in the cafeteria in a few minutes" Jim glanced at him, nodded, and led Beverly out of the room.

"What's troubling you, Felicia?" Leonard's keen doctor's eye took in her worried expression.

"I'm concerned about my patients, Rafael. Would it be possible for you to be at my office early Monday morning to tell Robert what happened? I'd comm him, but he and his girlfriend are on a hiking trip, and I hate to spoil his trip by worrying him. If you would please tell him we'll have to close the office for a couple of days. He'll have to notify my appointments for Monday afternoon and Tuesday and reschedule them. I have no appointments Monday mornings, that's when I do all my lab work."

At Leonard's surprised look, Felicia explained. "We three doctors here on Caldos do all of our own routine lab work. There's no lab here yet. For the more advanced labs, we send tissue and blood samples off planet. Anyway, please tell Robert that any emergency that comes up should be sent directly here to the hospital."

"Of course, Felicia. Robert and I will take care of everything. I'll go there first thing Monday morning. Do you know what time you're being released tomorrow? Jim and I will come to take you and Beverly home."

"Rafael, you don't have to do that! Beverly and I can take a taxi. You've done enough for us, more than enough!"

"Nonsense, there's absolutely no need for a taxi. I insist. Jim and I will get you settled at home and since it's Sunday, I hope you'll let us spend the rest of the day with you to help out. I'll even cook supper. I'm a pretty good cook as Jim can tell you. You need to stay off that leg as much as possible, at least until Monday afternoon. Then you'll need to wear the walking cast. It'll still need another couple of days to heal completely."

"Rafael! I couldn't possibly impose on you and Jim like that."

"Felicia, it's not an imposition at all. After all, we're kin. True, we're distant kin, but we're still family. I'll bring all my Leonard McCoy research to share with you and Beverly, and Jim can give her another chess lesson. They'll both enjoy that. On Monday, Beverly goes back to school and you'll be back on your feet. Jim and I have nothing pressing scheduled. This was a research trip, but also a sort of vacation for us. You promised me a look at those documents Beverly's mother left and you also said that you had some anecdotes about Leonard McCoy to share. Perfect opportunity to record all that information, don't you think so?" He grinned persuasively at Felicia.

Felicia threw up her hands. "Fine," she said. "But after I'm on my feet again, I insist that you and Jim join Beverly and me for a home cooked meal. It's little enough to do as a thank you."

Leonard looked pleased. "We'd be happy to. Unless I cook, Jim and I seldom get a home cooked meal, especially when we're traveling. Thank you, Felicia. Now then, I better go join Jim and Beverly for lunch before Jim sends out a search party. We'll bring Beverly back in a while. Sure you don't want anythin'?"

"I'm sure." She yawned. "I just need a nap," she murmured, her eyes already closing.

Leonard tiptoed out of the room to find the cafeteria. He saw that Jim and Beverly had already set up her chess set on the table and were deep in a discussion of strategy.

"There you are, Uncle Rafael. We were wondering where you were." He looked a question at Leonard.

Later, Leonard telegraphed back. "Ready to eat, young lady?" He asked Beverly.

She nodded. "How is grandma, Dr. Rafael?" There was still a worried frown on her small forehead.

"Left her napping. She's doing just fine. She'll be right as rain in a couple of days. Now then, stop worrying, young lady, and let's have lunch, and afterward we'll take you back to your grandma's room. Then Jim and I have to be on our way, but we'll be back in the morning to take you home and spend the rest of Sunday with you."

Beverly's small face broke into a delighted smile. "Oh good, I'm glad. It'll be nice to have company. We hardly ever have company; we still don't know too many people here."

Jim smiled at her. "We'll have a good time. Why don't you go through the food line, everything looks good. Take your time, Beverly, and choose whatever you want, including dessert," Jim added. "Uncle Rafael and I will be there in a minute." He waited until Beverly was out of ear shot. "What's going on, Bones? Is everything alright? Are we really spending the day with them tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Jim. I told Felicia we'd be there to help her out, and I'm goin' to her office on Monday morning to tell Robert to close it down for a couple of days. Felicia really can't be alone tomorrow, her leg won't stand up to anything strenuous, and Beverly's too young to take care of her all day. And somehow, and this is just a hunch from somethin' Beverly said, I don't think there's anyone to call on to stay with them, no close friends at least. It looks to me as if it's the two of them against the world." His blue eyes looked at Jim with a hint of worry in them.

Jim patted his arm gently. "Your hunches are usually right, Bones, but just remember that they really haven't been here on Caldos very long. It might be that Felicia's work leaves her very little time for social activities, or for making friends, and what little time she does have she devotes to Beverly. Stop fretting, Bones, we'll be there tomorrow to see that Felicia and Beverly are okay. Also, we have to take advantage of this opportunity. It's been dropped in our laps out of the blue. We'll have a captive audience to talk with Beverly about Leonard McCoy and the medical legacy he left to his female descendants. Hard as this may be, we have to push forward, because our time window to change Beverly's mind is going fast."

"I know you're right." Leonard sighed, "but I feel like such an imposter, like I'm lying to them every minute. I hate this, Jimmy, 'cause I like both of them so much."

"I hate it too, Bones. But let's remember what's at stake here, the entire future existence of our quadrant."

Leonard saw that Beverly had finished filling her tray and was coming back to their table. "We best eat, Jimmy, and then get ourselves back to the hotel. We need to debrief, and I bet those two agents will be waitin' to pounce on us as soon as we get there."

"Yeah, we also have to return Felicia's flitter and pick up our own." Jim sighed. "I have a feeling it's going to be a hell of a long debrief."