For a moment he lay still. He was free. There were no longer the restraints around him but he hesitated and did not open his eyes. It was the absence of that blasted grating metal that made him wary. Who had moved him and where was he? His left arm was sore but other than that he knew that all he felt were stiff muscles from being restrained for so long. That was it. Obviously as the carnivores he had been left to had not eaten him his captors were going to try some other way of,
No, there were familiar sounds and smells around him. He was warm, he was in different clothes. He felt clean. For a moment he dared to hope but knew the regulations, knew that he had been left alone, knew that. Knew that voice ordering those around be quiet.
Slowly Jim Kirk opened his eyes to look into a pair of blue eyes that clearly revealed the joy and relief his friend was feeling although his voice was very much the medical man, "How ya feeling, Jim? Any pain?"
"Sore muscles, my left arm hurts a bit, but much better now I'm free of whatever I was in. I, I remember falling. Want to fill me in?"
"You're going to be just dandy but here comes who can best fill you in on what happened. I'll be right over there so don't even think of getting out of that bed." McCoy turned away to look at who had entered, "And don't you go putting any ideas into his head or encouraging him. He needs rest."
Kirk smiled as he saw Spock walking towards him and saw the look the Vulcan gave him, that special smile he alone would ever receive from his friend.
"It is good to see you are fully recovered, Captain. You were shot by the rebels and fell into a river. One of our officers found you and cared for you until we could pinpoint your exact location. With the inhabitants of the planet being Human it was rather difficult to make a correct analysis for where to look for you. There were other factors such as the topographical area around the river, the other nearby life forms, then the,"
Kirk smiled and waved his hand, "It is enough that you found me, Spock. Last thing I am sure of was seeing you taken by the transporter just as I fell. Must have been out for some time and a bit delusional." Kirk looked over at McCoy, "You know, Bones, Spock is right about some of your medications and being over cautious. You strapped me a bit much for just a transport. I also lost total track of time as I could not tell if it were day or night." He saw the look his two friends exchanged, "What? How long?"
"Jim, we, we had to leave as we were under attack and ordered not to return fire. We were ordered back. We, we had to leave you." As he heard McCoy's voice he saw the pain and the truth on the Vulcan's face.
They had left him? Why would they have. No, they had to. Orders. Clandestine mission to find out what had happened and what was going on. They had had to leave him. Standard regulations as it was strictly a covert in and out mission. No retaliatory action and or returning for the fallen or missing. He closed his eyes for a moment. So many in high places had no idea how difficult such orders were. So many in high places did not have to leave any of their. He closed his eyes and wondered if any of those more senior officer had ever had to leave any of their crew behind.
The Vulcan First Officer could tell from the expression on his friend and Captain's face that he was confused about what had happened and he had thought of several possible answers depending on how the question was asked.
McCoy looked over at his two friends suddenly feeling sorry for them both as he knew Jim Kirk would have many questions and knew that his Vulcan friend would be trying to figure out what answers to give that Kirk would accept without questioning him more.
"You would have had to leave and yet somebody, an officer found me. I must have been out for some time as am sure I saw the landing party being beamed up. Starfleet regulations are," just of a second Spock looked away and Kirk noticed it. "You broke," Kirk shook his head, "Not you, Spock. I saw you being held. You had been hurt. You did not,"
"No, Jim. I was incapacitated for six days. I was not informed about the officer and his activities till I was released from Sickbay."
"Six days?" Kirk again closed his eyes. Not once in all the time he had been cared for had he heard the officer who had taken care of him, not once had he been fully aware of another person being with him. He was aware of being cocooned, of being taken care of, and that damned metal tapping. He had been so sure he had been prepared as a sacrifice to some carnivorous god or just to feed local carnivores. "How long was I there? And what made Command allow you to return?'
"You were there for fourteen days, eight hours, and "
An officer Kirk knew he had seen on the ship before walked in and directly up to McCoy as though totally unaware of either Spock or him being present, "Doctor McCoy, you asked me to report."
Kirk saw the way Spock suddenly spun to look at the officer with a hint of panic about his face. He saw McCoy start to walk towards the officer. While his two friends were able to keep their feelings about the intrusion to themselves the way the officer had just walk in when he was clearly having a discussion with senior officers strangely infuriated him and Kirk looked at the officer, recognized him as one who had been on the ship when he took command, one who should have known better. There was something about the way the man had totally ignored his presence. Slowly Kirk raised himself and looked at the man, who clearly just saw him and seemed surprised. All that helplessness he had felt being strapped the way he had been, the realization that Spock had risked so much for him and was trying to hide it, knowing that McCoy also was hiding things from him, and the anger at the manner of the officer just coming in as he had been starting to get some information came out as he started, "Officer Stanton, this,"
"No! No! He's gone! He's gone. I buried him! I buried him! " Suddenly the officer seemed to recoil from him, went to the far wall, slid down it to curl in the fetal position, hugging his knees, head bowed and shaking, and saying, "He's gone! He's gone! He's gone! He's gone! I buried him! I buried him!" just like a very terrified child.