Recovery

Leonard was worried about Jim. The kid had been avoiding all his questions and he was damn sure something was wrong. But between his troubles with his wife, his experiments, keeping up with the training StarFleet had put him under, and his shifts at the hospital he just didn't have enough time to find out more.

Today was a lab day. He had been working on developing a surgical procedure for the humanoid brain. His idea was to graft neural tissue to the cerebral cortex, followed by the creation of an axonal pathway between the tissue graft and the basal ganglia but he was having trouble with the graft. He sighed and decided to take a break.

The beautiful young cadet who was his assistant had been working since late last night. She looked exhausted as well.

" Ruth, this one is a fail. We will start over. Why don't you take a break?" McCoy said gently.

" Sir, give me another hour. I really want to try one last thing. " replied the diligent girl.

McCoy sighed again. He could hardly fault her for persistence. That was the hallmark of a good scientist.

He had an idea. Today was a good day to try getting Jim to come over and have lunch with him at the medical building's cafeteria. McCoy's day was free for next many hours due to the experiment now considered failure.

He flipped open his comm and typed " Jim, where are you?"

" Finishing up Archaeology, why?"

" How about lunch with me today at the med building?"

" I don't know Bones, I have to get to Quantum Chemistry in an hour."

" I won't ask any of my questions. Besides, I have been waiting to show you my lab. C'mon kid!"

" Promise? :D "

" What did I just say? Don't make me turn into a teenage girl with promises and hearts!"

" Awwe Bones, you are so cute!"

" Are you coming or not?!"

" Yup! See you in five!"

Well, at least the day had one redeeming factor. He would finally get to have a decent meal with the kid and though he said he wouldn't ask any questions he sure as hell didn't need verbal output to find out how Jim was holding up. Breakfasts were such a rush affair, he hardly ever had time before he had to leave. And then that green-blooded hobgoblin would turn up every morning and McCoy was suspicious about that ghost of a smile that would flit across Jim's face then. The kid never smiled much anymore. Not like that for Leonard for sure. Or for anyone really.

The glass doors swung open and James T. Kirk in all his glorious charisma came in like a breath of fresh air.

He walked over to McCoy and with a genuine grin on his face asked " You really love your lab, don't you?! I can't think of anything else which makes you all googly eyed."

McCoy fixed him with an appropriate stare and drawled " Well yeah, doctors don't go around being googly eyed over pointy ears, instead they actually work!"

" Pointy ears?!" Jim was truly surprised.

" Never mind that. Do you want to see what I have been up to all these months?"

" Shoot!"

McCoy noticed a change in his young friend immediately. Kirk seemed almost like his old self after a long while. McCoy warmed up to show his lab. Despite his pretense, he did enjoy working on his experiments and having his own lab at StarFleet had been a major draw for him.

He walked Kirk through all his setup, showed him what they were trying accomplish. Kirk forgot to be flippant and was absorbed in what McCoy was showing him. The kid was interested in almost any and all subjects. And his unrelenting curiosity would take him far, McCoy could see that. As Kirk asked him questions, McCoy felt the tables turn subtly. For a moment Leonard forgot he was the older one and saw Jim in a new light. Jim's questions and observations were not that of an casual one-time visitor to his lab.

They finished rounding up the lab and came to the last table where Ruth was still knee deep in saving her failing experiment.

" Jim, this is my assistant Ruth. She is a first year like you. Ruth, this is the infamous Cadet Kirk."

Ruth finally extracted herself from the microscope and looked up at Jim.

" I have heard a lot about you Cadet Kirk. It's a pleasure to finally meet you" she smiled sweetly.

" If I had known Bones was hiding youin his lab, I would never have postponed this trip for so long!"

McCoy snorted. Jim was already swooning. Well he couldn't blame the boy exactly. Ruth was a beauty. But more than that this was the Jim he knew. He flirted harmlessly but the last several weeks he had hardly looked at anyone let alone flirt.

At Jim's open flirting, Ruth blushed and ducked her head and hid back in the safety of her microscope.

McCoy physically dragged Jim out of the lab before he could babble on anymore.

" Didn't you have Quantum chemistry to catch?" he asked sarcastically but with a fond twinkle in his eyes.

" Oh Shit! Yes! " and Jim was back to reality from his daydreaming and quickened his steps.

They had a simple lunch and McCoy asked him about his studies, his weekends, and every possible topic but the incident. Jim seemed to be doing much better. He had apparently hiked with the Vulcan! Of all the people, dear Lord!

" How did you find the green-blooded hobgoblin Jim? I mean one day I am sitting there finishing my breakfast and he just turns up all cool and stiff and you just ..."

Kirk was laughing and cut him off " He was actually the first person I met here. He is a nice guy Bones, if you get to know him."

" Yeah and that's the problem - he is not a guy - he is a Vulcan! You don't get to "know" them Jim!"

" Well he is as good as any guy to me. You have to put up with him if you want to put up with me." declared Jim with an easy smile but his words were earnest with a deeper emotion running through.

" That doesn't leave me much choice, does it now?" McCoy rolled his eyes and Jim chuckled. Leonard observed quietly to himself that this Spock made Jim smile the kind of smile which he wanted to see on Jim. Well, whatever the hobgoblin was doing, it was apparently good for the mental health of his genius but crazy young friend.

On his way out Jim popped his head into the lab. Before McCoy could do anything he yelled cheerfully " It was reallynice meeting you Ruth, see you again!" and then ran away before McCoy got his hands on him.