Chapter 10

In the few weeks following the visit to the Vulcan colony, Kirk was hurt to notice that it was Spock who then maintained a distance from him, and declined on spending time with him outside of their duties. Was this her way of telling him that she'd thought about things and just wasn't willing to entertain the idea of anything between the two of them that extended past work or friendship?

But Kirk could tell it was far larger than that with the tense and irritated way Spock held herself and spoke to others. Maybe her voice was calm and even like always, but Kirk had developed some insight into Spock's expressions, and his analysis of them told him that she was anything but those things.

It had to do with the visit to the Vulcan colony and Spock's talk with her father, he knew it. He also knew that Spock didn't seem inclined to speak about it with him or anyone else, especially with how irritated she was becoming over the days. Kirk was starting to feel it to be odd. This wasn't a normal amount of irritation, it seemed as though she was starting to have trouble containing it.

This caused Kirk to observe her more closely, and what he found shocked and troubled him. She seemed to constantly trembling, and when she thought no one was looking at her, there was this very strange, kind of hungry look in her eyes that thoroughly disconcerted Kirk. Now that for sure was something he'd never seen in her before.

One day, Kirk decided that the had to speak with Spock about it, for the good of everyone, but was shocked when Spock came up to him and said in a tone that was barely controlled, "I must speak with Lieutenant Uhura privately, immediately, and I request some time to do so."

Kirk wouldn't have thought to refuse her anyway, but the look in her eyes as she asked especially warned him against doing so.

Giving her a very worried look, he said, "Of course. But only if you allow Bones to give you a short examination later to make sure you're all right."

She raised an eyebrow at Kirk and her face twitched dangerously as she spoke in a quiet tone, "I do not see any need for this since I am perfectly fine."

"This is an order, Commander. I want to be sure that nothing is wrong with you." Kirk said firmly, but compassionately.

She looked at Kirk a moment longer, and her face twitched again, but she grudgingly acquiesced, "Very well, sir."

Then she approached Uhura, who was also regarding her very warily, and said stiffly, "Lieutenant?"

Uhura just nodded and left the bridge with Spock without another word. Kirk just let out a sigh and took a seat, knowing for a fact that very little was right with this situation.

* * *

Some time later, he noticed that Uhura had returned to the bridge looking a little rattled, but Spock did not return with her. Kirk gave her a confused look and approached her immediately.

"Lieutenant, what happened?"

She hesitated greatly at the question and finally said, "Commander Spock told me to inform you that she was visiting the doctor as per your order, but after she felt that it would be best to return to her quarters."

Kirk stared for a moment and then said, "But that doesn't answer my question."

Again she hesitated, "She related to me a personal matter that she wished for me to keep quiet about."

"And just why can't she come back to the bridge after the doctor checks her over?" Kirk said, his tone now getting quite suspicious as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"It is related to her personal matter." Uhura said, still dodging the question.

Kirk then drew closer to Uhura and quieted his voice, saying, "What is her 'personal matter'?

Uhura just faced his suspicion with a firm face and said, "I can't break her trust."

"Look, I know Spock's well being is on the line here, so don't make me order – "

Kirk's communicator suddenly went off, so just looked at Uhura with his suspicious gaze a moment longer before answering it.

"This had better be important." Kirk snapped at whoever was calling him, not in the mood to speak with anyone.

"In fact, it is." came McCoy's sarcastic voice from the other side, "For once I have something important to tell you, instead of just calling you randomly to tell you new ridiculous ways people can die in space that I've completely made up. Oh, wait, that isn't me, but someone else I have the misfortune of knowing."

Kirk decided that he probably deserved that with the tone he'd used with the other, so he sounded a little apologetic as he replied, "Sorry, Bones. What's going on?"

"I'd like you to come down to sickbay so that we can talk. It's about the Commander."

Kirk was instantly and extremely worried when he heard the doctor's grim tone, and he said, "I'm coming right away, Kirk out."

"We are speaking later, Lieutenant. For now, go back to your station." Kirk said in a warning tone as he hung up his communicator.

She seemed to let out somewhat of a frustrated sigh at Kirk's irritating persistence, but he ignored this, then speaking clearly to the bridge, "While I'm down in sickbay, Sulu, you have the conn."

With that, he quickly left the bridge.

* * *

Making it to the sickbay in record time, he found that McCoy was waiting for him in his office. He took a seat in front of the doctor and he spoke in concern without preamble, "So, what's wrong with Spock, Bones?"

The doctor closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, then saying, "Spock has refused to tell me what is going on with her, but my readings on her biofunctions tell me something is very wrong with her. Her pulse, temperature, and serotonin levels are all abnormally high. If they continue to rise, she very well could die."

"What do you think it is, Bones? There has to be something we can do to help her." Kirk said in absolute determination, not one to give in easy, especially when people important to him were involved.

"I'm not sure there is much we can do because Spock won't tell me much of anything." McCoy said in frustration, "But, based on the readings I've collected and the sparse information I have, I can make a guess."

"Then make it. I need to know what I can do to help this situation!" Kirk said, realizing that he easily got frustrated when people kept him in suspense.

"All right!" McCoy said, glaring at Kirk, secretly wanting to help Spock as much as he could as well, "Based on the particular hormones that are out of whack in her system and the particular medication she asked me for…I've surmised this all has something to do with…Vulcans' need to…to mate."

McCoy sounded half way embarrassed when he reveled his diagnosis to Kirk, and all Kirk could do was stare at him in shock and say, "What?! How can you be so certain?"

"She asked me for a powerful and immediate form of birth control, Jim. And all she said in response to the request was that 'it was just a precaution,' and was very tight lipped about the rest."

Kirk put a hand to his forehead, trying to think of what he could do to help Spock, and then he suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to go talk to her about this, and I'm not leaving her quarters until I get some answers! If we have to turn the ship around to go back to the Vulcan colony, we're going to do it."

McCoy knew better than to try convincing Kirk of otherwise, knowing when he got an idea in his head, he couldn't be persuaded out of it, just nodding and sticking to saying, "Good luck. I'll be standing by if Spock needs any other help."

Kirk quickly strode out of the sickbay and was entirely surprised when he nearly bowled Uhura over, who seemed to be hanging around outside, possibly waiting for him.

"Why aren't you on the bridge, Lieutenant?" Kirk asked in impatience, wanting to get to Spock as quickly as he could.

"I know that you're going to go speak with the Commander, so I wanted to warn you." Uhura said in a firm tone.

"What do you mean?" Kirk then asked with an eyebrow raised.

"She's not herself, so I suggest you be careful."

"I can handle this. I'm a big boy, Lieutenant." He said in a slightly patronizing tone, putting his hands on his hips.

Uhura glared at him at the tone Kirk used with her and she returned indignantly, "Don't think I'm warning you because I like you, Captain. Your well being will be endangered when you step into that room, so I'm warning you to be on your guard."

Now this actually gave Kirk some pause. Something seriously must be wrong with Spock if Uhura was going out of her way to warn him like this, so he asked her with some concern, "Did Spock hurt you or anything?"

Uhura shook her head, "No, she didn't…she just exhibited some violent behavior with some objects in her room as a result of our conversation. She then asked me to leave."

Kirk then nodded and said, "Thank you for the warning. I'll keep it in mind."

He then quickly walked past her as swiftly as he could toward Spock's quarters.

* * *