Home is the Sailor
By
Pat Foley
Chapter 11
Neither Sarek nor Amanda were on the terrace, but after poking his head in the kitchen, McCoy was pointed in the right direction. He found them strolling in the rose garden. Amanda was looking up at her husband. McCoy couldn't hear what she was saying, but her hand was in his. He looked more settled than he had when he'd walked away from the table before. At least he appeared to have finished his meditations and they had done him some good.
Sarek stiffened and gave McCoy a cool stare as he approached. He didn't take his hand from his wife's. Apparently there were limits to how much he was willing to modify his behavior to accommodate strangers under his own roof or his own grounds and, with all the gardens for McCoy to wander in, his stance plainly said, I walked away the first time. This time you back off. McCoy muttered under his own breath an imprecation against both Jim and Spock for forcing him to brave Vulcan ire in the Vulcan's own den. But he came on anyway.
"Sorry to intrude," he said, since the Vulcan's body language made it clear that was exactly what he was doing, and went on to explain his mission.
Sarek flicked a brow, apparently unimpressed. "Would not Captain Kirk deem it an unwarranted invasion of his privacy?"
"In normal circumstances, yes," McCoy said, not missing the point Sarek was obliquely making about the violation to his own. "But Spock is pretty adamant that he thinks Jim might be in trouble."
"He thinks." Sarek's brow creased in skepticism, but at least his stiffened shoulders dropped a little in consideration of this intellectual problem. "Doctor, we have just discussed that Spock has been suffering from nightmares – delusions, if you will. You were of the opinion that this was an acceptable outcome of his condition. Is not this merely yet another symptom?"
"Nightmares are only delusions if you're awake when you have them," McCoy said dryly.
Sarek tilted his head in a manner that suggested that to a Vulcan this was splitting the finest of hairs. "Nevertheless, Spock has been extremely agitated."
"Perhaps it seems so from a Vulcan perspective. I would hardly consider his behavior extreme, given the circumstances."
"But you yourself have indicated that you believe his behavior has been a normal consequence of his condition. Is not this …present distress… simply just more of the same? Are you not changing your views rather swiftly, from disregard to concern?"
"I don't know that I'd say that," McCoy said slowly. "Thought I suppose to you it may seem so. What you can't know is that Jim and Spock are pretty darn attuned to one another, much of the time. Maybe most of the time. Particularly when it counts. Call it human intuition on Jim's part. Call it what you want on Spock's. But it's what makes them such a good command team. And it's saved our hides more than once in space. I've come to rely on both of them to have good intuitions in these kinds of situations. If Spock says Jim might be in trouble, then I'd bet my last credit it bears at least a check."
"Even in his present condition?" Sarek asked, with a skeptical brow.
"I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt," McCoy said stubbornly.
"Sarek, it can't possibly hurt to check on Jim, can it?" Amanda asked. "He has Spock's flyer."
"Captain Kirk is not a child," Sarek said, looking down at her, brows raised in Vulcan astonishment. "By any human standards. Further, he is not my child. I have no rights in that regard. And," he gave McCoy a narrow glance, "the Captain has seemed intolerant of parental …interference… even as it regards to Spock from his own parents. Given his present attitude, it would be entirely inappropriate for me to 'check up', as you put it, on the Captain's activities."
"He is our guest," Amanda said firmly.
"That does not grant me the license to pry into his personal affairs. I am sure the Captain would entirely agree."
"I see Jim's reputation has preceded him." McCoy said dryly. "And I know he's been a bit testy since we arrived. But I kinda doubt Jim is involved in any 'affairs' of that sort. Jim's a fast worker, but --"
"He's new to Vulcan," Amanda said to Sarek, side-stepping that discussion. "And even if," Amanda gave McCoy an apologetic look, "he is engaged in some private activity and is perfectly well, surely if the Captain understood your reasons, that Spock had been distressed, he would excuse the circumstance." She drew a breath and looked back at her husband stubbornly. "If you won't go looking for him, Sarek, then I will."
"Me, too," McCoy added. "That's three against one, counting Spock."
Sarek shook his head, in a facsimile of human exasperation, looking from one to the other of them. "This is not a situation that derives from democratic voting," he said.
"Spock was doing his best to climb out of bed to go after him," McCoy warned. "So if someone doesn't go, we're going to have an insurrection on our hands from that quarter. And Spock is damn determined when he needs to be, up to stealing a Starship to get what he wants."
"That is hardly behavior I would yeild to," Sarek said.
"Trust me. When Spock gets going..."
"Sarek," Amanda began, looking vexed. "Just do it."
Sarek looked at her, and then almost audibly sighed. "As you are both human, and deem it appropriate," Sarek continued, "Then I will concede to your superior knowledge and do as you bid. Alone," he added, when McCoy made as if to follow. "One person invading the Captain's privacy is surely more than enough."
"But you believe you can find Jim?" McCoy asked anxiously.
"That will not be a problem."
"Thank you," McCoy said, relieved. "I realize it may violate your Vulcan sensibilities. I appreciate it. Spock will too. I'll go and tell him."
"If the Captain is upset," Sarek threw over his shoulder, as he headed for the hanger court, "You will explain this to him. I certainly will have no logical explanation to give him."
"Do you think Jim really could be in trouble?" Amanda asked, looking after her husband.
McCoy thought back to all the times Spock or Jim had just known something, past all evidence or logic.
"I think he might be."
Amanda sighed. "He's only been here a couple of days. Is it always like this, with them? Going from the frying pan into the fire?"
"Amanda," McCoy said morosely, "I'm afraid you have no idea."
To be continued...
