On any given day, the dorms of Starfleet Academy were bustling with activity, common rooms full of chatting cadets, most doors on the halls open, students randomly coming and going. There was a constant stream of background chatter that became a white noise over time. Normally teeming with the best and the brightest young people of the Federation's many worlds, the grounds seemed deserted, the dorms silent and classes still suspended. The majority of those who had been assigned to star bases or outposts had survived, as had the few who had received Earth based postings. But the loss of matriculated students was immense.
The common rooms of the first and second year dormitories still held a multitude of students, quiet, huddled groups trying to draw comfort from one and other. Lacking the proper training, they hadn't been assigned space duty as had the upperclassmen, so physically their ranks weren't decimated. Emotionally was another story. Even as night fell, the small clusters failed to disperse, almost as if they hoped to keep the worst of the pain at bay with strength in numbers.
It was during the later hours of the evening when cadets who had been assigned to Enterprise began to drift back to the dorms. Most of them weren't inclined to talk about their experiences just yet and chose to keep to themselves. A few took the time to enquire after the younger cadets though.
Jazmine Tavares, who had been assigned to the flag ships engineering department, had all but burst into the lounge of Tucker hall. Her brother, William, was a first year housed there and he immediately snatched her up in a hug that looked almost painful. Instead of returning to her dorm, the empty room half-filled with belongings of her roommate who had died on the Odyssey, she stayed with her brother and attempted to offer what little comfort she could.
Unlike Tavares, Teddy Lamb didn't have his sister coming home to offer him a welcoming hug. Teddy had been posted to the Science department on Enterprise, while Tamara, his twin, had gone out on the Farragut as a security officer. They hadn't had any inkling that their hurried goodbyes as they ran for their respective shuttles would be their last. Sitting on his bed, the young man allowed himself to grieve for her and all those who were lost.
After their long, arduous debrief with the brass, the Enterprise's command crew had been released to return to their quarters. Spock arranged housing for Mr. Scott in officers quarters and, with the help of Starfleet security and Lilah, who, it turned out, had been one of the FNN's field journalists, but had quit when a producer wanted her to exploit her relationship with McCoy to get the story, they managed to dodge the media types and return to campus.
It was at the dorms when the enormity of the losses suffered hit home. They all knew of the loss of Vulcan and it's population was far more significant on the grand scale of things, but the loss of so many classmates was far more immediate and personal.
Most of the other cadets who had served on Enterprise were already back in the dorms, though they seemed inclined to keep to themselves. They had either paired off or congregated in rooms, seeking the solace of each other's company. Most found themselves suddenly rooming with ghosts and thus many had gathered in lounges, hoping to avoid staring at the belongings of dead men and women.
The floor that held licensed doctors was even more barren. Outside every dorm room on campus was a small call panel with which a visitor could alert a room's occupant to their presence. To expedite matters, each panel had a pair of red and green lights. When a cadet left campus, the lights assigned to them flashed red. When on campus, they glowed green.
All along the hall, red lights glowed like accusing eyes, the only exceptions being McCoy's, Kirk's, Prewitt's and Healer T'Kan's. The Vulcan doctor had been sent to Starfleet Medical to prepare to receive the injured and thus hadn't shipped out with the rest of the medical cadets.
When McCoy stepped onto the hall it was late, past 2300 hours and Joanna was drowsing in his arms. Behind him, Jim's energy reserves were clearly flagging and he had begun to lean on Lily for support. Still, the fool was lobbying to join the others in one of the lounges. "'S good for morale, Bones," Jim said as he allowed Lily to lead him down the hall. "Crew unity and all."
Bones snorted. "They've already seen you fall on your face once, Jim. Seeing that again would be bad for morale," he informed his friend, trying not to focus on all the red lights they passed.
The door of Prewitt's room was open and McCoy glanced in at his fellow doctor. From her position on the floor, back against the side of her bed, she raised her glass in salute. He noted the tear tracks on her drawn cheeks and wondered if she had lost someone in particular or if it was the totality of everything finally taking its toll.
Reaching their room, Bones keyed in the access code and the doors opened with their usual whoosh. They entered, Jim still muttering complaints and McCoy set Joanna on his bed.
Lily deposited Jim on his own bunk and said, "No, you're not fine! Leo said your body is still healing, so you need your sleep."
The rather boneless way he flopped about as she pulled off his boots and outer shirt confirmed that he was indeed in no state to be off mingling with others. Usually it takes about a gallon of really good booze, a bar brawl and a friendly date to get Jim into such a pliant state, McCoy mused, watching Lily expertly roll Jim under the blankets. Then he winced, wondering if she had learned that particular skill taking care of him after he had indulged a bit too much.
Using the time Lily wrangled Jim, McCoy got Joanna changed into her pajamas. On their way back to the dorms, Lily had run to grab a bag of clothes from her car so they wouldn't be stuck in oversized men's T-shirts for sleepwear. He smiled down at his little girl, and almost laughed at the cartoon cows in princess dresses that covered her pink sleep romper.
He turned away for a moment to retrieve glasses of water to set on the night stands and when he looked back, Joanna was no longer on his bed. Lily was sitting on one side, looking at the other bed with a soft expression on her face.
Apparently Joanna had decided she wanted a cuddle and, since Jim was mostly asleep himself, he'd do nicely. She had clambered up onto his bed and curled up under the blanket against his chest, her stuffed tiger clutched tight in her arms. Jim didn't seem bothered by the intrusion, blinking sleepily and tucking a cheek down against her soft hair.
Both of them were asleep within minutes and Lily chuckled softly. "The stuff of most father's nightmares, right there," she murmured, pulling a pair of soft cotton shorts and a T from her bag. "Jim Kirk in bed with their daughter."
Bones smiled softly at her. "No one I'd trust more in that situation," he said, knowing it was completely true. Jim was far too good a man to ever even think of harming a child in any way. He was a player, not a pervert. "If it was you in bed with him on the other hand…"
She swatted at him and smirked impishly. "A girl can dream."
"Stop right there," he commanded. "That's a thought I do not want in my brain."
"Too late," she sing-songed. "It's in there and no amount of brain bleach will help."
He glared at her. "Evil woman," he muttered, then motioned to his bed. "You can sleep there. I want to check on a friend down the hall. I can crash on her couch."
"Do that often?"
He shrugged. "Jim's actually pretty good about following his conquests home and not locking me out," he said. "Only happens a couple of times a month, but yeah, I sleep at Abby's then."
She nodded and rose suddenly, dropping her pajamas on the bed in order to wrap her arms around him. He felt the tension in her spine and a bit of wetness at his shoulder where her face was pressed.
"I was in the newsroom when the story first broke," she said after a pause. "Vulcan had been destroyed along with so many ships. I had no idea if you were alive…Fortunately, someone 'round here leaks like a sieve and the crew manifest of Enterprise became public…God, it hit me then. My big brother, the Starfleet doctor, assigned to a ship out in space. Guess I'm gonna have to get used to worrying about you."
His arms still around her, McCoy sighed. "It's not an easy thing, knowing a loved one's off roaming around space, sticking their nose into hostile situations."
She gave a little snort. As a field journalist for FNN, the Federation News Net, she had spent much of the last five years doing just that. Traveling to war torn, disease infested, disaster devastated off world locations was the norm for her. He had always hated that her job put her in dangerous situations, but there was nothing to be done about it.
He remembered the horror he felt the first time he saw her on the vid-net, reporting from Tal-Santigio, a planet whose warring factions had turned the once paradisiacal world into a hell hole.
The vid showed Lily, twenty years old, fresh faced and pretty in sturdy black combat pants and vest, standing amidst the rubble of crumbled buildings. She was talking about the genocide being committed by the toxic current regime, when a series of explosions rocked the area. The camera fell and shouts and screams and still more explosions could be heard over the open channel.
Bones had felt sick, thinking his sister had been killed on some far flung planet, victim in a horrific and senseless war. He Hadn't had long to mull over worst case scenario, as she quickly picked up the camera and, with blood streaking down her face, began to speak of what had just happened. She had been hurt, but was alive and kicking.
Looking down at her, Leonard could see the fine, nearly invisible scarring along her jaw and the side of her face. One needed to be very close to see them, but they existed as a constant reminder of that day. Not tat she had been deterred. Over the past five years, Lilah McCoy had made a name for herself in the field of broadcast journalism. She had wanted to write, but ended up in front of the camera almost as soon as she landed her first job. Everything was going well, before a producer wanted her to get an exclusive on "The Saviors of the Federation."
Bones, knowing his sister, almost felt bad for the man, who was probably still trying to remove the vid camera from whatever orifice she had jammed it into before quitting.
"Guess neither of us chose the safest career path," he said, giving her shoulders a squeeze and reflecting on a time when he thought he'd spend his life in a small town. That time spanned from his childhood, when he'd actually pretended to be a doctor when playing doctor, to when things started to sour with Jocelyn.
Finally stepping back, Lily wiped her eyes fiercely and said, "Yeah, well, I always thought I was the daredevil in the family."
That was true enough, he thought. The two people he felt he knew best in this world, Jim and Lily, were both born in '33 and seemed at times to lack the common sense and self preservation instinct God gave a lemming. Perhaps their little baby souls had the same tendency to be late as they did now, and they'd missed out when those two traits were being assigned.
Reaching out, Bones ruffled her hair, a move designed to pull an irritated glare from her. She complied, then stalked off to the tiny in suite bathroom to change.
A small, mirthful smile on his face, McCoy took another look at Jim and Joanna, curled up together like sleeping puppies, then quietly exited the room.
Abby was still sitting on the floor beside her bed, a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels resting between her bare feet. Elbows resting on drawn up knees, a glass dangled loosely in her hand as her bowed head hung forward, shielding her face in a curtain of hair.
She didn't look up as he entered, just gave the bottle a small push in his direction with topaz polished toes. Dropping down beside her, hip to hip and shoulder to, well, arm, he accepted the bottle and took a long pull, enjoying the burn in his throat and the warmth in his belly.
"Three," she finally murmured without looking up. It was said quietly and he almost missed it.
Puzzled, he asked, "Three?" before taking another drink.
Now she looked up at him, red faced and blotchy in a way he'd never seen on her. "Enterprise wasn't ready for a full medical staff, so Puri only picked two of us. There should have been seven med track cadets, but the other five got put out on the other ships in the armada. Fifty four upper year medical cadets died out there. There are three of us left."
McCoy swallowed. He'd had no idea their ranks had been so devastated. It made sense of course when he thought about it. Medial personnel would be sent en mass in response to a mayday from any world. But to hear it said aloud…
He couldn't speak and Abby continued, "T'Kan's resigning from the service. Her duty to help rebuild the Vulcan race and all."
Another one down. "Damn, he murmured, causing Prewitt to let out a humorless bark of laughter and bump him with her shoulder.
"Eloquent as always, Bones," she intoned, straightening to toss back the last of her drink. "Guess there won't be the usual competition for good postings."
The dark observation was made in a wavering voice and McCoy felt the bile rise in his throat. Forcing it down, he put the bottle to his lips and took several deep pulls, but knew himself well enough not to even try to pass off the tears in his eyes as being alcohol induced.
Heaving a great sigh, Prewitt climbed to her feet, little of her usual grace on display. Once balanced though, she made her way to the door without weaving and palmed the sensor to allow the portal to close. She turned back to McCoy and looked down at him, still planted on the floor. "Bunking here?"
It wasn't really a question as she'd seen the procession that had made it's way past not that long ago. He nodded silently and she took a step towards him, extending her hands to assist him to his feet.
Her hands were small and smooth, warm as they clasped his and pulled him up. The sudden shift of weight caused them to stumble, the JD hitting McCoy's tiered system a lot harder and faster than it normally would.
Abby managed to keep her feet and steady him, using her own body as a brace. "Careful," she said, then leaned her head back to regard him. "You turning into a lightweight on me, McCoy?"
"Not likely," he rumbled at her, then realized exactly how close she was. Their noses were scant inches apart and here eyes, though surrounded by reddened skin, were oddly clear and bright. He could feel her body lined up against his own, breasts pushing into his chest, hips brushing.
He found he had no idea who acted first, but the kiss was a surprise. They did not do that sort of thing, at least not with each other. It just wasn't how they worked.
Except for the fact that they seemed to be working very well in exactly that manner and neither had any inclination to stop.
Intellectually, Bones knew it was probably a reaction to shared grief and loss and understood the human need to celebrate life after a devastating tragedy, but he really had no desire to over think things. And, clearly, Abby had the same idea.
"Just tonight," she said against his mouth, pulling his bottom lip with her teeth. "No regrets."
"Tonight," he agreed, grabbing her thighs and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Fortunately, they were close enough to the bed that they landed on it when he lost his balance.
He stayed the night, but never did make it to the couch.
TBC
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