"He tell you what happened?"
"Jim, you know Spock. All he told me was that Harris had been attacked by another who had remarkable telepathic skills." as he looked into the hazel eyes the doctor saw the truth,
"There was more to it, right?"
Knowing that McCoy would never reveal the information Kirk looked at his friend, "The three were going to damage Spock's brain but the two of them were able to distract them and they attacked Harris. Together they were able to disable them enough to get us free."
For a few minutes there was silence as the two men just looked at each other. Kirk knew he had not told the whole truth and McCoy knew he had not been told everything but enough to understand the full extent of the damage. "It will be hard on Spock when he is taken off the ship then. That blasted Vulcan will find a way to blame himself. All that fine talk about what is, is. Poppycock! You've seen how he gets. Can you imagine how he will feel when Harris is removed from the ship? He will feel some form of indebtedness to Harris for it. He clearly feels some form of guilt for it."
"Bones,"
"Now don't you tell me that bunk about Vulcan not having feelings as we both know they do. They just decided not to be so open about them as us mere Humans."
Once Kirk had gone Spock carefully sat on the bed and gently took hold of Steven's right hand. Wave after wave of the mental torment and confusion his friend was suffering came through the touch like a series of tsunami waves before he shielded himself for it. Only for a moment did he allow himself to fear that the pain had forever taken that creative and caring mind and silenced that friendly yet decisive voice. How could it not have taken them after the force those three had used? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to think only of Steven now, not how he was nor how he could be, just as he was and how he would be reassured to know he was not alone.
"Spock. You okay? Spock. You okay? Spock. You okay? " It was very faint now but it was still there. Very slowly Spock exhaled. Somehow through the cauldron of pain Steven was calling for him, was wondering if he was alright. How like the Steven he remembered, the Steven who would wake during the night to find him still working on the computer and ask if he was okay. No need for words as Steven accepted the nod he would give him.
Carefully he reached out for the small container of some herbal oils, a blend of both Vulcan and Earth herbs, and using his free hand opened it and got some on his middle and index fingers. While planning to have Steven in his quarters Spock had found the recipe for it in the file his mother had given him so many years ago of home remedies she had used. A human who had married and Vulcan and combined to properties from both world into so many of her remedies have proven beneficial many times. Slowly he rubbed the small amount lightly under Steven's nose and waited.
Gradually the tremors that had been shaking Steven's body ceased and his breathing was deeper. "Spock. Spock are you okay?" Gently he briefly laid a hand on Steven's forehead, "I am here, Steven, and I am okay. You rest. I am here. You rest." Slowly Steven's breathing became more regular and his face was more relaxed. While McCoy's medications had initially helped control the spasms Spock was as aware as the doctor that there was a limit as to how much Steven's body would tolerate of them while this, this oil was all natural and while harmless it was effective. He was thankful his mother had given him the file and silently thanked her as he adjusted the blanket covering Steven.
McCoy arrived thirty-seven minutes before Spock was due to be at the meeting. He came carrying a tray and set it on Spock's desk, removed the cover to reveal some Vulcan tea and toast with two spreads. "Eat, Spock." When he hesitated McCoy looked at him, "You want that to be an order?"
"I will eat, Doctor. Thank you for brining me breakfast."
McCoy looked down at Steven and noticed a change in the man, "He is breathing easier and seems more at ease. A Vulcan treatment?"
"That jar by the bed, Doctor, is a herbal blend I rubbed under his nose last night. My mother used to use it on me as a child when I was either restive or had muscular spasms."
McCoy took the lid off and lightly sniffed the contents before quickly resealing it and putting it down by the bed as he felt his eyes tearing, "There is lavender in that and something that would strip paint."
"There is lavender and three Vulcan herbs. I have been applying it every three point six hours. If you would not mind,"
"Just tell me when you want me to do it."
"In another one point four one hours."
"Right. Anything else I should do?"
