Part XIV - Doctors

Kirk sat unusually quiet, studying the sapphire liquid still in his glass. Out of the small amount he'd been given, he still hadn't drank a quarter of it. Pike let the silence hold for a minute or two before speaking up.

"This whole mentoring thing will work much better if you ask your questions when you have them instead of holding them in, James."

That brought Kirk's eyes up, but his expression was still thoughtful.

"Sorry, sir. It wasn't so much a question I was thinking about as taking all the changes in. I've never really been in a situation like this before."

"You've been pretty much on your own devices since you were born, James. It's a considerable adjustment, but whether you believe it now or not, it gives you an advantage over the majority of your competition."

When Kirk looked up with the puzzled frown on his face, it was the first time Pike could see how very young he actually was from his appearance. The feelings that stirred in Pike were not exactly paternal, but when he spared a second to remember that Raj collected plague samples the way McCoy collected poisons? He decided that considering his feelings to be paternal was, by far, the safest option.

"How exactly is it an advantage? I have to admit, I don't see it."

"Of course you don't. But imagine for a moment that your mother had been halfway competent at making use of the political clout your father's dramatic demise gave her. She could have set up an entire network of connections with the understanding that you would toady to their wishes as you came to age. You likely would have had an easier life up until now, granted - but you wouldn't be your own man. Oh you could possibly have maneuvered yourself out of the deals your mother had made, but that would have branded you as untrustworthy and unlikely to attract any allies of worth. Plus everyone would be equating your worth solely to your connection to your father."

Pike paused for a moment and took another sip of ale.

"Instead of being in that position, you've grown up canny. Not only aren't you trying to rest on your father's laurels, you're trying to tear them apart. From the fights you've been in, you also have a better sense of your own strengths and weaknesses than most your own age. Plus, you've got a follower in an entirely separate track from yourself that would likely not have had anything to do with you if you'd come here as a privileged little snot."

The thought of him being more like Uhura and having Bones plopping down next to him half-drunk caused him to chuckle.

"No. I can't imagine our first meeting would have gone well."

"Take it from a man who has some experience in the matter. Having a skilled doctor backing you is never a bad thing."

"So, as a man with some experience in the matter, how have you kept Doctor Puri with you over the years?"

"A fair question, James."

Pike took along sip before continuing.

"First, bind him to you in as many ways as you can. Second, whatever his medical curiosity is - don't just indulge it. Encourage it. Leonard has already shown he can not only envision, but invent. Get him whatever he wants - tools, parts, cadavers - then reap the rewards when he comes up with something like that analyzer of yours. Third, every doctor I've ever come across of any worth has their limit. Some won't kill in cold blood. Some won't torture. Some won't touch kids or women, regardless of species. You could order your doctor to go past their line, but I don't advise it. You'll draw any number of other people to you that can do that kind of work for you. Once you have a man's loyalty, constant retesting only shows weakness on your part."

Taking another small sip of the ale, Kirk wondered if he was getting used to the burn or if it had already killed all of the pain receptors in his mouth and throat. Whichever way it was, he reluctantly sat the glass down. If he was going to get back to the hospital, he needed to be able to find it.

"Unless there's something else you'd like to discuss right now, I'd like to get back to the hospital. I don't like the idea of Bones being alone if Doctor Puri gets called away."

"Just one question, James. Bones? Where did that come from?"

A chuckle escaped Kirk at that question.

"It was back when we first met on the shuttle. He was telling me about his ex taking his grandfather's stethoscope and then said if she'd been able to figure out a way to claim them during the settlement, she'd probably have taken his bones and made a wind chime out of them. When I saw him again, that bone wind chime came back to me, so I made it into a nickname for him."

Pike polished off his drink and sat the glass down.

"I've heard worse nicknames. Come along. I'll walk you back to the hospital."

When Kirk noticed that Pike wasn't taking the bottle with him, he cleared his throat.

"Were you wanting me to keep an eye on that until you return for it?"

Glancing back at the bottle as if it were empty instead of nearly full, Pike made a dismissive gesture at it.

"You and Leonard can keep what's left. But I'd advise you to find a suitable hiding place for it. There's a large demand for it on the black market. In fact, I'd advise you to go ahead and stow it out of sight before I turn off the interference."

"Yes, sir."

Kirk picked up the bottle and stuck it into his closet - not the best hiding place, but he figured that getting it out of sight was the main thing for now. After another thought, he picked up Pike's empty glass and what was left of his own and stowed them in the closet as well. As they stepped back outside, Pike scowled at a cadet that was peeking out of their door.

"Wait here for a moment, Cadet Kirk."

For the next five minutes, Kirk fought to keep a straight face as Pike either found or invented a dozen different code violations in the room with the nosy cadet. After calling Security to escort both roommates to the agony booth, Pike gestured to Kirk.

"Come along, cadet. Along with everything else, those two have delayed us."

He waited until they were both out of the building and a decent distance from any other structure before he questioned Pike.

"Do you always make use of the booth for room violations?"

"Almost never. It was more for being caught sneaking. If you do something, James, either do it openly or hide your tracks better. Sneaking shows you already know what you're doing is wrong."

Since they were in public, Kirk tried to keep a straight face. He had a feeling that was a skill he'd need to practice more.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

When they entered McCoy's room, Puri glanced over. From his expression, he was about to snap out until he saw who it was, then he visibly relaxed. As he turned back to McCoy, he spoke to Pike.

"Good thing you didn't wait any longer, Chris. Seems that the majority leaned to the side of the fence that they'd be better off if he died or was at least permanently incapacitated from his injuries. They weren't too happy that I was here."

Not waiting for Pike to respond, Kirk moved in and circled the bed. McCoy's coloration was considerably better.

"Can you get him to the point that he can finish recovering away from here?"

When Kirk looked back up from his roommate, he found Puri was giving him a speculative look. He wasn't sure what the doctor did or didn't see in him, but Puri turned and gave a look to Pike.

"At this point, McCoy can finish up his healing about anywhere. Provided he has help. He won't be able to do things for himself for at least two or three days."

There was a long moment of silence before Pike gave a brisk nod.

"I need to make a couple of quick calls. Get him ready to move. Kirk, anything either of you need would from your rooms if you were gone for a few days? Not counting toiletries or clothes?"

It only took Kirk a moment to consider before he shook his head.

"Nothing I need that I don't already have on me and Bones doesn't have much to worry with to start with."

"Good. Then you stay here and help Doctor Puri."

Pike left without another word. Puri quirked a smile at Kirk's expression.

"You'll have several years to get used to that. And you will."

Seeing nothing else that he could do at the moment, Kirk settled into the chair by McCoy's bed.

"How long did it take you to get used to it?"

Holding up a hypospray to get a better look at the settings, Puri's face took on an air of contemplation.

"He and I have been together over seven years now. I suppose it took me the better part of that first year."

The next question could well put him on thin ice, but Kirk opted to try to ask anyway.

"Are the two of you . . uhm?"

Puri's chuckle was deep, rich and highly amused.

"You need to work on your eloquence, Cadet. What word are you looking for? Involved? Lovers?"

Hoping desperately that he was avoiding looking as much like an idiot as he felt at the moment, Kirk nodded.

"Normally, I would say none of your business, but considering you and Leonard will be in close proximity to us for a good while, then yes. You'll encounter that quite a bit once you're in the black. There's only so many people you can trust your back to and only so many people available on a Starship. Speaking of trust, is there anyone you trust well enough to give you a hand with Leonard?"

What Puri said had brought up a set of questions that Kirk hadn't considered, but he drug his thoughts back to the present at the question. It didn't take much thought.

"Yes. I do."

"Give them a call and see if they'll come here then. Once we leave the campus, you probably won't have another opportunity."

Stepping out of the room to make use of his comm, Kirk was pleased to find the person he wanted was both on campus and willing to help out. Doctor Puri really wasn't sure who he was expecting to walk back in with Kirk, but a red-haired Orion girl hadn't even been in the running.

"Gaila, this is Doctor Puri - Doctor Puri, Cadet Gaila."

"Nice to meet -"

What she'd been saying broke off with a gasp as Gaila got her first look at McCoy. Puri was more bemused than annoyed that he seemed to be forgotten as she hurried to the bed. If nothing else, that immediate reaction seemed to show that Kirk had chosen well.

It was that scene that Pike walked back in on. Taking it in, he turned silently to Puri, who was still looking amused as he explained things.

"I suggested to Kirk that it would help if he had someone he could trust to help him with Leonard."

After looking over the green-skinned cadet, Pike gave a shrug. What the hell - why not?

"Fine. Let's get him on his feet. I called in a favor to get us a site-to-site teleport to where we're going."

It only took a few seconds for McCoy's eyes to open once Puri injected him with a stimulant. The first thing to come into focus for him were Kirk's eyes. Kirk smiled and stopped him before any questions even had a chance to get out.

"I know you're disoriented, but save the questions for later. Come on. Let's get you on your feet."

It was at that moment that Kirk really saw what Pike had been talking about. McCoy simply gave a slight nod and started trying to get up. Even though he needed both Kirk and Gaila's help to accomplish it, he was following Kirk's instructions without questioning why he had to get up or what they were going to do.

His focus being on keeping McCoy upright, Kirk heard Pike's voice in the background.

"Pike to the Farragut. Five to transport."

It was dizzying even for Kirk, so he imagined it must be even worse on McCoy. They faded out of Medical, began to solidify on the Farragut and then immediately dissolved again only to resolidify again. His thought of how the trip was for McCoy was proven correct by the fact that he threw up as soon as the process was over.

"Really, Bones - what is it with you and puking?"

The glare wasn't much, but it was the best McCoy could muster in his current condition. Gaila came to McCoy's defense as she looked around for a comfortable place to put him.

"Give him a break, Jim. It made me queasy and I'm perfectly healthy. Help me get him over to the couch before he falls down."

Puri and Pike stayed back, watching the three interact briefly before Pike cleared his throat. Gaila had forgotten they were there and jumped, nearly losing her hold on McCoy in the process.

"Easy there, Cadet."

Pike's attention turned to Kirk then.

"You should have everything here that you'll require for the remainder of the school break. If it turns out there's something else you need, you can contact either myself or Doctor Puri over the comm, but I advise you not to let anyone else on campus know your location. At least not until Leonard is able to take better care of himself. Any questions?"

There weren't any. McCoy wasn't coherent enough to ask, Gaila was too intimidated to ask and Kirk's thoughts were already on what they needed to do next. Pike exchanged a glance with Puri and reactivated his communicator.

"Pike to the Farragut. Two to transport."

Once back in McCoy's former room, Puri gathered his things and left at Pike's side. He suppressed the smile that started to form as the other medical personnel in the area were trying not to be obvious about waiting for them to leave the building. Once they were away, Puri cast a glance over his shoulder and laughed.

"I'd about pay to see the expressions on their faces when they go into that room."

"Actually, I was thinking it was a shame I didn't think to set up surveillance where we left those three. Could have made for some stimulating viewing, Raj."

"Like you need help in that department, Chris."

Smirking, Pike directed their steps toward home, wondering if anyone would be idiotic enough to complain about McCoy being removed from Medical. He almost hoped someone was. He hadn't seen Puri let loose on anyone for months.