Don't Look Away

Chapter 20

"Success is simple. Do what's right in the right way,

at the right time."

Arnold H. Glasgow

Spock hurried into the lift. "Bridge," he told the lift computer. The bridge door opened and he almost walked into the waiting Jim. "Captain, excuse me."

"My fault, Mr. Spock. Let's go see what Marack has to say," Jim said, steering them into the briefing room. He nodded to Uhura to put the call through on the large main comm. He wanted to see Marack's face as he told them about the autopsy decision.

Marack's face was already visible on the comm. His eyes drifted up to meet Spock's and he inclined his head respectfully to Jim. "James," he greeted him.

"Marack." Jim answered politely. He could see that it was Spock who Marack wanted to talk to, so he stepped back slightly so Spock could sit in front of the screen.

"Spock. I have spoken at length to my entourage, and lastly I went to the hospital to speak with Tareem's wife." He sighed, his face a sad mask as he looked at Spock. "It was very difficult. She was most distraught at the news of Tareem's passing. That, and the fact that both of her children are quite ill, undid her. She became what I think you call hysterical. I had to call the nurses and the other mothers to assist me. After some time, she became calm, so my entourage and I met with her privately in order to explain to her about the autopsy. We explained everything to her very carefully, about the type of virus that killed Tareem, how it was possible for it to spread throughout our planet in what you called a pandemic. I also told her why the autopsy would be necessary and that the autopsy would be handled in a manner respectful to our culture; that Tareem's body would be returned to Beta Niobe in three days for the proper mourning time before his burial. After much thought and explanation, Odillia agreed that the autopsy should be performed." He sighed again. "It was a very distressing meeting, Spock."

"I am sure that it was, Marack, but I am gratified that you were able to convince Tareem's wife. I will tell Dr. M'Benga to proceed." A beep from his personal comm interrupted. "If you will excuse me for just a moment, Marack, Captain, this is from the officer that I put in charge of the children's vaccine."

Jim nodded and Spock went to the corner of the room. Jim and Marack could hear the soft murmur of voices and then the click of the comm as Spock closed it. He came back to them. "I have very good news, gentlemen. The children's vaccine is finished and the Science labs have begun the process of replicating it. We should have enough doses for the ill children by this afternoon. With your permission, Marack, all the Science teams will beam down to begin the inoculation process. As Dr. M'Benga will be busy with the autopsy, I will lead the Science teams along with Nurse Chapel and accompany them to the hospital and clinics."

"That is very good news indeed! There will be much joy amongst our people that our children will be cured. I will notify the hospital and clinic staffs. At what time can we expect you and your teams, Spock?"

"I anticipate it will take three hours before all the doses are replicated. Our replicators work very quickly and all of them have been programmed to work on the vaccine production." He paused. "Marack, are you familiar with the term triage?"

Marack shook his head. "No, Spock, I have never heard that word. It seems you are dealing with someone who is ignorant of many such words."

"Be happy, Marack, that your planet has never had a need to know what the words pandemic and triage mean. You have been most fortunate. Let me explain. Triage is a word that means determining the priority of need for medical treatment when there are large numbers of patients who are ill or wounded. We do this in order to decide which should be treated first. That is what we need to do with all the sick children. I would like your doctors and nurses to decide which are the most ill so that we can inoculate them first, then we will continue with the others who are not quite so ill, and finally the rest of the children who have not yet succumbed to the Coxsakie virus at all. Do you understand the process, Marack?"

"I think I do, Spock."

"Then will you see that the doctors in your hospitals and clinics do this, Marack?"

The First nodded his head. "I will see to it, Spock. The children will be ready when you beam down to the hospital and clinics."

"Marack." Jim spoke for the first time. "I can see that you are very tired. I think after you speak with the doctors and nurses, you need to get some rest; you and the rest of your entourage. When the Science teams beam down, we will need you again. Everything will go more smoothly if you are alert and rested, don't you think?"

Marack ran a weary hand down his face. "You speak wisely, James. I will do as you suggest. I am indeed very tired, as are the rest of my entourage. However, my heart is much lighter now that I know our children will be helped very soon."

"We're also very happy about that, Marack. As soon as the autopsy gives us the information we need, we can begin to formulate and then replicate the vaccine for the adult version of the virus. Soon the entire population of Beta Niobe will become immune to this deadly disease."

Marack bowed his head. "I thank you, James and Spock, for all you are doing and all you have done for my people."

"No thanks are necessary, Marack. This is what Star Fleet does; helps planets and civilizations who are in need of assistance. Go get some rest now. We'll speak again this afternoon. James and Spock out."

The large comm went dark, and Jim turned to Spock. "A job well done, Mr. Spock. Let's go give Dr. M'Benga the go ahead for the autopsy and share the good news with Bones. It'll go a long way to relieve his mind about the adult Coxsakie virus and the Niobian adult population."

"I confess, Captain, that I am quite relieved that the children's vaccine is available and being replicated. I thought it would take longer; I underestimated my Science staff, Sir."

"When it comes to children, Spock, there aren't a lot of beings who wouldn't put forth every effort to help them."

"Indeed, Sir. That is the way of all Vulcans as well. Children are especially cherished on Vulcan, Captain, for they are the future of our civilization."

"I think most worlds feel that way, Spock, or at least I hope they do."

He and Spock came back to the bridge from the briefing room. "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn for a while. We're going to be tied up with the vaccine situation for the next few hours. I'll be coming on and off the bridge, so be aware of that."

"Aye, Sir."

Jim and Spock made their way to Sick Bay to give Dr. M' Benga the news about the autopsy. The doctor was in his office looking at his padd and looked up as they entered. "Captain, Mr. Spock. I was just going to comm you. I got the new lab results on Dr. McCoy and he's doing very well. I'll be able to release him tomorrow. However, this time I'm going to put very strong restrictions on his activities and on his work schedule. Dr. McCoy, we have discovered, is not a very cooperative patient," he smiled, his kind brown eyes twinkling.

Jim laughed out loud. "That's the understatement of the year, Doctor. It's possible that he's even a worse patient than I am."

"I wouldn't go quite as far as that, Captain," M'Benga gently teased him. "Now, then gentlemen. What can I help you with?" The doctor closed down his desk computer.

"We have positive news about the autopsy, Doctor. Marack, his entourage, and Tareem's wife have agreed that an autopsy may be performed. You may begin at any time. The only proviso is that Tareem's body must be returned to Beta Niobe at the end of the third day so they can begin their mourning and burial rituals'."

"That's excellent news, Mr. Spock." M'Benga rose from his desk. "I'll begin immediately."

"Wait, Doctor. We have further news. The children's vaccine is finished, and as we speak, the Science Labs are replicating the doses we need. Since you will be tied up with the autopsy, I will lead the teams that will be vaccinating the children. I would like Nurse Chapel to accompany us in your place, Doctor."

"Mr. Spock! That's fantastic news! Your Science labs accomplished their work amazingly fast. Of course Nurse Chapel will be ready whenever you need her. I'll let her know right away."

"Please tell her that I will comm her when we are ready to transport down, Doctor."

M'Benga looked over to Jim. "Dr. McCoy is going to be very happy about this, Captain. He really wants to get to the bottom of how Tareem contracted the virus."

Jim nodded. "I'm going to tell him as soon as we finish here. Geoff. When do you think you'll have the autopsy results?"

M'Benga shook his head. "I have no way of knowing, Captain. I'll have examine all of Tareem's organs down to the cellular level in order to get as much information about the adult onset virus as possible. I'm sure it will take at least two full days, especially since I'll have to do it by myself. Usually, Dr. McCoy and I perform autopsies together, and it goes much more quickly."

Jim nodded. "Please remember that the Beta Niobians will be viewing the body when we transport it down, Doctor."

"I'll keep the body as intact as possible, Captain. I'll repair all the outward incisions and the interior ones will not be seen anyway."

"Captain," Spock said. "With your permission I will go to the Science Labs to monitor the progress of the replicators."

"Of course, Spock. Let me know when the teams are ready to transport down; I'll go to the transporter room to wish them well. Meanwhile, I'll be in with Bones for a little while." He looked knowingly at M'Benga. "I'm sure he's itching to get out of bed and back to his room."

M'Benga sighed. "Yes, Sir. He's been nagging and trying to bully the nurses into letting him get up. The only one he can't bully or get around is Nurse Chapel, so I've had her checking in on him. That's one woman who won't be swayed."

"Back to his grumpy, feisty self is he?"

M'Benga grinned. "In spades, Sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get ready for the autopsy."

"You're dismissed, Doctor. Let me know when you have any answers. It would probably be a good idea to share your findings with Dr. McCoy. It'll keep him occupied for a while and might make it easier to keep him in that bio bed."

M'Benga smiled in perfect understanding. "Yes, Sir. I'll do that."

Jim made his way to McCoy's private room and stood at the transparent window looking in. The doctor was talking and frowning at one of the nurses as he held his padd. Ensign Marinna Kim was nodding her head patiently as he talked. She was one of their younger nurses, a newer recruit who hadn't been with them long, but Jim knew that Christine and Bones already thought she had a lot of potential to advance in Medical. He knocked and walked in.

"Jim!" McCoy's face broke into a big smile. A visitor to break up the tedium of Sick Bay was always welcome, but Jim even more so.

Jim didn't miss the look of relief on Nurse Kim's face. He favored her with one of his sunshine smiles. "Taking good care of my favorite CMO, Nurse?"

"Yes, Sir. Dr. McCoy has just finished his snack. Dr. M'Benga said he has to gain two pounds before he's released to his quarters, so we've upped his calorie intake today and tomorrow."

"Jim!" Leonard protested, looking down at the orders on his padd. "I cain't eat this much. I was just telling Marinna, that I'm not a horse! I have a thin frame and this is just too much food for me."

"Bones, do you or do you not want to be released from Sick Bay?" Jim asked, eying him sternly.

Leonard looked into the unrelenting gaze of his Captain and sighed. "Yeah, I do, Jim."

"Well then, you have to do as Geoff says, and the quicker you do it, the sooner you'll get to leave Sick Bay."

Leonard was silent for a minute; then he looked up at the worried nurse. "Yeah, alright. Now stop worrying, Nurse Kim. You'll get wrinkles and you're way too young for that."

The door opened and Christine Chapel peeked in. "Everything alright in here, Marinna?" she asked the young nurse. She looked meaningfully at Leonard. She knew her boss very well, and just how stubborn he could be.

"Stop glaring at me, Christine Louise. I ate my entire snack, and Jim here is gonna' visit with me for a while, aren't you, Captain?" He looked at Jim, his blue gaze sad and pitiful.

Jim and Christine both laughed. "You're a southern reprobate, Bones McCoy, but yeah, I'm going sit down and visit with you for a while." He nodded his dismissal at the two nurses, and with relief on their faces, they left the room.

Jim looked in reproach at Bones. "That poor girl, you had her really worried, Bones. Christine is used to you, and she can take it; you don't intimidate her at all, but Marinna is very young and new. You need to behave yourself with her and the other Sick Bay staff while you're in here."

Leonard sighed. "Yeah, I know it, Jim. It's just that I'm not used to being in bed, and I'm feeling real good now. I could be in my quarters recuperatin' there."

Jim shook his head decidedly. "No, Bones. We tried that and it didn't work out. You're staying here until you're 100 percent. I will make that an order if I have to." He looked at Leonard, his hazel eyes somber. "You scared the hell out of me, Bones. I thought you were dying, and that's twice now. I just can't go through that again, so we're not taking any chances. You're staying here."

Leonard saw the concern, affection and sincerity on Jim's open handsome face. He realized that Jim had been through a really bad scare, probably worse than he would ever admit to. "Alright, Jimmy, if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."

Jim nodded, satisfied and he relaxed in his chair. "We got permission from Marack and Tareem's wife for the autopsy. Dr. M'Benga has already started. I told him to bring you the results when he was finished. I figured you two could put your heads together and arrive at some answers."

Leonard's blue eyes brightened. "Thanks, Jim. Yeah, I feel that the autopsy is going to give us the answers we need."

"I hope so, Bones. Dr. Boyce is very concerned about a possible pandemic, we all are. At least he'll get good news when I report to him."

Jim brought him up to date on the children's vaccine, told him that Spock and the Science teams would begin to inoculate the children today. Bones smiled his relief, happy to know that the sick Beta Niobian children would be helped at last.

Jim sat back in his chair content and close to Bones' bio bed; in no big rush to get back to the bridge. There was nothing pending except his never ending paper work until the Science teams were ready to beam down. Sulu had the con so the ship was in good hands. They talked about current ship's gossip, then about the vid letter Jim had received from Winona and Peter. Peter had told him that he'd gotten good grades on his report card and that Noni had made cookies for him to give to all his friends.

"I haven't told them how sick you've been, Bones. Now that you're doing well, I can downplay it a little. Ma would worry and so would Peter."

Bones sighed. "I sure miss your mama's cookin' Jim. No better cook in the quadrant. Sure beats this stuff I gotta eat here in Sick Bay."

Jim just grinned his total agreement. His communicator beeped. "Kirk here."

"Captain," Uhura's sweet voice came over his comm. "Mr. Spock and all the Science teams are on their way to the cargo transporter bay. They have the vaccines and are ready to beam down to the hospital."

"Thank you, Uhura. I'm on my way." Jim stood. He patted Bones gently on the shoulder. "I'll come back later, Bones, after I get a report from Spock about the inoculations. Behave while I'm gone."

Leonard smiled. "Yeah, I will, Jim. I do want to get out of here, you know."

Satisfied, Jim made his way to the transporter room.