Have We Been Here Before?

Chapter Twenty-one - Impetuosity

Enterprise

Early February 2269

Spock

He knew, when they got the call from the mining camp on Taran VI, frantic because part of the mine had collapsed, trapping seven miners in a small area with rising water, and destroying all of their pumping equipment, that somehow Kirk would manage to insinuate himself into the landing party. All that were needed down there were engineers.

Scotty headed up the party, taking Kurik and seven other engineers, and many tools and parts, down with him. It was quickly established that there was no way to reach the miners with the transporter beam. They were too far underground. So they began quickly to build the necessary pumping equipment, using tractor beams to clear the area where they needed to set up the new equipment.

They called in a medical rescue team then, to set up a triage area, and to provide air, and food, and some drugs through the small pipeline they had placed into the area where the injured miners were. And somehow, Kirk got himself beamed down with that group, much to McCoy's ire, and Spock's misgivings. He got into enough trouble when they were there to watch him. Alone, who knew what he might do.

And they were not wrong. When he beamed back up, supported on one side by Kurik and the other by Scotty, his left trouser leg in shreds, with blood leaking down into his boot, McCoy stomped off to sick bay in a huff, cursing at him the whole way. Spock sat on the bridge, mentally shaking his head. Behind him, Nyota's fingers flew over her keyboard, sending a message to Cathy. Spock almost shuddered to think what Jim was in for.

When they reached the sick bay, Kurik hesitated, but McCoy was waving them into the private examining room used for the senior staff. Chapel hurried in after him, and they gave Kurik and Scotty directions on how to get the captain up on the biobed. Kurik would have backed away then, but McCoy grabbed his arm, holding him back. "I'm going to need some help here, don't you go away just yet."

Kurik stopped in his tracks. He had no medical training, beyond first aid. What possible use could he be? He watched as Scotty pulled the captain's boots off, and left the room. And then Chapel was cutting away the ruined leg of Kirk's trousers, and he could see the gaping wound there. He admired the long sweet curves of her legs, and the neat round bottom, outlined by her short uniform. He could have stood there happily, admiring, but McCoy called to him, bringing him to the edge of the biobed. "Just hold that leg absolutely still for me, no matter what he does." McCoy placed his hands on the captain's leg where he wanted them, and then started in to work.

Kurik did exactly what was asked of him. That leg did not move by so much as a millimeter. The rest of the captain's body did. And when Chapel patted him on the shoulder, whispering "Good Job" right in his ear, he almost trembled from the shock of it. She thought he had done a good job? All he had done was what the doctor had asked of him, nothing special.

When they had the captain's leg dressed, McCoy stepped back. "Okay, you idiot, you're going to live this time, and even keep your leg, you stupid risk-taker. Now go straight to your quarters and stay there until I tell you you can come out."

When the captain began to complain, telling the doctor all the things that needed his own personal attention, the doctor simply shot him full of something. Then he turned to Kurik. "He has about five minutes before he passes out completely. That ought to be long enough to get him to his quarters."

Kurik nodded, taking one last long look at the lovely blonde nurse, and picked the captain up off the biobed, slipping the captain's arm over his shoulders, and one of his arms around the captain's waist. Behind him he heard a gasp, and then "Oh, I keep forgetting how strong you Vulcans are!" His ears turned bright green, but he continued on his way.

Chapel darted around him and opened the door, and he hurried the captain through, not wanting her to see how her words had embarrassed him. But he had not even gotten to the corridor when another woman burst in. He recognized this woman. She was the one who had been with the captain at the Christmas party, and at Spock and Nyota's party, as well. She took one look at the captain, strung over his shoulder, and began to yell.

"You stupid pig-headed idiot! What the hell did you think you were doing?"

Kirk raised his head slightly and looked at her out of bleary eyes. "Cathy?"

"Yes, Cathy, you dumb corn-shucker! Who else would be the least bit concerned about your stupid worthless hide! Just look at you! You're damn lucky you're even alive." And then she burst into tears.

Kurik had no idea what to do, and the time the doctor had given him was swiftly running out. He cleared his throat, and Cathy looked at him. "Dr McCoy gave him some medication which will render him unconscious in the next 3.5 minutes. I need to get him to his quarters before this happens."

Cathy stared at him, and then jerked, nodding her head. She turned and led the way out of sick bay, hurrying down the corridor to the turbolift. She held the door open while Kurik half-carried the captain inside, and held it open again when the turbolift stopped on the right deck. She hurried off down the hall, and hit the touchplate, causing the door to spring open. She ran inside and held the button that held that door open, while he maneuvered the captain into his quarters. She then ran across the room, and stripped the covers off the bed, turning to help him man-handle the captain down onto the bed.

Kurik straightened up, and would have left, but Cathy turned to him, begging him to stay and help her. She turned to the dresser, and pulled out a clean tee-shirt, and loose pants, and together they wrestled the captain out of his wet and dirty uniform and into the clean clothes. She sighed then, and thanked him for his help, and he turned and left, going straight to his own quarters. And there he settled down in front of his firepot, and closed his eyes, and remembered working there in the same room with her, and the words she had whispered in his ear.