Rescue

Enterprise Shuttle, 2282.1, 1939 hours. He would never, EVER take a private bathroom for granted again so long as he lived.

The shuttle they escaped on wasn't exactly set-up for long term use and after 3 days drifting along, well, things weren't pretty. They'd erected a blanket around the 'Fluid Evac Area' but it was kind of hard to evac anything when you could hear every cough, sniffle, or quiet conversation going on just on the other side of the curtain.

It was also kind of hard to pass anything to evac after 3 days of nothing to eat but protein packs too. What he wouldn't give for a piping hot veggie burger and fries right about now…

Considering his business finished, Se'tak sealed the container and pressed the discharge button before re-entering the cabin and slipping under the blanket next to Selas. He shivered as his bottom hit the cold metal floor.

Now, he knew he wasn't privy to a lot of things that were going on right now but he knew the situation wasn't good. Their emergency rations were dwindling and the shuttle itself was running on about half power to try and conserve energy. That meant that the temperature was kept at a cool 15.5 degrees Celsius. He suspected that he and Selas felt the cold a little more than the others but nobody complained, least of all them. They were alive, their parents were alive and that was more information than many of the other survivors in the cabin had and for that Se'tak was grateful.

A loud pounding from the cockpit door drew all eyes to the front of the cabin and jerked Selas awake. "Is something wrong?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Se'tak drew an arm around his brother. "No," he replied, drawing his head down to try and get him back to sleep. "It's just Uncle Jim."

"Oh."

Selas' breathing soon evened out while Se'tak pondered what was going on on the other side of the door. In the last 3 days he'd barely seen his uncle. The man rarely left the cockpit for anything more than a bathroom break and the one time he did 'abandon his post' he left Ensign Patina in charge. A rather nervous young woman, she was the only other enlisted officer on board and he needed someone to watch the controls while he got a bit of rest. Uncle Jim had just dozed off when she came in with a message that Pod #128 wasn't responding to anybody's hails. He got up and took over, spending the better part of the day trying and failing to raise whoever was in there. It was then that they'd had to face a hard truth—they'd just lost their first post-encounter survivor.

After that Uncle Jim insisted on remaining in the cockpit. Se'tak wasn't sure he was eating but he was fairly certain he wasn't sleeping. One time on his way back from the bathroom Se'tak tried talking to him but all he got was a quick little, "We're doing everything we can".

Right now his uncle's sheer force of will was about all they had going for them.

2042 hours. Nyota slipped her hand from his and pressed it gently to Spock's forehead. His fever was spiking. He hadn't regained consciousness once since their escape and while her means were limited she'd been doing everything she could to keep him alive—but now it looked like it wouldn't be enough. The severity of his injury, the spike in temperature, the shallow breathing…she was watching her adun die a slow and painful death and there was nothing she could do.

Reflexively she reached out for the radio to comm McCoy and the instant he answered Nyota felt nothing but guilt. If she thought she was helpless to save her husband Len was doubly so, not only because he was a natural born healer and it was his instinct to save but because his hands were completely tied.

"Hey, Uhura. How's he doing?"

Her heart dropped. He sounded so tired—no, not just tired, she realized. Weary. The kind of weariness that went bone deep. "He's…he's not good, Len."

"You keeping his legs elevated?"

"Yes."

He kept going. "And covered the burns in sterile cloth from the kit?"

"As much as I could." His burns were extensive and there was only so much cloth…

"What about the antibiotics? Have you been giving him his injections regularly?"

"Every 6 hours on the hour, but Leonard…"

"No," he barked out sharply, "No, I don't want to hear it! We lost too many good people and I'm not about to lose him too!" She heard indistinct mutterings and the rustle of fabric. "Here, talk to Christine." McCoy passed the receiver off to his wife. "Ny?"

"I'm here, Chris."

"How is he?"

Nyota looked over at her adun and the angry red and bubbled skin stretching his neck to his ankle. "He's paler than he was a few hours ago and his breathing's gotten shallower."

"I'm so sorry; I wish there was more we could do." Combined helplessness seeped through the connection for a moment and a few tears slipped down Nyota's cheeks. "Do the boys know?"

"No," she replied. "I've spoken with Jim about it and we both agreed it was best to keep them in the dark. They know we got out and that's all that matters for now."

"I understand."

"How are the girls?"

"I talked to them again this morning. They're scared, just like the rest of us, but they're ok." Christine's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm sorry about Len, Nyota. We—we just found out we lost another one. Joyce Palmer. Neither of us are taking the news well but he's…well he's taking it worse."

The air rushed out of Nyota's lungs and for a minute she was struck dumb. Joyce was Head Librarian and the sweetest woman alive. She had a kind word for everybody and was always there to lend a helping hand. It was Joyce who slipped Selas sneak peeks at his favorite picture books as a toddler and who later helped foster Se'tak's penchant for history. To learn that she was gone…"How?" she finally gasped out, her eyes filling with more tears.

"Best we can tell? Slow bleed in the brain. She mentioned hitting her head during the escape at her first wellness check-in but said she was doing fine. Lately though she'd been complaining of headaches and her speech was slurred. We suspected what was coming but there wasn't anything we could do. It was awful."

"Oh Christine, I'm so sorry."

She sniffled. "So am I."

Nyota didn't want to ask but by the same token she needed to know. "How many does that make now?"

"5 since we lost the Enterprise," Christine replied. "63 total."

63...63 members of the crew gone in an instant. And why? That was the real tragedy in all this, how meaningless it all was…

…and if help didn't arrive soon the odds were good that Spock would be victim number 64.

"G-DAMMIT!" she suddenly heard Leonard roar off in the background. Judging by the pounding metal it sounded like he was giving their pod a good thrashing too.

"I've got to go," Chris said hurriedly. "McCoy over and out."

Nyota understood. Her resolve was beginning to waver too and as she turned back around to keep vigil over Spock a few sobs escaped her. She went right back to holding his hand in both of hers and watched the slow, small rise of his chest, preparing for the longest night of her life.

2317 hours. He came to slowly and took a look around. His surroundings hadn't changed since he'd fallen asleep but Se'tak couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something had woken him up. Whatever it was it seemed the others had felt it too and only when the floor beneath him shuddered did he realize the shuttle was moving; not just moving but moving with a purpose. Flinging back the blanket he stood up and stared out the viewport to see that they were gliding alongside another ship. He couldn't make out which one it was but it was most definitely from Starfleet.

They were saved!

He bent down and shook his brother's shoulder. "Selas! Selas, wake up! There's a ship!"

"Huh?"

Se'tak pulled him to his feet before he was fully awake and took his hand, the pull on the optic nerves second nature to them both. "Is this real?"

He looked over at Selas incredulously. "Do you really need me to pinch you!? Of course it's real!"

"Hallelujah!" someone over his shoulder cried. Soon everyone was up and pressing themselves against the window.

"Which ship is it?"

"I don't know."

"Well what do you mean you don't know? How many could there be?"

"Honestly, Frank…"

"What? What'd I say?"

The conjectures continued to fly as he restored Se'tak's sight. A few moments later they banked to the left and shortly after that his heart leaped with joy when the shuttle finally touched down.

Se'tak squeezed his hand tight. "There's a lot of people out there, Selas," he warned. "Make sure you hold on."

"Ok."

Next thing he knew he heard the hiss of the doors opening.

2320 hours. The minute he and Christine stepped out of their shuttle they were carted off toward the makeshift medical area in the back of the bay. They may have saved their lives but the way these people were poking and prodding him was really starting to get his goat. "Alright now, you've done your job, you can take your hands off me. I already told you I'm fine!" The nurse examining him didn't stop. "Didn't they teach you anything in med school?" he shouted. "First rule of triage—treat the actual wounded. If you really feel the need to do somethin' then hit me with a hydration hypo and a vita-shot cause I'm tellin' you we got incoming and they're gonna need my help!"

A cold hand snaked up the hem of his uniform shirt and Len jumped. "Hey now, what'd I just tell you about your damn hands!" he shouted, slapping the offending palm away. The nurse gasped and her eyes went wide while he hopped off the stool. "Nobody other than me has permission to take off my uniform shirt except my damn wife!"

Hearing her name taken in vain Christine spoke up from her perch on his other side where she'd been patiently submitting to her own quick physical. "Leonard, why won't you sit down and let them do their jobs? They're only trying to help."

"Help? that's what I'm trying to do!" he cried. "And these infants aren't old enough to treat anyone let alone me!" He spun around to face his nurse. "How old are you? 16? 17?"

The nurse assigned to him opened her mouth to argue but didn't get the chance as the doors parted to admit a tall brunette seriously studying her PADD. More than the white lab coat her entire bearing screamed CMO and Leonard made a bee line for her as the bay began filling up with more incoming from the Enterprise. "Ah, good, Doctor…"

"Hadassah," she supplied.

"Dr. Hadassah, Leonard McCoy, Enterprise CMO. Would you please be so kind as to call off your dogs? I've got some criticals coming in that need my help."

While he was distracted his nurse came up from behind and stuck him with a hypo causing him to loose an undignified yelp. Dr. Hadassah laughed. "Sticking true to the old adage, are we, Dr. McCoy?"

He smiled wryly and tugged on his collar. "And which one would that be?"

"The one about how the best doctors make the worst patients."

Christine sidled up beside him, shirt sleeves rolled up and ready to go. "He's the one they made it up for." She stuck out her hand. "Christine McCoy. Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Hadassah, despite the circumstances."

The other woman shook her hand and smiled. "You as well; and please, call me Emine." She consulted her PADD. "Now do either of you know how many incoming we should expect?" Christine began running through the list they'd compiled together earlier, periodically consulting Dr. Hadassah's PADD and effectively shutting him out. He watched them walk a few steps away when without warning he got jabbed in the neck with another hypo. He was beginning to understand how Jim felt. Leonard wheeled on the nurse. "Will you stop that?!"

His wife stopped consulting with Dr. Hadassah and leveled her gaze on him. "Leonard!"

"What?! She's buzzin' round jabbin' me worse than a Georgia 'skeeter!" he huffed, folding his arms across his chest in defiance.

Christine continued to try and glare him into submission while Dr. Hadassah ducked her head to hide a quick chuckle. "Dr. McCoy, I'm sure you hear this quite a bit, but your reputation really does precede you."

Leonard's face fell. "Now what exactly does that…"

"We've got a Code 4 over here!"

The trio dropped the banter and ran over to examine the patient. The nurse was racing the hover stretcher toward the door while on the opposite side of the bed Nyota jogged along clutching Spock's hand.

"What've we got, Becker?"

The man slowed his pace infinitesimally while he gave his report. "Commander Spock, Vulcan/Human male, approximately 50 years of age and brought aboard unconscious with 3rd degree burns over roughly 30% of his body."

"He had a birthday last July. He's 51." Leonard took up position near Spock's head, visually assessing the burns while reaching over and plucking a penlight from Dr. Hadassah's front pocket. He pulled his friend's eyelid up—there was no reflexive movement but the pupils were 80% dilated, a sign for him that was indicative of a very deep healing trance. He gestured at the face mask. "How're his oxygen levels?"

"82 when we first pulled him out but we opened up the line and his numbers are rising steadily," Becker replied.

"Good, good."

The stretcher ground to a halt as they waited for the turbo lift. Dr. Hadassah was watching him like a hawk and the smile on her face was forced. "Doctor, with all due respect, my people are well-equipped to treat the Commander…"

He'd had just about enough of her. "No disrespect to you, Doctor, but basic medical care for a Vulcan is one thing; treatin' this hobgoblin's another game entirely. And with burns like these you're goin' to need someone who knows the Commander's medical history backwards and forwards to help you set him straight again. As his physician and friend I'm the man you need for the job."

Dr. Hadassah frowned at him while pulling out her personal comm. "Nurse Littleton?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Has Dr. McCoy been cleared to return to active duty?" The doors opened and they entered into the lift en masse.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Physically? Yes he's cleared. Mentally…" her voice trailed off.

Now that was insulting. "Mentally?!"

The nurse resumed her speech. "I believe the doctor may be suffering from altered mental status as a result of the accident, Ma'am."

Emine's eyebrow flew up as her gaze flicked from him to Christine and back again. If things weren't so serious—if Spock's life wasn't literally in his hands right now—he might've laughed. Instead her tacit questioning of his judgment served to rile him up further. "Altered mental status?" he shouted in the direction of the comm. "You listen here, Nurse, the only thing getting altered around here will be you when I'm done stabilizing the Commander!"

"Leonard, that's enough! And you wonder why these people think you're off your rocker!"

Dr. Hadassah turned her attention to Christine. "Do you believe he's suffering from altered mental status?"

"No," both she and Nyota replied simultaneously. It was the first time he'd heard Uhura speak since they landed. "It's his usual CCCMS," Chris added.

"CCCMS?" His own confusion now matched Dr. Hadassah's; he'd never heard that acronym before.

"Chronic Cranky and Concerned McCoy Syndrome; it's a pre-existing condition."

Oh she did not just say that…he loved her dearly but when all this was blown over he and his wife were going to have a few words, that was for sure. The doors opened and they exited the lift and headed down the hall. Dr. Hadassah checked a few things on her PADD and said, "Dr. McCoy, I hereby clear you for active duty."

"Thank you." The hover stretcher turned sharply to the left and the Sickbay doors opened. For the first time since they landed he threw up a silent prayer of thanks to whoever was looking out for him; he could do a lot of good here and he was glad to still be around to do it.

Leonard didn't wait for anyone to stop and look his way before he began barking out orders. "You!" he shouted, pointing at the nearest officer, "Prep surgery and raise the temperature in the room to 26 degrees. The skin's already started to heal but we'll need to debride and…"

Christine held Nyota back and they watched Len go. That old familiar swell of pride rose up in her chest as she watched him work; he was in his element now and it was a wonderful thing to see. He was about to scrub in when he issued one last edict.

"…and for Heaven's sake, when Jim comes staggerin' in here as he's bound to do, don't nobody treat him with anything stronger than aspirin 'til you've read his full chart! The man's allergic to everything!" He disappeared through the doors.

Nyota kept her eyes trained on the surgery doors as if determined to see through them and so Chris very gently led her to the nearest bed. It hadn't escaped her notice that Ny was favoring her right leg and she suspected she was suffering from a twisted ankle. "Come on, Ny," she urged. "You know he's in good hands now."

Her friend smiled weakly at her as she took a seat. "The best."

He had a sneaking suspicion that this was how cattle felt at a meat market. The bay was filled with hundreds of people all moving in different directions; he and Selas couldn't even walk side-by-side the area was so packed and his brother had a death grip on his wrist. They were directed over to the check-in desk which was where he was headed now.

"Se'tak?"

He bit his lip and tried to push through the throng to get to the other side of the room. His mental shields were being bombarded with thoughts and feelings not his own and it was difficult to concentrate. "Uh huh."

"Have you seen Mama or Sa-mekh yet?"

Good question. Se'tak stopped and straightened then did a quick 360 of the room. There was no sign of either one. "Not yet."

"Oh. Ok."

Several trying minutes later they stood in front of the ensign on desk duty. He barely even looked at them. "Names?"

"Se'tak and Selas."

The man let out a short exasperated sigh. "Surname?"

Se'tak threw his shoulders back and saw Selas do the same. "S'chn T'gai."

The ensign finally looked up at them, his face comically twisted in confusion. "Huh?"

"S'chn T'gai."

He scratched his head and consulted his PADD. "Sacken Tee-guy…" This lasted a full minute before he finally gave up. "How 'bout you tell me who your parents are instead and we'll see if they've checked in."

"Our mother is Commander Uhura and our father is Commander Spock," Selas replied.

That information seemed to get his interest. "Ooook. Let me see, let me see—here they are, yep, your parents are listed here…" The man cocked his head off to the side while reading something. "Oh. Well that's interesting." He looked up at both boys. "Looks like your folks are in Sickbay a few floors up."

Se'tak started and he felt Selas stiffen. "What?! Why?"

The man shrugged. "Don't know. Just says here that they're in Sickbay and that your old man's in surgery."

"What for!?"

"Doesn't say. Now let's just…" he glanced up at them again, this time noticing the sling. "Hey, what happened to your arm?"

Se'tak looked down at his side. "I dislocated my shoulder but I'm fine. The Cap—…"

"That's not nothin', kid," the guy cut him off, "You need to get that looked at." He rose from his chair and flagged someone over from Medical. "Nurse!"

"Look, it's fine, it's popped back into place and everything, so can you just tell me why…"

Another officer stepped forward. "Yes, Ensign?"

"This boy needs medical attention; he says he dislocated his arm…"

"It's fine!" he huffed.

"…and that someone popped it back into place. Why don't you take him with you and I'll send his brother over to Stores to collect his care package."

What? They were going to separate them? His mind was still trying to process that when the nurse took up his good arm and led him away.

"NO!" Selas cried.

The ensign came around the table. "Now now, it'll be fine, he's just going to be examined and…HEY! HEY, MY EYES! MY EYES! I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND!" His caterwauling got everyone's attention and he continued carrying on even after Selas let go and restored his sight. Se'tak reached out as Selas walked straight toward him and took hold of his hand.

A large, shrill whistle made the crowd part and turn to the other side of the room. Uncle Jim strode through the fray with Uncle Hikaru on his flank. "What's going on over here?!" He looked at him and Selas then back at the ensign, guessing at what had happened. "Were you trying to separate them? After everything that's happened you were going to traumatize them more?!"

"I…I was just following orders," he stuttered, eyes shuttling back and forth between the two captains. "The older one needed medical attention."

Uncle Hikaru was so red he looked ready to explode. "Use your common sense, man! They're just kids!"

The ensign looked downcast as he stared at the floor. "I…yes, Sir."

Serves him right, Se'tak thought to himself.

"…landed. Basic triage has been set up on this level for those that need it while the more serious cases are going straight to Sickbay. We've also established several check-in points to make sure everyone's accounted for. There's food over…"

Jim hadn't stopped since his boots hit the ground and Hikaru understood, walking alongside him and updating him as they went. He was beyond exhausted but his mind was still traveling at warp speed trying to handle all the logistics—although by the look of things his friend seemed to have everything under control. Boy was he ever grateful for Hikaru—the others on his shuttle didn't know it but they were about a day away from freezing to death. If the Discovery hadn't arrived when it did…

"…and we have rooms ready for everyone. It'll be a tight fit and lots of double bunking but we'll all make do."

Suddenly a deep booming shout rose above the din of the controlled chaos all around him. "HEY! HEY, MY EYES! MY EYES! I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND!" Reflexively he stuck his fingers in his mouth and let a whistle rip which helped clear the way so he could see what all the commotion was about. A large, terrified-looking ensign stood before a table blinking rather stupidly.

"What's going on over here?!" he demanded. Jim looked over at Se'tak and Selas standing by a nurse; judging from the way Selas latched himself onto his brother's arm he guessed the rest. "Were you trying to separate them? After everything that's happened you were going to traumatize them more?!"

The formerly 'blind' man had the audacity to try and defend his actions. "I…I was just following orders. The older one needed medical attention."

Hikaru stepped forward then visibly shaking with anger. "Use your common sense, man! They're just kids!"

The idiot-in-question simply looked down at the floor. "I…yes, Sir."

Hikaru continued to dress him down while he stepped over to the boys. "You two alright?"

"Yes, sir," Se'tak replied.

Jim nodded. "Good. Have you found your folks yet?"

Selas gestured at the ensign. "He said that Mama and Sa-mekh were in Sickbay and that Sa-mekh was in surgery but we do not know why."

Ah, he thought. He forgot that the boys didn't know. "Right, well come with me and I'll take you to them…"

"DADDY!"

He swiveled around at the sound of her voice, feeling the tiredness leave his body as she bounded out from the crowd. She rushed at him and he scooped her clean off her feet and swung her around, tears stinging his eyes. "Lily Bells!" Guilt and joy swept over him in equal measure as he held her close, for he knew that many others in the room lost loved ones when the ship went down. Just thinking about what could have been for him and his family made him hug her even tighter.

"Dad…can't…breathe…"

Jim set her back down on her feet, kissing the top of her head. "Sorry."

Sam and Taline emerged from the group as Lily threw her arms around his waist; he could feel her smile against his chest as she buried her head in his shirt. "Don't be," she replied. He grabbed his wife and son up with his free arm and pressed them close, Taline sagging against him in relief.

"Oh Jim…"

"I know," he said, hoping to still the onslaught of tears that threatened to fall. "I know."

"Don't worry," he heard Hikaru's warm voice say, "I'll see that the boys get to their parents."

Jim nodded as he left; he wouldn't have left this spot now even if he had the power to.

The ride up in the turbolift was quiet—too quiet by his estimation—and Selas still wouldn't release the death grip he had on his brother's hand. "Once you're all settled I'll be sure and bring Dimora and Kyson to visit. I know they've missed you both a lot."

Se'tak nodded; it was the only sign he made that he'd even heard him at all.

One look at the boys—hell, all the survivors really—broke his heart. He couldn't even begin to imagine what they'd gone through and every time he tried his throat started to close up. Their home, their friends, everything gone in the blink of an eye. There weren't even scraps of the ship left! Hikaru didn't know how they'd managed that but he planned to ask Jim after his friend had had a good rest. The man looked like death warmed over and he was carrying the weight of the world.

The lift doors on the Sickbay floor only to reveal Nyota and Christine waiting on the other side. "MAMA!"

A half-strangled sob escaped her throat as Uhura wrapped her arms around them. He stayed in the lift and smiled in the face of yet another happy family reunion. Christine stepped forward and he held the door for her. "I haven't seen the girls yet," he said, "But I'd be happy to help you look for them."

She stepped inside. "Thank you."

She'd just been talking about them with Chris and now here they were right before her eyes. Nyota couldn't help herself as she grabbed them up and held them close, plastering their faces with kisses hard and fast.

They stayed like that for she didn't know how long; the only thing she knew for sure was that she never wanted to let them go again. When she felt like she could talk without blubbering she told them what happened while guiding them back to Sickbay.

"Your Uncle Leonard's with him now. It's still touch and go but we have every reason to believe he'll pull through."

U.S.S. Discovery, 2282.2, 0452 hours. Uncle Len finished up in the early hours of the morning and updated them on Sa-mekh's condition. He'd been able to heal most of the burns but said there'd be some residual scarring; Sa-mekh was also fighting a pretty bad infection but they'd put him on a new course of antibiotics that he seemed to be responding to. For now there was nothing more any of them could do except watch and wait.

A nearby Lieutenant helped escort them to their temporary quarters which, fortunately for them, were fairly close as Selas was practically falling asleep on his feet. It wasn't much—2 cots and a pull-out sofa in the living room of one of the guest suites—but it was better than nothing at all. Careful not to wake the others already sleeping in the apartment they slipped off their shoes and crawled under the covers. Mama and Selas were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows but he just couldn't seem to nod off despite his exhaustion.

Se'tak was anxious—more so than he'd been even while they were waiting on the shuttle for rescue. He caught a quick glimpse of Tilk earlier and his friend just looked so…so…dazed. One antennae had been snapped in half and he had a large purple bruise on his cheek. He thought he and Selas had had a pretty hairy escape from the Enterprise but it looked like Tilk had had it bad too.

And what about his other friends? He had no idea if Tilk's family had gotten out, or Aaron or Egil and their folks. Se'tak knew that he and his family were incredibly lucky—they were all still alive—but what about everyone else he knew? Who did they lose?

The worry and the guilt gnawed at him and he tossed and turned on the lumpy cot wondering what bad news tomorrow might bring.