Chapter 28

by Starsinger

Everybody returns home, and Jim finds a few surprises waiting for him. Don't own them.

Jim slept most of the trip back to Vulcan, and the Vulcan healer, Sorot, was competent, knew human anatomy and his normal stats well, and had a good, if stiff, bedside manner. Years later, under the care of a certain grumpy human doctor, Jim would miss Sorot, A LOT. For the two day journey back to Vulcan, Sorot would come in in the morning, check the sight of the surgery, make sure everything was healing well, and leave Jim to the kind ministrations of his many nurses, mainly T'Nara and Tesla. It was two days before they were sure everything was functioning properly before they could give him solid foods and the pureed foods were, well, less than appetizing. The first day he received a leafy green salad with various legumes, Jim was relieved. Amanda brought him a cheeseburger later, for his protein, of course.

Jim wasn't stuck in bed all day, and was moving slowly around his room on the second day back to Vulcan. He knew it would be a few days before he was fully up and moving around, and he listened to what his body was telling him. A trick he'd learned on Tarsus IV. His mother finally called two hours before landing on Vulcan to find out how he was doing. "What were you doing on Vulcan?" she demanded.

"I'm taking classes at the Academy there, Winona, didn't you get my message? Sam did," Jim answered.

"Well, I want you home. You have no business being on a strange planet so far from home," Winona announced.

"Winona, I'm not a minor, you can't force me to come back to Earth. The attack took place on Earth! I'll be back for Sam and Aurelan's wedding. You can talk to me then," Jim cut the connection.

"Has it always been like that for you?" a voice intruded into his thoughts. He looked up at Amanda and nodded, "How?"

"She blames me for my father's death, even though I was barely born when it happened. Everyone says I look like him," Jim sighed. "After she married Frank, she just took off, leaving us in his 'care'."

Amanda walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. This young man she had come to view as another son, much like Geoff, "Did he abuse you?"

Jim started to shake his head, "I guess. Sam ran away when I was eleven."

"Jim," Amanda said, pulling up a chair, "it's not uncommon for abuse victims to not want to blames their abusers. They might even claim that they love them. You didn't love him, you were afraid of him. You can't love someone you're afraid of," Jim looked at her. "I was a School Teacher before I married Sarek, and the Psychology of Abuse is one of the things we're taught about. You show all the classic signs of an abuse victim. It's not your fault." That was it, all the emotions of the years of torment came welling up, and he not only told her of Frank but of Tarsus IV. She stared at him before wrapping her arms around him, letting him run through all the emotions he'd never allowed himself to feel before.

"The worst part about it is that they're not really sure he's dead," Jim whispered.

"Kodos?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, you won't tell anyone, will you? I mean, the Tarsus 9 are under considerable danger anyway," Jim asked.

"No one will ever hear it from me," Amanda told him softly. Jim started to hear her hum a tune softly in his ear, and he drifted off to sleep. Amanda turned to find Sorok standing in the doorway, "Not a word, Sorok, his life may very well depend on our keeping that secret." Sorok simply nodded.

They reached Vulcan and Jim went immediately to the Halls of Healing. The Healers pronounced him physically able to return home, he just needed to take it easy a few more days. Geoff being at Sarek's residence might have had a lot to do with it. Jim could have sworn that a few healers were disappointed at his departure. A human subject would have meant they could teach their apprentices about physiology other than Vulcan.

A transport moved Jim from Mt. Seleya to Sarek's home, but Jim was able to get up and make his way into his room. There, a surprise awaited him. He now had a bigger bed. One large and sturdy enough to fit him, T'Nara, and Tesla, who proved its size by being at the end of the bed. Geoff peeked over his shoulder, "What do you think? I went to some furniture makers here in Shi' Kahr and asked if they had a bed big enough for the three of you. They came up with this."

"This is more practical," Sarek announced. "You at least needed something big enough for the Sehlat." Amanda smothered a laugh as Jim slipped into bed. Tesla licked his foot causing it to jerk.

Geoff laughed, "You're ticklish."

Jim looked sheepishly at Tesla before reaching down to scratch an ear, "Sorry, my friend, I'm just a little sensitive there." She rumbled at the affection before slipping off the bed and leaving for her own purposes. Jim reached over to the nightstand for his PADD, knowing he had work to catch up on. The others left, leaving the door open so Tesla could return without making Jim get up to let her back in.

Hours later, while he was dozing, T'Nara joined him in bed. He awoke as she climbed in beside him. "Hi," she said, giving him a soft kiss.

Jim smiled and kissed her back, fully aware that he wasn't up for much else than holding her, "Hi."

"Nice bed," she said with a chuckle.

"I like it," he said. She pulled out her own PADD and started to study it. "I especially like that it has enough room for all three of us." T'Nara nodded, she couldn't agree more.