When McCoy materialised amid a paradise of lush colours and heavenly scents, the first thing he saw was Joanna standing there, the biggest grin on her face.
And before he even knew what was happening, she flung her arms around his neck and whispered, "Surprise!" in his ear.
For a moment, the doctor just stood there, shell-shocked, until his brain finally caught up with his senses, and he enveloped his daughter in a bear hug.
"Oh my God, sweetheart!" he cried, an enormous wave of joy and happiness washing over him, as he clutched her to him, squeezing her tight. "I can't believe it's really you!"
His baby-girl was here. Alive and well and right in his arms. And if it hadn't been for her giggling and telling him that she needed to breathe, he might never have let go of her again.
"How did you pull that off?" he asked, releasing her from his embrace and holding her at arm's length, dabbing at the tears of joy that were running down his cheeks.
"Jenny and Uncle Jim made it happen," Joanna smiled.
"So, Jim was in on it, too, huh?" McCoy turned around to … find Hope not there.
Where had she disappeared to? He quickly scanned the area, but she was nowhere to be seen. And there was no way she could – or even would – have run off that quickly.
The transporter.
Cold fear gripped him, as he reached for his communicator, but Joanna stopped him with a placating hand on his arm.
"She's not coming, daddy."
"What?" McCoy asked, confused and feeling increasingly panicky.
"She gave me her ticket."
"She did what?" he gaped at his daughter, eyes blazing as realisation dawned.
His mouth was set in a grim line, as he flipped his communicator open and barked, "McCoy to Enterprise."
"Enterprise. Uhura here," came the friendly reply.
"Put me through to the transporter room," he snarled.
Uhura shot a questioning glance at the captain who just grinned and shrugged.
"Scott here!"
"Is she there? Is she all right?" McCoy bellowed, without so much as a greeting.
It was probably a good thing, he couldn't see Hope wince and pull a face at a grinning Scotty, then drawing a letter in the air with her hands.
"Aye, she's here and right as rain, Doctor," Scotty answered, and McCoy could hear an annoying smile in his voice. "Enjoy your stay and don't forget to read the letter!"
Oh, the letter.
Still mad, the doctor snapped his communicator shut without even checking out and looked down at the envelope in his hand.
He was so unbelievably angry. And yet, looking back at his daughter who was guiltily biting her lip, he wasn't.
"Oh Jo," he sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so glad to see you. Of course, I am. But I told you how badly Jenny needed this shore leave."
"I'm sorry Daddy," Joanna cast her eyes down, "I didn't even want to come at first, but she told me how devastated you were when I was ill, and that you really needed to see me. She was very convincing."
"I bet she was," McCoy grumbled, ruffling his daughter's hair.
His emotions were all over the place. Apart from being overjoyed at seeing his daughter, he felt furious with Jenny and deeply touched at the same time. Definitely one of those things no one but Hope could accomplish.
"Jenny said she'd explain it all in her letter."
The letter. Of course.
Looking at Joanna's conscience-stricken face and not wanting her to feel guilty any longer, he tried to curb his temper and slung a conciliatory arm around her shoulders, steering her in the direction of what looked like a lakeside café overlooking gorgeously turquoise water.
"Let's go get something to drink while I read it okay?"
Joanna smiled up at him, looking relieved, and rested her head against his shoulder. How could he stay mad at Hope, when having his daughter close felt so good? She'd just wanted to make him happy. That's all Hope ever wanted, wasn't it? He might not always agree with her choices, but he'd certainly never been loved like this before.
Taking in the amazing view, they sat down at the café and ordered iced tea. And while Joanna started taking pictures of their beautiful surroundings, McCoy opened Hope's letter.
Leonard,
I love you, I know what you need, and I'll be perfectly all right on my own.
He chuckled. What a typically Hope way to start.
Please don't be angry with Joanna. None of this is her fault. In fact, we had to resort to drastic measures to convince her of the importance of her coming here.
McCoy frowned as he pictured Jim and Hope press-ganging his daughter into accepting Hope's ticket. They'd probably had no qualms about telling her that her father was a nervous wreck.
I know you're mad at me right now, but please understand that I just couldn't bear being the reason why you can't see Joanna. Hopefully, you'll forgive me once you realise how desperately you needed to hold her and see her health fully restored with your own eyes. Not to mention how badly Joanna needs to spend some time with her daddy, especially since she has the most wonderful dad in the world.
Shaking his head mildly, he wondered if she really thought that a little smooth-talk would get her off the hook.
Don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine without you for a couple of days, I promise. By the way, I'll be on the very shuttle that Captain Kirk organised to pick up Joanna the day after tomorrow. And I'm seriously looking forward to spending two wonderful days of shore leave with a happy dad full of new stories about his awesome daughter.
And now, although I know how hard this is for you, please relax and enjoy!
I love you!
J x
McCoy put the card down, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and wondering how on earth he'd managed to end up with someone who actually put his needs above their own. Just the thought of Hope loving him as much as he loved her filled him with disbelieving gratitude.
Looking up, he saw Joanna watching him, a warm smile on her face.
"She really loves you, daddy," she said softly, touching his hand and squeezing lightly.
"Yes, she does," McCoy replied, and he could hear the wonder in his own voice.
Then a thought struck him, and he looked his daughter straight in the eye.
"Are you all right with that, sweetheart? With me and Jenny, I mean?" he asked, a worried frown appearing on his face.
"Of course, daddy," Joanna replied unhesitatingly. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm glad to finally see you happy. After mom, you really deserve it."
"What do you mean?" McCoy was taken aback by her words.
"Daddy, please!" she chuckled. "I may only have been a little girl when you two split up, but I was still aware of what was going on."
"Oh?" was all the doctor managed to get out.
"I love mom, I really do," Joanna went on. "And I know you loved her, too. But you were just not made for each other. You are warm, and kind, you love your job, helping people. And she… well she mostly loves Jocelyn McCoy. And credits. And someone to constantly attend to her every whim."
McCoy was listening with his mouth literally hanging open. They'd never talked about this before. He'd always assumed that Joanna thought he'd just gone off to space to pursue his career, and had been very grateful that she'd forgiven him.
"I never liked mom bringing 'friends' over to the house and taking them to her bedroom for 'a quiet chat' when you were on nightshift. Although I didn't fully understand it until I was much older, of course. And I certainly didn't like the way she talked to you, always angry, always demanding more or better, when I thought you were just perfect."
McCoy was shocked by the revelation, and, his eyes filling up, he reached across the table to caress Joanna's face.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry you got caught up in all of this," he said, feeling the familiar anger at his ex-wife boiling up inside him. "I always thought we hid our disagreements pretty well from you. And I certainly never knew that she so blatantly paraded her lovers in front of you."
"I know, daddy," Joanna smiled. "But your fights at night, when you thought I was asleep, were certainly loud enough to wake the dead. And, frankly, even though I missed you every day, I was almost relieved when you moved out and the shouting stopped."
McCoy hung his head.
"I feel terrible, baby. All I ever wanted was for you to have a carefree childhood, a loving family, a happy and safe home. That's why I held on for so long. Now I see I probably shouldn't have. But I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you. And it was pretty obvious to me, even then, that Jocelyn would do everything in her power to take you away from me, to punish me. That's what she did in the end, anyway."
Joanna got up from her chair and stepped around the table to lean down and wrap her arms around him.
"I've missed you so much, daddy," she whispered, brushing her cheek against his. "And I admit I was disappointed and angry with you for the first couple of years, until I was old enough to know better. But when you left, I had no way of knowing that mom was deliberately keeping you away from me. She kept dropping hints that you preferred strangers to us, that you'd rather care for random aliens in space than look after your own family. All I got from you were birthday and Christmas cards and presents, and mom used to get really upset at how much they always meant to me. Despite what you'd done, or rather what I thought you'd done, I've never stopped loving you, daddy."
Her tears were flowing freely now, trickling down McCoy's neck and into the collar of his shirt. Trying to keep his own tears at bay, he stood up and gathered her in his arms, just holding her tight, too upset and emotional to speak.
"I'm glad you told me all of this, sweetheart," he finally said when Joanna's sobs ebbed away, sending Hope silent thanks for making this meeting happen after all, "and I hope you know that I've always loved you, too, and thought about you every day."
Joanna looked up at him, sniffling and smiling, and nodded.
"But despite everything, your mom is a good person," he went on, looking earnestly at his daughter. "It wasn't all her fault, I made my fair share of mistakes, too. She was smart, and fun, and beautiful, and I fell in love with her. But we met very young, and we grew apart."
"I know, daddy," Joanna nodded. "She's my mom, and I love her dearly."
"I did love her, too, you know. Part of me probably always will, because she's the mother of my child. She gave me you."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and Joanna stayed in his arms a little longer.
"I'm glad we talked," she finally said, taking a step back and smiling up at him. "I mean, really talked. But now let's enjoy ourselves, okay?"
"Okay," he laughed, sitting back down and draining his iced tea. "Let's check into our hotel and find out about everything this planet has to offer."
-x-x-x-x-x-
Jenny hadn't been able to concentrate on her work all day. Hearing Leonard's gruff voice in the transporter room, she'd started to question her actions. He'd obviously panicked when she hadn't materialised beside him, and she was sorry that she hadn't anticipated that. It had been sweet of him to ask if she was all right, though.
Deep down she was convinced she'd done the right thing, but she still wondered if she'd overstepped a line. Maybe she shouldn't just have sprung this on him, but she was pretty sure, he'd never have agreed, if he'd known in advance.
So, it was with some apprehension, that she answered her comm, when it beeped late that evening.
"Leonard! How is it going?" she greeted him overly brightly, her plan to sound confident and relaxed going right out the window.
"Thanks, Jenny, we're having a good time," he replied, and she wasn't sure what to make of his tone.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked, hating how pathetic she sounded.
There was a long silence.
"I really wanted to be. But now that I hear your voice, I find I can't," he finally grumbled, and Jenny almost laughed out loud with relief.
"I love you too, Leonard."
"I was furious at first," he went on, "believe me, I was. I had my reasons for not wanting to leave you alone, you know? Not to mention that I nearly got a heart attack when you didn't materialise beside me."
"I'm so sorry about that, Leonard," she said meekly, "I totally didn't think about that, but I should have."
Another sigh.
"What can I say?" McCoy finally went on. "As you wrote in your letter, you obviously know what I need."
Jenny let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd still been holding.
"I have to admit that for me and Joanna, this is the greatest gift. We've already talked about so many things we never had the time for, or simply didn't want to address over the screen. Giving us the opportunity to spend two whole days with each other was incredibly thoughtful of you. Thank you so much, love."
"You're very welcome, Leonard," Jenny beamed. "I'm really glad that it all worked out."
"And you?" McCoy asked quietly, and Jenny could hear the familiar worry and fear in his voice. "Are you all right?"
"I'm more than all right," she smiled, hoping to take away all his concerns. "Knowing that you're happy is all I need to feel good. Unlike Joanna, I can see you every day on the Enterprise. And every day with you, no matter where, feels like shore leave to me. You don't have that with your daughter. So make the most of your time!"
"We will, love," he replied, his voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you. You're the best, and I love you more than you'll ever know."
-x-x-x-x-x-
After that conversation, Jenny slept better than she had in a long time. No nightmares, no déjà vus, only restful sleep, snuggled up in the blanket that smelled wonderfully of Leonard.
Her short meeting with Joanna two days later was delightful. They only had a few minutes on the shuttle, between Joanna beaming up and Jenny beaming down to join McCoy, but it was enough to establish a very friendly relationship. After all, they both loved the same, wonderful man and had his best interests at heart.
When Joanna materialised on the shuttle, she took one look at Jenny and immediately hugged her.
"Thanks so much again, Jenny," she gushed. "It was awesome. I hope you're all right?"
"Perfectly all right, Joanna," Jenny hugged her back. "I'm so glad you two could finally meet up and spend some quality time together."
Taking a step back, Joanna's face grew serious.
"He really loves you, you know. At least as much as you love him. And I can see why. I've never seen my dad happier. Well, at least after his initial wrath," she chuckled. "You're so good for him. I'm really glad he has you."
"I'm lucky to have him," Jenny smiled, feeling herself blush. "It was nice meeting you at last, Joanna. I hope I'll see you again soon, and hopefully longer."
And with a happy grin at the prospect of being back with Leonard in only a few moments, she stepped onto the transporter pad.
"Enjoy your project, Joanna, and take care!" Jenny waved at the younger woman, before the shuttle dissolved around her.
The next thing she knew, Jenny was being snatched out of the transporter beam, at least that's how it felt, and enveloped in a bear hug that took her breath away.
"Leonard," she laughed, trying to free herself, "you're crushing me!"
"That's the penalty for going behind someone's back, didn't you know?" came his gruff reply as he reluctantly released her.
"You're not still angry with me, are you?" Jenny asked, making her best puppy eyes at him.
McCoy just stared at her for long moments, and she felt herself drowning in his beautiful eyes.
"What?" she laughed at last, starting to feel a little uneasy.
"You have no idea how much I love you," he said quietly after a while. "Absolutely no idea."
"Of course, I know, Leonard," she smiled, his words giving her goosebumps. "I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, feel it in every touch."
"You think you know, but you don't," he shook his head. "It's too big to comprehend. Even for me."
And when he gently pulled her back in his arms, kissing her with a passion that made her go weak in the knees, Jenny knew that she was once more exactly where she was always meant to be.
