Stranded Chapter 11

"It's hard being left behind.

It's hard to be the one who stays."

Audrey Niffenegger

"The Time Traveler's Wife"

"Len, I have your fresh pajamas ready, but I was thinking that a nice hot shower would make you feel better. At first I thought I'd just give you a sponge bath," she said, laughing softly at Leonard's suddenly outraged face. "But instead I'll put a kitchen chair inside the stall for you to sit on to wash yourself. I'll put both heaters on high and leave the two bathroom doors open to warm the bathroom. The bathroom will get warm enough and if you're sitting I won't worry you might fall. I'll just sit on the bed while you shower."

Leonard opened his mouth to protest the open doors, but Nyota held up a hand. "There's no use protesting, Len, either we do it my way or no shower."

Leonard, looking at her implacable face, agreed. "Alright, Ny. It'll be just as you say. I don't want to be any more of a burden. You've done enough already."

"Nonsense! I've done very little compared to all you do for us on the ship. Also, tonight we're sleeping with both bedroom doors open and I'm setting my alarm for your meds. I don't want your fever to climb like it did last night."

"Me neither, that wasn't a good experience. But I can set my own alarm and give myself the meds so you can rest."

"No, Len. I'm going to do it. I want to check your temperature and make sure your room is warm enough, and help you to the bathroom if need be. I won't rest easy if I'm worried about your fever spiking like it did last night."

"Don't think I've ever had a fever that high before...not even as a little tyke," Len mused.

She nodded somberly. "It scared me. We're not going through that again. Hopefully you'll have a better night if we can just keep that fever down. Now then, are you ready to talk to Jim and Geoff?"

"I'm ready." Leonard sat up straight; finger combed his hair, and nodded to Nyota.

She put in the Enterprise comm code and waited for the relays to do their magic.

"This is Enterprise." It was Tovar, the Beta shift comm officer. "Lt. Uhura, the Captain is in the briefing room with Dr. M'Benga waiting for you comm. He left orders to put you right on through."

In the briefing room, Geoffrey watched as the Captain paced back and forth, back and forth. They had been waiting ten minutes for Lt. Uhura's comm to come through. Jim had become increasingly agitated and anxious waiting for the call. When the wall com beeped he practically leapt for the on button.

"Kirk here."

Uhura's face appeared in the large comm and Jim breathed a sigh of relief. "Nyota, I was getting worried. How is Bones?" He asked anxiously

"I'm sorry, Jim. We had company and had to wait until he left so we're a little late. I have updates on the Orion situation, and on Len's symptoms, meds, and the IV. He's right here on the sofa waiting to speak with you and Geoff."

Nyota handed her comm to Leonard and sat back in the chair.

"Bones, how are you feeling?" Jim looked him over carefully. He didn't look any worse, but he didn't look any better either.

"Hangin' in there, Jim. We're keeping my temp under control at least, but I'm still weak as a kitten. Ny's taking good care of me, Christine couldn't do any better."

Jim smiled at that thinking what Christine would say. "Dr. M'Benga is here with me. Let me let you talk with him, then I'll get Uhura's report."

Geoffrey stepped up to the screen. "Hey, Boss. Fill me in on how you're doing, on all your symptoms."

The two men talked back and forth discussing Leonard's symptoms. His extreme fatigue, frequent naps, the IV session, his temperature fluctuations, his fluid intake, his good appetite, his hoarseness, and his joint pains.

Jim listened anxiously to it all. To his untrained non-medical ears it didn't sound good.

"It sounds as if you and Lt. Uhura are doing all the right things, Len. Supporting your system with good nutrition and fluids, keeping the fever and pain down. Your next antiviral dose is tomorrow; let's see if the second dose will be of more help. I've got Medical and Mr. Spock has Science working on possibly boosting the Levodian vaccine to give to you as soon as we get there."

"Thanks, Geoffrey. Poor Nyota is being run off her feet taking care of me. Tonight she's setting her alarm to give me my meds. I wanted to do it myself, but she won't hear of it. Wants to check on me herself."

"And rightly so," Jim interjected. "Bones, we're still pushing the engines. We've gone down to warp 7 for a few hours. We're making good time, Bones, Scotty is working his miracle. We'll be there a day and a half earlier than at normal speed."

"That's real good, Jimmy," Leonard said hoarsely. "Cain't wait to see you all. Ny and me, we've missed y'all."

Jim swallowed hard. "Scotty says we can go back to warp 8 during Alpha shift tomorrow. She's holding up great." He patted the bulkhead surreptitiously. "We've gained half a day already. At this rate, we'll gain a full day and a half, maybe two, and get to you that much sooner."

Leonard gave him a wan smile. Jim loved that ship, anthropomorphic or not, he surely did. "The ship's a mighty fine lady, always doin' her best for all of us; me and Ny, for sure. Let me let you talk to Nyota, Jim. My throat's getting tired, and we have an update for you."

"Alright, Bones. You do what Geoff and Nyota tell you, and I'll talk to you before Alpha shift tomorrow."

Geoffrey broke in. "Captain, if you'll excuse me. With Dr. McCoy not in the Sick Bay I'm on call for Beta and Gamma shift, and I'd like a chance to get some sleep while I have the chance. A sleep deprived Doctor is not a good thing in a Sick Bay."

"Of course, Doctor. Get some rest. If Mr. Spock needs to put more med techs and nurses on either shift, don't hesitate to request it. I know you and Nurse Chapel are doing a stellar job covering all three shifts, but I don't want either of you working to exhaustion."

"Geoff," Leonard interrupted hoarsely. "Matthews on Gamma is a great med tech. He'll help you out for either Beta or Gamma. Carlos Ginanetti is solid as a rock. Call on him for any extra nursing help you need."

"I'll look into it. Good night, Len, get some rest and I'll check in with you tomorrow morning."

But Leonard had already closed his eyes, fatigue suddenly overwhelming him again.

Jim looked worriedly at Nyota and raised a questioning eyebrow. She glanced at Leonard and shook her head minutely, telling Jim silently that Leonard was doing no better. Jim sighed and nodded in understanding.

"Captain," Nyota said, quickly changing back to official briefing mode, trying to distract Jim from his worry. She pulled up the report she'd been compiling. "I'm sending you a copy of my report, but I wanted to speak with you about it first."

Jim nodded, tore his worried mind away from Bones and refocused his attention on her. He much preferred oral reports and debriefings before being handed the written ones.

Point by point Nyota went through everything she'd jotted down, from the Orion girl Alarik had spoken with, to trying to figure out if she was the carrier of Leonard's flu virus, to the separate conversations she and Len had with Alarik, Doranna, Killeen, and Ezio. She told the Captain about her directing them to four different directions in the hope they could discover something, anything, about the possibility of Orions already in Torreón. "We hope that since there are four of them asking questions in four different places, we might discover if any Orion scouts have already been sent here. With Leonard so ill, I can't leave him alone to go looking for answers myself, Captain."

Jim glanced at Leonard who seemed to have dozed off. "No, you can't leave him alone, Lieutenant. He's too weak and too sick to be left alone. You know Bones. Too stubborn for his own good."

Nyota rolled her eyes, and Jim smiled. "I know, I know. Pot meet kettle. And you're right we share that same streak of stubbornness." He sobered. "What if he would try to get up by himself while you're gone? He could pass out and injure himself. You're doing the right thing under the circumstances, sending out your own scouts hoping to get some answers."

"Thank you, Sir. It's reassuring that you agree with me. Leonard and I have been discussing the possible danger to Sarena and we were hoping that there might be another Fleet ship patrolling the sector closer to Sarena than Enterprise. If that's the case they could get here sooner. If there is an Orion ship close to Sarena planning a slave raid, seeing a Fleet ship in the area on their sensors might act as a deterrent until Enterprise gets here."

Jim looked back at her thoughtfully. "That's an excellent idea, Lieutenant. I'll check with Admiral Barnett about that possibility. I spoke with him and Commander Bradford earlier, and neither the Admiral nor SIS have heard anything more about the Orion Syndicate either from the SIS undercover agents or from any of the Sector chiefs, but that's not surprising. The SIS undercover operatives are spread very thin on the ground, and, although the Sector chiefs always have feelers out, the Orion Syndicate is spread far and wide across the Alpha quadrant, and is extremely secretive and paranoid. Gavin is going to dig deeper, and I'll ask Admiral Barnett if there is a ship closer to Sarena. If there is, I'll suggest an aggressive and visible reconnaissance mission until we can get there."

"I hope there is a ship, Captain. It would go a long way for our peace of mind about the safety of the Sarenans. I'm also forwarding our final report on Sarena's eligibility for First Contact. I just added a few last details from the report you sent me from Xeno. I finished it earlier today while Len was napping. We're both in agreement. They're ready to become part of the Federation."

Jim looked pleased. "Excellent, Lieutenant. That report will go a long way with Admiral Barnett. Protection of a new candidate for First Contact automatically goes way up in the Fleet protection queue. Just remember that until there's a formal yes vote from the First Contact Committee, the Prime Directive is still in effect. So tread carefully."

"Yes, Sir." Nyota looked over to the dozing Len. "I better wake him up for dinner, then it'll be time for his meds. He's also going to take a shower," she added. At Jim's look of alarm, she explained about the shower chair and that she would remain close by.

"Guess that'll be safe enough. Hopefully he won't need help, Bones wouldn't like that at all. Thanks for taking such good care of him, Nyota. I know it's not easy." Jim's lapsed back into informality, but his smile looked strained and worried.

"I'm happy to do it, Jim. After everything Leonard does for all of us on the ship, it's little enough what I'm doing for him," she told him softly. "Try not to worry I'll take great care of him."

"I'll try, Nyota, and I know you will. I'll comm again tomorrow morning right before Alpha shift. Kirk out."

Nyota locked up her communicator again. With all the visits they'd had, she wasn't taking any chances it might be seen. She went to the kitchen, removed the delicious dinner Killeen had brought them from the warming oven, and plated everything on two plates. Killeen had brought them some of the local vegetables nicely seasoned and roasted, a savory rice mixed with fresh green legumes that looked very much like peas, and some flatbread covered with melted white cheese, and topped with grilled shredded fowl. There were also two small sweet cakes drizzled with frosting and two bottles of the local ale to accompany the meal.

Killeen's care and kindness brought a small lump to Nyota's throat. There had been nothing but care and kindness for them from the people here in Torreon. It would be unconscionable if anything were to happen to these warm, lovely people. Nothing will happen! Not if we can help it, she thought fiercely.

She went back to the living room and gently roused Leonard from his doze. "Len, wake up, it's time for dinner."

Leonard yawned sleepily and rubbed his eyes. "I'm awake, Ny, and I'm hungry too."

"Killeen brought us a delicious dinner, Len. Can you sit up? I'm going to move the small table in front of you so it'll be easier for you to eat. Do if you feel up to sitting?"

"I think so." She helped him sit up, and Leonard settled himself comfortably with his feet on the floor. Nyota placed the pillow behind his back, moved the small table in front of him and placed the plate, utensils, and glass of ale on it. She went to wash her hands then sat in the big chair with her own tray. There was a comfortable silence while they ate. Leonard, she was glad to see, was eating with a good appetite. He caught her glance and quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"I'm happy that your appetite continues to be good, Len. Geoff said good nutritional support right now while you're sick is very important."

"It is, Nyota. We usually have to intervene and give additional nutritional support in Sick Bay when one of the crew gets a bad case of the flu. Having this good an appetite with a flu virus is very unusual, and my stomach feels fine too. I consider this anomaly a symptom, only because it's not a normal flu response in a human. And besides this food Killeen brought is delicious." His blue eyes twinkled.

"It is delicious. Who knew Killeen was such a good cook." Nyota mumbled, mouth full, swallowing hastily. "He even brought dessert," she added, happily.

"Bless him," Leonard said. "I do like a sweet for afters," he admitted. "My mama always had a sweet after dinner. Daddy said she was the best baker he'd ever known, that's why he married her."

Nyota laughed. "What did your mama say to that?"

"She knew her worth, told him he was lucky she'd looked his way, 'cause she had a mile long line of young men who wanted to court her."

"Was that true, Len?" Nyota asked fascinated. Leonard seldom talked about himself or his family. He was a very private man, except with Jim, of course. She doubted if there was anything he and Jim didn't know about each other.

"Oh yes, my mama knew her worth," he nodded smiling at the memory of his beloved mama. "She was beautiful too, blue, blue eyes, dark hair, peaches and cream complexion, and brilliant. She was a botanist, a research botanist, and she could grow anything. So yep, my daddy knew just how lucky he was."

"Guess we know where you get your good looks and brilliance then," Nyota teased and was delighted to see a blush bloom in the doctor's cheeks. "Let me get our dessert, and then it's time for your meds. But first let me open both bedroom doors to warm up the bathroom for your shower."

Once they'd finished one delicious frosted cake which they split between them, Nyota brought Leonard his antipyretic and pain medication and noted the time so she could set her alarm for 4 hours from now. She moved the table back and helped him get to his feet. The fire was still lit, so the living room was warm, but through the thin pajama material she could feel that Len's fever was up.

He shivered, as they walked slowly to the bedroom, so she draped the quilt over him. The bathroom should be warm by now, she thought, but she would sit Len down on the bed, grab a kitchen chair to put in the shower, and turn on the hot water to warm it even more. Len's bedroom was warm and cozy and she sat him in the arm chair while she went about completing her tasks.

"Alright, Len. Into the bathroom you go. I'm going to help you take off your robe and pajama top, and let you do the rest, Mr. Modesty. You just stand right there by the sink while I do that. Do you think it's warm enough in here?" She asked anxiously.

"It feels fine, Ny. Stop worrying," he said. "I like a pretty hot shower, so let's don't stint on the hot water."

"Yes, Doctor, just be careful you don't get it too hot," she told him helping him take off the robe and pajama top. "There you're on your own now. Here is your towel and fresh pajamas," she said and put them on the closed toilet lid. I'll go sit on the bed. Call me right away if you need me, or if you feel faint."

"I will. Now out you go," Leonard said, making shooing motions with his hands.

Nyota went. She sighed as she sat wearily on the bed, hyper alert for any unusual sound coming from the bathroom.