A/N: Thank you to gluegirl56 for the inspiration that sparked this series.

Reading to Tilly

Christopher Pike lay on his back, in bed, staring at the ceiling, head propped up on his folded arms. Sleep eluded him. More than eluded him. If sleep were a train, it had left him at the station and was now two counties away. That's an odd metaphor, he thought to himself, a train, I've never even seen a train.

"Computer, time."

"It is 1:45 am." The computer's female voice answered. "Captain, you are only half-way through your sleep cycle. Maintaining a consistent 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is necessary for your species' optimal health. A soothing beverage or meditation is suggested. Shall I play appropriate restful music?"

"No." It came out as a growl. Command's latest attempt to micromanage its crews was the 'bedtime' routine in the latest software upgrade. A routine he intended to purge. It sounds like Spock. And was a bittersweet reminder of his science officer's battle to regain his sanity.

During the past week, Spock's doctors dodged his calls and requests for updates. That concerned him. What had changed?

Frustrated he gave up trying to sleep and once dressed, left for Sickbay to care for the crewman on this ship who was fighting for her life.

ooooo

The nurse on duty looked up when the doors to Sickbay opened. Right on time, she thought and walked over to give an update to the Captain.

Following their pattern over the past five days, she met him at the entrance to the enclosed intensive care area.

"Any change?" he asked.

"No sir." Bonnie answered. "But she is no worse. And is resting comfortably. That's promising. We stopped her sedation yesterday morning, but it may still be hours or days before she regains consciousness."

Pike nodded slightly. "Michael?"

"Commander Burnham sat with Tilly through the evening, but I sent her to her quarters around midnight."

"Good. I will check on her later this morning. Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm going to sit with Ensign Tilly for a while."

"Yes, sir." As he turned to enter the ICU, Bonnie said, knowing there were two people who needed her care tonight, "This wasn't your fault. She was following your example. The one we all want to live up to. The one we all respect." She blushed sightly and then added, "We didn't have that with Captain Lorca. That's one of the reasons we want to protect you." Did I overstep my bounds? She asked herself. And when did I stop being timid in the presence of my commanding officer? Is the ghost of Lorca really fading?

Pike had turned back to give the nurse his full attention as she spoke. With a slight smile he responded, "Thank you, Bonnie."

She put her hand on his arm in a gesture of support and nodded before returning to her station. He entered the ICU to tend to the consequences of his decisions.

Following a promising lead in their search for the third signal, Discovery jumped to the Escarta sector. The lead was not only a dead end but also a trap that led to an ambush. The away team was attacked, and Tilly jumped in front of her Captain, the spear that was meant for him piercing her heart. The damage to her heart was easily repaired, but the weapon was laced with a toxin that attacked her nervous system. Their only option was to induce a medical coma to slow the effects of the poison until a treatment could be developed.

With the toxin now eradicated, the next obstacle was successfully moving Tilly out of the coma. The odds were low that Tilly would regain consciousness and high that there would be permanent physical damage.

She looks peaceful, Pike thought as he smoothed her hair away from her face. That was an improvement from yesterday. Even in the coma, the pain shooting through her nervous system was evident as she moaned and thrashed. He sat in the chair beside the biobed and took her hand in his. But her grip was limp, her hand still cold and lifeless.

Her absence was felt, her exuberance missed. She was like Robert April, his former captain. Whose loud voice and brazenness were endearing. April was nicknamed Captain BB – short for Captain Bold and Blunt. And Captain BB loved a good mystery, just like Ensign Tilly, particularly Sherlock Holmes.

For those reasons, Pike was reading The Case of the Missing Marquess from the Enola Holmes mystery series by Nancy Springer to Tilly. The heroine, the Holmes brothers' younger sister, with her razor-sharp intelligence, kindness and wit reminded Pike of the young ensign.

Dr. Pollard encouraged Tilly's friends to sit and talk to her. Not yet knowing her well enough to maintain a long, one-sided conversation, Pike decided to read to her in order to engage her mind and call her back to consciousness. Every night, for the past five nights, starting around 2:00am.

Thirty minutes after sitting down, he finished the mystery and decided to begin reading Emma by Jane Austen. His mother's favorite book. Emma was another character like Tilly – forthright, clever, strong in her convictions. Pike continued holding her hand as he read aloud.

"… Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way ..."

How appropriate, he thought.

Her fingers twitched. Her hand tightened around his.

"… There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart, said she afterwards to herself. There is nothing to be compared to it. Warmth and tenderness of heart, with an affectionate, open manner, will beat all the clearness of head in the world, for attraction: I am sure it will …"

She is charming …

And then Tilly opened her eyes and smiled up at him.