Chapter Five - I'm a Doctor, not a Zookeeper
It took several hours to get Jim stabilized and down in Sickbay. Spock helped the security officers move the alien onto the transporter pad and they beamed it down, thank goodness. Anyone still down for shore leave was beamed back aboard, unless they had a phaser with them. Not many had them, so we ended up beaming a lot of people back. Most were upset at first, but when word of the attack on Jim got out they stopped complaining.

The ship remained in orbit around Sherok while a heavily-armed science team patrolled the planet surface and researched the native creatures. But they could find no sign of the massive canine beast that had nearly killed the captain.

Spock's newfound friend, that lizard thing, decided to hang around in Sickbay with me. It insisted on stationing itself right above Jim's head, on the medical monitor. There it kept a close watch on him, and I got the distinct feeling it was copying me. Both of us refused to leave while he was still unconscious and in questionable condition. So I had to put up with it until Jim woke up.

IF he woke up, of course.

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The first indication I had of Jim's return to consciousness was an excited-sounding warble from Spock's lizard. I looked over just as Jim began to open his eyes.

"Good morning, Jim," I said as cheerfully as I could. "How do you feel?"

"I..feel like hell," he answered in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "What happened?"

I shook my head. "Damned if I know. We got some signal to beam you aboard, and you appear in the transporter room with some demon ripping you to shreds. Don't you remember?"

Jim considered that. "Somewhat. What'd you do to it?"

"Spock nerve-pinched it, then they sent it back down to Sherok," I answered. "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a zookeeper! You and Spock have just got to stop bringing pets on board!"

He looked downcast. "Sorry Bones."

Feeling horribly aware that I'd just struck a nerve, I tried to lighten the mood a little. "Well, I'll bet everyone'll be as happy as I am to know you're alive. We almost lost you, Jim."

He looked up, surprised. "How so?"

"Do you have any idea how much blood you lost?" I asked. "Plus four broken ribs didn't help you any, along with those 2nd degree burns you got from that thing's tail. And something else, I'm not sure exactly what..."

Jim looked like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. "I was going to tell you, Bones...honestly I was."

"Tell me what, Jim?" I asked, a bit nervous as to what he might tell me. Jim's been known to hide things from me and everyone else...and I had a feeling that it was connected with that tiredness he'd shown on the bridge earlier.

He took a shaky breath. "Remember Sargon?"

"How could I forget?" I countered. "Kind of hard to NOT remember, if you know what I mean."

"I'm sure you remember the aftereffects of their occupation in human bodies..." Jim said slowly. "That, combined with Henoch's poison..." He shook his head. "I honestly don't know what it is...but I've felt terrible ever since waking up in Sickbay after Thalassa brought me back. Kind of tired, but mostly dull pain."

Now I was even more worried. Jim NEVER admits to pain, unless he's in one helluva lot of it. Whatever was going on, it was damn serious. "I'll have to look over your chart again, to see if I can spot anything unusual," I said. "You just get some rest, Jim."

He looked terrified. "No, Bones. Please."

I stopped, startled. "Jim...?"

He refused to meet my gaze. "Don't make me sleep. Please." He was almost crying.

I hadn't expected something like THIS. Of course, it had never occured to me that psychological pain would remain after that last mission. He was normally so immune to it. This time was obviously not the case. But that still didn't explain why he was so afraid to sleep...

And abruptly, I understood. "You've been having nightmares, haven't you?" He hesitated, then nodded. "Jim, they're just dreams. They can't hurt you."

"So says you," he muttered. He finally raised his eyes to look up at me. "They do hurt, Bones. A lot. And I don't want to sleep until I figure out why."

The staredown lasted for a few seconds, then I finally relented. "Fine then," I said in a not-quite snarl. "But don't expect to go anywhere in your condition. As chief medical officer on board this ship, I order you to stay right where you are. Don't even try to sit up until those ribs are healed."

Jim pouted. "All right then Doctor, you win this time around. But I want a constant update on ship and crew, every hour on the hour. Get Spock to do it if you have to, but I want those reports. Just because I'm stuck in Sickbay with a damn lizard above my head doesn't mean I'm not the captain."

I waited until I was in the next room to burst out laughing.