In the Family

Chapter 1

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

"Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.

"I just wanted to be sure of you."

A.A. Milne,

The House at Pooh Corner

Jim pulled on his sleep pants, warm t-shirt, and socks after exiting his sonic shower just as his cabin chime rang. He frowned. He was off shift and tired. He'd been looking forward to a relaxing evening, starting the next volume of his Master and Commander series his Ma had gifted him, and he really didn't want any interruptions.

Tomorrow was his mandatory day off and he had absolutely nothing planned for it except relaxing, eating, sleeping, and reading. Bones had made no bones (Jim chuckled to himself at his terrible pun) about enforcing Jim's mandatory day off. True a Captain was never really off duty, but Fleet had decreed that every two weeks, ships' Captains had to take a mandatory day off. Burn out was a too real a threat for a Starship Captain, and all ships' CMOs were taxed with enforcing the mandatory day off rule.

"Come," Jim called out.

Bones walked in swinging a bottle that Jim could see was still sealed and brand new.

"Bones," Jim looked his surprise. "You didn't have to ring, my door wasn't locked and anyway, it's always open for you. What's going on?"

"Hey, Jim. Brought a little somethin' to kick off your mandatory day off." He grinned, blue eyes twinkling, and handed Jim the bottle. Jim smiled back after giving it a quick glance, then an appreciative pat.

"Nice, Bones, very nice indeed."

"Thought you'd like it. Picked it up last shore leave for just this kind of occasion. This my boy is The Macallan, one of the most highly revered whisky brands in the galaxy. It'll go down smooth and warm. Just right to start your evening and your day off tomorrow.

"Thanks, Bones." Jim's hazel eyes were warm with affection as he looked at his best friend. He set aside his book and gestured to Bones. "Sit down, let me get some glasses and you can pour us some. Have some nice cheese and crackers Ma sent me in her last care package," he added, smiling softly. "It's extra work for her to send them, but I really believes she worries I may starve to death here on the ship if she doesn't."

"Don't knock it it Jimbo. All of us should have mamas that send us care packages filled with delicious things and lots of love. You're a lucky man."

"I am."

Jim sighed happily as he sat down and nibbled on the delicious cheese and specialty crackers, raised his glass to Bones, and sipped his whisky. His cabin was warm and cozy, the Fleet issued sofa surprisingly comfortable, his best friend was with him shooting the breeze, and the whisky certainly lived up to its accolades, going down warm and smooth.

"Great idea of yours this, Bones McCoy. No wonder you're my favorite CMO in all of Fleet."

Leonard snorted. "Glad you think so, Jim. As your doctor, I'm bound and determined you're gonna' enjoy this one. As I recall your last two mandatory days off were spent putting out fires; that skirmish with that Orion ship, and the impulse engine trouble Scotty and you tore your hair out about." He eyed Jim sternly. "Nothin' better interfere with it tomorrow. You're looking mighty tired these days, Jimmy, and Spock can certainly take care of things on the bridge. Nothin' big on the horizon, right?"

"Nothing. Hate to admit it, but I am tired, Bones, it'll be good to decompress. And yes, only routine patrols for the next week at least."

"Good. We can all do with some peace and quiet for a few days, especially you. Tomorrow's Thursday. You'll be talkin' to Peter and Winona, right?"

Jim nodded, his smile widening. It was always the highlight of his week to talk with his mother and Peter when they were within comm range.

"Ask your Ma if she'll forward her recipe for those buttermilk biscuits she bakes. Chef and I agree the Fleet recipe lacks taste. You Ma's are always perfect."

Jim beamed. Nothing pleased him more than hearing any kind of praise for his mother and her cooking, and Bones was right, her biscuits were perfect.

"I sure will, Bones. It'll please her to no end to know you want that recipe for Chef Muriel."

"Any news about Komack yet? Bet he's fuming after the dressing down he got from Admiral Barnett and the threat of demotion."

"Just scuttlebutt. He's been complaining furiously to anyone and everyone who'll listen about how badly he was treated by the Sector Chief, and how he's going up higher to complain. I passed that along to Admiral Barnett, just as an FYI, but he's completely unconcerned."

Bones snorted. "The only one higher up in Fleet than Richard Barnett is the C in C and God, and, in the Federation Council, the President of the Council is Sarek. Can you imagine the reaction Admiral Nugura or Sarek would have if Komack complained to them about Richard Barnett? Greater beings than Komack would think twice about doing that!" Blue eyes met hazel and the two men burst out laughing!

"You think Komack is that stupid?" Leonard wheezed, slightly dizzy from the laughter.

"Yes," Jim chuckled, and they were off again, whooping with laughter.

The laughter died down, and Bones got to his feet. "Better be on my way, it's time for all good little Captains to go to bed. Enjoy your day off tomorrow, Jim. Come by and say hello to this workin' stiff. If there's nothin' pressing I'll take a short break and join you for coffee."

"I'd like that Bones. Thanks for the drink. I'll see you tomorrow and I won't forget about the biscuit recipe. Good night." Jim walked him to the door, clasped him on the shoulder and locked his cabin door behind him. He turned off his alarm, stretched luxuriously and decided he'd read in bed. He propped his treasured book up in a small pillow, read a page then another blinking sleepily. He carefully bookmarked his page, set aside his book, closed his eyes and slept.

The Officer's mess was deserted when he went in the next morning. Jim planned to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, have a second cup of coffee and read his San Francisco and Riverside news. He seldom had time to indulge his taste for old fashioned news reporting. Surprisingly readership of local news "papers" had remained popular through the years. Many people in Fleet and those stationed or living off planet passed on subscribing to the huge news corporations papers and kept in touch with their local hometown happenings by subscribing to the local on line papers. Bones felt the same and subscribed to the Atlanta and San Francisco news.

The mess door opened and Meadows, one of the wait staff smiled down at him. "Good morning, Captain. It's good to see you, Sir. It's been a while."

Jim gave him his sunshine smile. "Too long, Meadows, way too long. I plan to sit here for a while and enjoy breakfast. Let's see now, first some orange juice and coffee. What's good this morning, Ensign?"

"Whatever you want, Captain. Alpha crew has already reported for duty so Chef Muriel and her assistant cooks aren't busy at all right now."

"Well, then," Jim grinned. "How about two eggs, sunny side up, hash browns, crispy bacon, and a side of biscuits with butter and whatever jam is available. We won't tell anyone about the butter and bacon." Jim's mirthful eyes met Meadows' twinkling ones.

"No indeed, Captain. Whatever is eaten in the officer's mess, stays in the officer's mess," Meadows grinned, well aware of Bones' hyper vigilance about Jim's diet. "Coming right up, Sir, and it's good to see you enjoying your mandatory day off, Captain."

Jim shook his head ruefully. There were no secrets on board a ship. By now everyone on all decks, whether on or off, duty knew it was his day off.

"Thanks, Meadows, I plan to take full advantage of it."

Jim thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast, his second cup of coffee and the news from home. Riverside news was mostly innocently benign, exactly like Jonathon Romaine, the Riverside Sheriff and Jim liked it to be. He was happy to read that Father Joe, the Kirk family's lifelong dear friend and the pastor of St. Joseph's Church, had announced that at long last the exterior restoration of St. Joseph's was going to begin. The beautiful church had been built of pale golden limestone 150 years before and was the pride of historic Riverside. It had needed some tender loving care for a while, but that had been put off due to lack of funds. Riverside was a small community and although it was true the town was very proud of the beautiful historic church, it had taken a long time to acquire the necessary funds.

There had been many fund raisers for the church's restoration, all of them supported by the community and others, (Jim, Winona, Bones, Spock, Uhura, Jonathon, Gavin and Violet had all contributed generously) and finally enough funds had been secured to begin the work. Jim smiled at the news. His mother would be so pleased. She thought the world of Father Joe; all the Kirks did. He had been George Kirk's best friend since early childhood, and in spite of greatly different career choices, they had remained best friends until George Kirk's death. Despite his own grief at losing his best friend, Father Joe had been a bastion of comfort and support for Winona until Jim and Sam had gotten back to Riverside to be with their mother.

Jim decided he'd send Father Joe a message of congratulations after speaking to his mother tonight. It'd been too long since they'd communicated.

San Francisco news reports were same ole same ole. Likewise the Fleet news. Things were quiet. Jim sighed. Quiet never lasted long in Fleet.

He rose from the table. He'd scheduled a haircut this morning and it was almost time. The Captain had to set an example for the crew and SF required all male human officers and crew to keep their hair neat and closely trimmed. Female crew members had a bit more leeway, as long as hair was off their face and it's length did not interfere with their work, (Yeoman Rand came to mind) any hair length was fine.

After his haircut, an old fashioned razor shave that Jim seldom had time to indulge in, and a half hour of genial conversation with the ship's head barber, he decided to visit Bones. The bridge was absolutely off limits, he told himself firmly. His comm to his mother and Peter wasn't scheduled until late afternoon Riverside time after Peter got home from school. He and Bones would shoot the breeze until lunch time, when Uhura and Nurse Chapel would join them in the mess. Jim liked to have personal informal time with his officers, so he often had either breakfast, lunch, or dinner with one or more of them. It was an easy and enjoyable way of keeping his pulse on the ship's morale.

The Sick Bay was quiet, there was only one patient that he could see, and Geoffrey M'Benga was tending to him. "Good afternoon, Captain. Dr. McCoy is in the store room counting meds. Since we're enjoying some peaceful down time, he thought it best to get it out of the way. If we need to replenish any medication, now's the best time to request it." His genial face lightened in a smile. "As Dr. McCoy said, no pesky Klingons, Romulans, or Orions in sight so make hay while the sun shines."

Jim laughed and went to bother Bones. He found Bones seated on the store room floor, padd in hand, ampules, hypos, and boxes of meds strewn on the floor in neat little piles. The serious, dangerous, addictive drugs were housed in a special drug safe and only Spock, Bones, and Geoff had access. In a dire emergency, Jim could override the combination, but in all of SF's medical history that had never happened. However Starfleet operated on the YNK principle, so ships' captains could override every ship's system except the self destruct code. That one needed three voice commands from three different Bridge officers.

"Hey, Jimbo. Time for lunch? Be with you in a minute. I'm not finished, but I'll lock up and finish after lunch. We're not busy today as you saw." He grinned, blue eyes twinkling. "Will wonders never cease, even the Captain is hale and hearty this week.

Jim snorted. Bones got a lot of mileage out of Jim's supposedly frequent injuries. The reality was that Jim's health was Bones prime responsibility as the CMO of the ship and was, in fact, the the prime responsibility of all CMOs on Starfleet ships. Thankfully, Jim was, for the most part, healthy as a proverbial horse, and barring any away mission injuries, he enjoyed great robust health.

Lunch was enjoyable, not that the food was fantastic or anything, since it was institutional food after all, (although chef and her crew did wonders with their food supplies), but the company was great. Uhura, Chapel, and Bones filled him in on current ship gossip and Starfleet scuttlebutt throughout the Alpha quadrant.

After lunch, the ladies excused themselves to freshen up, and Jim walked Bones back to Sick Bay.

"Bones, why don't you come to my cabin after shift and say hi to Ma and Peter during my comm call. It's been a while since we've done that. You know they always love to talk with you, and you can ask Ma for the biscuit recipe yourself."

"I'd love to, Jim, but are you sure? I don't wanna' intrude on your time with them."

"I'm absolutely sure, come as soon as your shift is over, we'll have a quick drink while we wait for the comm call, and we'll go to dinner afterward."

Leonard beamed. Talking to Winona and Peter was one of his favorite things to do. "Sounds good, see you after shift, Jimmy."

Jim requested a cup of hot tea from the replicator and sat in his easy chair to continue reading. He was deeply engrossed in the story, when he heard the ping on his personal comm. He saw he had two letters, one from Violet and Gavin and one from Father Joe. He read both with pleasure, reading about Davy and his antics, and learning that Gavin's brother, Derek, was coming for a long visit. Violet said they had already planned a visit with Winona while Derek was with them. Gavin reported that things were unusually quiet at Starfleet Intelligence, but he wouldn't say that out loud, for fear of jinxing himself. Jim laughed at that. How many times had he felt the same way himself.

Father Joe's letter was, as usual, filled with gentle pleasant news about Riverside. He had been with Winona and Peter for dinner, he told Jim, and he'd enjoyed the delicious food. He also thanked Jim and his officers for their generous contributions for the church's refurbishing. As always he ended his letter with "be careful, Jim, for your mother and Peter's sakes if not your own, and as always, you and your crew are in my prayers. God bless you."

Jim put the two letters in his personal queue to be answered later.

It was almost time for his Thursday comm call with his mom and Peter. Before Peter came to live with his mother Jim had not been as diligent about talking to his mom on a weekly basis. He had kept in touch, of course, but not as regularly. He job was demanding and his off time short and truth be told, he'd made excuses for himself after the tragedy in Deneva. Thinking about Sam's death every time he commed home, had been like poking at an open wound.

It wasn't until Bones sat him down and told him bluntly that his father was gone now, and so were Sam and Aurelan, and that his mother deserved more than an occasional vid letter and comm call from him. He had a responsibility to his mother and to Peter to do better. Peter had lost his mother and father and Winona had lost her son and daughter in law and taken on the huge responsibility of raising Peter. Jim had to do better, focus less on his own pain, be more than an occasional fun uncle and itinerant son who left all the responsibility for raising Peter to Winona. It had been a tough hour for Jim hearing that from Bones, but it had served as a wake up call for him. Now those comm calls were the number one priority in Jim's week.

Bones should be coming in soon. Jim signaled the bridge comm station.

"M'Ress here, Captain."

"Good evening, Lt. M'Ress. Go ahead and schedule my comm to Riverside."

"Aye, Sssir. Comm should be ready in a short while. I'll connect you ass sssoon ass the relays complete the comm signal."

Jim's cabin door opened and Bones walked in.

"Hey, Bones. M'Ress will have Ma and Peter on the comm in a few minute. Why don't you pour us a drink."

Leonard took down the crystal tumblers which he himself had given Jim one Christmas and poured each of them a finger of whisky to sip while they waited.

Very soon Jim's comm pinged and there were Winona and Peter smiling at Jim.

"Hi Ma, hi Squirt. Look who's here with me."

"Leonard, how lovely to see you. Just the man we want to talk to, right Peter?"

"Hey!" Jim mocked frowned at them.

Peter giggled. "You too, Uncle Jim."

"Of course, you too, darling, always," his mother soothed him.

"Uncle Bones, I got a letter from Joanna," Peter told him.

"Did you now? And what did my Joanna have to allow?"

Jim's hazel eyes twinkled. No telling what Peter and Joanna had gotten up to.

"She wants to come visit, and to bring Saffron, 'cause her school is getting remodeled and is closed for a week. She already asked her mama and she said yes, but you gotta approve it 'cause of some agreement or other," Peter said.

"Custodial agreement, Squirt," his Uncle Jim told him.

"That's the one," Peter agreed. "So can she come, Uncle Bones?"

Leonard's eyes met Winona's and she nodded. "We'd love for her to come, Len. Even with Peter being at school, I'd love to have her here with me. Having a little girl here is a novelty and a treat for me," Winona assured him smiling.

"Well now, if that's the case, I say yes." Leonard grinned and his blue eyes smiled at Peter's loud yea!

"Wonderful. I'll get in touch with Jocelyn and make all the arrangements."

"Thanks, Winona. She'll have a great time with you and Peter. Oh, before I forget will you send me your buttermilk biscuit recipe? I've bragged about them so often, Chef wants to make 'em for me, for us," he added hastily glancing at Jim."

"Of course, I'll be happy to, Len. It will be an honor to know my biscuits are being enjoyed on the Enterprise."

"Alright, Bones McCoy, you've hogged this comm call long enough. My turn now," Jim pushed him gently aside.

"Alright, alright, hold your horses, I'm movin'"

"About time," Jim muttered, then beamed at his mother and Peter. "So what's going on with my two most favorite people."