Stranded

Chapter 17

"The whole point of life was you couldn't ever be sure what would

happen next. Sometimes what happened was good, sometimes not, but

there were always surprises."

Veronica Henry

"I am doin' so, Doranna, but unfortunately I haven't felt any alleviation of my symptoms...yet. But then I've only taken those two doses, might need a couple more," Leonard told her, hoarsely. "I've decided I'm gonna' take both my own medicine and also take the recommended doses of the potions Egan sent me."

"That is good. Perhaps both together will help you heal more quickly. Doctor Mkkoy, please do not tire yourself by speaking more to me. You are quite hoarse. I see you have finished your meal. Rest now and I will assist Nyota in clearing and cleaning the kitchen."

"Thank you, Doranna, both for the meal and for your kindness. I think restin' is a good idea. I do feel somewhat tired." He smiled at her and closed his eyes.

The two women looked at each other, and tip toed to the kitchen carrying the empty dishes and trays. They closed the kitchen door and worked quietly making desultory conversation. After finishing the clean up chores, Doranna picked up her carry bags and bade Nyota a soft goodbye, At the door she turned a worried face to the sofa where the doctor was snoring softly, deeply asleep. "If you require anything, anything at all, please call me. I will come to assist you right away. Promise me this, Nyota. No matters the hour, be it day or night I or Alarik will come to assist you. It is evident the doctor is very il." She stood still, almost vibrating with distress, waiting for Nyota's response.

"He is, Doranna, he is very ill, and I'm very concerned about him. And I do promise, I promise I will call you if I need you."

"Good. That is good, Nyota. I hope the medication the Apothecary sent combined with the ones he gave Alarik will help him to regain his health. While the doctor is sleeping, you should try to rest too." she stepped out to the stoop. "Goodbye, Nyota."

"Goodbye, Doranna. Thank you for lunch and for all your help." She latched the screen door and carefully locked the front door. It was a precaution they'd implemented early on, because in Torreon, if the front door was open, people just walked right in. Since sometimes their advanced tech was out and visible, it would not do for anyone to catch even a glimpse of it. She went in search of her comm so she could send Geoffrey a message with Leonard's latest stats; his temperature, appetite, cough, hoarseness, and meds' dosage. She also asked if Geoff thought it would be okay for Len to try the meds the Apothecary's had sent and listed the ingredients that Len had dictated to her.

Now, aside from her morning and evening briefings on Len's condition, Geoff wanted her to send a mid afternoon report as well, an obvious sign of his deepening worry about his boss. Sending the additional report as a simple text message would get to him much faster than a voice comm.

Nyota, comm in hand, went back to Leonard who opened his eyes as he heard her approach. "Doranna gone?" He rasped tiredly.

"Yes, she just left. How are you feeling, Len? You're very hoarse again. I need to note that when I send Geoffrey your latest stats."

"I've rested, but I feel about the same, Ny. I'm still pretty wiped out and my hoarseness and cough are no better. I've been lying here thinkin' things over. Jim will get here day after tomorrow. Geoff will have to beam down to treat me, 'cause for sure I cain't go up to the ship. What if someone comes to the house and I'm not here? Sick as I am, there'd be no way to explain that. Knowing Jim, he'll want to beam down with Geoff too. We have to make sure no one sees either him or Geoff, 'cause we seem to get a lot of company comin' and goin' these days."

Nyota smiled. "It's because they all care about you, Len. They want to help us and they come to make sure you're okay. They're all worried about you. Come on, let's get you back into your bed until it's close to the time Killeen comes with dinner. You'll be more comfortable in there."

She helped him up off the sofa and settled him in his bed, washed her hands, then sat in the chair to input all of Leonard's vitals; his temperature, appetite, hydration, rest period, meds, etc.

"Ny," Len said suddenly, "I've been thinkin' Geoff might have to beam down in the middle of the night when everyone in Torreon is asleep. There's no help for it."

"I hadn't even thought of that, but you're right. We'll talk it over with Jim this evening."

"Knowing Geoff, he'll probably want to beam down a medical bin full of meds and gadgets, so Scotty will have to beam all that down separately. That's gonna' be a lot of stuff," he added fretfully."

It'll be fine, Len," Nyota told him soothingly. "And if I know Jim, he'll definitely want to beam down too."

Leonard nodded ruefully. "That's a given. Wild horse won't keep that man on the ship."

"He'll beam straight down to the house with Geoff. You know he'll want to see for himself how you're doing. No one, including Mr. Spock, is going to talk him out of it. I think Hannity or Mr. Giotto might be able to beam down too. Their presence wouldn't look odd...but not at the same time as Jim," she added hastily.

Leonard laughed softly. "You're right about that, Ny. It would look strange, gettin' a parade of people in the house all of a sudden. It'd look mighty suspicious. So tomorrow I guess we better put out the word that some of our "friends" are comin' back to visit us before we leave Torreon. We gotta' come up with some sort of a plan, a good plan, or we're gonna' screw things up."

"I know." Uhura bit her lip worriedly thinking it over. "Geoffrey will have to beam down to treat you, but he can't ever be seen by anyone in the village. He wasn't in our original landing party, Doranna and Alarik would know that." She sighed. "Let's face it. Everyone in the village would know that. I'll talk it over with Jim and Dr. M'Benga this evening after Killeen leaves." Nyota would add those additional notes to her briefing with Jim for this evening, she didn't want to forget to tell him anything important.

"It's almost time for your meds, Len. I'll send the communication squirt to Geoff with your stats after that. You won't need any additional meds untl 0600 before Killeen brings dinner. Do you think you'll feel up to more company? I think Doranna's visit tired you out." She looked him over keenly, handing him the tricorder to run it over himself.

"Temps holding steady 38C (100.4F)," he reported. "And Doranna's visit did tire me a little, darlin', but it did me some good too. I'm missing my office hours and visitin' with folks. I think a short visit with Killeen will be alright, just warn him I cain't talk too much, that I'm hoarse and have a bad cough'"

"Leonard McCoy! Do you mean to tell me my scintillating company isn't enough for you?" Nyota teased as she handed him his medication. She then inputted Len's last temperature check and medication dosage and sent the squirt off to Geoff.

"Nope! I'm tellin' you that if I had to get sick, there's no one I'd rather have tendin' to me than your sweet self. But don't tell anyone on the ship I said that." His blue eyes twinkled at her.

"My lips are sealed," Nyota assured him solemnly. Suddenly the comm in her hand beeped startling them both. Wide eyed, hoping desperately that nothing had gone wrong with the ship, Uhura moved away from the bed toward the bathroom door and turned her back to Leonard in case it was bad news about the ship.

"Uhura here."

"Uhura," Jim's cheerful voice did much to calm her nerves. "Didn't want to wait until this evening to tell you that we're back to Warp 8 and Scotty tells me we'll be there by tomorrow night Sarena time, instead of the day after tomorrow. Thought that news would cheer you and Bones up."

"That's wonderful news, Jim! It's an incredible relief to say the least. Len is really doing no better, he hasn't improved at all. We're keeping his temperature and pain under control because of the antipyretic and analgesic, but he's still very weak, hoarse, and coughing."

"I was afraid of that. When I spoke to him this morning, I could tell there's been no improvement. I'm guessing the second dose of the antiviral hasn't worked?"

"No, not yet, but I'm hopeful and so is Len. He's here with me. Do you want to speak with him? I think your news will cheer him up a lot."

"Yeah, that'd be great. Cheered me up when Scotty told me, I can tell you that."

"I'll let you tell him the great news, but please don't let him talk too much, Jim, he starts coughing and he's already very hoarse." She walked back to the bed and handed Leonard her comm. "It's Jim, Len. He wants to talk to you. Its good news, Len," she hastened to say when she saw him frown.

"Jim?" Leonard rasped.

"Hey, Bones!" Jim's cheerful voice rang out. "I don't want you to talk much, but I have some good news. We're arriving tomorrow night instead of day after tomorrow. Scotty's really pushed the engines. Geoff will be able to examine and treat you right away when we arrive."

"Jim, that's amazin' news," Leonard's hoarse voice was filled with happiness at the news. "'M not feeling so good, Jimmy. Not improving like I would've by now if this was the regular Levodian flu. It'll be good to get the right meds in me so I can feel well again. I know between Geoff and me we'll figure out the right treatment. I'm also worried about Nyota's continued exposure to me. Don't know much about how this virus spreads, and that concerns me a lot."

"I know, Bones," Jim said, his stomach sinking, knowing that for Bones to admit he wasn't feeling well, meant he was feeling terrible. "But we'll be there very soon, so I want you to stop worrying. Now you stop talking and get some rest until we get there, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll do my best. We'll see you real soon, and thank the good Lord for that." He handed the comm back to Nyota. She looked at the happy, but tired face, and walked back to the bathroom door to speak with Jim again.

"I know this news did him some good, Jim. He looks better. FYI, we're going to have to make up a story if you and Geoff are going to beam down," Nyota told him. "If Geoff could treat Len down here, it would be much better for us. Another thing, Len can't seem to get better too quickly either. There's been too many people who've come to see him and know he's been very sick and that he's not getting better. Killeen is bringing dinner tonight, and Doranna came earlier and saw how ill he was when she brought us lunch. They're all good caring people and check on us frequently," Nyota warned.

There was silence from Jim on the other end of the comm as he thought about what Nyota said. "You're right. I'll speak to Geoff, Nyota. I'm sure we can beam down anything he'll need to treat Bones there. We'll just plan to beam back and forth to the ship and stay in orbit for as long as it takes for Bones to get well making sure his improvement doesn't look too fast."

"Jim, if you want, you could show up in a couple of days, after Geoff treats Len. I could put out the word that you're coming to help me. That I wanted you to help me pack and close up the house since Len is convalescing. What do you think?"

"That sounds reasonable," Jim answered thoughtfully. She could hear his sigh over the comm. "I'm afraid we're very constrained because of the Prime Directive, Nyota, so we'll have to have a good work around. Your plan sounds fine to me. Let me think about it and we'll talk more about it tonight after you update Geoffrey on Leonard's condition."

"I've just sent him the afternoon comm squirt with the report he requested. I also have something I want to run by you this evening. We found out a little more about the Orion scouts. I'll give you a full briefing this evening, it can wait until then. Right now it's time for Len's meds. If he doesn't get them on time, his fever starts going up, and so does his pain."

"Then by all means get those meds in him. We'll talk again tonight, At the usual time?"

"Yes, Killeen won't stay long after we eat, he knows Len gets tired very easily."

"Okay, we'll talk then, Kirk out."

Nyota closed her comm, relieved beyond belief that Len would get the medical care he needed by tomorrow evening. Even though she hadn't shown it, she had been terribly worried about his condition. She'd felt helpless too, constrained by the Prime Directive and sick at the possibility that Orion pirates might raid Torreon and other peaceful towns, kidnap many of the good people of Sarena to make slaves out of them. It didn't bear thinking about. Tonight she would fill Jim in on her thoughts about the three Orion slave girls and hopefully he would be okay with her tentative plan to free the girls and take them home.

She glanced at Leonard and saw that he was asleep again. The antipyretic and pain medications relaxed him and he usually slept after his doses.

She went back to the living room to straighten and tidy the room, when there was a soft knock at the front door. Who in the world, thought Nyota? She was very tired and was hoping to take a short nap while Len slept. It was much too early for Killeen to be bringing dinner, she thought, unlocking and opening the front door. To her utter amazement it was the Orion slave girl who was standing on the front stoop. Nyota recognized her immediately by the metal slave jewelry she wore around her neck and wrist.

Nyota schooled her face and found her voice. "Yes? May I help you?"

"I was told that the village physician lives here and I would like to consult with him," the girl said.

"Please come in," Nyota told her holding open the screen door for the girl to come inside.