"There! At the bottom of that dune!" Bones exclaimed, pressing his hand against the glass windshield.
"I see it too, Doctor," Spock replied, and Bones swore he heard panic lacing the calm words.
As the crew watched, a shape in the desert folded in on itself, and they were sure it had to be their captain.
"Faster, man. He could be dying for all we know." Or worse. Bones tried to stop the thought from intruding. Jim had to be alive. Weeks of searching just to find him dead at the moment of his rescue would surely tear the doctor apart.
"I'm going as fast as I can. If we approach too quickly, the shuttle will disturb the sand, which could create unfavorable landing conditions."
"Spock," Uhura choked, "Please just land the shuttle."
Bones knew Spock was barely holding it together. The Vulcan had been nearly silent in the weeks Jim was missing, and he knew that his insistence on a safe landing came from his need to find control in this hellish situation.
The craft grew silent, the only sounds the whirring of machinery and controls as Spock and Sulu attempted to land on the uneven surface. The tension was palpable as the bridge crew held their collective breath. Bones' eyes never left the form in the sand, which had not moved an inch since melting onto the ground. Before he knew it, his tricorder was clutched in his right hand, the medical kit in his left. It was all he could do to stop his hands from shaking.
After what seemed like hours, the shuttle touched down and Bones threw the door open. Sand and heat assaulted his face, forcing him to close his eyes and throw up a protective arm. He didn't stop. With a jump, Bones landed on the planet, his ankles swallowed by the sand. Spock followed behind him, and together the men raced to Jim. By now, they were certain it was their captain.
"Jim!" The doctor called out, hopeful beyond reason that Jim would pop up with a devilish grin on his face, point his fingers at Bones and say, "Gotcha!"
Bones fell to his knees next to his friend. Jim's back was to him. With a gentle hand, Bones grabbed his shoulder and turned the man onto his back.
What he saw made him grateful he was already on his knees.
"Jesus, Jim…"
Behind Bones, Spock pulled in a sharp breath.
Captain James T. Kirk was unrecognizable. His face was a mottled mess of deep purple bruising and bloody cuts, one particularly nasty slash over his right eye. His lips were painfully dry, and blood was smeared down his chin from the corner of his mouth. Internal bleeding, the doctor in Bones' head noted.
Jim's right shoulder was grossly swollen, and Bones had dealt with Jim enough to know it was dislocated. The thin sweater on the man's frame wasn't enough to cover the bruising indicative of multiple broken ribs, and Bones flinched when he saw the bloody bandage and amateur splint on Jim's thigh.
Finally, Bones investigated the source of a dangerous amount of blood on Jim's left shoulder. He pulled at the sweater, and his eyes fell on a tiny hole that was still sluggishly leaking blood.
Is that… a bullet wound? Bones was glad for his medical history classes, otherwise he was certain he wouldn't know what the wound was. Who even used such primitive weaponry anymore? It was barbaric.
"Spock, come put pressure on this. I don't need him bleeding out." As if he wasn't cut open in a million other places.
Spock moved to Jim's head, crouching softly behind the man, and pressed a hand over the bullet hole. Jim didn't stir.
The bullet wound would have been Bones' priority, but something else had caught his attention and made his stomach fight its way up his throat.
There, in the center of Jim's chest, was a round piece of glowing metal, roughly the size of his fist. The veins under Jim's skin, the ones leading to his heart, were violently visible and a concerning shade of purple.
"Spock," Bones gasped, breathless, "Is that-"
'Doctor, I… Despite all logic, I believe that is a warp core in the captain's chest. What it is doing there, however…" Spock trailed off, rendered speechless.
For a brief moment, the men stared down at Jim, motionless.
Jim's chest moved as the man took in a weak breath, and Bones jumped into action.
"Jim! Wake up man, don't do this to me. You need to wake up. Stay with me. Please"
Bones was begging, desperate. Jim didn't move, didn't make to wake up. No gotcha for Bones today.
The tricorder told him the captain's heart was still beating, albeit inadequately. He needed help weeks ago.
"Help me lift him, Spock. I need to get him to medbay yesterday. We don't have time for a stretcher."
Spock carefully reached his arms under Jim's shoulders and began to lift. Jim's head lolled to the side in a way that made Bones feel ill. The doctor moved to grab his feet.
As the two began the quick journey back to the shuttle, where the rest of the crew were peering out the door to catch a glimpse of their captain's condition, Bones couldn't tear his eyes away from the contraption in Jim's chest. The faint blue glow was hypnotic in a way that reminded Bones of Jim's eyes. He held his breath as he looked again at his friend's face, trying not to pay attention to the way his mouth hung open. He looks dead. He looks dead. He's dead. Bones grit his teeth against the thoughts, blinking away the angry tears that were threatening to make an appearance. Memories of Jim in a body bag in his medbay after Khan appeared unbidden.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Jim clawed his way to the surface of the deep dark ocean he was sinking into. His head neared the surface, watched from lightyears away as his lungs contracted and he finally pulled in a breath. From far away, he swore he could hear the voices of his friends, feel their hands pulling and pleading. The current rose, and before his hand could breach the surface, the waves swept him back under. Slowly he sank, and the water grew cold.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Doctor," Spock suddenly called, feet from the shuttle's entrance, "Jim's heart-"
Bones had noticed too. What little color had remained in Jim's face had paled considerably.
His heart had stopped.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Hello again! I'm sorry for the massive break. Life got away from me, and I couldn't find time for writing anymore. However, thanks to the pandemic, now I've got plenty of time! Lol. But seriously, I figured I would try to update this, for all the people still following. If the style changed or anything, I'm sorry! I can't guarantee updates, as it's been so long and the thread of the story has gotten away from me, but I promise I'll try my best. Thanks for sticking around all these years, it warms my heart. Truly. I hope you're all happy and healthy, especially considering the circumstances. Reviews always welcome, and if there's a direction you'd like to see the story go, let me know! 3