Open your eyes Carla!
Carla was dreaming, she had to be. There was no way she had just heard Scotty's voice, he was dead. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
Open your eyes Carla!
"Get off of me you sonofabitch!" She tried to open her eyes but she was just too tired, she wanted the person to go away, to stop.
"It's alright Lieutenant, you're safe." That wasn't Scotty that was someone else.
Open your eyes Carla!
"Mister Spock, get Bones to sickbay now!"
"Aye Captain." Carla felt the warm body next to her move, Leonard! Where were they taking him?
Open your eyes Carla!
"What do you think made these marks?"
"They appear to be from restraints Captain."
"Jesus Christ! Come on, let's get them out of here."
Open your eyes Carla!
McCoy had been awake from about an hour, when he had first awoken he thought he was dead. Staring up at a bright white ceiling he had expected to see St. Paul at the pearly gates. It was only when he had heard the dulcet tones of one of the Nurses nearby that he realised he was back on the Enterprise. The relief he felt was almost overwhelming and it took him a good few minutes to calm himself less he lose it completely right there in his own med bay. His leg was locked into place and a dermal regenerator was currently running up and down the length of his thigh. Peering down he could see that it was doing the job, there'd be no lasting damage.
He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, an image appeared in his head, it was of Cece. She was looking at him and speaking but he couldn't hear what she was saying, her face was covered in bruises and her neck was bleeding. He tried to read her lips, to work out from the anguished look on her face what she was saying. He could feel himself getting increasingly distressed, however much he tried to tune into her voice he just couldn't.
"Cece?"
He shot up, looking around the room for any sign of her.
"Chapel! Damn it Chapel where are you?!" Christine came into view, her focus on his vitals being displayed above his head rather than his face that displayed his utter distress.
"You need to calm down Doctor McCoy." She said as she checked the dermal regenerator, turning it off and pulling it away from his leg when she had determined that it had completed the necessary repairs.
"The hell I do! Damn it woman, bring me my clothes." McCoy sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Doctor McCoy! Please lay back down." Christine knew he wouldn't listen, she'd known him long enough to know that he didn't listen to anybody.
"Clothes Chapel, now."
After what felt like a lifetime McCoy got a hold of his clothes and was currently in his office facing off against Commander Spock.
"Let me get this straight! You're telling me that you've allowed Lieutenant Collins to return to duty twelve hours after being taken prisoner, assaulted and sustaining substantial injuries? Are you out of your goddamn Vulcan mind!?" He'd never wanted to punch the man so much in his entire life.
"Doctor McCoy, it was Lieutenant Collins herself who suggested she support the Captain with his ongoing conversation with the Alikan people and return the man to his planet." Spock answered coolly.
"And if she had told you she was running for the President of the Federation that would've been fine with you also!? Unbelievable! You do realise she's displaying all the signs of shock don't you? Who signed her off as being fit for duty?"
"Captain Kirk." McCoy was out the door before Spock could react, storming his way down the many corridors Ensigns found themselves pressed against the walls less they be knocked down by the CMO. Storming onto the bridge he bounded from the entryway to the Captain's chair in one stride.
"Jim! Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on!?" Kirk looked up at his friend and winced, he knew this was going to happen.
"Bones, good to see you back on your feet…"
"Cut the fucking bullshit Jim." McCoy stood waiting for an answer. Although any reason Kirk was about to give was not going to cut it by any stretch of the imagination.
"Let's have this conversation in private." Kirk stood and ushered McCoy into his ready room, for a moment he wasn't going to follow but the look Kirk gave him told him he was already pushing his luck. Once they were behind closed doors McCoy let off a sequence of expletives. "Bones, stop! She was fine, she insisted in fact." McCoy rubbed his face with his hands.
"Immediately after a traumatic event, it is common for people to feel shocked, or numb, or unable to accept what has happened. Was she stunned or dazed or numb? Jim she's in denial, she can't accept that this has happened, so she's behaving as though it hasn't!"
"Bones I..."
"Did you read her medical report Jim?" He was breathing slowly in through his nose, out through his mouth. It wasn't working.
"I didn't think I needed to Bones…"
"Damn it man! Yes you did! Yes you damn well did!" Kirk tried to interrupt again but McCoy stared at him so hard he closed his mouth. "Severe emotional trauma causes lasting changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex region of the brain that is responsible for regulating emotional responses trigged by the amygdala. Specifically Jim, this region regulates negative emotions such as fear that occur when confronted with specific stimuli." The colour drained from Kirk's face.
"What kind of stimuli?" He asked quietly.
"Oh I don't know Jim?! Perhaps having to travel down to a planet where you were abducted! That kind of stimuli!"
"I'll get her back. Now."
"No, I'll go get her. For your sake, she better be alright." McCoy stormed out leaving a shaken Kirk. It hadn't gone unnoticed that Bones had just threatened him, as a Captain or as a friend it didn't matter. Kirk knew he deserved it, he'd allowed his focus on duty to assuage his gut feeling. He'd allowed the logical, unemotional approach of his First Officer to persuade him that the Federation's allegiance with the people of Alika was of the upmost importance.
Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
"Or the one." Kirk whispered to himself. "Shit!"
Scotty stood just on the outskirts of the village, he had piloted the shuttle himself and stood guard as Carla had escorted the Alikan back to the village, the pair of them quietly talking as they walked. Peering around Scotty shivered, he'd lost good men on this ground. And for what? He questioned sometimes whether Starfleet, the Federation were doing the right thing. Fighting the good fight? It all seemed so pointless, so not at all worth it in that moment. He shook his head to clear his mind, turning back to the village he spotted two small children playing. Laughing and skipping he couldn't help but smile himself. Without their help he knew the whole village would be wiped out by the likes of Kusa Sarraf, he nodded his head silently, finding that little piece of what he needed to carry on.
A whirling of lights caught his attention, McCoy materialised next to him. Given his absolute loathing of the transporter system Scotty was surprised to see him there.
"Doctor McCoy, what can I do you for?" The look on McCoy's face told him it wasn't a social call.
"Where is she Scotty? Where's Lieutenant Collins?" Scotty creased his brow, McCoy's impatience worried him.
"She's in the village." Before he could say anymore McCoy was walking towards the main gate. "Doc! You canny just walk in there!" He shouted after him.
"Watch me." McCoy spoke under his breath.
When McCoy walked in he expected a hive of activity, instead there was no one around. Walking slowly through the centre of the village he heard footsteps behind him. Turning he saw a small boy running towards him, taking his hand without hesitation the boy began leading him to the one of the houses.
"Where are you taking me?" McCoy asked but the boy didn't answer. Walking into the house McCoy spotted Carla immediately, she was sat on a stool, two women sat either side of her. She was staring off into space. Kneeling in front of her he slowly placed his hand over hers, one of the women turned and looked at him.
"She is experiencing an intensely vivid memory of a traumatic experience." The woman explained to McCoy, although he knew already that she was in some kind of shock.
"Cece?" He slowly moved his other hand to her neck, checking her pulse. Her eyes darted to his.
"Leonard?" She asked him, confused.
"Yeah Darlin', you okay?" He held onto her hand, making a promise he wasn't going to let go until they were safely back on board the Enterprise. Carla shook her head.
"No, I'm not." She answered quietly.
"Come on, let's go." He helped her up and slowly began to guide her out of the house.
"Thank you for bringing back my Father." Stopping McCoy turned and looked at the woman who had just spoken. "We can see how much pain you have endured and I will be eternally grateful to you both." McCoy nodded, not knowing what to say or trusting himself that he could say anything at all. Holding on tightly to Carla's hand, his arm wrapped round her waist and he guided her out. Making their way towards Scotty McCoy kept glancing at Carla, her eyes were still a million light years away.
"Scotty, let's get out of here."
"Aye Doc." Scotty ran ahead to the shuttle and began powering up. Sitting Carla down McCoy pulled the harness over her and clicked it into place.
"Scotty!" McCoy shouted.
"Aye!" With that he felt the shuttle lift off the ground, bracing himself on the arm rests of Carla's chair he looked down at her fretfully.
"Damn it Jim!" He whispered to himself as he took the seat next to her.