Standard disclaimer - I don't own any part of this franchise; I do not intend to profit from using its characters
A/N – Thank you to all that have continued to read after my protracted battle with writer's block.
Jim thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Spock's lips. Of all the people likely to be at his bedside when he woke up, he would have put Spock's presence as a long shot. It's not that he wasn't happy to see him, just surprised. Spock nodded to them both, turned on his heel and left.
Jim turned to his friend and doctor, "Okay Bones, spill it. How am I alive? What was that about Khan's blood?"
Buying time, McCoy poured a small amount of water into a plastic cup and handed it carefully to Jim. He took the offered glass, downed its contents and handed the empty cup back. Jim couldn't miss the stunned look on his doctor's face.
"What's wrong Bones?"
"Jim, you've been comatose for two weeks. You should barely be able to hold that cup much less take a drink on your own."
"I feel fine - maybe a little fuzzy like the morning after going out drinking with you or Scotty only without the headache. Which brings me back to my question, what the hell happened?"
"Alright, calm down. What's the last thing you remember?"
"Being in the warp core, talking with Spock," feeling alone and afraid, "and then nothing until I woke up just now." That wasn't strictly true, but he wasn't certain how to explain the rest.
Bones nodded. He walked across the room and closed the glass panel sealing the room. "Computer, privacy mode. Authorization McCoy, Leonard H. 21796."
A pleasant female voice responded, "Authorization verified."
Kirk wondered what Bones could possibly say that made him suspend the computer's recording feature.
"Okay, here's the short version. Khan crashed the Vengeance into San Francisco. Spock went to capture him and let's just say that one enraged Vulcan is a fair match for a super human. Luckily, Uhura managed to keep Spock from killing Khan because my little science experiment with the Tribble paid off."
Jim nodded. He vaguely remembered Bones injecting a dead Tribble with Khan's blood. "I think Spock would prefer the term 'emotionally compromised'."
"Call it what you want, but Uhura barely got through to him. Anyway, I put you in stasis to preserve the last of your brain functions while I created a serum. Point being, between your luck and stubbornness as well as my amazing talents as a physician, you survived."
"And Khan's still alive, but in stasis?" Jim had a fleeting impression of seeing the man in a cryotube.
"Right." McCoy looked confused but continued, "Spock had him placed back in cryosleep like the rest of his crew."
"How long was I dead for?"
"I don't know exactly." But you were without vital signs for longer than we've let on and nobody at Starfleet knows how crucial using Khan's blood was to bringing you back.
"What about the records on the Enterprise?" Jim was able to read between the lines easily enough and his mind was already churning through scenarios where Khan and his crew would become test subjects.
"Sadly, due to the extensive damage done by the Vengeance, a great amount of data was totally lost or badly corrupted." The words were said convincingly enough, but one look at McCoy's face assured Jim that his friend was lying. The fact that he was doing so even with the privacy mode in place meant he was covering for someone – actually three someones.
"I see."
"Yes, I'm sure you do." McCoy replied. "Computer, disengage privacy setting."
"Acknowledged." The female voice intoned.
"So now what?"
"Now you get to have a dozen doctors perform a whole bunch of tests to figure out a rational explanation for your nearly miraculous recovery."
ST-ST-ST-ST-ST-ST-ST-ST-ST-ST
Three hours, seven doctors and more than twice that many tests later, Jim was back in his room. The way his bed was positioned it afforded him a view looking out over San Francisco Bay. He was grateful that his window did not face the destruction left by Khan's attack.
He was just about to buzz the nurse's station when a tough as nails nurse walked through his door with a tray. Jim straightened up in the bed and flashed the older woman a broad smile. She placed it on the bed table and lifted the cover. Jim's smile vanished.
"Chicken broth and Jello, seriously?"
"You were expecting steak and potatoes?"
"Yes," Jim groused.
"Afraid not, Captain. Would you like some help?"
"No, I got this." Jim responded mulishly.
"Enjoy," the nurse replied smirking and walked back out of the room.
Jim looked down at the food on his tray. He and the good doctor were going to have some words about this. He managed about three spoons full of the broth before pushing it aside. The fact that it was hot was the only thing to recommend it. The Jello was lime so he could eat it without breaking out in hives, but it was only marginally more appealing than the broth. After a couple of bites, he placed the cover back on the tray and moved the bed table out of his way.
What I wouldn't give to get my hands on a PADD, he thought. He knew he could get Scotty to bring him something edible. He settled back against the pillows and closed his eyes while he waited for Bones to reappear.
"Well, somebody screwed up didn't they? It's not likely you'll be eating that."
Kirk hadn't intended to doze off. He woke to see Uhura placing something on the chair by the window, her back to him.
"You can say that again."
"Oh, Bountiful Goddess!" Uhura whirled to face the bed startled.
"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" Kirk couldn't help but smile at her use of one of Gaila's expressions in Orion no less. Gaila had used that same phrase the last time they'd been together, but with a markedly different inflection.
"You are remarkably sassy for someone who was comatose last night." His Comms Officer said with a grin of her own as she moved to the foot of the bio-bed.
"I think I can promise not to chase you around the room if you want to come closer." Jim teased.
"Jim, the only time I believed that was when you were unconscious and even then I wasn't entirely certain." She replied and moved to his side. Negating her words further, she leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Welcome back."
"Thanks, Nyota."
Bones chose that moment to walk into his room.
"Dammit. You found out my good news before I could tell you, Nyota."
"I brought you some lunch since you tend to forget little things like eating lately," gesturing toward the chair. "I thought I'd find you in here. Instead, the Captain decided to startle me out of a year of my life. But I mean that in the nicest possible way, Sir."
Jim watched the exchange between his CMO and his Comms officer. Obviously something had happened during the last two weeks. He would have bet a bottle of his favorite whiskey that Bones didn't have more than a cursory acquaintance with Uhura despite their being on the same ship for the last two years.
"Of course you did, Lieutenant." Jim took a good look at his friend. He could see the worry and lack of sleep plainly on McCoy's face now that he was paying attention. He noticed too that Bones had lost weight – maybe as much as 5 kilos.
"You'd better eat that before I go after it myself." Jim could see the doctor getting ready to object so he pulled out his go to argument winner. "That's an order. Take a break. Have lunch and call your daughter. Tell her that Uncle Jim says hi."
The effect was immediate. It wouldn't have surprised him if McCoy hadn't had a real conversation with Joanna since this started. Jim knew the man was going to cave, but he had to put up at least a token resistance for form's sake. It was just a question of for how long.
"Now isn't the time."
"Really?" Jim had heard Uhura use that tone and adopt that stance – hands on hips and head tilted slightly – enough times to know Bones should just comply now.
Bones, having been married and divorced, recognized this fact too. Deciding he really didn't have the energy to fight a battle he didn't want to win in the first place, he walked over and picked up the take-out bag.
"Thank you." McCoy said sincerely.
"You're welcome." Uhura replied. "I'll keep an eye on our friend until you get back." With that, she all but shooed him back out of the room.
"And here I thought you had stopped in to see me?" Kirk teased.
"My plan was to come and read to you before my shift, but trying to get Len…Dr. McCoy to eat something was equally important."
"I'm touched."
Uhura rolled her eyes. "McCoy found data that suggested having friends and family read or provide other auditory stimulus improved the recovery of comatose patients. Most of your bridge crew helped with the doctor's neural stimulation regimen."
"Do you know if there was music playing while I was comatose?"
"Yes. McCoy had the computer playing some of your favorite songs when no one was with you. Why?"
"I have this melody running through my head, but I don't recognize it and I can't remember the words." He proceeded to hum some of the tune. Uhura blanched and took a startled step away from his bed.
"I sang that to you. It's a lullaby in Swahili that my grandmother sang to me."
"I believe this is where Spock would say 'Fascinating.'" He paused looking at her expression. "Is there something wrong?"
"No. It's just a shock that you recall it." He could almost literally see her clamp down on what she was feeling and shut it away. "Do you remember anything else? I hear Scotty has had some lively conversations with you."
"About improvements he wants to make to my ship using some of the tech he saw on the Vengeance."
He hadn't phrased it as a question. It was a fact that wasn't lost on Uhura either.
"What else would my Chief Engineer be talking to me about whether I was awake or not?" Kirk added swiftly.
"He didn't seem to have any problem carrying on the discussion by himself." She replied with an almost natural smile. "It did worry me a bit when Dr. McCoy told me he brought blueprints to show you."
Jim chuckled at the thought of Scotty holding a PADD an appropriate angle for him to "see" as he went through the list of modifications he proposed.
"Now that I am awake I'm sure I will get more out of them." He paused taking a long look at Uhura.
"Spock was here when I came out of the coma this morning." He be damned if he knew what prompted his saying that, but he'd learned long ago to go with his instincts.
"I'm sure he was. Spock has been very interested in your recovery."
It wasn't what she said, but rather what she didn't that piqued his curiosity. "I am something of a medical marvel after all." It was obvious the two weren't talking or she would have known he was out of the coma. She did an admirable job trying to stay relaxed, but he was a poker player from way back and he could read body language with the best of them.
She tipped her head back and gave a short laugh. "Your ego is well intact. Nice to see that hasn't changed."
"So what do you think? Am I still me?"
"Based on my extensive 10 minute observation, I'd say we have our Captain back." She said with a smile. Jim could almost hear her silently pleading with the fates to be right. "Well, seeing that you are awake and seem to be in full command of your faculties, at least as much as you ever were, I don't think you need me to read to you. Is there something I can get for you?"
"I was hoping you'd ask." Jim sat up and motioned her closer. "Food." He said simply. "I wasn't kidding about fighting Bones for whatever was in that bag. They're starving me. The only thing the nurses have given me is water, broth and Jello."
"I don't know. If that's all-"
Jim cut her off, "Now, don't go all rules and regulations on me. Leave that to your boyfriend."
The amused smile faltered momentarily. "Let me go see if I can get you more substantial like pudding or ice cream."
"Uhura?" Jim reached out as she stepped away from the bed.
"I'll go find Dr. McCoy."
He watched as she quickly crossed the room, walked through the door and followed the path Bones had taken past the glass wall of his room. Well, damn. Barely awake 6 hours and I'm already managing to put my foot in it.
He hated not knowing what was going on with his crew. Granted being comatose for two weeks was a decent excuse, but something was obviously wrong between Spock and Uhura. It didn't surprise him that McCoy returned by himself a few minutes later.
"Let me guess, Uhura needed to report to the ship."
"Believe it or not Jim, she does have a job to do. Now, what was this about wrestling me for my sandwich?"
He had been friends with the doctor for long enough to know his usual tactics. Jim let himself be distracted by the promise of more substantial food in the next few hours as long as he was able to tolerate the broth and Jello.
He was ninety percent certain that if Bones didn't know the whole story, he knew enough. He also knew Spock would be coming here in a few hours. He could wait until then and get the story straight from the source. Something told him that it was going to be complicated.