The day hadn't been going well, per se, but it hadn't been going poorly either. It had turned out to be what Leonard McCoy liked to call the Forgettables. Just one of those unremarkable days that blur into the rest of the week and go unremember throughout the year.
And it was almost over, thank God.
The clock, which had seemed to drag its feet all day, now warned him that he had drifted into the hazy zone of "overtime"—murky waters that were far too easy to swim in, yet almost impossible to get out of without assistance.
That assistance usually came in the form of his Head Nurse Christine Chapel, who would give subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—reminders that he was overworking himself again; that the rest of Beta Shift just clocked out and he should too, if he knew what was good for him.
Right. Well… this time, Leonard found himself in the haze of overtime because of Christine. The second they finalized this project, he would be putting his feet up in his quarters, maybe cracking open the first bottle he pulled out of his and Scotty's secret stash…
That had been the plan, the one that was currently getting him through those final minutes in medbay.
Leonard could almost hear the plan shattering—along with the very universe itself—the second that tiny squeal echoed off the walls.
He knew that voice; knew that excited scream.
And he hadn't heard it for nearly two years.
Joanna…
It was too good to be true. Though Leonard knew that anything this good came with a catch, he let himself dance in La La Land for a precious few minutes as he spun his little girl around, holding her close and squeezing her tight.
Because she was here.
How was she here…?
The thought of Jocelyn brought him crashing back down to reality, Cloud Nine not just forgotten, but completely sabotaged by his ex-wife's looming figure. She wasn't even in the room, yet he could feel her like a chill down his spine; like a scrape he couldn't heal, no matter how many times he wrapped it in bandages.
The thick cords of selfishness began to wind their way around his throat. Of course, Jocelyn "Spend All Daddy's Money" McCoy—or whatever she was calling herself these days—would be on a deep space tourism cruise. And of course, he needed to return Joanna to her mother.
But, for a rare few moments, she was his and his alone. Leonard wanted nothing more than to let Jocelyn wander the halls, forever searching for a little girl she'd never find because he'd taken a Kelvin Pod and stolen his baby away.
Because, despite all the complications and restrictions, Joanna was still his baby.
Leonard glanced at the door, half expecting the mad woman to burst into his medbay—his sacred medbay. Just the thought of Jocelyn trying to dig her claws into another one of his lifelines made his skin crawl.
He turned to Jim and Spock—the latter of whom honestly looked like he was about to pull a muscle in a vain attempt to school his surprised expression.
"That means she's here…"
Jim flashed Leonard a grimace that tried its best to be a smile. "According to Jo, it sounds like it."
The unspoken sorry burned his ears. He didn't want to hear any of it. He wanted to take Joanna away forever and—
Sucking in a breath, he forced his mind to calm itself; to block out the irrational thoughts.
For Jo's sake.
A smile stretched his lips, though it lacked any trace of its previous joy.
"Hey, precious," he began, voice soft as he slid a gentle finger over her cheek, "where's your mama?"
A shrug followed that age-old pouty lip. Great.
Reticence from his normally exuberant little girl was not what he needed right now.
"Well, we're gonna need to find her." Sneaking another glance at Jim, Leonard added under his breath, "And if I know Jocelyn, sooner rather than later."
Much as I hate it.
To his surprise, Joanna shook her head. "I don't want to. I want to stay here with you instead."
To emphasize her point, she flung her arms around his neck and held on for dear life.
"I know, baby, I know," Leonard soothed, "but your mama's gonna be worried about you. I bet she already is. She's probably wondering where you are and looking all over for—"
Joanna squeezed tight. "I bet she's not. Mama's crabby, don't take me back!"
Something jumpstarted deep within Leonard's core. An inkling he didn't like, made increasingly worse by Jo's tightening grip and that…that look in Jim's eyes. That wary look… It set the doctor's skin on edge.
"I know," he repeated, ignoring the sound of his heart breaking with each word. "But if we don't get you back, your mama'll be upset with both of us."
Instead of replying, Joanna just shook her head. Over and over until Leonard was certain she was going to twist it right off from the strain.
He looked to Jim, feeling the plea for help spread across his face. The captain, in turn, looked to Spock—because of course he did.
The Vulcan inclined his head ever-so-slightly. "I can consult the ship logs for a Jocelyn and Joanna. I should have their quarters located within the hour."
Jim's smile was beyond grateful, and if Leonard was being honest, he was beginning to feel a little indebted to the hobgoblin himself.
"That would be great, Spock," Jim said with a nod. "Thank you."
Spock, for his part, looked a bit too relieved to be excused from such an "emotional" scene.
He could use more emotional exposure, if you ask me.
With a sigh, Leonard carded a gentle hand through Joanna's hair.
So…? The unspoken question hovered in the air like a nervous intern.
How did one proceed in such a situation as this? Shut up, you're starting to sound like Spock.
Joanna ended up being the first to speak up. "My friend said this place is really cool," she whispered in Leonard's ear, obviously loud enough for Jim to hear if his little smirk was any indication. "He's the captain, you know."
"No…" Leonard feigned a gasp that had Jim rolling his eyes. "Really? If you hadn't told me, Jo, I never would've guessed."
"All right. Haha, very funny. So, are you going to show your kid around or not?"
Joanna's face brightened at the prospect, and who was Leonard to disappoint her?
You've done enough of that already.
Right…
"Joanna," he began, turning around to his nearly forgotten companion, "this is Nurse Chapel."
"Hello!"
Christine beamed, shaking the small extended hand. "You can call me Chris, sweetie."
Leonard shot her a half-hearted glare. "Nurse Chapel would be more respectful, but I'll let it slide."
Showing her around the half-empty medbay—a large majority of Gamma Shift had yet to show up—didn't give Leonard the time to think that he'd anticipated. A distraction, that's what it turned out to be. Instead of prolonging the inevitable and giving him time to formulate exactly how he was going to go about taking Jo back to Jocelyn, Leonard's mind completely blocked his ex from his mind.
Until he found himself in his room an hour later, Jo all snuggled in on his lap while Jim poured the drinks. Jocelyn would probably kill him for drinking in front of their daughter, but Leonard couldn't bring himself to care.
Joanna was struggling to keep her little eyes open, anyway, so it's fine.
"So, you haven't heard anything from anybody?"
Jim shook his head at Leonard's whisper, sinking into the remaining spot on the couch. "Nothing. I haven't even heard gossip about a missing child. If Jocelyn knows she's missing, she sure isn't look—" They both stilled as Joanna shifted, a small sigh slipping from her lips before she settled back into a light doze. "Well… you know."
"Yeah." It just didn't sit right with him, the fact that she wasn't even looking for Jo. Why? Leonard fingered the half-empty glass of scotch, wondering why every glass always seemed to be half-empty. "Any word from Spock?"
The chime sounded on the door and Jim heaved himself up to answer it.
Speak of the devil… Leonard mused when Spock entered, a PADD in hand.
The CO said nothing at first, he simply handed the glowing tablet off to Leonard.
"All right, Spock, what am I looking at?"
"It would appear your family is staying here." He drew an imaginary circle with his finger around one of the room blockings on the map. "And if I remember correctly, Jocelyn Beech is the tourist who demanded her own quarters upon arrival, refusing to be 'crammed into a small room with billions of strangers,' I believe were her exact words."
"Sounds like Jocelyn," Leonard muttered. "And Beech? Really?" He took a gulp of scotch. "That's so stupid."
"As I said before," Spock began with a nod, "repeatedly changing one's last name is highly illogical."
"For once—and, Lord help me, it kills me to say it—I agree with you. And for that…" Leonard raised his nearly empty glass. "I need another drink."
"You know," came Jim's thoughtful interjection, "I think I remember her. Vaguely." He massaged a hand over his face. "Gosh, there were so many people, but you don't really forget someone like that."
Leonard held out his glass for a refill. "That said, I just have one question: how the hell did she manage to get her own room?"
"Being previously married to her," Spock said, brow raising in a most minute fashion, "I should think that you, Doctor, of all people, would know about her heightened powers of… persuasion."
"You mean," Leonard drawled, "she talked, whined, and complained your head off until you couldn't stand it anymore?"
Spock paused. "It was… logical to give in to her demands if only to keep the flow of organization from coming to a halt."
"In other words, Spock, you let her have her way." Leonard couldn't help the sardonic smirk that stretched his face, glad Joanna wasn't awake to see it.
"I have no further comments on the matter." As if to draw attention away from himself, Spock gestured back toward the map. "I located their quarters, Doctor. The next course of action is yours to take."
"Yeah, sure. Tell me something I don't know."
"Thanks, Spock, truly" Jim said, holding up the bottle of scotch. "Join us for a drink?"
Hands now secured behind his back, Spock shook his head. "I appreciate your offer, Captain, but I must decline. Despite the fact that Vulcan's do not make a habit of consuming alcohol, the hour is late and I promised—"
Leonard couldn't stop the smirk in time as Spock cut himself off with a frown. "And your girlfriend's waiting for you, right?" He held out the PADD. "Knowing you, she's probably been waiting a long time."
"Your implications that I—"
Jim rolled his eyes and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "And that's more arguing than my brain can handle right now. It's too late for this, guys. It's been a long day. Go enjoy yourself, Spock. Thanks for all your help."
"Of course, Captain." He sent a nod Leonard's way. "Doctor."
Leonard just waved his glass in Spock's direction. "Night."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Leonard registered Spock showing himself out, yet he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but the image of that invisible circle. Of Spock's finger tracing Jocelyn's room over and over again.
Jocelyn.
He downed the rest of his drink.
This just made it all the more real. Now she had a room number, a definite location where he could find her.
Where he had to find her if he didn't want the whole situation to explode in a battle of wills and rights.
Glancing down at the sleeping bundle of joy in his arms, Leonard was sure he felt his heart crack. He knew how these things always worked out.
He knew who held the upper hand.
His ex and her attorney father.
A long sigh shook his frame.
"Bones…?" He hadn't realized his eyes had closed until Jim sat back down beside him.
I'm fine. It was on the tip of his tongue. He supposed it was always on the tip of his tongue, always balanced somewhere between a sarcastic comment and an unnecessary complaint.
When he opened his mouth, however, he heard something entirely different slip out.
"When did it all get so hard, Jim?" he whispered, never taking his gaze off his baby. "When did everything fall apart…?"
"Hey." He felt Jim's hand on his shoulder. Squeezing him, grounding him. "We're going to figure this out, okay?"
Sure.
Leonard didn't know how everything would end up playing out—knowing Jocelyn, none of it was going to be pretty—but he did know one thing: he had his little girl back for the first time in two years.
And he didn't want to let her go ever again.