Hi all! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been super busy house-hunting. I hope it's ok and please review! They are my inspiration and always make me smile! Thank you for reading!

Tishbing

Chapter Five

McCoy shifted Ella to his other hip, her small pink cowboy boots swinging gently with each step he took. He knew Jim had been acting off the past couple of days and he figured that seeing her daughter would help her. It was strange. Even her efforts to irritate the staff and get out of medical were subdued compared to her normal antics although, he had to admit, he was impressed she had managed to code the doors to emit sound effects when someone entered. Nurse Gerst...not so much.

Passing by the nurse's station, he saw Gerst preparing a round of hyposprays and laying them out meticulously. She was an intimidating presence to say the least. Almost seven feet tall and a tough, no-nonsense attitude with a bedside manner that was harsh on the best of days and McCoy wondered if Jim was slightly crazy to provoke her ire.

With his free hand, he grabbed Jim's chart and went through her doors. The crack of thunder immediately greeted him and he rolled his eyes. Jim was sat up in her bed with a grin and immediately held out an arm for her daughter.

Ella scrambled from McCoy's hold and immediately climbed into her mother's bed.

"Momma! I missed you!" She cried.

Jim hugged her tight, tears in her eyes. "Oh, baby. I missed you too!"

Ella was clambering up Jim and McCoy could see a flash of pain cross her features. He immediately pulled the toddler back. "Remember, momma's still hurt. You have to be gentle, honey."

"Ok, daddy." Ella's blue eyes were wide with sincerity and he released her.

McCoy sat back in the visitor chair while Ella babbled and snuggled with her mother. He scrolled through Jim's chart while she was occupied with Ella now giving her mother small candies as "medicine" to make her better. He frowned as he got to the latest chart entry discussing her aftercare. He saw that Dr. Shan'Ori had listed her as ready to discharge in the morning.

"You're scowling."

"Hmm?" McCoy glanced up from his reading and saw Jim watching him. Ella was at the foot of the bed watching a vid, fully entertained and not noticing that her parents were talking.

"You get this wrinkle in your forehead. I swear it's gonna turn permanent." She smiled slightly.

McCoy shook his head and returned her smile. "It's nothing. Just a problem with your chart." He closed the file and put it on his lap. "It's saying you're ready for discharge tomorrow."

"We need to talk."

Jim was biting her lip and McCoy felt worry creeping into his bones. Those words never boded well.

"Okay." He said carefully. He put the PADD containing Jim's chart on the chair and moved to sit next to Jim. Her bright blue eyes were finally mostly clear from all the medications he had been forced to give her but they were full of guilt and fear. The bruises were now a pale yellow and her cheeks were still sunken from the weight she had lost but she looked better for the most part. He had to admit that the shorter hair was cute on her. The blond curls framed her face in a short bob and it suited her.

He reached over and held her hand, his heart starting to beat quicker as he wondered what she wanted to talk about. Was she agreeing to his proposal about moving in? Was she upset about something he'd done? He knew she hated his mother-henning but he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to care for people, especially those that he loved.

Her small hand twisted in his, the delicate bones shifting and McCoy felt cold as she pulled away. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on when the screech of horses stopped him.

Nurse Gerst huffed and frowned as she walked into the room, stopping their conversation cold. Jim pulled on a false smile as if they hadn't been in the middle of something.

"Ah, Frau Blucher, couldn't get enough of me? I know that I'm your favorite patient but three visits in one day?" Her grin didn't reach her eyes and McCoy could see that it was strained.

Gerst shook her head and laughed softly and moved to the IV pump still attached to Jim's arm. She added a syringe in the line and set it to run.

"I've saved a bedpan in the freezer saved specially for you."

Jim threw her hand to her chest in mock insult. "That's just cold! On more than one level. Where's your compassion? The Hippocratic oath applies to me too."

The nurse smirked. "Doctors take that oath...not nurses, Kirk."

"Touché."

Gerst shooed McCoy away from Jim and took a quick set of vitals before leaving with Jim's lunch order and the sound of Horses chasing her out the door.

"What's with the horses?" McCoy asked, trying for levity.

"Ever see 'Young Frankenstein'? Mel Brooks movies?"

McCoy shook his head.

"No culture." Jim scoffed. "She was a terrifying housekeeper in the Frankenstein manor. Very strict, very tall, Germanic and every time her name was said horses would react terrified. It's a classic comedy." She explained quickly.

McCoy laughed and moved back to his spot next to Jim. A quick glance showed him that Ella had dropped off to sleep on Jim's legs, the excitement of seeing her mother wore her out.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Jim sighed and ran her fingers through her hair causing McCoy to know that what she was going to say wasn't good. "I...I've decided to do the summer internship on starship operations and diplomacy. I'm set to leave in two days on the USS Farragut."

Jim wouldn't meet his eyes and it was the evasiveness that started a fire in his stomach, anger at being the last to know and that she was leaving him when they had decided, together, that she was going to spend the summer as a family. He felt his face grow hot and he had to mentally count to ten and take a deep breath before he could talk.

The simple fact that she made the decision alone! Not a thought spared for him or their daughter added to his anger.

"What? Why?" Ella shifted in her sleep and McCoy had to suck in another breath to control himself and lower his voice.

"You can't be serious, Jim. You just got back from one of the most biggest screw ups in survival training I've ever seen and you haven't even recovered fully." He grabbed her free hand and squeezed it tight, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. "I haven't even been able to spend time alone with you or even kiss you or give you the welcome back you deserve."

"I know and I'm sorry." Her eyes flicked to meet his and quickly moved away which incensed McCoy further.

"Give me a good reason why in the hell you are jetting out to space and leaving your daughter and me behind without so much as a by your leave?" McCoy clenched his jaw and waited. He couldn't believe his ears.

Jim seemed to flounder for a moment and finally answered. "Because I can't let you leave Ella and me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Because almost all of my friends and you are slated for graduation at the end of next year while I still have another year after. Uhura, Gaila and M'Ress are a year ahead of me and you have your MD which automatically knocks off a year. With this course under my belt, I'd be able to graduate with you and it would pretty much guarantee us being assigned together."

The tips of Jim's ears turned red and she picked at the blanket covering her legs. McCoy felt awful. Throughout her entire life, Jim had always been left behind. It only made sense that she would push herself harder to try and maintain the few links that she had gained during her time at the academy.

"You do realize that I would never let that happen, right? I was going to stay here at Starfleet Medical while you graduated."

Jim wasn't looking at him but he could see tears slipping down her cheeks as she nodded. "And what if you didn't have a choice? Starfleet isn't exactly a civilian career." Her eyes flew to his. "Sometimes you get forced into something that you are powerless to object to." Her expression was tense, serious and so very sad and McCoy knew that there was more words than one meaning in her but with her wound so tight and still recovering, he didn't want to push her.

He wrapped an arm around her and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "I understand. I love you and I'll respect your decision."

He felt her shudder with a sigh and relax in his arms, her weight was a welcome feeling. "I love you, too." She twisted and leaned up, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jim felt sick with guilt. The fact that she had played on Bones' love for her had been among the lowest things that she had done in a long time. She knew though, that it had had to be done. She wanted to tell him but pulling him into whatever it was that she was being dragged into would just be selfish. She needed to keep them safe. She'd been successful at editing her request to be able to leave Ella on Earth with Bones.

Shifting in her bed, she could feel the bandages still on her back pull with the new skin from the dermal regenerator. She still had one open cut that ran from her right hip to the bottom of her left ribs. It had been badly infected and had had to be closed slowly to prevent sealing in the infection. Her wrist had finally been freed of the splint but it was still wrapped with a bandage for support and she was still stuck with the sling.

Jim wondered how it was going to look with her reporting for duty still looking like she had been hit by a truck. She also wondered where Pike was. He hadn't even been by to see her and that had hurt.

She started to use the PADD that she had "borrowed" to skim through her proposal for her thesis when she heard the door to her room open. No sound followed and that was unusual. She had set the sound effects as a type of alarm. She didn't want Sloan sneaking up on her without some form of warning.

"Hey Jim-girl." Speak of the devil. Captain Pike walked over to the visitor chair and stood in front of it, in his arms was a data pad and a small chestnut box that looked battered and very old.

"Captain." She greeted stiffly.

He put up a hand and shook his head slightly to let her know that this not an official meeting. It was a visit. She could see that he looked every bit of his 52 years of age. He looked more tired and worn than she had ever seen him, his uniform slightly rumpled and dark circles under his eyes. Jim wondered just what he had been doing.

He leaned over her and hugged her gently, careful to not jostle her as if she was made of delicate china. She could smell stale coffee and his aftershave and the strength in his arms made her relax just a fraction.

He moved away and sat in the visitor chair, placing the box and PADD on the small side table and fixed her with a concerned stare. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. A little sore."

He nodded skeptically and moved to open the box. Inside was the oldest chess set she'd ever seen. Unlike the box, the board and pieces were clearly well cared for. Each piece was polished to a gleaming shine, the board was very old but lovingly cleaned and as Pike set them up Jim was curious as to how often he played. He clearly used the set often but only reserved it for special occasions. The care put into the maintenance of the set was obvious.

"You do know I have no idea how to play chess, right?" She said warily and to her relief Pike quietly laughed.

"Somehow, I think this game will be right up your alley." He set up the board and smiled. Jim returned it with fierce determination. A challenge was definitely up her alley.

They played for several hours and under Pike's tutelage, her skills improved to a passable level to where she wasn't checkmated in 10 moves. The continued defeats grated on her but it only made her try harder. Pike moved his knight up and over to where her queen was and Jim quickly moved it out of the line of fire.

"You're moving on the spur of the moment. Planning ahead and looking at the whole picture is key."

Somehow, she didn't think they were talking about the game anymore. She moved a pawn forward to let Pike take it in the hopes of protecting her queen.

"I saw your assignment papers to the Farragut for your internship. Check."

She missed his rook and quickly moved her queen away.

"I thought you were taking time off to be with your family."

"Things change. This course has enough credits so I can graduate with my friends and Leo." She could feel her ears burning with her evasive answer and when she looked up, it was obvious that Pike didn't buy her reason.

"I know you're lying. Just like I know that it normally takes months to get an internship position on a ship like the Farragut and yet you applied and somehow got accepted in less than two days. Checkmate."

Pike gently tipped her queen and his grey eyes pierced her with an intense stare. "What's really going on?"

Pike had her in more ways than one. He frowned and started putting the chess set away. "There's something going on and it has to do with you. I'm being told to drop all investigations relating to the fiasco that was your SERE training and I was out of the loop with this latest change in your class schedule."

Jim swallowed drily as Pike continued putting the pieces back in the box, his movements were jerky with anger. "It reeks of bullshit, Jim, and I want answers."

"There's nothing going on."

Pike's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Jim. "Do you know how I beat you in this last round?"

"What?" Jim reeled from the sudden change in subject.

"I used all of my assets." He pulled out the white knight piece and twirled it, the light catching off the marble. "Your see, you only saw one way. Your queen being threatened by my rook but I had more than one option to win and used my knight to take your queen." He put the piece back and leaned forward. "There is always more than one way to win and sometimes it takes opening your eyes to the possibilities."

Jim nodded slowly.

"And sometimes, it takes asking for help even if you don't want to."

Jim kept her lips pressed shut and Pike sighed. "Or accepting the help that is forced upon you, gracefully."

Jim's head snapped up. "What?"

"Dr. McCoy came to me fuming mad about you being placed on a starship, still injured and recovering all alone, and made a compelling argument about him being there for you." At Jim's jaw dropping, Pike smirked and leaned back. "He looked up his own class schedule and discovered that he was due for his own starship operations rotation and considering that one of the missions of the Farragut, aside from the political, was medical assistance, he was accepted into the program."

"What?" Jim gasped. She could feel her stomach plummet. She had deliberately pushed Bones away in the hopes of keeping him and Ella safe. She had no idea what 31 was planning and if Bones being there would put her assignment in jeopardy.

"It took pulling in some favors with the captain, Stephen Garrovick, but you've got two roommates."

The blood drained from her face and she felt bile rising. "I can't have them there." Her voice was hollow.

"And why not?"

She ran a hand through her short hair and took a deep breath to gather herself. "Have you ever heard of Section 31?"