"He's going to need a helluva lot of time, Jim. I would be able to treat him but it will be a long time before he is up and on even limited duties. Virtually all his internal organs have been severely damaged. We are just damned lucky that none were punctured or ruptured."

"Bones, you said you would be able to treat him. Why can't you?"

McCoy gave a wry half-smile, "If Commodore Halls were here he would say regulations and he would be right. Starfleet will remove him because of the time it would take aboard the ship means one less available crewman. I will be able to maintain him as long as his systems will fight the various poisons but he will need to be in a full facility to be thoroughly treated."

Just for a moment Kirk looked at his officer sleeping on his side before he carefully reached out and rested his hand on Ty's shoulder, "I can't let them take him, Bones. There has to be a way. Is he?"

"Sick Bay, they're back." Uhura's voice was rushed and hushed and Kirk knew what she meant and Kirk looked at McCoy as he put a thremo blanket on Ty and shook his head.

"I'm having more work done on his bloods, he drifts in and out of consciousness, seems to prefer sleeping on his side, and you can see the pain he is in." Kirk had tried not to look at the diagnostic panel and knew if the sound were on there would be three alarms deafening them. "I am still trying to get the poison fully analysed so I can start to find an antidote. I,"

Spock had carried the two jackets from the time they had left the first settlement and still had them in his hands as they walked from the Transporter Room. They had gone to where the initial beam down site was and had looked around but there was no indication of what could have happened there two months before. There were the paw prints of the wild canines they had been told of but that was all. While he had been relieved to be back on the Enterprise he had not expected to see both Sulu and Chekov behind the controls as well as Mister Scott when they had beamed aboard.

"We will just take these down to have Doctor McCoy verify the blood stains. Mister Scott will remain here as you three will be the three senior grade officers present so witness that the tests are done according to code and the blood is verified as Captain Kirk's and that officer's." Spock felt a growing intense dislike towards the Commodore's abuse of the crew and his arrogance. He was aware that the Commodore had not seen the quick nod both Sulu and Chekov had given him to let him know Jim was home along with Officer Baylance

"Now I will prove to you that," they turned into Sickbay and just for three point eight one seconds things seemed to stand still. Spock had been sure that Jim would be in his quarters but he was standing there talking with McCoy. The commodore was the first to react pulling a native knife he had taken from the village and ran at Kirk yelling, "I'll kill you myself. I'll kill you myself."

James Kirk had turned to see what was happening and was knocked down, Spock had taken a step but was blocked when a sheet covered form suddenly stopped the Commodore's charge. There was one guttural moan then stillness for just a breath.

"I killed him! I killed Kirk! The Enterprise is mine.! Mine! The Enter,"

Sulu roughly grabbed Hall and had him pinned against the wall with a hand to his throat, "Just breathe wrong and I will break your neck in an unfortunate accident."

Spock picked up the knife Halls had dropped, "The blade, Doctor."

Kirk half-crawled to where Ty lay with fresh blood flowing from his back, gently rolling him to rest on his knees and holding him close as he heard the strain of each breath.

Twice McCoy had tried to take Ty from him but McCoy had not seen the knives that night. McCoy had not felt that moment of terror he had.

"Jim, give him to McCoy. Jim, let McCoy have him." He heard the compassion and the plea in with the order and looked up at his First Office and friend but kept holding Ty as the nightmare slowly started to fade. "Give him to McCoy, Jim. Now, Jim."

Hesitantly Kirk let the two medical personnel take Ty from him and place him on a bed in front of McCoy then he looked at his hands and saw the blood, then the blood on his shirt, looked over and saw blood on the sheet that McCoy was taking off Ty, saw the fresh knife wound Ty had, and felt a shivering sensation pass through him. That elderly woman's words came back to him,. He will get you home and there, by a knife, you will wear the same blood. She just had not told him it would be Ty's blood.

Two strong hands gripped him and he felt himself lifted to his feet and an arm go around his waist, "I will take him to his quarters and care for him there, Doctor."

"Thank you, Spock." The Vulcan was relieved that his friend was too stunned to have heard the concern in the Doctor's voice or seen it on his face.

He walked the Captain to his quarters and, without any resistance, first wiped the blood off his hands then wiped his face, removed his jacket and wiped the blood of his chest, removed his boots, and took him to the shower, supporting him till he heard Jim say, "I, I can manage, thank you, Spock. I'll be out in a bit." Although he was reluctant to do so Spock left him and went back to the Captain's quarters and looked out his uniform. He had felt a great deal of pain and anger at himself in his friend and knew whatever had happened on the planet his friend felt responsible for.

Looking more like the James Kirk he knew as the Captain Spock watched as Kirk dressed and then walked up to him and briefly hugged him, "Thank you, my friend. I knew you would come for me."

"As you would for me."

"Was," Kirk broke his hold and took a step back to look up at is friend, "Was Halls rough on you?"

"More of an annoyance with his questioning everything, quoting regulations, and, on average of six point nine seven times daily, commenting in a somewhat derogatory manner, how fortunate a Vulcan was to be on a Federation starship and that he would know how to handle me and keep me in my place and reminding me at several times a day that I was a splendid officer but was, like all the others, a subordinate officer and to remember that fact." Spock looked at his human friend and Captain and Kirk saw that private smile, "I believe that I am the only member of the crew not to have been sent from the bridge."

"Sent from the bridge?"

"To her quarters for asking him a question about an order. While Sulu, Chekov, and Mister Scott were only sent once Uhura was confined to isolation in her quarters three times as she refused to directly say who she was talking to on one ocassion."

"Isolation?"

"I checked and it is an obscure Stafleet regulation."

"Three times?"

Spock nodded and allowed a smile to touch his eyes, "Yes, three times. The first three were for refusing immediately after the communication and then he repeated it when she came back on duty the third time and still refused to say who it was." An eyebrow raised, "She can be a very stubborn woman. He threatened to put her on report and she just stood, looked at him and said, and I quote, "Do it and just see what happens.""

Kirk laughed, "She would challenge him. So he never knew?"

"He never knew she spoke to you. She said to him, and again I quote, "On a Communications Station you get a lot of chatter that you do not know. It is Starfleet procedure to acknowledge unless under orders not to. As I received no orders not to acknowledge any of the chatter I followed procedure as stated in the regulations." There was unmistakable pleasure in his voice, "Uhura is a formidable linguistic opponent when she decides to be one, Jim."

McCoy walked in carrying a tray, poured three glasses, handed one to each of them and raised his, "To all being back home and together." Spock was surprised it was not the strong drink McCoy usually offered. When they downed their glasses he looked at them then sat down, "He's fighting. That knife had more poison on it, with it going direct into his systems." For a moment he was silent then looked at Kirk, "The way Halls used the knife would have sliced your lungs and heart and you would have bled out before we could have put you on the table."

"Doctor!"

"No, no, it's okay, Spock." Kirk sat down for a moment then looked up at his Chief Medical Officer not wanting to know but knowing he had to ask, "Bones, you said before that we were lucky that none of his vital internal organs had ruptured or been punctured."

McCoy slowly shook his head, "That luck is gone, Jim. It is all up to his willingness to fight back. A more commonly seen form of that poison is fatal in over eighty-six percent of those who get even a small dose of it in them. Who knows how much he has in him now as that knife Halls had had enough to take out at least half the bridge crew."

"Doctor you did say more commonly seen form of the poison." Spock looked at McCoy and saw the truth on the face he could read almost as well as he could James Kirk's face. "Purer form?"

"Purest." McCoy saw the faintest of flickers about the Vulcan's eyes and knew that he understood what he meant.

While Kirk had heard the words he was trying to calm himself, maintain the control that Spock had taught him over the years. Take out at least half the bridge crew. An anger grew in Kirk. It was not enough Halls thought he had been killed, he wanted nobody who had served under him in a command position left.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at to see McCoy looking down at him trying to smile, " If you will excuse me I better get back. He may be a bit unsettled if he wakes up without a friendly face there."

Only when McCoy had left did he stand up and pace for a moment as he struggled to contain his rage. He looked at Spock, "Where is he?"

"In Sick Bay."

"You know who I mean."

Spock knew it best when his friend and Captain was in the state he was in it was best to give the facts and try to make him see the logic of not over reacting. It did not often work but he knew he had to attempt it, "Jim, I believe that Sulu and Chekov were taking him to the brig but," there was the whoosh of the door as Kirk all but bolted out of his quarters. As he had done several times, and as Kirk had done for him as many time, Spock was quick to follow him.

"Kirk! Kirk! This, this infidel has put me here and not in appropriate quarter befitting my rank. I demand, as your superior,"

Kirk turned and looked at Chekov, "Explain."

"I am following Starfleet regulations, Keptin. Any officer suspected of being intoxicated is to be put in the brig for a period of no less than twenty-eight standard hours, is that not correct, Sir?"

"Damned fool. I have had nothing to drink! I am not intoxicated. Now I demand,"

Spock looked at Halls then at Chekov, "What made you believe he was intoxicated?"