There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. - Author Unknown
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my two posters...
A/N: Goodness me... the chapters are getting longer and darker all the time. SFT stands for Standard Federation Time. I'm not sure if there is an actual 'time zone' they use, but I invented one anyway. I'm going to warn you, Bones, Minnie, and Jim have discovered their potty mouths, so there's quite a bit of cursing and foul language, including one that begins with 'f'. There's also an angst warning, and one for slightly graphic medical descriptions of torture.
Chapter Six: For Everything There is a Season
Bones hadn't seen much of Minnie for nearly two weeks outside of actual work when she suddenly barged in on him and the captain in Jim's quarters. Her eyes were flashing with an anger her posture wasn't giving away.
"Jim, why won't you let me go on any away missions? It's been eight months since Other Spock told us about the universe trying to kill me, and I haven't beamed down once," she stated.
The captain averted his eyes from the scowling CTO and replied, "You're my second officer. You have stay onboard when Spock and I beam down because-"
"That's bullshit, Jim!" she half-shouted, truly angry now, "You're just using that as an excuse! There have been at least three missions Spock hasn't beamed down on!"
Jim still refused to meet her eyes. Minnie was shaking with rage before she exploded.
"Goddammit, Jim! I'm not a child! I'm the fucking CTO and second officer! I'm the youngest female commander in Starfleet history! I don't need to be protected by anyone, and certainly not you!"
"Well, forgive me for trying to keep you alive!" Jim retorted, rising to his feet, "How stupid of me to try and save the life of one of my best friends! You can't beat the universe forever, Minnie!"
"I thought you didn't believe in no-win situations! What, do you want me to die five or ten years from now? Do you want me to kick the bucket when you can't see it? It won't hurt any less, Jim!"
"I don't want you to die at all, dumbass!"
At that point, the door whooshed open, and Spock entered, the rise of his eyebrow indicating surprise. Minnie glared at Jim and, venomously and coldly, said, "Goodnight, captain. I will see you in the morning. 'Night, Bones, Spock," before leaving. At least her word to Bones and Spock were civil. Jim was fuming, his hands balled into fists. Spock looked between the two of them.
"If I have come at an inopportune time, Jim-"
"No… no, Spock… we'll have our chess game. Bones, would you mind…?"
"Sure, no problem, Jim. See ya tomorrow. Spock…"
He acknowledged the half-Vulcan with a slight nod of the head and left the room. Jim still looked angry. The doctor, once in the corridor, had a choice. He could head to the med bay, where Nurse Chapel among others would try to talk and flirt with him, or he could go look for Minnie. He definitely voted for the latter. Unfortunately, he was unsure of where to find her. He just began to stroll the corridor until he ran into Chekov.
"Oh, hello, doctor. Iz zhere somezhing you need, sir?" the Russian asked.
"Have ya seen Minnie? She was in a pretty bad mood."
"Da, I got out of her vay qvickly. She vas wery upset, calling ze keptin very bad zhings. She vas going to ze lab. Perhaps to run simulations."
Bones thanked the young man and went to the SimLab. Minnie managed to leave a trail of destruction, shown in the ruffled ensigns, POs, and CPOs, a shocked looking lieutenant, and one tearful yeoman from Science. He found her angrily typing and running weapons analyses, scowling and cursing under her breath. The doctor cleared his throat. Her head snapped up, and she looked truly pissed off until she realized whom it was.
"Hey, Bones. Whaddaya want? Did Jim send you?"
"Nope. Decided to come find ya all on my lonesome. Now, what was that all about? It's not like you to just blow up with no warning."
"Oh, it's not without warning. You heard what I said to him."
"I heard what you shouted and screamed at him."
Minnie snorted, then said, "Well, it's true. I don't wanna be protected. I can take care of myself."
"I know that, and so does everyone on this ship. Including Jim," Bones replied, "Personally, I'd try to keep you alive, too. Course, I'm a doctor. It's sort of part of the job. I'm not saying Jim's entirely right, but it's not smart to go get reckless with your life."
"I'm not gonna be reckless," she muttered, "I just wanna do my job, Bones."
"I heard what you said that night… the night we found out."
"And what was that?"
"You said 'It's better to burn out than to fade away'. Don't do anything stupid, Minnie."
Minnie didn't say anything for a while. She simply picked at the hem of her skirt before finally saying, "I won't, Bones. Don't worry. I just… I miss going down on away missions. I miss the thrill. I miss… I miss actually doing something. I'm bored up on this ship all the time."
Then, she stifled a yawn. Bones rose from his chair and offered to escort her back to her quarters, but she politely declined.
"Now, you get to bed, Minnie. I'll talk to Jim and see if we can't get you on a mission soon, okay?"
She grinned up at him, gave him a swift hug, and left the SimLab. The doctor shook his head at the girl and headed back to his own quarters, hoping to avoid several of the nurses who had been hitting on him recently. The next day, Minnie and Jim were chatting as if nothing had happened, and Jim was hell-bent on finding a mission for her to go on. The idea went well for about three months and four missions. There was a mission to a moon of the planet Hyperion, called Delphias. While the civilization of Hyperion was well advanced, just about the same level as Earth, Delphias was far behind the times. It looked quite similar to Earth's ancient classical period, that of Greece and Rome. Hyperion was currently taking issue with some of the religious practices of Delphias, as they often included the sacrifice of animals and, on desperate occasion, people. The beings of Delphias were seeing themselves in dire straits. Two political factions had been having disagreements for a great deal of time, but they were now in a full out war. The high priestess was calling for sacrifices on a daily basis to appease the gods, who she claimed were angry with them and had started the war in disguise. Starfleet was being sent to sort it out. The away team consisted of Jim, Bones, Minnie, and CPO Kidd from Tactical.
"Spock, you're in charge 'til I get back. Scotty, Chekov, keep an eye on the controls. You know how crazy our away missions can get. Now then… energize."
Bones braced himself for the odd tingling sensation that accompanied beaming, feeling infinitely relieved upon its completion. Delphias was quite odd. The entire population was centered on the only land on the moon: an island the size of China in a worldwide sea of vivid blue. The trees on the island sparkled a bright yellow in the sunlight. Strange birds with fabulously colored plumage and long tail feathers soared through the sky. The beings that greeted them were entirely humanoid save for cat-like ears that poked out from their hair and swishing tails. A tall, beautiful female led them, all dark curls, flashing eyes of deepest green, and tanned skin. Behind her, four young males carried a figure behind veils on a caravan. As they approached, the hidden figure rasped in their native tongue. The woman in front translated in a lightly accented voice.
"Among you is the final sacrifice. There is one who has defied the will of the gods six times. This is why our gods curse us with war and bloodshed. We must have the defiant one."
They looked quizzically amongst each other. Then came the rasping voice followed by a melodic alto.
"The girl. Give us the girl. She is the defiant one. Her death will please the gods."
"No," Jim said firmly, "We're here to talk. That's it. You can't-"
"Her doom was sealed on the day of her birth. She angered the gods by defying her fate. They have spoken through the High Priestess. I have heard them. They require the defiant one."
"No. Scotty, beam us up. There won't be any- Hey!"
Jim, Bones, and Kidd were quickly subdued by several large males while another grabbed Minnie by her arm and dragged her toward the priestesses. She put up a magnificent fight, but it was over as soon as she was thrown over the male's shoulder. Jim and Bones were struggling and bellowing obscenities; Kidd was far too stunned to do anything at all.
"Goddammit! You bring her back!" Jim hollered, "You bring her back!"
Bones was screaming at them, "If you hurt her, I'll break all yer damn necks! I'll invent ways to kill ya! Give her back! Fuckin' hand her over! Goddamned bastards!"
"You cannot save her," the priestess replied calmly, "Her doom is sealed. She will save this land."
"Give her back or we'll ruin this land," Jim snarled; he sounded like an animal.
"If she did not die here, fate would claim her elsewhere. The gods always receive what they have claimed."
Bones nearly ripped his own arms from their sockets in his attempt to escape as the priestesses walked away. Jim was threatening the moon with all sorts of sanctions and charges, some of which had nothing to do with what was happening. Shrill, bone-chilling screams cut the air, and every hair on Bones' body stood on end. His stomach dropped. His heart leapt into his throat. Jim began thrashing violently and hollering hoarsely. Bones struggled viciously against the being holding him.
"I suggest you release our officers immediately."
It was Spock. As soon as he was let go, Jim tore off in the direction from whence Minnie's screams emanated. Bones turned to face the Vulcan. Along with Spock were Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and several security personnel. The science officer said, "We cannot abide the manhandling of our officers. Where is Minerva?"
"She was… shit… they took her to be a sacrifice to their gods. Shit!"
Bones took off sprinting after Jim and was surprised to find Spock alongside him as he ran. An eerie silence fell over the area. The doctor's chest tightened in fear, knowing what it could mean for Minnie; he sped up. He legs and lungs burned fiercely, but he pushed himself faster. A line of priestesses was filing out. He completely ignored them, instead focusing on Jim's thumping footfalls ahead of him when they stopped abruptly. He urged himself on. Spock was easily keeping pace beside him. The sight that met his eyes in the inner sanctum made his stomach churn violently, sending bile to his throat. The doctor swallowed it with difficulty. Minnie was completely torn up from the chest down, blood having soaked her gold uniform red. Jim was creepily calm, gently stroking her curly hair. Miraculously, Bones could hear ragged breaths originating from her, letting him know that she was somehow still alive. The doctor and the Vulcan slowly moved closer to the captain and the tactician. Jim's face was utterly blank. Two dull, bluish-grey eyes peered out from under heavy lids.
"Minnie," Bones whispered, waiting for the eyes to flicker in his direction, "I have to carry you outside to get us beamed up so I can fix ya up, okay? It might hurt a little."
The young woman whimpered in response. Bones went into full doctor mode. The smell of blood filtered out. His mind began automatically categorizing each injury and how he would need to fix it, figuring out instruments he would require, and deciding whom he wanted on the surgery. All of that information was relayed to the med bay via communicator. After receiving an affirmative, he quickly but gently scooped up the young woman in his arms and headed toward the light at the entrance to the cave. Jim was close at his side the whole way, silent as the proverbial grave, with Spock following at a slight distance behind in the same fashion. Bones was trying to ignore the fact that one of his best friends in the entire Federation was currently cradled in his arms, slowly bleeding to death. He quickly found himself beaming aboard the Enterprise with no recollection of leaving the inner sanctum. The medical team was waiting on the pad with a stretcher and various supplies Bones had asked for. He quickly began issuing orders in his most deadly calm voice, making sure that his entire team knew that he was serious as hell. Shallow, raspy breaths could still be heard. Minnie was still alive… but barely. After delivering orders, he and the team made for the med bay, and Jim followed close at his heels. The captain even tried to follow him into the OR.
"Jim, I know you're worried, but you can't come in. I'm sorry," the CMO explained.
The young man's face was still eerily blank as he nodded and stepped back. Then, Dr. McCoy went to work. Nurse Chapel was prepping the patient for surgery, cutting the blood-soaked and tattered uniform off so McCoy could do the surgery. Minnie's heartbeat was becoming more irregular by the second, so he scrubbed up as quickly as he could. He could hear one of the nurses calling out O2 sats and blood pressure readings the whole time; they weren't good. Then, Nurse Houlihan poked his head in and said, "Sir? The patient's asking for you," and disappeared. Bones swallowed and went in, walking right up to Minnie. He bent his head low and close to hers. One of her eyes peeked at him, now the color of bluish steel.
"Bones," she rasped, " 's b-better to-to b-burn out…"
"Ssh, don't worry. I'm gonna patch you up. You'll be fine."
The sad, small, and knowing smile that graced Minnie's bloodied lips should have told the doctor otherwise. Br. Blake began administering anesthesia. Minnie's eyes never left Bones. Once she was under, the CMO started his work. The patient's chest and abdomen were a ruinous maze of lacerations. Muscle was sliced through to bone, organs were exposed to the view of any outsider, the entire inner workings of the human body on horrific display. The doctor's mind quickly assessed the damage: what was most important, what ought to be fixed first, what could wait. However, shortly after the work began in her chest cavity, the patient began to crash. Her body was shutting down, unable to stabilize itself after all the trauma it had suffered. Nurse Houlihan's voice was alerting McCoy to the lowering O2 sats and blood pressure until…
"Her blood pressure just dropped off, sir! We can't get a reading! O2 sats are tanking, too!"
"No! Goddammit, Minnie, don't you dare do this!"
Bones began doing everything he could think of to bring Minnie back. Nothing worked. The fucking universe won. He removed his cap and mask and gloves and just stared at Minnie before ordering everyone out of the room. No one argued. The doctor was left alone with the mangled body of his friend. With a roar of "FUCK!" he overturned the instrument table and angrily dragged a hand through his hair. Tears blurred his vision as he returned to Minnie's side, falling before he had any hope of stopping them. Slowly, he removed all the tubes and instruments, carelessly dropping them all on the floor, and he respectfully pulled a sheet over the body. Bones looked her in the face. She looked as if she were sleeping, perfectly peaceful, her features unmarred by the same torture her body endured. He reached out to stroke her curls before he broke completely. Harsh, raw sobs pushed their way out from his throat. His body was wracked by them, shaking from their force. He was being torn apart by grief he hadn't known since the death of his of his father. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep his legs from buckling. Hot tears poured down his cheeks. He could hear his own cries, and a part of him knew that everyone in the med bay could hear him; the rest of him didn't really care anymore. After what seemed like an eternity, he took a few deep, shuddering breaths in an attempt to calm himself, wiped his face, and, with a parting glance at his friend, left the OR. His staff was huddled outside the door, all in various stages of shock and sadness.
"Chapel, go find Dr. Pierce and tell him to come over and fix up Minnie," he said in a quiet, choked voice, "I can't do it. Where's Jim?"
"The captain's gone back to his quarters, sir," the blonde woman replied, "You should go to him."
The CMO nodded mutely and removed the last of his medical gear before leaving to find Jim. In the corridor, he found the entire alpha shift bridge crew: Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, Spock, even Scotty. As soon as they saw him, they knew the worst had happened. Chekov's eyes filled with tears, and Sulu put an arm around him. Uhura's face filled with pity and sadness. Scotty bowed his head, murmuring something Bones couldn't hear. Grief flickered briefly in Spock's eyes before he regained full composure; Bones wasn't even sure he really saw it. He took a deep breath.
"Cmdr. Minerva Black died of her wounds at approximately 1632 hrs SFT. Excuse me. I must inform the captain," he said quietly.
Chekov choked back a sob as the doctor passed by. Bones remembered that they'd been good friends, as both were very young, the youngest of the crew; they bonded over it. He was nearly halfway to Jim's quarters when he realized someone was following him. It was Spock.
"I know Minerva's passing will be hard on the captain and yourself, doctor. I only wish to offer my sympathy and consolation. She was my friend, as well."
"Jim won't wanna see you yet, Spock. He won't even be pleased to see me once I tell him. I reckon he'll try to hit me even, but I've gotta go because I'm the only one he'll listen to. Go be with the crew. Right now, they need you more than Jim does. Go."
Spock inclined his head slightly, and briefly rested his hand on the doctor's shoulder. Bones knew that Spock was doing his best job at comforting and thanked him. He watched the half-Vulcan walk away and turned his attention back to Jim. It would be rough. Jim, Bones had discovered, did not grieve calmly or quietly. The young captain grieved with anger, alcohol, and violence, and these did not make a good combination. Bones knew that he was probably going to have patch himself up later that evening. He took a deep breath and entered Jim's quarters using his override code. Jim was lying on his back in bed, just staring up at the ceiling, his face still blank. It was unsettling. Once he realized it was Bones, however, he jumped up and walked right over.
"What happened, Bones? Is she all right? Is she gonna be okay?"
"Minnie… she's dead, Jim. There was nothing I could do. Her body couldn't handle all the physical trauma and blood loss. She was lucky to have been alive long enough to go under. She made her peace, Jim, but… she's gone."
The doctor could see the tears threatening to fall as Jim promptly denied everything he'd just been told, his blue eyes welling up immediately. He retreated across the room, towards his desk. Every muscle in his body was tense. Suddenly, he let out a feral snarl and swiped everything off his desk, causing Bones to jump.
"No!" Jim shouted, "How could she have been at peace, Bones?! She was only twenty-two years old, for fuck's sake! She was a commander! CTO of the Enterprise, the finest ship in Starfleet! She was making something of herself! How could she have been content to die?!"
"Because she used those words again, Jim! Her final words, as she lay on that goddamned table, were 'It's better to burn out.' Because she was tired of running! She knew she couldn't live forever with the universe on her ass! She smiled at the end, Jim! Fuckin' smiled because she knew it was coming! Shit… she knew…"
The next thing he knew was Jim's fist connecting with his jaw. The only reaction from his tired body was his head twisting to the side; it didn't even hurt that much. He slowly returned his head to its former position and just looked Jim right in the eyes. The cloud of anger slowly dissipated, leaving grief and surprise in his tearful blue eyes.
"Bones… Bones, I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean…"
The captain's fingers reached out and brushed over the spot on Bones' jaw where a bruise was beginning to form already. His lip suddenly began to tremble, the tears in his eyes spilling over. Then, his face crumpled, his head tilted forward, and his whole frame shook. A noise somewhere between a sob and a scream tore from the younger man's throat, startling the older slightly. Bones' heart broke when Jim curled in on himself in his keening, flinching away from the comfort of his friend. The doctor wrapped his arms around the captain tightly, pulling him close. Jim fisted the blue fabric of Bones' shirt in his hands and sobbed into his shoulder. Bones simply kept a firm hand on Jim's lower back and used his other to stroke his hair. Surprisingly, Jim reined in his grief quickly. After only a minute or so, he gently pulled away.
"Can I stay with you tonight, Bones?" he asked softly, his voice tight and scratchy-sounding.
Without hesitation, the doctor replied, "Of course. Get what ya need, and then we'll go."
Jim nodded jerkily. While watching the captain gather his things, Bones decided to say, "Y'know, Spock was pretty worried about ya. Wanted to come see ya. You should probably talk to him."
"I don't wanna see him," Jim murmured, "Not yet… maybe tomorrow."
Bones simply replied, "Okay," and then fell silent as Jim finished gathering what he needed. When the younger man mumbled that he had everything, they left the room and headed toward the med bay, where the CMOs quarters could be found. The corridors were blissfully empty. Bones figured that the news of Minnie's death spread as quickly as a plague. The young CTO had been almost as well liked as Jim, and that was saying something because the whole damn ship loved Jim.
"Bones?" Jim asked tentatively, "Can… can I see her? Minnie?"
"Are you sure you want to, Jim? It's a lot to take in, a lot to have on your mind."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I just… I wanna see her."
"Okay… but I'll come with you," Bones replied after a moment.
Jim said nothing. He merely deposited his clothes in Bones' quarters before returning to med bay and following the doctor into the morgue. Dr. Pierce was on duty still. He looked up as soon as they entered, his blue eyes brighter than Jim's and bearing sadness and pity. He sighed, ran a hand through his grey-streaked black hair, and said, "I'm going for coffee. She's in twenty-six, McCoy."
Bones watched the other doctor leave, then walked up to drawer twenty-six. He almost cried again. Minnie was pale, paler than she'd ever been in life, which was an accomplishment. Her light, strawberry-blonde curls floated around and framed her face like a halo, retaining their color and glow even in death. He ran a gentle hand through her hair again before stepping aside for Jim and moving to the other side of the table. Jim's face was eerily blank once more as he mimicked Bones' action of stroking her hair.
"I really thought she could do it, Bones," he said at last, " I really thought she could beat the universe. Stupid… I still believed in no-win situations…"
"It's not stupid to believe in that, Jim."
"It is. Even in the worst times, we've found a good side somehow. The destruction of the Kelvin gave me a reason to join Starfleet, the destruction Vulcan galvanized Spock's resolve and gave me the Enterprise, a way to save Pike. Every bad thing has brought about something good."
"Minnie sort of chose her way out," Bones replied simply, "She wanted to go out with a bang, and she did. She'd made her peace and went with a bang. She'll be remembered, Jim, just like she wanted."
"I guess that's good, choosing your way out. Hope I get to one day…"
It was the doctor's turn to fall silent. He watched as Jim continued to stroke the girl's hair. At long last, Jim removed his hand, then bent over to brush his lips over her forehead. He straightened up and looked at Bones.
"I'm tired," was all he said; his voice was thick and choked.
Bones nodded, covered Minnie back up with the sheet, and closed her back in the drawer, and then placed a hand on Jim's shoulder and led him out of the room, toward the CMOs quarters. Thirty minutes later, the two men were seated on the bed in their pajamas, huddled against the wall, Jim's head on Bones' shoulder. The doctor let his mind wander. Then he realized no one had told the Black family about the passing of Minnie. He sighed.
"Jim, stay here. I have a call to make. I'll be back shortly."
The captain nodded but didn't move. Bones headed to his office and dialed up Minnie's home. It took a few moments before Mrs. Black answered; it gave him time to put together his clinical façade.
"Oh, hello, Leonard!" she exclaimed, "You're calling rather early."
"Mrs. Black, I'm afraid I have some bad news concerning Minnie," he said, watching the woman's face fall, "We beamed down on a diplomatic mission, and she was taken as a… a hostage by the local population. She was gravely wounded. Captain Kirk and I managed to get her aboard the Enterprise and into surgery. Her… her body was unable to handle the trauma and blood loss she suffered. I'm sorry, Mrs. Black."
The woman's hands shot to her mouth, and she began to cry. Bones lowered his head in order to avoid looking at her. After a few moments, she managed to say, "When will she come home?"
"We'll be heading for Earth starting tomorrow morning. I reckon we'll be there in three days, maybe less. We're not far."
"Thank… thank you, Leonard… for calling us. We'll start… we'll get everything ready."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Black. I truly am."
"I know you are, dear. No mother wants to hear that news, but I'm relieved to have heard it from you, her friend. Good-bye, Leonard."
"Good-bye, Mrs. Black."
The woman smiled tearfully at him before the connection blinked out. Bones barely kept himself from crying again. His breathing pattern sped up; he was nearly hyperventilating. However, he quickly controlled himself, rose from his chair, and returned to his quarters. Jim had fallen asleep on the bed, looking as though he'd quite simply toppled over from his former position. Even in his sleep, the younger man looked troubled and sad. The doctor ran a quick hand through the captain's short blonde hair and then pulled the blankets over him. He pondered a moment before joining his friend, their backs touching. Bones was quite sure he'd never fallen asleep so fast in his life… nor been woken so abruptly. It was a literal slap to the face. Jim was thrashing wildly, fighting invisible enemies. The doctor immediately began shaking him to wake him up. Suddenly, a fist connected with his temple. Bones was knocked back, momentarily seeing stars before shakily rising to his feet, his vision still a little blurry. He looked at his companion. Jim was hyperventilating. He was backed against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest, his eyes wide and fearful. For a moment, all Bones could do was stare.
"I-I couldn't stop them, Bones!" he said frantically, "I saw them torturing Minnie, and I tried to stop them, but I couldn't! There were too many! They killed her, Bones! Right in front of me, they killed her! There… there was so much blood…"
Tears spilled from his bright blue eyes. Bones quickly sat beside him, draping an arm over his shoulders. Jim leaned into the hug and buried his face in the doctor's shoulder. The younger man began to shake, quietly sobbing. Then, an animalistic scream ripped from his throat, breaking the doctor's heart. Jim was crying in earnest, wailing loudly, clutching at Bones as though his life depended on it. Bones held him tightly. He rested his head on Jim's, stroked his back, firmly held the back of his head, anything to give the young captain some amount of comfort. He could feel tears soaking through his T-shirt as his friend cried. Even after the tears and sobbing stopped, Bones held Jim.
"I miss her, Bones," he whimpered, "I miss her so much."
"Me, too, Jim… me, too."
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Do you all hate me now? I hope not... Keep an eye on the inboxes for the next chapter. It'll probably be up about the same time next week. If there are any questions, feel perfectly free to ask them. Reviews are deeply appreciated and make me happier than the ending of a Disney movie.