Unscrupulous

Chapter 5

Christine Chapel monitored her ancestor's condition, now thankful that he was going to recover and also for the diversion. She embarrassed herself a couple of weeks ago when she found out that the man she was in love with was already married. She had never completely understood Vulcan mating customs. It was revealed to her, along with everyone else that Spock was now divorced, but she knew also that in another seven years, he would be forced by biology and tradition to take another mate. In her heart of hearts, she knew it would probably not be her. When she was under the influence of a malady that caused everyone to lose their inhibitions and she revealed her true feelings to Spock, she later felt that she had lost some of her self respect.* If she had known that he was already taken, she would have not revealed her true feelings for him, even under the influence of the disease that nearly everyone on board had. Even though she was embarrassed enough to want to leave the ship, her tour of duty on the Enterprise would not be over for another two years. She would have to live the incident down during that time. Nobody had said a word to her, but that still didn't negate her feelings of utter abashment. She also felt that Spock was attempting to distance himself from her. She couldn't blame him. Even though he did not show it, she knew he must have been embarrassed as well. He seemed more stoic than usual, but he too seemed relieved by this new development. He and the captain had parted for the bridge, Kirk ordering McCoy to inform him of when Christopher regained consciousness. Chapel also knew that Uhura was developing feelings for the Vulcan first officer, after he had complimented her on her expertise with the ship's communication systems.** Christine looked down at their new patient, fascinated by the idea of meeting someone that was a part of her family, albeit two hundred years into the past. Everyone still wondered how he got here, and the new arrival named Rasmussen didn't seem willing to tell them much. He claimed to be an historian, but it appeared that his credentials were lacking. They had docked his time ship in the shuttle bay. It fit neatly between the Galileo II and the Copernicus. Rasmussen, in a successful effort to prove to them that he was who he said he was, had powered it's timing mechanisms down so it wouldn't disappear again. As the nurse busied herself with their new patient, she heard the footfalls of Dr. McCoy in the entry way of the recovery room, catching a whiff of a replicated after shave cologne as he stepped closer to them. She knew he had worn it so Christopher would feel more at home once he was conscious.

"Christine, we need to talk."

"What about, Doctor?" She took another whiff of the cologne. "Aqua Velva?"

"No, actually, it's Hai Karate. Aside from that, I think you know what we need to talk about. I don't think you should tell John that you are related to him."

"Why not? What would be the harm?"

"He will be freaked out enough when he wakes up. It's not every day that someone like him is mysteriously whisked away from their home and transported into the distant future."

"I see your point, but he's basically a stranger in a strange land. He's going to need someone familiar to help him adjust to what's happened."

McCoy grinned.

"Do you still grok Spock?"

Her face grew red from the reference to Heinlein's novel.

"That's not very funny, sir. My feelings for Mr. Spock are my business. John needs to come to grips with what has happened to him, that's all."

"Sorry, Chris. However, I think we should leave that up to Counselor Noel. Psychology is not your forte."

"Oh, isn't it?" She retorted a little sharper than she intended. "I think I can show that I can apply it."

"As I recall, your application of psychology pissed Garrovick off and he was almost killed by that cloud monster."***

"Your point, Doctor McCoy?"

"We don't know what his reaction would be if he found out-"

Their conversation was interrupted by a low groan from their patient. As they watched, he opened his eyes, slowly sat up with assistance from Chapel, and stared at them quizzically.

"If I found out what?" Christopher asked grouchily, wiping the sleep out of his eyes with his hand. "Is this some kind of a joke? What is this place and who are you people? Am I in hell?"

"It's no joke, Mr. Christopher." McCoy answered with a gentle smile. "Welcome back to the Enterprise. I'm Dr. Leonard McCoy and this is Nurse Christine Chapel. No, you are not in hell. You are perfectly safe from fire and brimstone."

"I've been here before? Oh, shit. Karma's a bitch. I guess this is what I get for trying to kill myself. What the hell am I doing here and how did I get here?"

"We were hoping you could tell us. Excuse me. I have to tell the captain that you are finally awake."

Christopher looked at Nurse Chapel curiously as McCoy headed for the nearest wall intercom.

"Is he for real?"

"Yes, sir. He is. If you don't mind my asking, what prompted you to want to take your own life?"

He smiled at her, now considering that he was in the hands of the same ones who warned him not to reveal to the public that he saw the Enterprise in the sky right before Apollo 11 went to the moon.

"I see what this is about. You people destroyed my life and now you are interrogating me. If you must know, it was not for selfish reasons. Both my wife and I are senior citizens and my kids are now grown. I couldn't expect them to support me when the money ran out. I felt I had no choice but to end it all."

"You didn't want to be a burden to our—I mean your family."

"That's correct, beautiful. I didn't." If he had noticed her slip-up, he didn't show it. "Am I still in the twenty-first century?"

"No, sir. You are in the twenty-third. However, there is a gentleman here who claims that he can bring you back home...if that is what you want."

"Back home to what, young lady? I have no life back there, thanks to you people."

"Why are you blaming us? We are just as surprised at seeing you as you are of us. You should be blaming the Men in Black. They are the ones who got you fired, not us."

"That's true, I suppose. But, when I first saw your ship in the sky in the sixties, I felt it was my duty to report what I saw. This ship is the reason I got canned." Christopher's expression softened a little. "However, you are right. So all that was revealed in that old Star Trek episode was true. I might as well try and make a new life for myself in the here and now."

"Won't you miss your family?"

"Of course I will, Miss Chapel. However. a lot has changed since my last encounter with you people. I now see that this is a better era than the one I left. It will take time, but I will adjust."

*"The Naked Time"

** "Who Mourns for Adonis?"

*** "Obsession"