June 2257

Starfleet Medical – 1100 H

An armed Security officer was lingering outside of Pavel's hospital room and he gave Arianne a complimentary nod as she came down the hallway, "Captain Pike's in with the patient now, but you can go in if you want, Lieutenant Pike," he stated in an official tone. "The patient's still non-verbal…"

"Excuse me, Ensign Michaels, but the patient has a name," Arianne snapped, her calm demeanor quickly fading as she glared up at the giant Security officer, not caring that he was armed. "And if you ever discuss someone in need of medical care with such casualness again, you'll wish you hadn't."

Ensign Michaels, who had been one of the few cadets granted the privilege of taking Security shifts on campus during the summer, nodded and quickly tapped the panel that would grant her access.

Arianne sighed and silently entered the hospital room; her father was sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed where Pavel, who was still pale and badly bruised, lay with a short sleeved patient gown covering his body while driplines and electrodes littered his thin arms and hands. There was a stylus on top of the blanket, but Pavel wasn't paying attention to it or to her father; he was staring at the ceiling.

"Pavel, you have a visitor," Chris said, gazing at Pavel with a concerned expression. "It's Arianne."

Pavel was silent for a moment and then looked at Arianne while he lifted one hand to his throat and winced, "Do you have a sore throat, Pavel?" Arianne asked as she took another step towards the bed.

"I vas…strangled," Pavel spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "I am supposed to…rest…my voice."

Arianne nodded, but didn't come any closer to the bed, "You…you kin sit close if you vant to," Pavel whispered, wincing as he swallowed. "I…am…not afraid…of you…Lieutenant…Pike."

"Of course," Arianne replied as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, "You, of course, probably know that I am here not only as a friend, but also as a Starfleet counselor; right, Pavel?"

Pavel nodded, "If you need me to leave, Lieutenant, I can," Chris said in a gentle voice. "I can go see about getting young Pavel here some food brought to him; I think Pavel would like that, hmm?"

Pavel was about to open his mouth when Chris shook his head, "Doctor McCoy and Doctor Puri will both have fits if you don't rest your vocal cords," he said in a concerned voice as he got to his feet. "Use signals or the stylus to communicate until your throat heals a bit more. Have a nice visit with Arianne and if you really feel a compelling need to vocalize anything, please don't do anything but whisper."

Pavel nodded and was quiet until Chris left the room, "I kannot remember a lot," Pavel whispered as he looked into Arianne's gentle blue eyes. "I remember zat Wulcan professor talking to me and carrying me to a transporter because I could not valk by myself. Doktor Puri and ze professor said it haz been two veeks since I was taken, but I kannot remember anyzing after going shopping vith Keptin Pike…"

"Pavel, it takes time for people to remember things after they've been through traumatic events," Arianne explained in a gentle voice. "My father said you were shopping with him in downtown San Francisco that day, right? Why don't you tell me a little bit about that, if you can remember that?"

Pavel nodded and began typing on the touch-sensitive keyboard that was on the stylus, nodding at Arianne to read it. The afternoon was sunny and Captain Pike insisted that I have something to wear other than my pajamas and cadet uniform. I protested, but Captain Pike took me off campus and we went to a very nice store that had very nice clothes. Captain Pike was helping me pick out some clothes when Andrei showed up and threatened to kill the staff if we did not leave with him. The staff was frightened and fled, so Andrei immediately tried to take me with him. Captain Pike tried to stop him, so Andrei engaged in a fistfight and ended up spraying Captain Pike with a strange can of something…

Pavel suddenly sighed and set the stylus on the bed, "I am tired," he whispered. "Can I sleep now?"

"You can do whatever you want, Pavel," Arianne replied warmly as she gently caressed Pavel's hand, being very careful not to jar any of the driplines or electrodes loose. "Just take it easy, all right?"

Pavel nodded and watched as Arianne took the words he had written and saved them in a private file that could only be accessed by her and himself, "When you feel up to talking some more, you tell someone from Starfleet Medical and I'll come visit again," she said in a gentle voice. "Okay?"

"Sank you," Pavel whispered as he sighed deeply and allowed his eyes to close. "I must sleep now."

As Pavel slipped into a deep sleep, the intercom suddenly beeped, "Lieutenant Pike, if you are in the building, please report to the front desk," an automated voice said. "Lieutenant Pike to the front."

Frowning, Arianne sighed and, standing up, she walked over to the door and quietly left the room.

The foyer of Starfleet Medical was almost empty except for a harried-looking receptionist that sat behind the main desk and Jim and Sam, both of whom were sitting in the waiting area. Jim looked tired, but healthy as he fastened the buttons of his cadet jacket and Sam looked calm and almost at home.

"Jim, you're back!" Arianne said in a cheerful voice as she came down the hallway, saw Jim and Sam sitting in the waiting area, and immediately caught Jim in a gentle hug. "You didn't have to page me."

Jim looked confused as he returned the hug, "I didn't have you paged," he replied in a confused voice as they pulled apart. "I didn't even know you were here, to be honest. Sam used some of his vacation days to come back to San Francisco with me because he wanted to see Starfleet Academy and convinced me to get checked out as a precaution; the shuttle ride from Atlanta was long, hot, and very boring."

"If you or Sam didn't have me paged, who did?" Arianne asked in a worried voice. "I just stopped by to do some counseling rounds, but I've got class this afternoon and I don't have a lot of time to waste."

Before Jim or Sam could reply, Leonard walked into view wearing his complete Starfleet Medical uniform, "I had you paged because we need to talk," he said in an unusually serious voice.

"Of course, Doctor McCoy, what can I do for you?" Arianne asked in a gentle, pleasant voice.

Leonard sighed, "I'd prefer if we talked in Doctor Harriman's office," he replied seriously.

"Do you have permission to be in there?" Arianne asked, wondering if Leonard wanted to make out.

Leonard nodded, "Doctor Harriman's on vacation with her husband on the East Coast and she said I could use her office if I needed it," he replied. "We really do need to talk now, Lieutenant Pike."

"Jim, how about I meet you and Sam for lunch at the canteen?" Arianne suggested as she turned to face Jim and Sam, signaling to Leonard that he needed to be patient. "Go show Sam your dorm, okay?"

Even though Jim wanted to stay, he nodded and frowned as Arianne followed Leonard down the hall.

Dr. Harriman's Office

A large desk sat in the far corner of the room that had a computer on one end of it and a stack of PADDs containing patient files in the other. Pictures of various flora and fauna throughout the world littered the walls except the spaces where two padded chairs and a large couch sat along with a fake plant.

Arianne entered the room first and immediately went into a wall sit on the wall closest to the door since she had been in constant pain for several days. Leonard came in after her and immediately walked over to a small stack of electronic x-ray films that were in a pile on top of a filing cabinet in the other corner.

"Before she went on vacation, Doctor Harriman told me to look after her patients," Leonard explained as he picked up the top film in the pile and activated it. "I was reviewing her patient files and, strangely enough, I found that you had been to see her three days ago about some severe lower abdominal pain…"

Arianne sighed, "Yes," she replied as she slowly stood up. "I think it's because of the endometriosis."

"This scan shows that a lot endometrial tissue has grown, but it can be removed surgically," Leonard explained as he walked over to Arianne and showed her the scan. "There was a note in the exam file that recommended surgery as soon as possible to possibly increase the chances of fertility, but the surgery doesn't have to be done here or even by me; it can be done anywhere and by anyone…"

Arianne was silent for several seconds before swallowing hard, "I want it done here," she replied in a commanding voice as she went back into a wall sit. "How soon can I be booked for the surgery?"

"I'll have to take this scan to Doctor Puri and get him to assign you a surgeon, date, and time," Leonard replied in a concerned voice as he tucked the film under his arm. "He's the Chief Medical Officer…"

Arianne nodded and stood up again, "Do whatever you need to," she said in a tired voice. "If that's all you wanted to talk to me about, Doctor McCoy, I've got to get going to lunch with Jim and Doctor Kirk."

"Arianne, if you're not okay with this, we can talk about your other options," Leonard replied softly.

Arianne shook her head, "I expected this to happen, Leonard," she said in a less than pleasant tone as she hugged herself. "Being exposed to space as a baby caused my disabilities and it also caused the cancer and this other thing; I've done continual research on my conditions since I was old enough to."

"They don't make you any less remarkable," Leonard replied softly as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close. "If you really want a kid at some point in your life, I'll do whatever I can to medically help you be able to achieve that. I may be your boyfriend, but I am also a good doctor…"

Arianne smiled as she gently placed a hand on Leonard's cheek and caressed it, "Len, I know," she replied in a gentle voice. "You're a good doctor and you're also a very good boyfriend to me."

"Can we have dinner together since you've already promised lunch to Jim?" Leonard asked as they pulled apart. "It's been a long time since you and I have done anything together by ourselves."

Arianne nodded, "If nothing else comes up, we can," she replied calmly. "Now, go back to work."

Leonard nodded and silently left the room, "Lieutenant Pike to Ensign Kirk," Arianne said, pulling out her communicator and holding it to her mouth. "Jim, can we go off campus for a little while? I need to vent."

Golden Gate Park – 1200 H

Storm clouds were gathering overhead, but Arianne paid no attention to them as she lay in the grass while Jim sat next to her with his back against a tree, "First the surgery to eliminate the breast cancer and now this," she said in an exasperated voice. "Jim, honestly, I'm not sure how to react to this."

Jim nodded, silently relieved that Sam was off trying to get them all something for lunch so that he and Arianne could have some private time together to talk like they used to, "If you didn't want kids someday, this wouldn't bother you so much," he replied softly. "So, does Bones actually know?"

"Know what?" Arianne asked softly as she lay in the grass, deeply comforted about how cool it was.

Jim sighed, "That you're in love with him?" he asked smugly. "Why else would you react so strongly about the endometriosis in front of him, Arianne? You love Bones and you're also scared to be."

"I think Leonard's afraid to let anyone really love him," Arianne replied softly as she sat up and looked at Jim with a compassionate expression on her face. "He keeps everyone at a distance, even you and I."

Jim nodded, "I'm kind of the same way with everyone else but you," he said in a soft voice as he suddenly looked thoughtful. "I talked about that a little bit with Amanda when she visited with me in Atlanta and she suggested that I talk to a counselor on campus and maybe see if there are any meetings for adult survivors of domestic abuse or childhood violence available in the area. We talked about Tarsus and also the crap that happened with Frank. I don't even want to tell Bones about Frank, Arianne."

"You don't have to, but Leonard would still be your friend even if you did," Arianne replied softly as she hugged her knees. "Also, Jim, you can't solve every problem with trips to the bottom of a bottle…"

Jim sighed and offered a sad smile, "Yeah, I know," he replied somberly. "Maybe I should ask Bones if I can tag along with him to one of the AA meetings that Doctor Piper runs in the city. It might help."

Arianne scooted over to the tree and was unsurprised when Jim leaned against her, "Arianne, you are so lucky to have Captain Pike as a dad," he commented softly. "He didn't beat you when you screwed up."

"You can share my dad if you want," Arianne replied gently. "He already sees you as like a son to him."

Jim smiled, but before he could reply, Sam came walking down the path holding a small tray holding three plastic drinks, "Sorry Jim, I couldn't find anything you weren't allergic to," Sam commented as he walked across the grass. "I went to a small downtown grocery store and here's some lemonade…"

Nodding, Jim took the lemonade and immediately sipped it, "What's in it?" Arianne asked worriedly.

"It's just flavored water," Sam replied gently. "I know Jim can't have actual lemonade, don't worry."

Jim nodded and began sipping the lemonade, "So, Doctor Kirk, what do you think of San Francisco so far?" Arianne asked in a pleasant voice, ignoring the fact that Sam was also offering her a lemonade.

"I think it's nice and I'd stay out here to visit with Jim longer if I wasn't at the tail end of my internship," Sam replied as he set the bottle of lemon flavored water at Arianne's feet. "Sadly, I have to get back to Atlanta tomorrow and start prepping for my boards that I need to pass to advance to my residency."

Arianne sighed and checked her watch, "Ah, speaking of studying, I have to get back to campus if I'm going to make Advanced Diplomacy on time," she said in an apologetic voice as she stood up.

"No Command or Medical cadet is required to take that class," Jim replied in a confused voice.

Arianne scoffed, "It was recommended by my counselor," she replied in a slightly disgruntled voice as she swept the grass off of her cadet uniform. "It seems I need to improve my social skills somewhat."

"You seem perfectly sociable to me," Sam commented in an amused voice. "Why would you…?"

Arianne bit her lip, "Jim, you can tell Sam about my disabilities if you want, but I don't have the time or desire to talk about it," she replied in a semi-irritated voice. "I'll see you back on campus, all right Jim?"

"Okay," Jim replied, sighing softly as Arianne walked off across the grass towards the bus stop.

"Welcome to Advanced Diplomacy," Spock stated tonelessly. "I am Commander Spock."

Arianne sighed as the chronometer on her study stylus switched to 0100, "This class is a combination of lectures and exercises designed to provide you opportunity in which to learn social graces essential for specific roles within Starfleet," Spock stated in a toneless voice. "As this is not part of the standard curriculum, I only offer this course during the summer semesters and I expect a complete effort…"

The entire room was silent as Spock turned, walked to his desk, and picked up a stack of styluses before moving over to the rows of desks, "Here is the required text for this class," he stated as he handed the stack to Hikaru, who was sitting in the front row, "Please take one from the pile and pass it up the rows until each student has one. Even though this class is very small, we will cover a lot of material…"

"Excuse me, sir," Hikaru spoke as he raised his hand. "I'm supposed to take one for Cadet Chekov too…"

Spock was silent for a moment and nodded, "You may have two texts, Cadet Sulu," he replied tonelessly. "I will contact Cadet Chekov this evening with further instruction as how to keep up with the work."

Hikaru nodded and after taking two styluses, he passed the stack on across the row. When Arianne got a hold of the stack, she took one and passed it on. From what she knew, the class consisted of her, Hikaru, Pavel, Mitchell, and several other cadets who were staying on campus for the summer term.

"This first class will consist of a lecture on why social graces are essential in order to be successful in an organization such as Starfleet," Spock stated as he walked to his desk and picked up his own stylus. "The content of the lecture can be found in the introductory part of the text, but I encourage you to listen."

Casting his eyes around at the class, Spock tapped a few buttons on his stylus and cleared his throat, expecting all eyes to be at the front. As he began to read, however, Arianne pretended to focus while her mind wandered to thoughts of her upcoming surgery; would such a surgery really be effective?

"Lieutenant Pike?"

Arianne looked up from her stylus to find Spock standing at her desk, "Oh, Professor Spock, would you like me to read a section?" she asked in a distant voice. "I was just lost in some personal thoughts."

"I suspected as much," Spock replied tonelessly. "Lieutenant, class has been over for half an hour."

Arianne looked at the chronometer and was shocked when she saw that it was 1530, "Oh, Professor Spock, I apologize for not paying attention," she said in an apologetic voice. "Things on my mind…"

Spock nodded and silently took a seat next to Arianne, "Would you care to elaborate since I serve in a dual role as your professor and counselor?" he asked in a softer voice. "I am capable of listening."

"I don't think I can get into this right now," Arianne replied softly as her stomach suddenly growled.

Spock raised an eyebrow, "How long has it been since you consumed anything with significant nutritional value?" he asked in an unusually concerned voice. "Food is essential for functioning."

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," Arianne replied softly, knowing she couldn't lie to Spock. "I just found out some troubling news about my health and it's preoccupied me to the point where I am unfocused."

Spock sighed and stood up, "I think it prudent to continue this meeting in my office where I will order both of us something with nutritional value," he stated tonelessly. "Starving yourself is illogical."

"Okay," Arianne replied softly as she got to her feet. "Won't Nyota accuse us of inappropriate…?"

Spock looked thoughtful for a moment and then began to walk towards the lower exit, "Nyota is currently in Africa visiting her family," he replied tonelessly. "Besides, I do not believe that she will antagonize you further, as I have made it clear that such behavior is inappropriate to engage in."

Even though she had her doubts, Arianne nodded and silently followed Spock out of the classroom.

Due to the summer semester being less intense, the campus was surprisingly empty and Arianne found that the walk from the classroom to the Command Building was surprisingly short. It took little time to get to Commander Spock's office and Arianne immediately sat down in the visitor's chair.

Spock, however, said nothing as he walked over to the replicator and began inputting commands with relative ease for several minutes before he brought a small bowl of stew over to Arianne and gave it to her before retreating to his desk to eat his own. Arianne sighed and slowly began to eat her stew.

Suddenly, Arianne's communicator beeped, "Starfleet Medical to Lieutenant Pike," a voice said.

Frowning, Arianne set the bowl down on the desk and took out her communicator, "Yes?" she asked.

"You're needed at Starfleet Medical immediately," a worried voice spoke. "There is a problem."

Arianne sighed and slowly stood up, "I apologize for the interruption, but I am needed at Starfleet Medical," she replied in a distressed voice. "Can we perhaps continue this discussion later?"

"That would be agreeable," Spock replied tonelessly as Arianne hurried to the door and left the room.

Starfleet Medical – 1630

Leonard and Dr. Puri were standing in the foyer at the front desk when Arianne entered Starfleet Medical, "You summoned me?" she asked in a concerned voice. "Has something happened?"

Before Leonard or Dr. Puri could reply, Captain Pike and an upset Jim came down the hallway, "Jim, what happened to you?!" Arianne asked in a concerned voice. "I thought you were visiting with Sam?"

"Sam and I got into a fight and he's still downtown," Jim replied in an upset voice. "I needed to talk to someone, so I came here and ran into Captain Pike. Anyway, I'm not really in the best mood…"

Arianne nodded and Dr. Puri cleared his throat, "If you have a moment, Lieutenant Pike, I would like to speak with you privately," he said in a serious voice. "Doctor McCoy, you're off duty for tonight."

"Wait, why do you need to speak with Arianne?" Jim asked in a concerned voice. "Is she sick?"

Captain Pike frowned, "Do I need to cancel my trip to the Orbital Shipyard?" he asked worriedly.

Arianne suddenly felt very overwhelmed and silently walked off down the hallway with her hands covering her face so that nobody would see the tears falling from her eyes. She quickly disappeared into an empty exam room and cried openly as she retreated to the empty exam bed and sat on top of it.

For several minutes, Arianne sat in the exam room crying quietly and she only looked up when the door suddenly slid open, "Arianne, I'm sorry," she heard her father say in a somber voice. "I panicked unnecessarily and I embarrassed you in front of Doctor Puri, Doctor McCoy, and Ensign Kirk."

"I have to have more endometrial surgery, Daddy" Arianne replied, drying her tears on the sleeve of her cadet uniform as she looked at her father. "I went and saw Doctor Harriman three about the pain I've been having for the last several weeks and she did some scans. Doctor McCoy apparently took over Doctor Harriman's patients because she went on vacation and Doctor McCoy found my scan…"

Chris nodded, but didn't speak, "There's endometrial tissue that have cysts in them," Arianne replied softly as the door slid open and Leonard quietly slipped into the room. "Oh, Doctor McCoy, what…?"

"Doctor Puri scheduled you for tomorrow," Leonard replied somberly. "If that's too soon, I can…"

Arianne shook her head, "What time?" she asked softly. "I need to inform Professor Spock that I'll be absent from class tomorrow and also put in a request for medical downtime from my counseling…"

"You need to be here for pre-op stuff at 0500," Leonard replied softly. "You'll get more information then, but I'm just getting off duty so I think I'm going to go off campus to Doctor Piper's AA meeting tonight and I'll grab some dinner before I come back. Captain Pike, can I have an off campus pass?"

Chris nodded, "I'll authorize it with Security only if you take Ensign Kirk with you," he replied firmly.

"I'd like to take Arianne along for support too, if that's okay," Leonard said, giving Arianne a look that indicated that he really wanted to give her a chance to relax. "We're allowed supports at the…"

Chris sighed, "No eating or drinking after midnight, Arianne," he replied in a calm voice, nodding at Arianne that she should go with Jim and Leonard tonight. "Please be safe out there, okay?"

"I love you, Daddy," Arianne whispered as she stood up and gave Chris a hug. "I really do."

Chris smiled and returned the hug, "I'll postpone my trip for a couple of days just to help you get through the surgery, but I'll still go to the Orbital Shipyard," he replied softly as they pulled apart. "I have to go see how the Enterprise is coming along and familiarize myself with the layout…"

"AA's at 6," Leonard commented as he checked his watch. "If we're gonna have time to change into civvies and eat somewhere before the meeting, we should think about making tracks. I don't like wearing my cadet uniform off campus if I can help it because then I get watched a lot, but you…"

Arianne nodded, "I'll change into civvies," she replied gently, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

"Have a good evening," Chris said in a pleasant voice. "I think I'm going to go visit Cadet Chekov before I go back to my office and do some work. Try and get some rest for the surgery tomorrow if you can."

Arianne smiled at her father and left the room with Leonard. Chris waited a moment and then left the room. As he passed the foyer, he could see Leonard and Arianne talking to Jim and Dr. Puri. Dr. Puri nodded and went off towards the administration offices while Chris continued towards Pavel's room.

San Francisco Bayside Community Center – 0600

Arianne saw several people sitting on chairs that were in a circle in the middle of the room and a table containing a coffee machine, Styrofoam cups, and a box of donuts in the far right corner. Leonard immediately made a beeline for the coffee, but Jim silently wandered over to the furthest corner of the room and went into a wall sit with no expression on his face. He was still angry over Sam's departure.

During the dinner they had shared at a small diner not far from the center, Jim had admitted his desire to go out and get plastered and Leonard had talked him into coming to the meeting to vent his feelings, but Jim had immediately asked Arianne if she was coming. Arianne had replied that she was and then she had told him about the endometriosis surgery she was having the next day and Jim had promised to not only start attending AA regularly if he liked it, he had also promised that he would be there for her.

Soft chattering filled the room as Dr. Piper came into the room holding a large box that held extra manuals, AA literature, and plaques with encouraging words written on them. He immediately noticed Jim hiding in the corner and handed the box to one of the others before silently walking over to Jim.

Arianne watched silently as Dr. Piper exchanged a few words with Jim and Jim offered a quiet reply, but didn't move from his spot. Dr. Piper nodded, said a few more things, and then moved over to the circle and set up a large chart that listed a greeting and each of the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

"Welcome to Alcoholics Anonymous," Dr. Piper said in a pleasant voice. "My name is Mark, I'm a recovering alcoholic who has been sober nearly 29 years, and it's nice to meet you all."

There were murmurs of greeting as Leonard joined the circle with a full cup of coffee in hand, "Let us open the meeting with a moment of silence to do with as you wish," Dr. Piper stated in a calm voice.

As Leonard and many of the other attendees bowed their heads in silent reflection, Arianne gazed over at Jim and was alarmed to see Jim's eyes filling with tears, "Now, let us recite the Serenity Prayer," Dr. Piper stated in a calm voice. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and, wisdom to know the difference. Who would like to read the introduction?"

Leonard quickly grabbed a book out of the box and raised his hand with his thumb in the correct page, "Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism," he said in a toneless voice as Dr. Piper nodded at him. "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."

"Thank you," Dr. Piper replied, giving Leonard an encouraging smile. "Let's recite the steps, okay?"

As everyone recited the Twelve Steps, Jim straightened up and slowly moved over to Arianne, "I'm outta here," he whispered in an anxious voice. "I can't open up to all these strangers about my problems."

"Are there any newcomers?" Dr. Piper asked pleasantly, his eyes on both Arianne and Jim.

Arianne sighed, "I'm Arianne and I came as a support for my friends," she replied, knowing that Jim wouldn't talk unless she did. "I've never been addicted to anything, but I have been forcibly injected with illegal alien substances at various points in my life by sick idiots who had nothing better to do."

There was some murmuring and all eyes immediately drifted to Jim, who was lingering near the table to grab a donut before he left, "I'm Jim," he said tonelessly. "I honestly have had a really bad day and I don't know why I'm here, so I'm just gonna grab a donut and get out of here as fast as I can."

"What's been bad about your day, Jim?" Dr. Piper asked, noticing that Leonard was giving Jim a worried look. "Why don't you grab a donut and vent a bit before you leave for the night? It might help."

Jim paused for a moment and then took a donut from the box, "Well, my brother came for a visit and we were getting along great until he mentioned that he was getting married in August and that Winona said she'd come to the wedding only if I wasn't there," he said in a frustrated and bitter voice. "I asked Sam how he felt about that and he was flustered by it, so I told him where to go and left him in the park while I went back to the Academy. Now that I'm here, I just feel very lost and like a scared little kid."

"I see," Dr. Piper replied in a neutral tone, silently concerned for Jim. "Anything else you wanna share?"

Jim shook his head and remained next to the table, "Does anyone else want to share?" Dr. Piper asked.

To Jim and Arianne's surprise, Leonard stood up, "I'm Leonard and I've been clean and sober since the middle of September 2255," Leonard stated bluntly. "I've never shared at an actual meeting before, but my girlfriend's going in for surgery tomorrow and my best friend's having a rough day and I'm scared…"

As Leonard continued talking, Arianne went over to the donut box and picked up a donut that was filled with cream and decorated with sprinkles. Jim gave her a surprised look, but made no comment about it.

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur for Arianne as she ate the donut and suddenly found memories of traumatic experiences from both her youth and adulthood flooding through her already tired mind.

"Arianne?"

A hand came down on top of hers, "Arianne, the meeting's over," Leonard's gentle voice whispered.

"I got lost in thought while you were talking and I guess I lost track of time," Arianne replied as she turned away from the table and saw that all the chairs were empty. "Leonard, where's Jim?"

Leonard sighed, "Near the end of the meeting, Jim left the room and Doctor Piper followed after him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid," he replied softly, showing her his watch. "It's 20:00 H."

"I'm sorry, Mark, I didn't mean to get so angry," Jim's voice spoke in a remorseful voice as the door suddenly opened and Dr. Piper and Jim came back into the room. "It's just been a hard day."

Dr. Piper nodded and gestured to the chairs, "If you want to blow off some steam, Jim, why don't you help me clean up the room?" he suggested gently. "It usually takes me about 45 minutes to put everything away when I have to clean it up by myself, but if you helped me, I bet it would go a whole lot faster."

"Yeah, okay," Jim replied in a toneless voice as he moved over to the chairs. "I'll stack the chairs."

Arianne moved to help, but Leonard gently touched her arm, "Just take it easy," he said softly.

Swallowing hard, Arianne silently watched as Leonard moved to help Jim and Dr. Piper clean up; she was feeling anxious about the surgery the next morning and had to fight hard to keep herself from crying.

Starfleet Medical – 0530

"You didn't have to come, Jim," Arianne said in a pleasant voice as she sat down on the biobed in nothing but a patient gown and hospital slippers. "I know that you've never really been a morning person."

Jim yawned and rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans, "I came so you wouldn't be so nervous and so Captain Pike didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn," he replied tiredly. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Arianne replied softly as Jim sat down on the bed next to her. "What if they have to do a hysterectomy because there's too much crap inside of me, Jim? I want children someday and..."

Jim sighed and gently tied the straps on the top of Arianne's gown, "Adoption's always an option or you could work with alien kids on some faraway planet," he replied gently. "You forgot to tie the straps."

"Thank you," Arianne said in a soft voice as she looked at him fondly as the door opened and a nurse came into the room holding a medical kit in one hand and an IV bag in the other. "Pre-op stuff?"

The nurse nodded, "Lie back and relax your arm," she replied in a soft voice. "Don't forget to cover up."

Arianne sighed wearily and lay down on the gurney, "Here, I'll do it," Jim said in a gentle voice as he carefully covered her trembling body with the blanket and gently took hold of her right arm. "Relax."

Even though she hated needles, Arianne sighed and only winced briefly as the needle entered her arm, "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Jim asked gently as he released her arm. "Arianne, the IV's all in."

"I hate needles," Arianne replied in an anxious whisper as the door opened and a tired looking Chris came into the room in his Instructor uniform with a small bag over one shoulder. "Dad, what are you…?"

Chris sighed, "I'll get more sleep while you're in surgery," he replied tiredly. "You're my daughter…"

"Should I go?" Jim asked tiredly, not wanting to be a burden on anyone. "If you two need to talk…"

Chris shook his head, "James, you're fine," he replied tiredly as another nurse came into the room.

"We're supposed to take Lieutenant Pike to pre-op," the nurse said in a terse voice. "Right now."

Jim gently patted Arianne's hand and moved away from the bed, "Just relax," Chris gently said.

Arianne nodded and kept quiet as the nurses detached the gurney from the wall and slowly, but surely pushed it out of the small hospital room. Chris sighed and gazed at Jim, who looked very scared.

"Ensign Kirk, let's take a walk," Chris said in a gentle voice. "I think we both need a distraction."

Surgical Bay – 0700

After being given another scan, vitals checks, and consent forms to sign while waiting in pre-op, Arianne was taken into the surgical bay and was allowed to move from the gurney to the operating table by herself. As she lay there, trying not to let the cold metal irritate her back too much, she heard soft talking.

Letting out a tired sigh, Arianne gazed up at the ceiling, "Hello, Lieutenant Pike," Phlox said in a pleasant voice as he came up to the table in his surgical outfit. "I thought I'd come talk to you before the surgery."

Suddenly, there were shouting noises coming from the hallway and to Arianne, it sounded like Leonard and Dr. Puri were engaged in some sort of argument, "Doctor Phlox, I'm glad you're the one operating on me," she said, focusing her attention back on the Denobulan. "I'm just so nervous about the surgery…"

"I'm merely assisting," Phlox replied gently, smiling down at Arianne. "It's Starfleet protocol."

Arianne sighed as Leonard approached the bed in a surgical outfit, "Hey," Leonard said in a calm, compassion-filled voice. "Doctor Puri was gonna do the surgery, but he got called into a conference call about the Enterprise Sickbay at the last minute, so he ordered me to take it and Phlox to assist me."

"Okay," Arianne replied softly, trying to show that she was calm even though she was terrified.

Leonard nodded, "You'll be fully anesthetized for the procedure and there'll also be a breathing tube down your throat," he explained in a gentle voice. "When you wake up afterwards, your legs will be in a stasis field just to give your body time to heal and you'll probably feel tired and nauseous for a while."

"Is everything ready?" Arianne asked softly, just wanting to get the surgery done and over with.

Leonard sighed, "Yeah," he replied as he picked up a small needle from a surgical tray. "I'm gonna slip this into your IV and a nurse will cover you with a drape. When you start to feel sleepy, don't fight it."

Arianne nodded and was quiet for several minutes until she suddenly began to feel tired, "Sterile drape," she heard Leonard say in a commanding voice as her vision began to blur. "Nurse, prep a catheter…"

Patient Room - 0900

The hospital room door slid open and Pavel opened his eyes to find Chris and Jim standing in his room, "Keptin, I apologize," he spoke in a quiet voice. "I vas supposed to be awake an hour ago, but…"

"Pavel, it's nine o clock in the morning," Chris replied calmly as he walked over to the bed. "Pavel, this is Jim Kirk, a student in the Command track. Jim, this is Pavel Chekov; he's in the Operations track…"

Jim nodded, "Yeah, I know you," he replied worriedly, gazing at Pavel. "Are you sick or something?"

"I vas kidnapped last month by my fazzer," Pavel replied nervously. "I kint remember any of eet."

Jim suddenly looked compassionate, "I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and wery hungry," Pavel replied, flinching as he moved his hand. "My hand eez sore."

Chris frowned and gently took hold of Pavel's left hand, "How'd you get this bruise?" he asked in a concerned voice as Pavel cringed. "Did you have a bad dream last night and whack the bed rail?"

"A nightmare," Pavel replied softly, gazing down at his blanket in embarrassment. "It vas bad…"

Chris nodded, "Can you move your hand and fingers?" he asked in a gentle, but concerned voice.

Pavel did so without difficulty, "It's probably just a bruise, but I want Doctor Puri to look at it when he's done with his conference call," Chris stated calmly. "Ensign Kirk and I brought you some breakfast."

Jim sighed and slowly walked over to the bed carrying a tray filled with a small bowl of yogurt, a cup of apple juice, a plate of unbuttered toast, and some cutlery, "Now, Pavel, I know it will take you some time to eat that, but I want you to try," Chris stated gently. "Jim will help you while I go do some work."

Before Jim or Pavel could reply, Chris left the room, "Vhere is Counselor Pike?" Pavel asked in a nervous voice as Jim placed the tray on the portable table that was attached to the table. "She usually does zis."

"Arianne's having surgery," Jim replied softly, figuring it wouldn't hurt to give Pavel enough information to make the younger man comfortable enough to eat. "She'll be good as new in a few days, don't…"

Pavel nodded, "She told me zat was today," he interrupted softly. "I didn't know zat it was zis early."

"Captain Pike will kill me if you don't eat, Pavel," Jim replied nervously. "Can you please do that?"

Raising an eyebrow at Jim's sudden nervousness, Pavel nodded, "Da," he replied softly. "After zat, I vill make a get well card for Counselor Pike because she is wery kind and compassionate to help me."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Jim replied tonelessly. "Now, should I feed you or can you eat?"

Pavel replied by picking up the spoon, putting it in the yogurt, and slowly feeding himself a bite of yogurt with a nervous expression on his face, "Zis will take hours to eat," he whispered in a nervous voice.

Even though he wanted to go pester Leonard for news on Arianne, Jim nodded, "I'm patient," he replied, trying to use the same tactics on Pavel that Dr. Piper had used on him the other night.

Recovery Bay – 1000 H

Cold, pain, and nausea were the first feelings that came to Arianne's body as she slowly came back to awareness and realized that she was restrained to the bed by a stasis field. She slowly lifted her right hand and felt around for the bed's control panel, but she suddenly felt a calloused hand cover it.

"That's enough of that, Lieutenant Pike," Arianne heard a gentle voice with a Southern drawl say.

Arianne sighed as she opened her eyes and saw Leonard standing at her bedside with his hand over hers, "The stasis field will come off before you're moved to a room if you behave," he explained in a gentle voice as he looked up at the overhead monitor and then down at her. "How do you feel?"

"Cold, sore, and nauseous," Arianne replied groggily. "Please just tell me how the surgery went."

Leonard sighed, "I won't lie in saying that you did have a fair amount of endometrial tissue, but I managed to get it all out with lasers," he replied, gently releasing her hand. "It was a laprascopic procedure and thankfully, there were no cysts that the laser couldn't take out."

"Is having a child possible for me?" Arianne asked groggily, fear in her voice. "I want to be a mom."

Leonard nodded, "It is," he replied gently. "But you should probably finish the Academy first."

"I plan to," Arianne said in a groggy voice as a blast of nausea suddenly hit her. "Uh oh…"

Leonard frowned, quickly held a small bedpan in front of Arianne's face, and remained quiet as she puked the contents of her stomach into it, "You'll be in here for at least another hour before you're moved to a regular patient room for the night," he explained as he took the bedpan away. "I'll check on you a little later, but I won't be available this afternoon because Doctor Puri enrolled me in a class…"

Arianne sighed sleepily and closed her eyes, "Anyway, I should go clean this out," she heard Leonard say in a compassionate voice as she felt him caress her hand. "Don't try and deactivate the field again."

"Whatever," Arianne mumbled, drifting off into a deep sleep as she heard Leonard leave the room.

"…Jon, will you please settle down? I'm sure McCoy didn't mean to talk to you like that…"

Arianne let out a quiet moan at the voice, but she didn't open her eyes, "Jon, for heaven's sake," she heard her father say in an exasperated tone. "Look, Jon, I've got to go; Arianne's waking up again."

"Dad?" Arianne asked as she slowly opened her eyes and saw that her father was standing near the door to her hospital room with his personal cell-phone to his ear. "What time is it? I feel really tired."

Chris sighed as he hung up the phone, "Almost dinnertime, sweetheart," he replied as he pocketed the phone and walked over to the bed. "You were sleeping so peacefully that Doctor McCoy thought it best not to wake you unnecessarily when you were moved to a room. How are you feeling, Arianne?"

"I must be on some pretty good drugs since I'm not sore," Arianne replied groggily. "When can I eat?"

Chris chuckled softly and held up a small plastic cup that was filled with water, "Doctor McCoy said that you should try to keep water down first and if it can stay down for two hours, then you can have a little bit of soft food like yogurt or applesauce," he replied gently. "Unfortunately, Doctor McCoy won't be back at Starfleet Medical until morning because he got assigned evening kitchen duty and midnight PT by Admiral Archer for not being able to complete today's assignment in Commander Spock's class."

"What was the assignment?" Arianne asked groggily. "I can't imagine Leonard not completing work."

Chris sighed and suddenly looked somber, "It was how to use traumatic events in one's own life to be able to empathize with someone else in a similar situation," he explained softly. "Being able to empathize with others is a valuable trait for any type of commanding officer to learn and practice."

Arianne nodded, but didn't say anything; she knew that it had been difficult for Leonard to even talk to Dr. Piper or her about any of his pre-Academy or Academy life, but he obviously needed more help.

"Anyway, that's enough about Doctor McCoy," Chris stated as he handed the cup to Arianne. "Drink."

Letting out a tired sigh, Arianne slowly drank the water and handed the empty cup back to her father, "Does Spock know my reason for missing class?" she asked groggily. "I'll be expected to make up…"

"Spock knows," Chris replied calmly as he patted her IV-laden hand. "He'll send you make up work."

Arianne yawned, "Sorry," she commented in a groggy voice. "I'm just really, really tired right now."

"It's all right, Arianne," Chris said in a gentle voice. "I've got work to do; you just get some rest."

Arianne nodded and slowly fell into a deep slumber just as the door slid open, "Captain Pike, am I disturbing Lieutenant Pike's rest?" Spock asked softly as he entered the room. "I just came from the canteen and while there, I discovered that Ensign Kirk has joined Ensign McCoy for kitchen duty…"

"It's fine, Spock," Chris replied gently, figuring that Jim would stick close to Leonard. "Arianne's asleep, so why don't you and I go get some coffee? She'll be back in your class after a week of recovery…"

Spock nodded, "I confess to being concerned over the surgery went," he confessed quietly. "I do not want this information…"

"Spock, relax, your secret's safe with me," Chris said in a reassuring voice as he and Spock left the room. "Come on."

Please read and review so that I feel motivated to continue this story.