July 2257

Starfleet Medical – Mental Health Wing - 0700

"…So, Lara, tell me about how your vacation with John went." Arianne said in a pleasant voice as she sat down on the couch opposite from where Lara was sitting in a medical uniform with a cup of tea in her hands. "I heard that you and him went to the East Coast for a few weeks; what exactly did you do?"

Lara chuckled, "Yes, John and I did go to the East Coast for a little while and we actually made a stop in Riverside, Iowa where a Kelvin Memorial dedicated to George Kirk was," she replied in a gentle voice. "I thought it time to let go of the past and what better way to do that then to reflect on what was lost?"

"I've done plenty of that myself, so I understand the need for it," Arianne replied gently. "You've been progressing so well since I first met you and you took this step on your own, Lara. You are healing…"

Suddenly, there was a loud beep, "Doctor Harriman to the Medical Wing," an automated voice said.

"I'm sorry, Arianne, can we continue this later?" Lara asked in an apologetic voice as she got to her feet.

Arianne nodded and stood up, "I've got to go and do some paperwork before class anyway," she replied in a gentle voice. "Admiral Barnett is holding a July fourth barbecue after class and I was wondering if you and Commander Harriman were planning to attend; it's for all those who are still on campus."

"Lieutenant Pike to the Medical Wing," an automated voice suddenly said as another beep sounded.

Arianne sighed, "Looks like that your paperwork will have to wait until later, Lieutenant," Lara stated in a sympathetic voice as they left the office and walked down the hallway. "You're needed for other work."

"It feels nice to be needed even though it's summer," Arianne commented as she followed after Lara.

Starfleet Medical – Medical Wing

Arianne frowned as she and Lara came into the foyer and saw Captain Pike and Jim standing near a chair where Leonard was sitting in shorts and a t-shirt with his eyes closed and a hand over his abdomen. His eyes were closed and beads of sweat were on his forehead, but he made no effort to move.

"Doctor Harriman, there's a bit of a problem," Jim commented worriedly as he saw Lara and Arianne.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lara smirked, "Very astute, Ensign Kirk," she replied in an amused voice. "If Doctor McCoy is sick, why isn't he on a biobed in the patient bay being examined?"

"Bones woke up with a stomachache and started puking his guts out," Jim explained in a worried voice, not taking his eyes off of Leonard. "I told him he needed to go to Starfleet Medical and he snapped at me and said he wasn't going to be made a guinea pig of on another hard, cold operating table…"

Arianne frowned, "Our three month captivity," she whispered softly. "Didn't he ever get help?"

"What are you talking about, Lieutenant?" Chris asked, frowning at Arianne's quiet words.

Not wanting to talk about her suspicions in front of Leonard, Arianne shook her head and turned her attention to Leonard, "Len, wake up," she whispered gently. "Can you talk to Doctor Harriman for me?"

"Hmm?" Leonard asked groggily as he opened his eyes and saw Chris, Jim, Lara, and Arianne. "I told Jim to let me rest because it was just muscle strain from too much midnight PT, but then I threw up," he explained in a weak voice. "Jim freaked out and called for a medi-shuttle since I couldn't even leave my bed and he also called Captain Pike. I'm a little fuzzy on the details until I got into the foyer…"

Jim's eyes widened, "Bones, are you serious?" he asked worriedly. "You passed out in the shuttle and the monitors were going crazy for a few minutes. When we arrived here, you woke up confused."

Leonard frowned, "What?" he asked in a confused voice as pain filled his body. "My stomach…"

"Let me see," Lara said in a gentle voice as she came forward and frowned when Leonard tensed at her being so close to him. "Doctor McCoy, I need you to relax so I can examine you and figure out…"

Leonard sighed, "I don't want any more surgery," he whispered in a pained voice. "2256 was enough…"

Chris suddenly turned very pale, "Doctor Harriman, I need to go contact Admiral Archer for a moment," he said in an unusually uneasy voice. "Let me know when you've diagnosed Doctor McCoy…"

"Len, please, will you let Doctor Harriman look at you if Jim and I stay with you during the exam?" Arianne asked softly as she sat next to Leonard. "You're sick and you need to be examined."

Leonard managed a weak nod, but didn't speak, "Okay," Lara said in a gentle voice as she opened her medkit and pulled out a small syringe with a vial on the end of it. "Blood sample first, then vitals."

"Okay," Leonard whispered as he extended a trembling hand towards Arianne. "If you have to."

Arianne gently took Leonard's hand and gave it a squeeze, reassuring him that he was not alone.

Exam Room – 0800

Arianne sighed as Leonard, who had changed from his pajamas into a patient gown with Jim's help, laid back on the exam bed, "I feel terrible," Leonard whispered as he closed his eyes. "My stomach…"

"How much midnight PT have you had to do, Leonard?" Arianne asked softly. "One day couldn't have…"

Leonard sighed, "I got a whole month of evening kitchen duty and midnight PT from Admiral Archer," he explained in a pained voice as he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Jim, being Jim, sassed off to Admiral Archer by calling him a sadistic old man and got the same penalty so I wouldn't be alone."

Before Arianne could reply, the door opened and Lara came into the room with Jim, "Doctor McCoy, I've got my results from the blood I took from you in the foyer plus the ultrasound I did half an hour ago," she said in a gentle voice as she walked over to the bed. "How long has it been since you ate?"

"Last night at dinner," Leonard replied weakly, ignoring the shocked look Jim was giving him. "Why?"

Lara sighed, "When you woke up this morning, how were you feeling?" she asked in a worried voice.

"Really warm," Leonard replied weakly. "Do you think the pain could be appendicitis, Doctor Harriman?"

Lara nodded and Leonard cringed, "I already contacted Doctor Puri and he's given me the go-ahead to get you in for surgery today," she explained in a gentle voice. "He's at the Command Building…"

"My mom can't afford to get out here, so I listed Captain Pike as my emergency contact on my medical records when I joined the Academy," Leonard stated in a pained voice. "I don't want any surgery."

Arianne frowned, "Len, listen to me," she whispered gently. "Appendicitis is a very serious thing…"

Leonard grimaced as he tried to sit up, "The last time I had surgery performed on me, it was so you wouldn't be harmed or killed," he replied in a distressed voice as he winced. "I don't need to…"

The door suddenly opened, "Ensign McCoy, I suggest you lie back down right now," Chris said in a commanding voice as he came into the exam room looking very serious. "I just got off the comm-link with your mother and she said that your father died from complications of undiagnosed…"

"Enough!" Leonard said in as irritated a voice as he could muster. "I'll have the surgery; just don't…"

Lara nodded, "I'll arrange it," she replied, smiling at Captain Pike as she quickly left the exam room.

"Bones, settle down," Jim said in a worried voice. "What did you mean about letting surgery be…"

Chris suddenly held up a hand, "This isn't the time or place for that discussion, Jim," he said in a no-nonsense voice. "Arianne, I want you and Jim to go visit Pavel for a while; he's been undergoing deprogramming and physical therapy in the mental health wing since last week since he's now physically able to handle it. However, since it's the fourth, a lot of the mental health specialists are on leave to celebrate with their families, Pavel's still in his room with no plans with which to keep himself busy."

"Jim, I'm sorry you got beat up last April," Leonard suddenly whispered. "I was so stupid…"

Frowning, Jim looked to Captain Pike warily, but Captain Pike nodded at him to go with it, "It's fine, Bones," Jim said in as calming a voice as he could manage. "I'm sorry I punched you in the jaw."

Leonard's eyes softened and he slowly allowed them to close, "What happened?" Jim asked worriedly.

"Closing his eyes is Leonard's way of saying that he's in a lot of pain," Arianne whispered to Jim, having seen many patients of hers in the past act the same way when they were in any sort of pain. "Len, Jim and I are going away for a few hours, but I want you to get some rest and let people help you, okay?"

Leonard sighed sleepily and didn't wake up, "I'll stay," Chris replied in a quiet voice. "When Ensign McCoy is out of surgery, Arianne, I'll contact you and Jim. I don't expect it will be very long until…"

The door suddenly opened and two nurses, one of whom was Christine, came into the room with a prepped gurney, "Leonard?" Christine asked, immediately recognizing the patient and also seeing that Jim, Arianne, and Captain Pike were there. "Arianne, why is Leonard here? I didn't know he was sick."

"Cadet Chapel, may I ask where the senior staff are?" Chris asked, confused why she was there.

Christine nodded, "A lot of them booked the Fourth off, sir," she replied nervously. "I live in San Francisco, but I took a summer job on campus so I'd have credits for next semester's expenses."

Arianne sighed and looked up at the overhead monitor, "I'm assuming you're to take Leonard to pre-op?" she asked firmly, having been through surgery herself not too long ago. "Let me say goodbye."

Christine nodded, "Leonard, the nurses are going to take you to pre-op now," Arianne gently explained as she gently caressed Leonard's right hand, being careful not to jar the IV line that was in it. "Relax."

"Okay," Leonard replied in a pained voice as he opened his eyes and looked at her. "For you and Jim."

Arianne nodded and gently rested Leonard's hand back on top of the blanket, "Be brave," she whispered softly, seeing fear in his tired eyes. "I will never forget what you did for me when we were prisoners…"

Leonard nodded and Arianne gently released his hand, "Dad, I think Jim and I are going to take Pavel for a bit of a walk around campus," she said as she walked over to her father and Jim. "We'll be careful."

Chris nodded and was silent as Jim and Arianne left the room, "Captain Pike, with all due respect, we need to get Doctor McCoy to pre-op as quickly as possible," Christine said in a firm voice.

"Go ahead," Chris replied as he crossed his arms. "I'll be going with him as far as I can, all right?"

Christine nodded and she and the other nurse walked over to the bed and silently detached the gurney from the clamps holding it against the wall and raised the bedrails so that Leonard wouldn't fall out of the bed during the journey to pre-op. As the bed began to move, Leonard silently gripped the handrail and Chris saw the fear in his eyes, but didn't say anything, as it would only agitate Leonard further.

Academy Gardens – 0830

"Zis is wery beauteeful," Pavel, who was wearing very loose clothing and old combat boots that used to belong to Chris, commented as he slowly followed Jim and Arianne through the large garden that had been planted over the site where the former Command Building used to be before the 2253 quake.

Jim nodded and suddenly stopped at a small plaque that was in the middle of the garden and surrounded by small flower boxes, "Vat is zat plaque?" Pavel asked softly, noticing that Jim had stopped and was now examining one of the plaques carefully. "Enseen Quirk, are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine, Pavel," Jim replied as he caressed the plaque. "I was just looking at this plaque for a second."

Pavel nodded and silently took a seat on one of the many benches in the gardens, "I am tired, but you two kin go on eef you wish," he said in a tired voice. "Eet is wery varm here and I am not used to zat."

"Here," Jim said in a worried voice as he reached into the sidebag he had with him, pulled out a small nutrition bar that he had gotten from his stash back at the dorm, and handed it to Pavel. "It'll help."

Pavel looked at the bar warily, "Do you alvays carry food vith you?" he asked in a confused voice.

"It's a habit I picked up as a teenager when I thought I was going to die," Jim replied softly, silently reminding himself that Pavel had been in just as horrible a situation. "I never knew where my next meal was coming from for a long time, so I learned to hide food where I could always get to it easily."

Pavel nodded and unwrapped the bar, "Sank you," he said as he bit into the bar and chewed it.

"I've got an idea," Arianne spoke up in an enthusiastic voice. "Why don't we go to the Recreation Complex? It's the Fourth, so it's open all day for anyone still on campus to come and celebrate the day there. From what my dad told me, there will be games, food, swimming, and other fun things to do…"

Jim nodded and Pavel swallowed what was in his mouth, "I vould like to learn how to svim," he replied.

"Arianne's the best at swimming," Jim commented, winking at Arianne. "She'll teach you well."

Pavel nodded, stood up, and continued to eat as he followed Jim and Arianne out of the large garden.

"Surgical Bay to Captain Pike," a concerned voice said. "Captain Pike, please report to the Surgical Bay."

Frowning, Chris tapped a few buttons on his stylus, stood up, and walked quickly from the waiting room over to the door that led to the enclosed surgical bay where Leonard was. He was surprised to see Christine standing there in a full surgical get up looking nervous, but he waited for her to explain.

"Captain Pike, we were prepping Doctor McCoy for surgery and all of a sudden, his blood pressure rose and he started mumbling something about being a lab experiment," Christine explained in a worried voice. "When Doctor Harriman told him that she was going to give him a little hypo to relax him, Doctor McCoy said that he wouldn't do it unless he knew Arianne was still alive. I'm frightened, sir…"

Nodding, Chris silently walked into the surgical bay and saw that another nurse and Doctor Harriman were standing beside the surgical table looking worried. Leonard was lying on the metal operating table in a patient gown with a blanket covering his body, but his eyes were focused on the overhead lights.

"Doctor McCoy?" Chris asked, concerned by how rigid and out of it McCoy seemed to be right then.

Leonard turned his head away from the lights, "Give me proof that Ensign Pike is still alive," Leonard said in a groggy voice. "If you've killed her, I won't do anything you say no matter how much you beat me."

"Doctor McCoy, it's Captain Pike and you're at Starfleet Medical," Chris explained, alarmed by the fact that Leonard was obviously having flashbacks of his time as a hostage off-world the previous year.

Leonard frowned and blinked, as if trying to make sense of his surroundings, "Was he given any medication?" Chris asked, gazing at Doctor Harriman worriedly. "He's acting very unusual."

"Just a line of fluids," Dr. Harriman replied in a concerned voice. "I'm not sure why he's acting this way."

Chris nodded and looked down at Leonard, "Doctor McCoy, you're at Starfleet Medical about to undergo surgery for appendicitis," he explained in a calm voice. "Lieutenant Pike and Ensign Kirk took Cadet Chekov for a walk and I will call them when you are out of surgery and in a patient room. Okay?"

"I-I'm safe?" Leonard asked in a confused voice, suddenly recognizing Captain Pike. "Captain Pike…"

Chris sighed, "You will be if you let Doctor Harriman and the nurses do their jobs," he replied softly.

Leonard nodded and took a few deep breaths, "I'm safe," he whispered, trying to keep himself calm.

Chris nodded and as he turned away, he heard a gasp and turned back just in time to see Leonard trying to sit up and pull out his IV's, "I'm sorry to do this, Doctor McCoy," Dr. Harriman said as she suddenly grabbed a hypospray from the tray and injected it into Leonard's neck. "You'll be asleep very soon."

"Don't…" Leonard moaned as his eyes suddenly closed, his body relaxed, and he went very quiet.

Dr. Harriman frowned at Chris, "You look like you know something about why Doctor McCoy was acting so strange," she said in a concerned voice, noticing Chris's expression. "We'll speak about it later."

Chris sighed and nodded, "Please wait out in the surgical waiting room and I'll come find you when the surgery is complete and Doctor McCoy is in recovery," Dr. Harriman said in an unusually commanding voice. "I want you to contact Admiral Archer, Ensign Kirk, Lieutenant Pike, Doctor Puri, and any other member of staff who has had interactions with Doctor McCoy in the last year for an urgent meeting."

"I will," Chris replied, knowing that Leonard needed help. "I'll go and find them myself, all right?"

Dr. Harriman nodded and turned her attention back to Leonard as Chris silently left the room and Christine, who had seen Leonard get sedated, hurried back inside to help with Leonard's surgery.

Starfleet Medical Boardroom - 1000 H

Even though she was slightly tired from helping Pavel to learn a basic swimming stroke in the Academy pool, Arianne remained calm as she sat at the boardroom table in her cadet reds beside her father and Doctor Puri. Admiral Archer sat at the head of the table while Admiral Barnett, Admiral Archer, Commander Harriman, and Spock sat on the other side of the table. Jim was due to arrive soon.

Each of the officers present had either been engaged in work or they had been preparing to change into their civilian clothes and enjoy July Fourth when they had all received an official summons from Captain Pike to gather in the Starfleet Medical boardroom as soon as possible at Dr. Harriman's request. Dr. Harriman had done a superb job on Leonard's appendectomy, but was now most likely livid.

The door slid open and Lara came in still in her surgical attire with a concerned looking Jim walking in-step beside her, "I met Ensign Kirk in the hall on my way from the surgical area," she explained in a serious tone, relaxing slightly as Jim got a seat at the table next to Arianne. "Now, I want answers."

"Come on, Chris, you can't really tell me that Doctor McCoy is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder a year after his time as a prisoner on Delta Vega!" Admiral Archer, whom Chris had confided in about his suspicions based on Leonard's behavior in the exam room and in pre-op spoke up cynically.

Jim paled, but Dr. Harriman held up a hand to keep him quiet, "Would somebody kindly explain what Admiral Archer is referring to?" she asked in a commanding voice. "What happened last year?"

"From January to near the end of March of 2256, Doctor McCoy and I were held hostage on a wintry planet an undetermined distance from Earth by a Vulcan named Soval who was also holding a young half- Vulcan hostage," Arianne explained in a serious voice as she looked directly at Dr. Harriman.

At the mention of the half-Vulcan, Spock frowned, but remained silent, "Were either of you offered any sort of counseling to help deal with this incident?" Dr. Harriman asked in a commanding voice.

"Shortly after that incident, I became ill with and was successfully treated for breast cancer," Arianne replied in as steady a voice as she could manage. "I began counseling sessions in June 2256 with Commander Spock at my father's recommendation and have met with Spock occasionally ever since."

Dr. Harriman looked at Spock, who offered a nod to confirm Arianne's story, "What about Doctor McCoy?" she asked, apparently satisfied. "Was he ever offered any type of counseling?"

An uneasy silence fell over the room and Dr. Puri cleared his throat, "Doctor McCoy currently attends Alcoholics Anonymous in San Francisco on occasion and had counseling for aviaphobia and attempting suicide en route to the Academy, but the counseling was two years ago," he explained in an uncomfortable voice. "Captain Pike did make a recommendation for counseling following the…"

"If Captain Pike made a recommendation, why wasn't it followed?" Arianne spoke up in an unusually angry voice, not caring that she wasn't showing decorum. "Everyone in Starfleet has a right to…"

Admiral Archer scoffed, "Leonard McCoy is a loose cannon and he proved that when he went to Atlanta in the middle of finals!" he replied in a loud, nasty tone. "You, of all people, shouldn't speak for him, Lieutenant. You've developed more than a professional interest in Leonard McCoy and it's conflicting with your ability to provide professional counseling to him or speak on his behalf to any of us…"

"Admiral Archer, I believe you are out of order," Admiral Barnett, who was flustered as to why Leonard was never given professional counseling for the incident in 2256, stated gently. "Lieutenant Pike…"

Arianne sighed, "I sincerely apologize for my disrespect, Admiral Barnett," she replied meekly.

Admiral Barnett nodded, "However, sir, I do think that I am not the right person to provide counseling to Doctor McCoy on this issue," Arianne continued before anyone else could speak. "I'm not with Doctor McCoy every minute of the day and I'm not sure how deeply this incident has affected his abilities…"

"Bones has chamomile tea every night before he turns in for the night so that he won't dream," Jim spoke up, silently reminding himself that he was trying to help his 'brother.' "I asked him about why once and he told me that he's afraid of dreaming, as he doesn't want to remember the bad stuff."

Arianne turned pale, Admiral Archer looked concerned, Chris stared determinedly at the table, and Dr. Harriman and Admiral Barnett looked almost horrified. Spock, however, looked extremely thoughtful.

Swallowing hard, Jim shakily got up from the table and left the room without being dismissed, "Kirk, you haven't been dismissed yet!" Admiral Archer shouted after Jim. "Where's Ensign Kirk going?!"

"Probably to hang around the surgical area to wait for news on his best friend," Arianne replied in a knowledgeable voice. "If you want my professional opinion, I think a senior staff member who has experience dealing with trauma on both a personal and professional level should serve as a counselor to Doctor McCoy. Frankly, I think he should still go to AA, but I don't think it's proving to be enough."

Spock cleared his throat, "I have observed that Doctor McCoy has seemed uncomfortable in my class during the summer term and I speculate that it is because of his traumatic experience at the hands of Soval," he stated tonelessly. "Captain Pike, I would like to speak with you privately on this matter."

"Something had better be done quickly, whatever it is," Dr. Harriman said in an angry voice as she stood up. "In the meantime, Doctor Puri, I want to have a meeting with the rest of the Starfleet Medical..."

Seeing that things were about to get ugly, Chris looked at Arianne, "Lieutenant Pike, why don't you go wait in the surgical area with Ensign Kirk?" he suggested gently. "I'm sure Doctor Harriman will give you two clearance to sit in post-op with Doctor McCoy as long as you behave yourselves. Isn't that right?"

"I assigned Doctor Phlox to check in on Doctor McCoy while I was in this meeting," Dr. Harriman replied in a less tense voice. "I'll give Lieutenant Pike and Ensign Kirk clearance so long as they behave."

Arianne nodded and quickly got to her feet, "We will," she promised in a nervous voice. "Come on, Jim."

Jim nodded, got to his feet, and hurried out of the boardroom with Arianne, eager to check on Leonard.

Silence continued to fill the post-op bay as the chronometer over the door changed to 1200 H and the monitor overhead the gurney where Leonard was resting silently fluctuated. Leonard was lying in a deep sleep on the gurney in a patient gown with a blanket and socks over his legs and feet.

Soft, but very strong restraints were tied around Leonard's wrists and around the support rails to stop him from pulling the driplines off of his arms and hands if he were to wake up severely disoriented. An oxygen tube was also in his nose that was connected to a small tank underneath the end of the gurney.

Jim and Arianne were sitting in chairs on Leonard's right side, both of them wearing surgical outfits so not to contaminate anything and they had been permitted to bring PADDs into the post-op area to read while they waited for Leonard to wake up. So far, there had been so signs that he was waking up at all.

"I heard you two would be in here," Phlox commented as the door slid opened and he entered the room wearing a surgical gown over his normal medical clothes. "I've just come to check on Doctor McCoy."

Arianne nodded and she and Jim silently watched as Phlox walked over to the gurney and silently studied the overhead monitor for a moment before moving up the bed. Phlox carefully lifted the blanket and the gown and gently examined the bandage that was covering the sutured up surgical incisions.

"Who's…there?" Leonard suddenly asked in a groggy voice even though he didn't open his eyes.

Arianne swallowed hard, but didn't say a word as Phlox quickly smoothed down the gown and re-covered Leonard's legs with the blanket, "It's Doctor Phlox, Doctor McCoy," Phlox replied calmly.

"Phlox…" Leonard mumbled groggily as he tried to move his hands, but couldn't. "…My hands…"

Phlox sighed, "Try and open your eyes for me," he replied gently as he grabbed a bedpan from a portable table beside the gurney and stuck it under Leonard's chin. "Just open them slowly."

Leonard groaned softly and slowly forced his eyes open, "I don't feel so good," he mumbled in a groggy voice, breaking off in mid-sentence when he suddenly vomited three times into the bedpan. "Sorry."

"That's all right," Phlox replied calmly as he put the bedpan on the table, picked up a small moist cloth, and gently wiped Leonard's mouth with it. "I know you're tired, but there are some people who want to say hello before you go back to sleep for a while. Lieutenant Pike, Ensign Kirk, please make it brief."

Leonard's eyes narrowed, "What are you two doing here?" he asked in a groggy voice. "You're not…"

"We wanted to see if you were okay," Arianne replied softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I did in 2256 after I woke up after a month under deep sedation," Leonard replied groggily as he suddenly closed his eyes again. "Soval drugged me with so much crap that I could barely breathe."

Jim's eyes widened, but Arianne gently put a hand over his mouth, "I'm so sleepy," Leonard mumbled groggily as he let out a deep, very tired sigh. "Tell Captain Pike that I'm sorry I couldn't endure more."

As Leonard fell back into a deep sleep, Arianne sighed and looked at Jim, "Jim, can you stay with Leonard until Phlox kicks you out?" she asked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with what Leonard must have endured to guarantee her safety during their time as hostages. "I-I just need to get some air…"

"Arianne, are you okay?" Jim asked, frowning as Arianne stood up with her eyes filled with tears.

Swallowing hard, Arianne moved to the door, "Jim, I'll come back a little later, all right?" she asked in a shaky voice, not wanting to let Jim or Phlox see her in such a state. "Phlox, take care of both of them."

Phlox nodded and Arianne fled the room. Jim looked at Phlox for a moment and then got his communicator out of his pocket, "Ensign Kirk to Captain Pike," he said in a quiet voice.

Golden Gate Park– 1400 H

Arianne sighed as she gazed up at the blue sky; it wasn't too hot of a day, just warm enough to make the grass seem comfortable and the sun was hiding behind some white clouds so she wouldn't burn. She had fled off campus to be alone with what Leonard had revealed to her about their time as hostages.

"It is illogical to use the grass as a place to sleep," Spock's voice suddenly stated. "Are you unwell?"

Even though she was on the verge of tears, Arianne slowly sat up and saw that Spock was standing against a tree in his casual pantsuit, "Spock, I thought you were in a meeting?" she asked softly.

"Captain Pike is currently meeting with Starfleet Medical and Starfleet Command concerning Doctor McCoy's situation and he was unable to respond to Ensign Kirk's call," Spock explained tonelessly.

Arianne nodded and slowly got to her feet, "I was just thinking about what Leonard told me," she replied in a somber voice. "I was unconscious for a long time and when I woke up, Leonard was talking softly to me and had tucked me into a bed. I felt like crap and I wondered why he seemed fine…"

Spock nodded, but remained silent, "I guess Len wasn't fine," Arianne continued as tears suddenly escaped from her tired eyes. "I just feel so awful about thinking that Len was fine when he wasn't…"

Biting his lip, Spock stepped closer to Arianne, silently wrapped his arms around her thin body, and silently held her for several minutes while she cried into his shoulder. Arianne sighed and gently pulled away, wiping her face on her sleeve as she looked at Spock, "Thank you," she replied tiredly.

"No thanks is necessary," Spock replied tonelessly. "You were in emotional distress over a situation that was beyond your control and because of my mother, I find that humans feel better with hugs…"

Arianne sighed, "Thank you for coming to find me, Spock," she replied softly. "I'm sorry I ran off."

"Again, no apologies are necessary," Spock stated tonelessly. "I was merely assisting a sibling."

Arianne nodded and her eyes suddenly widened as she thought of what she could do for Leonard, "I have an idea of how to help Len, Spock," she said, smiling at Spock. "Will you help me with it?"

"I will do what I can to assist in your endeavor," Spock replied tonelessly. "What are you thinking?"

Arianne smiled, "We need to go to the space port immediately," she replied enthusiastically.

"The space port is far from here," Spock commented tonelessly. "May I ask why we are going there?"

Arianne sighed, "Spock, all I'm asking is for you to trust me," she replied gently. "Come on."

Raising an eyebrow, Spock nodded and silently followed Arianne through the park to the street.

Starfleet Medical – Patient Room – 1700 H

Leonard sighed sleepily as he woke up and found that he was in a regular room, but that the restraints were still on his wrists so that he wouldn't be tempted to pull his IV's out again. He looked around and was surprised to see Jim laying sound asleep on a row of pushed together chairs against the wall.

"Jim?" Leonard called out, wondering how long he had been asleep since the room was dimly lit.

There was a snort and then Leonard found Jim at his bedside, "Hey Bones," Jim spoke groggily.

"Why won't they untie me?" Leonard asked in a tired voice, wincing as he suddenly felt pain.

Jim frowned and swallowed hard, "I told Doctor Harriman about your sleeping problems and about the tea," he replied nervously. "She wants you to go back to counseling after you're physically able."

"I go to AA," Leonard replied sleepily as he struggled to stay awake. "Isn't that enough?"

Jim shook his head and leaned against the bed rail, "I'm not supposed to tell you all that, but I figured you'd rather hear it from me than Doctor Harriman or Captain Pike," he replied softly. "It'll be…"

The door suddenly opened and Arianne and Eleanora came into the room, "Oh, baby," Eleanora whispered in an anxious voice as she hurried over to the bed and gently caressed Leonard's cheek.

"Mama, how did you get here?" Leonard asked sleepily as he looked at his mother. "It costs a lot…"

Jim quickly looked at Arianne, but she didn't say anything, "You're my only child, Len," Eleanora replied in a gentle voice as she gently brushed his bangs off his forehead. "How could I not come out here?"

"I think I might have said some weird things when I was drugged, Mama," Leonard commented sleepily as he tugged at the restraints and promptly yawned. "Ugh, I feel so sleepy; I need to start waking up."

Eleanora sighed and gently adjusted the blanket so it was covering Leonard's chest, "Just go back to sleep if you need to, Len," she replied in a gentle voice. "I'm going to stay right here with you."

Swallowing hard, Arianne motioned for Jim to follow her out of the room, which he did, "How'd you manage to get Bones's mom out here?" Jim asked in a quiet voice as the door closed. "Did you…?"

"I bought her a ticket out here," Arianne replied gently. "It took most the credits I had saved up, but I thought it would help Leonard's recovery. I'll need to find a job for August to replace them."

Jim nodded as he and Arianne walked down the hallway to the foyer, "Couldn't you pick up extra shifts on campus somewhere?" he asked as they left the building. "There's probably a lot of places that…"

"Those jobs are already taken by other students who stayed behind for the summer," Arianne replied softly as she pulled a PADD out of her pocket. "I'm authorized to work anywhere in the Sol System…"

Jim frowned, "I'd miss you and so would Bones," he replied worriedly. "What about Pavel?"

"Pavel was reassigned to Dr. Harriman and I've been ordered not to serve as Leonard's counselor anymore," Arianne replied in a solemn voice. "Admiral Archer actually assigned me to work at the Copernicus Village Medical Center for a month so that I could practice what I learned in class."

Jim's eyes widened as he followed Arianne over to a tree, "Is it just me, or does Admiral Archer hate your guts?" he asked in a confused voice. "Why would he send you to Luna if he didn't hate you?"

"I'm not going to worry about that now," Arianne replied softly. "Shall we go enjoy the Fourth?"

Realizing that there was something more to the story than Arianne was telling him, Jim nodded, "We could get some dinner at the canteen and then go hang out at the Recreation Complex," he suggested in a gentle voice, knowing not to pry into Arianne's business. "I could teach you how to play poker…"

"All right," Arianne replied, smiling at Jim so to keep him calm. "Let's go have a quiet evening."

Captain Pike's Residence – 2300 H

Arianne looked up from her stylus as the front door opened and Chris walked in, "Dad, how's Doctor McCoy feeling?" she asked, having come to her father's house after spending time with Jim at the canteen and at the Recreation Complex playing several games of pool. "Is Eleanora still there?"

"Doctor McCoy was more coherent when I checked on him at 20:00 H and has been able to keep down ice chips and water according to Doctor Harriman," Chris replied calmly. "I talked with him for a bit and once he's had a couple of days to rest, I'll start him in counseling and he and his mother will both be staying here until he's well enough to return to the dorms. How was your day, kiddo? You look tired."

Arianne sighed, "I'm all right, just going over some information that I need to know before I go to the Copernicus Village Hospital for my practicum," she replied, smiling at her father. "It's quite a bit."

Chris nodded, "You'll be a good counselor for the patients at the Medical Center," he said in a reassuring voice that was full of pride. "I've got to get to bed before I collapse. Don't stay up too late, all right?"

Arianne nodded and smiled as her father disappeared upstairs. She then looked back at the stylus that was telling her what to expect and what she would go through while at the Copernicus Village Medical Center; she was a counselor there, yes, but she would also be undergoing tests concerning her past.

Admiral Archer had said that if she were to go and submit to testing concerning her previous life, the de-aging process, and anything to do with T'Pol's and Soval's illegal activity towards her and anyone else, he would ensure that Starfleet would never find out about it, thereby preserving her place in the Academy and preserving her father's career. Arianne had agreed and Admiral Archer had taken it upon himself to make all the arrangements and had also forced her to promise that she wouldn't tell anyone the truth about her assignment.

Arianne bit her lip; for the first time since she had met Jim, she had lied to him and she had also lied directly to her father so that nothing would happen to either of their careers. She would leave a note for Leonard and didn't have the nerve to even say anything to Spock about it.

What had happened to her was highly illegal and she would protect as many as she could from encountering any backlash from what had happened long ago. Arianne knew that many risks had been taken in order to give her a safe environment and she would protect her protectors.

I want very much to continue this story, but I need to feel motivated in order to continue. The only way I am going to feel motivated to continue is if I receive detailed reviews for this story. Therefore, I please ask for detailed reviews.