Chapter Eleven

Pike dropped his keys twice as he opened his apartment door and tried not to drop Jim to the floor. To his credit, he didn't run into anyone in the hallway or have to answer any questions about why he had a kid obviously wrapped in a hospital blanket. His communicator chirped twice as he opened the door and burst into his apartment. Jim's breathing had become slightly labored on the walk outside. Pike carried Jim straight to his bed and pulled back the blankets, covering the kid up as he shivered once.

"Stay with me, Jim. I'm gonna get some help." He flipped open his communicator. "Lieutenant Pike to Doctor Ravi, USS Constellation."

There was a slight pause as the line connected. "Chris, what can I help you with at this hour?"

Pike grabbed another blanket and ran back to the bed, tucking the communicator between his ear and his shoulder. "The damn doctor had Jim tied to the bed and drugged. He started crying and asked me to help him. Damn it! I shouldn't have left him."

"Oh my goodness."

"I discharged him AMA and brought him to my apartment." Pike touched Jim's cheek, not getting a response from the kid. Jim's eyes were open, but he wasn't trying to speak or more. It was almost like he was in a comatose state. "They gave him some kind of drugs, but I don't know what it was."

"Is he answering any direct queries?" The sound of the doctor moving muffled his question slightly.

"No. His eyes are open, but it's a blank stare. I talked to him the whole way over and he didn't say anything." Pike set his communicator on the bedside table. "Tell me what to do."

"Try holding his hand between yours and rubbing the top of his hand with some pressure."

Chris grabbed Jim's bandaged hand and dropped it, reaching for the other one before realizing it still had a catheter port embedded in it. "Not gonna work. Give me something else to try."

"I'm beaming down, but let me gather my medical kit first. Pinch hard on his index fingernail to see if that gets a response."

Nothing.

"Doctor, his breathing is labored and he's got a fever. I have to do something."

The doctor hesitated. "Captain O'Mara has given me permission to beam directly to your residence. There is one more thing you can attempt. Make a fist and place it on his sternum and rub to directly stimulate him. It's going to be painful for him." There was a sound of someone else speaking. "I will arrive in approximately two minutes."

"Understood. Pike, out."

Not bothering to close his communicator, Chris pulled down the blanket and Jim's hospital gown, exposing the kid's chest. He could see the sticky marks from the leads he'd removed. Pike made a fist and rubbed Jim's sternum. Jim gasped and groaned. His hands grabbed Pike's in an effort to stop the pain. Moisture pooled in the kid's eyes and he kept his hands on Pike's arm.

"Chris… it hurts."

He took Jim's hands in his after pulling the blankets back up. "I know, kid. Doctor Ravi is coming to help you. I'm so sorry I left you alone."

"I just wanted some food… I was so hungry…"

"What?" Pike plopped down on the side of his bed, almost falling to the floor. Jim wasn't talking about the doctor at Starfleet Medical.

Jim coughed and attempted to sit up. Pike gently put a hand on his shoulder as he wheezed.

"My kids were so hungry and tired. I almost got away, but… he got me. I was tied to that pole for days… I was so thirsty. My mouth swelled up."

Pike felt his stomach twist as the kid continued to talk and he silently begged the doctor to take his time. Jim needed to get this off his chest. He'd not told anyone about what happened on Tarsus IV. Chris squeezed Jim's hand again, feeling the kid weakly try to squeeze back.

"One of the colonists tried to save me… it was late at night… and Kodos killed her, put her body on display. A few others decided to make another try, but they died too. I never wanted anyone to die for me."

Before Pike could comment, the sound of the transporter interrupted his focus and Jim's eyes slid closed. Doctor Ravi, dressed in dark blue pajamas pants and a bathrobe, materialized in the bedroom. He moved quickly toward the bed. Pike moved out of the way and covered his mouth with his hands as he tried to digest what Jim had just revealed to him.

"Has he been responsive?" the doctor asked as he scanned the kid.

Pike nodded. "Yeah, but… he was confused."

"I sent a quick request to Starfleet Medical for Jim's file from them to find out what exactly occurred. We'll have to wait until the drugs clear from his system to see how to proceed. I'll stabilize him the meantime." Dr. Ravi glanced at Pike. "Why don't you sit down and drink some water? I'm concerned you might pass out."

Chris couldn't dispute him as he fell into the couch in the living room. He needed a moment to process everything. His communicator beeped again and he saw it was Admiral Mitchell.

"This is Lieutenant Pike."

"Technically, you are Commander Pike now." Admiral Mitchell's voice gave no hint he was in his sixties and grayed. His voice was light and even. "I understand I need to contact you about an incident with Starfleet Medical and your charge."

Dropping his head into his hands, Pike sighed. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry to be disturbing you at this hour. I wouldn't have bothered you unless it was an emergency."

"I assume it was an emergency."

It took a moment of deep breathing not to yell. "They had him drugged and restrained… after everything he went through."

"You did the right thing, Chris. I'll talk to the doctor at Starfleet Medical and give her a firm dressing down. Did you find a doctor to treat him tonight?"

"Yeah, Doctor Ravi, the CMO from the Constellation, is taking care of him."

The admiral paused. "I'll check in with you in the morning. Get some sleep, Chris."

"Thank you. Good night, sir."

Pike closed the communicator and leaned back against the couch. He pulled off his shoes and closed his eyes. He vaguely heard the doctor speaking to someone on his communicator and the sound of the transporters sending something down. Doctor Ravi came out of the bedroom about twenty minutes later. Chris sat up on the couch. The doctor went straight to the replicator and requested a glass of orange juice. He handed it the lieutenant before sitting beside him. Chris took a hesitant sip.

"How's Jim?"

The doctor nodded. "He's sleeping peacefully. I gave him a sedative and he'll rest until morning. I gave him some medication and put him on a low level of oxygen."

"What the hell happened? He was getting better."

"Jim is still very sick," Dr. Ravi said, motioning for Chris to drink his juice. "His body is recovering, but it's a slow process and there are bound to be setbacks. The situation you removed him from was incredibly stressful and while we don't know the full details, Jim relapsed slightly. I expect him to be feeling a bit better in the morning."

"Thanks, Doc. I really appreciate you making a house call and coming to help Jim."

"No problem. Get some rest. I'll check on him in the morning and don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

Doctor Ravi left the apartment. Pike finished drinking the juice and slowly moved into the bedroom. The oxygen tube beneath Jim's nose made him look ill again. His skin was pale and damp. Pike grabbed a washcloth and cleaned his forehead. The kid moaned softly, but stayed asleep. He had no idea how to fix this situation. He didn't know how to rescue a kid, who didn't want to be rescued. For the first time in a long time, he wished he could talk to his mother. Pike picked up his communicator and headed into the living room.

"Hey Dad. I know it's late, but do you have some time to talk?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was two in the afternoon when Jim finally started to wake up. Doctor Ravi had been by twice to check on him and made sure his vitals were stabilizing. He hadn't removed the oxygen yet. Jim moved a little, scooting in the direction of the fan pointed at the bed. The small portable fan kept the kid cool overnight and made a calming sound. His fever broke around noon and he was covered in damp sweat. Pike sat down on the edge of the bed, not touching Jim. Jim reached up and felt the oxygen tube before opening his eyes. He blinked quickly to clear the moisture from his eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" His voice cracked before he coughed.

Pike helped him sit up a little and tucked a pillow behind his back before offering him a cup of water. "You're in my apartment. Do you remember what happened?"

"It's… blurry, but you carried me out. Thanks."

"No problem." Pike took the cup back and set it on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Chris wanted to push him, but didn't dare try it. He put his hands on his knees and stood up. Jim quickly stopped him, putting a hand on Pike's forearm.

"Wait, I'm sweaty and gross and sore. I think I got a hypospray stabbed at my butt at some point." He paused. "Can I take a shower?"

"I don't know about a shower. Doctor Ravi says you still need the oxygen and the IV. We might be able to swing a bath."

Jim nodded. "Sounds nice."

"I'll make you a promise. If you eat a little something, I'll help you take a bath."

The kid must have felt disgusting because he agreed. Jim managed to take a few sips of chicken flavored broth and kept it down for a while. He asked Jim to come into the bathroom as he ran the tub full of water and added in some bubbles. Pike glanced back in the bedroom and saw Jim still sitting on the bed. He poked his head around the door, leaning against it. The kid took a shuddering breath and pushed up, but quickly fell back against the pillows.

"Need help?"

Jim nodded. Pike gently lifted the kid in his arms, being careful not to injure him further and pull on the oxygen tube. He moved into the bathroom and helped pull off the kid's clothing. Jim kept his eyes on the wall as he lowered him into the water. The image of death was overwhelming as he watched Jim's eyes slide closed; his skin in contrast with the white bubbles and the nasal cannula. If not for the small smile on his face, he'd have thought it made him feel worse.

"Oh, I replicated something for you," Chris said, reaching for the item tucked in the clean towel.

The kid opened his eyes. "A duck?"

"It's a rubber duck. Kids play with them in the bathtub." He shrugged and dropped it in Jim's outstretched hand. "What is the function of a rubber duck? I have no idea, but oh well."

"Thanks."

Jim let it float on the surface as he relaxed in the water. Pike grabbed his PADD and came back, reading through one of the reports he had to finish before tomorrow. Admiral Mitchell had given him a day to turn it in later. He glanced back at the kid and saw him sliding deeper in the water as he started to fall asleep. Pike set the PADD on the counter and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. He poured water onto the kid's head and proceeded to wash his hair. Jim opened his eyes.

"I fell off the porch when I was five and got all dirty and cut my knee. My mom… she tried to comfort me, but she couldn't. She washed my hair in the tub, but got soap in my eyes. It made me cry and she walked away. Mom couldn't take care of me. After that, I always took care of myself," he whispered.

Pike rinsed Jim's hair and carefully moved the oxygen tube a little to clean beneath it. "I'm sorry. Kids aren't supposed to raise themselves."

"And fathers aren't supposed to die on the day you were born." Jim took a shallow breath. "I didn't have a dad to teach me to play baseball or teach me the constellations or read me stories before bed."

"Jim, I'm so sorry. I know you feel."

"I know."

Pike put his hands on his knees. "Okay, let's get you cleaned up and back in bed."

Jim didn't say another word as Chris finished cleaning the kid up and rinsed him off. Once the water drained from the tub, he tossed a towel over him and carried Jim back to the bed. He replicated some plain pajamas for Jim. The kid insisted he didn't need any help getting dressed, but conceded when he couldn't get his pants on. Jim kept his eyes closed as Pike helped him. Chris covered him with the blanket and adjusted the tubing. He paused when he saw tears leaking from the kid's eyes.

"Jim, what's wrong?"

"Everything. I wanna talk about it. I wanna talk about what Kodos did to me."

Please forgive any typo mistakes. This chapter was a bit tough to write. We're getting the really awful stuff in the next chapter! Bonus points if you caught the Harry Potter reference in this chapter. :) I really wanted to write a chapter where Jim was being taken care of, but also where he realizes he needs to talk about what happened. Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you thought.