As a warning this chapter does refer to uncomfortable situations involving a child.

Chapter Twelve

"Are you sure you want to tell me? I won't force you if you aren't ready," Chris said.

Jim nodded, making fists in the blanket. "I have to. It's killing me… every touch and he – he hurt so many and – I couldn't save them." He sighed. "You can record it for the official record so I don't have to tell it again. I know Starfleet Command wants to know the details. I have to tell somebody!"

"Jim. You can tell me. Let's get you calmed down." Pike sat down on the edge of the bed and the kid moved over to give him some space. He grabbed a PADD from the bedside drawer and pressed record. "This is Commander Christopher Pike. Please state your name for the record."

"James Tiberius Kirk."

Pike squeezed his shoulder once and removed it, knowing he'd need his space to be able to talk about what happened. "Take your time, Jim. I'm not going anywhere."

Jim rolled to his side on the bed and faced Pike. He took a few unevenly breaths, causing Pike to reach over and adjust the oxygen level on the machine like Doctor Ravi had shown him. It didn't ease the kid's discomfort. Tears pooled in his eyes, but didn't fall.

"Everything was fine at first. I liked living on Tarsus IV with my aunt. It was better than being with my mom. She tries… but… I love her."

"Jim, you don't have to explain that to me."

"I know. I remember you came to see me once when I really little. Mom loves me, but she can't show it. I remind her of Dad and it's too painful for her." Jim cleared his throat. "She's working and it was good to play with other kids and I liked to pull pranks on the teachers. That's why he noticed me. I was disturbing the teachers at the colony school and I started seeing him. When I'd play on the playground, he was there. When I walked home from school, he was there. It freaked me out."

Kodos stalked Jim? Pike had suspected from the picture he'd found at Kodos' mansion; two boys sitting on a swing and one of them had looked familiar.

Jim rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Things got bad. Food became harder to get and my aunt suspected something was wrong. Kodos forced everyone to listen to the announcement that half of us were going to die in order to save the rest. We stood in the town square and listened as the people around us were condemned to die." He paused. "My aunt was executed in the first group. I was supposed to die too, but I ran. I managed to save as many of the kids as I could. We hid in the cave. I stole food to help them survive. Kevin helped me, but it was hard. Tommy came along to help us once." He picked at the blanket. "We needed a smaller person to sneak in to unlock a door. Kodos caught us and he meant to hit me with the acid, but he hit Tommy and… it's my fault he's going to carry those scars."

"I'm sorry, Jim." Pike sat up staighter so he could get a better look at the kid's face.

"I let myself by captured to give Kevin and Tommy time to escape. He – he beat me and tied me to that pole as an example to others who tried to steal food. A few colonists tried to rescue me and they died. I didn't want them to. I told them to leave me." Tears rolled down his cheeks and he tried to push up on his arms, but winced and fell back.

Pike tucked another pillow behind his back. "We can stop if you want."

"No, I have to finish." Jim took another shaky breath.

Pike could hear the slight rattling sound in his chest. He paused the recording and went into the bathroom, returning with a glass of water. Jim drank it greedily and Pike prayed it would stay down and he couldn't get sick from drinking it so quickly. He handed Pike the cup back and nodded. Chris pressed the record button again.

"Once Kodos got tired of me being on the pole, he took me to the secret room in his office, hidden below the floorboards. He bound my arms behind my back in a way that the ligaments in my shoulders tore and it hurt… it hurt so badly. I was glad they went numb after a day. Kodos tried to get me to talk to him, but I didn't want to. I mouthed off and he hit me. I made rude jokes and he kicked me. One time Kodos kicked me in the head and I blacked out. My stomach felt like it was shriveling up and he only gave me a little water to drink."

Jim stopped again, holding tight to the blanket. His chest heaved as if he was running a marathon. Pike opened his mouth, but Jim shook his head.

"I don't remember parts of it. The worst part… was when…" His voice choked up and sobs escaped from his lips. "He'd stare at me for hours and then… he'd run his hands over my body and…" Jim couldn't continue.

Pike felt like throwing up and it took everything in him to calm his stomach. He had to be strong for Jim. The kid cried unashamedly, his breath hitching and hiccupping. After a few moments, he managed to calm down a little bit.

"My skin burned and I knew I had an infection. I could barely breathe. The last time he came down, Kodos said he was going to take me away and keep me for himself. I didn't deserve anything more. The next thing I remember was you, I mean, Lieutenant Pike taking me out of the place."

Chris nodded. "Did he say anything important when he took you from the U.S.S. Constellation?"

"No." Jim tried to hide his shaking hands. "Just the same stuff about how he wanted to keep me, but Pike saved my life and Kodos is dead. I don't have anything else to say."

Pike turned off the recording and quickly sent it to Admiral Mitchell, making a note that it was Jim's testimony of events and that he felt it should never be released to anyone due to the sensitive nature. Jim lay back against the pillow, letting the tears fall. He'd been through hell and then the memories he'd been forced to relive… no one deserved such pain. It was a miracle Jim was still alive and talking to anyone. Pike set the PADD on the table.

"Jim, I –"

Jim pushed up and threw himself into Pike's arms, letting out all of his pain. Chris rubbed his back, letting him get his shirt all wet.

"I'm so sorry, Jim. It's gonna be okay."

"How?" Jim asked.

"I don't know, but I'll help you through this."

Somehow. He had no idea how to help Jim. Pike held him until Jim went limp in his arms and he gently lay him back in the bed, tucking the blanket around him. He'd never tucked in a kid before and wanted him so much to be his. He wanted to save him. Pike stumbled into the living room and toward the sliding door. He stepped out onto the balcony and sucked in the fresh air. The atmosphere inside was sweltering. Pike rested his arms on the rail. How was he going to help Jim?

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jim slept for an hour. He looked around and felt the breeze from the window blowing on his face. He snuggled back into the blankets. There was a soft knock on the door. Pike poked his head into the room and smiled at him.

"Hey kid, how was your nap?" Chris asked, setting a tray on the bed.

"It was fine. What's that?" His voice sounded a little hoarse from all of the crying.

"I talked to Dr. Ravi and he said you could try some more solid food. So, we have bland chicken noodle soup and a roll. Your body isn't ready for butter yet, but I figured that would be okay."

"It sounds good."

Pike put the tray on his lap and Jim dug in. "Another few days and you should be back to some regular food. Any requests for your first real meal?"

"Apple pie."

Chris laughed and handed him a cup of water. "Okay, we can have that for dessert, but you'll need other food first."

"Pizza," Jim answered between bites.

"Okay, we can have pizza and pie, but you have to slow down before you choke."

He nodded. Once he finished eating, Jim requested to change into some clean clothes since he had snot on his clothes from crying. While he was in the bathroom, Pike changed the sheets and prepped his surprise for Jim. He moved the computer screen to the bed and brought up the video he'd found in the film archives. Toy Story. Toys coming to life sounded like a perfect distraction. He pulled a bowl of popcorn from the replicator. Jim opened the bathroom door and hobbled back to the bed.

"I have a surprise for you."

Jim turned his head as he snuggled back under the blanket. "What is it?" His eyes focused on the popcorn and slight smile crossed his lips.

Pike set the bowl between the two of them. Jim took a handful. "It's called Toy Story. It's a great movie about toys coming to life and talking. I think you'll like it."

"Okay. It sounds good to me."

Pike settled in and pressed play. The opening began with Andy running around with Woody, his cowboy doll. A smile settled on Jim's face as he watched. Pike's communicator chirped twice. He opened and saw it was Admiral Mitchell calling him.

"I'll be right back. You can catch me up on what's happened."

Jim nodded. "Don't be long."

Pike stepped into the living room and headed out onto the balcony, leaving the door open a crack. "This is Pike."

"Hello Commander. Am I disturbing you?" Admiral Mitchell's voice came through clearly.

"No, Sir. We're just watching a movie. He needs a good distraction after I made him relive his memories earlier."

Admiral Mitchell was quiet for a moment. "I listened to the audio you sent me. It was pretty horrific. I agree with your statement that we should keep his records sealed. Once the investigation into everything is finished, we can protect his name. There will be no evidence that he resided on Tarsus IV during the incident."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate that and I'm sure Jim will too."

The admiral cleared his throat. "I do have some other information for you. First, the other rescued children would like to see Jim. They've requested to have a playdate."

"How are the kids doing?" Pike asked, glancing back as he heard the movie playing in the background.

"They've all been settled with either family members or prospective adoptive parents. The situation is being handled very carefully."

"Good."

"The second thing is… Winona Kirk has been notified of what transpired at Tarsus IV and she's returning to Earth."

Pike ran a hand over his face and braced himself on the railing. "I thought she was on a deep space mission and out of range."

"She was, but news has reached her. I spent twenty minutes talking to her and she wants to see Jim. She's still weeks away from Earth, but I thought I'd give you a head's up. I informed her that her son wasn't available to contact yet, but eventually she'll want to see him."

"Thanks for letting me know, Sir. When it's the right time, I'll inform Jim." A thought quickly crossed his mind. "As to Jim's placement while we wait for his mother to arrive, I'd like to formally request for him to stay with me. I can't let someone from the foster care system take him after hearing his testimony."

"I agree with you. It's a very delicate situation. I will talk to Child Services and request a longer placement for you as temporary guardian until the time Winona arrives. It should keep him from falling into the system and being absorbed. We can't let this kid slip through the cracks."

"I agree. He's been through hell and he's going to need a lot of help."

"While he's staying with you, I can also recommend a counselor for him to talk to."

Pike ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know if he'll talk to a counselor."

"I understand, but it is procedure. We can talk more about this tomorrow. I won't keep you from your movie. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Mitchell, out."

Pike closed his communicator and let his head fall to his chest. One blow after another blow; he didn't know how much more Jim could take. There was no way the kid was ready to see his mom. At least he had a little time to help Jim before things would get complicated again. He sighed and headed back inside. Jim watched him as he walked around the bed and sat down.

"What did I miss?" Chris asked, leaning back against the headboard.

"There's a new toy named Buzz Light-year, who is a space ranger. Woody doesn't like him because he doesn't want to be replaced as Andy's favorite toy. He doesn't like change. That's about it."

"Change can be really hard."

Jim nodded. "I know it can."

"But change can be good."

The kid shrugged and snuggled deeper into the blankets. He watched the movie with rapt attention. Pike found himself very engaged with the story as the toys became lost and struggled to get home. He glanced over at Jim and saw the boy's eyes were heavy, but he fought falling asleep. Jim always had to be so strong, even if he just wanted to know if a lost toy made it home to his owner.

Sorry for the delay, but I will finish this story! :) I hope the chapter was worth waiting for and please forgive any mistakes. I did a rough read through. Please review!