-1A/n: YIKES! So, I know I told you guys this would get posted earlier, and I really, really meant that! But then I got caught up with weddings and moving! Sooo….sorry. Here's the new chapter, as promised! It hasn't been beta'd, so the grammar is a little weird. And to be honest, I am fixing the grammar of the last chapter, I had a reviewer point out it was problematic. Also, I'm still not sure how I feel about the pacing of all this… but, I just wanted to get this up. So, you guys may get new editions of these chapters. But, here's the fourth chapter, and I'll have the fifth one up ASAP. And then I have to write new chapters….which will hopefully be good.
But yeah, here ya'all go, and thanks again soo much for all of your support! Please read and review! Constructive criticism is so very, very welcome.
Chapter 4
Five days later, Bones sat in his room regrouping. Bones' plan had been a simple plan. Simply pry the kid with brandy until he talked.
OK, so it was a terrible plan. And had failed miserably. But damn it if he had the slightest clue how to deal with this. He was a doctor, damnit, and even if he did have a specialty in psychology, it wasn't a specialty in therapy. He was at a complete loss.
Bones tapped his hand against his desk in his office in Sickbay. He had no idea how to get Jim over this. At a loss for any information, Bones went back over what he did know.
He knew that he needed Jim to talk. ... Openly. ... About his feelings.
Sober.
Damnit. There was the rub. Jim was one stubborn asshole and could be as bad as Spock about expressing feelings and emotions of vulnerability when he wanted to. Jim got in these stubborn moods when didn't want to admit that he was not invincible, and that he was just human who could not in fact control the entirety of the universe.
And of course, there was the simple problem that Bones wasn't so sure simple conversation would just make this go away. It felt like fixing a broken bone with a kiss and a band-aid.
Bones slammed his hand against the desk and stood with frustration.
This was the damned problem with Starfleet. You lose friends and loved ones, and the damned bureaucrats wouldn't let them properly deal with the grieving process. These kids needed to grieve. But Starfleet wouldn't give them shore leave, no matter how often Bones had called Pike asking him to demand they allow it or no matter how many times he called as high up as he had access to saying that as CMO he strongly recommended it.
They always turned him down with the same bullshit of, "While this event is most tragic and unfortunate, it is relatively standard on Starships and that Starfleet was confident that the training all personnel receive regarding such a situation at the academy was sufficient." Following it up by giving Bones an address he could send any suggestions regarding additions to the Starfleet Academy Curriculum that he felt necessary for consideration .
Damnit, what did Starfleet think this was, some simulation, an exercise? This was real, and the majority of this crew was fresh out of the Academy. They were just kids, one of their own had just died, and the Captain and First Officer were doubting themselves.
They needed shore leave.
But, since that avenue had been denied, Bones had decided other more personal measures needed to be taken.
He had to talk to Jim. And get Spock to stop being so rigid. Bones sighed at the logic games he'd probably have to play to talk sense into Spock. He was hoping maybe he could fix Jim, and then Jim would deal with Spock for him.
Which brought him back to his initial problem.
Jim.
How in the hell...
Bones ran the problem over in his mind again. OK, so what if he wasn't a therapist, he was a psychologist after all, he should be able to figure something out.
After all, the root of all this wasn't so complex, it was relatively simple.
Jim had organized the landing party.
Jim had not included Chekov from the landing party, despite the kid asking permission otherwise.
Chekov died on the Enterprise.
And Jim blamed himself because he hadn't acquiesced and let the kid in the damn landing party.
...
Brandy. Bones needed Brandy.
But this time for himself.
Jim Kirk was a problem that the Universe may never have an answer for.
