Chapter Twenty-three

"How are the sensors, Spock?"

"No irregular readings, Captain...same as ten minutes ago."

"Are you mocking me, Mr. Spock?" Kirk chuckled.

"Mocking? No, not at all."

"Good."

"However, may I suggest that I can handle the bridge without your assistance."

"I get annoying when I bored, don't I?"

"I am merely stating that we are on a standard course that does not require the supervision of two Commanding Officers. If you have a more pressing matter to attend to..."

"Sadly, Spock, I really don't have anything better to do than pester you."

"In that case perhaps I may retire?"

"Sure, go spend some time with Daniel."

"Thank you, Captain."

"No problem, it's not everyday that your son is on board."

"Indeed not."

"If he has any interest in playing around on the bridge now is as good a time as any."

"I will ask him."

Kirk watched as Spock left the bridge before returning his attention to the front view screen. The haze of a purple nebula moved across the view screen sluggishly as they made their way through it on impulse power. They were on assignment to categorize all the various chemicals that made up the nebula and take other scientific readings that Kirk had little to no interest in.

Staring out into the haze Kirk realized that the stunning view of the heart of a star nursery still managed to take his breath away. Despite all his years exploring space he still found wonder in its beauty. The color of the nebula reminded him sharply of the Romulan type vessel he'd chased after a few years back. It still irritated him to this day that they some how managed to slip past him using the nebula as cover.

"If I ever see that damn ship again I'm going to blast first, ask questions later." Kirk muttered.

"Captain?" Sulu questioned.

"What? Oh, no, nothing, I was just talking to myself. How is she handling through all this muck?"

"The nebula isn't affecting the ship's performance at all."

"Good to hear."

The pair settled back into silence as the nebula outside turned from purple to a deep blue. Kirk suddenly got the feel of being deep beneath the waves rather than out in the far reaches of space. Making himself more comfortable in the Captain's chair Kirk hummed quietly to himself as he watched the colors swirl and change on the view screen.

Half an hour later Kirk was still mesmerized by the haunting nebula. He heard the bridge turbo lift open and assumed that Spock and Daniel were coming to inspect the bridge. Daniel had grown tremendously in the past six years. He had Spock's pointed ears, however his expressive out going personality was purely his mother. Kirk looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see that it was McCoy stepping onto the bridge.

"Bones," Kirk greeted happily "to what do we owe this honor? You almost never come up here anymore."

"Jim, can we..." Bones looked around apprehensively "Captain, may I speak with you in private?"

"Is everything alright?" Kirk asked concerned.

"I just...I need to talk to you in private."

"Sulu, the con is yours."

"Aye, Sir."

Kirk furrowed his brow in concern as Bones rushed back to turbo lift. The doctor always seemed to have a worried expression on his face, but now that tension spread throughout his whole body. Getting onto the lift with his friend Kirk started to ask what was wrong, but Bones just shook his head.

McCoy led Kirk to sick bay and then back into his office. He offered Kirk a chair, but remained standing and pacing himself. Deciding to just lean against the desk Kirk crossed his arms over his chest and watched his anxious Chief Medical Officer.

"Alright, Bones, what is this all about? Please don't tell me Spock is sick again..."

"No, not Spock...it's Joanna."

"Your daughter? What's wrong?"

"That's part of the problem, no one can figure it out."

"Where is she?"

"Aboard the Intrepid. They have sent me her medical chart...but it doesn't make any sense."

"How ill is she?"

"Gravely." Bones whispered. "This came on late last night, and she's already barely responsive."

"Sulu," Kirk barked into the intercom "how far are we from the Intrepid?"

"Two days at Warp 5." Sulu answered.

"Contact them, tell them to change course to meet us, get to them at the highest possible Warp Scotty to manage."

"Aye, Sir."

"Thank you, Jim." Bones said with relief. "I didn't want to ask you this personal favor in front of the crew."

"This wasn't a personal favor, Bones. A member of Starfleet is dying and the most skilled doctor in the fleet is aboard my ship. It is my responsibility to get her to the man who can save her."

"I hope your faith in me is well placed." McCoy sighed.

"It's going to be okay, Bones. We'll get her aboard the Enterprise by tonight."

"We have a superior sick bay as far as technology goes. I'm praying that we can find something that the doctors on the Intrepid missed."

It didn't more than two seconds for Spock to contact Kirk to see why they had moved to Warp speed. He was informed of the change in plan and offered to take bridge watch until further notice, which for Spock could mean three to four days since his need for sleep was so greatly reduced.

The Enterprise met with the Intrepid in record time thanks to Scotty kicking her into high gear. Joanna was brought aboard and Kirk's heart skipped a beat. Her skin was deathly pale and despite her father calling her name she didn't even try to open her eyes. It didn't take a medical doctor to see that she was dying. Rather than allowing the Intrepid's medical team to move her Bones lifted Joanna up himself and placed her carefully on one of the biobeds in the ICU room.

Kirk didn't like the way that Bones looked at the monitor as the readings came to life. The normally steady noise of the pulse was weak and terrifyingly slow. McCoy barked some orders to Nurse Chapel and she calmly carried them out. Bones worked professionally as he tried to asses his daughter's condition, however, every so often he would stop and gently brush her cheek or tuck a stray lock of her slightly curly hair behind her ear.

After a flurry of activity that Kirk had no hope of understanding the nurse handed Bones a hypospray that he gently pressed against his sleeping daughter's throat. Kirk found himself holding his breath as Bones hovered over her. He was clearly waiting for a reaction from the drug he had just injected. Joanna moaned and fluttered her eyes open for a moment. Bones took her hand in his own and held it tightly.

"Daddy?"

"I'm here, Sugar." McCoy assured.

"Wha...what's happening?"

"Everythin's s'alright." Bones slipped back into his deep Southern drawl. "Can ya tell me anythin 'bout what happened?"

Joanna weakly shook her head.

"Can you..."

"I...can't," Joanna panted "I can't feel anything below my knees..."

Bones looked up at Kirk in horror. Being near the end of the bed Kirk reached out and ran his fingertips up the sole of her foot. Bones asked her if she could tell him which foot Kirk was touching. Joanna shook her head and started to pant as he breathing became increasingly labored.

"Relax, Sweetness, just rest." Bones whispered. "You're safe."

"I love you." Joanna forced a brave smile.

"I love you too."

Bones kissed the back of Joanna's hand as she slipped back into unconsciousness. He had managed to keep his tears at bay until her eyes closed and then they ran freely down his cheeks. He spent a moment making sure she was wrapped in a warm blanket, tucking her in to bed for the night as he did when she was young. After a few final checks on the read outs he stepped away and shook his head. Kirk moved closer to offer what little support he could.

"What's happening to her?"

"She's dying." McCoy whispered.

"Dying?"

"My little Honeybee is dying...and I have no idea why."