93.) Years
Five years in space wasn't really a long time, it was just a year longer than what most of them had spent training at Starfleet Academy or even high school. For parents, five years was an eternity.
A child's first steps, their first words, the first day of school, the first crush, the first date, graduations, birthdays, and holidays. Good and bad, tears and laughter, they wouldn't be there to see any of it for five years. It was even worse for Bones who had limited visitations rights, now he would be lucky if he got to call his little girl once every several months.
Fortunately for Bones and the other parents aboard the Enterprise, they had James T. Kirk for a captain. A man who did all that he could to keep his crew happy, including the acquisition of unique birthday gifts and the planning of surprise parties, or something as small as extra calls, since he had no one to use for his own on.
Five years could last both an eternity and pass in the blink of an eye, but they were still five years spent in space. The parents in his crew may be absent from the everyday lives of their kids, but Kirk made sure each and every parent was able to maintain a relationship with their child. He could not guarantee that no one among his crew would die, but he would do the best that he could.
Written: 12-1-2011
Word Count: 244