A/N: Not mine. All I own are copies of the Blu-ray and novelization.
Thank you Royalpinkdogs for the great job of beta-ing.
Chapter two
After a quick stop at Jim's quarters to sort out the luggage; they all retreated to their rooms to prepare for the ceremony at 0900. The whole week was dedicated to those who lost their lives on the many Federation ships as well as those killed by the destruction of Vulcan.
McCoy sent off the comm. info to Admiral Pike and hurried to finish getting into the dress uniform that he'd had to dig out of the back of his closet the night before. He knew that it was unlikely that Jocelyn would let Jo watch any of the coverage but he was hoping that they could find some way to record them for her. That hope was about all that made his dress uniform bearable.
'What exactly has she told Jo about my not calling her?' That thought opened the door to all sorts of possibilities, as McCoy rushed to Jim's door and leaned on the chime.
"Geez Bones what's the matter?" Jim asked smoothing his uniform shirt.
"I just thought of somethin' that might cause us problems. I know she's been keepin' me from talkin' to Jo but what the hell has she been tellin' her about why I suddenly quit callin'?" McCoy said worriedly.
"Oh God; why didn't we think about that before? C'mon we gotta get a hold of Pike fast." Jim exclaimed tearing back into the room to try and reach Pike at his office but they'd just missed him. That sent them rushing to the hall where the ceremony was being held. They found Pike just entering the Hall.
"Sir! We may have a problem." Jim said as they hurried up to his wheel chair.
"What's the matter? Come inside before we get mobbed by the media." Pike ordered as Jim held the door and they followed him in. "Ok now what's got you two panicked?" the Admiral asked looking between them.
"We know that she's been sayin' Jo isn't home when I try and talk to her but we don't know what she's told Jo. If she's been tellin' her it's because I don't want her, and that's the sort a thing she'd do, and then I show up she won't want to see me. And Jocelyn will love that she's finally managed to turn her against me. She hates it that Joanna's been a Daddy's girl since she was born" McCoy explained quickly.
"Is there anyone that we can use as a go between down there, someone that your ex-wife wouldn't suspect?" Pike asked thoughtfully running over various scenarios in his head.
"There might be. Mrs. Parker has lived next door since I was in high school. And I know she loves Jo. She might be able to." McCoy said thinking out loud.
"Where's the nearest comm. Admiral?" Jim asked.
"Right this way. Let's get this started." Pike said as he maneuvered his wheelchair through the halls. As soon as they were in an empty office with the door closed, Pike called Rhymer to meet them ASAP.
While they waited Jim called the others on their communicators to let them know what was going on and where they were. Everyone said they'd meet them there. Rhymer arrived just as Jim finished signing off with Chekov.
"Ok Sir how are we goin' to work this?" McCoy asked.
"Well first let's try your ex and see what happens. Then we'll go from there. Joanna knows about the camping plans?" Rhymer asked, trying to keep the different variables in mind.
"Yeah, we started makin' them before this last mission once we knew 'bout the shore leave. I wanted her to have somethin' to look forward to." McCoy replied.
"Ok we need to stay out of it but we are here as witnesses. You haven't called her this month yet have you?" Rhymer asked.
"No I knew I'd need to touch bases with her after we got here." McCoy replied a bit testily.
"Ok call her now, and we'll be listening and recording." Rhymer said attaching a recorder to the comm. and placing it out of sight on the desktop, as Bones keyed in the number.
As usual Jocelyn answered. She was a slender woman, with short strawberry blonde hair and hard green eyes.
"Well Leonard, what do you want?" she demanded coolly.
"I want to talk to our daughter, Jocelyn. And let her know I'm comin' to get her next week like we've been planin'." McCoy replied managing to keep his tone conversational, barely.
"Well she isn't here right now; she's over at a friend's for the day." Jocelyn said evenly. Even though her tone was practiced McCoy could tell that she was lying. He'd spent too much time around Jim lying about injuries to not know the signs.
"That's bullshit Jocelyn and you know it! I know you and you don't let her spend the day with a friend period. Also I happen to know you wouldn't let her out of the house anyway this week because she might accidently watch the coverage of the Federation Memorial. So put her on!" He demanded as he temper started to fray at her attitude.
"I told you that she's not here! Go away or I'll be callin' my lawyer." With that she ended the transmission. Jim was the first to move laying a hand on McCoy's shoulder.
"Hey, we still have your neighbor right?" Jim said trying take his friend's mind off his ex-wife.
"Yeah. I just hope the number hasn't changed." He replied keying in another number as Jim stepped back.
"Hello? Lenny? Is that really you?" gasped the older lady with a grin, she reminded Jim a bit of an old drawing of Mrs. Clause in a Christmas book he'd had as a child.
"Yeah it's me Mrs. P." McCoy said with an indulgent half smile.
"So what are you doing callin' me instead of your little girl?" Mrs. Parker inquired seriously, seeming to sense something was up.
"I need your help. Jocelyn's been tryin' to pull somethin' the last few months and I need your help to get to talk to Jo." McCoy told her gravely.
"So that's what's been wrong with the little darlin'. I just thought it was the fact that her Mama's remarryin'. She sure don't like him none, and I can't see that he's any prize. But she's just crazy 'bout him." Mrs. Parker said with a shake of her head. "Now Lenny, don't worry about your girl, she's still lookin' for ya to come get her. That's what she told me yesterday. We were talkin' out front, and she looks up at me and says, 'Daddy's gonna come get me for leave I know it.' She sounded like you the way she said it like it was absolute fact." Mrs. Parker told him with a grin that loosened the knot in his stomach.
"Thanks Mrs. P that's a relief. I was afraid that she thought that I didn't want her or somethin' like that, since Jocelyn won't let me talk to her. Do you still have that old dresser that you used to claim 'ate' your jewelry when I was in high school?" McCoy asked with a slight devious smile.
"You bet I do that thing's too heavy to get out. Remember it took you, your Daddy, and my Steve to get it up there. Let me guess you want me to say it 'ate' something and have Jo come over to get it?" she asked with a smile of her own.
"That's right. Did the number come up?"
"Yes it did Lenny."
"Will you call me back so I can talk to her? I only have about half an hour till the ceremony starts." McCoy told her glancing at the clock.
"Of course I will Lenny. I'll call over right now. Take care of yourself I worry about you up there. Parker out." She said grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
As they waited the others showed up. First Chekov, who claimed he was trying to get away from his mother and aunt. Sulu wasn't far behind, claiming reporters, Scotty, Uhura, and Spock arrived almost together.
After introductions Admiral Pike was starting to update everyone when the comm. chimed. McCoy hit the button almost before the sound ended.
There on the screen was his girl, long, dark brown hair braided down her back, and serious hazel eyes, the serious expression only lasted a second when she saw who she was talking to.
"Daddy! I knew you weren't gonna forget me. I don't care what Mama says." None of them could miss the hurt in her voice at the mention of her mother.
"Hey Darlin' Girl. How ya holdin' up Jo?" Almost everyone was surprised at how different he sounded talking to her. Jim was the only one who'd really seen this softer side of him before.
"Not so good Daddy. I don't want to not be yours. But 'Mama' says ya got no choice, but I'm not supposed to tell ya, cause it's supposed to be a surprise, like it's somethin' for you for your birthday or Christmas. And it's not!" Joanna stormed her temper getting the best of her.
"Darlin', calm down, ok? I'll be seein' you as soon as I can get out of the circus here. But that won't be till Friday. So hang in there. I got us that cabin, and several of my friends from the crew are gonna join us the second week." McCoy told her and watched her light up again.
"Is Uncle Jim one of them? Who else?" Joanna asked grinning in excitement.
"Yeah he's comin', so are Chekov, Sulu, Uhura, Spock and Scotty." He told her grinning at her enthusiasm at the prospect of finally meeting them. She'd met Jim a number of times over the comm. starting when they were roommates but that wasn't the same.
"Jo, I want ya to take down these numbers and keep them with you. And don't tell your mama." He told her and gave her the numbers for his communicator and Admiral Pike's. "You remember, I told you 'bout the Admiral? He's a good guy- one of the best I know, if I don't answer call him."
"Ok. Don't worry I won't and I will. I don't want her to get mad at me cause then she won't let me go. And I do not want to be locked up again." McCoy's fists clenched under the desk.
"Jo what d'ya mean locked up?" he asked managing barely to keep the anger out of his voice.
"Mama' lets that Victor, lock me in the box room if I don't do what he says, or say anythin' bout you to defend you. He's always sayin' how you're nothin' but a- Daddy don't get mad and wash my mouth out please- worthless bastard who never should have had a medical license. And that you lied after all the stuff two years ago cause there was no way you wouldda been allowed near a Starfleet captain let alone an Admiral. When I said that you don't ask for rank when you've got folks hurt and doctors help whoever's next, last week; Victor wopped me with his belt and locked me in the box room overnight." Everyone watched as Bones' face went livid. Jim jumped in quickly, grabbing him by the shoulder, hard, and leaning into the screen before his friend could lose his temper, or Joanna could see how mad he was at what she's said.
"Uncle Jim! I'm glad you're ok. Daddy said you got hurt pretty bad before the last trip." She smiled at him.
"Yeah JoJo, he patched me up like always, though. I wanted to say hi since I won't be seeing you for another couple weeks. You take care of your Dad until we get there ok?" Jim grinned back.
"Ya bet I will, Mrs. P's teachin' me how to cook a bit. I'll see you soon Uncle Jim, tell everyone else I said hi too." She said as Jim felt Bones shoulder relax slightly.
"Will do JoJo. I better let your Dad talk to you before he uses a hypo to knock me unconscious- again." Jim and Joanna both laughed at that as he stepped back. Bones was back in control again smiling slightly at her attachment to his friend.
"I'd better go too Darlin' so you and Mrs. P don't get in trouble. I'll be there in a week to get you and don't tell your Mama that you talked to me. I do want you to do something for me Jo -;remember that I love ya Darlin' girl." McCoy said, softly.
"I love you too Daddy. See you soon. Bye." Joanna said with a little wave as the link ended.
Bones sat there a minute just staring at the screen trying not to think about someone else laying a hand on his girl, as the others digested what they'd just learned.
Spock's voice broke him out of his musings. "Doctor you have a beautiful child. She resembles you greatly."
That got a grudging chuckle. "Thanks Spock."
"Ok, I think we need to do some rethinking here." Rhymer said from his spot against the wall. He'd been one of the ones most able to see the screen. "From what both your daughter and neighbor have said and your ex-wife's attitude, I think that a bit more of a proactive stance might be helpful. Is there a way for someone to go with you to get her, as witness to your ex-wife's behavior?" Everyone glanced around thinking over their travel plans.
"Nyet, Sir zhere is no vay I kin, my Mama vould ruin eet. I am sorry Doktor." Chekov said sadly.
"I'm going to my cousin's wedding in Seoul on Sunday with my parents." Sulu put in.
"Ah guess tha' leaves me, Ah'm goin ta my mother's bu' if yeh need me Ah don't think she'll mind me gettin' there a bit late Doctor." Scotty put in grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"We can come too, Leonard." Uhura spoke up after a glance at Spock.
"Bones if we take the direct route from here, I can go with you to pick up JoJo and then head for Iowa." Jim added.
Admiral Pike started laughing at the slightly baffled look on McCoy's face. "I think just one or two at the most. You take too many and that'll blow the whole plan of finding anything out. Though I'm tempted to tell you to take Spock and Kirk with you if for nothing more than the fact that Spock could tie her up in so many 'logical' knots that we could do just about anything with her. And we both know Kirk's the best at talking his way into and out of trouble." Pike commented causing most of them to chuckle. "But for right now don't worry about it, you can decide who's best to go when we get more information."
"I have already found out a few things that make me think taking witnesses might be an option to seriously consider." Rhymer said solemnly. "And that it might be easier to get Joanna moved to your custody than we thought. After our meeting I started looking up her associates and general finances; nothing that would raise a red flag, it's done every day. There are some rather interesting payments that have come up. I'll keep digging, I know there's more."
"Good, now shall we get moving? At least get this welcome out of the way, so we can move on to the important stuff?" Pike asked as he ushered them out the door.
None of them liked the idea of a week of being fussed over and being reminded of how many were lost but people needed to remember. They filed out behind Pike with Jim pushing his wheelchair so they could talk.
"Sir, do you really think there's chance that Bones might get her back?" he asked quietly.
"From what I know of him and what I've heard and seen of his ex today, I definitely think he's the better choice. I just hope nothing happens between now and Friday. She certainly is a beautiful girl."Pike replied, matching Jim's quiet tone.
"I agree with you on both counts, Sir." Jim said with a chuckle.
"So how did you end up meeting her, 'Uncle Jim'?" Pike asked his young protégé with a grin.
"Well, you know that Bones and I roomed together here and at first I left the room so they could talk. The night we told you about Finnegan I wandered out when I heard her talking, she saw me asked who I was. So he introduced us. After that, if I was still there I'd always say hi or something to her before I left; or she'd have Bones tell me hi when I got back. I'm not sure where she got the Uncle part but, hey I don't mind, I'm pretty sure there's no other way I'll get called that anytime soon." Jim finished with a chuckle as they reached the door of the largest assembly hall Starfleet had.
The rest of the morning was lost in official welcomes and the general dedication of a walled, glass roofed memorial 'garden'. It contained plants from Vulcan, and scattered around the space were walls that held the names and images of the ships and crews lost. The walls surrounding the garden were carved with the names of the Vulcans lost, grouped by city and family. Admiral Michael Archer announced that each day one wall would be dedicated, and on the last day it would be open to the families for the first week, and on the next Monday it would be open to the public. That day would commemorate two ships; the survival of theEnterprise as well as the loss of theKelvin.
To most the inclusion of the Kelvin was a shock. A murmur went through the crowd as Admiral Pike carefully stepped up to the podium. As he stood there retelling, from his dissertation, the tale of the first contact with the vessel that would, 25 years later, destroy Vulcan, Jim fought to keep his composure, his mother had started telling him more about his father over the last two years which in a way made it even more painful to hear. Jim sat there, eyes closed, surrounded by his friends listening to the man who'd been his mentor during his years at the Academy and was now one of his greatest supporters and sounding boards, hearing both the 'official' version and his mother's version of that day in his head.
As the names of those lost were called he let his mind wander to everything that his mom had told him about his dad, then his eyes flew open in shock at hearing his own name. He sat there frozen for a few seconds till Bones nudged him in the ribs to get him moving, he scrambled to his feet and managed to walk down to the floor of the hall.
"Captain Kirk, I know that you weren't expecting this, but we wanted to return something long overdue. Please accept this with the gratitude of Starfleet." Pike said formally as he passed Jim a small plaque; there to one side was a picture of his father as well as a scored and twisted transponder ring set into the metal.
"The Excelsior picked up the signal three years ago, and managed to track it down. I thought that you'd want to have a piece of him, Jim." Pike murmured to him, as Jim stared in awe at this piece of his father.
"Thank you, Sir." He whispered, glancing up, gratitude shining through the sudden tears in his eyes. "You're welcome son." Pike responded glancing at the crowd meaningfully. Jim flushed a bit and turned. "Thank you; Sorry I don't know what to say. I never expected anything" he trailed off, clearing his throat. "Thank you." He said again looking over the crowd.
As he turned to leave, Pike stopped him to shake his hand, and Jim surprised both of them by pulling him into a quick one armed hug.
"Thank you- for everything." He murmured as he stepped back and headed to his seat; as Adm. Barnett stepped to the podium and started on the deeds and losses of the Enterprise.
That night everyone wished they could come up with a valid reason not to go to the banquet but having a Doctor in the group more or less canceled out being ill and everyone in the quadrant knew they were there so hiding wasn't going to work either.
Not even Jim really enjoyed himself at these things, but this time he just wanted this week over with so they could get something done to help Bones and Joanna.
After dinner he tracked down Pike to thank him again without everyone watching and find out a bit more about his dad's ring.
An hour later, he joined Bones and Scotty in a corner to hide until they could sneak out. They finally got back to their rooms around eleven.
'Day one done, thank God. - G'night -Dad' Jim thought as he fell asleep, after one last glance at the plaque propped up on the bedside table.
The first day set the tone for the rest of the week, and as expected they were all quickly bored with the pageantry. At times they all wondered why the hell they had stopped Nero, as they were bombarded by the vultures of the media; families, both their own and those of their friends they could handle. But many of the reporters hadn't read the guidelines they'd been given for what was considered impolite, and/or offensive on various planets and cultures. This was evident when one decided to corner Spock in one of the rose gardens, and question him about what happened on Vulcan.
It was lucky, for the reporter, that Jim, Bones, Scotty and Uhura happened to find them when they did. It took all three of the men to rather unwillingly rescue the reporter from the seven foot high trellis Spock had hung the back of his belt on and Uhura almost five minutes to calm Spock back down, even though his reaction was nonexistent compared to what it could have been. Then she and Jim spent another five haranguing the reporter on his lack of sensitivity and manners, as well as the cultural differences of Vulcans, while they waited for the medics and security to arrive.
Jim had found the man's recorder in a flower bed and played it for everyone concerned at Medical. Since that ended up being the first of several other incidents, Admirals Barnett and Archer quickly issued orders that the media could not be on the grounds unescorted.
Every evening before dinner they managed to meet with Rhymer and go over what he'd found out. Things were complicated to say the least; Jocelyn McCoy appeared to have had two affaires after the move to Atlanta. That seemed to have turned into a string of boyfriends since the divorce, and she had paid large sums to various people the month after it was final. Rhymer was working on the list so it could be turned over to the authorities. Her fiancé, Victor Donovan, it turned out had been in and out of jail for years when he was younger, mostly for bar fights, assault, and the like. His record was clean for the past ten years, so that didn't automatically mean he was up to something but still Rhymer felt better looking at everything. So Rhymer continued his searches, he had enough on the judge and the lawyers in the case to have them charged but a bit extra never hurt, just to be safe in case something unexpected came up.
They all greeted Friday morning with sighs of relief, because as of 2100 hours that night they were free of the spotlight of the last week.
Just as McCoy stepped out of the shower, his communicator went off.
"McCoy." He answered thinking it was Jim reminding him about breakfast.
"Oh Lenny, thank God I reached you." Came the worried voice of Mrs. Parker.
"What's wrong? Has somethin' happened to Jo?" He demanded his mind switching gears immediately.
"I'm not sure what but somethin' has. I hadn't seen her outside since Wednesday evenin'; I thought I'd just missed her. Then this mornin' I went out to water and saw her in the side window of the store room upstairs, she had a black eye and possibly a split lip." Mrs. Parker told him, speaking faster than normal.
"What!" He almost roared into the device, grabbing for his clothes and trying to get dressed one handed.
"She saw me and signaled to call you. I'm keepin' an eye on the place, Lenny. And I got my husband's old phaser out on stun if they try to take her anywhere, b'fore y'all get here." McCoy almost smiled at the picture. Mrs. Parker didn't look like much but she was a crack shot; right now he was more concerned about his daughter though.
"Could you tell how bad the black eye was?" he asked, the doctor in him wanted as much info as possible.
"I'm not sure with the angle and reflections, and all but it didn't look quite as bad as that one you got playin' that pickup game of football right before your sophomore year of high school from the Brody boy but I think close from what I could see of the bruise." She told him, knowing that he'd remember.
"Good God!" he responded in shock, that black eye was one of the worst he'd had. The other kid's shoulder had come right down on him, seconds after he'd hit the ground.
"Ok, I'm callin' Jim and Admiral Pike; let them know what you told me. Keep watchin', but don't do anythin' Mrs. P, if they try and leave call the cops. I don't want anythin' to happen to you." McCoy told her sternly.
"Don't worry Lenny I'll still be here when you arrive." She assured him, the determination in her voice coming clearly through.
"Thanks Mrs. P. McCoy out." McCoy hurried to finish dressing and get a hold of Pike. Somehow, in his rush, he managed to get tangled in his pants and hit the floor hard.
"Goddamnit!" He swore as he untangled himself and finally managed to get them on.
He called Pike who answered sleepily. "H'llo?"
"Admiral this is McCoy. I just got a call from Mrs. Parker. She said that Jo's been hurt and locked up in the box room." He said in a rush.
"Jo's been what?" Pike asked coming awake.
"Mrs. Parker said that she hadn't seen Jo since Wednesday and this mornin' she saw her in the window of the box room, she said Jo had a very nasty black eye and a possible split lip. Jo signaled for Mrs. P to get a hold of me." McCoy said as he finished getting his boots on.
"Ok rouse the others I'll get Rhymer outta bed and meet you in my office. I'm also going to get Archer in on this so that he doesn't blow a gasket when part of the command crew of the flagship disappears today." Pike told him, from the sound of rustling it was clear that he was dressing as fast as Bones had minutes before.
"Will do Admiral, and thanks. McCoy out." He didn't even bother with the comm.; he flew out of his room and started pounding on doors, starting with Jim's. Soon six sleepy people were gathering around him wanting to know what the hell he was doing at 0630 in the morning.
"I gotta call this mornin', Jo's been hurt and locked up. We need to meet Pike at his office ASAP; he's gettin' Rhymer and Archer. Said he was gonna spring us with the Admiral to go get her." McCoy rushed out sending everyone scurrying back to get dressed and packed.
"Don't forget your shirt, Bones" Jim called after him. McCoy just flipped him the bird as he dashed back into his room.
Ten minutes later they hurried out of the Single Guest Barracks, five of them with bags in hand. Everyone wanted to at least be in on the plans even if they couldn't go themselves.
Pike was just unlocking his door when they arrived five minutes later.
"I see you brought the whole group, but the more heads involved in this the better I think." He said rolling into his office. As they got settled Rhymer arrived, in much the same slightly rumpled state as the rest of them. Uhura was finishing making coffee and tea when Admiral Archer entered sending everyone to attention.
"At ease. Ok what the hell is going on here that is so important that I need to get down here this early?" he demanded looking around the room and focusing on Admiral Pike.
"We have a potential situation going on Michael." Pike informed him gravely.
"And why wasn't I notified of it before now?" Archer demanded, not happy at being woken so rudely.
"Because we thought that it would play itself out after the ceremonies were through. And if you needed to be brought in it would be over the Enterprise's shore leave if at all." Pike explained.
"Oh and what was going to play out?" Archer asked with a look at theEnterprise officers.
"Michael you remember Dr Leonard McCoy? Well it seems his ex-wife got him in, what we're calling, a Klingon shit mess of a divorce five years ago, now she's trying to have his parental rights revoked."
"Alright but that still doesn't explain-" Archer started to say.
"He wasn't supposed to find out until after he was back on board the Enterprise that his rights were terminated two days before the end of leave, so he couldn't contest the action. Rhymer can you explain the whole mess?"Pike said turning to Rhymer knowing that he could explain it easier.
It took Rhymer ten minutes to run through the facts of the case; he'd had the foresight to bring along the decree and PADDs as back up. Archer looked at everything in shock.
"McCoy, how on earth did you manage to hide this for so long?"
"I didn't need much while here and not much more on the Enterprise." he shrugged, "The last time I tried to do anythin' about it, it ended up costing me more. About the only thing I managed to keep was this-. Uh, Uhura you do still have it right?" he asked patting his pockets.
"Yes Doctor right here. Did you really think I'd lose it?" she asked handing him the flask.
"No. My folks gave me that when I finished my residency. It ended up bein' the only thing from them that I've had, so I carry it to remember them." He said passing it to Archer. "Don't worry its empty." Archer handed it back with a nod of understanding.
He quietly looked over the crew. "Let me guess, you all want to go help your CMO get his daughter?" he asked his concern showing.
"We'd all like to but some of us can't and we're still deciding who is."Jim replied looking at Archer gravely.
"Ok let's decide that now. Who can go?" Scotty, Spock, Uhura, and Jim motioned they could.
"Ok Doctor it's up to you. You know your ex-wife and you know your shipmates." Archer said quietly.
"I agree with Admiral Pike on this one, Jim, Spock, and Uhura. We might need a woman along." He responded to Spock's unasked question.
"Alright what's the strategy?" Archer asked looking at the others.
"First we need to let the Atlanta police know what's going on. Then we'll have to play it by ear. But we might want to think about getting someone in the house to make sure Joanna's safe." Rhymer said thoughtfully. "We have enough charges of fraud and abuse of power on the legal end of this case."
"You need to be wery careful zhough, so zhey don't hurt her vorse." Chekov said looking concerned.
"The lad's pegged it, if yaer neighbor's righ' an' she's hurt a'ready chargin' in could make it worse." Scotty put in his two cents.
"If there's window is there a way of getting a ladder up there and getting her down before they know she's gone?" Sulu suggested.
"I think you are potentially complicating a simple logical problem unnecessarily. All Doctor McCoy should have to do is proceed as originally planned for picking her up, then if his former spouse decides to become obdurate, further steps will need to be taken. One thing that might prevent such an occurrence is the presence of Lt Cmdr Rhymer from the start. There is an 87% likely hood that the presence of someone of the legal profession that she has no ties to or hold over will frighten her into acceding to our demands for Joanna quietly." Spock put in with a trace of amusement in his voice, that only his friends and Admiral Pike noticed.
"Also if we have legal proof of B-Dr. McCoy's plans to have the divorce settlement appealed and possibly overturned. That might soften her up as well." Jim added, seeing where Spock was going. "We can drop the stuff off about the lawyers and the judge any time before we leave town, or do we have a timeline on this kinda thing?" he asked Rhymer.
"Ah don't think ya oughtta put it off too long, else the cops'll plague yaer life out wi' calls ta answer questions that couldda been dealt with at the start." Scotty advised. "Had a cousin tha' happened ta over a crackup in Aberdeen." He explained.
"The police will need to have the information as soon as we can get it to them so they can confirm our claims and pick up the lawyers and judge." Rhymer said.
"Ok we'll drop the info with the police when we give them the rest of the paperwork." Jim replied and glanced at his Chief Engineer. "With the four of us leaving that puts you in charge of keeping the crew in line, Mr. Scott." Jim informed him.
Scotty looked a bit wild eyed when he heard that. "Bu' Cap'n Ah've nae real experience commandin' a ship larger than a shuttle a'fore. Sittin' for hours in orbit durrin' a peace conference don' count." He protested.
"Mr. Scott all you have to do is make sure that no one makes a fool of themselves or gets into trouble today. Once shore leave starts it's off your hands." Pike told him. "And I'll be there to help make sure they do." He added much to Scotty's relief.
"Thank ya Sir Ah don' think tha' they'll listen any too well wi'out you lookin over my shoulder as it were."
"Very well, Rhymer do you have the documents for reopening the case and collecting Dr McCoy's daughter?"Admiral Archer asked.
"All ready for signing Sir. I didn't want to waste time if we found ourselves in this situation so I drew them up Monday and most were signed then." He said as he pulled the papers from his brief case.
As the last papers were signed the rest started gathering their bags. After everything legal was taken care of, they all began filing out of the office.
"I'll put in a call to the APD to let them know you're coming." Pike told them as they left. "Unfortunately you'll have to take a civilian shuttle. Every shuttle we could lay our hands on is in use today ferrying dignitaries."
Goodbyes were said on the way out as everyone scurried off to the shuttle terminal or to finish getting ready for the memorial for Vulcan.
"Rhymer did you bring your dress uniform?" Jim asked stopping suddenly realizing that Spock and Uhura were in theirs, minus the final touches.
"Why?"
"Well you're there to try and intimidate the lady so shouldn't you look the part?" Jim replied with slightly maddening logic.
"I'll meet you at the terminal, Captain." Rhymer said as he took off towards his quarters.
"Bones, don't worry, it'll be alright." Jim told him twenty minutes later. They were waiting at the shuttle terminal for the next flight to Atlanta and his pacing was driving Jim crazy. Uhura had gone to get them some breakfast and Rhymer had just let them know he had left the grounds.
"Yes Doctor, it is ill-advised to wear yourself out in this manner when you know that you will need your mind clear to deal with the situation." Spock added, even his usual calm was slightly unsettled by the events of the last week, and this morning's news.
"I can't help it; I need to be doin' somethin'. Besides I thought that you'd rather I not fidget the whole trip." He groused at them.
Jim stood up and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "Bones, come on, take a deep breath. Is there anything that you can do right now, this second that could help Joanna? Spock's right, we need you in one piece for this. And I know part of the reason you're worked up is the shuttle." He told him seriously.
"No But there seems like there should be. And yeah Jim you're right about the shuttle damn you." McCoy answered sourly, sighing.
"Come on sit down for a minute and tell us a bit about Atlanta." He said leading the doctor over to the seats as Uhura arrived with the food. As they ate McCoy filled them in on the city he grew up in.
Five minutes before departure Rhymer arrived, on the run.
"Sorry, everyone started worrying when they realized you weren't there so it took longer to get back out. Admiral Archer had to make an announcement that you and Cmdr Spock had some kind of flu, Captain, and the Lieutenant had severely sprained her ankle trying to get both of you comfortable before the Doctor arrived. All three of you are under Dr McCoy's capable care and not to be disturbed." Rhymer informed them with a grin, causing the others to roll their eyes.
"You two got nothing to worry about, if I can get Jim on the Enterprise I'm sure I can make you two look suitably pale if we need to, Uhura I think I can find you some crutches when we get back." Bones said thoughtfully looking at his 'patients', as their flight was called, finding his first real smile since Mrs. Parker's call in their reactions
"Don't even think it Bones." Jim told him as they boarded.
A/N:Yes Pike can walk but not fast or run so it's simpler for him to use a wheelchair for distances like between his home and office, but for short distances he's fine or uses a cane. McCoy and the other Doctors weren't able to totally reverse the damage to his spinal cord but he's about 90-95% back to normal.