A/N:As always anyone you recognise isn't mine. Thank you to everyone still reading this story. I'm so sorry but Life has gotten away from me the last couple months.
As always Thank you to Bookdragon01 for beta-ing this as well as surprising me with her speed; as well as a shout to my friend Susan for helping me keep my 'southern-isms' straight. Also thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I know I need to say it more often but I do love and appreciate the reviews that you leave. Hopefully the next chapter will cooperate so I won't make you wait so long.
take care
Chaoticmom
McCoy blinked up at the ceiling of the miniature gym over the garage trying to figure out how many times he'd ended up there over the course of the last hour and a half, as he spit out his mouth guard.
"Bones are you ok?" Jim's worried voice brought him back to the present with a jolt.
"Yeah, Jim, just let me catch my breath," he replied slowly sitting up and gently shaking his head to try and clear it as Jim shifted back to give him room. "What did you hit me with, Kid? I feel like I just got off one of those old spinnin' carnival rides."
"Sorry, Bones, when you tried to hit me that last time- well I tried something Spock showed me a few weeks ago and threw you over my shoulder. I- I wasn't trying to do it so hard though," Jim replied pulling off his padded helmet, worry clearly visible on his face.
"I'll live, Jim. Now how 'bout helpin' me up and the both of us headin' in to get cleaned up before dinner. I think we worked up an appetite," McCoy suggested as he held out his hand for Jim to grab.
As soon as Jim took his hand McCoy yanked, pulling his friend onto the mat in a heap next to him. "God Bones, I said I was sorry," Jim groaned as he sat up and glared at McCoy.
"You're not that hurt so quit bein' an infant. And ya left yourself wide open for that one," McCoy replied smirking as he stood up and offered Jim a hand.
"I oughtta give you a taste of your own medicine, Bones, but I won't, this time," Jim said grinning as he took the Doctor's hand. "Besides if you're any indication, we both need to do something about the bruises before tomorrow." Jim just laughed at the glare McCoy sent him as they removed their protective padding.
"Jim, do you think we can get it to stick, all the charges?" McCoy asked seriously a few minutes later as they walked back to the house.
"I think so; we've got at least as much evidence against them as Mom did against Frank," Jim reminded him. "There's not a lot he can do to wriggle out of the evidence. I mean how do you explain away the payments and timing? The paper trail, as they used to say, leads right back to him. The message to JoJo is just icing on the cake, especially her reaction to it."
"I know, but for some reason that message is still botherin' me," McCoy said as they stepped inside the house. "Even knowin' what it was, I still can hardly believe anyone would send that to a child and not expect them to be upset."
"At least it wasn't a death threat like we all thought after what Spock saw in her nightmares. I agree with you, but from what you've said he's an arrogant ass, so in a way I'm not surprised he didn't think of that. You've said that you kept JoJo away the first time; does she know how bad it could get? I know Rhymer's gone over what's going to happen, but-," Jim trailed off shooting Bones a worried look.
"I know and as soon as we finish changin' I'm gonna have a talk with her about it. I've mentioned a few times that she shouldn't believe everythin' that might be said but with this I don't think it'll be enough. I should have sat her down and spelled it out before we came back here but-" McCoy trailed off with a sigh, as they climbed the stairs.
"Yeah, I think she knows it could be bad but you need to make sure she does. I don't understand most of that psychology stuff you took but you probably have a better chance of explaining it then the rest of us," Jim tried to reassure him. "I'll see you shortly, Bones," he added heading for his room to get ready for his shower.
McCoy groaned as he pulled off his shirt. Even with the pads he felt almost like he'd been in a real fight, and was grateful that Jim had worked the edge off his own temper with Martin before he got there. McCoy was a decent fighter but he was definitely not up to Jim's level, and Jim knew it, and took it easy on him, pushing his abilities just enough. But today they were both too upset to totally follow their normal routine, and McCoy wasn't too surprised to see the bruises forming on his torso and arms in the mirror. The one on his left cheek was a bit of a surprise though, he couldn't remember getting hit there, but the one he was expecting to see on his jaw wasn't, so it was even he figured, grabbing his stuff and heading to grab a quick shower.
McCoy was slipping his arms into his shirt when there was a knock on his door. "Hey, Bones, you decent?" Jim called, turning the knob but keeping the door shut.
"Yeah, Jim, not like it'd stop you if I said no. Get your butt in here," he called back leaving his shirt unbuttoned and opening his medkit.
"Wow Bones, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to go at you that hard," Jim said, catching sight of the bruises on his friend's torso as he turned around.
"Don't sweat it, Kid. You ought to know I've had worse," Bones replied picking up his tricorder. "Now get the shirt off so I can see what I managed to do to you," he said shooting Jim a smirk at the put upon expression on the younger man's face as he pulled his shirt over his head with a groan. There were more bruises than he'd thought there'd be, even given the slightly brutal nature of their sparring session. "Relax, Jim. You know this works better when ya aren't stiff as a board on me," Bones reminded Jim as he started to tense up while the tricorder started reporting injuries.
"Yeah, try telling the slight case of whatever-phobia that you diagnosed me with that," Jim muttered as he consciously tried to relax his tensed muscles.
"It's Opiophobia, Jim. And I never said it was slight. As I recall I said it had the possibility of bein' just slightly short of fatal. Now hold still you infant so I don't end up hitting somethin' that doesn't need it," Bones groused back as he switched to the dermal regenerator.
Five minutes later they split up at the foot of the stairs, Jim going to see what was going on with dinner and brief his Mom and the ladies on what happened that morning; and McCoy to try and talk to Joanna about tomorrow.
"I hate to interrupt, ladies, but when you get to an easy stoppin' spot I need to borrow Jo," McCoy said stepping into the living room.
"Of course Leonard," Winona replied with a glance at the clock. "We're just finishing up a row, and I need to check in on dinner anyway. Very good, Honey, now put the point guards on and we'll work on it some more after dinner," she said as Joanna finished and proudly held up her needle.
"Looks good, Jo," McCoy said, even if it really didn't look like much at the moment. He figured every parent had told that white lie at some point especially when they weren't sure what their child was making.
"Thank you. What do you need me for Daddy?" Joanna asked as she carefully slid the needles into a bag and stood up.
"Jim reminded me that I needed to talk to you 'bout somethin', Jo," McCoy replied gently as Joanna walked over and took his hand.
"Okay Daddy, I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked softly.
"No Jo, ya aren't in trouble, I promise," he replied as they headed for the sun room.
"Then what?" she asked looking up at him curiously.
"Jim reminded me that even though we've talked with you about the way a court works, things tend to change when you add people to the mix," McCoy replied as they entered the sun room.
"How does somethin' that's set, like Mr. Rhymer says the court is, change just 'cuz you have people in it? Aren't people the ones that make it work?" Joanna asked sitting next to her dad on one of the wicker couches.
"People make the laws, yes. But what happens a lot of the time is you have people who all think they're point of view is the right one. And a lot of times they'll let their personal agendas, what they want to happen, get in the way of the truth. I want you to be aware of that fact before tomorrow, Darlin'," McCoy said watching the look of confusion slightly disappear on Joanna's face.
"I'm not sure I understand, Daddy," she said.
McCoy sighed, "Jo, remember when we said that some of the people lied durin' the divorce hearin'?"
"Yeah, are they gonna try and do it again?" Joanna asked slipping her hand back in his.
"We're not sure if they will or not but if they do things could get nasty. I want you to be prepared in case your Mama's lawyer tries somethin' and starts spoutin' off a load of crap this week, Jo. The only thing I was grateful to your Mama 'bout last time was the fact that she kept you at home other than when the judge talked to you. But this time you're older and, as much as I don't like it, I have to agree with Jim, you deserve to know what's goin' on, even if it's bad," McCoy explained giving Joanna a reassuring hug.
"You won't be mad if I want to leave for a while will ya?" Joanna asked softly.
"No, Darlin', I won't. In fact I might end up sendin' you out if it's somethin' that you don't need to hear 'bout right now," McCoy said, Jocelyn's infidelity immediately coming to mind as something he wasn't ready for Joanna to know about, at least not like this. "As long as they're not next on the list of witnesses, anyone can take you and bring you back when you're ready or the topic changes, alright?"
"Like Mr. Monty offered when we were talkin' in Admiral Chris's office?" Joanna asked brightening.
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure if you asked Chekov will bring the chess set along too," McCoy said with a small smile as Joanna relaxed against him.
"I know he would, Daddy. Pavel says I'm one of the best students he's had," Joanna responded with a giggle. "What else could happen, Daddy?" she asked sobering.
"There's a lot of crap that was said five years ago that they might try to bring back up; a lot of it was lies but some of it was just exaggerated. Like how much I drink, or how much I work. This time they have to prove that I'm still doin' it. The work will be the biggest problem we have," he explained seriously.
"Why's that?"
"Well I do tend to end up sleepin' in my office a lot. Some times more than I actually sleep in my own bed," McCoy said. "Mostly that's cause Jim or one of the others is hurt and there, or I just doze off tryin' to get my paperwork finished. I haven't had any reason not to do it."
"And havin' me will keep ya from doin' that, right?" Joanna asked with a smile.
"It sure will, Jo. There's not much incentive in goin' back to empty quarters," McCoy said gently tugging her braid.
As Winona entered the kitchen she spotted Jim and the others sitting around the table. "Ok, Jim, what did you find?" she demanded. After lunch he'd disappeared with Martin out to the gym over the garage, and none of the others would talk as long as there was a chance Joanna would overhear.
Jim cringed slightly but answered, "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, Mom, but we didn't want JoJo to overhear that we found out the person who send her the message is the same person who orchestrated Bones' divorce."
"What, are you talking about, Kirk?" Uhura asked. "I thought that he caught his ex-wife cheating."
"He did. We don't have all the facts yet, Lieutenant, but we do have proof that several witnesses were paid off and that the judge and at least one of the attorneys were bribed during the divorce trial. The payments all came from Beauregard Darnell's accounts," Rhymer explained.
Uhura muttered something vicious under her breath, thumping her coffee cup down on the table harder than strictly necessary. "Do you know if that daughter of his was in on it or not?" she snarled a moment later as Spock covered her free hand with his.
"That's one of the things we don't know for certain. It looks like she might have known some of it but how much…," Rhymer trailed off with a shrug.
"I dearly hope this wasn't planned from the moment she started datin' Leo," Christine added frowning at the thought.
"Ok, everyone, to start at the beginning, we were making progress on cracking the PADD and Rhymer's PADD lit up," Jim started explaining. "It was one of the reports he'd been waiting for. Financial wasn't it?"
"Yes, Captain. It was a detailed financial report on Beauregard Darnell dating back to before Dr McCoy's marriage; that's why it took so long to compile," Rhymer said picking up the account of that morning's events. "What it revealed was that Mr. Darnell had been in financial straits off and on since before his daughter's marriage. We already knew that. However this showed the names of the recipients of several large payments just before and after the divorce was final, all either witnesses or the officials involved with the case, as well as the transfer of credits from his daughter that made those payments possible. I'd just handed the information to Admiral Pike when Commander Spock and Captain Kirk managed to disable the security on Joanna's PADD. After that, finding and tracing the message was fairly straight forward. The message was sent by a Mr. Jackson St Croix, who happens to be a close friend and associate of Mr. Darnell's."
"Okay, what does he have to do with this? Other than his being friends with Joanna's Grandfather," Winona asked looking puzzled.
"I must admit that there was considerable confusion as to what Mr. St Croix's involvement was, until I scanned the message again and discovered that the message to Joanna was merely pasted onto the page that was sent. Because of the inept way it was constructed, the message still contained enough evidence, for the Captain and I to trace it back to its origin- an account belonging to Beauregard Darnell," Spock explained unable to completely hide his disgust at the turn of events.
"That fuckin' snake in the grass. To do that to family, not to mention a child that has got to be jus' 'bout the worst damn thing I've evah heard of," Christine declared, her southern accent thickening as she slammed her palm against the counter. "That man oughtta be covehed in pork drippins, strung up by his balls ovah a bayou and left for th' gators or what evah else comes along."
The rest of the crew took that one in stride, as they were thinking along the same lines. Though Spock seemed to be having a bit of trouble trying to figure out what she was talking about.
"Lieutenant, what purpose would that serve?" he asked looking at her.
"Spock, it's like Baba threatening to transport you into a lion's den if you ever hurt me," Uhura interjected shooting Christine a smile. "I think the lions would be every bit as appropriate in this case," she added, and Spock nodded in understanding.
"I take it an illogical desire that, though they are now extinct, he discover a le-matya in his room would serve the same purpose, am I correct?" Spock asked causing Uhura to chuckle as most of the group look blankly at Spock.
"A le-matya was a poisonous wild animal from Vulcan," Spock explained. "They were vicious animals who often attacked kahs-wan travelers in the L-langon Mountains and only shortly before I enlisted was an antidote for their poison found."
"I know we all can think of something we'd like to see happen to Darnell, but I think we're getting rather off the subject," Pike reminded them as he poured a cup of coffee. "As of right now Captain Logan has a warrant out for his arrest and has probably picked him up by now. He'll be kept incommunicado until the hearing so he can't tip Jocelyn off as to what's going on. St Croix is being picked up for questioning as well; Mr. Burger wants to figure out what his real connection to everything is."
"I don't really think he's all that involved, he made too many stupid mistakes in sending that message," Jim added glancing at the group. "JoJo would have done a better job of it than he did."
"I agree vith you, Keptin, I have never seen such a bad job of cut and paste," Chekov added. "Eizher he did not know vhat he vas doing, vich is next to impossible, or else zhat he might have vanted somevone to trace zhe message back."
"We can continue this as we work, everyone," Winona said calmly glancing at the clock. "What do you think of just doing comfort food tonight? I think we could all use it."
"Sounds good, Mom," Jim replied as the rest nodded.
"Winona, exactly what is your definition of 'comfort food'?" Spock asked.
"Something that makes you feel better after a really bad or stressful day," she replied walking over to the security desk to pick up a pad and pencil. "Is there anything that Leonard likes especially?" she asked looking around the group.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Winona, I've got a pretty good idea and I'm sure Kirk will help me if I get stuck," Christine replied with a smile and glance at Jim as she sorted through a stack of bowls in one of the cupboards.
"Sure Christine, but I'm going to be making my own dish too," Jim said as he headed for the pantry.
"Hey, can you fill that 'bout a third full of flour while you're in there?" she asked tossing Jim a large bowl as she opened the refrigeration unit.
"Will do. Need anything else?" Jim shot back grinning as he tossed the bowl between his hands like a basket ball.
"Nope, thanks though," Christine replied placing packages of chicken and tofu on the counter by the spice rack as everyone else started getting their ingredients together.
"Oh before I forget, and the Doc tries to kill me if someone gets hurt, everyone might want to avoid the back right corner of the garden after dinner, at least until I've had a chance to clean it up," Sulu admitted looking bit sheepish as he passed Uhura a knife and picking one himself.
"What did you do, Sulu?" Pike asked looking at the young pilot curiously as he paused in the doorway to the freezer.
"Well I went out to blow off some steam by working on some fencing forms back there. I, uh, got a bit carried away and accidently pruned some of the large bushes," Sulu admitted, embarrassed. "I repaired most of the damage but I didn't have time to get all the branches picked up."
"I'll help you with that after dinner, Sulu," Martin offered looking up from the tomato he was doing his best not to mutilate with his knife.
"Thanks, Martin, I appreciate the offer."
The next fifteen minutes were taken up with requests for utensils, ingredients and apologies for getting in each other's way as they got their different dishes started. Winona took pity on Martin and finished cutting his tomatoes, before he ended up with nothing but pulp, before starting her own dish. Once things were underway talk returned to the happenings of the morning and what effect they would have on the trial.
After dinner and clean up Jim went with Martin to help Sulu pick up the branches as everyone else began gathering in the living room. When Jim walked in fifteen minutes later, his Mom and Joanna were settled on one end of the couch with their knitting with Bones on the other, engrossed in what he figured was a medical journal on his PADD. Scotty was equally engrossed in his own PADD in one of the chairs by the empty old fashioned fire place. Spock looked to be refereeing a chess game between Chekov and Pike, and Sulu was watching. Rhymer had excused himself to go to bed early; he wanted to make sure he got as much sleep as possible. Uhura looked like she was helping Christine with a problem on the crocheting she was doing since her own crocheting was laying in her lap. Jim uneasily shifted the bag he was carrying and settled between his mom and Bones as Marin walked in carrying a PADD.
McCoy shifted slightly as Jim sat but didn't take his eyes off the article on interspecies fertility he was reading. It wasn't an article that he'd normally read this carefully, since it wasn't something that he'd ever had to deal with other than generally; but with Spock and Uhura getting married he figured that he'd better at least look into the subject.
Just as he was finishing the article a strand of blue yarn flipped onto his hand. "Watch it," he said quietly looking up and was surprised to see that it was Jim who was unrolling the yarn.
"Sorry, Bones, I was trying to pull a snarl out so I could untangle it," Jim replied sheepishly picking up the tangle of yarn and deftly picking it apart.
McCoy watched in amazement as Jim eyed the pile of yarn in his lap, tied a slipknot, picked up an odd looking needle attached to a long cord of some kind and began to swiftly tie the yarn around it mumbling numbers under his breath.
McCoy waited until Jim paused to reposition the yarn before interrupting. "Jim, what in the Sam Hill are you doin'?"
Jim glanced up at his friend, "It's called casting on, Bones. It's how you start a knitting project," he answered matter-of-factly before continuing.
"Since when have you known how to knit?" McCoy asked drawing everyone's attention.
"You can knit?" Christine asked surprised.
Jim looked around at his friends wondering why they looked so surprised at the idea. "Yeah, I learned when I was thirteen. I haven't done it all that time though, just really the last five years," he finished with an embarrassed shrug.
"How'd you manage at the Academy without me seein' ya," McCoy asked trying to figure out how he'd missed his friend's hobby with as little space as they'd had in their dorm room.
"Easy, I had your schedule memorized, Bones. I always made sure I had everything put away before you got back or I'd go off and hide in one of the corners of the campus. I always made sure it was buried in the bottom of my bag so no one would see it if I had it with me," Jim replied with a shrug. "Now it's usually what I do when I can't sleep or work out or need a break from paperwork so I don't fall asleep doing it. I learned how from a girl that my Aunt Darcy had taught before she –died," Jim explained, they all noticed his hesitation but before anyone could ask about it Winona took up the explanation.
"Darcy was my sister; she and her family were killed on Tarsus IV. I was sent with the relief ships and took Jim along since there wasn't anyone to take care of him. Cassie had been a neighbor of Darcy's and she taught Jim and gave me a refresher course during the relief efforts."
"Figures there's be a girl in the mix somewhere," Uhura said with a teasing smile, trying to hide her surprise that Jim had been anywhere near the Tarsus Massacre, even if only its aftermath.
"Yeah, well it wasn't like that," Jim replied. "I ended up helping out with the group of refugee kids she was a part of, since there wasn't anything else I was allowed to do at thirteen," he explained with a slightly forced smile as he picked up the needle and started casting on again. "Cassie and I were the closest in age, so we ended up being friends." He was thankful that everyone let the subject of where and how he'd learned drop after that, though he was aware of their glances as he finished casting on and started knitting.
"So you're the one that Nana was gettin' the extra yarn for," Joanna said after a minute. "I asked her why she was gettin' so much and she said that it wasn't all for her, but she wouldn't tell me who."
"That's right JoJo, I got teased a lot after we got back when some of the other kids in Riverside saw me knitting so I've kept it a secret,"Jim replied smiling at Joanna.
"So what all have you made since you started again?" Joanna asked.
"Let's see, the first thing I made was a scarf for your Dad. I made a lot of scarves at the Academy and turned them into the Red Cross donation center. Otherwise it's mostly stuff for people I know. A few sweaters for Mom and some other things for friends; blankets, hats, that kinda stuff," Jim explained watching Joanna's eyes widen at the thought of all that work.
"You're the one that made everything, aren't you?" Uhura asked unexpectedly. "My throw, Spock's winter hat, Martin's gloves, all the stuff that we got with no name on the tags," she continued and was surprised to see Jim flush a bit in embarrassment.
"Yeah, that was me," Jim mumbled waiting for someone to say something. He wasn't expecting Pike to break the silence.
"I guess I have you to thank for those wool slipper socks I received about a month after you shipped out, Jim?" Pike asked with a smile as he moved one of his pawns.
"Yes, sir and you're welcome. I thought they might come in handy while you were stuck in that chair," Jim replied with a smile remembering how Pike had railed at being stuck in a wheel chair.
"That they did, especially after I was able to walk a bit. Those rehab center floors are freezing, and your socks were the only ones that actually kept my feet warm for more than five minutes," Pike said with a smile of his own even as Chekov put him in checkmate. "Damn, you're a good player, Chekov. Sulu, looks like you're up," he added standing up and moving to a chair on the other side of McCoy.
"So you're the one that raised all the ruckus 'bout puttin' carpet in rehab?" McCoy remarked with a knowing look at the Admiral. "I figured it had to be you."
"If you'd figured it out why ask, Bones?" Pike chuckled.
"Wanted to make sure it was you and not that idiot Samuels. That man came within a whisker of gettin' himself tossed out an airlock several times on the way back with all his whinin' and demands," McCoy replied scowling at the memory of Commander Samuels the prima donna of the Academy
Cartography department.
"We were lucky that Archer grounded him or else who knows what someone would have done to him by now," Jim added thinking about the nuisance the man made of himself, insisting that Jim wasn't fit for command and demanding Spock take the position back, whenever either of them had come in the Medbay to check on Pike and the other injured.
"I think that the only reason that he made it back alive was that I started sedatin' him," Christine said with a grin. "It was either that or see most of us facin' assault charges for physically shuttin' him up." Samuels hadn't cared that the rest of them were worn out and grieving, just about his own comfort.
"I know Sam was grateful to you for that, Chapel," Pike told her smiling at the memory of Giotto's description of what he'd missed while unconscious. "Sam had almost worked out how to knock him out from across the Medbay without hitting anyone else, since he couldn't get up and do it. Of course he's hated Samuels since we had to transport the fusspot back to Earth from Teller ten years ago so it wasn't like Sam had to think too hard to come up with something."
The thought of calm collected Giotto methodically planning something like that while confined to bed with a dislocated hip and fractured femur, had everyone chuckling at the mental picture.
"I wish he'd actually tried whatever he was planning, it would have improved moral, even if it didn't work" McCoy commented dryly, bringing more chuckles. "Hell, he'd have gotten an ovation for it if it had." McCoy chuckled, thinking of some of Giotto's object lessons for the security officers that screwed up on the job. The Chief definitely had a slightly warped sense of the appropriate that McCoy both admired and had a healthy respect for.
"After hearing about Samuels' antics I put in a good word for you. I wasn't going to let you be saddled with him after everything you'd already been through," Pike said with a smile.
"I think I speak for everyone on the Enterprise when I say thank you Admiral," Jim said glancing around the room as most of the others nodded.
"I never believed that it was possible for a human to behave in such a manner knowing the state of those around him, as Commander Samuels did," Spock said glancing up from the chess match. "He had the audacity to attempt to demand that the Captain be thrown in the brig and I resume command, even after I informed him that I was not fit for duty."
"I think we all had at least one run in with that horse's ass. Y'all were lucky he's almost as bad outside a crisis as in one," McCoy reminded them shaking his head. "I had the distinct displeasure of havin' to deal with him a few times at the clinic, the man's a hypochondriac as well as a spoiled brat."
"You said it, Leo," Chapel agreed in disgust as everyone returned to their projects.
"Jo, Darlin', better head up and get ready for bed," McCoy said a few minutes later glancing at the clock on the wall.
"I wanna finish this row, Daddy, I'm almost done," Joanna said holding up her knitting to show that she did only have about a dozen stitches left.
"If you hurry, Jo you can finish before bed, how's that?" McCoy countered gently. "Don't forget the rest of us have to get turns in the bathrooms too."
"Ok, Daddy," Joanna sighed as she carefully put down her needles and headed for the stairs.
Once she was upstairs and out of ear shot McCoy turned to the group. "Any thoughts on how to keep her from panicking when she sees her Mama tomorrow?" he asked.
"I was considering the probability of instructing her in a light meditation routine that my mother often used during stressful situations," Spock explained thoughtfully. "I would be instructing her in the method and then checking her progress if necessary with a meld. We will be nearby tomorrow if she has difficulty, Doctor; though I do not foresee there being much need with our presence to keep her calm."
"That's probably true, she seems calmer with all of us around. But I don't think it would do any harm to teach her a bit of meditation, might actually come in handy for her," McCoy agreed. "We might want to head to bed soon in case last night was a fluke and she has a nightmare tonight."
"I do not believe that her nightmares will be as much of an issue as they were, Doctor," Spock said looking slightly uncomfortable.
"And why is that? Good God, man, what exactly did you do to her yesterday?" McCoy snapped looking both worried and incensed that Spock hadn't said anything until now.
"After I initially failed to retrieve the information concerning the PADD, I continued looking for the root of her earlier nightmares. In the process I discovered the frequency of them and before returning to the issue of convincing her to pass along the information concerning her night terrors I created a safe haven in her mind and linked it to her sleep state. As time was limited and I was concerned about becoming fatigued before I discovered everything I needed to, I used one of my own memories. Doctor, the memory I left will leave no ill effect for Joanna to deal with and will assist her mind in dealing with the memories as she will not be worn down by the fear of going to sleep," Spock explained quickly before McCoy could interrupt.
McCoy forced himself to relax reminding himself that Spock would be the last person to harm Joanna. No matter how much Spock's logical attitude sometimes bothered him, Spock was also one of the most honorable men he'd met so he made himself calm down before he continued. "So that was somethin' outta your mind that she was talkin' 'bout when she woke up? She mentioned sittin' watchin' a desert sunset with a fanged teddy bear." McCoy asked more calmly than anyone expected given the subject.
"Yes, the room she saw was one of the main rooms in my family home and the 'teddy bear' as you call it was our family Sehlat, I'Chaya," Spock confirmed. "As time passes the link between the memory and her sleep cycle will deteriorate and she will begin to have her own dreams again over approximately 2.58 months. It is only designed as a temporary buffer until her mind is ready to let go of what happened and focus on current events in her life. It is an ancient Vulcan technique to assist those who have lost a loved one unexpectedly or violently or who have endured violence themselves."
"You still should have said somethin' before now, Spock," McCoy growled him. "But thanks for doin' that for Jo."
"While thanks maybe illogical at this time, you are welcome, Doctor," Spock replied, making McCoy roll his eyes but he refused to be drawn into a debate on the merits of logic tonight.
"He's right, Spock, You should have said something at least to Rhymer about this," Pike added.
"You are correct, Admiral, I should have," Spock replied. "There was no real chance last night and again today events unfolded that caused this issue to seem less important than the ones we uncovered."
"At least we know about it before tomorrow morning. Don't forget to let Rhymer know about this first thing," Pike advised Spock as Joanna came back down in her pajamas.
"Of course, Admiral," Spock assured him as Chekov managed to put Sulu in check for the second time.
Slowly everyone finished up what they were doing, Chekov won the game which surprised no one, and began heading upstairs to get ready for bed and turned in. An hour later Carrannelli switched off the last light as he made a final sweep of the house before settling down in the security room for the nigh.
As he finished tucking Joanna in, Bones sent a quick prayer that Joanna wouldn't have any new nightmares to deal with after the trials as he climbed into bed and after one last look at Joanna closed his eyes.