Jim Kirk stared in disbelief at the blank monitor.
Gone.
Spock was gone. Just like that.
No message, no call, he just left.
He dragged his hands across his face angrily pushing aside the lines and angry tears he would never admit. His jaw bulged under his own fingers as he ground his teeth in frustration.
Vulcan-freaking-privacy. What the hell is that? You just have pointed ears and announce privacy and no one bats an eye. No questions, no explanations, just how-do-you-do here's your seat to Vulcan?
No one would help him, not even Sarek, damn him.
The soonest another shuttle was headed to Vulcan was in 7 hours and that was a commercial flight. He could hardly justify taking Enterprise while it was still part of the investigation. Although it was tempting as hell.
Uhura had been able to get a message through to the last three transports to Vulcan, but all of them had given the same response. They were unable to confirm or deny the presence of Mr. Spock.
Damn Bones. He wasted two hours looking at the spaceport. By the time he had called him Spock was long gone.
He ran his fingers through his hair pulling the short strands back hard against his head.
'Why Spock? WHY?' He kept asking the empty place at his side. 'What does your planet can do for you that you can't get on Enterprise?' Damn he hated repeating himself.
If only-if only... If he'd only been there when Spock had awakened.
If only he had been able to find his friend sooner.
If only it had been Jim in that hospital bed instead.
He had read the initial security report until he had it memorized. How could this have happened? How, on his ship?
He commanded the greatest ship in the fleet with the best technology and the finest crew, but still they had failed.
No, he corrected himself they had not failed.
He was the captain. If there had been any failure, it had been his.
He had failed.
And now Spock was gone.
And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it but let him go.
Damn it all.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" The amber eyes of her former captain were lined with concern and fatigue.
"Yes, thank you Jim. Now go!" she smiled good-naturedly. Her patience was wearing thin, however.
"If you're sure you'll be all right." The new Admiral Kirk didn't let go of her hands.
"Jim, if you don't let her go now we're gonna have to enroll you too!" George chuckled.
"C'mon Jim, I'll walk you back to HQ." Leonard put a gentle hand on his friend's arm. Neither of them wanted to let the nurse go but the doctor was resigned to it now. Jim looked at Christine one last time then turned to McCoy and with a nod they moved away.
"You have time for one more drink before your shuttle leaves?" Kirk asked his friend as they moved out of earshot.
Christine thought she heard the doctor say yes. She turned to Dr. Birdseye. He started to walk toward the main medical school building.
She followed his lead, "George, you're not gonna walk me to class are you?"
"Nah, I don't want anyone to think you're the teacher's pet."
She smiled, "Not a chance."
"I hope you know I'll be monitoring your progress." He said seriously.
"Oh I know. I've been studying up so I'll be a little ahead of the curve." She raised her data pad to show him the textbook she had been reading.
"No, Chris." He stopped walking and looked quite seriously at her, "I'll be monitoring your counseling. If you don't attend two sessions a week I'll pull you from class."
"George, I've already signed the contract, what more do you want?" she was exasperated. She had finally gotten here, over the protests of everyone, by agreeing to the psych sessions. She was starting two weeks late, but at least she was starting.
"I want you to get better, Chris. And I want you to be a doctor and take Len's place on Enterprise." He held up a hand to forestall her protest "Don't give me any cock and bull line about how you don't want to plan that far ahead. Len's leaving and we need a new CMO for Enterprise. You work your ass off this year and I'll assign you."
"George, I don't think that's- "
"Don't argue with me or I won't appoint you a nursing staff and you'll have to do the whole shebang on your own." He smiled like a father at her. "Now go to school and get some learnin'"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now go, you're late."
She looked up.
Ahead she saw nothing but possibilities.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Spock looked up.
Waves of heat rose up from the red sand before him, a swirling of red and gold indicated an approaching sandstorm.
He stood at the entrance to the enclave, a cool breeze from its shaded doors beckoned with the promise of relief from the noonday sun.
With one last look at the raging storm on the horizon he moved wearily to the door.
It was done.