AHHHHHHHH I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT YOU GUYS. College is a CRAZY time! I've been ridiculously busy and I thought I would have time to upload chapters, but I guess not...

So I am so so so so sorry about that. Have a chapter to make up for it? :3

As always, thank you so much for the reviews, messages, favourites and follows! You guys are really the greatest for being so patient and for being so encouraging.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one associated with Star Trek! Except Maiko. I like Maiko.


{November 2264}

"Morning, Mr. Chekov," the nurse greets him as Chekov staggers through the swinging doors, holding a stack of books. She smiles at the sight of him trying to balance five thick books on top of one another. "Need help?"

"I've got it, thanks," Chekov says from behind the stack of books. "Any change?"

"Not so far, Mr. Chekov," the nurse says patiently. She's familiar with him; all the nurses are at this point, since Chekov keeps coming back day after day to visit a still comatose Sulu. "Are you reading to him today?"

"These? No. These are for my new job." Chekov grins ruefully when he looks at the top book. "Hikaru wouldn't understand a single word of this; he was never very good at physics."

Scotty's inside the room when Chekov struggles in. "What did you do, rob a library?" he exclaims, rushing over to help Chekov and saving the pile from toppling onto Sulu's bed.

"Only checked out a few books," Chekov says defensively.

Scotty glances at the book he's holding. "Physics in the Universe. Bit of a heavy read for Sulu, don't you think, lad?"

"It's not for Sulu," Chekov says, "it's for me. If I'm going to do this job right, I need to know what they're teaching these days."

"Yeah, well, you'll probably find a million errors in those books." Scotty sits back down by Sulu's right side as Chekov takes Sulu's left.

"Anything change?" Chekov asks, more out of formality since he already knows the answer.

"Not unless you count me having to fill the pitcher up twice," Scotty sighs, going back to his communicator. "I wish Spock were here. He'd know how to fix it – what with the crazy mind-meld technique those bloody Vulcans have-"

"He'll be fine," Chekov says, sounding a lot more confident than he feels. "Hikaru did hang out with Captain Kirk a lot."

"Which explains the reckless, stupid move he made-"

"That's what I said," Chekov exclaims.

They would have commiserated over Sulu's actions more had the door not suddenly opened. The nurse on duty sticks her head in. "Mr. Sulu has a visitor," she announces sunnily. "My, but he's popular, isn't he?"

"I don't trust her," Scotty mutters as the nurse withdraws her head. "Too damn happy about everything-"

Chekov grins at him as Sulu's third visitor slips in. Chekov rises to his feet immediately; he'd recognize that red tinted hair anywhere. "Maiko," he greets Sulu's sister. "So good to see you."

"Likewise, Pavel," Maiko Sulu says, embracing Chekov as he bends down to give her a hug. "And you must be Montgomery Scott?"

"How does everyone know my name?" Scotty wants to know, shaking the hand that Maiko offers him.

Maiko laughs – a laugh that reminds Chekov of her brother's. "I'm afraid my brother told us some stories of your escapades on the Enterprise, Mr. Scott. You're quite a well-known name in our household."

"Oh, he did, did he? Did he also tell you about his little adventures?"

"He told me. It was something that he didn't particularly want to inform our parents about, as you might imagine." Maiko smiles wanly before looking at her brother. Chekov moves aside for her to take his seat. "How is he?"

"Physically, he's in top shape," Scotty says. "Your brother's a strong man."

"I heard he was tortured," Maiko says, stroking Sulu's hair away from his face.

Scotty and Chekov look at one another, guiltily shuffling their feet. "Well-" Scotty begins.

"You don't have to lie to me, Mr. Scott," Maiko cuts in. "I've heard the stories and I've read the papers. Is he going to be okay?"

"We don't know," Chekov says honestly. "He's not responded to us for over a month. His injuries and scars are healing fine, but…"

He trails off, not knowing what to say. Maiko doesn't push for more information, just continues stroking her brother's hair off his face. "I looked up to him, you know," she says wistfully. "My big brother Hikaru – working for one of the best ships in Starfleet. He got to go places I could only dream about."

"Why didn't you ever join Starfleet yourself?" Scotty asks curiously.

"I wanted to stay home and support my parents," Maiko says. "Besides, I was never very good at straying far from home. Hikaru – Hikaru was different. He wanted to explore, to see new things. He liked to fly."

"Starfleet was good for him," Chekov says, remembering the light in Sulu's eyes when he'd given him his blessing to return.

"It was. He was happy. But Hikaru's always felt a little bit guilty, I think, leaving even though I told him to." Maiko's fingers linger on Sulu's scar. "Hikaru carries the guilt around like a battle wound. Sometimes I worry that the guilt will eat him alive. He never did like leaving people behind."

It makes sense then – why Sulu had been so insistent on staying all this while. Scotty and Chekov exchange another glance.

Maiko pushes herself to her feet. "Will you two be here for a while?" she asks. "I have to call my mother and let her know how he's doing – she would have come herself, but she's frail and bedridden."

"One of us is always with him at all times," Scotty says.

"If not both of us," Chekov adds. "The doctor thinks it might help, us being familiar presences around him."

Maiko rubs her eyes. "Thank you. You know, Sulu always spoke highly of the pair of you."

Chekov feels his lips curl up in a smile. "Yeah?"

"He did. He spoke of you as though you were brothers." Maiko pauses before she turns the doorknob. "You know… after the Enterprise blew up, he told me that he was just grateful that you two were okay. He thought of you as his family." She pulls the door open, adding, "He said that you were probably the only ones left who could understand."

She's gone before Chekov can call her back. He wants to ask her if Sulu had the nightmares that he had, if he saw the ghosts like he did. He wants to know if Sulu ever woke up in the middle of the night screaming for people he could not save. If he constantly reflected on Kirk's last bet with him, if he remembered the last time he'd messed with Bones just for the hell of it. Did Sulu have sleepless nights wondering if it would be easier to just end it all? Did he struggle to watch those videos, too?

Chekov suddenly feels guilty for freezing Sulu out all those months. How long have you been carrying my burdens as well as yours? he asks Sulu's sleeping form.

The answer comes unbidden to his mind, a whisper in Chekov's voice, not Sulu's: Long enough.


For everyone who is wondering about Sulu's fate, we will find out soon enough! Will he live? Will he not? Only time will tell. No one is safe... (thunder clap)

Please don't stone me.

Much love,
ohlookrandom