Kirk was focussed on the screen in front of him whilst listening to the orders and updates being shouted out from the stations that surrounded him. He trusted his crew explicitly, they were the best of the best so when it came to situations like these he knew that they had the best chance to be victorious. Kirk watched as the two small ships that had inflicted a surprising amount of damage to the Enterprise moments earlier retreated.
"Mister Spock, report." He ordered stalwartly from the Captain's chair.
"Hull breach on deck eighteen Captain, shields holding at eighty seven percent. Sick Bay reporting minimal casualties." Spock answered.
"Thank you Mister Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, send a sub space message to Starfleet informing them of our new acquaintances."
"Yes Captain." Uhura answered.
"Lieutenant Sulu, keep an eye on those two ships, I want to know where they're going in such a hurry."
"Aye Captain." Sulu replied.
"Kirk to Commander Scott." Kirk opened a comm to Engineering.
"Aye Captain, Scotty here." The Aberdonian replied.
"What's it looking like down there Scotty?"
"Engines running at sixty five percent Captain." Scotty's replied cautiously.
"When can I go to warp Commander?" Kirk listened as there was some rustling and he could hear someone else talking in the background. "Scotty?" He asked impatiently.
"Aye Captain, way da now… Lees?!" Kirk smirked at what he was hearing. "Ya canny be serious Lassie!"
"Scotty?" Kirk repeated.
"Two hours Captain." He finally answered.
"Thank you Commander." Kirk closed the communication and smiled, he could imagine the pair of them arguing. Since Corriene's promotion she had become Scotty's right hand woman, the pair would fight like cat and dog but Engineering had never been better.
"Cookie?" Kirk called out her name as he entered her quarters later that day, there was no answer. "Co?" Looking around the room he saw that her boots were on the floor near the sofa. He was growing concerned, it wasn't like her not be sat there reading a book or writing a paper when he walked in. Briskly walking to the bedroom he relaxed when he heard the shower on, of course she was in the shower. He'd learnt pretty early on that it was one of her favourite pastimes. It had become one of his after they had shared the small cubicle one morning a couple of months earlier!
"Co! It's me." Pulling his own boots off he unzipped his shirt and pulled it over his head. He started to talk about his day, what had happened on the Bridge and how much Spock had annoyed him with his infuriating logic. When he had nothing more to say he popped his head round the partition and his heart sunk into his stomach. On the floor of the shower sat a very cold and wet Corriene, her eyes visibly red raw with tears. "Jesus Co, what is it?!" Kirk turned the water off above her and grabbed a towel, kneeling down beside her he wrapped the towel around her shoulders and began rubbing her arms gently. "Speak to me Co, what is it?" He was worried out of his mind, he'd only seen her that upset once before. That was when he realised what it must have been. "It's Lucignano isn't it? What's happened?" Corriene looked up at him but lost all control, bursting out crying again and throwing her arms round his neck.
"When I read it I was okay, I really was okay and then I was having a shower and I don't know? I just froze. I'm sorry I don't know why but I just froze? Really I'm okay…" She was shaking her head and her face was creased up in anguish, Kirk was just listening to her rambling, cooing her quietly as she spoke.
"Shh it's okay, it's okay. You don't need to apologise, just calm down, deep breaths." Kirk spoke calmly but inside his heart was beating out of his chest.
"Rehabilitation, the Alpha penal colony in New Zealand and then community service." She managed to croak out between bursts of tears and ragged breaths. Kirk let out the breath he had been holding.
"Oh Co, that's great news. That's just great. When did you find out?" He replied relieved beyond measure.
"This morning." She answered reluctantly, knowing he'd be annoyed she hadn't told him earlier.
"You should have come get me." He said as he continued to rub the towel up and down her arms and shoulders.
"Jim, you were on shift, I'm never going to be that person who behaves inappropriately while on duty." She said it so seriously, with her eyebrows creased so hard Kirk had to stop himself from laughing.
"I wouldn't say it was inappropriate…" Kirk started.
"Is this really the important aspect you want to be discussing?" Corriene smiled tight lipped at him.
"No, no of course not. I'm sorry, tell me." The pair sat on the floor of the shower facing one another.
"They found him guilty of attempted murder, no chance for appeal." She pulled away slightly but Kirk took the opportunity to kiss her, pulling her back in so that she was resting in his lap and against his chest.
"Great, great news." Kirk smiled, his own eyes filling with tears.
"It's over Jim, it's over." She smiled brightly, tucking herself in closer to him.
"You don't ever have to think about it again Co." He said, stroking her back up and down.
"I know, it doesn't feel real?"
"It is real, he will never be able to hurt you again, nobody will. Not while I'm around." Corriene laughed in relief more than anything. Pulling back from him she put her hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb lovingly.
"Thank you Jim, I love you, you know?"
"I love you too."
Eight Months Later
"Lassie! That's no wee scratch you got there! Get yaself to Medical will ya?!" Scotty huffed at Corriene, who was holding her head with her right hand, blood seeping through her fingers.
"I'm fine Mister Scott, let's get those engines going." She replied, giving him a huge grin and arching her eyebrows comically.
"Ech! Crazy woman…" Scotty muttered to himself as he went about his business. Corriene carried on working for the next several hours, testing, running diagnostics, tweaking. The team rallied around her, which she was eternally grateful for given the fact she had the worst headache she had ever experienced.
"Evans! How we doing with the Dilithium Crystal converter in section three?" She asked, leaning against the railing. Evans looked up from his work and shook his head, even he could tell she was in pain.
"What is wrong with you?" He asked, coming to stand in front of her.
"What do you mean?" She asked, creasing her brow in confusion but instantly regretting it, the pain from her head radiating out even more.
"You can't just be normal like everybody else, you know when somebody hurts themselves they usually go see a Doctor…"
"We need to get the engine up and running Evans, don't start lecturing me. Now, section three. How we doing?" She looked at him pointedly, making it clear that was the end of the conversation.
"Operational in thirty minutes." He answered.
"You've got fifteen." She said and then walked away, Evans watched after her.
"Why did you ask in the first place if you were just going to tell me how long I've got?!" He shouted after her. Corriene didn't respond and when, after fifteen minutes she received the thumbs up from Evans gave him a friendly wink.
"Mister Scott, engines are now operational." She advised, trying not to sway as she stood in front of him.
"Aye Lass, grand job." Scotty grinned, "Scott to Captain Kirk." He instructed, opening a comm up to the Bridge.
"How we doing Scotty?" Corriene listened to Kirk' voice, visualising him sat on the Bridge, legs crossed and arms resting comfortably either side of him.
"Aye Captain, engines are up and running." Scotty confirmed.
"Good job Mister Scott." Kirk answered, ending the comm. Scotty stood looking at Corriene.
"Will you now to go Sick Bay, because Lassie, I'd rather not have the Captain throw me in the brig?"
"Alright alright, I'm going." Corriene smiled warmly at the Scotsman, squeezing his arm affectionately as she walked passed him.
She managed to get herself from main Engineering to the Med Bay without passing out or throwing up although she did have to stop and bend over at one point, breathing heavily and dry heaving for a good five minutes. Walking into the Med Bay Corriene spotted Chapel, she now thoroughly felt sick as a dog.
"Christine?" Corriene whispered behind her, when Chapel turned her eyes went wide at the sight of Corriene and her bloody forehead.
"What the hell Corriene?!" Christine swore, which was out of character for the Head Nurse.
"I bumped my head."
"You think?!" Christine guided her towards a bed and instructed her to lie down. Christine gently went about healing the cut to her scalp, having to gently push away her mousey curls. "Has the Captain seen you like this?" Christine asked.
"No! And don't tell him, do you think he'll be able to tell?" Christine looked down at her, dried blood on her forehead and in her hair, which was even more chaotic than usual.
"No Honey." Christine patted her arm reassuringly.
When Kirk saw Corriene walk into his quarters that evening he immediately spotted the dried blood on her head and in her hair. When she said her hello and proceeded to act as if there was nothing wrong he sat back and crossed his arms.
"Do you fancy a drink?" She asked, trying to keep her face as calm as possible. Pretending to Kirk was one of the hardest things to do.
"Please." He answered. "So, how was your day?" Corriene nodded enthusiastically.
"Great…! Great…! Yours?" She asked, pouring two drinks.
"Apart from losing my engines it was good… Co?" He stood and walked over to her.
"Yes?" Now she wasn't even looking at him, knowing as soon as she did she would feel guilty and he would be able to tell something was wrong. It infuriated her sometimes how easy he could read her every thought and emotion.
"Did… anything happen today?" He was smirking.
"Happen?" Corriene took a large gulp from her glass, keeping it up against her lips she didn't dare move it.
"Cookie?"
"Yes Jim?" She coughed out.
"What happened to your head?"
"My head?"
"Cookie." She knew she had been busted, turning to him she thought perhaps if she gave him a kiss it would distract him from his train of thought however when she set herself back down from her tip toes she could tell he wasn't buying it. It was time to fess up.
"Oh this, it's nothing. I banged it." She smiled flippantly.
"Umhum, come and sit down will you. You're crazy you know that?!" The pair sat down and Kirk proceeded to run his fingers over the light pinkish scar that was rapidly disappearing. "You know this reminds me of one of the first times we ever met, when you appeared from under the phaser banks with a cut on your head."
"Warp core, I was under the warp core." Kirk laughed.
"Of course you were!"
"You scared the hell out of me back then."
"I did?" Kirk was surprised.
"Yeah, are you kidding me! You ripped me a new one and threatened to throw me off your ship!" Corriene settled her head on Kirk's shoulder, their hands intertwined in his lap.
"I always thought you didn't give a damn?" Kirk watched as their hands twisted around one another.
"I said you scared me, I didn't say I cared…" Kirk pretended to get angry.
"Why you little…" Tickling her sides the pair laughed and fought against one another.
"Stop! Jim please, I can't stand being tickled!" Corriene managed to sputter between hysterics.
"Say the magic word!"
"What?"
"Say the magic word!" Kirk repeated having fully overpowered Corriene and was now straddling her and ticking her incessantly.
"Okay okay I'll say it!" Corriene held her hands up in surrender and Kirk paused, looking down at her mischievously.
"Well, I'm waiting?" He theatrically prepared to start the tickling again, Corriene straightened her face and looked at him seriously.
"NEVER!" She shouted and then proceeded to try and fail to wriggle free.
"What happened?" Kirk was walking so fast Scotty had to jog to catch up.
"There was an explosion, the Lass wouldn't leave until everybody had been evacuated." Scotty responded desolately, Kirk didn't reply but continued to march through the corridors. Entering the sickbay Kirk searched for McCoy.
"Nurse Chapel! Where's Doctor McCoy?" He shouted, startling the Nurse. Chapel skipped over hurriedly, a grave look appearing on her face.
"Captain?"
"Doctor McCoy Nurse, where is he?" His hands were clenched into tight fists as he spoke.
"He's in surgery Sir…"
"With Lieutenant Lees?" He interrupted.
"Yes Sir."
"How long?"
"Sir?"
"How long have they been in there?" His eyes were flitting from one thing to the other in the room as if he was searching for her face.
"Six hours Sir." Kirk turned to Scotty angrily.
"You should have commed me." He all but spat at Scotty.
"Aye Captain, I'm sorry, it was just…"
"You. Should. Have. Commed. Me. Mister Scott." Kirk repeated, losing his resolve. Scotty could only nod in response.
"Jim?" Looking round Kirk saw McCoy begin to walk towards him.
"Bones!" The two men came to stand in front of one another, everybody else standing back. They were both silent, neither one trusting themselves to speak. "Tell me Bones." Kirk whispered.
"It's not looking good Jim, you should prepare yourself…" Kirk stared at his friends face.
"What?"
"She sustained massive injuries." Kirk didn't respond, staring off past McCoy. "Jim?"
"Yeah?" Kirk snapped out of his nightmare.
"I'm sorry Jim, I'm doing everything I can." McCoy didn't know what else to say, Kirk just nodded mutely.
And then with an almighty roar Kirk threw himself at the table, flinging it into the air. Equipment flew everywhere and he didn't stop until McCoy grabbed his arms and pulled him into a bear hug.
"Jim, that's enough." McCoy warned.
"Stupid! Stupid Woman!" Kirk muttered angrily.
"She saved their lives Jim."
"I don't give a shit! She didn't have to be the hero! Stupid…stupid…" Tears fell from his face as he spoke. Chapel clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sobbing sound rising from her gut. The room was quiet apart from the quiet sniffs coming from Kirk.
"Come on Jim, let's get you out of here." McCoy took hold of his arm but Kirk shrugged him off.
"I want to see her."
"I don't think that would be a good idea…"
"I want to see her Bones." Kirk stated firmly.
"Later, not now." McCoy guided him towards his office slowly, sitting him down and pouring him a drink the two men sat in silence.
"I love her Bones." Kirk muttered, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
"I know." Looking up at his friend Kirk shook his head.
"What am I supposed to do if…?" He asked desperately.
"I don't know?" McCoy said, there was nothing else left to say, McCoy left the office leaving Kirk alone. He wasn't allowed to see her that evening, McCoy rushing her back into surgery shortly after he'd left Kirk alone. As Kirk was walking back to his quarters her face came to mind, with all its ridiculous expressions. He choked on a sad laugh, realising he may never see that messy hair or inconceivably beautiful face again. He knew then and there he would never be the same again if he lost her but he was okay with that, because he didn't want the person she loved to exist without her.
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