Captive Audience
by Starsinger
This is the same universe as Admirals, only while Pike is still alive, Kirk ain't so dead! lol Pike decides to take advantage of Kirk being in a coma as a captive audience. Don't own any of them.
Pike rolled into Kirk's room. They had removed the hip immobilizers that day, and he had plans. Kirk was a week out from being dead, and while looking a lot better, he was still in a coma. McCoy emphatically told him that it wouldn't change until the end of the week. He'd gone through surgery to correct broken bones earlier that morning and a cast was on his right arm. Pike looked mournfully at his young friend, "Not lookin' so good, Jimmy," he told the unconscious man. "What you do for your crew. Cadets on the command track seriously need to learn your lesson. Some never do."
Kirk's face had relaxed in the week since coming here. He no longer looked like he was in immense pain. Pike knew that a coma wasn't sleep, but Jim looked like he was doing just that, sleeping. Pike smiled an evil grin, "Move over, son. You and me, we're havin' a little talk." Knowing full well that Kirk wasn't going to cooperate, Pike let down the side rails and manhandled Jim's body, piece by piece, over to the far rails. "You know, I forgot how heavy six feet of solid, unmoving muscle is," Pike continued conversationally as he finished this maneuver. "There, all set," he continued as he leveraged himself into the bed next to Kirk.
Pike lay back and insinuated his arm around Kirk's neck before playing with his hair, "I used to do this with my own son, when he was little. He was sick or had nightmares. I saw Steven yesterday, came in with Mom. It was good to see them. Steven has moved to San Francisco and is getting married in a few months. He'd like you to be there. I told him that it would depend on that grumpy bear you have for a doctor."
Pike sighed, "Jim, a parent should never outlive their children, and I damned near outlived you. You have a death certificate, by the way. It was recorded when they pulled you out of the warp core chamber. You should make a copy of it and put it on your office wall when you get back on board the Enterprise. She's waitin' for you, Jimmy. She's being repaired, just like her captain, and she'll be there when you're both whole and healthy and ready to go."
Pike looked down at his friend, whose head lolled to the side. He reached down and brought Kirk's face up to stare straight at him if his eyes were open. Carefully, Pike pulled back a lid. He watched as the iris reacted to the light and a slight shiver went through the young man's frame. "So, Spock was right, you are still in there. Good to know that this talk isn't going in one ear and out the other. Jim, you're a damn fine captain now. You respect the chair more than I do, frankly. I just wish it didn't take dying for you to do that.
"And about that! I know that Marcus never intended you to survive, or the rest of the Enterprise crew for that matter, but don't depend on your First Officer to do all the thinking. I mean, he's Science, not Command. Okay, it did prove his suitability for the Captain's Chair, but I hope that's not what you were thinking when you pulled that stunt.
"Jimmy, you're going to have to slow down, or you're going to give me a heart attack, and Bones a stroke. You know that's the last thing you need to do. You'll also disappoint a little girl who adores Mr. Captain Jim. You're going to have to come up with a better title when you wake up. Mr. Captain Jim is an awful mouthful for a five year old girl. Come back to us Jimmy, we need you, your crew most of all," Pike struggled with tears. He put his other arm around Jim and rocked back and forth. For a split second Kirk reached up and patted his hand against Pike's arm before dropping it back to the bed.
"Wow, that's the first positive sign I've seen since this whole mess started," McCoy's voice intruded into his thoughts. Startled, Pike looked up. "You set off all sorts of alarms when you got into bed with him. I wasn't prepared to find two heartbeats and two sets of vitals. I suddenly wondered if an act of God had occurred and Jim was pregnant. I was relieved to find you there."
"What's a positive sign?" Pike whispered.
"He patted your arm, that means he's responding to his environment. First time he's done that," McCoy looked at Pike. "You're being released back to San Francisco next week. I asked them to wait until Jim wakes up."
"Thank you, Leonard. Can you just let me be with my boy?"
"Sure, I need to take Joanna down for some lunch anyway. I'll check in later. Your nurses know where you are, so don't worry about them coming to hunt you down." Pike nodded as he lay there with Jim, grateful for this moment and that they were both still alive.