Chapter 9 - Healing

Bones moved to the head of the Biobed and gently pulled Lilly's head back into alignment. Disconnecting the Breathing Tube from the bed, he removed the small strip of tape that held the invasive tube in place. Carefully grasping the tube he began pulling.

"I need you to try and cough, Tink. it'll help the tube come out faster, darlin'." He drawled softly.

Seeing the blush creep up her cheeks caused Bones to laugh heartily. As he finished pulled the long tube out of her throat, he motioned for the now warm cup of Spice Tea. "You thought I forgot that one, did ya? Nope. Definitely did not forget, Tinkerbell." He purred softly.

As Chris started removing the wires and monitors, Lilly gently pushed herself up into a sitting position. Immediately she winced and clutched her right rib cage. Drawing a breath slowly, she began speaking. "Oi. That hurts. You know I don't like asking, but may I please have something for the pain, Len?" Her beautiful voice struggled to come through the hoarseness of her vocal cords.

Nodding his acceptance, he walked to the Medicine Storage Room and found a Hypo Vial of the old Terran medicine, Naproxen Sodium. All the years spent with Lilly had ingrained in his memory that if she had to take a pain reliever, she prefered the Sodium based Medication. Bones couldn't disagree either. It always seemed to work faster for her, and seemed to work the best.

Bringing the fluorescent blue vial back to her side, he loaded it into the Hypospray. Lifting her gown slightly, he saw the furious deep black and blue bruises marring her light ivory skin. Gently pressing the Hypo to her rib cage, he pressed the release and fired the aerosol medication into her body.

"There ya go, darlin'. How are you feeling? Anything else hurt? Your mind out of whack or anything? Are you hungry?" Bones rapid fired the questions.

"I'm okay, Lenny. I think. I mean, I healed a lot while I was in the coma. I feel really stiff, kind of sore all over. I'd love to go for a walk and see the ship, if Captain Kirk would allow me. I don't think my mind is messed up. I felt a Vulcan meld with me. Maybe he could check, if he would consider it? I'm not very hungry. Do you have any fruit?" Lilly's radiant voice was becoming more and more normal.

Jim was sitting in his chair laughing at his friend being called 'Lenny'. He leaned back so as to not risk falling out of his chair. Finally getting a grip, he turned towards the young girl.

"Hiya Lilly. I'm James Kirk, Jim. Not James. Only my Husband, my Mother, my Father-in-Law, and Command call me James. I'm the Captain 'round these parts. It would be my pleasure to allow you to stay on our ship and have the freedom to walk around. If you can give me until the end of the day, which is in uh… 15 hours, I'll have some Quarters set up for you. You're welcome to use a computer to check your Personal and Work electronic accounts as well." Jim dragged on while counting repeatedly on his fingers.

"What's a matter, Jimmy Boy? Didn't they give you an education at the Academy? Oh, that's right, they tried, but you were too busy trying to sleep with everything that had two legs, and some of them even had tails, for chrissake." Bones shot to his friend.

"But Bones-y, I haven't even had coffee yet. My edumacation is useless until I've had coffee." Jim whined.

"Not my fault your corn-fed Iowan mind can't handle anything without coffee." Bones quipped.

"Well, if water actually had taste I might actually like the stuff, Bones-y!" Jim fired back.

Turning back towards Lilly, Leonard sighed deeply. He stared into her radiant grey eyes and relaxed his shoulders. He gently offered her his hand, and waited patiently for her to take it.

Lilly lightly clutched the outstretched hand in hers and started sliding off the edge of the Bio Bed as easily as she could manage. Searing pain coursed through her body as her muscles fought against the jarring movements. Her eyes fluttered closed as a single tear slipped down her left cheek.

Bones moved closer and softly slid his arms around her delicate waist. Gently pulling her to him, he slipped an arm under her knees and hoisted her into the air. He carefully placed her back in the confines of the Bio Bed.

"Nemaiyo, ashalik." Lilly barely whispered audibly. Her eyes closed and she withdrew into herself once more. Quickly her breathing slowed to a rhythmic pace.

"You're welcome, kiddo. Get some more rest." Bones replied softly.

Turning towards Jim, he looked upon his best friend's face sadly. "What can I do to help? Have we gotten all of her personals from the Colony? Everything looks good on this end, she's just very, very tired." Leonard spoke quietly, while gazing down at Lilly's small body.

After a few minutes her pale eyes opened once more, and she smiled sweetly. Her eyes never left Leonard's gentle face, as he and Jim continued their conversation. The pain in the back of her head as waning as the medicine worked its way through her heightened metabolism.

"Uh, yeah, Scotty said they got them earlier. They're quarantining them still, just as a precaution. I'll get the call in to have her Quarters set up. I think there's an empty room near yours, if my memory serves correctly. Uh, what about taking Lilly to the Spa? Would that be "medically okay" for her?" Jim laughed the last question mischievously.

He inwardly contemplated the risks and benefits of allowing Lilly to roam freely. He decided that he and Christine would accompany her, so that if anything went wrong at all, it would be better for Lilly to have both the Doctor and his beloved Nurse nearby.

"Yeah, it should be. I'll go with her, give her someone friendly to talk to, and who's smart enough to know how to put a band-aid on." Leonard laughed easily.

"Oh sure. Ask me to help you out one time, and you never let me live down the fact that the freaking band-aid wouldn't open. I still think you rigged it. It was glued! Glued I tell ya!" Jim retorted.

Turning back towards Lilly, Len looked down at her lovingly. "Hey, Cal. Feel up to going to the Ship's Spa today? We can relax there and get you something healthier to eat than Replicated crud. I'll clear you for everything, for now. Massage, hot bath, Sauna, you name it, you're cleared for it. Just take it easy. I'll be there with you the whole time. So will Christine. If that's alright." He added softly.

"Of course. You know I respect your opinion entirely more than others when it comes to Medicine. I'd love to spend the day with you. We have some catching up to do, I imagine." Lilly softly pointed to the faded band of skin on his left ring finger.

"Oh, right. We do. We can talk about that later though. Let's get you up and in a Chair. I don't want you walking just yet. Let's see what we can do about getting you out of that gown, while we're at it." Leonard softly spoke to her.

She slowly eased her way into an upward position, and slid her legs of the side of the Biobed. Gingerly allowing her toes to touch the cool floor, she eased her weight down. Feeling a rush of relief as she didn't get light-headed upon standing, she started feeling a surge of calm rush through her tired, broken body.

Christine appeared from the doorway, with a fresh change of clothes for Lilly. A simple pair of black stretch Yoga pants, and a pale green Tank top. Hidden between the layers was a fresh set of undies, sports bra. A pair of soft black sandals rested on top of the bundle of clothes.

"I pulled these from your Personals. Scotty smuggled them out for me. If you're ready, I'll help you get changed, Lilly." She gently set the bundle on Lilly's Bed. She pressed a small blue button on the Bed frame, and a transparent glass rectangle rose from the ground. The glass stopped 7 feet in the air. Pressing a second button, the glass faded into an opaque white. No light could penetrate the smart glass.

Turning towards Lilly, Chris' gentle hands expertly undid the ties on the gown. She gently pulled the rumpled garment from Lilly's arms. Turning towards the Surgical Bra that she was sporting, she softly lowered the banded straps down Lilly's shoulders.

"You can take that off, just be gentle when you do. Don't want to pull the bandages off." Christine chimed softly.

Obligingly, Lilly deftly unhooked the clasp, and allowed the small garment to flutter to the ground. She reached towards Chris' outstretched hand, and took her Sports Bra in her grasp. Gently tugging the soft cotton article over her head, she slowly slid her arms into the openings, and tugged it down her chest.

"Excellent. Feel okay? I know it's a little more binding than that icky Surgical Bra, but it's the best we had for ya. Shirt next." Christine giggled a little, and held the green shirt out.

Again, Lilly took the garment and pulled it on, feeling already a million times more well than she had in the last months. She effortlessly shucked her undies off, and pulled on the fresh cotton Boy Short style pair. The dark blue cotton, contrasted starkly with her pale skin.

She grabbed the pair of pants, and gently eased her long legs into the stretchy material. Pulling them to her waist, she tied the drawstring tight, securing them to her delicate waist. She eased herself back onto the bed, and pulled the soft sandals on.

Seeing that Lilly was finally dressed, Christine lowered the Smart Glass wall, and helped Lilly into the waiting Wheelchair. She quickly made sure she was comfortable. Making a note to bring a soft pillow along, she tapped on Doctor McCoy's shoulder gently.

"Alright boys, you can look now. She's ready to go from our end." Christine softly intoned.

Leonard turned towards Lilly, and knelt by her side. Cupping her face in his hand, he leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. "I don't know if you remember, but I mean what I said, when I said I love you. I always have, and I always will. Thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for waking up."

A/N: Man, guys, I am SO sorry it's taken me this long to get another Chapter up. I got stormed by Christmas, My Mom having Heart Surgery, her failing recovery, and Writer's Block. Everything is all better now, so I have more time to devote to the story. It will be updated frequently from now on.

Vulcan Language!

Nemaiyo - Thank You
Ashalik - Darling