Jim was swarmed by concerned embraces as soon as Pike had stepped foot in the door.
"She's injured her ankle. Be careful," The captain gasped out as Carol and Nyota relieved him of his burden.
"Darling, you are shivering! It is imperative that she receive dry clothing as soon as possible," Carol worried.
"And removed upstairs," added Nyota. "Spock, please get towels for the good captain. He is waterlogged as well."
"I will do so immediately," agreed Spock.
Jim was dried in front of the fire, clothed in dry garments and tucked into bed speedily, her ankle carefully attended to as well.
"Jim, why did you go so far on such a foul day?" Carol asked her while running a towel through Jim's soaked blonde hair.
"I was deep in thought about what happened with Mr. Harrison and before I realized it, I had gone a lot further than I intended," she admitted.
Several sneezes followed this and
Carol hoped that this wasn't the precursor to a cold.
Unfortunately, it did become a cold which worsened until the Admiral sent for a doctor, the closest one available which happened to be one Leonard McCoy. His presence alone would have cheered Jim up immensely if she hadn't been so miserable.
Carol was petrified it was pneumonia and several nights Leonard did look very grave. On the worst of these, she came downstairs to fetch some water and saw The captain pacing restlessly in the hall.
"How is she?" He asked intently, steely eyes boring into her as if to pry the truth out.
"Very ill. Leonard will not leave her room at all right now," she answered, not attempting to sugarcoat reality. His hands clenched into fists and he shut his eyes for a moment.
"What can I do?" Pike asked at last.
"You have been a tremendous help already," Carol demurred. "There isn't much to be done now but wait."
This answer did not go over well.
"Miss Marcus," he practically growled, "give me something to do or I will run mad."
He was using his Captain voice on her and she wracked her brain for a task she could give him.
"She would rest better if her mother were here," she said at last.
This satisfied him for the moment and he nodded a mute agreement and disappeared towards the entry.
That night turned out to be a turning point for Jim and as the sun broke over the horizon, she was resting easier and her coughs were no longer hacking and breath stealing.
Winona Kirk rushed to her daughter's room as soon as she and the Captain arrived, heart in her throat with worry for Jim.
"Mama," a weak voice said from the bed as she entered the room and her eyes filled with tears as she saw her pale but still very much alive daughter.
"Jim, sweetheart. How are you, darling?"
"Better now that you are here. Bones took care of me very well and he says I'm over the worst," Jim whispered, clasping her mother's hand.
"Thank God," Winona murmured and then turned to Bones. "You are a lifesaver, Leonard. I can't tell you how grateful I am."
"Had a lot of help from these two," Bones said gruffly, indicating Carol beside him and the figure of Captain Pike lurking just outside the door.
Jim saw him about to turn away and called out, "Captain." He turned back around and looked at her nervously. "Thank you," she whispered, and smiled at him.
This finished everyone's composure as the Captain's eyes grew wide with wonder and emotion.
Carol dragged Leonard out of the room to allow privacy, blinking back tears of her own.
"Leonard." She said out of relief for her friend and joy at being reunited with the man she loved.
"Carol, darlin'." He responded and drew her into his arms. All the angry Admirals in the world weren't going to keep them apart anymore. They held each other tightly, tears dripping down their cheeks from exhaustion and joy.
Christopher dragged himself down the stairs, reported the good news to the admiral, Spock, and Uhura, then secluded himself and allowed his own relief release. Who said dignified naval captains couldn't shed a tear or two?
The next week, Jim was well enough to be taken home for good, escorted by her vigilant mother, equally vigilant doctor, and the no less vigilant, (but nicer about it) Captain.
Her ankle was still healing, so walking was out of the question even if she'd been strong enough.
Winona told her she'd found a small, but comfortable, cottage with affordable rent in which to live. The offer on their current house and much of the furniture would be enough to pay the debts and rid them from the stress of the creditors.
Gaila hovered around, filling her in in the latest gossip and her own blossoming romance with Montgomery Scott.
"He's such a dear, Jimsie! So jovial and inventive and sweet! I think I'm in love!"
Pike was a frequent visitor as well and Winona noted with satisfaction her daughter looked markedly happier when he was there. Jim was reevaluating her earlier views of Christopher and mentally kicking herself for being so blind.
They'd been able to return to their lively banter of yesteryear, but it had a decidedly new undertone now.
"Do you realize, Christopher, the incredibly potent effects of your smile?" She asked one day when he'd been reading to her a comedic tale and grinning at the appropriate moments.
"Not particularly. Just how potent is it?" He asked, giving her a glimpse of said smile. (He loved it when she said his name in that coquettish tone and she knew it.)
"Enough to cause serious heart palpitations and utter distraction from everything else," she replied honestly.
"If I'd known that, I would have tried it more often, Jim," he said thoughtfully. The wind was ruffling up his hair again and Jim thought he looked adorably boyish.
"Then I would have a lot of competition from the strings of feminine admirers you would acquire," she teased.
"Minx," he retorted, toying with a loose curl that had fallen from her bun. "You know perfectly well you have no rivals for my attention."
She batted her eyelashes at him in delight and he shook his head. Life with Jim would never be dull, indeed.
"I hear congratulations are in order for Dr. McCoy and Miss Carol Marcus," he commented as they enjoyed the sun's rays, Jim being seated outside in a lounge chair.
Miss Kirk's eyes lit up.
"Oh yes! He asked her to marry him last night now that the admiral has relented. Carol is very happy and so is Bones, even though he still looks grumpy."
Christopher laughed.
"Well, as we've just established, the most staid gentlemen may hide strong feelings underneath the crusty exterior. Carol will likely cause Leonard to smile more frequently as you always have for me, Jim."
Jim favored him with one of her own beautiful smiles and he felt like he could drown in those vivid blue eyes.
A month after Jim's return, she and Winona said goodbye to their old home and removed to the cottage, which was really quite nice and much less drafty.
Christopher's courtship of Miss Kirk prospered greatly and just months after she'd stood up beside Carol as her two dearest friends became husband and wife, Jamesina herself walked down the aisle as a bride.
She thought she couldn't possibly be any happier than she'd been watching Carol and Bones, but one look at her groom's face and the love shown there and joy flooded her to the brim.
She looked straight into those grey-blue eyes as she said her vows with purpose and meaning, very appreciative of how striking he was in his uniform.
Christopher was downright awestruck the whole time by how beautiful Jamesina was in her white dress, and how she glowed looking at him. He was very earnest as he spoke his vows to her, hands gently squeezing hers for emphasis. Yes, he'd love and cherish this woman until the day he died.
They were pronounced husband and wife and Jamesina received her very first kiss as Mrs. Pike. She found it a most delightful experience and was eternally glad she hadn't given one to Harrison. He'd come close, but she'd turned away at the last moment, a bit panicked at his forwardness.
"I expect more such kisses in the near future, love," she told her new husband cheekily as they were cheered back down the aisle.
Christopher looked down at the woman on his arm and felt very obliging to her request.
"More you shall have, sweetheart," he said in a low tone. "Many, many, more, for the rest of your life."
Jim shivered with delight and pecked him on the cheek. "Now, time to celebrate and endure the good natured chaffing of our friends," she reminded him.
"I am sure you will give it right back to them," he said, knowing her penchant for wit.
"With a good will, sir," she proclaimed proudly and Christopher kissed his wife again right then and there.