Day 57: Waiting Room / Lobby 1

[oneman_onekill]

Somehow, he'd managed to eat all of his food, and grudgingly, Niikura had to admit that he felt a lot better after brunch. That pink stuff tasted like crap, but it did its job, which was to keep him alive. Still...what did he have to do around here to get some food, short of raiding the kitchen at night? Not that he couldn't do that, it was just

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[hes_deadjim]

A visitor. McCoy was torn between sitting down, trying to keep his head in one place, and pacing restlessly. Who was it going to be this time? Joanna? His ex-wife? Any of the crew he actually knew? As much as he'd love to see his Jim, he couldn't wish that on anyone just because he wanted some familiarity. They'd be brainwashed, a prisoner too if that happened. Bad enough his daughter was here, but more people he knew, cared about?

McCoy found that pacing wasn't actually going to make that door spit out his visitor any sooner. The doctor finally gave up. He sat down with a thud. What did he do about Joanna anyway? The Captain was dying to check out the basement, but McCoy didn't think that had anything to do with her brainwashing, much less where she was being kept. A tendril of anger, resentment threaded up, spread out in the back of his mind. The more he thought it over, the more he was convinced that the basement had nothing to do with it. It was a dead end and it didn't do a thing to help Joanna. While the Captain was too busy gallivantin' off for a joyride, his kid was stuck here. He had to find her first. Worry about the brainwashing after, and then figure out how to get her out.

If Jim wasn't going to help, he'd do it without them.

[damned_visitors]

She'd been informed by the staff that they were now delivering letters to patients, but Leanne still felt like she needed to see her father in person. True, it was difficult to come up here while she was in the midst of finals, but there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for her father. His condition was bad enough that she strongly believed he needed to see a familiar face as much as possible. Of course, her mother would have loved to come along, but that wasn't going to turn out well as long as Dad honestly thought their marriage had ended in a bitter custody battle.

After pulling back the hood of her black coat, she adjusted her old leather purse against her shoulder and stepped into the same room the staff had directed her toward last time. The moment she entered the lobby, her eyes were immediately drawn to her father. He was sitting this time. Leanne had half expected to find him pacing again, so it was good to see him taking it easy. Still, she could have sworn he looked troubled about something. Was he concerned about their visit?

"Daddy!" she greeted him with a bright smile. Unlike her first time here, she didn't hesitate in throwing her arms out, a sunny invitation for a hug.

[hes_deadjim]

For the first time in days, McCoy actually brightened, a real smile lighting up his face. He couldn't help it. As frustrated as he was with the Captain, and with everything else, it wasn't enough to dampen his happiness at seeing his little girl again. She seemed just as happy to see him too.

McCoy didn't need a second invitation. The last time his daughter had actually hesitated, as if unsure what to do around him. This time was different. The doctor surged up, too quickly for his head's comfort, and wrapped her in his arms, giving her a fierce hug. He tried to put into words what he couldn't out loud. He was relieved to see that she was okay, and he was happy to see her in the first place. And he would find a way to get her out of this place.

He grimaced into her shoulder almost instantly. Getting up so fast and hugging her hadn't done any wonders on the grinding pain around his eyes. Maybe he should have taken it slower. Making sure he'd wiped as much of the pain off his face as he could, McCoy released her after a moment. He indicated they sit down.

"So what've you been up to?"

[damned_visitors]

She was delighted to see her dad stand from his chair in order to greet her. As she drew in close to embrace him, she took note of things like his complexion and weight. There was a lot of strength behind that hug, which hopefully meant they were feeding him well. When she pulled back, she beamed at him and gladly took a seat.

"Well, finals are just around the corner," she responded. "So I've been studying for those. But that means winter break is just around the corner, so I'm excited for that!" There was the underlying hope he'd be home in time for the holidays, but she knew not to hold her breath. In cases like these, they needed to make sure he was better before he was released. As nice as it would have been to have Dad home, Leanne didn't want to accidentally hinder his recovery, either.

Peeling off the dark gloves from her hands, she did her best to look at ease with the situation. "What about you?" she asked. "Did you go out to town again yesterday?" Leanne remembered that he hadn't had a very good time because of the rain. It also sounded like the townspeople weren't very kind to the patients. She wished they had the option of staying back at the Institute, but Leanne wasn't entirely certain how that worked.

[hes_deadjim]

Finals, exams, right, she'd mentioned that last time. It felt like months had gone by. So much had happened. Uhura had showed up out of the blue, no explanation, their shadows had come alive, Spock had apparently been captain at one point and tried to kill Jim, and Jim? Jim seemed gunning to get himself killed exploring a basement, all while McCoy was wondering if he was slowly going crazy, and Joanna had, or thought she had, finals. It was so mundane, a piece of normalcy that he almost laughed with relief.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. You'll ace them." McCoy said with a smile. "Bet you're looking forward to a break. Long drive home?"

It was a tentative question, trying to get a feel of how far away she was from the building. Not that it meant anything to him now, all they knew was Doyleton, but maybe it would in the future.

McCoy's eyes drifted to watch her peel the gloves off with the same grace as a surgeon pulling off those old sterile gloves they used to use back in the day. Some things just ran in the family. One day, she'd make a fine nurse, probably even a doctor. He could just imagine her, a special brand of McCoy running some hospital or sickbay. Just like Jim, she asked how he was, although she didn't seem to imply anything was wrong. It was run of the mill everyday. Harmless. Still, he wasn't sure how he could answer it to her face, so he skimmed over it.

"We did." McCoy thought back to what had come from it: relieved of duty, indefinitely. "Could've been better, but at least we didn't get threatened this time."

[damned_visitors]

"I sure hope so," she said with a small laugh. Leanne hadn't started on her most challenging courses yet, so if she had a difficult time with these finals then she'd be in for a load of trouble once she had things like O-chem on her plate. "A break will be nice, though." Maybe it would mean she could find more time to visit with her dad. The drive was close enough that she could make it here and back home during a weekend, but far enough to where she definitely had to plan for it.

"Not too long if it's to see my daddy," Leanne brightly answered. She knew her father was likely concerned about her, but she didn't want him to worry about insignificant details like that. He needed to stay focused on getting better.

While it was good to know his Doyleton trip wasn't as traumatic as last week's, she wished he could use the time to relax. That was the point of the trip, right? A change of scenery, some small-town hospitality -- those were the kinds of things he could use right now. But instead, it just seemed to stress Dad out more than anything else.

"I could try talking to the doctors to see if you could stay here the next time there's a trip somewhere," she offered.

[hes_deadjim]

Damn. He was hoping she'd drop something better as a hint, but Joanna was here now, seemed happy and not afraid or uncomfortable this time. He didn't have the heart to push the matter, turn this into an interrogation. Maybe he could find out along the line where she was staying.

"That won't be necessary," McCoy's answer was hasty. "I prefer getting out and stretching my legs than being cooped up."

Joanna meant well but getting him locked up even tighter wasn't something he was jumping for. That was like cheerfully asking to get handcuffs tightened. The trip had been cold and then there was that meeting with Kirk, but going to town itself hadn't been that bad. It was one of the better points of being here. Granted, there wasn't a lot he could see that was good about being kidnapped, but getting fresh air and space once in a blue moon happened to be one of them.

So was she really outside the walls, living this life that was created for her? Or was she somewhere on the building grounds when they weren't face to face. He couldn't believe she'd been a former patient, like Jim had suggested for Chekov. Not only was there no report of Chekov visiting any of the crew, there was no news of Joanna missing before.

"Just take it easy, all right?" he said. "How long can you stay this time?"

[damned_visitors]

Leanne supposed she could understand why her dad would prefer the change of scenery to staying inside the Institute, but she still wished he could get some more enjoyment out of it. Still, it sounded like she didn't want her to fuss over him, so she decided to respect his wishes on that for now.

The question was a bit unexpected -- not because she doubted her dad wanted her to stay as long as possible, but because the matter was a bit out of her hands.

"Well, the staff says all visitors have to clear out by the end of the shift," she said, sounding a bit apologetic just the same. "So, I'll stay with you as long as possible, but they'll probably ask me to leave after awhile." Although she could dig in her heels when she needed to, Leanne didn't exactly want to cause a scene. After all, what would happen if the doctors deemed her a "problem" visitor? She depended on them to allow her these precious minutes with her father.

"But let's not focus on that," she said with a sudden smile, and she reached out to take his hand. "I just want to enjoy our time together."

[hes_deadjim]

McCoy was quiet for a moment, clearly disappointed. It wasn't like he got to see his little girl in person back home, and correspondence was spotty most of the time, what with her schedule and the unpredictability of his own that came with being on the Federation's flag ship. Brainwashing and kidnapping aside, the bright side was that they got to see each other face to face, something that wasn't possible in his universe. The downside was everything else. She didn't even know she was Joanna McCoy.

"Thanks for coming all the same. I do appreciate it," McCoy said, curling his fingers around hers. Too bad she couldn't bring out the old McCoy stubbornness, but he could see why she might hesitate. It would make them think twice about letting her come back. She was right, they should try to enjoy the time together.

"So what do you plan to do when finals are over?" he asked.

[damned_visitors]

Leanne inwardly sighed. She didn't like making her daddy unhappy, but she wasn't about to tiptoe around him, either. Lying just to cushion him from the truth wasn't going to do either of them any good. She would have to do her best to remember that, especially since she was currently the only one paying him any visits.

"No reason to thank me," she assured him, and she meant it. "Of course I'd come see you. You're my dad." As if to emphasize her point, Leanne squeezed his hand. She knew she could take comfort in the fact he still thought of her as his daughter. Honestly, she couldn't imagine how Mom felt these days.

Ultimately, the conversation drifted to more mundane topics. That was for the best, and hopefully a sign of progress. "Sleep," she said with a playful grin. "Well, more than sleep, obviously, but I'm looking forward to the break." Once she finished with her undergraduate studies, she would be getting less of those. "I was thinking of taking a small trip with some of my friends, but everyone's been too busy to figure anything out. At this rate, we probably won't go anywhere."

Leanne didn't sound too upset about it -- she didn't feel upset, either. Ever since her father had fallen ill, all of her other problems paled in comparison. There were more important things to worry about than whether she went somewhere fun after finals. Besides, maybe it was for the best to stick in one place in case Dad needed her.

[hes_deadjim]

He was her dad but he was glad anyway.

McCoy chuckled. Not quite the answer you'd expect from a young woman, in college, about to have a mass of free time. It was so like the Joanna he knew, not this Leanne business, that it hurt. She'd have said the exact same thing. On the other side, it gave him hope: she was in there under the brainwashing. They hadn't been able to erase everything, just...buried it under the surface. Joanna always had a practical streak to her. "The semester was that bad, was it?" 'Course, when she moved on, it was only going to get even worse then there. Even more allnighters.

For a woman being told she'd probably spend her break stuck at home, she didn't sound that unhappy at all. He thought he knew why. On one hand, it touched him, on the other hand, it annoyed him. First Jim, now his own daughter acting like he was some invalid who needed constant checking and attention.

Normally he'd encourage Joanna to go on a trip. Go have fun, explore, not to wait around for him. However, right now he preferred she stuck around the general area. If they had a chance to rescue her, it was a lot easier doing that if she was still here then halfway across a country.

"So you'll be spending your holidays around here." he hazarded.