Laid low (Starfleet Medical, open)

[letspunchit]

Consciousness. That was different.

White ceiling, white curtains, occasional concerned medical personnel leaning into his field of view to wave a sonic cleanser over him or ask him how are you feeling, sir? or would you like some water? or are you in any pain, do you need me to up your meds? It had gotten to the point where Pike actually welcomed

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[cso_spock]

He had been talking about it with Sybok: what should he bring, if anything? Then Sybok had left a vase of orchids on the breakfast table and Spock had, of course, eaten them while reading his morning messages.

("Spock, you shouldn't have - oh well, wait a moment, I'll fix something.")

Something turned out to be a large, vibrant bouquet of fruit and chocolate: bananas, strawberries, pineapples, all arranged in a pretty vase that had been cleaned of soil and replaced with a strange foam to hold the sticks in place. ("How do you know of this, sa-kai?" "Experience.")

Carrying it over there had taken some patience, as he always had to lead with it and Starfleet Medical was always busy, but soon enough he reached the room, ignored the guard down the hall who was still there, and peeked in.

"Captain?"

[letspunchit]

Pike had been dozing; he blinked slowly as he came out of it, his brain trying to comprehend why there was a big spiky multicolored blob floating towards him. He then realized there were hands attached, a whole person's body, a solemn face capped with black hair above it.

"C'mander Spock." He blinked again, and cleared his throat. "What on Earth is that?"

It looked like fruit. Spock carrying a...bouquet of fruit? That was some incongruity right there.

[cso_spock]

"Terran fruit. I assumed that you would not enjoy flowers to the same degree." he answered, walking in and placing the bouquet on the bedside where it claimed all the airspace above it. Spock turned and shifted it so that it sat nicely centered, then turned his full attention to Pike. He folded his hands behind his back.

"They contain nutrients vital for your recovery - and they are neither tasteless nor gritty." Unless, by some turn of events, Starfleet Medical had decided to serve more palatable, vitamin-rich food. Unlikely. He glanced up and down Pike's figure, then back up to his face, and Spock tilted his head. "Is your health improving?"

[letspunchit]

"Thank you," said Pike, as he watched Spock make minute adjustments to the vase. "That's very thoughtful of you." Truthfully, he didn't have the stomach for much of anything at all at the moment - although the strawberries did look good - but he was still touched by the gesture.

"I'm getting there," he added, brow slightly furrowed. "I'll probably be stuck here for a while yet, but...how are you, Spock?" Part deflection, part honest concern. 'How are you' was never the most productive question to ask a Vulcan, and under the circumstances, it was really a downright stupid one, but what else could be asked of a man who'd just lost almost everything?

[dctr_mccoy]

It took a week but Leonard finally managed permission to get in to see his former patient. Pike was like a Eyes Only document - all top secret and shit. But what little clout he'd managed to scrape together from the Enterprise incident somehow got him a glance at Pike's medical records and a few minutes in his room.

But he wasn't the first visitor... a large basket of fruit on the side table welcomed him as he entered the door and walked toward the biobed. "Afternoon, Captain," he said quietly.

[letspunchit]

Pike was actually awake, this time, staring out the window at the thrilling patch of sky he could see. The interruption was very welcome. "Doctor McCoy, come in. Was wondering what'd happened to you." After days had passed with different doctors seeing to him, he'd asked where McCoy was, thinking it was strange the doctor who'd initially saved him had been taken off his case. Probably some of that fine 'Fleet bureaucracy at work there.

[dctr_mccoy]

"I wrangled myself a trip home after we got back," he told Pike, pulling up a chair. "Got back last week, been trying to get into see you ever since. You're a hard man to see, Captain." He glanced over at the fruit basket, raising an eyebrow. "Guess they're relaxing the restrictions on you a bit."

Then the doctor instinct kicked in. "How you feeling?" he asked, noting the man still looked pale, but that might be from the lack of movement and lack of sunlight.

[letspunchit]

Pike gave a slight smile at McCoy's mention of going home - he'd like that himself at the moment - and at the fruit still sitting at his bedside. "Courtesy of Mr. Spock. Help yourself; there's no way I could finish it all."

"Let's just say I'm better than I was," he added, with a grimace. "They tell me I'm progressing on schedule. Progressing towards what, they're a little more cagey on." He inclined his head. "But I don't think I'd be talking or moving at all if it wasn't for you."

[genius_level]

All hospitals smelled the same, Jim thought as he strode down the corridor. Painfully clean and sterile, with the occasional scent of illness that couldn't be masked. He had decided to try his luck again today, making sure he arrived well before visiting hours ended.

Following the directions one of the nurses had given him, he soon found himself outside Pike's room. There were still guards posted outside, but they glanced at Jim without comment as he knocked, then stuck his head in the door. "Captain?"

[letspunchit]

Pike glanced over at the voice, beckoning when he saw who it was. Just the guy he'd been hoping would show up one of these days - knowing Starfleet, Kirk had probably been sucked into a mire of debriefings and inquests as soon as he'd gotten back.

He tapped the control on the bed that would raise it up to a good conversational height. "Kirk. Come on in. How are you doing?"

[genius_level]

"I'm pretty sure I should be asking you that," Jim responded with a faint grin. He stepped inside, checking out the room as he walked over to the chair by the bed. Pretty standard, he observed; a decent view out the window and... whoa, that was a lot of fruit.

"From one of your admirers?" he asked. Settling back in the chair, he felt that direct gaze on him and knew his stalling tactic had been recognized. "I'm okay," he said honestly. "Getting a little tired of the sound of my own voice, but the inquest into my actions is over." How much did Pike know, he wondered, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck.

[letspunchit]

Pike tried to sit up a little straighter. "I wanted to attend. Admiral Barnett came by a few days ago and informed me of some things -" And he still wasn't sure what to think about that - "but he hasn't been since. What's the verdict? I can't imagine they'd hand down any kind of punishment after everything that's happened."

[quidoristid]

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