S&S&ST Chapter Sixteen: Bedside Manner
Outline
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
McCoy set to work immediately, gathering together nutrient drips and dermal regenerators. Once he’d hooked him up to basic life support, there was nothing to do but wait. And talk. He prided himself on the bedside manner he had inherited from his father, growing up in Georgia.
“It’s always been easier to destroy than to create,” he said “Until Genesis came along. Now you can do both at once. In the Bible, the miracle of creation took six days - now watch out - here comes Genesis! It’ll get the job done in six minutes. But no matter how hard they try, it’ll never be able to make someone with a mind as twisted as yours. So that’s why you need to survive. The world needs people like you.”
* * * *
"In this galaxy there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth type planets, and in all the universe three million million galaxies like this,” He paused to let this sink in. "And in all of that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us.” He held Jim’s hand, and hoped that somewhere in his subconscious he would hear this next part. “Don’t destroy the one named Kirke.”
* * * *
“Jim, you’ve got to wake up!” he cried in desperation. “A lot of people are counting on you. I’m counting on you. You’re the best commander we’ve ever had.”
“Am I really? Why, Bones, I’m flattered.”
Annoyed at being caught at this profession of tenderness, he blustered, “So you’re awake. Took you long enough. Hell, people were worried about you. And I’m your doctor. Think of how it would have reflected on me if you’d gone and died on me. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. But you never think of anyone but yourself do you?”
“I’m glad to be back, too.”
* * * *
“I wasn’t always this scared of flying,” he mused, “It was only after I had to help patch up survivors of a crash that I started worrying about what it would be like if that happened to me. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop imagining terrible things happening to me and people I --” he lost control of his countenance and busied himself with his tricorder. “People I love,” he said finally, and was surprised to find that his hand was not empty.
Jim smiled weakly up at him. “Oh Bones! I never knew! I just saw you freaking out on the shuttle and assumed you were a person of no consequence. Guess I was wrong.”
* * * *
It was a long night for Spock. He stayed out of the sick bay in the hopes that McCoy would be able to forge some kind of friendship with his brother. But there was still a sneaking suspicion that Jim was injured beyond recovery and all of McCoy’s encouraging assurances reached the ear, but could not enter the heart of the Vulcan.
Much to his embarrassment, he fell asleep sometime during the night, and woke with the sun streaming through the windows. He leapt to his feet and was standing at parade rest when McCoy entered the waiting room. “Well,” he demanded immediately, “Is he going to be alright?”
The good doctor bit his lip. “Well, I’m not too sure about that.”
“So he didn’t make it?” he asked, preparing himself for the worst.
“You might want to check with me before you make an assumption like that,” a voice came from behind him.
“Captain?” He turned and saw that Jim was indeed alive and well. “Jim!” he exclaimed, and grabbed his brother to hug him with a gigantic smile on his face. Under slightly different circumstances, he might have been embarrassed to have caught in such a strong display of emotion. But he decided that Bones would understand and opened up the hug so he could join in. After all, they were practically family now.
Chapter Seventeen