Matters of the Heart (Part 17)
Title: Matters of the Heart (Part 17)
Author: Luvntrek
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
A/N: Jim and crew searches for a cure!
Jim reclined on the sofa after his shower feeling a whole lot better. Aura sat at the end of the sofa with his foot in her lap massaging the balls of his foot. He closed his eyes and felt like he was ten again, no worries no cares. He smiled to himself.
"Feel better?" Aura asked watching him.
"Yeah. You are the one woman who knows how to please me. Excuse me, I don't mean to sound like a pervert or something."
Aura snickered "I know what you meant. No offense taken. However, I believe that you need more than a platonic sister relationship, Jimmy. You need to meet a nice woman. What about this Tah-din-nay? She said that you hired her to be your servant."
"I don't want to talk about that, Aura."
She did not respond immediately, but began massaging each of his toes. "She told us what you did...or rather what you didn't do."
This was just like Aura. She would catch him at a weak moment and he would find himself spilling his guts, hypnotizing him with her magical hands. "Damn it Aura, did she spread my business all over the motherfucking compound? Did she go around telling everyone that I was jacking off instead of screwing her?"
"Jimmy!" Aura knew that he used vulgarities with her as a shield to hide behind. "She only told Nyota and me. What have you to be ashamed of? I thought it was a decent thing you did not to take advantage of that girl. I mean we all have to masturbate from time to time."
"Yeah, right! Now you're going to tell me that you do it too, I suppose" he snapped in disbelief.
"I did....I mean before Leonard. It had been three years, what do you think I did?"
He looked at her surprised. "I don't know...I can't believe we're having this conversation!"
Aura switched feet. "We've always been able to talk about anything. That has not changed, has it?"
"I suppose not" he said "Well since we are playing true confessions....are you in love with Bones? I haven't heard you say, and what's going to happen when this mission is over?" he grinned at her "And finally, did you and Bones really do it three times last night?"
"God Jimmy!" she said tickling the center of his foot. He jerked it from her laughing.
"I do care a lot for Leonard and I don't know what is going to happen at the end of the mission and to your final question....yes we did."
Jim sat up and moved down to the end of the sofa where she was sitting. "I asked you if you loved him. I haven't heard you say it. He has declared his love for you several times."
Aura looked sad. "I don't want to jinx it by saying it Jimmy. Love for me has never worked out. Every time I say it, something bad happens in the relationship and I end up with a broken heart."
Jim's eyes widened. "Are you sure we aren't blood kin? I feel the exact same way. This is why I don't do relationships. They have never worked out. Love has left me with a broken heart more than once, so I totally understand."
Aura smiled at him taking his hand. "I guess the connection was made in the womb because I used to always lay my head on your mom's stomach to feel you kick me. I am afraid to say it out loud, but I feel it Jimmy and it feels good. You ought to try it again."
"She's a virgin, Aura and that scares the hell out of me. I've not been down that road with a girl before. The first time is supposed to be special. There's supposed to be love and I don't want to do love."
Aura lowered her voice to a whisper. "Was your first time special?"
Jim lowered his head. "Not really. It was humiliating. I was in love...or infatuated. I thought I was in love. She apparently was not. She wanted a man who knew how to please and I failed....miserably. She told all her friends about my lack of experience....some teased me about it, and I couldn't look them in the eye for weeks. I made up my mind then to try to learn all I could to please women, but not to do love. I also decided never to be one of those guys who kissed and told afterwards. I knew how that felt first hand."
Aura put her arm around him. He was a grown man, yet a part of her could feel his pain and she felt that he was still Jimmy, her baby that she wanted to protect.
"Well Jimmy if you remember that night in the gym, I told you the same thing about being in love and being in a relationship, now look at me! When it happens, it happens. You can't just run and hide on the Enterprise."
"I am not hiding!" he said sounding offended. "I'm tired and I need time to think!"
"Of course." Aura said nodding. He was hiding and he knew it!
"Well, brother dear think as long as you like. However, I must warn you Tah-din-nay has her heart set on winning the man with eyes like the Terrin Sea."
******************************************
Two weeks went by in a whirl of activity. Nyota helped Scotty upgrade the communication systems as well as work with Spock and McCoy on gathering food samples and interviewing different people about the 'amo pyrexia'.
The people seemed to be able to relate to her more easily than to Spock who appeared to them hard and unemotional while Leonard was cranky and way too emotional. They were like opposite ends of a spectrum and it appeared to her that they were getting on each other's nerves. She hoped that they would have a breakthrough soon. It was sixteen days until the next full moon.
"Damn it, Spock!" McCoy said obviously irritated. "I have already retested every damn sample you bought to me. Now you are bringing me the same samples again! Stop wasting my time!"
"Doctor." Spock said trying to be patient "They are not exactly the same. The water comes from different sources. We must be thorough."
"It's still water, Spock!" he said "We have already tested the water!"
Nyota interjected. "Leonard, Aura is supposed to have more samples of the grain from which they make their bread and feed their livestock. Have you seen her?"
Leonard smiled at her. "No, I haven't seen her in weeks. I've been here, testing and retesting samples" he looked at Spock and frowned.
"I will go over there and talk to her and bring back what she has. In the meantime, why don't you two take a break? The Captain knows you are doing all you can."
"That may be true, Nyota" Spock said looking grim, "However, that does not change the fact that we have sixteen days until the next full moon and we have made very little progress. While you are gone, I will review the data that has been fed into the computer to see if something has been overlooked." He looked at McCoy. "You doctor can continue without my assistance to retest the water samples." Leonard rolled his eyes and did not reply.
*********************
Nyota found Aura in the greenhouse labs near the field that they had shared water and conversation after the 'amo pyrexia'. She was talking to a young man. "Aura!" she said as she entered the greenhouse.
Aura looked up and waved. "Hey Ny, come on in!"
Nyota noticed that she did not look well and was alarmed.
"Are you alright, Aura?"
"Not really." she said and turned to the young man "Ny, this is Min-che-el. He is Tah-din-nay's brother. He is the overseer of the east field."
MIn-che-el bowed low "Hello." he said smiling.
"We will talk some more later." Aura said to him.
"I'll be fine in a couple of days." she said to Nyota "The heat is getting to me a little."
"You have been working nonstop on this 'amo pyrexia! You're as bad as Leonard! You need to rest!"
"Who can rest?" she asked smiling "He's broken me of my habit of sleeping alone." She wiped her hand across her forehead and stumbled back a little.
"Sit down!"Nyota said alarmed. She did not like this.
"I'm fine" Aura said drinking some water that appeared to have been sitting for a while. "I'm going to go lay down in a little bit, but I had to make sure....I think I found something!"
Nyota perked up. "Really? Let me call Spock. He's on the Enterprise and he's going over the information as we speak. He can feed the information in the computer." She pulled out her communicator.
Aura sat down as Nyota conversed with Spock. She was a bit dizzy, but she pulled herself together and walked back over to get the PADD that was on the table. Moments later she saw Spock materialize as he was beamed back down into the greenhouse.
"Dr." he said nodding "I understand that you may have found something."
"Yes, Spock." Aura said. "As you know the people are growing triticale as a food source for themselves and their livestock. I know you are aware that triticale is a hybrid between wheat and rye. It is the perfect grain for this planet. However, triticale hybrid is sterile and cannot reproduce on its own and has to be treated with the alkaloid chemical colchicine which makes it fertile and thus able to reproduce. Colchicine is also highly poisonous if not handled properly. However, under normal circumstances, rather under earth circumstances, it is toxic only if ingested. You are supposed to mix it as a paste when applying it, but the people have been sprinkling it on the plants instead. Since the people have not been applying this chemical properly and I have found it in its potent raw form which is a gray powder spilled in several places throughout the area, I wonder if their reaction is somehow due to the chemicals coming in contact with the skin."
"Interesting." Spock said. "I will take this information and review it."
"Good." Aura said "I think I will walk back to my quarters now and lie down for a while." She stood up and walked to the door, but before she could reach it, she fainted.
**********************************
Jim and Bones rushed to Aura's quarters after Nyota called them on her communicator. They met up with them just as Spock reached her quarters and placed her on the bed.
"What's wrong with her Bones?" Jim asked trying to keep his voice steady.
Aura was sweating and Nyota was wiping her face with a cool cloth. Aura opened her eyes confused and tried to sit up.
"Lie down!" McCoy snapped holding his medical tricorder. "God Aura, you're anemic as hell!"
"I'm fine Leonard. I just got a little overheated." she said sitting up anyway. She looked at the worried faces of Jim and Leonard. Nyota sat down beside her.
"Let Leonard check you out Aura, so he can figure out what's wrong."
"I know what's wrong." she said snatching the tricorder from McCoy's hands.
"I'll be fine in a few days."
"Well do tell us, doctor" McCoy said dryly. "What ails you?"
"Leonard, I don't want to talk about this-"
"Now just a minute! You will talk about it" Jim said "What's there to hide." He turned to McCoy. "Bones give her a full examination! That's an order!"
"It's that time of the month, ok!" she said obviously embarrassed and irritated. "So there, the whole world now knows. I just need to lie down and rest a while."
There was dead silence in the room. Spock was the first to speak up.
"Well if you will excuse me. I hope you will feel better, Dr. Vanderleigh" Spock said walking to the door.
"Thank you Spock for everything."
"Get some rest, Aura" Nyota said followed Spock, leaving Jim and McCoy in the room.
Bones stuck her with a hypospray. "That's for the anemia" he said.
"I guess you're in a bad mood, huh?" Jim said grinning. "Hormones a-raging, sis? Shucks! I thought you were going to tell me I was going to be an uncle and Bones was going to be Papa Smurf."
She rolled her eyes at him and did not reply.
"You really should have taken the shot to avoid this. Most of the women on the Enterprise do." McCoy said. "I can give it to you now and it will be all gone by tomorrow."
"No thanks, the shots give me migraines!" she said holding up her hand. "I'll be fine. I was just in the heat a little too long and I can't stand to drink cold water right now."
"Well you lie down and stay in for the rest of the day" Jim said walking to the door. "That's an order. Allow me to play big bro for once. No backtalk!"
"Alright, Jimmy." she said smiling.
She climbed in the bed glad to feel the coolness of the sheets. "You scared me kiddo." Leonard said looking down at her.
"I'm sorry" she said smiling.
"I'll be back over here to stay with you tonight." he said walking towards the door.
Aura did not want him to see her like this. There were times when she had 'accidents' during the night and she did not want him to be disgusted.
"I don't think that will be wise. I'm not good company...and when I am like this...sleeping with me...I mean things can be messy. I don't want to have to subject you it" she said turning away not wanting to see his reaction.
He walked back over to the bed. "You don't scare me. I'm a doctor, not a squeamish schoolboy." He leaned down and kissed her. "I'll be back. You can count on that."
********************************
Nyota was not expecting Spock to return to her that night. They had a very busy day and he had beamed back up to the Enterprise with the information he received from Aura.
She sent Aura a message checking on her and had received a quick response. Leonard was on his way back over to her to spend the night. Nyota was glad that she would not be alone. She wished that Spock was there with her, but she doubted if he would tear himself away from the 'amo pyrexia' project.
She decided to review the project she and Scotty were working on and see where they would go on tomorrow. She heard a knock on the door and was surprised to find Spock standing there. She heard him dismiss her security guard for the evening and was happy that he had made plans to stay the night.
"Nyota"
"I wasn't expecting you tonight, Spock. This is a pleasant surprise."
"I decided to spend the evening with you. We have not been able to spend time together for a while and the Captain has suggested that I 'give it a break'. I believe those were his words.
Nyota smiled. "He's right. You and Leonard have been working very hard."
"I have a gift." Spock said approaching her. He held out his hand that held something wrapped in a red cloth.
"A gift? Thanks, Spock. What's the occasion? It's not my birthday." She took the package from his hand.
"You will see when you open it."
She untied the string that was around it and slowly unfolded the cloth. Inside the cloth was a small gold bracelet with five pearls. "It's beautiful Spock." she said holding it up. She held out her arm. "Help me put it on."
"It is not for your arm, Nyota." he said. "It belonged to my mother. It belongs around your ankle." He took the bracelet and lifted her leg. She watched as he put it on her. It was a perfect fit.
Nyota stood up and walked a few steps. "I love it Spock, but will I be able to wear it with my uniform? Then again, who would notice?"
"I would notice. You seem hesitant. Do you not like it?"
Nyota looked at him puzzled. "I love that you are giving me something that belonged to your mother, Spock. Are you sure that you want to give it to me? It must be very special to you."
"At the time mother gave it to me, I thought that she was being sentimental and quite illogical. She gave it to me when I left for the Academy. She told me that her father gave it to her and she wanted to pass it on to me. I asked her why she would part with it and she replied that it was time to pass it on and that I was to give it to the one I would give my heart. I tried to give it back, but she refused. I therefore took it and put it away, not wishing to distress her. I had no desire do as she requested. I had no plans to 'give my heart' to anyone. Today on the Enterprise as I was packing some additional items to bring with me, I found it again. Do you understand why I would give it to you?"
Nyota looked at the ankle bracelet and then back to Spock. "Because you gave me your heart, I hope." she said smiling at him.
"Affirmative. However, if you count the pearls that are on the chain, you will find that there are five. The number is very significant to me." he said "It will always remind me of our night together during 'amo pyrexia.' "
Nyota laughed kissing him. "I think you are your mother's son. I detect a bit of human sentiment coming from you Spock, but don't worry it will be our secret."
"Indeed."