Back to life

[genius_level]

His dreams were disjointed and murky; just snatches of conversation or flashes of images, nothing continuous. He heard the enraged roar when the first Klingon had charged him, bitten off abruptly by the blast of phaser fire striking him squarely in the chest. Jim saw Ellison's face again, felt the shock of the blade penetrating skin and muscle, but

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[dctr_mccoy]

The hand in his hair was familiar and warm. Leonard inhaled and yawned as he blinked his eyes open, a moment passing before he realized that Jim was touching him. Jim.

Lifting his head, he smiled brightly at the face that stared back at him. "Morning, sunshine," he said in a low, growly voice, rough with sleep. There was a terrible crick in his neck but he didn't care one bit. Jim was awake. "I'm glad to see you awake," he said, straightening up and checking the readings on Jim's biobed.

[genius_level]

That bright smile went a long way toward easing Jim's mind. Still, he stared back, feeling lost and disoriented and still more than a little groggy. His lips were dry when he touched his tongue to them, his whole mouth parched as he swallowed and tried his voice for the first time. "Bones..." It sounded weak and raspy even to his own ears. He coughed, then tried again. "How long?"

His eyes followed Bones as he sat up and began checking the readings, his hand falling to rest on the covers. "Olivia... what happened?" Jim's fingers curled in the blanket as he remembered the attack, his ship under attack, and then the slow trip down to Engineering and the fight there. Had the baby been injured, too?

[dctr_mccoy]

"Two days," he told Jim honestly. "The attack was two days ago." He had Jim's padd with all the reports and particulars waiting for him, when he was ready. But right now, it was clear what was the most important thing on Jim's mind. "She's good, Jim. You were hurt bad, though, and her heartbeat, it started getting fast."

He stood, running a hand over Jim's hair. "Your dad came in and saved the day again, delivered her, saved you both." Leonard's face shone with a warm light as he talked about their daughter. "But she's a little small, since she's not quite full term yet. We've got her in an incubator, to give her warmth and more oxygen."

Stepping over to the incubator, he pulled it toward Jim's bed. "I know she wants to meet you. Ready?" he asked, reaching in and picking her up, making a little coo noise as he held her against his chest.

[genius_level]

Two days.

And... "Dad helped you?" Jim blinked as that sank in, the lingering fog of unconsciousness clearing as his mind began to race. He remembered being stabbed and then the few minutes afterward, before he'd lost consciousness. His hand rested across his stomach as he watched Bones move, bringing the incubator closer to the bed and then lifting a tiny bundle into his arms.

"Is she... she's really okay." He stared, hardly daring to breathe. She was so tiny... too tiny, but he could see her wriggling against Bones' chest and he swallowed again, his eyes riveted on the two of them. Was he ready? He wasn't sure... this hadn't happened the way they'd planned, and he still felt disoriented and sore. Vulnerable. But the soft, warm look on Bones' face made him ache, and Jim struggled to sit up, wanting to not be flat on his back for this.

"Yeah. Can I..." He reached out, words failing him as he watched Bones with their daughter.