Star Trek
October 3rd, 2260
Donatu V, Delta Quadrant
CH I:
Hours passed as Spock ran making his way through the maze of forestry. He hollering into his communicator
"Jordan! Jordan, Respond!"
“Scotty, the coordinates!"
"Aye sir! I’ve got em! Twenty three, forty-one, seventy-one, one!"
Skidding to a halt he looked down at his tricorder and inserted the coordinates. His ears and heart were pounding as distant explosion scatted across the far terrain behind him.
"Jim, come in Jim! How are you holding?"
"Just fine, I’ve got the landing party camped at the abandon fort. The Klingons didn't follow; I just hope they don’t come sniff us out. You want me to send someone your way?"
"No, captain. It would be illogical to separate the group further keep doctor McCoy, Uhura and yourself stationed, I will find Jordan…"
Wavering through the trees he came to the ruins of an old concrete building, from a distance he spotted Jordan on the edge of the ruin. Blood ran down her face and torso as she sat motionless against the crumbling stone. Upon kneeling at her side, she lifted her head and gave a downhearted smile.
"I ran after you… The Klingons… They…"
She paused a moment and choked. Regretting her movement, she took in a sharp inhale.
"Do not concern yourself…"
His eyes were red and almost clouded. Shaking her head in protest she grasped his forearm tightly out of fear.
"We must get to safety. Mr. Scott will have the transporters running within the hour The Klingons will be scanning the area soon…"
"Where’s J-Jim?”
Spock grabbed her Phaser and placed it along side his own at his waist, picking her up gently he held her close. Her eyes glazed over, blood slid from the corner of her mouth as her breath hitched sharply.
"Jim is safe with the others. They are waiting for us in the abandon fort… Try to stay awake… Look at me…"
Clouds swirled and thunder rumbled overhead. A bright flash wept across the sky and the rains began to pour down on the forest. Spock's heart was pounding in his abdomen as he ran. The trees creaked and cracked in the wind as the rain pelted their faces drenching their cloths.
The fort could be seen in the distance only twelve meters away through the dense growth. Jim could be seen standing guard with a large phaser rifle, his jacket in tatters and scrapes about his neck, arms and face. His eyes widened, as Spock grew nearer.
Upon reaching the fort, Bones took Jordan and laid her out on the concrete floor. Jim sat Spock down and handed him a canteen of water. The Vulcans eyes were red as he puffed breaths of cool air. His head sunk between his legs as he tore at his temples and hair. Jordan eyes glazed over as faces began to blur and voices distorted around her.
"Jordan!"
The name hung in her mind a moment as she faded into an unconscious realm.
CH: II
October 4th 2260
"You okay there, kid?"
“Bones?"
“Can you hear me?"
A cold hand reached out and touched her forehead.
"Jordan, can you hear me? You've gotta fever, kid…"
Her eyes vaguely opened allowed her to see what she thought to be McCoy standing at her bedside.
"Bones?"
Her voice was raw and harsh being barely audible to the ear.
“It’s me."
He wore his Star-Fleet white uniform with his tricorder on the table to his right. The room was ambient with near silence except for the accelerating heart monitor. Closing her eyes again, she found the light to be unforgiving.
"My leg… is it still there?"
The corner of her mouth lifted weakly.
"Yeah kid, last I checked it was still there. But I don’t think you'll be of your feet for a while now...”
Bones threw his gaze over Jordan. The fresh clean gash at her temple, cuts across her cheeks, bruises about her neck and shoulders and the large stitching in her side left over from his own mending’s. The heart monitor on the screen showed a ritual pulse that seemed to pick up a steady speed. He leaned forward a moment and squinted. Jordan could hear him pacing about retrieving something from a nearby counter. He had been grumbling to himself, as if counseling his nerves.
“One-O-four… Shit… That’s not a friendly temperature..."
Her eyes thinned allowing her to see bones preparing several hypos as he carried several cold packs under his arms.
“B-ones…?”
He paused a minute looked to Jordan then back to the medical board that began to beep quietly; a sign her temperature was too high.
"I'm going to give you something that should lower your fever, but it might make you sick, okay? I’m gonna have you sit forward."
Her head slumped forward slightly in response half dazed as she received three hypos. Helping her to a sitting position, there was noise at the sick bay entrance. Looking up Bones saw Jim standing with his PAD in hand.
"Jim, give me a hand!"
Jordan moaned; her head sank into Bones shoulder as he held the bucket close to her mouth.
"What's going on?"
His eyes widened and he paced closer.
"Her fever isn't looking so good… I have to give her a vaccination but she's allergic… luckily not like you are. The swelling and all…"
The doctor handed him several cold packs and suspected he knew what to do with them.
"Can yah hear me, kid?!… Jordan! Hey!"
Trembling, she emptied her stomach in the large pale. Her hand clenched with white knuckles to the doctors arm as she tried to nod her head, coughing for air. Bones looked up at the readings, her heart was racing.
"Ninety nine point eight…"
Jim looked up to see Bones; his eyes were focused on the readings on the wall as he held her by the arms. He noticed several tears running down her face, her eyes squeezed shut as she relieved her stomach once again only to find water had come up, her stomach was empty.
"Ya’ll good now?"
She nodded promptly with a choke as she hung over the bucket.
"Here, you take over."
Her head fell into his shoulder as Bones raced to the cabinet to find a small bottle that contained a blue liquid.
"What’s her temperature?"
"Ninety five!"
Steadying her at the shoulders he jostled her gently to keep her from going under.
"I’m gonna need her to drink this, but she needs to keep it down. Hold her head."
Jim held the base of her neck from behind steadying her head with his index and middle finger. Drinking nearly half of the vial she lapsed into a choking fit. Her temperature sat at ninety-two, her forehead beaded with sweat.
"Jordan you need to get the rest down. Ready?"
Jordan nodded indecisively as Jim grabbed her shoulder holding her head back as she finished the liquid. Her throat and stomach burned as a sharp moan hung in the room.
"Help me lay her back there."
Bones gestured with a tired swing of his arm to slowly moving her crumpled body back to her lounging position on the bed as they replaced fresh cold packs over her stomach, arms and legs. From a small bowl on the table next to him he rung out a cool damp cloth and swept it over her forehead. The monitor’s temperature read 87 and decreasing. With a sigh of relief bones stepped back and almost smiled.
“She should be alright…"
Jim moved forward and grasped her hand, moving his thumb over her knuckles.
Her eyes were closed without an expression to her face. Bones eyes were held on Jim's profile that had been slumped over as he knelt on the floor next to the bio-bed.
"Jim…”
Tensing momentarily He looked up from Jordan's face to find the doctor gesturing him to follow. As Jim stood from the bedside he swept his hand over her forehead, gently sweeping over a tuft of her bangs and smiled before making his way into McCoy's office.
Bones lapsed into his chair with a much-needed sigh and listened to the heart monitor from his office. To this Jim sat on the edge of the chair opposite him.
"Bones, I… "
He was interrupted by the doctors hand which indicating him to be silent.
"Whiskey?"
Without an answer Bones poured two glasses handing one to his friend.
"I know what you're gonna say, Jim."
He paused a moment and stared at his captain who sat in a half listening kind of state.
"It's not your fault… Why can't you except that?"
Jim's eye flashed away from his friend as he aimed them down at his untouched glass. The silence of room emphasized the blip of the ambient heart monitor outside the doorway. His closed fist tightened and turning whiter as each sounded.
"Then whose fault is it? I blame those Klingons no more than myself… If I had not sent her out there like that she wouldn't be lying there. It's like you said: 'why the hell would you send a child into a red zone'? "
Jim slowly looked up at Bones who had been nervously watching his fists on the table, causing him to immediately releasing their tensions.
"Now that doesn't sound like the Jim I know…"
He paused a moment his eyes burrowing into Jim as he studied his ego.
"The Jim I know doesn't believe in 'no win scenarios', always puts his best foot forward. What I'm getting at is... Why are you beating yourself up over it? You sent Jordan on this mission because YOU where given orders by admiral Bennett. She was chosen because of her experience. Sure, at the time I thought it was a bad idea but what else were we to do? 'Never leave a man behind'. You and I both live by the words."
Jim shook his head forcing a sad smile that didn't want to be there. The sick bay door slid open causing Bones to role his eyes in exhaustion.
"Well somebody better be dying!"
His face set in a scowl as he stormed out of his office to see Spock standing over Jordan's bed. A faint smile hung on the corner of her lips, her eyes thinly held on the Vulcan. His stature almost relaxed as his arms rested at his sides.
The Vulcan lifted an eyebrow and turned to meet the doctors twitching gaze.
"Am I intruding Doctor McCoy?"
His voice was flat however some form of alien taunt was bound tightly in his words. Spock’s arms lapsed quickly in the small of his back as he waited for his answer. McCoy stepped from the doorway his bitter rebuttal on hand, but before he was able to fire Jim stepped forward.
"Not at all, Spock."
The Vulcan glanced at the two and then retorted his business to the captain.
"We will be arriving at the federation Dock in 5.3 hours… I came to notify the captain and to inquire as to Jordan's health."
“I see… The robot came to ‘inquire’ about the health of another crew-member. By ‘inquire’ I’m assuming you mean you want a record for your damn report to Starfleet. Not that you generally care.”
Spock’s jaw seemed to tighten as he stood there listening to the doctor speak.
“Doctor McCoy, Star-Fleet mandates the analysis of all injuries and deaths befalling planet investigations. I came not only on the behalf of fulfilling said report, but on behalf of my respect and admiration towards Lieutenant Pike. Doctor, you may not understand my analysis on a multitude of levels, nevertheless it would be much appreciated if you did not make to your ‘assumptions’ without fully understanding my intent. You mistake my lack sensitivity to the situation as a reflection of my not caring. I assure you, the truth is entirely the opposite.”
Bones stood quietly for a moment. His face was unreadable, not wanting to make eye contact with the Vulcan that stood unfazed in front of him.
“My apologies, Spock…”
Straightening his stance Bones stepped forward.
“I’ll send the full report to your PADD. She needs rest. I’ll admit; she had me on my toes with a high fever earlier, which in her condition could have been deadly. That gash in her side doesn’t appear to show any sighs of infection but that can change pretty quickly. It’s her left leg I’m mostly concerned about. All scans show no circulation. I can’t get any feeling from the hip down. She suffered major nerve damage, it’s likely she won’t be using it again…”
Jim had been watching Jordan as she nodded back to sleep, he eyes loosely shut, as if she had found some sense of peace.
“It is likely you will have to remove the dead limb…”
Spock’s tone was stern, however it was obvious the matter concerned him. Bones sighed quietly and fell back to lean against the doorway of his office. He gave a slow nod in response.
“The limb isn’t doin any harm at the moment. That is, if it hasn’t become infected. If things stay that way I’d like her to heal a bit before I go in to have it removed. However, you can’t always make those kinds of prediction in medicine. I plan to set her up with a prosthetic. She’ll be able to walk and run just as before… I’ll make sure of that…"
Bones looked towards Jim and smiled softly.
“Jim, why don’t you get some rest. That’s not a suggestion, you’ve been up longer than all of us.”
Jim didn’t bother to argue taking his leave from sickbay as Spock followed. The hall was quiet; the lights low indicating a resting interval.
"Jim, Might I be of service?"
"What do you mean, Spock?”
"You are concerned as to Jordan's health and blame yourself for her injuries…"
Jim stopped in his tracks in front of his quarters, staring Jim dead in the eyes.
"What are you, turning into McCoy or something? Spock, I'm fine. As Captain it is my job to take responsibility of the safety of my crew. You of all people should know that. I couldn’t let my second in command flat-line without knowing for a fact that I have done everything in my power to keep him alive. Do you think I wanted to send Jordan out there?”
The question hung in the empty hall for a moment. His voice was flat with full of rage, confusion and anguish.
"I have every right to blame myself for her injuries. That’s the price authorities have to pay. The responsibility. I didn't want to send that kid onto the front lines…"
Spock couldn’t help but stare his captain down. His expression was almost understanding in a robotic sort of manner.
"On this occasion I find doctor McCoy's view on the matter logical. The responsibilities of a Star-fleet captain are as follows, however in such a situation displayed on the surface of Qo'nos there were no possible outcomes that could have occurred promptly without the acts displayed by Jordan. Doctor McCoy has done everything in his power to keep her alive. I strongly suggest you consider the doctor McCoy views on the matter…”
Spock hesitated a moment; his eyes twitch down towards Jims clenched fists then back to his red eyes.
“Rest well, Jim.”
To this Spock nodded his head in dismissal and made his way down the long stretch of corridor. Jim stood for a moment as he watched his first officer before entering his quarters.
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