Valley Of Shadow #6

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The engineer was ,obviously ,il1su1,ted. III,course, sir. Welre still a long way from bein' junked." As Jf to prove the, point, the normal

lighting

came back on.

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IIUhura, tell Larry we can wa,it until he gets. back, and tell 'good hunting.' Mr. ,Sulu, get u~" to .Vogel~,11 .' * * * *

him

~

I

McCoyhad not moved sinc~ Sp'oc~'s ~eturn,to the cave., Nothing had changed. Correction: one thing was JUfferent. The doctor ,~ad lap~ed into a coma. It would be soon now; only the mediscanner coul d' c,onfirm

that the spark of 1ife remained.

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Spock closed his eyes and tried, to meditate, but. found his concentration broken by a pain in his chest. It was neither physiological nor unfamil iar. Twice before :he ~ad fel t this way, and both times he had thought Jim was dead. Anger flowed-through him. Anger at humans ~ec~use they expected so much from him. Anger at himself for caring,about them. And anger at McCoyfor dying before-they cou,ld make their peace with each other. He did not want the doctor to die! Outside t~sound of rock on rock made Spock suddenly alert. He worked his way carefully to the cave entrance and peered over the ledge. In the gray light that preceded dawn, he could make out three Klingons on the rocks above. They were intent on the ground around them, looking for signs of their prey. He returned' to the cavern. There. might still be a chance to escape, but moving,!tl)e doctor would most certainfy kill, him. Kneeling beside McCQY,he sm,o,o~h~d s,omestray strands 'Qf ha~:r that had fallen over the doctor'~ foreheap., as he silently said his goodbye. But it was not enough for ,wh.atha~ grown between them. F5ng~rs r,e~ted, lightly on McCoy's temple and Spock eased gently i~to the unpr~tected mind. The presence he sought was fea\rful :and w~ak. rt,was barrely there, 1ike a faint fragrance on the breeze. No rear 'contac:t was ppssi~lie. Spock 1et himsel f flow unashamed to mingl,~ with, th~ essence that remained. He embraced it, soothed it...l oved' if. His only response was a deepening feeling of peace...but the fear"had gone. T'here was too little l.e',ft of his friend to expect more...and it wa~ enough. Spock's hand pulled back almost reluctantly as he studied the dpc~or.~s face. Line~ of pain ,and; worry had vanished ~nd,for a moment, Spack recalled the crooked grin, and mischevious blue eyes. It gave him a wa'rmthhe did not want to lose. He would forever keep the memoryof, t,hi~ OIan. Placing his communicator besi9,e th~, physicianwas a futil e gesture. McCoywould never use it, but ther,~;..wasY:l0 ,.point in taking it with him. If he was able to draw off the Klip,gons,~nd surviv.e, he coul dreturn for it later. If not, it would keep the ,instrpment o~t of their ~~pds. There were rocks and boulders in the cave which he used to block, off the cavern as best h,e coul d. If the ".Klingons searched in here, the camouflage would be discovered. ffe,ha.d'to make/sure they did not search .. , . . '

,

it.

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The Klingons have not moved fpr since, he first spotted them. They were below and to the left, but nQtlool<;ing his way. Spock climbed out onto the face of the mountainpnd moved,up over the ro~k-y.surface to a point above them. Just to ma~e sure,; ~e traveled some distance ,beyond before kicking some rocks loose. The Slction bro\Jght immediate results as his three pursuers spran.9.afte,r hima,n.d..away from McCoy's hiding ,place. 38.

Spock dodged in and out of the boulders as disruptor fire started to pulverize the mountainside. Bits af rock struck him but he managed to avoid that one blast which would cost him his life. Suddenly, he dropped down behind a large formation. Before him stretched a slide area ten meters wide that offered no cover. There was no choice. He ventured out into the open ground. Halfway across he could hear the disruptors firing and felt the ground give way beneath him. He was falling, tumbling down the slope amidst rocks and gravel until he came to rest at the Klingon's feet. The familiar bulge of his phaser was gone and the faces looking downat him left no doubt as to his fate. It was over. His mind sought the Vulcan death ritual as he prepared. The whine of phasers brought his attention back in time to see the three Klingons crumble to the ground around him. Scrambling up the mountain toward him came Jim and three security men. "Spock, are you all right?" He had had time to rise and regain his composure. "I am quite well, Captain." Kirk's eye'S 5wept the mountainside. "What happened? Where are the others?" "They are dead, except for Doctor McCoy. I have him hidden not

far from here. II There was no gentle wayto say it.

"Jim, he is dying.

He may already be dead by now.II The painful impact of his words were clearly written on Kirk's face. As Spock led the party back to the cave, the captain contacted M'Benga to join them.

Kirk and Speck returned to the mouth of the cave after watching M'Benga and McCoydisappear in the transporter beam. McCoywas still alive, but the African would promise nothing. Kirk was at a loss for words, his mind abviously preoccupied. "Captain, what about the Klingons?" "Werounded up five of them down here. Their .:>hiptook off when

the Potemkinarrived; she's chasing them now.II The hazel eyes looked

Spock over carefully. "Are you sure you'.re not hurt?" Kirk seemed to need some assurance that at least one of the landing party was still unharmed. ."Quite sure." For a momentthey stood, watching the rising sun sparkle off a far distant sea. A variety of birds swooped in and out of the canyon, singing to one another. The scene was soothing, but Spock found no peace in it and he could feel his captain's anguish over what had happened. "Jim, there was no way to farsee any of this. Dortor M'Benga will do all he can to help McCoy." He reached toward his friend, but Kirk only stared at the offered hand. "What's wrong with your hand?" Looking at one hand, then the other, Spock allowed both eyebrows to raise skyward in genuine surprise. He glanced back into the cave and then at Kirk. "Captain, I bel ieve I have located the tril itiium." A blue finger raised to point into the cave. * * * * ..

39.

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It was strange to see commandgold sitting behind McCoy's desk. After returning from the planet~ they had come here to wait. The prisoners had been beamed aboard~ and a geology team sent down to the planet. Yet still they waited.' Kirk's hand slammed down on the desk. "Whatis taking so lo.ng?" The operation had been going on for nearly five hours and ~pock

wasas worried as his captain, .but did not allow himself to show it. "I am certain

we11. II

a lack of information

A crooked half-smile I feel so helpless,lI "Understanda~le."

crossed

is an indication Kirk's

"Howare your hands?"

lips.

that all

"Sorry.

It's

'

is going just

that

.

Spock flexed the slightly stiff blue fingers. "Only superficial damage. Doctor Lee found no traces of radiation poisoning. The blue

skin will peel away in a few days. II Kirk was not listening. The captain sat with eyes riveted to the door leading into Sickbay, as if by force of will he could make it open. In answer to the silent command~the door drew back to admit Dr. M'Benga. Kirk was immediately up and leaning over the desk. "How is he?" The African was obviously fatigued~ yet somewhere in his face an

inner peace shone through.

time.

24 hours. II

Worry clouded M'Benga's dark features.

out of the woods.

plant

"He should recover completely; we were in

.

I've had him taken to ICU." "Intensive Care? Why? You just said he would be all right." "Just a precaution. I want to monitor him closely for the next

rejection,

There's

"He's not completely

always a danger ~f post-operative

any number of things.

,

shock, trans-

He went into cardiac arrest

during surgery twice. I almost los~ him. But Lenis a fighter; h~~s not going to give Up." The doctor coul~ not hel~ releasing some of the anger and tension that had been building over the past five hours. "By all rights he should be dead! I had to do a splenectomy, a duodenal resection, and his liver is a mess. My God! What kind of monsters are they?" M'Benga's ~yes so.ftened as they met Spock's. "Mr. Spock, I can guess how you managed to stop the hemo.rrhaging; it saved his life. He's already lost a critical amount of blood. Another ~our " The dcotor's gratitude was embarrassing and Spock welcomed Kirk's

intrusion.

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"Doctor, how long before he can return to duty?" IIIt's hard to say... three o:rfour weeks. A lot depends on him. We should have him ambulatory in pbou,t four days, but he'll be very weak. He'll also be having some pain for a while, but 1 can control that. II "When can we see him?" "He'll be coming around soon, but he'll be very groggy and probably

won't make much sense.

I'm afraid I can only let you stay for a minute.

Nurse Chapel appeared in the doorway. "Doctor, Doctor McCoyis starting to wakeup..II . . Kirk was moving swiftly toward the door, but M'Benga blocked his way. "Captain, wait a minute. His system has had a terrible shock. I don't want him upset or questioned. Try to reassured him. Tell him that it's over and he'll be all right. Right now that's what he needs most. II .. 40.

II

ICU held no pleasant memories for Spock. Here he had usually felt helpless and often in pain. He grimaced at the scene that greeted him. The monitors over McCoy's bed were far more e1abarate than the ones in the examination room and a steady heartbeat could be clearly heard. It was ominous. Just as the tubes leading into the figure on the bed were ominous. One of them carried whole blood, a treatment rarely used anymore. But Spock approved as he looked into the doctor's co10rlesss face. It seemed so inappropriate for him to be standing over McCoywhen it had always been the other way around. The surgeon's skill had saved his life more than once, but he had never been able to thank him. Jim was on the far side of the bed where McCoywould see him first when he opened his eyes. It was logical; Kirk and the doctor were very close, yet it was the spot he would have chosen for himself. McCoy's eyes opened slowly, his eyelids heavy with sleep. Kirk bent close to the figure on the bed. "Bones? Bones?" "Jim? . . . hi . II

IIDon't try to talk, you're going to be fine. Do you hear me? You111 be okay. YouIre home now and we're going to take care of you." IIHome?.. . thanks, Jim. II

Mist formed in the captain's eyes, a genuine smile of relief on his face. "You111 be back to duty in no time at a11, chasing that new yeoman

of mine.II

M'Bengamoved to the foot of the bed. "I'm sorry, Captain, Mr. I'll have to ask you to leave now. He needs rest." Kirk nodded, not taking his gaze from McCoy."Get some sleep, Bones. We'll see you later." As the captain rounded the end of the bed,. McCoy's eyes followed him until the view was obstructed by Spock's body standing beside him. Unguarded blue eyes looked into the Vulcan's face. M'Benga turned at the door and started back toward the bed, but Kirk caught his arm. "Let Spack stay a minute?" The doctor nodded reluctantly and followed the captain into the other room. After a momentMcCoyfinally broke the silence. "Spock, in the cave 1...1 wanted to tell you something, but...couldn't find the words. II The doctor was desperately fighting the sleep-inducing drugs. "I've got to say it...can't keep putting it off...someday.;~8 late." One glance at the panel confirmed that McCoywas a$leep. Spack stood watching the physician, allowing a humanemotion to remain within his thoughts. Here was a man with doubts, fears...and needs. A man he had comeface-to-face with on an obscure little planet at dawn. McCoy wanted to tell him. Wanted to come out from behind the wall they both s~' vehemently defended. The fact that death might someday intercede had touched them both. The fear was gone. A fear that Spack had never let himself acknowledge. He was afraid of McCoy's inabil ity to see into his Vulcan heart and so he had kept the doctor at a distance. But over the years a bond had formed, finding him as tightly to this man as it did to Jim. McCoywas not like the captain; there was no silent understanding, no easiness in their friendship, yet he loved the doctor. The feelings between them had never been voiced and that-was a mistake. McCoyneeded Spack.

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41.