Fic: Que Sera Sera (6/15)
Fandom: TOS/TNG/ST XI -slight AU where there isn’t a 16 year gap between the events of Generations and Star Trek 2009.
Pairings: Kirk Prime/McCoy Prime/Spock Prime, Kirk/Spock/McCoy, Scotty/Uhura
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: minor character death
Summary: Spock Prime went to save Romulus from a supernova and failed, leaving him in a universe that is similar and still so different from his own. Meanwhile in another part of the galaxy Kirk Prime was freed from the Nexus by Captain Picard and survived. Not believing that Spock Prime is dead Kirk Prime goes in search of him, and travels to the universe created when Nero went through the black hole. In that universe Kirk and Spock are starting on their five year mission, determined to write their own destinies after their encounters with Spock Prime. Unlike them McCoy doesn’t trust destiny as far as he can throw it, and he has his own problems to deal with, like getting custody of the three year old daughter he didn’t know he had.
Que Sera Sera
Kirk ran down to the shuttle-bay as fast as he could, ignoring everyone that got in his way. He got his ticket through a conversation of glaring and grunts. He threw himself into his seat on the proper shuttle and pulled out the crumpled note he had been left.
Gone to see my parents talk to you later.
-Bones
Kirk rolled his eyes. Have a nice life was what it should have read!
Yeah he could see Bones wanting to see his mom and dad. Not every family was a total train wreck like Kirk’s was. But it was nearly three weeks later and there hadn’t been one single call. What the hell was Bones thinking!? What kind a friend was that, Kirk thought as he thought back to that empty chair in the assembly hall just yesterday. They had given him a medal for his actions against Nero, but more important than that they had let him keep that beautiful girl he had watched being built that night in Iowa so long ago. Even though the idea of being captain to a crew of over four hundred inexperienced cadets scared him half to death that was still easily the best moment of his life. Bones was his best friend they were supposed to share these things together. Now Kirk was determined to track Bones down and figure out why that wasn’t happening.
***
After having to ask for directions five different times between the shuttle-port and the bus depot in Atlanta Kirk eventually found the right bus to get him to where Bones was staying.
When the bus dropped him off Kirk couldn’t help his eyes going wide as he took in the size of the place. The grounds seemed to stretch on for miles and the house looked like it had at least four floors.
“Wife took the whole planet my ass,” Kirk muttered, as he walked the length of the porch and banged on the large hand carved door.
Bones answered it and his jaw fell open when he saw who it was.
“Jim, what the hell are you doing here!?”
“That’s what I should be asking you, Bones!”
“I told you I was going to see my parents so I have a great reason for being here, I live here!”
Kirk stepped back in shock. “You mean permanently?! Fuck, Bones, you can’t! I’m already having enough trouble trying to get Spock back on the Enterprise.”
Bones tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why would you need to worry about any of that?”
Kirk fidgeted with his shirt sleeve, wishing he had his gold shirt with him so he could show Bones the braids.
“They let me keep her, Bones. They had the ceremony just yesterday. You should have been there.”
“They made you captain officially?”
Kirk couldn’t hold back a smile. “Yeah.”
Bones was about to make a comment along the lines of everyone at Starfleet Command having lost their minds, but then his mother came up behind him.
“Leonard, are you going to let that poor boy stand out on our porch in this heat or invite him in?”
Bones sighed and let Kirk into the foyer.
“Jim, this is my mom, Elaine McCoy. Mom, this is my friend Jim Kirk.”
“Hi,” Kirk said, holding out his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you, Jim.”
She took Kirk into kitchen asking him about his trip and his life in general, while Bones glared daggers at Kirk’s back.
David came out of the living room, where he was trying to interest Joanna in playing a board game, and leaned over to whisper in Bones’ ear.
“Do I need to get the shot gun out of the closet?” he asked.
“That might not be a bad idea!” Bones exclaimed as he went back to his room to finish getting ready.
Fifteen minutes later Bones came back down to the kitchen to find Kirk sitting at the counter with a glass of lemonade in his hand and a cocky grin on his face.
“Making yourself right at home aren’t you?”
“You are too aren’t you?“
Bones looked ready to throttle Kirk for that and Kirk held up his hands in surrender and tried to be peaceful.
“Bones, what’s going on? You said you were just going to see your parents not stay with them.”
Bones dropped his gaze to the floor and thought back to Joanna. How she was still crying and wanting her mother as he carried her home from the hospital. How quiet she had been during Jocelyn’s funeral, clinging to his leg; and Bones was pretty sure she only did that because Jocelyn’s parents couldn’t comfort her.
Over the last week or so Joanna had gotten comfortable enough to call him daddy and talk to his parents so that at least was something. Still Bones knew staying here was only a temporary solution. He needed to get out on his own, to take the stress off his dad and let his mom have time with her husband. Now Kirk was here too, and Bones rubbed his forehead trying to fight off a headache. He did not need this right now.
“Plans changed,” he said at last.
“And you couldn’t let me know?”
“No, Jim, dammit! I’ve got more important things to deal with right now.”
“Like what?” Jim asked angrily. “What could be more important than what we just went through? About what we want to do with our lives now?”
“Don’t insult me like that, Jim, or I will make my dad get that gun!”
Kirk backed off. “Okay, Bones, okay I just-well can I at least help out then with whatever it is?”
Bones snorted. “Well if you really want to, Jim, then I hope you brought nice clothes.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to court.”
“Court!?”
***
Wanting to be there for his best friend Kirk went with Bones. That was how he found himself sitting in a small office with a man with his slicked back sat on the other side of the desk.
“Mister McCoy, I would like to thank you for coming so promptly.”
Bones just grunted and glared at the man.
“As you know I am a representative on behalf of your late ex-wife in regards to the placement of your daughter.”
Kirk’s squeak of the word daughter was drowned out by Bones’ cursing.
“Cut the bullshit, Ted, you were Jocelyn’s divorcee attorney and you’re her third cousin, so don’t try and paint this as some cold legal case!”
“Mister McCoy, the placement of the child is a sensitive matter.”
“You have my DNA results you know she’s mine, and Jocelyn’s parents have already agreed that don’t want to battle for custody.”
“You are also a Starfleet cadet who would be asked to go on missions that would take you away from Earth for perhaps years at a time. How can you provide a stable environment for her?”
“I can resign my commission and set up a practice here.“
“With no patients? It will take long hours to build up a proper reputation and you are-“
“He can remain in Starfleet and his daughter can join him on missions,” Kirk announced, cutting Ted off.
Ted turned to Kirk.
“I was not aware that your Starfleet had the facilities for that aboard their ships.”
Kirk leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. “With our recent losses Starfleet wants to make their ranks more open to those who would otherwise be uninterested for exactly the reason you stated uhh…Ted. The Enterprise will be one of the first ships to offer facilities for officers and enlisted personnel with children and McCoy is one of our top choices for assignment there.”
“They want to install a family program?” Bones asked.
Kirk smirked. “This is what you get for missing meetings. The program is already underway. Teachers and daycares will be provided for children of all ages while their parents are on duty and quarters have been designed to accommodate more people.”
Kirk reached into the bag he had with him and pulled out his PADD. He handed it over so Ted could get a look of the program.
Ted scrolled through the proposals carefully and when he was done he seemed to be pleased.
“Well, Mister McCoy, with this program in place and your salary high enough and regular enough to cover expenses your ability to provide for Joanna would be secure. With all that in mind she will be release into your full custody.”
Kirk and Bones left the office after Bones finished signing off the official paperwork.
***
Kirk was smiling as they went back to Bones’ parents place. Expecting praise for helping out Kirk was shocked when they got there and Bones shoved him through the front door and he didn’t hesitate to slam the door behind them.
“We have to talk right now!”
“What the hell is the matter with you, Bones?!”
“You had no right to do that, Jim!”
“Do what? He wanted to know how you would provide for her and I told him! I did it for you!”
“No, this is about your need to get everything you want! You wanted me to be on that ship and did everything you could to back me into corner so I‘d have to accept the deal, well I don’t!”
“She’s your daughter, Bones, she should be with you!”
“She does not belong on a spaceship that sees combat! And she needs people her own age to be with!”
“She wouldn’t be alone, Bones. This program isn’t just for you. I know that at least one person on my ship a Yeoman Rick or Rand-whatever is bringing her six years old daughter.”
“That’s not good enough!” Bones shouted, and stormed off.
Going up to the room he was staying in Bones slammed that door too. He went over to his bed he sat down on to it and glared at the wall. He sat there thinking about all the ways he could tell Starfleet to take their offer to join the Enterprise and shove it, until he heard a knock and David poked his head in.
“Leonard, can I come in?”
Bones shrugged. “It’s your house do whatever you want.”
“Then I want to talk with you.”
David came in and closed the door behind him. He sat down on the bed next to his son.
“Jim let me know that you got final custody.”
Bones nodded. “I did.”
“He also said that you could take Joanna with you when you go back to Starfleet.”
“I’m not going back, Dad.”
“I think that would be a mistake.”
Bones went to glaring at the wall. “Then it’s mine to make.”
David nodded. “That’s true. I just want to make sure you’re looking at this for all the angles. I think Jim has a point. He certainly didn’t phrase it very well, but it is something to consider when you can build your family life and your working live so well together.”
Bones was aghast, his dad agreed with Kirk? “How can you say that?”
“You’ve worked hard to be where you are in your work, you shouldn’t squander all that.”
“It can’t be all about what I want. I have Joanna to think about well…well you’re my dad don’t tell me you never made sacrifices for me.”
“I did, Len, so did your mother and our parents and the parents of every generation on back, but there’s a difference between making sacrifices and putting your entire life on hold until they turn eighteen.”
“Dad, I can’t take your only granddaughter away for you! Not now-when you…I can’t do that.”
Bones closed his eyes trying to keep his composure and David put his hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t expect everyone to put their lives on hold for me, Leonard, it’s not fair.”
David reached over and moved Bones’ head so he was sure he was looking his son directly in the eyes.
“Leonard, you know at the end I won’t be myself anymore. I’ll say things I don’t mean, they’ll probably be days when I don’t know who anyone is. I don’t want Joanna to see that. She’s suffered enough heartache already. And I don’t want some frail old man to be the last memory you have of me.”
“But I want to be here to…to say goodbye.”
“You are, and this isn’t the dark ages, Leonard, you’ve still got communications on that ship. No reason we can’t send messages, maybe even by close enough to have a full comm link every now and then.”
“Dad, we’ve barely spoken in three years and now you want me to just run off again?”
“No, what I want is for you to be happy. When you were born all your mother and I wanted was to see what you would grow up to be, Leonard. If we cheated ourselves out of some of that by being idiots about you and Jocelyn that was our fault, not yours. Now you go and live your life. I already got mine and I’ve loved it.”
Bones leaned back on the bed.
“I’ll think about it.”
David nodded. “Well I’ve got dinner to get on the table and I’d like you to join us.”
His dad left and Bones sat there thinking everything over. If his parents were really okay with it maybe Kirk had a point after all. Bones sighed. He hated to admit that Kirk might be right. The kid did not need any more ego boosts. Still, he stood up and went back out there.
He came into the living room to find, to his astonishment, Kirk sitting in the middle of a pile of stuffed toys with Joanna.
“Look, Bones, she made me their king!”
Joanna stopped arranging her toys and pouted at Kirk.
“Kings don’t talk ‘less it’s to subjects.”
“Oh…sorry.”
Elaine smiled and stood up from her chair.
“Come on, Joanna, let’s go help grandpa finish dinner.”
“Okay, grandma two!”
Kirk gave Bones a confused look as the two women left the room. Bones shrugged and pulled his friend to his feet.
“Jocelyn’s parents were her grandparents first so my folks are grandma two and grandpa two.”
“Makes sense,” Kirk said, as he helped Bones pick up the stuffed toys.
Bones sighed. “Jim, I’m sorry.”
Bones dropped the toy he was holding as Kirk slapped him softly on the back.
“It’s all right, Bones, I mean first we stop the end of the world and then find out you’ve got a kid! It’s a lot to deal with. And I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to make all of this harder for you. You’re right you dealing with her was more important than that stupid ceremony.”
“Jim, your my best friend you know I would have been there don’t you?”
Kirk gave him a lopsided smile. “Of course I do.”
“Speaking of kids, when did you get to be so good with them?” Bones asked. Ever since he had brought Joanna home form Jocelyn’s funeral she had been so shy. That she had taken so quickly to Kirk was surprising.
Kirk shrugged. “I had some practice back in Iowa. So what’s for dinner?”
Bones rolled his eyes and took Kirk to the dining room. As they ate Kirk handed Bones his PADD and let him take the time to look over what Starfleet had proposed.
“Well, Bones, what do you think?”
Bones looked at Kirk over the top of the PADD.
“It looks good I’ll give it that.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“No, that’s a maybe.”
It might look good to Bones, but he knew he had one more person to talk to before making any final decisions.
When evening had settled in and Bones had helped Joanna brush her teeth and get into bed he talked to her.
“Joanna, I have something very important I need to talk to you about.”
Joanna sat up straight and Bones sat down beside her.
“I know you’ve had to deal with a lot of changes recently so I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“You know daddy is a doctor, but I’m a special doctor who helps people on starships.”
“Like that one?” Joanna asked, pointing her drawing of the Enterprise coloured in with purple crayon.
“Yeah, just like that one. They want me to go on one of those ships soon and help people there, and you would come with me.”
“We’d get to live there?” Joanna asked her eyes wide.
“Yeah, but only if you want to.”
Joanna looked at her drawing thinking that living there would be the best thing ever.
“Wow.”
“So it’s okay if we go?”
“Can we go now?”
Bones chuckled. “No, not yet, soon though.”
He kissed Joanna’s forehead and tucked her in. Then got up and went to the door.
“Goodnight, sweetheart, daddy loves you.”
Joanna nodded and shut her eyes.
Bones turned off the light, making sure the nightlight came on, and then closed the door.
“Well?”
Bones jumped and turned to Kirk who was waiting for him and Bones couldn’t even be mad because Kirk was looking at him like a goddamn puppy.
“All right, Jim, it looks like you’ve got yourself a chief medical officer.”
Kirk whooped with joy. “Yes! Thank you, Bones, you won’t regret this I promise!”
Bones sure hoped he wouldn’t.
Chapter 7
Pairings: Kirk Prime/McCoy Prime/Spock Prime, Kirk/Spock/McCoy, Scotty/Uhura
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: minor character death
Summary: Spock Prime went to save Romulus from a supernova and failed, leaving him in a universe that is similar and still so different from his own. Meanwhile in another part of the galaxy Kirk Prime was freed from the Nexus by Captain Picard and survived. Not believing that Spock Prime is dead Kirk Prime goes in search of him, and travels to the universe created when Nero went through the black hole. In that universe Kirk and Spock are starting on their five year mission, determined to write their own destinies after their encounters with Spock Prime. Unlike them McCoy doesn’t trust destiny as far as he can throw it, and he has his own problems to deal with, like getting custody of the three year old daughter he didn’t know he had.
Que Sera Sera
Kirk ran down to the shuttle-bay as fast as he could, ignoring everyone that got in his way. He got his ticket through a conversation of glaring and grunts. He threw himself into his seat on the proper shuttle and pulled out the crumpled note he had been left.
Gone to see my parents talk to you later.
-Bones
Kirk rolled his eyes. Have a nice life was what it should have read!
Yeah he could see Bones wanting to see his mom and dad. Not every family was a total train wreck like Kirk’s was. But it was nearly three weeks later and there hadn’t been one single call. What the hell was Bones thinking!? What kind a friend was that, Kirk thought as he thought back to that empty chair in the assembly hall just yesterday. They had given him a medal for his actions against Nero, but more important than that they had let him keep that beautiful girl he had watched being built that night in Iowa so long ago. Even though the idea of being captain to a crew of over four hundred inexperienced cadets scared him half to death that was still easily the best moment of his life. Bones was his best friend they were supposed to share these things together. Now Kirk was determined to track Bones down and figure out why that wasn’t happening.
***
After having to ask for directions five different times between the shuttle-port and the bus depot in Atlanta Kirk eventually found the right bus to get him to where Bones was staying.
When the bus dropped him off Kirk couldn’t help his eyes going wide as he took in the size of the place. The grounds seemed to stretch on for miles and the house looked like it had at least four floors.
“Wife took the whole planet my ass,” Kirk muttered, as he walked the length of the porch and banged on the large hand carved door.
Bones answered it and his jaw fell open when he saw who it was.
“Jim, what the hell are you doing here!?”
“That’s what I should be asking you, Bones!”
“I told you I was going to see my parents so I have a great reason for being here, I live here!”
Kirk stepped back in shock. “You mean permanently?! Fuck, Bones, you can’t! I’m already having enough trouble trying to get Spock back on the Enterprise.”
Bones tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why would you need to worry about any of that?”
Kirk fidgeted with his shirt sleeve, wishing he had his gold shirt with him so he could show Bones the braids.
“They let me keep her, Bones. They had the ceremony just yesterday. You should have been there.”
“They made you captain officially?”
Kirk couldn’t hold back a smile. “Yeah.”
Bones was about to make a comment along the lines of everyone at Starfleet Command having lost their minds, but then his mother came up behind him.
“Leonard, are you going to let that poor boy stand out on our porch in this heat or invite him in?”
Bones sighed and let Kirk into the foyer.
“Jim, this is my mom, Elaine McCoy. Mom, this is my friend Jim Kirk.”
“Hi,” Kirk said, holding out his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you, Jim.”
She took Kirk into kitchen asking him about his trip and his life in general, while Bones glared daggers at Kirk’s back.
David came out of the living room, where he was trying to interest Joanna in playing a board game, and leaned over to whisper in Bones’ ear.
“Do I need to get the shot gun out of the closet?” he asked.
“That might not be a bad idea!” Bones exclaimed as he went back to his room to finish getting ready.
Fifteen minutes later Bones came back down to the kitchen to find Kirk sitting at the counter with a glass of lemonade in his hand and a cocky grin on his face.
“Making yourself right at home aren’t you?”
“You are too aren’t you?“
Bones looked ready to throttle Kirk for that and Kirk held up his hands in surrender and tried to be peaceful.
“Bones, what’s going on? You said you were just going to see your parents not stay with them.”
Bones dropped his gaze to the floor and thought back to Joanna. How she was still crying and wanting her mother as he carried her home from the hospital. How quiet she had been during Jocelyn’s funeral, clinging to his leg; and Bones was pretty sure she only did that because Jocelyn’s parents couldn’t comfort her.
Over the last week or so Joanna had gotten comfortable enough to call him daddy and talk to his parents so that at least was something. Still Bones knew staying here was only a temporary solution. He needed to get out on his own, to take the stress off his dad and let his mom have time with her husband. Now Kirk was here too, and Bones rubbed his forehead trying to fight off a headache. He did not need this right now.
“Plans changed,” he said at last.
“And you couldn’t let me know?”
“No, Jim, dammit! I’ve got more important things to deal with right now.”
“Like what?” Jim asked angrily. “What could be more important than what we just went through? About what we want to do with our lives now?”
“Don’t insult me like that, Jim, or I will make my dad get that gun!”
Kirk backed off. “Okay, Bones, okay I just-well can I at least help out then with whatever it is?”
Bones snorted. “Well if you really want to, Jim, then I hope you brought nice clothes.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to court.”
“Court!?”
***
Wanting to be there for his best friend Kirk went with Bones. That was how he found himself sitting in a small office with a man with his slicked back sat on the other side of the desk.
“Mister McCoy, I would like to thank you for coming so promptly.”
Bones just grunted and glared at the man.
“As you know I am a representative on behalf of your late ex-wife in regards to the placement of your daughter.”
Kirk’s squeak of the word daughter was drowned out by Bones’ cursing.
“Cut the bullshit, Ted, you were Jocelyn’s divorcee attorney and you’re her third cousin, so don’t try and paint this as some cold legal case!”
“Mister McCoy, the placement of the child is a sensitive matter.”
“You have my DNA results you know she’s mine, and Jocelyn’s parents have already agreed that don’t want to battle for custody.”
“You are also a Starfleet cadet who would be asked to go on missions that would take you away from Earth for perhaps years at a time. How can you provide a stable environment for her?”
“I can resign my commission and set up a practice here.“
“With no patients? It will take long hours to build up a proper reputation and you are-“
“He can remain in Starfleet and his daughter can join him on missions,” Kirk announced, cutting Ted off.
Ted turned to Kirk.
“I was not aware that your Starfleet had the facilities for that aboard their ships.”
Kirk leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. “With our recent losses Starfleet wants to make their ranks more open to those who would otherwise be uninterested for exactly the reason you stated uhh…Ted. The Enterprise will be one of the first ships to offer facilities for officers and enlisted personnel with children and McCoy is one of our top choices for assignment there.”
“They want to install a family program?” Bones asked.
Kirk smirked. “This is what you get for missing meetings. The program is already underway. Teachers and daycares will be provided for children of all ages while their parents are on duty and quarters have been designed to accommodate more people.”
Kirk reached into the bag he had with him and pulled out his PADD. He handed it over so Ted could get a look of the program.
Ted scrolled through the proposals carefully and when he was done he seemed to be pleased.
“Well, Mister McCoy, with this program in place and your salary high enough and regular enough to cover expenses your ability to provide for Joanna would be secure. With all that in mind she will be release into your full custody.”
Kirk and Bones left the office after Bones finished signing off the official paperwork.
***
Kirk was smiling as they went back to Bones’ parents place. Expecting praise for helping out Kirk was shocked when they got there and Bones shoved him through the front door and he didn’t hesitate to slam the door behind them.
“We have to talk right now!”
“What the hell is the matter with you, Bones?!”
“You had no right to do that, Jim!”
“Do what? He wanted to know how you would provide for her and I told him! I did it for you!”
“No, this is about your need to get everything you want! You wanted me to be on that ship and did everything you could to back me into corner so I‘d have to accept the deal, well I don’t!”
“She’s your daughter, Bones, she should be with you!”
“She does not belong on a spaceship that sees combat! And she needs people her own age to be with!”
“She wouldn’t be alone, Bones. This program isn’t just for you. I know that at least one person on my ship a Yeoman Rick or Rand-whatever is bringing her six years old daughter.”
“That’s not good enough!” Bones shouted, and stormed off.
Going up to the room he was staying in Bones slammed that door too. He went over to his bed he sat down on to it and glared at the wall. He sat there thinking about all the ways he could tell Starfleet to take their offer to join the Enterprise and shove it, until he heard a knock and David poked his head in.
“Leonard, can I come in?”
Bones shrugged. “It’s your house do whatever you want.”
“Then I want to talk with you.”
David came in and closed the door behind him. He sat down on the bed next to his son.
“Jim let me know that you got final custody.”
Bones nodded. “I did.”
“He also said that you could take Joanna with you when you go back to Starfleet.”
“I’m not going back, Dad.”
“I think that would be a mistake.”
Bones went to glaring at the wall. “Then it’s mine to make.”
David nodded. “That’s true. I just want to make sure you’re looking at this for all the angles. I think Jim has a point. He certainly didn’t phrase it very well, but it is something to consider when you can build your family life and your working live so well together.”
Bones was aghast, his dad agreed with Kirk? “How can you say that?”
“You’ve worked hard to be where you are in your work, you shouldn’t squander all that.”
“It can’t be all about what I want. I have Joanna to think about well…well you’re my dad don’t tell me you never made sacrifices for me.”
“I did, Len, so did your mother and our parents and the parents of every generation on back, but there’s a difference between making sacrifices and putting your entire life on hold until they turn eighteen.”
“Dad, I can’t take your only granddaughter away for you! Not now-when you…I can’t do that.”
Bones closed his eyes trying to keep his composure and David put his hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t expect everyone to put their lives on hold for me, Leonard, it’s not fair.”
David reached over and moved Bones’ head so he was sure he was looking his son directly in the eyes.
“Leonard, you know at the end I won’t be myself anymore. I’ll say things I don’t mean, they’ll probably be days when I don’t know who anyone is. I don’t want Joanna to see that. She’s suffered enough heartache already. And I don’t want some frail old man to be the last memory you have of me.”
“But I want to be here to…to say goodbye.”
“You are, and this isn’t the dark ages, Leonard, you’ve still got communications on that ship. No reason we can’t send messages, maybe even by close enough to have a full comm link every now and then.”
“Dad, we’ve barely spoken in three years and now you want me to just run off again?”
“No, what I want is for you to be happy. When you were born all your mother and I wanted was to see what you would grow up to be, Leonard. If we cheated ourselves out of some of that by being idiots about you and Jocelyn that was our fault, not yours. Now you go and live your life. I already got mine and I’ve loved it.”
Bones leaned back on the bed.
“I’ll think about it.”
David nodded. “Well I’ve got dinner to get on the table and I’d like you to join us.”
His dad left and Bones sat there thinking everything over. If his parents were really okay with it maybe Kirk had a point after all. Bones sighed. He hated to admit that Kirk might be right. The kid did not need any more ego boosts. Still, he stood up and went back out there.
He came into the living room to find, to his astonishment, Kirk sitting in the middle of a pile of stuffed toys with Joanna.
“Look, Bones, she made me their king!”
Joanna stopped arranging her toys and pouted at Kirk.
“Kings don’t talk ‘less it’s to subjects.”
“Oh…sorry.”
Elaine smiled and stood up from her chair.
“Come on, Joanna, let’s go help grandpa finish dinner.”
“Okay, grandma two!”
Kirk gave Bones a confused look as the two women left the room. Bones shrugged and pulled his friend to his feet.
“Jocelyn’s parents were her grandparents first so my folks are grandma two and grandpa two.”
“Makes sense,” Kirk said, as he helped Bones pick up the stuffed toys.
Bones sighed. “Jim, I’m sorry.”
Bones dropped the toy he was holding as Kirk slapped him softly on the back.
“It’s all right, Bones, I mean first we stop the end of the world and then find out you’ve got a kid! It’s a lot to deal with. And I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to make all of this harder for you. You’re right you dealing with her was more important than that stupid ceremony.”
“Jim, your my best friend you know I would have been there don’t you?”
Kirk gave him a lopsided smile. “Of course I do.”
“Speaking of kids, when did you get to be so good with them?” Bones asked. Ever since he had brought Joanna home form Jocelyn’s funeral she had been so shy. That she had taken so quickly to Kirk was surprising.
Kirk shrugged. “I had some practice back in Iowa. So what’s for dinner?”
Bones rolled his eyes and took Kirk to the dining room. As they ate Kirk handed Bones his PADD and let him take the time to look over what Starfleet had proposed.
“Well, Bones, what do you think?”
Bones looked at Kirk over the top of the PADD.
“It looks good I’ll give it that.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“No, that’s a maybe.”
It might look good to Bones, but he knew he had one more person to talk to before making any final decisions.
When evening had settled in and Bones had helped Joanna brush her teeth and get into bed he talked to her.
“Joanna, I have something very important I need to talk to you about.”
Joanna sat up straight and Bones sat down beside her.
“I know you’ve had to deal with a lot of changes recently so I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“You know daddy is a doctor, but I’m a special doctor who helps people on starships.”
“Like that one?” Joanna asked, pointing her drawing of the Enterprise coloured in with purple crayon.
“Yeah, just like that one. They want me to go on one of those ships soon and help people there, and you would come with me.”
“We’d get to live there?” Joanna asked her eyes wide.
“Yeah, but only if you want to.”
Joanna looked at her drawing thinking that living there would be the best thing ever.
“Wow.”
“So it’s okay if we go?”
“Can we go now?”
Bones chuckled. “No, not yet, soon though.”
He kissed Joanna’s forehead and tucked her in. Then got up and went to the door.
“Goodnight, sweetheart, daddy loves you.”
Joanna nodded and shut her eyes.
Bones turned off the light, making sure the nightlight came on, and then closed the door.
“Well?”
Bones jumped and turned to Kirk who was waiting for him and Bones couldn’t even be mad because Kirk was looking at him like a goddamn puppy.
“All right, Jim, it looks like you’ve got yourself a chief medical officer.”
Kirk whooped with joy. “Yes! Thank you, Bones, you won’t regret this I promise!”
Bones sure hoped he wouldn’t.
Chapter 7