[FIC] Star Trek: Whatever Happens (Kirk/Bones, PG-13)
Title: Whatever Happens
Author: salvaged_pride
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Kirk/Bones
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: "Stroke" from my hurt/comfort bingo card. The beginning of a blackout.
Summary: Aged more than forty years, a turn happens that neither Bones nor Jim expected. 977 words.
At the age of seventy-four, in a day and age that humans lived as long as a hundred and fifty if they were damn lucky, it was too soon for Bones to be laying in some damn hospital bed like this. Jim sat silently off to the side, hands clasped together between his thighs as he watched Bones sleeping. It had been an exhausting day for all of them, one of the longest days of his entire life.
Bones had been complaining of a headache since he had woken up less than twenty four hours ago. Jim had just smiled, gotten Bones a cup of coffee, and they had gone about their morning. He had been ready to head out the door when there had been a bang from the hallway. Jim had almost not gone back - a bagel between his teeth and his bag tucked up on his arm, the door open - but something had told him to go look.
Only to find Bones almost clinging to the wall in the hallway of their apartment. It had been a blur after that, Bones having trouble talking to him, trying to get Starfleet medical there as quickly as possible. He could vaguely remember whoever had picked up on the other end had immediately recognized the name of Leonard McCoy and had been in shock.
And now, after forty years of knowing each other, Bones was the one laying in a hospital bed instead of him. Jim felt one of the things he hated more than any other - helplessness.
Words passed through his ears from another doctor, one of Bones' friends in fact. Hayze, that was right. Had seen him at parties, even been drinking with the man once where the two men had shared stories about patients (and a lot about stupid things Jim and Spock had ended up in). A good man, Bones always called him. Yet what news Hayze had told him had been a blow more painful than ones in his past that had left him bleeding on one of Bones' biobeds.
A stroke. A stroke. Bones had had a stroke. Some sort of fancy term in some sort of fancy place that Jim might have known if the word stroke hadn't dissolved every other part of his mind.
Slowly he slid a hand through his hair, forcing himself to stay awake. Spock had been there earlier, whenever earlier was. Still looking so young to the age that was written on their faces, almost impassive except for the small touch to the back of Bones' hand that Jim hadn't missed when they talked. When Nyota had come, he could see that faint edge of redness in her eyes as she talked to Bones for a short time, but Bones... had just been out of it.
It was late, black outside the windows behind him, and only getting later.
"Captain." It was a quiet voice from the doorway. Jim looked up to see Doctor Hayze there, who was gesturing for him to come out of the room. Jim stood up, feeling every minute of every day of his life aching through his own body.
When they were out in the hallway, Jim was grateful when Hayze didn't ask some bullshit question like 'How are you holding up' or 'How are you feeling' because Jim wasn't sure he was ready to deal with that sort of pity right now. Spock and Uhura had damn well known better than to ask that sort of thing from him. "Captain, it doesn't look good. Right now, as far as our tests are concerned, the left side of his body could be paralyzed from the stroke. We'll be running more tests to do everything we can to help him--"
Jim was trying to pretend he didn't hear that word. Paralyzed... it couldn't be that. Couldn't be. Bones had just been operating yesterday, had gotten home late. They were supposed to head out on another mission as soon as the Enterprise was finished her refit. They were supposed to go to Risa with the whole crew and celebrate just before they left on their next five year...
"--just wait and see what happens after that." Hayze finished, leaving Jim feeling numb.
"All the advancements in medicine that we've made and it'll end up coming down to 'wait and see'?" Jim gave Hayze a tired look, but saw that same look of concern and acceptance in Hayze's eyes.
"Unfortunately, sometimes there's nothing else we can do. You take it one day at a time, roll with the punches because otherwise you'll fall under the weight of it. Leonard's a fighter, if anyone can pull through it--"
"It'll be him." Jim finished up, giving a little nod of agreement.
Hayze's lip quirked. "Exactly. No stronger man than Leonard McCoy, unless it's McCoy with a few shots in him. Try to get some sleep, Captain. He's not going to vanish just because you closed your eyes." The doctor turned and started to head off down the hall, and Jim couldn't find it in him to say that even if that was true, it didn't feel like that.
He went back into the room, eyes flickering to the rise and fall of Bones' chest and then to the steady beep of the monitor above his bed. The only allowance he made towards possibly disturbing Bones' sleep was a brief squeeze of Bones' hand before he sat back down in the chair at Bones' side.
"...doesn't matter what happens," Jim whispered, "we'll get through this. Doesn't matter, right? What do you always say... long as we're together?" He smiled, but there was a wetness in his eyes he didn't acknowledge. "Yea. Together." He squeezed Bones' hand again, hearing the small click of thick silver rings pressing against each other. When he closed his eyes, he thought he could feel the faintest squeeze of Bones' hand in his.
Author: salvaged_pride
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Kirk/Bones
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: "Stroke" from my hurt/comfort bingo card. The beginning of a blackout.
Summary: Aged more than forty years, a turn happens that neither Bones nor Jim expected. 977 words.
At the age of seventy-four, in a day and age that humans lived as long as a hundred and fifty if they were damn lucky, it was too soon for Bones to be laying in some damn hospital bed like this. Jim sat silently off to the side, hands clasped together between his thighs as he watched Bones sleeping. It had been an exhausting day for all of them, one of the longest days of his entire life.
Bones had been complaining of a headache since he had woken up less than twenty four hours ago. Jim had just smiled, gotten Bones a cup of coffee, and they had gone about their morning. He had been ready to head out the door when there had been a bang from the hallway. Jim had almost not gone back - a bagel between his teeth and his bag tucked up on his arm, the door open - but something had told him to go look.
Only to find Bones almost clinging to the wall in the hallway of their apartment. It had been a blur after that, Bones having trouble talking to him, trying to get Starfleet medical there as quickly as possible. He could vaguely remember whoever had picked up on the other end had immediately recognized the name of Leonard McCoy and had been in shock.
And now, after forty years of knowing each other, Bones was the one laying in a hospital bed instead of him. Jim felt one of the things he hated more than any other - helplessness.
Words passed through his ears from another doctor, one of Bones' friends in fact. Hayze, that was right. Had seen him at parties, even been drinking with the man once where the two men had shared stories about patients (and a lot about stupid things Jim and Spock had ended up in). A good man, Bones always called him. Yet what news Hayze had told him had been a blow more painful than ones in his past that had left him bleeding on one of Bones' biobeds.
A stroke. A stroke. Bones had had a stroke. Some sort of fancy term in some sort of fancy place that Jim might have known if the word stroke hadn't dissolved every other part of his mind.
Slowly he slid a hand through his hair, forcing himself to stay awake. Spock had been there earlier, whenever earlier was. Still looking so young to the age that was written on their faces, almost impassive except for the small touch to the back of Bones' hand that Jim hadn't missed when they talked. When Nyota had come, he could see that faint edge of redness in her eyes as she talked to Bones for a short time, but Bones... had just been out of it.
It was late, black outside the windows behind him, and only getting later.
"Captain." It was a quiet voice from the doorway. Jim looked up to see Doctor Hayze there, who was gesturing for him to come out of the room. Jim stood up, feeling every minute of every day of his life aching through his own body.
When they were out in the hallway, Jim was grateful when Hayze didn't ask some bullshit question like 'How are you holding up' or 'How are you feeling' because Jim wasn't sure he was ready to deal with that sort of pity right now. Spock and Uhura had damn well known better than to ask that sort of thing from him. "Captain, it doesn't look good. Right now, as far as our tests are concerned, the left side of his body could be paralyzed from the stroke. We'll be running more tests to do everything we can to help him--"
Jim was trying to pretend he didn't hear that word. Paralyzed... it couldn't be that. Couldn't be. Bones had just been operating yesterday, had gotten home late. They were supposed to head out on another mission as soon as the Enterprise was finished her refit. They were supposed to go to Risa with the whole crew and celebrate just before they left on their next five year...
"--just wait and see what happens after that." Hayze finished, leaving Jim feeling numb.
"All the advancements in medicine that we've made and it'll end up coming down to 'wait and see'?" Jim gave Hayze a tired look, but saw that same look of concern and acceptance in Hayze's eyes.
"Unfortunately, sometimes there's nothing else we can do. You take it one day at a time, roll with the punches because otherwise you'll fall under the weight of it. Leonard's a fighter, if anyone can pull through it--"
"It'll be him." Jim finished up, giving a little nod of agreement.
Hayze's lip quirked. "Exactly. No stronger man than Leonard McCoy, unless it's McCoy with a few shots in him. Try to get some sleep, Captain. He's not going to vanish just because you closed your eyes." The doctor turned and started to head off down the hall, and Jim couldn't find it in him to say that even if that was true, it didn't feel like that.
He went back into the room, eyes flickering to the rise and fall of Bones' chest and then to the steady beep of the monitor above his bed. The only allowance he made towards possibly disturbing Bones' sleep was a brief squeeze of Bones' hand before he sat back down in the chair at Bones' side.
"...doesn't matter what happens," Jim whispered, "we'll get through this. Doesn't matter, right? What do you always say... long as we're together?" He smiled, but there was a wetness in his eyes he didn't acknowledge. "Yea. Together." He squeezed Bones' hand again, hearing the small click of thick silver rings pressing against each other. When he closed his eyes, he thought he could feel the faintest squeeze of Bones' hand in his.