Friends with Benefits - Chapter 9 - Part 3
Wednesday - August 5th - Noon
"You sure about this?" Jim asks for maybe the hundredth time as she watches Bones load the trunk of his black mustang with Jim's bags, as well as Joanna's luggage and his own. "I mean, Joanna and I could just stick around until this whole thing blows over."
Bones closes the trunk and grips her by the shoulders. "Jim, you've got nothin' to worry about it. You and Joanna will be fine to go on ahead without me. I'll trust you'll get there safe and sound. And you can't stay behind with me because we have too many appointments set up. We'd fall behind and neither of us wants that. Besides, it's just for a week. After a week, I'll be right there with you."
"Yeah, but," Jim whines as she squirms. "Couldn't someone else do an autopsy report on Dixie's baby? I-look I know how it sounds-but you gave them your two weeks notice and I don't want to go on without you. And is Jocelyn really okay with me just taking Joanna to-"
"I have full custody of Joanna and I say it's okay. I've talked to Jocelyn already and she ain't tryin' to dispute-not that she could concentrate on anythin' other than the fact that her father is in jail and her brother may very well be too. She actually think it's a good idea that Joanna be taken somewhere the drama can't reach her," Bones supposes and drags Jim close. "It'll be fine and you can't stay."
Jim pouts.
Bones kisses it off her lips before he says, "They don't trust anyone else to do it and I volunteered because I thought it might help the cause. More evidence to keep that damn man to be put away for a long time."
Jim sighs and nods. "Okay. Fine. Even though you're going to miss my prenatal appointment and I'll probably bore Joanna to death and-"
"Stop bein' dramatic. She loves you and there'll be plenty more appointments I'll be there for. You know that," Bones says before he kisses her again and swats her ass playfully. "Now go say goodbye to my momma while I put Joanna's car seat in."
Jim sticks her tongue out at him but she stomps up to the house and inside, where she finds Eleanora and Joanna in the kitchen with Pauline, who's making cinnamon pancakes. "Time to hit the road, Joanna," she announces.
Joanna perks up excitedly and throws her arms around Eleanora's neck, landing a noisy, smacking kiss on her cheek. "Bye, maw-maw. I love you and I promise tah call ya and I promise tah always remember ya and you can come and visit me anytime," she vows seriously as she climbs out of her chair.
Eleanora chuckles fondly as she stands. "Well, as long as you promise, I suppose I can bare to be parted from you," she supposes and watches Joanna run out the door to find her father. She motions Jim to come closer and when she does, she encases her in a hug. "You take care of yourself, you hear? You and that son of mine and my grandbabies. I expect to come down to ya'll when the little angel is ready to come out. March you said?"
"Yes. I'll let you know if that changes for whatever reason," Jim swears and pulls away to give Pauline a hug.
"Well it's a baby," Pauline exclaims. "They tend to do what they please. She'll let you know when she's ready to come out. Some of my own kids came a week early or two weeks late. You oughta be prepared for either."
"Believe me, I've been reading up and doing my homework on it," Jim admits as she pulls away with a smile. "I still feel bad I'm dragging everyone out to California."
"What for?" Eleanora says with a raised brow. "I'll be just fine. Nothin' a phone call or a visit can't mend if I get to feelin' lonely or nostalgic."
"Plus I'll keep her plenty entertained. Now that ya'll shippin' out, I can settle in with my best friend," Pauline remarks. "I forget just how much I adore bein' in your company."
"Oh hush. You can sweeten a lemon with all that sugar you settin' to me," Eleanora fusses but smiles all the same. "Now go so you can get to your first rest stop at a decent hour."
Jim nods and waves one final goodbye before she treks out the door, down the porch steps and to Bones's car.
Bones is already buckling Joanna in, playfully poking at her sides as she giggles and he kisses her cheeks like he can't bare the thought of being apart from her.
Jim smiles as she climbs in the driver's seat and grabs the keys, which are tucked into the sun visor above her head. She starts the engine and lowers all the windows (it is particularly hot) as Bones shuts the back door. She glances in the rearview mirror to Joanna, who is sitting behind the passenger seat, and watches as Bones makes his way around the car to her door.
Bones pokes his head through the opened window and kisses her with a serious amount of intent until she's breathless with it. He pulls away and says, "Comm me when you get ready to settle down for the night. The tank is full now, so you don't have to worry about that. I put you on my insurance just in case anythin' happens when you're out on the road but I'm not really tryin' to think about it so I'll leave it at that."
Jim leans up and kisses him. "Okay. Don't start fussing. You're the one that said we'll be fine. And we will be. Right, Joanna?"
"Yup. Bye, daddy! I'm ready to ride, Ms. Jim," Joanna promises as she kicks her feet excitedly.
Jim smirks. "See. We're all set. I got my things, she's got her things, you put your things in. We're all set."
Bones nods and presses his hand to her lower stomach as he kisses her again, and again, and again, and once more until Jim laughs and shoves him away with a weak complaint. He chuckles and moves away, tucking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he steps back to watch them pull off.
Jim waves one final time and smiles when she sees him do the same in the rearview mirror. She sighs and focuses on the road as Joanna hums to herself. She frowns as she feels something warm and wet slide down her cheeks. She makes a sound of surprise when she brushes her fingers against it only to find it's tears. "Oh my God," she mutters furiously and scrubs at her eyes. "I'm crying. Why am I crying?"
"It's okay, Ms. Jim," Joanna quips pleasantly as she continues to swing her legs and hugs her stuffed yellow duck to her chest. "Daddy said he won't be gone from us long. You don't gots to be sad forever."
Jim laughs hoarsely and shakes her head. "I'm not sad. Not really," she says but she's not even sure because she was just crying and didn't even know it. Dear Lord, maybe she does miss him already. "Ew. I think I like your dad."
Joanna giggles. "You're silly, Ms. Jim."
Jim snorts and scrubs her face dry. "Yeah, maybe I am."
Joanna goes back to humming.
Jim flips on the radio and the rest of the drive is silent. She's halfway across the state before she makes a rest stop so that both she and Joanna can pee and get some food. They get hotdogs and fries and milkshakes and carry it back to the car with them. She makes sure to supply Joanna with plenty of napkins the whole time she eats her ketchup-soaked hotdog and fries.
As Joanna sucks away on her milkshake, she says, "I wanna be a duck!"
Jim snorts as she changes lanes and speeds up a little bit while she shoves some more fries in her mouth. "What for?"
"I don't know," Joanna replies cheerfully. "Because, um, because they're yellow and soft and they swim all sorts of good. I wanna do that too!"
"Well you go for it, little duck," Jim encourages with a grin. "Always follow your dreams."
Joanna hums pleasantly as she sips away at her milkshake and that's the end of that.
It's late when Jim crosses over into Alabama. Joanna is knocked out cold by the time she makes the executive decision to settle down in Montgomery for the night. She pulls into the parking lot of a quiet motel and she parks before she gets out to carefully extract Joanna from her seat without stirring her. She carries the toddler with her as she goes to the front desk to pay for a night. She then grabs one of Joanna's bag and her own before going up to their room.
She lays Joanna down and coaxes the little girl to stay awake long enough to change into her pajamas and empty her bladder before shuffling her into bed. When she's satisfied that Joanna is comfortable, she fishes for her communicator and calls Bones, who picks up not even a second later.
"We're all good," Jim rushes to promise because Bones looks reared up to ask all sort of questions. She turns so that he can see Joanna all tucked in. "See that. She's all settled down and still breathing. I think I'm getting the hang of it."
Bones chuckles wryly. "I keep tellin' you there's nothin' to it. You'll be a great mother."
Jim shrugs shyly. "Correction, I'll be the coolest mom in the universe. I just need to figure out that whole diaper thing."
Bones snorts. "Should I buy one of those dollies so you can practice?"
"Don't make fun."
"I'm not."
Jim just huffs and sighs before she rubs at her eyes tiredly. "I'm going to settle down myself. I'll call you before we leave in the morning okay?" She doesn't really want to end the conversation but she really is tired.
"Okay. Get some sleep."
"Lo-" Jim stops and flushes when she realizes what she was about say. "Uh, later. Later. I'll talk to you later. Just-later." She kills the connection before she can become even more mortified. She falls back against the bed with a groan and covers her face in her hands.
What the fuck is happening to me? Jim thinks and falls asleep when she doesn't find an answer.
Joanna wakes her up the next morning, a quarter before ten o'clock, by bouncing up and down on the bed to the beat of a kiddie song blaring from the TV she's managed to turn on and manipulate.
Jim stretches with a lazy yawn before she sits up and grabs the motel menu from off the nightstand. She orders a hearty breakfast for the both of them and manages to wrangle Joanna in her clothes for the day before the food arrives. They spend the next fifteen minutes eating pancakes and cinnamon French toast and waffles and eggs and so on.
Jim grinds a piece of her waffle in a wad of syrup on the edge of her plate as she watches Joanna talk energetically with Bones through her communicator. Joanna seems to have a great deal to tell him and Bones is patiently attentive to her every word, even asking a silly question here or there, all in the name of getting Joanna to crack a smile or giggle.
After Jim finishes up the last of her eggs and wipes her fingers clean, she takes the communicator from Joanna and tells Bones that they're getting ready to hit the road again. He looks reluctant to end the conversation but he nods in the end and she kills the connection before either of them can change their minds.
She then treks into the bathroom to pee and brush her teeth. She makes sure to do the same for Joanna, having to change her again because she's managed to get syrup all over herself. Jim makes a mental note in the future to wait after meals to change her clothes.
They're out and about by the time noon rolls around.
Jim syncs her PADD to the sound system of the car so that she and Joanna can take turns picking different songs to sing along to. In between these songs, they make several rest stops for bathroom breaks and meals/snacks.
Jim crosses over into Louisiana and pushes past Shreveport into Texas. She decides to settle down in Dallas for the night. They stay at a nicer hotel this time, one with an indoor pool/gym and spa. She orders a cheese pizza for dinner and brownies a la mode for dessert. She lets Joanna pick what they watch on TV.
Joanna picks some kind of kooky cartoon with an ambiguous plotline and annoying characters.
Jim is on her sixth piece of pizza when she decides to play Tetris on her PADD. Eventually the sound attracts Joanna's attention and she stops eating her brownie long enough to climb into Jim's lap and commandeer her game. She picks Joanna up and sets her on the bed before she strolls to the bathroom to take a shower. She keeps the door open the whole time, just to be safe.
"Ms. Jim," Joanna says as she pads into the bathroom while Jim is busy scrubbing conditioner into her scalp. "Can I call my mommy?"
"If you know how," Jim replies loudly over the running water. "I don't mind."
"Kay, thank you," Joanna chirps before her little feet stomp away.
Jim's in the shower for another thirty minutes, and by the time she climbs out, she's nice and clean. She shrugs on one of the hotel robes and goes to her luggage to fish for some sleepwear and her paddle brush.
Joanna's lying on her back as she holds Jim's communicator over her face. She's chatting animatedly with Jocelyn and there's a moment when it gets awkward because Joanna asks about her grandfather and Jocelyn gives a noticeable pause that ends when she gives a strained reply. She switches subjects quickly before Joanna can ask for details and the conversation continues on for another fifteen minutes.
Jim's all tucked away in her sleepwear with her hair in two braids by the time Joanna kills the connection. She smiles and pokes Joanna's cheek as she says, "How about a bubble bath, little duck?"
Joanna makes a face but she nods. She follows Jim into the bathroom and she hums as she waits for Jim to fill up the small tub with suds and water. She lets Jim help her climb out of her clothes and into the tub.
Jim washes Joanna's hair and says nothing when Joanna starts building a soapy beard on Jim's chin with mischievous giggles. Of course, this is right around the time Bones chooses to call. She leaves Joanna for a second to grab her communicator and answers it.
Bones lifts an amused eyebrow when he sees her. "I feel like there's somethin' different about you," he teases.
"Oh shut up," Jim laughs as she returns to the side of the tub and crouches down again. "Your daughter is trying to make a man of me or something. I don't know how I feel about that."
"Pirate!" Joanna exclaims as she splashes the water with a giggle. "Hey daddy!"
"Hey JoJo," Bones drawls softly in reply. He looks almost sad as he looks between them. "How're my three favorite girls?"
"There's two of us, daddy," Joanna says with a peculiar frown.
Bones just hums thoughtfully before he goes on to say, "You behaving yourself, Jo-Bear?"
"Uh-huh," Joanna swears as she licks at the bit of soap on the corner of her mouth before grimacing cutely at the taste. She perks up and splashes the water again. "Daddy! Daddy, I'mma be a duck. Ms. Jim says I should follow my, um, my dreams. So I'mma be a duck, daddy."
"That right?" Bones says, sounding heavily amused. "You go right on and you do that. You'll still be my Jo-Bear right?"
Joanna nods hastily.
"I was going to call you, but, you know," Jim says as she gestures to Joanna, who's making a soap beard for herself.
"It's fine. I did wonder," Bones admits before he sighs wearily. He looks like he hasn't got any decent sleep. He confirms it by saying, "I've been holed up in the lab at the clinic makin' sure I don't leave any stone unturned. I haven't come to anythin' which means that whatever he did to that poor child, he's made sure not to leave any trace of it. It's also a bit gratin' with the reporters. They just keep flockin' from left to right. They've even takin to campin' outside the clinic. I've snuck in and out a few times."
Jim makes a face at that and shakes her head. "Well, it's only for a few more days and then you won't have to worry about it. I don't know what else to say. I wish things were different. I feel kinda bad."
"Don't," Bones warns gently and he looks a little less tense. "I knew good and well what I was getting' into when I signed up for it. It's like you said. Just a few more days and I can escape."
Jim nods wordlessly.
"Well I wont hold you. I need to get back to work. I only wanted to check up on you," Bones says with a tired sigh.
"Don't work yourself to death," Jim warns before she kills the connection. She turns back to Joanna, who has the longest soap beard she's ever seen. She laughs as says, "You are just awesome, little duck."
"I know," Joanna chirps and blows bubbles at Jim with a giggle. "I'm ready to get out. I'm wrinkly."
888
Sunday - August 9th - Noon
San Francisco - Starfleet Academy & Headquarters
Jim carries Joanna into the HQ building and, with a little direction from the receptionist at the front desk, up to Pike's office. She sets Joanna down on her feet when they get there and she waits patiently as Pike wraps up a conversation with a tall Vulcan male dressed in the instructor's uniform.
Joanna fidgets anxiously beside her and she tugs on the hem of Jim's shirt absentmindedly.
Pike takes note of them standing in his doorway and motions them in. "We'll continue this discussion later, Spock. I'll look over your request and get back to you," he promises.
The one called Spock stiffly replies, "Very well. I will await your correspondence." He sweeps past Jim and Joanna without even a cursory glance.
Jim tries not to let it get to her. She just hopes she doesn't have to endure him as a teacher in the foreseeable future. She steers Joanna inside the office and over to the second chair on the other side of the desk before she takes the chair parallel to that one.
Pike sways side to side in his chair as he smiles warmly at Joanna. "Hello," he says. "What's your name?"
"Joanna Honey McCoy," Joanna quips proudly as she hugs her stuffed yellow duck to her chest. "What's yours?"
"Well I'm Captain Christopher Pike. You can call me Chris," Pike says with a smile.
Joanna's green eyes are wide with her awe. "Can I call you Captain?"
"Sure, if that's what you want," Pike says with an agreeable nod and a humored grin.
"Okay. Can you call me Captain?" Joanna asks.
Jim snickers as she crosses her legs and shakes her head.
Pike is chuckling as well as he pulls out one of his desk drawers and fishes through it. "Sure. I can do that only if you promise to be on your best behavior while you're here," he says before setting down a plastic command badge Jim recognizes from toy stores.
She'd got a few for herself when she was little, to honor her father's memory before she faded into a moody prepubescent pre-teen and melted all those mock badges down with the torch her Uncle Frank kept in the garage.
Pike slides it across his desk and to the edge. "You wear that whenever you want everyone to know your rank," he explains.
Joanna hops up eagerly and snatches it from the desk, bringing it to Jim. "Can you put it on me, please?"
"Of course," Jim murmurs. "Where do you want it, little duck?"
"Right-" Joanna looks down at her chest before she stabs the space over her heart. "-here."
Jim nods and carefully pins the badge in place, ignoring the way Pike is watching them with dawning curiosity.
"Thank you," Joanna breathes and stares down at the badge like she's afraid it'll disappear at any moment and like it's the greatest thing to have ever happened to her. She jerks her head up to aim a sunny smile at Pike. "And thank you too, Captain."
"You're very welcome, Captain," Pike says with mock gravity. He even salutes her.
Joanna salutes back before she sets off to explore every inch of his office.
Pike doesn't seem to mind. "She'll find the candy dish in no time," he says quietly with a humored grin.
Jim snorts because she can believe.
"Now, how are you?" Pike asks, moving onto more important matters. "I was expecting the good Doctor to be here as well. Wouldn't be the first time he stood me up."
Jim grins and says, "He's coming. He got tied up with work back home and he's cutting off loose ends. He'll be here Tuesday."
"Fine by me. When would you like to take your placement tests?"
Jim thinks about it before she says, "I think first thing in the morning would be good. I'll drop Joanna off at daycare and come straight here. How long do they generally take? I've got a doctor's appointment that afternoon."
"That depends completely on the person taking the tests," Pike explains. "If I had to guess with you, I'd say no more than three hours."
"Okay," Jim says as she makes a mental note of that. "And the living arrangements?"
Pike nods and hands her a packet. "That's the floor plan of the condo you'll be staying in. Along with the general guidelines of the building and other common factors. It's a two-bedroom apartment with two and a half bathrooms. I figured you wouldn't mind the two bedrooms and that you'd want the little ones to share. We don't typically accommodate more than a family of four, but the size and spacing of the condo as a whole is generally very amenable to the families during their temporary stay."
"Thank you," Jim says as she begins to flip through it. "This will work just fine."
"Good. You and Dr. McCoy can decide between you what you want the entrance code for the apartment to be," Pike goes on to say. "Now, about the baby. When do you expect to deliver?"
"Beginning of March, if not late February," Jim replies and says, "I was wondering if it would be possible to do most of my coursework during that two month period that I'm not in classes. Could my work be forwarded to me by the instructors?"
"As long as you remain in constant communication with both me and your instructors, I don't see that being an issue," Pike supposes. "As for the time you missed, the beginning of this year and the start of the academic year, I'll try and see if there's a way for you to catch up without falling behind. I would really like for you and Dr. McCoy to be apart of the graduating class of 2253."
Jim nods.
"But I think that's all for now," Pike says as he stands. "If I think of anything else, I'll contact you." He offers his hand.
Jim stands and shakes it with an easy grin. "Thank you, sir."
"I have a lot of faith in your potential, Ms. Kirk," Pike admits. "Do me a favor and try not to make me look like an ass for the second time around."
Jim smiles widely. "I'll be the best recruitment story you ever had," she promises.
"From your lips to my ears," Pike murmurs before he lets go and looks over her shoulder at Joanna with a humored frown.
Jim turns and laughs as Joanna sits on the floor under a pile of candy wrappers. She's apparently cleared Pike out for his sugary confections. Jim shakes her head with an affectionate sigh. "Oh, little duck. Did you really have to eat all the candy? We're gonna have to replace it to say sorry."
Joanna stands and looks adorably contrite. "I'm sorry," she says and to show just how sorry she really is, she begins to clean up her mess.
It's enough to make Jim's heart melt and when she looks to Pike, he seems to be on the same boat. He shakes his head and says, "You don't have to replace anything. I almost expected it."
"If you're sure," Jim says before she walks over to Joanna, who is dumping the last of the wrappers in the trash. "Come on, Joanna. Salute your fellow captain and let's get going."
Joanna tucks her ducky under one arm as she uses the other hand to toss Pike a sloppy salute. "Thank you, Captain, for being nice and sorry I ate your candy and I think you've gotta nice office," she rambles.
Pike chuckles as he returns her salute with more grace. "Thank you, Captain. You enjoy your stay here," he says.
Joanna nods frantically before grabbing Jim's hand with her sticky fingers.
Jim waves at Pike briefly before she exits his office with the full intention of settling down in their new apartment. She guides Joanna out to the car, and they both climb in so that she can park on the street in front of the apartment complex they're supposed to be staying in. She gets out and untangles Joanna from the prison of her seat, and together they grab what they can carry (not a lot in Joanna's case).
Jim has to introduce herself to the security guards at the front desk area. She ends up getting some help carrying the luggage up to her room by one of them (something she's grateful for). When they have all they're things and the security guards helps her set up the entrance code for the apartment, he leaves, but not without treating Joanna to a lollipop.
Jim is left alone with Joanna and together they explore the place from top to bottom. She starts to get all sorts of ideas about how she wants to decorate the place to make it feel more like home. So she grabs her PADD and makes a list. In the midst of this, she says, "Hey, little duck. Can we quack for a second?"
Joanna comes waddling out of her room with a 'quack, quack' before coming to a stop right before Jim.
"So I have something I want to tell you," Jim says with a little smile. "Your daddy and I are going to have a baby. Which means you're gonna get a little sister. And also you're gonna have to share your room with her. How do you feel about that?"
Joanna perks up with a joyous smile. "I don't mind!" she exclaims.
Jim is relieved to hear this. "Good. Because I was thinking we can split the room right down the middle. We'll do your side however you want to do it. Then you can help me with your sister's side. I want something yellow for her side. What about you? What's your favorite color?"
"I like blue," Joanna says. "Can I have blue on my side?"
"Of course, little duck," Jim says as she stands and grabs her purse and the car keys. "Let's do some shopping. Make this place really feel like home."
"Okay," Joanna chirps easily and grabs Jim's hand.
They go to several stores and Jim spends a shitload of the earnings she's made from working with Eleanora (not to mention the few odd jobs here and there), all in the name of making their quaint little apartment into something alive and warm and full of good energy. She knows that the three (soon to be four) of them are going to need it, what with being in a new place and all. It's temporary, of course, but it didn't have to feel that way.
Jim spends the rest of that day signing for every shipped piece of furniture, for the painters, for the carpet people, and so on. By the time dinner time rolls around, Jim has the apartment looking like something out of one of those interior decorating magazines and she can't wait until Bones sees.
Joanna's room is split right down the middle (literally) with her side painted blue and themed to Cinderella.
The other half of the room (the nursery) is painted a cool white, with one wall of orange. It's a very simplistic theme with oranges and yellows and stuffed animals. It's just adorable and Jim is so very proud of it.
But as for the room she and Bones would be sharing, well, that had been a bit more challenging. So she decided to go with something neutral and something she felt fit the both of them. She picked a more sleek and modern look (black and white).
Jim is so knackered by the end of it all that she spreads out on the couch in the living room and has no plans to get up anytime soon. She grabs the remote on the glass coffee table and flips on the TV.
Joanna eventually comes to find her and climbs on top of her to rest her head on Jim's chest. She falls asleep shortly after and Jim has to carry her to bed and tuck her in. She then turns on the LED constellation lamp she bought for Joanna to help her sleep because she's come to notice that Joanna is somewhat frightened of the dark.
Jim tucks away in her own room, keeping the bedroom door wide open just in case Joanna needs her for something. She climbs into bed as she puts on some sleepwear and she tries to call Bones but he doesn't pick up so she leaves a message. She then puts the device on the nightstand before setting an alarm on her PADD. She hunches down under the covers and spends the next fifteen minutes praying before she drifts off to sleep.
She doesn't let herself think about how lonely she feels in that big bed all by herself.
888
Monday - August 10th - 8 a.m.
One doesn't need an alarm if they are lucky enough to know Ms. Joanna Honey McCoy.
Jim is beginning to understand this.
Joanna has managed to climb into bed with her, waking Jim up with gentle kisses stamped onto her cheeks and eyelids and forehead. She is a very affectionate little girl, which is no wonder really because her father is just the same.
Jim thinks its nice how comfortable Joanna is with her. Joanna is quickly cementing a place for herself in Jim's heart.
"Mornin', Ms. Jim," Joanna says as she tangles her little fingers in Jim's bedridden hair. "I'm hungry."
"Okay," Jim says with a yawn.
"Can I watch the cartoons?" Joanna asks.
Jim smiles and says, "You don't have to ask me that. As long as you're careful."
Joanna beams and climbs out of bed.
Jim watches her little body disappear out of sight and soon she can hear the animated theatrics of a kids' show echoing in the front room. She sits up and rubs at her eyes as she reaches for her communicator. She's disappointed when she sees that Bones hadn't tried to call her back. She climbs out of bed and tries not to let it bother her as she goes to the bathroom to pee.
Then she goes to the kitchen to look in the empty fridge for something that can hold Joanna over until they make it to the daycare. Jim specifically remembers that the place serves breakfast. Plus she hadn't gone shopping because she wanted Bones to be the one to take care of that. It's only one more day until he's here.
Jim frowns as she grabs the leftover salad from the lunch they had at that one restaurant yesterday. She calls Joanna over to the kitchen table and laughs at the face she makes when she sees what's waiting for her.
"But I don't like salads," Joanna protests.
"Really?" Jim pretends to think about it. "I think I read somewhere that ducks love salad."
Joanna narrows her eyes at Jim suspiciously and when Jim just goes on grinning, she reluctantly starts to eat.
Jim chuckles and drops a kiss on the top of Joanna's head. "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready. Then I'll come take care of you."
Joanna just nods distractedly as she moves to the other side of the table so that the flat screen TV in the living room can be in her view.
Jim leaves her to go take a shower and get dressed for the day. When she's all sorted out, she grabs one of her prenatal hyposprays and it hisses as she presses it against her neck before she goes to get Joanna ready.
They're up and out the door by ten o'clock, which Jim views as perfect timing.
The walk to Starfleet Daycare only takes five minutes because it is literally around the corner. Joanna clings to Jim's hand tightly as they enter the building. Jim notes that the place is large and colorful, catering to almost all types of kids, whether they are human or not. She walks to the front office and there's a receptionist called Cassidy who asks her to wait a moment.
Jim sits down and watches the other parents and kids glide in and out of the office. She takes the small pause to text Bones and let him know that she's dropping off Joanna for her first day. By the time she's done, a woman with cropped blonde hair that hangs slanted right around her chin appears. She has steel grey eyes that sit behind thin black-framed glasses. She's wearing a pink short-sleeved turtleneck tucked into a silk turquoise pencil skirt with dark blue pumps on her small feet. In her arms are a wide leather-bound journal and a white ink pen. She's gorgeous in a regal way.
"Ms. Kirk. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Dehner," she says, offering a manicured hand with a pristine smile. "I'm the Assistant Director to the facility. Unfortunately, not long before you came, our Director went away on sabbatical. But I'm confident that I can help get your daughter settled."
Jim thinks about correcting her but she ultimately chooses not to. She shakes the woman's hand with a polite smile. "Well, I'm not sure if it was you or someone else that my-that her father talked to. But he told me that he submitted all the necessary paperwork and that since the two of us are both attending the Academy, the normal fees would be waivered and she'd get to come in early and stay later," she says.
Dr. Dehner nods promptly. "Yes, you are certainly correct. Here at the daycare, we want to provide ample opportunity and accommodation for each parent and child, especially when one or more persons are enlisted to the Academy, which we're sponsored by. Now I was going over the paperwork and I see that she's three-more than likely she'll be assigned to Mrs. Harris. In fact, we can take the time to meet with her for a few minutes." She smiles down at Joanna. "Are you ready to see your class?"
Joanna nods enthusiastically but she squeezes Jim's hand like she doesn't plan on letting go.
Jim follows Dr. Dehner out of the office and into the hall where they maneuver their way to the classroom on the other side of the cafeteria, which is filled to the brim with kids, snacking away on breakfast.
Dr. Dehner stops at a door littered with hearts and finger paintings and a name plaque that says 'Juniper Harris'. She knocks twice before entering the room.
Juniper Harris is a portly woman with numerous freckles, cornflower blue eyes, and an apparent cat lover if the sweater she's wearing is any indication. She's wearing capris pants with white trainers, and she's strumming away at a candy orange guitar as all the toddlers sit in a circle around her, clapping along joyously. When Juniper sees Dr. Dehner, as well as Jim and Joanna, she smiles and turns to flag down her assistant, who takes over for her.
Juniper waddles up to the three of them and says, "Howdy. What do we got here?" She's got a strong Texan accent.
Dr. Dehner introduces, "This is Jim Kirk, and her daughter, Joanna McCoy. She'll be joining your class for the rest of the year."
"You don't say," Juniper gushes and crouches down to be eye-level with Joanna. "How you doin' little lady? I'll be mighty glad to have you apart of my brood, but you gotta answer me this one thing-you like to have fun?"
Joanna nods frantically.
Juniper beams and winks. "Well welcome to the castle. Call me Ms. Juniper. You can go set your book bag and shoes over there and we'll work on putting your name to your bin, kay?"
Joanna nods but hesitates as she looks up at Jim, as though silently asking permission.
"Go on, little duck. I'll be back to pick you up later," Jim promises and smiles just to reassure her.
Joanna hugs Jim's leg before she runs off to put her things down.
Juniper straightens and shakes Jim's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Kirk. I'm gone take real good care of your girl, rest assured."
"I believe you will," Jim says. "You'll get to meet her father Wednesday when he comes to drop her off."
"Alright then," Juniper says. "You ever have any questions or concerns, you let me know straightway."
"Can do," Jim responds before she follows Dr. Dehner out. She says her goodbyes to the woman before she exits the building and heads to the Academy grounds. She feels even lonelier by herself without Joanna around. She doesn't even realize she's crying until she meets Pike halfway and he points it out. "Oh God, really?" She quickly wipes her face and makes a frustrated sound. "Damn hormones," she mutters, but it feels more like an excuse than anything.
Pike smiles amusedly before cups his hand over her shoulder. "I take it you dropped Joanna off," he says as he steers her to the science building.
"Yeah," Jim says hoarsely and then doesn't say much after that.
Pike seems to understand. He doesn't try to make small-talk. He guides her to an empty classroom where the Vulcan she recognizes as Spock is waiting. "Commander Spock will be overseeing your examination time. You get four fifteen minute breaks, if you need them, and the results will be submitted right away to the academic board upon completion. By the end of this month, I should know what to do with you. Classes start on the 31st. Good luck, Ms. Kirk." He nods to Jim and then to Spock before he strides out the room.
Jim crosses her arms and looks at Spock expectantly.
Spock's facial expression looks like its carved in stone, and it's a bit intimidating. He hands Jim a sleek PADD. "You will find all necessary assessments have been compiled to a certain order. Since you are seeking to pursue the command track, all queries will be correlated to this precise field. You may begin when you are ready."
Jim says nothing as she takes the PADD from him and finds an aisle to sit in.
Spock tucks away behind his work desk and carries on doing whatever it is he was doing before. Probably grading tests papers or whatever.
Jim focuses through the silence and tries not to second-guess any of her answers.
True to Pike's calculations, she's able to finish in just under three hours. She leaves the PADD with Spock, who, again, doesn't spare her a cursory glance. She doesn't bother thinking about it as she exits the classroom and checks the face of her communicator, frowning when she still doesn't see even a word of reply from Bones. It's beginning to annoy her.
Jim shoots him a curt text, informing him that she's on her way to her prenatal appointment, you know, if he cared to know that is. She makes her way across campus grounds and climbs into his black mustang, driving out to the hospital, but not before stopping to get herself some chicken tacos from a little taco stand on the way.
It's the best chicken taco she's ever had, that's for sure.
Jim devours every single bite before she strolls into the hospital and follows the directions of one of the nurses to the gestation ward. She sits in the waiting area and waits for her name to be called as she flips through a magazine. When it finally comes time for her to head to a designated room, she's practically falling asleep.
A moment later, a Hindu woman with soft chocolate eyes and very long black hair appears. She looks to be in her mid-thirties and she's got the build of a ballet dancer. She grabs a chair and Jim's virtual chart before she says (in a heavily accented voice), "Hello. My name is Dr. Gupta. I'm the head of the Gynecology and Obstetrics here in this hospital. I see you're about nine weeks along, is that correct?"
Jim nods.
"Okay, so far it seems like you've been experiencing heavy morning sickness. In your charts I see your previous doctor prescribed you some medicine to counter it. Do you still need those filled?" Dr. Gupta asks.
Jim thinks about it before she shakes her head. "No-well, I mean, I ran out like a week ago and so far I haven't had any trouble keeping anything down on my own."
"Good. Good. Yes that can happen sometimes. All it takes is time," Dr. Gupta says before she sets the chart down and pulls on some latex gloves. "I'm going to do some standard tests, okay? And then we'll discuss your progress and any concerns you may have."
Jim nods. After a few brief basic tests and preliminary questions, Dr. Gupta has Jim take off her shirt and lie back on the biobed so they can do an ultrasound. She indicates in what ways the baby has grown and how healthy the development is so far. After that, she writes Jim a prescription for iron supplements, which also acts as an appetite inducer. She urges Jim to gain at least twelve pounds by their next appointment.
Jim shrugs on her coat and leaves to fill the prescription, checking her communicator for the time and avidly ignoring the fact that Bones still hasn't returned any of her texts or calls. She swings by the day care to pick up Joanna early, and as a treat to the good behavior Juniper praises Joanna for her first day, she takes her to a roller-skating rink just two miles away.
Jim used to go skating all the time when she was a kid, and she's certainly looking forward to how Joanna responds to the activity. But of course, she only ends up being all kinds of adorable in her little crème skates with orange wheels. They start off in the beginner's room, just so Jim can get the hang of it again and also to give Joanna a chance to learn.
"Now don't tell your dad we did this," Jim says as Joanna wobbles and latches onto her hand to get her balance back. "He'd probably freak."
"I won't say nothin', Ms. Jim," Joanna promises with severe graveness. She pushes away from Jim and begins to bravely skate on her own. She claps her hands and wobbles but quickly catches herself. "Can we go out to the big floor?"
"Only if you think you're ready, little duck," Jim supposes.
Joanna nods and skates to her, latching onto her hand as they make their way out of the room and to the large floor where strobe lights are glimmering to the beat of the music the DJ is playing.
Jim let's go of Joanna's hand when they begin to skate around the length of the large floor. She skates backwards in order to keep an eye on Joanna.
"Ms. Jim, can I ask you something?" Joanna asks as they make their way around for the fifth time.
"You can ask me anything," Jim says, and kind of feels slightly like she may regret it.
Joanna says, "Well, today in Ms. Juniper's class we were talkin' bout our mommies and daddies. Then I said that I gots a daddy and two mommies but Kyle said that you can't have two mommies unless they live together. Is that true?"
Jim almost stumbles at the question but she manages to catch herself. "Uh-I don't-just-it depends, I guess," she says.
"On what?"
"A lot of things. Like if you're adopted, or if they do live together, or don't live together." Jim doesn't think she's explaining this right. "Jo-why's it matter?"
"Cause I want you to be my mommy too. Ms. Juniper says that mommies are people who take good care of you and make you feel good and treats you with a whole lotta love. But I already knew that. That's what you've been doin'," Joanna points out as she stumbles to her knees.
Jim frowns as she helps her stand. "Yes, but-um, I don't think your mom would like it very much," she supposes.
"Mommy doesn't care. Daddy doesn't either. I told them I know the difference. I do," Joanna promises. "Mommy can still be mommy. And you can be momma."
Jim blanches at that. "You had a conversation with your parents about calling me-about the fact that you-um, I just need to think about this for a second."
Joanna skates forward and grabs Jim's hand. "I like you, Ms. Jim and my daddy likes you too. We all live together and you gonna make me a sister. She's gonna call you momma too and I didn't wanna be the only one who didn't get to," she confesses, sounding just a scale older than she really is.
Jim is quietly amazed and just a little touch. "Oh, Jo," she sighs because Joanna feeling left out or less loved because of the baby is exactly what she wanted to not happen. She makes an executive decision she's not even completely sure of. It-couldn't hurt to try. "Okay. Tell you what, you can call me momma and I'll promise to try and adjust to it. And if you want to stop at any time and go back to calling me by my given name, I swear I won't be mad."
Joanna beams and hugs her leg tightly before she pulls back and says, "Look what I can do, momma!" She does a slow spin.
Jim grins and applauds her. "Very good, little duck. You'll be an expert yet." Her stomach grumbles. "You hungry? I think they sell nachos."
"I like cheese," Joanna says as a way of reply.
"Well good because there'll be plenty of it," Jim says and steers Joanna over to the food court.
They go home when the rink closes, and Jim swings by that glorious taco stand on the way back. When they make it up to the apartment, they spread themselves out on the floor and pick a movie to watch as they eat.
Joanna falls asleep twenty minutes into it with half of churro still in her tiny mouth.
Jim's heart feels all sorts of wobbly as she cleans Joanna up, stuffs her in some pajamas and tucks her in her bed. She turns on her nightlight and leaves the door cracked before she returns to the front room to tidy it up. She then hides away in her room and strips down to her underwear. The sheets of the bed feel nice and cool against her tender breasts as she lies face down and peruses through her communicator.
Jim falls asleep with Bones wrapped up in her thoughts and prayers.
Ten minutes into midnight, she jerks awake at the sensation of something warm and wet skating across the elastic band of her underwear. She blinks and stills her fist when she realizes its Bones.
He smirks up at her from where he's settled between her thighs.
Jim makes an eager sound (which she will deny to the death) as she sits up and pulls him into a furious kiss. She tugs his hair punishingly and tries not to tremble too much or say something stupid like how much she missed him. "When did you get in?" she asks between kisses. "You weren't supposed to be here until way later."
"Wanted to surprise you," Bones says as he eases her onto her back again and slides her underwear down her thighs, tossing them over his shoulder when he's got them completely off. "It's interestin' what you've done with the place."
"You like it?" Jim gasps when he starts kissing his way down her body. "You like it, don't you?"
"S'fine, Jim," Bones murmurs distractedly against her quivering stomach. "Missed you."
Jim trembles and closes her eyes against the words as it wraps like warm bands around her heart. "How much?" she croaks and bites her bottom lip as her lashes stick together wetly.
Bones tugs her body down lower and rests her legs over his shoulders. His large hands grip her hips tightly as he meets her eyes. "Let me show you," he murmurs, voice a deep husk of dark promise, and lowers his head.
Jim gasps and arches her back as her fingers tangle in the sheets.
Bones spends the rest of that early morning claiming his place in their bed, in her body, (and in her heart).
Chapter 10
Author's Note: Revive me with your reviews.