"Brightspot," he said, "you'll have plenty of time to see everything. Now clear the space for the next contingent...." He motioned, and they stepped hesitantly down.
Kirk nodded to Ensign Orsay who said, "Energizing." Another StarFreedom gave a quiet shout, almost a cheer, as Catchclaw with Grabfoot, Uhura with TooLongTail, Rushlight, Knots (a rememberer) and Brave Tongue (another doctor) materialized. They too had to be motioned from the transporter platform.
Two more parties arrived. but Jim Kirk looked in vain for Stiff Tail. "I guess she's not coming," said Brightspot, whiskers drooping in disappointment.
"I guess not," Kirk said. "I'm sorry, Brightspot. I had hoped..."
"That she could grow up, too," Brightspot finished for him. "Me too. Maybe next year she'll be old enough to Walk."
"Maybe next year," Kirk agreed.
There was a horrible screeching sound at his feet, and Kirk looked down to see Grabfoot testing his claws against the deck plates. The child, ears almost flat against his head, said, "Catchclaw! All rock! No place for a tent! We'll get all wet!" He shook himself in disgusted anticipation.
"The whole ship is a tent," Kirk told him. "I promise you won't get wet unless you want to. Mr. Riley, would you see our guests to their quarters? You'll have to explain most of the equipment to them, but you'll only have to do so once. They'll remember it."
Brightspot brightened and curled her tail impudently at him. Uhura said, "If you don't mind, Captain, I'd like to do that myself."
"Of course, Uhura, but then see you get some sleep," Kirk said. "Evan, that goes for you too."
"First things first," she said. "After I get Mr. Chekov into sick bay and have a look at Mr. Spock, I want to see if I can spring Scotty. He must be chafing at the bit by now."
He nodded his permission, then added, "I'll be on the bridge if you need me."
She raised an eyebrow. "You need sleep too, Captain."
"I know that, Doctor, but I assure you it can wait until we're underway."
"That's what I meant," she said, and he realized it was so.
Excusing himself, he eased his way through the crowd of Sivaoans. Grabfoot, now perched on Catchclaw's shoulder, eyed him as he passed and said, in scathing tones, "Want to get wet!" Jim Kirk laughed but continued on his way.
He did not stop until he reached the bridge. Sulu rose from the command chair, his formal salute and grin of welcome marred only by a startled blink. Perhaps I should have taken the shower first, thought Kirk ruefully, as Sulu said, "It's good to have you back, Captain."
"It's good to be back, Mr. Sulu."
He waited a moment as Sulu took his customary station, cheerfully displacing the crew member who had filled in. Sulu no longer hobbled; Wilson would no doubt be pleased to see him recovered from both her ministrations. Jim Kirk settled back into the command chair and did what pleased him- "Set course for Eeiauo, Mr. Sulu," he ordered, and added, "Let's not keep Dr. McCoy waiting."
"Aye, aye, sir!" came the reply. It was echoed with enthusiasm from all sides. Seconds later, Sulu said, "We're on our way!" And, while Jim Kirk luxuriated in the quiet surge of power beneath his feet, a soft cheer went up around him.
At last he swung the chair toward his communications officer. "Ensign Azuela," he said, "as soon as we are within range of a Federation relay beacon, I want to speak to Dr. McCoy- the sooner, the better." Reluctantly he rose. "The conn is yours, Mr. Sulu; I'll be in my quarters if anything comes up."
As the turbolift doors hissed open, he took one last look around the bridge, gave a contented sigh and headed for his quarters.
He awoke feeling better than he had in weeks, showered a second time, dressed- reveling in the feel of clean clothes- and opened the intercom to the bridge. "Scott here. Glad t' have ye w' us again, Captain."
Kirk chuckled and said, "And you too, Scotty. I take it you don't have a case of Noisy-Baby?"
"Noisy-Baby, sir? It was ADF syndrome the lass was checkin' on, I thought."
"Never mind, Scotty. I'll explain later. How's Mr. Spock?"
"Ye can see for y'rself, Captain. Dr. Wilson moved him back int' sick bay- where she can keep a closer eye on him, if ye take my meaning." That drew a full-throated laugh from Kirk.
"I do, Mr. Scott, I do!"
"Mr. Chekov's there as well. The lad looks a sight but he's in good spirits."
"I'll go have a look," said Kirk, "and, Scotty, make sure you inform me as soon as you get through to Bones."
"Aye, that I will." When Scotty had signed off, Jim Kirk rose, stretched and headed for sick bay.
A line of crew members stretched from the doors and halfway down the corridor, and he paused to greet each as he passed by. At last, he eased his way in and found havoc- a carefully controlled havoc, but havoc nonetheless, as doctors took blood, tested blood, barked records into the computer and generally inoculated everyone in sight.
A hand and a tail caught him firmly by the arm and steered him to a chair. "Hey, Brave Tongue!" called Evan Wilson, "Not him- he's already been done!"
Ears flicked back, Brave Tongue scrutinized his face and said, "Sorry, Captain. I'm getting carried away." The tail whipped away, and Brave Tongue added, "How big a crew do you have?"
"Over four hundred," Kirk said.
"Oh," he said, clearly startled.
"Cheer up," Evan told the Sivaoan. "At the rate we're going, it'll only take us two more days. Then we get some rest before we have to start in on the real problem. I'm looking forward to it- the rest I mean. I'm just about frazzled."
She did look shockingly tired, but Kirk saw with relief that her eyes still held a hint of merriment. "Evan," Kirk said, "have you had any sleep at all?"
"Enough," she said.
"Barely enough," he corrected.
She shrugged, then gave him a nudge in the direction of the next room. "Spock. Chekov. Morale," she said and, when he hesitated, added, "The sooner you stop bothering us, Captain, the sooner we'll be done- and the sooner I can get that sleep." She made shooing motions.
He did as he was told. He found both Spock and Chekov sitting up. Spock held a computer link, obviously absorbed in some task. Scotty was right: Chekov looked a sight. His face and arms were covered with scars and most of his hair was gone- but the lesions had visibly healed and Kirk could see the stubble of new growth. Chekov glanced up. "Keptain!" he said and laid aside the book he had been reading to sit at attention.
With a smile, Kirk said, "At ease, Mr. Chekov."
Spock lifted a hand to indicate that he did not wish to be distracted from his computer for the moment. Kirk took this as a sign that Spock was recuperating nicely and said to Chekov, "Have you two been behaving yourselves?"
Chekov grinned. "Wouldn't you, Keptain?" he said, and he pointed: Wilson's quarterstaff stood prominently between the two ward beds. "Point taken, Mr. Chekov," Kirk said, grinning back.
There was a sudden burst of music and Spock's head jerked up. The sound seemed to come from his computer link. With a quick look at his startled science officer, Kirk strode across the room and keyed into the central computer from one of the medical terminals. The central computer replied as it normally did- but, softly underlying the mechanical voice, Kirk heard the same tune that came from Spock's link. It was difficult to repress a shudder; they'd had problems with the computer before- "Mr. Spock?" he asked, hoping to hear a simple explanation.
"I have no idea," said Spock, and Kirk said, "I don't like to think about it, Spock- another malfunction like the last time...." This time he did shudder.
"No malfunction," said Evan Wilson. She stepped into the room and paused, arms folded across her chest, to consider Spock. Then she turned to the medical computer and said, "This is Dr. Evan Wilson."
"Dr. Evan Wilson, acknowledged," said the mechanical voice.
"Enough is enough," she told it.
"Enough is enough," the mechanical voice responded- and the music ceased as abruptly as it had begun.
She turned to face Spock once more. "Mr. Spock," she said, "if you're sufficiently recovered to be sticking your tail in where it shouldn't be, then you're taking up bed space under false pretenses. You are released from sick bay."
Except for the raising of an eyebrow, Spock made no move. Wilson's face went crimson, and Spock looked suddenly down at the computer link in his hands, as if seeing it for the first time. Wilson gave a fleeting smile and said, "Or am I to understand that your inability to spot the flag is an indication that you need further rest, Mr. Spock?"
At that, Spock rose with almost indecent haste for a Vulcan. "Indeed not, Dr. Wilson," he said.
"Fine. Now get him out of here, Captain, before I take a stick to him."
As if they had already obeyed, she stepped to Chekov's side and focused her attention completely on him. "Let me see your back, Mr. Chekov." Chekov leaned forward to comply, and she ran a gentle hand over his skin. "Looks good," she said. "Any pain?"
"No, sair- but it itches!"
"Enjoy it," she said. "That's the best news I've heard in days. We'll have you out of here in no time."
Kirk said, "I'm looking forward to that, Mr. Chekov. I want you back on the bridge as soon as Dr. Wilson says you're able."
"Yes, sair," said Chekov happily; and Wilson smiled her thanks for Kirk's contribution to her patient's morale.
Then her eyes once more sought Spock. "In the future, Mr. Spock," she said softly, "please be more discreet."
"I shall, Doctor, I assure you."
As he walked along beside Spock, Kirk frowned at his science officer. He knew from personal experience that Spock could be something of a... nuisance, to put it politely; and, once inside the relative privacy of the turbolift, he said, "All right, Spock. What was that all about- flags in the computer?"
"Apparently, Dr. Wilson set a flag in the central computer's programming to alert her should certain information be sought." He paused, as if to examine his own behavior, then added, "As I did not notice the anomaly, she is perhaps correct to say I am not yet fully recovered."
"And just what sort of information did she flag, Spock?"
"Information on the Telamonite culture, Captain."
"Good lord, you're not still working on your theory about the 'discrepancies' in her records!"
"Merely indulging my curiosity, Captain. I had a great deal of time to spend and very little to occupy my mind."
"And that exchange- that you be more 'discreet'?"
"If I understood her correctly, she wished to know if I planned to continue my investigations."
"I see- and you told her you would." Jim Kirk laughed suddenly. "Mr. Spock, I think you've been set up." Spock raised a brow, and Kirk added, "Sorry. My fault, really." He went on to relate his conversation with Wilson on the subject of the "discrepancies" in her dossier.
Once he had begun, he found himself caught up in Evan's mischief, enjoying the mystification of his science officer as much as she seemed to. "...So you see, Mr. Spock, why I'd be willing to bet she set the flag just for your benefit," he finished, as they reached the bridge, "You had your tail pulled." He settled into the command chair, smiling at the double take his choice of expression drew from Sulu.
Spock paused at his side. "Negative, Captain. The subtlety of her work would argue against such an interpretation of the data. Dr. Wilson has not had sufficient time to spare since we returned to the Enterprise."
"Then she spotted you coming before we left Eeiauo. The subtlety of her work would certainly permit that."
"That is a possibility. I shall be interested to see what other information she has flagged."
"Spock!" That was going well beyond "nuisance," Jim Kirk thought, and he said, "I think I'll have to find something else to occupy you- Evan has enough trouble on her hands for the moment."
Spock clasped his hands behind his back. He said, "If your interpretation is correct, I would most certainly be expected to continue my investigations." Kirk glanced at him obliquely but he could read nothing in Spock's expression.
"Mr. Spock," he inquired at last, unable to keep a note of amusement out of his voice, "are you suggesting that you wouldn't want to disappoint her?"
"I merely note the contradiction between your theory and your response."
"Of course." He nodded, a half smile on his face. Regrettably, Spock was right: if this was Evan's idea of a joke- and he was sure of that now-she would be disappointed not to have it sprung. "All right," he said aloud, "Your logic defeats me, as usual. Investigate away, Spock- though I trust you will use somewhat more discretion from now on."