Starfleet Chronicles - Leonard McCoy

Chapter Six

When Jade came to, she was lying on a cot in the med bay. She started to try to sit up, but gentle and firm hands pushed her back down. "Hang on, Darlin, you need to rest." She looked up to find a very frazzled McCoy looking down at her. She took a deep breath as she looked around. Captain Pike was in the cot beside her, sending her a warm smile when he saw her. "Nice to see you awake, Cadet." He said to her fondly. She gave him a shaky smile but was confused about what happened. "Thank you, Captain Pike; it's good to have you back as well. Though, I'm unsure what happened and how I ended up here." McCoy caught her attention again as he spoke next to her. "I'm telling you, you took ten years off my life when Mr. Scott carried you in here. You've only been out about twenty minutes. It was a combination of stress and exhaustion that caused you to collapse. Mr. Scott told me what the two of you did, basically saving us. Thank you for that, by the way." She kept eye contact with McCoy as Captain Pike spoke from beside her. "There's no basically to it, Mr. McCoy. If what Mr. Scott says is correct, the whole idea was hers, and we have our lives because of her and Jim. I knew getting the two of them in Starfleet was the best damn decision I ever made." Jade grinned at Captain Pike's words, causing McCoy to respond with his own grin. When they heard the door to the medical bay open, McCoy stepped away from her. When she saw Uhura, Spock, and Jim walk in, she tried to sit up again, but this time, Uhura stopped her by wrapping her arms around her. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Jadey!" Tears began to slide down her cheeks once more as she returned her best friend's embrace. "I'll try, Ny, I didn't mean to scare anyone." When she pulled away from her, Nyota's cheeks were also wet. "You're the best friend I've ever had, Jadey, so you better not."

Jade chuckled at her words as Mr. Spock stepped forward next to stand in front of her. "I'm very proud of your work on this mission, Ms. Kirk. Your input and ability to provide honest and blunt opinions are refreshing, and I hope you never lose that. I'll also await the hearing from the report you filed." Jade glanced up at McCoy, who smirked at her before she raised an eyebrow at Mr. Spock. "What report are you referring to, Mr. Spock? My report showed that you were fair up to the point you relinquished command." He quirked his eyebrow up before nodding and saying a soft thank you.

When Jim walked up, he didn't hesitate to bring her into a firm hug, his breath shaky. She knew that Jim didn't like to show vulnerability, but they were best friends and the only real family the other had. She gently patted him on the back and said quietly, "I'm okay, Jimmy, I promise." He nodded into her shoulder but didn't say anything as he continued to hug her. Captain Pike spoke up from behind them as he observed the two. "I swear, Mr. Kirk, you are incredibly hardheaded and extremely stubborn. I wish you'd let others see this side of you more often; it's not a flaw to care and let people in." This caused both twins to laugh as Jim finally released her and stood back up. "I have no idea what you mean, sir." Pike just laughed and shook his head while he laid back. Jim looked at everyone in the room. "I want everyone to report to their quarters and get some rest. Since we've lost our warp capabilities, it will take a while to get back home. Mr. Spock has offered to take the Conn for a few hours so I can get a few hours of sleep myself. Everyone is to get a minimum of six hours in their quarters before reporting back to their stations; that's an order." As everyone started to disperse, he paused before smirking in front of McCoy and Jade. "Don't think we aren't going to talk about this when we get back, Winnie." McCoy just chuckled when Jade's mouth dropped open in embarrassment at his words. When she sat up fully to stand, McCoy helped her and led her out of the bay after they both said goodnight to Captain Pike.

Jade had no idea what to say to the doctor and was afraid that it had only been in the heat of battle that had caused the small moments between them. They walked silently until they made it to the lift, and they both pressed the buttons for their respective floors. Huffing in what could only be described as annoyance, McCoy moved forward, pushed the lift's stop button, and turned to face her fully. Jade looked up at McCoy, her eyes wide as he placed a hand on the wall behind her, effectively boxing her in. She tilted her head up as she gazed at him. She knew her cheeks were red, but she tried to ignore it as she questioned him. "Is everything okay, Lenny?" He smiled softly at her and shook his head. "Nope, I think we need to talk, Darlin." Jade prided herself in being tough; she'd had to be due to the environment she'd grown up in. Jim had protected her as much as he could, but their stepfather had been an asshole. Still, looking into Leonard McCoy's chocolatey brown eyes had her almost weak at the knees. When she said nothing but just looked at him, he sighed heavily before crashing his lips to hers.

Jade melted into his kiss and kissed him back with fervor. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, causing her to gasp. He used the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth and deepen the kiss. Jade let out a content sigh as she brought her hands up to his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. McCoy let out a soft moan at the contact and kissed her just a little bit harder. Jade didn't want to stop, but she remembered where they were when air became a problem. After a few more moments, McCoy pulled back but let his forehead rest on hers. He chuckled, saying, "Not quite what I had in mind when I said 'talk,' but I'll take it." Jade bit her lip and giggled as she looked up at him. He was so beautiful that it took what little breath she'd gained away. McCoy pulled one of his hands off her waist and brought it up to caress her cheek. "I can't stay away anymore, Darlin," He said softly. "I've liked you for damn near three years, and I think I need to finally man up and own that. I'd like to take you out and explore this to see where it goes. Would you like that?" Jade smiled brightly at him as she nodded her head at him. "I'd like that a lot, Lenny, I really like you too." His responding smile was brilliant as he stepped slightly away from her to start the lift again. They said their goodbyes as they made their way to their dorms, both lost in their thoughts with goofy smiles on their faces.

When they finally made their way off the ship and were docked back in Hanger One, she saw Uhura standing off to the side, looking at a digital screen on the central console. She made her way over to her and looped her arm with hers. "Ny, are you alright?" Uhura looked at her, tears streaming down her face. "Jadey, our entire cadet class, Nero, he killed all of them but us. Gaila is gone, I mean, we're it." Jade jerked back as she looked at the list on the screen. "No, surely escape pods made it out; we can't be but we can't!" They clung together as they mourned their fallen classmates. How were they expected to return to classes as if nothing had happened?Going back to classes is precisely what they expected them to do. Jade finished all of her exams except her Lieutenant's exam, which had been canceled and not rescheduled. She didn't know what to make of that, but she knew they would award her brother a special commendation at the graduation ceremony. Everyone that was left in the cadet class was graduating a year early. The fourth year was practical and shadowing, and considering everything they'd been through four months prior with Nero, they considered them all past their practical exam. She'd kept in contact with Mr. Scott and Mr. Sulu, the two becoming her great friends. One month ago, Lenny asked Jade to be his girlfriend, and she couldn't be happier. Jim didn't tease them too much about it; he said he was just glad Jade was happy. Jade had met the older version of Spock, who greeted her fondly and told her that the three of them, Jim, himself, and Jade, had been the best of friends from his time. He'd been able to keep their Spock from quitting Starfleet since he would aid in finding the surviving Vulcans a new home planet. She was going to the graduation ceremony with Uhura, and they were both running late. When they entered the lecture hall, she saw Lenny sigh in relief as he motioned her to come to him. Uhura nudged her and giggled as they parted ways. Jade made her way over to her beautiful boyfriend with a smile. He grinned at her and kissed her quickly before whispering, "I was beginning to think you were going to miss your own graduation." She didn't respond; instead, she just hooked her arm through his and leaned into him. Admiral Barnett called the room to attention, and she was shocked when she heard her name called. "This assembly calls Assistant Chief Engineer Jade Winona Kirk to the front."

Jade looked over at her friends, who were looking at her with smiles and no surprise as she walked down the stairs to stand before the admiral. He smiled fondly at her and held his hand out for a medal resting in the box Mr. Spock was holding. The admiral looked at her and thundered, "Your ingenious intuition, magnificent bravery, and dedication to your Captain and your crew is in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crewmembers, and the Federation. It is my honor to award you with this commendation." Her breath hitched as Admiral Barnett pinned the medal to her uniform and continued. "By Starfleet orders, you are hereby directed to report to Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott with the U.S.S Enterprise to await your orders and assist." She shook his hand and turned around, walking over to where a very hyper Mr. Scott stood. She saluted him, which he returned readily. "Reporting for duty, Chief." When the thunderous applause sounded around her, her eyes found her favorite shade of brown, who was grinning back at her proudly. Admiral Barnett called James Tiberius Kirk to the front when the applause died down. She watched with tears streaming down her face as her brother was awarded the same medal as she was, noting that Pike and Scotty had also been awarded the Medal of Valor. Jim was promoted to Captain of the Enterprise and ordered to report to the new Admiral Pike to relieve him.

When the shouting had subsided, Jade walked over to Admiral Pike and saluted him. He chuckled at her as he returned it and held his hand to her. She took his hand gratefully and said, "Admiral Pike, I wanted to say thank you. When you left us in that bar, you really impacted Jim. I wasn't convinced, but Jim swore he couldn't come here without me, and I was very skeptical. Thank you for giving his life purpose, which in turn made me make the best decision I could have ever made for my life." She could tell he was emotional, but he held it in as he lightly squeezed her hand. "Jade, you made this decision on your own, I simply gave a nudge. I knew that you would excel in whatever field you wanted to study. While I'm still shocked you chose engineering, I'm extremely grateful you did because we wouldn't be here without your quick thinking. And now you know why we never rescheduled your Lieutenant's test." This caused Jade to giggle as she nodded. Admiral Pike shooed her to go and celebrate with her friends, which is precisely what she did. They all went to the local pub and celebrated because they had orders to ship out the following day on the new and improved U.S.S Enterprise.

Jade was on the bridge at her brother's request as they did their final checks. When he walked in, he was so cocky as he looked around and found Jade standing next to her favorite doctor. He chuckled as he said, "Bones! Buckle up." He proceeded to pat him on the back with a chuckle. He bumped into Jade playfully as he made his way to his chair. "Ready to take orders from me for real, Winnie?" Jade rolled her eyes playfully before grabbing McCoy's hand, causing him to smile softly at her. They all paused when the lift opened to reveal Mr. Spock. Jim hit his communicator and called down to Mr. Scott. "Scotty, how we doing?" She heard his response and smiled as he said, "Dilithium chamber's at maximum, Captain. Do you plan on sending my second down to me anytime soon?" This caused Jade to shake with mirth as Jim noticed Mr. Spock and waited for him to speak. He stepped forward and smiled as he said, "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" They all watched as Jim gave his permission, and Mr. Spock walked over to him. With a smirk, he stopped before him and asked, "As you have yet to select a first officer, respectfully, I would like to submit my candidacy. Should you desire, I can provide character references." She watched as Jim nodded and told him it would be his honor to have him. Jade buried her face into McCoy's side as she tried to hide her giggles. She looked at Lenny and whispered, "Their bromance is so cute!" This caused Chekov, Sulu, and McCoy to all chuckle while Jim playfully glared at her. Mr. Spock only smirked as he walked over to Uhura. Jim rolled his eyes at his two best friends and shook his head. "Alright, let's get out of here so you two can stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and get to your posts. I thought you'd like to see the departure." Jade walked over to Jim and hugged him; she didn't care that he was their Captain; he was still her brother first. He chuckled as he readily accepted the embrace before sitting in his Captain's chair.

It was a perfect moment, something they'd all been striving towards. Jim had been able to pick the crew he wanted, and what better than the people who had helped him defeat their enemy? They had a series of short missions since they were mostly a new crew. They were all anxious for their next adventure together.