A night on the town

Part 3

You stood looking at the group of Enterprise crewmembers as they were saying their goodbyes to York Town. The "orders" Jim has spoken of was the rescue mission of a vessel close to the Klingon border. Their shore leave had been dramatically shortened and would not be rescheduled to come back anytime soon. Leonard finished speaking with Commander Spock before coming back to hold you just a few more minutes.

"I am going to try everything in my power to get back here long before they say. I swear it." He leaned his forehead against yours.

"I know you will, but you know how stubborn Starfleet is. Especially with one of their shining star doctors about the most important ship in the fleet. I will be waiting for you either way. This is too important, Leonard." He kissed you lightly then pulled you tight against his chest.

"We will message every day. I will be thinking of you constantly, darlin'. Don't forget that." You nodded against his chest as you tried to keep the tears from falling. The two of you hadn't had the chance to spend any more time together since your first and only date the night before. But that only made this all the more bittersweet. You knew you were falling for the handsome doctor and there was not a thing you could do to keep him here.

You pulled back looking up at him. "Stay safe, please. I need you coming back in one piece." He smiled back at you.

"I'm the sane one on that ship, remember. I will come back for you. Always." Jim made a noise from behind Leonard hating to break up the two of you.

"I hate to say it, Bones, we have to go. There is a time table on this mission." Leonard nodded kissing you one last time. He stooped to pick up his pack and moved towards his friend. Jim smiled at you.

"I'll keep him in line. But I may have Chapel sedate him if he gets to talking about you too much." He winked at you as Leonard scowled at him. Jim pulled him along by the arm towards the docking area.

The days following his departure, were torturous for you. You missed him so much but he messaged you every day as he promised. There were some days you were able to talk in real time. Others you both played tag, sometimes missing each other by mere minutes before or after shifts. The old Earth adage "distance makes the heart grow fonder" was certainly true. The feelings for Leonard grew with each passing day. Everyone you had contact with could tell you were a different person since meeting him. Your grandfather, whom had raised you since a child, was adamant that he would meet "the lad" next time he returned to see you.

A week after he left you received word from him that the mission had been successful and the Enterprise and its crew were safe. From there on it would just be mission after mission. No time to come back to this side of the quadrant. Unless Star Fleet needed them, of course. You and Leonard started improvising dates over through the telecoms. Sometimes you would talk long into the night. He wanted to introduce you to his mother sometime and make sure you got to try some of her peach cobbler. Plans were being made to take a private trip to the mountains in Maine so he could see where you were born and grew up before medical school and Star Fleet. Leonard even mentioned that he had spoken of you to Joanna. She wanted to meet you some time as well. It was all wonderful and you were happy. Leonard made you happy and though you missed him and ached for a night alone with the man, you would not trade a moment of your long distance love for any time of not knowing him.

Of course, you had not told Leonard that you loved him, nor had he said it to you. You felt like it should be something you said face to face. Not through the damn screen. Over the course of the months, it became more frustrating. As much as you spoke it felt like it was obvious that you loved him and you were fairly certain he felt the same. However, neither of you spoke of it. After your shift at the medstation, you took a walk through the same park where you and Leonard had kissed that night. It was the last place that felt real to you and the whole relationship.

You stopped just short of the bench where he had confessed his past. All the pain and hurt in his life, he told you. He told you that first night, trusted you enough that he opened his heart and shared it all. "Ugh I am so selfish and stupid." You called out to the night sky. The man gave you his heart already and here you were feeling sorry that you could not see him every day. It was then you rushed back to your apartment and messaged him, telling him how much you missed him and that you had something important to tell him when you spoke with him next. Off the message went, and you waited for a response. It did not matter what time the response would have come you waited.

A response did not come that night, or the next day. In fact, days went by with no word. You sent several messages in the span of that time with nothing in return. The worry was starting to creep from the back of your mind. Leonard said he would always message you if they were able to. What if they weren't able to? What if he wants hurt or worse? You heart pounded in your chest as you walked into Doctor Baush's office on the fifth day of no response.

"[Y/N], something I can do for you?" He had looked up from his desk. You nodded, as you bit your lip. Concern crossing his features, he motioned for you to take a seat. "What's the matter, my dear? You look as though the galaxy is ending." A short nervous laugh escaped you lips. He grew more concerned.

"I need a favor. I... have not heard word from Leonard, Doctor McCoy, in days. I'm afraid something is wrong. Can you please...?" Doctor Baush held a hand up to stop you.

"You want me to use my connections to check into the status of the Enterprise. Ensure they are safe." The color had drained from your face as you nodded. He smiled standing from the desk, walking around to sit in front of you. "For you, I will do it. I will speak with one of the admirals that owes me a favor. I will report back to you when I find something out. Take the day off and go home. You need the rest." He ushered you out of the medstation and sent you home.

You did not hear from him for another day and that was only to tell you Star Fleet had no contact with the Enterprise since you had. Command was already working on why that was. Doctor Baush said they would let him know as soon as they found something and in turn, he would tell you. Thanking him with a hug was the least you could do. You promised you would work hard to not let your emotions get in the way of work. But that was easier said than done. The days turned into weeks and the weeks into a month.

By the end of the month, you were a shell of who you were. The whispers of the disappearance of the Enterprise turned into full talk and there was no shortage of theories. You cried every night when you went home. Maggie had tried many times to reassure you and be there for you, but after a while, she realized it was not going to work. You needed word, whether he was alive or dead. Not this void that you were living every day.

You were sitting in your office going over the last of the day's notes when Doctor Baush entered. A look of exhaustion and sadness etched on his features. "[Y/N], they would not tell me why, but I have been told to have you report to Admiral Kaelen. I think it's about the Enterprise. He has been my contact this whole time. I tried to get him to tell me, but he just said it's classified." Your heart dropped into your stomach as you stood from your chair, you could feel the blood leave your face. "Do you want me to go with you?" Shaking your head, you pulled off your lab coat.

"No, I need to hear the words on my own." He understood, letting you leave on your own, though it hurt him to do so. You made your way to Star Fleet Command. A nervous looking ensign had been waiting for you. She escorted you back to Admiral Kaelen's office as soon as you entered the building. 'That can't be a good sign' you thought to yourself. The Admiral motioned for you to take a seat before he spoke.

"Doctor [Y/L/N], we have something we need to discuss. It's about the Enterprise."