There are all kinds of love, including a mother-son

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It wasn’t often Jim was around for his mother’s birthday. In fact, he couldn’t even recall the last time. Vaguely he had memories as a child of celebrations surrounding it, surrounding her, but as an adult? No.

She’d told him once that since her birthday was right after Valentine’s Day, growing up she’d often had a heart-shaped cake. And so on his way to see her, he’d picked up a heart-shaped cake at the bakery. The frosting was a light pink rather than an overdyed red. He’d brought her a bouquet of flowers too,

He wondered if they’d let him bring the cake, but the stern nurse at the door just glared at him, so he figured that was as close to permission as he was going to get.

The Enterprise was in San Francisco at the moment, undergoing some needed upgrades, so her crew had a few days off. He would rather not be visiting his mother on her birthday in a Riverside hospital, but she was there, so what choice had he had?’

She’d had a small stroke, just a teeny one she had assured him, but they were keeping her there for a few days to observe.

He located room 215 and went through the open doorway. Winona Kirk sat up in her bed with her head turned to gaze out the window. It was snowing that day.

A memory flashed of her in the hospital when he was pretty young, his grandmother had brought him, and he had scrambled onto the bed, yelling, “Mommy!” before he’d been scolded to get down.

“Mom,” he spoke softly.

She turned her head to look at him and he noticed the slight droopiness of the left side of her mouth, but she smiled.

“Jimmy”

“Happy Birthday.” He held out the brightly colored tulips, her favorite. Her eyes lit up. “I know it’s not tulip season, it’s a bit early, but I found these.”

“They’re beautiful. I’ll have a nurse put them in a vase.”

He set them on a nearby table.

“A cake too.” He showed her.

“Ah, you shouldn’t have,” she protested, but he could see she was pleased.

He placed the cake next to the flowers, approached the bed, and leaned down to kiss her. He straightened.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Even better now that my baby is here.”

He rolled his eyes but smiled. “Not a baby.”

“I didn’t say you were a baby I said you are my baby.” She gestured to her face. “They say it’s supposed to get better. I have to do some physical therapy.”

She patted the edge of the bed and he sat there.

“I’m glad I got the chance to see for myself.”

“Me too. It’s been way too long since I got to see you. How’s life on the Enterprise?’

“Good. Still going where no one has gone before.”

“Have you got a certain someone?”

“Mom.”

“Well?”

“Maybe.”

Her eyes lit up. “You have one!

“Maybe not.”

“James Tiberius!”

He grinned and took her hand. “Just—”

“Jim?”

He rose and turned to see Spock standing in the doorway of his mother’s hospital room. “Hey, Spock, come meet my mother.”