Bombay, Chapter 2

Spock stopped briefly on the way home to purchase a pet bed for Bombay as that had not been one of the supplied he’d been given when he agreed to foster the cat. He chose what looked plush and comfortable. At least from a cat’s point of view.
Or Spock thought.
They’d given him a cat carrier too, so once he opened the door to his apartment, he set all the things down and then put the cat carrier on the floor and opened the gate to allow Bombay to explore the surroundings.
The vet’s office had warned him that the cat would likely be skittish and not want to have anything to do with the place at first, but Bombay immediately ran out of the carrier and started checking out Spock’s apartment.
Spock left him to it and went into his kitchen to open a can of cat food to feed the feline. It smelled awful and fishy to Spock and he wondered why any cat would eat it, but with a shrug, he set the dish down for Bombay.
It took a few minutes but the cat came over to the dish and gobbled down most of the contents.
After that Spock sat down at his desk to work on grading tests that he’d required for his students to take. He paid little attention to the cat for some time.
An hour had passed when he decided to get up to make himself tea and when he entered his kitchen he spotted Bombay on the top of the refrigerator. On the floor were several containers Spock had placed there to store them.
“Did you do that?” Spock asked, illogically, as it could be no other.
Bombay meowed.
“Come down from there.”
The cat leapt down right onto Spock and dug his claws into Spock’s stomach when he dropped the cat in surprise. The scratches left across his abdomen stung and were bleeding.
With a sigh, Spock went into the bathroom, removed his now bloodstained shirt, and applied first aid to the marks left by his visitor. He chose a new shirt and went back to his desk only to find Bombay occupying his chair.
“You are determined to try my patience.”
Spock tried to move the cat but he wouldn’t budge more than an inch or so, and therefore, as a means of compromise, Spock occupied about a quarter of the chair, leaving the rest to his guest.

“You adopted a cat?” Nyota Uhura asked Spock the next afternoon while they dined on the outdoor patio of the Starfleet Academy restaurant.
“No. I have definitely not adopted him. I am fostering him until his rightful caretaker can be located and they are reunited.”
“Hmm.” She shook her head and added artificial sweetener to her coffee. She was a friend and colleague at the Academy. She taught communications and languages as well as a course in Federation history.
“What does hmm mean?”
“You did say he spent the night sleeping on your bed.”
“I secured him his own fine and plush pet bed for his use,” Spock said sourly. “He refused to even try it.”
Nyota laughed. “Cats have minds of their own. Anyway, you may think of him as temporary but it sure sounds like he has other ideas. What’s his name anyway?”
“I do not know his real name as he had no collar or microchip but I am calling him Bombay.”
“Bombay?”
“For sapphires.”
She arched her brows. “Like the gin?”
“Yes. Or the Star of India, though lighter. He has blue eyes.”
Nyota smiled and picked up her chicken salad sandwich. “That’s cute. Speaking of blue eyes, we’re covering the old James Kirk disappearance in my class this semester.”
“James Kirk?”
“Don’t you remember? It was about five years ago. Lieutenant Commander Kirk was on the starship, Endeavor. Was on his way in a shuttlecraft with medical staff to drop off supplies to a colony on Rigel 9 but some storm anomaly caused the shuttlecraft to crash on a planetoid near Rigel 9. Unnamed. They found the remains of the medical staff in the crash but never any sign of Kirk.”
Spock nodded. “I do recall hearing about it. I never did have all the details. What does that have to do with blue eyes?”
“He had very blue eyes. Handsome guy. Like all the Kirks. I guess his family refused to give up searching for him for years after. I think they finally did last year. He’s presumed dead.” She sighed. “Anyway he had a fantastic reputation and was an exemplary officer. Very well liked. Sad story. So we’re covering during my history course. Your cat’s blue eyes made me think of it.”
“He is not my cat,” Spock insisted. “He is a temporary guest.”
She ginned. “Of course he is.”