Chapter 6

Bombay Chapter 6

The rest of the day proved to be fairly normal, but in the morning when Spock went to leave his apartment, Bombay ran out the door.

“Bombay, come back,” Spock called after the feline, but the cat was gone out of the outside courtyard.

At first, Spock wasn’t sure if he should go after him. Bombay wasn’t his and perhaps the cat had decided to leave to seek his real home. But then Spock knew that he could not just let the cat go without knowing he was safe, especially given his already witnessing a person abusing the animal, and so he set out in pursuit.

When he got to the street, Spock glanced first to the left which would take him in direction of a less crowded suburban area. He saw no sign Bombay had gone that way. He turned to look to the right toward the city and the direction Spock himself would go when going to Starfleet Academy. He spotted Bombay’s raised tail as the cat trotted off in that direction.

With a bit of a sigh, Spock followed after, increasing his pace the more the cat seemed to get ahead of him. Once more he wondered if he should just let the animal go.

He was about to slow his pace when Bombay ran into the intersection of a street and missed getting hit by a speeding hover cab by mere inches. The cat stopped in the street then, looking disoriented, and for a moment Spock thought perhaps the cab had not missed the feline after all.

Spock rushed to his side, ignoring the twinge in his leg, and scooped the cat up into his arms. Another hover vehicle honked at Spock and the cat, so he hurried back to the safety of the sidewalk.

“You cannot run out in front of cars,” Spock admonished the cat, as though the furball could understand him. He glance back toward the way to his apartment. It would take him time to take Bombay and then he would be late to begin the teaching of his class. His leg already ached from overuse considering his prior injury.

Spock made up his mind. He would have to find something to keep the cat in while he taught, but, “You are coming with me.”

****

The day proved to be much more uneventful than it had begun, Spock realized, as he made his way home with Bombay in a cardboard box he had obtained at the Academy.

During two of his taught courses, Bombay had made something of a ruckus but eventually when he realized he wasn’t getting free, Bombay had curled up in the box and went to sleep.

He had just fed the cat when there was a knock on his door. The cat jumped into his arms and began to rub against Spock’s neck and purr.

“Apparently you have forgiven me for trapping you n that box,” Spock said, as he made his way to the door. Whoever was knocking was impatient, as they rapped again, this time much louder and with more force.

Spock opened the door, holding onto Bombay tighter so the cat wouldn’t try to escape.

There stood a man Spock did not know. He wore a fedora, which seemed odd. He grinned broadly.

“You have my cat!”

February 24, 2023

Let Nothing You Dismay Chapter 6

Chapter Six: A Vulcan’s Curiosity

Spock wasn’t even sure what had possessed him to ask Jim Kirk for tea, except that he found himself very curious about the young man.

And attracted to him. Jim was extraordinarily attractive. There was simply no denying it. With his sandy colored hair, blue eyes, and engaging smile. It didn’t hurt that he had a very nice body and a cute butt too.

Yeah, well. Spock was a bit of a butt man.

At first, Spock had believed Jim to be only interested in females, but he hadn’t failed to notice the interest in Jim’s eyes when he looked at Spock, so he felt safe in asking Jim out. For just something as casual as tea at first.

The teashop was just a few store fronts down from Gad-Shen. Spock frequented it since coming to Riverside to open the restaurant.

In all honesty, opening a restaurant was not Spock’s dream or inclination. It wasn’t where he saw himself in a few years. But he’d made a promise to his one and only friend growing up on Vulcan. Another Vulcan named Solek. During their childhood friendship Solek had shared many times with Spock that he wished one day to open a Vulcan themed restaurant on Earth someday. Like Spock, Solek was only part Vulcan. Only a quarter actually, so he’d been bullied ever more than Spock. Solek’s father was from Riverside, Iowa, and it was there that Solek wanted to open his restaurant.

But less than a year ago, Solek became ill and had asked Spock on his death bed, basically, to open the restaurant Gad-Shen in his place. Spock knew he would not run it forever, but he would get it established, and successful, as Solek had dreamed of and was unable to accomplish.

And the fact that Spock chose to go to Earth to open Gad-Shen for Solek had annoyed Sarek no end.

Jim chose the holiday themed gingerbread tea and Spock chose orange spice.

There were only a couple of tables in the shop for two people and Spock chose one for them to sit.

“What is your daughter’s name?”

“Lily.” Jim smiled. “I call her my angel.”

“I saw her from across the street. She was precious.”

“Thank. She’s even cuter in person.”

It was quite clear how much Jim loved his daughter. And that, of course, made Spock even more curious. Or nosey his mother might say.

“Are you divorced from her mother?”

Jim put sugar and milk in his tea, then picked it up and leaned back in the chair. “Nah. There’s a bit of a story there.”

“I do not wish to pry but I admit I am curious.”

Jim smiled and waved his hand. “I don’t mind telling. I had a friend, Ruth. She came to me one day and said she wanted to have a baby and would I help her out. At the time, it was understood that Ruth would raise her on her own. She knew I like guys, so my role was just as the sperm donor so to speak. Ruth was inseminated in a laboratory.”

Spock blinked at him. “I had assumed…”

“Everybody does. You’re not alone. Well, unless you already know me, I guess. Anyhow, the procedure was successful, and Ruth got pregnant with Lily. During that time she took me aside and asked me if anything ever happened to her, would I take care of Lily?”

“That is a lot of responsibility when you thought you were just assisting her with having a child,” Spock said, musingly.

“Yep,” Jim agreed. “And I’ll tell you the truth, Spock, it didn’t really occur to me that she was asking me this because she already knew then that she was sick.”

Spock stared at him. “She what?”

“Uh-huh. Ruth found out she had a fatal illness in her second trimester. She didn’t tell me. I thought she was just asking, generally, you know if when Lily was twelve and she got hit by a hover bus or something.” Jim shook his head. “Not that I thought that would happen either. But I didn’t think she had asked me for a real reason. And Lily was mine, you know, because I donated. Ruth didn’t really have anyone else. Her parents had both died and she had no siblings. I think that was why she wanted Lily in the first place. To have a family when she didn’t have one.”

“But to hide the truth from you.”

“Yeah.” Jim nodded. “I agreed, obviously. And maybe that was my mistake. Should have asked more questions. I was young and stupid, and I wanted to help her. She was my friend. Anyway, after Lily was born, I learned the truth. Ruth only lived six months after Lily was born, and I’ve had my angel ever since.”

“That is very admirable.”

Jim smiled. “Not really. And what else could I do? I couldn’t have her go to foster care. Something like that? So, there’s nobody but me. And her. For a while, my mom helped me. And then she got sick too. Cancer. So…now it literally is just me and Lily. When the shipyard laid me off…” Jim blew out a breath. “Times are hard here. If not for seeing your sign, I guess we’d have to go somewhere else to find work. So, thank you.”

“It is my pleasure. And thank you for explaining. It all makes a lot more sense now.”

Jim looked at his watch then. “I really should go pick up Lily. But this was great, thank you.”

“I would like to have a formal date soon if you are able. Dinner at some point?”

“Sure, let me arrange for someone to watch Lily and I’ll let you know.”

December 6, 2020

I Will Follow You Into the Night, Chapter 6

In the morning, when he woke, on a tray directly in front of him, Jim found a cup of hazelnut coffee, his favorite, fixed just the way he liked it, with oodles of cream. Upon reaching for it, Jim realized it was still hot, so using his Sherlock Holmes deductions–he loved to read, okay–he knew that meant whoever brought it for him had been there very recently.

It was not hospital coffee.

Next to it, neatly wrapped in a napkin, was a cheese pastry, also his favorite.

That meant that one of two people had left it for him.

Bones.

Or Spock.

Normally, in these circumstances, with Spock avoiding him as perfectly as only Spock could do, Jim would have put his money on Bones. But the coffee place where he especially liked the hazelnut coffee was near the apartment he shared with Spock, or had, because most recently Spock had not come home, but in any case, this coffee was from there. And the cheese pastry from the bakery also near the apartment.

And Bones loved him and all, but Jim just didn’t see him going that far out of his way when he could have simply stopped at the nearest coffee and bakery by him or even by the hospital.

No.

This had Spock all over it.

Which meant Spock had come to see him but hadn’t bothered to stay to make sure he was awake for the visit.

And he loved Spock. He did. More than anyone in his life, past or present, but the damn Vulcan could be the biggest pain in the ass.

He tore off some pastry and stuffed it in his mouth, moaning at the goodness of it all.

“Morning, Jim, I brought your…” Bones stopped just inside the doorway of the hospital room. He held a hospital tray full of scary looking hospital food. He frowned. “Where’d that come from?”

“Spock was here.”

“Again?”

Jim shook his head. “Not the old one. My Spock. My, uh, former Spock, I-I guess.”

“He brought you breakfast?”

“Seems like it. Only you and him know of my love for this stuff so if it’s not you, it’s him.” Jim sighed. “He was here recently too cause the coffee is hot still.”

Bones looked down at his tray. “What am I supposed to do with this crap?”

“Help yourself to the coffee. It’s probably weak anyway. You like it weak.”

His friend grimaced.

“Bring the rest to me. I’ll eat that too. I’m hungry.”

Bones removed the coffee from the tray and chucked it into the trash and then brought the tray over. “You look better this morning. Sleep well?”

Jim took a second to think about it. “Yeah. Actually. Really well. Which is odd. I don’t think I had any dreams.”

“Good, you need the rest. I’ll keep you one more night and then tomorrow you can be released.”

“I can probably be released today.”

Bones smiled. “Yeah? Where did you get your medical license?”

“Bones—”

“Don’t you Bones me. I’m not budging on this, Jim.”

Jim sighed and picked up the rest of his pastry. “They’re having a memorial today.”

“Yeah?”

“Uhura told me.” Jim finished off the pastry and reached for the scrambled eggs. “I was going to go.”

“Ah. Well. I’ll go in your stead.”

“Bones—“

“I’m not kidding around here, Jim. Someone has to take care of you. And it’s obviously not going to be you and it’s not going to be what’s-his-name. So that leaves me.”

“What’s-his-name just lost his planet and many family members, friends, and colleagues.”

“I know that. And I cut him some slack because of that. I do. But I also watched him nearly strangle you to death. He ought to be up on court martial charges.”

“No way.”

Bones sighed. “I know. I said he ought to be. I know he won’t be. I get it. He wasn’t himself. But that doesn’t mean I can easily ignore what he did to you. Or that he hasn’t done anything to repair what happened. And a coffee and a pastry doesn’t cut it. Not in my book.”

Jim smiled faintly. “I know.”

“Eat your breakfast. And then maybe you can have visitors.”

“Are there people waiting to see me?” Jim thought about it. “Other than like admirals for official business that is.”

“There are those too. But those I told to get lost. They can have you when you’ve been discharged. No, real people. One of them is Pike’s wife.”

“Number One?”

Bones snorted. “Yeah. Wants to thank you for rescuing her hubby from the Romulan ship. But not until you eat. Then I’ll start sending them in. But keep it all brief. I want you to sleep some more.”

“Bossy SOB,” Jim muttered under his breath as Bones turned away.

“What was that?”

“Oh. I said this all looks good.” Jim batted his eyelashes.

“Hmm.”

When Bones left, Jim picked up the coffee and took a sip. It was probably crazy but he could even smell Spock on the cup. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought, maybe he woke in the night, and saw…something. Someone in a chair nearby. Spock maybe? Jim didn’t know and it was so vague he might have imagined it anyway. He touched his face, almost feeling Spock’s fingers on his cheek. Surely not, though. Spock spend the night in a chair by his side? Helping him sleep? And then bringing him coffee and a pastry? His favorites.

Maybe the way Spock used to be.

But now? It didn’t seem at all likely.

Jim shook his head and reached for the tapioca pudding.

July 17, 2019

Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

Fan Fiction and Personal Ramblings

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