Star Trek: Uncharted Territories

Chapter Eleven

Enterprise

After the ship had properly been shot down, Leonard made his way back to sickbay with Hadley. Astrid and Alp helped to get her into the bed while he worked quickly and efficiently to set her up with a saline drip and pump her with fluids and all the O Negative he had in stock.

Her pale face was so beautiful, even clammy with sweat she was the most interesting creature in the worlds. Bones couldn't help but admire her as he worked, trying to save her.

"Dr. McCoy, your attempts are futile." Henry had been lurking in the background the entire time, his voice was cracked as tears were streaming down his face. He was incredibly weakened. "The poison is too fast acting."

Leonard knew this, he just didn't want to admit it. His PADD informed him the estimated amount of time Hadley had left to live, and it wasn't much time.

"Astrid." Leonard ignored Henry, bounding over to her sister. Her resemblance was unnerving.

"Yes, Doctor?" She whispered, haunted that her sister was going to die.

"I'm in love with your sister, and I had every intention of taking care of her for the rest of my years. I know she loved me too, in whatever ways she could. I know she'd learn to love me the way she was meant to. Do I have your permission to marry her, before she is taken from the universe forever?" Leonard's voice was desperately sad, and Astrid was shocked by this information.

She nodded once, "Yes, Dr. McCoy, I give you permission to marry her."

———Hadley———

In and out, black and white. Vivid pictures of faces. Guilt. Fear. Pain. Pain. White hot pain. Bright lights. More faces. Memories. Regrets. Words not spoken. Why was I seeing all of this at once? I was in and out, being pumped with a very cold and green liquid. Out again. I felt like I was being held underwater. Too much pain. I think I bit my lip. Numb. Numbness. Black again.

"Hadley. Hadley? Are you lucid?" Bones's voice was in my ear.

Yes,

I wanted to say, Yes, I'm here. Talk to me. Hold my hand. I couldn't open my mouth, nor could I open my eyes. I squeezed his fingers, to let him know I could hear. I could feel the blackness again. Forcing my eyes opened, I looked at him. I couldn't move an inch of myself, a prisoner trapped in my own body. Why was there so much pain? I was made of pain. It was almost impossible to keep my heavy eyelids opened, my entire body seemed to be weighed down in bed.

"Tips, we're going to get married. I promised you we would get married." Bones murmured, pushing hair off my face. His hand left flames on my face, and I shivered in fever.

Smiling, or I thought I was smiling, I opened my mouth. I croaked, not even sure if noise came out. "Kay." Though I didn't think now was an appropriate time, I wanted to be awake fully and healed.

"Chaplin Demetria is here, to get our certificate." He whispered, holding onto my lifeless hand. Stupid hand, why wasn't it moving on its own?

Astrid was standing back with Alp, holding onto him. She was crying. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her I'd be up and around soon. Why was everyone upset? I was awake wasn't I? Henry stood next to my bed, right behind Spock. Spock was watching the Chaplin with narrowed eyes, no emotion on his face. It dawned on me why I was feeling so many things. He was mind-melding me before.

"Are?" I asked, my voice hardly audible to my own ears.

"R?" Bones asked quietly, frowning in confusion.