Never Without You Again

Chapter 8

Kirk's POV

"Hannah!" I yell as I watch my niece hit the floor. Chekov quickly kneels down beside her and places two fingers on her neck. He sighs out of relief.

"She is ok," he says. "She's unconscious. Zhe stress was too much."

"Hannah!" we hear Bones exclaim through the coms. "Is she ok?! What happened?!"

"It's ok, Bones," I tell him. "She passed out, but she's alright. Poor thing was on overload and couldn't take it any longer."

I gently pick up Hannah and carry her to Medbay. A nurse takes a look at her as she begins to wake up. She says that Hannah will be fine. I was right. Her brain and body were on overload and just kinda gave out. Now that she's not completely on overload, she'll be fine.

As Hannah wakes up, she looks around groggily. Then, she sits up, brings her knees to her chest and lays her head on her knees. I see tears running down her face.

This poor kid has had a very, very long day...

I place my hand gently on her back. She looks up at me with misty eyes. This day has taken its toll, and the bad thing is, I have a feeling it's not over. I open up my arms and she wraps hers around my torso. I embrace her and just hold the poor girl for a second.

I love Hannah. Ever since I met her on the shuttle over four years ago, she's been like a niece to me. Honestly, she really is my niece even if not by blood. She's so strong-willed and so brave. Sometimes, most of the time, I wish I could be half the person she was. I told her this one time, and I thought I would cry at her response.

"Jim," she told me. "You are one of the most amazing people I know. You're not afraid to do what you think is right even if it's against what everyone in the universe says. That's one of the many things that makes you such a great captain and a great person."

She looks back up at me for a moment. Her eyes then go wide and she runs from Medbay. I don't try and stop her. I know where she's going.

Hannah's POV

The shuttle came back to the Enterprise about a minute ago. I run as fast as my feet will carry me to the shuttle. I stop at the midpoint of the hallway as I watch dad walk off the shuttle.

I run to him and wrap my arms around him like a frightened child. I feel myself trembling. Tears stream down my face. I try to catch my breath. My heart could jump from my chest. I feel like I'm in complete overdrive, and I'll shut down again at any moment.

He hugs me and kisses my forehead. Once again, we're both shaking. This has certainly been a hard day for both of us.

"I didn't know," he says. "If I was ever going to get to hold you again."

"I thought you were going to... I thought I was gonna lose you," I state in my breaking voice.

"I'm still here. I'm ok. I'm still here."

After everyone manages to calm down, we make our way back to Medbay to assess our... situation. There's a freaking man in the torpedo. What the heck? He's in cryofreeze. It's honestly a little disturbing to look at. Something about it seems... freaky.

"Is he alive?" Jim asks dad.

"He's alive," dad confirms. "But if we try to revive him without the proper sequencing, it could kill him. This technology's beyond me."

"How advanced, doctor?" Spock asks.

"It's not advanced," Dr. Marcus states. "That cryotube is ancient."