Healer Jazz Man It was supposed to be just another ordinary mission, nothing dangerous. Deliver medical supplies to an outlying colony then return to Starbase 41. Not even a job worthy of the Enterprise and certainly not hazardous. Or at least that's what Starfleet had said. They were just asking for trouble and that's exactly what they got. Jim Kirk had gone and caught himself a disease, and a nasty one at that. Well damn Starfleet and damn Spock for letting him go down there, thought McCoy. Glaring across his desk at Spock he changed his mind. No need to damn Spock, he's already doing that himself. "There was nothing you could have done to stop it, Spock." The Vulcan looked up, "I am aware of that Doctor and it is illogical to believe otherwise. Now, how is he?" "His condition is stable for the moment and we have diagnosed what is wrong." "Is it curable?" "He has a disease called Bini Syndrome. It causes severe brain damage if left untreated. His readings are stable, for the moment . . ." "Then what is the problem?" McCoy sighed, "I've tried all known cures with no response." "That should cause you no problem, Doctor," said Spock rising, "Now, if there was nothing else?" McCoy shook his head, no. "Good," he said walking out of the Doctor's office. Not even a suggestion of my incompetence, thought McCoy sadly, maybe he is as close to Jim as rumour suggests. "Nurse?" "Yes, Doctor?" "Do you have the results of the tests I asked you for?" "Yes, Doctor. The results are negative. No response to the treatment." "Thank you, nurse." McCoy had come to a conclusion. There was only one more thing he could try. "Spock, I need your help." Silence as Spock looked up from his meal. "Doctor are you feeling quite well?" "Yes, damn it," said McCoy scowling. "Jim," it wasn't a question. McCoy nodded, "No progress." "What makes you think I would be able to help?" "You're a healer aren't you. That's why you call my medicine barbaric, Vulcan techniques are so different, more refined." "True," said Spock returning his attention to the food on his plate. "On which account?" McCoy already knew the answer before Spock answered, "Both Doctor. I am a healer of some moderate skill. However, it is not often I have to call on these skills except for myself. I am unsure what assistance I could be." The doctor leaned closer, "Nothing is helping Jim. At this point I am willing to try anything. Considering the bond you and he have I thought it might be worth a try." "Of what bond are you referring to?" asked Spock suspiciously. McCoy blushed, "Well, rumour has it . . ." "It is often unwise to listen to rumour. On the other hand it can be accurate," he paused, considering how to continue, "Whilst it is true that the Captain and I share a type of bond, it is not perhaps the type you think. On Vulcan there are many types of bond. The kind akin to marriage is the most sacred and has happened since ancient times. There are many others." "And the bond you share with the Captain?" "Is a bond of brotherhood. We agree to protect each others safety. Jim is so determined to damage himself that I believe this to be necessary to his continued well being." "Then you should have no problem helping him." "I should have no problem, yes, but . . ." "There are no buts about it Spock, if you can help then you have to." "As you wish, Doctor." All his readings are stable . . . surely McCoy could find a cure on his own . . . there would be no need for me to interfere . . . NO . . . my Captain must come first in all matters . . . MY life is irrelevant compared with HIS survival . . . the needs of the MANY outweigh the needs of the few. When McCoy walked into sickbay Spock was already there. He stood at the foot of Kirk's bed in deep thought. "Spock, are you ready?" He took a moment to acknowledge the doctor, "I am prepared." McCoy let out a sigh of relief, "For a while I thought you were going to back out." "No, I am decided." The doctor nodded. "How do we start?" "One of the first things that a healer will try is to enter the injured person into a healing trance. I am unsure who this would work with a human, but we should try." "What do you need?" "Privacy, for both my own and Jim's benefit." "All right we can move him into one of the private rooms." "We, Doctor?" "You don't think I'm letting you try this without constant monitoring?" "No, I do not. It would, however, be easier without interference." "Rubbish, Spock." True. The room was to warm for McCoy, not that he would admit it to the Vulcan. Spock stood off to the side preparing himself for the link. If all went well Kirk should start to improve, if not they would have to find another way. "I am ready," said Spock moving to Kirk's side. "If anything goes wrong, break contact immediately, Spock." "Yes, doctor." Spock gently placed his fingers on the meld points and closed his eyes. He then entered the healing trance. The part of his mind not devoted to this silently 'asked' permission to enter Kirk's mind. He got no response. Spock would not enter the mind of another without permission, but this was surely different. This was healing the other, not invading the mind. He was saved the decision by the almost non-existent answer he received through the mind link. Yes. Spock visibly relaxed and McCoy let out the breath he had not realised he had been holding. Spock strengthened the link and entered Kirk's mind. In his minds eye he saw a expanse of land unknown to him, Kirk's was an unfamiliar mind. It was hot and dry, plants were shrivelled up. One area in particular was barren, the disease. For the moment he left it. What he was to do now was send this land into winter so that spring would come and the mind could heal. In Spock's mind it started to snow. In only moments the ground was covered in pure white. Then the sun came out and the snow melted almost as quickly as it had appeared. Kirk's human mind had rejected the trance. Spock tried once more with the same result and then exited the trance and link. "Well, what happened?" asked McCoy nervously. "The Captain's mind rejected the trance," said Spock opening his eyes. "But he let you try, right?" "Yes, but his mind is very weak. You understand, doctor, that if the Captain does not let me enter his mind I will not do so." "Yes," said McCoy sighing, "I do. But lets just hope it doesn't come to that." By evening Kirk's vital signs were beginning to deteriorate. McCoy stood nervously outside Spock's quarters. He wanted to know what else they could do for the Captain. The thing that troubled him was Spock's earlier reticence. "Come." McCoy walked in. "Doctor McCoy, how can I help you?" Bolder McCoy moved closer to Spock's desk, "I want to know what else we can do for Jim." The Vulcan hesitated. "There is something we can do, is isn't there?" It seemed to be an eternity until Spock replied, "Yes." McCoy breathed a sigh of relief. "But," warned Spock, "It will be difficult. Normally two healers are required. Also this last time I did this I was the secondary healer." "Spock, how many people are there in this room?" "Two, doctor. Why?" McCoy continued, ignoring the question, "How many physicians?" "Only one, yourself." "Right, now what did they used to call physicians," McCoy paused, "Healers, Spock, healers." Spock's eyebrow raised, "Are you suggesting that you participate in a Vulcan healing rite?" "That's sure what it sounded like over here." "Yes, doctor, I'm sure it does. But you are unaware of what it will involve - " "Spock, at this moment I don't care if it means I turn green and grow horns. Jim is getting weaker, soon there will be nothing we can do and no way to restore the brain damage being caused." Spock nodded, "Agreed, although I think you mean ears." "What?" "Since it seems you were referring to Vulcans I would suspect you meant ears rather than horns." "From over here they look like horns." "Yes, doctor, I'm sure they do," said Spock with just a glint of humour in those dark eyes. "Doctor, for this to work you must relax." "I'm trying, Spock, it's just that . . . well . . ." Spock caught McCoy's gaze, "Do you trust me?" "Of course," said McCoy indignant. "Then you know that I would do nothing to harm you," his dark eyes were full of sincerity. "I know, Spock, I know." "You also know that for this to have the remotest chance of success we must form a mind link." McCoy nodded. Taking that as assent Spock continued. He reached out with his left hand and gently touched his fingers to the meld points. He then motioned McCoy to do the same. "My mind to your mind, your thoughts to my thoughts." Unwillingly McCoy found himself repeating the words. Suddenly McCoy found himself in the middle of a desert. To his left, in the distance were dark and foreboding mountains. At his feet a small stream that seemed slightly out of place trickled past. "Where am I?" he muttered to himself. Spock's mind, came the reply. "Spock's mind?" asked McCoy reaching down and running his hand through the sand. The sand shimmered and formed into images. First, Spock at his post answering the Captain's unasked question. Then in a moment of humour in the mess, Spock unmoved by the situation. Emotionless, thought McCoy, the 'perfect' Spock. The final image was Spock handing in a report to Kirk. Kirk had looked up obviously pleased. Spock was almost smiling. The images ended and McCoy was left alone in the desert. For Spock the transition was less sudden, mainly because he had been expecting it. But that still didn't change the effect of what he saw. He found himself standing at the edge of a clear blue lake. The water looked deep, yet remained clear as far as could be seen. To a Vulcan this was priceless, all this water. To find it in McCoy's mind was even more so. Absently Spock reached down to trail his fingers in the water. The water rippled, images forming from the point where Spock's hand had been. McCoy, head bent over the operating table working on delicate surgery. In his office finishing paperwork, looking up and inviting the person at the door in. Listening intently to the crewmember's problem, no matter how small it seemed. Slowly this last vision faded leaving Spock alone. It was a sudden jolt to both men as they returned to sickbay. "What was that?" "That, doctor, was a mind link. A very intense mind link," said Spock, looking down at his hands and the water there. Now all they had to do was wait until the link became strong enough for McCoy to initiate contact from a distance. Then it would be strong enough to purge Kirk of the illness within him. Spock was on the bridge when McCoy 'spoke' to him. He had been speaking to a young ensign. Spock closed his eyes, Spock opened his eyes and left the bridge. "Aye, sir," said the ensign, raising an eyebrow. The door behind him whooshed open. McCoy did not need to turn around having sensed who it was. "Is all ready?" asked Spock. "Yes, Jim is in one of the private rooms. We can begin as soon as you wish." "Then we should prepare. You know what must be done. I will attempt to force the illness out of Jim's body and contain it myself. Your job is to break the link if something goes wrong and to then dissipate the illness in my body." McCoy took a deep breath, "That's one tall order." "True, but it may work and that is all that matters," even over my life, he added to himself. "Spock?" "Yes?" "Good luck." Spock paused, "Thank you." An awkward silence descended, broken only when McCoy led Spock into the room where Kirk was. Spock walked over to where Kirk lay. "Doctor, if anything seems to be wrong stop the mind link." McCoy nodded, "Understood. Break the mind link, but not the physical link." McCoy paused, "Ready?" "Affirmative," said Spock reaching a hand out to Kirk and placing his fingers on the meld points. Spock was once again plunged into the barren mind of his captain. The first thing he had to do was to find the illness. A few metres in front of him the few plants that had been there had died. "The illness," came McCoy's voice from within the link. "Yes." Now the illness had to be removed. Spock started to dig around the edges of the barren area. After a short while a tough, leathery skin appeared - the illness had been located. Spock began to dig more furiously but still with infinite care so as to not pierce the skin. For McCoy each moment was agony. He wanted to shout at the Vulcan to slow his frantic pace, but at the same time he wanted Spock to speed up. He wished he could help remove the illness from his friend, to make him whole again. Spock had removed the illness from the ground. Now he had to contain it within his own mind. He found himself in the desert, McCoy standing in front of him. "Doctor, now." McCoy nodded and moved forward. He had to dissipate the illness and contain it. He attached the long tube in his hand to a large spherical container made of what looked like obsidian. This now had to be plugged into the brown lump that was the illness. Before McCoy could do anything, Spock fell to his knees and dropped the mass. "Spock," shouted McCoy lunging forward to reach the Vulcan. The illness had split. McCoy had to chose, capture the illness or help Spock. "Get it," whispered Spock closing his eyes and shutting out the world. Quickly McCoy plugged the tube into the rip in the leathery hide. He turned the container and felt the illness spread into the unyielding stone. Next he turned his attention to Spock. The Vulcan was unconscious. McCoy had to break the link, to return to reality. McCoy found himself back in sickbay. With a brief glance to Kirk's vitals he crossed to Spock. He lent down and, with a strength that on reflection he felt not to be his own, lifted the Vulcan up. He walked into the main area of sickbay and called on a nurse. "Nurse, administer the cure for Bini Syndrome. If something goes wrong I'll be in surgery." "Aye, sir." It took five hours for McCoy to correct the damage done to Kirk. Even then he could not be sure how successful the surgery had been. Now he had to check on Spock. Looking at the board above Spock's head he found that the cure had begun to take effect. Spock would want to know how his Captain was. McCoy wanted to tell him now, to help his recovery. And to stop the need for him to see Kirk when Spock regained consciousness. McCoy reached down to brush a lock of hair out of Spock's eyes. He felt a sudden jolt of energy and pulled back. "What . . . the mind link?" he said shaking his head. "That's how I can tell Spock." McCoy placed his fingers on the meld points and hesitantly asked, It took Jim Kirk three days to recover from the surgery. In a week he would be back on the bridge. Spock recovered in less time and after four days in sickbay was ready to return to light duty. "Now, Spock, don't tire yourself out. You've been through a lot in these past few days." "As have you, doctor." McCoy huffed, "I've been through worse." "Perhaps, but the statement remains true," Spock glanced at the floor and then up at McCoy again, "Doctor, would you, purely for the purpose of recovery, care to join me this evening for a meal?" McCoy looked at him, "Why would you want to eat with someone as incompetent as me?" "Perhaps, doctor, you are not as incompetent as I had first thought." McCoy smiled, "And maybe I don't really mind that your a green- blooded, pointy eared . . ." Before he could finish Uhura entered the room. "What was that, Doctor McCoy?" "Uh . . ." "The Doctor called me a green-blooded, pointy eared, and then I did not hear his final word." "What was going to say is not fit to be said in front of a lady." "Well I'm here to see the captain, so I'll leave you to it." She paused, leaning on the door frame, "Don't stay up too late, boys." And then she was gone, laughing. McCoy shook his head, "How does she do it, Spock?" "I do not know. Now I must leave also," said Spock walking to the door. "Spock," he turned, "Yes." "Yes?" "I'd love to meet you tonight." "Good." END