Chapter 5

G deck housed the sickbay complex, impulse engineering and an auxiliary bridge and therefore was one of the few decks with sections running on full power. While the science labs were also located on this deck, the majority of the equipment meant for the science missions had yet to be turned on. The labs were running on reduced power and currently the only experiments being performed were on the power supply.

In fact not everyone was pleased with these experiments; Kirk had already gotten an earful from Scotty about 'the cavalier manner' in which the crew was treating the ship. He'd allowed the irate man to blow off some steam for about thirty seconds and just when Kirk was about to cut him off, the Scot had suddenly stopped. He'd muttered something about reversing the flows of the warp plasma conduits and abruptly signed off. At least the Scotsman had the ship's best interest at heart. And it certainly didn't hurt that he was amusing as hell to listen to once he got going.

Entering the receiving area of sickbay, Kirk was reminded that this section of the ship had been hit hard in the initial attack. Signs of makeshift repairs were visible along the left walls, reaching back into the intensive care unit. The electronic life support modules had been pulled away from the wall and moved towards the other end of the bay.

It was here that he found Bones monitoring the vitals of a crewman from engineering. The young man was unconscious, although from the little he'd learned about reading vitals at the Academy, Kirk was fairly certain the man was stable.

McCoy had looked up at the sound of his approach. Greeting the younger man, the doctor frowned as he inspected the ring of purple around his neck.

"Ah, Jim. Finally got around to comin' down I see. Thanks for gracin' me with your presence." He aimed a tricorder at the bruises and nodded at the readings. Kirk waved off the device, ignoring Bones' annoyed huff.

"Finally got Command off my back; for the moment at least. Pike wants to see me; where is he?"

"He's in the isolation unit. You can go on back. Just make sure you see me before you leave."

Kirk nodded and headed for the back of the suite. The isolation unit was positioned at the rear of sickbay; the door was propped open, but the privacy curtain was pulled shut.

Pike looked up from a PADD resting in his lap as Kirk stepped through the door. A brief smile crossed his face.

"I see I've finally been deemed fit for visitors." He tapped the screen of the PADD and an image of the Star Fleet emblem replaced the document he had been reading.

"So, how's my ship holding up?"

Kirk returned the grin. "She'll make it back to Earth, sir. I'll have to apologize for the scratches though. I know it was a new paint job."

Pike's expression turned slightly wistful. "Didn't expect her to remain brand new forever. Well Captain, give me the full report."

Kirk found himself standing at attention as he relayed the current status of operations and repairs for the ship.

"…and Scotty is currently investigating ways to increase the power flow to the personnel levels. Hopefully we can get enough to run the sonic showers at the least. The crew would appreciate that. "

Pike nodded and studied the young man in front of him. Kirk suddenly had to suppress the urge to squirm.

"What about you? How are you holding up?"

"Sir?"

"Taking command of a ship this size and this new would be a lot for any Captain, much less one that hasn't even completed the command track at the Academy. " Pike leaned back and waited.

The younger man was stumped for a moment. Was his command being questioned? He wracked his brain for anything he may have done to warrant a dressing down by a superior officer. He shifted slightly and glanced towards the PADD lying on the bed. Had Star Fleet forwarded Spock's report already; and what was in it? He definitely needed to read that sooner rather than later.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't given anyone reason to question my abilities in running this ship sir. I've been working with the senior staff and Commander Spock fairly closely on regulating the daily…"

"That isn't what I asked you." Pike's steady gaze was seriously starting to bug him.

"With all due respect, I'm not sure what it is that you are asking sir." He couldn't help the note of petulance that crept into his voice.

His tone certainly hadn't escaped Pike either. The older man's gaze hardened slightly.

"Running a ship with four hundred plus crewman and personalities can get tough. Running that same ship with massive damages, limited supplies and a long trek home can seem pretty unmanageable. As the Captain you are expected to keep it together for that crew and make sure everything runs smoothly. Sure, things may get bumpy from time to time; after all none of us is perfect whether we want to admit it or not. It takes a strong personality to want to join Star Fleet and occasionally your actions are going to be questioned. Remember that."

Oh yeah, that was definitely Spock's report under the innocuous image of the Star Fleet emblem.

Pike's tone softened as he continued.

"When I recruited you, it wasn't because of your name. It was because I saw something in you; something that said to me that you are more than capable of captaining a star ship. I still see that quality in you; the question is, do you?"

Kirk was silent. This was not at all how he imagined this conversation going.

Another moment passed and Pike nodded slightly to himself.

"Check in with Dr. McCoy on your way out. All of the crew needs to be healthy right now and that includes the Captain."

Settling back against the pillow, Pike retrieved the PADD unit and commenced reading.

Well that was certainly a dismissal if ever he had heard one. The young man snapped off a quick salute and turned for the door. He paused just over the threshold of the room as Pike spoke again.

"Think about what I said Kirk and maybe you'll have an answer for me next time we speak."

The blond nodded, escaped back into the relative safety of the sick bay's common area and headed for the door. The last thing he wanted right now was to deal with McCoy after that little chat. He had been feeling fairly confident about how he'd handled everything so far. At least he'd thought he had until Pike's speech had brought up some nagging little concerns he'd been pushing aside.

He'd almost made it to the door when a flash of blue in front of him made him pull up short.

McCoy took one look at his face and sighed deeply. He then turned and headed for his office, sure in the knowledge that Kirk would follow.

"C'mon kid, I've got some good stuff in my desk. I need a drink if I'm going to listen to this."

AN: This chapter isn't as long as I would like it to be and I'm not entirely pleased with it, but I wanted to stop messing with it and just get something posted.

Real life has once again gotten in the way of finishing this story. However at long last I will actually be graduating next Saturday which is a rather nice feeling.

I haven't forgotten about this story and the occasional reviews remind me that there are other people out there that haven't either. It is to those people and those that have alerted this story in the hopes that it will get updated sometime this year, that I dedicate this chapter.

In any case please feel free to review and let me know what you think; it is my motivation to keep writing it. :o)