Justice Building

Kudos had been many things over the years, but a patient man was not one of them. He paced back and forth in the long hallway of the Justice department, waiting for Judge Olef to review his petition for legal custody of the man who was suffering mental and physical exhaustion.

This should have been taken care of the day before but the man whom he trusted to make it swift must have been pondering on how to make it worth his while, Everything and everyone had a value, a price tag and that included the release of Jim into his protective hands. He would have to be patient.

It was not everyday one recovers from Choreomeningitis and Jim was that anomaly. Hell, what was even more amazing was the man's imprisonment and survival aboard an Andorian ship, but his son was an amazing man and he was so proud.

He had made his money over the years working for dubious sorts such as Areck and his fine young Andorian traders. He had become rich selling those who caused him problems in the past to the slave trader.

He knew that Areck would inform him of the location of JT, he owed him, because had he not given the man Carla Ann as a wonderful obedient concubine, her captivity and control had been ensured with the lie that her sister was still alive and well. If he had not planned this out so well so many years ago then he would not have this moment, this wonderful moment.

Everything takes time, especially if it is worth waiting for, and James Kirk was definitely worth the wait. Yeah, James Kirk was the blood born son of George Kirk but when he had met JT on Tarsus IV, on his arrival from Earth, he knew that he had to be his own, and today would be that day.

Now he had to wait, he needed the court order for JT to be released into his care and for him to come home to Tarsus IV so they could be a family. It is all that he wanted, all that he had dreamed of for fifteen years.

The boy had imprinted on him, his cries still touched his heart as he remembered how JT clung to him after the beatings, fighting fevers and the intense pain that proceeded his ordered torture of the boy. He had to teach him obedience, and he had to make sure the boy looked to him for comfort.

His thoughts were interrupted by a young lady who was calling out his name, "Mr Karidian, the judge would like to speak to you." she smiled as she waved for the older man to enter, Kodos obliged and walked into the office.

Judge Olef smiled and greeted the man and motioned for him to take a seat,"I have read over the motion and I really don't have a problem placing James Kirk in your care ….except for one small matter."

The man almost panicked, wondering if the judge had figured out his true identity, but he continued to keep his cool and replied, " What is it? I have nothing but the best of intentions for his mental and physical care."

" And according to these documents you have the funding to ensure both." Judge Olef continued, " But, he already has a guardian, actually guardians, already assigned by this legal document, it's similar to the older document called a Power of Attorney, and it calls for two men to make all of James' medical decisions if he is unable to make them for himself."

The new fact angered him, made him want to storm out and get the kid the way he use to take them, because kidnapping and extortion was always an option and one that he actually liked.

He kept his cool though, he had waited too long for this moment and he would not ruin with a tantrum, " I wasn't aware of such a document." He smiled at the judge and continued, knowing that money definitely talked, especially among those who held a certain degree of power, "I am sure we can find a way to override it, he is in need of great medical care and possibly long term mental care. I am more than willing to pay any amount to ensure his well being." He smiled at the judge, hoping that the subliminal message was connecting to the man's brain cells.

Judge Olef smiled and nodded, he knew of a few legal maneuvers he could use to get the document negated, he just hoped it would be worth the price he was going to ask. " I'm sure we can work out some monetary amount to ensure that the legal document gets... misplaced." he reached out to shake Karidian's hand, and there the deal was struck, as Karidian smiled and shook the man's hand firmly, " My daughter Lenore will write you a check this afternoon, and I would like for him to be on a flight home tonight at the latest." He needed to arrange transport for his son, it was going to be a long journey home.

" I am sure she will take care of me." the judge gave him a sardonic grin, thinking that more than money would be changing hands for the man called James Kirk.

" She was raised to understand the art of negotiation, she will be at your full service but like I said, I will need to leave by ten o'clock tonight. You do understand the urgency in getting him to a proper facility in a timely manner?" Kodos wanted to guarantee that this would go smoothly.

" Indeed." He patted the man on the shoulder and walked him to the door, his plans for the young and beautiful daughter of the rich man was going to be more than just business tonight.

Kodos knew the judge would get his last taste of sexual satisfaction tonight, Lenore would kill him, it is what she was taught and she would do it without leaving a clue. He had things to plan, his heart was palpitating at the thought of having James home again, and he knew that he had to make sure his home was totally secured, he wouldn't want JT to think he could ever escape again.

Hospital

Room 827

Jim rolled over to see the doctor sitting in his usual chair, watching him as he had done for the past few days. He thought Bones was persistent but Dr Connors must have been his teacher because he had it down to a damned fine art.

" Good morning James." the doctor eyed his patient, wanting to get him to at least talk to him this morning.

The day before had been bad for his client, it had propelled him to use some ancient but effective medications that his client was not so sensitive to and he wanted to see if they were helping him this morning.

"Yeah, shhhhure it is." his damaged voice was still raw and slurred.

" You feel like talking?" he asked as he pulled his seat closer to the man in the bed.

Jim looked over at the man and rolled his eyes. "Like I have a choice." his words actually sounding better the second time around.

" I want to keep you informed about your care, so first, let's talk about medications. I have you started on a couple of anti-depressants and a sedative. This combination of drugs will assist you in being able to talk about the traumas that you have experienced." he started, wondering if the man in the bed was actually listening to him.

" I hate drugs, they tend to cause me a multitude of problems, such as respiratory distress, hives, anaphylactic shock, diarrhea, vomiting, urinary retention, hives, etcetera, etcetera." Jim mumbled out the words as he rubbed at sticky eyes, wanting to just to get through this ordeal so early in the damned morning. He glanced at the clock and noted the ten-thirty in the morning hour. " Damn, did I sleep since yesterday?"

" Yes, you did James. Like I said, I've started you on a regimen of drugs to assist you in being able to cope with what happened, not only recently but in the past. Your profile reads like a book and I know that you haven't dealt with the ordeals in your life, your actions speak louder than words." he continued, wanting to get across the point that he wanted him to start talking about his life and finding ways to cope other than putting his life at risk.

" I've been through this before, doc. I am who I am." he started to raise up in bed and then noted that his sitter was missing again. He proceeded to raise himself up in the biobed. He shook his head, " If you want to gain points with me then you'll get rid of my babysitter."

Dr Connors knew that request was coming, it is what they all asked for first. " I'll think about it." he smiled as he glanced down at his notes, wondering just where to begin now that his client was actually talking.

Jim nodded, at least it was worth a try, he would keep pounding on that point, the good doctor would cave eventually, they always did to get him to talk. "Where's Bones?" he asked, wanting to talk to him about getting out of the damned hospital, he would do whatever it took and to rid himself of the shrink he might have to do something desperate.

" Making his rounds. He is a busy surgeon." He watched his client stare at the door, as if he was mentally wishing that the doctor would come and rescue him from having to talk to the damned shrink. He was use to by now, they all thought the same way.

" Yeah, he does like his job." he responded as he pulled the blanket around his body tight. He just wanted to leave, and it was getting a little claustrophobic with the doctor in the room.

" You want to try to eat something. Maybe some dry toast or crackers." He knew it was going to be a while before James could eat solid food again, and he felt bad for the man. The feeding tube still snaked out from under the blankets, he would need to be eating before it could be removed.

" Nah, I'm good." Jim pointed to the container of liquid food above his head and smiled, " I hope its lactose free, I have a tendency to get stomach upset." he smiled a crooked grin.

The doctor took in the frail appearance of the man in the bed, he was pale, thin, and very weak. He was vulnerable and he would have to be careful not to take advantage of the man's vulnerabilities. "You want to talk about yesterday?" It was a fair question, one that needed to be asked and dealt with considering fact of the breakdown that was now documented and had led him to changing James's meds.

He felt tired suddenly, the past few days had taken their toll. He really didn't feel like talking especially to a complete stranger, someone he had known for less than a week and if he did tell the man his plan then he would be looking at restraints and enough drugs to stone an elephant.

" It was a bad day." It was a short answer but at least he gave the man something.

" To say the least, you were definitely distraught. I would have been too, learning that someone whom I thought to be dead was actually alive and well. How did that make you feel?" he didn't want to rush James but he had to get started on his recovery and he might as well start here, where the pain was the freshest.

Jim couldn't help but to squirm under the assessing eyes of the mental health man, he felt uncomfortable to say the least, and he wasn't going to answer but, then again, he wanted to say something, needed to say something.

" It's hard to realize that you've failed someone, especially, someone you loved." his voice cracked with emotion, but he quickly recovered but closed his eyes, the emotion of finding out about Adele as he loved to call the little girl named Adeline Belle Therian. He had loved teasing her by calling her Adele Bell. Her giggle was still etched in his memory, her red hair and freckles still vivid in his eidetic mind.

" Are you talking about Adeline or Carla Ann?" the doctor asked as he leaned forward, finally the conversation had started and he had to be careful not to say something that would halt the propulsion forward with his client.

" Both. They meant a lot to me when I lived on Tarsus IV. I never had a real family and I finally had found one, a family that cared about each other, a family that cared about me. I felt loved there." He didn't realize he was telling the doctor his inner most thoughts, he just felt like finally talking.

" Sam was your family, it seems as if he was also a protector too." Dr Connors hoped he was not pushing it too far but wanted to interject the man who had taken the beatings in his place for so many years of his young life.

Jim nodded, that was Sam until he left, until he ran away, the protector, his bodyguard. He sure as hell took a lot of beatings from their step-father, and he couldn't help but to feel it was his fault. He had tried to be good, tried to be perfect but the man had a temper and when he was intoxicated he was at his worse and no matter how perfect he was, the man wanted to beat him, and Sam protected him, calling away the attention from himself and taking the pain of the belt. He missed Sam.

The doctor saw the acknowledgment of what he already knew from James' files and was satisfied for the moment with Jim's nonverbal response.

" Have you seen your mother since you became a Captain." he asked, hoping that he didn't miss anything in the files, hoping that she too wasn't an abusive parent.

" I haven't seen Winona since I returned from Tarsus IV. She had a lot of guilt issues according to my shrinks. She was devastated to find out about Frank and his unorthodox punishments and she had sent me there to live with my aunt, uncle and their children. " he took a deep breath, remembering the day Kodos had slaughtered them, right in front of his very eyes. The massacre had caused chaos and he was able to escape but not without seeing so many people killed. It had been too much for a thirteen year old to witness. " She probably thinks I hate her for having to deal with Tarsus IV too."

Dr Connors felt bad, the man had been deserted by the mother and she emotional issues too, it had to be a blow to someone who had suffered so much pain in such a short period of time. Tarsus IV had been a living hell and he had no support on his return. He would have to continue going slow, but there were so many curves on this path he felt that he could stumble and falter this interview. James Kirk's life was becoming more and more complicated.

" I've only read stories about Tarsus IV. You actually lived it, it must have been awful seeing so many people die." he continued, treading lightly with where he could go with this particular event in James young life. This event had changed the man in the bed, for the good and for the worse.

Jim's face darkened at the memories, so many people slaughtered that day, so many young lives ended, four thousand people butchered and it was all labeled eugenics and all of it was so avoidable, the relief ships were coming and yet the man had murdered men, women and children all to save the stronger, more valuable elite. He mentally shook his head and decided that he had enough talking for today. His emotions were too raw to start talking about a place that he had never talked to anyone about before.

" If Bones wants to do his morning poking and prodding he had better get here soon. I want to sleep." he ended the conversation and therefore notified the doctor in the chair that he was done talking about his feelings for the day.

The doctor got the cue, that James was done talking for now but he knew the drugs would soon assist him in letting go of the demons of his past, allow him to move forward in his recovery.

One of the drugs acted like sodium pentothol, it reacted on the brain the same way by decreasing higher cortical brain functioning. He would increase the dose this morning and by late afternoon he would be more able to talk about those things he had kept inside for so long, the pain he knew the man had found a way to hide from, until now. For now, he would not push.

" I'll find him James." He stood to leave but turned, and spoke to the man in the bed. " I'm here to help you, if you want to be helped. I know it's hard but I won't allow you to throw away the best thing that has ever happened to you, your crew needs you James, and I have a feeling that you need them too."

Jim didn't answer, he closed his eyes, wanting to retreat from the memories of his past, from the horrors of Tarsus IV. " I'll eat some toast if you can find some."

Dr Connors smiled, " I'll make you some myself." he closed Jim's door, the Vulcan returned to his seat.

Jim knew he would have to talk some but this was going to be difficult, more than he had anticipated.

Judge Olef's Chambers

The Judge smiled as he signed the documents releasing James Tiberius Kirk into the custody of Anton Karidian. He knew what he was about to do was against all his ethical teachings but money talked and so did sexual favors.

He stamped his seal on the document, gathered his belongings and left his office. He would give the documents to Lenore tonight, it would be a night she would never forget.

Room 827

Bones entered Jim's room. He noted the half finished toast on Jim's tray and felt good that he had at least attempted to eat. He just wanted his friend, his captain, better.

" Good morning sunshine." the doctor spoke as he lifted the blinds and allowed he sun to shine into the room.

" I have a headache, Bones, close the damned shades." he mumbled, his head buried beneath the blankets.

Bones reached over and turned on the bioboard, he needed to do his morning assessment. " You don't have a headache you pain in the ass, so get your head out from under those damned blankets." Bones wanted the man in the bed to know he wasn't going to put up with his shit today.

Jim pushed off the blankets and noted that his bodyguard was missing, it was a small relief.

" I want this out." Jim pointed to the device in his stomach that protruded out and connected to the tube feeding.

" And I want out of Starfleet so I can raise sheep but that's not going to happen." he mumbled, as he checked settings and vital signs.

Jim gave him a quizzical look and started to say something when he noted the hyposprays in the doctors hand. " No more drugs!" he almost yelled, well, he might have yelled, as he pushed himself back on the bed, as far away from the dreaded drug filled vials as he could.

" Don't be such a wuss, Jim. These will help you get the hell out of here and the sooner the better. And by the way,I think Spock is stalking me, he is here more than he is on the ship." He continued as he rounded on his patient and administered the first of the hyposprays.

" Dammit!" Jim yelled, " I said no more drugs!" he rubbed at the soreness left behind.

" And I said you have to get better so that Vulcan will stop camping out in my office." he landed another hypo on the other side of Jim's already sore neck.

"Son of a bitch, Bones!" his reaction to the pain even surprised him, he hated hyposprays.

Bones smiled, finally the man in the bed was acting more like the Jim he knew. " One more." he landed it with such precision and propulsion that he would have made even Thomas Newton proud.

Jim just yelped this time and rubbed at his painful neck. " I hate you." he slurred as the drugs entered his system.

" And that is why you are my best friend, Jim. We have that love, hate relationship." he smiled as he reached for the tricorder and started assessing, noting a slightly elevated fever. He then reached down and pulled up Jim's gown and looked at the peg site, it was fine.

" What?" Jim asked, his eyes getting heavy from the damned drugs that had been delivered into his delicate system.

" Just looking for the source of your fever, Jim." he reached over for the device to take blood and without asking permission, which he knew Jim would not give anyways, he took some blood from the arm opposite Jim's current IV. He knew it was a low grade fever but with Jim, nothing was ever easy.

"Fever?" he again slurred his words, wanting to ask when he could leave but instead he just drooled and his eyes went closed.

" Yeah, fever." Bones answered worriedly as he left the room to take the blood to lab, noting that the sitter was reentering the room as he left.

"My luck sucks." Jim spoke it mostly to himself as he was hit with a wave of shivers...causing him to tuck himself under the blankets tightly.

"Dammit, even when he's trying something goes wrong." Bones mumbled to himself as he headed for the lab. All Jim needed was another setback.

As the door closed Jim let out a congested cough, it was going to be a long day.

Okay, I am going to work today so this is my chapter for the day. I hope you like and remember, reviews are appreciated. Thank you for reading my story.