A/N: Hello! Wonderful to see you all again! I guess I waited too long between logins to update the document with the new chapter in it and the site deleted it so I had to start from scratch... ANYWAYS. Enjoy and as always, thanks for stickin' with me!

This Time Know: A Star Trek Fanfiction

Written by candid-tin-can (Formerly, Lady F.S.)

Chapter Thirteen: Head Above Hot Water

Today was the day. Amira felt a giddiness bubbling in her chest as she woke up this morning. Dr. McCoy had assessed the state of her leg yesterday and after completing a few tests, he had finally cleared her for active duty. In all the excitement she had forgotten herself and gave him the most grateful, crushing hug she could manage. Aside from a few half-hearted grumbled protests, he was otherwise very understanding of her energy.

All she had to do now was complete a final examination with the nurse and then she was free to go. She stretched languidly on the bed before getting up to open the small box that sat on a chair at her bedside. She grinned at the sight of her uniform, freshly pressed and folded neatly in the box. However, as she pulled it out her smile faltered. Amira had asked to see the Captain after her final examination because today was the day she would ask to be transferred off the bridge. All the time she had spent recovering in the medical bay had allowed her to think long and carefully about this decision and she felt she was ready to make this request. As she let her fingers gently glide over the fabric of her uniform she smiled sadly as she thought about leaving the Pavel and the captain, even Lieutenant Ademi who she'd only just gotten to know. She felt silly for feeling this way since they'd still be aboard the same ship together but she'd miss seeing them on the bridge and working closely with them. The familiar hiss of air from the door opening brought her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see she had a visitor.

"Today's the day, huh?" Luka had been visiting her off duty since she woke up to try and establish a stronger friendship with his bridge relief. He smiled at the glimmer of anticipation in her eyes and took a seat next to her biobed. "You're still going to talk to Jim about the transfer, yes?"

Amira hesitated for a moment but she nodded. "I just hope my record from the Academy holds up and I qualify for the job."

Luka's nose crinkled as he gave her a disbelieving smile. "I've seen your record, Amira. If it was enough for the Captain to scout you for linguistics, your minor, I promise you the work you did majoring in engineering will shine even brighter."

She smiled sheepishly, ducking her head to hide the light blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, Luka. You're probably right."

They sat there for a few minutes, chatting idly away as they waited for the nurse to return and administer her final examination. However, instead of the nurse, yet another unexpected visitor came through the door instead. Amira clenched the blanket in between her fingers as the Captain smiled at her from across the room. Luka's eyes swirled with sympathy as the unsuspecting man strode casually across the room to take a place next to the Andorian.

"I know I was going see you later today but I didn't want to wait until you were back on duty to see how you were doing." He reached into his pocket and took out a small drawstring bag and handed it to her. "Scotty wanted me to give that to you. They fixed your communicator from the fall but I guess he got busy with the ship and it sat on his desk this whole time."

Amira tried her best to keep her hand steady as she took the bag from him. "Thank you, Captain. I'll be sure to thank Mr. Scott too when I get out of here."

Jim nodded but he noticed something off about the way she smiled at him and how Luka had kept his eyes averted to him this whole time. He pushed it to the back of his mind for now so as not to dampen his lieutenant's spirit and settled on bringing it up when he and Luka could find a moment alone. He looked at his watch and let out a small sigh in annoyance. "I better get back then. I told Spock I'd only be five minutes and I'd hate to have him nag me in front of the whole bridge." Amira giggled genuinely at that and he felt himself perk up just a bit.

Luka rose from his chair and gave a light touch to Amira's shoulder. "I should head back as well. I'll see you later?"

"Yes. And thank you both for your encouragement through out this whole thing." She pushed past the tinge of vulnerability and looked them both in the eyes. "I really appreciate it." They smiled warmly at her.

"Of course. We're in this together for five years, after all." Jim teased like he always did but his tone held a genuine note to it.

Amira felt a bit of relief as Luka took it upon himself to lead the Captain into the hall and out of the med bay. She gave him a wave of gratitude as he snuck her one last knowing look before the door slid shut behind them. She leaned back into the pillow and let out a lengthy, unhindered sigh. She couldn't wait to get out of this room but most of all, she couldn't wait to talk to the Captain about that transfer and get it over with; regardless of his answer.

The time passed waiting for the nurse was short but it felt so long as the anticipation crested more and more inside of her until she felt close to breaking. Amira idly ran her fingers over the scarred over skin of her leg wound as her mind meandered from one fleeting thought to the next. She thought of many things; what it'd be like in the engineering deck, what Mr. Scott would be like as a superior, if she'd be able to see her friends as much if they were on different decks, if the Captain would still like her if she left the bridge, if he would let her leave the bridge, if maybe Spock would be able to come around to her if they weren't around each other as much. The list went on and on but she found herself lingering on the last thought more than any of the others. Things with Spock were still very much up in the air. He hadn't come to visit her since their last conversation concerning the mind link they had during the Edas V ordeal. She figured it was the was last straw for him and he decided it would be best not to see her anymore. A more logical part of her couldn't blame him but a lesser so part of her was decidedly frustrated if that was really the case.

When the nurse finally came for the examination Amira found she couldn't get as excited about it was she was before. She was still thinking about Spock. As they cycled through the routine tests she came to the decision the best thing she could do in regard to their relationship, if you could call it that, was to apologize for any oversteps she committed and then move on with her life.

"Alright, Lieutenant." Nurse Zurin's mellow tone brought her out of her head. "You are cleared for duty. I have to go file this report away but make sure before you leave to schedule your follow up with Dr. McCoy."

Amira nodded. "Thank you for taking care of me, Nurse Zurin."

The physician was a bit taken aback by the gratitude but her small smile was bright all the same. "You're very welcome."

Amira took her time getting into uniform as the full weight of what followed leaving the med bay finally kicked in. She pushed past the anxiety and tried to focus on building up her resolve. Jim wasn't going to let her leave the bridge so easily so it was better for her to have as solid an argument as she could if she was going to convince him this was a good idea. Her face felt hot as she took her first steps back on active duty but she chalked it up to the nerves and ignored it. The walk to the Captain's office was not unlike the one she had faced during the earthquake on Edas V; tumultuous and uncertain. Not that she'd rather face that again, but at least with an earthquake she knew what to expect. Once she reached the door of the Captain's office she found her hand hovering over the keypad. This was it. Amira knew when she went through that door there was no turning back.

She pressed the release command and the door slid open. Upon entering she noticed nobody was in the immediate entryway and wondered if he wasn't here yet.

"Amira? Is that you?" Jim's voice floated in from the side room and dispelled any question she had as she followed the sound into a smaller room that connected the main conference area of the office to a space were a desk sat. He sat against the side of large desk with a book that he quickly set down when he realized he was right to assume it was her that had arrived in his office. "God, it feels good to see you walking again."

The heat on her face from earlier amplified and there was a warmth in her chest at the relief that glinted in his eyes, his wide grin. "Glad to be walking again, Captain."

He laughed softly and situated himself on his desk so he was fully facing her. "So, what brings you here? I was kind of surprised you requested this sort of meeting since we were going to see each other on the bridge eventually."

The was a pang of anxiety that clattered inside her stomach, her head felt light and the rising heat on her cheeks was overwhelming but with a deep breath through the nose, she straightened up and finally told him what she'd been wanting to tell him for some time now. "Captain, I'd like to transfer down to the engineering deck."

His eyes fell and the smile on his face faltered. He was upset, she knew he would be but she couldn't hesitate now. She had to prove to him it was for the right reason this time. "It's got nothing to do with Commander Spock. If I'm being completely honest, I've always wanted a job in engineering. I know that may seem misleading since I accepted your offer to head linguistics as your communications officer but I feel I would excel best in engineering. It was my major in the academy and I was pretty good at it. I'm sure you saw that in my file." She swallowed past the lump in her throat and tried to steady her voice as it began to sound thin and nervous. "If you give me a chance, Captain, I could be one of the best damn engineers you've ever had. Please."

Jim's silence was more nerve wracking than any haranguing he could've met her with after that whole spiel but she held onto her hope by a thread that she would see the logic and the good intentions behind her request and grant her a transfer. He stood up from the desk and meandered over to his book case, his hand hovering a particular shelf before finally plucking a book out from the collection. He gave the cover a once over before he brought his eyes to meet hers. The sudden eye contact nearly caused her to jump but she held firm.

"I knew about your major in engineering when I recruited you, that's true. But I put you in communications because they don't let undergrad cadets into engineering and you put down on your post-graduate statement how much you'd wanted to be assigned to a ship like the Enterprise." He set the book, cover down, on the desk. "When you accepted the position, I took that as you resigning your pursuit for a job as an engineer; trading one dream for another. For me to consider transferring you, I needed to see some kind of fire in you for it. Otherwise it'd be a waste."

Amira was absolutely lost for words. Beneath that casual, humored facade he normally carried himself with was a brilliant Captain. She had no idea that he'd been putting such deep thought and consideration into the idea of her transferring and suddenly all the silliness with her and Spock seemed utterly trivial.

"That's why I denied your original request. You wanted to leave because of Spock but I knew any other department wouldn't do; you'd gravitate towards engineering." He paused. "I'll grant you a transfer but, you'll be demoted back to a cadet."

Amira's heart rose and fell in a split second, almost as if she had lost her breath. "If it means I stay on the Enterprise as an engineer, I'll take it." She couldn't show any semblance of regret. This was what she wanted, what she had spoken so passionately about mere seconds ago. Given the circumstances and in light of new information considering the restrictions barring undergrad cadets from this position, this was better than anything anyone could've imagined.

Jim smiled genuinely at her resolve. He was afraid of how she might react at the prospect of being demoted but she seemed to be sticking to her guns so far. He'd made the right choice. "I'm giving you a shot at a work study program I heard about at the last Academy board meeting; you'll be studying under Mr. Scott for the next two years as an assistant. It's going to be hard work but, if you can complete it, you'll be a full-fledged engineer assigned to the Enterprise."

She was powerless to hide the grin that broke out across her face. Elated beyond belief in that moment she could've hugged him. Of course she didn't but, needless to say she was near vibrating with excitement. "Thank you so much. I promise I won't let you down, Captain."

He held out a hand to her which she shook eagerly. "Best of luck to you, Amira."

Amira thought it was all the excitement coming to a head but as her vision started to swim and the heat on her face became more and more unbearable she found it becoming harder and harder to stay standing. She tried to focus her eyes on her Captain's face but that too was steadily growing more and more hazy by the second. The world tilted before turning completely on it's side. "Wha-? What is this?"

"Amira! What's wrong?" No sooner had she fallen was Jim on the ground at her side, pulling her up off the ground. He noticed upon touching her how warm she was, so much so he could feel it radiating through her clothes. Was she sick? Was she not ready to leave the med bay yet? Jim's mind was reeling with panic but he wasn't going to do her any good like that so he shoved all his worries aside and focused on getting her off the floor for now. He laid her out on the conference room table before hailing the med bay.

"Jim?" McCoy's voice had never felt like more of a blessing than it did in that moment.

"Bones hurry, I need you to come to my office. It's Amira, she's passed out, she's burning up..I don't-" He must've sounded manic as hell but he was so scared to lose her a second time. Not when everything finally seemed to be looking up.

"Jim. I need you stay calm. I just went over the file for her last exam; everything was stable when she left so whatever this is, we've caught it in the beginning stages." The doctor's tone was so calm but Jim couldn't help the unease that gnawed away at him. "Just sit tight, I'm heading there now."

The transmission cut out and as a deafening silence settled over the room the Star Fleet captain was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. All he could do was watch as she fidgeted on the table, her temperature still alarmingly high. He was so absorbed in keeping an eye on her he didn't notice somebody else had entered the room until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jim flinched at the sudden contact. He had half-expected it to be McCoy but he was shocked to see Spock looking down at him.

"Spock? What're you doing here?"

The First Officer didn't immediately acknowledge the question. His gaze was focused on the cadet's shivering frame. "I presume you've already called Dr. McCoy?"

Jim nodded. Spock's lips thinned at that confirmation and pulled out a chair next to him at the table. He seemed he needed to say something but, as always, he was keeping it to himself. "Captain, I know this will sound outlandish...but I need you to trust me."

"Of course I trust you. What is it?"

The Vulcan hesitated, his shoulders stiffening. "I know what's wrong with the lieutenant. I'm confident I can fix it. However, I need you to call Dr. McCoy back to the medical bay for now."

Jim stood from the chair at his first officer's incredulity. "This is crazy, Spock! Why can't you just tell us what's going on?"

Spock expected this reaction. "I'm sorry, Jim. It's sensitive information that involves some Vulcan's most intimate social conventions and that's something I can't disclose to outsiders."

This was absolutely insane; there was a cadet writhing on the table with some kind of unknown affliction and here Spock was withholding key information all because of some secret cultural bull shit. Jim paced from one end of the table to the other, running a hand through his hair, all while trying to fight off a mounting exasperation. As he looked down at Amira's pained features, the sweat beading on her forehead, her breath coming in shorter and shorter, he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He was going to have to trust Spock for now.

"I can give you ten minutes. Ten minutes, then Bones and I are taking her to med bay." Jim felt the oncoming headache at the idea of trying to stall McCoy. "If I can even hold him off that long."

Spock nodded in gratitude, his eyes sharp with conviction. "Thank you."

Jim felt his stomach turn as the door shut behind him and he started off down the hall to intercept the doctor. He hoped for his sake and Amira's that all this convolution and effort would yield a concrete result.

Heeeeeeeeey...it's been a while :')

See you next tiiiiiime?