Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 09 May 2004 22:59:52 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: linkys@aol.comspamfree (TLin) Title: Second Sight Author: T'Lin ( LinkyS@aol.com ) Series: TOS Rating: R Codes: S/Mc, au Part: 2 (2/2) Summary: Challenge Scenario: Write a S/Mc answering the question, "What would Note: Written for Round 8 of the Spock/McCoy Fuh-q Fest. More S/Mc stories can be found at http://www.members.tripod.com/spockmccoyote/thespockmccoyotesden2/ Archiving: The SpockMcCoyote's Den, ASC* and my own web page -- www.geocities.com/tlin_s/ -- all others, please ask first. Disclaimer: Paramount/Viacom own the TREK universe, I just play there. No copyright infringement is intended, nor do I make any money off of this ... it is purely for entertainment. I promise to return everyone to their rightful place, unharmed, when I am finished. This original work of fanfiction is the property of T'Lin, © 24 April, 2004. ************* ~continued from part 1~ Our first stop, once we arrived on Vulcan, was the medical wing of the Vulcan Science Academy. T'Vri had already made arrangements for Spock to have surgery, to replace his burned out corneas with synthetic ones ... the procedure had been perfected just the year before, and was not available to the general public yet. She had explained the procedure to me during our trip to Vulcan, after she had examined Spock. I was very happy to hear that Spock was a perfect candidate for this procedure. The damage to his eyes was extensive, but not overly invasive ... the high intensity light that caused his blindness burned the corneas, but did not damage the rest of his eye. His recovery should be nearly 100 percent. I was able to observe the procedure, which I found quite impressive. When it was over, I stayed with Spock for a while, hoping he would awaken. T'Vri assured me that he would remain in the healing trance for at least forty-eight hours, and the best thing I could do for him was get some rest, myself. Sarek had given me instructions to call his office when I needed transport to their home, so I did, and a car arrived in a matter of minutes. When I arrived at the house, Amanda was waiting for me, eager for the latest news about her son, and his condition. I filled her in as best I could. She offered me some dinner, but I was too tired to eat. She understood, and led me to Spock's room. Much to my amazement, there was a double bed -- Amanda saw my surprise, and said that it was a recent addition, knowing that I would be returning with Spock. The covers were already turned down for the night, and an old-fashion wind-up alarm clock on the bedside table. She kissed me on the cheek, and bid me sleep well, then left. I should have gone right to sleep, but needed to write this all down, first. I've set the alarm to go off in 8 hours ... that gives me plenty of time to sleep, and still get to the hospital before Spock awakens. ***** Talk about an eventful day. I've been at the hospital once again, after having been awakened only an hour after going to sleep. All the recorded summons said was that I was needed. I borrowed Amanda's vehicle, and was at the hospital in less than ten minutes. When I entered Spock's room, T'Vri was slapping him across the face. She only did it once before Spock's hand shot up, and restrained her ... that was the best thing I had seen in a very long time. T'Vri instantly stepped back, and gestured for me to approach. Spock's eyes were still bandaged, of course, and his voice was a mere whisper, gravely and weak from weeks of unconsciousness. "Leonard," he said, as I took his hand. When he whispered "forgive me" I bent down and kissed him, whispering back that there was no need, the cause was sufficient. The Vulcans in the room had ignored us, giving us a few moments to ourselves. A discrete cough reminded me that we were not alone, and I stood up, still holding onto Spock's hand. T'Vri then spoke to Spock, explaining the procedure that he had gone through, and what he should expect in the next days, weeks, and months. Much to my surprise, she was far more emphatic over the possibility that the procedure would not be 100% effective ... she went into a great deal of detail over possible side effects, apparently brought on by his Human genes. When I questioned her about this, she assured me that she was just being thorough ... it was better to be cautious than overly optimistic. Spock agreed, and for the first time since he lost his sight, opened his mind to me. I could see the gratitude he felt for everything I had done to save his life *and* his sight, no matter how much, or how little, he would be able to see in the future. Since Spock had come out of the healing trance far earlier than expected, the bandages on his eyes could not be removed yet. It took some doing, but we convinced Spock to re-initiate the trance, so that he could heal more fully. Once he was under, I followed T'Vri to the lab, where she could more fully explain the possible complications she had mentioned. It was then that I learned that the Vulcan eye was far more advanced than the Human eye. The average Vulcan's vision surpassed the average Human's in many regards; sharper focus at close range; more details at a distance; the ability to see clearly in brighter light, as well as in near darkness. Overall, the average Vulcan made someone with 20/20 vision seem more like 80/80 in comparison. The problem was, there was no way of knowing what Spock's vision was prior to the accident. As a child, his vision was only slightly better than Human, in some regards, and nearly Vulcan in others ... it had not been tested since he entered Starfleet Academy, and then, only the standard test all entrants took. It was a basic vision test, to make sure there were no deficiencies that would impair the candidates ability to work with others. With the replacement of his cornea's, Spock may see better ... or not as well. Only time would tell. In any case, after explaining it all to me, T'Vri let me rest in her office. There was no point in me returning to Spock's home, only to return again in a few hours. This time, when Spock was ready to come out of the trance, I was with him, and did the honors. Of course, it took a few more slaps from me to bring him out of it. It was time to remove the bandages, so the lights were lowered to a barely perceptible level, at least for me. Chances are, it would seem bright in here to Spock. I held his hand, as T'Vri carefully removed one, then the other, while Spock kept his eyes closed. Once the bandages were removed, T'Vri told him to slowly open his eyes. He squeezed my hand as he did, then turned to face me ... a smile came to his lips, as our eyes met, and I knew he could see. T'Vri asked him to evaluate his condition, and Spock confirmed my assessment, adding that everything was a bit blurry. T'Vri said that was to be expected, and it would be some time before a true evaluation of his vision could be made. She told him to rest ... not to strain his eyes, while they were still healing. Before she left the room, she handed Spock an eye mask to put on; it would protect his eyes while he slept, as well as prevent eyestrain while he was awake. She instructed him to wear it most of the time for the next two days. A specialist would be in to see him later, who would set up a series of tests and a rehabilitation schedule. I stayed with Spock for a few hours, just to be with him. We talked about everything, and nothing ... uncertain of what the future would hold, but knowing we would see it through together. One thing we did discuss, however, was the possibility that neither of us would be returning to the Enterprise ... apparently, even in his unconscious state, he had been aware of my own thoughts of leaving the fleet, to be with him on Vulcan. At first, I admit I contemplated it thinking that Spock would never regain his sight ... then I got a glimpse of the research facilities here. Suddenly, this began to look like a place we could both be happy in, eyesight, or not. In any case, we've both decided to let some time pass before mentioning anything to Jim. If nothing else, we need to see what the specialist says after she performs her tests. After all, ten months is a long time ... long enough that I may find I can't take the heat, no matter how tempting the facilities ... and Spock may miss the excitement of starship life, even if he won't admit it. ~epilog~ I see that nearly three months have passed since I last recorded my thoughts here ... three months of recovery, rehabilitation, and ... reality. I say reality because this time has been quite an eyeopener for me. I had joined Starfleet many years ago to escape from a failed marriage, thinking I would never find true happiness. I decided it was far better to immerse myself in work -- the constant discovery of new life and civilizations, and the continual danger of such a life, would keep me occupied; my loneliness would be less apparent. Then I met Spock ... and my world-view was forever transformed. I never dreamt that I would find happiness on Vulcan, but I had been willing to try, for his sake. It would have been the only way we could stay together, if his eyesight had not been restored. Well, either that, or he would have had to make due back on Earth, and even I could see that there would have been far more advantages to living on Vulcan than Earth. Be that as it may, Spock's eyesight has been restored ... as a matter of fact, his vision is actually better now than it had been before. The artificial corneas brought his visual range closer to true Vulcan than they had been. T'Vri has said that she will be releasing him from her care tomorrow, and he will be free to return to active duty if he wishes. The trouble is, neither of us really want to go back. Spock has been offered a position at the Science Academy, as well as one as a junior diplomat, working with his father. As for me, I've fallen in love with the research facilities offered at the medical wing of the Academy. They are simply amazing! At first, I had assumed that T'Vri invited me in to keep me occupied, and out of her hair while she worked with Spock. I soon discovered, however, that she and her team had a genuine interest in my opinions, and eagerly sought out my input. I was startled to see that some of my very own discoveries dealing with interspecies medicine were being studied by them, and adapted to fit a wide variety of situations. I suppose it was about a week ago, when Spock noticed that I was quite happy here. That night, we talked about resigning from Starfleet, so that he could accept the post with his father, as well as offer to teach at the Academy occasionally, and I could continue to do research, and possibly also teach from time to time. The down side of this decision, of course, would be that we would be leaving Jim high and dry. Deep down, we both know that he was expecting us back ... Jim doesn't accept defeat easily. Despite the facts when we left the ship, Jim Kirk was certain, in his gut, that Spock would be restored, and all would be as it had been. And he was right, Spock has been restored ... but things will never be the same. Anyway, we had decided to wait a month before making a final decision ... after all, it would be at least another six months before we would be expected to reunite with ENTERPRISE. Telling Jim now, or one month from now really wouldn't make much of a difference. Ah, sounds like Spock is home ... *** Spock is sleeping soundly in the other room, and I plan on joining him soon; but first, I wanted to finish what I had been recording. Actually, I need to amend it somewhat ... you see, Spock has gotten a communique from Jim, asking of his progress, and when/if we can be expected back aboard ship. Apparently, things are not working out with our replacements. Much to my surprise -- and I'll admit, a bit of relief -- Spock has told him that we will return as soon as T'Vri gives her approval, which should be in a day or two. Jim sent the Enterprise's itinerary for the next two weeks, and Spock assured him that a high-speed diplomatic transport would be available to us. Spock also assured me that we would return here, when the Enterprise's five-year mission was over. In the morning, we will both set our affairs in order, and make plans for our future. It's so nice to have something to look forward to. ~the end~ >:-] T'Lin T'Lin's FANFIC PAGE - http://www.geocities.com/tlin_s/ Femme Fuh-Q Fest - http://www.geocities.com/femme_fuhq_fest/ Round XIII is here! Round XIV coming your way May 31, 2004! "I dream a thousand paths ... I wake and walk my old one." (unkown) -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek.creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Sun May 09 23:56:19 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n50.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.67.38]) by robin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bn1Ss3JO3NZFjX1 for ; Sun, 9 May 2004 20:54:52 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13560-1084161149-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com