Message-ID: <005f01c3f5df$8c48cfc0$87c5fea9@max>
To: "ASCEM-S" <ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com>
From: "Sileya" <sil@sileya.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:24:56 -0600
Subject: [ASCEM-S] New TOS "Tempting Fate on Squeaky Springs" 3/9 (Mc/Sa, K/S) [NC-17]
Reply-To: "Sileya" <sil@sileya.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit



Chapter 3/9 - See all warnings and disclaimers in chapter 1/9
 
 
Leonard quickly pushed the rest of the blankets off and rolled 
Sarek onto his back.  If he was going to have to start mouth-to-
mouth, he wanted him in position.  He began to strip the cold 
layers of clothes off, knowing that he had to get Sarek's 
circulation restored.  With his burning hands still not 
cooperating, it took some doing, but he soon had Sarek stripped 
down to the one-piece undergarment.
 
Taking the warmest of the quilts, Leonard covered Sarek from 
his neck to his knees in an attempt to stabilize the Vulcan's core 
body temperature, and then ran another scan.  All the while he 
was praying to those nameless deities that often invaded his 
agnostic heart when he was bending over the lifeless body of 
someone he loved.  So many times it had been Jim or Spock 
who he'd hovered over, his gut searching through the depths of 
the universe--and beyond--for any elusive measure of help, 
while his mind clamped down tightly on the knowledge stored 
there.  Reading the scan, he saw there was no change.
 
He rose from the floor and grabbed the remainder of his kit 
from the counter.  His hands were trembling from the 
emotional overload that was building up inside of him.  As he'd 
had to do so many times in the past, he willed himself to hold 
his hands steady, stilling the panic that threatened to turn him 
into a quivering mass of ineptitude.  Pulling out the hypospray, 
he dialed up a mild neural-stimulant that he then injected into 
Sarek's shoulder.  Anything more powerful would have 
overtaxed the very systems he was trying to get to respond.  He 
watched the readings on the scanner carefully.  Fear, much 
colder than what was coming from the winds blowing outside, 
gripped him in those seconds when there was no response.
 
He reached out and touched the brow that he had so often 
watched in silent amazement.  Just the smallest twitch of it 
could speak volumes.  At that moment, he would've given up 
everything, including his own life if need be, to see that gentle 
arch once more.  "Sarek..." he breathed.  "Don't leave me.  Not 
now.  Not before I've had a chance to tell you..." He stopped.  
There was a very small flux upwards in the EEG reading.  
Anxiously, he ran the node the length of the body once more.  
The readings had started to respond, even if only slightly.
 
With a warm blanket spread over Sarek to insulate the part of 
his body containing the major organs, Leonard knew the next 
concern was the circulation that would be greatly compromised 
in those areas that were most distal from the heart.  If he could 
get a healthy blood flow into those areas, it should help to 
warm Sarek throughout.  He could only hope--pray--that was 
all it would take to bring Sarek around.  He certainly didn't 
have the equipment needed to do anything more 
comprehensive.  As he vigorously massaged first the left leg 
and then the right, he began to get some sensation of feeling 
back in his three fingers that had remained numb.  Although 
exceedingly painful, it was the first positive sign that he just 
might not lose them.  They were not, however, on his list of 
concerns at the moment.
 
After thoroughly kneading the lower legs, he laid a warm 
blanket across them and uncovered Sarek's thighs.  He worked 
his hands over the flesh that was still amazingly solid and taunt 
for a man of Sarek's age, then realized that for a Vulcan, that 
would be fairly comparable to his own fifty-three years.  After 
several minutes of deep massage, he wasn't positive, but he 
believed that the skin did seem to be warming under his 
ministrations.  Laying a warm quilt over the thighs, he pulled 
one of Sarek's arms from under the cover, and starting at the 
fingers, he worked his way to the shoulder.  This time he was 
certain that the skin was becoming warmer and more pliant.  
Tucking that arm under the cover, he moved to the other side 
and pulled out the other arm, giving it the same treatment.
 
He heard a soft moan.  "Sarek?  Sarek, if you can hear me, open 
your eyes!" he called, hearing the desperate plea in his voice.  
Leaning over him, he noticed a small fluttering of the lids.  
Reaching for the scanner and running it once more the length of 
Sarek's body, he noted that the readings had all risen to near 
normal.  They weren't out of the woods yet, but it was certainly 
looking more promising.
 
"Sarek, open your eyes!" he demanded forcefully.
 
Once again there was a fluttering of the lids, and this time the 
eyes opened, but only briefly.  "Good!  Try to wake up.  C'mon, 
you can do it.  Sarek, look at me!"
 
The eyes opened, hooded at first, then wider.
 
Leonard drew a deep, jagged sigh of relief.  "Welcome back," 
he smiled down at the man, and found himself blinking hard to 
clear the moisture that wanted to gather in his eyes.
 
"Doctor McCoy," Sarek whispered, his eyes darting around, 
evidently trying to place his surroundings.
 
"It's okay," Leonard soothed.  "We're in my cabin.  Do you 
remember anything?"
 
Sarek stopped his visual search, and returned his gaze to 
Leonard's face.  Nodding slightly, he answered, "Yes, I 
remember.  The shuttle was disabled.  We were forced to walk 
here."  His voice was becoming stronger.
 
"Yeah, that's right."  Leonard sat back on his heels and took a 
second to appreciate the feeling of elation that was flooding 
through him.  "Jesus, you had me really scared for a minute," 
he breathed.  "I thought...it looked like...you were dying.  How 
do you feel?"
 
"Now that I am warmed, I am much improved.  I apologize for 
causing you distress.  May I ask what happened?"
 
There was a sudden, almost overwhelming impulse to take 
Sarek in his arms and kiss him soundly.  Instead, to distance 
himself from such temptation, Leonard stood up, only to find 
that it seemed his energy had been siphoned out of him.  He sat 
down, hard, on the arm of the couch.  Bending forward, he 
placed his forearms on his knees and clutched his fingers 
tightly together.  "Honest to God, I have no idea.  You were 
unconscious for a while.  Your EEG readings were lowered, 
your pulse and respiration were down to those of almost human 
standards, and the rest of your body was shutting down 
completely."
 
"Interesting.  I believe I may have experienced vohris tu'di'kish-
torek.  It is the ability of Vulcans to decrease the function of 
nonessential systems, including any supplementary portions of 
the brain, which therefore lowers the metabolism and conserves 
the body's remaining heat to fuel the most fundamental 
systems."
 
Foolishly, Leonard actually thought he'd learned about all the 
Vulcan idiosyncrasies from Spock over the years!  Obviously, 
what he knew was only the tip of the iceberg!  "Nifty trick!  
Just give me some warnin' next time, okay?"
 
"Doctor, that is a 'trick' that I hope not to repeat in the near 
future.  However, should I feel the need, I shall, indeed, attempt 
to warn you."
 
"Fair enough," he nodded through a small grin.  Straightening, 
feeling as if his strength was beginning to return, he looked 
around at the shambles.  "Sarek, I'm really sorry about...all of 
this.  It's certainly not what I had in mind when I invited you up 
here."
 
There was a tone to Sarek's voice that was almost soothing.  
"Doctor, it is illogical to berate yourself over conditions which 
you had little control."
 
"True enough that I couldn't control either the weather or the 
break-down of the shuttle, but I should've been better prepared, 
especially during this season.  My father used to always tell me 
that not preparing for the 'what if's' would be my undoing."
 
"Perhaps.  However, you had no reason to believe that we 
would have so many unfortunate turns of luck."
 
Leonard managed a slight grin.  "I didn't think Vulcan's 
believed in luck."
 
"I believe the events of this evening may have been 
instrumental in changing my mind," Sarek replied.
 
"Well, we've certainly had a bad run of it this evening, that's for 
sure," Leonard agreed.
 
"Indeed, but not all bad, in my opinion.  Admittedly, we have 
been faced with adverse conditions.  It seems, however, that the 
very act of locating this cabin was a positive occurrence.  On 
the way here, there were times when I believed you were 
unsure of our location.  I am glad to find I was wrong."
 
Leonard's smile faded.  "Sarek, you weren't wrong.  There were 
times back there when I was going on nothing more than my 
best guess.  So, you're right; just the fact that we're here is 
lucky."
 
"Indeed, that does seem to be the case.  What has happened to 
your cabin?  I assume this was not what you were expecting."
 
Leonard looked up toward the rupture that was visible through 
the ceiling.  "No, not at all.  I know a tree has fallen on it, but I 
won't know anything more until it's light outside.  For now, 
everything seems pretty stable, despite having no power."  With 
the solar panels gone, so were the electrical receptors that were 
built into them.  He remembered the old generator that used to 
be out back, but when it had died years before, he'd had it 
replaced with the emergency battery system, which worked 
great if you didn't need to use it for more than twenty-four 
hours, or if the solar panels were in place to keep it charged.  
Obviously, the power had been out for at least a day or two.  
The kettle he had placed on the grate started to hiss.
 
"What is that sound?" Sarek asked, turning his head toward the 
fireplace.
 
"I put a kettle of water on," Leonard replied, pushing himself to 
his feet.  "Let me grab a couple of cups, and I think I can have 
you some tea in just a minute."  Unfortunately, the substance he 
had intended on using to warm up was still in the storage locker 
on the shuttle.  A shot of 'Kentucky's finest' would feel pretty 
good right now.
 
His toes still felt frozen inside the boots, and before going to 
the kitchen he pushed them off and laid them beside the clothes 
that he had divested earlier from Sarek.  Holding onto the 
mantel, he alternately held each foot close to the fire.  "Ahhh, 
that feels better," he sighed.
 
Padding back to the kitchen, Leonard rinsed out two mugs that 
were somehow spared the tree's carnage.  Taking them back to 
the hearth, he pulled out two teabags and placed one in each 
cup.  Then, using the edge of one of the blankets, he lifted the 
handle of the kettle and carefully filled each mug with steaming 
hot water.  He placed the pot on the hearth to keep it warm and 
to keep the remaining water from boiling away.  "We might 
wanna give that a few minutes to cool down.  I don't wanna 
throw anything too hot into our bodies right now."
 
"Doctor, please, you seem to have taken care of me, but I do 
not believe you have taken the time to really warm yourself 
since our arrival."
 
"Well, I probably need to get outta these clothes.  They just 
seem to be holding the cold in, more than anything else."
 
"Indeed, I do believe that would be wise," Sarek agreed.
 
"But first, I need to take care of other things.  By the way, the 
toilet facilities are located just through that door."  He pointed 
toward the one area in the cabin that was set apart from the rest 
of the open space.  Making his way to the door, he entered and 
realized just how much colder this room was than the area 
where the fire was roaring.  He relieved himself and ran his 
hands under the ice-cold water, which hurt like hell on his 
recently thawed fingers.  Grabbing several towels from the 
cabinet, he took them with him as he quickly left the room.
 
When he returned, he noticed Sarek rising to a sitting position.  
Leonard knelt down, and reached for Sarek's arm.  "Whoa, 
there.  Are you feelin' strong enough to sit up?"
 
"Yes, I am quite well, thank you, and you are in need of a place 
where you can sit and warm yourself."
 
Standing up, Leonard looked around until his eyes fell on the 
dark outline of the bed in the far corner.  Several years earlier 
he'd had a mattress made to precise specifications for use on the 
iron bed that was more than three centuries old.  The mattress 
had a four-inch core of ion-compressed hydrourethane to keep 
the antique medal-based foundation on the bed from feeling 
uncomfortable, and the rest was filled with layers upon layers 
of thick, tightly-packed down.  "Sarek, you're not by any 
chance allergic to goose feathers, are you?"
 
"Goose feathers, Doctor?   No, I have no allergies that I am 
aware of.  Why?  Are you planning on us sharing your cabin 
with some form of Terran fowl?"
 
Leonard looked down and smiled.  "Not exactly, but it's gonna 
be a long night, and I have an idea of how to make it a bit more 
comfortable.  Be right back."
 
Carefully picking his way across a patch of debris on the floor, 
he went to the bed and stripped off the rest of the covers.  He 
retrieved a new set of sheets from the chest and laid them on 
top of the bare mattress.  Then, starting at the bottom, he began 
to roll it, forcing out the air that collected in the layers.  The 
purpose of designing it like this was so it could be taken outside 
to absorb the smell of that wonderful mountain air, something 
he had only done once.  However, in this situation, it was going 
to work just fine.
 
Getting it rolled as tightly as possible, the cylinder was still an 
armful, but Leonard was able to get it over to the area where 
the fireplace was burning.  Sarek, seeing what he had in mind, 
had risen and moved the cushions out of the way, clearing a 
spot between the hearth and the couch.
 
Turning his body so when he laid the mattress down it would 
unroll in the right direction, Leonard eased the bundle to the 
floor and let it go.  The thick pad unrolled, and he knelt down, 
grabbed one edge, and then shook it several times to plump it 
up to its original thickness, more than doubling it in height.  
With Sarek's assistance, he threw the sheets across the mattress 
and tucked them around it.  He then retrieved the warmest 
blankets and spread them on top.
 
Looking down, the Vulcan asked, "Goose feathers?"
 
"Down, actually.  The finest that could be found.  Toss me 
those cushions, if ya don't mind."
 
Sarek retrieved the cushions, and Leonard used them to prop 
against the front frame of the couch, giving them a headboard, 
of sorts, to lean against.  "There!  At least we should be fairly 
comfortable.  Ya know, I think I told you we wouldn't be 
campin' out.  Maybe I spoke too soon," Leonard said, as he 
went back to the large chest and scooped up an armful of thick 
pillows.  Not carrying one of the lanterns, he wasn't sure how 
many he'd grabbed.
 
"I do not believe that this could truly be considered camping 
out, since we are actually indoors," Sarek was saying.
 
Tossing the pillows on the bed and glancing once more toward 
the hole in the ceiling, Leonard replied, "Well, it's as close as I 
wanna be on a night like this, that's for sure!"
 
"Indeed, Doctor, I believe on that point, we are in full 
agreement," Sarek replied, attempting to arrange the pillows.  
Since there were five of them, he laid two on either side of the 
bed, then looked at the fifth questioningly, as if the odd pillow 
didn't fit into the geometric equality of the arrangement.  That 
one, he finally laid on the frame of the couch.
 
Leonard grinned, enjoying watching Sarek try to solve the 
pillow equation.  This was a man who could intelligently 
negotiate a meticulous peace treaty with even the most 
vehement of enemies.  Yet, the mere act of not knowing what 
to do with the extra pillow made Sarek seem somehow 
refreshingly vulnerable.  "Now, just what did I tell ya about 
calling me 'Doctor'?" Leonard asked.
 
"I apologize.  Does this mean that you are going to put me 
outside once more?"  The unmistakable twinkle returned to 
Sarek's eyes as he turned his face upwards.  With that, he 
arched a single eyebrow.
 
It was all Leonard could do to catch his next breath.  To that 
same army of deities he had prayed to earlier, he offered up a 
silent 'Thank you'.  "No, I think you've already paid for that 
slip.  Let's just say I owed you one."
 
"I believe we both had to pay, Leonard," Sarek stated, and 
McCoy noticed a shudder run through the body.
 
Returning his attention to the matter at hand, Leonard knelt 
down and pulled back the edge of the cover.  "Here, I think that 
does it.  You need to get back under the covers before you get 
too chilled again."
 
"I believe that would be wise; however, I wish to relieve 
myself, as well, before settling down."
 
To the doctor, this was welcome news, considering the shape 
Sarek had been in no more than a half-an-hour before.  "Sure, 
but I'm warning you, it's freezing in there."
 
"A fact that not can be helped," Sarek nodded, and then 
disappeared through the door.
 
Taking this moment of privacy, Leonard slipped out of his 
clothes--all but his shorts--and stood briefly in front of the fire 
to warm his front, then turned to warm his back.  He added a 
little more of the hot water into each mug before placing them 
at the side of the bed, then poured some of the hot water onto a 
towel and used it to complete the warming of his face and 
hands, assuring himself that there were no areas of permanent 
injury.  'Lucky, indeed!' he thought to himself.  He tossed three 
more logs on the fire, knowing that would get them through the 
night, before sliding under the covers.  Although cold at first, 
he thrashed his legs around a bit and the bed began to warm up 
in a way that he had forgotten could feel so good.
 
Sarek returned and he, too, got into the makeshift bed.  He was 
noticeably shivering.  Leonard reached over and tucked the 
blankets around Sarek's neck and started rubbing his hands up 
and down the Vulcan's shoulders and arms.  "Here, let's get you 
warmed up."
 
"Thank you, Leonard.  The coldness of that room was not 
underestimated."
 
Still rubbing his hands quickly over Sarek's arms, he suddenly 
realized that this was probably very uncomfortable for a Vulcan 
who valued space.  Leonard immediately pulled his hands 
away.  He reached for the cups and handed one to Sarek.  
"Sorry, I wasn't thinking.  Sorry about havin' to share the bed, 
too.  I'd intended on sleepin' on the couch during your visit.  
With a bit of work it folds out, but I didn't feel like wrestling 
with it tonight.  There's also the bay window seat that's actually 
well padded and large enough to sleep on, but since the fire is 
our only source of heat, it seems smart to stay close to it until 
it's had time to warm the whole cabin."
 
"Leonard, no apology is required.  I am offended by neither 
your touch nor your close proximity.  As for the bed, it appears 
to be quite adequate for two people."
 
The statement surprised Leonard, but he couldn't deny that, on 
a very basic level, it pleased him, as well.  He wondered for a 
moment if Sarek perhaps meant more, but there was certainly 
no indication that there was any underlying meaning behind the 
Vulcan's statement.
 
Sitting quietly, sipping their tea, Leonard experienced a feeling 
of true serenity settle over him.  Few times before had he really 
felt safe.  But lying here, next to the man he loved with all his 
heart--even if he couldn't tell him--made him feel more secure 
than he had ever been before.  Sure, it hadn't been the best of 
evenings by any stretch of the imagination, but things could've 
turned out a whole lot worse.  Leonard snuggled himself deeper 
into the covers, feeling the heat from Sarek's body lying very 
close to him, and silently loving the sensation.
 
"Leonard, what is the meaning of that sign above the fire?"
 
Leonard looked up at the old sign that had once hung by the 
road that led up the side of the mountain.  The post that it had 
originally been suspended from had fallen years before, and 
since few ground vehicles accessed this area anymore, Leonard 
had salvaged the wood-carved sign and hung it over the 
fireplace.  "It's the name of this place.  It's a human tradition to 
give a name to your secondary home, and that's what my father 
christened this place long ago."
 
"I do not understand the meaning," Sarek replied.
 
Leonard hesitated a moment.  "Well, this mountain is riddled 
with small streams, often called springs, that feed into the pond 
that I mentioned."
 
"I see.  Do they indeed...squeak?"
 
Leonard could feel himself blushing.  "In the spring, when the 
waters begin to flow again, they do sound a little like that when 
the chunks of ice shear away."  It was a stretch, but an 
explanation he had used several times over the years.  Most 
people didn't buy it, with good reason.
 
"Interesting," Sarek replied thoughtfully.
 
Leonard's only reply was a slightly mischievous smile.  His 
father had been a man with a delectably dirty sense of humor.  
Soon after the cabin was finished, his dad had brought a 'friend' 
here with him.  The next morning, David McCoy had dubbed 
the property with the name and ordered the sign.  Grateful that 
Sarek wasn't pursing the subject further, Leonard relaxed once 
again into the nest of pillows.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 

From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:30:01 2004
X-Persona: <Stephen Earth>
Status:  U
Return-Path: <sentto-1978024-7820-1077081944-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com>
Received: from n7.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.91])
	by bunting (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkds2NI3NZFmR1
	for <stephenbratliff@earthlink.net>; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:25:46 -0800 (PST)
X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7820-1077081944-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com