As she stood waiting for the turbolift, Ruth felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to find Daffy Gollub standing beside her. “You free for a few minutes?” Daffy asked her.

“Uh – not really,” Ruth replied.

“Good, you can come to Sickbay with me.”

“Why would I want to go to Sickbay with you, Daffy?”

“I enjoy watching McCoy turn red.”

“Mr. Spock wants these geology reports…”

“Delivered to Sickbay. Of course he does. Come along.”

“You’re a bad influence,” Ruth sighed. “Well, it’s not that far out of my way. Why does McCoy want to see you?”

Daffy turned, instructing the turbolift, then said, “He wants my blood for some tests he’ll then make me run,” she replied. “He’s the sort of person who likes to see other people working.”

“Daffy…”

“I should know? It’s got something to do with Jock fainting. Maybe he wants to see if I’m going to faint, too.”

“I see.”

“Good for you.”

The car arrived at its destination and they left the turbolift, walking the few feet to Sickbay. Daffy began to announce her presence to Dr. McCoy, who had stood as they came in. Instead, she closed her eyes and went limp. McCoy rushed forward as Ruth dropped the data disks she was carrying and caught Daffy, lowering her unconscious body to the deck.

McCoy glared. “Miss Valley, do you always have this effect on people?” he demanded.

Ruth’s puzzled worry exploded into resentment. “What the hell are you babbling about?”

“This is the second time this has happened,” McCoy explained sardonically.

“Doctor, I seriously doubt I’m boring them to death,” Ruth returned tightly. “Do something or I will.”

“Valley, I hate to say it, but I know this isn’t your fault.”

“Well then why’d you…" Never mind, paranoid fool. "Thank you, Doctor. Whose fault is it?”

“You’re welcome. Help me get her on a bed.” They picked Daffy up and carried her across the room. “The landing party picked up a bug from Arachne Station,” McCoy explained. “Fortunately it’s not very serious…”

Before he could finish the sentence, two men from Engineering carried Jock Thompson into Sickbay. He was again unconscious, but this time his face was grey and covered with a thin sheen of sweat.

“You were saying?” Ruth murmured and McCoy scowled.

“M’Benga,” he called to his assistant, “get in here!”

Dr. M’Benga, a solidly built Ter-African, immediately appeared from another room. McCoy jerked his head at Daffy. M’Benga nodded amiably at Ruth as he stepped past her to the scanners. McCoy ordered Jock put onto a second bed and turned on the medical sensors.

“Anything I can do?” Ruth offered. Ben started to answer, but McCoy broke in.

“Don’t do anything, Miss Valley, unless I tell you to.”

Ruth bit her tongue.

“He appears comatose,” McCoy muttered. “not merely unconscious like before. And his temperature is close to 102.”

“And Daffy?” Ruth asked.

“Nothing’s showing up on the scans,” Ben answered. “She should wake up soon,”

“No thanks to the witch doctor,” Ruth said under her breath.

"Affirmative, Doctor, I understand,” Spock was saying as Kirk came onto the Bridge.

“Arachne Station,” Lieutenant M’ress purred quietly.

“Tell your physicians it’s very contagious, and prior exposure does not immunize. We’ll keep you up to date.” Bolton’s voice said from the com.

“She sounds harried,” Kirk remarked as Spock completed the conversation with a curt acknowledgement. Spock turned to the con

“The rate of contagion has apparently accelerated,” he reported. “And the disease appears to have developed a second, more serious stage: coma."

“Relay that information to Sickbay, Mr. Spock.” Kirk said.

“Aye, sir.”

Kirk turned to speak to the engineer on duty when M’ress let out a warning meow. He swiveled back to see Spock drop gracefully to the deck.

He stared for almost a full second, then snapped open the com. “Sickbay, get a team up here. It’s Mr. Spock.”

Ruth found herself hovering over M’Benga as he examined Spock. She was inordinately worried. Was he just unconscious, like Daffy… but Jock had been ‘just unconscious’ at first, too. Damn McCoy anyway!

“Is he all right?” she asked M’Benga.

“It appears he just fainted,” Ben replied.

“Hey!” Daffy Gollub’s voice said. “I said, ‘hey!’" Ruth and Ben turned to her. “Can I get out of here?”

McCoy swiveled his chair from the computer screen. “No, you can’t. We’ve got new data from Arachne and I’m formulating a serum now…”

“Oh, to hell with your damned serum!” Ruth burst out. She strode to Jock’s bed and concentrated. A moment later she fell, but was up again almost immediately. Jock opened his eyes.

“Thanks,” he said, grinning.

“You’re welcome,” Ruth growled. “Daffy, come here.”

“Oh no you don’t!” McCoy bellowed as he rose from his chair.

“Shove it, McCoy!” Ruth snapped.

“This is my Sickbay, Ensign…”

“Shove that, too! You don’t know what the hell’s going on!”

“Do you?”

“I don’t have to! My voodoo works whether I understand the cause or not!”

“Doctor, if I may return to duty…” Spock’s voice put in. McCoy glared at him, giving no indication of surprise at his consciousness.

“You just stay put.”

“As my temporary lack of consciousness has ceased, Doctor…”

“You’ve got it and you’re staying here till I can cure it.”

“My system is different that your Human one…”

“And you’ve still got it…”

“…and so I will no doubt be able to control any further difficulty.”

“You listen here, Spock…”

“The data you have, Doctor, is on Humans, which I am not…”

“Minneapolis!” Ruth broke in with a screech. Both men turned to stare at her. Her hands were on her hips, her violet eyes flashing.

“I beg your…” Spock began.

“Minneapolis,” she repeated. "Minnesota, North American continent, United Nations of Earth, Sol/Jupiter System.”

“I am aware of the location of…” Spock began again.

“Your mother’s hometown,” Ruth stated firmly.

The tips of Spock’s ears were greening. “Miss Valley…”

“I get so sick of your ‘you Humans’ this and ‘you Humans’ that. You’re Human, as Human as I am, evan Amanda!”

McCoy’s mouth was open, his eyes twinkling. “I’ve been tellin’ him that for years,” he cackled.

“So listen to him!” Ruth concluded.

Spock blinked for several seconds, but all he said was, “Evan Amanda?”

“That’s how we Antaris refer to males,” Ruth explained. “We Antaris don’t ignore our mothers. Humans usually don’t either.”

Spock ignored the explanation he had asked for. “I will return to duty now, Dr. McCoy.”

“No, you won’t. You’re stay…” McCoy’s voice trailed away. His eyes closed and he began to fall. Dr. M’Benga was quick enough to catch him and place him on a bed.

Ruth looked at M’Benga. She looked at Spock. She sighed, then declared in exasperation, “It figures.”

“Ruth?” M’Benga suggested.

“Coming.”

Several minutes later, she had healed a grumbling Daffy and had been solidly rebuffed by Spock. Then she muttered, “he won’t like it,” and bent over McCoy.

As McCoy regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Ruth Valley’s face. He sat up abruptly, almost hitting his forehead on hers. “I’m all right,” he said gruffly.

“You fainted,” Ruth replied.

“I feel fine.”

“So did everyone else.”

“Miss Valley, I said I’m fine,” McCoy insisted. “I don’t need your voodoo.”

Ruth sighed. “You’re as stubborn as Spock.”

“Don’t insult me, young lady.”

Ruth merely shook her head and McCoy wondered why she wasn’t gloating. “Because I’m a healer,” came the reply. “And since you’re going to be stubborn you can start working on some treatment for this other than my personal exhaustion.”

“I was,” McCoy retorted. “My ‘damned serum,’ remember? And who asked you to do anything? I distinctly remember telling you not to…”

“I couldn’t let them wait with you sick, could I?” Ruth replied. “Please Doctor, just get to work.”

Arachne Station proved correct. The plague was virulent and became more so. In the next seven hours, one hundred and fifty people were brought to Sickbay. McCoy let M’Benga and Head Nurse Christine Chapel do as much as they could while he stayed with research. Ruth waited, doing a little healing now and then when McCoy wasn’t looking. People were sent to their quarters, told to rest, and just wait. Then M’Benga slumped to the deck while examining Dav Miller. “Oh great,” Ruth muttered. She stepped to the door of McCoy’s office. “McCoy!”

“Are you still here, Valley?” came the brusque response.

“Of course I am, and Ben just fainted.”

“Damn,” came softly. “I’m getting’ nowhere with this.”

“Of course you’re not,” Ruth muttered to herself. McCoy came in from his office

“Just wait till he wakes up and…” he began.

“Face it, Doctor. You need me.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Heal him.”

“Valley, that’s no help as long as…”

McCoy was interrupted as Jock Thompson was again carried into Sickbay. McCoy turned a triumphant glare on Ruth.

“Some healing, keheil,” he taunted.

Ruth simply glared back and focused on Jock. When his eyes opened, she said through clenched teeth, “You gonna make a habit of this, Thompson?”

Jock grinned at her. She turned back to McCoy. “You do realize, Doctor, and I use the term loosely, that prior exposure to this disease or whatever it is doesn’t confer immunization? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my healing…”

Before she got to finish her tirade, McCoy quietly fell to the deck.

“Shit,” Ruth finished.

It was ten times more frightening than any touch Spock had ever given him. She was there, within him, a part of him. Yet it was gentle, like a mist or a warm fog slowly seeping into his being. The fever and aching weariness he’d been fighting just melted in the mist and was drawn away from him. As separate thought returned, so did his fear. And his sense of helplessness. And so, naturally, the defense.

McCoy opened his eyes as Ruth was getting slowly to her feet.

“I don’t suppose you’ll say thank you,” she muttered, then groaned, “oh no!” as Sulu was carried into Sickbay.

“What’s the matter? Lost your touch?” McCoy said caustically from his bed.

“I’m just tired,” she snapped back.

“Oh? Is the great keheil gonna need some help?”

Ruth ignored him and crossed to the bed Sulu had been placed in. He was pale, sweating, and more than simply unconscious. But he hadn’t been found unconscious before. Had he simply not reported a fainting spell? That wasn’t like him, especially with all the word of a contagious illness on the ship. She reached out tentatively, aware of his unease with her abilities, gently touching just the surface of his being.

The force of the flood within him nearly overpowered her.

Heard about…Jock says she becomes – no private place, no self, she’s everywhere inside and knows everything – knows! No, I don’t want – can’t let – amber cruising, decadent, depraved, sadistic…blood, Kam, draw a little more…harder, faster… no, can’t let her – I need her, she’ll turn – horrified – she’ll run away when she sees who… you’re sick, jackass, go to – no she’s there, she’s healing, Daffy said, Jock said – she’ll heal…she’ll know! I can’t, I can’t…!

Ruth abruptly pulled away before he could feel the contact. It was painful, it sent a shock through her system to wrench herself away – but worse was the realization, and she felt tears in her eyes. He was afraid of her, afraid to let her inside him. Afraid! Roy, I thought we had something special. I thought you were… that just maybe you could be… But afraid? Of me? Of my knowing what you are? I thought we were open and honest. I thought we didn’t play any games. I thought… oh god, I thought… But you’re afraid of it. Afraid!

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, fighting back the tears. You have a duty, keheil, whether or not he’s afraid, she told herself. And Sulu, if you can never look at me again… But, god, Roy, it hurts!

She tried, but as hard as she tired, Ruth couldn’t bring herself to terrify him by becoming his illness – and him. She could feel the Zahara’s frown, but even that didn’t overcome the grief. She turned away, trembling and helpless and heard McCoy’s voice saying, surprisingly softly;

“Do you need help?”

“I – can’t – “ was all she could manage.

McCoy rose from his bed, irritably waving Christine Chapel away when she tried to help him, and made his way to Sulu’s side. “Well, Nurse, get me a scanner!” he growled. Chapel sighed, but complied. McCoy studied the readings, then snapped, “Get a blood sample to the lab. I don’t know how second stage treatment will react without the first stage.” He went back to the computer, muttering. “all I need is to have this thing change on me again, second stage without first and an empath no damn help…”

Ruth bristled slightly, and considered reminding him that an hour ago he hadn’t wanted ‘damn help’ from an empath – then stopped. He did need her help. That’s what was bothering him. She made him feel useless. And how does it feel to be useless? She cringed, then took a deep breath and turned to him.

“Doctor,” she began, “I think he did go through first stage. I think that’s why I couldn’t do anything. Both sets of reactions at once were too much for me to sort out.” And I’ll do penance for white lies later. “At least,” she added as humbly as she could without getting nauseous, “that’s what it felt like.”

“Hmmm,” McCoy considered. “You may have something there. We’ve been trying to treat this thing in stages. Maybe if we concentrated on the whole…” He glanced almost surreptitiously at her. “Why don’t you go down to the lab and get that blood report first hand?”

She started to say that she could do one all by herself, but closed her mouth and simply nodded. She smiled all the way to the lab. I think, she thought, I’ve got it.

And, Roy, maybe I can help you yet.

“So far I’ve managed to discover that it’s viral and pneumatic,” Ruth heard McCoy say.

“That so?” she mumbled, too tired to be sarcastic. She yawned, opened her eyes and saw that McCoy had been talking to Captain Kirk. Since she didn’t recall the captain materializing in Sickbay, she decided that she must’ve fallen asleep, or maybe fainted. She heard herself giggle. They both stared at her. It seemed like a good time to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes and heard them resume their conversation .

“Anything you can do for it?” Kirk asked.

“I am working on a serum, so are Bolton’s people, but I don’t know how long it's going to take.”

“Any chance of this virus turning fatal?”

There was a short, grim silence from McCoy before he answered. “That I do not know, Jim.”

“Then you’d better hurry with that serum, Bones.”

“He’s doing the best he can!” Ruth burst out. Both men stared at her again, and she flushed. “Sir,” she added.

Kirk shook his head, but McCoy nodded and smiled at her, bouncing ever so slightly on his heels.

“It wasn’t easy,” McCoy was saying. “This thing changes when it goes into second stage, but I’ve checked the formula with Dr. Bolton and she hasn’t got anything new, so…”

He went on and Ruth listened politely. Cooperation, she told herself again. This is just the tiniest bit boring, a notch or so above one of Daystrom’s classes, but it is good for him.

Admit it, and you.

So all right, I’m as adverse to hostility as anyone else.

And to competition?

All right! And to competition. I just hope it works. For Roy’s sake, I hope it…

Her thoughts stopped as McCoy’s voice did the same. He’d fainted again. Ruth sighed, and rubbed her temples – then reached impulsively for the vial McCoy had been holding. Let’s see if you’re a real healer, she said to herself, and prepared a hypospray. In a moment, his eyes opened and she said, “Guinea pig, Doctor?”

He looked mildly offended. “Of course,” he rasped. She smiled and injected him.

Several seconds passed.

“Well?” he said. Ruth reached out.

“You’re as healthy as I am,” she replied.

“Are you?” he asked gruffly.

She laughed. “We Antaris don’t get sick.”

Sulu was leaving Sickbay with a clean bill of health when Ruth intercepted him. “How are you feeling, Roy?” she asked sweetly. His eyes turned wary.

“Fine. Why?”

“I wanted to be sure your stupidity for the week was over.”

“What?”

“Not reporting to Sickbay after a fainting spell.”

He stared at her, his face paling. “How’d you know that?”

Her eyes hardened. “I picked your precious brain,” she told him coldly, but her own pain and anger fled with the sudden shame that crossed his features.

“I didn’t ever want you to know,” he said quietly.

“Sulu, I thought we were closer than that,” she replied just as softly. He wouldn’t look at her.

“You want to get closer?” he asked ruefully.

“Why not?”

“After…” He swallowed.

“Knowing you? Roy, what’s so bad?”

“You know!” he nearly hissed, then turned from her.

She let out a trembling sigh. “I didn’t pick your brain. All I did was a quick – scan. You were thinking about it.”

“Then you didn’t – you don’t – “ he faltered.

“Know your secrets? No,” she said. “But would it be so terrible if I did?”

He faced her, his eyes meeting hers hesitantly but resolutely. “Yes,” he said.

“Roy… why?”

“Don’t ask me, Ruth.”

“We have something special…”

“Yeah, we do. So leave it at that, okay?”

She studied the now-buried fear and shame. It would have been so fine, she thought. With your caring and how good we are together… “I’ll never be more than half in love with you,” she said.

“Deal,” he answered quietly, then grinned. “As long as it’s the right half.”

Ruth smiled gently and let him walk past her. “Deal,” she whispered after him.

The serum was given to everyone in Sickbay, and to each person who was brought in. When Kirk was carried from the Bridge, Ruth remarked to McCoy, “Gee, I thought captains were immune to everything.”

He remarked back, “Except insomnia, headaches and hangovers.”

Spock was brought to Sickbay comatose, and Ruth hesitated. At McCoy’s questioning eyebrow, she pointed out, “He’s so manageable this way.”

“But think how much fun we’ll have telling him we Humans developed a serum for Humans and it cured him,” McCoy returned gleefully.

It was 0630 when the last patient left Sickbay. Ruth and McCoy sat on opposite ends of his desk.

“Sorry I wasn’t more help,” Ruth mumbled.

“Nonsense, you did what you could,” McCoy replied.

“I couldn’t cure a damn thing. Only heal it.”

“Not your fault. That’s what doctors are for.”

“And medicine.”

“Touché.”

McCoy groaned and got up. Ruth yawned, stretching, then noticed McCoy’s eyes twinkling at her. He held out his arm.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee, Ruthie?” he asked.

“Sure can, Bones,” she replied

The End