Chapter Text
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Jim opened one eye to peer wearily at the cheerful visage of his mother.
“What’s up?”
“You are hopefully. Come on, up and at ‘em. We have things to do.”
Jim blinked. “We do?”
“Yes.” She pulled off his covers. “Up you go. And while you’re at it, shower. You’re starting to stink.”
He frowned and sat up, glancing toward the window of his childhood room. At least it wasn’t snowing.
“What time is it?”
“Just past seven. But we have a long trip ahead of us. And shave while you’re at it. You’re looking scruffy.”
Before he could question his mother further, or argue if he wanted to, she was out of the room and heading back downstairs.
With a sigh, Jim scrubbed his face and got out of bed. He headed for the bathroom and turned the shower on.
When he came down thirty minutes later, showered, shaved and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt she had coffee ready for him, which he gratefully accepted.
“Where are we going exactly?” He took a large swallow of his coffee.
“To pick up Melanie’s kids.”
“Who is Melanie?”
She gave him a look that oozed disapproval. “Your cousin. My brother’s daughter.”
He wracked his brain trying to remember her but couldn’t. He wouldn’t have seen in her in decades so he cut himself some slack.
“So, uh, why exactly?”
“They need someone to take care of them and I guess that’s going to be me. So I have to go. And I can’t leave you here by yourself so you’re going with me.”
He drank more coffee. “You could, you know.”
“Not in the state you’re in. And anyway it would do you good to get out and about. You’ve been here two weeks and haven’t left the house.”
“I’ve been outside and to the barn more than once,” Jim protested.
“You know what I mean.”
He grimaced. “I’m supposed to be on vacation. You know. You’re not supposed to have to do anything.”
“Vacation my ass. And anyway ever since they took your ship, you’ve been like this.”
“Have not. Up until my vacation I went to work every day teaching cadets how to be swell in Starfleet.”
“Swell.” She rolled her eyes. “You know you didn’t want to leave space.”
Jim nodded. “I didn’t. But that last psych eval convinced them I should take early retirement, so I did. And they made me an admiral, so how can I complain?”
She put her hand on his arm. “We all know what you and your crew went through on that last mission, Jim. No one blames any of you if it became difficult to continue.”
“Yeah, okay, whatever. So where is Melanie that we have to get her kids?”
“Jail. Eventually prison when she gets convicted.”
“Convicted for what?”
“Murdering her husband. Stabbed him fifty times.”
Jim stared at his mother. “What the hell?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Out of her mind on drugs or something. That’s for her lawyer and the courts to decide. But unless we want those kids to go into foster care, we have to get him.”
He followed her to the coatrack where there coats were and grabbed his to put on.
“Wait, what about your brother?”
His mother gave him yet another look. “You could maybe pay attention when I tell you things. He’s in a facility now for memory care. After his wife passed, your Aunt Caroline, he started forgetting a lot. Turns out he has dementia. Melanie’s the only kid they ever had. Her husband’s folks passed years ago. So, we’re it. Or I am, anyway.”
“Sorry,” Jim said, sincerely. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
She hugged him. “It’s okay, Jimmy. I know how it’s been for you.”
“Where are we going anyway?”
“Orion.”
“Orion?” Jim was flabbergasted.
“I did say it was a long trip. Melanie was married to an Orion. Buckle up, honey. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
****
“First we need to go to Cedar Rapids,” his mother explained as they left Riverside in her hover car. “The commercial shuttles in Riverside don’t go to San Francisco but the ones there do. From San Francisco we can get one to Orion.”
“Right.”
“But first we have to make a stop in Iowa City.”
Jim glanced her way. “What for?”
“To see Warren.”
His mind blanked. “Warren?”
She sighed. “My brother. At his assisted facility.”
Jim sank lower into the seat and looked out the window. “Sorry, Mom. I know I keep saying that…but…I should have paid more attention to our family.”
“No,” she said softly. “It’s my fault. When your dad was killed I gave up on life. For far too long I lived in my own head.”
“I sure know what that’s like.”
She patted his leg. “I made a lot of mistakes, honey. I distanced myself from my family so no wonder you don’t remember any of them. And I lost Sam because of my foolishness.”
Jim smiled wistfully. “He’s out there somewhere, Mom.”
“And don’t get my started on my very much ex-husband. I put up with his shit for too long. And we all lived to regret it.”
“We can’t change the past, Mom. But we can work on a better future.”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes. And part of that is telling Warren we’re getting his grandkids. Look, I know he probably won’t even know we’re there but I have to try and tell him. I owe him. You know my brother and his wife, Caroline, offered to take you and Sammy when I couldn’t handle things.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I stupidly said no. Instead I saddled you with Frank.”
“May he rest in peace,” Jim muttered.
She looked at him quickly. “He’s not dead.” She paused. “Is he?”
He shrugged. “One can hope.”
“So Iowa City is up first. We should be there in no time.”
“Weren’t they living in Nebraska or something?”
She laughed. “That’s right. So you remember something. But after Caroline passed and Melanie left to Orion, I wanted my brother in a place closer to me.”
“Gotcha.” Jim sighed and closed his eyes. “I don’t do well with kids.”
“You do fine.”
“No. I feel…lost. Like I have no idea what to do with them. How old are Melanie’s kids anyway?”
“Brick is nine and Isabella is seven.”
“Brick?”
His mother shrugged.
“Why did she kill her husband?”
“I really don’t know. I haven’t heard from Melanie in years. Well, I hadn’t until she contacted me after she got arrested and asked me to come for the kids.”
The sign for Iowa City came up and after a couple of more signs, she got off the highway. Eventually she pulled up in front of a huge facility that resembled a Gothic mansion.
“Fancy,” Jim commented as he got out of the hover car.
“I wanted some place nice. The gardens are amazing.” She hesitated. “You don’t have to come in to see him. You can wait out in the lobby or something.”
Jim frowned as he opened the door for her to enter. “Why would I do that?’
“In case…considering what happened on that last mission with—”
“It’s okay, Mom. I can handle this,” Jim assured her gently.
“If you’re sure. I wouldn’t want to upset you. Make you think of…” She trailed off and bit her lip.
“I won’t. Let’s go see your brother.”
****
“I’m sorry, Mom. I know how hard that was for you.”
They were back on the road, headed to Cedar Rapids to the commercial shuttle bay for the shuttle that would take them to San Francisco and then one that would eventually take them to Orion.
It had been a gloomy visit. Warren hadn’t remembered his sister Winona, Jim or even his own daughter. But his mom had tried and her gentle patience with her brother had touched Jim.
“It was yeah,” she admitted. She glanced at him. “What about you?”
Jim sighed. “I can’t pretend I didn’t think about Chekov. But his situation was a little different than Uncle Warren’s. He ended up in a facility because he was catatonic. After that mission…” Jim shook himself. “He was too young for that to happen.”
“I don’t think there was anything you could have done, honey.”
“Logically I know that. I feel guilty sometimes. Not because of what happened, because, well, of course. But because when they notified me he’d passed, I was relieved.”
She reached over and patted his leg. “It had to be difficult seeing someone you cared about and who you felt responsible like that, a shell of what he once was. No one would blame you for feeling relieved. He wouldn’t suffer anymore.”
“That’s what I tell myself. Everyone tells me there was no chance he’d ever come out of it, and I trust what they said, but sometimes I just don’t know how to feel. I don’t want to dwell on it but it’s hard not to.”
“Well, not many people dwell on tragedy as much as I have so I get where you’re coming from. Try to remind yourself, as I try, that he wouldn’t want you to suffer so much over it. You know? The best we can do is to honor who they were and how they lived. And not waste our own lives. Took me a long time to learn that.”
Jim nodded and looked out at the road. “Were you close when you were young to your brother?”
“Not as close as I wish we’d been, honestly. He was older by a few years. Thought I was a brat.” She laughed. “He was right. Here we are. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long to get to San Francisco.
The shuttle from Cedar Rapids to San Francisco was uneventful. But shortly after they arrived, his mother stopped next to a bar.
“Why don’t you go in and order us something to drink? I need to get our tickets and a few other supplies we’ll need, so go on in there and wait for me.”
Jim frowned. “How long will we be there? I didn’t pack anything.”
She smirked. “I know. Leave that to me. That’s part of what I need to get. I won’t be long. And I’m not sure. I’m hoping at the most we’ll be there overnight and on our way. I don’t anticipate any problems.”
“I always anticipate problems.” Jim retorted.
“Yes, I know. Go in. Get a refreshment and relax. I’ll join you soon.”
With a grimace, Jim went through the swinging doors, they were made to look like old-fashioned saloon doors and headed for the bar counter and ordered their drinks.
He was just carrying them over to a booth when he heard his name called.
“Jim? Jim, it is you.”
He set them on the table and turned to greet Nyota Uhura, who flung her arms around him to embrace him.