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Leonard was upset. He’d been on his communicator for ten minutes now, and his face was growing redder by the second. Joanna wasn’t able to catch everything that he’s said; mostly just a bunch of curse words. And of course, “Jim.”
It was typical, really. The first time she had seen her dad in a year and a half, and he was already heading back to him. She only got Dad for a couple days, anyway! Why did Jim have to come and ruin it again?
Leonard sighed and flipped his communicator closed, and she knew that he was leaving again. “Pumpkin, I gotta go.”
“Yeah. I bet you do.”
“Joanna, I wouldn’t–“
“Yes, you would! You do this all the time, Dad! And I never get to see you because he always needs you and then you have to go back to class and I have to go back to Mom!”
He knelt down in front of her. “Joanna, he’s my friend. Pumpkin, we’ve talked about this. Sometimes he doesn’t make good decisions because some bad things have happened to him. Since I’m his friend and his doctor, I have to make sure he’s healthy and safe. Please, Joanna.”
She crossed her arms. “Take me with you.”
“Joanna, I don’t know...”
“Take. Me. With. You.”
He looked into his 11-year-old’s eyes— so similar to his own in their stubborn indignation. “Okay, fine. But you stay quiet and stick close to me, all right? I don’t want you to get lost at the bar.”
She frowned. “Dad, it’s 4:00 in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, I know, pumpkin. Today must have been a bad day, if he’s already drinking and fighting.”
Joanna took Leonard’s hand. “Come on, then. If we have to go, there's no point in being slow about it.”
He grinned. “All right, let’s go.”
When they arrived at the bar, she clutched his hand tighter. “I don’t like this, Dad.”
He looked up at the grungy building. “Gotta say, I’m inclined to agree with you on this one.”
They entered the bar warily. Looking around, Leonard could count at least three men who eyed Joanna hungrily. He pulled her closer to his body. “Do not let go of my hand, Joanna.”
She nodded, eyes wide.
The two McCoys made their way through the crowded bar to the back, where a blond man in a red uniform sat slumped in a chair. He looked up as they approached. “Bones!”
Jim started to stand up, then swayed dangerously. Leonard grabbed under his arm firmly. “Sit the hell down. You’re not ready to stand up yet.”
Leonard turned to his daughter. “Sit down right here, Joanna. I gotta check him for concussion.”
She crossed her arms in front of her. “Dad, I don’t feel safe here.”
He sighed. “I know that, pumpkin. We’ll be out of here as soon as possible, I promise.”
Jim smiled gently and leaned toward her. “Hey. I’m Jim, and you’re Jo, right?”
“Joanna.”
“Okay, Joanna. What kind of—“
“Jim, hold still, goddamn it! I’m trying to scan you!”
“Sorry, Bones. So, Joanna, what kind of stuff are you interested in?”
She side-eyed him. “Why do you want to know?”
He shrugged. “Bones talks about you a lot. You seem like a pretty cool kid, I thought I’d try to get to know you.”
“Well, don’t.”
Bones looked up from his tricorder and met her eyes. “Joanna, be polite.”
“But, Dad...”
Jim held up his hands placatingly. “If she doesn’t wanna talk to me, that’s fine.”
Leonard grunted, then plunged a hypospray into Jim’s neck. “Whatever. Let’s get you back to the dorm, I need to finish checking you out somewhere... safer.”
Once they returned to Jim and Bones’ shared dorm room, Jim flopped down on the coach. “Jesus, Bones, this hurts like a bitch. What the hell was in that hypospray?”
“Nothing you’ve never had before. You’re just a whiny baby who takes hypos worse than my 11-year-old daughter.”
Joanna sat on Bones’ bed, pouting. “Dad, can we go yet? You promised we could visit the shipyard today.”
“Hang on, pumpkin. I’ve gotta give Jim a more thorough check-up.”
Jim frowned at Leonard. “Bones, I’m fine. See,“ he stood up and twirled around the room, “I’m fit as a fiddle!”
“Sit your ass back down. I’m not leaving until I’ve made sure you’re all right.”
“Bones...”
“Don’t you argue with me, Jim. If we’ve been over this once, we’ve been over it a thousand times. Now sit down and follow my finger—“
“BONES.”
Leonard looked up sharply. “What?!”
“Let’s go talk outside.”
“What? Why...,” he followed Jim’s gaze to Joanna. “Oh. Okay.”
Joanna watched as the two men stepped out of the room. As Leonard pulled the door closed, it bounced lightly against the jamb and hung open just a crack.
“I’m telling you, I’m fine, Bones.”
“Why did we leave her in there? What’s the big secret?”
“She’s your daughter, Bones. She came all this way to see you, and you’re fussing over me again.”
“Your head was slammed against a table, Jim. I need to check you for a concussion.”
“I’m not the priority here, Bones! That kid needs you, and you’re ignoring her!”
“Jim, you have a flight sim tomorrow—“
“Some things are more important. Some people are more important. Take her to the shipyard, Bones. I’ll still be here when you get back.”
“That’s not how a concussion works, you need immediate treatment—“
“Then I’ll go to the clinic! Stop avoiding Joanna because you’re afraid of being a parent!”
The hallway was silent for a moment. Joanna sat quietly, barely believing what she heard. Was Jim actually defending her?
Before she could ponder further, Leonard and Jim returned. Leonard looked defeated and tired. “Come on, pumpkin. Let’s go to the shipyard.”