Chapter Text
Jim fell back onto the hospital bed as his mother’s voice filled the room. His arm still itched and tingled from where the doctors fixed his arm, Jim scratched it till his skin turned red. “Sweetheart, I know you miss your brother, but you can just run off in the night to go see him.” his mother said. Jim turned away from the laptop, and squeaked his eye shut. Not even worth a video call, Dammit. Jim pulled the hospital blanket over himself to protect himself from his mother’s words. “I know the last few years have been hard. I lost your dad; I don’t want to lose you too.” She continued. Jim didn’t respond, what would be the point? She never listened. He just focused on the window. The sunlight was flowing into the room. He could hear the trees swaying in the wind along with the birds. “JIM, Jim Please listen.” She pleaded. Jim turned his head to his mother’s voice
“Yes?” Jim replied. His eyes felt so heavy, the few days finally getting to him, Jim had made it to Wyoming before they caught him, not too bad for a 13 year old.
“Thank you, I think you need help I can’t give you. I know you’ve been giving Frank trouble, and getting into fights in school….” Winona said. Jim grimaced and didn’t respond. “And I know how much you love going off planet. So, I was thinking you could visit your aunt and uncle on the colony they moved to last year for the summer.”
“Really!” Jim felt happier than he had in ages. “When do I leave?” Jim asked excitedly. Jim was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Colonies have way better schools than anything in Riverside. If he was on his best behavior maybe could convince Mom to let him stay.
“… Well the Transport is supposed to come at the end of the month, and I know you have finished all your classes for the year,” Winona answered. Jim was surprised he didn’t know his mom knew that he had finished early. Jim had wanted to just skip a grade but he had to get his mother's permission, and she never answered, so he was left with online AP classes he took online in the computer labs(as if he would stay home with Frank). Huh, I wonder how long she’s been planning this, Jim thought.
“Wait, how far is the colony? What’s it called?” Jim sat up, his mind working a mile a minute.
“It takes about two months to get there and it’s called Tarsus IV.” Two months? Maybe it won’t be so hard to convince her to let me stay, Jim thought a bit bitterly. Winona explained a bit more of the how, when, and where of it. “Jim, sweetheart, really I’ve got to go. I’ll send you the info later today. Love bye!” she said, the call ended before Jim even had a chance to reply. He sighed and let his lull him to sleep.
The month had come and gone and Jim had wrapped up his life in Riverside. He had left Riverside yesterday with an escort. Now Jim sat in the shuttle port with the ensign that somehow got roped into escorting him; he looked more baby-faced than Jim did. He sighed and slid down the chair and took out a well-loved copy of The Complete Collection of Sherlock Homes out of his bag, as he waited for their shuttle to Starbase one. Jim occasionally broke from his reading to sneak a peek at the ensign who was engrossed with his PADD. He wondered if he would become the ensign that gets roped into babysitting duty.
He was disturbed by a tap on his shoulder; Jim looked up to see the ensign. “The shuttle is here,” The ensign said with an unenthusiastic look “Come on.”
Jim the shuttle to star base one was breaking the atmosphere the sky was filled with more stars than he’d ever seen in Riverside. Jim had gone to the observation deck which was mostly made of glass except about half of the floor. It was as if Jim was able to stand free in space, endless and vast that he wishes he could let himself be engulfed by its incomprehensibly. Jim had forgotten how much he had missed this view of the stars; his mom had stopped taking him and Sam off planet after Dad’s death. One day he would never parted from the stars, Jim hoped.
Starbase one was bustling, and the first of many star bases to come on Jim’s voyage. The ensign told him that they had a transport in about thirty minutes, just giving them enough time to check in. They hustled to the Starfleet personal ports, as they walked the chatter of the civilian crowd thinned into a quiet murmur that came from red, blue, and gold clad officers.
Jim was still dismayed that his mom let him go to the colony; which meant he would be going to a colony school! He wouldn’t have to worry about being bored and being called a teacher’s pet or nerd (probably) anymore! The transport was now allowing people to board; As Jim walked behind the ensign, his excitement to arrive on Tarsus IV grew with every step.