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Leonard McCoy wouldn’t have chosen to go to Earth for shore leave. He would’ve rather gone to some tropical planet devoid of humanoid life, save for the staff of a relaxing resort. But he did want to stick with Kirk and Spock, so he had to agree with them on a destination. That’s how he ended up with them on a train on the outskirts of San Francisco.
McCoy wasn’t sure what they were going to do once they got into the city, and he didn’t think Kirk or even Spock knew either. He was about to ask if they had any plans when the train came to a stop. A computer voice informed passengers in several Terran and alien languages that they had arrived at the San Francisco train station.
Kirk and Spock hopped off the train and looked around the city, McCoy trailing after them.
“Look at that,” Kirk said, pointing to a ferris wheel in the distance. “I don’t suppose there’s some kind of carnival in town?”
“They are quite uncommon on Earth, but not unheard of,” said Spock. “Some areas have outlawed them due to safety concerns, but accidents at carnivals have been nearly unheard of in well over a century.”
“Any objections to investigating?” asked Kirk.
Spock said nothing and McCoy, knowing the captain had made up his mind anyway, only crossed his arms and shrugged.
They walked quickly, cutting across the streets until the imposing ferris wheel loomed closer.
“Bay Area Amusement Park,” Kirk said, reading the sign on an arch before them.
“An amusement park. Jesus, I haven’t been to one of those since I was a boy,” said McCoy. “Can’t say I had reason to like them.” He left off that he actually had a good reason to dislike them.
“The only time I’ve lived close enough to an amusement park to visit one was during my academy days,” said Kirk, his hands on his hips as he inspected the entrance. “I don’t think I’d been to one before then, and I haven’t been to one since. What about you, Spock?”
Spock turned towards Kirk. “I have not had a chance to visit one. I was not even aware of amusement parks before attending the academy. They are… curious,” he said, slightly arching an eyebrow. “The engineering required to design and construct many of the rides is impressive, especially when taking into consideration the fact that many of the rides used to this day were designed in Earth’s twentieth century.”
Kirk smiled. “So I take it you’re alright with spending a couple hours exploring this place? Perhaps for scientific purposes?”
“Certainly.”
“Well, not that anyone asked, but I wouldn’t mind going in here either,” McCoy said.
Kirk placed a hand on his shoulder. “Of course you wouldn’t, Bones.”
Before the doctor could utter another sarcastic word, Kirk walked through the entrance. There were no people keeping watch, but a barely-visible metal-and-substance detector around the frame of the entrance scanned the trio. It lit up green, and a set of automatic doors opened.
“After you, gentlemen,” Kirk said.
Children ran about, dragging exhausted parents with them. Groups of people– mostly young Humans–gathered around food stalls, chatting while they ate chili dogs and candy. There was even a line of small children in matching uniforms following a teacher, presumably on a school field trip.
“Where do we even begin, Jim?” asked McCoy.
Just as Kirk was about to answer, a series of thrilled screams broke out nearby. The three men quickly turned towards the source: people riding a high-speed roller coaster.
“I say we start with that,” Kirk said. “What do you two think?”
“No way in hell you’re getting me on that thing,” McCoy said firmly.
“Fine, you can skip it. But make sure you’re watching us. Wave when we pass you, okay?” Kirk nudged the doctor, who rolled his eyes. “And what about you, Spock? Are you going on the roller coaster?”
“Yes, I will ride it. I have never been on a roller coaster, but I find the process of making and maintaining one to be highly fascinating.”
“It’s magic that makes those things run, if you ask me,” said McCoy. “And I don’t trust magic.”
Spock looked slightly taken aback and ready to form a counter-argument in defense of the roller coaster, but Kirk broke into his thoughts.
“Let’s go, Spock. Remember, Bones, wave to us when we pass by!”
Kirk and Spock walked off towards the ride, and McCoy followed until his two friends reached the line to get on. He stood off to the side, arms crossed, mind wandering. The sun was bright, maybe too bright for his taste, but it was a tolerable warm, late-spring temperature. He zoned out as Kirk and Spock got on the roller coaster.
McCoy thought about the last time he had been to an amusement park. There were only a handful near his hometown, so a trip to one was special. He looked forward to going with his father; it meant a ride on the carousel and a freshly fried serving of funnel cake. He now knew that his father must have enjoyed the amusement park nearly as much as his young son did. His father had a certain youthful charm about him throughout his entire life.
For a moment McCoy wished they had gone to more fun places like amusement parks and carnivals, but he knew it wouldn’t have been the same after what became their last visit to such a place. He still remembered the fear and anxiety that filled him when he realized that he was surrounded by strangers, with his father nowhere in sight.
McCoy thought he heard stifled crying, but he dismissed it as his imagination since he was thinking about the traumatic event. Besides, he wasn’t keen on chasing down random things that caught his interest at amusement parks. That was what had happened all those years ago: a young Leonard McCoy saw a rabbit running through the amusement park and decided to chase it. By the time he looked up, he was on the other side of the park. He forgot all about the rabbit and tried to stay calm. All he knew how to do was stay put and wait for his father to find him.
The muted cries turned into full-on sobbing coming from his right. It became too loud to be his imagination.
Turning, McCoy saw a child crouching and covering his ears, pressed against a metal fence, as if for shelter.
McCoy cautiously approached the child. “Hey, kid, are you okay? Where’re your parents?” He hated to assume that the kid was lost, hoping he was just jumping to conclusions because of his own experiences.
The child took his hands off his head, revealing pointed ears. He had a green tint around his damp eyes. “I am… I am Sotun.” He sniffed. “I have been… separated from my mother.”
Though most of the time he hardly related to Vulcans, McCoy looked at the boy and saw a younger version of himself. “It’s ok, Sotun. We’ll find your mother.” He motioned for the child to follow him. The doctor was so worried that he didn’t hear Kirk yelling ‘hello’ from the coaster as he walked away.
McCoy walked around in search of an information center, help desk, or even lost-and-found. He had to find someone working there. He’d ask the food cart employees or even random amusement park-goers if he had to.
Occasionally, McCoy looked back at Sotun to make sure he was still following him. Though Vulcan children did not find touch to be as taboo as adults did, they were hypersensitive to all senses, and McCoy did not want to grab his hand for fear of overwhelming an already-overstimulated child.
After what felt like a lifetime McCoy located a small building with a person sitting at a desk.
“Excuse me,” he said, forcefully but not rudely. “This child has been separated from his mother. Someone has got to find her as soon as possible.” For a moment, he allowed his mind to race with awful thoughts that his mother may have been kidnapped, or that she had deliberately abandoned the child. He shut those thoughts up for now. “Listen, I’ll help look if I have to.” The only reason young McCoy had been found so quickly was because a large search party was sent to look for him.
“That won’t be necessary,” the person said, taking out a communicator. “T’kon, your child has been found.”
Not one minute later, a Vulcan woman appeared. She had a bead of sweat dripping down her face, but otherwise concealed her stress. “Sotun, my child, I am glad to see that you are unharmed.”
Sotun walked towards his mother as fast as was logically acceptable. “Mother, I do not wish to be separated from you again.”
“Do not worry, my child. I will make sure it does not happen again.” She looked at McCoy. “I presume you are the one who found Sotun. I offer my sincerest gratitude.”
Watching the parent and child, McCoy barely held back a tear. Though he shouldn’t have cared, he was afraid of appearing too emotional in front of a Vulcan. But it was hard to contain himself when the scene he just witnessed was essentially a Vulcan version of his reunion with his father after he was found. “No problem, Ma’am. I have to say, your son was exceptionally calm. I’ll bet he knew his mother would find him in no time.”
The roller coaster made a loud screech as it stopped, reminding McCoy of his friends. “I’d better get going.” He tried the Vulcan salute, but his fingers wouldn’t cooperate. He looked at T’kon and Sotun anyway. “Live long and prosper.”
Just as McCoy arrived at the spot he was standing in before, Kirk and Spock were shuffling through a crowd at the ride’s exit.
Kirk waved at McCoy.
“Did you see us go by? I hope you weren’t too bored waiting for us.”
McCoy gave a half-hearted smile. “No, I was just fine. How was it, Spock? Enjoyed defying gravity?” He knew that a roller coaster’s functioning was well within the laws of gravity, but he had to say something to get Spock riled up. He could use a little lighthearted Spock sass after the day’s stressful events.
“Doctor, I’m sure you’re aware that a roller coaster uses gravity in order to function. To say that it defies it is not accurate.”
“Well, I think it defies nature all the same.”
Spock offered no remark, only silence, which McCoy had long ago learned was his way of giving an exasperated sigh and an eye roll.
“What do you want to do next?” Kirk asked McCoy.
He smiled wistfully. “I thought maybe we could go on the carousel.”
Kirk nodded and of course Spock had no objections, so they quickly located the carousel and got on.
As the machine prepared to start spinning, McCoy spotted the Vulcan child in the distance with his mother, both having cotton candy. He couldn’t see their faces well from that distance and even if he could he was sure that he wouldn’t have spotted any emotion in their expressions, but he knew they both felt immensely relieved just as he and his father had.
He remembered leaving the amusement park because he was so scared of getting lost again, and in retrospect he knew his father must have been eager to leave for the same reason.
“Papa, I was scared you’d give up on looking for me.” He couldn’t forget what he said when he was reunited with his father.
McCoy let a tear roll down his face as he remembered his father’s words while he hugged his son. “I would never, ever give up on you.”