Eleanora was awakened by the sound of the comn ringing loudly in their shared bedroom and the inkling of loss hidden behind her heart coming to as though something had been lost forever to her reaches. A sound that caused her to look at the holographic screen spotting a Georgia number.

She pressed the decline then rested her head on the pillow and rested. The comn rang repeatedly, declined each time, until at last, Eleanora swiped accept. "Hello, we have your son at the Crimson Nightingale hospital recovering from a air-car accident." And then that feeling resting beneath her heart burst that she knew was the truth was open.

Eleanora ended the call with that, then got off the bed.

"Hmm. . ." David woke up with the feeling that weight on the bed was shifted. "Eleanora, what s'up?"

"It's Leonard." Eleanora's words were careful and measured. "There was a air-car accident."

David groaned as he lifted up from the bed then shifted toward window and stretched his arms.

"What a downer," David said. "How bad was it?"

"Didn't say." Eleanora said as she got out her choice of clothing. "He is recovering."

David got to his side of the drawer and searched through for his clothing alongside Eleanora and didn't suspect a thing.

/////////////////////

David drives them to the hospital and parked the vehicle at the visitor's lot. They unbuckle in unison, open the door, then walk out under the nightly sky that rains upon them with sorrow and despair as David swears. He doesn't like the weather changing so suddenly on him as they go inside of the hospital. Eleanora takes David by the arm just to balance herself, it's brighter here in the hospital compared to the clinic and full of uncertainties of what they would learn.

The receptionist tells them the floor and the room number. They go into the turbo lift, David yanks the leveler, the turbo lift goes up to the floor that David has specified and with a ding the door is opened. They exit the doorway and go through the corridor that is full of color, paintings dangling, children portraits, and medical advertisements that are fuzzy background noises against the long boring walk. They take several more turns and a couple more turbo lifts just to get to the recovery wing.

It's a frankly large hospital that sprawls and David is squeezing her hand as they go down the corridor, they're old, they're slower, they feel something is wrong inside about this entire situation with each step that was taken. They exchange a glance with one another before heading toward the transparent doorway reading "RECOVERY WING". The doors open once they approach it letting them in. A vulcan is standing in the center of the room with a hairy beard, hairy slanted eyebrows, and generally hairy, but tall and roughly a young man. The doctors and the vulcan shifts toward them.

"Doctor McCoy?"

"Yes, I am he." David approached them with Eleanora in hand. "What's wrong with my boy?"

"We had to amputate his legs and arms," was the reply from the hospital doctor.

David sat down into the nearest chair.

"My boy is a--"

"Don't worry, we're working on making sure that his body responds quickly in the reproduction of bone." The doctor chuckled. "He's a very special kid."

"My father is very interested in him." Sybok spoke up. "Surviving a very significant air-car crash the way that he has is fascinating."

David looked up toward the doctor and Sybok as Eleanora paled. She looked toward her husband, the hints of the crash itself revealed through verbal warning, terrified, of what the worst situation possible. David was up to his feet joining her side.

"Is he a living vegetable?"

"That, he is not." Sybok assured then smirked, reassuringly. "Just strong enough to tell me his name."

"Ambassador Sarek has made it certain that we enroll him in the regenerative limb program, so far, so before we do that; we are giving his body some time to rest before we put him into the regenerative limb program."

"What kind of injuries are talking about him that makes a ambassador interested in my boy's well being?" Eleanora asked, skeptical.

"He. . . well. . . that son of yours was missing parts of his face and the back of his head was quite exposed--it wasn't so easy to transport him when his brain stem was loose. Miracle that it stuck together the way that it has."

David grasped Eleanora's shoulder, balancing himself; it wasn't their son.

"He was unable to turn his head with my aid." Sybok said.

"This vulcan requires the most thanks for his survival."

"Thank you, doctor---"

"Sybok."

"Thank you, Sybok." Eleanora thanked him.

"Your son is a very strong and resilient but interesting man." Sybok replied, holding his hand up then gave the ta'al.

The main doctor who had been speaking nodded in agreement with that assessment then resumed speaking.

"The body is traumatized as it is from the unexpected shock that the crash had. We would be doing it immediately . . . but he needs to recover a few hours before we start on that heavy work."

"You are very welcome." Sybok replied with a small smile toward the matriarch and departed.

"Does he still look like himself?" David asked.

"We have done the best that we can do." Was the assuring reply.

David took a deep gulp.

"Alright, we're seeing our boy." David said.

The doctor watches them go into the recovery room, the door opening before them. The man in the room is resting, his face is intact, all with the blanket shadowing over the wounds that were beneath it. Eleanora and went to the other side of the bed then looked up toward David, heartbroken, as though knowing what color the eyes were going to be when they opened. David shook his head, he didn't want to be right. He didn't want to lose the idea that his son wasn't dead.

"If he isn't Leonard," Eleanora hissed back. "You know his secret."

David lowered his gaze.

"Neither of them should have survived this crash." David said, bitterly

"He has Leonard's face." Eleanora pointed out. "If he isn't our son; John will carry him wherever he goes."

"But, our son would be dead, Betsy." David said.

"Our son's face won't decay," Eleanora proceeded to list. "it won't fade, it won't become forgotten, it'll always be remembered and out live us."

"Betsy." David glared.

"Not if he pretends to be him." Eleanora said.

David shifted his attention upon the resting man then back.

"If those eyes aren't blue and he is still out there starting a new identity, then this discussion is the most stupid one that we've had and it makes the discussions about TJ taking Len to a natural dangerous landmark look insignificant."

A groan came from between them then they shifted their attention toward the resting figure.

"Len?" David asked. "Are you okay?"

When the eyes opened, all they could see in them was John's hazel eyes and Leonard's animated face.

"I am not Len."

David hung his head as Eleanora smiled, tearfully, shaking her head.

"You are, now." Eleanora said. "Take his name." David joined her side then wrapped a hand around her waist. "Do what you want with it, just let his name live on."

He looked toward Eleanora then toward David, reluctantly making his decision, then sighed.

"I'll take it." Leonard said. "The prosthetics are goin' be a pain with my legs regrowin' so slowly."

The couple grew big grins of their own before relaying what the main doctor had told them. It was all right from there on for Doctor Leonard McCoy who boldly went to the stars with his close friends Christine Chapel and Doctor Geoffrey Jabilo M'Benga right behind him.