It was only by accident that Captain Kirk's glance fell on the chronometer just as Spock was coming out from the turbolift, or he never would have noticed those few minutes of delay. Kirk's first reaction was to press the check button for the instrument. Two other displays lighted up by the first: all the three said the same. Still incredulous, he turned to face the First Officer, who seemed paler than usual, but for a light green shadow on his cheeks.

"Is there somenthing wrong, Mr. Spock? You look ill."

"A ... minor indisposition, Sir" the Vulcan answered, after a small hesitation, during which he wanted to resist the illogical temptation to deny the evidence. "Nevertheless, it will not affect my work!" He added quickly and willingly.

"You ought to report to sickbay."

"I will, Sir, as soon as my duty here is over, unless the minor indisposition, which I mentioned, will end of its own accord in the meantime."

His patient, respecteful tone led clearly to understand: "Mind your own business!". Jim gave up, but he couldn't help worrying. During the following half an hour, he continued keeping an eye on Spock, who appeared busy doing his usual activities, which he carried on with his usual care. Still, now and then, Jim had the impression of hearing a weird sound, a sound like a ... sniff ... Was it possible that his indestructible First Officer had caught a cold?
"It's possible, indeed!" thougth Kirk, with a bit of annoyance, as he remembered the last days events: they had been ordered to evacuate the scientific base of Krion IV, which was endangered, because of a civil war with very uncertain results, which had broken out on a planet in the same solar system. Civil personnel had been already evacuated. The assignement of the Enterprise was to rescue the equipement. There was little time. For more than 76 hours, many teams of technicians had worked on the planetoid to disassemlbe and to pack all those sophisticated devices, some of which were unique all over the Federation. Spock had wanted to be in charge of the mission for the whole time, refusing any substitute, not even for a few hours. Ignoring the Captain's complaints, he had stubbornly kept on working, under a driving rain, which had fallen during the whole period.

"It serves you right, stubborn Vulcan!" Thougth Kirk, remembering how he had seen him, when finally he had beamed up (the last one, of course!), soaked to the skin and chilly, but wholly pleased with himself.

Meanwhile the Enterprise had entered a zone of strong magnetical turmoils. The Captain had to turn his attention to the ship's control, forgetting his First Officer's health.

"It seems it's over!" Chekov's voice betrayed plain relief. They hadn't been actually in danger, but the last two hours hadn't been pleasant at all.

"Lt. Uhura, cancel the alert and check for damages." In saying so, Kirk turned to face the Communication Officer, who, without a word, nodded toward Spock's station.

Spock: He was bent over his instruments, his arms clasped around his body, shivering convulsively; his face had a light green hue, which turned brighter on his ears and cheek-bones; his eyes were two small cracks under swollen eyelids.

"Spock! Report to sickbay, immediately!" Kirk had used his most authoritave tone and prepared himself to firmly resist any *logical* arguments, which would have been opposed. He was indeed very bewildered, when he saw the Vulcan getting up uneasely and meekly heading toward the turbolift. It could be worst than he had thought! Seriously upset, Kirk gave Sulu the con. and hurried after Spock.

After the doors shut, the Vulcan leaned hard against the bulkhead, giving up any attempt of self-control.

"Spock, what's wrong with you?"

"I ... I do not know, Sir, ... such a thing never happened to me before ..."

Captain Kirk couldn't tell how much time had passed, since he and Spock had arrived in sickbay. Dr. McCoy, after he had taken one glance at the sick man, had orderd him settled in an isolation ward. Then he had told a very frightened Christine Chapel to take some blood samples and the two had disappeared in the lab. Not without *reassuring* the Captain, telling him one of those generic sentencies, to which doctors resort, when they don't know what to do.

Jim could do nothing but wait, an activity for which he was not best suited. Indeed he managed very badly to do so: he went on wandering restlessy around the sickbay corridors, stirred by dark forbodings and sense of guilt. Because of his weakness, Spock, his friend Spock, was ill, perhaps in peril of his life and he couldn't even stay near him! Comfortless, Jim found himself staring at the door, inexorably shut, that separated him from his friend. Just at that moment, the door opened and a young nurse, carring a tray full of small multicoulored bottles, tried to get out:

"Ops, excuse me, Captain ..." stammered the young woman in confusion - the man in front of her, wasn't only the officer in charge of the ship, but also the chief character in her best dreams. She blushed and glanced heplessly around, desperately trying to remember what she was doing there. Finally, with a tremendous effort of will, she shifted to one side and fled away ... She forgot to shut the door ...

James T. Kirk hesitated a little, looking cautiously around - indeed Dr. McCoy had been explicit, but it was a strong temptation! - before someone could come to prevent him, he crossed the threshold and went resolutely into the room. What he saw there, could only increase his anguish: Spock lay curled up under an heap of blankets. All that could be seen of him were a hand and part of his face, which were densely populated with little dark-green stains. It was an awfull sight!

"Well well, indeed! How can I mantain order here, if the Captain himself is setting a bad example, not giving a damn for my direct orders?"

McCoy's voice startled him. He hadn't heared the Doctor enter.

"Bones, have you found out what it is?"

"I did. I had to look up all the Vulcan medical text-books, but finally ..." The name of the disaese sounded obscure and threatening.

"Is ..., is it a serious one?"
"No, Jim, calm down. A few days of rest and some antibiotics will make him as good as new! ... Indeed, he seems to have caught it in a very potent form, but this is quite normal, when an illness of such a sort is contracted in adulthood!"

"What is it, then?"

"It is an exanthematic disease, typical of childhood ..." the heap of blankets muttered with furred tongue.

"Look at him! He is more dead than alive, but he doesn't give up lecturing!"

"You mean ... a sort of ... measles?"

Jim had to resort to all his will to not burst out laughing, because of the relief. All the more so as Spock sat up on the bed, showing all his glory of the green spots.

"What I am wandering, Doctor," Spock said thougthfully "is how I could have contracted it ..."

"If you don't know, my friend, ... but ... wait a minute! A few weeks ago, weren't you asked to lecture at a school, back in that Vulcan colony?"

"Indeed, it was a very interesting experience. To meet those young minds ..."

"Well, the young minds left you a souvenir!"

"Will there be danger of infection?" Kirk prompted.

"No, Jim, I don't think so. Of course, I'll check everybody who has been near to Spock lately, but I'm sure that nothing will be found; it is a very specialised virus. It affects only Vulcans and, among Vulcans, only the weakest ones - children or ... headless adults who like to drive their own body in an extreme way!"

The last statement had been uttered in an allusive crescendo; Spock was starting to answer, but he found nothing to say. He made a clumsy attempt at raising an eyebrow, fighting his fever-heavy eyelids, then he thougth the most logical thing to do was to make himself comfortable under the blankets and go back to sleep.

THE END