Spock is in a comatose state following a dangerous event. The decision is made to transfer him permanently off-ship for care. Before he is sent away, he awakens--mentally alert, but physically trapped in an unresponsive body. Nurse Chapel notices this--but says nothing. Instead, she arranges to transfer off the ship with him to care for him; if she cannot have Spock as a lover, then she will have him as a prisoner. She hide the evidence of his recovery from others, until, in a fit of conscience, she calls in a Vulcan healer who will be able to help him. It is not selfless, however: she knows that despite what she has done to him, Spock will feel an obligation toward her for enabling his eventual recovery.