3 Calm Before the Storm (2)

"I'm fine, Bones. Get that thing out of my face already." Jim had awakened by the time Bones came to look over his captain's treatment. As usual, the young captain had tried to escape sickbay the moment he had regained consciousness. It took waving a hypo in his face and several threats of injecting him with embarrassing diseases to get him to stay put.

"Don't give me that, Jim. I had to patch you up again. I don't know how Spock puts up with your childish antics all the time."

Jim made a face. "I'm not that bad."

"Really? Because the hole in your shoulder says otherwise. And don't you even start," the doctor interrupted Jim when he opened his mouth to protest. "How often have you ended up in med bay from supposedly peaceful missions? I have the entire staff on alert the moment you say you're going to beam down. Do you have a death wish? Do you want me to die from stress?"

"What did you expect me to do, Bones? Let the natives destroy themselves under the influence of those spores? They are just entering the Iron Age, starting their civilization. I had to fix it."

The doctor just sighed. "I know, Jim. You did the right thing, but sometimes, I think you jump into danger head first without thinking."

"And that's why you're here, Dr. McCoy. To patch me up so I can save the world."

McCoy gave him his infamous scowl just as Spock entered med bay. "There you are you green-blooded hobgoblin. Go sit down on a bed, and I'll get to you the moment I finish up with this infant."

"Doctor, referring to the captain as an infant, no matter how appropriate the term may apply to his often erratic behavior, is inappropriate when addressing a senior officer." The response to Spock's statement was an exasperated eye roll.

"Just sit down Spock."

The Vulcan stared at Jim for a moment before responding. "Doctor, as I told you before, I am perfectly fine. The only thing I am in need of is meditation. Now, if you will excuse me Doctor, Captain, I have duties I must attend to." Spock turned on his heal and left before the doctor could say anything.

"Damn hobgoblin and his Vulcan mind voodoo. Why bother coming to sickbay if he's just going to refuse and walk out? How many times do I have to threaten him with pulling medical code before he gets it through that big brain of his?" he muttered under his breath as he checked the dermal regenerator's work. "It will be a little sore. You have a choice, pills or hypo for the pain."

"Pills," was his immediate reply. He didn't need his neck sore from McCoy stabbing him again. "Hey, do you think Spock is acting a little weird?"

Raising an eyebrow, the doctor looked up after putting the captain's arm in a sling. "Nothing out of the ordinary for that walking computer."

"Bones," Jim warned.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. No, I haven't seen anything unusual. Why?"

Jim shifted on the bed, careful not to agitate his shoulder. "It's just . . . Spock seems to be more withdrawn lately, his emotions seem to be closer to the surface than he would normally be comfortable with, and he hasn't accepted a chess invitation in weeks."

The doctor stood up and walked across the room to pull out his hidden stash of Andorian Ale. He grabbed two glasses with his free hand and poured himself and his commanding officer a glass, handing one to Jim. "Truth is one of the nurses is also worried. He said Spock had mentioned that his meditations have not been working as it should thanks to the destruction of Vulcan. His people have been having similar problems over the past year, so it's not surprising. Spock has been holding up better than his Vulcan counterparts most likely because of his human blood, but without meditation to stabilize that gigantic brain of his, eventually it will catch up to him."

"And you couldn't have told me this sooner?" The glare Jim was sending him did nothing to faze the older man.

"Don't give me that, Jim. Doctor, patient confidentiality. I don't go around telling your business to everyone."

"Not everyone, just Spock."

"Because you're a damn child, and I can't babysit you twenty-four seven. Spock is willing to do it without complaint."

The captain waved his arm, telling him to stop right there. "I get it. Thanks for telling me. Am I good to go?"

"I could try to make you stay, but that would just make us both miserable. Get out of my sickbay. If you come back here before your next physical, I'll make sure you sit through the entire conference call with the admirals without bailing you out early."

"Thanks Bones!" Downing the content of his glass, he gave a quick pat on his friend's back, and he was out of room before McCoy could change his mind.