Chapter 1
It was dark in the med bay. Usually the lights never dimmed but special circumstances warranted the poorly lit interior. A figure lay on the last bed in the corner, an empty chair tilted toward the bed cast shadows on the floor. The dark form was turned toward the wall its body curled up in its sleep, trying to protect itself even in dreams.
A sliver of light quickly massed into a beam landing on the silent body in the corner.
"What the hell. Why is it so dark? Turn on a light!" The boisterous ruckus was not new to the med bay but what was usually light hearted annoyance with the captain that day was angered protectiveness.
"Lower your voice, sir." One nurse requested her eyes trailing over to the only occupied bed.
"Oh there he is." The Jim Kirk said brightly. As he walked by he flicked on the lights which immediately illuminated the dark figure. "Bones! Up, up stop lying around!" the smile was still firmly in place when he ripped the blanket off of the silent figure.
"Jim?" Bones turned slowly his eyes losing the panic when he saw his best friend. "Jim!" The doctor grabbed at the captains hand and held it tightly between his own. "Don't leave okay? Promise you won't leave."
Jims smile faded in its brilliance.
"Bones, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Promise! Please."
"Okay, yeah sure" The captain looked around confused about the request but the nurses had disappeared.
He awoke with a gasp and surged upward in the small bed nearly toppling it over. His eyes immediately surveyed the room desperately searching for a set of light blue eyes.
Nothing.
The lights were dimmed and the med bay vacated of all human presence. The chair that had been faithfully propped next to his bed was moved to another part of the bay and his space seemed empty without it.
"Jim?" The call was nothing but a whisper. "Jim? Please, you promised." His voice was the only returning sound as it echoed off the walls.
Bones scrambled off the bed in a panic. Bones was alone and vulnerable, and he could find him oh so easily if he were to stay where he was. He needed to get out, needed to find somewhere to hide before he came back for him.
The padding of his bare feet against the floor echoed inside his head making his breathing quicker with the knowledge that he could be heard. Bones tread as lightly as possible to the bay door and closed his eyes, as he released the lock and it slid open, terrified of what he would find on the other side. His eyelids opened slowly revealing a dark empty hallway, nighttime on board the small city.
Bones crept down the hallway every few feet calling hoarsely for his best friend but finding him nowhere. As the seconds and minutes sped by he started to fear for Jim.
What if he had caught him?
What if Jim was hurt, or worse-
Falling into a panic, Bones sprinted from his crouched position and hurtled down the hallway, heading for the captains quarters. Finding nothing the Doctor, on instinct alone, raced to the command center, hoping with all his heart his Captain was well, sitting at his makeshift thrown.
Bones burst from the lift and stopped dead in his tracks. The inertia from his sprint barreling him towards a lieutenant he knew all too well. The man wrapped his arms tightly around the Doctor and Bones' thoughts collapsed.
"Jim? Jim! Help please!" The doctor struggled violently from the arms constricting his movement. Twisting and turning the blues, yellows, and reds, blurred until all he could see was a set of gorgeous blue eyes staring angrily at him, with a large hand stretched out ready to grab, and to hurt. Over the commotion, he himself was making, he could make out words being shouted at him, the tone matching the glaring eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." The last words were whispered as he kneed the lieutenant in the crotch and fell to the ground. "Please forgive me, please forgive me." He scrambled across the floor and shut himself in the elevator before anyone else could make a grab at him.
When the doors to the lift reopened on a lower floor he threw himself out of the space and searched for something smaller, something he could hide in and not be found until it was safe, until he stopped trying to find him.
Minutes later Bones came across a shelving unit hidden in the dim lighting of the corridor, used for what, Bones couldn't imagine. It was deeper than it was wide, and he couldn't see where it ended. He pressed himself between the bottom two shelves with his head facing out and scooted on hands and knees until he was situated against the wall, deep in the shadows of his hideaway. Feeling like a rat caught in a maze he sat and wait.
Bones felt himself doze off, it must have been hours he couldn't really tell but the rush of anxiety and adrenaline had burst through his mind so quickly, and with so much potency that his thoughts after awhile calmed.
His injured body protested the strenuous activities he had forced it into and his mind was exhausted from being on panicked overdrive, the hall was dark and quiet and not so scary when he was safe in his small dim space.
The soft sound of footsteps woke him from his light sleep and he immediately was on high alert, his body tensed up, his eyes widened, and his mind began to race again.
When he heard his name he about threw up from the anxiety and the snakes slithering around in his stomach.
"Doctor McCoy?" He stayed as quiet as he could but must have made some indication of his presence because soon more voices joined his and people were shouting for someone. All he could see in his mind's eye were images from mere hours before. A laughing face with blood smeared on a thin chin. Red veins popping violently out of a neck and the edge of a hand that was pressed over his mouth to muffle his screams.
There was a shadow that loomed in front of the opening a few feet in front of his face and Bones pressed himself violently against the back wall, slamming his feet against the metal praying it would bend at his will and allow him an escape.
"Bones? Can you hear me?"
"Bones please, it's just me, okay? I won't hurt you."
It wasn't until he heard those softly spoken words that he realized he was murmuring quietly but incessantly.
"Go away, please, stay away from me, don't hurt me, I'll stop, I'll stop."
"Bones? Bones!" The shout should have been loud and scary and intimidating but it was everything it shouldn't have been, it was, comforting, and safety, and home.
"Jim?"
"Shh, it's okay, come here." There was a hand stretched out from the dark space in front of his hiding place. He could barely see in the dark and the hand was only a silhouette to him but he inched forward anyway, trusting the voice.
"That's it babe just a little further."
Bones reached out with his own hand timidly his eyes darting, trying to see the face.
He felt Kirk sigh when he placed his hand in his. The calloused pads gently closed around his slimmer Doctors fingers and he was pulled out slowly but surely until before he could even adjust to the open air he was pulled into a tight embrace.
"Jesus Bones, don't run off like that again okay? Never run off like that again!"
"You were angry." Bones whispered into warm, soft skin.
"No, not at you, never at you."
"I'm sorry" The welcoming embrace tightened and Bones pressed his body closer to his captain, grateful for the stability.
"Don't be."
"You promised you would stay with me." Bones choked into the collar of Kirks shirt his arms wringing fistfuls of yellow. "You promised you wouldn't leave me alone."
"I'm sorry! I'll stay with you this time, whatever you want. Anything at all and it's yours."
"Stay." When there was no verbal verification he moaned into damp skin, "please."
"Done"
The crew that had been on the bridge during Bones' breakout stood in a semicircle behind their Captain and watched as their Doctor broke down wrapped tightly in Kirk's protective embrace. Their heads swiveled as they tried to communicate to each other their confusion over the events leading up to the breakdown of Dr. McCoy.
A/N: Credit is due for a line in this chapter. In Hollow Sky by DeMarcos there's a line in there that sounds suspiciously like a line in my story aka: whatever you want. Anything at all and it's yours. It just kind of came out when I was typing and when I read over it I was thinking wow this sounds familiar…well that's why…it was such a heartbreaking quote that I kind of borrowed it . If you want me to take it out DeMarcos I have no problem doing that! I'm just gonna be without a computer for the next few days and wanted to get this out asap so didn't have time to ask!!!