II
If McCoy had been paying attention, he would have noticed that Pavel Chekov has been outside in the waiting room for well over nine hours, which has been the amount of time the doctor's had Sulu in surgery, trying to reconstruct the lieutenants insides to resemble something other then a war zone from the multiple stab wounds that have been inflicted on him. The helmsman's bloody lucky to be alive, the amount of blood loss alone should have killed him, not to mention the internal bleeding and lung punctures. He's got the lieutenant stable now, and as he leaves the operating bay, he catches sight of the pale Ensign with what looks like Sulu's blood on his usually immaculate uniform. If Bones had asked he would have discovered that Chekov was the one who found Sulu in time, who stayed with the helmsman restricting the blood-loss and keeping pressure on the wounds, talking to Sulu to keep him conscious long enough for the Enterprise to lock onto their signals through the planets natural magnetic interference. He would have found out that Chekov never let go of Sulu hand until Bones ordered him out of the way, so he could attach an IV into his arm, taking Sulu into surgery and leaving the terrified ensign to wait to see if the helmsman would survive. But Bones hadn't asked, so he didn't know
"It's way past you're bedtime kid" he says when he sees Chekov " You've been on an eighteen hour shift on top of this: you should get some sleep"
"Nyet. Is Hikar…. Is Sulu ok?" Chekov asks nervously. It's obvious he's been on tender hooks for hours "Vhere is he? Can I see him?"
"Just get to bed, ensign" McCoy groans, wanting badly to drag himself into his office and nurse some aged Saurian Brandy before retiring. It's been a long day and all he wants to do is sleep. He doesn't have the energy or the patience to answer any and every question the kid might have "Sulu is fine and resting, and I suggest you do the same. You can visit him off-shift tomorrow"
"But…"
"No buts, Ensign…out!" He sees a flash of defiance in the kids eyes and he knows that in any other circumstance Chekov would have held out longer, arguing to stay near Sulu and if Bones had been more awake he would have been impressed at the Russians dedication to Sulu's welfare. But he's not, so he watches the Russian leave before sighing, making his way to his quarters, deciding to skip the brandy altogether.
