He heaved a sigh, fed up with feeling so useless by his nurse's side. He mauled over his choice to take care of her himself, they were close after all and as one of the other nurses had pointed out, he may make reckless decisions with a clouded and blinkered vision towards Chapel's health. In any other case he would agree, except if it was Jim laying in front of him, but he didn't trust anyone else with the head nurse, his head nurse. He leant over her, brushed a stray lock of platinum hair which had stuck to her moist forehead with his thumb, letting it rest back against the rest of her hair, even with the small scrape above her eyebrow, which was beginning to bruise she looked pretty. In the academy it had been more golden, more natural, he had liked it that way, though he like it as it was now. He chuckled slightly, resting back against the chair again, the thoughts of her first coming into sick bay with 'Barbie Blonde' locks tied in their usual high ponytail. Her explanation when she had seen the expression on his face was; 'It was Janice's idea, so keep it shut McCoy.' Though she never did anything to change it back, and after a while it seemed to suit her more.
He glanced towards the nurses station, where he had watched Chapel mindlessly, as she worked. He felt a tug at his heart, his eyes just able to see the Chinese nurse, whose name he never cared to remember, sitting where his nurse should be seated. He growled silently, looking back towards the blonde before him. He rubbed his eyes again, he hadn't slept in, what, 40 odd hours. He silenced a laugh, imagining what Chapel would say had she been awake. She'd yell at him, tell him to get some rest before she sedated him in a very painful manner. He smiled slightly at the thought her angered face, with her height added to it, she seemed more cute then menacing, but he had learnt the hard way not to take her threats lightly.
His mind wandered, thoughts of their first meeting lay behind his blue eyes. Their first day of medical studies, she had been paired with him by their Vulcan professor, not that he remembered the name of the said Vulcan. He, Leonard, had growled in his usual unpleasant manner as he was approached by the spirited young blonde, who looked a hell of a lot more pleased to be there then he had. He had thought he nothing more then a model wannabe who knew as much about nursing as he did about Kayaking. He was still wounded from his divorce and had no tie for giggling girls who'd squeal at a dissected frog. She hadn't been to impressed by him either, he didn't have to say anything before she laid into him, telling him to get a grip and stop acting like a spoilt 3 year old. That had sure told him. At first he had hated being partnered with such a head strong woman, who was to smart mouthed for her own good. But she had grown on him, and he on her if her attitude toward him was anything to go by. She had been an ice queen towards him ever since he had suggested she couldn't handle the job as well as he, she had persisted then in calling him a dry old man who needed to get his ass out of his damn whiskey bottle. After a few months of their mutually bitter attitude towards each other, they seemed to learn and meld on an unknown level. She had got used to his sour humour and mannerisms and he to her cheery and sweet heart ways.
He recalled their professor referring them to as a 'Fascinating Contradiction', Bones response had been to mutter bitterly whilst Chapel had chuckled in that sweet way that he was beginning to appreciate. Even after being assigned to the Enterprise she managed to cheer his sour old heart. Just a flash of her bright smile made his job that much more worth it. Watching the dedication in her eyes as she worked, her soft and comforting touch on a patients skin. She certainly kept him from slipping back into his bitter, well, more bitter, ways.