Stardate 2261.061

Heading into his office, McCoy felt worn down to the very bones his nickname came from. Either Scotty was in a really bad mood or his engineers were very adept at pushing the wrong buttons their Chief Engineer. Twenty-four engineers in five hours with everything from concussions to broken fingers to gouged eyes. And of course he and his nurses had to patch them all so that they could return to duty. Hell, if they didn't, the Enterprise would probably be down to one engineer - Scotty himself.

All he wanted was a shower, something edible, something alcoholic and his bed - in no particular order. What he got was a notice flashing on his monitor screen that said the Captain expected him at his quarters five minutes after the end of his shift. Groaning, McCoy debated - not for the first time - just how attached he really was to his Captain.

Concluding that he did still like the current maniac in charge, McCoy decided that if Kirk wanted him that soon after shift, he was going to get him exactly as he was. But of course, Kirk being who he was, McCoy's arrival didn't go the way the doctor had envisioned.

To start, as soon as the door to the Captain's quarters opened, McCoy found himself being herded into the bathroom area, unceremoniously stripped and nudged into one of the most coveted luxuries on the ship - the hot water shower. Good as it felt, McCoy couldn't help feeling a bit disgruntled about losing the majority of his bad mood.

When he finally stepped out and dried off, he found only a robe waiting for him to put on. Now highly suspicious, he was tying the belt as he stepped back into the main area and found both food and drinks waiting at the table along with Kirk. If he hadn't been suspicious before, he would have been now.

"Not that I'm inclined to look this gift horse in the mouth, Jim, but what gives?"

Kirk gestured to the seat across from him.

"Chapel gave me a heads up about the kind of day you were having. Not that I couldn't have guessed it would have been bad after I heard about the loss of Scotty's still."

Sinking into the offered chair, McCoy moaned.

"No wonder we were swamped. My only surprise is that I'm not having to perform an autopsy."

Pouring a generous amount of bourbon into the waiting glass, Kirk chuckled.

"You mean yet. Scotty's still trying to find out who was responsible."

McCoy accepted the drink, automatically reaching for his scanner and checking the contents before taking the first sip.

"He needs to take a closer look at his higher ranking folks. If a lower ranking had done it, the others would have ratted them out to get Scotty back in a better mood."

Kirk toasted with his own glass.

"An excellent point. If Scotty doesn't find his answers by tomorrow, I'll suggest that to him. Eat, Bones. You're sleeping here tonight."

Having neither the energy or the desire to argue, McCoy pulled his plate closer.

"So long as you're alright that sleeping with me tonight will consist of nothing but actual sleeping, Jim."

"You don't sleep well when you're exhausted without someone at you back any way. Besides, I had more than one reason for bringing you here. Our new orders concern you."

"Mind if I eat while I listen?"

Pulling up his PADD, Kirk snorted.

"I already told you to eat, didn't I? Go right ahead. Mission isn't a big deal. One of those annoying bits of Imperial business. Checking to make sure scientists and other parties aren't lining their pockets at the Empire's expense. But since phrasing it that way is frowned on, the official reason for our visit is so that you can do a health analysis on them."

Swallowing, McCoy reached for his glass.

"How many folks are we talking about?"

"Only two on this planet. Robert and Nancy Crater."

While Kirk no longer had to wonder how McCoy would react to the name, he was now having to wonder if he was going to have to explain to the nurses of Sickbay why they were having to resuscitate their Chief Medical Officer. He was spared having to face their wrath when McCoy finally stopped choking and managed to take a breath again.

"I'm making a wild guess that you remember her, Bones."

The hazel eyes were still watering, but that didn't prevent McCoy from gifting Kirk with a dirty look.

"Damn, you did get me maudlin drunk enough to talk about Nancy once, didn't you?"

"Yep. So, you going to be able to work through this? From that reaction, I'm guessing you still have feelings for her."

Rolling his eyes, McCoy scoffed at that assumption.

"Geeze, Jim, it's been over ten years since I've even laid eyes on that woman. That water's so far under the bridge that it hit the ocean years ago. You caught me off-guard is all. I most certainly wasn't expecting either of their names to come up in casual conversation."

As if to prove how little this side trip meant to him, McCoy went back to eating and silence reigned. For all of two minutes.

"So . . . when will we get there?"

"We'll be there in a couple of days. Already getting anxious?"

Kirk noted the second McCoy's wariness kicked in. The very fact that he was wary made a good indicator, but McCoy continued to downplay it verbally even as his body language contradicted him.

"Don't be silly, Jim. I simply need to know so that I can have everything ready to go."

The only thing that kept Kirk from probing deeper was the enormous yawn that suddenly erupted. Kirk rose, obviously expecting McCoy to follow suit.

"Come on, Bones. Bed time. You can eat more after a nap."

"Once I hit the rack, it's not going to be for a nap."

"Then you can eat more when you regain consciousness. This way."

"I think I know the way there by now, Jim."

The robe was shed en route, but even so, by the time McCoy was beginning to settle down, Kirk had already rid himself of his own uniform and ordered the lights down.

"Scoot over, Bones. Sleep."

That was one order McCoy hadn't the slightest problem with following.