McCoy lost track of time as he read and, in some cases, deciphered the various status reports. When he finished, he no longer wondered why Kirk needed migraine medications so often.

A gentle throat clearing next to him got his attention and the doctor was somewhat dismayed to see that the next shift of the Bridge rotation had taken their positions while he'd been concentrating. Yeoman Tomlin gave him an understanding smile.

"Captain Kirk does the same thing when he's reviewing reports, sir. I've been requested to ask who will be taking the conn while you rest, Captain."

Stifling his first impulse to say that he didn't need to be relieved, McCoy reminded himself sternly that it was bad enough that the crew had a surgeon in the Captain's chair. An exhausted surgeon would be twice as bad. Narrowing his eyes in thought, McCoy picked one of the ensigns from the Command track at random - he might as well rotate out the position and give as many of them a taste of the hot seat as possible. After he had Tomlin make sure that she wasn't considered vital staffing in her department, McCoy activated the intercom.

"Ensign Andra Willingham - report to the Bridge."

As there was another shift to cover before his return to duty, McCoy selected Lamar Rohrer to take that position. Once Ensign Willingham accepted her assignment, it was also mentioned that it would be best if he took his food and rest in the Captain's quarters where he could be easily reached in case of emergency.

Again, McCoy had to halt his first reaction. Certainly, the CMO quarters could be reached as easily as the Captain's, but in an emergency, the crew would automatically call the Captain's quarters. No sense in making them fight an ingrained reaction and waste valuable time. Besides, he reminded himself that Chapel would likely be making use of the closeness of the CMO quarters to Sickbay to grab some rest herself.

As he exited the Bridge, McCoy schooled himself to show no hesitation. He didn't want any of them to assume he had the slightest doubt about leaving them in charge while he was gone. It wouldn't be to anyone's benefit for his crew to start second guessing themselves.

The suspicion he'd had about who'd sent Yeoman Tomlin turned into a certainty when he found Chapel waiting outside of the Captain's quarters with a tray in her hands. He couldn't really say anything - he'd done the exact same thing to Kirk after a hard shift. From the smirk on Chapel's face, she was counting on that.

"Go on - get us inside. We'll get a decent meal inside you and then you will get some sleep. Not a nap. Sleep."

As the computer accepted his access as Acting Captain, the door slid open and he motioned for Chapel to enter first.

"No arguments from me, Chris. Bring anything with you for a headache?"

"Of course I did, Leonard - same one you usually take after the monthly reports are finished."

She moved to put the tray down on the table then waited for him to sit. After the injection, the sigh of relief told her how bad the headache had been.

"Bless you, Chris. I needed that."

"You're welcome. Now, eat. As my boss used to say, the Captain needs to set a good example for his crew by getting proper nutrition and rest. Oh, and the tea is one of the herbal mixes you like, so no caffeine."

This time, McCoy showed his gratitude by eating everything put before him even though he didn't really feel hungry, but he already knew that was the worry over Kirk, Spock and all the rest doing that to him.

Chapel made a pleased noise when he finished, then directed him to the head area.

"I already have a fresh uniform for your next shift ready. Go get cleaned up and sleep. You know never know when you might get a call out."

"Guess that's another thing Captain and CMO have in common. Thanks again, Chris. Get some rest yourself."

She gave him a saucy wink as she headed for the door.

"I need all the rest I can get. I've got a stubborn Captain to keep in line."


Waking back up was a disorienting experience until McCoy remembered where he'd gone to sleep and why. A muttered curse followed as the hopes he'd been having a peculiar dream faded to the dismal reality. Getting up, he took care of the necessities and redressed in the Command gold uniform. He was still in the process when a request to enter came from the door. Judging he was decent enough, he told the computer to allow access.

Yeoman Strekle stepped in, going straight over to the table with the tray he was carrying.

"Breakfast compliments of CMO Chapel, Captain. Would you care for the daily reports now or when you arrive on the Bridge?"

"Anything high priority occur since I went off shift?"

"No, sir."

"I'll wait until I get to the Bridge then."

"Aye aye, sir."

McCoy finished dressing as Strekle departed, then went over to see what Chapel had sent for breakfast. They had worked and eaten together long enough to know one another's preferences and he fully approved of the selection, taking the time to not only to savor the meal, but to get the things he needed to check on sorted in his mind.

After finishing eating, he also make note of them on his own PADD. For some reason, he had recalled the difference it had made when Spock shifted from the routine scanning of a planet to a full-spectrum one back when they found the mystery radiation that caused rapid aging. One of his first orders of business would be to get the Science department started on that. Not his field of expertise, but if he remembered correctly, getting the results from the full scale scanning was a more involved process.

Getting to his feet, McCoy stretched his back out before straightening out his uniform and headed for the Bridge. He wasn't holding his breath by any means, but he had hopes that the new shift would bring some good news.