"They will be able to see Officer Hanley, Doctor."

Fury he wasnot aware he could feel swept over him as he realized what must have been behind letting the Vulcan Healers come see his patient, "Why, why you green-blooded,"

"THINK, Doctor, think. Jim has told them that they would be able to see him and they will be able to see him. You must know, Leonard, that there is no way they will not get close to him as I will be standing between them and Officer Hanley. I have too many memories of what they are like in their examinations of those who are different or of interest and they will not do that to him. Doctor, we will allow them to see him but Jim said nothing about them being able to examine him nor from what distance they would see him and I will not allow them to get close to him."

Leonard. McCoy shook his head as he looked at his Vulcan friend. The way he had said Leonard, his given name, had caught him off guard, had let him know how very serious Spock was about not letting the Healers close to Hanley. He smiled, "Why you green-blooded cunning little devil. You and your exactness about what was said. I'm sorry, Spock, I,"

"There is no reason to apologize, Doctor. Do you not believe, as I do, that we, you and I, have known one another long enough to know when the other has said what they do not mean at their core but have merely spoken reactively?"

"Reactively, huh?" McCoy smiled, rocked briefly on his heels as he shook his head, then smiled, "Guess it is a polite way of saying emotionally." He looked at his friend and saw understanding and acceptance in the dark eyes, "Deep within me and to my depths I know and believe it, Spock, but sometimes I forget, especially when I let my human emotions take over my reasoning. As long as you are there with me I will allow them to see him. As you say, Jim did say they could see him, nothing about examining him. Any idea when that is likely to happen?"

"We will arrive at Vulcan in two days. We hand the book over, there will be a short ceremony that only my father and I will go to as the book is returned to its rightful place, they will come aboard, and we should be clear in four days. I would imagine that my father and Jim were talking about the events to occur and my father used semantics to get Kirk to agree to such an event. While on the topic of my parents I would be surprised if my mother did not insist in having the bridge crew visit for a meal and allow those of the crew who wish to have time off the ship be allowed to do so."

McCoy smiled and nodded his head as he looked at Spock, "Somehow, Spock, I have no doubt, having met your mother, that if she wants that to happen that it will. I think all those years on Vulcan and married to your father has made her a very strong woman who knows how to get her way."

Spock saw the warmth and laughter in his friend's eyes, "My mother can be a very formidable woman at times."

After Spock had left Kirk sat thinking about the arrangements that had been made and knew that he really should tell McCoy what he had arranged but knew it would be, as he had told Spock, like stirring a hornet's nest. He knew how protective McCoy was of his patients and how he did not like the way Vulcans practiced medicine so he would not be at all pleased if his Captain just walked in with a group of Vulcan Healers to see Officer Hanley. What he had not told Spock as he did not want his Vulcan friend to know how he was out manoeuvred by his father on that, how Sarek had, like Spock, been able to get him to agree to something before he had had time to think along the lines of how Vulcans would interpret his responses. They had talked about the uniqueness of toitak and the next he knew Sarek was saying how grateful the Healers would be to know that they would be allowed on the Enterprise to see Hanley.

"Coward. Coward." The tiny voice echoed in his mind as the thought of how McCoy could or would react. Slowly he stood up and knew he had to go and tell him. He would have eighteen hours to recover from whatever McCoy said and be prepared to meeting with Sarek, the Elders, and the Healers.

He walked in just as Spock said, "My mother can be a very formidable woman at times."

McCoy looked at him, "Spock here was just saying that we might be able to visit with his folks while on Vulcan."

Kirk looked at his First Officer. saw how relaxed he seemed, and silently cursed as he had hoped, when he had first seen him standing there talking with McCoy, that he had told him about the Healers.

"Once official duties are finished I suspect we will have time for a visit. Did Spock tell you what we have to do?"

McCoy nodded, smiling to himself as he saw how tense Kirk was, clearly afraid of him reacting the way he had with Spock, "Yes, he told me that you two take the book down, that there is some sort of ceremony, you come aboard, was usual, with a few guests to show around, and that we leave in about four days. Oh," for a moment Kirk tensed, "and he mentioned that we may have a visit with his parents and that his mother would want the crew who wanted to stretch their legs to have some time planet-side."

"Nothing else about what is to happen."

"No," McCoy glanced at Spock for a moment then looked back at Kirk, "I am fairly sure that was all. You mean he has forgotten something? You mean he failed to tell me something important that you two talked about? What?"

"It's," Kirk steeled himself for what he knew was going to come but still, in desperation, looked at the one being who usually helped him in situations like this, "Go on, Spock, tell him what we were talking about."

"If you insist, Captain."

"I do, tell him."

"That Captain and I talked about," momentarily Kirk closed his eyes then looked right at McCoy steeling himself for McCoy's reaction, "the nests of eusocial wasp's and how mentioning certain matters would be his stirring up such a structure although it is matter itself, as it would be spoken of, would not physically be able to stir such a structure. If memory serves the nests of most warps are made of wood that the wasp has chewed into a pulp to,"

While he could not deny they had talked about that it had not been what he had wanted Spock to say. "Gawddammit Spock, I mean about the Healers coming aboard the ship to see Officer Hanley."

"The what are what, Jim?" from how Spock slightly raised his eyebrow for the briefest of moments while he had Kirk's full attention McCoy knew Spock Knew he was enjoying playing dumb, "What the devil were you thinking?"