He did his best to help Spock, but he could only do so much. Standard medical equipment could only do so much where his salt could provide miracles. They managed to get most of the shrapnel out and take care of most of the burns, but some of the injuries would take longer to take care of and Spock was not in a good condition when left him to rest. Better, stable, but not as good as McCoy would like. He sat at an angle in his office where he could still see Spock. He folded his hands in front of his face and just watched Spock breathe, wondering what would happen if he couldn't save him.
"Bones, you look like someone poured salt in your wounds," Jim said, walking in and blocking his view of Spock. "I found out just why Stewart attacked you in the first place. And, strangely, magic is the one thing you want to do but can't right now, isn't it?"
"Jim, now is not the time." He stood up to shoo the captain out but paused when he saw Kirk hold out the crystal. "How long have you been hanging onto that?"
"I managed to get it after you threw it at the wall," Jim answered. He thrust it out again for McCoy to take, but the doctor backed away, trying to avoid it. "You're going to have to take it eventually. You're the only one who managed to make a crack in it, and I had Scotty doing everything he could to break it. Broke some of our equipment on it."
McCoy frowned. "And you had it the entire time?"
"You didn't see it on you at all, did you?"
"Well... No..." McCoy took the crystal and gingerly examined it. "But, Jim, even if I do destroy it, you heard Spock. It will take a long while for my magic to build up again."
Jim frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "But that won't stop you, right? You can still help your patients get back to full health in the meantime?"
He licked his lips nervously and gripped the crystal tightly, trying to crush it in his hands to no avail. "Not as well as I had thought. Spock's current condition proved that."
"Oh, come on, you're not going to let a little thing like this stop you, are you?" Jim clasped McCoy's shoulders and smiled at him. "You're the one who always points out that you're a doctor."
McCoy shook his head. "There would just be so much more I could do if I had my usual methods. But I don't have the magic I need to use salt, and the standard equipment isn't helping Spock as well as I would like..."
"Excuse me, Doctor...?" Christine walked in and handed him a note. "Mr. Spock appears to have written this while you weren't paying attention and wants you to have it."
"God dammit, Spock," he muttered under his breath. He took the note and nodded. "Thank you, Nurse Chapel."
She stood there for a moment and then spoke up. "I always wondered how you could heal people so well. You use magic?"
"Well..." McCoy glanced to Jim for help.
He shrugged. "You ought to come clean about it, Bones. I doubt anyone else will react as Stewart did, and if they do, they'll have to answer to me."
McCoy sighed and looked at Christine again. "I am a Healer, and my medium is salt. I put enchantments on it in order to bring out healing properties and use it to cure people of most things. Not everything can be solved with salt, and for that I rely on other practices, but my best work has been done using salt."
"You should teach it to rest of the medical staff," Christine commented as she turned to walk away. "It sounds very useful. If you excuse me, I'm going to make sure Mr. Spock doesn't continue to overexert himself."
He nodded as she left and looked down at the note he was given. He read over it a few times, making sure he got it right, and then looked at the crystal. "He's right... If we could... Jim, we have to get to the chem lab!"
Jim gave him a look. "I'm a captain, not a chemist."
"I need help with this," he said, waving the note. He looked Jim in the eye. "Normally I'd get Spock to help, but he's the one we're doing this for. I trust you, Jim. Just do as I tell you and it should work."
"Not every day you get to order your commanding officer around, Bones. Let's go."
McCoy explained what they were doing as they went. As Spock pointed out, the crystal held magic of its own, as drawn from McCoy, and they could not use the crystal for sympathetic magic since they didn't know how it worked. But, the chemical properties of the crystal showed that it was comprised of minerals just like the salt McCoy used in his healing.
And, following the instructions Spock gave them, those minerals could be broken down into a form of salt. It wouldn't be the typical rock salt McCoy had a tendency to use, but it would still chemically be a salt, and better yet it would have magic of its own. If Spock's theory held out, McCoy would be able to manipulate that magic into a healing form, but they had to do it right. There was only one crystal and therefore only one chance to make the salt they needed.
When they got to the chem lab, they were met with chemists who insisted on helping them out. McCoy quirked an eyebrow at their presence, but they quickly explained themselves.
"Nurse Chapel said to expect you," one said. "Between Stewart and the Captain, everyone knows you use magic salt now."
McCoy gave Jim the angriest look he could muster, but Jim merely grinned smugly and took the crystal and Spock's note from him, passing them onto the chemists.
"I told you no one else would react as badly as Stewart," Jim assured him, patting his shoulder. "And even Stewart was just suffering from another allergic reaction and insisted he didn't mean to attack you since you did save his life with your magic."
"I've got to be dreaming," McCoy mumbled. He pinched himself for good measure. "How is this not a dream?"
"Through the magic of everyone knowing you're the best Chief Medical Officer we could ask for and that you've saved plenty of more people with your magic than you've harmed." Jim smiled. "Really, Bones, you don't need to worry. We're on your side."
McCoy wanted to retort, but he didn't want to push his luck. The entire ship supporting him was significantly better than what he thought he was getting with just Spock and Jim encouraging his magic use. He sighed and covered his eyes for a moment before wiping his hand down his face. "When this is over, I need a drink."
"Hang in there, Bones. We're almost done."
"Excuse me, Doctor McCoy?" one of the chemists asked. "Could you give us a hand? The 'magical' properties are causing a slightly different reaction than we need."
Jim grinned and patted McCoy's shoulder one last time before leaving the lab. McCoy hurried over to help with the process.
It felt like eternity before the salt was finished and McCoy was back in sickbay, examining the glass vial holding the minerals and begging God to let it work. There was a small crowd of other medical personnel who wanted to observe his work.
He threw all caution to the wind and spread the salt over Spock, muttering the proper incantations and willing it with all his might for it to work. The salt dissolved into Spock's skin and McCoy held his breath...
All the burns and gashes disappeared, leaving what appeared to be healthy flesh. He pulled out his medical tricorder to make sure and let out his breath, smiling. "He's alright," he muttered. "Thank God."
The medical staff all had their grins and a few even cheered. Spock sat up, looking over at McCoy.
"Thank you, Doctor," Spock said, nodding at him. "I take it you followed my instruction to utilize the crystal as a suitable salt?"
"Don't get smug, Spock."
"I assure you, Doctor, I don't get smug." He glanced to the crowd and then back at McCoy.
"Alright, you saw me in action, now give him some space," McCoy ordered, shooing everyone away. As the crowd dispersed, something gold wormed its way in and soon Jim was at their side.
"Gentlemen," he nodded. "I take it everything is back in order?"
"By my estimates, it will take 3.4 days for Doctor McCoy to have regained his typical supply of 'magic'," Spock calculated.
McCoy frowned at him. "Why, Mr. Spock. After all this time, and you still have your doubts it's magic?"
"Bones, I believe you wanted a drink?" Jim asked, interrupting the argument to come.
"I would love one," McCoy answered. "Mr. Spock, would you care to join us?"
"Certainly, Doctor." Spock stood up and the three of them walked out together.
And so, everything worked out better than McCoy had thought it would. From there, he was free to do his service as a doctor, healing people through his methods, salt shakers and all.
AN: And that's the end! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for taking the time to read it, and hopefully I can get another story out soon!
