The captain and doctor found a booth in a dark corner of the tavern. With two hours before the doctor's flight was due to leave, the two friends had nothing but time.
A freckled red head appeared moments after they arrived, "What's your pleasure, Gentlemen?"
The captain spoke up first, "Beer, an ale if you've got one."
The young woman smiled, "Would you like to see the beer menu?"
The captain flashed a smile in return and narrowed his eyes, turning on the charm. He responded in a low voice, "I trust you." Then he winked, sealing his fate.
The woman giggled and a blush rose up and colored her fair skin.
"And for you, sir?" She turned to the doctor. He grinned wryly, he didn't have a chance with the ladies when Jim Kirk turned was around.
"Club soda, if you please." He smiled sweetly nonetheless.
The little redhead met his blue-eyed gaze and smiled in return then turned to get their order.
"Not joining me, Bones?" his friend smiled amiably.
"Nah, I'm booked on a commercial transport. You know how they always over pressurize the damn cabin. I'll be too damned dehydrated when I get home to enjoy my grand daddy's bourbon." He drawled. Duluth was only a couple of hours away, but he wasn't willing to risk it being an unpleasant trip, not this close to home.
The pretty red head returned with their drinks.
They took their glasses in hand and raised a silent toast. For a moment each one was lost in thought.
"You sure this is what you want?" Jim began, not looking up from his glass.
McCoy chuckled, "You mean, after all these years and all my belly aching over being in the damned service you're not sure? Of course I want to go home! So bad I can just about taste it. And if you were smart, Jim boy, you'd jump ship too."
"What would I do? Farm?" He laughed, taking a deep draught of the beer, "No, the stars are in my blood, Bones. My home is on the ship." He looked down into pool of rising golden bubbles. His voice quiet, "I just wish..."
"I know, I'm sorry." He truly regretted leaving the man who had been his best friend for 5 years. Through life and death they had been closer than brothers and it was difficult to see it come to an end.
Jim looked up. His eyes tinged with anger, but he quickly checked it. There was no need to end their long friendship on a sour note. No, he told himself quickly, this wasn't the end of their friendship. He wouldn't be that petty.
Jim smiled sadly, "It's alright, I know. There was nothing you could do."
The doctor appeared confused for a moment. Jim had been acting strangely all day. As if there was something he wanted to say. "There was nothing I could do about what?"
The captain's anger quickly returned, "About Spock."
Now it was the doctor's turn to feel irritated. He raised his hands and pushed the blame away, "Now hold on a minute, Jim. I thought we were through with that. You know as well as I do that he just up and left. I tried to catch him."
"Yeah, I know Bones." He shook his head sadly, trying to diffuse what was threatening to be another argument. He struggled to maintain a calm voice. "I just wish you'd called me, that's all."
"Jim I got a hold of you as soon as I could." He'd gotten as far as the local shuttle station, spent over an hour trying to find someone, anyone who could tell him when the next transport to Vulcan was leaving. Tried to find Spock, but hadn't found even a single lead.
"Not in time for me to stop him." Jim's jaw twitched in frustration. He kept his eyes on his beer.
"What makes you so damn sure you could have stopped him? George couldn't and he's head of Starfleet medical. Security couldn't once he invoked that damned Vulcan privacy thing! Oh hell Jim, I don't even know if I could have stopped him even if I had caught up with him."
"But we'll never know will we?" He hissed. His tone was uncharacteristically bitter.
The doctor had grown weary of his friend's tantrum. He no longer cared whether he raised his voice. "Jim, grow up. Spock is not a child, and like it or not he's free to do as he wishes. You and I don't have to agree or approve. He's our friend and we have to respect his decision. And if that means he's going to go hide under a goddamned rock then we have to respect that too."
"You're out of line, Bones."
"No, Jim. You're overreacting." He narrowed his steel blue eyes, "What's really going on here? Why is this so damned hard?"
"Bones, don't you understand, he's my friend. He was hurting and I couldn't help him. I didn't even get the damn chance to try."
The doctor raised his eyebrows disbelieving, "Really? Your friend? He's your friend...is that why you've gone off the deep end? Tell me, Jim, is it Spock's pain you're so worried about or your own?"
"Bones-" he began warningly.
He wagged an accusing finger "No, you've been an asshole about this from the beginning and I've about had it. I'm your friend too, Jim. I've been here from the beginning but this time I just don't understand. What the hell is the problem?"
The captain clenched his jaw and looked sullenly into his beer for a moment, trying to find the words.
The doctor's eyes widened with disbelief and sudden revelation "You two didn't...I mean you two...you and he weren't..."
The captain's hazel eyes blazed suddenly up at the doctor. His words were venomous, "Chapel's right, Doctor. You should know better than to listen to ship's gossip." He fairly shook with anger.
"Jim, that's not what I meant."
"Bullshit! That's exactly what you meant. You're so goddamned jealous of the fact that Spock was a friend..."
"What?! Jim, I'm a doctor not a damned grade-schooler!"
"Not a very good god-damned doctor, or you would have been able to stop him!"
The doctor rose at this. "I've had about enough of this." He pulled on his civilian jacket in disgust. "You best be careful, Jim boy. You burn too many bridges, you won't have a friend when you need one."
"Go to Hell!" He spat.
The doctor just turned and left the anguished captain alone at the table.
After a long moment the great wooden door of the pub slammed shut. The lone captain slammed his fist on the table sending a loud resounding thud through the dark room.