"Of course I care, Leonard," Spock said, once McCoy floated to the changing room in the wheelchair. "I have and always will."
Spock tilted his head with his eyebrows raised and his arms folded with his left leg over his knee. He was in black pants that ended at his ankles. Spock hadn't changed his shirt during their shopping spree. He had a shopping bag beside his leg that was full of folded towels, black folded shorts, and sun screen. He wore black regulation boots. For some reason, McCoy felt that this Vulcan was a sassy one in space. McCoy was in black swimming trunks and a white buttoned up shirt. His legs appeared to be thin to the naked eye. It was as though he had lost muscles in his calf due to a terrible surgery.
Spock rubbed his chin observing the man's dressed small frame while mentally undressing the man. Spock fought back a laugh at the image of seeing the man's hairy bare chest and being chastised for doing so. Which Leonard-no, McCoy, would likely do. He assumed the man had a hairy chest. The captain practically had a bare chest. Spock wasn't sure why Jim had a hairless chest unless he had transitioned from womanhood to manhood that had some side effects. That would be a logical solution. He would need to ask the captain if he was still in the process of transitioning. McCoy's hand twitched as he glared over in the direction of the lieutenant commander.
"Happy now?" McCoy said.
"It will make a good shirt to be on while drying off," Spock said.
"Then ya happy," McCoy said, then he flew back into the changing room.
"Do you need help?" Spock inquired.
"No babying me, asshole!" McCoy replied from inside the changing room.
"I would not wish to baby you on your recovery," Spock said, as he straightened his head. It would be illogical to baby him, Spock mentally added to himself. McCoy had been told twice, in the same day, that he was laying in defeat with his newfound disability blocking him from further moving on. The idea of being paralyzed at the waist was the only thing that made sense to Doctor House and answered why only McCoy arms were moving. "hinek."
"Ah come on, did Johnson tell you that stupid nickname?" McCoy asked.
"It is endearing," Spock said.
"Not really," McCoy said.
"You are a doctor who fixes bones," Spock said.
"Funny, that is what he said," McCoy grumbled to himself.
McCoy grunted, getting the slimming swimming trunks off.
McCoy fell out of the wheelchair with a thud on the floor.
Spock was tempted to stand up and going back in when he recalled what Doctor House had told him, "Don't. . . Fucking. . . Baby. . . Him." which was a unnecessary way of wording. House could have used better words of English to display just how frustrated he was with McCoy's lack of speedy recovery. McCoy slid on his pants then hooked the swimming trunks up. He got lifted himself onto the bench taking a sigh. He rubbed his hand in a circle on his knee then rubbed his forehead. He didn't think life without his legs would be this difficult. Let alone, recovery, that he had originally thought he wouldn't survive. But here the doctor was, alive, and it felt surreal.
Like a dream that could not be true.
He looked over toward the direction of the support chair that did not have the lap protector up.
McCoy had long ago accepted that he won't be able to feel his legs in the foreseeable future.
It was a depressing thought that McCoy had made his peace with Spock arriving, not at all at peace with his boyfriend staying at a stagnant state, was pushing him onward. Loved ones did help speed recoveries up. He had seen that happen often in his fathers clinic. McCoy slid the wheelchair alongside him. His hands were twitching. McCoy lifted himself over the hand rests then landed into the soft, warm seating. He put the clipped swimming trunks into his lap. McCoy floated out of the changing room. McCoy went through the doorway coming out of the changing room.
"We should get a gravitational floaty rather than bungi cord floaty due to your disability," Spock said. "logically, you won't slip out."
"Oh hell no," McCoy said. "that is a ghost town."
"It is not a town or occupied with ghosts, hinek," Spock said. "and they are plenty people who cruise it."
"I bet there is not," McCoy said.
"After we purchase your swimming trunks," Spock said, getting up from the chair and picked up the bag.
"For the first time in my life I need a gravitational based floaty," McCoy said. "someone pinch me-Spock!" McCoy yelped as the Vulcan pinched the man's shoulder. "I was jokin'!"
"You asked," Spock said, as the two walked their way through the rows of clothes racks. A pair of Gangorians went past the two men. "logically, that was a request." McCoy held his two fingers out that were twitching and Spock's two fingers hooked around them returning the gesture sending affection to the human sliding down just above the knuckles.
"Ya lucky that I love ya," McCoy said, as the Vulcan looked down with heart like eyes toward the chair bound doctor.
