The drugs were wearing off. His head was throbbing. He winced, in pain, but that wouldn't ruin his evening. The surgery had been scheduled for Friday to remove the tumor. McCoy still hadn't been given a sample of his cancer from the USS Bunker Hill hospital ship. When was he going to see what probably started his relationship at first with Spock? McCoy didn't feel well. The pain was worse than he had expected. Damn, couldn't believe that he forgot to take his pill today.

"How are you, McCoy?" Fuller asked.

McCoy looked over, tiredly, toward the man.

"Worse," McCoy said. "but I can live with it." his eyes winced.

McCoy's hand twitched.

"You don't look so well," Fuller said.

"Ya think?" McCoy asked, his tired eyes directed toward the man with a twitching eyebrow.

"I will get the doctor," Fuller said, then speed away.

"Ya don't look so well, son," McCoy heard David's voice.

". . . Pa?" McCoy asked, looking over in the direction of David's voice.

There were some similarities between McCoy and David but split apart by the color of their eyes. They looked alike. David appeared to be in his late thirties standing alongside the man with arched, bull horn shaped eyebrows. He recognized that face. His own face. His father was in his late fifties when he was a teenager and that is how McCoy remembered David the most. Not losing his hair, looking weak, bleak, and helpless. He looked so alive. So young So. . . So. . . So alive. Like he was looking at a photograph of his father brought to life from his youth.

"I am not real, ya know," David said.

"I wish ya were," McCoy said.

"If I were real, I would say that ya the luckiest man in the world to have someone like Spock," David said. "but I don't understand why ya didn't tell him about the brain tumor."

"Pa, I wanted our first shore leave together not to be full of bitterness and despair," McCoy said. "which is why I was takin' a pill to have it under control and just be in love," a fond smile grew on the doctors face recalling their day at the water park. How much they had on their second visit when Spock had fully learned to swim. McCoy in the Vulcan's arms with his arms wrapped around the Vulcan's neck as the Vulcan came out of the pool. The feel of dripping, cool warm water falling off his skin and the warmth of the Vulcan acting as a heater. "it was worth it."

"Well, ya have not changed," David said

"Yes," McCoy said. ". . . pa.. . I think I found my man."

"To share the rest of ya life with," David said. "with Spock."

McCoy nodded.

"My natural life," McCoy said. "we are still gettin' to know each other but I feel like. . . he is my soulmate . . like . . ." the doctor leaned forward feeling a pain in his head. "ow, ow, ow," he winced then looked over toward the younger man. "we shared a quiet evenin' together . . . just Spock and I."

"Think of that," David said.

"Why are ya here instead of someone else?" McCoy asked.

David shrugged.

"I am just here to be a familiar face for ya," David said. "I rather that it was ya grandpa."

"We miss ya, Pa," McCoy said. "I miss ya so damn much."

David placed a hand on McCoy's shoulder.

"I am not really gone," David said.

"Yes, ya are," McCoy said.

"Who do ya think I am not watching my son's medical career?" David asked, with a frown.

"Pa. . ." McCoy said, feeling emotional.

"I am proud of ya, by the way," David said. "I really am."

"Really?" McCoy said.

"Gettin' ya mother a pet topped the cake," David said. "I am glad to see she is happy."

"Good," McCoy said. "she should be."

"One day, ya will get sick and there might not be a cure for it," David said. "the thin' is, what I really meant, behind my variation of the phrase, 'what ails you makes you stronger'. . . because its about the people who are there for you. They make ya stronger. They make ya fight like hell. They make ya want to live and get better fightin' against what is ailin' ya. That's what I mean."

"Why ya tellin' me this?" McCoy asked.

"Ya grandpa was houndin' me to know and I figure that ya should be the first to know," David said.

"But that might not be your definition as a hallucination," McCoy said.

"Or am I?" David asked. The younger man winked back at McCoy. "Son. . . ya got blood comin' out of ya nose."

McCoy's hand was twitching.

McCoy used his still operating left hand to feel for the blood as his vision was getting dizzy.

He saw fluent, red icky blood on his fingertips.

"He looks fin-" Doctor House started but abruptly stopped as that was the last thing McCoy heard and his world turned black.