44. Burn

"Dammit Spock…" McCoy looked up nervously at the sound of footsteps above and put a bit more pressure on the wound that marred the Vulcan's side. Spock eyed his blood soaked shirt and tried to sit up.

"It's fascinating how effective their muskets are… For such unwieldy weapons they certainly-"

"Spock, dammit, I am covered in green blood and Jim's been gone for almost fifteen minutes-"

"Fourteen minutes and thirty-nine seco-"

"Spock shut up! I am not in the mood for your Vulcan stoicism or logic, just hold still and let me help you!"

Spock wisely kept silent and settled back against the cellar wall. McCoy sighed.

"Only on this blasted ship… You know that of all the current commanding officers onboard starships, you and Jim comprise half of the injuries sustained over the last year." The doctor shook his head. "Some of the other CMOs wonder how I keep sane."

Spock actually opened his mouth but then decided against it. "If my calculations are correct, the next patrol should be walking by in about six seconds…"

They barely breathed as they sat there and listened to the sounds of men above them. The noises began to fade and they almost relaxed when there was once again the sound of someone moving around the upper rooms. McCoy was about to act when Spock slumped back calmly and the trap door opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Coast's clear. Help him up."

Jim was even messier than the last time McCoy'd gotten a look at him and there were some new bruises on his jaw. The young man's eyes were locked on his friend and he seemed unaware of his own injuries. "Bones, he's lost a lot of blood…"

"Dammit, Jim, I know. Are you okay?"

"Fine." The captain handed over some bandages. "I also found our communicators. Scotty can beam us out but we need to get back to the crash site. There's still interference."

Checking over his patch-up job, McCoy helped Spock up. "Can you make it?"

"Of course."

They'd made it little more than half way when they were ambushed by several of the soldiers they'd spent almost an entire day avoiding. Jim took one down almost immediately but another got behind him and locked strong arms around his chest; stilling him enough for another man to slam his fist into the captain's face and, as he stumbled out of the man's grasp, deliver a vicious kick to his torso. Spock got one of the attackers in a nerve pinch before a well-placed blow sent him down, weakened by his previous injury.

McCoy's head was spinning as he took in the remaining three men and lashed out at one. Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a boxer. By luck or some other force, the man managed to connect with one of the aggressors and sent him head first into a wall, where he collided with a sickening thud and slid to the ground. Two to go.

Then the man pulled out a long rod. McCoy paled slightly; he'd seen these weapons in action. Klingon technology that shouldn't have been anywhere near this planet; they were the whole damn reason that the Enterprise had traveled to the blasted world in the first place. The rod began to glow a violent red and McCoy knew that it was becoming dangerously hot; if it managed to hit one of them in the right place, the heat could become fatal. The soldier lunged forward and McCoy decided to go with the element of surprise and pray that this worked. Instead of dodging the weapon, he reached out and caught it mid-swing. The attacker froze in shock long enough for the doctor to wrench it from his grasp and lash out with a clean right hook to the jaw.

The last man didn't get a chance to even try; Jim's arm shooting out and tripping him before slamming a fist into his nose. The young man stumbled to his feet, running to his friend's side.

"Bones! Bones, are you okay?"

McCoy winced and looked down at his hands. They were blistering red and the smell of burning flesh drifted on the air, making him a little lightheaded. "We gotta get Spock to the ship."

"I believe your own injuries are equally severe." Spock had hauled himself to his feet and was also looking at the doctor with concern and something that might have been admiration. "You need treatment for your wounds soon or else you..."

"Oh, thanks doctor Spock! I think I know my own job-!"

Jim just smiled tiredly and stood between them, an arm around each shoulder. Supporting them as they continued towards the site, he smirked. "For once, I get to be the last one standing. Look at that..."

"Dammit Jim..."

Hours later, McCoy scowled at his hands. The equipment in his lab had healed most of the injury but he was still unable to function fully for a few days. "Not one of my better ideas."

"It saved our lives."

Spock stood in the doorway, watching the doctor with his usual level eyes. "Not many people could have done what you did."

McCoy blinked. "That sounded almost like a compliment."

"Perhaps you experienced some head trauma that is affecting your ears."

"Probably."