It's gonna be okay
[Disclaimer: The movies and its characters don't belong to me. I don't own them. They belong to their rightful owners and I'm just borrowing them for this one-shot.
A/N: So this story features Lexie, the awesome OC created by StarLightCrystalix (go read her stories! XD) and it's about her and McCoy comforting each other in a stressful situation. Hints at Scones I guess (?) (Just because I love them so much and see that ship EVERYWHERE! XD) Please enjoy!]
{It's gonna be okay}
McCoy quietly moved towards the door leading to the ship's transporter room. He could already hear the voice of a woman cursing before he reached the doorstep, so he wasn't surprised when he found a certain red-haired Lieutenant kneeling in front of a console, holding some red and blue cables in her hand. Tools and parts of mentioned console were scattered all around her on the ground. She was so focused on working that she didn't realize Bones entering the room.
"Lexie?"
The sound of a screwdriver hitting the floor echoed through the air and McCoy protectively raised his hands when he faced a startled Lt. Smith, longing for the phaser on her belt.
"Hey, hey! It's me!", he exclaimed and he could see Lexie's tensed shoulders relaxing as she sighed softly, collecting her screwdriver from the ground.
"McCoy, please don't scare me like that", she softly scolded the CMO and he quickly apologized while taking a few steps towards his young friend.
Lexie returned to the work she'd been doing before the Doctor had nearly startled her to death. Her hands were still shaking slightly, maybe because of the scare she'd been given, maybe because of the reason she was sitting here.
McCoy watched her silently and he had to admit that he felt sorry. He should have known that him suddenly appearing would be a shock to someone who had experienced way too much fear and horror despite only being a young adult.
"So... how's it going?", he carefully asked, trying to change the subject. It was actually the reason why he'd come by in first place. He felt his heart drop when he could see some tears forming in Lexie's eyes.
The young Engineer slowly shook her head, fighting back the moisture. She put the screwdriver down and faced McCoy as she swallowed softly. Only now Bones could see how tired she looked. She'd been working for hours without even a small break. She hadn't eaten, hadn't slept. She looked exhausted like hell.
"I... I honestly don't know, McCoy. One moment I think that I'm only a few inches away from success and the next one everything seems hopeless again", she admitted, her voice trembling softly. She seemed to be ready to burst into tears any second now and McCoy knew the reason why.
"He's fine. Just take your time."
He said it more to convince himself than Lexie, but of course he wanted to make her feel better too. He knew that she was as worried about one familiar Scotsman as he was.
Scotty.
How long had he been missing now? McCoy couldn't remember for sure. Eight hours? Ten hours? Maybe even more.
Those dam transporter malfunctions!
Every single member of the landing party had beamed back on board when the floor beneath them had collapsed... except for Scotty.
He was still down there on the planet's surface, lost in the caves the landing party had been exploring. His communicator had apparently been destroyed, because the ship wasn't able to contact him. Maybe he was hurt. Maybe he was... McCoy didn't even want to think about any other option.
And the transporter? It had suddenly stopped working. What a bloody coincidence! When they actually needed that dam tin can, it gave up on them!
"Yeah, of course he's fine... He's a Scotsman after all."
Bones chuckled softly at hearing that reply. He sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the broken console.
Lexie didn't ask why he did it but instead continued with her work. They stayed that way for a long time, both contemplating their friend's fate in silence, hoping that their words were actually true.
"What about you? How are you feeling?", McCoy finally asked her, just to have something to talk about. He didn't want to annoy his friend, but he was concerned about her well-being.
"I'm fine, McCoy. Don't worry about me."
It was a lie. Bones knew that but he didn't want to force Lexie to tell him the truth. Even though she was young, she had proven more than once that she was perfectly capable of deciding what was best for her herself.
"How are you?"
Lexie's words surprised Bones. Usually it was him to ask that question, no one seemed to be concerned about the CMO himself. But this conversation was different than the ones he had at work. They didn't talk as Doctor and patient... but as friends.
"Well, ya know me. Nothing can bring a Southern medical expert down", he said while shrugging. And though he knew that Lexie had to sense that lie from miles away, he still couldn't stop himself from saying it.
He moved his head sideways and stared at the transporter pads. For a moment he thought he could see Scotty standing there, smiling brightly at him. He felt a lump form in his throat, when the image vanished.
"Dam it, Scotty. What is it with you and transporter accidents?", he softly mumbled and suddenly he felt someone sitting down next to him.
He turned his head - even though he already knew who it was - to face Lexie. She softly put her hand on his, leaning against him.
"Why do we lie, McCoy?", she asked, her voice shaking once again and he shook his head.
"I'm not sure. Maybe because we want to believe everything's fine, even though we know it's not."
Lexie rested her head on his shoulder and soon he could feel hot tears dripping on his shirt.
"I'm so scared, McCoy. Scotty's... Scotty's gone and I can't help him! What if he's..." She didn't dare to finish the sentence, her voice breaking.
Bones put one arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. He could feel the lump in his own throat getting bigger and bigger but he fought back his tears.
"He's a fighter, Lexie. Just remember all these things he survived up until now. It's a miracle that I was always able to patch him up. And ya know why he was able to stay alive?"
Lexie softly shook her head.
"Because he did it for us. Scotty's fighting for you, Keenser, Jim... Maybe even for a grumpy, old Doctor like me-"
A soft chuckle was Lexie's reply.
"Especially for you, McCoy", she corrected him and Bones glanced down at her, confusion written all over his face.
"What?"
His young friend shrugged.
"See, all I'm saying is that Scotty talks a lot about you and the time you spend together. And there's always this... kind of sparkling in his eyes when he does."
McCoy felt one tear escaping his eye. He'd never thought of the Scotsman talking about him, caring about him. Even though he felt the same way - they'd never talked about it. He just hoped that he would get the chance to tell him.
"Well... He can be a real pain in the ass sometimes with all this Scottish energy, but I guess that's the reason we love him, right?"
McCoy suddenly felt Lexie lifting her head so he looked at her. She was staring at him, her eyes growing bigger.
"Scottish energy!"
She got up and hurried over to the console, nearly tripping over her tools.
"Wha- What did I say?", McCoy asked while he knelt down next to her.
"Let's say you reminded me of a conversation Scotty and I once had. If I connect those cables-", Lexie mumbled to herself as she started working.
Bones felt hope rising in his stomach as he watched Lexie's hands quickly connecting all kind of cables, even though he had no idea what she was doing.
And suddenly their was the familiar golden light shining from one of the transporter pads. McCoy and Lexie quickly stood up and stared at the body materializing on it.
"Scotty!"
There, lying on the pad, was their Chief of Engineering. His right arm and left leg looked twisted in an awkward unnatural way, but otherwise he seemed to be alright.
Lexie was at his side immediately, hugging him tightly while tears of relief streamed down her face. McCoy was glad that he had his Tricorder with him. He scanned the Scotsman's body as soon as the Lieutenant let go of him.
A little dehydrated, broken arm and leg, a few scratches. But otherwise he was fine.
Bones smiled brightly as he looked at Scotty, who was still laying in Lexie's arms. He was okay. He was fine!
"Is... this a parallel universe?", the Scotsman asked, his voice hoarse from dryness.
"Wha- No, why?", McCoy asked, slightly panicking. Had his Tricorder missed a concussion?
"'Cause ya're smiling, Doc."
Lexie chuckled softly as McCoy nudged Scotty's healthy shoulder while rolling his eyes.
"Glad to have you back."
Yeah... it would be okay. They were a family. It was always gonna be okay, when they worked together.