McCoy had returned to sickbay to continue with his paper work after the Delta incident, he was hoping to get through a chunk of the mountain that night but of course that wasn't going to happen. There was soon a knock on the door, "Come in." McCoy called out. He was half expecting it to be Kirk, so he was a little surprised to see Scotty standing in the door way. "Am I disturbing you Leonard?" The Scotsman asked nervously, "No you're alright, what's on your mind Scotty?" McCoy replied while waving him over to a chair which sat opposite him.
McCoy noticed that his cheeks were slightly off colour, "You not feeling well?" "Nar, I feel fine Doc. What gave ya that impression?" Scotty answered. "Your cheeks are a little red, so if you feel fine what's up?" The Scotsman placed his arms on the desk before looking into McCoy's eyes, "It's to do with Lexie?" That was McCoy's other guess. "Take it she went ape at you for messing around with Delta?" "Actually no she didn't, she was only a little mad. But it's some else." McCoy asked what, "She… She called me… Dad."
"Umm… What?" Questioned McCoy, so Scotty repeated what he had just said. "Was she awake?" McCoy asked, but Scotty shook his head. "No she was just drifting off to sleep after I moved her into my bed." Scotty replied, his cheek slowly turning red again. "She fell asleep?" "Aye, she had just finished with Delta. The lass nodded off at my desk, so I picked her up and took her over to my bed." McCoy couldn't help but smile slightly, he knew that Lexie saw Scotty as a parental figure but never had she called him dad, not even during her sleep.
Scotty rubbed his face gently, while McCoy just thought of what to say. "Did it make you feel weird when she called you dad?" Scotty had to think for a moment. Eventually Scotty did answer, "No it didn't, but that's the thing. Shouldn't it have made me feel that way?" McCoy reached over and placed a hand on Scotty's shoulder. "No, how it made you feel is up to you. But I must ask, how did it make you feel." Once again Scotty had to think, he hadn't really thought about that part. Well he had, it was just whether or not to tell McCoy the truth.
"To be honest it made me feel good, I mean the lass already sees me as a parental figure but I just never imagined her ever calling me dad." McCoy smiled as him, "Why not? Lexie looks up to you Scotty." "Because I've always told her that I would never be able to replace her family, especially her father." The Scotsman replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Lexie knows you're not trying to replace her family, but it seems like she's finally found someone to look to for a father figure and that person is you. Don't you like that?"
Scotty sighed, "Of course I like it, I'm honoured that she sees me like that." McCoy patted him on the shoulder. "Can I tell you something Leonard?" "Always Scotty." The Scotsman sighed once more before speaking again, "I almost called her daughter the other day." McCoy just blinked. "Do you see her as your daughter?" Scotty nodded slowly, "I guess in a way, yes. I care about the young lass a lot, so I guess its just a parental instinct." McCoy smiled as he sat back in his chair. "You care about people a lot Scotty, you'll make a great dad."
The Scotsman just stared at the Doctor, he couldn't believe what he just said. "You mean that?" McCoy nodded, "Of course I do, you're such a family man." Scotty smiled. "Thanks Leonard." "So are you going to tell Lexie that she called ya dad?" McCoy asked, Scotty nodded. "I will do, when I find the time." Both of the officers chuckled, "I best be heading back to my quarters, best if I move Lexie to her own bed." McCoy agreed. "Good idea, see ya later on Scotty and don't hesitate to come and see me again." Scotty smiled as he left the room, but before leaving he turned back towards McCoy. "Leonard?" "Yes Scotty?" "Thanks for listening." McCoy smiled, "You're welcome." McCoy watched the Engineer walk out of his office before returning to his paper work, he could totally see why Lexie called Scotty dad and he knew it wouldn't be the last time she did it.