Captain's Log, Stardate 1441.5: Dr. McCoy has discharged First Officer Spock from Sickbay. He is now back at his post on the Bridge, albeit assigned to light duty for the next several days. We are set to leave orbit of Planet Q13-17 within the next few hours.
"Captain, I would not deem it logical to place yourself in such close proximity with me, seeing as I have just returned from a five-Stardate stay in Sickbay."
Kirk chuckled. "Don't be silly, Spock. Bones says you're practically good as new."
"Practically is the defining word, Captain. I have not been fully medically cleared." Spock cleared his throat. "Dr. McCoy has suggested that I locate myself either on the Bridge or in my quarters, to prevent any possible further stress or contamination."
Spock's dark eyes pierced Kirk's soul with their usual keenness. Even if he was still on light duty, covered by a blanket to conserve heat, his mind was perfectly back to normal. The virus, as he'd said, had no effect on his neurological capacity.
"I shall step back then, sir," Kirk obliged. "As you wish."
Kirk wandered back toward his captain's chair, calm and relaxed with the return to normal. Every - every - Bridge Crew member was in their place, all systems running at their usual speed. Tapes had been processed, and samples fully analyzed. Just how it should be.
"Captain?" A yeoman entered the Bridge just before he sat down, carrying a tray which held a cup and napkin. "Dr. McCoy instructed me to bring this to First Officer Spock."
"I'll take it to him, Yeoman." Kirk nodded, taking the tray from her hands. He could just picture the eye-roll that would come from McCoy, upon hearing that the Captain himself personally delivered whatever was sent. "Thank you."
In sincerity, however, Kirk was still eager to help. Careful not to spill the cup's contents, he carried the tray over to his First Officer, who was keenly focused on the panel in front of him despite quietly - awkwardly - sniffling. "Mr. Spock? Dr. McCoy sent this for you."
Spock looked up from his work long enough to take the cup and napkin from the tray, which Kirk delivered back to the yeoman before relieving her of duty. He eyed his First Officer carefully, watching him gently sip the cup's contents - this was, Kirk believed, the first time he'd ever seen Spock actually drink something. Vulcans needed much less water than humans to survive, after all.
"May I ask, is that medicine Bones sent you?" he asked. On multiple occasions, Dr. McCoy was known to dissolve medications in water for particularly pill-resistant patients.
"No, Captain; theris-masu, the same tea you sent to me while I remained in Sickbay," Spock replied. "Dr. McCoy was impressed with the stabilizing effect it seemed to have on my breathing."
Kirk chuckled. "Glad it helped."
"I must say, Captain, I was slightly baffled by the…gifts you sent while I was ill," Spock continued. "Your visitation was predictable, but I fail to understand the meaning behind the card and flowers. And I cannot fathom how you managed to program the recipe for theris-masu into the Replicators."
"It's an Earth thing, Spock," Kirk replied simply. That's what he'd been afraid of: that Spock wouldn't understand the meaning behind the "get well gifts" the Bridge Crew had sent. The tea, a recipe Uhura had found in a record tape of a Vulcan cookbook; the waxy-leafed, brightly-flowered plant from the botany lab; and the card, signed by every member of the Enterprise crew Kirk had run into. "Just a thing we do for people."
"There is no need for an explanation, Captain," Spock replied. "I do not need to understand the underlying cultural implications to note the positive effect your bringings to my sickroom had on my physical and mental state." He bowed his head. "Please accept my gratitude, Captain."
"Gratitude accepted, Commander Spock," Kirk replied. "Glad you're feeling better."
"We're ready to leave orbit, sir," Sulu announced from the helm panel. "Course steady, engines stable."
"Excellent." Kirk took his seat in his chair, basking in the sight of every member of his crew. He'd have to make sure to drop by see McCoy later, to thank him for getting Spock back to health - and, perhaps, to apologize for barging into his Medbay unannounced so often. He probably should have thought about sending cards and flowers to his downed crewmen sooner, but he certainly wouldn't forget it now. "Warp one, Mr. Sulu."
"You sure about that?" the new ensign piped up.
"Quiet, or you're liable to wind up in Sickbay with flowers and a get-well card," Sulu barked. "Warp one, right away, Captain."