For Author's note and Disclaimer, see chapter 1
Chapter 17
Nurse Chapel was the one who called them down half an hour later, and Jim noticed it was if possible even colder in sickbay by then. Clearly something was not working and both the nurse and the doctor were shivering.
"Everything okay?" he asked, not wanting to specifically ask if there was any damage from the frozen hypospray.
"As much as it can, be careful what you touch," Bones shrugged. "We can't bring a lot, but I want a couple of basic kits. He handed the captain a couple of cases of vials for the hypospray and a couple of more advanced first aid kits than what was normally stored around the ship. With it he should be able to take care of most smaller injuries. The rest unless it was vital to life or limb would just have to wait.
"Good advice," the way his breath stood in the air like a white plume it certainly was. "Got a corner in the mess set up for you. Until this is resolved, it should be better than nothing." All they had done was really to designate a table and a couple of chairs for him, not very private, but at the moment they could not afford it. It was better to use the mess where it would be easy for everyone to find him, than to take a cabin where not everyone would know to look.
He put the cases he had been carrying down on the table, rubbing his still chilled fingers together with a grin. "Got some good news at least," he smiled cheerfully.
"I'll believe there is good news when I see it," biting his lip Bones looked around himself.
"Wait a second, I'll be right back," giving the two of them a big smile Jim headed for the other end of the mess where the door to the galley was. Scotty had indeed managed to rig up a small cooking unit for them. Enough for their chef to manage a simple stew. They could only make so many servings at a time, which meant the food was rationed to the crew, but everyone would be able to get a bowl. Because of that he had actually made sure the crew had theirs first and now he picked up a tray with three bowls of stew and three mugs of coffee.
"Oh, that is good news," Chapel beamed as she saw him come back. "There is real food?"
"Scotty pulled it off then," Bones nodded. "Good, that should improve things a little if not by much."
"Everyone gets one bowl a day until we can work something better out," Jim nodded, putting them down on the table. "It might not be much, but it's something and morale seems to be improving already."
"It should help a great deal," Bones dug his spoon into his bowl, fishing out what looked like a lump of potato. "Tastes pretty good actually."
"Compared to the ration bars, I think everything tastes good, but yeah, it's not bad at all," Jim nodded. "You still going to pull a double shift?"
"Haven't got much choice," Bones focused on his stew, something that told Jim there was no one else Bones was fully willing to put in charge. There might be several others who could handle some first aid and maybe even some routine things like administer the vitamin supplement. The question was if he trusted them to work unsupervised for a whole shift. Of course he knew that Bones trusted Chapel that much, and probably believed her more capable than some of their junior doctors. He just figured he probably prefered to work a double shift with Chapel, than work a single one with some of the junior staff. It wouldn't surprise him if Nurse Chapel felt the same way either. The two of them had long since established a relationship that worked very well for them. Bones trusted Chapel more than he knew a lot of other doctors would trust their nurses. He allowed her to treat patients by herself that she might not technically be qualified for because he knew she could handle it. He also knew that should she encounter a problem she would not hesitate to call him in, and that freed him up to do what he needed to do. Be it another patient or research.
No, they were probably happier working the double shifts than working with someone where they had to explain too many things, repeat themselves because the nurse or doctor didn't work the same way as they were used to.
Starfleet had an impressive number of doctors, nurses and medical staff, but not anywhere else on any other ship had he ever met one that was quite like Bones…
"Alright, but don't hesitate to take a break if you need it," he started. Bones looked up at that, a frown that bordered on challenging him. "Spock's starting to get a little too comfortable on the bridge I think," he added teasingly to appease him. Heaven forbid you actually voiced any concern for Bones, he wouldn't stand for it, obviously. It was a bit of a shame but it was one of those things that simply was. His friend could be far too filled with self doubt at times to believe that it really was nothing else but concern.
"Hmph," Bones gave something of a grunt as he focused on the stew, scraping the bowl clean just like Chapel and Jim himself was doing. Knowing there would be nothing more like real food until the next day tended to make you appreciate it all the more.
It was true though, in a sense. He wouldn't say that Spock had got to comfortable exactly. It was more true to say that Spock, like himself, missed the sporadic presence of the doctor. For all the complaining Spock had done, in as much as a Vulcan would ever complain, about the doctor having no place on the bridge. Spock had grown accustomed to the visits and enjoyed them in his own way. The trading of barbed banter and insults as Bones took position on the other side of the Captain's chair, keeping Jim between them as some sort of buffer or referee.
At least that was what he had felt like the first times, when he had been unsure of the development. Oh, he had not minded it when Bones came up, and he had been insistent on that he would be allowed to do so. Even if it was for Spock unheard of. He had come to know that while Captain Pike was friends with his CMO, they had kept it mostly off duty. To allow a member of the medical staff to make himself at home on the bridge when he felt like it had truly upset the Vulcans beliefs.
Well, the way Jim saw it, it was good for them to have to tackle the unexpected on occasion. It was no good if they got to comfortable always thinking they knew how things would develop. As much as Spock liked to think he was always ready sometimes he got a little too comfortable in his habits, and Bones had a way of keeping him on his toes.
Of course there were was something like having too many things turned upside down on you, something he was reminded of when he got back to the bridge. When Scotty had told him that already fixed things seemed to unfix themselves as they went along to the next problem he had not been kidding. Wiring once more trailed all over the floor of the bridge, looking as if a very, very large very drunk bird had tried to build a nest, while holding the blue prints sideways. Loop after loop of cable and wiring was trailing around the consoles.
"We're re-routing the lot, I cannae see what else we got," Scotty scratched his head. "A wee bit of a hassle so tis is, but at least this way I ken we'll get it done once and proper."
"I trust your judgement," Jim mused. He did, he hated to see the trailing wires and the open panels but at least this way things would be getting fixed. The Enterprise was hurting but she was slowly healing. "It just feels wrong you know," he mused.
"Aye, I know what ye mean Captain," Scotty patted his shoulder comfortingly. "I know what ye mean, it hurts to see her like this, so it does, but we'll get her right again, she's a good ship, true and strong, heart of oak so she is." He moved his hand to the console in front of him, laying his hand on it lovingly.
"She's got the best men to care for her," Jim offered. He had served on other ships before Enterprise, but she was something special. It was not just because he was her Captain, it was the very heart and soul of the ship. How the men fought for her and how she struggled on for the same men. Had Spock been aboard on his last posting before the Enterprise he was not sure how it would have worked out. How he would have responded to McCoy then. The man had been more closed off and sullen, because of the way he was treated by the crew but he was not sure if Spock would have understood that. Scotty, open and warm hearted Scotty who looked out for everyone would also have been at a loss there. So many who would not have allowed his warmth, and the one who would so desperately have needed it but had tried to shut himself away from it completely, thinking himself undeserving. It had been a functioning ship, but not a happy one. He had been determined already then that he would not have his ship the same way.
Had he succeeded? He thought so. As hard as it would be to get either one of them to ever admit to it Spock and Bones were friends, true friends, who counted on each other. Bones trusted Spock in ways he had not trusted anyone on that ship before. The person their slightly grumpy healer had been there would never have allowed himself to be shut into the same cabin as his Captain and first officer. He would not have trusted them enough to allow himself to be so vulnerable.
Funny how Spock had also changed, ever stoic, ever calm and logical and so very private he still allowed McCoy, whom he claimed to dislike on the basis of pure illogic to be so close. No matter what they said about each other they really did share a friendship and an immense trust for each other.
Scotty had commented on it once, that Spock was different to an extent than he had been under Pike's command, and that as much as he had respected Captain Pike it was still better now. As a Captain Jim figured you could not get much better praise than so. Spock, now widely known as the best first officer in the fleet. That was high praise indeed, and he was glad, proud, if he had in any way contributed to him gaining that status.
Then Bones, misunderstood and not very well liked. Extremely skilled but shunned, keeping to himself out of uncertainty. Now, legion of honour, awards of valour and decorated by starfleet surgeons. What would have become of him if he had stayed where he was?
Even Spock when he baited him and spoke ill of his emotional being appreciated his skill and his compassion. How would he have fared then, and how many dozen, hundreds and even million would have suffered for it. Given how many times both of them, Spock and Bones were able to reach outside of scientific knowledge and grasp the threads hanging there to save a people, a species or a planet. How many would have been lost if not for those two men?
Maybe Spock could give him a number, but he had no idea for himself. He had the reports, the estimations, but they were just numbers, not really an accurate account on any of it. Lives, happiness and sadness, children playing and young folks in love. Heartbreak and sunday supper on the stove, that was what it was all about.
Funny really how a mere two people could make such an immense difference under the right circumstances…
TBC
Thank you all who's read and reviewed, the Cricket is very happy! Also, to answer a question made, yes, I'm on AO3, Author's name Elenhin
