For Author's Note and Disclaimer, see chapter 1

Chapter 20

Entering the sick bay Bones was unable to fully hold back the sigh of relief. If there was one place on the ship where he truly felt at home, this was it. It might be cold as the blue blazes and eerie quiet with the corridor outside almost empty but it was still home.

Turning on the computer screen to review the files he needed for the day was a comfortable routine. The cabinet behind him holding an assortment of medicine, exotic skulls and instruments. The skulls and the antique instruments he had mounted on the wall was probably something he did for his grandfather whom also had a skull in his small office. When he asked him what it was for as a child his grandfather had just scratched his head and said he'd be danged if he knew, but it was tradition and if it had worked before it might work again.

That was all the reason he needed to do the same, it was comfortable even if he had seen how it made some people frown.

He was halfway through the routine schedule when the door swished open and he looked up to see Nurse Chapel enter. Even after a couple of days it was strange to see her in uniform trousers, but the colourful stockings that showed under gave it an interesting touch. Today though she had on a scarf he had not seen before.

"Doctor," she greeted. "I'm sorry if I'm late, Uhura had a scarf she said she'd lend me, but it took her a moment to find it."

"That's alright," he waved the apology aside. He appreciated knowing there was no tardiness in his staff, but he never had seen any reason to slap a reprimand on someone for being two minutes late. "It's at least bearable here right now, but I would say anything that helps you stay warm is more important."

"I can tell, I like your shirt," she smiled teasingly as she moved to the other computer terminal. "Suits you."

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures," he offered a small smile, the colour and the three bands of gold looking odd to his eyes. "I wouldn't get used to it if I were you."

"I don't know, it really does suit you," she teased lightly, causing him to turn away from the screen to face her fully.

"There are those that suit the stripes my dear, and there are those that chase them, and then there are those who are best kept well away from them," he mused. "And while someone was fool enough to pin the ones I got on me, I think I've spoken my mind enough times to make sure no one thinks to add to them…"

"And perhaps that's why they suit you," she grinned.

Bones gave a snort at that, "well, these don't fit at all, and later I'm going to have words with the captain about the diet he swears he keeps." That made her laugh and he raised an eyebrow. It wasn't as if he was going to reprimand her for laughing, but there were advantages to keeping people on their toes at times. Whenever they thought they always knew what to expect they got too comfortable and started making mistakes. By throwing them for a loop once in a while it was easier to avoid that.

Now she sobered up and turned back to her computer screen, "you'll have the astro science and the biology apartment coming down for the booster shoots in half an hour. Is there anything you want me to take care of before then?"

"Given a couple of those so called scientists in the astro department, you might have to lock the door behind them when they come in," he mused. "Otherwise no, I don't think so." Sickbay was generally kept in order. He did not believe in letting things slide. Once you started doing that it was only a matter of time before you faced a whole avalanche. In a place where it was as important as sickbay he did not allow anyone to start the 'I'll do it later' kind of thinking. If it needed doing, you did it, if it was the end of the shift and no emergency, you alerted whoever was there to relieve you.

"I'll make sure they can't escape," his nurse promised him with a soft smile as she fingered her scarf. It wasn't as bad as the day before, but being the only open department in a section normally teeming with people meant it got cold. Knowing that there was only an according to him ridiculously thin bulkhead between him and the cold unforgiven vacuum of space was generally enough to send a cold shiver running down his spine. Having that driven home in such a painful way as now only seemed to make it worse.

The cold was creeping aboard the Enterprise, seeping through the cracks, sliding in under the doorways and through the empty rooms. Enclosing them, enveloping them in the unforgiven darkness where there was no air, no warmth and no hope at all of surviving long enough to die in peace.

Space scared him, he could be honest with himself about that. Space scared him to death with the unforgiving harshness where you could not afford to make a single mistake. It was bad enough when it was outside, streaks of light going by them as they hurtled through the endless vastness at an impossible speed. Then there was at least some vague deceiving beauty to the deadliness of it all. It was bad enough when he knew it was there, but when it was trying to get inside like it was now, slowly wrapping around them even aboard the ship, that was more than he really could bear.

He felt the old familiar tightness in his chest, the cold making it impossible for his lungs to expand and take in the oxygen he couldn't be sure if it was there or not. There was no oxygen in space, you froze to death as you suffocated.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Chapel's voice cut through to him and he drew a breath with something of a small gasp.

Filling his lungs slowly, reminding himself they were not there yet.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he started. "Just this blasted cold…" he rubbed his hands together.

"It will be nice when it's over," Chapel nodded. "Do you want me to make the exam room ready for them?"

"Yeah, that would be great my dear," he nodded. "Let me get a little of this blasted paperwork done. Forms about the exams takes longer than the danged thing itself does."

"I'll take care of it, won't take me longer than a minute," she smiled softly. Heading into the exam room she started to make it ready, it really did not take all that long. They were after all only doing a very basic exam that required very little time per patient. It made sense though and she was glad to work for someone who cared enough about the crew to go through the hassle to do it. Doctor McCoy was right, the paperwork nearly took longer as anything given them had to be listed, dosages, notes about what the scans showed. All the little detail that had the crew member walk out no different than they walked in. During strenuous times though things like weight and general state of health was really important.

Keeping an eye on it could allow them to keep an eye on any negative development, not only this time, but the next time something similar happened as well they would see if there was a pattern developing.

Time consuming, but in the crews best interest even if she wondered how many of them realised it. Most of them thought McCoy was being over cautious and too free with the hypos. She wondered absently if they realised the reason they were all faring as well as they were was just because he was doing this.

She really doubted any of them knew how he suffered up in the lab whenever he had to synthesise more of the vitamin solution. It was tempting to tell someone, make sure that the word got around but that would never work. McCoy was very careful about the right of privacy in sickbay. He would not stand for any loose tongues outside of the rooms. Not just vital patient information, anything at all that concerned their work was left in sickbay. Generally for all his shows of volatile temper there were only a few things you could do that would truly anger him.

Disregard what was best for the patient, their health and their care. Disregard their right to have anything concerning their health private. There was nothing Doctor McCoy placed above his patients, nothing, and you did best not to forget it. He was truly a very kind and gentle man, regardless of what he wanted some to think.

That was the one thing she did not understand, why he often seemed to want to hide how gentle he really was. He did show it, with nervous ensigns and cautious engineers. He could even tease or banter with them lightly as he treated them, and yet so many of them did not seem able to put it together.

She hated it sometimes, it actually really hurt her when she on occasion saw someone avoid his table in the mess. It was rare, but it happened. People who seemed to think that the doctor was best avoided, at all costs, even off duty.

Now once they were through he sent her off to the mess while he went back up to the freezing cold lab where there was no air. Refusing her offer to go with him because he would never allow it.

Ever the southern gentleman.

Sometimes she really hated that.

TBC

Thank you all who's read and reviewed, the Cricket is thrilled...