For Author's note and disclaimer, see chapter 1
Chapter 25
When Jim got back up on the bridge Spock wasn't there which he took to mean he was dealing with the two ensigns. Hopefully he would get it all out of them. Most of the crew feared getting on the First Officer's bad side. Not many really succeeded in doing so, as Spock was nearly infallible in his fairness and never would abuse his position in any way. He was a good choice for taking care of any disciplinary action for that reason alone. Everyone knew he would be fair and no one had ever even tried to argue against his verdict.
At least Scotty seemed to be done for the time being and there were a few less wires trailing around across the floor. At least one spot of good news as the science station seemed to be back in order. If it would just stay that way they were one step closer to have a working ship once more.
He sat in his chair carefully looking over the report on the work that Yeoman Rand handed to him when the turbolift hissed open and Spock came out again, moving over to the chair as the Yeoman left.
"I take it you were able to handle them?" Jim kept his voice down low to ensure some privacy.
"Indeed," Spock noted. "Ensign Harper was somewhat more reluctant, but Delany did not appear to attempt hiding anything. I assigned them what I though would be appropriate punishment under the circumstances." He handed a PADD over to the captain who skimmed over it.
"Not pulling any punches Mr. Spock," he mused. It was more severe than he would have expected. Probably more than the two of them had also figured.
"Do you disapprove Captain?" Spock raised an eyebrow but appeared fully confident in the response.
"No, not at all," he decided. "I take it at least one of them owned up to trying to continue the fight in sickbay? Either one knew who threw a punch at our CMO?"
"Ensign Delany took the blame upon himself, but I find it more likely he was only trying to avoid further punishment when I enquired on the subject. I find it much more likely that it would have been Harper, though he would not admit to any guilt," Spock stated calmly. "As much as I do not wish to punish the wrong party, discipline has to be maintained."
"Very true," Jim nodded, tapping the stylus to the screen. "And your choice of punishment would not have anything to do with the fact that one of them clocked our friendly neighbourhood doctor one?"
"Captain?" Spock's eyebrow rose to the level indicating that humans were a most peculiar and rather delusional species. Jim rather expected that they would eventually get stuck on that level, either that one or the 'what is the doctor arguing about now?' level. "I am unfamiliar with that expression, please explain."
"Never mind Spock, it's not important," nor had it really been a question. Spock might not be familiar with the phrase, but he knew what it meant well enough. He just didn't want to admit to any concern for McCoy. Pretending not to understand 'why' he would possibly feel any concern was one way to do that. Spock was the one most capable of being fair and objective when it came to any form of punishment, even so Jim now had to admit he had probably allowed himself to be influenced to some small degree. Barely noticeable and most certainly nothing Kirk saw as a problem. He himself would have been less inclined to be fair and he knew it. What more, he actually found it heartening to some degree that Spock would go further than normally because the victim in the matter had been McCoy.
Of course if the doctor found out about that part he would read the Vulcan the riot act and no doubt about it. He would be infuriated that anyone, anyone at all and especially Spock would step in on his behalf. No, best to avoid that at all costs. He wouldn't tell Bones, and Spock would certainly never let it slip but they had two ensigns stuck on the most undesirable job they had to ensure they took their lesson.
With any bit of luck they would, it was always hard to say, from what Spock had stated he was not so sure that Harper would. The man did not seem overly interested in taking responsibility for his action but at least he had not argued about it either. There was some hope for the man.
He knew that neither one of his friends would ever want to acknowledge it, so he said nothing when they joined up for lunch or what still counted for it. Nutrient bars and coffee, and he was not surprised to see the occasional shiver run through Bones' body as he sat down with his mug and white square at their table. It was still amusing to see the scrubs over captain's stripes and he figured he should try and make sure to get the man a warm sweater at some point. When he was young he had never lacked for things like it, there was always thick sweaters in the cold winter weather, always a new one for every season and usually one for Christmas as well. There were probably near a dozen even now in his closet at home but he was not so sure about Bones. Did he even have anything that wasn't aboard the ship? Not that a closet back on earth did them any good at the moment, but it would have been a comfort to know he had something somewhere.
He really should make sure to procure a warm sweater of some kind for him at the nearest opportunity though, and stick it in his cabin if he had to. His friend would certainly never do it for himself that much was obvious.
The bruise was coming in full on his cheekbone and if he was honest with himself he was glad that Spock had been unexpectedly harsh on the two men involved in the altercation. Bones would never speak up for himself in that regard but he was glad that someone had.
"Scotty seems to think things are starting to look up," he mused as he took a deep drink of his coffee. "He got a couple of the lines fixed and believes they'll stay that way this time."
"He said the same when he was down in sickbay with his men, said he thought we would see some real improvement in just two days," Bones mused, biting a small corner of his nutrition bar. As soon as he started chewing the com chirped.
'Engineering to Doctor McCoy, engineering to Doctor McCoy…'
Sighing the doctor threw down the food substitute and went over to the wall console. "McCoy here, what's the problem."
'Ensign Hendricks cut his arm on the laser cutter, looks pretty bad,' the disembodied voice declared.
"Alright, get him to sickbay, I'll be right there," Bones cast a longing look at the mug and white square at the table, then shrugged and left.
"And that's why I'm glad I'm a captain and not a doctor," Jim mused. "I have to run away from enough meals as it is, and he does it even more than I do."
"That does appear to be the downside of the occupation," Spock noted. "I believe Nurse Chapel was trying to make that very point to me earlier."
"She rarely complains, what did she say?" Jim frowned as he took a bite out of his own white square.
"Since she came to learn the doctor was interrupted in his breakfast, she urged him to leave to take some sustenance, but that he was interrupted again before he was able to do so. I believe the way she phrased it was he got all the way up to the mess, but had to go back down again with nothing to show for it."
"That's no good," Jim frowned. He wouldn't have had anything at all then. Spock would be perfectly fine to go a whole day without any food, but like himself Bones needed to eat. Oh it was far from the first time the doctor had to skip a meal. He claimed it was a necessity in the occupation to be an opportunistic eater. It never seemed to bother him at all if he had to skip one meal and make up for it later, but after lunch and not having had anything, that was stretching things the way Jim saw it. He trusted Miss Chapel to keep an eye on her superior, and to know how to handle him but that did not mean he did not worry. It was not always easy to step in and order someone who outranked you about. Thankfully sickbay was one of the places on the ship where the lines were always a little blurred out of necessity. Oh, McCoy was in charge and anyone who did not think so was a fool. No nurse or junior staff would ever give McCoy an order he did not want to take. Nor would he ever allow them to take the responsibility for anything that they should not be responsible for. He expected a lot from his staff but he also stood firmly behind them.
If there was one thing he was glad for, it was that he had been able to get McCoy away from his previous posting before it destroyed the man altogether because he was sure he would never have been able to find another one who could do what he did.
TBC
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