A/N: Thank you, everyone, for the reviews so far! Here's chapter 2!

Backstabbing

"Bones!"

Jim Kirk caught up to his CMO just outside of Sickbay, carrying a PADD. McCoy halted his stride. "Jim. I'm headed to the mess hall, or is there something official on your mind?"

Kirk waved him off. "Mess is good, in fact I'm on lunch, myself. Bones," he said as they began walking again. "Do you remember that incident with Elaan and the Troyians and all that?"

"Yes…" McCoy suddenly scrutinized him. "Why, are you falling in love again?"

"No, Bones, I'm still perfectly cured. That antidote of yours is actually on my mind, though. I was catching up on some latest reports and found a little notice about the cure for Elasian tears. Only you see, Bones, I was there at the time, as you well know, and I don't remember a 'Blaine Rutherford' being there."

"What are you talking about?" McCoy asked.

Kirk handed him the PADD. He kept an eye out for people in the corridor as the doctor skimmed it.

"Jim, this is the article I wrote on that whole shebang, what's the big deal?"

"Look at the author."

McCoy glanced at the name and realized what Kirk was getting at. "Dr. Blaine Rutherford. Alright. So?"

Kirk's eyebrows shot up. "Bones, aren't you upset? Even a little angry? This man's stealing credit for your work!"

Instead of enraged, McCoy actually looked a little amused (Kirk couldn't tell if it was at his expense or not). "It's not the first time, Captain, nor probably the last."

"How often does this happen?" he asked, aghast.

McCoy shrugged. "More often than you think. The whole scientific community deals with it and medicine is no exception. Certainly not unheard of." He handed the PADD back to Kirk who tucked it under his arm.

They reached the mess hall and waited in line for the food synthesizers. "Well, do you know of someone on Starfleet Medical we can contact?" Kirk pushed. "A higher-up who can correct this?"

McCoy only shook his head at Kirk's words. "I don't want to drag the brass into something so petty. It's actually not that big of a deal."

The doctor was aware that Kirk was having trouble fathoming that. "Look," he explained. "The doctors of caliber in the medical community already know it's me. The article mentions how it was the Enterprise that was on the mission in the Tellun system. Well, I'm CMO of the Enterprise. They know it's me. This Rutherford guy's probably just someone in the line of processing research in Starfleet. The only ones who are ever fooled by these stunts are the press and general public, for whom names really aren't that important. The information is true, and life-saving, and they're still getting that, at least." He could see that Kirk still wasn't convinced so he quirked a grin.

"Besides… if they ever ask Rutherford about 'his' research there's no way he'll be able to articulately explain himself. Everything gets straightened out for sure at the medical conferences, to boot."

"I understand," Kirk said at last. They moved to sit down with their food. "I can't believe something like this is so widespread, but if you're not worried about it, then I guess I shouldn't be."

McCoy shrugged. "At this point, there's nothing to be gained by fretting. The damage is done. Now, so you don't think I'm such a pushover I do what I can to head off this kind of behavior. I always mention the Enterprise in my reports. I don't send anything up by Dr. Amtrell's office, that's just begging for plagiarism. I'm careful about who I'm working with-" He broke off, actually looking chagrined.

"I'm usually pretty thick-skinned but then sometimes it'll just get to me. Remember the giant single-celled organism we ran across in space? It's still a treasure-trove of information! What a find! And someone had just taken my name out of my research counteracting the radiation of Gamma Hydra IV with adrenaline and I, well, I got it in my head that if I wasn't on that shuttle then Spock of all people would grab all the credit for himself."

"You know he'd never do that," Kirk said tensely. He didn't like remembering that encounter… he didn't relish the thought of sending one of his friends to die.

"I know," McCoy sighed. "And most of the time I know it, know him. And then sometimes I second-guess him… though I think I'm really second-guessing myself. I try not to be that kind of person, Jim… I don't like people who only care about getting their names on stuff."

"I do have a hard time picturing you running with that crowd," Kirk responded, hoping to encourage his friend.

McCoy smiled a bit at the mental image. "So - are you over getting offended on my behalf?"

"For now," Kirk replied. "But I make no promises if it happens again."

"Fair enough," McCoy conceded. He glanced over Kirk as they ate. "For the record, this is one of the reasons why I make sure all the recommendations for new medical personnel go through me. We don't have any Blaine Rutherfords on this ship."

Kirk relaxed, and privately marveled at how quickly McCoy could intuit his own dark thoughts. "Wasn't trying to accuse anybody of that, Bones. Just want to limit this as much as possible."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, the hardworking doctors, nurses, and scientists of the Enterprise are still properly cited for the study of the Denevan parasites, curing the effects of the water of Psi 2000, investigating the spores of Omicron Ceti III, curing xenopolycethemia, and many other cases of scientific and medical interest."

Kirk felt about as satisfied as McCoy looked. The doctor hadn't said it, but though he was proud of his staff Kirk knew McCoy himself was key in most if not all of those 'cases'. "Point taken, Doctor. I'll try not to meddle with the 'complexities' of medical affairs, then."

"Eh, we could use some meddling sometimes." A grin started spreading over McCoy's face. "I should really take you with me to some of the conferences."

"You don't want me dragging you to more diplomatic events, do you, Doctor?" Kirk warned.

McCoy merely pointed his fork at him. "Do not threaten the man in charge of your meal card, Captain!"