McCoy wasn't entirely sure why he was delivering a nurses outfit to a Vulcan before breakfast. Apparently it had something to do with Spock being in trouble for going behind everyone's backs, so as long as he got to see what happened and didn't need to be too active before his coffee he wasn't going to argue.
Jim had said Starfleet had approved her as a possible crew member, and he'd seen the file sent over, it was very impressive, but he wasn't so sure about the whole situation with Spock. It was good that medical personnel were technically outside the regular chain of command to an extent (after all he needed to be able to order the Captain to report to sickbay for his medical checks or when he'd come back from fighting some lizard creature or whatever and gone straight to the bridge). It would still be mighty awkward having the two of them on the ship together if they didn't work things out. Then again Spock and Uhura had worked things out perfectly well and were very good at cooperating on things, and it wasn't like there'd been a perfectly smooth start between any of them and the Captain until after his bullheadedness had gotten them out of a scrape or two (and into several more).
T'Leiarel seemed a very sensible and competent young woman, and better at understanding emotions than most Vulcans, he'd met a few Vulcan doctors and they had terrible bedside manners. If she had been here without the connection to Spock and he'd been given permission to hire her he'd at least give her a trial run on their first leg out across Federation space towards the border, they could drop her off somewhere out there if it didn't work out where she could still catch a passenger ship back. But of course without the interference there wouldn't be the permissions, standard operating practice was for everyone to pass through Starfleet Academy, even if she would know the medical side of things fairly well already. It was very odd.
McCoy was not expecting her to answer the door in a towel.
"Leonard, splendid, you brought the outfit, come on in and I'll get changed in the bathroom." She greeted him cheerfully. The old fashioned part of him was scandalised, but his physician side reminded him it was a lot less than he had seen of some patients, and she wasn't exactly doing a dance about it. He settled on a brisk, polite nod. "Thanks by the way, it was good of you to bring it over." She added as she headed to the bathroom.
"So... I am not entirely sure what the plan here is... breakfast, and Spock, and a nurse outfit? And Jim said you might be joining the crew? I thought you were only on board temporarily... not that you're not welcome or anything... just it's a bit... strange." He kicked himself mentally for possibly making it seem like she wasn't welcome. Even if it was an odd situation it was hardly her fault.
"Apparently Spock and his father felt inclined to smooth the way for me joining the ship." T'Leiarel responded cheerfully. "But I don't appreciate it when people make plans or decisions about my life without asking me." He could remember the lengths she'd gone to about that before... hopefully he wouldn't be dealing with a fight before shift. Though he doubted she'd have a costume plan and be using the Captain's dining room for a battle... maybe a food fight but that didn't seem very Vulcan. Then again there were a lot of things that didn't seem very Vulcan about the young woman.
"Should I be worried?" He asked as she came out of the bathroom. He really wasn't sure why so many of the women's uniforms on board involved short skirts. The nurse uniforms were no better. Of course he encouraged his staff to wear what they felt comfortable in, and there were as many women in trousers and tunics as in the dresses, but it was hardly surprising he wound up feeling like he was a daddy with a house full of daughters to keep Kirk from going near. He knew that was old patriarchal attitudes, and the ladies were quite capable of handling themselves, but they shouldn't have to. And the southerner in him was not keen on the idea of Jim Kirk being left alone with any of them. He made sure to deal with the Captain himself whenever possible. Though there was also his various allergies to worry about, so it made it much easier to deal with him by himself without panicking anyone.
"I wouldn't worry, I mean I don't think you need to... but I suppose it's up to you. There are a lot of moving variables... but I think Spock should be back to his usual self which means he should be able to handle a little... ribbing shall we say." She smiled and he wondered what the Captain knew about this, either way he felt a little sorry for Spock.
"You say he helped arrange things? Do you not want to be on board? I mean I think you'd fit in fine but if you don't want to I can say straight up that you're not allowed in my sickbay or some such, though I don't see why you couldn't object yourself." It was all a tad confusing to be honest.
"It's not about the doing it, I am seriously considering the opportunity. But if I let him make this kind of move, without talking to me first? He should have asked me THEN tried pulling strings, and honestly, I don't want to let it set a precedent. I mean it looks like I slept my way into the position." She frowned. "Heck I kind of did. I mean do you think I'd be getting this kind of special treatment if I hadn't bonded with Spock?"
McCoy could see the issue, it was a delicate situation, he just hoped the two of them could work it out. Spock clearly liked her, a lot. She seemed like a very independent person, so the fact that she was spending so much time with Spock, and his dad, that had to mean something too?
"Do you want to spend more time with Spock?" Wait... he realised something she had said... "You DID sleep together, it was some weird hormonal sex drive thing." He winced as she swatted his arm as he accidentally shouted that part.
"Sorry." She responded at the look on his face. "Look, medical treatments are privileged information right? Technically I am a doctor too, even if my license does need renewing, and it wasn't like it was a treatment you were going to be able to give him." She raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "Aside from which it is also more than a little personal, as I am sure you could imagine."
"Hmmmm." He nodded thoughtfully. "So basically, Vulcan culture has this thing about shotgun arranged marriages where you get married so that the men can have sex to stop hormonal issues without knowing each other, and you didn't do that, but you did have sex and now... what?" She shrugged, looking awkward in a way he hadn't imagined he'd ever see a Vulcan look, it was almost vulnerable and uncertain. And she had seemed so confident the rest of the time. But wasn't that the way? It was all confidence and charm until they actually liked someone, he'd seen it with Kirk often enough. "So you do like him... but you don't want him thinking he can boss you around like a Vulcan wife and... I'm guessing the sex before the dating part is bound to be strange if you are actually going to date."
"You have put things very succinctly." She managed a wry smile. McCoy returned a nod. "Spock's hormones should be fully back to normal by now. Even with some leeway for his unusual hybrid biology." She looked down slightly, not quite meeting his eyes as she continued. T'Leiarel wasn't sure why she was telling this to someone she had only known a short while, and who technically might soon be her boss, but he was comforting to talk to. "We shall see whether his move to keep me on board was motivated by gratitude for my assistance, misplaced responsibility for a pseudo-wife or..."
"Or if he's as soppy about you under that Vulcan logic as you are about him?" McCoy knew he had guessed right when she glared at him. "Well then, lets go see if we can find out." He took her arm as they headed out of the door and towards breakfast. "Though in that outfit he'd have to be blind not to show SOME interest, and I'm sure there'd be plenty of people lining up to help you feel better if things don't work out." Somehow though, McCoy had a feeling they would... he was, he had to admit, a bit of a romantic at heart, and if Spock was too logical to see the emotions right in front of him well then Leonard would just have to give it a nudge. If T'Leiarel's plan didn't nudge Spock hard enough to begin with.