"They were being watched, for how long they did not know, but as they made their way through the tall grass they knew eyes were watching them. Waiting for the right moment to…"

"Doc!" Lorna jumped in fright and stopped walking; turning to Kirk she saw that he was looking at her dumbfounded.

"Yes Captain?" she asked, confused by the man's apparent discomfort.

"Will you quit it?! You're scaring the crap out of me!" he pleaded, Lorna blushed and looked to the ground embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Sir." They continued on their way, Kirk not quite believing that one woman could be scared of so many different inanimate objects. When, for no apparent reason she let out another yelp Kirk stopped again in frustration.

"Doc! What is wrong?!" he asked.

"It's nothing Captain, I saw a piece of grass in my peripheral vision and thought it was…" she struggled for the right word.

"Thought it was…?" Kirk urged her on.

"A… poisonous piece of grass?" Wincing at her own words she smiled quickly and walked passed him, hoping he'd just follow and not comm the Enterprise, asking for her to be immediately transported back to the ship and sectioned. Kirk watched as she stumbled and tripped ahead of him and smiled.

"You know, Bones has been near on damnit cheery since you and he got together," he shouted after her.

"You think?" she threw back, watching her step.

"Oh absolutely! You're clearly good for him." he shouted towards her, watching his own step.

"And he's good for me too," she countered.

"You know they say opposites attract but boy are you two putting that old adage to the test." Lorna laughed.

"You know, Leonard is sillier than you know?" she widened her eyes comically as she spoke.

"Is he now?" Kirk was altogether fizzing with glee.

"You know, no offence Captain, but I don't think I should be telling you this?" Lorna wasn't sure but she felt like she was just fuelling Jim Kirk with ammunition to use against his friend.

"I could order you?" he threw out glibly.

"You could," she agreed.

"And what if I did?"

"I would have to disobey your order Sir." her arms flailed out as she nearly went over on her ankle.

"That's the correct answer Doc! That's the correct answer." the pair ended up walking side by side as they continued on their way.

"How long have you known one another?" Lorna asked Kirk, making small talk, they didn't have much further to go.

"You haven't talked about this?" he asked.

"He's told me you're good friends." she replied.

"Well, we met at the Academy, actually no, that's not quite right. We met on the shuttle on the way to the Academy." Kirk laughed at the memory. "He's wasn't in the best of shape."

"Why's that?" Lorna asked. "Oh, the Aviophobia?" she guessed.

"No, his Wife had just divorced him…" Kirk started.

"Wife?" Lorna interrupted, straight-faced and Kirk looked at her in horror.

"Oh crap," he spluttered. "You didn't know he had a Wife?" he asked grimacing. Lorna continued to look at him horrified until she cracked a smile.

"Of course I did! I'm just messing with you!" Kirk held his chest with his hands, not quite believing what had just happened.

"That was messed up Doc," he told her, staggered. "That's the kind of crap Bones would pull, I'm starting to wonder which one of you is worse?" he looked at her warily.

"It's a bit of a chicken and egg scenario isn't it?!" Lorna agreed, raising her brows in wicked glee. "It was Leonard's idea by the way," she told him a minute later. "He told me to have some fun with you, said something about 'shooting fish in a bucket'?"

"A barrel," he corrected.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's a bucket." Lorna shook her head.

"I should have known, that sonofa…" Kirk couldn't stop shaking his head. "I'm going to get him back, just you watch and now I know the score with you Heiland you better watch yourself too! All's fair in love and war," he pointed his finger at her comically and Lorna couldn't help but laugh. She could see why the two men got along so well.

"I'm sorry Captain and duly noted, your face was a picture though."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," he waved his hand in front of her dismissively. "Traitor."

Whilst Kirk had been liaising with the town elders and organising the teams that had come down with supplies Heiland had been helping with the injured villagers who lived near the coast, the storm had taken out most of their infrastructure and power had been intermittent. Once initial contact had been made Heiland requested Vallo and Kostas to beam down to give her a hand, McCoy being the one to go to the main hospital in town. The three medical staff worked their little socks off in their makeshift medical tent to ensure that everybody was all right.

"Great work today, I couldn't have done it without you." Lorna smiled at both Nurse and Doctor. "Go on, get yourself back to the ship, just let Doctor McCoy know I'll be needing another batch of antibiotics for tomorrow."

"Will do Doc, you not coming back with us?" Vallo asked.

"No, I need to wrap a couple of things up first." Nodding Lorna turned to see that all was in order, spending an hour or two making sure all the patients were stable and all the supplies were ready for the next day she heaved a sigh of relief. Hobbling over to one of the empty beds she eased herself slowly down with an audible groan, every muscle in her body screaming at her as she did. She didn't even bother trying to stay awake, letting her eyes close instantly and feeling the warmth of sleep flood over her.

"I think I feel as tired as you look Doc," Kirk laughed, standing over her and taking in her crumpled uniform, messy hair and tired eyes. Peering up she gave Kirk an exhausted smile but she didn't move, she couldn't.

"Thanks for the pep talk Cap, I'm absolutely knackered." Kirk gingerly sat himself on the floor next to her, leaning against a medicine cabinet.

"Tell me about it," after a few minutes silence Lorna turned herself onto her side to look at Kirk who'd leant his head back and closed his eyes.

"How's Leonard?" she asked.

"Fine, fine. I checked in on him before I came here, he told me to tell you to stay out of trouble," Lorna smiled at the message.

"What would you rather do? Have your Birthday every day or never at all?" she asked.

"Well, seen as though my Father died on the day that I was born…?" Kirk answered plainly and Lorna audibly gulped. Wow! She sure as hell wasn't expecting that answer.

"So, I'm going to say 'never at all'?" she answered for him after a moment's silence and he nodded tiredly. "Thanks for making it uncomfortable by the way!" she said sarcastically a second later and Kirk couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, sorry, my bad. Did I bum you out?" he asked jokingly.

"Just a tad, try and keep it light will you? I mean, really…?!" Rolling her eyes at him Kirk gave her a friendly wink.

"Do I get a year older every day or do I never age?" he asked.

"No, you age normally," she answered.

"Do I get cake?" he asked further.

"What kind of business do you think I'm running here Sir?! Of course you get cake," Kirk nodded enthusiastically.

"I do like cake," he pondered.

"That's because you're not a monster," she told him seriously.

"Then fine, Birthday every day," he answered.

"Who do you dislike the most on the ship?" Lorna asked him.

"You can't ask me that!" he lazily turned his head towards her and watched as she did one of the biggest yawns he'd ever seen.

"Sure I can, just did, and oh look, here it comes again. Who do you dislike the most on the ship?" Kirk looked at her shocked.

"There isn't anyone!" he answered, not so convincingly.

"Of course there is, you can't like everybody. There are plenty of people I don't like," she told him.

"Like who?!" Kirk asked shocked, he would have thought a woman like Lorna Heiland would like everybody.

"That guy in Security, the tall one who always says 'We have to stop meeting like this, people will talk!' when you get into a turbolift with him." Lorna made a sick face.

"Oh God I hate that guy!" Kirk agreed.

"See!" Lorna laughed.

"I thought you were nice?!" he told her shocked.

"Yeah well, it's all an act," Lorna answered conspiratorially. "Come on, tell Doctor Heiland," she encouraged and Kirk actually found himself thinking about whom he disliked the most on the ship.

"No! No, I'm not answering that Heiland!" he shook his head at her.

"Fine, be like that. I know who doesn't like you," she muttered as she purposely yawned and closed her eyes.

"Who?!" he couldn't help but ask.

"Connor," she told him.

"Connor?!" Kirk sat himself up and looked at her aghast. "Gary Connor? That sonofabitch! I play squash with that guy!" Lorna shrugged her shoulders.

"He does an impression of you," she told him.

"What?!" Kirk shouted. Lorna shushed him and then, sitting up, positioned herself as if she was sat in the Captain's chair on the Enterprise.

"Sulu!" arching her eyebrow and putting on a smarmy face, she purposely over enunciated her words. "Maximum warp!" she finished the impression by giving Kirk a flirty wink.

"I do not sound like that," he argued. "And I do certainly not wink!" Kirk was dumbfounded. "He really does an impression of me?" he asked incredulously.

"No," Lorna lay back down.

"Wait what?" Kirk was confused.

"He doesn't do an impression of you, I made the whole thing up." Closing her eyes Lorna pulled a blanket up and over herself. "Fish in a bucket," she muttered.

"Barrel!" Kirk shot back. "You're exhausting you know that Doc?" he was impressed though.

"I may be double bluffing you Captain?" she mumbled into her pillow.

"Are you double bluffing me?" Kirk asked amused.

"No."

"What?!"

"Good night Captain, see you in the morning. Tell Leonard everything's A-Okay" Kirk creased his brow at her and pulled himself up.

"You're really strange you know that?" she was already asleep.

Dumping her bag on the floor in her quarters Lorna groaned and peeled out of her grubby uniform. She'd seen Leonard on the shuttle back to the ship, each one telling the other how their days had gone and what they'd encountered. With them both being so tired and being on shift again soon they agreed to go their separate ways, a bit of R&R needed by both parties. Taking a shower she couldn't even be bothered to dry her hair before putting on her bed clothes and tucking herself into bed. By the time seven hours had gone by and her alarm had woken her up Lorna had started to feel a little like herself again. Hungry and thirsty she went to her kitchen.

'Doctor Heiland, medical emergency. Please report to the medical bay.' Hearing the communication Lorna changed direction and went straight for her door, quickly making her way barefooted and braless to the med bay. When the main door to medical opened she stopped in her tracks, there was nobody there? Creasing her brow in confusion she hesitated to step forward, alarm bells going off in her head.

"Hello?" she called out, taking a tentative step forward.

"SURPRISE!" the entire medical crew jumped out from varying locations, including McCoy and Kirk, to which Lorna reacted in a way that can only be likened to one of those fainting goats on Earth?! Instead she didn't faint, she just squeezed her eyes shut and stood very very still. McCoy made his way over to her and tentatively touched her shoulder.

"Darlin'?" opening her eyes slowly Lorna looked up at him. "Happy Birthday," he whispered to her.

"Leonard?" she rasped out, her heart still pounding but before she could say anything else she was surrounded by her friends and colleagues bestowing upon her many felicitations along with kisses and hugs. When Vallo patted her head and laughed Lorna brought her own hand up and cringed when she felt her hair sticking out on end. Wet, short hair and bed were not a good mix!

"Looking good Doc!" Kirk appeared sporting a huge grin and Lorna knew immediately he was the one behind the whole thing. "Happy Birthday!" giving her a hug he turned to the crowd of Nurses and Doctors and announced that there was cake for everybody. Cheers and applause rounded out and Lorna couldn't help but smile, it really was a very nice thing for everybody to do for her. After a few drinks, dances and plenty of pieces of cake Lorna spotted Vallo walking towards her.

"Hey Lorna! You ready?" Vallo shouted out to her.

"Ready for what?" Lorna asked looking bewildered.

"A little birdy told us you do a great rendition!" Vallo shoved a microphone in her hand and then tapped away on a computer console. Lorna gave McCoy a confused look but he just shrugged his shoulders at her. He had no idea what was going on!

And then the music started.

And Lorna closed her eyes in despair.

Turning and staring daggers at Kostas the Doctor just shrugged their shoulders and then bringing their hands to their mouth shouted.

"You don't remember this at the Chief Admiral's Christmas party?" Kirk couldn't believe his ears.

"You're telling me she sang this at Rauch's Christmas party?" he asked flabbergasted and Kostas nodded slowly, enjoying the look of horror appear on the Captain's face. "How did that go down?" he enquired cringing at the potential fallout.

"Surprisingly well."

"Come on Heiland!" Vallo shouted, interrupting the pair. Lorna looked around, seeing all the expectant faces watching her and slowly brought the mic up to her lips.

"Yo back up now and give a brother room…" she shouted into the mic and Vallo and Kostas shouted and clapped in response.

McCoy's jaw dropped.

"The fuse is lit and I'm about to go boom!" as Lorna continued Kirk came to stand beside McCoy.

"Have you ever seen her…?" he started to ask.

"No, never Jim," McCoy laughed not being able to take his eyes off of her.

"Mercy mercy mercy me, my life is a cage but on stage I'm free! Hyped up, psyched up, ready for wil'in'…" at some point she'd climbed up on one of the beds as if it was a stage, the music blasting out and everybody jumping up and down. "I came here tonight to hear the crowd go…"

"Boom! shake-shake-shake the room Boom!…" the entire bay jumped up and down in unison, shouting the chorus along with Lorna, it was the best Birthday she'd ever had.

"You're drunk." McCoy laughed as he helped Lorna back to her quarters.

"You're beautiful," she slurred back.

"You enjoy your Birthday?" he just wanted her to stay awake long enough to get her in to bed.

"It was the best Birthday I've ever had, even better than my thirteenth when Timmy Hick came to my party." Lorna's eyes glazed over at the memory. Lorna was a very happy but emotional drunk. "I think you're going the wrong way?" she tried to focus on the corridor in front of her.

"We're not going the wrong way Darlin'." McCoy comforted her, practically carrying her along the way.

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure," he answered, finally making it to her quarters he propped her up against the wall as the door opened. Pulling her in he had to physically restrain her from just collapsing on her couch, all but fire-lifting her over his shoulder and taking her to the bedroom.

"You know when Liesl jumps from one bench to the other?" she asked him as he sat her down and pulled back the covers. "I always wanted to do that." McCoy had no idea what she was talking about. "Did you ever want to do that Leonard?" when she looked up at him, with eyes half closed and cake icing on her cheek, well, that's when McCoy knew he loved the woman sat in front of him.

"Do what Darlin'?" he asked.

"Skip from bench to bench like Liesl von Trapp?" she asked, slowly falling to sleep still sat up.

"Sure," that seemed to be the right answer, because as he lowered her head onto the pillow she smiled contently and hummed.

"You're my best friend," she whispered without really knowing what she was saying.

"You're my best friend too Lorna." McCoy whispered back, knowing she wasn't going to remember any of their conversation in the morning. Stroking her cheek with his thumb and kissing the top of her head McCoy turned off the light.

Lorna Heiland lay on one of the medical beds located furthest away from the main entrance. Staring up at the ceiling her hands went delicately to the hem of her blue tunic skirt, ensuring her modesty was intact. Brushing down the fabric she let her hands come to rest on her stomach, each finger intertwining with the other. Feeling a slight rumble she regretted skipping dinner, the decision to nap instead of eat before her shift now appearing to be short-sighted. She concentrated on her breathing, in and out, in and out. The bay was so quiet she could hear one of her nostrils whistling as she inhaled, sniffing to combat the unintentional melody she was creating Lorna looked to her right, toward the large doorway.

Still no one.

Replicating a cup of tea Lorna stood and looked around the bay, she'd already tidied everything away including the store cupboard and blankets. McCoy had removed all the stools on wheels from the medical bay so that fun pastime was a distant memory! The old tried and tested 'Throwing stuff in a bowl' was still pretty fun. Overarm, underarm, from far away, up close. Still pretty exciting stuff!

She definitely wasn't doing any exercise.

She tried holding her breath but that just scared her so she found herself sat on the end of a bed again, swinging her legs and staring into the space in front of her.

"There is a willow grows aslant a brook, that shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream. There with fantastic garlands did she come, of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples, that liberal shepherds give a grosser name, but our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them."

Lorna jumped down and stood straight, peering off into the distance and imagining she was treading the boards of the Globe Theatre.

"There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds, clamb'ring to hang, an envious sliver broke, when down her weedy trophies and herself fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide and, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up; which time she chaunted snatches of old tunes, as one incapable of her own distress, or like a creature native and indued unto that element; but long it could not be till that her garments, heavy with their drink, pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death."

It was a lot harder than Lorna thought to click her heels together in the air as she skipped down the bay!

And the idea of knitting a scarf from scratch was a lot more enticing than the reality. Scarf quickly turned into…a coaster?

"You're fine, you can do this. You never know, you might get a patient?! A dislocated shoulder? Open fracture? Something juicy! There's not long left now, a couple more hours and then you can go, get into bed and make a pillow fort." She noticed that some messages had come through on the main console so she decided to clear through them and assign any appointments where necessary. It was usually one of the Nurses that did it in the morning but Lorna wasn't above doing any task or chore required. "Oh and I need to shave my legs!" she remembered as she sifted through the messages.

Hearing the main bay door open Lorna beamed when she saw McCoy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked bemused as he came to a stop in front of the desk.

"Wanted to make sure you hadn't got yourself into any trouble." he smirked.

"Moi?" she answered, pretending to look offended and shaking her head at him in disappointment. "I honestly don't know why you would think such a thing?"

"You don't?" McCoy asked, playing along. Lorna sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Nope," she said succinctly but the whole performance was shattered by the fact that she leant back too far on her chair and when she nearly toppled over, her legs and arms flailing out. Well, she couldn't really argue with the man now could she? McCoy walked round the desk and hooked his arm under hers.

"Come on, I'm taking you back to your quarters, who knows what kind of mischief you could get yourself into on the way?!" hoiking her up Lorna laughed as he gave the Nurse and Doctor walking in a curt nod.

"You're escorting me back to my quarters?" Lorna asked as the pair walked down the corridor.

"I'm accompanying you." McCoy corrected her, widening his eyes comically.

"Oh is that what this is?" they chatted about her shift, what they had on in the coming days and as they both entered her quarters Lorna neglected to notice McCoy wringing his hands together. "What time you on?" she shouted as she walked to her bedroom to get changed.

"Fourteen hundred." she heard him answer from the living room. Pulling her top over her head she ran her hands through her hair and stretched her arms above her head.

"I'll be seeing you later then, I need to come in and…" Lorna stopped talking as she walked back into the living room when she saw that McCoy was knelt on one knee. She looked into his eyes. He wasn't? Was he? "What are you doing Leonard?" she rasped out.

"Lorna Heiland." McCoy started. He was.

"Fuck off!" it just came out! She didn't mean to say it! It just popped out! It was said in surprise, it wasn't a request, it was a exclamation of absolute shock. McCoy barked with laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said that, I don't know why I said that?!" Lorna covered her face with her hands and laughed nervously. Composing herself she closed the gap between them. "Please, continue," she asked politely.

"You sure?" McCoy asked still amused.

"I'm sure," nodding her head Lorna watched McCoy pull a ring box from his pocket and slowly opening it to reveal the ring nestled there, took her hand.

"Lorna Heiland, will you marry me?" he asked, no hint of nervousness in his voice, he'd never been more sure of anything in his life.

"Yes."

"Yes?" standing up McCoy clasped their hands together tightly, around the ring box and never wanting to let go.

"You got hearing problems Mister?" Lorna laughed, putting on her 1930's private eye accent.

"Is this alright?" he was referring to the way in which he was proposing to her, quietly and in her quarters. He'd thought about it a lot, I mean a lot a lot!

"It's perfect," It was.

"I love you," he really did.

"I love you too," she really did.

The End