Lorna licked three of her four fingers and dragged them through her fringe, it was no good, it had had a huge kink in it since the moment she'd woken up. McCoy had told her it looked fine but she knew it didn't, she should have put a couple of bobby pins in it like she'd planned! Stupid McCoy making her feel better!

"Doctor Heiland, medical emergency." Lorna tapped her badge quickly.

"What is it Commander Spock?"

"Captain Kirk has issued a distress beacon, please meet me in the transporter room."

"I'm on my way," grabbing a med kit Lorna hastily made her way to the transporter room, trying not to let her imagination run away from her. McCoy was with Kirk, why did Kirk need help? Tripping into the transporter room she was advised by Spock of the away team's location and then ushered onto the transporter, flanked by two security officers. "You're not coming?" she asked the Vulcan.

"Energise," Lorna screwed up her face at Spock.

"Rude," she mumbled as particles of white surrounded her and she disappeared from view.

Lorna looked around at the planet she had found herself on, desolate and bleak, that's how she would describe it.

"The caves are that way," Lieutenant Orr said behind her. Nodding Lorna told him to lead the way, gripping her med kit she followed careful not to trip on the large stones protruding from the ground. She was on tenterhooks, having no real idea of what had gone wrong. Spock had advised that shortly after Kirk had issued the distress their comms had gone silent. The other security officer, Lieutenant Lallinger was the strong, silent type and Lorna found herself peering at him from time to time, wondering if he secretly loved crochet and Murder She Wrote?

"We're two klicks away," Orr shouted at them, the wind had picked up and it was hard to hear one another over the roar of the storm.

"What's a klick?!" Lorna shouted at him, when he didn't answer but just carried on walking Lorna stared into the back of his head.

"Rude," she whispered as they carried on.

The two officers lead the way into the mouth of the cave, Lorna had wondered why one of them hadn't stood behind her, you know, in case something was behind them but she'd already asked too many questions and couldn't bring herself to ask another. When the pair drew their weapons Lorna eyes went wide.

"Whoa look at that!" she said shocked. "You really have those huh? Wow, this is um, this is a lot. Do you think you need those? Just in case huh? No, I get it…" she was rambling.

"Doctor, please." Orr said to herm his eyes telling her to stop talking.

"Yeah of course, got it, totally understand." They all took a further step into the cave. "Should I have one of those? Nobody gave me one before we left, should I have got one myself?"

"You're fine," Lallinger told her. She didn't believe them, only the thought of Kirk or McCoy being in possible danger kept her from falling to the ground and having a tantrum.

"Walking further into the caves the intrepid adventurer could only imagine what was behind the next corner…"

"What are you doing?" Lorna jumped and held her chest in surprise.

"You scared me!" she admonished Orr.

"What are you doing?" Orr repeated.

"Narrating?" Lorna awkwardly suggested.

"Don't," the officer told her and Lorna nodded.

"Rude," she whispered as they carried on. Finally they turned a corner and Lorna instantly saw Kirk and McCoy, the pair of them on the floor and not looking great. In a matter of seconds she was at their side, seeing that Kirk was conscious and McCoy wasn't her attention was focused on her Husband. "What happened?" she asked, assessing his injuries and trying to work out why he wasn't conscious.

"Landslide, Bones took the brunt of it." Kirk told her, hissing through his own pain. Without looking Lorna handed Kirk a hypospray who knew it would be a painkiller and gladly accepted it. "We need to get out of here, the planets unstable." Lorna was too focused on McCoy to really pay attention to what Kirk was saying, she did notice the two security officers talking though, probably devising a plan to get them out of there.

"I'm fine by the way," Kirk told Lorna.

"I know, you're talking." She replied not looking away from McCoy who was covered in scrapes and bruises. "You know they have weapons!" she pointed to the two security officers and didn't understand why kirk was looking at her the way he was. "Did you say that was okay? Those things are dangerous Captain!"

"I think they know what they're doing…?" Kirk said slowly.

"Well let's hope so, for both of our sakes!" shaking her head in sheer astonishment Lorna turned back to McCoy.

"He pushed me out the way," she turned back to Kirk, seeing the frustration and gratitude in his eyes.

"Of course he did," she whispered and smiled. "He's an idiot." When Kirk laughed Lorna felt her breath hitch in her throat. She was losing it, up until that point she'd been able to see him as just another patient, needing her care and attention. Clearing her throat and shaking her head she got back to it.

"He has a broken leg, spine is fine, we can move him but we'll have to carry him." Lorna told Orr who nodded.

"Lallinger, you're up." Orr pointed at the man before making his way over to Kirk. "Captain, you need a hand?"

"Love one," Kirk answered before letting the officer heave him up and put an arm around him for support.

"I've stopped the swelling, we can move him but we need to be quick." Lorna watched as Lallinger picked up McCoy. Following them out of the cave Lorna kept her tricorder trained of McCoy the entire time.

"What would you rather do?" Creasing her brow she looked at Kirk confused.

"Captain?" she asked, the group still making their way out.

"What would you rather do…"

"Are you trying to make me feel better Captain?" She asked.

"I thought maybe it would help…" Kirk had never seen angry Lorna, as far as he could remember.

"Appreciate it Captain, little busy right now." Kirk tried not to sulk.

"Rude," he whispered as they emerged from the cave and Orr gave the order to beam them up.

Lorna Heiland had eaten way too much chocolate, like 'she couldn't move and her uniform all of a sudden didn't fit anymore' too much. Plus she was tired, really tired. She thought the chocolate would've helped with the tiredness, it hadn't. Now she just felt tired and full. She was kind of bored as well, she didn't think of herself as a crank, but even in her own head she was telling herself to stop whinging! Maybe water would help? It wouldn't.

It had just been so long since she'd had any time off, plus the recent away mission hadn't been great and she'd lost one of her favourite earrings, the small ones that McCoy had bought her from…well she couldn't remember where they were from but she loved them and now she only had one which was no use nor ornament to her was it! Knowing she had some shore leave coming up had tipped her over the edge; she was struggling to sprint the last mile.

It was obvious then, she was in a foul mood.

"So, what are you doing with your time off?" Kostas asked, perching on the bed where Lorna was curled up in the foetal position.

"We're just going to stay here," she told them.

"Stay here, why aren't you going down to the planet? The festival is on this time of the year."

"That's why we're not going," Lorna raised her eyebrows as if what she was saying was completely obvious and reasonable.

"Because the festival is on?" Kostas asked and Lorna nodded her head.

"You know I don't like crowds," she reminded her fellow Doctor.

"Oh yes that's right, you have the dubious fear of there being a stampede." Kostas laughed.

"It's not 'dubious', it's very un-dubious!" Lorna creased her brow in confusion. "In-dubious?" she tried. "It could happen!" she finally settled on.

"Umhum, I've never known anybody so risk averse and worried about the most inane things," Lorna's bottom lip stuck out a bit in despondency. "Especially when you were one of the only people I know crazy enough who volunteered to provide medical aid to the Bexgolian disaster!" Lorna ignored Kostas' point.

"When you could hurt yourself in a pillow factory you learn to reduce the opportunity for accidents," was her retort.

"Yes but Lorna, lots of people? Really?"

"But they're usually taller than me as well…"

"You're scared of tall people?" Kostas interrupted, not even trying to hide their absolute astonishment.

"They can loom," Lorna explained.

"Loom?"

"Yeah, anyway we're not going." Lorna wasn't feeling as full from all the chocolate which was good but now she wanted hummus, which was bad.

"Don't you want to see the Colosseum?" Kostas didn't even know why they were continuing with the conversation, it would come to nought they knew it.

"I don't like steps," Lorna said quickly by way of an answer.

"I'm walking away now," Kostas told Lorna before actually walking away, all the while shaking their head.

"I get dizzy!" she shouted after them as if it made any difference.

"Alright, Nurse Vallo can you finish up here and I'll get the paperwork done," Lorna smiled at Lieutenant Pfaff. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds great, thank you Doctor Heiland."

"Don't mention it, and remember for next time, just add a little Olive Oil to the Hummus before you serve it. Trust me, you'll never look back!" Lorna gave the woman an excited grin, her mouth was watering just thinking about it.

"Thanks for the tip," Lorna waved a hand before going back to her desk. When she saw Vallo walking past she waved her over.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Always," Vallo answered, always enjoying her weird and wonderful exchanges with Doctor Heiland.

"Am I boring?" Vallo laughed.

"You're not boring!" she answered.

"Kostas was giving me stick for not wanting to go to the festival," she explained.

"It's not for everybody," Vallo said supportively.

"I like routine," Lorna told her.

"I know."

"I don't like not knowing what I'm doing," she continued.

"That's fine," Vallo wasn't sure where this was going but it was highly unusual for Lorna to doubt herself so Vallo knew something was playing pretty heavily on her mind. "Perhaps don't look at it as not knowing but…"

"An adventure?" Lorna interrupted.

"That's what I was going to say!" Vallo agreed (it wasn't what she was going to say).

"Like Indiana Jones?" Lorna continued, excited at the prospect.

"Sure," the young Nurse had no idea what she was talking about.

"Interesting…" Lorna was sold.

"So, I take it you're going to go?"

"Oh I am so going and I'm going to be spontaneous and reckless and all of those things!" Vallo held her hand up for a high five but apologised when Lorna shook her head. "Sorry, forgot you don't do those." She watched as Lorna pulled a PADD off her desk and started typing away. "What are you doing?" She had to ask.

"I'm writing down all the spontaneous things I'm going to do," she told her. "Thanks Vallo."

"Anytime,"

"Should I get a tattoo?" Lorna shouted after her.

"No!"

"Spontaneity!" Lorna shouted at the top of her voice.

"Oh God she's not going to make it," Vallo whispered to herself.

When Lorna got back to their quarters later in the day she straightaway sat next to McCoy who was reading a book, waiting patiently she expected him to look up and acknowledge her, ask how her shift went as he always did but he just kept on reading so she just kept on staring at the side of his head.

"What is it?" he asked, not looking up.

"I think we should go to the festival," she told him.

"But you're scared of crowds?" McCoy replied, still not looking up from his book.

"I'm not scared of crowds," she argued.

"Alright, you're scared of lots of people running in the same direction." Lorna's bottom lip was sticking out again.

"That's hardly how I'd describe it…"

"You wanted to be pedantic…" he interrupted.

"Leonard, let's go to the festival."

"Alright," finally looking up at her McCoy gave her a quick smile and stood up. "You going to help me pack?" he asked her before walking to the bedroom (he knew she'd change her mind).

Lorna instantly regretted everything.

"Hold my hand," Lorna said quietly as they walked the streets of the city.

"What?" McCoy hated it when Lorna mumbled.

"Hold my hand Leonard!" she repeated, a little too loudly and little too panicky than entirely necessary. McCoy laughed and took hold of her hand, when she held on to their joined hands with her other it reminded McCoy of a shy toddler.

"You're fine Lorna," he told her. Walking amongst the crowds McCoy took in all the sights and sounds. People were dressed in elaborate costumes and on nearly every street corner a band was playing lively music. He was looking forward to the next few days.

"Where are we going?" Lorna asked him, pulling her straw hat down.

"Down here," McCoy answered pointing to the street that lay ahead of them.

"What's down here?"

"I don't know, we can just see where it takes us." Lorna looked at her Husband as if he'd grown another head, looking down at her McCoy laughed and squeezed her hand. "Come on, you're fine. Enjoy yourself." Something always strange happened to McCoy when he was on shore leave, how could Lorna describe it? He relaxed. All of his worry, doubt, fear of all things… spacey went away leaving a very chilled out cool customer. Lorna liked shore leave Leonard, he'd pull her out of her comfort zone and helped her to 'go with the flow' a little more than she was comfortable with.

Pulling her along he pointed out the local artwork and the ladies selling flowers. Lorna was starting to calm down and somewhat enjoy herself when just in that moment a man behind her wrapped what can only be described as a fury snake round her neck and then asked if she wanted a picture for a small nominal fee. Lorna closed her eyes and stopped moving when she realised she had an animal on her.

"Leonard," she whispered. McCoy was already shaking his head at the man, telling him they didn't want any pictures but when the man started arguing back, trying to get them to pose together Lorna felt herself losing her resolve. "GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!" she shouted, earning a few looks from passers-by who were either amused of shared Lorna's distaste for bizarre animals being plopped on you in exchange for five credits. The poor man finally realised he wasn't going to get a sale and peeled the fury snake from Lorna who proceeded to shiver uncontrollably and look at McCoy as if he'd shit on her pancakes.

"You okay?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Peachy," she answered quietly.

"Shall we go the Colosseum?" McCoy asked tentatively. "I won't make you go down any steps," he whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek and making a nuzzling sound against her neck.

"Sure, why not. May as well round off this amazing day with yet more things I don't like." She was joking, kind of.

The Colosseum wasn't as bad as Lorna had expected (not as many steps as she'd imagined and she'd made the right decision in waiting at the bottom whilst McCoy had gone to the top). In fact there'd been some great little food stalls dotted about the entrance and Lorna and McCoy had both enjoyed a Falafel type thing that also tasted like corn on the cob! The sorbet was amazeballs and Lorna had gone for seconds on the local delicacy, a sweet and sour kebab type thing.

"You know we're taking our own lives into our hands, we're definitely going to get food poisoning." Lorna rolled her eyes at McCoy.

"We're both Doctors Leonard, I think we'll have something in the med kit to combat a little stomach bug." Lorna laughed and tucked her arm through his as they walked.

"It's nearly dinner, do you want to go get a drink first?" McCoy asked, leading her down another street.

"Sounds perfect, can we find somewhere where we can sit out on the street and people watch?" she asked.

"I'll do my best," McCoy answered.

"With those old fashioned chairs and tables and the glasses with the little umbrellas in?"

"That's very specific," McCoy commented.

"Now is that the normal 'can do' attitude I'm use to from you Leonard? No, no it isn't." Lorna shook her head in disappointment.

"You packed the med kit didn't you?" he suddenly asked and Lorna stopped walking. Turning to face her Husband very slowly she tipped her head back and blocked the sun from her eyes.

"No, because you said you were packing it." She answered slowly, already knowing what was coming next.

"Well, hopefully we won't get food poisoning and then it won't be an issue." They looked at one another grimly, neither of them being under any illusion that from that moment on they were destined to become sick as dogs.

"You just had to say it didn't you?" Lorna whispered at him.

"We have two choices Heiland, go back to the hotel now and await the inevitable or drink as much as possible tonight knowing we're in for it anyway?" She had to grin at him for his suggestion. It was a really bad suggestion but that was besides the point.

"In for a penny and all that?" she asked, mulling over his proposition.

"Something like that Darlin'" McCoy answered, giving her a wink.

"Well, what are we doing stood here?! We're wasting valuable drinking time!" Lorna shouted as she flung her hands in the air.

Lorna and McCoy were the last ones sat in the small courtyard of the bohemian restaurant and bar. Little sparkly, fairy lights lit up the ivy covered walls and the trellises that arched over them. Soft music played and large heaters kept them both warm and bathed in a reddish hue. They'd ordered bottle after bottle, interspersed with cocktails and food off the menu. Couples and parties had come and gone around them and neither had paid any attention to anything other than one another.

"Pardon me," the Waiter said, hovering over their table.

"Yes?" McCoy asked, noticing that all the tables around them were now empty.

"We have closed…"
"Oh, we're sorry…" McCoy started but the Waiter held his hand up.

"No Sir, please, stay. If you could do me one favour and turn the heater off before you leave? You can use the gate at the back of the garden."

"Of course," McCoy replied.

"Then please enjoy," The Waiter said as he put two large Brandy glasses on the table. "On the house."

Lorna and McCoy watched as the Waiter went back inside and one by one all the lights inside the restaurant went off. When the music shortly followed the pair looked at one another and picked up their glasses.

"Cheers to us," McCoy toasted.

Not long after Lorna stood up (swayed a little and then lopsidedly grinned at McCoy).

"Get you coat Sailor, you've pulled!" Lorna told him, giving him a cheeky wink.

"What did you just say?" McCoy barked.

"Nothing," she'd chickened out.

"Oh no, I think it was something…"

"There once was a couple from the Enterprise, who decided to go ahead and improvise. They ate a Falafel, which made them cough offal…"

"Lorna! Stop!" Lorna hadn't peeled her head off of her pillow for three hours, her mascara had melted into the cotton and the drool from her mouth had gone crusty on her cheek. She'd awoken to the sound of McCoy in the bathroom, hugging the toilet and swearing between each hurl. She'd lost the contents of her stomach hours ago (outside the hotel actually, classy!) and had been lucky enough to move on to the 'other end'. Now the pair lay beside one another, barely breathing, barely alive.

They had already gone through the five stages of grief.

Denial;

"We just drank too much," McCoy advocated.

"My tummy feels funny but I think it's because I'm hungry," Lorna had kind of agreed.

Anger;

"Who in their right mind would eat food from a cart on the street?!" McCoy barked as Lorna sat on the end of the bed doubled over in pain.

"I don't remember you saying anything at the time! I do remember you eating as much as I did, if not more! Who's idea was it to go for drinks and dinner?!" Lorna shouted back.

"You're an idiot!"

"You're an idiot!" Lorna echoed and McCoy threw his arms up in the air.

"Real mature Lorna," he managed to quip before running to the bathroom again.

"Real mature Lorna," Lorna whispered to herself whilst making a funny face and sticking her tongue out, staring daggers at the closed bathroom door.

Bargaining;

"If you loved me you'd go back to the ship and get a med kit," Lorna implored.

"Hate to break it to ya Darlin'," McCoy slurred.

"Don't you dare!"

Depression;

"Leonard? Why did this have to happen to us? It's not fair, we're not bad people are we?"

"Try to get some sleep Lorna."

"You didn't answer my question." Lorna was looking at McCoy with one eye open and the other closed, she had no energy left.

"We're not bad people Lorna, just idiots."

Acceptance;

"We are idiots," Lorna whispered to McCoy who hummed in response and mumbled an 'I love you' before going to sleep for fifteen hours.

Both Lorna and McCoy had barely made it back to the ship and to their quarters before both of them needed to… evacuate something! There was something about sharing the experience of utter sickness, complete vulnerability and sheer grossness of the situation together that made the duo even more in love with one another. The way McCoy would always make sure her water was fresh and topped up to the way Lorna would get him a clean t-shirt to change into every couple of hours.

As they finally started feeling better they just lay in bed together holding hands, telling each other terrible jokes and arguing over the merits of Andorian Pilates being used as a therapy for vertigo.

They nearly fell out when a game of thumb wars got out of hand (there was no way she was buying that it had been an accident!).

They used 'rock, paper, scissors' to decide who would answer the door when the chime rang out.

Lorna lost.

"How do I look?" she asked McCoy who starred at her blankly, her blanket comically tucked under her chin.

"You look swell sweet cheeks," he finally answered in his 1940's film noir flair.

"Liar," Lorna ground out before hobbling over to the door, taking her blanket with her. "Hello Captain," she smiled wearily at the bronzed, smiling face of James 'I wish he would get food poisoning too the little son of a…' Kirk.

"Doctor Heiland, you're not looking your best there!" he told her laughing to which Lorna narrowed her eyes at him and remembered the Hippocratic Oath.

"Can I help you Sir?" she asked, not even trying to mask her absolute disdain for his chirpy demeanour.

"Just wanted to check in on my two favourite people," she felt like she was going to throw up again. "Can I get you anything? Grilled cheese sandwich?"

"LEONARD!" she shouted, still staring at Kirk who jumped in surprise at her outburst.

"What?!" came the answer from inside their quarters.

"COME HERE!" Lorna shouted again, all the while still staring at Kirk who was now in fear for his life.

"Why?!" She was going to lose it.

"Excuse me a moment would you Captain?" Kirk watched as she gave him a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes and backed away from him slowly. When she disappeared out of view he waited, straining to see if he could listen in on their conversation. He couldn't hear anything but that didn't matter when a minute later he watched (gobsmacked) as McCoy (in nothing but his birthday suit) strode over to the door and closed it in his face with not even a 'How do you do?'.

Kirk blinked hard, his brain deciphering everything that had just happened and everything that he'd just seen. He had to admit it, he was impressed.

"Mazel tov Bones…"