A/N: Chapter is shorter than normal from being edited for content. If anyone thinks this isn't tame enough for a T rating, let me know and I'll edit more. I've seen much worse with a T rating, so I just didn't know.

Chapter 12

A fog of desire on the very edge of toppling into full-fledged bliss, that's where Ritha was left hanging. Bones' flesh was entwined with hers, the texture of his skin like an addictive drug, his muscled torso clamped tightly against hers. And then nothing. His release came too soon. So close but so far away, she could only pant softly while pressed against the wall where he'd pinned her, because there was nothing she could do to make him last any longer than he had. The guy obviously hadn't had any in a while. Demanding more at the moment would be like asking Fat Albert to run a marathon without building up to it first, but the least he could do was take a few minutes to finish the job using other methods.

Heck, he was a man. He'd only need a few minutes before he was ready to go for round two, which was bound to be more physically satisfying for her. She smoothed her palms over his shoulders, a little smirk on her lips when her gaze traced the contours of his body. Was there ever a more pleasant sight in the world than seeing a man just after he'd attained release? The flush of his skin, the sheen of perspiration clinging to him, the ragged breaths fanning against her shoulder were all small strokes to her feminine ego. Just a few minutes. She could wait that long for him to regain his composure.

But the reaction she got wasn't one she had been expecting. In fact, Bones couldn't get away from her fast enough once he'd found the strength to move. Oh, he lowered her feet to the floor slowly enough she was able to stand on her own two legs, but once that was accomplished, he whipped around so quickly it left her head spinning in sympathy. She blinked. She blinked again in confusion at this sudden change in attitude, because he'd been the one to attack her. The only reason she'd come to his quarters in the first place was to check on him after his frustrating shift spent trying to keep Jim from escaping Sickbay. No one should have to go through the kind of stress he'd gone through since Jim's near-assassination alone.

When nothing was immediately forthcoming from him to explain his actions, she took a wobbling step forward and touched his shoulder. "Hey, Babe, did I suddenly develop a case of leprosy or something?"

He actually flinched! The man cursed under his breath and freaking flinched when she touched him. Her stomach got all knotted up with a rather uncomfortable sensation. Plenty of assholes notched the belt of her sexual experience, but not a single one of those assholes had treated her the way Bones was now treating her. Sex with Bones was supposed to be no-strings-attached, but she hadn't signed up to be used like a whore and dismissed once he'd had his fill, dismissed like he couldn't stand the very touch of her anymore.

"You know what, if you're going to act like that, then piss off," she hissed to mask the rejection in her tone. "I get that you're emotionally unavailable because some greedy, lazy, inconsiderate slut of a woman did you wrong, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be so mean and hateful."

The tears stinging her eyes and constricting her throat surprised her. His behavior shouldn't leave her smarting the way it did when she wasn't looking to get involved on a deeper level, but it did. She hurt, and she hated Bones in that moment for having the kind of power over her to make her feel so used. Snatching her underwear off the floor, she righted her clothing with a few tugs and was on her way to the door when his hand locked around her wrist, jerking her to an immediate halt.

"It's not you," he said, unable to lock eyes with her the way he always had in the past. "Ever since my divorce, I haven't felt… It's like she took my masculinity along with everything else. For the first time since she filed for separation, you made me feel…"

"Like a man?" She'd never seen him like this before. The Bones she knew was confident and didn't have a problem saying what was on his mind.

"I've been a doctor. I've been Jim's friend. I've been a Starfleet cadet, and I've been the chief medical officer of Starfleet's flagship vessel but not a sexually attractive man. For this to happen…" His words trailed off as he indicated the two of them and his groin. The man's glance was pinned to the wall rather than her.

This wasn't something she'd expected. Her latest crush had a way of throwing her for a loop every other day, and it was becoming hard to keep her balance. The one thing she was certain of was that leaving him like this because she'd jumped to conclusions again would be the bitchiest thing she'd ever done. Ritha took a step to the side to bring her face into his line of vision and cupped his chin so he couldn't drag his glance away.

"Between the two of us, you're the only one who's disappointed. When you aren't having regular sex, you tend not to last as long as you otherwise might."

At least that got a reaction out of him. Unfortunately, it was one of obvious disbelief. "You're telling me you're not disappointed."

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Hell, it happens to every guy." She had to wonder at the brief darkening of his expression but passed it off as post-divorce insecurities. "The only way you disappointed me was with your behavior afterwards. If you'd finished the job some other way, it would have been no big deal."

"Jocelyn would have flipped her lid, accused me of not caring about her needs, and sent me to sleep on the couch for a week."

"If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not Jocelyn. There are two ways we can handle this the way I see it. One, we forget the whole thing happened, wipe the slate clean, and take another crack at it. Two, we walk around the ship for the next year engaging in awkward silences. Seeing as how I despise awkward silences, option one works for me."

Bones snorted softly as though he couldn't believe her, but the tension finally ebbed out of him. He finally stood like a man not haunted by a bitter divorce and mistrust of women. "Door number one sounds like the best option to me too."

"Guess I won't be needing these then," Ritha said with a grin while twirling her underwear around on her finger. His mood swings were like a freaking roller coaster, but her anger and hurt were nothing compared to what he was dealing with. She couldn't blame him and reaffirm his bitterness toward women.

A little squeak escaped when Bones swept her up into his arms instead of immediately attacking her the way he'd done the first time. Soft lips nuzzled her throat as he carried her into the bedroom, her head tilting back to grant him better access so he wouldn't choke on the high-necked collar of her uniform shirt. Laughter bubbled out of her when he used the stubble on his cheek to tickle the side of her throat on his way to her ear, which was soon being lavished with attention.

Being flexible was a good thing. Being flexible enough to take off her boots without forcing him to set her on the edge of the bed was even better, because she was determined they were both going to be naked this time. When he finally did deposit her on her feet, it was only to suck on her bottom lip while releasing the catch and zipper on her skirt so it could pool on the floor. Her shirt, the offending item it was, was also divested of before they got heavily into the realm of making out.

Ritha's reward for finally being nude in front of him wasn't to have his mouth return to hers; it was to have his gaze roaming over her. A tiny twinge of self-consciousness put a damper on her eagerness when he studied her breasts longer than she deemed appropriate. She knew she had a small chest. Plenty of people had asked her why she hadn't considered breast augmentation to attain the size C cup that seemed to be all the rage. Surprisingly, women asked her about it more than men.

"You're as gorgeous as a southern sunrise, Sweetheart," he drawled.

His gentlemanly southern accent was back and sent a shiver from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Maybe he hadn't been considering the size of her breasts after all. Ritha smiled, her arms slipping around his neck to press the length of her body against his. The shock of their skin making contact made her senses tingle with delight and anticipation.

"And you're as scintillating to my senses as the possibility of a warp five engine."

A brow arched.

"Oh God, that sounded so wrong when I said it aloud!"

Bones suddenly threw back his head and laughed in a rich vibrato. It was a full, chest-shaking laugh the likes of which she'd never heard from him before and proved to be infectious. She was laughing right along with him. Perhaps it was the release of tension or just enjoyment of his company. Whatever the reason, Ritha wanted to stay right where they were, to freeze this one moment in her mind so she would have something to counteract all the danger and fear that would be in their future.

When the laughter finally faded between them, his lips sought hers out. There was no denying the response he was looking for. Her lips parted to invite him to deepen the kiss once again, but somewhere in between the invitation and the actual act, he lifted her from her feet. The next thing she knew, he was settling her amidst the fluffy pillows and down-filled comforter on his bed and coming down on his side next to her. She turned into him beseechingly. He didn't deny her.

***

Bones, despite his good mood, bristled as soon as he stepped out of his office and found Jim sitting up in bed. Last night's bedroom excursions had gone a long way in fortifying him against the captain's incessant whining about being stuck in Sickbay, but he couldn't help the natural inclination to order a sedative. For himself. Grumbling, he took the proverbial bull by the horns and headed over to check Jim's vitals.

"What are you smiling about? Don't you know there's a general order active that prohibits smiling while I'm under forced confinement?"

Ignoring him sounded like the best possible course of action. Of course, he knew Jim didn't really mean to be a headache. When one had as much energy as the captain did one naturally found it difficult to sit still for any length of time let alone for three days straight. Jim's three foiled escape attempts could be overlooked all things considered. A smile made his lips twitch.

"So you're going to ignore me because I tried to slip out of Sickbay? Come on. I've been in this bed for three days. You've gotta give me something to keep me occupied before I go out of my mind. Share the good news."

The whining in Jim's tone finally made him relent and drag a stool over, but Bones had no intention of kissing and telling. "Can't a man smile around here without everyone thinking there's good news to be shared?"

"Not when that man is you. We both know Ma dropped you on your head when you were a baby and made your face get stuck in a frown."

"The same Ma who whisked you to her house when you showed up at my dad's practice wearing nothing but a pink chicken suit?"

"Do I have to explain that again? Those chicks stole my wallet and left me on the side of the road without a stitch of clothing. What was I supposed to do?"

"Just be glad my parents believe in southern hospitality."

"Whatever. Are you going to tell me why you're smiling or not? Until Spock gets back from his errand, there's absolutely nothing for me to do."

He posed a question of his own to lead Jim away from prodding him. "Dare I ask what kind of errand you sent the hobgoblin on this time?"

"He's inviting Jiet Je Jong to tour some of the non-critical systems of the ship, but really, it's my way of getting him aboard so he can be questioned. I swear this mission gets more convoluted by the moment. If we don't have some kind of breakthrough soon, I really am considering evacuating the government and nuking the entire city."

"No you're not," Bones said in an exasperated tone. "We both know you're as dedicated to saving the lawful citizens of Bulta as you are to getting justice for the crew members we've lost."

"Am not."

"Hah! Now quit being childish, suck it up, and maybe I'll let you out of here this evening." Bones looked away from Jim when Lieutenant Colfort hurried into Sickbay to speak to Nurse Chapel.

Christine made a bee-line in his direction to inform him, "Doctor McCoy, there's been an accident with one of the engineers outside the ship. Lieutenant Karroway fell and has a compound fracture of the tibia. Do you want me to page Doctor Westin to take it?"

"I'll handle it. You just make sure Jim keeps his butt plastered to that bed until I get back. Jim, don't give her any trouble while I'm gone, or that hint of signing your release to light duty gets revoked."

"If I haven't managed to escape the clutches of your evil servants once in three days, it's not happening at all," Jim said.

Ah, the life of a Starfleet doctor. There was never any shortage of people to treat when their jobs were so physical. Grabbing his medical kit, Bones pinned Jim with a look that should have told the man to behave himself and left Sickbay with a smile in place again. At least a compound fracture didn't have to be operated on anymore. Back in the old days, a break like that would require surgery and the use of titanium rods.

The past three days certainly hadn't been all bad for him, not after Ritha's visit to his quarters. It was probably just his imagination, but he swore he could still taste her on his tongue like a fine whiskey aged to perfection. Her cries still echoed in his ears. His skin still tingled from having hers pressed up against him. After the first disastrous attempt, they'd spent a couple of hours de-stressing in the most pleasurable method he could think of. In fact, he was looking forward to a repeat at the earliest possible opportunity.

Bones was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when he stepped outside the ship to locate the injured crew member until something pricked the side of his neck. A slight burning sensation followed almost immediately. Damn bugs were as thick on Istabul Major as they were in a Louisiana bayou. Only a mosquito bite wouldn't make his head spin the way it suddenly was. He leaned back against the bay door when standing became difficult. Like a nightmare where he tried desperately to scream for help only to have it come out as a rasp, he was unable to alert anyone nearby of his condition. Then the ground was somehow rising up to catch him.