-1A/n: Thank you everyone so much for all the support for the last chapter! I really appreciated all of the reviews. So, here is the new chap! Um…what specifically happened to Chekov will get revealed, but it's one of those going to happen piece by piece things, as my focus really is everyone's reaction to his death kind of thing. But worry not! You shall get the full picture eventually! OK, on with the show! And please, as always, read and review! Let me know if things seem off or in cohesive or whatever to you! Thanks guys! Enjoy!!!

Chapter 2

The next morning, Bones awoke on a chair with his head laying on the edge of a biobed. Trying to recall the previous night's events, wondering who was injured so badly he'd fallen asleep at their bedside. He looked up and experienced a moment of panic when he saw Jim lying there. ...Jim! ...And then he saw the machine he'd hooked up to the kid. Dextrose. Jim had just been drinking last night. Right. He was fine. Damn if he wasn't going to give him a heart attack. Bones did a cursory scan of the Captain, putting his paranoia to rest by re-assuring himself yet again that Jim didn't come anywhere near alcohol poisoning. Just as he completed the scan and was about to wake him up, Spock walked in.

"Spock? What are you doing here?" Bones asked.

"I have come to check on the Captain's current status." Spock said. Bones noticed there was a hint of exhaustion barely evident on his features. But barely or no, Bones did notice it, and the fact that it showed at all made Bones think that Spock must be barely standing. He must not have slept much, if at all, the previous night.

"Is that Vulcan speak for you were worried about him?" Bones asked mostly under his breath, but with every intention of Spock hearing him with those pointy ears of his. To hell with not calling the Vulcan out. Bones saw Spock's eye twitch a bit at the comment before he replied. 'Emotions are illogical, my ass.' Bones thought.

"I am merely inquiring if the Captain is in fit condition to resume his post, as past experience has shown that he is likely to take recent events personally and-as you might say- do something stupid." Spock replied.

Bones sighed. Yeah, he didn't buy it for a second, but neither did anyone else on the ship, really, but Bones decided to adjust his previous attitude, because there really was still no point in trying to get Spock to admit it. He's been through enough, he might as well at least let him keep his facade. After all, it did seem to be how he coped, however ineffective Bones thought THAT was.

"He'll be up for duty in about an hour, Spock." Bones replied.

"Will he be-"

"It's nothing he shouldn't be able to handle. Just." Bones paused, "Spock. Keep an eye on him? Yeah?" Bones asked. And if it came out a little bit like pleading, well he was OK with that. ... Just as long as it never got around.

Spock nodded, and made his way back to the bridge. But, a bad feeling in the pit of his gut made Bones call after him.

"Spock."

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Are-are you OK?" The words practically tumbled out of his mouth. He'd asked the question before he really even knew what he was asking. Because, the truth of it all was, Bones never could truly convince himself that this whole logic thing of Spock's was a good idea in situations like these.

"Excuse me? I..." And damn it but Bones would swear to Heaven and back that the Vulcan was flustered. Spock, however quickly, and to the untrained eye, imperceptibly, regained his composure and asked, "Is my medical well being in question?"

"No, no, nothing like that, just...how do you feel?" Bones decided he'd dived off the deep end anyways, might as well go with it. The forces of gravity were futile to fight sometimes. Even if said forces were metaphorical.

"The question is irrelevant, Doctor." Spock answered. Of course he'd say that. Bones found himself losing whatever little patience he ever had slip away.

"Would you just answer the damn question, Spock? And don't give me any of this Vulcan logic bullshit. How do you feel?" Bones insisted. He was too exhausted to play this game with the Vulcan. He knew Spock must not have slept, he knew he must be effected in some way by Chekov's untimely death, and he knew that he hadn't done a damn thing to deal with it, because he was probably to busy convincing himself he wasn't feeling it at all. Even though he must know full

well he was. The blasted Vulcan could be so stubborn sometimes, it practically drove Bones to drink.

"I feel," If Spock had been fully human, he would've spat the word, but as it was, he simply laced it with a heavy dose of sarcasm and condescension, "Able to do my duty, Doctor and fulfill my obligations and duties as a First Officer, a Science Officer, and if it is required of me, an Acting Captain, and that is all that is of consequence to you. Should I expect the Captain on the bridge in one hour?" Spock said, all but dismissing the line of questioning.

Bones sighed, breathing out the urge to strangle the damn guy where he stood. "Yeah, yeah" Bones grumbled, as Spock nodded and exited the room. He knew Spock had to have felt bad about Chekov, he knew Spock was worried about Jim, hell he knew Spock was most likely concerned about future command decisions he might have to make, and who could blame him, after what had happened with Chekov. And that's when it occurred to Bones, and hell, he'd already pissed off the guy-as much as he could be pissed off-he might as well keep at it, because damn it, Spock was going to make it out of this OK, too.

"Spock!" Bones managed to catch him just as he was at the door of sickbay.

"Yes?"

"Is that why you're down here?" Bones asked.

"As I've previously stated, Doctor, I'm here to check on the Captain's well being."

"Uh-uh," Bones replied, he was resolute to not let the Vulcan off of the hook. "You're here because you've been shaken. You want Jim around to double check you. You feel insecure, Mister Spock. Insecure and concerned, and hell probably a little bit sad, Vulcan or no." Sure, it wasn't a complete picture of what Bones thought was going on with Spock, but it seemed to Bones that Spock's emotional life was probably really complex with lots of different motivations and reasons, and hell, perverted versions of logic explaining to himself how all of this was somehow his fault, and well, Bones was tired, so he figured this was a start.

"Is that your medical opinion, Doctor?"

"Damn right it is."

"Thank you for allocating your analysis. But, unless you intend to employ your...diagnosis...to instigate further action, I will depart sans delay and return to the bridge."

And with that, Spock left.

And despite feeling majorly insulted, Bones would be damned if he wouldn't bet everything he currently had that he was dead on. If Spock's use of big words even for Spock weren't a clue, his rush to get out of sick bay was.

Which was fine. It was more than fine with McCoy if Spock felt that way. He wasn't about to relieve him of duty or declare him medically unfit, or even emotionally compromised. But that damn Vulcan seemed to think that any emotions made him emotionally compromised, and Bones was determined to change that mindset of his.

But first, he had to worry about the emotionally admitting one. The reckless, stupid, drunk idiot lying in front of him. Jim would be fine for duty today and possibly tomorrow, and hell he'd make it through till doomsday without an incident, just continuing on with the guilt and melancholy if he had to, but damn it if Bones wasn't going to make the kid slow the hell down and actually talk instead of losing himself in booze and women and danger. Oh, Jim would do that anyways even when he wasn't self flagellating himself for things that weren't his fault, but it was worse when the kid felt guilty or was trying to forget. So, he'd get the kid to talk. Possibly aided by some bourbon. But just a little for Jim. Bones had a bad feeling that however Jim responded, it was going to drive him to drink, and he would need the bourbon more.

Bones stood up and lightly kicked the exam table next to him frustratedly. Sometimes he just didn't know which one was worse, emotionally suppressed Spock who wouldn't accept help, or emotionally flamboyant Jim who wouldn't accept help. After giving it a moment of thought, Bones decided it didn't matter, because at the end of the day, they were both morons.