Bones stormed into the medical clinic, his face the colour of a tomato. His eyes searched the room and settled on a computer behind the reception desk. He walked behind the counter and reassured the nurse at the desk.

'Starfleet Cadet – Doctor McCoy,' he flashed his I.D at her, 'I need to use the computer to find a patient.'

The nurse nodded and resumed her place behind the counter.

'Computer, where is cadet Jim Kirk?' he demanded.

'Room 27,' the computer told him.

Scowling, Bones walked out from behind the counter and made his way down the corridor.

Kirk was running around room 27, ducking and using his arms to fend off an impending hypospray.

'No, no, no! I already told the other nurse! I'm allergic to that stuff!'

The exasperated nurse stopped her attempts at injecting the elusive patient. She had long since forgotten the flirtatious comments he'd paid her when she had first entered the room and was on the verge of calling for backup.

That was the exact moment Bones chose to enter the room.

Bursting through the doors he opened his mouth, ready to release the lecture that he had been rehearsing on his way to the clinic. He froze – his mouth agape – as he saw Kirk squeezed in a corner, the nurse holding a hypospray in her raised arm, ready to strike at a moments notice.

'Nurse Holland! … What… exactly are you trying to accomplish?'

The nurse quickly lowered her arm from the threatening position and appeared embarrassed by Bones appearance.

'I'm terribly sorry Doctor, but this patient is being extremely un-cooperative. He's been refusing to take his anesthetic – I can't repair his ribs if he doesn't comply.'

'I told her I was allergic but she just kept coming at me!' Kirk protested.

Bones regarded him dryly, 'since when has that ever been a problem for you? As I recall, it's usually the other way around when it comes to you and women.'

Kirk hesitated, composing a comeback and Bones took advantage of the silence to address nurse Holland.

'He's telling the truth; Kirk is allergic to everything and anything. As he attending physician I know which medications he is allowed to use.'

The nurse flushed, 'Oh… I'm sorry doctor I wasn't aware.'

She quickly left the room. Probably gone to find another patient to harass thought Kirk.

'Up,' Bones commanded Kirk, pointing at the sterilized bed in the middle of the room.

Reluctantly, Kirk complied. Bones got out his tricorder and quickly scanned Kirk.

'Two broken ribs, a broken nose and a couple of cuts and bruises you can live with.'

Bones took out his medical equipment as he delivered the verdict. Kirk was familiar with them all; he'd had similar injuries on countless occasions. He lifted his shirt up so that Bones could fix his ribs.

'So the truth,' Bones said as he worked on Kirk's ribs, 'you really think that cadet is to blame?'

'Yes – Ow!' Kirk winced as he rib returned to its natural shape; being allergic to everything had its downsides sometimes.

'Then who started the fight?' asked Bones, starting on the second rib.

'He… uh… actually I did,' Kirk reluctantly admitted.

'Oh so he wasn't to blame then?' Bones ceased his work to look at Kirk in mock surprise.

'I never would have started the fight if he hadn't provoked me,' Kirk protested.

Bones raised his eyebrow. Kirk sighed; he didn't buy it.

'Whatever, can you just get me fixed so I get out of here?' Kirk said.

Bones pushed Kirk's rib back in place just as the door opened and Uhura walked in. Kirk and Bones spun around at the sound. Hastily, Kirk pulled his shirt down.

Uhura gasped, 'Kirk! what's on your back?'

Kirk slid of the bed and stood next to Bones.

'Nothing…' he lied, 'just getting my ribs fixed.'

Uhura stared, 'and what happened to you face?'

'Noth – Ow! Give me a warning at least!' he complained.

Bones shrugged and put away the instrument he had just used to repair Kirk's nose.

'Go get cleaned up, you've got dried blood all over the bottom half of your face,' Bones instructed, 'you look like a bloody cannibal.'

Kirk glowered at Bones as he left for the bathroom. Uhura stared after him.

'So what brings you here Uhura?' asked Bones, alerting her to the matter at hand, 'need a doctor do you?'

Uhura looked at Bones with a blank expression, then she blinked and clarity filled her face.

'Huh? Oh. Yes, I mean no. I mean… sorry, I was thinking about something else.'

Uhura offered Bones what she was holding in her hand.

'You left your communicator at the table back in the cafeteria. I got a computer to find you for me.'

Bones face brightened.

'You found it! Thanks I was wondering if I'd ever be able to find it in that madhouse.'

He reclaimed his communicator and busied himself attaching it to his belt. Uhura furrowed her brow as she thought about what she had seen when she'd walked into the room. Bones had been fixing Kirk's ribs and his back had been exposed to the door when she'd walked in. He'd pulled his shirt down before she could get a proper look but she was almost certain she'd seen scars covering his back. Uhura doubted Kirk would answer the questions that were nagging her, but the doctor was another matter… of all the cadets, Bones was the person most likely to know how Kirk had gotten those scars.

'So…' Uhura began, unsure of how to ask her question.

'Hmm?' Bones mumbled absentmindedly.

Screw it thought Uhura, Kirk is going to come back from the bathroom any minute now. She decided to go for it.

'I… saw the scars on his back,' she said softly.

Bones looked up sharply.

'You mean Kirk?' he said, frowning slightly.

Not a good sign Uhura thought. She nodded. Bones considered her statement.

'It's nothing for you to worry about,' he finally said, 'I found at when he first came to the academy – all new cadets have to go through a full health check up you know? He wouldn't say anything about it but I do know that his step-father wasn't always too kind towards him.'

He turned away from her to re-sterilize the bed Kirk had been sitting on.

'It doesn't affect his health, nothing too serious' he assured her.

Now it was Uhura's turn to frown.

'Well, ok... it's just that they looked a lot like…you know,' she gestured with her hands.

Whip lashes she thought. She could picture the small boy from the footage in-class – albeit his back had been opened and unhealed. Bones turned around and sighed.

'I know. But if they are, I wouldn't want to go and ask Kirk how he got them if I were you,' he looked at her meaningfully.

She stayed where she was and nodded slowly. He cocked his head slightly when she failed to say anything more.

'Was there anything else you wanted…?' he queried.

Uhura forced herself to smile.

'No… no, I'm good.'

Bones nodded, 'good,' he agreed, 'cause I should go soon – have to apologize to the Sulu. He's probably still at the library, wondering why Kirk and I didn't show up.'

The doors opened as Kirk walked in, looking decidedly less cannibalistic than he had 5 minutes ago. He saw Uhura and looked curiously at Bones.

'She came to return my communicator,' Bones told him.

'Oh.'

'Get into another fight did you Kirk?' Uhura teased, hoping to change the subject.

Kirk rolled his eyes.

'You remember that kid we ditched when we were in the forest?' he asked, 'the one that wouldn't shut up about his stomach?'

'Hendorff?' she guessed.

'Hen– who?' Kirk asked.

'G.P. Hendorff,' Uhura repeated, 'that's his name – the guy you refused to share your food with,' she clarified

Kirk nodded 'that's the one. Never got his name. Well, I ran into him after lunch and he got all arrogant and–'

'And then Kirk attacked his two bulldogs,' Bones summed up.

'After he provoked me,' Kirk reminded him.

'Bulldogs?' Uhura questioned.

'These Two overweight guys who follow him around like puppy dogs,' Kirk explained, waving his hands around in an attempt to illustrate his answer.

Bones glanced down at his padd.

'Ok story-time is over, I've got to get back to the library,' he announced before half walking, half running out of the room.

Uhura stood awkwardly as Bones left her alone in the room with Kirk.

'I don't know about you but I'm starved,' announced Kirk, 'I'm going to the cafeteria to get dinner, you can come if you want,' he told her.

'I'm not hungry,' Uhura said.

Kirk shrugged and walked out of the room, setting a course towards the cafeteria. Uhura stood in the room for a few seconds before deciding to head for her dorm.

In reply to a reviewer (as they have disabled Private Messaging) - Apologies if I have offended you in anyway by writing fanfic that doesn't go in accordance with your beliefs on nursing ethics. I understand that it would be highly unlikely for a nurse to administer meds to an unwilling patient - even in the future. I only intended to add some humour into my story and in no way meant to upset you. After all, this is fanfic and therefore entirely imaginative and fictitious - you don't have to believe my story or thinking in any way if you choose not to.