4 Months, 3 Weeks
McCoy wiped the sweat from his forehead as he jogged on the treadmill in one of the emptier gyms. Jim was jogging on one alongside him. The Captain said that it was just for "some friendly jogging between best friends," but McCoy could see the worry in his eyes. It's not like he was going to keel over and miscarriage right then and there...
Well... it just wasn't LIKELY.
In any case, Jim had been excessively on McCoy's ass about being careful whenever he went somewhere. It was starting to get to him. He got that his friend just wanted him and the kid to be safe, but it was a little over the top. At least he was finished pouting about how McCoy and Spock didn't tell him about the baby sooner.
McCoy slowed down to a walk, then stopped completely. Jim slowed down as well. "I'm gonna go to my quarters so I can shower and change before my appointment with M'Benga." He said as he got off the treadmill.
"I'll walk with you." Jim decided, but McCoy shook his head while glaring at the other man.
"No. I can get there myself." He said bluntly.
"But I could just-"
"No, Jim, I'm just going to my room. I'll be fine." He gave his captain another stern glare before leaving off to his room.
The thing wasn't that the caring was annoying- it was the constant feeling McCoy was getting that others couldn't think that he could do things on his own. Just because he was carrying a child didn't mean that he was suddenly an old, weak person who nearly died whenever he took a step. No, he was still as able-bodied and capable as he always was. His belly wasn't even that big anyway; it's not like he was at the peak of his pregnancy and overrun by hormones that made him clumsier and more agitated than ever.
He shaved his face, since he hadn't in a couple of days. Some water got into the floor, but he just shrugged it off. He could always clean it up later. He showered next, the sonic pulses feeling good on his skin. Sure he missed the old water showers back on Earth, but the sonic showers were pretty nice also. It made him feel cleaner.
Once he stepped out of the shower, his foot landed right into the puddle of water that he neglected to clean up. He took a sharp intake of breath and he slipped, and everything was in slow motion as he fell face first onto the hard floor. The air was knocked out of him, and his whole torso ached from the impact. His heart rate picked up as he got onto his hands and knees and felt his belly.
He swallowed his heart from his throat and shakily stood up. It wasn't that hard of a fall, right? And the impact was distributed throughout his whole torso, not just his belly... or at least, that's what he wanted to think. He staggered into his room and got dressed as quickly as he could before leaving.
He needed to see M'Benga as quickly as possible. The odds of the fetus actually being harmed were a bit slim unless he felt immense pain in his abdomen. He was pretty sure that the pain was superficial enough that it wasn't significant. As he speed-walked to the sickbay, he couldn't stop shaking or feeling so damn agitated. What if it was hurt? What if it would die? What if it developed some sort of condition that couldn't be cured?
God, he needed to stop thinking.
As he turned a corner, he would've run into someone if they hadn't dodged him with some super speed. He barely glanced at them before walking on rigidly.
"What is wrong?" McCoy cursed; it was Spock. The Vulcan came up to walk quickly beside him, trying to catch his eyes. "Answer me."
"Not now, Spock, I can't..." McCoy growled through clenched teeth while shaking shaking his head. He did not want to deal with that overbearing hobgoblin right now.
"Leonard." Spock demanded, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop.
"Damn it, Spock, I need to get to sickbay right now, so don't fucking slow me down!" McCoy pushed the Vulcan away with all his strength, knocking the man back a step. Free of his intense grasp, McCoy took off walking swiftly into the turbolift. Spock got in with him, and they travelled down to the bottom of the ship.
He felt pretty awkward, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers against one of them anxiously. Painfully aware of the Vulcan staring at him intensely, he avoided eye contact. He was still lightheaded from the whole situation. He was freaking out just a little bit. He had actually grown to care for the little life inside of him. If it had gotten hurt because he was too lazy to clean up some water, he would never forgive himself.
He growled quietly, berating himself for his absolute stupidity. He glanced at Spock, and was immediately hit with the realization that the man was actually worried. It was another one of those feelings that McCoy got about how Spock was feeling. It was always strange, getting the impression that Spock could feel so much without showing any emotion at all.
"I fell." McCoy said quietly, and was out of the turbolift as soon as the doors opened.
"Where? When?" Spock asked, and McCoy could almost laugh at the non-professional formation of the questions. That is, he could have laughed if he wasn't freaking out internally.
"Getting out of the shower. There was water on the floor and I slipped. I fell on my front." McCoy explained choppily, feeling angry about how stupid it all sounded. "But I don't think that there's anything to worry about. There's no deep pain, no bleeding, no... anything. It's most likely just me in pain, but I want to be absolutely sure."
"Leonard, Vulcan fetuses are more susceptible to injury than the standard human fetus- especially when the person carrying it is hurt." Spock explained, and McCoy nearly choked on air. He whipped his head over to look at the man walking beside him.
"What the hell, Spock?! You didn't think to tell me that earlier?!" He yelled, trying to keep his voice from shaking. God, he might have really messed up.
"I did not think it very likely that you would slip and fall on your front within the near future. I can see now that the odds are higher than expected." Spock lectured, and McCoy growled again.
"Get off my back, Spock, it's not like I meant for it to happen! How about you just go back to your little science lab and-"
"I would much rather accompany you to sickbay." Spock decided, and McCoy scowled again before walking into the ship's hospital. He strode into one of the private rooms, and it wasn't long before Spock came in as well, accompanied by M'Benga.
"Spock informed me that you fell." M'Benga stated, and McCoy rolled his eyes, already laying down on the biobed.
"Damn it man, just scan me." He demanded, and M'Benga got to work. McCoy glanced at Spock, who was intensely watching what M'Benga was doing. Having the Vulcan there was making him even more agitated.
"Well, McCoy, you're lucky that nothing happened to the fetus. At least, nothing is wrong with the brain or body. We won't know about the bond or anything until later." M'Benga reported, and McCoy tipped his head up to frown at him.
"Bond? What bond?" He asked, although the relief of knowing that it was okay was preventing him from being too angry.
"Mental bonds develop between Vulcan children and their parents." M'Benga explained, glancing at Spock, who was watching the doctor still. "But it's too early to tell if you guys' child will even have those mental abilities, since we don't know just how Vulcan they'll be."
"... Alright, well, if we're fine here, since you've checked both my condition and the fetus', I'd prefer to leave." McCoy decided as he got off of the biobed.
"You don't want to discuss-"
"Not tonight, M'Benga." McCoy said, walking off without another word. He was suddenly feeling very tired, and all he wanted to do was to go to bed. He also felt cold. He blamed the hormones and the previously stressful situation.
It was a really stressful day, if McCoy thought about it. From the moment he woke up he was feeling like crap. He swore that if he felt like this for the rest of his pregnancy then he was going to kill somebody.
When he got back to his quarters, he immediately dressed into some sleeping clothes and threw a towel onto the wet spot on the bathroom floor. He moved it around a bit, making it absorb the water, and threw it in the hamper. He yawned and scratched his chest. He really was tired.
He got into bed, pulling the blankets up to his neck to keep himself warm. Right when he closed his eyes, his door chimed. He groaned angrily. If it was Spock, he swore to god that he was going to order the man right out of his room. He called out for them to come in, and rolled around so that he could see the door.
Spock stepped inside, looking around the dimmed room. "Lights to 30%." He ordered, and the room grew slightly brighter. McCoy groaned irritably again.
"Damn it, Spock, humans require more sleep than you. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow." He grumbled, closing his eyes and trying to snuggle into his pillow.
"It is the logical course of action that you will cease to be solitary during the duration of your pregnancy." He heard Spock say, and he frowned. "It would be profitable if I stay here whilst the conception is still taking place."
"Spock. Not now." McCoy ordered, rolling back around so that he didn't even have to be facing the other man.
"Leonard, it is imperative that-"
"Spock." McCoy demanded, his voice louder now. "Stop using my first name like that. And I'm going to sleep now, so you can leave. Lights to 15%." He figured it was enough light for Spock to make his way out, but still dark enough so that he wouldn't have a problem falling asleep with it like that.
He heard Spock walk away, and he took a deep breath before falling right to sleep.
McCoy woke the next morning by the sound of his alarm, which he stopped promptly before forcing himself to sit up. He rubbed his eyes. He had gotten enough sleep, but he felt like he hadn't gotten a wink of it.
He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to pee, brush his teeth, and pretty himself up like he usually did. When he walked back out, he gasped sharply when he saw a figure standing in his quarters.
"Jesus Christ, Spock, what're you doing here? I just about screamed like a little girl! Who gave you the right to be here?" He rambled, his chest pounding. Well, that had woken him up. He glared at Spock, who's hair was slightly messy and clothes were wrinkled. "Did you sleep on my couch?"
"I had informed you last night that you should not be alone, but you decided to sleep before I could expand on my point." Spock explained calmly, and McCoy gaped at him.
"Yeah, no, that doesn't give you the right to stay the night here. And what do you mean I shouldn't be alone?! You don't trust me anymore?" He asked, stepping forward and glaring Spock down.
"It is the safest option. If you were to become so injured that you could not move or access a communicator, both you and the child would be in danger." Spock explained as if the whole plan was hunky-dory. "It is logical that someone be with you at every possible moment."
"Thing is, Spock, is that I value my privacy and independence. I'm sure I won't get hurt that bad." He said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms defiantly.
"And I was 'sure' that you would not fall." Spock argued, and McCoy sighed angrily. He opened his mouth to speak, but Spock continued talking. "If the child does develop a mental link with you, it is imperative that I be nearby so that I can not only facilitate that bond, but also form a bond with it and myself as well."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we have to live together." McCoy stated, narrowing his eyes at Spock. "Why are you so gung-ho to do this anyway? You usually can't stand to even talk to me."
"I am putting in an effort for the good of our child, and I..." He trailed off, and McCoy raised his eyebrows at him.
"You don't think that I want the best for the kid? Of course I do! But what's gonna happen when it's born and all we ever do is fight about stupid shit?" McCoy asked, throwing up his arms.
"I believe I am quite correct in saying that you have been the one to initiate most of these 'fights,' McCoy." Spock observed, and McCoy scoffed.
"Probably because I'm the only one here that's actually FEELING something." He spat back, but immediately knew that it was the wrong thing to say. Spock stared at him for a long time, and McCoy tried his very best to keep eye-contact.
"You will think about the possibility of the two of us moving in together, and I shall leave you be from now on." Spock ordered before striding out of the doctor's quarters. McCoy glared at the door for a long time after the man left.