5 Months, 2 1/2 Weeks
McCoy had been wearing different jackets and sweatshirts to work lately, since Jim had allowed it and it made everyone feel better. For McCoy, it helped to hide his belly a little bit (although it was starting to grow more and more as of late), and it made him warmer throughout the day. He'd been feeling colder and colder lately, as if someone kept turning the heat down throughout the whole ship. The different clothing also made it so that his patients worried less about his stomach and more about the task at hand, which was a major plus.
McCoy had been slowly but surely spreading the news of his pregnancy. While on shift at sickbay, people tended to eye his growing belly like it was something to be closely examined. He always just told them that "Yep, I got a bun in the oven" and they would usually shut up about it. Either that, or they would start asking a thousand different questions about when he found out, when it was due, if he knew the sex yet, and all those things. It usually drove him crazy by the end of the day.
"Strange thing, Doctor..." Sulu said at one of his appointments. The poor man had gotten stabbed by one of the poisonous plants in the botany lab. His hand was swelling up somethin' harsh. "Never thought that you'd be one to get pregnant. I don't mean anything by it, it's just that... I always thought that you were... you know..." McCoy raised an eyebrow at the man, who smiled sheepishly.
"I didn't think it would happen either. It wasn't exactly in my control." He grumbled, and Sulu's eyes widened. "No, I didn't mean like that, Mr. Sulu. It was a surprise for both of us. It was a sort of... artificial type of thing." He explained, not knowing why he chose to open up about it now.
"Ah, I see. Well as long as it wasn't..." He trailed off, and McCoy nodded, watching the swelling in the man's hand go down a bit from the fast medicine. "Who's the other person?" He asked, and McCoy glared.
"That's nothing anyone needs to worry about." He said simply, and Sulu sighed.
"Well, there's been some talk." He replied, and McCoy shook his head in disappointment. There's always talk. "And some people think that the captain is the other parent. Since he's always around you, and he's always looking at you with these eyes." Sulu mimicked Jim's famous wide-eyed and worried looking eyes, and McCoy sighed.
"Y'all should quit your yammerin' since you have no idea what you're talking about." He said, using another hypo. Sulu barely flinched.
"I suppose so, Doctor. But there's also talk of Spock." He smirked, and McCoy deepened his glare. "He's always been looking at you when you two are in the same room, and a lot of people have seen you two walking to sickbay together."
"Spock is the last person anyone would choose to be a father." McCoy stated, and Sulu looked like he didn't believe him. They both fell silent, though, which made McCoy start wondering things. Since when did Spock start staring at him? Whenever he looked at the Vulcan, his eyes were always on someone or something else. It was probably just the gossip, but he couldn't get it off his mind.
Spock had stopped bothering him about things, but still tended to hover whenever he was around. McCoy told him a few days ago that he was still thinking about the whole moving in together thing, but he really hadn't been considering it too much. The idea of living with someone else was just... not his idea of a fun time. The idea of living with Spock was straight up repulsive. He really didn't want to have that hobgoblin in his personal space 24/7.
He went throughout his day as per usual, healing sick people and telling others to stop whining about little cuts and bruises. It was his job, and despite his cranky demeanor, he really enjoyed it. Except for the fact that people kept asking questions about the fetus, but he could get past that.
He was starting to get curious about the supposed "bond" that the kid could form with him though. It was the point in the pregnancy where brain development was spiking, and that probably meant that now would be the time for a bond to form. But there was no way that he could tell, since he was a human. He really didn't want to ask Spock, though, since the man was so unbelievably unapproachable about things. Plus he just didn't want to be around him at the moment.
What he needed was a straight up Vulcan that could get right to the point without any conversations or concerns on the side. What he needed was T'Laua.
He entered her quarters tentatively, eyeing the weapons on the walls. Spock's room looked much the same- it was adorned with reds and yellows, and many strange Vulcan artifacts. He ignored it though, and looked over at T'Laua, who was sitting at the table like she usually was. He sat down across from her.
"Thanks for agreeing to see me. As you know, I just wanna see if the fetus has made a bond with me yet." McCoy said as he tapped his fingers on the table, and T'Laua nodded.
"I see. I will assist you, if that is what you wish." She said, and he nodded back at her. She got up and walked over to him, gesturing at his belly. "If you will pull your garments up, we may begin." She instructed, and he obeyed with only the tiniest bit of hesitation. He didn't exactly enjoy showing his stomach to people. He was a bit self-conscious at its growing size.
She closed her eyes and put the pads of her fingers on certain parts of his abdomen, her hot touch feeling nice on his skin. He almost wondered if Spock's body would be this warm, but he shoved it out of his mind. T'Laua could probably read his thoughts at the moment- he didn't need to be thinking about anything weird while she was doing this.
He watched her intensely, although it was impossible to know what she was thinking or feeling. He felt a bit awkward about having a Vulcan being all handsy with him, but if it revealed anything about the kid, then it would be worth it.
They waited there silently for a couple of minutes before T'Laua opened her eyes. "It appears as though the fetus has begun to form the bond with you. I assume that you would like me to sever it?" She asked, and he immediately pulled away from her.
"Sever it? Why in the hell would I want that?" McCoy asked, pushing the woman's hands away.
"You did not want the child in the first place. It is logical that the bond be-"
"I don't care about logic, damn it." McCoy stood up, causing T'Laua to step back. "I'm keeping this baby and all that comes with it. Thanks for your help." He said through clenched teeth before walking off.
"You are making a mistake. This abomination of a child will not have a good life with you and the half-breed." T'Laua shot back, and McCoy turned towards her.
"Don't you dare call my kid an abomination, and never call Spock a half-breed. Do either of those things again and I'll get you off this ship quicker than I can put you in the hospital." He spat at her, and exited her room. "Pointy-eared bitch..." He swore under his breath as he walked on.
McCoy organized his room a little bit, moving around books and picking up random clothes from the floor. He didn't really know what he was cleaning for, but he had the whim to do it anyway. He liked that it kept him busy, since his work hours had been reduced a bit as of late. He knew he was getting a little more clumsy than he used to be, since he kept dropping things, but he didn't really pay attention to it. No harm no foul.
He carried a stack of books over to his tall bookshelf, but tripped and fell before it. The books dropped to the floor, and the impact of them caused the bookshelf to rock. McCoy looked up just before the books and the shelf came crashing down on top of him, and everything went black.
... ... ...
The first thing he noticed was the immense headache. It was enough to make him cringe before he even fully regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to reveal the bright light shining down on him, and he immediately squinted to compensate. He lifted his hand up to block the brightness when he saw a bandage on his arm. He lifted the other one up and noticed that both his arms were bandaged. His heartbeat sped up as he started to panic from the memory of the falling bookshelf looming over him. His arms found his stomach, and he tried sitting up to get a better view of himself.
"This is, as you would say, 'the final straw,' McCoy." He jumped and looked over to see Spock sitting in the chair next to the bed. His hands were folded and his face was very stern- it was borderline angry. McCoy frowned at him.
"It's not my fault that it happened. And the fetus is alright... right?" McCoy asked, and Spock nodded slowly.
"Be it the fault of you or any other mysterious force, it is imperative that someone be there if such an incident happens again. At this rate, the chances of you obtaining another injury within the next several months have risen exponentially." Spock explained, not letting up on his angered posture.
"Listen, Spock. I'm a doctor, not your grandma. You don't need to live with me to make sure I don't die." McCoy argued, and even crossed his arms in defiance.
"I need to live with you to ensure that the child does not become injured." Spock elaborated, and McCoy opened his mouth to retort but the man kept talking. "It was by chance that a yeoman came to your quarters and found you unconscious, bleeding, and under a heavy bookshelf. If nobody had been there to find you, then the damage would have been much greater. If you will not allow me to live with you, then I will find somebody else to watch over you."
"You act like I'm a worthless child." McCoy shot back, and Spock momentarily raised an eyebrow.
"I am not acting." He said simply, causing McCoy to glare at him.
"I don't have room at my place. And I ain't sharing a bathroom with Jim." McCoy retaliated.
"We have been authorized to move into family-sized quarters. It is closer to Sickbay than yours." Spock supplied, and McCoy sighed as he rubbed the bandages on his arm. Damn Vulcan was prepared for everything.
"Fine. When do we move in?" He acquiesced, his eyes pointed at his hands, and he sensed that Spock relaxed.
"We may start transferring our possessions as soon as the doctor clears you for release." The Vulcan replied, and McCoy nodded. This would be so fun.
After many little arguments about who would carry which heavy things and where everything should be put, McCoy and Spock finally moved all their things into the new place. It was closer to Sickbay, and McCoy didn't know whether that was relieving or endearing.
The place was larger than either of theirs. Each room was secluded from each other, but the bedroom was the only room that had an actual door between it and the others. All other rooms had large doorways between them. As soon as he entered the quarters, McCoy was shocked that the first room was the little kitchen/dining area. He expected it to open into the living room area, but he was pleasantly surprised. It was almost like his place back in Georgia.
After shoving all his clothes into his drawers and closet, he turned towards the bed. There was only one, and it was big enough for two people. Thing was, there was no way that he was going to sleep with Spock. He turned towards the other man, who was standing at the entrance staring at him. McCoy felt a little embarrassed at the prospect of being watched, so he opened his mouth to break the silence.
"I can take the couch." He said, and Spock predictably shook his head.
"As I am not the one who requires more comfort, I will be sleeping on the couch." Spock decided, and McCoy didn't want to argue. He was actually grateful that the Vulcan allowed him to have the bed. It seemed like he actually did care. "It is 23:47. I suggest that you go to sleep as soon as possible." He added, and McCoy shrugged.
"I'm not really tired, if I'm being honest." He said, walking over to his books. Spock had so graciously carried the entire bookshelf and all of the books over there just because McCoy had said, 'I don't REALLY want to leave them...' It was somewhat impressive. McCoy couldn't help but think that maybe Spock actually might care for him, too- not just the fetus.
"Given that you were unconscious for 3.9572 hours, it is predictable that you're not tired now." Spock said bluntly before leaving the room. McCoy grunted to himself and picked out a book. It was one of the classics. He liked those a lot more than any of the more modern stories. He liked the intellectually philosophical aspect of all of the classic books.
He walked out to the living area and sat on the chair, Spock not in sight. He shrugged inwardly, sunk into the comfortable chair, and began reading.
After a while, Spock popped up at the doorway leading to the kitchen, causing McCoy to jump in his seat. He wasn't used to people being in his living areas like this. Spock came over, holding two steaming cups, and set one on the end table next to McCoy. "Chamomile tea." Spock muttered, and McCoy looked at it skeptically. He still wasn't a fan of tea. "Try it." The Vulcan demanded, sitting on the couch. McCoy sighed and grabbed the cup. He felt like all the fight was out of him after the long and stressful day of arguments with people.
He froze with the cup half-raised to his lips, suddenly remembering about his encounter with T'Laua. Spock would be so pissed if he found out that he went to go see her. Spock raised an eyebrow at him, but he just waved his hand dismissively back at the Vulcan and took a drink of the tea. He shrugged. "It's alright. Is it for calming purposes?" He asked, and Spock nodded. Is that why Vulcans drank a lot of tea? For calming purposes?
McCoy continued where he left off on his book, sipping the tea and trying to shut out the world. He read for about an hour before he completely ran out of tea, and he looked up from his book to see what Spock was doing. He was laid out on the couch (which wasn't quite long enough for him), his eyes closed and his mouth slightly parted. He closely resembled an innocent child, which kind of stabbed at McCoy's sentiment since he had an innocent child inside of him at the moment. He almost felt bad making him sleep on the couch, but there was no way that he was going to share a bed with the man.
He noticed the lack of blankets in the room, so he went and grabbed a couple from the bedroom. He came back out and draped them over the Vulcan, and turned off the lights before retreating to the bedroom. He got in bed, and struggled to find a comfortable position. He eventually found a suitable arrangement, so he closed his eyes and focused on sleep.