Author's Note: I had this story playing around in my head for a while. I hope you enjoy it.

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"Jim! Get back to Medical now!"

"Leave me alone, Bones!"

Dr. Leonard McCoy, or Bones as he was known to his captain and friend, stalked after the aforementioned man. He had been caught in a propulsion accident during a training session and then escaped Medical Bay.

It had been normal. Jim had been overseeing the new ensigns in making sure they had a firm grasp on piloting simply because he didn't exactly trust Starfleet and he was Jim Kirk. During the session, levels had suddenly dropped. Jim had recognized what was going on and shoved the ensigns out of the way before they got hurt.

In the process, he had gotten hit with a loose panel. It didn't break any bones but it messed up his back, leaving it battered and bleeding. Bones had taken him to the Medical Bay and put him on a bio-bed while he checked over the other patients. When he turned back around, Jim was gone. Giving his patients to Chapel, he went after the captain, hence the reason he was following him down the corridors.

"I'm serious, Jim. Get back to Medical."

"I'm serious, Bones. Leave me alone."

They came to the captain's door. Jim slipped in quickly, locking the door behind him. Bones nearly walked into it. When he stopped, he glared at the door for a few moments before rambling off the override code used for medical emergencies. He would have to erase the log afterwards so Spock wouldn't have a fit.

When he walked into the darkened room, he took a few moments to let his eyes adjust. Jim hadn't bothered turning on the light, which meant he was suffering from a concussion. As he walked further into the darkened room, he saw the mass in the bed. Jim was curled up on his side.

"This is what you get for leaving Medical," Bones said as he sank down on the bed. He rubbed Jim's shoulder affectionately until he shrugged him off. "Don't be that way."

"Just leave me alone, Bones," Jim said in a very tired voice.

"I can't do that and you know I can't. Roll over and let me see."

"Go away. I don't want to be touched right now." He jerked away when the doctor put his hands on his shoulder. "Stop."

"Jim, I have to look at your back."

"Leave me alone, Bones." He was getting irritated and it was showing in his voice.

"I can't do that. You have to be checked out before I can clear you." Bones tugged at Jim's clothes once again.

This time Jim came up swinging. "I said stop, you jackass!" He hissed as his friend jerked too hard and the material dug into his back. He rolled away and pressed his back into the pillows, glaring at Bones in the process. "Go away."

Bones' face took on a pitying look. He knew Jim hated being babied but at the moment he had no choice. "I have to look at it. It's part of my protocol."

"No, Bones."

"Jim, I can't let you work until you allow me to look at your back. I'm sorry about that."

"Give Spock the command. I won't be there for a few days."

"Depending on your condition you might not be able to go back for another week." Jim shrugged his shoulders. It was bad when he didn't care because he always cared. He cared about his ship and his crew. When he got like this, it was bad.

Bones moved to the end of the bed. He took off Jim's boots then tugged his slacks down his legs. If he removed his sweaters, it would only hurt him so he left those alone. He pulled a hypo from his med bag and injected the captain with the only painkiller he could give him without having him throw it up. He was really concerned when Jim didn't fight him about the hypo.

"I'll check back in with you in a few hours." Jim simply snorted and Bones walked out.

The captain waited until he heard his friend's heavy tread disappeared before he heaved his battered body from the bed. He trudged heavily over to the bathroom door, leaning heavily against the wall as it slid open. He nearly fell in when he moved from the one sturdy thing that was holding him up. His legs sure as hell weren't.

Making it to the sink, he painstakingly peeled off his gold and black shirts. He hit the manual button to start the shower and waited for it to warm up. When he saw the steam, he stepped in, hissing as soon as the water met his bare back. He scrubbed up quickly and got out as fast as his banged up legs would allow him.

Jim wiped off the mirror and stared at it. This was the face of a captain. A captain who had saved eight ensigns from being hit with shrapnel from an exploding propulsion module. This was the face of the captain whose best friend was the doctor who insisted on patching him up every time he got hurt. This was the face of the captain who was a coward.

When he turned his back to the mirror, he refused to look at it. He knew what he would see and it wasn't the tan, perfect flesh it had been a week ago. He knew what it looked like now.

Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder.

His back was a mess of blue and black and open lacerations. The bleeding had stopped in the shower, but the skin was now swollen and hot. There was a blue spot running from his right hip to his left shoulder, the place where the panel had hit, that was quickly turning colors. That bruise wasn't the one that was causing all the issues.

The rest of his back was riddled with different kinds of bruises. Some were small, others were long and oval, and the rest had lines running through them. There were multiple lacerations that had healed but left horrible scars. If someone had asked Jim a year ago this would happen, he would have denied it, but here it was staring him in the face like a bad movie and he had to deal with it.

Alone.

Bones could never know what had happened and would continue to happen as long as he was on the ship.

Jim left his bathroom and crossed the room while holding back a painful groan. His legs hurt from being cracked in the back by propulsion panels and hit with sparks but none of that was in comparison to his back. It sent jolts of pain down his legs, but he couldn't collapse. He needed to make it to bed before his legs gave way.

Finally he collapsed in his bed, naked and not caring that he was. He rolled on to his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. After thinking about it, he got back up and pulled on some briefs and a t-shirt. If he was somewhat clothed, Bones wouldn't be too tempted to look at him.

He was able to actually collapse in his bed and not worry too much.

Until the door slid open.

Only a couple of people knew his override codes and this wasn't one he wanted in his room at the moment.

He lifted his head from the pillow and whimpered pathetically. This was going to be a long night.