Hi everyone,

This is what I missed in the movie. It has everything a good Trekkie longs for - emotionaly compromised Spock, caring Bones who actually saves the day again and Kirk in a lot of trouble. Maybe I should add a dying Readshirt...well, maybe next time. Till than, enjoy and live long and prosper...

Spock watched as the medics transferred Khan's unresponsive body on one of the bio-beds in sickbay.

"Thank God you made it, Spock. It might be our only chance"

Spock turned his head and saw an exhausted and still a bit shocked face, that belonged to the ship's CMO.

"I do not understand, doctor. Why have you requested Khan to be brought here?" Spock asked and watched the doctor fiddle with the controls on one of the cryo-tubes.

"See that thing over there?" McCoy said as he swiftly moved to the bed now occupied by a very unfamous terrorist and started scaning his form with one hand while vaugely gesturing towards his table on the other side of the room. Spock followed his hand and realised there was a little fluffy tribble pouring on the table.

"It was dead. And now it's not. I don't know how, but this bastard's blood must have revived it. And I hope to do the same with Jim." the doctor continued and started to draw a first vial of blood from the unconscious man's veins.

"I see," Spock replied „but the capitan..."

"Yes, I know. Humans are slightly more complex beings than tribbles, yes, yes. I know it's a long shot. We'd be lucky if his brain won't fry and that's just a beginning.."

"But the capitan..." Spock tried again and yet agian was cut off.

"Yes, was compromised by radiation,which increased the tissue decomposition process and did a havoc with his nervous system. Tell me something I don't know. And that's why I did what I could to slow it down and protect what's left." McCoy gestured again, this time to the cryo-tube he'd been working on earlier.

This was when Spock realised there was a familiar face under the shield. Jim Kirk. And suddenly, it was too much. The battle, the victory, the fear of seeing his friend dying, the loss, the anger, the grief. He was not sure he could handle hope right now. His vision started to sway.

"We are trying to isolate a serum capable of regenerating Jim's cells. It may actually help that he was hurt by radiation exposure so we don't need to worry about his immune system response. And for love of God sit down before you fall down!"

The sickbay was melting into almost cubistic shapes and lights were dancing, Spock felt his knees get unsteady but he gripped on the nearest table and when he spoke, he sounded almost himself. He needed to get out quickly. Away from this all. He wanted to run, maybe jump out into the space if that would help this whole world to go away.

"It is clear you have the situation under control, doctor. My presence shall be required on the bridge. Inform me on the capitan's..."

"Like hell I am. You're not going anywhere but the bed down there. And don't make me use that powerfull CMO - order thing. You know I would!"

"I assure you, that I am..." Spock tried again but the good doctor wasn't buying it at all.

"All fine. Yeap. Heard that one before. And you ever heard of shock? Congratulation, than. You're just having a first hand experience. On top of all the other injuries from the fight with this beast. So now be a good little boy and let me take care of that. You did your part and I'd be gratefull forever, but now it's not the time for your usual vulcan stubbornness. Nurse!" he called out in one breath "I'm done drawing blood, get it to the separator. I want white blood cells, start with a plasmapheresis and we'll get it from there. Keep Khan on 100 ccs of Linatrin IV and have another 50 ready if he starts reagaining consiousness. And Mr. Spock here gets a free bed and a full standart work up. And I want 3D imaging standing by for those fractures."

McCoy's orders got everyone in the room moving like a well oiled machine. Everyone except Spock. A male nurse came to him and offered help but he waved him off. It was when he took a step from his temporarly table-support, when his knees finally gave up and he would have landed on the floor very ungraciously...But there was a firm, strong, but gentle grip holding him up.

"Easy there. You see now what I mean? You will be fine, but it'll take some work. My work that is. Your only job now is to breathe. In and out. Slowly. No rush. There you go.."

Spock didn't even realise he was hyperventilating. After he calmed a bit, McCoy led him, to a bed next to Jim's cryotube and helped him on it. He never stopped talking. Usually Spock found any constant rambling annoying, but the sound of the doctor's calm and confident voice seemed to do wonders with his nerves.

"Let's see what we have here." McCoy said and produced a medical tricorder and started scaning him.

Spock caught his hand.

"Leonard. Jim needs your attention much more than I do. Please, help him." There was a deep emotion in that statment and McCoy almost got overwhelmed as well. maybe the tough Vulcan wasn't so tough at all.

"Jim is good. There is nothing more I can do for him at this moment. And when he wakes up, he'll kill for not taking care of his favourite crewmember. So now tell me, what hurts the most?"

Spock thought about it for a moment. It was not clear wheather it was about accepting McCoy's logic or about the actual question, but finally, he answered.

"Chest. I have some difficulty breathing."

"Yeah. I can imagine. You have four broken ribs. You are lucky that with your super-human lungs you didn't get a pneumothorax. I am starting you on oxygen, that should help. I am also administering tri-ox and a pain reliever."

Spock more heard the hiss of a hypo than than he felt it sting on his neck.

"Unfortunately you were not that lucky all the time. There is a minor bleed in your abdomen. Piece of cake and I could fix it in my sleep, but you need a surgery. When you're done I am going to set your broken wrist and get you under dermal regenerator for those scratches."

Before he finished, his patient was already asleep. All the strain of the day finally taking its toll.

"Nurse, get him prepped in OR 1, I'll be there in 5."

Being the CMO on a ship in the middle of a battle was one thing. Injured crewmembers, chaos, even death. But being the doctor right now meant he could loose the battle for lives of his two dearest friends, his family. He stopped to see how Jim was and checked for progress with Khan's blood. He had 68 more minutes until the serum was ready to save Jim. Exactly the time he needed to save Spock. He would have smiled at the irony. But he needed the energy for a complicated surgery.