Kirk stormed into Sickbay as all the crew in his path scattered to get out of his way. Even on a good day, any crewmember aboard the ISS Enterprise took care to stay out of their Captain's chosen path. On a day when Kirk was in a foul mood? It was suicidal not to run in the other direction.
As the Sickbay doors closed behind Kirk, in total contrast with the rest of his staff, McCoy remained quietly at his desk, not even seeming to notice his captain's dramatic approach. That illusion evaporated when Kirk was within arm's reach of the desk.
McCoy looked up and met the force of nature that was Jim Kirk head on, as calm as if Kirk had just wandered in to ask him for a drink.
"Bad meeting with the Admiralty, I presume? Come into my office before my entire staff locks themselves into the supply closet."
McCoy got up then and led the way to his private office with Kirk following him without a word being spoken. Some of the medical staff admired the nerve of their CMO - some of them thought their CMO was a fool to lock himself in a small room with an angry Kirk. None of them wanted to be the CMO at that moment.
Once Kirk was inside the office, McCoy called out an order.
"Computer - voice lock on CMO office - security level Delta."
"Affirmative. Security level Delta in place."
Pouring a drink for Kirk, McCoy hesitated to speak as he passed it over. It didn't go unnoticed by Kirk despite his bad mood. Downing the drink, he immediately handed the glass back over McCoy.
"Admiral Komack has ordered us to head immediately to Altair VI. An inauguration ceremony for a petty tyrant on a petty world and the Admiral's ordering every remaining ship to be in attendance for the ceremony like it has any real importance. You know what that means?"
Holding the empty glass gingerly, McCoy briefly wondered it that had been a rhetorical question. Not wanting to let the silence hang, he answered it any way.
"Pretty sure. Sounds to me like the Admiral wants to be seen as being the one that's holding the leashes to the Empire's meanest dogs."
"That's how it sounds to me too, Bones. Give me a refill."
After filling the glass, McCoy passes it over and waits quietly for Kirk to continue. He knows Kirk will eventually remember that he'd been asked to come down prior to the Admiral's ill-timed call.
Retaking the glass and immediately drinking about a third of it, Kirk begins to grumble again.
"Komack wants to get a higher profile. Get in the Emperor's radar and wants to use us to help him do it. Pike's almost healthy enough to make a move again. We can't let Komack get an advantage in over him."
Leaning against his desk, McCoy headed into dangerous territory.
"I don't see how we can avoid the order, Jim. Not without a reason that would fly with the Emperor for insubordination. Unless, of course, you already have a plan?"
Another third of the drink went down Kirk's throat.
"Not a feasible plan. Not yet, at least, but hell. The day is young."
Emptying the glass, Kirk passed it back to McCoy again.
"I seem to recall you requested a meeting earlier today. Give me another refill and tell me what it is that's on your mind."
The drink was refilled and offered back as McCoy tried to think of the best way to approach what could be a more volatile topic than the Admiral. Kirk sat down in one of the chairs, holding his drink, but not even sipping from it as he watched McCoy. Whatever had the doctor almost ready to pace? Well, it had Kirk's curiosity piqued.
"Come on, Bones. Spit it out."
McCoy pretty much did as ordered. The two words were blurted out.
"It's Spock."
The blue eyes narrowed. The two words only give him the who and not the what, so Kirk silently waited for McCoy to elaborate.
Now the pacing began and McCoy ran one hand through his hair for good measure.
"It's time for Spock routine checkup and he's missed his physical and rescheduled it three times. After he missed his fourth appointment this morning, I went to him to ask what the problem was. He shoved me into the bulkhead and told me to mind my own damn business before he broke my damn neck. And that swearing was his wording, not mine."
It was no secret that Spock had a temper if provoked, so the attack itself didn't surprise Kirk, but the reason for it? It sounded like something was missing from the story.
"Are you sure you didn't do more than ask about why he missed his appointments"'
"Didn't even raise my voice more than usual, Jim."
"And you aren't exaggerating about his reaction a bit?"
To Kirk's surprise, McCoy turned and pulled off his shirt without another word. The back of his left shoulder was already lividly bruised and, when McCoy turned back around to face him, the mark on the front of his shoulder had plainly been left by a hand.
"This look like an exaggeration to you?"
Letting out a low whistle, Kirk moved closer to take a better look.
"No. In fact, for once, I'd have to say you were understating his reaction. He dislocated your shoulder, didn't he?"
Oddly, McCoy seemed reluctant to admit that, but finally nodded. Kirk gave a melodramatic sigh.
"I thought the two of you had gotten past the violence stage. You know I have to booth him for this, Bones. I can't have my officers attacking each other unless I ordered it."
Things took an odder turn then as McCoy turned a practically pleading look to Kirk.
"You don't have to. Only the three of us know it. I managed to get my shoulder back in myself. Jim, something's wrong with him. Physically wrong. I'm certain that's why he's been evading his exam."
Thoughtfully looking at his glass, Kirk swirled the remaining liquid in it once before downing it.
"Spock sent me a message requesting time off at the Vulcan colony. Think the two are related?"
"Bound to be. When does he want to be there?"
"Basically? Now. This crap from Komack means he'll have to wait until after the inauguration though."
When Kirk mentioned the request to go to the Vulcan colony, fleeting images from the memories of the elder Spock had begun to tease the edges of McCoy's thoughts. Then one memory struck like a flash of intuition and McCoy began to think he knew what the problem might be.
"Jim? What if Spock can't wait?"
Growling, Kirk leapt up like a cat, grabbed his CMO and shoved him against the nearest wall, deliberately pressing against the already bruised shoulder.
"You know something, don't you? Well, what is it?"
The pain McCoy felt from having his injured shoulder slammed into again had an effect that Kirk hadn't been after. His CMO threw up on him.
Backing away with a look of disgust aimed down at his soiled uniform, Kirk cursed.
"Dammit, Bones! What is it with you and throwing up? And what the hell do you eat? This reeks!"
One hand going to his sore shoulder, McCoy gave a glare back.
"If you hadn't decided to be so damn impatient, it wouldn't have happened. Go get under the damn sonics. Stuff looks worse than it smells and that's saying something."
McCoy's attitude broke the tension and Kirk started laughing as he moved toward the small sonic shower unit in McCoy's inner sanctum.
"Sorry, Bones. Admiral got under my skin more than I should have let him. Have one of your blood-thirsty nurses tend to your shoulder while I clean up. Now it can be blamed on me instead of Spock."
Shaking his head while muttering something under his breath, McCoy had the security lock deactivated, relocked it behind him, then called on Chapel to give him a hand with his injuries. The rest of the staff took a quick glance at their chief's injured shoulder and quickly found other places to be. Chapel just pursed her lips and started to work, not speaking until the hum of the equipment would cover her whisper.
"This bruising is too developed to have just happened."
McCoy's looked up and held her eyes as he spoke.
"Keep that little fact to yourself and I'll filet the next corpse in any way you like then leave you alone with it for an hour."
He knew he had a deal when she had to pause to swallow her drool before nodding.
"Everyone in Sickbay saw how the Captain stormed in and how you diverted him into your office. After I finish treating you, they'll know that you gave the Captain an outlet on someone other than them. Could we make that two hours?"
McCoy gave a slight smile back to his nurse as he relaxed down onto the biobed to start the repairs.
"Two hours is doable."
Under the sonics, Kirk finished regaining his composure and reflected that it was a good thing that he and McCoy already understood each other so well. Otherwise, his anger might have damaged their relationship. He began to muse then over what could possibly be going on with Spock and whether or not it might be something they could use to bring Spock in tighter to them.
Spock was a tough nut to crack. He was going along with them so far, but the Vulcan's interactions with McCoy were strained, to say the very least. If Spock started to contribute as whole-heartedly as McCoy did? They could go from being highly formidable to damn near unstoppable with Pike watching their backs from Headquarters.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Kirk turned off the sonics and pulled on a new uniform. As many times as he came to Sickbay, Kirk had taken to keeping a spare uniform in the office and this was far from the first time he'd made use of it.
There was still a sour smell in the office, so Kirk overrode the security lock and moved over to where Chapel was finishing up her work on McCoy.
"Someone needs to be sent in to clean the Doctor's office. Pick whoever is on your bad side, nurse."
Chapel knew a dismissal when she heard one. She only took enough time to turn off the equipment before leaving the two men alone.
"Come on, Bones. I want some privacy, a strong drink and a story. Not necessarily in that order. Your office stinks, so we'll go to my quarters."
Pleased that McCoy didn't hesitate to take his hand when Kirk extended it to help him up, Kirk smiled and laid a hand across McCoy's shoulders, though this time he was careful not to put pressure on the newly repaired area. The walk to the Captain's quarters was made in companionable silence for once.
After Kirk entered his security code and they entered, Kirk frowned.
"We need to add eating to the list. Let's see if we can talk the replicator into something resembling actual food."
"I'll fight with the replicator, you get the drinks, Jim. Remember the old Vulcan that took out Nero for us?"
"How could I forget? What about him?"
"Remember I told you that he mind-melded with me? Well, seemed that the McCoy he knew wasn't closely associated with a Betazoid."
"So? The other . . you didn't have sense enough to get a Betazoid nanny. What's that got to do with anything?"
Placing plates down on the table, McCoy chuckled.
"That Spock wasn't expecting me to be at ease with mental connections. I surprised him enough that I was able to wiggle past some of his shields and see a few things. Caught a glimpse of a few of his memories with the other McCoy and Kirk. I don't have details because the memories seem fuzzy. Almost like the old Spock was remembering something from a fever dream. It was some sort of Vulcan ritual where that Spock and Kirk were fighting over a Vulcan woman in front of several Vulcan spectators and myself. Well, the other McCoy."
Scoffing, Kirk shook his head.
"Why the hell would I fight for a Vulcan bitch? I have more than enough women on board."
"Like I said, I have no details, but I have the impression it was to save a life. Possibly Spock's."
Settling into his chair at the table, Kirk passed over a drink to McCoy before leaning back.
"So it was the three of them together there. Do you think they were a unit like we're trying to form?"
"I don't think so - I know so. I have a feeling it was this fight that solidified something."
"Fine. First we eat, then we pay a visit to Spock. I want more answers and fewer questions."