"What ails you but does not kill you makes you stronger," David said, as he sat on his lawn chair with his eyes on the water.

"What if doesn't make me stronger?" nine year old Leonard McCoy asked, as his over sized hat fell down.

"It will!" David slid the hat up with a laugh.

"I am goin' to be a soccer player when I grow up," McCoy said.

"Then what if you get hurt?" David asked. "how you are going to fix yourself up?"

"Pa, that is never goin' to happen," McCoy said.

"But it could," David said. "and what if you can't help yourself? Can't. . . defend yourself against the disease and bacteria and space out there?" he gestured out toward the sky. "completely naked!"

"PA!" McCoy said.

"You will be a naked soccer player," David said.

"No, I won't," McCoy said. "because what ails me makes me stronger."

David smiled.

"Right, kid," David said, with a laugh turning the little boys hat in a circle messing with his hair. "you are goin' change your mind after you find your callin'." he shook his long index finger. "just you watch."

"What does that phrase mean?" McCoy asked. "the whole ails thin'."

"It is just a phrase," David said. "medical professionals understand it. Most. But not me-OOOHH, I GOT A BI' ONE!"

McCoy was tending to a patient on a planet side mission.

"Doctor, you are really leaving?" the patient said.

"Yes sirrey, Giles," McCoy said.

"I am going miss a doctor like you," Giles said.

"You are the healthiest patient I met," McCoy said. "healthy like an ox."

"I want you to have some fun," Giles said.

"Explorin' space?" McCoy said. "I doubt it."

"Like being a doctor?" Giles asked.

"I enjoy it," McCoy said, as he bounced.

"Have you told your mother?" Giles asked.

"She is happy for me," McCoy said. "Joanna is quite happy that I finally got around to explorin' space."

"That is good," Giles said.

"Uh huh," McCoy said.

His hands were trembling as he held the hypospray in one hand.

"How does it feel about to serve under the youngest captain?" Giles asked.

"Ah, be quiet," McCoy said.

"Hmmm?" Giles said, cupping the side of his ear. "I didn't get the answer, Len."

"I am. . . anticipating. . ." McCoy started to get wobbly as he dropped the tricorder.

He felt dizzy. His eyes looked up in the direction of the Hondurian whose eyes were full of confusion. He felt light headed. Wait, how did he get here? He closed his eyes then reopened them seeing they were not there. But there was! Was his brain creating false memories? Or was he just generally getting confused with his trouble vision? Or was it a hallucination? His vision had been failing in the past hour that he dismissed as anticipation for the Enterprise. The youngest man in the fleet. He was going to serve under the youngest captain. His vision blurred as the Hondurian came into view reaching his hand out for the human. And then his vision turned to black.

"Lenny," Eleanor, McCoy's mother, came. She was sitting by the biobed where her son laid. "Lenny."

McCoy's eyes slowly opened.

"Mo. . . Ma?" McCoy's baby blue eyes opened to see the black, broad shouldered woman looking back at him. "Why are ya here?"

"You are not well," Eleanor said. McCoy laughed, until he fell into a coughing spell.

"How bad is it?" McCoy said.

"Well the doctors here have no idea what you contracted," Eleanor said, with a grim expression on her face. "Joanna . . . she is on her way," McCoy attempted to straighten himself up leaning against the pillow. "Sweetie, you can't move."

"Ow," McCoy said. "My pride hurts."

"Lenny," Eleanor said.

"Ma," McCoy said, with a cough. "does this mean I missed my next assignment?"

"Ssssh," Eleanor said. "don't think of that ship. You need to get better. Think about that."

"These hands aren't supposed to be doin' nothin'," McCoy said.

"Your hands were made to be laid on your lap, mister," Eleanor said.

McCoy laughed, with a cough. He did not have a bad chest cold. If he did, he would have a cloggy nose and not feel well while resting in his assigned quarters by now. It felt like the source of his misery was coming from his chest rather than the head. What did he catch? He didn't feel at all well. His vision was quite blurry up close. He didn't see how worried his mother was. He didn't see that he was in a patient outfit. He didn't know that outside laid a planet surrounded by space. His baby blue eyes appeared to be glassy at first sight.

The doors opened from across the well aged black woman. In entered a young man with blonde hair and a muscular like build and hazel eyes along a Vulcan who looked generic at best if it wasn't for that unusual sight of navy blue eyeliner. Their arms were linked behind their back military style. The Vulcan sleeves indicated that he was a lieutenant commander while in a blue shirt with the emblem of the track he was in. The young man, highly likely, was a bridge officer. The Vulcan experienced shon-ha'lock, strong intimate emotions toward the man at first sight. It was a strong tug toward the man who looked beautiful but in reality was in bad shape. He could feel the faint line of the t'hy'la bond coming to life. He had read the man's file: lost his father a few months ago, his marriage years ago, and joined star fleet a day after the divorce was finalized. His entire being, inside, shivered feeling the link coming to life.

"Doctor McCoy, I am James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise," Jim said. McCoy's arched eyebrows raised up in surprise. He thought the captain would be one of those men who would not look like a nice man who would be his next door neighbor and have a crush on. "I heard you took ill after your recent posting on Galax IV."

"Recent postin'. . ." McCoy repeated, then he looked over toward his mother with confusion in his eyes. "Ain't I still on it, ma?"

Eleanor shook her head.

"You are on Starbase 1," Eleanor said. She looked over toward the two and she almost gasped. "Oh!" She covered her mouth staring at the Vulcan's direction. She uncovered her mouth. "You are Mr Spock."

"My first officer," Jim said, with a proud endearing smile looking toward Spock with love dotting eyes. Admiring him, actually, as it appeared to be. A smile grew on the older woman from across the two men.

"First officer now?" Eleanor said. "that is impressive."

"Greetings, Miss McCoy," Spock gave the Vulcan salute.

"It's Ellie, Mr Spock," Eleanor said, then she turned toward McCoy's direction. "this is the Vulcan I told you about," she gestured over her shoulder. "the one who nerve pinched the rogue Klingon."

"Than-" McCoy coughed. "you."

"It was nothing," Spock said. "I am not the one to be thanked."

"Yes, you do," McCoy said.

"Your mother should be thankful she had the vocals to call for help," Spock said.

"Uh uh," McCoy said. "you were nearby," he shook his weak index finger at the Vulcan. "You can't take that back!" He looked over toward the human man who was by his bedside with Spock stuck to his shoulder almost. Jim's hand was on the rail installed into the side of the biobed. "and why are you here, captain?"

"I decided to personally inform you that since you are off duty for the foreseeable future . . ." Jim said in all in one breath. "Lieutenant M'Benga has been . . ." McCoy realized all the rumors about his staccato speaking was not a joke. A living body of drama and goodwill standing right beside his biobed! "chosen to take your place." McCoy had a terrible cough.

"I heard of him," McCoy said. "worked with-" Cough! "the Vulcans."

"And humans," Jim said, his love sick eyes on the man. "I look forward to meeting you again when you are better."

"I hope so, too, captain," McCoy said.

"Call me Jim," Jim said.

McCoy had a hard hack.

"All right, Jim," McCoy said, with a nod.

"I will see you later, Mr Spock," Jim said, walking on out the room. McCoy had a much harder cough. He looked down to see in his hand was red fluid.

"Ma. . ." McCoy looked lazily over toward her. His mother held his free hand in her hand. He didn't see her face was full of horror. "am I supposed to not feel my legs?" His eyes slowly closed.

"Lenny," Eleanor said, her voice full of panic. "Lenny!"

Spock slid the woman away from the biobed as she devolved into a mess of screams and plead. Spock's fingers were placed around the woman's shoulders as he sensed the full extent of her distraught demeanor. He saw images of the doctor growing up flashing before his eyes. A baby in McCoy's arms but then it turned out to be McCoy's father watching the images of the two. The doctor hurled over the dead corpse of his father openly weeping and a dark hand placed on his shoulder. Several dark doctors came into the room with a rolling crate full of medical supplies. One of the doctors took out a hypospray then applied to his neck as his pulse was erratic.

"Get her out of here!" the first doctor shouted.

"Lenny, please, don't go," Eleanor sobbed, her hand out reached toward her son. "please don't leave me. My heart can't take this loss, please, stay!"

She was forced out of the room through the doorway due to Spock's superior strength. He let go of the woman allowing her to fall down into a heap, weeping. Her face twisted and covered in tears. Spock came down to her level where he sat alongside Eleanor, crisscrossed.

"I grieve with thee," Spock said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Instantly, he was struck with grief and emotional distress. He let go of the woman's shoulder using his years of training to control his emotions to keep them from effecting himself personally.

She raised her head up, her eyes sharp, and glared at him.

"He is not goin' to die," Eleanor said. "who do you think he is?"

"A human being by the name Leonard Horatio McCoy born 2227 to two parents, Eleanor McCoy and David McCoy, who cared for their son dearly," Spock said. "you are unable to control yourself due to the realization that the only link to your husband is dying. That has broken your heart, that cannot be ignored, Miss McCoy." She wiped a tear off. "And there is nothing you can do. It frustrates you that you are useless. Helpless. Vulnerable."

"What can I do?" Eleanor asked, her eyes red.

"Be there for him when you are able," Spock said.

Eleanor briefly closed her eyes then looked over toward Spock.

"You lost someone important to you?" Eleanor asked.

"My brother," Spock said. "he was exiled due to his . . what you will call. . . healing pain. He dealt with a different type of pain."

"What kind?" Eleanor asked.

"Trauma and the likes," Spock said. "survivors guilt, guilt in general, and he preferred to be called a counselor," she wiped another tear off. "but I do not believe he can be of any help."

"He could help my Lenny," Eleanor said. She cleared her throat. "he still has guilt killing his father. A mercy killin', poor sweetheart," She wiped another tear off her cheek. Her voice nearly cracked when she looked back up toward the Vulcan. "when he gets better."

"When he gets better," Spock agreed, with a nod. It was of little comfort to the human.

"McCoy's don't give up easily," Eleanor said. "he will give a good fight. Give it all he got."

"Your son, if he were to survive, this mysterious ailment then it may not be the same for him," Spock said. "he may not be the same man."

"What?" Eleanor said. "my little boy becomin' someone else?"

"It is known to happen," Spock said, as Eleanor got up.

"My boy is going to come back out of this with his soul, you devil!" Eleanor spat back at the Vulcan. "go back to your little ship in space and don't talk to me. Ever, about my son that way again." Her eyes were fierce staring back full of fury and anger.

"If that is what you prefer, Miss McCoy," Spock said, then he got up onto his feet and walked away.

A/N Made for the TOS Spones challenge and inspired by Grey's Anatomy's version of How to Save a Life.