A.N: Hello Everyone! After reading everyone's super kind, helpful and amazing reviews (Thank you so much btw!) when I first wrote the original story, it honestly was very hard for me to actually put an end to McCoy, so I immediately had to write a happy ending! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

Valiant Men Live Forever

Alternative Ending

"Leonard…" Jim pleaded as his voice cracked; waiting for light to engulf them and take them to the ship, Jim laid a hand on McCoy's neck; it was cold and clammy, not sure if it was just from the rain, he pressed his fingers harder into the older mans' jugular, noticing the red around his mouth from where McCoy had spat his own blood. Kirk tried to swallow the massive lump that was forming in his own throat when he felt warmness and bright lights around him. He did not look up. His eyes were beginning to water and blur

In the next millisecond all Kirk heard was Scotty, "oh my Lord…"

Spock soon came through the doors and witnessed the gruesome sight in front of him.

"We need a medical team in transporter room two" Spock said, he said as he tried to hide the shakiness in his usually confident and smooth voice.

Kirk looked up at Spock, his fingers still firmly pressed into his friends' neck. Feeling the warmness of his ship around him, he realized how cold and wet he was; every limb was useless and numb. Kirk looked back down at McCoy, relaxing his hand and pulling it away from his neck.

"Bones" Jim pleaded

Christine Chapel and two of the other nurses came through the door at this time. Christine took in the sight of both men, wet and exhausted and her boss clearly badly injured. She swooped in, lightly wedging herself between Kirk and the doctor.

"Excuse me, Captain" she said with a quiet politeness, while beginning to work quickly

She hastily pulled a tricorder out and began scanning her boss. Noticing the jagged hole in his side leaking blood, she immediately pressed both her hands to the wound and looked at the captain and observed that both of his hands were slick with McCoy's blood. Chapel outwardly remained calm, while inside she began to panic. Leonards' face was pale and his lips had a slight tinge of bluish grey to them with blood around his mouth, he also appeared to not be breathing. She knew she needed to work quickly, her bosses life literally depended on her haste.

"Get him on a stretcher now, and I need oxygen and a cardio stimulator!" Christine barked the orders as she placed a hand on Leonards' chest. It was barely moving, but as she tucked her hand underneath his wet robes to feel his skin, his chest was still somewhat warm and she felt a very weak thud. She was practically betting on his stubborn personality to pull him through at this point.

"Come on Leonard" She whispered to him as the nurses rushed him down the hallway to sickbay.

Kirk followed closely behind still in his wet robes, leaving a small trail of drips down the corridor. Spock walked briskly following the wet trail that Kirk left, only to find when he caught up with him he had been shoved outside the sickbay doors, told to wait by an agitated nurse.

"Jim" Spock took his position on Kirks' left side and seeing how exhausted in his Captain looked, he tipped his head toward him and suggested that he get some rest. "I shall inform you of any change"

Kirk for once did not argue with his First Officer "thanks Spock" he nodded and headed for his quarters, looking at the floor as he went. He slogged into his quarters, shrugging off the robes and leaving them in a heap. He stood in the middle of the room in his black undershirt, clutching a piece of his friends' ripped robe in his hand. Sighing and dragging a hand across his face, Kirk couldn't help but worry about his best friend, after all it was his fault that Bones was half dead in sickbay; no, not 'dead' he thought to himself, he paced around his quarters, his mind a screaming mess of thoughts.

~Meanwhile in Sickbay~

"He's going into cardiac arrest! Get me that cardio stimulator!" Chapel yelled over the blaring alarms on the biobed

"Clear!" Christine pushed the paddles to McCoy's chest, his body arcing off the bed. She got a couple blips in response, but he flat-lined again. His body lying still on the bio-bed make Christine feel ill and that much more determined for a miracle.

"Again!" Christine demanded

"Charging to three hundred joules!" A nurse replied

McCoy's back arched again, only to come back down again, hitting the biobed with an unsettling thump. But this time his heart obeyed and began to pump on its own, creating once again its steady, strong rhythm. Christine breathed out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. When Leonard tried to breath, his collapsed lung prevented him from taking in enough oxygen; once again making the biobed alarms begin to blare from lack of oxygen to its patient. Chapel grabbed a sterilization pack and medical grade poly-plastic tubing from a nearby drawer. Wiping the blood from the sucking chest wound, she separated the torn skin with her gloved fingers and quickly inserted the tubing all the way into his lung cavity, allowing air to re-inflate the organ. She taped the tube in place and ran a dermal regenerator over the area to help with the bruising.

Christine sighed with relief as she and the nurses had stabilized him for now and she'd gotten McCoy out of the wet robes and into a warm sickbay gown, covered in heated blankets to try and get his body temperature back up. McCoy had an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and his heart rate became steadier. She checked on the tube hanging out of his side, making sure it was still secure and draining the fluid that had built up in his lungs. Sitting down by his bedside, she took his hand in hers and lightly pressed a kiss to it. Christine was delighted to feel most of the warmth had come back to his skin and decided to let Spock and the Captain know of McCoy's progress soon

After hours of watching him, Christine stood and stretched her back, getting a better angle to look at Leonard; she lightly placed a hand on his chest to feel him breathe. He looked so calm and relaxed while he was in his healing sleep. Christine was eager to see her boss's blue eyes again, but she knew he needed the rest.

"Mppphhh…" McCoy grunted in his sleep while he tried to turn over to get comfortable

Fearing her touch had hurt him, Christine lifted her hand off his chest and slowly ran it though his brown hair, tousling it. McCoy's grunt became a low moan at her touch. She yawned and checked Leonard's vitals again before deciding he was well enough to inform the Captain and the First Officer. Walking to the door of sickbay she knew Spock would be there, patiently waiting on her report.

The Vulcan was standing there with his hands interlocked behind his back when she opened the door.

"Spock, will you let the Captain know that McCoy is stable?" Christine said with a tired smile to Spock as she leaned against the doorway of Sickbay.

"Yes, Nurse" he nodded while discretely trying to listen to McCoy's heart monitor from inside sickbay.

~Captain Kirks Quarters~

Kirk was still pacing around his quarters when his door chimed.

"Come" He said restlessly. Kirk quickly discarded the small piece of fabric of McCoy's robe and stopped mid pace to face the door.

"Captain, I advised you to rest"

Kirk dismissed his First Officers comment with a wave of his hand and looked him in the eye "Any word on McCoy?"

"Yes Captain, I come bearing good news" Spock had a glint in his eye and his eyebrow rose far into his hairline as he allowed a small smirk to play across his lips "Nurse Chapel tells me McCoy is stable"

Kirk clapped his hands together and smiled "then what are we still doing here?!"

He practically leapt out of his quarters and quickly walked down the corridor. Arriving, Jim stopped outside the sickbay doors, adjusting his gold uniform and nodding to his First Officer. He walked in, both excited and very nervous to see his best friend, only to be stopped by Nurse Chapel

"Captain, Doctor McCoy is stable, but he is still weak, please don't keep him awake long" She tucked her hands behind her back and walked away, leaving them.

Kirk apprehensively walked over to McCoy's bedside and took the older mans' still somewhat pale hand. McCoy stirred at the warm grasp of his hand.

"Bones, I'm so sorry…I'm glad you're okay" He choked out

McCoy shifted on the biobed, groaning as he did so. McCoy's face scrunched and he slowly opened his blue eyes, squinting against the light. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. Turning his head towards the voice, McCoy blinked as the shape above him cleared

"J…Jim?" McCoy croaked out, his voice sounding like he hadn't used it in years.

Kirk almost burst into tears at the sound of his name coming from his friend.

"Wh… Happened?" McCoy asked, staring at Kirk and Spock. He took a deep breath and felt the tear in his side, wrenching forward in pain he grasped at the wound, feeling the tube sticking out of his own body.

"You were stabbed by a Romulan…" Kirk started, not really giving much information further on the subject, as his guilt was boring a hole in his stomach. He looked away, anywhere but McCoy's blue eyes that were filled with pain.

"Doctor, your lung was punctured by the blade" Christine had come back to check on the three men after about five minutes. She placed a hand on Kirk and Spocks shoulder, knowing how difficult it was for the Captain to admit that he left his best friend alone when he was critical.

"Are you alright Jim?" McCoy asked after he licked his dry lips.

Kirk scoffed and smirked "Jesus Bones, you get stabbed and you're asking me if I'm okay?" he laughed

McCoy let out a short guttural laugh as he grasped Kirks hand. His face quickly changed from laughter to pain as the jarring of the laugh pulled at the incredibly sore muscles and soft tissues of his chest. He sucked in a breath and groaned, closing his eyes in frustration.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid Doctor McCoy needs rest" Christine stepped in, fussing over Leonard

"Understood Nurse" Spock stated as he stood, the Captain following his actions.

"Sp…ock?" McCoy opened one blurry eye to try and see the pointy eared First Officer

"I am here doctor" Spock laid his thin hand across McCoy's collar bone "Rest, Doctor. We shall see you again when you are stronger" with that, Spock quietly spun on his heel and gathered the captain with his forearm.

Together Kirk and Spock respectfully walked back to the doors, but Kirk stopped in the doorway to look at his best friend again. With the last look, Kirk assured himself that Bones was in good hands and was safe.

Christine stayed standing next to Leonard's bedside, taking readings and adjusting the monitors above the bed when McCoy reached out and lightly took her arm

"Chris…" He longed for answers "Tell me what happened"

She took his hand in her own, looking him directly into his deep blue eyes "Leonard, please, you're tired; I promise I'll tell you when you wake up"

He sighed, not putting up too much of a fight other than a grunt and a tired eyebrow raise.

It had been two days and McCoy was just barely back on his feet; trips back and forth from the biobed to his office. Christine was telling him everything that happened; the stabbing, Kirk looking for the device and how guilty he felt, but the worst part was him almost dying. It took McCoy a while to swallow the whole situation. They sat in his office for hours, just talking. He felt so overwhelmed at what she had revealed to him, Leonard fought the urge to smoke to ease the tension. Despite the urge, it was nice to talk to his head nurse one on one; he admired her calm and thoroughness in explaining everything. He'd never really noticed just how blonde her hair was, or the way her smile seemed to delightfully tilt sideways when she was looking directly at him. She really was beautiful.

Christine did her best to help him through it, and not allowing Kirk to visit him again was one of her rules; for at least two days. She was afraid that Leonard wouldn't forgive him for leaving him alone slumped on that wall for too long, bleeding out. She knew that Leonard would eventually forgive him, but for right now, after all she had told him, he had every reason to be as pissed as he was.

In the next couple of days Kirk approached McCoy's office cautiously and knocked softly on the door, hesitating when there wasn't an immediate answer. Kirk quickly made up his mind that Bones was angry with him and he was about to turn away from the door, but something inside of him made him stop and call out softly

"Bones?"

More hesitation and then a muffled, almost unsure "Come in, Jim" came through the door

Jim walked through the doorway and stood in front of his desk like a schoolboy about to be scolded by a principal. He had his hands down by his sides, pressing his thumbnails against his forefingers, obviously apprehensive about the situation. Bones was sitting in his chair pushed back with his feet up on the desk and was spinning a small metal box in between his fingers. Jim could see the bulkiness of the bandages underneath McCoy's blue tunic and it was a harsh reminder that this was most of his fault

"Would you be alright to take a walk?" Kirk blurted out, his words slicing through the awkwardness in the air.

McCoy raised an eyebrow skeptically; he nodded and got up from his desk, leaning most of his weight on the desk as he flattened his hand against his ribs. He felt the thickness of the bandages underneath his soft, blue uniform tunic. Bones gestured toward the door and they both walked out of Sickbay

"Jim" He turned and put his hand on Kirks chest, his voice getting very low and gravely "I'm not mad at you anymore, if that's what you're thinking" he said as they slowly turned a corner away from preying eyes "when I woke up, I was very hot under the collar with you…"

Knowing his CMO was furious with him at any point made Kirks' face flush with embarrassment. Bones cleared his throat "…but, you did what you did to protect the ship, and as this ships' CMO I understand your command decision. But as your friend, damnit Jim, couldn't you have found that thing quicker?" He joked as a hearty laugh escaped him, trying to make light of the conversation and ease his Captains' awkwardness.

Bones clapped a hand on his Captain's shoulder and grinned ear to ear when Kirk shook his head at chuckled at his CMO.

"Bones, you almost…" Kirk began in a more serious tone

"Jim" McCoy cut him off with a wave of his hand

"It's gonna' take a lot more than a knife to keep me down, Jim" Bones proudly thumped his chest above his heart with his fist as he said so; his Southern accent flaring prominently.

THE END