Author's Note: I'm back! So here's the sequel to A Bond Stronger Than Blood, if you haven't read it that's ok, but I'm going to be referring to it off and on. So here is my updating schedule: I'm starting my summer job this coming week and it requires me to be elsewhere for almost the whole week. So I'll only be updating weekly instead of every three days. I can't say which day of the week, but it will definitely be once a week. This is also good because I haven't written much of this story (inevitable procrastination kicked in). I also haven't proof read this story as much as the last one, so there will bound to be many mistakes, I apologize in advance.
Links: I'm still going to throw in an occasional link now and again, so look forward to those!
Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once: I don't own, I don't get paid.
Chapter 1:
" . . . and besides a broken finger from Ensign Jeeves there has been no activity in Medical Bay. End entry."
"Entry stopped. Save entry?"
"Yes, and send the report to First Officer Spock."
"Entry saved. Sending report . . . Report sent. Options?"
"I'm done for today, hibernate."
"Have a good day, Dr. McCoy. Hibernating."
Leonard rubbed his face and slouched down into his chair. Today was a reflection of every day this past week. When he had signed on to Starfleet he thought that he would encounter new diseases and be in the middle of space fights and such, not sitting around aimlessly and re-cleaning his 'bay for the tenth time. Medical had hit a snag of inactivity and it was starting to drive the personnel up the walls. McCoy had sent Christine to the lab for a second time this week to check up on various samples and to clean up the place. She had rolled her eyes and muttered something about stopping by communications.
The doctor stared at his consol for a minute more before standing up, stretching, and meandering towards various places in the bay. Just to check to see if everything was in order of course. He checked the time, the shift would be changing soon. That didn't really matter to him too much, he was working a double shift today. He worked a lot of double shifts along with Christine, in fact, most of the crew worked double shifts. Ever since the Narada incident there just weren't enough people to go around. Enterprise wasn't even at its full capacity of 450 people.
For four months they had been running on a skeleton crew, thankfully the Enterprise hadn't run into any serious problems that couldn't be handled by this small group of people. They were an amazing group of people as well, extraordinary and brilliant in their separate areas. The ship was organized out of the youngest set Starfleet personnel ever to venture the unknown of space. It was truly a sight to see, but it also created an unending headache for one Chief Medical Officer.
Young people had a tendency to do rash things, and it was McCoy that had to pick up the pieces afterwards. Which brought him back to the present. Such low activity in the Sickbay was cause for concern (not that he wanted the Sickbay to be full of activity, but it was highly unusual), and the only thing Leonard could do was wait for a wave of injured to come strolling in. They always came in waves.
Leonard went over to the comm, pressed the button, and waited for a second, "Uhura, what's the update?"
Her voice sounded exasperated, "Still the same as the last time you checked . . . an hour ago. There's no aggressive activity down on the surface."
"Okay, thanks Uhura. Keep me posted."
McCoy sighed, finally an away mission that wasn't erupting in violence. He should be ecstatic, but he was just so damn bored.
Christine walked in, "Everything is in tip top shape in the lab."
McCoy nodded, he didn't really expect there to be anything new. He checked the time again, "You're shift is over Chapel, why don't you get something to eat."
Christine nodded and went over to the main consol and signed off, the computer making a note of her hours. "I'll bring you some food, and maybe some cards. We can pass the time with a game or two."
Leonard shook his head, "Don't you have better things to do than entertain an old man?"
She shook her head, "Not really. All my friends are sleeping, besides, Sickbay is basically home," her lips quirk up, "We sleep, eat, and pass the time in here, it's basically our whole world."
Wow, that was kind of pathetic. A sad testament to his life since it was absolutely true. He really hadn't spent any time in his quarters during the course of this mission so far. His whole life revolved around Sickbay, and maybe other parts of the ship like the Bridge. As Christine left, Leonard leaned against one of the biobeds and let his gaze travel the length of his 'bay.
Why was he up in space? The question popped up every now and then. At least on Earth he could've gone somewhere else if he was bored or stressed. Here, he was stuck with hundreds of other people in this enclosure, with only a few feet of material between the deep black and himself. It sucked.
Jim didn't mind it. Of course, he got to go off ship more often than most. McCoy would have tried to worm his way off ship more often, it was just that the transporter gave him the heebie geebies. It just wasn't natural. With a sigh he straightened up and went to the supply closet where they kept a cheap card table. Setting it up he went in search of sufficient items that could be used as chairs.
McCoy smirked, Jim had no idea that his medical staff had a habit of playing cards and other games to pass the more monotonous hours. The captain often thought they all had sticks up their asses and that they went by the rulebook (so to speak). Leonard, though, encouraged his team to find time to relax and have a bit of fun, and if it happened to be while they were on shift, so be it. The doctor found that it helped the nurses to focus and be more efficient when they were in an actual emergency. The nurses also knew how far McCoy would tolerate it. If they started slacking off on the job, Leonard came down on them like vengeance from heaven.
"Do you have a five?"
"Go fish."
"Damn."
"Do you have a queen, doctor?"
"How do you do that, Christine?"
"It's a gift, but it's easier when your opponent sucks at Go Fish."
"Brat."
Finally McCoy throws down his cards and huffs at the injustice of the universe, "Why is it that I can never win any game I have ever played?"
"I'm sure you're talented in other areas, Leo."
He snorts, "Right, stop trying to suck up to me."
She grins and was about to retort when a whistle sounded, Uhura's voice floated to them, "Doctor McCoy, the away team is coming back, there is still no report for any medical assistance."
Leonard hit the button, "Thanks Uhura, I'll wait down in the transporter room just in case."
He picks up his tricorder and turns to his nurse, "Hold down the fort until I get back. Oh, and clean up our card mess, don't need to have Jim know what we do in our spare time."
She smiles and nods, shuffling the cards and packing everything up. McCoy turned a started walking down the pristine hallways that was Enterprise. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he was up here gallivanting around in space, but then again, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Next week (sometime): Sulu walks into a bar (well, no . . . he walks into the Medical Bay :D )