Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek. T for swearing.

Bones's fingers absolutely do not shake as they tap in the medical override code to the Captain's quarters' and no, he is not using more force than necessary. His heart pounds loudly in his ears, partially due to his breakneck sprint down from sickbay, the rest due to his barely suppressed panic stemming from the still-ringing medscanner in his hand spewing all sorts of bad news.

The door slides open with the snick engineers still haven't figured out how to silence and he doesn't wait for the two nurses still a hallway and a half away with a gurney in tow to catch up. He barges into the room, past the low sofa and desk unit and marches straight into the bedroom. The scene in front of him casts him with a spell of deja vu.

Jim is lying in the center of the bed, sheets tangled around his wrists and ankles, face half-planted in a pillow, his mouth ajar. Bones hesitates at the threshold for barely a moment before whipping out the tricorder and ghosting it over the sleeping form of his most frustrating friend. He frowns at the readout, but not an 'oh-my-god-Jim-is-dead' frown, more like a 'huh-Jim-isn't-actually-dying' frown, one of puzzlement and slight inconvenience.

The scanner says Jim is sick. The scanner does not say that Jim's heart has stopped, that he's flatlining or not breathing. The scanner says that he has a fever of about 38.2 degrees; that he's a bit congested, slightly dehydrated, and has a bit of a headache. His frown turns into a scowl and he hears a commotion from the front room announcing the arrival of his nurses and the gurney. When he looks up from the scanner, his hazel eyes meet slits of blue.

Jim's frown mirrors his own. His brow is furrowed and he licks his lips and lifts his head off the pillow, squinting in the dim light. "Bones?" he asks, voice thin. He shifts in bed to a more vertical position; the sheet falls away to reveal a shirtless torso. Bones's gaze flits to the shoulder where only a few hours earlier he had placed a small biosensor. He's not really all that surprised to see that it's gone, but he is a bit surprised to see a pink, slightly risen rash in its shape where it used to be. He bites back a sigh; Jim would be allergic to the adhesive used.

Bones just shakes his head and loads up a hypo while Jim peers groggily at him. "Bones, what's wrong?"

The doctor points to his shoulder in response. "What'd you do, scratch it off in your sleep?"

Jim looks even more confused. Using his opposite hand, he feels the place where the scanner used to be. "Oh," he says simply. "Guess I did. Oops." That explains the gurney and two nurses occupying his living room. He feels for the tiny monitor somewhere in his bed; it's stuck to the mattress under one of his pillows. He holds it up, looking sheepish. "Uh. Sorry?"

"Nah, it's okay kid; I probably should have known. You're just so damn unpredictable sometimes." To the nurses, Bones says: "He's fine; the scanner came off in his sleep." They leave, slightly miffed, and Bones turns back to his hypo, which Jim eyes carefully from the bed.

"Could you say my unpredictability is getting predictable?" There's a shadow of a smile on his lips; his voice still has a rough edge to it, but nothing like it sounded before.

"Ha ha, kid. I swear, becoming your CMO has taken at least 10 years off my life." Bones holds up the hypo for Jim to survey. "You have a bit of a fever and a headache, if I'm not mistaken. Nothing really to worry about, but this'll help you feel better." He expects Jim to wave it off. He expects Jim to shrug, offer a half-smirk and be like "No thanks, Bones, you know me," but he doesn't. He turns his head, exposing the juncture of his neck. Outwardly surprised, Bones presses the hypo home.

Jim sighs with relief. "Thanks, Bones," he says and sinks down into the mattress, eyes already slipping closed. "Man," he mutters. "Being sick really blows."

Bones just shakes his head again, a fond smile creeping up his face. He pats Jim's sheet-clad hip once and rises from his uncomfortable crouch. "Comm me if you need anything. Feel better, kid."

Jim doesn't even grunt in response, for he is already asleep.

Epilogue

A day and a half later, Jim strolls onto the bridge, his head held high, and he tries not to beam. Starship captains certainly don't beam when they take up their post, no matter how good it feels to stroll through the door and hear the exclamation of "Captain on the bridge!"

His skin is pink and his eyes sharp, none of that sallow beige and dullish grey from the previous few days. There's a spring in his step, his back is straight, and even if he is a smidgen paler than usual, it's not like anyone else notices.

No, he doesn't quite beam as he takes his seat in his chair and the bridge crew swivel in their own to welcome him back. They had all collectively thought about standing to greet him, but they each decided on their own that they must play it cool. A starship crew must keep their cool at all times, no matter how glad they are to see their captain in full health.

And, well, if the atmosphere is a bit sunnier, if everyone looks a little happier to be there, where's the harm in that?

Spock, however, rises to his feet in a single fluid motion. "Captain," he says, inclining his head respectably. "It is good to see you are well. Welcome back."

Jim finally allows himself to break into a grin. "Thank you, Mister Spock," he says. "It's certainly good to be back." Oh man, he thinks. Is it ever.

end, fucking finally

A/N: [laughs into the heavens] it's been 14 months, but at least I updated, right? -insert fast apology about how it was my last year of high school, first semester of college, about how I had to manage my actual life and junk and how now I am technically a published writer? (it's a short story, but like in a book and everything. PM me for details if you want because im not too comfortable posting my Real Name on FFN. it's a story about gays in the future)- Oh man, last year was wild.

Thanks for sticking with this story, and thank you so much for reading. As always, feedback is much appreciated.