Title: For the Greater Good
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek TOS
Characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Summary: If Jim only knew what a great common interest he was for two officers aboard his ship… Just a silly look at the trio.

“Where did I put those confounded specs?” Leonard McCoy mutters at his PADD. Christine Chapel, entering a section of the med bay empty except for McCoy, turns the device in his hands to where she can see its screen and navigates through a menu system. He sighs after the two seconds it takes her to locate the missing forms. “This thing is worse than paper,” he complains, relinquishing the device to her.

“Imagine the mess I’d have to clean up if you kept paper documents, Doctor,” Christine counters.

“Why, Nurse Chapel, are you implying something?” he drawls.

She smiles at him slightly. “Not a thing.”

He cannot decide if he wants to pursue an argument or not, then concludes it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Christine isn’t a Vulcan; she’s female, which is an entirely unique class unto itself. He likes his skin intact.

With an almost smug, knowing look, the woman walks away with a swing of her hips and returns to her business. McCoy folds his arms, suppresses the twitch of a smile, and looks around his department with sharp blue eyes. When the alert of a communication cuts into the quietness of the bay, he answers it, already knowing who is interrupting his work day.

“Captain,” he says, bypassing his standard ‘McCoy here’, “you’d better have a good reason for bothering me at this hour. I’m busy.” Which isn’t exactly the truth since he had been bored enough to try and organize the folders on his PADD and gotten miserably confused at the structure of the device’s data system instead.

There is a moment of silence before a familiar (but not Jim Kirk) voice filters through the comm speaker. “Doctor McCoy, this is Commander Spock.”

Oh god. Leonard’s face heats up. Of all people, he thinks, why’d it have to be Spock?

Bristling in defense rather than admitting his embarrassment at his mistake, Leonard asks brusquely, “And what’s your business with Sickbay, Mr. Spock?”

“The Captain appears unwell.”

There isn’t that subtle hint of panic in Spock’s voice which usually precedes news like ‘Jim had an unpleasant reunion with Klingons’ or ‘Jim consumed the one vegetable on his dinner plate that could kill him’ but nevertheless McCoy switches to instant alert. “Where is he?” he asks, skirting around the desk to reach the supply cabinet and retrieve a medical tricorder.

“Currently, the Captain—”

A second, surprised voice echoes in the background, exclaiming “Spock! What are you—!”

“—is in his quarters,” finishes Spock.

Kirk’s voice immediately overlaps Spock’s through the communication line. “There is no emergency, Doctor McCoy. As you were.”

Sadly, Jim ends his statement with a congested cough.

Leonard announces, “Be there in a minute.”

“Thank you, Doctor” comes the serene reply. The communication cuts out in the middle of a heated denial from Jim.

“House call,” Leonard tells Chapel when he passes her in the medical bay. “Captain’s got the flu again.”

“I’ll prepare the restraints and check the replicator for chicken noodle soup.” She may be serious-faced but her tone borders on cheeky.

McCoy hmms in thought for a second. “I might just let ‘im stay in his room.”

“You said that last time, too,” the nurse points out. “Three hours later…” She doesn’t need to recount the events to make her point.

Leonard almost grins. “What can I say? I hope for the best.”

“I would think by now we all know what’s best for Captain Kirk, even if he doesn’t. Just comm me when you want the team to transport him.”

“Spock and I will handle that part. Jim’s not so hard to move when he’s unconscious.”

Christine shakes her head and pretends to be interested in notes on her PADD. “I didn’t hear that.”

“Good, ’cause I never said it.” The Sickbay doors slide open and Leonard slips through them, tapping a medkit against his thigh as he walks down the corridor at a quick pace.

By the time he makes it to the Captain’s quarters, Jim is sprawled on his bed seemingly asleep (and possibly drooling), which is exceedingly convenient for McCoy. He performs a quick and unhindered check of the man with his tricorder, then takes Kirk’s pulse by hand. Wordlessly Spock picks up the oblivious Captain at McCoy’s nod of confirmation, and together they head back to the medical bay.

“This is gettin’ easier,” Leonard says to his Vulcan companion some time later.

“The learning curve was… interesting,” Spock responds thoughtfully. “I believe, however, we have developed a process which works well.”

Christine Chapel pokes her head into the CMO’s office, not quite grinning. “He’s awake and not happy.”

Leonard finishes his glass of brandy. “Well, joy of joys, here we go.”

Spock quickly stands. “I must return to the lab.”

“Abandoning me in the middle of battle, Spock?” Leonard grumps mildly. “I shoulda known.”

Spock lifts an eyebrow. “On the contrary, Doctor. I am merely acknowledging that given your expertise and experience, you are better prepared to handle this situation than I am.”

Spock’s learning how to appease humans. Good for him, McCoy thinks approvingly. “Go on, then. I’ll let you know when Jim’s ready to forgive you.”

Spock tips his head in silent gratitude, and the two men leave the office. Spock returns to his work and McCoy seeks out a biobed containing a sick Captain.

“This is mutiny,” Jim says sourly when the doctor approaches. A fever has deepened the color in his face. “If I didn’t think the universe would end first, I’d say you and Spock were plotting against me, Bones.”

“Jim,” Leonard says with warm amusement, watching the man fruitlessly attempt to open one of his wrist restraints, “you have no idea. But let’s ignore that for now, and talk about your condition. Do you recall the rules from your last stay, or shall I refresh your memory?”

Jim groans with feeling.

-Fini

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