Caring for the Caregiver - Star Trek XI

[Fuzzy&Warm]

Well the teaser trailer for the next Star Trek movie has finally been released the fandom is getting excited and I’m getting inspired to write fics.

Title: Caring for the Caregiver

Fandom: Star Trek XI

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Star Trek franchise and this is not intended to make any money.

Summary: Being one of the oldest crewmembers of the Enterprise McCoy finds himself in the role of father to over 400 hundred morons, and it’s starting to take its toll.

Caring for the Caregiver

“Goddamn it, Jim!”

McCoy shoved the hypo hard in Jim’s neck.

“Ow! Jeez, Bones, what the hell is your problem?!”

“My problem is that you can’t run an away mission to save your life!” McCoy yelled back, while ripping the tear on Jim’s pant leg open further so he could get a good look at the wound.

“Hey, I need those!”

“So go down to ship’s stores and get more. They keep extra in stock just like your shirts.”

“Very funny, Bones.”

“Wasn’t trying to be funny.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, Bones, lighten up! So the mission didn’t go quite to plan. Everyone’s back and safe, with minimal injuries. We got the scans Starfleet wanted, so what’s the big deal?”

McCoy just sighed, what was the point in trying to explain anything?

“Just don’t try to escape until Nurse Chapel finishes bandaging your leg all right?”

With that McCoy left through the privacy curtain, shaking his head as he past the other patients and disappeared into his office trying to get two minutes of peace.

McCoy slumped down at his desk as he thought about the…children his staff were treating out there. Any one of them could have died down there today and it was just through sheer dumb luck that they were only dealing with frostbite and mild to moderate hypothermia.

What was the big deal Jim had the nerve to ask? The big deal was that life was too precious to risk on crazy stunts just because everyone on this ship still thought they were immortal. The landing party should have practiced basic survival skills instead of carrying on just to finish the stupid mission and trusting that the ship would be able to contact them in time, because of course nothing bad could ever really happen to them. McCoy knew that one day something bad would happen and he would have to bear the responsibility when he couldn’t fix it. He didn’t want to deal with that and he would like his best friend to live to see his thirty birthday, instead of rushing head first into everything. Yeah none of that was a big deal. What did anyone care what he thought anyway? He was just the old grouchy tyrant of a doctor who no one ever wanted to see. McCoy rubbed his temples trying to soothe his growing tension headache.

All right he told himself that was enough wallowing in self-pity. It was time to get back out there and do his job, even if no one cared about it, but him. McCoy grabbed a quick drink of water from the dispenser as he left his office, thinking that the sooner they got the heat down again the better. All the hot recycled air was making his throat so dry.

[ID2006]

Yay, I've been missing the Star Trek fics.

[Spoo]

I agree with ick! There's been a serious lull in ST goodness. BUT! With the new movie coming out... This was great, F&W! I'm loving McCoy and, of course, his interaction with Jim. It's like an old dog looking after a rambunctious pup!

[Fuzzy&Warm]

Thanks for the comments guys. Hope I can keep the enjoyment going.

---

It was new record. The staff had actually gotten Jim to stay put for three solid hours before he finally escaped from sickbay. Most of that was probably due to Spock coming in to give constant reports about the ship, which McCoy knew was just his excuse to check on Jim’s condition any chance he could.

It was also Spock who had gotten Jim out of sickbay, sighting the logic that alpha shift was over and Jim would be more likely to rest now that he was officially off-duty. Also Spock promised to make sure Jim ate at least one good meal before workings on his reports for the day.

McCoy, whose head was still pounding away, was in no mood to argue and let them both leave.

Even though alpha shift was over McCoy and his staff weren’t done yet. The rest of the had patients to be released, there was clean-up to do, and inventory to perform now that they had used up supplies with treating the landing party.

Tasks were quickly delegated and McCoy was in the group checking supplies in the store room. So he found himself up on a ladder shuffling boxes around, and sniffling almost constantly much to his annoyance.

As he finished with one box he filled in the form on his PADD and sniffled once again, and then swore under his breath as that action made his nose start to tickle. He rubbed at his nose with his finger, trying to make the sensation go away. It worked for about a minute before the itch returned.

“Hehh…”

Unable to hold the sneeze off this time McCoy pinched his nose closed trying to contain it instead.

“Heh..heh…hhnggtt! Hngxtchh! Huhh-hemppshh!”

Stifling turned out to be a terrible idea as the pressure of holding in his sneezes caused his head to throb in pain, and McCoy had to fight down the urge to moan. Slowly he got down off the ladder to go find some aspirin, making a mental note to yell at whoever hadn’t been dusting off the shelves.

[ID2006]

OMG so I just saw the preview and was so hoping it would prompt some muses.

[Masking]

OMG BOOOOOONES.

[Always-a-Ginger]

Love the Jim/Bones interplay. Awesome!

[Fuzzy&Warm]

McCoy kept proper posture as he made his way to his quarters. He had to keep up a good example to the rest of the crew, but the moment the door closed he slumped against, exhausted. At last his shift was over and he was alone. Alone to deal with the small, small, bug he seemed to have come down with. Since his nose was still stuffy and there wasn’t any dust around to blame for it. Still, it was nothing serious and McCoy was certain he would be just fine in time for his next shift tomorrow so long as he rested and wasn’t disturbed. So, tossing a box of tissues on his bed so they would be in easy reach McCoy flopped down on the bed himself and quickly fell asleep.

***

McCoy woke up to find that he wasn’t alone in his bed anymore. Bright blue eyes were staring at him and McCoy rolled his own eyes.

“Jim, what the hell are you doing here?”

“What, no ‘hi, Jim’ no ‘how are you feeling?’”

“Hi, Jim, you still look like hell. Now go away.”

“Come on, Bones, I thought you’d be happy. I’m even resting the leg like you wanted.”

McCoy looked down to where Jim’s leg was propped up on a pillow.

“Yippee, go do it in your own bed,” McCoy said, as he rolled over away from Jim.

Never one to be deterred Jim just cuddled closer to McCoy, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his face in his hair.

“I like your bed better. Besides I missed you, you weren’t in the mess for dinner.”

“Wasn’t hungry. Look, Jim, now really isn’t a good t-time hehnxxstt! hehttchh!”

Jim moved back slightly in surprise as McCoy’s body shook with the force of his sneezes.

“You okay, Bones?” Jim asked, as he noticed that McCoy looked kind of pale.

“It’s nothing.”

Jim managed to roll McCoy back over so he could look at him better.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.”

“I’m fine. I just…just…heh-hehggntchh!”

“Don’t stifle like that, Bones you’ll hurt your head.”

“It already hurts. Now get out of here before you get sick too.”

“So, you do admit you’re sick.”

McCoy sat up and tried to glare at Jim, but the effort was a complete failure, because of how much his eyes were watering. “A little,” he admitted.

McCoy nose twitched and he tried to reach up to rub away the remaining tickle. Jim however, grabbed his hands and held them down.

“Jim, don’t I need to…snf!...need to sn-sn-huh…sneeze.”

Jim then took a few tissues from the box on the bed and held them up to McCoy’s nose. “Do it. Let it out.”

“Huh…huh’ESSh! ISSHuu! Hah…hehh…hehARSHUuu!”

Jim smirked as he threw the tissues away. “See, wasn’t so bad was it?”

McCoy didn’t answer, just grabbed for more tissues as his nostrils flared wide again.

“Hahhh…ahhhh…ASHHUU!”

“Bless you!”

McCoy blew his nose loudly and then collapsed back on the bed with a groan.

Jim frowned in concern. He put his hand against McCoy’s forehead softly, and pushed the box of tissues closer to him.

“You’ve really got it bad, don’t you?”

McCoy didn’t answer, just shivered and pulled the bed covers up around his shoulders.

“I’ll go get tea!” Jim announced suddenly, and got off the bed.

“No wait, Jim, I don’t need-”

But Jim was already out the door and McCoy was talking to himself.

“Never mind.”

[Bruyere]

D'aww Bones. Resistance to Jim's charm is futile.

“It already hurts. Now get out of here before you get sick too.”

“So, you do admit you’re sick.”

McCoy sat up and tried to glare at Jim, but the effort was a complete failure, because of how much his eyes were watering. “A little,” he admitted.

This is pretty much my favourite way for someone to have to confess to being sick

[Fuzzy&Warm]

Hey I finally managed to get back to this story and finish it! Hope you guys enjoy!

---

“Bones, I’m home and I’ve brought take out!”

McCoy pulled the covers off his and sat up on his bed. “I hate you.”

“Now is that anyway to treat the guy who just brought you tea and dinner?” Jim asked, as he set the tray in his hands down in front of McCoy. “I even got you tomato soup with that pasta you like.”

McCoy’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the steaming bowl of soup and the large mug of tea sitting on the tray.

“T-thank you.”

Jim just smiled and sat back down on the bed. “Eat up,” he said.

McCoy did, finishing everything in record time even as he stopped occasionally to use a tissue as the warmth of the tea and the soup made his nose run.

“Kind of ironic you know,” Jim said as he moved the tray off the bed. “I spent today in the ice and snow and you’re the one who’s sick.”

“That’s not the way it works, Jim, though right now I really wish it was.”

McCoy sniffled and rubbed at his nose as it started to twitch.

Jim frowned and moved McCoy’s hand away from his nose.

“Bones, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do that.”

No, we-ehh…we didn’t agree on anything, Jim. You just b-barged ahead with whatever fool idea comes into you h-head and snf!-damn huh…huh…hhggttchh! Hh’itchuu! Itchu! Hempshh! Huh-esstchuu! Snf! Excuse me…ugh that was intense.”

“Serves you right for holding it in, why do you do that?”

“Because my sneezes are loud and obnoxious, kind of like you,” McCoy grumbled as he grabbed a tissue and blew his nose.

“They are not, Bones. Well okay they’re loud, but they’re not obnoxious.”

“Tell that to my proper Southern grandmother.” McCoy shivered and slumped against Jim, letting his head rest against the other man’s shoulder. “I hate being sick.”

Jim chuckled. “I don’t think it’s on anyone’s list of favourite things to be, Bones.”

“Yeah that’s probably why no one likes me.”

“Bones, everyone likes you.”

McCoy snorted. “You haven’t talked to Spock lately have you?”

“Well okay maybe not everyone, but I like you.”

“Sure, that’s why you run out of my sickbay the first chance you get when I’m trying to help you.”

Jim sighed. “Bones, it’s not like that. I can’t be seen as weak in front of the crew-”

“And you think I can? Dammit, Jim, when you or anyone goes around pulling crazy stunts like today I’m the one who has to pick up the pieces! And it looks bad on my record when anyone leaves before they’ve recovered relapses and winds up back in there. Makes it look like I can’t do my job.”

“I’m sorry, Bones, I didn’t realize it was such a problem, but hey I’m resting now.”

“Sure, where no one can see you.”

Jim put his arm around Bones and squeezed him gently.

“Okay how about this. I’ll work on being a better patient, set the good example and all that, if you don’t go so crazy with the hypos, deal?”

McCoy looked like he wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but then sighed and relented. “Deal, but you’re still not allowed to hit on my staff.”

Jim gave a mock pout. “Do I look like the kind of guy who would do that? Besides,” he leaned down and kissed McCoy’s forehead, “I thought I was already taken.”

McCoy smiled and blushed. “We’re working on it.”

“Good. You know you should get sick more often, it turns you into a real softy.”

McCoy blushed harder. “Don’t tell anyone it’ll ruin my reputation.”

Jim laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”

McCoy nodded and then sniffled and rubbed his nose against Jim’s shoulder.

“Not making you cry am I, Bones?”

“No, this cold just makes my nose really itch-heh-itchy. Feel like I’m gonna s-sneeze again.”

Jim quickly grabbed a tissue from the box and held it to McCoy’s nose.

“Jim, you don’t have to…hehh.”

“It’s okay, Bones, I really don’t mind.”

“Huh’ESSH! Ihh'ISSHUu! Hehh...ehh'ARSSHuu!”

“Bless you.”

McCoy blew his nose thickly before answering. “Thanks, and I mean for everything.”

“No problem I like taking care of you,” Jim said, as he pulled the blanket up around them. “You should sleep it’ll help you get better faster.”

McCoy rolled his eyes. “Sound medical advice, Doctor Kirk, you should follow it.”

Jim smirked and cuddled closer to McCoy.

“Smart-ass.”

“Always.”

The End

[Spoo]

You know, I love McKirk almost as much as I love Spirk. Thank you for finishing this story, F&W! It was adorable.

[ID2006]

OMG OMG OMG... perfect ending to a perfect story.