Wishes 01
“You want to do what?” McCoy raised an eyebrow at the Maxion Ambassador lying in the bed in front of him. The elder alien had been in pretty rough condition when the Enterprise has gotten a distress call from the planet Maxis, a call for medical help.
He couldn’t help but smirk as he admired his work, a job well done if he said so himself. But really what was this crazy old alien talking about?
“A wish for the man who saved my life!” The old alien’s antennae twitched on the top of his head happily. “A small price to pay, really anything thing you want just ask!”
McCoy spluttered when he realized the man wasn’t joking. He glared slightly. “Well now, I told you no strenuous activities and it seems to me that granting wishes will be plenty strenuous so that’s a ‘no thanks’ Ambassador.” He did a small bow. “No offense of course.”
“You are very modest Doctor McCoy.” The alien laughed boomingly. McCoy decided he really liked this race, very friendly and loud. He grabbed his scanner and moved it over the alien’s body but then a hand grabbed his wrist and he looked at the Ambassador surprised before he got very light headed.
“What are…” McCoy swayed lightly before the hand was gone and he shook his head waiting for the dizziness to fade. He glared at the alien as leaned against the bed. “Excuse me, Ambassador, but what was that?”
The older alien smiled brightly leaning forward and grabbing McCoy’s waist with one hand before pressing against his abdomen and before the old doctor could protest his body felt very light and warm. And then it was gone and he was glaring at the alien who was lying back down and was smiling in a way the doctor found very familiar, a lot like the way Jim smiled when he was up to no good.
“What was that?” He stepped back this time making sure to be out of reach.
“Granting your wish.” The old alien grinned, “It was unexpected but I hope you are very happy.”’
McCoy looked at the man startled before he patted down his body. He felt fine, didn’t seem like anything changed. In fact he felt really fine. He raised an eyebrow at the alien, well okay, didn’t seem like the alien did any damage so he could go along with this voodoo.
“Why thank you Ambassador, but maybe next time you should ask permission before you go grabbing a man like that.” He returned to the bed and started packing up his medical supplies. “Now no more granting wishes doctor’s orders.”
XXX
McCoy tried to stifle a yawn trying its best to break through but he lost and took in the deep breath of air. He rubbed his eyes looking around the med bay and glared at one of the nurses that gave him a worried look. Couldn’t a man be tired without a Spanish inquisition?
Well he had been tired lately even though he was getting plenty of sleep, not much to do lately. The whole crew and surprisingly Jim had been able to keep out of trouble and harm’s way, well almost. He looked over at the red shirt sleeping on a bio bed beside him. Scotty once again had worked himself into a fatigue and was now sleeping it off, McCoy glared at the idiot. He was going to have to keep a closer eye on this one, especially when there were engineering and construction projects going on.
He blinked slowly; maybe he could take a nap.
“Are you okay doctor?” He looked over at Nurse Chapel, the only nurse willing to speak her mind to him. He liked her. But right now it was obvious she in her mother hen mode with that look in her eyes.
“I’m fine nurse.” He glared at her but she ignored it and put a hand on his forehead. He must have had a scary expression on his face after that because suddenly the other nurses weren’t in the room anymore.
“You’ve been looking really tired lately.” She bit her lip before looking at him sternly. “Oh don’t give me that Leonard McCoy you may be a doctor but we both know you don’t take care of yourself as much as you should. You’re going to end up like Mr. Scott here.”
“I’m not that reckless.” He grabbed his PADD and made his way to his office, ignoring the look that she gave him saying she didn’t believe him. Hell, he didn’t believe that either…because really…being friends with Captain James T. Kirk alone made that untrue.
“You should go get some rest there isn’t that much to do.” She followed him. “Grab a bite to eat, I heard that they were serving meatloaf and - Doctor are you okay?”
McCoy stilled himself against the door frame, the second she had mentioned eating a wave of nausea came over him. Just the thought of food let alone meatloaf seemed to be too much for him and he was grabbing for his waste bin before emptying out his stomach in it.
“Doctor McCoy!” Chapel was by his side in an instant rubbing his back soothingly, God did she have a great bed-side manner. He glared at her as he hugged the bucket. She sighed getting up and as if she knew what that glare meant answered, “No I won’t be telling anyone that you just got sick in your own medical bay but Doctor I’m going to scan you now; whether you want it or not.”
He nodded slowly taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the new taste in his mouth and the throbbing in his head. In simple terms he didn’t feel good at all. There was beeping beside him letting him know that Christine was back with her scanner, it was probably just telling him he needed some rest and maybe some anti-nausea drugs.
Maybe he could give himself tomorrow off, protocols be damned.
Then there was a squeak and Chapel took a deep breath beside him. He looked up at her as she scanned him again. “Something wrong Nurse?”
“Ummm…” She hesitated. And McCoy realized that was the first time he had ever seen his senior nurse hesitate. Even with explosions surround them and hundreds of lives on the line.
“Nurse!”
“Doctor…I don’t know how to tell you this other than, you’re pregnant.”
XXX
McCoy stared at his computer screen. One hand playing with an empty shot glass, he hadn’t been drinking but it was somehow comforting rolling it against the desk. His other hand was rubbing his chin where stubble had grown; he hadn’t shaved in two days.
Since he had found out he was pregnant.
He was three weeks along plus or minus a few days. He hadn’t read the report the computer gave him thoroughly enough. It was still in his PADD but he couldn’t look at it yet. He still hadn’t told Jim.
God, what was he going to think about all of this?
He had convinced Chapel to tell the Captain that he had caught a bad cold so he needed to rest. He couldn’t rest.
He was exhausted though and he had treated enough pregnant women to know the steps, this was just regular but he needed to sleep. He needed to relax.
How could he relax right now? Men don’t get pregnant! Sure, people had been trying but no one had succeeded yet. Star Fleet was going to have a field day with this…he didn’t even know how he had gotten pregnant!
He didn’t even want to try and think about the last time he had gotten laid, let’s just say he still wore a ring on his right hand. Contrary to popular belief on being friends with the universal incubus, he didn’t share his friend’s lifestyle.
Thinking about how this might have happened again, he could only think of the alien ambassador of Maxis that he had helped a few weeks ago. The timing matched up and the man had done something to him on that planet…he should have scanned himself right after.
He glared at the screen again before hitting a button on the console. “Jim?”
Ugh, his voice sounded rough. He winced, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Jim had to be notified not only as his captain but as a friend.
“Bones! You sound like crap!” There was a laugh and he could hear the man moving around his room. “What can I do for you buddy?”
McCoy debated just telling him over the com before he remembered that the computer recorded all the conversations so he sighed. “Can you come over for a minute?”
“Uh…sure…” The voice became hesitant. “You okay Bones?”
“Yeah.” was all he said before he cut off the communication. He sighed before he looked around his room; it was pretty messy for someone not owning a lot of stuff. He jumped when his door buzzed letting him know Jim was there, which let him know that his friend had ran all the way here.
That made him smirk a little as he got up to let the youngest Captain in Starfleet know the big news.
“Wow you look like crap Bones.” Blue eyes widened at the site of the doctor. McCoy glared at him before stepping aside and letting his friend in the room. Kirk looked at him worried and the second the door closed he put a hand on Bone’s shoulder. “Seriously, you’re kinda scaring me man…I knew you didn’t really have a cold!”
McCoy let a grin tug at his lips before he walked over and sat on his bed and motioned a chair for Jim to sit on. “You should probably sit.”
“God, you’re dying aren’t you?” McCoy could tell that Jim knew this was serious but was already using his self-defense mechanism of sarcasm or jokes. He waited until the younger man took a seat.
“I’m pregnant.”
There was a long pause and McCoy found that he couldn’t even look his friend in the face at the moment. Then there was laughing and he couldn’t help but look over at Jim.
“God Bones, I thought you were dying! C’mon what’s really wrong?” The blonde laughed relaxing in the chair. “Bang a nurse?”
He didn’t know why that made him so angry, really he should have been expecting it and he really was expecting that reaction. But it still made him stand up angrily.
“Jesus Jim! I’m not joking!” He put his hands on his face in frustration he was tired…and it really wasn’t healthy to be stressing himself out but he was.
“But you’re a guy!” He rolled his eyes and glared at the blonde.
“I haven’t noticed.”
It was silent again and McCoy watched his friend lean forward with his hands together in front of his face. That relieved him somewhat to see that the blue eyes were thinking, taking in the information this time. He sat back down and tried to ignore the urge to just lay on the bed and go to sleep.
“Have you notified anyone?” Jim asked and this surprised the doctor a little bit but he had to remember that this was his Captain too.
“Not yet, Nurse Chapel knows but I asked her not to do anything until I was able to tell you…”
“So you’ve just been sitting in your room for two days?”
“I had a lot to think about.” He answered honestly. “Dammit Jim! I’m a doctor not an incubator!” He sighed frustrated.
“But you’re keeping it.”
The air felt awkward after that but he looked to see the blue eyes regarding him seriously. He had been thinking about it…he wanted to keep it.
“Yes…”
“So…is it Spock’s? Do I need to call him in here? You two seem to have a lot of tension on the bridge…”
“Dammit Ji-“
“C’mon Bones! You know me! My mind is trying to catch up right now, there’s a billion scenarios going on in my head and the only way I’m staying grounded here is by joking.” The man practically whined opening his arms in a moment of surrender. “I mean…how did this even happen Bones?”
He closed his eyes and thought once again of the planet Maxis. “I believe that it was on Maxis. When I finished up with the Ambassador he did something to me but I didn’t feel anything weird and I guess I got caught up in the back log of paperwork to scan myself.”
“What did he do to you?” The protective tone had McCoy’s lips twitching, it was very brotherly.
“Nothing, he offered to grant me a wish and I just kind of avoided it but he touched my wrist.” Bones touched his wrist and then moved his hand to his abdomen. “Then he touched me here and I felt a little light headed for a second but last time I checked, that doesn’t cause pregnancy.”
“Grant you a wish?” Kirk raised an eyebrow, “And we don’t have anything in our records about the Maxions impregnating through touch…I’ll have to ask Spo- What? I’ll have to ask him, he’s the best Bones.” Jim glared at the doctor. “He’s going to need to look in on it and I want to see these scans…is this what you wished for?”
There was a pause and McCoy realized Jim looked a little surprised but amused.
“I didn’t wish for anything.” He shrugged. He didn’t really want to have this other conversation right now. The conversation on how he wished he had a family…someone other than Jim that cared about him and would worry about him when he was away on missions. It took him a moment to realize he was rubbing his belly.
Jim was watching him with amusement in his eyes.
“You’re going to be a dad Bones…” He paused. “Or mom.”
Bones snorted before lying back in the bed and he doesn’t remember if they spoke any more after that but he did wake up a few hours later with a blanket over him.
XXX
McCoy made a full report the next morning actually reading every scan they did and put together a nice amount of information he was going to have to send to Starfleet. It wasn’t just because he was pregnant, stuff like that happened on Starships…it would be naïve to assume otherwise.
But he was the CMO of the Enterprise and not only that, he was a male, and the only thing he thought could have caused this situation was some alien voodoo. So he made an entirely full report with answers to any questions anyone might have. He stared at the screen.
He was worried.
Sure Starfleet knew of the inevitability of pregnancies among crew and even more so on the longer missions. They had their spring fever too. But it was a known fact that Starfleet built better maternity wards on Space stations and on planet than they did in Starships. In fact most Starfleet protocol emphasized their preference for pregnant personnel to try their best to get back to earth. It was dangerous out in space, just thinking of what a solar flare or any wave of radiation could do to a pregnant woman let alone the baby…
But Starfleet was also prepared for women to have babies on board. There were even some ships with nurseries and schools but the Enterprise’s crew was younger and anyone with family left them on earth.
He was worried because his pregnancy would be very big news. They would want to take their own scans and he hated to admit that they would study him. And if the baby was born healthy then maybe he could be the missing link for other men to have babies.
But that would take him away from the Enterprise…the only place that was his home. It would take him away from Jim and he would hate to admit it, but Spock was growing on him too. Heck, even that kid navigator they had been warming up to him.
He sighed before sending it on its way; the message would take a while to reach earth anyway. He paused before sending copies of the report to both Jim and Spock. It would be better that they knew everything too.
He smirked slightly as he imagined what Jim’s expressions might be while he read this. He wondered if it could be compared to naked pictures of your grandmother with all the personal information it had of his in it.
“Doctor.” He looked up at Chapel who smiled softly at him. “Send everything off?”
“Yep. Starfleet just got a butt load of TMI but who doesn’t want to know about every pore on my body?” He rolled his eyes before grabbing his pad and getting up. “I’ve asked the Captain to let Spock know I want to keep this private for the moment.”
“I understand.” She nodded answering his unspoken question. “No one else knows.”
“Thanks Christine.” He sighed before stepping out of his office and walking over to the only bio-bed with an occupant.
“Mister Scott, have you learned your lesson?” He glared down at the smiling mechanic, who just shrugged.
“Ah cannae make any promises Doct’r.”
At least the engineer was honest. McCoy sighed before grabbing a hypo and stabbing the engineer in the neck causing the man to hiss and try to scoot away from him. Well if Scotty was too stupid to avoid danger to save the engines then maybe he would be smarter to avoid danger so he wouldn’t have to end up getting stabbed in the neck with a hypo by the good doctor.
He had a method to his cruelty…really he did.
“You need to get some solid food in you Mr. Scott and some more rest in your own quarters. If you could taking up space in my med bay.”
“It’s not like ye need’em for anyone else.” Scotty grinned mischievously. “Besides Doct’r Ah think these beds are more comfortable than the ones in mah quarters.”
McCoy knew his lips were twitching into a smirk. It had been what? Two Years? Since they started this five year mission and the doctor and the engineer had become pretty good friends. He could actually remember what started it too. Keenser and Scotty had gotten in some sort of fight causing the engineer to mope, he really didn’t want to think of what kind of relationship they had and still didn’t ask, the good doctor got tired of it and got the engineer in his office for a good drink and some food.
Hey not all of his patients required medical attention.
Now they drank together every Wednesday night, who knows what they talk about…they probably knew everything about each other by now. Most of the time they end up switching gossip and betting on which one is true or not. Sometimes both of them trying to figure out if they should start a rumor or not.
The best one they had got going around the ship was Chekov wasn’t human but an alien in disguise from the planet of fluffy things and rainbows. No one believed it, but it was a fun image in your head; even if the kid was 19 now.
“Ye hungry Doct’r?” McCoy blinked and looked over at Scotty who was putting on his boots. He paused and waited to see how his body would react to the thought of food, it seemed to change its mind every five minutes. Well he didn’t feel sick so he put his PADD down on a table and nodded before looking for Nurse Chapel.
“Chapel! I’m heading to the mess with Scotty.” He found her cleaning his office; he glared at her in which she rolled her eyes.
“I’m going to clean this room with or without your permission Doctor.” She continued cleaning but was smiling. “Mind bringing back some fruit?”
“Hn.” He nodded before waving her off and leaving his office. Scotty was waiting for him at the door.
“Oi, one of the nurses just said ye were sick?” They walked out together. McCoy rolled his eyes, couldn’t trust his staff to keep anything quiet.
“Just a cold.” He kept the story the same but he knew he was going to have to tell Scotty. The engineer was going to wonder why their Wednesday sessions got cancelled.
God, could he trust himself not to drink anything? For nine whole months?
“Ye think after all these years that we’d be able to make a cure for that.” The engineer joked and McCoy let out a small laugh because, yeah, he had to admit it seemed a little strange.
“It’s not lack for lack of trying.” The doctor thought back on all of his medical essays that he wrote in college of even the medical journals and conferences he had participated in. He was more…naïve…back then. That seemed to be the only word that fit because he was also happily married too.
They made it to the mess hall and he was happy it wasn’t very busy; he looked at the clock revealing that it was about half past ten in the morning. The napping he had been doing was throwing off his internal clock. But Scotty didn’t seem to notice the time or at least made no mention of it as he went straight to the replicators and got himself a sandwich.
Bones rolled his eyes.
He grabbed to first suitable disk he found and threw it in the replicator with a sigh. He was feeling tired again, he wondered how long it was going to take his body to gain his usual energy back. The only experiences and facts he had to go off of were with women though…there was a possibility that his term was going to be nothing like a woman’s.
He would have to start taking more intricate notes on his experience. He had an obligation as a medical and science officer and he couldn’t help but feel strangely delighted at the fact to be experiencing something that could change science as he knew it for years to come. At the same time he knew that what was happening to him had yet to actually ‘hit’ him. At least as he had seen it do to many women before him.
That moment when they realized they were giving birth to life and all of their extinct kick in. He wondered what it was going to feel like and if he was ever going to be able to stop looking at himself through scientific eyes.
“Ah think ye grabbed from the wrong pile o’ chips Doct’r.” The thick Scottish accent woke him up out of his thinking and he looked down at his plate. It was a grilled chicken salad and a cup of water. He glared at it offensively before taking a bite. There was a laugh in front of him and he glared at Scotty who looked a mix between amazed and confused.
“Ye on a diet Doct’r?”
“Shut your trap and eat your sandwich.” McCoy grumbled stabbing the salad as Scotty just shook his head.
“Aye…aye…didn’t realize it was such a sensitive subject.” The Scotsman laughed as the Doctor grumbled taking another bite of his salad. It wasn’t bad but he was never going to say that out loud. It would ruin his reputation if people learned he didn’t mind rabbit food.
XXX
He couldn’t help but smirk as he admired his work, a job well done if he said so himself. But really what was this crazy old alien talking about?
“A wish for the man who saved my life!” The old alien’s antennae twitched on the top of his head happily. “A small price to pay, really anything thing you want just ask!”
McCoy spluttered when he realized the man wasn’t joking. He glared slightly. “Well now, I told you no strenuous activities and it seems to me that granting wishes will be plenty strenuous so that’s a ‘no thanks’ Ambassador.” He did a small bow. “No offense of course.”
“You are very modest Doctor McCoy.” The alien laughed boomingly. McCoy decided he really liked this race, very friendly and loud. He grabbed his scanner and moved it over the alien’s body but then a hand grabbed his wrist and he looked at the Ambassador surprised before he got very light headed.
“What are…” McCoy swayed lightly before the hand was gone and he shook his head waiting for the dizziness to fade. He glared at the alien as leaned against the bed. “Excuse me, Ambassador, but what was that?”
The older alien smiled brightly leaning forward and grabbing McCoy’s waist with one hand before pressing against his abdomen and before the old doctor could protest his body felt very light and warm. And then it was gone and he was glaring at the alien who was lying back down and was smiling in a way the doctor found very familiar, a lot like the way Jim smiled when he was up to no good.
“What was that?” He stepped back this time making sure to be out of reach.
“Granting your wish.” The old alien grinned, “It was unexpected but I hope you are very happy.”’
McCoy looked at the man startled before he patted down his body. He felt fine, didn’t seem like anything changed. In fact he felt really fine. He raised an eyebrow at the alien, well okay, didn’t seem like the alien did any damage so he could go along with this voodoo.
“Why thank you Ambassador, but maybe next time you should ask permission before you go grabbing a man like that.” He returned to the bed and started packing up his medical supplies. “Now no more granting wishes doctor’s orders.”
XXX
McCoy tried to stifle a yawn trying its best to break through but he lost and took in the deep breath of air. He rubbed his eyes looking around the med bay and glared at one of the nurses that gave him a worried look. Couldn’t a man be tired without a Spanish inquisition?
Well he had been tired lately even though he was getting plenty of sleep, not much to do lately. The whole crew and surprisingly Jim had been able to keep out of trouble and harm’s way, well almost. He looked over at the red shirt sleeping on a bio bed beside him. Scotty once again had worked himself into a fatigue and was now sleeping it off, McCoy glared at the idiot. He was going to have to keep a closer eye on this one, especially when there were engineering and construction projects going on.
He blinked slowly; maybe he could take a nap.
“Are you okay doctor?” He looked over at Nurse Chapel, the only nurse willing to speak her mind to him. He liked her. But right now it was obvious she in her mother hen mode with that look in her eyes.
“I’m fine nurse.” He glared at her but she ignored it and put a hand on his forehead. He must have had a scary expression on his face after that because suddenly the other nurses weren’t in the room anymore.
“You’ve been looking really tired lately.” She bit her lip before looking at him sternly. “Oh don’t give me that Leonard McCoy you may be a doctor but we both know you don’t take care of yourself as much as you should. You’re going to end up like Mr. Scott here.”
“I’m not that reckless.” He grabbed his PADD and made his way to his office, ignoring the look that she gave him saying she didn’t believe him. Hell, he didn’t believe that either…because really…being friends with Captain James T. Kirk alone made that untrue.
“You should go get some rest there isn’t that much to do.” She followed him. “Grab a bite to eat, I heard that they were serving meatloaf and - Doctor are you okay?”
McCoy stilled himself against the door frame, the second she had mentioned eating a wave of nausea came over him. Just the thought of food let alone meatloaf seemed to be too much for him and he was grabbing for his waste bin before emptying out his stomach in it.
“Doctor McCoy!” Chapel was by his side in an instant rubbing his back soothingly, God did she have a great bed-side manner. He glared at her as he hugged the bucket. She sighed getting up and as if she knew what that glare meant answered, “No I won’t be telling anyone that you just got sick in your own medical bay but Doctor I’m going to scan you now; whether you want it or not.”
He nodded slowly taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the new taste in his mouth and the throbbing in his head. In simple terms he didn’t feel good at all. There was beeping beside him letting him know that Christine was back with her scanner, it was probably just telling him he needed some rest and maybe some anti-nausea drugs.
Maybe he could give himself tomorrow off, protocols be damned.
Then there was a squeak and Chapel took a deep breath beside him. He looked up at her as she scanned him again. “Something wrong Nurse?”
“Ummm…” She hesitated. And McCoy realized that was the first time he had ever seen his senior nurse hesitate. Even with explosions surround them and hundreds of lives on the line.
“Nurse!”
“Doctor…I don’t know how to tell you this other than, you’re pregnant.”
XXX
McCoy stared at his computer screen. One hand playing with an empty shot glass, he hadn’t been drinking but it was somehow comforting rolling it against the desk. His other hand was rubbing his chin where stubble had grown; he hadn’t shaved in two days.
Since he had found out he was pregnant.
He was three weeks along plus or minus a few days. He hadn’t read the report the computer gave him thoroughly enough. It was still in his PADD but he couldn’t look at it yet. He still hadn’t told Jim.
God, what was he going to think about all of this?
He had convinced Chapel to tell the Captain that he had caught a bad cold so he needed to rest. He couldn’t rest.
He was exhausted though and he had treated enough pregnant women to know the steps, this was just regular but he needed to sleep. He needed to relax.
How could he relax right now? Men don’t get pregnant! Sure, people had been trying but no one had succeeded yet. Star Fleet was going to have a field day with this…he didn’t even know how he had gotten pregnant!
He didn’t even want to try and think about the last time he had gotten laid, let’s just say he still wore a ring on his right hand. Contrary to popular belief on being friends with the universal incubus, he didn’t share his friend’s lifestyle.
Thinking about how this might have happened again, he could only think of the alien ambassador of Maxis that he had helped a few weeks ago. The timing matched up and the man had done something to him on that planet…he should have scanned himself right after.
He glared at the screen again before hitting a button on the console. “Jim?”
Ugh, his voice sounded rough. He winced, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Jim had to be notified not only as his captain but as a friend.
“Bones! You sound like crap!” There was a laugh and he could hear the man moving around his room. “What can I do for you buddy?”
McCoy debated just telling him over the com before he remembered that the computer recorded all the conversations so he sighed. “Can you come over for a minute?”
“Uh…sure…” The voice became hesitant. “You okay Bones?”
“Yeah.” was all he said before he cut off the communication. He sighed before he looked around his room; it was pretty messy for someone not owning a lot of stuff. He jumped when his door buzzed letting him know Jim was there, which let him know that his friend had ran all the way here.
That made him smirk a little as he got up to let the youngest Captain in Starfleet know the big news.
“Wow you look like crap Bones.” Blue eyes widened at the site of the doctor. McCoy glared at him before stepping aside and letting his friend in the room. Kirk looked at him worried and the second the door closed he put a hand on Bone’s shoulder. “Seriously, you’re kinda scaring me man…I knew you didn’t really have a cold!”
McCoy let a grin tug at his lips before he walked over and sat on his bed and motioned a chair for Jim to sit on. “You should probably sit.”
“God, you’re dying aren’t you?” McCoy could tell that Jim knew this was serious but was already using his self-defense mechanism of sarcasm or jokes. He waited until the younger man took a seat.
“I’m pregnant.”
There was a long pause and McCoy found that he couldn’t even look his friend in the face at the moment. Then there was laughing and he couldn’t help but look over at Jim.
“God Bones, I thought you were dying! C’mon what’s really wrong?” The blonde laughed relaxing in the chair. “Bang a nurse?”
He didn’t know why that made him so angry, really he should have been expecting it and he really was expecting that reaction. But it still made him stand up angrily.
“Jesus Jim! I’m not joking!” He put his hands on his face in frustration he was tired…and it really wasn’t healthy to be stressing himself out but he was.
“But you’re a guy!” He rolled his eyes and glared at the blonde.
“I haven’t noticed.”
It was silent again and McCoy watched his friend lean forward with his hands together in front of his face. That relieved him somewhat to see that the blue eyes were thinking, taking in the information this time. He sat back down and tried to ignore the urge to just lay on the bed and go to sleep.
“Have you notified anyone?” Jim asked and this surprised the doctor a little bit but he had to remember that this was his Captain too.
“Not yet, Nurse Chapel knows but I asked her not to do anything until I was able to tell you…”
“So you’ve just been sitting in your room for two days?”
“I had a lot to think about.” He answered honestly. “Dammit Jim! I’m a doctor not an incubator!” He sighed frustrated.
“But you’re keeping it.”
The air felt awkward after that but he looked to see the blue eyes regarding him seriously. He had been thinking about it…he wanted to keep it.
“Yes…”
“So…is it Spock’s? Do I need to call him in here? You two seem to have a lot of tension on the bridge…”
“Dammit Ji-“
“C’mon Bones! You know me! My mind is trying to catch up right now, there’s a billion scenarios going on in my head and the only way I’m staying grounded here is by joking.” The man practically whined opening his arms in a moment of surrender. “I mean…how did this even happen Bones?”
He closed his eyes and thought once again of the planet Maxis. “I believe that it was on Maxis. When I finished up with the Ambassador he did something to me but I didn’t feel anything weird and I guess I got caught up in the back log of paperwork to scan myself.”
“What did he do to you?” The protective tone had McCoy’s lips twitching, it was very brotherly.
“Nothing, he offered to grant me a wish and I just kind of avoided it but he touched my wrist.” Bones touched his wrist and then moved his hand to his abdomen. “Then he touched me here and I felt a little light headed for a second but last time I checked, that doesn’t cause pregnancy.”
“Grant you a wish?” Kirk raised an eyebrow, “And we don’t have anything in our records about the Maxions impregnating through touch…I’ll have to ask Spo- What? I’ll have to ask him, he’s the best Bones.” Jim glared at the doctor. “He’s going to need to look in on it and I want to see these scans…is this what you wished for?”
There was a pause and McCoy realized Jim looked a little surprised but amused.
“I didn’t wish for anything.” He shrugged. He didn’t really want to have this other conversation right now. The conversation on how he wished he had a family…someone other than Jim that cared about him and would worry about him when he was away on missions. It took him a moment to realize he was rubbing his belly.
Jim was watching him with amusement in his eyes.
“You’re going to be a dad Bones…” He paused. “Or mom.”
Bones snorted before lying back in the bed and he doesn’t remember if they spoke any more after that but he did wake up a few hours later with a blanket over him.
XXX
McCoy made a full report the next morning actually reading every scan they did and put together a nice amount of information he was going to have to send to Starfleet. It wasn’t just because he was pregnant, stuff like that happened on Starships…it would be naïve to assume otherwise.
But he was the CMO of the Enterprise and not only that, he was a male, and the only thing he thought could have caused this situation was some alien voodoo. So he made an entirely full report with answers to any questions anyone might have. He stared at the screen.
He was worried.
Sure Starfleet knew of the inevitability of pregnancies among crew and even more so on the longer missions. They had their spring fever too. But it was a known fact that Starfleet built better maternity wards on Space stations and on planet than they did in Starships. In fact most Starfleet protocol emphasized their preference for pregnant personnel to try their best to get back to earth. It was dangerous out in space, just thinking of what a solar flare or any wave of radiation could do to a pregnant woman let alone the baby…
But Starfleet was also prepared for women to have babies on board. There were even some ships with nurseries and schools but the Enterprise’s crew was younger and anyone with family left them on earth.
He was worried because his pregnancy would be very big news. They would want to take their own scans and he hated to admit that they would study him. And if the baby was born healthy then maybe he could be the missing link for other men to have babies.
But that would take him away from the Enterprise…the only place that was his home. It would take him away from Jim and he would hate to admit it, but Spock was growing on him too. Heck, even that kid navigator they had been warming up to him.
He sighed before sending it on its way; the message would take a while to reach earth anyway. He paused before sending copies of the report to both Jim and Spock. It would be better that they knew everything too.
He smirked slightly as he imagined what Jim’s expressions might be while he read this. He wondered if it could be compared to naked pictures of your grandmother with all the personal information it had of his in it.
“Doctor.” He looked up at Chapel who smiled softly at him. “Send everything off?”
“Yep. Starfleet just got a butt load of TMI but who doesn’t want to know about every pore on my body?” He rolled his eyes before grabbing his pad and getting up. “I’ve asked the Captain to let Spock know I want to keep this private for the moment.”
“I understand.” She nodded answering his unspoken question. “No one else knows.”
“Thanks Christine.” He sighed before stepping out of his office and walking over to the only bio-bed with an occupant.
“Mister Scott, have you learned your lesson?” He glared down at the smiling mechanic, who just shrugged.
“Ah cannae make any promises Doct’r.”
At least the engineer was honest. McCoy sighed before grabbing a hypo and stabbing the engineer in the neck causing the man to hiss and try to scoot away from him. Well if Scotty was too stupid to avoid danger to save the engines then maybe he would be smarter to avoid danger so he wouldn’t have to end up getting stabbed in the neck with a hypo by the good doctor.
He had a method to his cruelty…really he did.
“You need to get some solid food in you Mr. Scott and some more rest in your own quarters. If you could taking up space in my med bay.”
“It’s not like ye need’em for anyone else.” Scotty grinned mischievously. “Besides Doct’r Ah think these beds are more comfortable than the ones in mah quarters.”
McCoy knew his lips were twitching into a smirk. It had been what? Two Years? Since they started this five year mission and the doctor and the engineer had become pretty good friends. He could actually remember what started it too. Keenser and Scotty had gotten in some sort of fight causing the engineer to mope, he really didn’t want to think of what kind of relationship they had and still didn’t ask, the good doctor got tired of it and got the engineer in his office for a good drink and some food.
Hey not all of his patients required medical attention.
Now they drank together every Wednesday night, who knows what they talk about…they probably knew everything about each other by now. Most of the time they end up switching gossip and betting on which one is true or not. Sometimes both of them trying to figure out if they should start a rumor or not.
The best one they had got going around the ship was Chekov wasn’t human but an alien in disguise from the planet of fluffy things and rainbows. No one believed it, but it was a fun image in your head; even if the kid was 19 now.
“Ye hungry Doct’r?” McCoy blinked and looked over at Scotty who was putting on his boots. He paused and waited to see how his body would react to the thought of food, it seemed to change its mind every five minutes. Well he didn’t feel sick so he put his PADD down on a table and nodded before looking for Nurse Chapel.
“Chapel! I’m heading to the mess with Scotty.” He found her cleaning his office; he glared at her in which she rolled her eyes.
“I’m going to clean this room with or without your permission Doctor.” She continued cleaning but was smiling. “Mind bringing back some fruit?”
“Hn.” He nodded before waving her off and leaving his office. Scotty was waiting for him at the door.
“Oi, one of the nurses just said ye were sick?” They walked out together. McCoy rolled his eyes, couldn’t trust his staff to keep anything quiet.
“Just a cold.” He kept the story the same but he knew he was going to have to tell Scotty. The engineer was going to wonder why their Wednesday sessions got cancelled.
God, could he trust himself not to drink anything? For nine whole months?
“Ye think after all these years that we’d be able to make a cure for that.” The engineer joked and McCoy let out a small laugh because, yeah, he had to admit it seemed a little strange.
“It’s not lack for lack of trying.” The doctor thought back on all of his medical essays that he wrote in college of even the medical journals and conferences he had participated in. He was more…naïve…back then. That seemed to be the only word that fit because he was also happily married too.
They made it to the mess hall and he was happy it wasn’t very busy; he looked at the clock revealing that it was about half past ten in the morning. The napping he had been doing was throwing off his internal clock. But Scotty didn’t seem to notice the time or at least made no mention of it as he went straight to the replicators and got himself a sandwich.
Bones rolled his eyes.
He grabbed to first suitable disk he found and threw it in the replicator with a sigh. He was feeling tired again, he wondered how long it was going to take his body to gain his usual energy back. The only experiences and facts he had to go off of were with women though…there was a possibility that his term was going to be nothing like a woman’s.
He would have to start taking more intricate notes on his experience. He had an obligation as a medical and science officer and he couldn’t help but feel strangely delighted at the fact to be experiencing something that could change science as he knew it for years to come. At the same time he knew that what was happening to him had yet to actually ‘hit’ him. At least as he had seen it do to many women before him.
That moment when they realized they were giving birth to life and all of their extinct kick in. He wondered what it was going to feel like and if he was ever going to be able to stop looking at himself through scientific eyes.
“Ah think ye grabbed from the wrong pile o’ chips Doct’r.” The thick Scottish accent woke him up out of his thinking and he looked down at his plate. It was a grilled chicken salad and a cup of water. He glared at it offensively before taking a bite. There was a laugh in front of him and he glared at Scotty who looked a mix between amazed and confused.
“Ye on a diet Doct’r?”
“Shut your trap and eat your sandwich.” McCoy grumbled stabbing the salad as Scotty just shook his head.
“Aye…aye…didn’t realize it was such a sensitive subject.” The Scotsman laughed as the Doctor grumbled taking another bite of his salad. It wasn’t bad but he was never going to say that out loud. It would ruin his reputation if people learned he didn’t mind rabbit food.
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