Rumors - Chapter II
Title: Rumors
Author: Sally Daer (sallydaer@hotmail.com)
Fandom: Star Trek reboot
Characters: James Kirk, Leonard McCoy
Rating: NC-17 .)
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm only playing with them for a while.
Artist:
zhie thanks so much for helping me with this.
Beta:
alluranna who was amazingly suportive and helpful. Thanks a lot. All the remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Jim always thought that he knew all there was to know about his best friend,. Now he's not so sure.
Finding a moment to speak with Bones the next morning turned out to be more difficult than Jim had expected. His meeting with his chief security officer, which shouldn't have lasted more than one hour, had extended so long that he hadn't had time to eat more than a sandwich on the bridge, before locking himself in his ready room for a subspace communication with Admiral Kormack. And expecting that a conversation with Kormack would be brief was like expecting to see a Vulcan crying at the sight of the sunset. Not very probable.
The man wasn't happy until he had gone over everything he wanted to say in at least five different ways. It didn't matter how much you tried to explain that you had understood him the first time. It was tedious and annoying but, since he usually didn't ask for more response than a nod here and there or some noise of agreement every few minutes, Jim was able to focus his attention in more useful matters while he allowed the Admiral speak until covering even the more petty aspects of the matter.
The more he thought about what he'd heard the previous night, the more absurd Jim believed it was. It was true that in the last few weeks he hadn't spent as much time with Bones as he used to do, but they both had been busy and when Jim had looked for him, he always had found the doctor in sickbay, the mess, or in his cabin. Alone. With a glass of bourbon and a book or watching a holovid. There was no signs of a fling, much less several at the same time. It was obvious that he was again in front of one of those rumors that had run so wild that had lost any resemblance with reality.
It was even funny. Leonard McCoy, the interstellar playboy? When people played ice hockey in hell. He couldn't wait to tell Bones about it. As soon as his shift was over, he was going to go down to sickbay, take his friend to the mess for dinner, and, later, when they both were relaxing in his cabin for a nightcap, he'd blurted the comment out. “Hey, Bones, I've heard that you've been fucking half of my crew. Don't you think you should have told me about it? It's my crew we're talking about, after all. It's not nice that I have to find out about it from another.” Yes. Jim couldn't wait to see McCoy's face.
When Jim arrived at the sickbay, however, McCoy was not within of sight. M´Benga was busy with a patient in the back of one of the examination rooms and one of the new nurses, Jim didn´t remember her name, was arranging something in a cabinet next to the door that led to the surgery room. Nurse Chapel was behind the nurse´s desk, so focused in a PADD that she almost didn´t notice when he appeared in front of her.
“Christine,” he greeted with a smile. “It seems you're having a slow afternoon.”
“Finally,” she replied, shrugging. “There was accident in one of the science labs three hours ago. This didn’t begin to clear until the last half hour.” That sobered Jim immediately.
“Something serious?”
“Nothing to worry about. A lot of cuts, scratches, and a few burns,” the nurse reassured him. “Lieutenant Rosas and ensign J´Quai are going to stay tonight under observation, but it´s only because Doctor McCoy prefers to be cautious. They´ll be released for duty in forty-eight hours. Everybody else is already back at work.”
“Perfect. In that case, I´m going to bother Bones for the details,” Jim said smiling again. “Is he in there?” he asked waving towards the closed door of McCoy´s office.
“Yes, but he´s busy. It shouldn't take long, but if you prefer not to wait, I could tell him that you are looking for him as soon as he finishes captain,” she offered.
“Not problem. I can wait. Carry on with what you are doing nurse, please. I'll use the time visiting Rosas and J´Quai”.
“I am sure that they will be happy to see you here, sir.” Chapel pointed at two occupied beds at the other side of the aisle and went back to work.
Jim put on his best captain smile and went to visit his two injured crewmen. They looked bruised and a little dazed, but really pleased with the visit and Jim stayed with them until he heard the door of Bones' office opening. Then he hurried to say good-bye and he turned around just in time to see McCoy walking out of his office. Accompanied by Lieutenant Matthews.
That, definitely, was not what Jim was expecting to see when he had arrived to sickbay. Not very sure of how to react, he stopped and waited, watching silently while the two men walked towards him. It seemed that Bones was treating the engineer like he'd do with any other patient, but damned if the woman from the night before was not right. If you paid attention, you could see that Matthews looked a little flushed and walked with that soft, almost imperceptible swaggering of a man who has enjoyed a night of sex. A long night of very enthusiastic sex. Sex with other man. It was unmistakable, although Matthews was trying to conceal it. Jim had seen it enough times before to be wrong. And Bones had that smile. He wouldn't go so far as to say it was a smug smile, but it was clear that Bones was unusually satisfied.
“Jim!” And it seemed that he didn't mind that Jim knew about them, the captain thought when Bones finally noticed his presence and smiled at him. “Just on time. I have not eaten since breakfast. Do you want to get some dinner?”
“Captain.” The younger man looked at the captain, then at the CMO, back again at the captain, and blushed so outrageously that Jim had to bite his tongue not to comment on it. “If you'll excuse me, I have to go back to work.”
“Of course, lieutenant. Dismissed.”
Jim watched him move away while Bones talked quietly to nurse Chapel. The doctor tapped something on his padd, sent it over the nurse's desk, and waved Jim to go to the door.
If Jim expected some comment about Matthews, he was proved wrong. As soon as they were walking along the corridor, Bones launched to a detailed report about what had happened in the sciences lab, spreading the tale with some not to very kind comments about fools who played with alien chemical compounds, potentially dangerous and unstable, without taking the minimal preventive measures and how maybe that people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity.
In any other moment, Jim would have enjoyed Bones' ranting but, just then, it was not fun at all. The sciences lab could wait until Spock sent his report, probably later that night. Knowing his Vulcan officer, if the incident had been due to someone's negligence, it wouldn't happen again. What he really wanted to know was what was happening with the engineer.
If McCoy believed that he was going to forget the matter, he was wrong. Despite appearances, Jim knew how to be patient when it was needed, and knew the value of a useful and nice ambush when he was looking for important information. He had even attended some courses about it in the Academy. Bones didn't know who he was dealing with. Jim allowed him to talk on their way to the mess, nodding, and making comments here and there when he felt that Bones was expecting an answer and, by the time they had chosen their dinner and were settled in a small table in the back of the room, the doctor looked confident and ready for a change of subject. Jim waited until he was sure Bones was relaxed and enjoying his first bite of roasted chicken to ask the question.
“So, what's the matter with Matthews?” He said, almost indifferent.
If Jim would have not been observing carefully, he may have not realized it, but Jim knew McCoy and was expecting some kind of reaction. So, the way the doctor almost choked and then forced himself to chew slowly and swallow didn't go unnoticed. “Matthews?” he mumbled after a moment.
“Yes, Matthews,” Jim answered, trying to keep the light tone. “Was he in lab two too?”
They both knew that he wasn't. Engineers often worked in the science labs, but lab two was used mainly for biological investigation. It wasn't probable that Matthews were there for professional reasons.
“Not, of course not,” Bones shrugged. “He just came to sickbay after all that mess happened. Routine stuff.”
So, he wasn't going to tell him? That hurt. Jim doubted Bones had ever hidden something from him before and the novelty wasn't welcome. Now, if McCoy wanted to play that way he could do it too.
“Routine?” He questioned with an almost naive look in his blue eyes. “Have you started with the quarterly physicals already? I thought you were going to do it next week.”
“I'll do it in ten days. And you should be scheduled for the first one, Jim,” McCoy said waving at him with his fork. “You cannot keep avoiding it as you've been doing. You're a bad example for the crew, Captain,” he added emphasizing the last word.
Suddenly, something clicked in Jim's brain. Captain. Was that the matter? He had been thinking about Bones as his best friend, but he was his commanding officer too. And Starfleet had serious rules, very serious about fraternization between officers. Jim wasn't being too strict about them. Everybody in his crew was an adult. At this stage, even Chekov was an adult, what the hell, so while they behaved as such and did not allow their relationships affect their work, he didn't mind who slept with whom.
Bones and him, however, had never discussed that issue before. Jim had decided, as captain, to respect strictly every rule regarding fraternization. Sadly, that meant that he had never had such an intimate relationship with his right hand as he did now. Maybe Bones thought that Jim expected the same thing from him. That was absurd. Everybody on board knew that Uhura spent more nights in Spock's bed that in her own and the captain had never had a problem with that. Why the hell was Bones going to think that he was going to berate him something that he allowed Spock to do? They definitely need to have a chat.
“Yes. Sure. Send the time to my assistant. No problem,” he shrugged before going back on the attack. “So, what happens with Matthews? I don't remember any mention to him in any of your reports.”
“Nor did I know that you really read them,” Bones cut him. “Look, Jim,” he continued with a sigh. “I cannot give you details about Matthews, all right? Even in this bucket of bolts exists something called confidentiality. And as Matthews’ doctor, I have to keep his private business private. The only thing you need to know about him is that he was in my sickbay for a health problem that doesn't affect his capacity as an officer nor the ship security. That's all.”
“I don't doubt it. I know that you'd tell me in that case but, Bones, I...” Jim started, determined to speak clearly.
“Bridge to captain Kirk,” the soft voice of Lieutenant Uhura in his comm interrupted him and Jim cursed silently. It could not be a worse moment.
“Kirk here.”
“I have Admiral Kormack on the comm again,” the communications officer said almost apologizing.
“Great,” Jim replied. “Pass him to my ready room. I'll be there in two minutes. I'm sorry Bones,” he added. How could the damned man have found something more to tell him so soon? “I've been speaking with him half the afternoon, but it seems that he cannot live without the pleasure of my exciting conversations.” He looked regretfully his almost intact food, got a last bite and finally pushed his plate aside. “Could you...?” he asked waving toward his tray.
“Don't worry,” McCoy replied. “I got it. You go and do important captainy things.”
“Thanks Bones. Breakfast tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course,” the doctor accepted without thinking. It was not as if they didn't have breakfast together most mornings. “Go now, kid. Don't keep the Admiral waiting.”
Jim left without another word. Bones was right. It was never a good idea to keep an Admiral waiting. Kormack was especially picky with that kind of things and, just for that mission, he needed to be in the man's best side. Shame that he had called just then. Bones was too happy to see him leave. However, if the doctor believed that he got rid of him so easily he was totally wrong.
Chapter III
Author: Sally Daer (sallydaer@hotmail.com)
Fandom: Star Trek reboot
Characters: James Kirk, Leonard McCoy
Rating: NC-17 .)
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm only playing with them for a while.
Artist:
zhie thanks so much for helping me with this.
Beta:
alluranna who was amazingly suportive and helpful. Thanks a lot. All the remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Jim always thought that he knew all there was to know about his best friend,. Now he's not so sure.
Finding a moment to speak with Bones the next morning turned out to be more difficult than Jim had expected. His meeting with his chief security officer, which shouldn't have lasted more than one hour, had extended so long that he hadn't had time to eat more than a sandwich on the bridge, before locking himself in his ready room for a subspace communication with Admiral Kormack. And expecting that a conversation with Kormack would be brief was like expecting to see a Vulcan crying at the sight of the sunset. Not very probable.
The man wasn't happy until he had gone over everything he wanted to say in at least five different ways. It didn't matter how much you tried to explain that you had understood him the first time. It was tedious and annoying but, since he usually didn't ask for more response than a nod here and there or some noise of agreement every few minutes, Jim was able to focus his attention in more useful matters while he allowed the Admiral speak until covering even the more petty aspects of the matter.
The more he thought about what he'd heard the previous night, the more absurd Jim believed it was. It was true that in the last few weeks he hadn't spent as much time with Bones as he used to do, but they both had been busy and when Jim had looked for him, he always had found the doctor in sickbay, the mess, or in his cabin. Alone. With a glass of bourbon and a book or watching a holovid. There was no signs of a fling, much less several at the same time. It was obvious that he was again in front of one of those rumors that had run so wild that had lost any resemblance with reality.
It was even funny. Leonard McCoy, the interstellar playboy? When people played ice hockey in hell. He couldn't wait to tell Bones about it. As soon as his shift was over, he was going to go down to sickbay, take his friend to the mess for dinner, and, later, when they both were relaxing in his cabin for a nightcap, he'd blurted the comment out. “Hey, Bones, I've heard that you've been fucking half of my crew. Don't you think you should have told me about it? It's my crew we're talking about, after all. It's not nice that I have to find out about it from another.” Yes. Jim couldn't wait to see McCoy's face.
When Jim arrived at the sickbay, however, McCoy was not within of sight. M´Benga was busy with a patient in the back of one of the examination rooms and one of the new nurses, Jim didn´t remember her name, was arranging something in a cabinet next to the door that led to the surgery room. Nurse Chapel was behind the nurse´s desk, so focused in a PADD that she almost didn´t notice when he appeared in front of her.
“Christine,” he greeted with a smile. “It seems you're having a slow afternoon.”
“Finally,” she replied, shrugging. “There was accident in one of the science labs three hours ago. This didn’t begin to clear until the last half hour.” That sobered Jim immediately.
“Something serious?”
“Nothing to worry about. A lot of cuts, scratches, and a few burns,” the nurse reassured him. “Lieutenant Rosas and ensign J´Quai are going to stay tonight under observation, but it´s only because Doctor McCoy prefers to be cautious. They´ll be released for duty in forty-eight hours. Everybody else is already back at work.”
“Perfect. In that case, I´m going to bother Bones for the details,” Jim said smiling again. “Is he in there?” he asked waving towards the closed door of McCoy´s office.
“Yes, but he´s busy. It shouldn't take long, but if you prefer not to wait, I could tell him that you are looking for him as soon as he finishes captain,” she offered.
“Not problem. I can wait. Carry on with what you are doing nurse, please. I'll use the time visiting Rosas and J´Quai”.
“I am sure that they will be happy to see you here, sir.” Chapel pointed at two occupied beds at the other side of the aisle and went back to work.
Jim put on his best captain smile and went to visit his two injured crewmen. They looked bruised and a little dazed, but really pleased with the visit and Jim stayed with them until he heard the door of Bones' office opening. Then he hurried to say good-bye and he turned around just in time to see McCoy walking out of his office. Accompanied by Lieutenant Matthews.
That, definitely, was not what Jim was expecting to see when he had arrived to sickbay. Not very sure of how to react, he stopped and waited, watching silently while the two men walked towards him. It seemed that Bones was treating the engineer like he'd do with any other patient, but damned if the woman from the night before was not right. If you paid attention, you could see that Matthews looked a little flushed and walked with that soft, almost imperceptible swaggering of a man who has enjoyed a night of sex. A long night of very enthusiastic sex. Sex with other man. It was unmistakable, although Matthews was trying to conceal it. Jim had seen it enough times before to be wrong. And Bones had that smile. He wouldn't go so far as to say it was a smug smile, but it was clear that Bones was unusually satisfied.
“Jim!” And it seemed that he didn't mind that Jim knew about them, the captain thought when Bones finally noticed his presence and smiled at him. “Just on time. I have not eaten since breakfast. Do you want to get some dinner?”
“Captain.” The younger man looked at the captain, then at the CMO, back again at the captain, and blushed so outrageously that Jim had to bite his tongue not to comment on it. “If you'll excuse me, I have to go back to work.”
“Of course, lieutenant. Dismissed.”
Jim watched him move away while Bones talked quietly to nurse Chapel. The doctor tapped something on his padd, sent it over the nurse's desk, and waved Jim to go to the door.
If Jim expected some comment about Matthews, he was proved wrong. As soon as they were walking along the corridor, Bones launched to a detailed report about what had happened in the sciences lab, spreading the tale with some not to very kind comments about fools who played with alien chemical compounds, potentially dangerous and unstable, without taking the minimal preventive measures and how maybe that people should suffer the consequences of their stupidity.
In any other moment, Jim would have enjoyed Bones' ranting but, just then, it was not fun at all. The sciences lab could wait until Spock sent his report, probably later that night. Knowing his Vulcan officer, if the incident had been due to someone's negligence, it wouldn't happen again. What he really wanted to know was what was happening with the engineer.
If McCoy believed that he was going to forget the matter, he was wrong. Despite appearances, Jim knew how to be patient when it was needed, and knew the value of a useful and nice ambush when he was looking for important information. He had even attended some courses about it in the Academy. Bones didn't know who he was dealing with. Jim allowed him to talk on their way to the mess, nodding, and making comments here and there when he felt that Bones was expecting an answer and, by the time they had chosen their dinner and were settled in a small table in the back of the room, the doctor looked confident and ready for a change of subject. Jim waited until he was sure Bones was relaxed and enjoying his first bite of roasted chicken to ask the question.
“So, what's the matter with Matthews?” He said, almost indifferent.
If Jim would have not been observing carefully, he may have not realized it, but Jim knew McCoy and was expecting some kind of reaction. So, the way the doctor almost choked and then forced himself to chew slowly and swallow didn't go unnoticed. “Matthews?” he mumbled after a moment.
“Yes, Matthews,” Jim answered, trying to keep the light tone. “Was he in lab two too?”
They both knew that he wasn't. Engineers often worked in the science labs, but lab two was used mainly for biological investigation. It wasn't probable that Matthews were there for professional reasons.
“Not, of course not,” Bones shrugged. “He just came to sickbay after all that mess happened. Routine stuff.”
So, he wasn't going to tell him? That hurt. Jim doubted Bones had ever hidden something from him before and the novelty wasn't welcome. Now, if McCoy wanted to play that way he could do it too.
“Routine?” He questioned with an almost naive look in his blue eyes. “Have you started with the quarterly physicals already? I thought you were going to do it next week.”
“I'll do it in ten days. And you should be scheduled for the first one, Jim,” McCoy said waving at him with his fork. “You cannot keep avoiding it as you've been doing. You're a bad example for the crew, Captain,” he added emphasizing the last word.
Suddenly, something clicked in Jim's brain. Captain. Was that the matter? He had been thinking about Bones as his best friend, but he was his commanding officer too. And Starfleet had serious rules, very serious about fraternization between officers. Jim wasn't being too strict about them. Everybody in his crew was an adult. At this stage, even Chekov was an adult, what the hell, so while they behaved as such and did not allow their relationships affect their work, he didn't mind who slept with whom.
Bones and him, however, had never discussed that issue before. Jim had decided, as captain, to respect strictly every rule regarding fraternization. Sadly, that meant that he had never had such an intimate relationship with his right hand as he did now. Maybe Bones thought that Jim expected the same thing from him. That was absurd. Everybody on board knew that Uhura spent more nights in Spock's bed that in her own and the captain had never had a problem with that. Why the hell was Bones going to think that he was going to berate him something that he allowed Spock to do? They definitely need to have a chat.
“Yes. Sure. Send the time to my assistant. No problem,” he shrugged before going back on the attack. “So, what happens with Matthews? I don't remember any mention to him in any of your reports.”
“Nor did I know that you really read them,” Bones cut him. “Look, Jim,” he continued with a sigh. “I cannot give you details about Matthews, all right? Even in this bucket of bolts exists something called confidentiality. And as Matthews’ doctor, I have to keep his private business private. The only thing you need to know about him is that he was in my sickbay for a health problem that doesn't affect his capacity as an officer nor the ship security. That's all.”
“I don't doubt it. I know that you'd tell me in that case but, Bones, I...” Jim started, determined to speak clearly.
“Bridge to captain Kirk,” the soft voice of Lieutenant Uhura in his comm interrupted him and Jim cursed silently. It could not be a worse moment.
“Kirk here.”
“I have Admiral Kormack on the comm again,” the communications officer said almost apologizing.
“Great,” Jim replied. “Pass him to my ready room. I'll be there in two minutes. I'm sorry Bones,” he added. How could the damned man have found something more to tell him so soon? “I've been speaking with him half the afternoon, but it seems that he cannot live without the pleasure of my exciting conversations.” He looked regretfully his almost intact food, got a last bite and finally pushed his plate aside. “Could you...?” he asked waving toward his tray.
“Don't worry,” McCoy replied. “I got it. You go and do important captainy things.”
“Thanks Bones. Breakfast tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course,” the doctor accepted without thinking. It was not as if they didn't have breakfast together most mornings. “Go now, kid. Don't keep the Admiral waiting.”
Jim left without another word. Bones was right. It was never a good idea to keep an Admiral waiting. Kormack was especially picky with that kind of things and, just for that mission, he needed to be in the man's best side. Shame that he had called just then. Bones was too happy to see him leave. However, if the doctor believed that he got rid of him so easily he was totally wrong.
Chapter III