Grumpy Lion - August 25th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 25
Title: Grumpy Lion
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Star Trek
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Star Trek people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Sickbay suffers from a lack of yelling.
Notes: Part 20 of “Immortal Kelvin Slayer” - Links Page
Seasons: Post-Series/Post-Into Darkness
Word Count: 1100
Buffy came awake slowly, her mind felt a little foggy. She had been dreaming… about a grumpy lion, its paws covered in blood. No… that didn’t make any sense.
Blood. She’d been injured. Sharp. Along her chest. She had hid it from the away team. She had known it wouldn’t kill her. She had been waiting for Leo. Leo.
“Leo,” she tried to say, but the sound that reached her ears was just a breathy moan.
“Buffy?” a voice said, its rough sound familiar. “Come on, wake up.”
She opened her eyes to find a face next to hers. She smiled. “What are you doing?”
“Waking you.”
“Why are you such a pain in the ass?” she asked with a laugh as she moved closer to him, resting her cheek against his shoulder.
He laughed into her hair, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
“Leo, do you know what I like about you?”
“My Southern charm?”
She turned over to look up at him. “You mean despite your Southern charm.”
“You love my Southern charm. And I love you.”
Buffy startled awake, sitting up in the bed. It took an instant to realize she was in sickbay. Her movement made the person at her bedside jump in surprise.
“You’re awake,” McCoy said. He looked her over with a doctor’s eye. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” she answered honestly. “A bit freaked out.” She turned and threw her legs over the side of the bed.
“Woah,” he stood, stopping her from moving off the bed. “You lost a lot of blood.”
“Which is why I’m hungry.” She prepared to jump off the bed.
“Stop,” he ordered, putting his hands on her waist to keep her in place. “Nurse Chapel helped me take care of you. She knows it was bad.”
Buffy batted his hands away, ignoring her own reaction. “I need food.”
“We can get you something. But you need to act like you’re still healing.”
“Don’t care much what I have to do,” she told him. “Just feed me, Seymour. Feed me!”
He looked at her strangely.
“Twentieth century pop culture,” she explained with a wave of her hand. She blinked hard, her head felt a little fuzzy. “I haven’t felt this bad in decades.”
“It was a massive wound,” he said as he grabbed the tricorder, but remained in front of her, as though to keep her in place.
“It’s all relative.”
McCoy stared down at the readings on the tricorder. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
“I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was,” she answered.
“Then why come to sickbay instead of back to your room?”
Buffy swallowed. “I shared my katra with Spock.”
“Right.”
“This is the first time I’ve been badly injured since…” She blew out a breath. “It occurred to me, my existence in wonky, and that I may have put Spock in danger by doing what I did.”
“You saved his life.”
“And I did it in the heat of the moment, without thinking about the complications.”
“Like?”
“If I die, does he feel it? Does the magic that made me whole multiple times a year since I was twenty - that pulled my soul out of Heaven - affect him?” She shook her head. “I haven’t been afraid to die since the War. But when I sat here yesterday. I was…terrified to die. And it seemed so stupid that I sat here and debated with myself until Uhura came looking for me.”
McCoy set the tricorder down. “You’re anemic still and your blood sugar and blood pressure are too low.”
“Food and I’ll be fine.”
“Lay down,” he ordered.
“I’ll stay right here,” she promised.
“Lay down.”
She made a face at him and laid down on the bed. She pulled her feet up and raised an eyebrow. “I’m laying down. Now what?”
“Stay that way,” McCoy said as he moved from the bed. “I’ll get you something to eat, Audrey Two.”
Her chuckles followed him across sickbay.
88888888
“Are you okay?” Jim asked.
“I’m fine,” Buffy answered for the fourth time.
“Bones?”
“Completely healed,” he replied. “She’s got no scar and her numbers have returned to normal.”
Buffy shook her head. “Jim-”
“No,” he shot back. “I know it’s been a long time since you were human, and at some point in the future it will be unavoidable. Until then, you need to behave like you’re as mortal as everyone else.”
“I can’t-”
“You will,” he snapped. “Because it’s not just your life. So you will protect yourself and you will follow protocol and if you think you have to do something, you weigh your life and Spock’s against it. Is that understood?”
Buffy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He turned on heel and left sickbay.
“He’s just worried,” McCoy told her.
She stared after him a moment, it wasn’t that simple. She could sense the change in Jim, the change she had warned him about. The weight of leadership, the weight of the mission.
“Am I released?” Buffy asked.
“Yes.”
“Great.” She jumped from the bed and headed for the door. “Thanks.”
“No big deal,” he muttered as she left.
88888888
Nurse Christine Chapel smiled as she sat down across from her friends Lieutenant Timothy Toombs and Ensign Bobbi Needle.
“Hey, Christy,” Tim greeted.
“Tim, Bobbi,” she said as she moved things around her tray.
“So?” Bobbi asked, setting down her drink.
“What?” Christine replied, feigning misunderstanding.
“Oh, please,” Tim said. “Every week we have lunch and get an update on the saga of the Doctor and Winter. Don’t pretend you have nothing for us after she spent three days in sickbay.”
Christine grinned. “Three days - and he spent every one of them at her bedside.”
“Now there is a scary prospect,” Tim snarked.
“Oh, stop it,” Bobbi said, slapping his arm. “You know that as rough and rude as we find his bedside manner, it doesn’t faze Winters. She just gives him the same attitude back.”
“Normally at volumes one shouldn’t use with superior officers or senior staff,” Tim pointed out. “Did they do a lot of shouting?”
Christine shook her head. “That was the weirder part of it. Everything seemed quite amicable.”
“Do you think Winters finally said something?” Bobbi asked
“No. I think they just didn’t find a reason to shout. In fact, Winters was laughing quite a bit.”
“And McCoy?”
“Turned very sullen after she was released from sickbay,” Christine explained in a low voice as she picked up some fruit from her tray.
Tim shook his head.
Title: Grumpy Lion
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Star Trek
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Star Trek people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Sickbay suffers from a lack of yelling.
Notes: Part 20 of “Immortal Kelvin Slayer” - Links Page
Seasons: Post-Series/Post-Into Darkness
Word Count: 1100
Buffy came awake slowly, her mind felt a little foggy. She had been dreaming… about a grumpy lion, its paws covered in blood. No… that didn’t make any sense.
Blood. She’d been injured. Sharp. Along her chest. She had hid it from the away team. She had known it wouldn’t kill her. She had been waiting for Leo. Leo.
“Leo,” she tried to say, but the sound that reached her ears was just a breathy moan.
“Buffy?” a voice said, its rough sound familiar. “Come on, wake up.”
She opened her eyes to find a face next to hers. She smiled. “What are you doing?”
“Waking you.”
“Why are you such a pain in the ass?” she asked with a laugh as she moved closer to him, resting her cheek against his shoulder.
He laughed into her hair, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
“Leo, do you know what I like about you?”
“My Southern charm?”
She turned over to look up at him. “You mean despite your Southern charm.”
“You love my Southern charm. And I love you.”
Buffy startled awake, sitting up in the bed. It took an instant to realize she was in sickbay. Her movement made the person at her bedside jump in surprise.
“You’re awake,” McCoy said. He looked her over with a doctor’s eye. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” she answered honestly. “A bit freaked out.” She turned and threw her legs over the side of the bed.
“Woah,” he stood, stopping her from moving off the bed. “You lost a lot of blood.”
“Which is why I’m hungry.” She prepared to jump off the bed.
“Stop,” he ordered, putting his hands on her waist to keep her in place. “Nurse Chapel helped me take care of you. She knows it was bad.”
Buffy batted his hands away, ignoring her own reaction. “I need food.”
“We can get you something. But you need to act like you’re still healing.”
“Don’t care much what I have to do,” she told him. “Just feed me, Seymour. Feed me!”
He looked at her strangely.
“Twentieth century pop culture,” she explained with a wave of her hand. She blinked hard, her head felt a little fuzzy. “I haven’t felt this bad in decades.”
“It was a massive wound,” he said as he grabbed the tricorder, but remained in front of her, as though to keep her in place.
“It’s all relative.”
McCoy stared down at the readings on the tricorder. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
“I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was,” she answered.
“Then why come to sickbay instead of back to your room?”
Buffy swallowed. “I shared my katra with Spock.”
“Right.”
“This is the first time I’ve been badly injured since…” She blew out a breath. “It occurred to me, my existence in wonky, and that I may have put Spock in danger by doing what I did.”
“You saved his life.”
“And I did it in the heat of the moment, without thinking about the complications.”
“Like?”
“If I die, does he feel it? Does the magic that made me whole multiple times a year since I was twenty - that pulled my soul out of Heaven - affect him?” She shook her head. “I haven’t been afraid to die since the War. But when I sat here yesterday. I was…terrified to die. And it seemed so stupid that I sat here and debated with myself until Uhura came looking for me.”
McCoy set the tricorder down. “You’re anemic still and your blood sugar and blood pressure are too low.”
“Food and I’ll be fine.”
“Lay down,” he ordered.
“I’ll stay right here,” she promised.
“Lay down.”
She made a face at him and laid down on the bed. She pulled her feet up and raised an eyebrow. “I’m laying down. Now what?”
“Stay that way,” McCoy said as he moved from the bed. “I’ll get you something to eat, Audrey Two.”
Her chuckles followed him across sickbay.
88888888
“Are you okay?” Jim asked.
“I’m fine,” Buffy answered for the fourth time.
“Bones?”
“Completely healed,” he replied. “She’s got no scar and her numbers have returned to normal.”
Buffy shook her head. “Jim-”
“No,” he shot back. “I know it’s been a long time since you were human, and at some point in the future it will be unavoidable. Until then, you need to behave like you’re as mortal as everyone else.”
“I can’t-”
“You will,” he snapped. “Because it’s not just your life. So you will protect yourself and you will follow protocol and if you think you have to do something, you weigh your life and Spock’s against it. Is that understood?”
Buffy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He turned on heel and left sickbay.
“He’s just worried,” McCoy told her.
She stared after him a moment, it wasn’t that simple. She could sense the change in Jim, the change she had warned him about. The weight of leadership, the weight of the mission.
“Am I released?” Buffy asked.
“Yes.”
“Great.” She jumped from the bed and headed for the door. “Thanks.”
“No big deal,” he muttered as she left.
88888888
Nurse Christine Chapel smiled as she sat down across from her friends Lieutenant Timothy Toombs and Ensign Bobbi Needle.
“Hey, Christy,” Tim greeted.
“Tim, Bobbi,” she said as she moved things around her tray.
“So?” Bobbi asked, setting down her drink.
“What?” Christine replied, feigning misunderstanding.
“Oh, please,” Tim said. “Every week we have lunch and get an update on the saga of the Doctor and Winter. Don’t pretend you have nothing for us after she spent three days in sickbay.”
Christine grinned. “Three days - and he spent every one of them at her bedside.”
“Now there is a scary prospect,” Tim snarked.
“Oh, stop it,” Bobbi said, slapping his arm. “You know that as rough and rude as we find his bedside manner, it doesn’t faze Winters. She just gives him the same attitude back.”
“Normally at volumes one shouldn’t use with superior officers or senior staff,” Tim pointed out. “Did they do a lot of shouting?”
Christine shook her head. “That was the weirder part of it. Everything seemed quite amicable.”
“Do you think Winters finally said something?” Bobbi asked
“No. I think they just didn’t find a reason to shout. In fact, Winters was laughing quite a bit.”
“And McCoy?”
“Turned very sullen after she was released from sickbay,” Christine explained in a low voice as she picked up some fruit from her tray.
Tim shook his head.