Fic: Sawbones and Stardust
Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series
Rating: G
Pairings: Genfic
Summary: McCoy is celebrating his first birthday since joining the crew of the Enterprise, and between his memories and his crewmates helping him in their own ways it’s going to be a happy birthday indeed.
Note: This was inspired by Leonard Nimoy’s tweets about thinking about Deforest Kelley before and on his birthday. Kelley would have been 94 years old today, but we shouldn’t be sad because fans and loved ones the world over are making sure his memory lives long and prospers. He’s not really dead because we remember him.
Sawbones and Stardust
McCoy couldn’t sleep. He turned his eyes away from the ceiling of his quarters to glance at the chronometer. It was 0600. It was still his birthday for another eighteen hours. McCoy rolled his eyes and told himself to grow up and be sensible. He had just turned forty not four. But he couldn’t help himself. The McCoy clan had always made such a big deal about birthdays. There were parties and gifts and the birthday boy or girl always got their favorite flavour of cake. McCoy wasn’t expecting any of that this year of course. He was on the Enterprise, in deep space, and his relationships with the other crewmembers were largely professional. Certainly not the environment for big birthday celebrations, but still McCoy was too excited to sleep. It was his birthday.
He looked at the chronometer again, 0605. He didn’t have to be up for another hour. He could probably even push for an extra half an hour of sleep considering it didn’t take any work to put a card in a slot and get his allotted Starfleet breakfast filled with vitamins and nutrients. It wasn’t like there was some big birthday breakfast waiting for him or anything like back home.
McCoy stay up as a thought occurred to him. There was nothing to say that there couldn’t be a proper breakfast. The ship did have a galley and it was usually well stocked. McCoy shook his head. No he couldn’t do it, it was too indulgent. It was foolish, it was…well, well why the hell not? It was his birthday after all he could do something special just for him.
Quickly getting dressed McCoy made his way down the required decks to the galley. Nodding to the few people who were there he pulled out the necessary ingredients and took up a spot at an empty table.
He shifted the dry ingredients together and then added the eggs, milk, and butter.
“You always have to make sure the batter is smooth, Leonard.”
His mother words came back to him and he began to whisk the pancake batter to a proper consistency.
As the batter came together another memory came back to him. It was his first time making pancakes as a husband for his beautiful new bride.
Jocelyn had come up behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder as he stirred the batter in front of him.
“Len, you know I love you, but our first breakfast as husband and wife should have something healthy you know.”
He had laughed and put blueberries in it and they had stayed in the pancakes ever since.
When the batter, blueberries and all, was ready McCoy moved over to the stove, placing a large pan on top of an element. The bottom of the pan shifted colours as it heated up and McCoy thought back to a time he thought such technology had been the most wonderful thing in the world.
His grandmother was preparing breakfast then, slowly dropping water in the pan to check the heat while McCoy scowled at her. McCoy had been thirteen then, petulant and impatient.
“Grandma, they have pans that tell you when it’s ready.”
Old Ida McCoy glared right back at her grandson.
“Bunch of newfangled poppycock, Boy! You do it this way and you’ll never be wrong.”
Ignoring the dark red of the pan McCoy grabbed a spoon and filled it with water. He then dropped the water on the very centre of the pan and watched as it hissed and evaporated, perfect.
He spooned the batter onto the pan and when it had bubbled up properly he carefully moved the pancakes to the edge of the pan.
“The key is all in the wrist, Sonny Boy.”
McCoy flicked his wrist just so and the pancakes went up and landed smoothly batter side down back in the pan.
McCoy wished he could tell his grandfather that he had finally mastered the trick.
When both sides were golden brown he stacked the pancakes on a plate with layers of fruit in between them. Then covered the top pancake with a thick layer of syrup and whipping cream.
“Cakes should have candles, Daddy.”
“It’s not a cake, sweetheart, that’s later.”
“I want candles!”
McCoy could deny his now five year old daughter nothing and indulged her desire.
“You need to be firm with her, Leonard,” Jocelyn said, as he put a big pink candle on the tiny stack of silver dollar pancakes. “Not give her everything she asks for.”
“It’s her birthday, Joyce, it’s fine.”
McCoy looked over his breakfast. Well anything good enough for Joanna was good enough for him.
He got a candle and stuck it dead centre in the pancake stack. Then lit it and dutifully blew it out.
“Doctor McCoy, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
McCoy turned around to see Lieutenant Uhura coming in the door.
“Morning, Uhura, you wanted something that isn’t reconstituted too?”
She smiled. “Yes, sometimes variety is good.” She glanced at his plate. “Although I would have expected someone from medical to choose a healthier option.”
McCoy grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well birthdays only come once a year. Have a great day.”
With that he picked up his plate and left before she could respond.
***
“Bones, what the hell is that?”
McCoy looked up from his half-finished plate as Jim sat down on the other side of the mess hall table.
“Breakfast, Jim, what’s it look like?”
“And you complain about my diet card!”
McCoy shrugged and continued eating, ignoring the sausage and bacon on Jim’s plate.
***
Ensign Pavel Chekov had come aboard the Enterprise at the last starbase and had spent the last month in field training with McCoy’s staff. McCoy looked at the eager young face across his desk. It was the boy’s first official review, and McCoy hated to disappoint people.
“Frankly, Mr. Chekov, I don’t think you are suited to be in medical.”
“Oh, please sir! I’ll try harder I’ll be better I will!”
“No, no, Ensign, this isn’t about you not being good enough as a crewmember. You’re punctual, enthusiastic, and your reports are so accurate they rival Mr. Spock’s. But I can’t have a person on my staff that gets queasy handling any kind of sample.”
“I’ll work on, Doctor McCoy, please let me try. I have to this is what every told me I should do.”
“I see and what do you think you should do, Mr. Chekov?”
“Sir?”
“Well as I said you’re a fine crewmember I just think your talents would be better suited elsewhere on the ship. I would like recommend that you move into command division. I think you would do well there, and-most importantly-if you like it there you’ll go far, Ensign, I know you will.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Doctor, may I go now?”
“Yes, you’re dismissed I’ll set up an appointment with the captain for you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, sir, oh before I go this is for you.”
Chekov removed a wrapped package from underneath his PADD and handed it to McCoy.
“What’s this?”
“It is your birthday right? I was sure I memorized the right date on your crew profile.”
“Yes, it is, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wished to.”
McCoy pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a thick book by a Russian author with a name that McCoy didn’t want to try and pronounce.
“It’s one of my favourite books, Doctor McCoy, I like to share such works in the hopes that other will enjoy them as I have.”
“Thank you, thank you very much.”
Chekov smiled as he left and McCoy put the book in a drawer to start reading later.
Chekov hadn’t been out of the office for five minutes when Chapel came in and handed him a report to sign off on with a card on top of it.
“Christine?”
“Just a little something for you, I don’t want the new guy being the only one trying to butter up the boss, happy birthday.”
It seemed the Chapel’s idea had spread through the entire staff because when McCoy finally left sickbay at the end of shift with his hands were full of gifts. From Chekov’s book to Chapel’s card, a brand new stress ball, two more cards, and an old bottle of Saurian brandy.
“Here, Doctor McCoy, let me help you.”
McCoy smiled as a beehive hairdo dipped down to help carry his things.
“Thank you very much, Yeoman Rand.”
“It’s my pleasure. Besides I’m supposed to tell you that the captain wants to see you in his quarters.”
“Right now?”
“No, after the film tonight.”
“All right, did he say why?”
“No, he just told me to tell you that he wants to see you.”
They arrived at McCoy’s quarters and Rand helped him put the gifts on his desk.
“Thank you again, Yeoman, will you let the captain know I’ll see him later tonight?”
“Of course, and happy birthday.”
Rand left and McCoy took a moment to admire his gifts. It was then he noticed his computer was blinking at him. He checked to see that he had a message.
He opened it and was confronted with a smiling image of his baby girl.
“Hi, Dad! Happy birthday! Sorry I couldn’t talk to you in person, but Lieutenant Uhura could only get a limited connection. I think is great that she did this for you. I hope everyone else has been good to you today too, they seem like great people. Anyway I just wanted to wish you the best and say that I love you, and maybe I’ll get to visit you on the Enterprise someday. Bye dad.”
Roses he was sending Uhura roses; a dozen roses every day for the rest of her life.
***
After listening to the message from Joanna at least a dozen times McCoy managed to drag himself away from his computer to the rec room for the nightly movie. He was surprised that he didn’t see Jim in the room. Or the distinct pointed ears of his first officer. He knew Jim liked to be approachable to the crew and being with them during off-duty time was a great way to so that.
McCoy was even more surprised when the opening titles for an old film called The Magnificent Seven came up.
“A Western?” he asked Sulu who was seated beside him. “Rumour was that comedy was the genre this week.”
“Engineer’s privilege to change anything on the ship including the movie,” a voice piped up from behind them and McCoy turned to see Scotty sitting down in the chair behind him. “I can change it if I see a reason to. I know Westerns are your favourite and a lovely little lassie told me it was your birthday, Doctor McCoy. So I hope you’ve had a fine day.”
***
The movie had been spectacular, but by the time it was over getting up early was starting to get to McCoy and he was ready to tell Jim he wanted to reschedule. That was until he walked into Jim’s quarters to see Spock and Jim around Jim’s desk a large cake between them.
“Happy birthday, Bones, I bet you thought I forgot didn’t you?”
McCoy just stood there with his jaw on the floor as Jim cut into the cake to reveal the bright red layers inside.
“You made red velvet?!”
“I know it’s your favourite, Spock helped me with it.”
McCoy smiled. “It would have been a proper gift to see you in an apron, Spock.”
“Since I do not celebrate birthdays I thought it would appropriate to help Jim with your gift. Also I believe the proper expression is happy birthday.”
“Thank you, Jim, both of you but you didn’t have to go to any trouble.”
Jim just waved McCoy into a sit and handed him a piece of cake.
“It wasn’t any trouble, Bones, I wanted to do it for you. You’re my friend. I know it’s been awkward on occasion with me being a captain now, but I want us to still be close. I want the crew to feel like a family, Bones, I really do.”
McCoy leaned back in his chair with his slice of cake and thought back on the day, of what everyone had gone out of their way to do for him just because they wanted to.
“Mission accomplished, Jim.”
The End
Rating: G
Pairings: Genfic
Summary: McCoy is celebrating his first birthday since joining the crew of the Enterprise, and between his memories and his crewmates helping him in their own ways it’s going to be a happy birthday indeed.
Note: This was inspired by Leonard Nimoy’s tweets about thinking about Deforest Kelley before and on his birthday. Kelley would have been 94 years old today, but we shouldn’t be sad because fans and loved ones the world over are making sure his memory lives long and prospers. He’s not really dead because we remember him.
Sawbones and Stardust
McCoy couldn’t sleep. He turned his eyes away from the ceiling of his quarters to glance at the chronometer. It was 0600. It was still his birthday for another eighteen hours. McCoy rolled his eyes and told himself to grow up and be sensible. He had just turned forty not four. But he couldn’t help himself. The McCoy clan had always made such a big deal about birthdays. There were parties and gifts and the birthday boy or girl always got their favorite flavour of cake. McCoy wasn’t expecting any of that this year of course. He was on the Enterprise, in deep space, and his relationships with the other crewmembers were largely professional. Certainly not the environment for big birthday celebrations, but still McCoy was too excited to sleep. It was his birthday.
He looked at the chronometer again, 0605. He didn’t have to be up for another hour. He could probably even push for an extra half an hour of sleep considering it didn’t take any work to put a card in a slot and get his allotted Starfleet breakfast filled with vitamins and nutrients. It wasn’t like there was some big birthday breakfast waiting for him or anything like back home.
McCoy stay up as a thought occurred to him. There was nothing to say that there couldn’t be a proper breakfast. The ship did have a galley and it was usually well stocked. McCoy shook his head. No he couldn’t do it, it was too indulgent. It was foolish, it was…well, well why the hell not? It was his birthday after all he could do something special just for him.
Quickly getting dressed McCoy made his way down the required decks to the galley. Nodding to the few people who were there he pulled out the necessary ingredients and took up a spot at an empty table.
He shifted the dry ingredients together and then added the eggs, milk, and butter.
“You always have to make sure the batter is smooth, Leonard.”
His mother words came back to him and he began to whisk the pancake batter to a proper consistency.
As the batter came together another memory came back to him. It was his first time making pancakes as a husband for his beautiful new bride.
Jocelyn had come up behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder as he stirred the batter in front of him.
“Len, you know I love you, but our first breakfast as husband and wife should have something healthy you know.”
He had laughed and put blueberries in it and they had stayed in the pancakes ever since.
When the batter, blueberries and all, was ready McCoy moved over to the stove, placing a large pan on top of an element. The bottom of the pan shifted colours as it heated up and McCoy thought back to a time he thought such technology had been the most wonderful thing in the world.
His grandmother was preparing breakfast then, slowly dropping water in the pan to check the heat while McCoy scowled at her. McCoy had been thirteen then, petulant and impatient.
“Grandma, they have pans that tell you when it’s ready.”
Old Ida McCoy glared right back at her grandson.
“Bunch of newfangled poppycock, Boy! You do it this way and you’ll never be wrong.”
Ignoring the dark red of the pan McCoy grabbed a spoon and filled it with water. He then dropped the water on the very centre of the pan and watched as it hissed and evaporated, perfect.
He spooned the batter onto the pan and when it had bubbled up properly he carefully moved the pancakes to the edge of the pan.
“The key is all in the wrist, Sonny Boy.”
McCoy flicked his wrist just so and the pancakes went up and landed smoothly batter side down back in the pan.
McCoy wished he could tell his grandfather that he had finally mastered the trick.
When both sides were golden brown he stacked the pancakes on a plate with layers of fruit in between them. Then covered the top pancake with a thick layer of syrup and whipping cream.
“Cakes should have candles, Daddy.”
“It’s not a cake, sweetheart, that’s later.”
“I want candles!”
McCoy could deny his now five year old daughter nothing and indulged her desire.
“You need to be firm with her, Leonard,” Jocelyn said, as he put a big pink candle on the tiny stack of silver dollar pancakes. “Not give her everything she asks for.”
“It’s her birthday, Joyce, it’s fine.”
McCoy looked over his breakfast. Well anything good enough for Joanna was good enough for him.
He got a candle and stuck it dead centre in the pancake stack. Then lit it and dutifully blew it out.
“Doctor McCoy, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
McCoy turned around to see Lieutenant Uhura coming in the door.
“Morning, Uhura, you wanted something that isn’t reconstituted too?”
She smiled. “Yes, sometimes variety is good.” She glanced at his plate. “Although I would have expected someone from medical to choose a healthier option.”
McCoy grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well birthdays only come once a year. Have a great day.”
With that he picked up his plate and left before she could respond.
***
“Bones, what the hell is that?”
McCoy looked up from his half-finished plate as Jim sat down on the other side of the mess hall table.
“Breakfast, Jim, what’s it look like?”
“And you complain about my diet card!”
McCoy shrugged and continued eating, ignoring the sausage and bacon on Jim’s plate.
***
Ensign Pavel Chekov had come aboard the Enterprise at the last starbase and had spent the last month in field training with McCoy’s staff. McCoy looked at the eager young face across his desk. It was the boy’s first official review, and McCoy hated to disappoint people.
“Frankly, Mr. Chekov, I don’t think you are suited to be in medical.”
“Oh, please sir! I’ll try harder I’ll be better I will!”
“No, no, Ensign, this isn’t about you not being good enough as a crewmember. You’re punctual, enthusiastic, and your reports are so accurate they rival Mr. Spock’s. But I can’t have a person on my staff that gets queasy handling any kind of sample.”
“I’ll work on, Doctor McCoy, please let me try. I have to this is what every told me I should do.”
“I see and what do you think you should do, Mr. Chekov?”
“Sir?”
“Well as I said you’re a fine crewmember I just think your talents would be better suited elsewhere on the ship. I would like recommend that you move into command division. I think you would do well there, and-most importantly-if you like it there you’ll go far, Ensign, I know you will.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Doctor, may I go now?”
“Yes, you’re dismissed I’ll set up an appointment with the captain for you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, sir, oh before I go this is for you.”
Chekov removed a wrapped package from underneath his PADD and handed it to McCoy.
“What’s this?”
“It is your birthday right? I was sure I memorized the right date on your crew profile.”
“Yes, it is, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wished to.”
McCoy pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a thick book by a Russian author with a name that McCoy didn’t want to try and pronounce.
“It’s one of my favourite books, Doctor McCoy, I like to share such works in the hopes that other will enjoy them as I have.”
“Thank you, thank you very much.”
Chekov smiled as he left and McCoy put the book in a drawer to start reading later.
Chekov hadn’t been out of the office for five minutes when Chapel came in and handed him a report to sign off on with a card on top of it.
“Christine?”
“Just a little something for you, I don’t want the new guy being the only one trying to butter up the boss, happy birthday.”
It seemed the Chapel’s idea had spread through the entire staff because when McCoy finally left sickbay at the end of shift with his hands were full of gifts. From Chekov’s book to Chapel’s card, a brand new stress ball, two more cards, and an old bottle of Saurian brandy.
“Here, Doctor McCoy, let me help you.”
McCoy smiled as a beehive hairdo dipped down to help carry his things.
“Thank you very much, Yeoman Rand.”
“It’s my pleasure. Besides I’m supposed to tell you that the captain wants to see you in his quarters.”
“Right now?”
“No, after the film tonight.”
“All right, did he say why?”
“No, he just told me to tell you that he wants to see you.”
They arrived at McCoy’s quarters and Rand helped him put the gifts on his desk.
“Thank you again, Yeoman, will you let the captain know I’ll see him later tonight?”
“Of course, and happy birthday.”
Rand left and McCoy took a moment to admire his gifts. It was then he noticed his computer was blinking at him. He checked to see that he had a message.
He opened it and was confronted with a smiling image of his baby girl.
“Hi, Dad! Happy birthday! Sorry I couldn’t talk to you in person, but Lieutenant Uhura could only get a limited connection. I think is great that she did this for you. I hope everyone else has been good to you today too, they seem like great people. Anyway I just wanted to wish you the best and say that I love you, and maybe I’ll get to visit you on the Enterprise someday. Bye dad.”
Roses he was sending Uhura roses; a dozen roses every day for the rest of her life.
***
After listening to the message from Joanna at least a dozen times McCoy managed to drag himself away from his computer to the rec room for the nightly movie. He was surprised that he didn’t see Jim in the room. Or the distinct pointed ears of his first officer. He knew Jim liked to be approachable to the crew and being with them during off-duty time was a great way to so that.
McCoy was even more surprised when the opening titles for an old film called The Magnificent Seven came up.
“A Western?” he asked Sulu who was seated beside him. “Rumour was that comedy was the genre this week.”
“Engineer’s privilege to change anything on the ship including the movie,” a voice piped up from behind them and McCoy turned to see Scotty sitting down in the chair behind him. “I can change it if I see a reason to. I know Westerns are your favourite and a lovely little lassie told me it was your birthday, Doctor McCoy. So I hope you’ve had a fine day.”
***
The movie had been spectacular, but by the time it was over getting up early was starting to get to McCoy and he was ready to tell Jim he wanted to reschedule. That was until he walked into Jim’s quarters to see Spock and Jim around Jim’s desk a large cake between them.
“Happy birthday, Bones, I bet you thought I forgot didn’t you?”
McCoy just stood there with his jaw on the floor as Jim cut into the cake to reveal the bright red layers inside.
“You made red velvet?!”
“I know it’s your favourite, Spock helped me with it.”
McCoy smiled. “It would have been a proper gift to see you in an apron, Spock.”
“Since I do not celebrate birthdays I thought it would appropriate to help Jim with your gift. Also I believe the proper expression is happy birthday.”
“Thank you, Jim, both of you but you didn’t have to go to any trouble.”
Jim just waved McCoy into a sit and handed him a piece of cake.
“It wasn’t any trouble, Bones, I wanted to do it for you. You’re my friend. I know it’s been awkward on occasion with me being a captain now, but I want us to still be close. I want the crew to feel like a family, Bones, I really do.”
McCoy leaned back in his chair with his slice of cake and thought back on the day, of what everyone had gone out of their way to do for him just because they wanted to.
“Mission accomplished, Jim.”
The End