#protective bones

Bones, who had been relieved of duty twenty seven minutes ago, was sitting in the observation bay, the screens open to reveal the bright dark beyond, littered with stars that were dying as they were seen. 

“Not worried.” Bones took a sip of the whisky Scotty had poured him. The entire bridge crew had circled in during the near half hour that he’d been parked here. Waiting for word, feeling the itch of Jim’s absence like a growing rash. He wasn’t dead. Couldn’t be. Wouldn’t let him be. But he was gone and there was a pit growing at the bottom of Bones’ belly where every bad thought tumbled, growing as it was fed. 

“His vitals are steady.” Spock added. 

“Yep.” Bones had a PADD with that readout. Given to him by Nurse Chapel. 

“Then why are you here alone. You should be getting rest.”

Bones turned his head, eyebrow raised in an approximate imitation of Spock’s preferred look of disbelief. “You gonna rest?”

“I’m not relieved of duty.”

“I shouldn’t be either. Not the first time I’ve dealt with this. Won’t be the last.”

“Doctor M’Benga made the logical call. Would you rather be alert now when we are waiting and searching or later when Jim needs you most?”

Bones swiped a hand across his eyes. The tremor had started three hours ago when he was circling forty-eight hours without sleep. Every time he shut his eyes, he saw the shuttle Jim was on bob on the radar and disappear. 

No rhyme or reason. A diplomatic shuttle meant to rendezvous at a nearby Starfleet space station. A common occurrence when the brass wanted to save overtime hours and top secret clearance. Bones had felt uneasy about going alone. Spock had suggested accompanying him. Jim’s reassuring smile didn’t quite reach his eyes but he had gave Spock a squeeze on the shoulder and pecked a too-dry kiss to Bones’ cheek. 

“Just doesn’t feel right.” Bones said at last looking down at the wedding ring that felt heavy on his hand, like it contained the weight of his missing husband. 

“No.” Spock agreed. 

The space station was unhelpful and guarded, sending out their own ships to investigate but without comment or reassurances. 

Orders had been to wait in orbit around the space station until further orders. That had been forty-eight hours ago. 

Bones stood up, eliciting a questioning tilt of his head from Spock. 

‘I’m getting on a shuttle.”

“Leonard--,” Spock began but Bones just grabbed the padd with Jim’s vitals and said, “You coming?”

***

Jim wakes to a too dry mouth and an oxygen mask fixed to his face. 

A hand is smoothing the hair away from his forehead. 

“Bones?” He asks, voice muffled by the ask and the fact that his voice sounded like he was eighty-years-old and a smoker. 

“Shh, darlin’. Just rest.”

“Happened?”

“Later.” Bones leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

Jim didn’t recognize the surface above his head. It wasn’t the gunmetal grey of the shuttle or the sterile white of medbay. 

“Where are we?” He asked again and choked. His throat really did hurt. 

Bones looked away from Jim for a second before he spoke. “Safe.” 

“The kid awake?” A voice, familiar but unfamiliar said. 

Jim lifted his head just enough to see a man in a deep yellow command tunic give him a sardonic look. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Do you require anything else, Doctor McCoy?” Another voice, one that Jim instantly recognized as Ambassador Spock said. 

“No, thank you.” Jim struggled to sit up. Ambassador Spock had died last year and the other man he knew from the mind meld. His counterpart. Shit. 

“Maybe a sedative.” Bones muttered and leaned over to gently guide Jim up. His head pulsed with the weirdest hangover he’d ever felt. 

“Welcome to our universe.” Kirk said and behind him he saw his own Spock make a face. He was probably having a conniption at having to deal with two Jims, let alone his own counterpart. 

“Jim, you sure you don’t want to reschedule? I wouldn’t be disappointed. You and my dad should do, like, married couple things on Valentine’s Day.”

“Jo Jo! Our Valentine’s extravaganza is tradition and we do not eschew tradition in this family.”

Jim could almost hear his daughter’s eye-roll.

“Kay. Um, is it okay if I bring someone?”

“A friend shaped someone or a date shaped someone?”

“To be decided.” Jo muttered.

“Ooh, is this your meet the parents moment? Do I need to prepare scary dad lectures. Or maybe I should leave that to Bones. He can be kinda intimidating.”

“No, oh no. Jim, you can’t tell dad that this is potentially date-like.”

“Why not?”

“Are you serious? Because I’m worried he’d get all weird or have like a coronary or something. He still thinks I’m a kid.”

“Hate to tell you, princess, you are a kid.”

“I’m not a princess. I’m just a girl who wants to bring her sorta boyfriend to meet her dads.”

Jim went quiet for a second as the warmth of that, as it always did, filled him. He was someone’s dad. Damn proud of that fact.

“Okay. I won’t tell Bones. But comm me his name. I need to run a few background checks.”

“Jim!” She groaned and hung up and Jim tried to wipe the stupid grin off his face as he headed to the kitchen where his husband was making baked ziti.

***

Jo didn’t comm him the name nor give any indication about who this sorta boyfriend was but Jim did his best to pepper suggestions about Jo meeting someone and being happy making new friends, yada yada yada so that this new person showing up on their doorstep wasn’t going to send Bones over the edge.

When the doorbell rang, Bones set down the dishtowel he was using to dry some dishes and went to the door, Jim following anxiously behind and wondering if Bones would think he was nuts if he body checked him and answered first.

“Hi, daddy!” Joanna stepped over the threshold and hugged her dad. Jim peered around them to see a light blonde haired freckled kid who looked to be in his late twenties to Jo’s early twenties.

When the boy saw him, he paled, which considering how pale he was, made him look like a ghost.

“JT.” He breathed, and then fell sideways, as if nothing could hold him up anymore.

“Kev? What’s wrong?” Jo shifted so that she could hold on to him, eyes frantically searching his face.

Jesus Christ. This was little Kevin Riley. Practically a baby on Tarsus, Jim had spent most of his time on the colony with the squirt’s arms around his neck. Kevin’s parents had died on Tarsus and had been next door neighbor’s to his aunt and uncle’s. He was babysitting a bunch of kids–the only thing he felt like doing so far from home–when Kodos had sent out his proclamation.

“Kevin Riley?”

And then like Jo had with Bones, Kevin launched himself at Jim with the same spider-monkey limbs that Jim remembered from when he was a kid.

“Oh my god, JT. I thought–I didn’t know if you were still…”

The last time Jim had seen Kevin was when Kevin had to be ripped away from him as Starfleet medical and emergency personnel worked on him. He’d passed out after fighting one dude who was trying to sedate and intubate him at the same time, scrambling for Kevin with the last strength he had left–it wasn’t much.

Jim hadn’t been able to find much out about the kids he’d been with on Tarsus. The nurses and caseworkers assigned to him had thought that he’d been through enough and only gave him the necessary updates on the six kids he’s been with–he saved, they said.

They made their way inside, Kevin wiping his eyes and apologizing for blubbering over Jim. Bones brought them glasses of water and they settled into the living room, Jim following Bones into the kitchen to give Jo and Kevin a moment.

Jim pressed his forehead against Bones; chest, as the other man held him.

“What do you need?” Bones said softly.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t expect him.” Jim felt Bones kiss the top of his head and then he pulled away, looking back toward the living room where his daughter was ready to introduce Kevin Riley to them.

“Should we be worried?” Jim kneaded his palms into his eyes. “I know how fucked up I am because of Tarsus. And how easily I could have fucked up this” He gestured between the both of them. “I mean, you’ve put up from so much for me and I’m so grateful even though I barely feel like I deserve you and Jo most days.” 

“Hey,” Bones reached out and lifted Jim’s chin so that their eyes could meet. “Besides the fact that you’re an idiot for ever thinking that–I want you to know that you deserve everything. Tarsus was and will never be your fault. What happened there and how you reacted was all a part of your survival and you should never be ashamed of that. I love you. I will always love you no matter what, you hear?”

Jim nodded, feeling a wave of warmth spread from the tips of his fingers to his ears. “Thank you.” He said, around a lump in his throat. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, finally. “I’m sure he’s a good kid. I just want to make sure Jo finds someone who will treat her right.”

“Of course.” Bones said with a soft smile. It was the same smirk he got whenever Jim talked about Jo as his daughter, like he was still in awe at the thought of it, just as Jim was. 

“Let’s go give him a chance.” Jim said. He grabbed a platter of hors d’oeuvres that Bones had prepared. Jim had plans for Riley. He knew how much it helped to have people in his corner and if Kevin was okay with it, he would have Jim along with Jo and Bones. 

“Let’s get this Valentine’s Day extravaganza on the road!” Jim said, smiling widely as he entered the living room to see Jo and Kevin stuffed together on the couch, arms entwined, foreheads touching. 

Jo gave him a grateful smile but didn’t jump away when Bones entered with another platter. 

“So, Kevin, what’re your intentions for my daughter?” Bones asked and Jo groaned and Jim laughed and Kevin’s pale freckled cheeks grew pink. 

Such codependency was something he could not fathom a few hours ago. Hell,  a few hours ago, he would have sneered at the concept and looked for a scalpel to cut the very idea out of him. 

But that was hours ago. Now that the worst of the effects of the merge with their mirror selves as Spock had called it were over, McCoy was finding himself shifting into Bones again. Just the barest shadow and overlap remained of the man that had coldly turned his back on his partner in need, leaving him fend against the other mirror versions of the Bridge Crew and piloting a shuttle to the nearest shuttle port, to lay claim to whatever he wanted. 

He shivered at the memory of Mirror McCoy as he had ignored the distress calls and beacons coming in from the unaffected crew members and staff as he flew selfishly away. Mirror McCoy loved the potential of a world unsoiled--felt he could leave his mark in the worst of ways through manipulation and his training. 

“Is the Captain well?” Spock asked, coming around the partition with the gracefulness of a baby elephant. His mirror version lacked the tact and restraint that Spock emanated in waves on a daily basis. At least he looked less green than he had when they’d all snapped out of it. A few hours of meditation had done him good. 

“Yeah. I gave him a sedative while the fractures heal.”

Mirror Jim gave no fucks when it came to physical limitations and when he was barred from the bridge had fought through the ship and the mutinous crew to get back to his chair. Bones was worried about nerve damage but the tricorder didn’t pick up on anything. Thank Christ. 

“And will he have any lasting effects since he was unconscious for the merge?”

Bones pursed his lips but didn’t pause threading his fingers through Jim’s hair, even though he had half a mind to throttle Spock. 

“No.”

Spock didn’t say anything but Bones could see the doubt in the twitch of his eyebrows. 

“You trust me to do my job?” He asked finally. 

“Of course, Doctor.”

“Once more with felling.” Bones said and focused on the soft strands through his fingers and how Jim would comment on how his hair was out of place when he woke and Bones would kiss his hairline and--

“I think the most logical course of action would be to ask Dr. M’Benga to preside over Jim. As you know he was not affected by the merge.”

Maybe it was a part of Mirror McCoy, maybe it was his deep rooted protective instincts for Jim but he stood and pointed a finger. 

“Out.”

“Leonard?”

“I said out ,Spock. Get outta my medbay before we both do or say something we’re gonna regret and we can’t blame it fully on our mirror selves.”

“I want what is best for you both, Leonard. I did not intend--”

Bones snorted. It hurt. “What part of out don’t you understand?”

Spock took a step back behind the partition. “I apologize.”

“Don’t you dare question my ability to take care of Jim. Ever again. You hear me?”

An ugly piece of him--Mirror McCoy again? reminded him that he had just abandoned Jim hours ago. Spock had every right to question him because of it. Had every right regardless. Bones was emotionally compromised and had been way before he had become CMO. 

Bones lightly dragged his finger’s away from Jim’s head and rubbed at his eyes. Fuck. 

“You didn’t abandon Jim when you were overtaken by your mirror self.” Spock said at last. 

Bones’ eyes had been screwed shut so tightly that colors had burst in a kaleidoscope across his vision when he opened them. 

“You a mind reader now?”

“No. But I do know you. And I know that you turned your ship around and came back. You figured out a containment for remaining crew unaffected and you allowed Chekov and Commander Scott to restore our alignment so that we could leave the orbit of the black hole and thus the multiverse warp.”

Bones blinked. “Now you’re giving me too much credit.”

“I saw you. When you pulled Lieutenant Hendorff and Mansbach off Jim. Your rage was directed at them not Jim.”

Bones rolled his shoulders. “You done? You need rest.”

“I am adequate. And I meant no offense earlier. I believe Jim will benefit from when he wakes with you by his side. I did not want to see any further undue suffering because he hadn’t a change to mentally heal in addition to physically.”

Bones threw him a look. “You think I didn’t think about that?”

“Of course. I apologize.”

“Me too.” Bones yawned. 

“I’ll leave you to your rest.” Spock nodded and turned back the way he had come. 

“Spock?” Bones found himself calling before he heard the other man fully leave the medbay. 

“Leonard?”

“Thanks.”

Everyone knows this. No, seriously everyone. From the Bridge Crew to the Ensigns, to the diplomats on every rock from Terra and back, to every damn being at Starfleet Headquarters. 

Somehow. And Jim cannot be blamed for this. 

He ends up in Medbay. Without Bones. Without anyone who really knows that Jim should not be that too far from Bones. 

He’s unconscious, for what it’s worth. Of course he is. 

And some worried Doctor with more anxiety than sense, starts administering hyposprays like it’s his fucking job. I mean it is his job. But it’s also his job to check to make sure her unconscious patient isn’t allergic, am I right?

So, the reaction is instant. And he starts seizing and it’s very bad. Because this is a Federation Hero. This is THE Jim Kirk. And he’s probably dying in front of him. 

And then he remembers, like a fucking lighting bolt to his crotch socket he remembers the Starfleet delivered TOP PRIORITY message that was sent out across the black. Jim Kirk is NOT, EVER--DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE--to be treated on without the express knowledge of one Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (CMO and Husband of Jim Kirk).

Who just so happens to have barged into the Medbay with a look on his face that makes this doctor, poor asshole that he is, want to pass out or shat his pants. 

He’s pushed aside by another menacing looking face--a woman who barely spares him a glance before she’s taking a part his Medbay and tossing them TOSSING them at McCoy. 

McCoy works quickly, more efficiently than this poor sack of a Doctor has ever seen. He’s not even sure what’s going on half the time and he’s been at this post for three years, knows every inch of this Medbay like he knows his own person. But McCoy works at this like he’s done it time and time again. And this Idiot Doctor has heard the story--McCoy is a legend, especially now. Especially where Kirk is concerned. 

He slumps against the wall, hands shaking like they haven’t since his intern days. He fucked up. He’s done. If Kirk doesn’t make it--and by the way he’s choking and the way McCoy is all, “Shh, it’s okay, baby. You’ll be fine, just breathe for me okay.” Hypo administered. Barking at Angry Nurse for another hypo, it’s might be a near thing--he knows the whole of Starfleet and one scary CMO are coming after him. 

He imagines a small cell where not even the light of day reaches him. If he makes it. He’s heard Kirk’s got a Vulcan in his pocket who’s a bit...protective. 

Nurse comes over when there’s nothing more for her to do. She’s got the kind of lines around her face that come from laughing to hard or worrying too hard. Idiot Doctor (as he know refers to himself) has no idea. 

“You better start telling me what you gave him and then you better pray.”

Idiot Doctor lists for her and she’s nodding because it’s so fucking common. It’s harmless, helpful even, unless you’re allergic to a host of helpful drugs like Kirk. 

“Can you even read?” Nurse snaps at him. She brings a PADD--it’s the incoming patients PADD. A notice about Kirk is always at the top--highlighted in red because he’s in the area. It’s that much of a deal. 

At this point, Idiot Doctor is kind of hoping for a rebuke. A shout. Something from McCoy, anything. Because besides that initial shove, there’s been nothing. The Nurse has handled everything. And Idiot Doctor knows that it’s because he’s nothing. Less than nothing. He doesn’t matter one iota. 

Twenty three minutes later and everything is so still. So fucking still that Idiot Doctor cannot even hear his own breath, thought he’s breathing like Kirk came in doing. Fuck. 

And then Kirk opens his eyes and McCoy falls in on himself, just sags down into the med bay. Idiot Doctor looks away but he hears McCoy’s rough, “Don’t you ever.” And Nurse’s snort and even Idiot Doctor is wiping his eyes. 

Twenty minutes more and Idiot Doctor has thrown up everything he ever ate and is standing just outside of the Medbay, in view of the Nurse but hopefully not in view of McCoy or Kirk. It’s still quiet. Kirk is sleeping--no labored breathing, no choking sounds, no chaos but McCoy is compulsively checking his tricorder. Every few seconds he moves it over another part of Kirk and Idiot Doctor holds his breath until McCoy just nods to himself and moves it another inch. 

And then:

“Hey, Bones?” Kirk’s rasp is the greatest fucking thing the doctor has ever heard. It’s what draws the line between a life scraping shit and garbage off of Starfleet Headquarter floors. “I just wanted to let you know that you saved me like no one has ever saved me before.”

A sigh from cranky woman. “Khan. Section 31. Mud. Lenore Karidian, should I go on?”

McCoy rolls his eyes, checks the tricorder. 

“But Bones, seriously.” Kirk’s limp hand grabs at the other man’s forearm, just as he’s doing best not to slur too much, his hands are splotchy but the color is evening out. McCoy’s fighting a smile--if Doctor Idiot didn’t know any better he’d say it was an exasperated smile. Could smiles be exasperated? Idiot Doctor is too nervous to give it much thought. 

Kirk tries to sit up, McCoy keeps a hand on his shoulder, thumb rubbing into the skin not covered by torn Command tunic. “You’ve saved me in every way a person can be saved.”

“You too, kid.” McCoy says.