McCoy relaxed his clenched jaw as he and Spock stepped out of the turbo lift. He released a heavy sigh at the thought that the Vulcan was chosen instead of him to be shot into the space amoeba. This made Spock glance over at him and cock an eyebrow upward.
"Do not suffer so, Doctor." He said. "This is not the first time superior capability has proven more valuable than professional credentials."
McCoy scoffed at this. Once again, Spock's audacity didn't fail to amaze him. He did not, however, let it get in the way of the mission:
"Nothing has been proven yet, Spock. The DNA code analyzer will give you the fundamental structure of the thing. You'll need readings on three light wavelengths from the enzyme recorder-"
"I am familiar with the equipment, Doctor." Spock told him, stopping at the hangar door and reaching for the open door button. McCoy stopped him, pushing his hand away and staring him dead in the eye. Spock looked at him curiously. "We're wasting time. The shuttlecraft is ready."
"You're determined not to let me share in this, aren't you?" McCoy squinted at the Vulcan.
"This is not a competition, Doctor. Whether you understand it or not, grant me my own kind of dignity."
"Vulcan dignity?" The Doctor was taken aback at the thought. "How can I grant you what I don't understand?"
"Then employ one of your own superstitions: wish me luck."
McCoy's breath caught in his throat, and he instantly was humbled by Spock's request. His eyes fell to the floor at the realisation of his selfishness and the Vulcan's selflessness.
Without another word, Spock turned away from McCoy and approached the hangar door. With a bit of force, McCoy bumped his fist against the open door button, allowing Spock to enter the hangar. Once the door opened, they looked at each other another moment before, with a cocky twitch of his eyebrow, Spock walked through the doorway and carried himself confidently to the F-type shuttlecraft, Galileo.
McCoy watched as the Vulcan disappeared into the shuttlecraft, and his gaze shifted to the side at the close of the door.
"Good luck, Spock..." he said softly.
Putting his hands behind his back, he looked down to the floor and slowly started toward the turbo lift. He stared at the door sorrowfully, letting the memory of a smug Spock consume him completely.
Damn hobgoblin... He thought, perking up at the sight of the automatic door opening.
Seeing the line of patients growing still in the corridor, he quickened his pace to sickbay. Upon entering, he nearly collided with Nurse Chapel, who was in a state of frenzy.
"Doctor!"
"What is it, Nurse?" He grabbed her shoulders.
"It's Doctor Eastman. She's collapsed."
McCoy's eyes widened and he ran as fast as he could to the main room where he instantly caught sight of Indy laying on a biobed. Multiple nurses surrounded her, one was even strapping an oxygen mask around the unconscious woman's face, but it was all McCoy could do to keep his composure at the scene.
"... her temperature's dropping..."
"... lung capacity is shrinking..."
"... pulse is stabilising..."
"... where's the Doctor?"
"... surely Chapel's found him..."
Shoving his way between two nurses, he glanced up at the life monitor. The nurses around him calmed slightly, and backed away to give him space. Her fragile body laying immobile in front of him. A dark bruise forming around the middle of her neck. What shocked him, however, was that Indy's mind was very much alive. The rest of her body was shutting down, and at a very fast rate. It shocked him immensely.
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Between the Stars | an AOS fanfic
Fanfiction"Spock, do you know what the word hiraeth means?" Spock's eyebrows cocked upward and he took a shallow breath in. He didn't answer. Indy waited for his answer a few seconds more, then left him. ☆~☆ Indiana Eastman has been through many hardships in...
