Chapter Text
“Welcome home, captain.”
Jim smiled and nodded his thanks to Spock. The First Officer couldn’t deny that there was a sense of relief to see the captain, Doctor McCoy, Mr. Scott, and Lieutenant Uhura that he knew standing before him. Their other selves had been rather… unpleasant to deal with, especially the Mirror Kirk. But they had been fairly easy to confine until they had realized what had to be done to get the originals back.
At least on his end, all had gone well, far more than they otherwise could have.
“I trust all went well in our absence, Mr Spock.” Kirk asked in his usual playful manner. “Our counterparts didn’t give you too much trouble now, did they?”
“Not at all, captain. They were identified as dopplegangers almost instantly and properly dealt with.” Spock answered. “Their behavior was quite vulgar even by the usual human standards. Though I will admit, their Doctor McCoy was rather pleasant to converse with compared to the usual aggressions brought on by our good doctor.”
He glanced over at the doctor, expecting an expression of annoyance and some kind of witty insult thrown back at him. Yet once he was looking more closely, something felt… off. The doctor’s eyes met his, but they looked practically blank and he looked as if he wasn’t even registering the current conversation. Now everyone else was looking as well, with Uhura reaching up towards his shoulder.
“Doctor McCoy? Are you alright?”
Leonard jumped at the touch, then blinked furiously. “Huh? W-what?”
“Are you alright there doctor?” Scotty asked now with genuine worry. “You seemed to space us on us there, lad. Perhaps the transport was a little too rough on ya…”
McCoy stared blankly again for a moment, then rested his temple on his palm. “Figures the damn teleporter would get my head all scrambled up. I knew those things were nothing but trouble.”
Kirk stepped over to him now, with Uhura backing away to let the captain stand by him. “Why don’t you go on ahead and rest Bones? After the day we’ve had you earned it. Same goes for you Uhura and Scotty.”
Uhura shook her head. “With all due respect captain, I’ll feel much better if I can return to my station and get back to work.”
“Same goes for me, sir.” Scotty also spoke up. “Besides, I want to give the teleporters a good once over and start figuring what kind of adjustments can be made so that me avoid a mishap like this again. I can’t very well do that while resting!”
McCoy crossed his arms smugly. “Seems rather unfair to force me to take off when no one else is going to, Jim.”
The captain’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Alright, but Bones if you-.”
“Yeah, yeah. If I feel worse I'll be sure to take it easy.” The doctor brushed it off in his usual vindictive manner. “Are we done standing around in here? Cause I don’t want to look at those damned transporters until the day I die.”
Everyone moved for the door, but as Spock started to follow, he noticed that McCoy had not stepped away yet. He was staring at the transporter pad, an emotion that the Vulcan could not identify radiating off of him in waves. Before he could bring attention to it however, the doctor quickly turned away and walked past him and out the door.
It was illogical to worry, yet he feared that he may be doing just that.
Activity within the Enterprise quickly returned to normal as soon as Jim had taken his usual place in the captain’s chair. Spock did notice that neither he nor Uhura, Scotty, or McCoy seemed eager to discuss what had happened in the alternate dimension other than a few details such as describing his alternate self. It would be written in their reports soon enough, however, so the Vulcan chose against pushing for more information.
For now, he watched as the captain went to strike up a conversation with Lieutenant Moreau. His rather startled reaction to her appearance had been odd, but he was used to Jim’s frequent bouts of what humans called ‘love at first sight’ now. He never quite understood it himself, but then again the human mind was an enigma that he had no interest in solving.
Once more, he found himself glancing at the doctor from where he stood beside Scotty. By all appearances, he seemed fine now as he had said. He had
He had even prodded him about his lack of facial hair compared to his counterpart, which brought back some rather ignominious thoughts of himself in his youth. Still…
“Guess I better head on down to Sickbay.” McCoy spoke, turning to the Turbolift. “Make sure Jim knows that I expect him to report there first thing tomorrow, same with you Scotty.”
“If you say so, doctor.” Scotty replied. McCoy nodded, stepping over to Uhura and giving her a brief pat on the shoulder. She gave him a smile and nodded, seeming to know that she was to be there as well.
As the doctor went to enter the lift, Spock suddenly followed. “I would like to accompany you down doctor.”
McCoy rolled his eyes. “For crying out loud Spock, I told you I’m fine.”
Spock didn’t bother with a reply as he stepped into the lift. The doctor groaned, but still stepped in after. Only once the door had closed and McCoy had given the command to move did he resume speaking.
“I do not want to pry into your current state of being. I only intend to ensure that you reach Sickbay without any difficulty.”
“Oh, of course Mr. Spock." McCoy glared at him angrily. "Heaven knows the kind of dangers I could face while walking down a hallway. Thanks for the concern!”
“There is no need to act belligerent, doctor.”
The doctor was quiet for a moment, then he let go of the lever and the lift came to a halt. “I’m sorry Spock. I know you’re just making sure I’m alright. Guess I’m still pretty rattled by the whole incident, is all.”
Spock nodded, he knew as much was the case. “If what I observed of your counterparts are any indication, I presume that their universe is much more unplesant.”
“That… that’s an understatement.” McCoy’s tone was softer now, much more timid-sounding than what Spock was used to. “It was a Hellhole Spock. They were cruel, ruthless, cold, the Sickbay was an outright torture chamber. Even you were...”
His fists clenched tightly, even shaking at his sides. Spock could only stare, whatever it was that the doctor had experience had to have been truly twisted to have him so rattled. Leonard was highly emotionally volatile even by human standards, but the one thing that he was not was fearful. That did not suit him at all.
“Leonard.” Spock took a step forward, and the doctor looked at him. He didn’t hesitate to lean his head onto his shoulder and lift up two fingers which Spock met with his own. He transmitted calming thoughts to Leonard through the touch, causing him to lean against his shoulder more with a pleased moan.
“I’m okay, really. I just…”
“You don’t need to say anything else doctor,” Spock said soothingly. “I understand.”
The doctor obliged, letting Spock brush their fingers together. The Vulcan’s other hand trailed through his hair, moving downward to his temple…
He heard Leonard’s breath hitch, then found himself being pushed into the nearby wall hard. He regained his footing quickly, startled by the sudden action. He saw an equally startled Leonard staring at him, his mouth agape. He appeared to be trying to say something, but he was unable to. Instead, he pulled on the lever once again and kept turned away as much as possible.
When the lift reached the proper deck, the doctor practically ran out the door. Spock didn’t stop him, nor did he follow after him. He merely watched him go until he was out of sight, unsure of what to do.
Even once he was back on the bridge, Spock found that he was having difficulty in focusing. Leonard’s reaction truly bothered him and sent his mind racing over the many questions it raised. What had happened in the other universe? What could have distressed the doctor so much that he reacted that way to his touch? Especially since he’d seemed fine with it until that very moment. Perhaps he had done something wrong? Had he crossed a boundary? Their relationship was still very much new and he did not know all that constituted a relationship to a human, had he crossed a line?
He did not know, and that he was having these thoughts only made him feel ashamed. He needed to meditate tonight, to work out these thoughts and be able to control them. He could not allow himself to be overwhelmed by them, it would help with nothing.
Even without meditation however, he knew that he needed to speak with Leonard once more. Something was not right, whether that be due to the mirror universe or something else. He needed to make sure that he was going to be alright, otherwise he would not be able to focus on his own thoughts.
He waited until he knew that Leonard’s shift was over, then excused himself and went to his quarters. He pressed the buzzer, but there was no answer. He did so again, no answer. He continued a few more times, then switched to knocking on the door once it became clear that it wasn’t working.
There was still no answer.
Now Spock felt truly unsettled. Even if he had gone to sleep early. the doctor was a light sleeper. The sound of a page being turned would normally be enough to wake him up. It was highly unusual for him to not answer or to not even hear any half-asleep grumblings from the other side. Unease settled into Spock’s stomach, if he had emotions he would even call it fearful. He entered his override code and the door slid open.
Lying in a crumbled heap in the middle of the floor was Leonard.
The Vulcan was at his side in an instant. A quick check of his pulse confirmed that he was alive, much to Spock’s relief. He shook at him, trying to jostle him back to consciousness, but he remained motionless.
What had happened? Had the transport into the other universe taken a larger toll on the doctor than he had let on? Had he been injured or otherwise harmed and had hidden it until now? Had that been the source of his earlier reaction? An endless stream of thoughts came to Spock, but he shoved them all aside. None of that mattered for now, the only thing that mattered was getting Leonard medical attention quickly.
He practically smashed his fist into the intercom. “Spock to Sickbay, there is a medical emergency. I have found Doctor McCoy collapsed and shall be bringing him to you shortly, please be prepared for our arrival.”
He didn’t bother to listen to any reply, instead returning to Leonard’s side and scooping him into his arms. He had barely made it a step forward before Leonard’s face twitched. His breathing became heavier and his body began to shake lightly in Spock’s arms. His features shifted into an expression of pain, his head bending back and his teeth lightly gritting together.
Spock began to run.
He didn’t stop, not even for an instant. He knew that others were staring as he ran past them, but he didn’t care. He could feel his heart pounding in his abdomen as he exerted himself from the effort. The longer he held the doctor in his arms, the more he could begin to realize that he couldn’t feel anything from him. Nothing that is but a sense of dulled pain, emphasized by a thick layer of sweat forming over his temple.
Spock quickened his pace, if that were at all possible.
He almost crashed straight into the door, but it slid open just in time. Doctor M’Benga and Nurse Chapel were already standing by, motioning for Spock in their direction and gently placing Leonard on the biobed. He did so, though he illogically found himself unwilling to pull away from him. A shove at his shoulder by Chapel caused him to step aside to allow Medical to do their jobs.
He felt at a loss as he watched M’Benga and Chapel tending to the doctor, seeming to run multiple scans in a matter of seconds. They were talking aloud, though the Vulcan couldn’t be bothered to make out what it was at the moment. He could only stare at his hands, the dull sensation still feeling as though it were burning them. To feel it from the doctor… he never wanted to feel that from him ever again.
“Mr. Spock?”
Spock looked up, where Doctor M’Benga was now in front of him with a PADD in hand. His expression was calm, but something about it told Spock that whatever he was going to say would not be good. “What is McCoy’s condition, doctor?”
“I think it would be best if you contact the captain first.” He said, looking straight into Spock’s eyes. “You’re both going to want to hear this.”
He didn’t like this.
He didn’t like this at all.