31. Religion

31. Religion

McCoy wasn't sure whether he was much of a 'religious' person. He'd been to church as a child and was pretty sure there was a God but honestly he didn't think about it much. That is, until he met Jim Kirk. The doctor couldn't possibly count the number of times he'd begged the divine power to spare his best friend; Jim's tendency to get hurt, mauled, attacked and generally batted around by beings larger than himself was a constant source of worry and irritation for McCoy. He could still remember the first life-threatening injury the captain had received on his watch.

They'd been on a basic mission, making contact with the natives of a new planet when one of the ensigns had gotten on the wrong side of one of the village councilors. The large alien had gone to punch the young man in the chest when Jim had thrown himself between them, taking the blow. The alien's fist had been sharper than expected and punctured his chest with an injury that had bled far too much. But of course the young man had shrugged off help until the meeting was over and by the time he'd beamed back up to the ship he'd passed out from blood loss and pain. McCoy had sworn loudly as his friend had been dragged into the Med Bay by Gary Mitchell and that Vulcan science officer.

"Dammit Jim! What the hell happened?!"

Gary looked a little pale as he helped McCoy haul the younger man onto the table. "It's a long story, he's taken a hit to the chest and he's lost a lot of blood."

"Dammit, how are you so calm?!" McCoy ripped Jim's shirt off and examined the wound with frantic hands. "Dammit, dammit, dam-"

Jim's vital signs suddenly flatlined, all three men standing around him jumping slightly before McCoy threw himself at his equipment. "Nono, come on, dammit, no, God please no!"

Gary hovered nearby, looking panicked. "Can I-?"

"Just stay out my way! Nurse! Dammit Jim...Please God no..." As the other two men backed off, McCoy squeezed his friend's hand and took a few deep breaths as the readings leveled out again. "Lord, please not Jim..."

After a terrifying hour he realized that the skin of the natives was poisoned and was able to figure out an antidote. As he sat there watching the young man breathe, he looked over at Gary and Spock, who were both still standing nearby. "What the hell was that? Does this happen a lot?"

Gary sighed and wiped at his face. "Yes, unfortunately he finds his way down here a lot."

"He almost died."

"Yeah...yeah." Gary looked older and more tired. "I know."

After the other officers had left, McCoy stood there, looking down at his friend and breathing deeply. Lord give me strength, I don't know if I can do this...