Work Text:
A sneeze was heard loud and clear.
Lil lying on the medbay table stiff as a board. Her face exhausted starting towards the ceiling. Her blood boiled under her skin. She could hear the steps approaching her but refused to look in their direction.
It was her mistake coming to sickbay after a yeoman had heard her cough. It was a common case of 'space flu'. The unofficial name for it. And now she was confined to this biobed in sickbay. Her only companion, her captor and her cold.
Her first time with this flu meant she had no proper antibodies in her system. Naturally the normal hypospray would only make her more nauseous because of her half vulcan DNA. As a vulcan the symptoms are often worse than for most humans. To top off all the bullshitery, her one saving grace with the antibodies she needs, had left on an away mission two days prior by shuttle craft. So Nowak was left with the most logical option, to wait it out.
The calming continuous bleep of the bio scan above her drowned out the silence. McCoy's voice broke through the bleeps as he asked for the twentieth time, "how are you feeling, lieutenant?" He looked straight at the bio scan, reading out anything for a change in her condition. Her silence opted for him to look at her.
A stiff pout and glassy eyes on a red face. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "Yep, still feverish." Lil opened her mouth to comment on his observation only to inhale too deeply, causing a coughing fit to roll her on her side. The doctor grabbed her shoulder comforting her out of it, rolling her onto her back.
Lil takes a few slow breaths in noticing the doctor's concerned face and his hands holding her still. "Your bedside manner is improving, Doctor." The faintest of smiles greets her lips. "How much longer does this flu last?" She asks, letting her smile falter.
Leonard took his hands from her and smiled back. "As long as it takes for you to get better."
"I was led to believe that everyone had their proper hyposhots, Doctor." Lil looked up at him with a raised brow in disappointment, judging his ability to immunise the crew.
"Usually, yes. But there's always a few who manage to elude me just long enough for one like you to get sick." McCoy could give a few guesses at who got the poor lieutenant sick. He was right about usually being on top of flu shots. When Spock left for the away mission he sighed relief, he didn't need rushing those appointments. Unfortunately Lil was still aboard and was very much immunocompromised. Leaving McCoy feeling very sorry for himself, more than if he was the one to get Lil sick.
"If I didn't know better, I would take this as an attack on my people." And that's one of the reasons he forgot, Nowak made jokes. She was raised by humans. Taking on so many different human characteristics and ideologies he sometimes forgets she's only half.
"Your people," McCoy leans closer, " is currently the one keeping you alive." He smiled softly, locking eyes with her. A moment passed before Lil's eyes noticeably expanded.
"Doctor." His face dropped the flirty smile for a more serious expression. "Bucket." The tone came as a soft command that needn't say more. And like a flash, Leonard lunged across the sickbay. Snatching an aluminium pail off the floor and rushing back to the lieutenant's side. She sits up grabbing it with both hands and letting everything spill into the container. Under her hands were a pair of warm furred hands instead of the cool aluminium. Lil looked up at him as the pail lowered, his eyes pale blue and full of care. Her hands slipped from his and he placed the bucket down beside the biobed. McCoy assisted Lil back down to her pillow.
"You're a lot faster than you look." Nowak spoke a whisper letting a thin smile grace her lips again. Leonard wanted to say something smooth or witty but his better judgment told him silence was his friend. Allowing a moment to form between the two.
His ears picked up on the slight increase in tempo. Taking a step back from the lieutenant he cleared his throat. "Nurse Chapel should be back any minute with your lunch and water to wash that taste out of your mouth."
"Good. I'll need it, considering most of my breakfast is now in that pail." She raises her brows and looks off towards the floor, where the bucket of bile sits. Leonard breathed a laugh, nodding before giving himself space and returning to his desk. "Doctor," Lil calls prompting McCoy to halt and half turn, "thank you for taking care of me."
Lil knew it wasn't necessary to thank him. She felt she needed to say something. McCoy had been waiting on her hand and foot, simply because she caught a bad flu. Was it possible he was just that caring.
"Don't thank me, my dear. It's a part of the job." He was half telling the truth. She didn't need to thank him, yes. Watching over her the way he was, no that wasn't necessary. "I have some files to check over, and you are going to get some rest." He points in the form of an order.
…
It had been fifteen minutes since he sat down till nurse Chapel entered sickbay. Carrying two trays, one with Dr. McCoy's lunch and the other for the lieutenant. She wasted no time going straight over to the patient, lying still on her back. The red blooded vulcan opened her eyes when she heard the steps approaching.
Christen offered a gentle smile before placing the tray of soup and water down. "After noon, lieutenant. Are you hungry?"
"Yes, as you can tell from the bucket by your feet." She says as a matter of factly.
Chapel brows rose in confusion looking down only to find nothing. Peering back up at Nowak, she questioned. "There's no bucket down here, you're not hallucinating are you?"
Lil shook her head slightly. "No, perhaps another nurse came to take it while I slept." She sat up mumbling a 'thank you' while taking the tray from her.
"Yes of course, another nurse." Chapel hummed knowingly. The only other on duty nurse is still on her lunch break since Chapel left the break room.
Nowak raised a vulcan eyebrow bringing a spoon full of hot chicken broth to her lips. "Curious."
The head nurse smiled at the half vulcan's puzzlement. She took the second tray and headed for McCoy's office in the back.
"Doctor, your lunch." She stepped through the threshold tary in hand, placing it in front of McCoy. His head lifted to greet her, removing the lid to retrieve a sandwich. Chapel looked him down, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. His expression went from neutral, to pleased, to confused concern. "You know I dont think I've ever seen you so dedicated to a case of the flu."
A scowl pulled his face down. "I am a doctor, being dedicated to care for my patients is part of the job." He makes a clear defensive point crossing his arms.
"If it was so important, why not have Dr. M'Benga assist you?"
"It's a flu, he doesn't need to be bothered for something like that." He comments dismissively.
"Oh, but it does require the chief medical officer's full attention." McCoy's face tinted a reddish hue. Chapel smirked brighter with all the sass she had. "I'm just saying, you never had me run your errands when Mr. Spock had a bad case of the flu. And if I remember correctly Spock had the worst case of nausea I've seen in a long time." Spock had looked so human in that moment, unfortunately he was also covered in his own vomit.
"That was a reaction to the hypo I gave him. Made a point not to make the same mistake with lieutenant Nowak." He faced away muttering under his breath. "She's lucky she only puked once."
"And you took care of that, humm?"
Spinning in his chair "I wasn't going to wait for a nurse to come and take it. Would have sat there for hours. " He turned back to Christine. Seeing the smug knowing expression she came in with, replaced with a disapproving raised brow. "Not that you don't do your job."
Quick-saving himself, Chapel lets it slide. "So you've been keeping an eye on her…? Pausing long enough to give the doctor the chance to stop her or finish the sentence.
Without hesitation. "In case she needs me." Quickly noticing the smile return to Christine's face. His expression turned bashful.
"She needs you." She quoted back at him, emphasising the 'needs'. "Is that why you've been keeping her in sickbay?"
Jumping in his seat. "No!" He exclaimed.
"That is very unprofessional of you, Doctor." Chapel beamed knowing she's got him on the hook.
McCoys standing now. "That's not the case. She's here because Lil shares her quarters with two other roommates. I don't want this flu spreading like wildfire." Fire on a starship was almost as bad as a new virus, in the doctor's position.
He made his huffy point only for his head nurse to blow it out of the water. "Those roommates, having already been vaccinated."
The Doctor's face started to turn a very human shade of pink. He was running out of alibis and he knew it. His mouth clamped down, his raised hand dropped to his side. Collapsing back into his chair in defeat.
"You like her, don't you?" Christine leaned forward on the desk only to hear a grumble from the man, something akin to a 'yes'.
Leonard dragged a hand down his face embarrassed. "This isn't some kind of weird stockholm thing." He says a bit more defensive.
Chapel raised her hand in fane defense. "I know, you're not that crazy." She gave him a friendly chuckle, trying to ease the mood.
"You're not going to tell her are you?" Straight puppy dog eyes feeling almost ashamed of himself. McCoy wasn't ready to be honest.
"Of course not," Leonard breathed a sigh of relief, "you're going to tell her." Chapel stood straight chest forward, arms crossed.
"I can't tell her!" McCoy sputters leaning forward pupils contracted in fear. "She's… she…" he lowered his head and softened his tone. "She wouldn't be interested in someone like me." His body slumped as the words hung in the air. Leonard springs back and retains some sort of dignity.
"Ladies often don't go for a divorcee with a kid. She's also vulcan."
"Well what does being a vulcan have to do with anything?" Chapel asked somewhat judgemental.
Before she really started to judge him, he answered. "She's betrothed," trying not to raise his voice, "hell Lil's probably already married."
"I don't remember hearing Lil ever mentioning she had a partner."
"She's half vulcan, Christine." McCoy states throwing an arm to the side. "They're betrothed at a young age. They meet once and often don't meet again until their first pon farr." He felt like he was spiraling. Trying to explain how it wasn't a possibility to admit his feelings was crushing his heart.
"Have you considered asking Lieutenant Nowak about it, instead of just assuming?" Chapel offered, trying to calm down the semi heartbroken man with options.
"Vulcan, Christine." Leonard comments dismissively. "They're all extremely private about personal matters like that. I mean, Kirk knew Spock for 2 years and hadn't a clue he was betrothed."
"I remember." Christine mumbles under her breath disappointed before shaking it off. Composing herself leaning forward towards McCoy. "That's never stopped you from pestering Mr. Spock about his personal life." She laughed slightly knowing all the times she has seen McCoy pester the man to just get a small rise out of him. "On that note. Lil was raised on earth, with human values. You'll just sit there spiraling until you actually say something to her."
He gave a defeated sigh. The lieutenant is ill and he's moping around like a love sick puppy. Coming clean would ease the tension in his chest. But if his feelings aren't returned, he may just fall into a depression, embarrassing himself like that. She doesn't need to be held hostage here because he's desperate to be near her. To nurse her back to health.
"If I tell Lil I love her, are you going to put me back together when she turns me down?" He's bringing a new meaning to a hopeless romantic. In that he has no hope for his romance.
Chapel felt sympathy for him, loving someone so much but being too scared to be broken again. McCoy stood and stretched, leaving his forgotten sandwich on the desk. He made his way to leave.
"Where are you going?" Chapel asks, watching him drift away.
Off through the rooms, the one eared half vulcan sits up listening to the conversation the best she can. Her heart beat picks up slightly, increasing the tempo of the scanner behind her. Lil's mind burned with the rush of thoughts in her head. 'The Doctor liked her? He liked her. Why? How? Was this a crush, was it more?' She desperately wanted to know, 'so ask.' 'You can't ask, they'll know you were eavesdropping.' She let a sigh go, frustrated with her inner monologue.
'How do vulcans show attraction,' she pondered, staring at her soup. Nowak's mother often held her hand up with her index and middle finger out, to tap with her father. A vulcan kiss is what it's affectionately called. She doubts that Spock ever shown such a sign of affection for him to understand, if she tried that.
The chance of going the more direct route is a fine line to walk for her. She may have been raised around humans, but still had trouble dealing with how to express herself correctly and in control. A vulcan trait no doubt. If she misinterpreted his meaning and admitted to a longing he didn't share, Lil would have no clue what to do with herself. Is it worth the reprimand if she was wrong?
She lifted her head with her last thought as the sound of shuffling feet approached. 'Perhaps I'll let him come to me. If he thinks it's too inappropriate to try then it's not meant to be.
Keeping control over her heart so as to not give anything away. Almost losing that vulcan clam the moment he appeared around the corner. Looking somber with hollow eyes peering through her like he held terrible news. The excitement didn't need controlling when his face did shift. Standing at her side, she watched him lean forward reaching over her. Hearing his beating heart in his chest pound deep, strong and slow. Desperately her body screamed to pull him down onto her.
Hearing the click of a switch as he turned off the scanner overhead. Her eyes followed his face drifting away from her. No smile, no light in those blue orbs. Finally he spoke to her. "You're free to go."
That wasn't what she expected. McCoy noticed Lil's face looked confused. After being kept here for two and a half days, she was healthy enough to leave. Had she not vomited twenty-five minutes ago she'd believe him. "When you feel up to it of course." He continued attempting to explain his statement.
She felt a sting in her side as he stood waiting for a response. "Of course." Came a whisper, an echo of his last words. What could she do but stare at him.
He returned her words with a courteous stiff nood. "You're roommates have all been hypod. I can always walk you back to your quarters if you need." He wanted her to need him, if only for something so little he'd be content.
"No thank you." She spoke under her breath all in one. His southern hospitality was overlooked as just that. His face dropped hearing her cold reply. All chance died there in that room he took a step back from Lil giving her space, avoiding her eyes. He turned and retreated.
Chapel was in the archway watching the scene unfold. Lil's brown eyes followed McCoy on the way out. Chapel eyed McCoy as he passed, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. He looked as he had said goodbye for the last time. When he was out of view Lil dropped her gaze down. The sad and lonely looking lieutenant stared at her now cold soup infront of her.
Christien made her way to Lil's side. Without lifting her head the sick woman spook. "I don't think I'm very hungry anymore." She twirled her spoon in hand and dropped back to the tray beside the bowl. With her heart now sitting in her stomach it was no surprise she lost her appetite.
With as much sympathy Christien could muster she suggested, "I'm going to need you to still try, ok?" She placed a comforting hand on Lil's shoulder.
It's going to take time if these two ever get together. They both had self confidence issues. Lil didn't think she was good enough, being one part human and one part vulcan. She had no clue on how to properly show affection. And McCoy believed he wasn't worth the effort for a lasting relationship.
For what ever their reasons, being in a relationship wasn't in the card right now. Even if Nurse Chapel desperately wanted to pair the two off. She'd simply have to let them run their course.
When Lil finished her soup she promptly left the sick bay. Christine offered to escort her back to her quarters, less then leave her to suffer a broken heart alone. Of course Nowak declined.
A slow and empty walk back to her shared quarters. Drifting along like a dead leaf in the wind, waiting for someone to stomp it out. The doors to her small apartment opened. And she was greeted by her roommates.
"You're back!" One shouted, overjoyed at the return of her friend.
"That mean ol'doctor give you trouble?" The other question jokingly only for the words to twist the dagger in her heart. Lils eye swelled with tears like a damn about to burst. Both roommates ran to either side to catch her. "Lil! What! What happened? What did I say?"
"It's alright, you can cry if you need to." The smaller of the two rubbed circles into her back. Looking up quickly to the other unsure if that was the right thing to say. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Nowak barely holding herself up shook her head no. She couldn't bear to speak. Her throat was so dry and sore, she wouldn't have been able to make any sound other than wail. She was just sick, love sick. And it was killing her.