McCoy decided it would be best to watch out for the Vulcan. Because if he needed a drink of Scotch that would, as he put it, "Not affect me as the Scotch will be neutrualized." And it was generally tempting to find out what can get a Vulcan really, really drunk. Spock meditated after breakfast then did extensive searches on padds stealing glances at the sitting Kirk. He had a spare padd beside him alongside another padd. Spock had one pad for 'book shopping', another for 'list of entertainment locations', and 'Ways to make someone happy'. McCoy was generally stunned to see a Vulcan focusing on Terran's well being. Prior experience with Vulcans made McCoy likely to be biased and he doubted himself because of that. McCoy knit with Marla and Trelane. They were making sweatshirts for little children with the small group.

Then there was lunch and then dinner.

Spock refused to open up about what he was planning.

McCoy had a strange feeling that he would not like it, at all.

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"Where am I?" Came Spock's voice.

And that was the second night.

"Go to sleep, Spock." McCoy said.

"Do I know you?" Spock said.

"Leland's friend. McCoy." McCoy said. "Leonard McCoy."

"Who is Leland?" Spock asked.

McCoy lunged forward.

"Don't make me strangle you for wakin' me up, you pointy eared bastard!" McCoy had turned in the Vulcan's direction.

McCoy could not exactly see Spock's facial reaction in the darkness.

"My mother married my father before my conception." Spock said.

McCoy's fingers bended.

"Will I have to go through this every night with you?" McCoy asked. "EVERY. DAMN. NIGHT?"

"It appears so as I am unaware where I am." Spock replied.

"Tell me where you think you are." McCoy said.

"USS Enterprise. Am I being quarantined for a illness I have contracted?" Spock asked, his voice monotonous than it had been before.

McCoy paused.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Spock, you are sick." McCoy said. "Uh. . . Doctor Boyce wanted me to make sure you didn't get out of your quarters." Spock was leaned up. McCoy could feel the hair on the back of his neck were raised up. "And that Captain Pike authorized it. He thinks a little outside help could do a great deal with you."

"The captain is never wrong when it comes to decisions like this." Spock said.

"That he is." McCoy said.

"What is his middle name?" Spock asked.

McCoy paused, his mind reeling sorting through random middle names.

"Richard." McCoy said.

"I had to make sure." Spock said.

McCoy sighed.

Pure luck.

"Make sure what?" McCoy said.

"That I am not experiencing a hallucination of someone I have never met." Spock said.

YOU HAVE BENDII'S AND YOU ARE GIVING ME A HEADACHE, McCoy wanted to scream.

"What if you are my hallucination?" McCoy asked, laying his head back down onto the pillow.

There was a eerie long silence.

"Good night, Spock." McCoy said, turning over and made himself fall to sleep.

In the morning, when McCoy woke up, Spock was already getting his clothes ready for the day whistling merrily. Which creeped the hell out of the doctor. He was sitting on the edge of his bed watching the Vulcan put on his slippers who looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say "Are you all right?" McCoy dove straight to his drawer at the first word from the Vulcan's mouth. Spock merely dismissed the unusual reaction then exited the room. Chapel likely came by so showers were going to start any minute.

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The third night Spock called out a name.

"T'Pring." Spock said, half laid on the bed and half laid off the bed.

Spock was still working on his plans hours ago. He forgot McCoy's last name and mistakeningly said, "I am not up for your games, Bones" and needless to say it stuck because everyone was calling him Bones. Everyone. Including the nurses. Spock merely shrugged with the reply, "When I am busy, you do not want to speak with me. I have learned that my busy persona is rather rude." And McCoy had to comfort Marla after Khan's passing and so did the women.

McCoy had a sigh.

This is going to be a long night.

Or at least he thought that.

"Come back." Spock said, his voice turning upset.

I am not going to reply, McCoy thought, because then I get a more induced amnesia Spock and he might be a child this time. Or a teenager. McCoy clenched his teeth, briefly. He has been letting his emotions come freely which is highly illogical for a Vulcan. McCoy had one elbow over his forehead. He could take it. McCoy had assumed, he could withstand the sad Spock willowing right across from him.

"Ashayam." Spock said.

That is it,McCoy thought taking his elbow off his forehead, it has to end here!

McCoy got off the bed, rather annoyed, then came over to the Vulcan's bed. He turned the Vulcan over onto the bed. Spock's hand latched onto his fore-arm and then his other hand latched onto it as well. McCoy's eyes widened briefly as the Vulcan tugged him in. McCoy's head landing on the Vulcan's shoulder. And the Vulcan didn't make a peep. His arms wrapped around the human's waist. In a hug like manner.

Oh dear.

Worst, night, ever.

Spock was radiating heat from his body. But don't Vulcan's have a cold body temperature? For some reason the cold warm heat coming from the Vulcan's body was luring the doctor to sleep. Damn it, if this Vulcan makes a comment about waking up with him in bed then he is going to kill him. Speaking of which,McCoy had to also note to himself not to interrupt Spock when he is sleep talking and hanging halfway out of his bed. McCoy's eyes felt heavy. It didn't help that Spock was entirely a comfortable person to sleep on.

Damn it, Spock, McCoy thought as his eyes began to close, why do you need to be so pitiful?

When McCoy awoke, half awake, half asleep, it was partially dark and partially lit. Spock had let go of McCoy and turned over on the other side of the bed. McCoy rolled himself out of bed landing with a thump. He darted over toward his bed and put the blanket over his shoulder glaring at the pointy eared computer. The Vulcan was curled up in fetal position by the looks of it.

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"So, you have been acting strangely since this morning." Uhura said, sitting alongside McCoy during lunch period.

"You don't want to know." McCoy said, picking up his salad sandwich.

"Nonsense," Uhura said. "I want to know."

"Spock was halfway out the bed, I put him back in, and he. . ." McCoy said.

"And he tossed you into yours?" Uhura said.

"No, of course not." McCoy said.

"Then what did he do?" Uhura asked.

Spock was taking unusually longer to arrive in the mess hall.

"He grabbed me into his bed." McCoy said, in a low voice.

Uhura laughed.

"That is a record breaker for you," Uhura said. "You do not sleep with men in their bed until two years."

McCoy's right eyebrow twitched.

"Not funny, Ny," McCoy said. "It was a matter of being humiliated or tortured by Spock never letting it down when I spoke."

Uhura raised her eyebrows.

"He doesn't know you slept with him." Uhura said.

"I intend for it to be left at that." McCoy said.

"Bones," Uhura said. "Is Spock climbing a tree?"

McCoy looked over his shoulder to see Spock reaching his hand out toward a black cat on the branch of a tree.

"He has gone insane," McCoy said. He turned his head away. "Took him long enough."

Nyota joined the growing crowd at the window. Marla was part of the crowd appearing to be frightened. Spock's leg was on top of a stump to the side of the tree. The cat was hissing and growling at Spock with his tail curled around his side. Spock appeared to be determined on reaching the cat. He came onto a tree branch nearby the cat then cooed to the cat reaching his hand out. Evans was gasping at the sight. Chekov and Scotty were cheering on Spock. The cat reached his head out sniffing Spock's fingers looking at him warily. The cat slowly creeped its way forward. From below there were nurses preparing a landing zone for the old Vulcan. Once the cat came into his arms, Spock smiled earning a 'awww' from the crowd. The branch had a loud crack.

Then Spock vanished from their sight.