chaletian: (star trek disease)
[personal profile] chaletian
Title: It Takes A Village
Author: [livejournal.com profile] chaletian
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Not really
Summary: There are times (when being attacked by Klingons, for example) when life on the Enterprise is a million miles away from McCoy’s country practice. There are other times when it’s exactly the same.



[a]

After they set off on their mission, Starfleet rules dictate that every crew member take a physical. Some are reluctant. Some are indifferent. Some seem to enjoy themselves. Ensign O’Malley spends half an hour telling him her family medical history, complete with holos. Her parents are still married, and have three dogs and a cat. She has an older brother, but he didn’t get into Starfleet and instead works for a company that manufactures the parts for warp drives.

McCoy primes one of the nurses to interrupt him in the future with an unavoidable emergency at the thirty minute mark.

[b]

The Chief Engineer, Scott, appears two days in. He’s got a rash in a place no man wants a rash. He’s incoherently indignant, but McCoy gathers somehow that Admiral Archer is to blame. He’s pretty damn sure he doesn’t want to know about it.

[c]

In the first month, he gets dozens of inconsequential visits. He understands. No-one wants to meet their doctor for the first time when their leg’s just been filled with shrapnel or when a coolant pipe exploded in their face. None of them bring him baked goods, though, and that’s a shame.

[d]

The first casualty (barring Scott’s privates), is the captain himself, who comes wandering in with a bleeding arm. McCoy pushes him onto a bed, and pulls back the sleeve. It’s deep, but clean.

“What did you do yourself this time?” he asks. “Pick a fight with Sulu and his amazing sword?” It was a joke, but Jim looks guilty, and McCoy rolls his eyes. “Oh, you couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

“I thought it would be a useful skill,” protests Jim, wincing as McCoy disinfects the wound. “Have you seen him? It’s cool.”

“As if there aren’t enough things in space that can kill a man, you’ve got to start messing around with swords,” complains McCoy.

Jim pulls a face. “Killjoy.”

“Live with it, Captain. You got any idea of the paperwork Starfleet’ll make me fill out if you die on this godforsaken tin can? I’m keeping you alive till you’re eighty.”

“Fine, mom,” says Jim, and McCoy scowls.

“No more swords.”

There’s always more swords.

[e]

Medical Bay is and always has been a clearing room for gossip. McCoy gets it all. Which is sometimes interesting (apparently that kid Chekov’s set up a still in collusion with Scotty; McCoy joins that action pretty damn quickly), sometimes weird (that Bolian ensign in Stellar Cartography tells stories that would make your toes curl) and sometimes downright disturbing (McCoy is still pretending that Uhura never came to see him and that he knows absolutely nothing about her love life).

[f]

“I hear Oyewale in Engineering’s been chasing after Robbins,” says Nurse Chappell.

“He the kid in Communications?” asks McCoy, double-checking his inventory.

“No, that’s Robinson. Robbins is one of the Science officers. You know – red hair?”

“Oh, him. Well, that’ll be nice.”

“Pot’s going that one of them’ll be in here within a month for a booster,” offers Chappell.

McCoy’s eyebrow shoots up. “Are you asking me if I want to bet on my patients, Nurse?”

“Not at all, Doctor,” says Chappell blandly.

“Good. ‘Cause I wouldn’t do that. As a private gentleman, however, I say 5 credits on Oyewale inside three weeks.”

[g]

The Captain discovers the still.

“Jesus, Bones, they’re running a still!”

“That’s outrageous, Jim.”

“Did you know about this?”

“Absolutely not. I’m a doctor, not a moonshiner.”

“Can you get me some?”

“Sure.”

[h]

Three separate people come to tell him that Chekov is out of sorts/suicidal/depressed. Sulu thinks he might be homesick. Uhura suggests counselling. Jim gets carried away with the idea of staging an intervention.

Chekov, it turns out, is pining for a girl in the AstroLab.

McCoy tells Jim he has to give The Talk.

“What? No! Why?”

McCoy’s expression is wise and, he is aware, deeply annoying. “Jim, my friend, it takes a village to raise a child.”

[i]

Turns out, despite the vast emptiness of space, and the worryingly illusory protection offered even by Starfleet’s finest vessel, and the sheer likelihood of being taken out by an unexpected cosmic event (sure, those nebulae look pretty now but up-close they’re just a disaster waiting to happen) and/or Klingon attack (McCoy’s sure it’s going to happen any day now) and/or new and fatal alien disease (probably sexually transmitted; probably Kirk’s fault), life on the Enterprise isn’t as far off a village as you might expect.

THE END
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Date: 2009-05-21 02:16 pm (UTC)
ext_117441: (X-Men Deadpool)
From: [identity profile] ungratefulwench.livejournal.com
I was going to quote a bit I particularly liked, but there got to being too many of them for it to be in any way effective.

To summarise: I'm not sure what's better: McCoy or You.

Date: 2009-05-21 02:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] katie__pillar.livejournal.com
I think Laura's answer to that would always be "me".

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] ungratefulwench.livejournal.com - Date: 2009-05-21 03:10 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] chaletian.livejournal.com - Date: 2009-05-21 04:06 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] ungratefulwench.livejournal.com - Date: 2009-05-21 07:15 pm (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2009-05-21 02:16 pm (UTC)
beccastareyes: Image of Sam from LotR. Text: loyal (Default)
From: [personal profile] beccastareyes
I laughed. I especially liked the ending. And the swords.

Date: 2009-05-21 02:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hjpatience.livejournal.com
I loved this - the McCoy voice is pefect, as is his intereaction with Kirk "Have you seen him, it's cool!" and Nurse Chapel.

Any chance of a ficlet of Kirk having to give Chekov the talk - I can't decide whether he'd just get Chekov drunk or give up before he ever starts due to embarassment over having to be the adult...

Date: 2009-05-21 02:26 pm (UTC)
tree_and_leaf: Watercolour of barn owl perched on post. (Default)
From: [personal profile] tree_and_leaf
Ooh, lovely.

Someone should bring Bones cake, though.

Date: 2009-05-21 02:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] saavikam77.livejournal.com
Awwww!!! ^__^ This was just perfect.

I totally believe they'd have a still in operation in less than a month out of spacedock. XD

Date: 2009-05-21 04:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chaletian.livejournal.com
IKR THEY SO TOTALLY WOULD!!! *g*

Date: 2009-05-21 02:55 pm (UTC)
ext_15529: made by jazsekuhsjunk (dreadnought - all i got left is my bones)
From: [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com
See, this is why McCoy is my favorite :) This is terrific! Especially love:

and/or new and fatal alien disease (probably sexually transmitted; probably Kirk’s fault)

because it's really only a matter of time.

Date: 2009-05-21 02:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lamingtonqueen.livejournal.com
Very nice - enojyed it a lot.

Gotta say though, "There’s always more swords." made me laugh. Very wise advice to live your life by, I reckon!

Date: 2009-05-21 02:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] marag.livejournal.com
::giggles madly:: I love it :) Yup, any large group of people in a confined space is going to turn into a bunch of busybody gossips.

Date: 2009-05-21 03:00 pm (UTC)
settiai: (Kirk/McCoy/Spock -- madzilla)
From: [personal profile] settiai
Hee! Oh, this is absolutely brilliant.

Date: 2009-05-21 03:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zagzagael.livejournal.com
Incredibly fun to read and your McCoy voice rocks and rolls!

Date: 2009-05-21 03:14 pm (UTC)
ext_1440: melaka fray reading. (Default)
From: [identity profile] redangel618.livejournal.com
so after Kirk gives Chekov the Talk, Uhura goes and tells Chekov what you actually do with a girl, right? or does Chekov cut Kirk off and inform him that he already knows what he's doing with multiple genders and species, what did you think happened at Starfleet Academy?

oh Bones.

Date: 2009-05-21 03:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pegasus-01.livejournal.com
HAHAHAHA!!!! Brilliant! Loved the last bit about the STDs and it being Kirk's fault.

Date: 2009-05-21 03:38 pm (UTC)
jedibuttercup: (newtrek)
From: [personal profile] jedibuttercup
Bookmarking this; a smile-worthy, lighthearted look at the community of the new ship. It was interesting, too, to read it while thinking of the bits that would probably have been the same on the TOS Enterprise, and the bits unique to this one. Thank you.

Date: 2009-05-21 03:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seren-ccd.livejournal.com
Oh that was so spot on! I want to live there. Seriously, a wonderful slice of life on a starship and they're all so wonderful. Would so love to see more, especially 'The Talk'. ;-)

Date: 2009-05-21 04:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meri-oddities.livejournal.com
:-) Very nice. That made me smile.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] npkedit.livejournal.com
This is fabulous, and no just because it gave me a fit of giggles. You totally captured the gossipy reality of life on a starship. And your Bones is great.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] destro.livejournal.com
Oh my god, I can't stop grinning. Seriously, this is all sorts of perfect fab, I want to quote this all day:

“Fine, mom,” says Jim, and McCoy scowls.

“No more swords.”

There’s always more swords.


Also, if this is not the perfect summation of McCoy, I don't know what is:

McCoy’s expression is wise and, he is aware, deeply annoying

Seriously, crazy space A++

Date: 2009-05-21 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jncar.livejournal.com
I love Bones, and I love that you've given us such a great look at the Enterprise through his eyes.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] moryssa.livejournal.com
Awww! I'll bake Bones some cookies! :D

this line cracked me up: and/or new and fatal alien disease (probably sexually transmitted; probably Kirk’s fault

Mainly because it's true!

Loved it! :D

Date: 2009-05-21 04:41 pm (UTC)
ext_1310: (heart)
From: [identity profile] musesfool.livejournal.com
This is adorable! I would totally bring McCoy baked goods.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] citharadraconis.livejournal.com
I think we should all get together and bring McCoy baked goods. Seriously, this is great. Wonderful Bones voice.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] skywaterblue.livejournal.com
Ahaha, Uhura getting her contraception and Bones and Chekov and Scotty setting up a still. Brilliant.

Date: 2009-05-21 05:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] groovekittie.livejournal.com
OMG You have single handedly made Bones my favourite character! *FLAIL*

and/or new and fatal alien disease (probably sexually transmitted; probably Kirk’s fault)

That made me cackle and I had to check to make sure no one heard me because I read this at work! HAHAHHAHA!

Date: 2009-05-21 05:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dolorous-ett.livejournal.com
I stumbled on this through a rec on a friends-list, I think - an unexpected treat and pleasure!

I particularly enjoyed the last paragraph (those nebulae - nothing but trouble, even if they do sparkle!). Great stuff.

Date: 2009-05-21 06:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] niwatorimegami.livejournal.com
Hehehe, good job passing off The Talk to Jim, Bones~
Page 1 of 4 << [1] [2] [3] [4] >>

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