Work Text:
It was an odd day at sickbay. Everyone had been in a scramble considering they had spent practically a month going at slow speed ahead back towards that planet.
It was totally understood why Len wanted to give up the fruitless search, but she wasn't as easily ready to give up the search for the Captain. In the end Len was wrong, the Captain was found, apologies were made. However, there was one thing, or more so one person that had been forgotten.
Spock.
That was why she was currently outside lab room two.
For Spock.
Instead of actually getting some sleep like any average intellectual person in his shoes would do, he had holed himself up in this lab rat infested place burying himself in a frivolous project that one of his science ensigns could easily do blindfolded.
For what reasons, who knew? All that she knew was that when she was on her twelfth coffee of the day, it was always was nice to have someone drop by and check on her. However, it was her turn to do some visiting and dragging to sleep. Usually that was Len, but right now he was too occupied with the Captain and his unfortunate circumstance. It wasn't confirmed with her all that had happened, but she could gather enough information based on what she had seen on the planets surface.
Would it be to impervious of her to offer her condolences? Actually no, probably not a good idea. It would be like rubbing salt in a wound when not needed. She could put two and two together when she had scanned the aboriginal female and had found her laden with child.
Entering the lab, her direction was first towards where Spock's back was facing her. Baffled at his lack of response, she realized he must be exhausted if he didn't even pay mind to someone entering the room. Everyone had been avoiding this particular room. Rumor had it that a 'Spock storm' had been brewing in this very room, and it was made very clear to everyone and everything living or dead that Spock was in no mood to be trifled with. Huh, surprising. It was unknown to her that Vulcans could have a quote, 'mood'.
Alright-y then Christine, Lion den here ya come. Hopefully she could tame him, and then send him off to sleep with a bit of food in him.
"Mr. Spock?" she asked standing right by him. Waiting a moment, but after no response she repeated his name again.
"Nurse." The 'skeleton' replied.
If he got any more bone-y, she could ship him off to a museum to be put on display and polished.
"I think you don't need any introduction as to why I'm hear Mr. Spock." She said curtly.
With a cough she watched as he exhaustively rubbed his temple, "I'm afraid not, Christine."
Her temper softened at the use of her name, but her resolve grew stronger.
"Then, your going to put away this project and go to bed like a good little boy ought to." She said forgetting for a moment who she was actually speaking to and dropping the formalities. Oh well, she was going to get her message across one way or the other.
In amusement, she watched as he raised an eyebrow and with a crack in his voice asked, "And since when, have you turned into my mother and I a little boy?"
Blushing, she shook her head knowing that she was being teased with.
"Mr. Spock..."
"I know." His voice interrupted.
"Then why are you doing this to yourself?" She asked in earnest.
"The same reason that you spend all your hours in the lab or in sickbay drinking tremendous amounts of caffeinated beverages to stay awake and not sleep?"
"Mister Spock... " An exasperated sigh escaped her lips.
"I'm a workaholic for reasons. However despite the fact that you even have taken note of that, this behavior of yours is unlike you and quite extreme don't you think? I can assure you Mister Spock you won't see me spending a month and a half without sleep and to continue to suffer on through it."
"For a human that is not possible." Spock said with a pause, "For a Vulcan however-"
"Spock spare me your Vulcan pride please..." She couldn't help but whine gesturing her head slightly, dramatizing.
All that was received was another eyebrow raise in response.
"Spock you have literally run yourself into the mud. And no.. before you mention that there is no mud to run into." She mentioned seeing his mouth immediately close. "Your exhausted and sooner or later your going to collapse. That is a basic fact. You wouldn't want Len or Jim to deal with that now would you?"
At the mention of Jim's name, she suddenly realized she hit the nail on the head.
"Your feeling guilty aren't you?" Was the immediate reply from her mouth without giving Spock a chance to respond from the previous statement.
"Nurse."
Ah, were back to 'Nurse' now.
"I present to you Mister Spock that you made a choice. I don't know all the specifics. But you made a choice, stuck by it and tried your #### best." She said sitting on the counter beside him looking into his eyes.
"Nurse, I fail to see how cursing the best that I did helps to resolve this... matter." He said choking on the words at the end.
"Well I do Spock." She said unknowingly dropping the Mister.
"You have accomplished so much against so many resistances. No one is going to think twice at not trusting you. Len, well you know how he is, always flustered. As for the Captain, even though I personally don't know him as well as you, I know that you two have this... special bond. That friendship you have won't dissolve. Friendship runs deeper than that. Loyalty to Star Fleet runs deeper than that. "
"You, at least in my eyes are the best officer in the fleet. And that's not just me saying that by being constantlly blinded by all the raving reports that have come pouring in from Starfleet. I've seen the things you have done. The sacrifices you have made." She now says grinning ear to ear.
"Why anyone who tries to say otherwise can... can... go dig themselves a hole and climb in!" She says with enthusiasm.
After a small pause, "I dare say. I don't see how that would help Christine." The Vulcan said now sluggishly blinking.
"I do." She says quite simply.
The face she received egged her to go on further.
"I'd have the shovel ready to move the dirt back in..." She replies in a no nonsense tone of voice.
With a smirk on Spock's face, "Christine... I do not condone the prospect of murder..."
Shooting him a look.
"How about murderous looks?"
"Acceptable." He nodded.
"Well good, glad your in agreement. Now up and at em." She says standing up from the counter brushing her dress off.
"May I ask where the 'up and at em' were going to?"
"You." She points. "Bed."
With a sigh escaping from Spock's lips, she could see a sparkle in his eyes, "I have a... 'feeling' I am not going to get very far in this argument am I?"
"No your not. Especially not with a nurse, and especially not with a nurse that has learned a certain southern doctors hypoing skills."
"Is that a threat?"
"You can bet your bottom dollar on that."
"Nurse, I believe such forms of currency are no longer in existence."
She rolls her eyes beginning to clean up the station.
"Oh and don't you even think about pulling that stunt you pulled with Len. 'Resting'" She huffed wiping off the table.
"Indeed, I doubt I could get away with it if I tried it with you." Spock says putting away a microscope disinfecting it.
"You better believe it." She teased.
Once everything had been cleaned up, she followed Spock out to the entrance of the Lab trailing behind him down the hall.
"Nurse I assure you I can make it to my quarters on my own." He said in his per usual mocking tone.
"I know that, however I just want to make sure you aren't distracted along the way. "
"If anything, you are causing more of a distraction than anything else."
With both of us entering the lift she perked up whispering gently.
"Excuses.. excuses...."
If Spock noticed he didn't say anything and the rest of the lift was rode in silence and so was the walk towards Spock's cabin.
As they had actually reached Spock's door she watched as Spock took a step in.
About to lecture Spock on how he was to eat and get a good bit of rest, she was beat to the mark.
"I shall eat and take some leave of sleep on good faith on your word that it will do some good." He said with a slight glow to his face as he had turned around to face her.
"Then I shall-" She says turning around to leave before a hand brushed upon her shoulder bringing tingles.
"Spock?" She turned back curious.
"What is it?"
"I wanted... To thank you. Thankyou Christine for helping me see the err in my thinking and..." He said taking a normally uncomfortably close step to her.
"For being a distraction."
Suddenly his lips were upon hers tentatively fluttering upon her lips curiously. Then, as she was found to be very much in shock and receptive, the kiss was immediately deepened by the stretching of his arms around her waist embracing her firmly.
The moment seemed to last hours as his fingers tangled in her deep chestnut brown hair pulling it out of the french twist she had pulled it into that day. Alas, when they both broke away with a deep gasp for the oxygen that they had been missing, the atmosphere had drastically changed.
"Spock?" Her voice quivered nervously with her lips puckered red.
The only response was the brushing of a lock of hair pushed behind her ear and a single kiss upon the side of her cheek.
"Goodnight Thyla" He mummered in her ear with his eyes glazed over with exhaustion mingled with love.
"Goodnight,.... Thyla." She breathlessly whispered back as Spock went back into his cabin shutting the door.
The butterflies in her stomach... felt unimaginably heavier than they ever did before but it felt as if she were walking on clouds.
Smiling like an imbecile she walked directly to her own cabin to get some rest herself.
She would never forget lab room two.
