Work Text:
Paper after paper, Leonard read, researched and signed. It was now late at night. He didn’t even realize how fast time passed around him. He just blinked and suddenly it was 0340 hours. His shift was supposed to end at 0100 hours and it’s not a lie to say he is surprised no one told him to go home. Well, it’s to late to do that and besides, he only has five more documents to go through; a release, two check-ins and another two sign-ins. He can do them and nap a little in his office. Wouldn’t be the first time after all.
So, he got to work. He went over the release form of an engineering track student from Starfleet academy that injured herself during some weird machinery project. He didn’t really care much for engineering. He was a doctor, not an inventor. Anyway, the injury wasn’t too fatal. Nothing a Regenerator wouldn’t fix. Just a gash on her arm, some bruising and a small concussion. He kept the girl at the Medical for three days to make sure the fresh skin wasn’t going to break and the concussion disappeared. He could just give her a doctor’s note to have her rest up but knowing how similar Command track and Engineering track is in their students, he knew it would be ignored. Damned stubborn asses, the lot of them.
His eyes began to fog a little bit around the edges. With the release done, he only had to work through four more documents, but the longer his eyes remained opened and focused, the more irritated they were. It hurt to look. Perhaps the lack of rest increased the BP a bit. Nothing he can’t handle. Just four more papers. I’ve got this. He told himself. He took the check-in form and looked it over. It was from one command track student. One really specific student. One that had been in a little accident and twisted his hand in a bar fight. Here it was in the top right corner. James T. Kirk.
The blond trouble maker’s name was often on the forms he had to fill out, given how often he got into useless fights. Damn kid was noble to a fault, and if it wasn’t the reason Leonard held him close to his heart he would smack some self preservation skills into that thick skull of Jim’s.
Anyway. The form only required him to write up changes in the twisted hand. The swelling, that went down rather fast for an injury that wasn’t treated with a Regenerator (Jim promised to twist it again if any machine touched his skin, damn kid and his hatred for anything medical.) and regained ability to move without much pain. Only a little whine.
He wrote the changes down and felt his head nodding down. Just three documents, Leonard. But he didn’t reach those three files. His mind turned off when he picked up the second check in form. He couldn’t tell now that the world went black, but he hoped he didn’t hit his head and got a concussion.
Phil’s shift didn’t start for another hour and a half, but he couldn’t help himself not to arrive a little early. Okay, maybe a little is an understatement, but can anyone blame him? As the attending doctor and Surgeon-General, he had to make sure his co-workers didn’t spent themselves uselessly. And sue him if he wasn’t worries after getting a message from his favorite’s dorm mate that said favorite didn’t come home. Seriously, he can’t help but feel responsible for the younger doctor.
So, that’s how he found himself in Starfleet Medical, an hour and a half before his shift, rushing into McCoy’s doctor’s office to make sure the man was still alive. Call him overdramatic, but with Leonard, anything was possible. There were already some people working in SM. The night shift ended when his morning shift began. Some faces were surprised to see Doctor Boyce so early – some probably thought they got so caught up, they didn’t realize it’s the end of their shift already – others, didn’t care much. No one stopped him on his way to check up on Leonard.
Leonard who picked up another morning/evening shift. The man didn’t rest, even during summer break. Quite the opposite. Phil caught Leonard picking up double, sometimes even triple shift, and he wrote it in his mind as a sign that something is wrong. More than less times he was right, and indeed caught Leonard having worse days during those multiplied shifts. It happened so many times in fact, he decided to just give his private Comm to Jim Kirk, Leonard’s dorm mate.
Anyway. He finally reached the office. Looking through the door’s window, he didn’t see much. There was light on, most likely 60% - Leonard’s favored setting for working at night. The door wasn’t locked, which was good considering the possibility of needing the prodigy surgeon for an emergency. He pushed the door a little and glimpsed inside. Sure enough, there was a brunet lying down on the desk. Overworked once again. Kids these days. They don’t appreciate the time enough.
He went inside the room.
“Damn it, McCoy. What am I supposed to do with you…” He sighed to himself and placed a hand over his head. He considered pulling Leonard out of rotation and calling Kirk to take care of his favored doctor. After all he isn’t blind to the affection between the two youngsters. For now, though, he will just let the man sleep. God only knows how long he’s been here.
He looked down onto the coat in his hand, which he forgot to put away when he changed into SM’s uniform. The office wasn’t really cold, but when a person was rather tired, their sense of temperature was hindered. He can’t truly know it, but Leonard might be currently freezing.
So he does what any sane person would do. He puts the coat over the doctor’s sleeping form.
“Computer, rise room temperature to 24°C. And dim the lights to 25%.” He asked the AI that operates around Starfleet issued grounds while taking his private Padd out. He pressed on the one contact he knew would be waiting for a message from him.
From: Philip Boyce
To: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
[Found Leonard in his office. He fell asleep. I’ll let him rest for a while but the second he wakes up, you better be here to pick him up.]
It didn’t take long for the Padd to ping with the sound of a message going through. Hell, he didn’t even have time to look up.
From: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
To: Philip Boyce
[Sir, thank you for checking up on bones. It means a lot.]
From: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
To: Philip Boyce
[I can get there now, actually.]
A sigh left Phil’s mouth again. He seemed to do that a lot when working with those two. Next time Leonard denies any feelings between the two boys, he will pop another gray hair. Those two are so oblivious to each other’s pining.
From: Philip Boyce
To: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
[Thank you Cadet Kirk. It might actually be better for you to be here sooner. In case of an emergency. When he wakes up from this rest, if I won’t be able to tell him myself, tell him that he is to take a break for the whole week.]
From: Philip Boyce
To: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
[I swear if I see him sneaking in for a shift… Make sure nothing of sorts happen. Doctor’s orders.]
Just as a precaution, he will write him an official note to make sure he treats it seriously.
From: Jim Kirk (Lenny’s, hopefully, boyfriend)
To: Philip Boyce
[Sir, yes Sir!]
Well. Now that he alerted the kid, all he can do is get to work and make sure there is a cup of tea waiting for Leonard when the brunet wakes up. Even if he will mouth off at it not being coffee.
Kids…