dead state i can feel the weight; light streaming in through the open grate.

[hypospray]

CHARACTERS: The Doctor and the Pilot of the USS Enterprise
LOCATION: Medbay
WARNINGS: Possible depressing talk, Bones' mouth. This might not be a fun log, kids.
SUMMARY: Sometimes when certain people go off on adventures before certain doctors find themselves on the Tranquility, certain doctors twist their arms into medical exams that might not be pretty.
NOTES: Backdated to the 29th of last month. After this thread.

[ the thing is, bones knows very well that his methods to get sulu down here were a bit unorthodox and maybe going beyond the bounds of his duty to the crew of the enterprise that's stuck on the ship, but if anyone's going to make sure that when they get off this ship ( because he sure as hell isn't turning that into an if, because that way lies insanity thank you very much ) they're all in one piece, it's him. he's a goddamn doctor, and until he sees you, he's going to be a little suspecious of how you actually are. especially if it's got mr. vulcan logic all concerned for your well-being beyond, he supposes, the logical amount. 

his shift is actually supposed to end before sulu's, but he can pick up another one with relative ease because he feels like it and he figures simon really isn't going to fight him about it. in any case, when sulu finally does arrive, bones practically swoops in on him and points to a bed like it's not a big thing. ]

The sooner you get on there, the sooner we can be done and the sooner you can whine about me being mean and forcing you here to someone. 

[ ...charming, bones. real charming bedside manner there. ]

Comments

[leaps]

[ sulu has avoided medical. that has been a thing that's been happening. mccoy showed up and that got exponentially harder, because of course he'd ask everyone down for a physical. of course someone would mention that sulu's been off kilter. no one knows the extent of it, but that's not exactly a secret. but he was banking on some sort of disaster to hold mccoy's attention, and the ship has yet to provide one.

sulu thinks he's entitled to be a little bitter about it, but that isn't doing him any good.

after a moment's hesitation he does hop up on the bed, resists the urge to swing his feet. he lays his hands on his thighs, resists the urge to ball them up into fists. ]

I have a chart. It's up to date.

[ after a fashion. ]

[hypospray]

[ mccoy is thankful for the lack of disasters, even if he knows that at any time there could be one that pops up and leaves him scrambling. he's thankful because for now it allows him to do this. to check up on jim and spock and sulu now, uhura and scotty and chekov can wait a bit.

sulu can be bitter, but mccoy doesn't care. and it shows in how he just raises an eyebrow at him. ]

And you know, I had no clue you did. Do I need to repeat what I said in our conversation or did you hit your head on something in engineering and forget it?

[ ask him how much he cares. ]

Still wanted to see you with my own two eyes.

[leaps]

There's nothing wrong with my head.

[ which is maybe just this side of too defensive, but it's kneejerk by now. there's nothing wrong with his head and he doesn't need to be here. maybe if he keeps saying it everyone else will catch on. ]

Is there something you're looking for in particular?

[hypospray]

That's what every person with a mental disorder that leaves them mostly coherent says. Don't tell that to the doctor. Makes us suspecious.

[ he'll let it slide for now, just this beginning bit of this exam, because if sulu bolts, mccoy has to hunt him down. like hell if he believes sulu that he's fine though. ]

Your body. You look fine sitting here in front of me, but the damage potentially done to the parts I can't see with my naked eye, now that's what I'm interested in.

[leaps]

[ what's wrong with sulu isn't--

sulu doesn't know how to explain it. he doesn't want to explain any of it. it helps thinking that some of it sounds so unbelievable, masks and rooms and shaking hands, it all seems outlandish when spoken aloud to someone who didn't live through it. maybe sulu can slide by just on sheer ridiculousness. ]

I've got new scars, but it all healed fine.

[ not that there's a good way to say he got those scars in a dream world, but who knows. ]

[hypospray]

[ there's a thing about the human body, how it can be the most ridiculous thing you can ever imagine and then some. the diseases it can suffer just from a human perceptive are a little mind-boggling when you first learn them.

when you get to alien diseases, well that's another story entirely. ]

Details on how you got them. And let me see them.

[ it's an order, as a doctor and a commanding officer and he doesn't care how it sounds. ]

[leaps]

You're not going to believe how I got them.

[ that's actually the phrase that should preface this entire physical. i've got new scars, but you're not going to believe how i got them. but he draws his shirt off anyways, lays it aside before rolling up his pant leg. all of the ghost scars, the scars that came from spock's dream of vulcan, the scabs that had scarred rather than heal up because sulu couldn't take two minutes to get them treated properly. he taps the one on his shoulder. his feet swing like the kid he really isn't. ]

There was this time when everyone fell into each other's dream. Spock's wasn't that easy to get out of.

[hypospray]

I also still don't really believe in time travel, and I'm pretty sure I don't need to remind you what happened at home.

[ which is to say, i'll probably believe a lot of things at this point. mccoy's eyes take in the scarring, frowning all the while. ] Couldn't take a damn minute to get the damn thing looked at properly of course. [ it's muttered loud enough for sulu to hear but mccoy doesn't care. ]

Spock's required you to what, get into a damn fight to get out of it? Who'd have known the damn Vulcan's dreams were that violent.

[leaps]

[ there's a pause, sulu hesitating. he doesn't know what to say, but what can he say besides the truth? ]

He dreamed the destruction of Vulcan.

[ and they'd all died in it. but sulu doesn't see a point to tacking that on. he shrugs a little, makes a motion as if to dismiss the whole topic. ]

...that icon tho

[hypospray]

[ that's enough to get mccoy to pause and just stare. ]

He what?

[ danger danger, sulu robinson, you do not want to repeat what you just said because you are going to get the brunt of the you all are idiots i swear to god bitching. ]

idk ally idk

[leaps]

[ there is just a pause here while sulu looks at him because he's trying not to sass all his superior officers but.

but...

but dude you totally heard him, do you need your ears checked or? ]

YOU SEEM ODDLY CHEERFUL, SULU

[hypospray]

[ sulu really.

are you really giving him that look?

we're not even in depth in this log yet. god we tried to be serious. let the record show we did.

the look of yes i totally heard you but humor me. ]

I will pull two different kinds of rank on you, Mr. Sulu.

GET OFF HIS CASE BONES.

[leaps]

[ oh right you don't fool around with bones. sulu knew that. theoretically he knew that. however, he lets the moment hang a little longer before inclining his head. ]

I know, sir. It's how you got me down here.

[ that's not why, it's because bones is scary when he orders somethign. ]

NEVER MUST ALWAYS BE ON YOUR CASE, SULU.

[hypospray]

[ theoretically he knew that but apparently that means nothing in sulu's world. there's another moment before bones just narrows his eyes a little. ]

Then stop giving me that dumbass look and say what you said again.

[ that's an order bro. ]

HIPCHECKS OUT

[leaps]

Commander Spock experienced a dream of Vulcan's destruction, and the Captain and I fell into it with him.

[ yeah, that sounds better a second time around, right? ]

BUSTS RIGHT BACK IN MOTHERFUCKER

[hypospray]

And that's where you got the scar. Because dreams on this damn ship are interactive.

[ it doesn't in the slightest. fuck this shit man he did not sign up for this. ]

RUDE

[leaps]

Not all of them. Just that one was.

[ yes, because that's going to make bones feel so much better about it. ]

YOU LOVE ME ANYWAY.

[hypospray]

[ you suck at this making him feel better thing, sulu. ]

Just that one was. Which didn't seem odd at all. So you two fell into the destruction of Vulcan with that goddamn robot, you all get out and like an idiot you couldn't get those fixed up properly. [ a beat. ]

I'm gonna be nice, since you repeated that for me, those scars the only thing you got?

IDK ABOUT THAT.

[leaps]

[ scars. sulu could technically say yes and be alright. but that's not--

it takes a long, long few minutes for sulu to struggle with himself and finally uncurl his fingers from the fists he'd balled them into. he opens up his fists and holds up his hands, lets mccoy see the way they shake just finely, the way sulu winces when he flexes them.

he doesn't say anything. he doesn't know what to say. ]

DON'T MAKE ME GIVE YOU A FACE.

[hypospray]

[ mccoy just stares, like he's waiting for sulu's hands to be normal, for sulu to tell him that was some kind of sick joke he decided to pull on him. but it's real, this fucking kid whose entire life involves his hands as much as mccoy's life involves his hands can't—

when he speaks, his jaw's tense, like he's holding back just a bit. ]

Did you get those injured and not tell anyone? Don't fuck around when you're answering that. Just tell me the straight answer. Did you?

[ if there's an undercurrent of please tell me you aren't that stupid, kid, it's toned down more than normal. ]

I DON'T WANT ANY FACES.

[leaps]

No.

[ it's both lie and truth. sulu still isn't sure what happened, what made this happen. but his hands shake and shake and shake, and he moves so slow now, trying not to let people notice, trying not to damage what he's working on. he didn't hurt them, but he hasn't told anyone either. ]

I didn't get them injured.

MAKES ALL THE FACES AT YOU!!!

[hypospray]

[ all the air that mccoy didn't realize he was holding in rushes out in an exhale, heavier than it should be before he shakes his head and grabs one of sulu's hands, like that'll make it better, like somehow grabbing them and feeling them will allow him to know what in the hell is wrong with them. ]

Anyone else know?