the academy

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

McCoy's fingers swept over the PADD which contained the medical record of one Cadet Walker. "That sprain is at least a week old. Any particular reason you took so long in getting it medically checked?" He asked the irritation clear in his voice that anyone would go so long without seeking out proper medical care. Did he have any idea how dangerous that could be? Something like this was a quick fix, but let it exacerbate and a host of other issues could ensue, not to mention it must have been painful.

"I could handle it..." The 22 year old second year cadet grumbled. He hadn't come in on his own, but was instead dragged in by a friend after he'd fallen on a run earlier in the day. Leonard's mouth thinned further in disapproval. One thing about this place it was like living in the wild...no one wanted to show any signs of weakness. Many of them would rather suffer through than admit they had been hurt. It did not make a doctor's job any easier.

"Clearly," McCoy replied, dripping sarcasm. He picked up a medical instrument and ran it over the cadet's ankle. It hummed softly and re-attached the severed ligament while also mending the swelling. The young man would be fine now all save for his pride. "All right, you're patched up. Next time, come to the infirmary sooner," he suggested, but knowing better than to think for a second that the cadet would listen to him.

McCoy left the exam room allowing Walker to put his running shoes back on before he left. He headed to the nurses station, making one last notation on the chart and almost stepping into someone. He managed to just side-step the other individual by trying to do two things at once. "Sorry," he murmured as he handed the electronic chart to a nurse.

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

When she came out of the exam room after seeing another sick cadet she had to wonder just how some of them were managing to get in such a way. But she didn’t question, she just treated them and hoped that they got better. Walking over to the nurse’s station, she got to work on quickly getting her notes down in the patient’s chart while idly listening to the chatter of the nurses as they gossiped. Her concentration on noting the patient’s chart was cut short when she felt someone bump into her slightly-- moving out of the man’s way when she realized that she was in fact, the one in the way. ”Oh, no... don’t apologize. I was the one in the way.” She managed, feeling that she was the one at fault for being in the way. It had been active in the infirmary and while she probably should have been studying, the need to help out in the infirmary had nagged at her until she finally gave in to taking a shift.

Turning her attention back to what she had been noting in a patient’s chart, something hit her funny and she looked to him again. ”I’ve seen you in a couple of my classes... you’re... McCoy, right?” She normally wouldn’t have tried for conversation with another doctor, especially when she was focusing on getting her notes down for the patient she’d just seen but she couldn’t help herself, curious as she was.

She quickly finished up, and handed the chart to the nurse as she looked to him, giving him a bit of a smile. ”What I wouldn’t give for a cadet coming in here with something up his nose or something that would make me think what they were thinking when they actually got into that situation. But I suppose that’s wishful thinking on my part. I like a challenge.” Alice realized then that she was speaking randomly. ”Sorry... you’re probably wanting to get on with your day.”

343 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world

STAY GOLD PONYBOY ! @ caution & atf || lyrics: "safe" by miranda lambert

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

McCoy looked up once his hands were empty again and he was able to take notice of just whom he'd walked into. He was mildly surprised that like him she was on the er...'more experienced'...side for a cadet. His Southern gentleman's instinct kicked in and he waved off her apology with a motion of his hand that there was no need for it.

He nodded as she recalled his name, now feeling a bit guilty for being completely unaware of hers. "That's right. Sorry again, I should probably know yours..." he said prompting a pause where she could give it, if she wished.

Her remark actually made him laugh. "I had a patient with a blueberry up his nose once...of course, he was two," he mused. "Not that some of these kids don't act like toddlers. I mean really...at what point in life do you actually realize that you're not damned invincible?" he sighed, "I suppose it's a common trait among Star Fleet personnel though."

It would indeed be a challenge and school was just the tip of the iceberg. "Don't worry about it. My night's actually just paperwork from here before I go to try and finish that essay on communicable alien diseases and then sleep for twenty minutes before starting this day all over again. I could use two minutes of conversation."

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

When he said that he had failed to recall her name, she smiled. “Alice Taylor.” Leaning against the nurse’s station, she watched him with interest. He seemed to be one of the more competent cadets and for her that was refreshing as she thought that she was the only one that would be here that had managed to be certified before enrolling in Starfleet. But here he was... living proof that she was not the only one.

And she liked it.

Alice beamed a bit when he laughed. “Yeah, I‘ve had my fair share of children with foreign objects up their noses. Anything from food, like you mentioned, to tiny toys.” She stood there trying to remember a good one to actually tell him. ”When I was doing a stint in the emergency room in London, I had a guy come in with his baby brother. The child was clearly in distress as he was having trouble breathing and wheezing.” And just like any other patient she had the brother ask if it could be the croup or something more serious. Alice hadn’t bothered to answer the boy’s question and while she wanted to believe that he had been telling the truth about turning his back for a second on the child, it had clearly been enough time for the baby to shove objects up his nose. ”The boy rattled on about how he was studying but I doubt that. Anyway, I managed to find out what the issue was with a light and a pair of tweezers. The baby had managed to lodge a small toy police officer up his nose.”

That hadn’t been the last that she had seen of those pair. The following week they were back again, with the baby still having issues breathing. And as she continued to tell McCoy the story, the more she felt at ease with him. “Needless to say, after the kid growled, tried to bite me, I managed to get him calmed down enough just to see what the issue was. Not that I didn’t already have a clue...,”

“It was a firefighter, this time.”

Going along with the rest of the story, she explained that the kid ended up back in the emergency room again a few days later. And it was then that she finally figured out why the baby had shoved both the police officer and the firefighter up his nose, along with a firetruck. ”All in an attempt to save the cat...,” She had used a magnet to get the cat which had been lodged up farther then she could have initially seen when the brother brought the baby into emergency the first time.

When she was finished telling him the story she shrugged a bit. ”Of course... I’ve had a lot worse incidents, too. Mostly involving adults so I have to say... dealing with these cadets will probably just add to all the outrageous stories I'll have to tell.” Alice watched him and listened as he commented about the cadets and their inability to see that at some point in life they weren’t invisible. ”Probably when they’re at death’s door, maybe then they will realize that.” It was a morbid way of thinking for her but sometimes that’s what it took for some to get the message.

“I... haven’t even started on my work, either. So... we have something in common there. I think after I leave here though, I might go for a bite to eat. I’d... invite you, but... if you’ve got paperwork to do then maybe that should be left for another time.”

635 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world

STAY GOLD PONYBOY ! @ caution & atf || lyrics: "safe" by miranda lambert

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

Leonard nodded in response to the woman giving him her name. Now that he knew it, he could continue on without feeling like a heel. He listened to the stories of the brothers and their escapades with the toys up the nose with amusement. That sure sounded like one heck of a pair. It was often those kinds of moments, the funny stories and endearing patients that made it possible for a doctor to get through all of the rough times and the loss. It was something that most of the cadets couldn't yet understand, because they hadn't been through it yet. But now McCoy knew that there was at least one person around here that would. It was a nice thing to have in the back of his head.

Leonard looked down at the patient charts waiting for him; signatures that needed to be written out and procedure reports medical histories... Oh what the hell, he thought. Would the twenty minutes of sleep really have done all /that/ much for him anyway? He looked back at Alice. "You know what, food sounds pretty good actually. Why don't we finish up here and I'll meet you out in front of the medical building at 19 hundred," he suggested. That should give them time enough to finish their clinical rounds and be too terribly late at 7 pm to nab some dinner.

((Feel free to move time to 7 if she accepts ))

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

She hadn’t been so sure that he was even going to acknowledge her invitation of dinner. But when he did, she was surprised. It wasn’t as if it was a date, anyway. Just dinner between two doctors. It happened and while she was sure the immature cadets would see it as much more, she wouldn’t. It would just be dinner and conversation which was all that she could want instead of eating alone again.

Alice smiled at him. ”Sounds like a plan.” She answered before realizing then that a nurse was handing her yet another chart for a patient. When she took it and looked at it to see why the cadet was even there, she couldn’t help but shake her head. ”They never learn...,” It was a repeat cadet that she’d have the misfortune of dealing with on her last shift in the infirmary.

“So... dinner... I’ll meet you out front and we’ll... go eat...” Alice felt the color rise in her cheeks as she spoke and knew that she was turning red. With a grin, she moved then to turn tail and head off to the exam room where her patient was waiting for her. Not surprised to see that the young Cadet Benson had gotten himself into the same predicament as before. ”You really need to just avoid those other cadets, Benson. You getting beat up like this is going to become a regular occurrence if you don’t.” She explained, calmly. Alice felt for the boy. It was hard being in a school where one or more students were being bullied and beat up for various reasons.

”I know Doctor Taylor. But its not like I asked for this. They just... they find me.”

The doctor was silent as she worked with cleaning the scrap on his forehead. ”Report them, Cadet.” Was all that she could say. There was no other advice that she could give. It would only cause more issues for him if he were to actually stick up for himself and fight back and that was not something she wanted to see.

But she didn’t want to see him repeatedly in the infirmary, either. ”The way you keep coming in here people are going to think that you have a crush on me.” Alice teased.

It got a smile and a laugh out of the cadet. ”No, I don’t.”

Alice couldn’t help but laugh. “I know I was just seeing if you were going to actually smile. Now, can you get that bleeding nose stopped?” She asked, concerned as she watched him fight with getting it stopped.

He nodded. “Think so.”

When she was sure that he was going to be okay, she went about making notes in his chart. Hoping that he was her last patient of the day as she had to make other rounds to check on those patients that would be staying overnight and to finish what paperwork needed to be sorted before she could think of leaving.

She sent the cadet off then and followed him out of the exam room, heading to the nurse’s station to sign what she had to and then headed off to get the last of her rounds finished. All the while she kept an eye on the clock-- not about to keep the man waiting.

Alice got her work for the day finished by the time that seven rolled around. She managed to get a bit cleaned up and mindful to take her medication before she forgot altogether, she moved then to take her leave of the infirmary. Waiting outside for Doctor McCoy. She wasn’t sure why she had even asked him to join her for dinner and when she couldn’t really come up with a valid excuse, she just figured that it was because she didn’t want to be eating alone.

That was the simplest explanation that she could come up with that made sense.

677 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world

STAY GOLD PONYBOY ! @ caution & atf

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

A date? That notion had never entered Leonard's head, but then it was still too difficult for him to think of another woman in any sort of romantic way since ending his marriage. He certainly wasn't out scoping for dates; he'd leave that kind of hormone-driven foolery to his room mate. He was, however, looking forward to an evening of conversation with someone closer to his age with whom he shared things in common. Okay, so most people would, in fact, classify that as a date, but...whatever.

After finishing off his paperwork, McCoy stowed the charts and then changed into street clothes. It was only a pair of jeans, a button-down maroon colored shirt and his worn-looking leather jacket worn over top, but that was better than scrubs. The door swished easily open as he approached and closed just as silently behind him while McCoy sought out Alice who was there waiting for him.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting long," he greeted as he approached. "So what are we in the mood for tonight? I haven't been out to investigate the city much, but I hear 'Frisco's good for a bit of everything."

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

Alice hadn’t been waiting outside of the medical facility for long. Knowing that the man had to complete his paperwork before even thinking about leaving just as she had to do. It was all part of their job. Seeing patients, treating patients and of course... the mountain of paperwork, or in this case-- PADDwork. But either way she looked at it, it was still paperwork no matter if it was on paper or a screen.

She gave him a smile. ”Oh, no... I haven’t been out here all that long. Just a few minutes, maybe.”

”Lately, I’ve found that Absinthe has really good food. A bit of everything.” In fact, she really liked the place. The atmosphere, the food, the drinks... all of it she loved. But of course, Alice realized that it would probably be better if she had someone with her, like she currently would be.

Tucking a bit of stray brunette hair behind one ear, she looked to him again with a bit of a grin. ”They certainly make a mean burger. I think you’ll like it.” Sure... the restaurant served more sophisticated food and a lot of it she was very familiar with, but a part of her much preferred the simple food. Like... a nice cheeseburger and french fries.

”Unless there’s another place you’d like to try? And honestly, I haven’t... explored the city much myself so we have another thing in common.” Alice admitted, a bit sheepishly.

257 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world

STAY GOLD PONYBOY ! @ caution & atf

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

Her suggestion on the dining for the evening sounded right up his alley. He couldn't recall the last good burger he'd had. At her sheepish comment, Leo shook his head, reassuring her, "Absinthe sounds great." And even though he still would refuse to classify what they were doing as a date, southern hospitality dies hard and he offered the crook of his arm for her to take.

Once they were past the boundaries of the school, they could walk along the rising and falling slopes that were the streets of San Francisco. There were still vehicles hovering with their telltale hum along the roads, but as it was the evening, the business was starting to settle down. Among the many old world charms the city had to offer, one of the most predominant were the city's cable cars, which still ran along tracks build hundreds of years ago. Since the restaurant was downtown and they were both tired from having long days and still having a long night ahead of them, McCoy opted, "How about a ride?"

The cable car approached with it's classic 'ding ding' of the bell. The car had an open design, with no doors so it barely had to stop to allow people to jump on and off as needed. Although no where near as fast or efficient as a hover-car, it did have a certain charm to it.

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

When he offered his arm to her, she was not sure how to take that. It was a gesture that she wasn’t used to. But to avoid things being awkward between them Alice took his arm. Getting the sense that he was not the most talkative person in the world but she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. ”Glad you think so. But I suppose if you’re hungry enough you would eat just about anything.” She answered, glancing to him as they walked. Looking forward to actually going off campus and enjoying a night out.

This wasn’t a date. In fact, it was far from it. Had it been so she certainly wouldn’t be as casually dressed as she was or look as tired.

She smiled at his offer of a ride on the approaching cable car and nodded. ”I think we should... long day and all.”

Alice moved before him to hop onto the cable car, turning to look at him waiting for him to join her. The car itself wasn’t all that crowded but she was thankful for the fact that they wouldn’t have to be walking all of the way downtown just to get to the restaurant and then walk all of the way back to the academy.

”Thank you, for you know... coming with me.” It was most likely too early for her to say such but she felt the need to do so. Her mind was thinking of all of the things that she could ask him, of what she wanted to know of him but she thought better of it. Instead, she thought of starting with the simplest of questions and one that wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. ”So, mister mysterious... where are you from?”

303 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world

STAY GOLD PONYBOY ! @ caution & atf

[LEONARD H. McCOY]

I can't do this all on my own

I'm no Superman

McCoy grabbed onto the trolly and stepped aboard with ease. Following Alice's lead he settled into the seat next to her and instantly his body reclined to a slouched position. The relief of just being off of his feet after the hours at the clinic was well worth it. He'd just settled his arms into a lax position folded across his chest, when he lifted one again to give a dismissive wave at her words of thanks. "Well, thanks to you for inviting me. I'm sure you've had better company than this 'ol bag of Bones." Dammit Jim...that nickname was starting to stick.

Mysterious? Was he really? McCoy quirked a brow at that, just in a thoughtful way to himself. He supposed he could be friendlier... but probably not. Anyway, that would be phony, a pretense, and he was perfectly content in being himself even if it made him 'mysterious'. That was one of the nicer words to call it anyway.

"No where too exciting, just good 'ol Earth. Georgia, to be exact. Just a small town doc, come from a line of small town docs. Honestly, I still can't believe I'm gunna be up there..." he motioned with the same hand toward the sky, "chasin' stars and God-knows what else across the universe soon enough."

TAG: ALICE TAYLOR. OUTFIT: Cadet unifrom+Lab coat. ARTIST & LYRICS: LAZLO BANE - I'M NO SUPERMAN BANNER BY: NAME. TEMPLATE BY: SPARROW ! @ CAUTION. ONE LAST THING: NOTES.

[ALICE TAYLOR]

I follow you just like a shadow

only closer and if you get tied and bound

I'll find a way to free your hand, I'll wash them clean of everything but me

Looking to him as he joined her on the trolley she couldn’t help but wonder if she had in some way offended him. ”I didn’t mean it offensively... calling you mysterious. Its... actually a good thing.” Alice wasn’t sure why she had called him that in the first place. Perhaps it was because he really didn’t talk all that much or even about himself. Though, technically, she could fall into that category as she did the same thing.

Thinking about his comment about having had better company, she shook her head and made a bit of a noise. ”Mmmm.... no, not that I can remember. At least, here anyway.” Well, there was Aurora but she wasn’t even sure she counted. ”Not unless you count Cadet Frost...,” She added with a bit of a smile as she looked to him. It was clear to her with the way that he was seated next to her that he was tired but so was she. The long hours had taken their toll both from work and from classes.

And she knew it wasn’t going to get much better for the next four years.

“Georgia? Sounds exciting to me. Though, I have to say that being from a different country any place would sound that way to me, right now.” She thought about it, thinking about when she first came to the states and how things had been so much different for her here for awhile. ”The hardest part of it all was adjusting and getting used to how things are over here as opposed to how they are in England.”

Smiling when he mentioned the fact that he couldn’t believe that he would be in space and among the stars, Alice couldn’t help the reaction she had. It was something that she was still in shock over, that she was going to get to do the same thing. ”I’m still in shock about the whole thing myself. But... I’ve always had a fascination with space and the stars and everything so this is just... its perfect, I think.”

”Don’t get me wrong I love being a doctor, too. But I find it exciting that I’ll actually be up there doing my job. Same as you.”

Alice was quiet then just keeping to herself for the moment as she thought of something else to say to him. She really did think that he was good company, even if he didn’t. ”So, cowboy, what am I to call you? I doubt that you want me to keep calling you Doctor McCoy. Though, I am sure that’s fitting for the infirmary. But not out like this...”

”I could just start calling you Hey you... but then that may get boring and repetitive after awhile, too. But if we’re going to be friends I’d say that I need something else to go by.” Alice gave him another smile, not wanting things to be awkward at all. She liked the fact that he had accepted to join her as it meant that she actually had someone her own age that she could talk to.

541 words for Bones

You make me feel like i'm the only girl in the whole wide world