simplestgift | Four Bells: [Voice] Somewhat Unwell

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Four Bells: [Voice] Somewhat Unwell

Doctor McCoy?

[It's Kennedy, and he sounds awful. It's been a couple of days since he's left his room or contacted anyone over the journals.]

Are you in the clinic at the moment? Fever and aches aren't as much to my liking as I'd first thought. If I die before I make it there, please make sure Captain Jack stays out of my things until I return.

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[There's a comfortable silence, but Archie doesn't want to fall asleep while he has a friendly voice on the line.]

How is everyone? [Yes, he knows he can talk to them via journal, but he doesn't always trust everyone to be honest.]

Batting average. [ her stunningly average answer, recently. ] And probably never drinking ever again.

[There's the sound of rustling blankets.] That holds for you and Dawn as well?

We're alright, Archie. You focus on getting better and not on worrying about us.

[But he wants to worry about them. It helps keep his mind from wandering into petty self-pity.] I think I'll get better whether I focus or not. [But now he's sounding like Horatio and ends up smiling at himself.]

No, see...the focusing? It's a very important part.

I've been focusing for the last two days, and it hasn't done any good. I'm ready to be distracted.

The Doc'll tell you otherwise but...the best cure? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off.

If I had an appetite, maybe.

You eat despite the lack of it -- that was always mom's remedy.

We'll see what the next few hours bring. I'm in no mood to stand up in the kitchen and cook.

I do make sandwich deliveries, but...if McCoy's on his way I should probably cool my jets before he finds out I'm feeding you sandiwches instead of medicine and freaks.

I am grateful that you offered.

Safe your gratitude for when you're better.

Why? [It's not exactly that he was "just being polite," since it wasn't usual on a ship to have everyone falling over themselves to bring sandwiches to a sick man (quiet worrying was more common) and he's not quite used to the treatment.]

'Cause as the patient you have a right...no, obligation to make it all about you and save the thanks for when it isn't anymore.

[This is exactly the kind of thing he would tell Horatio, and he's starting to feel a bit of ironic deja vu. So he responds the way Horatio would.] It wouldn't be much of a world if we all waited until we felt like saying thank you, now, would it?

I'll take a delayed but felt thank you over just saying it because it's expected, any day. But that's still not the point. Be spoiled! It's just about the only upside to being sick.

I wasn't just saying it because it was expected, I truly am grateful! I'm not used to being treated like a prince by everyone just for being ill.

Then you clearly don't know how we treat our princes.

[ jokes make everything better, right? ]

If you treat them as God's superiors, you don't treat them any differently than we do.

Mostly we treat them like they don't exist. Because we don't have any.

Ah. Americans. I forget, sometimes.

You can usually tell by the not-funny accent. Y'know, the one that's not like yours.

I haven't thought about it in some time. Worlds don't make a difference here, let alone countries. I think if General Bonaparte himself arrived here, I'd only shake his hand and ask him news of home.

[A pause, then words spoken in quiet wonder.] I've been here for over a month now.

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