Starfleet Academy Desert Survival Course

[corn_fed_mind]

It isn't actually an academy course, of course. No member of faculty would be present, there would be no grade or credit given at the end, and there wouldn't even be a record of who ran the 17-mile-long course through the Mojave desert, but none of that stops any of the first year cadets that show up for it. It's still the first week of the Academy, before classes have started and the orientations and mixers are still in swing, and Jamie can't think of a better mixer than to put cadet against cadet simply because. 

That's why she's here, at least. It's her first and best chance to prove that she can breeze through this whole Academy thing and that no one's got a thing on her. She's definitely used to that feeling and has no reason yet to expect the Academy to be any different. The competition so far isn't much: it's mostly humans so far, including a tiny little kid who's barely more than a stick with curly hair on top, but there's a Rigelian, an Orion or two (and doesn't that get Jamie's attention) - and Uhura.

Jamie grins and saunters on up to her. "So, when we win this thing, care to tell me your name over a drink?"

Uhura keeps her head down, concentrating on her warm-ups, but Jamie can hear the grin. "First round's on you."

"How about the first round's on me?" A tall, bulky Andorian male says, squeezing himself in between them.

Uhura rolls her eyes, but Jamie takes a different tack. She eyes him up and down and looks mildly interested. He clearly doesn't need much encouragement, so why bother putting in much effort?

"Find us at the finish line, then we'll talk. Now, if you'll excuse us." Jamie grabs Uhura's hand and drags her to the opposite end of the starting line.

"Tell me you did not just agree to a date with him," Uhura insists.

"Please. He'll have completely forgotten us by then. If he manages to finish at all. I bet you half the people on this starting line don't make it."

"Does that half include yourself?" She teases, taking her place as everyone lines up to start.

Jamie just grins back. "I'll be the one winning this whole thing."

"Only if I let you, Kirk."

A shot rings out, and the runners take off. 

Things go swimmingly for the first couple hours. Sand dunes, fine. Open stretches of mesa and scorching heat? No problem. Even the free climb down a cliff face isn't that bad - until Jamie jumps off a little higher from the bottom than she thinks and more crashes than lands. She immediately gets back up, not wanting to admit defeat, but she can tell something's not right anymore. It's not going to slow her down, not when she's this close to the finish line, so close to winning, and no matter how many worried looks Uhura sends her way, she's not giving up.

But then the finish line approaches. Uhura leaves Jamie in the dust (not that Jamie can blame her, she'd have done the same thing if the positions were reversed), and when Jamie finally crosses that line, she's far from first place. Fuck. And to make matters worse, that goddamn Andorian is standing there, having won the whole fucking thing and preening. 

"So, pick you up at eight?"

She's tired, she's in pain, and her ego is busted about as well as her ankle. She is not in the mood for his shit. "Here I thought you'd be drowning in potential dates for tonight and didn't need little ol' me to keep you company."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, sugar. Sure, I've got everyone lining up to get a piece of me, but I thought I'd let you take the first bite." He leers at her, his antennae twitching closer, and wraps an arm around her waist.

"Get your hand off me before I break it."

But if the Andorian hears her, he ignores it. "The name's Thanas. You know, for when you're screaming it later."

The only thing that keeps Jamie's flying fist from connecting Thanas' smirk is Uhura's last minute catch. "I'll be taking her from here," she says, spinning Jamie around and throwing her arm over Uhura's shoulder.

"I could have taken him, you know," Jamie insists, leaning on her friend a bit more than she'd like to admit.

"Test that theory out another time."

"What, don't want me all bloodied and bruised when you tell me your name?"

Another eyeroll. "Take a shower first."

Comments

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

Some things never change. Some traditions stay the same no matter when and where you are. Start of a new year at the Academy and freshmen from all the departments are being wheeled in left and right because of all the parties and games intended to break the ice. Drinking is banned from most of the official mixers, to try and prevent thingss from getting out of hand, yet somehow the entire week has been a hell of patients with either alcohol poisioning or any number of maladies directly related to not knowing how to behave while drunk.

Most of her more seasoned collegues call it Idiot Week, and McCoy agrees. Though she is technically a freshman, she hasn't bothered to take part in any of this. She had her freshman week back in med school and that was more than enough. This time around, she is happy to settle for being on the other side of things. Though she would have been happier if she wasn't living with someone intent on going to every goddamn party and insisting on crashing back into the room at all sorta ungodly hours.

"Paging Dr McCoy."

The message comes in just as she is sitting down with her first cup of coffee of the day. It's almost dinner time, her shift technically ended two hours ago, but this is the first break she's had since the hospital called and dragged her out of bed sometime before dawn. She doesn't know the number, but any actual medical page would have come in on her communicator and not her PADD, so she already expects this to be some joke. And she already suspects her sweet, innocent roommate.

"Jamie Kirk, I presume?"

"Almost,"says the reply and even as McCoy is typing up an answer to ask Jamie to kindly leave her the hell alone while she's working, a second message comes in.

"I'm just a good samaritan who stole your number off your roommate's PADD to tell you that she's currently in bed with a possible broken ankle. She is very obviously in a lot of pain, but refuses to let us take her to Medical. I received specific instructions not to tell you. She seems to be under the impression that she can 'sleep it off'. Would you mind accidentally finding out somehow?"

McCoy reads the message twice before she sets the PADD down and rubs her eyes. This sort of shit would never happened with Christine.

"I'll stumble over it when I get off shift. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome. Nice thong, by the way."

"Excuse me?"

"Her contact picture for this number was a picture of someone's behind in a blue thong. I assumed it was you.

"I'm gonna kill her!"

"I thought so. Tell her Uhura says hello."

-

The door to their shared room slides open not long after that conversation. McCoy walks in with a second cup of coffee and heads straight for Jamie's bed.

"Finally burned out?"

She sits down on the edge, careful to avoid her legs, and sips her cup. She'll act like nothing for now. There's cruel revenge in the plans.

[corn_fed_mind]

Everything hurts. Oh god everything hurts. This is a million times worse than any hangover she's endured, and while she managed to take a shower before she crawled into bed, she's not convinced it did a damn thing to make her muscles ache less.

And let's not even start on her ankle. That, she's just ignoring.

"I'm just resting up for another night out," she mumbles and pulls the covers up to her chin. "You coming tonight or are you gonna keep being boring?"

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Someone of us need to report for our shift at seven am. I'm gonna say I'll continue to be boring."

She takes a few long, slow sips of her coffee, and just looks at her.

"So did you win?"

[corn_fed_mind]

"No. Didn't even make the top ten." SULKSULKSULK

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Too busy hitting on the girls, I'm assuming?"

[corn_fed_mind]

"And boys, thank you. But no, I...." Well, she's not going to admit it that she fell and twisted her ankle. Nope. No way. "I was just having an off day. It was a stupid race anyway."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Don't you worry, Jamie. You'll win the next one."

She says this as she reaches down casually and slaps her ankle. Not as hard as it could've been, but hard enough that it'll definitely hurt if it's the right one. However she does aim for the one that's a little higher up. She assumes there's a pillow or something that the injured one is propped up on.

[corn_fed_mind]

Pillow? Pfft, that would be admitting that something's wrong with her ankle. But the injured one is the one crossed over the other (it's her subtle way of propping it up), so it definitely gets hit.

She flinches, but she keeps her face as neutral as possible. She's had quite a few years to perfect the art of not looking injured, and that little flinch is the biggest reaction she's given someone in a long time.

"I dunno. Maybe there won't be a next one."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Got a problem?"

She smiles innocently and stretches out on the bed, over Jamie's legs.

"You're not gonna give up, are you?"

[corn_fed_mind]

DON'T WINCE DON'T WINCE DON'T WINCE

She sits up and shifts caaaaaaaarefully and tries to get that ankle out from underneath her.

"And let these assholes win? God, no."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Can't run with a bum ankle," she says and moves off of it. She never intended to put all of her weight on there anyway.

[corn_fed_mind]

"Bum ankle? My ankle's fine. Just a little sore."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Lemme look at it?"

[corn_fed_mind]

"Yeah, alright."

She flips the blanket off her leg, and oh, she knows she's going to get bitched at, but as long as Bones doesn't make her go to the clinic, things should be good. Right?

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Good god, Jamie!"

She only needs one glance at that purple and blue ankle to jump off the bed.

"You idiot! What the hell are you doing in bed? Why didn't you come see us right away?"

[corn_fed_mind]

"It's not that bad, right?"

No, she knows it's bad. She's just trying to act like she's a complete bimbo and doesn't get why a discolored, swollen ankle is maybe a bad thing.

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"I'll be surprised if you can walk right ever. You might have destroyed the muscle permanently. I gotta take you in for some real scans."

Notice how that's not a question. She goes out and right outside their door there is a wheelchair ready and waiting. One she brings in and parks next to Jamie's bed.

"Am I gonna have to carry you into the chair or are you gonna cooperate?"

[corn_fed_mind]

Oh fuck.

"I don't need scans, it's completely fine, look."

She swings herself out of bed and tries to stand on it, but immediately goes down. Putting weight on it is NOT a good idea after resting it.

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

She's there to catch her. It also gives her a chance to swing Jamie over into that chair instead.

"You're gonna get those scans and you're gonna get treated, and you best hope and pray they don't assign me as your doctor 'cause I'll tell you right now: I'm the meanest doctor you could get. Your bullshit won't fly with me, kid. And I know where you sleep at night."

[corn_fed_mind]

........is it bad that turns her on a little? You know, if the pain wasn't overwhelming. Once she's seated, she grabs Bones' arm to keep her from moving too far.

"No, I don't want another doctor, you be my doctor."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"Didn't I just tell you that's the last thing you want?"

She isn't going to move too far. She'll only move behind the chair so she can wheel her out of the room. And you better believe she'll take the long way to the hospital to make sure they pass by aaaaall of Jamie's hangouts at the Academy and where they're most likely to run into the golds.

[corn_fed_mind]

It's when they pass Cochrane Hall that Jamie realizes what's going on and sinks as low in the chair as she possibly can.

"I hate you, you know."

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

"The feelin's mutual, darlin'"

[corn_fed_mind]

"Just get me to the damn clinic already."

She's just going to sit here and try to cover her face well enough. Like ANYONE wouldn't instantly recognize her no matter what.

[sweetgeorgiapeach]

Despite everything she said, McCoy registers in as her own patient when they reach the clinic. And she rejects the nurse's offer of help. Somehow she's certain Jamie will be happiest if she deals with it on her own. Teasing and tormenting her roommate is one thing, but now they're doctor and patient and she will do her best to make this easy on her.