Doctor's Orders (novel)
With Doctor McCoy in command, the Enterprise faces a deadly alien attack.

Doctor's Orders is a Pocket TOS novel – #50 in the numbered series – written by Diane Duane. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the back cover
When Dr. McCoy grumbles once too often about the way the  ought to be run, Captain Kirk decides to leave the doctor in command while he oversees a routine diplomatic mission. Kirk beams down to a strange planet nicknamed "Flyspeck" to negotiate its admission into the Federation, leaving Dr. McCoy to enjoy his new authority.

However, the doctor soon learns that command is a double-edged sword when Kirk disappears without a trace. Desperately trying to locate his captain, McCoy comes under pressure from Starfleet to resolve the situation immediately. Matters go from bad to worse when the Klingons arrive and stake their own claim on Flyspeck.

Then another, more deadly power threatens them all, and suddenly Dr. McCoy and the Starship Enterprise find themselves pitted against an alien fleet in a battle they have no hope of winning.

Memorable quotes 
"Doctor, as the captain might put it, it would not matter if I were commanding admiral of Starfleet and had a note from God."
 - Spock, explaining why Dr. McCoy cannot relinquish command to him under Starfleet regulations

"Can I at least have a restroom break?"
"Give the conn to Lt. DeLeon, but don't be away too long. Though I believe the captain would say, 'you should have gone before we left.'"
 - McCoy and Spock

Characters 
 James T. Kirk
 Spock
 Leonard McCoy

References 
; Federation; Guardian of Forever; Klingon Empire

External links 
 
 
 

de:Die Befehle des Doktors
fr:Doctor's Orders
Novels