Another key scene which can be interpreted as homoerotic is in "", when Spock dies, and tells Kirk, "I have been and always shall be your friend." In 1985, Roddenberry recalled from publication "Killing Time", a novel that suggested the existence of such a relationship between Kirk and Spock. It has also been noted that although Kirk has had many female companions throughout the series, he always leaves them behind, citing his duties to the "Enterprise", but he frequently risks the "Enterprise" and defies his stated duties in order to keep Spock safe. During the production of , writer Theodore Sturgeon suggested, when criticising a scene with McCoy and two women, that "the whimsical friction between Bones and Spock" should be addressed in a future episode with a prostate massage. Shore Leave also contained a back massage scene where Kirk believes that he is being massaged by Spock.