Service - Chapters 16-18

"Service" by Marsha L. Robertson
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG13 (a little language, a little violence)
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all this. I'm just happy I get to play here.
Summary: This wasn't on Trip's itinerary for shore leave.

Chapter 16

Archer walked into Sickbay. He could see Phlox talking to Trip, who was propped up on the biobed farthest from the door. Phlox looked up and saw Archer. He finished talking to Trip, then pulled the curtain back around the biobed and came up to the captain. Phlox spoke softly.

“What can I do for you, Captain?”

“Just checking in.”

“We’re making splendid progress, but as sometimes happens, the treatment is worse than the original problem. The drugs are rough on his body, and the commander still can’t stay focused on this reality for any length of time. Following the Service’s protocols seems to be working just fine, but we still have a lot to do.”

“How’s Malcolm doing?”

“Mr. Reed is progressing quite nicely. He’s down to one eel treatment a day now. He’s even stopped calling the eel derogatory names, although I’m fairly certain he still doesn’t want one for a pet.”

Archer smiled. “You’ll convert him yet.” He started to leave. “Keep me posted, Doc.”

“Is that you, Captain?” Trip’s voice was strained.

Archer replied, “Yes, Trip, it’s me.”

Phlox walked away to give them some privacy. “Just a minute or two, if you please.”

Archer walked around the curtain to stand by Trip’s bed. “How’s it going, Trip?”

Trip looked like he’d been through a wringer. Twice.

“Well, I’ve felt better. But I think it’s working. I’ll be okay.” Trip was putting up a brave front, but he wasn’t fooling Archer. His gaze started to drift, and he focused on something that wasn’t there. Archer tried to help him, but Trip looked around the room and started to talk to people only he could see.

“Oh, no. You’re not making me do that again. No way. I won’t do it!”

Phlox started tending to Trip. In spite of his previous bravado, Trip was beginning to panic. Phlox spoke soothingly, almost too quiet for Archer to hear. “I want you to relax, Commander. Remember that you’re safe on Enterprise and you’re not alone. Your key word for this afternoon is “returning”.

Archer watched as Phlox administered a hypospray. It made some difference that Phlox observed on the display, but Trip didn’t seem to notice. Trip kept talking, but now switched to the servers’ language.

“Would you like me to turn on the translator, Captain?”

“Can he hear me?”

“He may not acknowledge it, but yes, he can hear you.”

“Then let’s have it on.”

Phlox did something on the nearby companel.

“I am not pleased to serve, Zot forbid! No! Stop it…I’m tired!”

Archer leaned down by Trip. “Trip, listen to me. I want you to relax. Everything is fine. Phlox is here. I’m here. You’re safe. Just hang on and it will be over soon, I promise.”

Phlox rolled a chair over by the bed, and Archer sat down. Trip was still panicking. “Trip. Just relax. You’re okay.” Archer kept repeating the phrases, and Trip eventually calmed down.

“You have a fine bedside manner, Captain.”

“Why, thank you, Doctor.”

“You’ve done this before.”

“Once or twice. Trip’s been there for me a few times too.”

“Do tell.”

Archer considered the list of stories in his head.

“Once when we had leave at the same time, Trip convinced me to go to the Andes with him. He wanted to ride llamas, of all things. I ended up with food poisoning the first night. At first, I felt like I was going to die. After a while, I wished I would die and was afraid that I wouldn’t. Trip could have gone back to the llamas, but he spent the rest of his leave sitting in the hospital with me. Every day, I begged him to put me out of my misery, and every day he said, “Keep your shirt on. I’ll take care of it first thing tomorrow.”

Phlox smiled at the captain’s imitation. He looked up at the display above the bed. “He’ll sleep soon, and hopefully for a while. If you’d like, I can call you when he wakes again.”

Archer looked down at Trip. Trip was still fidgety, but he was starting to drowse. His talking had lowered to whispers. “I’ll wait until he’s asleep. We have about three more days of this, if I recall the protocol correctly.”

“Around 80 hours or so.”

“Consider me to be on call for the rest of that time.”

“Certainly. You’ll make a capable addition to the medical staff.”

Archer settled back to wait. Phlox went across the room, rummaged around on a cabinet, and came back with a hand scanner. He stood at the foot of Trip’s bed and ran some scans.

“How’s it look?” Archer asked.

“Just what I wanted to see,” Phlox replied. He smiled to himself as he walked over to his desk. He had been checking on the captain. Archer handled stress very well for a human, but Phlox tried to keep an eye on him when things were going particularly wrong. Today’s readings were much better than the ones from a day or two ago.

Phlox pulled a stool up and sat at the foot of Trip’s bed. Trip had stopped talking and was almost asleep. Quietly, Phlox asked, “You and Commander Tucker met at Starfleet, did you not?”

“Yes, in the NX-Test program…” Archer started to explain. Phlox was listening, but he was also watching. As Trip fell asleep, and Archer kept talking, the doctor could almost see his second patient’s tension flow away.

That’s right, Captain. I want you to relax. Everything is fine…

Chapter 17

The middle of the night was a great time for self-recrimination and doubt, and Trip was taking full advantage of that fact.

He had awakened slowly. He saw only the light from his biobed’s display and one at Phlox’s desk. Must be third shift. Trip stretched and reveled in the fact that this was the first time in days he had felt right. Not necessarily good, but right. No more alien voices in his head. No more answering the voices in an alien language. Phlox had told him the day before that the Service protocol was almost complete and that the rest of his recovery should be uneventful.

Uneventful. That’s ironic, Trip thought. My shore leave was supposed to be uneventful. Now the captain really won’t ever trust me again. Why do I keep letting these things happen? Good thing I’m a decent engineer, because I evidently can’t do anything else right. I’m lucky to get to stay on Enterprise at all…Oh, come on, Tucker, you know better than that. If Jonathan Archer thought you were a drain on his resources, he would have kicked your ass off his ship a long time ago, friend or no.

Trip tossed and turned. The voices from the Service were gone, but now he had his own critical voice in his head and it wouldn’t leave him alone.

There must have been a way for me to get out of there. I shouldn’t have had that drink. And I shouldn’t have let them put me on that transport.

Now it was giving him a headache. Trip gave up on getting back to sleep. He sat up, rested his head in one hand and tried to rub his neck with the other.

Trip didn’t notice, but his last movement had caused a soft but insistent alarm to go off in one of the alcoves. The alarm stopped and Phlox came out of the alcove, concerned and in a hurry. He relaxed when he saw that Trip was awake. Phlox walked over to the display above Trip’s bed and checked the readings. Trip straightened up as the doctor fiddled with the display’s settings.

“Well, good evening, Commander.”

“Sorry, Doc. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“You didn’t. I was just catching up on some reading.” Biosigns are acceptable, but blood pressure’s a bit high. And your eyes don’t look right. “Are you in pain?”

“My head hurts, but it’s not too bad.”

“I’d be happy to bring you an analgesic. It won’t interfere with your recovery.”

Trip shook his head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather skip the drugs.”

“I understand completely. Let’s see what else can be done.”

Phlox went to the foot of the biobed.

“If you’ll move down here…”

Trip kicked his blankets off and scooted down until his knees were at the edge of the bed and his feet were dangling. He looked up at Phlox, started to say something, and then looked away. Phlox waited patiently.

“I remember a little more about what happened when I was taken.” Trip sounded like he was admitting he’d done something wrong.

“That sounds like progress. I wasn’t sure how much of the time right before the drugs were administered would come back to you.”

“Doc, it seems to me I should have been able to get out of there. I just let them haul me off like a sack of flour…”

“I can show you your records in the morning, but let me assure you, Commander, that once that first drug hit your system, you were in no condition to resist. That was the whole intent.”

Trip wasn’t ready to quit beating himself up. “If you say so, Doc.”

“Let’s attend to your headache, and then we can talk some more.” Phlox put one hand on Trip’s forehead. “Now lean forward and let me support your head.” Trip did so. “That’s it. Now let your arms hang down so that your shoulders are no longer attached to your ears.”

Trip smiled at that image, and again followed Phlox’s instructions.

“Good. Now, deep breathing, if you please. And don’t think about anything except your breathing.” Phlox waited a minute or so, and then gently started working some pressure points at the base of Trip’s skull with his free hand. Trip sighed audibly and his head dropped a little farther. A few more minutes went by, and Phlox saw the results he wanted.

“I’m going to help you sit up now. Keep your eyes closed.” Phlox kept his hand on Trip’s forehead and lifted him upright. He placed his other hand on the back of Trip’s head. “Now, five more deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.” Trip complied, and Phlox closed his eyes and did the breathing with him. Phlox moved his hands away from Trip slowly and then glanced up at the biobed’s display. Trip’s blood pressure had come down. Marvelous. So simple and yet so effective.

“Open your eyes.” Trip did so.

“How do you feel now?”

“Much…” Trip yawned in the middle of his sentence. “Sorry. Much better, thanks.”

Phlox assumed his doctor-to-patient lecture stance. “Good. Now, as regards our earlier discussion. You think that you should have done something differently when you were taken. Let me point out that you yourself said that you don’t remember everything that happened.”

Trip was sleepy now, but he was still trying to pay attention.

The doctor continued, “Therefore, you are jumping to a conclusion about what actually happened, and to make matters worse, you are also jumping to one about what you could have done about it. As your physician, I need to warn you that this is far too much jumping for a patient in your condition. You could have a relapse.”

Trip snickered.

Phlox went on. “My recommendation is to get some more sleep now, and save the jumping to conclusions for when you are feeling better.”

Trip threw his hands up in defeat. “Okay, Doc, you win. No more jumping tonight.”

Trip pushed himself back up the bed and grabbed the blankets. Phlox helped him straighten them out. Trip lay down and pulled the blankets up.

“In all seriousness, Commander, I obviously have no objections to discussing this with you, but do wait until you’re a bit more recovered to worry about it. Who knows? You may remember more of the incident, and that may help you come to a better conclusion.”

Trip had closed his eyes. “Thanks, Doc, I appreciate it.”

“Good night, Commander. See you in the morning.”

“’Night, Doc.”

Phlox took one more look at the display above Trip’s bed and then retreated to his alcove.

Chapter 18

Malcolm was sitting by himself at a side table in the Mess Hall. He was wearing civvies and he had a sling on his right arm. There was a plate of breakfast in front of him and a padd on the table beside it. Malcolm was unsuccessfully trying to stab the food on his plate with the fork in his left hand without looking up from reading what was on the padd.

“Anybody sitting here?” Trip was standing off to one side, holding a tray full of breakfast. He too was in civvies.

Malcolm didn’t look up. …If we used this first formula set to re-calibrate the photonic torpedoes, I bet we could …

”Malcolm!”

Malcolm was startled and dropped his fork on the floor. He started to reach down to pick it up and then noticed who was standing there.

“Trip! Please, sit down.”

Trip did and started messing with his breakfast.

Malcolm was very happy to see his friend. “How are you doing? Did Phlox release you already?”

“Lots better, thanks. Phlox says I’m over the hard part. He kicked me out of Sickbay for the day. Said he wanted some peace and quiet and not to come back until tonight.”

“You’re certainly looking much better. We did try to come and visit, but the doctor told us that it was better to wait.”

“I know. He told me. Thanks for trying, though.”

Trip was trying not to talk with his mouth full, but that meant either stopping talking or stopping eating, neither of which he was willing to do yet.

“So, what’s the gossip? What did I miss while I was cooped up?”

Malcolm thought about it. “Well, let’s see. Ensigns Delaware and Sturgis showed up at Movie Night together and sat in the back row holding hands all night.”

“Really? Now there’s a pair I never would have thought of together. What was the movie?”

“Something called ‘American Beauty’.”

“Never heard of it. Black and white or color?”

“Color.”

“Must not be any good then. They made all the good movies in black and white.”

“Well. Aren’t you the purist?”

“I just know what I like!”

The banter felt good. Trip thought, I’ve really missed this. “Hey, what happened to you, anyway?”

Malcolm almost choked. Phlox had reminded them that Trip wouldn’t remember the shooting. It had been decided that the subject was to be avoided around Trip, at least for now.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just something down the wrong pipe.”

“So what’s up with that sling? Someone said you got hurt coming to get me, and Phlox told me about your great right hook, but that couldn’t have messed your arm up that badly…”

Trip waited for an answer. Reed looked at his padd as if the answers were written there.

“Well, um…”

Trip figured out that Malcolm was holding something back.

“What?”

Trip couldn’t understand why Malcolm wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“Oh, come on, you gotta tell me. I’m probably the only one on board who doesn’t know!”

“I’m not supposed to say anything.”

“Why not? What’s the big deal?”

Well, I guess it’s too late now, Malcolm thought.

“If you must know, I was shot.” Malcolm said it reluctantly.

“Coming to get me?”

“Yes. But I’m doing fine.” Malcolm quickly tried to change the subject. He shoved the padd in front of Trip.

“Have you seen these new weapon theorems? I think we’ll be able to use them to increase the yield of the photonic torpedoes.”

Trip glanced at it, annoyed. “No, remember, I’ve been in Sickbay.” He wanted to stick to the other topic. “But Phlox told me what happened on the ship. There weren’t any shots fired there or here.”

“It was during our first rescue attempt.”

“Oh. You and Travis were seen?”

“No. You were the only server we ran into.”

Trip looked confused. Then it dawned on him and he looked at Malcolm for confirmation. “I shot you?”

Malcolm just nodded.

Trip’s stomach turned over. “God, Malcolm, I am so sorry. I really don’t remember…” He was clearly upset.

“I know. That’s why we weren’t supposed to talk about it. Look, Trip. There is nothing for you to be sorry about. It wasn’t really you, anyway. You didn’t have a clue who I was.”

Trip had grown quiet and was pushing his food around on his plate, but not eating any of it. I wonder what else I did that they didn’t tell me about? A certain Denobulan doctor and I are going to have a long talk tonight.

Malcolm was watching his friend brood. Phlox and the captain are going to kill me. He watched Trip pick at his food for a little longer, and then assumed an officious attitude. “Well, seeing that it’s all out in the open, now I can speak to the captain about this incident.”

Trip looked up, not understanding. “About what? Doesn’t he know?”

“Oh, yes, he knows, but I haven’t given him the armory officer’s assessment of the situation.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Malcolm?” Trip momentarily forgot his misery.

“Clearly, those drugs have affected your shooting skills. There’s no way you should have missed me at that range. I’m going to recommend remedial target practice for you as soon as you are able.”

Malcolm saw that Trip was starting to take him seriously. “I’m also going to speak to Phlox. Clearly you have also forgotten what a joke is when you hear it.”

Trip realized what Malcolm was trying to tell him. Thanks, Mal. “I have not forgotten! It’s just that I haven’t heard any good jokes lately!”

“Well, excuse me, Mr. Tucker! Last time I try to cheer you up!”

“Good!” Trip went back to eating his breakfast. “What are those theorems you’ve got?”

Malcolm handed Trip the padd and started explaining.

Across the room, Archer walked past the door on the way to his mess. Out of habit, he glanced over into the Mess Hall. He backed up to watch when he noticed Trip and Malcolm heatedly discussing whatever it was on the padd in Trip’s hand. Okay, Jon, time to quit worrying. Trip’s fine.

Return to Chapters 11-15

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A handful of people have made comments

Oh me thinks you have a bit more recovery to write... regardless intriguing story.

I loved Travis' failure to follow the command and then Malcolm/Jon/Phlox command thing too.

Good one.

Oh Trip ... i think your only safe trip off the ship should be to your quarters.

Marsha,

That was great! Poor Trip! We fan fic writers abuse the poor guy so!:-)

I found this very imaginative and well-written. I hope you post here again soon!

Thank you!

plumtuckered

I really enjoyed this. It was an interesting idea and read well. Thanks very much.

I loved this story and it was very well written. Poor Trip he really does get himself into very precarious situations. Thank you very much for a thoroughly enjoyable read.!

you write comments as though you know the authors, am i one of a smal lgroup who dont or summet? lovely story but really you should write a longer recovery , nothing wring with the story ment by that , maby a relapse would b kool u know human phisiology and stuff, loved it btw