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Flight #319 - Chapter 6

Author - Mctrip7
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FLIGHT #319

by Mctrip7

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Suspense, Angst, Romance
Archive: Trip
Disclaimer: I understand that all the characters belong to Paramount and will not be sold.
Summary: Sorry T’Pol. You had your chance!

~~~~~~

Flight 319

By Mctrip7

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Suspense, Angst, Romance
Archive: Trip
Disclaimer: I understand that all the characters belong to Paramount and will not be sold.
Summary: Sorry, T’Pol. You had your chance!
_ _ _ _ _ _

Chapter 6

Frantically, Laurie ran to the Nurses’ Station. “Where is Commander Tucker?” she cried.

They told her that some men in uniform had come for Trip. Dr. Philips had been with Mr. Tucker’s friend, John. They seemed to be in a big hurry as they wheeled past the Nurses Station heading for the elevator. The nurses mentioned that Dr. Philips had sedated the Commander as he seemed very agitated.

Laurie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why didn’t they wait for me? I can’t believe John would do such a thing.”

Another Nurse approached carrying a chart and some papers. “Are you Laurie? John left this note for you. He looked all over the floor, but couldn’t find you.” she said as she handed the note to Laurie.

“I had to go to the Office to sign some papers so the Commander could be released. Why didn’t you tell him?” was Laurie’s frenzied reply.

“That was about the time of our ‘shift change’,” the nurse continued, “and no one told us where you were. Things get busy as one shift goes off and the next one comes on. We must relay the medical info before personal goings-on.”

Laurie opened John’s note. It said that they were going to Star Fleet Medical. That he was sorry she couldn’t wait for them and thanks again for all that she did. Tears filled her eyes. No! No! No!! This couldn’t be happening!

Laurie started to call the airport, then realized she had left her cell phone in Trip’s room. It was gone - along with John’s phone number. No information available.

She called the local airbase but they refused to put her through. Star Fleet Medical wouldn’t even acknowledge that Trip was there. She went back to the room they had assigned her and sobbed bitter tears. She really didn’t know what else she could do.

A rap on the door startled her, but she managed to say “Come in.”

It was Dr. Philips. “I thought I might find you here. Have you been here all this time? It’s past midnight”

“I must have fallen asleep. I felt so drained. Why didn’t you all wait for me this afternoon? When I got back to the room, everyone and everything was gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I was told I had to go to the Office to sign the Release form.”

Dr Philips frowned. “We already had the Release form. Jon signed it as soon as he got here. He wondered where you were. Commander Tucker gave us a pretty bad time until I was able to sedate him. He didn’t want to leave without you, but they were on some kind of a time schedule; and when Star Fleet said “GO”, he had to go. When I couldn’t find you,” Dr. Philips continued, “I thought possibly they had found you and taken you with them. You don’t look too good, yourself. Let me run a few scans.”

With all her energy drained, Laurie allowed him to check her out.

“Just as I thought, your pressure is down and your breathing is shallow. It’s back to bed for you. I would say you are exhausted.” Dr. Philips prepared a relaxant for her. He was really feeling guilty for being a part of Star Fleet’s charade to get Trip back in their custody.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Laurie slowly opened her eyes. The sun was so bright coming through the window. Must be a beautiful day – but what day? She didn’t hurt anywhere, so she must be better.
She realized she was still in the hospital. Then it all came tumbling back to her – Trip!
She was trying to get out of bed, when the nurse came in.

“What day is it? How long have I been out of it?” Laurie asked.

“It’s Monday, September 5th,” the nurse told her. You’ve been sleeping for three days. How are you feeling?”

“Fine!” I’ve got to report to San Francisco on Wednesday, September 7th. Where are my clothes? Any of them?”

“All of your personal things are in the closet,” the nurse said, pointing to the far wall. “You have a call from someone named Holli. She left her number and asked that you call her as soon as you could.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In the meantime, a very frustrated and unhappy Trip was arriving in San Francisco. He was just coming around and asking for Laurie. He couldn’t make anybody understand how important it was that he know where she was. Everyone was telling him to relax, to go back to sleep and everything would be fine. At one time he thought he saw Jon, but when he called out to him, he didn’t answer.

Trip lay there in a semi-conscious state trying to figure out where he was. For a moment he could have sworn he was flying again. He could feel the engines. Now he was coming down! “ Oh, my God, they were going to crash!!!!!” He was fighting with someone who was trying to hold him down. Didn’t they know he had to get up and find Laurie. What were they doing to him??? Then he was floating away.

When he awoke again, he was in a hospital room. His body seemed to ache. He had no feeling on his left side. With all the courage he could muster, he made himself look down. Tears filled his eyes as he said a silent ‘thank you’. His arm was immobilized in a transparent case with only the tips of his fingers protruding. They looked like sausages. There was no pain. The nurse came in to check his IV.

“Where am I? What day is it?” Trip wanted to know. “I can’t move any of my fingers.”

She looked at him in her “tolerant” manner as she said: “Commander Tucker, you are at Star Fleet Medical, San Francisco and the day is Wednesday, September 7th. Dr. Phlox will be in to see you shortly. He will answer all your questions.” That seemed to quiet him down some. She didn’t want to have to sedate him again so soon.

Trip relaxed a little, but then he realized that Laurie wasn’t with him! “ Where is Laurie?” he demanded.

”I don’t know anyone named Laurie. Is that your sister?” she replied rather shortly.

“No, she’s someone very special to me. Has Jon been here lately? When did you say Dr. Phlox would be here?”

She could see the agitation coming back. She had orders to put him under again if his blood pressure spiked.

“Dr. Phlox will be here within the hour. He had to return to Enterprise for some meeting.”

“Do you know if they are getting ready to leave orbit?” Trip wanted to know.

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

“Where is the telephone? Where’s my cell phone?”

“There isn’t a phone in this room and I don’t know where your cell phone is”. Better go get the medication. He’s on the verge! .

“If there’s no phone in the room, then where is the nearest one?” Trip was beginning to pull on the covers.

“You’re not allowed out of bed yet. If you try it, I’ll have to restrain you!”

“Then you’ll have to make a call for me. I want you to try the hospital in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Ask for Laurie Layne. If she’s not there, do they know where she has gone? Pleading, Trip asked “Please, please do this for me.”

She couldn’t resist his request. He had the sweetest smile and the most expressive eyes. “All right, if you promise to quiet down for me. Let me write the name down, Laurie Layne. The Hospital is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I’ll see what I can do”.

Trip did as she asked. He felt she was the only person who seemed to care. The wait was awful. He gazed up at the ceiling tiles; then began counting them; then began to notice the ones that needed repair! What was taking so long he asked himself. He was about to sit up, when the nurse returned. Quickly, he lay back down.

“What did you find out? Did you talk to her?” he riveted her with questions.

“I was able to reach the Hospital. It seems Laurie was discharged yesterday and supposedly went back to Dallas, Texas, her home. The Nurses said she had some kind of
relapse, but was fine when she left. They didn’t have much information, but they did say that her sister came to pick her up.

Trip’s mind was racing. What must she have thought when she came back to his room and he was gone. He wasn’t there when she needed him, and they had tricked her besides! Jon gave him some excuse about Star Fleet and Medics – how could he have done this. He was supposed to be his best friend.

His mind had a sudden reality check when he saw the glint of steel out of the corner of his eye. Here was a different nurse and this one had a needle poised to strike!

“I don’t need that,” Trip insisted. “I need to be awake to talk to Dr. Phlox when he gets here.

The nurse hesitated as she regarded his expression. “I’m sure Dr. Phlox will have something to say about it.”

“I really don’t need that. I’ll relax and be quiet,” Trip promised. “I just wish I knew how to get in touch with my friend, Laurie. They put me under and brought me here before I even had a chance to tell her goodbye.”

“Perhaps you don’t need this right now, but I’ll be back later.” the nurse said as she left.

Meanwhile in Wyoming, Laurie was saying ‘goodbye’ to Holli as she was putting her on the plane back to Texas. “I have to get on the next plane out to San Francisco. Tell Mom I’m sorry I didn’t make it home this time, but she will be my “first stop” when I get back.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

On board the U.S.S. Enterprise the Senior Officers were just coming into Shuttle Bay 2 to welcome the Crew back aboard the refitted Ship. As the Shuttles docked and the Crew disembarked there was all the saluting and handshaking, smiles and guffaws and an occasional slap on the back that usually go with a “welcome home”.

Then came the new members of the Crew. They could feel the close camaraderie of the present Crew and were looking forward to being a part of it! Laurie was behind a rather large Ensign so she couldn’t see too far ahead. She met a Mr. Reed, from tactical, Mr. Mayweather, the Pilot; Miss Seito, Communications; Sub-Commander T’Pol and . . . . . . John!!! “John ! . . John,” then she caught herself! “Captain Jonathan Archer.” She felt light-headed and no words would come out. She knew she was saying “John” but there was no sound. She felt her knees begin to buckle.

The Captain motioned to the Pilot to take her to Sickbay immediately. When she awoke , Jon was standing by her. She started to sit up but Dr. Phlox pulled her shoulders back down on the bio bed.

“You’re not ready to go anywhere just yet, young lady.” His voice had a warm and comforting tone.

“Laurie” Jon said, “I owe you an explanation concerning my actions last week. I was under orders to get Trip to Star Fleet Medical as fast as I could. The Hospital in Wyoming was flying an orthopedic man in that afternoon and there was some question as to whether or not they would be able to prevent Trip from leaving once the Doctor arrived. I knew we had to get him to Dr. Phlox as soon as possible.”

As Laurie listened to Jon’s words, tears welled up in her eyes.

“I had no idea how close you and Trip had become.” Jon said caringly. “He has been driving everyone crazy trying to find out where you were. He never said anything about your being in Star Fleet, though.”

“He never knew it! I purposely didn’t tell him to begin with and then there just never seemed to be the right time after that. He knew me as Laurie Layne, not Laurie Layne Clark”.

“Jon, uh , Captain Archer. I just have to know. How did the surgery go? Will he regain the use of his arm? Is he all right, now?”

Doctor Phlox held up his hands. “So many questions – and you won’t let me answer them!”

“I’m sorry, Doctor; I just need to know.” She was sitting up; and she was trembling now.

Jon reached over and put his arm around her. “The news is good now. He’s on the mend. It’ll take some therapy and patience, which he’s a little short on; but he’s going to be okay.”

Dr. Phlox nodded his agreement.

Hearing the comfort in Jon’s words and feeling his reassuring hug, Laurie broke down and cried; tears became sobs as all the pent-up emotions poured out. Jon let her put her head on his shoulder as he continued to hold her, letting her release the pressures from the past few days. “Go ahead; let it out; you will feel better,” Jon said softly.

T’Pol, who had just walked in, raised her eyebrow. “Is the Lieutenant ill?”

“No, I just needed to fill her in. She was with Trip on the plane that crashed.” Jon said.

Addressing Laurie, T’Pol commented, “You and Trip must have done the impossible to get all those people off the plane before it blew up. I’ve saved the articles for him to read when he returns. You may also read them, if you wish.”

“Thank you. I’d like to know what happened to some of the people we met.”

“By the way, the two of you are to be recognized for your contribution, once
everything settles down.” T’Pol continued to assess Laurie, wondering what had transpired between her and Commander Tucker

As Laurie began to regain her composure, she had to ask, “Is he on board now?”

“No, he won’t join us till we reach Moon Orbit,” Jon said; he smiled seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she spoke of Trip.

“Please don’t tell him I’m here. I want to be the one to do that.” Laurie responded.
“Did the authorities ever find out how the bomb got on the plane? Trip and I talked about the third Stewardess. There were only two on the plane when we took off. We first noticed her when she hurried back to the cockpit as Trip came to get someone to help him take the Captain out. Neither of us remembered seeing her after that.”

Jon just smiled at her, saying “That’s classified.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The days were going by too fast. Laurie was still having trouble deciding whether it was day or night – in space there is no morning or evening, just duty cycles on a 24/7 time clock. She had been assigned to the new Astrometrics Lab with Sub-Commander T’Pol. This was what she was trained for. Getting back to work was a big help; however, sometimes her shift seemed long as the Sub-Commander wasn’t much for conversation.

Soon they would be at Moon Base Alpha. Once her duty cycles ended Laurie usually hurried back to her quarters; she kept hoping the Captain would call with an update on Trip.

“Put us in orbit, Travis.” Jon said as he rose from the command chair on the Bridge. “See if Commander Tucker is already here.”

Laurie had been in her quarters only a few minutes when her comm buzzed. Pushing the button she heard Jon say that Trip was coming aboard. “I’ll buzz you when he’s in my Ready Room. You can wait outside my door.” He ended the conversation before she could respond.

Stunned, speechless, her thoughts swirling in her mind, she imagined seeing Trip again.
She thought her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. She was sure others would hear it.
The Comm buzzed! She left her quarters and went directly to the Bridge. As she walked toward the Captain’s Ready Room, she felt numb. Hoshi, Travis and Malcolm knew what was about to happen and they looked as nervous as she felt.

The Captain had waited for Trip in his Ready Room instead of going to meet him. As Trip entered, he stood and said “Welcome back! I’ve really missed you,” as the two embraced. “How’s the arm?”

Commander Tucker responded: “It’s good to be here, Sir; but I’m afraid it won’t be for very long. I’m resigning my Commission, Captain.”

That caught Jonathan Archer by surprise. “Why? You’ll only be on limited duty for a short time!”

“That’s not the reason, Jon. I found the one person that I want to spend the rest of my life with and now I’ve lost her. I’m going to search the whole planet until I find her, the whole galaxy, if necessary. That was a terrible thing you all did, whisking me away without my knowing it!”

Archer tried to explain, “Trip, I had Orders from Star Fleet; we had to . . . .but Trip cut him off saying, “You still could have let me tell Laurie! I’ve given this a lot of thought, Jon, and it’s something I have to do. When I find her, I may consider Star Fleet again; I don’t know. Right now I’m just sick inside. Every lead comes up empty. She has to be somewhere!” The tone of his voice rose with each statement, showing the level of his frustration.

Archer stepped back and calmly said, “Trip, someone is waiting for you.” With that Jon buzzed open the door. As Trip turned around, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Archer watched Trip’s reaction thinking, there were no words to accurately describe the look on his face as he saw Laurie at the door to the Ready Room.

Trip caught his breath as he said “L a u r i e.” She took a step toward him; but he covered the distance before she could reach him. He wrapped her in his arms, sling and all, and kissed her. He wouldn’t let her go. She felt the strength of his body against hers. He was holding her so tight that she was having a hard time breathing, but she didn’t mind. She wanted to stay right there, in his arms, forever.

Barely able to breathe, much less speak, Trip mummered, “I thought I’d never see you again. I love you Laurie Layne! Will you marry me? Right now? Jon can do it!”

Laurie, elated at finding her soul-mate again, responded barely above a whisper, “I love you, too, Charles Tucker. And I will marry you. Right now. And Jon can do it!”

Smiling, Archer waited patiently, allowing the reunion to climax, then responded, “You don’t want to do it without any plans, do you? I need to get some papers; what about a little reception? Besides we need witnesses!”

“All you have to do is open the door, smiled Laurie. And all our papers are Star Fleet records.”

As the ‘witnesses’ crowded into the already small Ready Room; John began the time-honored speech. When he came to the “Do you Laurie Layne Clark take this . . .”, Trip said “Who’s that?” Laurie just smiled and whispered in his ear,”I’ll tell you later.”

So whether they ever had a reception, received a Commendation or returned to Earth is in the future. Right now, her adoring eyes and his shy smile were all they needed.

THE END! (Sort of)


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Three people have made comments

Awwwww!!! That was so sweet!

THE END! (Sort of)??? is that like, end of this chapter in their lives, sequel coming at some point?

gr8 story, cruel little play around on the two of them, seperating them up n all. Glad his arm's okay,

thanx for completing so well, Did you see my addition to the debate on the last chpter? if not, plz read it.

To Neo Getz:

Thanks for reading my story, and many thanks for the vote of confidence!

I hope some day to finish writing the sequel . . .

My thanks to Tripforever, too!