Amanda, Part 4

AMANDA

By RHMichaud

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Angst
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise and the crew. No financial gain is
being made from this fiction.

~~~~

Part 4

Reed was aware of a dull ache throbbing through his entire body. With his eyes still closed, he heard low voices, murmurs, whispers. Instinctively, his hand went to the back of his head as he tried to recall what had happened. Suddenly he remembered and his eyes flew open. Amanda. Where was Amanda?

She was there, at the other end of the small cage they were in. Reed scrambled over to her. She was shivering, the jackets she had been wrapped in were not there and the floor was cold. Reed carefully pulled Amanda into his lap, trying to get her off the floor and to warm her with his own body heat. Her skin was cold and her pulse was still weak.

Reed looked around the cage. Not only were the jackets missing, but also his backpack, phase pistol and communicator. He tightened his hold on Amanda as he took in their surroundings. There were many other cages in the room and almost all were occupied by various humanoid species. Some were staring at him, but others didn't seem to have a clue. There looked to be only one door to this “cage room” and probably guards on the other side.

Just then, the door to the room opened and a guard entered.

“Orion Slave Traders!” Reed cursed under his breath. “He sold her to damn slave traders!”

The guard slowly made his way over to the cage.

“Hey there,” Reed began. “I demand to speak with your Captain. His prize winning bid is going to be for nothing if she doesn't receive medical attention immediately.”

“Get up,” the guard gruffly said.

Cautiously, Reed stood, holding Amanda close.

The guard unlocked the cage door and motioned for Reed to follow him. When they went out the door of the cage room, another guard held Reed's jacket out to him. Reed took it and put it around Amanda.

“You will come with me,” the first guard said to Reed as they continued down the corridor.

Turn after turn, step by step, Reed wondered where they were being taken. He knew that if he were alone, he could have overtaken this guard and escaped. But he held the reason he had to wait, to see what plans awaited them.

Shortly, they came to a stop outside a pressurized door. The guard keyed the door lock and opened the door. He motioned for Reed to enter.

As Reed stepped inside he was shocked. Phlox met Reed halfway across the docking bay. He had his scanner in hand. Travis was standing beside the shuttle pod waiting to take off.

“She's hypothermic,” was all that Reed could say. He was too stunned to say more.

“Let's get you two back to Enterprise.” Phlox said as he ushered Reed toward the shuttle.

~~~~~

Trip's mind was working overtime. First he was in the sweat box those deep brown eyes. Then he was in sickbay looking at her sleeping peacefully. He was in his quarters, at the door- she trembled in his arms. His mind was spinning. The look of fear in her eyes. Blood on the floor. Terror. Gone, she was gone. Worse, Page had said she was dead. Dead.

He could hear someone saying his name, telling him it was okay.

“Trip, can you hear me?” Archer spoke quietly as Trip’s eyelids fluttered open. “Are you in there Trip?”

Trip blinked his eyes and opened them again. Was he in sickbay? He opened his mouth, but his throat was dry. He got one word out. “Amanda?”

“She's okay Trip. She's safe.” Archer assured him.

Trip nodded his head and his eyes closed.

“Sleep my friend, sleep.” Archer whispered.

~~~~~

There was something warm and furry touching Trip's left hand. Then something wet. Trip opened his eyes and looked down to see Porthos beside him on the bed. (Porthos had licked his hand). This wasn't sickbay, Trip realized. It was the Captain's quarters.

“I hope he didn't wake you.” Archer said. “I just couldn't keep him quiet until I let him on the bed. I think he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Trip coughed and Archer helped him sit up and drink some water.

“Dry throat. Phlox said you would probably need more water when you woke up.”

“Thanks.” Trip said as he cleared his throat. He looked at his bandaged right hand and the memory of what happened hit him like a ton of bricks. “Amanda. Where is she? What happened?” Trip was trying to get up.

Archer held him down. “It's okay Trip. Amanda is going to be fine. She's here.”

“Here? How? What...”

“Get back into bed and let me explain.”

“I want to see her.” Trip insisted.

“Back in bed Commander or I’ll have you in the brig.” Archer countered knowing that pulling rank on his friend was not really necessary.

Trip lay back down and let Archer pull the blankets up. Archer sat on the edge of the bed facing Trip.

“Amanda is in sickbay. Reed and Fodor found her, barely alive.” Archer began.

Trip's eyes went wide and Archer continued. “She was hypothermic, but the extract was slowing her body functions down. This actually helped. Phlox can explain that better than I can, but it helped keep her alive.”

“But, I saw them vanish. Page said he had sold her. How...”

“We have Overseer Dolun to thank.”

“Dolun? That sonofabitch!” Trip was fuming.

“If it wasn't for Dolun, we might not have been able to get Amanda back. Or Lieutenant Reed for that matter. They would have been sold by the Orions.” Archer stopped for a second to let Trip calm down. “Dolun has a number of contacts and this one Orion Captain owed Dolun a great deal. Dolun offered to wipe the slate clean if the Orion would pretend to outbid everyone for Amanda and take possession of her, so to speak.”

“But, he didn't keep her?”

“Right. When the Orion ship transported Reed and Amanda aboard, they contacted us to come pick them up. Lieutenant Reed was trying to keep Amanda warm and safe the whole time. He was ready to take on the entire ship. He didn't know what was going on till Travis and Phlox had them on their way home.” Archer explained.

“When is Dolun gonna take her back? What happened to Page?” Trip asked again getting agitated. “And where are we goin’ in such a hurry?”

“I should have known that you could tell we are at warp.”

“I'm Chief Engineer. It's my job to know my engines. Now what about Dolun and Page?”

Archer stifled a laugh. “Amanda no longer belongs to Dolun.”

“You PAID him for her?”

This time Archer had to laugh. “No, Trip. Dolun gave up his claim on Amanda. She doesn't belong to anyone. She is free. As for Page, well he didn't quite make it. After you passed out, Page was so focused on you that Fodor got a dead bead on him. He never saw it coming.”

“I would have liked to have done that.” Trip sat quietly for a moment. “When can I see Amanda? Is she okay?”

“I will have to check with Phlox. He wasn't letting any visitors into sickbay as of yesterday.”

“Yesterday…how long have I been out?” Trip questioned. “Is that why am I here, not in sickbay?”

“You've been asleep for almost two days.”

“Two days? That long?” Trip was surprised.

“Yes, two days, partly because you were exhausted and then Phlox gave you something to keep you out so you could rest. You looked like Hell. As for being here, I fought with Phlox. He wanted to keep you in sickbay, but I convinced him that you would sleep much better in a real bed. He wouldn't release you to your own quarters, said if I wanted you out of sickbay, then I would have to keep you as a roommate for a few nights.”

“Thanks.” Trip mumbled as he looked at his bandaged right hand.

Archer watched his friend with concern. “Phlox says you have second and third degree burns and you damaged the tissue pretty good. But he was able to repair the damage and you will have full use of your hand within a month or so.” Archer explained, knowing that an engineer needs to have two good hands to do his job.

“Can you call Phlox?” Trip requested.

Archer stood up and headed for the comm panel. “Are you feeling okay, does your hand hurt?”

“I just want to see Amanda, to see that she is all right.”

Archer nodded his head and gave him half a grin. “And we’ll have Phlox check your hand too. Archer to Phlox,” Archer said into the comm.

“Phlox here Captain. Is your roommate awake?”

“Yes, and he would like to visit sickbay, for a check up and a social call.” Archer winked at Trip.

“Very well, a check up first, then we will see about the social call.”

“Great, well see you in a few. Thank you Doctor. Archer out.”

~~~~~

About half an hour after Archer had called Phlox, he and Trip walked into sickbay.

“I was beginning to wonder if the two of you had gotten yourselves lost,” Phlox quipped.

“Trip needed a few minutes to get moving under his own steam,” Archer replied.

“I see,” said Phlox as he eyed Trip. “How are we feeling today, Commander? Sit over here and well have that check up.”

Mindlessly, Trip sat up on the biobed that Phlox had motioned to and Phlox ran a scanner to his head and hand.

“I feel kinda drained.”

“How about your hand Commander, any pain there?” Phlox asked.

“It throbs a little, but not real pain, I guess.”

“Hmm. Getting a little lightheaded, dizzy maybe?” Phlox was checking the scan he had just done.

Trip ran his left hand through his hair. “Yeah, hard to concentrate.”

“I do not see any damage. You have been asleep for an extended period of time. It is not unusual to be a bit disoriented for a few hours after waking up, considering what you have been through. I would have been surprised if you were not feeling this way. The dizziness will pass. Try not to tax your mind with heavy thinking, just relax. Now, let's take a look at that hand.”

Phlox carefully removed the bandage from Trip's hand and checked the progression of the healing. He applied some gel and a new bandage. “Keep the bandage dry and don't try to use your hand. You should be resting for the next few days at least. We will check your progress daily to see that you are following orders. Is that clear Commander?”

“Perfectly Doc.” said Trip as he stood up from the biobed. “Can I see Amanda now?”

Phlox cast a quick glance at Archer, who had been standing in the background observing. Archer gave a subtle nod and moved to beside Trip. Trip noticed this small exchange between the two and was curious.

“What's wrong? What aren't you telling me? She is okay, isn't she?” Trip was getting worried.

Archer put his hand on Trip's shoulder. “She is safe and she's going to be okay.”

“‘Going to be okay’? What does that mean? I want to see her.” Trip insisted.

“Calm down Trip, she's...” Archer started.

Phlox interrupted, “Amanda is a very strong young woman. She is recovering, not only from hypothermia, but from the extract as well. This is going to take some time. You can see her for a moment, but then you will have to go back to the Captain's quarters and rest.”

Agitated at not getting a straight answer, Trip just nodded and let Phlox and Archer lead him to the other corner of sickbay. Phlox opened the curtains and explained. “She is sedated for the time being. She may not know that you are here.”

“But I will.” Trip whispered under his breath as he walked up to the bedside.

“What have you been through? You have to be all right. There has to be a reason for all this,” Trip whispered to her as he stood there. He was wondering why all this was happening. He noticed the purple bruising on the right side of Amanda's face. Her neck was still bandaged from her earlier injury. The rest of her was covered by a warm blanket. Her petite frame barely made a ripple in the blanket as she breathed slowly. Trip rubbed the blanket where her arm was underneath. He gritted his teeth as he turned and walked away. Archer followed him as Phlox checked her monitor then closed the curtains. None of them saw the single tear slide down the side of Amanda's face.

~~~~~

Archer fluffed the pillow behind Trip's back and pulled the blankets up.

“There. All comfy?” Archer asked.

“I'm not an invalid. Why can't I go back to my own quarters?” Trip whined.

Archer stood there looking at his friend. He put on a mock frown and pouted. “What? You don't like my company, my bed not soft enough? Besides, I told you, it's the only way Phlox will let you out of sickbay. Relax. We can catch up on a few matches while you're here. I have been saving a couple since you had been so busy the past month or so.”

“Maybe I should just go back to sickbay.” Trip said as he pulled the blankets back to get up.

Archer grabbed the blankets and threw them back on Trip. “Wait a minute. I think you must be sick. You hate sickbay.”

“Yeah, but...”

“I know. Amanda is there and you are worried about her.” Archer continued as he made sure Trip was tucked in again. “We are all worried, but there is nothing that you or I can do. Phlox and T’Pol are doing everything they can for her.”

“T’Pol? What is she doing, why would she be helping Phlox?” Trip really wanted some answers.

Archer pulled a chair and sat down with a deep sigh. “Listen, Trip. There is a lot of stuff that I don't really understand right now. Stuff to do with Amanda's background, her circumstances. Every time we think we have a lead to information, we open a door and find a locked one behind it.”

“I'm so confused. Do we even know why or how she got out here? Who is she?” Trip struggled to find a question that Archer would or could answer.

“We are pretty sure that her parents left Earth on a deep space supply freighter. That they were trying to keep her safe from someone or something. Records are hard to locate intact. Like someone was hiding something. T’Pol and Hoshi are doing a lot of research.” Archer tried to explain without giving any details to Trip. He knew more than he was saying, but didn't want Trip to be upset.

“I still don't understand…why?” Trip pushed.

“Trip. I don't have the answers for you yet. We all want answers to those same questions.” Archer paused for a moment then tried to change the subject. “So, how about watching a match? Feel up to it?”

Trip pushed himself down in the blankets. “I think I just want to sleep. Maybe later,” he said as he rolled over, his back to Archer.

“Okay, later. Get some sleep.” Archer stared at Trip's back, and then turned to his computer to do a little work.

~~~~~

A soft knock on the door shook Archer from his moment of shut eye. He had been on the computer for hours and had only meant to close his eyes for a second. Now he realized he had dozed off for more than an hour. The first knock had woken him, but the second knock made him check to see that Trip was still in bed (and he was). Archer got up and quietly went outside his quarters. T’Pol was waiting in the corridor.

“I am sorry to disturb you Captain,” T’Pol apologized. “You wanted to know when we had more information.”

“What have you found out?”

“Hoshi believes the encrypted fragment we located is the so called ‘missing link’ to Amanda's past. She is working to decrypt the information.” T’Pol responded.

“Any idea how long that will take?”

“It is not possible to estimate the time it will take without knowing the exact depth of the encryption. That information would have to be combined with Hoshi’s potential knowledge of the format used to encrypt the records.” T’Pol stated.

Archer shook his head. “Okay. Let me know when she gets it.”

T’Pol started to turn to walk away, but stopped. “How is Commander Tucker?” She asked.

Archer sighed. “He is sleeping again. Phlox says he is gonna be fine.” Archer paused and T’Pol stood there looking at him.

“There is more, isn't there?” T’Pol prompted.

“He wants answers.”

“And you did not give him the answers?” T’Pol knew that Archer had not. She knew him better than he realized she did.

“I couldn't.”

“He deserves to know.”

“I will tell him, just not yet. Not till we know for sure. I don't…I don't want to give him answers till we know for sure. I don't want the answers to be the wrong ones.” Archer struggled with his response. He knew it was the right thing to do, for Trip's well being. He was having a hard time making his words sound convincing even to himself.

T’Pol took a long look at Archer. The signs of worry and sleep deprivation were beginning to show.

“When was the last time you slept, Captain?” She asked not expecting a straight answer from him. Not getting one either.

“I just woke up.”

“You know I am referring to full nights’ sleep. You need your rest if you are going to be a support for Trip.” T’Pol tried to reason with Archer and he knew she cared when she used Trip's nickname versus using his full title. But he needed to be awake for Trip. Not taking a nap. “I could have Doctor Phlox relieve you of duty, order you to get some sleep.”

“I can't leave Trip. I can't imagine what he might do if he woke up and I was sound asleep. No, he could get into trouble too quickly,” Archer shook his head stubbornly. “Not till this is over.”

T’Pol went to the nearest comm panel. “T’Pol to Lieutenant Reed.”

“Reed here”

“Please report to the Captain's quarters at your earliest convenience.”

“On my way. Reed out.”

Archer stood against the wall knowing that he had been out maneuvered. “Okay, you win.”

“I do not consider this a game Captain. Your health is as important as any of the crew, perhaps even more. Get some sleep. We will wake you if we uncover any more information,” T’Pol assured him.

~~~~~

It had only taken Reed a few minutes to get to the Captain's quarters. He had expected to see Trip awake and was eager to talk to him. Instead he found out he was taking over watching a sleeping Trip while the Captain went to find some sleep. Reed saw how raged and tired the Captain looked. He wondered how long Captain Archer would keep the truth from Trip. Then Reed wondered what he was going to say if Trip woke up and started asking him questions. Maybe he wasn't so eager to talk to Trip after all. Surely, he wouldn't know anything that Trip would want to know anyway. Reed had himself convinced of that for the time being. That was until Trip woke up.

“What's goin’ on here Mal? Where are we goin’ in such a hurry? What's everyone tryin’ to keep from me? Please, tell me somethin’, please.” Trip pleaded with him.

All Reed could say was, “I don't have the answers Trip. I wish I did.” He hated to lie to his friend, but those were his orders.

~~~~~

TBC

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