A/N: I was inspired by the Hamish Macbeth finale "Destiny" and since I haven't written for Tu/S for a while thought I'd write it for them :) I apologise if it's a little OOC, it's been a while...Hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
How Long Has This Been Going On?
He was at her side to cushion her fall almost the instant that he heard her cry of pain.
"What is it? What happened?" he asked, anxiously looking her over for injuries as he helped her to sit down.
"My ankle," she said sounding a little shocked, "something bit me."
Trip looked down to where Hoshi had indicated and cursed under his breath at the red welt that was starting to appear on her ankle.
It was at that moment that T'Pol, the third member of their small party came over to join them, "Hoshi's been bitten," Trip told her, not taking his eyes off Hoshi's face.
"The Enterprise will be out of range for at least the next five hours," T'Pol intoned gravely, assessing the situation, "it would be best if we stopped here until that time."
Trip looked back at her, "We do not know what affect the bite will have on Ensign Sato, it would be best if she rested," T'Pol explained.
Trip turned back and met Hoshi's troubled expression, "Don't worry, darlin', the Enterprise will be here before you know it," he assured her, taking her hand.
An hour later Trip's optimism was beginning to fade as he watched Hoshi become more and more disoriented and pale.
"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Trip asked T'Pol in a low tone.
"My medical knowledge is limited, Commander," T'Pol replied in a similar tone, "but I believe that by keeping still it will slow the effects of the bite long enough for us to get her to Enterprise."
Trip was about to comment when Hoshi made a dangerous lurch to the side, he caught her just before she connected with the ground.
"I'm fine Commander," she told him, her voice sounding a little slurred.
"Like hell you are," Trip responded, taking a seat beside her and propping her against him.
Hoshi blushed and made a feeble attempt to sit up, "This really isn't necessary," she protested weakly.
"Hoshi, please, just let me help you."
Trip wasn't sure whether there was something in his tone that made her change her mind or whether she was just too weak from the alien poison, but she relaxed against him without any further comment.
"That's better," he murmured, slipping a steadying arm around her shoulders. He took one of her hands with his free hand and cursed quietly, "Your hands are like ice," he told her, chaffing it gently.
"Sorry," Hoshi mumbled, closing her eyes and letting her forehead rest against his neck.
T'Pol watched the exchange between her fellow crewmembers with mild interest. She had noticed an attraction between the two officers before, but it had always played out in friendly banter, Trip's gentle care of Hoshi was something completely new.
Trip had become so engrossed in his task of trying to warm Hoshi's hands that T'Pol was convinced he had forgotten she was there. Until she noticed Hoshi's figure sag and he suddenly looked up her with a wild frightened look.
"T'Pol?" he asked his fear palpable.
"It's all right Commander," T'Pol assured him, coming over to check Hoshi's pulse, "I believe she has just slipped into a fever."
"She will get through this, won't she?"
T'Pol looked him straight in the eye, but her logical answer died on her lips as she saw the naked fear in his eyes. "We will not let her die, Commander," she told him instead.
Not exactly the words of comfort she knew he wanted to hear, but they seemed to calm him nonetheless.
Trip and T'Pol spent the next couple of hours in silent vigil over Hoshi's prone form, though T'Pol was watching Trip just as much as she was Hoshi.
She had never understood Phlox's fascination with human exchanges, but she found Trip's concern over Hoshi intriguing …from a purely scientific point of view of course. Though she couldn't help but wonder over how similar his behaviour was to the Captain's when she had been in similar situations.
She was brought out of her musings by Trip who suddenly dropped his head down to place his ear near Hoshi's mouth, listening for her breathing.
"Thank God," he said after a moment and T'Pol let out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding, "her fever has broken," he continued, beaming at T'Pol. "She's going to be fine," he added, more to himself than to T'Pol as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Hoshi, pulling her closer to him and resting his cheek on the top of her head.
T'Pol cocked her head to the side slightly as she analysed the gesture, intrigued by how stressful situations led to such an outpouring of human emotions.
Once again she was not left in to her musings for very long as her communicator chirped, alerting her to the fact that Enterprise was once more in range of the away team.
"T'Pol here," she responded, opening her communicator, "Hoshi has been bitten by something down here on the planet," she continued before anyone could respond, "she seems to be starting to recover, but we should get her to Phlox as soon as possible."
It did not take long for Archer to give his assent and soon the entire away team were back on board and crowded in Sickbay.
"For the last time, Doc, I'm fine, it's Hoshi you should be worrying about," Trip insisted as Phlox calmly ran a scanner over him.
"Be that as it may, Commander, Ensign Sato is resting comfortably and now it's your turn to be examined," Phlox told him.
"You mean she's going to be all right?" Trip pressed.
Phlox regarded him quizzically for a few moments before answering in the affirmative, watching with interested eyes as Trip visibly sagged with relief.
"Thank God," Trip murmured.
Phlox continued his examination in silence, noting the way Trip glanced at Hoshi whenever he thought nobody was watching. "How long have you had feelings for Ensign Sato?" Phlox asked, breaking the silence.
Archer and T'Pol who had been talking quietly at the other side of Sickbay suddenly stopped and stared at Trip who looked bewildered.
"What?" he blurted, surprised by the bluntness of Phlox's question.
"How long have you had feelings for Ensign Sato?" Phlox repeated calmly, "It's a perfectly reasonable question, Commander," he continued, "I have noticed that you have been increasingly concerned over her safety over the past few months and, since she was injured on this mission, you have been…hovering."
"I was not hovering!" Trip protested, "I was just concerned over a crewmate, it doesn't mean anything."
"You are a very compassionate man, Commander," Phlox agreed, "but I doubt you would have shown the same level of concern had it been Lieutenant Reed, for example."
Trip looked up at the ceiling for strength: if he was completely honest with himself, he was no longer sure exactly what he felt for Hoshi. He knew it was much more than concern over a fellow crewmate and that nothing had scared him as much as the thought of losing her, but he wasn't about to admit that to Phlox.
"I was just concerned over a crewmate," he repeated as calmly and convincingly as he could.
None of the others looked convinced but, much to Trip's relief, Phlox let the matter drop.