THE THORN AND THE ROSE
By DinahD
Disclaimer: I do not own the Enterprise characters. I do, however, claim ownership of the characters that are the products of my imagination. I have not benefited monetarily from writing this.
Author's note: I want to extend my sincere thanks to my beta, the one and only Distracted.
I would also like to thank everyone who has read the chapters I've posted. And a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to review them.
CHAPTER 10: ARCHER
"Come in," Archer called when he heard the door chime.
Tucker walked into the ready room and stood nervously wiping his hands up and down his pant legs. "You wanted to see me, Captain."
"Do you know why I sent for you, Commander?" Archer tone of voice left no doubt that this wasn't a social visit.
Trip swallowed hard. His hands moved behind his back and he stood erect. "I guess you heard about my argument with Ambassador Gral."
Archer locked eyes with the commander. He'd been so worried about his friend that he'd allowed Trip's behavior to go unchecked. Now he had to regain some measure of control. The welfare of Enterprise and her crew required it. But he had to do this the right way. Trip was already fragile emotionally. He didn't want to harm him any further.
"I realize that the ambassador is not an easy man to get along with, but I expect my senior officers to behave in a professional manner. That doesn't include picking fights or berating our guests in full view of the engineering staff."
Tucker dropped his head and compressed his lips.
"You need to get your anger under control. If you can't manage it by yourself, I want you to set aside time to see Doctor Phlox."
Trip jerked his head up and took a step forward. "Captain, I don't need…"
Archer raised one hand silencing Tucker. "I don't want to make it an order, but I will. I have a responsibility to Earth, to Starfleet and to the rest of this crew to ensure that nothing and no one casts a negative light on Enterprise. You've been through a great deal in the last few months and I've cut you a lot of slack, but things are getting out of hand."
"Please, Captain…"
"Don't interrupt, Commander," Archer snapped. "What if our guests hadn't been Tellarites? What would the Vulcans or the Andorians or, heaven help us, an even more sensitive species think of your confrontational attitude? As the chief engineer, you're supposed to set an example for the rest of the crew to follow. Your behavior lately had been unacceptable and it cannot…it will not continue."
Tucker stood silently, but his clenched jaw and the heightened color in his face clearly showed that he was barely keeping his emotions in check.
Archer lowered his voice, but continued with the same steely determination. "Do I make myself clear, Commander?"
"Yes, sir," Trip said tightly.
"Good." With Trip's affirmative reply, Archer wanted to relax, to deal with the young engineer as a friend, but he knew that was unwise. Trip needed structure. He needed discipline and a clear directive to seek help. Only the captain could do that.
"From here I want you to go directly to sickbay," Archer continued. "Doctor Phlox is expecting you. You will do whatever he tells you to do. Then you will report to the situation room at 1600 hours for a staff briefing. Are there any questions?"
Trip's features contorted as he bellowed, "You have no right…"
Archer quickly moved forward to confront him. "I have every right!" he barked. "This crew's welfare is my responsibility. Since you seem to want to do things the hard way, you leave me no choice but to make this an order, Commander, and I expect my orders to be obeyed."
The emotions that played across Trip's face quickly ran the gamut from intense rage to mind-numbing fear. Finally, in a choked voice he pleaded, "Why are you doing this to me? If you want me to apologize to the ambassador, I'll do it, but I don't need to see Phlox. There's nothing wrong with me that can't be cured by puttin' some distance between us and those damned Tellarites. I keep tellin' ya I'm fine. Why won't you believe me?"
"Because you're not fine!" Archer shouted. He grabbed both of Trip's shoulders firmly. He wanted to shake some sense into him, but figured that it would only be a waste of energy. "You aren't sleeping or eating. You've pulled away from everyone who cares for you. You're out of control, and your work has suffered because of it!"
"My work hasn't suffered," Tucker spat back. "This ship's in better shape now than it's ever been."
"Enterprise is in good shape because of your engineering crew not because of you. You can't concentrate. You're making mistakes." Archer's hand shot out and grabbed Tucker's left wrist. He forced it up until it was in the engineer's line of sight. "These burns didn't just happen. You're getting careless! I'm not going to let other people get hurt because you're too stubborn to get the help you need!"
Tucker finally managed to yank his wrist out of Archer's grasp. He quickly hid his shaking hand with its three red, blistered patches of skin behind his back.
"The members of your crew don't even know how to communicate with you anymore," Archer stated. "You're so irritable all the time that it's easier for them to just avoid you. If they want something, they go Lieutenant Hess. I've been down to engineering several times in the last couple of days. I've seen it for myself." He allowed his voice to soften slightly. "That's not the kind of man you are."
The commander tried to take a step back toward the door, but Archer only held onto his right shoulder more tightly. "Just give me a little more time," Trip whispered. "I…"
"I'm sorry," the captain stated unequivocably, "time's up." He reached over and hit the comm button. "Archer to Lieutenant Reed."
"Reed here, sir."
"I want you to escort Commander Tucker to sickbay."
"No," Trip said in a strangled voice.
"Use all the men you need to get the job done. If he gives you too much trouble, put him in the brig and have Phlox see him there. Do you understand, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir," Malcolm said after a moment's hesitation. "Reed out."
"You're dismissed, Commander," Archer said quietly. He was struggling to keep the strong emotions he was feeling out of his voice. "I expect you in the situation room at 1600."
"Aye, sir," Tucker replied bitterly. The look of betrayal on his face was almost more than Jon could bear.
The door slid open. Malcolm stood uneasily in the doorway with his hands behind his back. "Commander, if you please."
Without another word, Trip turned and stormed out of the door.
"Damn," Jon muttered under his breath, then he hit the comm button. "Archer to sickbay."
"Yes, Captain."
"He's on the way, Doctor."
"Did things go well?"
"Not really," Archer said sadly. "I think you're going to have your hands full. Just do what you can for him."
"I understand. We'll just have to hope for the best. I'll keep you informed. Phlox out."
Jon found himself staring blankly at the door before him. It was no less a barrier than the ones Trip had erected to shut people out. The press of a button opened this door. What buttons could he press to break through Trip's defenses and reach his friend?
He fervently hoped that he'd done the right thing. No, Archer thought. He couldn't afford to second guess himself. He was the captain. He'd only done what was required of him. Anxious and upset, he began to pace back and forth across his ready room. Everything he'd said, everything he'd done had been for Trip's own good. Now it was up to Phlox. He was an excellent doctor. He would know what to do. And with T'Pol's help, in a few hours they would be ready to take the next step.
TBC