10

Forest outside Chalderon IV's capital city, 2254 hours, August 16 2151

Lorrister assigned a few of his guards to protect the away team on their way out of the city, but the men stopped at the city gates, explaining that they were needed to help the Princep regain control. Archer thanked them for their help, and the team entered the forest. Trip and Reed led the way, carrying Jean on a stretcher, and the captian acted as rearguard for a while, just in case some of Rostin's men had followed them. After a short time, he noticed that parts of the path they were following were badly overgrown. Trip was walking ahead of Reed, and as a result he kept being buffeted by parts of the plants which overhung the path. Archer frowned when he saw a particularly large branch strike Trip's shoulder, causing him to almost drop his end of the stretcher. He managed to keep hold of it, but Jean was badly jostled in the process and she let out a pained groan. By that point, Archer was reasonably sure that they hadn't been followed, so he jogged up the path and started walking in front of Trip, holding back some branches and making sure that the engineer steered clear of others.

The path curved off to the right and as the team rounded the bend they saw that a fallen tree was blocking their way. It was too large to go around but low enough to climb over, unless of course someone wanted to climb over while holding a stretcher with someone lying on it. Archer solved the problem by climbing over and then telling the other men to lift the stretcher with Jean on it onto the tree trunk and slide her across it until he could grab hold of the handles. Once he had a good grip on the handles, Trip and Reed climbed over to join him. Both men moved slowly, trying to hide it when they grimaced in pain. Archer shook his head, deciding to take over carrying duties from Reed, since the lieutenant seemed to be hurt more badly than Trip.

As soon as he had climbed over, Reed stood by the trunk. "If you move forward a bit, Captain, I'll hold the stretcher steady until I can get hold of the other end."

Trip shook his head. "I'll help ya, Malcolm, but why don't you take a break from carryin' her?"

Reed was about to argue, but Archer stopped him, nodding to Trip to grab the foot of the stretcher. "You should rest for a while, Malcolm. In fact, we all need a short rest. We're close to where we left the pod, so once we find a good place to stop, Trip and I will try to locate it."

It just so happened that the perfect place to stop was a few meters in front of them. Archer and Trip walked a few steps into a clearing and gently put the stretcher on the ground. Even though they were very careful, the movement brought Jean out of unconsciousness. After coming to, she blinked slowly, looking around their new surroundings. If it weren't for the seriousness of their situation, Jean would have marveled at how beautiful the spot was. It looked like part of a fairytale illustration, complete with shafts of golden sunlight filtering down through the green leaves and even some melodic alien birdsong. She half expected to see some magical creature hop out of the bushes and offer the team a spell or elixir which would heal her and transport them all safely back to the ship. However, the team remained alone in the clearing and no miraculous escape presented itself.

With some effort, Jean stopped daydreaming and realized that the captain was talking to her.

"Trip and I are going ahead to try and find our way back to the pod, but Malcolm'll stay here with you." He looked at Reed who nodded in agreement and came over to sit near her.

Archer faced Reed and said more quietly "If this takes more than ten minutes, comm us. Scan her vitals every two minutes and send them up to Sickbay, and if anything happens, get in touch with Phlox."

Reed nodded, glancing down nervously at the ensign and then back at his captain. "Understood, sir."

"I'm just slowing you down."

Jean had tried to lever herself up on her left elbow, wanting to look straight at the captain, but she only managed to rise a centimeter or so off of the stretcher. She was panting heavily from the effort, and fresh beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. She held herself up for a few seconds before Reed moved in to help support her, gently easing her back onto the stretcher. Halfway there, he realized how much cold and damp air was near the ground and how much it would chill her, so instead he let her rest against his torso. She ended up sitting with her head resting in the middle of Reed's chest and her shoulders and back pulled halfway into his lap. He also took off his cloak and draped it over her, hoping to keep her as warm as possible.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ensign, nobody is going to be left behind."

While Reed tried to quietly reassure her, Trip and the captain followed a likely looking trail in the hopes that it would seem familiar and lead them back to the shuttle pod.

She tried to shake her head but only managed to wince. "No, sir... the transporter. I could beam back to Sickbay... get there faster and… wouldn't slow the team down."

He was genuinely surprised. "You're willing to trust that thing?"

She shrugged almost imperceptibly; if Reed hadn't been holding her he wouldn'tve noticed it. "'S better than bleeding to death down here, and Novakavitch and the captain went through it alright."

"When Novakavitch came out on our end, he had leaves and twigs sticking out of him."

She closed her eyes, feeling herself about to pass out, but she was too tired to fight it. "I don' mind leaves," she slurred.

Reed shook his head. "It wasn't pretty, Ensign."

She opened one eye, fixing him with a drowsy glare followed by an annoyed mumble. " …'s not my name."

"Jean…" Reed smiled, correcting himself. He was glad that at least she still felt well enough to be stubborn. The thought that she might not be around much longer hit him like a physical blow. God, he would miss this. The banter, the companionable meals… her warm smile. Just knowing that someone genuinely cared… He tensed his jaw, clamping down on the lump that was starting to form in his throat, and forced a stiff smile. "You are the most impossible woman I have ever met."

His voice was deeper than usual, husky, but she didn't seem to notice.

"You're no picnic… yourself." She smiled back at him, but then she caught her breath and tensed up, trying to fight off a sudden wave of pain. Because they were sitting so closely together, Reed could feel it each time she shuddered or winced, and each time he had to restrain himself from calling for help.

The only people out here who'd hear me are the search patrols looking for us or Captain Archer, and the captain doesn't need any extra distractions. Just hold on for a few minutes, and if you have to call someone, call Phlox.

A few more groans from Jean had Reed reaching for his communicator. "Lieutenant Reed to Doctor Phlox."

The communicator crackled. "Phlox here."

"Doctor, I'm sending up my most recent scans." He put the communicator down, swapping it for a medical scanner and transmitting the information back to Enterprise. Both of Reed's arms were wrapped protectively around her and one of his hands was still applying gentle pressure to her bandage, so it took him a few seconds to retrieve the communicator once the scans had been sent off.

"Well, Doctor?"

Phlox sounded worried. "I'm afraid that her condition has worsened. It is imperative that she be treated in the next fifteen minutes."

Reed shook his head, even though he knew that the motion wouldn't be seen by Phlox. "I don't know if that is possible. The captain and Commander Tucker are looking for the pod, and I'm not sure how long it will take before they find it and we get under way."

"Malcolm…"

He jerked at her voice, surprised that she was still conscious. "Hold on a moment, Doctor. Yes, Jean?"

"I'm... I'm trying to be brave, sir, but..." She paused and added in a small voice "I'm scared."

She looked so small and vulnerable that all Reed wanted to do was hold her and tell her that everything would be alright, but all he could think of doing was running a hand along her arm and saying hollowly "Don't be silly, Jean, you'll be fine. We'll all be back on Enterprise before you know it, there's nothing to worry about."

A sad, wry smile appeared on her face. "We both know that isn't true. You heard what Phlox just said. There's a good chance that I could die..."

He frowned, hushing her sternly. "I won't hear that sort of talk. You're going to be alright… I'll make sure of it."

Jean seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. She let her head loll to one side, smushing her cheek against his upper arm. "... promise you'll stick around, make sure I'm okay?"

Reed smiled and gave her the most reassuring look that he could muster. He might not be able to protect her any more than he already had, but at least now he could give her some comfort. "I promise, Jean. I'll stay with you until you're out of danger."

He was pleased to see her smile at his words, but she passed out a few moments later.

"It was good of you to reassure her, Lieutenant. Helping her to stay calm is critical at this stage."

Reed nodded, his mind barely registering the doctor's kind words.

When Archer and Trip came back they found Reed sitting with Jean and studying her vitals with a medical scanner. His comm sat open on the ground by his knee, with Phlox's voice crackling out of it. Hearing their approach, he looked up anxiously. "Any luck finding the pod?"

Archer nodded, indicating a break in the bushes. "It's down that path, about five minutes away. How is she?"

"I can't stop the bleeding... " He trailed off, looking from the medical scanner to Jean's wound and shaking his head, feeling utterly useless. "According to Phlox," he hung his head and swallowed, finding that the lump in his throat had grown.

Trip and Archer shared a worried look. For Reed to be so visibly distressed, the news had to be terrible. Archer took a step forward, glancing at the communicator. "What did Phlox say, Lieutenant?"

"If we can't get her to Sickbay in the next ten minutes…"

Trip scrubbed a hand over his face, uttering a soft "damn…", but Archer nodded decisively, moving to pick up Reed's comm. "Alright, then we'll use the transporter. Phlox," he spoke into it. "I want you standing by the transporter with a medical team, and T'Pol will have Lieutenant Hess meet you there to operate the console. Understood?"

The Vulcan's voice was heard, sounding steady as ever. "Yes, Captain."

Phlox chimed in, sounding grave. "We do not have much time, captain. At this point, we cannot afford to waste even a few seconds." There was a rustling sound as he moved, and Archer surmised that the doctor was speaking into a communicator while hurrying through the ship towards the transporter.

Reed squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hands on the bandage, trying to slow the bleeding by applying more pressure. Jean moaned softly at the increase in pain, turning her head from one side to the other on the stretcher, but she didn't regain consciousness.

"Hess here, Captain. I'm at the console. We have a lock on her biosigns… everyone should stand back so we're sure to transport the right person."

"Understood." The captain started to nod, but Reed wouldn't move away from the stretcher. Archer shook his head, reaching out to put a hand on the man's arm. He knew that Reed and Jean were good friends, and this must be very hard for the lieutenant. "Malcolm…"

Reed looked up at him, and Archer was almost floored by the raw emotion that the usually stoic Armory Officer was showing. His steely eyes were dry, but they shone with an incalculable amount of pain and remorse. In spite of his disheveled and distruaght appearance, though, Reed's voice was firm. "With your permission, Captain, I'd like to go up with her."

Mindful of the ticking clock, Archer didn't hesitate to grant the request. "Archer to Hess. Reed is transporting up as well."

Hess' reply of "Understood," crackled through the comm. and Archer gave Reed a small smile.

"She'll pull through, Malcolm, if she's half as stubborn as you. Energize."

Reed couldn't even bring himself to smile at the quip, but he was saved from having to reply because just then he felt the warm tingle of the transporter engulf him and the forrest dissolved before his eyes.