Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek: Enterprise or any of its characters. No profit was made or will be made by the creation of this work.

Rostov looked up from the transporter console and wiped his hand across his eyes. He had been scanning the planet below for the last six hours, watching for a break in the storm. It didn't help that Lieutenant Hess called him every hour for an update. They were all on edge, worrying about the two members of the away team trapped on the planet. She wanted to be manning the transporter herself, but in Commander Tucker's absence, she needed to be in Engineering.

Captain Archer's voice blared from the comm. "Two for emergency beam-out!"

Rostov examined the transporter display. He could see two signals, but he couldn't get a lock. Increasing the gain increased the noise as much as it boosted the signals. He raised the sensors' sweep frequency and re-tuned the Bayesian filters. That gave him a lock, but not an optimal one. Remembering the urgency in his captain's voice, he whispered a prayer and held his breath as he energized the transporter.

He sighed with relief when Commander Tucker and Commander T'Pol coalesced on the platform. They were crouched as if they were hiding from some unseen pursuers. Tucker had his phase pistol pointed at the far wall. He staggered as he stood up. T'Pol seemed to have been expecting that; she reached to steady him. Their uniforms were torn and covered with thick gray mud.

Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed rushed in. Phlox was a step behind them.

Archer said, "Trip, T'Pol, welcome back. We were worried."

Trip gave him a tired smile. "Thanks, Cap'n. It's good to be back."

Phlox scanned the two commanders. He grinned. "It looks like the transporter biofilters worked well this time. You can skip Decon, but I need to see you in Sickbay."

Rostov headed back to Engineering to update Lieutenant Hess.

As they left for Sickbay, T'Pol kept her hand on Trip's upper arm. Archer kept pace on his other side. When they reached their destination, Phlox settled the commanders on adjacent biobeds for a more detailed assessment. Archer and Reed waited behind the privacy curtain.

When he finished his scans, Phlox smiled. "Given the circumstances, I would say you're both quite lucky. You're exhausted and dehydrated and have a number of cuts and bruises but nothing serious. I expect Commander Tucker will be stiff and sore for the next few days.

"T'Pol, once I get those wounds treated, you can go back to your quarters to get cleaned up, eat, and rest. You need to be off duty for at least 24 hours. I want to see you tomorrow morning for follow-up."

Phlox turned to his other patient. "Commander, you've had a mild concussion. I'm tempted to keep you here overnight, but if someone escorts you to your quarters, I think that will suffice. You need to eat something, clean up, and go directly to bed. Come in right after you eat breakfast tomorrow so I can re-assess your condition. You should plan to be off duty for at least 48 hours."

The doctor handed each of them a large glass of a milky green liquid. "Drink this while I'm getting things ready."

T'Pol swallowed hers, ignoring the bitter, salty taste and the face Trip made when he took his first sip.

Phlox walked across Sickbay to his supply cabinets, glancing at the two waiting me as he went. "Captain, you and Lieutenant Reed are welcome to talk with them. It will take me a few minutes to prepare the treatments."

"Thanks, Doctor." Archer opened the privacy curtain and stepped over to Trip's biobed. Reed followed, a little more diffidently.

"How are you feeling?"

Trip said, "I've been better, but I should be fine in the mornin'."

The captain frowned. "You heard the doctor. You're off duty for at least the next 48 hours. I'm going to tell Hess if she sees you in Engineering, she's to call Security."

Malcolm nodded emphatically. "And when she calls, I'll be right there to escort you to your quarters and post a guard."

Trip held his hands out in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay, I get the message. Actually, a couple of days off sounds pretty good about now."

Archer turned to T'Pol. "How are you holding up?"

"I've had little opportunity to meditate for the last three days. Once I have meditated, I should be fine."

He nodded. "Malcolm told me what happened up to the point when the shuttle had to leave. What happened after that?"

Author's Note - Many thanks to my wonderful betas, LoyaulteMeLie and DinahD. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.