Disclaimer: See chapter one.

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Hell in Heaven

By Kalika

Chapter Six: Leave-takings

"Damn," Jon whispered when he heard the communicator signal. After a tearful description of the past few days Trip had fallen asleep half on top of him and Jon didn't want to wake him. Slowly and carefully, the Captain slid out from under the engineer while softly lowering the other man down onto the bed. Quietly, he made his way across the room to where he had dropped the communicator.

"Archer here." Having expected the call to be from Magistrate Shazal, he didn't bother to disguise the annoyance in his voice. Unless she was calling to tell him that they were able to contact their ship, he was going to give her a piece of his mind. He was in no mood to be civil to here right now.

"Captain, are you alright?" T'Pol's voice crackled over the comm. It sounded far away and fuzzy. The storm must still be interfering with the machinery.' Jon was brought back from his thoughts when he realized that T'Pol was still speaking. "I'm sorry Sub-Commander. I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"

"I said that the storm seems to be dissipating. We will probably be able to send down a shuttle for you in the morning." Again the comm. faltered and the signal was lost before returning, " have an enjoyable visit?"

"I'll tell you about it when we get back." Jon sidestepped the question. He needed to speak to Trip about what information they were going to give to the crew. To take his mind off of that thought he decided to ask a question of his own. "How's the ship? Has everything gone smoothly?

"Yes Captain, everything is fine. We have had a very uneventful few days. When the storm is cleared up I can have Lieutenant Reed bring down the shuttle whenever you wish."

"Thank you, T'Pol. Please send one down as soon as it is safe. We will be ready for you. Archer out." Jon put the communicator down and turned back to the bed. Trip was still asleep and instead of waking him, Archer opted to pull up a chair and sit off to the side.

*****

Archer shielded his eyes against the sun as he watched the shuttle drop below the clouds. The captain turned and stepped back into the transport terminal. He walked over to the Commander who he had left sitting on one of the many chairs. Archer smiled slightly when he saw that his subordinate had fallen asleep. "Trip." He shook the sleeping man gently. "Come on Trip. Malcolm's here. It's time for us to go."

"What? Malcolm? The shuttle's here already?" Trip mumbled in confusion. His eyes were still half closed and Jon doubted that he was even completely awake yet.

"Yeah, it is here and Lt. Reed is probably waiting. Come on, let's get you up." Archer slid his arm around the Commander's waist and helped pull him to his feet. Keeping his arm where it was, he guided his lover out into the sunlight. He could see the Lieutenant coming out of the shuttle pod hatch.

Tucker groaned and turned slightly to hide his eyes from the light, against Archers shoulder. "God, it's bright out here. I'm so tired." He stumbled slightly as his eyes slid closed again.

Captain Archer stopped suddenly and spun to catch the half-asleep man. He pulled his partner against his chest as he beckoned to Lt. Reed. He felt Trip's knees give out just as Malcolm reached them.

"Lieutenant, take his other side, but be careful not to jar his shoulder. Let's get him into the shuttle and out of the light." Archer waiter until Trip was supported equally between them before starting to move again. Slowly, they made their way to the ship, pulling the half-conscious engineer between them.

"Captain Archer?" Jonathan turned and growled when he saw Magistrate Shazal coming out of the terminal. He had hoped never t see her again. He transferred the weight he was bearing to Malcolm and was about to start back when Trip caught his arm. He looked directly into the glazed but questioning eyes before saying, "Don't worry Trip. I'm just going to talk to the Magistrate. Malcolm will help you to the shuttle. I'll be there in a little while." He waited for a nod before stalking away to speak to Shazal.

"Come on, Commander. It's just a little farther," Malcolm said as he once again began to lead Tucker to the shuttle.

*****

Malcolm had gotten increasingly concerned as he walked toward his two superior officers. He had seen the Commander almost fall and was relieved to see the Captain catch him. Hurrying the rest of the way, he barely had time to take in the engineer's injuries before taking hold of the weak man.

As he and Archer helped Trip back to the shuttle, he took stock of all the injuries that the Commander had sustained. He took in the stark white wrist bandages and the arm sling in passing before turning to examine his best friends face.

He was surprised by the anger he felt at the sight of those bruised cheeks and exhausted eyes. He wanted to know what had happened but decided to refrain from asking for now.

They had almost reached the shuttle when the Trytearian Magistrate showed up. Malcolm tried to ignore the fact that he was certain Captain Archer had growled when he saw her. The Lieutenant could tell that the growl was mostly protective and angry, but he could detect a subtle hint of possessiveness. He didn't know why, but that sound made him feel both relieved and concerned.

As the Captain left, Malcolm wrapped his arms more tightly around Trip and helped him the last few steps to the shuttle pod. Inside, he guided his friend to one of the benches and helped him sit. Squatting down in front of his friend, Malcolm helped Tucker slide down until he was lying on his back. The Lieutenant made sure that his friend was comfortable before going to prep for launch.

*****

Archer entered the shuttle and set down the bags he was carrying. The Magistrate had wanted to apologize again for what had happened. Her bodyguards had brought out the bags that Jon had left in the transport terminal. He had listened to her for as long as he could, but he had to leave quickly when he began to realize that she had been right.

Jon dropped into one of the chairs with a sigh. He wanted to hate Shazal. He had been avoiding her for exactly that reason. He didn't want to see that both she and Trip were right. The Trytearian government had had no choice. They were trying to help their people. With a mental grimace, Archer released the anger he had been trying desperately to hold onto. He didn't want to understand. He didn't want to accept that, though they hadn't been justified in it, kidnapping Commander Tucker had been their best move.

Jon understood that what had happened to Trip wasn't Magistrate Shazal's fault. She couldn't have known what would happen. She had never wanted the engineer to get hurt. He understood that. As Archer let the anger leave him he was filled with worry for his lover. He had been to preoccupied to notice before, but Trip seemed to be in worse shape now that he had been in when he had first been rescued. His exhaustion was not, in Jon's opinion, being caused only by the painkillers that he was taking. Archer turned to look at the injured man and saw the sweat beading his forehead. An awful thought struck Archer as he watched Trip.

"Malcolm, let's go. Contact Enterprise and tell them to have Doctor Phlox standing by," Archer ordered as he got up to check on Tucker. Gently, he lifted his partner and sat down resting Trip's head on his legs. Brushing his hand across the engineer's forehead Archer's fears were confirmed. Commander Tucker was burning up, probably due to an infection.

"Jonny? Where are we? It's so hot." Trip's voice was weak and strained. As he spoke, he kept his eyes closed against the harsh cabin lights. "Why is it so bright?"

"Just wait." Archer reached over to the control panel and dimmed the lights in the back of the cabin. Settling back, he held Trip steady as the shuttle lifted off. As they raised through the atmosphere he tried to take Trip's mind off of his pain with soft words. He saw his partner wince as he shifted and leaned down to kiss the engineer's hand in reassurance.

*****

Malcolm made sure that everything was in order before he set the automatic navigation and turned to address the Captain. He blushed furiously when he realized that he was witnessing something that he was probably never supposed to see. Archer was holding one of Trip's hands while softly brushing back the Commander's sweat soaked hair.

Malcolm faced forwards again quickly, but turned slightly to glance at the pair briefly. Archer was whispering comforting words to the Commander. It was almost as if Archer didn't even remember that he and Trip weren't alone in the shuttle. The lieutenant turned away again and pretended to check the readings on the control panel in front of him.

Wanting to remind the Captain of what was happening Malcolm spoke quietly, "We will be reaching Enterprise in about five minutes, Captain." Archer jumped with surprise when he heard the Lieutenants voice.

Unfortunately, the jump had jarred Trip's arm. The engineer gave a soft cry that turned into a harsh cough. As the coughing continued, Archer helped the Commander sit up so that his airway was more open. Eventually, the coughing trailed off into weak gasps. Jon looked up in surprise when he saw a water bottle being held up to Trip's mouth.

Malcolm tilted the bottle very slightly so that his friend wouldn't get too much water all at once. When he pulled the bottle back he saw that Trip was asleep. Putting down the container he helped the Captain settle Tucker back down on the bench.

Jon looked up when he felt Lt. Reed touch his shoulder. Malcolm looked at him for a moment before speaking. "He's going to be alright, Captain. We'll be back on Enterprise soon and Doctor Phlox will take care of him. Don't worry."

Archer nodded slightly before dropping down on the floor next to the bench. He forced a smile onto his face and thanked the lieutenant. As he watched Malcolm head back to the front of the shuttle, Jon realized how he had been acting. There was no way that Malcolm could not have noticed. Furious with himself, Archer tried to envision just how much damage he had just done to both his and the Commander's careers. Fraternizing with officers under his command was strictly forbidden. If Malcolm said anything they could both lose their jobs. Jonathan berated himself for his stupidity as he dropped his head onto his arms in defeat and awaited their arrival.

*****

God, I am really starting to dislike doing this,' Archer thought to himself as he sat beside Trip's bed in the medial bay.

Just as Jon had suspected Trip's wound on his right wrist had become infected. The Commander had contracted a virus not unlike the flu and was now sleeping off the effects of the drugs that he had been given. Doctor Phlox had said that he would be fine in a few days, but it would take a bit more time for his wrist injuries to heal. The Doctor had said that the shoulder injury would clear up around the same time.

Phlox had tried to coax the Captain into going to his quarters to rest, but Jon wanted to be present when his lover woke up. He patted Trip's hand gently as he tried to ignore the images that were floating around in his head. He would have to tell the Commander that Malcolm knew about them. Archer hated that thought that Trip might lose everything because of his own stupidity. He himself was at risk of losing his job but it was his own fault. He knew he was being selfish, but all he wanted was to know if Trip would blame him. The engineer had every right to. Jon had let his emotions cloud his judgment and now they were both going to pay the price.

"Captain?" Jonathan looked up to see that Lieutenant Malcolm had entered the room. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, sir. I just came down to see how Commander Tucker was doing. The bridge crew were a bit worried when you didn't call or come up."

"He's alright, Lieutenant. It's just an infection and a small cold. Nothing to worry about. You can go and inform the others. I'll be up soon. The doctor just wants to check me over quickly before he'll let me leave." Jon smiled to himself. He wasn't the only one on the ship who cared about the Commander. He didn't know why, but that made him feel much more relaxed.

"Yes, Captain. I will relay your message to the bridge crew. We look forward to you're joining us." With that Lieutenant Reed turned on his heel and left.

*****

Archer stood in the captain's dining room staring out at the stars. The doctor had forced him to leave the Med. Bay and had promised to inform him when Trip awoke. With a sigh, Jonathan slumped down into his seat and picked up his mug of coffee. He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't notice the door chiming. Irritated, he called for the person to enter.

"Captain, I'm sorry to disturb you but we've received a transmission from Magistrate Shazal. She said that the activists are close to being brought under control. She also wanted to convey her thanks for yours and Commander Tucker's help. Would you like to send a reply?"

"No lieutenant. I believe that she already knows what my response would be." Archer paused for a moment. "Can I speak to"

The captain was interrupted as Doctor Phlox's voice came over the comm. "Captain Archer, Commander Tucker has awakened. Shall I tell him that you're coming?"

"Yes please, Doctor." Archer saw Lt. Reed smile slightly before turning to head back to the bridge. Acting as quickly as he could Jon called out. "Malcolm. About what happened on the shuttle pod, I understand if"

"Shuttle pod, sir? I doubt you have to worry. I don't remember anything out of the ordinary happening." Malcolm's face was so blank as he said this that Archer could almost believe his crewman was telling the truth.

"Thank-you."

The End

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