Chapter 3-
"Doc?"
"I'm right here."
Trip heard some clanking off in the direction Phlox's voice came from.
"What time is it?"
"1324." Phlox replied. "You had a good four hours more of sleep."
"Where's the Cap'n?"
"I imagine on the bridge." Phlox moved to Tucker's bedside and watched as his patient wiped a bead of sweat from his upper lip with his IV free arm.
"Whatcha got the temperature set at, Doc? Bake or broil?" Trip asked.
Phlox punched some buttons on the monitor and reviewed the information on the screen. He looked back down at the commander and then placed the palm of his hand on Trip's forehead.
"You're running a slight fever." Phlox moved to prepare a hypospray with a fever reducer.
"My mama used to do that." Trip said. "With all this equipment you gotta resort to the ole fashioned way? Hey, I thought Denobulans didn't like too much touchin'. Come to think of it, why'd you become a doctor? Ya gotta look in and up all kinds a places. And touch...things."
"It's my new bedside manner geared for humans." Phlox said as he returned and injected Trip in the upper arm.
"I'll keep my mouth shut, I promise!" Trip protested. "Don't knock me out again, please?"
"It's just a salicylate, Commander." Phlox told him.
"A sali-what?" Trip asked.
"Aspirin." Phlox clarified.
"Ya shot me with aspirin?" Trip asked.
"You can't take anything by mouth yet." Phlox reminded him. "Now, how do you feel?"
"Still warm." Trip told him.
Phlox reviewed the monitors. "A little lower than it was. That's good."
The sickbay doors opened and Reed entered a bit slowly.
"May I help you, Lieutenant Reed?" Phlox asked.
"Hiya, Malcolm." Trip called out.
"I just came to see how the commander was doing." Malcolm said.
"He's got a bit of a fever." Phlox cautioned. "So, don't wear him out." With that he left the two alone.
"You in a lot of pain?" Malcolm asked.
"Not really." Trip shrugged. "Doc's real free with those pain and knock out weapons he calls hyposprays."
Malcolm laughed. "Good to see your humor hasn't waned."
Now it was Trip's turn to chuckle and then there was a long, awkward, silence.
"Malcolm?" Trip finally said.
"What?"
"I don't wantcha ta think that I hate my dad or anythin'."
"It's none of my business." Malcolm quickly said.
"Well, you were here and all." Trip explained. "It's just that he's got these standards by which he judges a man to be a man. And well, helpless and weak just aren't in there."
"You're neither." Malcolm replied.
"Well, maybe not before this friggin' accident." Trip said.
"I believe it's called a 'freak' accident." Malcolm corrected, prompting a genuine laugh from Trip now.
"Okay, okay." Trip relented. "You win. No more sap."
"It's just temporary anyway." Malcolm told him.
"Sure." Trip didn't sound all that convinced.
Malcolm moved closer as he noticed Trip's face becoming flushed and the perspiration more apparent.
"You feel all right?" Reed asked, placing the back of his hand on Trip's forehead.
"Not really." Trip inhaled deeply.
"Doctor." Malcolm called out. "Could you come in here, please?"
Phlox entered and moved to the bedside, immediately checking the monitor. He shot a look toward Reed and motioned to the comm panel. Reed, understanding, moved quickly to it. Phlox returned to inject Trip again.
"Let's see if we can't get this temperature down some, hm?" Phlox then grabbed a hand scanner and began to run them over Trip's hands.
"Where's Malcolm?" Trip asked, his speech becoming forced and lazy.
"Right here." Malcolm answered as he made his way back, nodding to the doctor.
"You called the cap'n didn't ya?" Trip asked.
"There's no getting anything by you, is there?" Reed asked.
"What's wrong, doc?" Trip said, licking his lips. "Did ya dope me up again?"
Phlox shook his head 'no' to Reed. "Well, you need your rest anyway." Phlox lied to Trip.
"Yeah...I feel so tired...and it's so hot in here..." Trip's head lolled to the side.
Phlox continued to tend to Trip, while Malcolm had retreated to toward the doors. By the time Captain Archer flew into sickbay, out of breath, Phlox was finishing changing Trip's IV.
"What's wrong?" The captain asked.
"He's feverish, Captain." Phlox said. "Running forty degrees and rising. Infection has set in in his left hand."
"What can you do?" Archer asked.
"Antibiotics. Which I have changed drugs twice already." Phlox told him. "We can only hope this one will be the right one."
In a very slow, calculated speech pattern Archer asked, "And if it's not?"
"I've done all I can, sir." Phlox was very upset. "I used a topical antimicrobial again when I changed the bandages this morning. I removed the necrotic tissue immediately after getting him in here yesterday morning..."
"All right," Archer said, harsher than he meant to. "I know you're doing your best. I was so preoccupied with his eyesight, I didn't even think..."
"It's always a possibility with burns like these." Phlox shook his head. "I must say I was preoccupied as well, sir."
Archer wanted so much to reach out and touch Trip, but he fought back the urge. "Keep me posted."
"Of course, Captain." Phlox nodded, looking down at his very ill charge.
Archer turned to leave and stopped short as he saw Malcolm leaning up against the counter looking equally as upset as Phlox. The captain walked over and placed his hand on the lieutenant's shoulder.
Malcolm looked up at his captain, the man who had fought his hardest to save his armory officer's life in that Romulan minefield. Just as hard as if it had been Trip, the captain's longtime best friend. But now there was no fight. No enemy to outwit, no bomb to defuse. The captain was just as helpless and lost as the rest of them. Archer's high rank meant nothing in this room, at this moment. That's when it finally hit Malcolm Reed; the difference between acquaintances and friends. He was sure the pain he was sharing with his captain at this moment was every bit that difference.
Phlox watched as both men quietly left sickbay, the captain's arm across the lieutenant's shoulder. As the doors closed behind them Phlox thought he saw Mr. Reed lean oh so slightly, towards Captain Archer.
TO BE CONTINUED
----------
"Doc?"
"I'm right here."
Trip heard some clanking off in the direction Phlox's voice came from.
"What time is it?"
"1324." Phlox replied. "You had a good four hours more of sleep."
"Where's the Cap'n?"
"I imagine on the bridge." Phlox moved to Tucker's bedside and watched as his patient wiped a bead of sweat from his upper lip with his IV free arm.
"Whatcha got the temperature set at, Doc? Bake or broil?" Trip asked.
Phlox punched some buttons on the monitor and reviewed the information on the screen. He looked back down at the commander and then placed the palm of his hand on Trip's forehead.
"You're running a slight fever." Phlox moved to prepare a hypospray with a fever reducer.
"My mama used to do that." Trip said. "With all this equipment you gotta resort to the ole fashioned way? Hey, I thought Denobulans didn't like too much touchin'. Come to think of it, why'd you become a doctor? Ya gotta look in and up all kinds a places. And touch...things."
"It's my new bedside manner geared for humans." Phlox said as he returned and injected Trip in the upper arm.
"I'll keep my mouth shut, I promise!" Trip protested. "Don't knock me out again, please?"
"It's just a salicylate, Commander." Phlox told him.
"A sali-what?" Trip asked.
"Aspirin." Phlox clarified.
"Ya shot me with aspirin?" Trip asked.
"You can't take anything by mouth yet." Phlox reminded him. "Now, how do you feel?"
"Still warm." Trip told him.
Phlox reviewed the monitors. "A little lower than it was. That's good."
The sickbay doors opened and Reed entered a bit slowly.
"May I help you, Lieutenant Reed?" Phlox asked.
"Hiya, Malcolm." Trip called out.
"I just came to see how the commander was doing." Malcolm said.
"He's got a bit of a fever." Phlox cautioned. "So, don't wear him out." With that he left the two alone.
"You in a lot of pain?" Malcolm asked.
"Not really." Trip shrugged. "Doc's real free with those pain and knock out weapons he calls hyposprays."
Malcolm laughed. "Good to see your humor hasn't waned."
Now it was Trip's turn to chuckle and then there was a long, awkward, silence.
"Malcolm?" Trip finally said.
"What?"
"I don't wantcha ta think that I hate my dad or anythin'."
"It's none of my business." Malcolm quickly said.
"Well, you were here and all." Trip explained. "It's just that he's got these standards by which he judges a man to be a man. And well, helpless and weak just aren't in there."
"You're neither." Malcolm replied.
"Well, maybe not before this friggin' accident." Trip said.
"I believe it's called a 'freak' accident." Malcolm corrected, prompting a genuine laugh from Trip now.
"Okay, okay." Trip relented. "You win. No more sap."
"It's just temporary anyway." Malcolm told him.
"Sure." Trip didn't sound all that convinced.
Malcolm moved closer as he noticed Trip's face becoming flushed and the perspiration more apparent.
"You feel all right?" Reed asked, placing the back of his hand on Trip's forehead.
"Not really." Trip inhaled deeply.
"Doctor." Malcolm called out. "Could you come in here, please?"
Phlox entered and moved to the bedside, immediately checking the monitor. He shot a look toward Reed and motioned to the comm panel. Reed, understanding, moved quickly to it. Phlox returned to inject Trip again.
"Let's see if we can't get this temperature down some, hm?" Phlox then grabbed a hand scanner and began to run them over Trip's hands.
"Where's Malcolm?" Trip asked, his speech becoming forced and lazy.
"Right here." Malcolm answered as he made his way back, nodding to the doctor.
"You called the cap'n didn't ya?" Trip asked.
"There's no getting anything by you, is there?" Reed asked.
"What's wrong, doc?" Trip said, licking his lips. "Did ya dope me up again?"
Phlox shook his head 'no' to Reed. "Well, you need your rest anyway." Phlox lied to Trip.
"Yeah...I feel so tired...and it's so hot in here..." Trip's head lolled to the side.
Phlox continued to tend to Trip, while Malcolm had retreated to toward the doors. By the time Captain Archer flew into sickbay, out of breath, Phlox was finishing changing Trip's IV.
"What's wrong?" The captain asked.
"He's feverish, Captain." Phlox said. "Running forty degrees and rising. Infection has set in in his left hand."
"What can you do?" Archer asked.
"Antibiotics. Which I have changed drugs twice already." Phlox told him. "We can only hope this one will be the right one."
In a very slow, calculated speech pattern Archer asked, "And if it's not?"
"I've done all I can, sir." Phlox was very upset. "I used a topical antimicrobial again when I changed the bandages this morning. I removed the necrotic tissue immediately after getting him in here yesterday morning..."
"All right," Archer said, harsher than he meant to. "I know you're doing your best. I was so preoccupied with his eyesight, I didn't even think..."
"It's always a possibility with burns like these." Phlox shook his head. "I must say I was preoccupied as well, sir."
Archer wanted so much to reach out and touch Trip, but he fought back the urge. "Keep me posted."
"Of course, Captain." Phlox nodded, looking down at his very ill charge.
Archer turned to leave and stopped short as he saw Malcolm leaning up against the counter looking equally as upset as Phlox. The captain walked over and placed his hand on the lieutenant's shoulder.
Malcolm looked up at his captain, the man who had fought his hardest to save his armory officer's life in that Romulan minefield. Just as hard as if it had been Trip, the captain's longtime best friend. But now there was no fight. No enemy to outwit, no bomb to defuse. The captain was just as helpless and lost as the rest of them. Archer's high rank meant nothing in this room, at this moment. That's when it finally hit Malcolm Reed; the difference between acquaintances and friends. He was sure the pain he was sharing with his captain at this moment was every bit that difference.
Phlox watched as both men quietly left sickbay, the captain's arm across the lieutenant's shoulder. As the doors closed behind them Phlox thought he saw Mr. Reed lean oh so slightly, towards Captain Archer.
TO BE CONTINUED
----------