Narcosis: Chapter 12
By Piper
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer and other story details.
~*~
Eli West hadn't moved more than a few feet from his brother's side for hours. And his brother hadn't moved at all.
Eli didn't know what else he could be doing. It was incredibly frustrating to have nothing to do but sit, hold Eric's hand, and talk about nothing.
Things in sickbay got more interesting when the Captain and Commander Tucker came in supporting Lieutenant Reed. Eli didn't know exactly what had happened with the Lieutenant before he was brought into sickbay, but whatever it was it had shaken the Commander a bit. He spent a good amount of time after the doctor left them trying to comfort Malcolm.
The curtain around Eric's bed was only partially drawn, so Eli could easily see what was going on. He didn't interrupt. It was heart wrenching to watch as Trip helplessly spoke to his distraught friend, who didn't appear to be hearing him. Eli wondered if that was what he looked like speaking to his comatose big brother.
Malcolm eventually went to sleep or lapsed into unconsciousness; Eli wasn't sure which. Trip continued to watch his friend for a few minutes after that before he sighed and rolled over onto his back. At that point he noticed that Eli was watching him from a few beds away. "Hey kid," he called softly.
"Hi sir," Eli returned. After a pause and a glance at his oblivious brother, he pushed off of his chair and made his way to the Commander's bed. "Are you okay?" he asked as he drew closer.
"Got a little bump on the head. I'll be fine."
"I see you found Lieutenant Reed."
"Yeah." Trip cast a glance back to Malcolm and sighed, then changed the subject. "How's your brother?"
"Elizabeth—I mean Ensign Cutler—said that his vitals were dropping." Eli sighed, trying to keep his voice steady. "I hate this, sir. I feel like I'm just sitting by watching him die." Whoa. He hadn't meant to say that. He'd come over here to check on Trip and Malcolm, not to burden the Commander with his problems. "Sorry, sir," he whispered, then started to back away. "I should let you rest."
"Hey, get back over here," Trip insisted. He waited until Eli complied to go on, "I know this is hard for you. But none of this is your fault, and there's nothin' you can do. Believe me I know how it feels—I know it sucks." Eli couldn't help but smile at his superior officer telling him that something sucked. Trip smiled at seeing his smile, then sobered and said, "What you're doin'—sittin' with him and talkin' to him—is the best thing you can do. I believe that he can hear you, no matter how deep he is in that coma. You have to believe that too."
Eli nodded slightly, though he was still frustrated with the situation. He appreciated the fact that Trip was in a similar situation with Malcolm and was grateful for the Commander's attempt at comfort. But he knew that nothing was going to make him feel better until his brother opened his eyes and spoke to him.
They were both startled a moment later when the curtain around Malcolm's bed was pulled back to reveal a smiling Dr. Phlox. "Commander, Ensign…I believe we have it."
He didn't need to explain. Trip and Eli shared a hopeful glance, then looked back to the doctor. "Well, what are you waitin' for, Doc? Give it to them!" Trip exclaimed.
They watched with anxious hope as Phlox filled a syringe with some murky colored substance and injected it into Malcolm's arm. The lieutenant didn't even wake at the sharp prick. Eli determined at that point that he was unconscious, not just asleep. Eli and Trip stared at Malcolm. Dr. Phlox noticed their attention and put in, "It won't work immediately. We probably won't see any change for a couple of hours."
Trip stared at him for a beat. "So you got us all excited, and now you're tellin' us we have to wait again?"
"Sorry. Commander, you are supposed to be resting anyhow," Phlox chastised as he walked away from them and towards Eric. He called back, "You sleep; we'll wake you if something happens."
"Yeah, they'll wake me alright. Every hour, on the hour, to ask me my name and make sure my brain doesn't decide to go on vacation without me," Trip mumbled, but he tried to relax back into the pillow as he spoke.
"I'll let you rest, sir," Eli said with a smile. "I'm going to go back and sit with Eric."
"Take it easy, kid," Trip instructed.
"Yes, sir." Eli went back to Eric's side as Phlox injected him with the chemical. A few minutes later he looked back at the Commander. Trip had finally given into his exhaustion and fallen asleep.
~*~
"Commander?"
Trip awoke from his fitful sleep at the voice. He groaned slightly, then didn't even bother to open his eyes. He automatically recited the same answers he'd given the last 3 times he'd been awakened. "Charles Tucker III. Commander. Starship Enterprise. From Earth. Would you like to know my shoe size, too?" he tagged on sarcastically. He knew it was important for his own health that they wake him and check his awareness. But it was getting old.
This time, however, he got no response. Beginning to think he'd imagined the voice, he forced his eyes open and looked around for the source. There was no one nearby. No one except, of course, for Malcolm in the next bed…whoa. Something was different. He swung his gaze back to Malcolm and realized that his friend had his eyes open and was looking at him—and smiling slightly. "Malcolm?"
Malcolm's smile grew. "Thank you for the information, sir, but I already know all of that. Well, except for your shoe size. I suppose that will have to remain a mystery."
Not only was he awake, he was getting cheeky. His voice was feeble, but this had to be a good sign of progress. Trip's return smile lit up his face as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "You're awake," he said jubilantly. "How do you feel?"
Malcolm had to take a few moments to think about it. "Okay…a little weak," he said finally. "What happened?"
Trip stared at him. "You don't remember?"
Malcolm just continued to look confused. He tried to move his hand, but discovered that he couldn't. Trip saw a hint of fear come into his friend's eyes as he realized he was in restraints. "What are these for?" he asked, voice shaky.
Trip wasn't really sure what answer to give to that. He was about to go call for the doctor when Phlox saved him the trouble by appearing at the edge of the curtain. "Well, I thought I heard voices back here," the Denobulan said cheerfully. "Are you feeling better lieutenant?" he asked as he moved to examine his patient.
"He doesn't remember," Trip threw in before Malcolm could speak.
"Really. Well, what is the last thing you do remember?"
Malcolm responded, "We were on the station, in the lab…there was some kind of chemical spill, I think. How did we get back here? And what are the restraints for?"
"Just a precaution, lieutenant," Phlox said calmly.
Trip, meanwhile, was not so calm. "Is this normal? Is he not gonna remember?"
"Ah well, this is obviously uncharted drug territory, but short-term memory loss is a side-effect to some things. His memory will likely come back shortly." As he spoke, he completed a cursory examination. "You seem to be in good shape, lieutenant. I think we may be out of the woods."
"What woods? Could someone please tell me what is going on?" Malcolm pleaded. He didn't seem frustrated so much as he seemed frightened. He was unconsciously pulling at the restraints.
"Take it easy," Phlox soothed his patient. "You still need to rest."
"Can we take those off of him now?" Trip interjected.
Phlox hesitated. "I suppose. But the guard stays for a while longer."
Malcolm looked around for this guard, but couldn't see anyone else. Meanwhile, Trip nodded impatiently.
The doctor sighed and muttered something about impetuous humans as he removed the restraints from Malcolm's wrists and ankles. "I'm going to be checking on you periodically. You too, Commander," he shot at Trip. "Don't hesitate to call if anything happens."
Trip took that the way it was intended. "I will. I know help's not far away," he said aloud. Silently he thought, 'it's just on the other side of the curtain. And it's armed.' Before Phlox could walk away he asked, "How's Eric doin'?"
There was a pause before he answered, "He was in worse condition before he was given the injection. It is natural for it to take more time with him. We will simply have to wait and see."
Malcolm was rubbing his wrists and seemed about to ask another question, but before he could Ensign Cutler suddenly appeared at Phlox's side with Mickey in her arms. "Doctor," she began, then noticed that Malcolm was conscious. "Lieutenant Reed! Welcome back!"
"Thank you Ensign," he responded absently with his typical politeness.
Cutler turned back to Phlox. "I found him in the bat's food," she said, presumably in reference to the animal.
Phlox cast a disapproving glance at the creature. Malcolm, meanwhile, was looking at it curiously. "I know why he looks familiar. Isn't that the rat I saw on the station?"
"Mickey," Trip informed him matter-of-factly.
"Give him to Ensign West. They seem to have a bond," Phlox instructed. She nodded and they both walked towards the West siblings. "Get some rest, both of you!" the Doctor called back.
Trip rolled his eyes, then had to shut them tightly when his headache reasserted itself again. "Are you all right, sir?" he heard Malcolm ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. He didn't want to go into his head injury and how it had come about before he had to. In fact, part of him hoped Malcolm didn't get his memory back.
"You're really not going to explain all of this to me?"
He opened his eyes to look to his friend, then sighed. "Not right now. The doctor's right, you need to rest. We can talk later, I promise."
Malcolm didn't look completely pacified, but Trip suspected he was too exhausted to give it much thought. Now that he knew Malcolm was going to be okay, he was suddenly very exhausted as well. He lay back on his bed, shutting his eyes.
A few seconds later, he popped them back open. "Since when do we have a bat?"
~*~
On the bridge, four officers who should have been off duty and in bed long before were still present. Only T'Pol looked as if she was still fit to be there. The Captain, Hoshi, and Travis were all periodically rubbing their eyes or temples and looking thoroughly exhausted. Luckily, they had adequate backup present in case something were to happen. But none of them were willing to go to their quarters until they had news on the two patients. They knew Phlox had administered his antidote a few hours before.
Suddenly, the intercom sounded. "Captain?" came the doctor's voice. Hoshi jumped on it, then nodded to the Captain.
"Yes?"
"Lieutenant Reed is awake."
His announcement was met with a collective sigh of relief and smiles all around the bridge. "How is he?" Jonathan asked.
"He is weak, but he seems to be doing well. My prognosis is good, Captain."
Jonathan broke into a smile of his own and reached to clap Travis on the shoulder. "What about West?" he asked.
"We're still waiting. His vitals have stabilized; he just hasn't woken yet. But I'm very optimistic."
"Thank you, doctor."
~*~
A few hours later, as Tucker and Reed slept across the sickbay, Eric West awoke to an odd wet sensation on his face. As his brain slowly came back online, he realized that something was licking him.
"I can't leave you alone for 2 seconds, can I?" an affectionate voice asked as it approached.
He knew that voice. As the licking abruptly stopped and a weight was pulled off his chest, Eric forced his eyes open. "Eli?" he asked, voice feeble and rough from disuse.
His brother was standing on his right holding some fuzzy thing with a tail that looked vaguely familiar. When Eli heard his voice, he looked up at him sharply and almost dropped the creature. He juggled it for a second before managing to place it safely on the ground, then brought his full attention to his brother. "Eric?"
Eric was watching all of this with a small smile. "At least we remember each other's names," he joked weakly.
Eli was staring at him with a mixture of shock and relief. "Eric," he said again. Before Eric could tease him about repeating his name, his brother leaned down to carefully embrace him. Eric stared at the head beside his in confusion for a moment before bringing an arm up weakly to place around the younger man's back. He could feel Eli shaking slightly against him.
His mind was working a bit slower than usual, so it took him a few seconds to realize that his little brother was crying.
"Hey," he said gently, "What's the matter?"
Eli pulled back to look him in the eye, then managed a shaky smile that didn't quite reach his tear-filled eyes. "Nothing. You scared me a little, that's all."
Dr. Phlox appeared at that moment. Eli pulled away completely and stepped back from the bed to give him room. He half-tripped over the furry thing before reaching down to pick it up again, hugging it to his chest. This was the type of thing he would usually get teased about, but Eric was preoccupied. He knew he was in sickbay, but he found himself straining to remember why.
"What happened?" he asked the doctor, who was taking his vitals.
"It's alright, Ensign," Phlox soothed. "I fully expect your memory to come back shortly. For now, all you need to know is that you've been in a coma and you need to take it easy."
"Coma?" he asked softly. He didn't know what was going on, but even his tired brain could see one thing that seemed worth worrying about. He studied Eli's body language and facial expression and interpreted it based on years of experience. There was definite relief there, but something else was present—something much more troubling.
His little brother was afraid…of him?
~*~
To Be Continued