A/N: First of all, this is the FIRST chappy I will type up under my new FF.N account, so I have a few things to say!!!! First of all, if the old and new reviews are added together, there are 95!!!!! I know that reviews aren't everything, but it's kinda nice to know that you guys are READING the story, let alone LIKING it!!!! So thank you all!!!!! Also, anyone who would like this story on their site (or already has it there), keep the author as "Emily and Becky" please…. Or I guess, "CrazyPandaSpike and Becky Gotta-Love-Trip" is ok too because those are our new names!!!! Alright, now, ON TO THE STORY!!!!!! Oh, and I'm not very satisfied with this chappy.. Or the rest of the sickbay chappys… they were all written in a rush (because we wanted to move on with the story) so if they're bad I apologize in advance ::braces for flame attacks::
Chapter 29
"Ah!" Trip shouted. T'Pol had suddenly squeezed his hand extremely hard and he felt a sharp pain in his right hand, which she was still holding. It felt like she was going to crush every bone, but he had no idea what would possess her to cause him this much physical pain.
Just as he was beginning to think that amputation might soon become a viable option, she released her grip and he quickly grabbed his own right hand with his left in an effort to suppress the pain coming from it. Nothing worked, but as soon as he saw T'Pol, he completely forgot about the pain. Although he continued holding his hand, he was more worried about her than anything else.
"T'Pol?" Trip asked, unaware of what she had just experienced or why she had hurt his hand.
She jumped slightly at his voice, and she felt a sharp pain emanating form the location of her injury. She tried to hide it, but based on the apologetic and pained look on his face, she obviously wasn't doing a very good job.
"T'Pol?" he asked again. "What happened?"
She was unsure of how to answer this question. Based on what the Commander had told her, she had most likely just experienced a flashback. But she was hesitant about telling him. After all, hat if it was not what she believed? Then she would have told him an uncomfortable memory, although only a short one. She didn't like to describe things such as this. She'd had a flashback before, several in fact. They were all uncomfortable but she didn't like describing those to anyone, either. She'd described them all to people, but only once to a fellow crewmember, and that was only due to necessity for the mission. She didn't want to tell the Commander this now. She preferred to keep things to herself most of the time, especially personal things such as memories.
"Nothing significant," she lied. "I simply experienced a sudden pain from my injury."
Fortunately, he seemed to believe her. "Oh. Well that's what ya get for movin'" he lectured sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood. And although he succeeded, she certainly wasn't going to show it.
"I know. It was my fault as I neglected to move my arm in a more appropriate fashion."
"T'Pol… I was jokin'. It's okay. It's not your fault. It just happened 'cause you were hurt. Don't go blamin' your self for every little thing."
Despite the fact that he had been completely oblivious to the fact that she'd also been joking, his words were somehow comforting. She couldn't quite explain how, only that they were. "Thank you, Commander," she said sincerely.
"For what?" he asked, just as sincerely.
Suddenly she realized the illogic of her 'thank you' statement. What *was* she thankful for? She though about what a human would say in such circumstances, as a Vulcan would never thank for nothing. She realized that they would probably give an answer such as "for everything" or "I don't know". She decided to settle for the most logical answer she could come up with. "For saving my life," she replied, realizing only after she said it that she was very sincere about that answer and that it was indeed the truth.
He realized this too, noticing that she was indeed grateful for his saving her, and he accepted this answer with mixed feelings. He was relieved in a way that she was appreciative. But he was also both enraged and sad--most likely due to the fact that she'd been placed in a situation that required assistance in keeping her alive. Still, he managed a slightly embarrassed and elated smile. "You're welcome. I'm just glad I got t' you in time." His smile faded and he became more serious again, although compassionate as well, mixed with a small amount of embarrassment at what he was about to say to her. "Ya know, T'Pol… if you'd died… I mean, I hope ya don't take this the wrong way, but…" he paused, trying to figure out how to what he was trying to say. "I don't know what I woulda done. I mean, if ya weren't her, it just wouldn't be the same. I guess I'd miss talkin' to ya an' arguing' with ya an' workin' together an' havin' dinner with ya-- damn, we do a lotta stuff together!" he was surprised by his own list of their mutual activities.
"It would also be… 'heartbreaking', as humans would say, if you were to die, Commander. We have indeed become--"
"Friends," he interrupted. "Whether ya want to admit it to anyone or not, we're friends."
He expected some kind of Vulcan retort or argument, but to his surprise she remained silent.
"Well," he said in an attempt to change the subject. "When d' ya think you'll be ready t' get outta here? Keep in mind that you'll have t' tell your parents what's goin' on sooner or later."
T'Pol seemed to consider what he said and replied by closing her eyes and relaxing. "Later," she said simply.
Trip couldn't help but smile at her response and watched her as she layed there. She appeared much more relaxed than she had when she'd been unconscious for those two days. Although he would never admit it to himself, he enjoyed watching her lay there peacefully. He had stayed by her side whenever his engineering duties hadn't gotten in the way. He told himself he was worried about her because it was his fault that she was there in the first in the place. He then realized he hadn't eaten decently in three days, and boy was he hungry. His stomach had probably been growling for hours without his realizing it.
"Hey, you hungry?" he asked her suddenly.
The question caught T'Pol off guard. "Commander?"
"You've been cooped up in here for two days. You've gotta be hungry by now."
"Vulcans can go se--"
"Don't give me that. You're eatin' for four now, remember? And besides, you need to get your strength back." You noted a slight cringe as he reminded her of both things.
"Very well. I suppose a small amount of food would be acceptable. But we-- I should consult the Doctor."
Trip smiled at T'Pol's comment and added, "Yeah. Where is that guy anyway?"
"I believe he said he was going to the mess hall," T'Pol said, opening her eyes, surprised that he hadn't remembered.
"Great! I'll just meet 'im there then," Trip said enthusiastically, walking backwards as he talked, then turning around.
He was stopped by T'Pol calling him. "Commander Tucker!" He spun around on his heel and looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"I haven't told you what to get me."
"I'll surprise ya!" he said, a mile-wide mischievous grin refusing to fade from his face.
T'Pol merely raised an eyebrow and closed her eyes once more.
Trip circled back around again and headed out of sickbay and down to the mess hall with a spring in his step, still holding onto his right hand, finally remembering the pain.
*****************
Commander Tucker walked in the doors to the mess hall much more cheerful than someone with a throbbing hand should be. He spotted the Doctor eating and walked to join him. "Hey, Doc. I have a question," Trip piped.
"Is it about sub-commander T'Pol?" the Doctor asked quietly.
"Yeah," Trip answered slowly. "Why?"
"Oh," the Doctor glanced behind Trip for a moment for a moment before leaning in to whisper. "Now would not be the best time."
"Huh?"
The Doctor nodded toward the mess hall entrance and Trip snuck a peek behind himself to see two Vulcan men standing at the door, seeming to search through the room for something or someone.
"Damn! I think you're right, Doc," he agreed. He didn't want the Vulcans to start asking him questions. They had, after all, seen Trip with T'Pol on several occasions, and they could assume he knew her situations. He decided to assume T'Pol would be fine eating and looked at the Doctor with his best 'just-go-with-me' look. "So nice chattin' with ya. Gotta go now!"
Trip was standing up to walk to the serving case to grab something when the Doctor stopped him. "Commander, would you like me to look at your hand?"
"What?!" Trip exclaimed, a little louder than he'd wanted to.
"You're right hand, Commander. You seem to be holding it as if in pain," he clarified.
"Oh. No. I'm fine. See," he said, releasing his hand and biting his tongue at the pain as he shook it lightly to show the Doctor that it didn't hurt before continuing for the serving case.
A/N2: like I said, bad chappy…. I wasn't very satisfied with it. Please R&R, like always!!!! And feel free to tell me if this chappy sucked, because I can take it…
Chapter 29
"Ah!" Trip shouted. T'Pol had suddenly squeezed his hand extremely hard and he felt a sharp pain in his right hand, which she was still holding. It felt like she was going to crush every bone, but he had no idea what would possess her to cause him this much physical pain.
Just as he was beginning to think that amputation might soon become a viable option, she released her grip and he quickly grabbed his own right hand with his left in an effort to suppress the pain coming from it. Nothing worked, but as soon as he saw T'Pol, he completely forgot about the pain. Although he continued holding his hand, he was more worried about her than anything else.
"T'Pol?" Trip asked, unaware of what she had just experienced or why she had hurt his hand.
She jumped slightly at his voice, and she felt a sharp pain emanating form the location of her injury. She tried to hide it, but based on the apologetic and pained look on his face, she obviously wasn't doing a very good job.
"T'Pol?" he asked again. "What happened?"
She was unsure of how to answer this question. Based on what the Commander had told her, she had most likely just experienced a flashback. But she was hesitant about telling him. After all, hat if it was not what she believed? Then she would have told him an uncomfortable memory, although only a short one. She didn't like to describe things such as this. She'd had a flashback before, several in fact. They were all uncomfortable but she didn't like describing those to anyone, either. She'd described them all to people, but only once to a fellow crewmember, and that was only due to necessity for the mission. She didn't want to tell the Commander this now. She preferred to keep things to herself most of the time, especially personal things such as memories.
"Nothing significant," she lied. "I simply experienced a sudden pain from my injury."
Fortunately, he seemed to believe her. "Oh. Well that's what ya get for movin'" he lectured sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood. And although he succeeded, she certainly wasn't going to show it.
"I know. It was my fault as I neglected to move my arm in a more appropriate fashion."
"T'Pol… I was jokin'. It's okay. It's not your fault. It just happened 'cause you were hurt. Don't go blamin' your self for every little thing."
Despite the fact that he had been completely oblivious to the fact that she'd also been joking, his words were somehow comforting. She couldn't quite explain how, only that they were. "Thank you, Commander," she said sincerely.
"For what?" he asked, just as sincerely.
Suddenly she realized the illogic of her 'thank you' statement. What *was* she thankful for? She though about what a human would say in such circumstances, as a Vulcan would never thank for nothing. She realized that they would probably give an answer such as "for everything" or "I don't know". She decided to settle for the most logical answer she could come up with. "For saving my life," she replied, realizing only after she said it that she was very sincere about that answer and that it was indeed the truth.
He realized this too, noticing that she was indeed grateful for his saving her, and he accepted this answer with mixed feelings. He was relieved in a way that she was appreciative. But he was also both enraged and sad--most likely due to the fact that she'd been placed in a situation that required assistance in keeping her alive. Still, he managed a slightly embarrassed and elated smile. "You're welcome. I'm just glad I got t' you in time." His smile faded and he became more serious again, although compassionate as well, mixed with a small amount of embarrassment at what he was about to say to her. "Ya know, T'Pol… if you'd died… I mean, I hope ya don't take this the wrong way, but…" he paused, trying to figure out how to what he was trying to say. "I don't know what I woulda done. I mean, if ya weren't her, it just wouldn't be the same. I guess I'd miss talkin' to ya an' arguing' with ya an' workin' together an' havin' dinner with ya-- damn, we do a lotta stuff together!" he was surprised by his own list of their mutual activities.
"It would also be… 'heartbreaking', as humans would say, if you were to die, Commander. We have indeed become--"
"Friends," he interrupted. "Whether ya want to admit it to anyone or not, we're friends."
He expected some kind of Vulcan retort or argument, but to his surprise she remained silent.
"Well," he said in an attempt to change the subject. "When d' ya think you'll be ready t' get outta here? Keep in mind that you'll have t' tell your parents what's goin' on sooner or later."
T'Pol seemed to consider what he said and replied by closing her eyes and relaxing. "Later," she said simply.
Trip couldn't help but smile at her response and watched her as she layed there. She appeared much more relaxed than she had when she'd been unconscious for those two days. Although he would never admit it to himself, he enjoyed watching her lay there peacefully. He had stayed by her side whenever his engineering duties hadn't gotten in the way. He told himself he was worried about her because it was his fault that she was there in the first in the place. He then realized he hadn't eaten decently in three days, and boy was he hungry. His stomach had probably been growling for hours without his realizing it.
"Hey, you hungry?" he asked her suddenly.
The question caught T'Pol off guard. "Commander?"
"You've been cooped up in here for two days. You've gotta be hungry by now."
"Vulcans can go se--"
"Don't give me that. You're eatin' for four now, remember? And besides, you need to get your strength back." You noted a slight cringe as he reminded her of both things.
"Very well. I suppose a small amount of food would be acceptable. But we-- I should consult the Doctor."
Trip smiled at T'Pol's comment and added, "Yeah. Where is that guy anyway?"
"I believe he said he was going to the mess hall," T'Pol said, opening her eyes, surprised that he hadn't remembered.
"Great! I'll just meet 'im there then," Trip said enthusiastically, walking backwards as he talked, then turning around.
He was stopped by T'Pol calling him. "Commander Tucker!" He spun around on his heel and looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"I haven't told you what to get me."
"I'll surprise ya!" he said, a mile-wide mischievous grin refusing to fade from his face.
T'Pol merely raised an eyebrow and closed her eyes once more.
Trip circled back around again and headed out of sickbay and down to the mess hall with a spring in his step, still holding onto his right hand, finally remembering the pain.
*****************
Commander Tucker walked in the doors to the mess hall much more cheerful than someone with a throbbing hand should be. He spotted the Doctor eating and walked to join him. "Hey, Doc. I have a question," Trip piped.
"Is it about sub-commander T'Pol?" the Doctor asked quietly.
"Yeah," Trip answered slowly. "Why?"
"Oh," the Doctor glanced behind Trip for a moment for a moment before leaning in to whisper. "Now would not be the best time."
"Huh?"
The Doctor nodded toward the mess hall entrance and Trip snuck a peek behind himself to see two Vulcan men standing at the door, seeming to search through the room for something or someone.
"Damn! I think you're right, Doc," he agreed. He didn't want the Vulcans to start asking him questions. They had, after all, seen Trip with T'Pol on several occasions, and they could assume he knew her situations. He decided to assume T'Pol would be fine eating and looked at the Doctor with his best 'just-go-with-me' look. "So nice chattin' with ya. Gotta go now!"
Trip was standing up to walk to the serving case to grab something when the Doctor stopped him. "Commander, would you like me to look at your hand?"
"What?!" Trip exclaimed, a little louder than he'd wanted to.
"You're right hand, Commander. You seem to be holding it as if in pain," he clarified.
"Oh. No. I'm fine. See," he said, releasing his hand and biting his tongue at the pain as he shook it lightly to show the Doctor that it didn't hurt before continuing for the serving case.
A/N2: like I said, bad chappy…. I wasn't very satisfied with it. Please R&R, like always!!!! And feel free to tell me if this chappy sucked, because I can take it…