A/N: yeah, that last chappy was a LOT long-winded… I am editing this chapter to be a tad faster paced… and SOOOOO sorry for taking so long on this chapter… I really have no excuse… but it's here now… so ENJOY!!!! Anyway… MAJOR sparks flying (in a good way) in this chappy. PLEASE R&R…
Chapter 32
He paused outside of the sickbay doors. He had told her that he would go with her back to her quarters, but after what had happened yesterday, did she still want him to? He didn't really know, so he figured that if she really didn't want him there, she would simply say as much. Therefore, he took a deep breath and walked through the doors to find T'Pol, wearing her Vulcan robes, on the edge of a biobed. Doctor Phlox was giving her one last scan, simultaneously drilling her with the "useful" information.
"…And have someone around you at all times."
"What if I'm sleeping?"
"Then get someone to watch you. Otherwise you must return here at night. Either way, get at least nine hours of sleep each night."
"Vulcans do require as much rest as most other species."
"Ones with half-human triplets do," he corrected. "And make certain you eat at least four meals a day--"
"Doct--" T'Pol tried, only to be cut off.
"Don't give me that. You need to keep up your strength. Also, don't forget to drink plenty of water. And you may want to acquire a looser outfit in the next week or so. And don't forg--"
Trip decided it was time to cut the Doctor off, for the sake of T'Pol's sanity. "So, how's it going? Ya ready t' go?" Trip interjected, stepping toward the Doctor and T'Pol.
"Yes. Most definitely," T'Pol answered, a note of relief in her voice. "Thank you."
Phlox opened his mouth to give more "advice", but he was cut off by Trip. "I'll take it from here, Doc." Trip took the hypospray that Phlox offered and attempted to lighten the mood. "I'll have 'er home by midnight."
The Doctor didn't exactly understand this reference and just walked off to another part of sickbay. T'Pol, however, remained where she sat and was also confused.
"Midnight, Commander? That is almost eight hours from now. How long do you plan on it taking to reach my quarters?"
Trip only sighed and let out a small laugh. "It's a figure of speech T'Pol… it means…" he saw the still-confused look on her face. "Nevermind."
"Very well, Commander. Now, if you would assist me, we can leave for my quarters."
"Yeah." At this, he walked over to her, planning on easing her gently off the bed. He put his arm around her shoulders for support. As her feet reached the ground, however, she winced visibly at the pain. Trip could feel her become heavier as most of the strength was drained out of her in an attempt to suppress the pain. He tightened his hold as a result and they both adjusted their weight in order to provide the most comfort and balance for both parties.
When T'Pol was as comfortable as she was going to get, she nodded to him and he began to walk slowly. Once T'Pol walked, she realized with one step that pressing on her right foot was out of the question and opted to lean into Trip further for support. Fortunately, he was strong enough to handle her and by the time they were out of sickbay, they'd come up with a walking method that worked effectively.
As slowly as they were walking, it took more than two minutes just to reach the turbolift, and Trip was surprised that no crewmembers had passed them yet. They walked in silence, still attempting to keep in synch with one another as they entered the turbolift.
"Commander?" T'Pol asked once inside.
For the first time since leaving sickbay, he lifted his head. "Yeah?" he asked back as the lift began to move.
"I lied to you."
"What?" he asked in confusion, automatically halting the turbolift for fear of anyone else hearing what she had to say. "What are you talkin' about?"
"I lied," she stated again, pain obvious in her slightly weak and shaky voice.
"What? When? I don' know what your talkin' about. When did ya lie t' me?"
"In sickbay," she told him. "Several days ago… Do you recall when I injured your hand?"
"How could I forget? Doc's got me wearin' this… thing on it for more than a week. Ya broke two of my bones, ya know." As he spoke, he lifted his hand to display the brace over his hand and wrist.
She nodded slowly. "I am aware of that, Commander. You have informed me of your… misfortune at least six times since the incident."
"Well now ya've heard it seven times. Anyway, you were sayin' somethin'."
"Yes," she hesitated. "When I injured you, I most likely appeared to be… distant for several moments. Correct?"
"Yeah… ya just stared off inta space for a few seconds, but then ya came back t' the real world again."
"I then told you that I was… uninjured."
"Yeah, ya said everything was fine," he agreed. Then he thought he realized where this was going. "Are ya sayin' that ya lied about bein' okay?"
"No," she said to him in a tone that told him she thought h was crazy. "However," she added, "I did lie at that point. I said that nothin had happened… that it was only pain… I lied."
Trip finally caught on. "So?" He asked. "What DID happen?"
"I believe I experienced a… flashback, and I believe it was from the away mission. However, it was different from the scenes you described."
She paused, but he silently urged her to continue. She was hesitant to continue but knew that she would never hear the end of it if she stopped there. "I was acting… abnormally."
He waited for more, but he decided to prompt her when it didn't come. "And…"
"I was shouting. It was dark… I couldn't see anything. I was… disoriented, and someone was restraining me." This had obviously been an unsettling experience for her, and she sounded a lot like he had when describing his own flashback to the Captain.
"T'Pol… what else did ya see? I told ya what I saw, now it's your turn."
Obviously not wishing to lie to him, she cautiously continued. "You were there, and-"
"I thought ya said it was dark in there. How d'ya know I was there? Did I say somethin'? Did I-?"
"No."
"Then what happened?" He asked, becoming increasingly agitated. She, of course, hesitated again. "Come on, T'Pol. We're the only two people in here, and you can tell me anything. I won't go shouting all you're secrets over the ship-wide comm system."
"As he said this, she relaxed gradually, returning to her usual fearless, Vulcan self. She nodded and he looked at her, making sure that she knew he was listening. "I was… I was shouting," she blurted.
"Ya said that. What's this got t' do with me?"
"I shouted… for you… or to you. I'm not sure," she finished at last.
He didn't look too shocked, but was a bit surprised that she had hesitated at something this insignificant. He knew there had to be more, as she would never hesitate at something so small. "Wait… wait a minute. First of all, what did ya say exactly?"
"I… called for help."
"Help?" 'She hesitated that much over calling for help?'
"Yes… help."
"Why didn't ya wanna tell me that?"
"I don't usually… scream for helping that manner."
"True… so, what *exactly* did ya say?"
She looked uncomfortable at the prospect of acting, although in his opinion she'd gotten pretty good at it. "I said, 'Commander, help me.'"
"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked teasingly. Instead of a response, he just got a fairly angry-looking raised eyebrow. He shrugged it off as a typical Vulcan response. "So, ya screamed that?"
'Yes."
"Ya sure it was a flashback? And ya sure ya got the right commander? Y know, there's lots of commanders out there…"
Yes, I'm sure it was you, and if it wasn't a flashback, what do you propose it is?" She gave him the raised eyebrow again.
He thought for a minute. "Okay, so I don't know."
She looked distressed again. "Then do you not agree that this must be a flashback similar to the ones you described?"
He just stood there in silence for a moment. Not wanting to answer, he opted to resume the turbolift and finish walking to her quarters in silence. His plan worked and the turbolift soon opened on B-deck. "Well," he said, breaking the silence. "We're here. Let's go." It wasn't until they were starting to move that he realized he hadn't needed his arm around her in the turbolift. 'Oh well. Long as she doesn't mind.'
They started down the corridor at what seemed to Trip like a snail pace. He knew it was necessary, as any higher speeds would hurt T'Pol. She probably wouldn't make it to her quarters, even with his assistance. But despite that, he still wished they could move just a little faster.
But, for her, he kept walking with baby steps while watching his feet to avoid tripping her at all costs. He stopped short, however, when he heard something coming down the corridor. He looked up just in time to see three crewmen running down the corridor toward them. When he realized they were probably late for a duty shift and weren't going to slow down, he quickly pulled T'Pol to the wall and grabbed her by the waist to hold her steady as the crewmen went running by them, blowing a gust of air in Trip's face.
When the three men were out of sight, Trip's focus went back to T'Pol, who was trying unsuccessfully to conceal the pain she was experiencing from the sudden, quick movement. She was extremely heavy in his arms and she had become fairly limp, making it even more clear that she was in pain. Her right hand was on his left arm and her left hand was gripping his right side. Her long nails were digging into his skin at both locations, and she didn't appear to be in any rush to let go.
"T'Pol? Ya okay?" He asked gently, already knowing what the answer would be.
"No. You… moved… too fast," she managed through clenched teeth.
"Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "But if those guy's hit ya, it woulda hurt even worse." She managed to lift her head so that she could look at him, but she could only hold it up long enough to see the honesty with which he spoke and offer a raised eyebrow with an acknowledging nod. He nodded in return before continuing. "Now… Doc gave me a hypospray for ya in case something like this happened. So if you can let go and grab it outta my pocket, you can use it." She nodded again, and he tightened his grip as she released his shoulder and looked around for a minute. "Oh, sorry," he said, realizing her problem. "That one," he continued, pointing to his right shoulder pocket with his chin."
Once she knew where the hypospray was, she wasted no time getting it out and using it successfully. At first, nothing seemed to change. But after a few moments, she strengthened considerably and he could relax his grip significantly. It wasn't until she looked up at him with a nod and with most of the pain gone from her face that he spoke again. "You okay now?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied frankly, nodding more strongly than she had earlier. "Thank you."
"Welcome. Not mad at me, are ya?"
She looked at him strangely. "No. You were trying to protect me. You didn't intend to cause me pain."
Still not completely reassured but feeling a little better about what he'd done, he found himself able to look her in the face. He looked down to find her looking up at him as well, and almost all of the pain was gone from her expression. He was relieved in many ways, but mostly because seeing his friends, especially T'Pol, in pain was never easy and always managed to get him a little down. Not that he'd ever reveal this to anyone--he came off as an optimistic guy and intended to keep that reputation--but it was the truth, especially with his close friends.
And T'Pol was certainly a friend, a very close friend in fact. He wouldn't hold any other friend the way he was holding her at that moment and certainly wouldn't look at just anyone that way. 'What the hell am I doin'? And what the hell am I thinking'?' he asked himself all of a sudden. 'I've never thought this before… but then, I've never been in this situation with 'er before--hey, what the hell am I doin' now?! What if--nah, that can't be true. The Cap'n was making it all up… or maybe he was just seein' things that I was too stupid t' notice. But, no… that was impossible. I don't like 'er. I mean, I do, but it's not like that… we're friends, that's all. And that's how it's gonna stay.'
As his internal conflict raged on, he didn't pay much attention to what he was doing on the outside. He continued to stare, unblinking and unflinching, at T'Pol, only reinforcing one side of his mind's argument. But it wasn't until T'Pol moved, albeit ever so slightly, that he realized what he was doing. And it was then that his internal argument ended. 'Oh my God… well, I'll be damned! Maybe the Cap'n wasn't makin' it up…maybe he was right an' I was just too stupid an' too damn stubborn t' notice. Damn… an' I yelled at 'im for it, too. How come I always do that?'
He continued to gaze at her for a solid minute, expecting her to move at any moment. Then, he figured, he could just continue to her quarters, drop her off, and be able to clear his mind. Then he wouldn't have to worry. But it was when nothing happened that nervousness took over and he became increasingly uncomfortable. His mind started to wander again, his eyes still unmoving, and he started to think about various things--most of them involving T'Pol. His mind brought up memories, dreams, flashbacks… and he suddenly felt an uncontrollable urge to know everything about her. How old was she? How did she stay so damn skinny? What was her favorite dessert? He realized how much no one really knew about her, and he suddenly found himself drawn to her.
It was confusing… he didn't know what was happening. Normally he would not do this. It was as if he couldn't control his own actions, and he didn't really even realize what he was doing. Before he even realized what was happening, he moved slowly toward her. For some reason, she was also unmoving. He couldn't really explain it, nor did he try. He didn't even realize much of anything for several moments, and when he finally did, he found his lips on hers. And even more surprisingly, he found that she was returning his kiss. Without even thinking, he kissed her again and again. And just about the time he was afraid that this would break out into something regrettable, footsteps could be heard around the corner.
T'Pol apparently noticed as well, and by the time Crewman Jackson rounded the corner, they were standing side by side against the wall, T'Pol trying to hold herself up by gripping it and Trip with his hands behind his back.
A/N2: so how d'ya like the first kiss scene (I've NEVER written one before, so please go ahead and tell me if it sucks, but be a little sympathetic por favor)… I know that two crewmembers running down the corridor isn't really realistic, but that's why it's a fanfic!!!! They're not SUPPOSED to be completely realistic… ok, I'm rationalizing now….
Chapter 32
He paused outside of the sickbay doors. He had told her that he would go with her back to her quarters, but after what had happened yesterday, did she still want him to? He didn't really know, so he figured that if she really didn't want him there, she would simply say as much. Therefore, he took a deep breath and walked through the doors to find T'Pol, wearing her Vulcan robes, on the edge of a biobed. Doctor Phlox was giving her one last scan, simultaneously drilling her with the "useful" information.
"…And have someone around you at all times."
"What if I'm sleeping?"
"Then get someone to watch you. Otherwise you must return here at night. Either way, get at least nine hours of sleep each night."
"Vulcans do require as much rest as most other species."
"Ones with half-human triplets do," he corrected. "And make certain you eat at least four meals a day--"
"Doct--" T'Pol tried, only to be cut off.
"Don't give me that. You need to keep up your strength. Also, don't forget to drink plenty of water. And you may want to acquire a looser outfit in the next week or so. And don't forg--"
Trip decided it was time to cut the Doctor off, for the sake of T'Pol's sanity. "So, how's it going? Ya ready t' go?" Trip interjected, stepping toward the Doctor and T'Pol.
"Yes. Most definitely," T'Pol answered, a note of relief in her voice. "Thank you."
Phlox opened his mouth to give more "advice", but he was cut off by Trip. "I'll take it from here, Doc." Trip took the hypospray that Phlox offered and attempted to lighten the mood. "I'll have 'er home by midnight."
The Doctor didn't exactly understand this reference and just walked off to another part of sickbay. T'Pol, however, remained where she sat and was also confused.
"Midnight, Commander? That is almost eight hours from now. How long do you plan on it taking to reach my quarters?"
Trip only sighed and let out a small laugh. "It's a figure of speech T'Pol… it means…" he saw the still-confused look on her face. "Nevermind."
"Very well, Commander. Now, if you would assist me, we can leave for my quarters."
"Yeah." At this, he walked over to her, planning on easing her gently off the bed. He put his arm around her shoulders for support. As her feet reached the ground, however, she winced visibly at the pain. Trip could feel her become heavier as most of the strength was drained out of her in an attempt to suppress the pain. He tightened his hold as a result and they both adjusted their weight in order to provide the most comfort and balance for both parties.
When T'Pol was as comfortable as she was going to get, she nodded to him and he began to walk slowly. Once T'Pol walked, she realized with one step that pressing on her right foot was out of the question and opted to lean into Trip further for support. Fortunately, he was strong enough to handle her and by the time they were out of sickbay, they'd come up with a walking method that worked effectively.
As slowly as they were walking, it took more than two minutes just to reach the turbolift, and Trip was surprised that no crewmembers had passed them yet. They walked in silence, still attempting to keep in synch with one another as they entered the turbolift.
"Commander?" T'Pol asked once inside.
For the first time since leaving sickbay, he lifted his head. "Yeah?" he asked back as the lift began to move.
"I lied to you."
"What?" he asked in confusion, automatically halting the turbolift for fear of anyone else hearing what she had to say. "What are you talkin' about?"
"I lied," she stated again, pain obvious in her slightly weak and shaky voice.
"What? When? I don' know what your talkin' about. When did ya lie t' me?"
"In sickbay," she told him. "Several days ago… Do you recall when I injured your hand?"
"How could I forget? Doc's got me wearin' this… thing on it for more than a week. Ya broke two of my bones, ya know." As he spoke, he lifted his hand to display the brace over his hand and wrist.
She nodded slowly. "I am aware of that, Commander. You have informed me of your… misfortune at least six times since the incident."
"Well now ya've heard it seven times. Anyway, you were sayin' somethin'."
"Yes," she hesitated. "When I injured you, I most likely appeared to be… distant for several moments. Correct?"
"Yeah… ya just stared off inta space for a few seconds, but then ya came back t' the real world again."
"I then told you that I was… uninjured."
"Yeah, ya said everything was fine," he agreed. Then he thought he realized where this was going. "Are ya sayin' that ya lied about bein' okay?"
"No," she said to him in a tone that told him she thought h was crazy. "However," she added, "I did lie at that point. I said that nothin had happened… that it was only pain… I lied."
Trip finally caught on. "So?" He asked. "What DID happen?"
"I believe I experienced a… flashback, and I believe it was from the away mission. However, it was different from the scenes you described."
She paused, but he silently urged her to continue. She was hesitant to continue but knew that she would never hear the end of it if she stopped there. "I was acting… abnormally."
He waited for more, but he decided to prompt her when it didn't come. "And…"
"I was shouting. It was dark… I couldn't see anything. I was… disoriented, and someone was restraining me." This had obviously been an unsettling experience for her, and she sounded a lot like he had when describing his own flashback to the Captain.
"T'Pol… what else did ya see? I told ya what I saw, now it's your turn."
Obviously not wishing to lie to him, she cautiously continued. "You were there, and-"
"I thought ya said it was dark in there. How d'ya know I was there? Did I say somethin'? Did I-?"
"No."
"Then what happened?" He asked, becoming increasingly agitated. She, of course, hesitated again. "Come on, T'Pol. We're the only two people in here, and you can tell me anything. I won't go shouting all you're secrets over the ship-wide comm system."
"As he said this, she relaxed gradually, returning to her usual fearless, Vulcan self. She nodded and he looked at her, making sure that she knew he was listening. "I was… I was shouting," she blurted.
"Ya said that. What's this got t' do with me?"
"I shouted… for you… or to you. I'm not sure," she finished at last.
He didn't look too shocked, but was a bit surprised that she had hesitated at something this insignificant. He knew there had to be more, as she would never hesitate at something so small. "Wait… wait a minute. First of all, what did ya say exactly?"
"I… called for help."
"Help?" 'She hesitated that much over calling for help?'
"Yes… help."
"Why didn't ya wanna tell me that?"
"I don't usually… scream for helping that manner."
"True… so, what *exactly* did ya say?"
She looked uncomfortable at the prospect of acting, although in his opinion she'd gotten pretty good at it. "I said, 'Commander, help me.'"
"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked teasingly. Instead of a response, he just got a fairly angry-looking raised eyebrow. He shrugged it off as a typical Vulcan response. "So, ya screamed that?"
'Yes."
"Ya sure it was a flashback? And ya sure ya got the right commander? Y know, there's lots of commanders out there…"
Yes, I'm sure it was you, and if it wasn't a flashback, what do you propose it is?" She gave him the raised eyebrow again.
He thought for a minute. "Okay, so I don't know."
She looked distressed again. "Then do you not agree that this must be a flashback similar to the ones you described?"
He just stood there in silence for a moment. Not wanting to answer, he opted to resume the turbolift and finish walking to her quarters in silence. His plan worked and the turbolift soon opened on B-deck. "Well," he said, breaking the silence. "We're here. Let's go." It wasn't until they were starting to move that he realized he hadn't needed his arm around her in the turbolift. 'Oh well. Long as she doesn't mind.'
They started down the corridor at what seemed to Trip like a snail pace. He knew it was necessary, as any higher speeds would hurt T'Pol. She probably wouldn't make it to her quarters, even with his assistance. But despite that, he still wished they could move just a little faster.
But, for her, he kept walking with baby steps while watching his feet to avoid tripping her at all costs. He stopped short, however, when he heard something coming down the corridor. He looked up just in time to see three crewmen running down the corridor toward them. When he realized they were probably late for a duty shift and weren't going to slow down, he quickly pulled T'Pol to the wall and grabbed her by the waist to hold her steady as the crewmen went running by them, blowing a gust of air in Trip's face.
When the three men were out of sight, Trip's focus went back to T'Pol, who was trying unsuccessfully to conceal the pain she was experiencing from the sudden, quick movement. She was extremely heavy in his arms and she had become fairly limp, making it even more clear that she was in pain. Her right hand was on his left arm and her left hand was gripping his right side. Her long nails were digging into his skin at both locations, and she didn't appear to be in any rush to let go.
"T'Pol? Ya okay?" He asked gently, already knowing what the answer would be.
"No. You… moved… too fast," she managed through clenched teeth.
"Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "But if those guy's hit ya, it woulda hurt even worse." She managed to lift her head so that she could look at him, but she could only hold it up long enough to see the honesty with which he spoke and offer a raised eyebrow with an acknowledging nod. He nodded in return before continuing. "Now… Doc gave me a hypospray for ya in case something like this happened. So if you can let go and grab it outta my pocket, you can use it." She nodded again, and he tightened his grip as she released his shoulder and looked around for a minute. "Oh, sorry," he said, realizing her problem. "That one," he continued, pointing to his right shoulder pocket with his chin."
Once she knew where the hypospray was, she wasted no time getting it out and using it successfully. At first, nothing seemed to change. But after a few moments, she strengthened considerably and he could relax his grip significantly. It wasn't until she looked up at him with a nod and with most of the pain gone from her face that he spoke again. "You okay now?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied frankly, nodding more strongly than she had earlier. "Thank you."
"Welcome. Not mad at me, are ya?"
She looked at him strangely. "No. You were trying to protect me. You didn't intend to cause me pain."
Still not completely reassured but feeling a little better about what he'd done, he found himself able to look her in the face. He looked down to find her looking up at him as well, and almost all of the pain was gone from her expression. He was relieved in many ways, but mostly because seeing his friends, especially T'Pol, in pain was never easy and always managed to get him a little down. Not that he'd ever reveal this to anyone--he came off as an optimistic guy and intended to keep that reputation--but it was the truth, especially with his close friends.
And T'Pol was certainly a friend, a very close friend in fact. He wouldn't hold any other friend the way he was holding her at that moment and certainly wouldn't look at just anyone that way. 'What the hell am I doin'? And what the hell am I thinking'?' he asked himself all of a sudden. 'I've never thought this before… but then, I've never been in this situation with 'er before--hey, what the hell am I doin' now?! What if--nah, that can't be true. The Cap'n was making it all up… or maybe he was just seein' things that I was too stupid t' notice. But, no… that was impossible. I don't like 'er. I mean, I do, but it's not like that… we're friends, that's all. And that's how it's gonna stay.'
As his internal conflict raged on, he didn't pay much attention to what he was doing on the outside. He continued to stare, unblinking and unflinching, at T'Pol, only reinforcing one side of his mind's argument. But it wasn't until T'Pol moved, albeit ever so slightly, that he realized what he was doing. And it was then that his internal argument ended. 'Oh my God… well, I'll be damned! Maybe the Cap'n wasn't makin' it up…maybe he was right an' I was just too stupid an' too damn stubborn t' notice. Damn… an' I yelled at 'im for it, too. How come I always do that?'
He continued to gaze at her for a solid minute, expecting her to move at any moment. Then, he figured, he could just continue to her quarters, drop her off, and be able to clear his mind. Then he wouldn't have to worry. But it was when nothing happened that nervousness took over and he became increasingly uncomfortable. His mind started to wander again, his eyes still unmoving, and he started to think about various things--most of them involving T'Pol. His mind brought up memories, dreams, flashbacks… and he suddenly felt an uncontrollable urge to know everything about her. How old was she? How did she stay so damn skinny? What was her favorite dessert? He realized how much no one really knew about her, and he suddenly found himself drawn to her.
It was confusing… he didn't know what was happening. Normally he would not do this. It was as if he couldn't control his own actions, and he didn't really even realize what he was doing. Before he even realized what was happening, he moved slowly toward her. For some reason, she was also unmoving. He couldn't really explain it, nor did he try. He didn't even realize much of anything for several moments, and when he finally did, he found his lips on hers. And even more surprisingly, he found that she was returning his kiss. Without even thinking, he kissed her again and again. And just about the time he was afraid that this would break out into something regrettable, footsteps could be heard around the corner.
T'Pol apparently noticed as well, and by the time Crewman Jackson rounded the corner, they were standing side by side against the wall, T'Pol trying to hold herself up by gripping it and Trip with his hands behind his back.
A/N2: so how d'ya like the first kiss scene (I've NEVER written one before, so please go ahead and tell me if it sucks, but be a little sympathetic por favor)… I know that two crewmembers running down the corridor isn't really realistic, but that's why it's a fanfic!!!! They're not SUPPOSED to be completely realistic… ok, I'm rationalizing now….