Alright, alright! Here's the angsty chapter!!! Yes, it's short, but it's all I could do for now. I probably should have put this part and the last together, but this worked out well for me because I'm now on a roll! I think I'll be able to update again soon! Yea!!!

Anyway, feel free to tell me what you think.and let me know if I've made any mistakes in the last couple of parts, OK?

Well, enjoy part X.

Emrys

Following Orders Part X

Disclaimer: See first installment.

Archer closed his eyes wearily after confirming the news of Krem's cousins and leaned against the wall of the hut. After a moment, he slowly reopened his eyes and glanced at Trip who was being tended by T'Pol. The engineer was curled onto his side in obvious discomfort, and the sight of his twisted body brought into focus the fear that Archer had been trying to ignore.

Noting the human's concern, Krem shuffled to the Commander's side again. As he did so, the Renkan with whom he had conferred earlier entered carrying a bowl filled with a viscous liquid. Krem nodded his thanks to the hard-to-see alien and then motioned Archer over to him. Hampered by fatigue, Jon stood slowly and moved to crouch by his friend.

T'Pol, who had been unsuccessfully attempting to ease the painfully clenched muscles of Tucker's back with another Vulcan massage technique, wordlessly stepped away from the Commander when Krem started moving his hands over the human's contorted body. She observed the alien carefully and was prepared to intercede if she sensed any harmful intent towards her shipmate.

"In my people, the poison primarily attacks the skeletal system," Krem explained as he explored the muscles of Trip's upper back. "Apparently it has the same effect on yours," he continued while looking up at Archer.

Trip groaned loudly as Krem manipulated a particularly tender muscle.

"I coulda.tol' ya that," he gasped weakly, and Archer noticed with some alarm that Trip had begun slurring his words.

"Just try to stay calm, Trip," he responded. "We're going to give you something to help."

Trip's reply was to issue another groan. He then clumsily pushed his head further into the dusty floor of the hut in an attempt to escape from the overwhelming hurt in his back. The pain really was excruciating, and respite from it had been rare in the past hour. In an unfocused thought, it occurred to him that he might be willing to accept death if only the incessant pain would stop.

In consideration to the sick man, Krem lowered his voice as he further explained Trip's illness to the Captain and T'Pol.

"Untreated, his joints will be attacked next and when that happens his breathing will become compromised as his ribs become inflexible. Death follows soon after, but overall the effects of the poison are hard to watch and even harder to experience."

"Coulda..tol' ya.that, too," Trip rasped. "I can hear.what you're sayin'.ya know. Nothin'.wrong with.my ears."

"Trip, please, just rest and let us try to figure this out," Archer responded gently while carefully hiding his exasperation.

"It ain't exactly easy to rest, Captain!" Trip said with energy that surprised Archer. But it was ill-spent energy from depleted stores, and Trip visibly wilted after his outburst. "It's just.ah..damn.this hurts, Cap'n."

"A minute more, and I'll give you the tonic," Krem said gently. "I just need to be sure of the extent of the damage to your system." With the end of his statement, the little alien probed a muscle in Trip's right leg. The pain was exquisite, and Trip almost lost awareness with it. His vision blurred sickenly, and he closed his eyes, all the while welcoming the oblivion of unconsciousness.

But that reprieve did not last long, and as hearing and eyesight slowly returned he found himself focusing on the voices around him.

"He has had other symptoms," T'Pol was saying impassively.

Trip felt more than saw Krem's head move up in alarm.

"What other symptoms?" Krem asked.

"His heart rate and breathing have been erratic, and he has been running a high fever," T'Pol stated simply. "He vomited once as well."

Trip re-experienced the embarrassment of that particular side effect, and then consciously noted the nausea that had been continuing to build during their time in the Renkan city. He had been naively dismissing it and now miserably hoped that he could keep his stomach contents where they normally resided. But he had the unfortunate impression that this was a futile hope.

"These are not normal side-effects of this particular poison, Captain," Krem responded. "I'm not sure if the tonic will affect him in the same way as it does my people. There may be unforeseeable consequences." Archer put his head in his hands as he considered the options. He was desperately unsure, and this was not a feeling to which he was accustomed. If he were the one who had been poisoned, he knew that the choice would be an easier one. But he wasn't the one in danger, and indecision plagued him.

"Cap'n," Trip unexpectedly offered. "I'm dead.if I don't.take it. Might.." Trip was interrupted as he felt the nausea rise again. He took a deep breath and continued. "Might as well.try the stuff."

Archer smiled and was secretly relieved to have the decision off his shoulders.

"Okay, Trip," he said gently. "Okay."

With T'Pol's help, Archer moved Trip onto his back and supported the engineer's head and spine so that Trip's head was positioned slightly above his chest. Trip somehow managed to stifle the screams that were his response to the devastating pain of movement, but in doing so he found that he had given the nausea a chance to overtake him.

Archer nodded to Krem, who brought the bowl of the thick liquid to Trip's lips. The noxious smell of it overwhelmed the engineer, and Trip closed his eyes against it.

"I need.a minute," he said breathlessly.

"Okay, just stay calm," Archer soothed and nodded at Krem again. Fresh air replaced the ugly fumes that he had breathed in the moment before, and Trip was able to regain control over his rebelling stomach.

"You ready to try now?" Archer asked, and Trip stiffly nodded in assent. Again the bowl was brought to his lips, and this time he gulped down as much of the stuff as he was able. He found swallowing difficult since in addition to the horribly pungent taste of the vile tonic, the muscles in his mouth would not respond in the way he directed them to. Consequently, much of the sticky liquid ran down his neck and over his uniform, and tears leaked from his eyes as he again felt the humiliation of his weakness.

In a hurried and unexpected motion, T'Pol briskly wiped the tonic off of the Commander's face and neck with the arm of her uniform. Archer looked at her grimly and yet was overthrown by the Vulcan's ability to share in Trip's emotions.

Trip looked at her gratefully, and Archer was further shocked to see the edges of T'Pol's lips curl up to give the illusion of a kindly smile. This simple act that he took for granted in others was one that his curiosity would force him to ask the emotionless T'Pol about later.

"Now we wait," Krem announced.