Title: The Family Way
Authors: Sita/T'eyla
Genre: Angst/Romance
Rating: PG
Codes: T/T, R
Summary: Enterprise is en route to Vulcan, and Trip, T'Pol and their little son have to face T'Pol's family, who declared her an outcast because of her marriage. Then, however, something happens that changes everything...
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise, we're not making any money from this.
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Chapter 7: Emergency
T'Pyr rose from her chair. Trip watched her as she straightened her robes and picked up her padd that had been lying on the bedstand. She looked tired, but not as exhausted as she had after her first melds with T'Pol over a week ago. When she met his eyes, her features, while as calm as ever, seemed softer than usual.
"She is ready now," she said. "Tomorrow I will initiate the procedure."
Trip felt his throat tighten. Looking down at T'Pol, her face as vacant as it had been the last few weeks, he couldn't imagine that tomorrow she might open her eyes again, just like that, and talk to him as if none of it had ever happened.
"Are you sure it's not too early?" he asked, looking up at T'Pyr who was standing beside him. "I can't see any change."
"The change is within," the Healer said quietly. "I was successful in my efforts to bring T'Pol out of the trance her mind had initiated to protect her. The kir'y'pan has been completed."
Trip swallowed. "So...are you saying she's...are you saying she'll be okay?"
T'Pyr gave him that familiar almost-smile. "The treatment was successful. However, there is still the kir'y'pan'la, the procedure of waking the patient. It is...not without risk."
Trip bit his lip. "What kind of risks are you talking about, exactly?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. T'Pyr clasped her hands behind her back.
"In most cases the kir'y'pan'la is unproblematic. Sometimes however the patient's mind has been injured too severely so that despite all efforts the Healer is not able to bring them back to consciousness. In very few cases the patient comes out of the trance but the mind has taken permanent damage."
Trip felt the knot of fear in his stomach tighten.
"And... what about T'Pol? Do you think she'll be all right?"
"The odds are in her favor, but I cannot say for sure. This is something the Healer has not much influence on. It depends on the patient's willpower. If there is a strong motivation to return to the world of the living, the mind will fight its way through. This is why I want you and Lady T'Sai to be present during the procedure."
Trip nodded, looking down at T'Pol. "I think I'll stay here tonight."
"As you wish. I will meet you here tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."
T'Pyr turned towards the door. Before she left, she looked back one more time.
"Good night, Commander."
Trip smiled. "Good night."
The door swished shut behind her, and Trip turned back to the bed. He felt he couldn't leave T'Pol alone tonight and he wouldn't have been able to get much sleep now anyway. Sitting there holding her hand, he thought about what T'Pyr had told him. Her words had sounded quite confident to his ears, but nevertheless a nagging fear took hold of him when he remembered what she'd said about the possible failing of the procedure. What if T'Pol was one of the few who couldn't be brought back to life? What if his and T'Sai's presence wasn't enough to guide her back to consciousness? If T'Pol was to die he wouldn't be able to go on, and he knew T'Sai would be devastated. She had been here every day since they'd met four days ago, and although she'd never said it, it was obvious that T'Pol meant very much to her, maybe everything. T'Sai was very different from her daughter, shy and very reserved, but still he found that he had come to like her a lot. A silent understanding had grown between them, a shared determination not to give up. After he'd met T'Sai it had been much easier to keep going, coping with the daily anxiousness, because he knew that there was somebody who cared just as much as he did.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He thought of himself as an optimistic person, and T'Pyr had said the odds were in their favor. He wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay. For a while he sat in silence, listening to the muffled sounds of voices nearby, trying to empty his weary mind of all thoughts. He started to drift and when the door suddenly swished open, he startled. As he turned his head, he saw T'Sai standing in the doorway. He got up.
"Good evening, ma'am."
She stepped closer, her eyes falling on T'Pol. Trip had the impression that she looked a little paler than yesterday, and when she spoke, her voice sounded even more subdued than usual.
"Good evening. I hope you do not feel disturbed by my presence, but Healer T'Pyr just informed me of tomorrow's procedure. I... I did not want to leave her alone tonight."
Trip smiled and pulled up a chair beside his.
"I'm glad you've come, T'Sai. Please, sit down."
Her movements were unusually slow and she seemed to be in pain, grimacing ever so slightly as she sat down in the chair. Trip eyed her concernedly.
"Are you all right, ma'am?"
She didn't look at him.
"It is of no importance."
Trip didn't like that, but he knew better than to press the matter. If she didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't. Deciding to keep an eye on her, he sat down in his chair beside her.
"T'Pyr said she's pretty sure there won't be any problems. She expects the procedure to be quite short."
T'Sai bowed her head in silent acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. Sensing she didn't want to talk at the moment, he fell silent as well. For a while they just sat there, watching T'Pol who had her eyes closed and looked very peaceful in the dim glow of the ceiling lamp. Trip felt himself beginning to get lost in reverie again, and welcomed the feeling.
It happened so quickly that he never even realized how much time had passed. Suddenly and without a sound, T'Sai slumped forward in her chair and would have fallen to the floor if Trip hadn't caught her just in time.
"T'Sai!" He straightened her up, his heart thumping against his chest as he felt her neck.
"Damn!" His fingers were shaking badly but as far as he could tell, there was no pulse. His mind raced as he carefully lowered her to the floor. Cardiac arrest, he thought, what the hell am I supposed to do? Forcing himself to think clearly, he took a deep breath. First Aid, he thought, remember! Frantically he searched his mind, trying to recall what to do next. A Vulcan's heart is positioned differently than the Human heart, he recounted, adjusting his hands to the right place, desperately hoping he remembered Dr. Phlox's anatomy lessons correctly. Counting under his breath he began administering chest compressions, anxiously watching T'Sai's face which had lost all colour. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted to one side as if she were dead.
"Come on," he panted, "Don't do that to me!" Bending down he did the mouth-to-mouth, then resumed the compressions. Not daring to stop even long enough to get to the intercom, he called out as loud as he could, hoping one of the Healers - anyone - would hear him.
"I need help here, dammit! There's an emergency!"
Sweat sprang out on his brow as he concetrated on his chanting. Checking for pulse again, he felt T'Sai's clammy skin under his fingers. No recognizable heartbeat, not even a weak one.
"Dammit!" Panic welled up in his stomach. He pressed harder, ignoring the pain stinging in his hands and wrists, concentrating on the steady rhythm of the compressions. Just as he bend down for another mouth-to-mouth, the door swished open and a man in Healer robes rushed in, followed by a nurse carrying an emergency kit.
"Move aside, Sir." Quickly the Vulcan got down on his knees beside T'Sai and felt her pulse, while the nurse handed him a med scanner. Trip didn't get up, fearing he was going to be sick if he tried to stand.
"How is she?!" he urged, watching the Healer check his scanner. The Vulcan pressed a hypospray against T'Sai's neck, then looked up at Trip.
"She is out of immediate danger, thanks to your quick aid. Your attempt at resuscitation was successful, it seems. Her heart is beating again."
Trip sat down hard on the floor, a wave of relief washing over him. For a moment he'd thought T'Sai dead, and the shock still made his legs feel shaky. He watched the Healer administer another hypospray while the nurse walked over to the intercom. A few moments later a med team arrived and T'Sai was gently laid on a gurney while the Healer scanned her biosigns. As Trip watched them taking her away he suddenly felt a small warm hand on his arm. Healer T'Pyr guided him to the chair where T'Sai had been sitting only ten minutes ago and he sat down, trying to stop his hands from shaking. The door had shut behind T'Sai and the med team. T'Pyr didn't losen her grip on his arm as she spoke, her voice calm and soothing as ever.
"Close your eyes and breath deeply. Do not try to fight the shock, just concentrate on breathing."
He complied and after a while he found the shaking subsided. He looked up at the Healer who let go of his arm and sat down beside him.
"Thanks." He smiled at her. T'Pyr met his gaze evenly, even though her eyes seemed brighter than usual.
"I thank you. Without your help Lady T'Sai probably would be dead now."
Trip bit his lip. It had been very close, and the shock he had felt when he had seen her fall still hadn't really worn off. If T'Sai had died tonight of all nights... would T'Pol have felt it? Maybe she would have known. If T'sai had died, maybe he would have lost his wife as well. T'Pyr put a hand on his arm again, starting him from his thoughts.
"I think you need to rest now, Commander. You will need your strength tomorrow."
Surprised, Trip looked up. "So you'll do it tomorrow after all?"
"I see no reason to delay the procedure any longer."
Trip frowned. "But, T'Sai..."
"Lady T'Sai will not be able to attend the kir'y'pan'la, but do not worry, Commander. I am confident that your wife will find enough support in your presence. I must insist that you rest now, though."
Trip nodded. He felt indeed quite weary and knew he would be totally worn out in the morning if he didn't get some shut-eye soon.
"Is there a cot somewhere I can use? I'd rather stay here tonight."
T'Pyr rose. "Certainly."
She showed him to the room next door, obviously some kind of waiting room. A small couch stood in one corner and Trip lay down on it. The latest events had taken their toll of him, and his eyes began to droop as soon as he had settled down. He never even noticed T'Pyr dimming the lights, and when the door swished shut behind her, he was already asleep.
Authors: Sita/T'eyla
Genre: Angst/Romance
Rating: PG
Codes: T/T, R
Summary: Enterprise is en route to Vulcan, and Trip, T'Pol and their little son have to face T'Pol's family, who declared her an outcast because of her marriage. Then, however, something happens that changes everything...
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise, we're not making any money from this.
--------------------------
Chapter 7: Emergency
T'Pyr rose from her chair. Trip watched her as she straightened her robes and picked up her padd that had been lying on the bedstand. She looked tired, but not as exhausted as she had after her first melds with T'Pol over a week ago. When she met his eyes, her features, while as calm as ever, seemed softer than usual.
"She is ready now," she said. "Tomorrow I will initiate the procedure."
Trip felt his throat tighten. Looking down at T'Pol, her face as vacant as it had been the last few weeks, he couldn't imagine that tomorrow she might open her eyes again, just like that, and talk to him as if none of it had ever happened.
"Are you sure it's not too early?" he asked, looking up at T'Pyr who was standing beside him. "I can't see any change."
"The change is within," the Healer said quietly. "I was successful in my efforts to bring T'Pol out of the trance her mind had initiated to protect her. The kir'y'pan has been completed."
Trip swallowed. "So...are you saying she's...are you saying she'll be okay?"
T'Pyr gave him that familiar almost-smile. "The treatment was successful. However, there is still the kir'y'pan'la, the procedure of waking the patient. It is...not without risk."
Trip bit his lip. "What kind of risks are you talking about, exactly?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. T'Pyr clasped her hands behind her back.
"In most cases the kir'y'pan'la is unproblematic. Sometimes however the patient's mind has been injured too severely so that despite all efforts the Healer is not able to bring them back to consciousness. In very few cases the patient comes out of the trance but the mind has taken permanent damage."
Trip felt the knot of fear in his stomach tighten.
"And... what about T'Pol? Do you think she'll be all right?"
"The odds are in her favor, but I cannot say for sure. This is something the Healer has not much influence on. It depends on the patient's willpower. If there is a strong motivation to return to the world of the living, the mind will fight its way through. This is why I want you and Lady T'Sai to be present during the procedure."
Trip nodded, looking down at T'Pol. "I think I'll stay here tonight."
"As you wish. I will meet you here tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."
T'Pyr turned towards the door. Before she left, she looked back one more time.
"Good night, Commander."
Trip smiled. "Good night."
The door swished shut behind her, and Trip turned back to the bed. He felt he couldn't leave T'Pol alone tonight and he wouldn't have been able to get much sleep now anyway. Sitting there holding her hand, he thought about what T'Pyr had told him. Her words had sounded quite confident to his ears, but nevertheless a nagging fear took hold of him when he remembered what she'd said about the possible failing of the procedure. What if T'Pol was one of the few who couldn't be brought back to life? What if his and T'Sai's presence wasn't enough to guide her back to consciousness? If T'Pol was to die he wouldn't be able to go on, and he knew T'Sai would be devastated. She had been here every day since they'd met four days ago, and although she'd never said it, it was obvious that T'Pol meant very much to her, maybe everything. T'Sai was very different from her daughter, shy and very reserved, but still he found that he had come to like her a lot. A silent understanding had grown between them, a shared determination not to give up. After he'd met T'Sai it had been much easier to keep going, coping with the daily anxiousness, because he knew that there was somebody who cared just as much as he did.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He thought of himself as an optimistic person, and T'Pyr had said the odds were in their favor. He wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay. For a while he sat in silence, listening to the muffled sounds of voices nearby, trying to empty his weary mind of all thoughts. He started to drift and when the door suddenly swished open, he startled. As he turned his head, he saw T'Sai standing in the doorway. He got up.
"Good evening, ma'am."
She stepped closer, her eyes falling on T'Pol. Trip had the impression that she looked a little paler than yesterday, and when she spoke, her voice sounded even more subdued than usual.
"Good evening. I hope you do not feel disturbed by my presence, but Healer T'Pyr just informed me of tomorrow's procedure. I... I did not want to leave her alone tonight."
Trip smiled and pulled up a chair beside his.
"I'm glad you've come, T'Sai. Please, sit down."
Her movements were unusually slow and she seemed to be in pain, grimacing ever so slightly as she sat down in the chair. Trip eyed her concernedly.
"Are you all right, ma'am?"
She didn't look at him.
"It is of no importance."
Trip didn't like that, but he knew better than to press the matter. If she didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't. Deciding to keep an eye on her, he sat down in his chair beside her.
"T'Pyr said she's pretty sure there won't be any problems. She expects the procedure to be quite short."
T'Sai bowed her head in silent acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. Sensing she didn't want to talk at the moment, he fell silent as well. For a while they just sat there, watching T'Pol who had her eyes closed and looked very peaceful in the dim glow of the ceiling lamp. Trip felt himself beginning to get lost in reverie again, and welcomed the feeling.
It happened so quickly that he never even realized how much time had passed. Suddenly and without a sound, T'Sai slumped forward in her chair and would have fallen to the floor if Trip hadn't caught her just in time.
"T'Sai!" He straightened her up, his heart thumping against his chest as he felt her neck.
"Damn!" His fingers were shaking badly but as far as he could tell, there was no pulse. His mind raced as he carefully lowered her to the floor. Cardiac arrest, he thought, what the hell am I supposed to do? Forcing himself to think clearly, he took a deep breath. First Aid, he thought, remember! Frantically he searched his mind, trying to recall what to do next. A Vulcan's heart is positioned differently than the Human heart, he recounted, adjusting his hands to the right place, desperately hoping he remembered Dr. Phlox's anatomy lessons correctly. Counting under his breath he began administering chest compressions, anxiously watching T'Sai's face which had lost all colour. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted to one side as if she were dead.
"Come on," he panted, "Don't do that to me!" Bending down he did the mouth-to-mouth, then resumed the compressions. Not daring to stop even long enough to get to the intercom, he called out as loud as he could, hoping one of the Healers - anyone - would hear him.
"I need help here, dammit! There's an emergency!"
Sweat sprang out on his brow as he concetrated on his chanting. Checking for pulse again, he felt T'Sai's clammy skin under his fingers. No recognizable heartbeat, not even a weak one.
"Dammit!" Panic welled up in his stomach. He pressed harder, ignoring the pain stinging in his hands and wrists, concentrating on the steady rhythm of the compressions. Just as he bend down for another mouth-to-mouth, the door swished open and a man in Healer robes rushed in, followed by a nurse carrying an emergency kit.
"Move aside, Sir." Quickly the Vulcan got down on his knees beside T'Sai and felt her pulse, while the nurse handed him a med scanner. Trip didn't get up, fearing he was going to be sick if he tried to stand.
"How is she?!" he urged, watching the Healer check his scanner. The Vulcan pressed a hypospray against T'Sai's neck, then looked up at Trip.
"She is out of immediate danger, thanks to your quick aid. Your attempt at resuscitation was successful, it seems. Her heart is beating again."
Trip sat down hard on the floor, a wave of relief washing over him. For a moment he'd thought T'Sai dead, and the shock still made his legs feel shaky. He watched the Healer administer another hypospray while the nurse walked over to the intercom. A few moments later a med team arrived and T'Sai was gently laid on a gurney while the Healer scanned her biosigns. As Trip watched them taking her away he suddenly felt a small warm hand on his arm. Healer T'Pyr guided him to the chair where T'Sai had been sitting only ten minutes ago and he sat down, trying to stop his hands from shaking. The door had shut behind T'Sai and the med team. T'Pyr didn't losen her grip on his arm as she spoke, her voice calm and soothing as ever.
"Close your eyes and breath deeply. Do not try to fight the shock, just concentrate on breathing."
He complied and after a while he found the shaking subsided. He looked up at the Healer who let go of his arm and sat down beside him.
"Thanks." He smiled at her. T'Pyr met his gaze evenly, even though her eyes seemed brighter than usual.
"I thank you. Without your help Lady T'Sai probably would be dead now."
Trip bit his lip. It had been very close, and the shock he had felt when he had seen her fall still hadn't really worn off. If T'Sai had died tonight of all nights... would T'Pol have felt it? Maybe she would have known. If T'sai had died, maybe he would have lost his wife as well. T'Pyr put a hand on his arm again, starting him from his thoughts.
"I think you need to rest now, Commander. You will need your strength tomorrow."
Surprised, Trip looked up. "So you'll do it tomorrow after all?"
"I see no reason to delay the procedure any longer."
Trip frowned. "But, T'Sai..."
"Lady T'Sai will not be able to attend the kir'y'pan'la, but do not worry, Commander. I am confident that your wife will find enough support in your presence. I must insist that you rest now, though."
Trip nodded. He felt indeed quite weary and knew he would be totally worn out in the morning if he didn't get some shut-eye soon.
"Is there a cot somewhere I can use? I'd rather stay here tonight."
T'Pyr rose. "Certainly."
She showed him to the room next door, obviously some kind of waiting room. A small couch stood in one corner and Trip lay down on it. The latest events had taken their toll of him, and his eyes began to droop as soon as he had settled down. He never even noticed T'Pyr dimming the lights, and when the door swished shut behind her, he was already asleep.