Travis stepped back after accessing the panel to Hoshi's quarters and
hearing a muffled curse. The door slid open and he thrust the food in front
of him like a sacrifice in case Hoshi was still angry.
There had to be something between her and Malcolm Reed – something she wasn't willing to fess up to.
"Room service," he called out brightly.
Hoshi stopped pacing and looked at him, and Travis' step faltered. "Uh, I'll just leave it on your desk and – "
"Sit," barked Hoshi, toweling her hair dry.
Travis set the tray on her desk and sat down in the chair.
Continuing to dry her hair, Hoshi paced. "This has his fingerprints all over it," she mumbled.
"Who?" Travis asked, already knowing who she was referring to.
Hoshi stopped pacing and reached over Travis, grabbing the lid off the dish. "Lieutenant Commander Reed," she growled and straightened, tossing the lid onto the bunk.
Travis took the opportunity to get out of her way. He knew how she was when she was hungry and he needed all his fingers.
She sat down, grabbing a bunch of grapes and stuffing them into her mouth.
"I remember when you actually liked the guy," Travis stated quietly, baiting her. "He's not so bad."
Travis smothered his grin as Hoshi turned to scowl at him.
"You haven't been – " Hoshi stopped herself, mindful of spreading any more gossip. There were already too many rumors. She stuffed her mouth full of eggs and looked down.
Risking the loss of a finger, Travis grabbed Hoshi and turned her to face him in the chair. "What happened?" he asked softly.
Hoshi swallowed and set her fork down, no longer hungry.
"I'm assuming that you and he were...intimate before he left," he said, encouraging her to talk about it.
Hoshi's eyes wouldn't meet his, but he continued anyway. "And when he came back, you two had some sort of argument." He was grasping at straws and he knew it.
Hoshi sniffed, allowing the tears to flow unabashedly down her cheeks. "That's just it. He didn't come back."
Travis waited for her to regain her composure, feeling like a heel for pressing her for information and hoping she would forgive him. "What do you mean?"
"After his run in with Mukai, I thought every thing was going to be okay," she started. "I didn't even know his amnesia was gone. Captain Archer sent me away and Malcolm left on the T'Vala. We never had a chance to say goodbye."
Remaining silent, Travis realized Hoshi needed somebody to listen now more than ever.
"The Captain told me that Malcolm had been sent back to Earth to stand trial for treason. It was all a lie. From what information I've gathered, Malcolm went to work for Starfleet Intelligence and completed some sort of investigation." Hoshi paused and wiped away some tears.
"Go on," coaxed Travis.
Sighing, Hoshi continued. "When I found out he was coming back, I thought – I thought he was coming back for me. He's not the same, Travis. It was like he didn't even know me."
"Is it possible he suffered another injury?" Travis questioned.
Hoshi couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the question. Had Malcolm gone off and simply forgotten her? His words during the final exam shook the thought from her mind. There was no doubt he remembered her.
"He said that a relationship with the 'real' him would be a disaster, and told me to focus on my career," Hoshi whispered painfully.
Travis winced.
Wiping a tear away, Hoshi scoffed, "He even mentioned something about wanting to be friends."
"Ouch," Travis cringed. "Friends" was never a good sign. He gathered Hoshi into his arms and rocked her as she cried.
He pulled away and made her look at him. "You want me to hurt him for you? I'm his new sparring partner," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Her sobs turned into giggles. Why was she crying over a man? Surely there were more worthwhile things to cry over. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think hurting the jackass will solve anything."
"It might make you feel better," Travis stated, nudging her shoulder.
Hoshi brightened. "Actually," she said, lifting the lid to her coffee. "This will make me feel better. This and chocolate are my only true addictions."
She sipped the coffee and made a face. "What the hell is this?" she sputtered.
Astounded that she could even tell the difference between decaf and regular coffee, Travis started backing away. "Don't shoot the delivery boy. It was all chef had left and the dispenser is on the fritz."
He should feed badly for lying to her, but he didn't want to admit Malcolm had anything to do with the decaf coffee. For a man who had decided he had no interest in Hoshi, Malcolm certainly seemed interested.
"I have to be on duty in a few minutes. I'll see you at lunch," Travis stated, hastily making his exit.
--
"Good morning, Lieutenant Commander. What can I do for you?" Phlox acknowledged Malcolm's intrusion into his domain with a curt nod as he fed his menagerie.
Malcolm cleared his throat. He needed to cover his backside. "I need a favor."
Phlox placed the food container on the nearest table and listened.
"I followed your suggestion regarding Lieutenant Sato and took her off the duty roaster today," he said slowly. So, Phlox hadn't actually ordered Hoshi to take the day off, but he had suggested it. If he knew one thing about his former lover, it was that she didn't like being thwarted.
"And?" Phlox asked curiously.
"Well, I...it appears that Hoshi was taken off the roaster due to your direct order, and I –"
Understanding dawned on Phlox and he smiled, wanting to spare the man any further embarrassment. "It was a direct order. In fact, I ordered two days, not just one. Did I forget to validate the order?"
Malcolm sighed, thankful the Denobulan was tactful. "Thank you, Doctor. Yes, you did. I need you to validate the order," he stated, handing Phlox a PADD.
Typing his authorization code into the PADD, Phlox looked at Malcolm. "Are you sure this is the best course of action?"
Malcolm nodded.
"You obviously care for her still," Phlox stated, handing the PADD back to Malcolm.
"Yes," Malcolm admitted. He did still care for her. Hell, he loved her. "Trust me, Doctor. She's better off without me." His mission accomplished, Malcolm left.
Phlox stared after him, pondering the romance between the two officers. "I wonder if he has considered if he is better off without her?" Phlox murmured to no one in particular.
There had to be something between her and Malcolm Reed – something she wasn't willing to fess up to.
"Room service," he called out brightly.
Hoshi stopped pacing and looked at him, and Travis' step faltered. "Uh, I'll just leave it on your desk and – "
"Sit," barked Hoshi, toweling her hair dry.
Travis set the tray on her desk and sat down in the chair.
Continuing to dry her hair, Hoshi paced. "This has his fingerprints all over it," she mumbled.
"Who?" Travis asked, already knowing who she was referring to.
Hoshi stopped pacing and reached over Travis, grabbing the lid off the dish. "Lieutenant Commander Reed," she growled and straightened, tossing the lid onto the bunk.
Travis took the opportunity to get out of her way. He knew how she was when she was hungry and he needed all his fingers.
She sat down, grabbing a bunch of grapes and stuffing them into her mouth.
"I remember when you actually liked the guy," Travis stated quietly, baiting her. "He's not so bad."
Travis smothered his grin as Hoshi turned to scowl at him.
"You haven't been – " Hoshi stopped herself, mindful of spreading any more gossip. There were already too many rumors. She stuffed her mouth full of eggs and looked down.
Risking the loss of a finger, Travis grabbed Hoshi and turned her to face him in the chair. "What happened?" he asked softly.
Hoshi swallowed and set her fork down, no longer hungry.
"I'm assuming that you and he were...intimate before he left," he said, encouraging her to talk about it.
Hoshi's eyes wouldn't meet his, but he continued anyway. "And when he came back, you two had some sort of argument." He was grasping at straws and he knew it.
Hoshi sniffed, allowing the tears to flow unabashedly down her cheeks. "That's just it. He didn't come back."
Travis waited for her to regain her composure, feeling like a heel for pressing her for information and hoping she would forgive him. "What do you mean?"
"After his run in with Mukai, I thought every thing was going to be okay," she started. "I didn't even know his amnesia was gone. Captain Archer sent me away and Malcolm left on the T'Vala. We never had a chance to say goodbye."
Remaining silent, Travis realized Hoshi needed somebody to listen now more than ever.
"The Captain told me that Malcolm had been sent back to Earth to stand trial for treason. It was all a lie. From what information I've gathered, Malcolm went to work for Starfleet Intelligence and completed some sort of investigation." Hoshi paused and wiped away some tears.
"Go on," coaxed Travis.
Sighing, Hoshi continued. "When I found out he was coming back, I thought – I thought he was coming back for me. He's not the same, Travis. It was like he didn't even know me."
"Is it possible he suffered another injury?" Travis questioned.
Hoshi couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the question. Had Malcolm gone off and simply forgotten her? His words during the final exam shook the thought from her mind. There was no doubt he remembered her.
"He said that a relationship with the 'real' him would be a disaster, and told me to focus on my career," Hoshi whispered painfully.
Travis winced.
Wiping a tear away, Hoshi scoffed, "He even mentioned something about wanting to be friends."
"Ouch," Travis cringed. "Friends" was never a good sign. He gathered Hoshi into his arms and rocked her as she cried.
He pulled away and made her look at him. "You want me to hurt him for you? I'm his new sparring partner," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Her sobs turned into giggles. Why was she crying over a man? Surely there were more worthwhile things to cry over. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think hurting the jackass will solve anything."
"It might make you feel better," Travis stated, nudging her shoulder.
Hoshi brightened. "Actually," she said, lifting the lid to her coffee. "This will make me feel better. This and chocolate are my only true addictions."
She sipped the coffee and made a face. "What the hell is this?" she sputtered.
Astounded that she could even tell the difference between decaf and regular coffee, Travis started backing away. "Don't shoot the delivery boy. It was all chef had left and the dispenser is on the fritz."
He should feed badly for lying to her, but he didn't want to admit Malcolm had anything to do with the decaf coffee. For a man who had decided he had no interest in Hoshi, Malcolm certainly seemed interested.
"I have to be on duty in a few minutes. I'll see you at lunch," Travis stated, hastily making his exit.
--
"Good morning, Lieutenant Commander. What can I do for you?" Phlox acknowledged Malcolm's intrusion into his domain with a curt nod as he fed his menagerie.
Malcolm cleared his throat. He needed to cover his backside. "I need a favor."
Phlox placed the food container on the nearest table and listened.
"I followed your suggestion regarding Lieutenant Sato and took her off the duty roaster today," he said slowly. So, Phlox hadn't actually ordered Hoshi to take the day off, but he had suggested it. If he knew one thing about his former lover, it was that she didn't like being thwarted.
"And?" Phlox asked curiously.
"Well, I...it appears that Hoshi was taken off the roaster due to your direct order, and I –"
Understanding dawned on Phlox and he smiled, wanting to spare the man any further embarrassment. "It was a direct order. In fact, I ordered two days, not just one. Did I forget to validate the order?"
Malcolm sighed, thankful the Denobulan was tactful. "Thank you, Doctor. Yes, you did. I need you to validate the order," he stated, handing Phlox a PADD.
Typing his authorization code into the PADD, Phlox looked at Malcolm. "Are you sure this is the best course of action?"
Malcolm nodded.
"You obviously care for her still," Phlox stated, handing the PADD back to Malcolm.
"Yes," Malcolm admitted. He did still care for her. Hell, he loved her. "Trust me, Doctor. She's better off without me." His mission accomplished, Malcolm left.
Phlox stared after him, pondering the romance between the two officers. "I wonder if he has considered if he is better off without her?" Phlox murmured to no one in particular.