As he stepped into the turbolift and the doors swished closed behind him, Archer placed a hand onto the nearby wall to steady himself. Not Trip, he thought to himself, God no...

The trip down to Sickbay took what felt like hours. His worry and fear for his best friend overwhelmed his senses, and several times he had to stop and will himself to take control.

Finally, he found himself in front of the infirmary's doors, and with one last intake of air, he stepped through.

What he found was unnerving and, quite frankly, horrible. The burned and charred figures of the members of his crew were lying around him, on the various biobeds and even one on a nearby counter. Phlox was jumping from person to person as his assistants followed behind, giving the patients the medication and help that they needed to survive.

He hesitated only a moment, then walked right in. "Phlox," he started, getting the doctor's attention briefly, "I'd like a report when you have the chance."

The Denobulan nodded swiftly, the turned back to his remaining two patients. Archer waited nervously, giving the assistants a hand when needed. After about ten minutes, the doctor signalled for him to come over, and he did.

"Fifteen injured, Captain, five minor, nine with superficial burns and one critical."

Archer could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he asked his next question. "And... Trip?"

The doctor wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he contemplated his answer.

"Commander Tucker was injured while he tried to stop a warpcore breach, or so Ensign O'Malley tells me. A plasma duct exploded while he was running repairs... forty percent of his body has second degrees, Captain, and most of it on his legs and arms. I'm just thankful that it didn't do more. He also has a concussion from his fall of off the walkway."

"Wh-what are his chances?" Archer asked as he soaked in everything.

"Physically, he will heal. Mentally and emotionally... the human mind is a very fragile thing, Captain. I'm not sure that he will ever fully recover, and even if he did, he will not be the Trip that we knew before." warned the doctor, his large blue eyes conveying his sympathy.

Jonathon cleared his throat, then asked one final thing: "May I see him?"

The Denobulan nodded, although he continued by adding, "I have him sedated. The pain

from the burns is intense, and I didn't feel that keeping him awake was doing anything for him."

Phlox led him over to the farthest, most secluded part of Sickbay, where a curtain had been pulled around a biobed. The doctor motioned for Archer to enter, then left to attend to his other patients.

The captain of the Enterprise took a moment to compose himself, preparing himself physically and mentally for the sight of his injured friend. A moment passed, then he pulled back the curtains and stepped in.

There, on the biobed, lay his long-time friend, wrapped up in white bandages, some darkened with the evidence of the blood seeping through. He stepped forwards, feeling his eyes sting with unshed tears. He blinked them away, feeling the need, more than ever, to be the stoic, starship captain.

But, nonetheless, the sight of his normally exuberant and enthusiastic chief engineer lying on a cold mattress in the ship's infirmary, so still and helpless, was unnerving. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked down to his injured friend.

"Hang in there, Trip," he whispered softly to the unconscious man, "Hang on."

*Sorry about the short chapter, but I'm writing the next one right now! Hope you like it.

~Aelan*