Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek Enterprise.
AN: Last week I wrote Surrogate, a drabble and a bit of a follow-up to Daedelus. This is a follow-up to that fic and The Observer Effect. It's 300 words so it's not technically a drabble… it's a 300 word drabble! They are a valid, if a bit rare, fic form… drabble style but longer… do they have a special name?
And You Were There
Phlox wants them all to stay the night in sickbay for observation but it's the last place Trip wants to be right now. Quarantine always makes him feel jittery, and somehow almost dying makes him want to get up and start walking and not stop moving again for a long time. Hoshi's asleep. How can she be asleep after coming so damn close to never waking up again?
No matter what anyone says, Trip knows he almost died… it's this weird, instinctive feeling in his gut… he feels safe now, but he knows a few hours ago he wasn't. It doesn't matter that he can't remember. Although that's driving him insane as well.
Archer thinks it's strange too; Trip can tell, he's not sleeping either, just leaning against the bed with his arms folded. Looking at the captain feels like deja-vu… what is there that he's not remembering?!
"What do you think happened?" Archer says suddenly.
Sighing, Trip replies. "Honestly, cap'n, I haven't the foggiest."
"And you can't remember anything?"
"No. Can you?"
"Not really." Archer goes back to brooding.
No. Trip sees it now. Archer with that expression on: hopeless, tired. Trip's seen it before… but when? There is something there, but he doesn't know how to look at it. It's like dreaming something, then not remembering your dream until you've seen something, someone, from it. It's still a vague concept, but it's forming. A hand on his chest as he stops breathing…
"Actually, cap'n, I do remember something." Trip says slowly, then pauses. He's still not good at this kind of thing, even now. Especially now. But he's gotta say it.
"I was dying," Trip says quietly. "And you were standing right there next to me."
Archer smiles like he doesn't know what to say.
It's a step.