"Sono" Part Nine
Disclaimers in part one.
Above, the two moons, the twin daughters of the sun, have risen. The fullness of one nears, the other still a faint sliver against the sky. The wind is still, now, fallen as if in reverence. She waits beneath a tree, its flowers in her hair. She looks down to her hands seeing the paint through blurred eyes, the lines of her indenture blending together like the red clouds of sunset. She keeps her head down, her hair disguising the despair in her eyes. She waits for the one who has paid for her heart.
The one she loves stands in front of her, his eyes burning brighter than the fire of the torch at her side, burning with a yearning that kindles and flames in her own heart. When the time comes, she thinks, they will never know that her heart is unfaithful. She will not allow this man who has bought her now to take her away.
He comes, painted red as the moon, as red as the cords that will bind her to him and she thinks that those cords will prove weaker than those of unspoken glances and careful, hidden touches.
She promises herself this, as they are drawn across her hand and his.
She does not raise her eyes. She keeps them lowered to the fallen flower petals. Only then, with the certitude that this must be a dream, just a dream, it has not come to this, surely, does she look up into the eyes of her husband's u-ardan and sees her sin reflected in his eyes.
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Hoshi opened her eyes to the dim lights in the ceiling of Sickbay. She blinked, feeling disoriented for a few moments, a faint memory of fire and moonlight fading away as she focused on the ceiling above her. She sat up, noticing that the curtain had been pulled part-way shut. She sat still, wondering why she was in Sickbay. She couldn't remember...
"Ah, Ensign, you're awake."
She looked up, to see that Doctor Phlox was standing next to the curtain, holding a medical scanner.
Hoshi said, "Doctor--" She stopped to clear her throat. "Why am I in Sickbay?"
He stepped closer and started passing the scanner over her.
"You were brought here by Commander Tucker and Ensign Mayweather."
"Why?"
"You fell asleep."
She looked confused. "What? I don't understand."
"The commander said that you collapsed, do you remember?"
"Collapsed? I mean, yes, I remember being there and I was leaving to go on shift, but no, I don't remember what happened after that."
He placed a hand on hers. He smiled, face radiating reassurance and said, "That's not unusual." She gave him a look of disbelief and he said, "You've been sleeping for twelve hours, Ensign."
"Twelve hours?" she exclaimed and tried to shove her way past him, to get out of the biobed.
Phlox stopped her with two firm, but gentle hands on her shoulders. "Relax, Ensign. There will be time enough to get back to work."
His expression turned serious. He said, "Why did you not come to me when you had trouble sleeping?"
She had the grace to look chagrined. "It wasn't that bad. I was sleeping. It was just a little insomnia."
"A little insomnia, Ensign, built up enough that your body decided it needed its rest. You had only been sleeping for approximately four hours a night, is that right?"
She nodded.
"That's not enough. You were almost in a severe state of sleep deprivation. You frightened everyone that was in that messhall. Commander Tucker was so worried about you, you should have seen him, pacing back and forth. It was all I could do to get him out of sickbay."
Hoshi closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping, picturing the concerned face of Trip. She could just imagine what it would have been like if Malcolm had...Malcolm! Her eyes snapped open.
"And Malcolm? Does he know...?"
Phlox smiled at her. "The Commander was here earlier. I reassured him that you were fine, just as I did all your visitors. He and Tucker and Mayweather have all checked on you when they could. Commander Reed had just left a few minutes before you woke."
She let out a held breath.
"So I just needed to sleep?"
"That's right."
"Can I leave?"
"If you wish. I would like you to come back tomorrow, just so I can be assured that you have completely recuperated."
She nodded and slid off the biobed and headed to the exit. She stopped when Phlox said, "Next time, Ensign, don't wait. For our peace of mind."
"I won't. Thank you, Doctor."
"Anytime, Ensign."
The moment the doors shut behind her, Phlox walked over to the comm.
"Phlox to Captain Archer."
"Archer here."
"She's awake and feeling fine, Captain."
"Thank you, Phlox. Archer out."