Thanks so much for your comments! Here's the next section:
x-x
Trip returned to sickbay just a few minutes later, device in hand. Malcolm was still sitting on the biobed and staring blankly off into space. He looked - Trip paused in the doorway. In Trip's oversized sweatshirt, hair mussed, dark circles under his eyes, he looked helpless. Lost.
Trip took a step forward, then another, finally stopping in front of Malcolm, directly in his gaze. It was like Trip wasn't even there - Malcolm didn't move, didn't acknowledge his presence.
"Hey," he said softly, trying not to startle Malcolm. When he didn't get a response, he brushed a hand against his friend's knee. "Hey," he said, louder.
Malcolm blinked quickly, his eyes now focused on Trip's. "Sorry, I was..." He frowned and closed his eyes briefly, pinching the bridge of his nose in his fingers. "...Listening." He shook his head. "It's louder. Giving me a headache."
"I brought something that might help," Trip said, holding out the device in his hand.
"A music player?" Malcolm said, obviously confused.
"Yeah. It seemed like the voices bother you less when you're talking to me, or to Phlox - you know, when you're distracted. So I thought this might help." At Malcolm's look of doubt, he continued. "Or it might not. But it can't hurt."
Malcolm smiled gratefully and took the offering. He lifted an earpiece to one ear and triggered the "on" switch. After a moment, he grimaced. "This is yours, yes?"
Trip nodded. He looked down at the device and, reading the screen, blushed slightly as he grabbed the player out of Malcolm's cupped palms. "Sorry 'bout that," he said softly. "Um, my sister gave me that recording, err..." He scrolled through the song list. "Here, this you might like better," he said, handing it back to Malcolm with a sheepish smile.
Malcolm listened a moment, then nodded. "Thanks."
"De nada," Trip replied.
x-x
Trip spent the rest of the morning going through systems checks with Hess. They started by reviewing what had been found in the lieutenant's room - aka "nothing", and went on to analyse the diagnostics done on the ship itself.
"Everything checks out, Commander," Hess said, slumping down onto Malcolm's messy bed. They'd decided to come back and do one more last-ditch pass of Malcolm's quarters. "Nothing wrong with communications, nothing out of place in the circuitry, nothing, nada." She looked up at Trip apologetically. "Sorry, Sir."
Trip nodded, his attention elsewhere. If Hess couldn't find a cause, then...he didn't want to believe that this could all actually be in Malcolm's head. That was just something that he wasn't sure he was ready to face. Not yet.
As if reading his mind, Hess said, "I'll recheck our readings."
Trip nodded, grateful.
x-x
"I found nothing in the Lieutenant's physical evaluation that would cause any sort of auditory disturbance," Phlox said.
"Nothing?" Trip echoed, glancing at Malcolm. His friend was sitting on the nearest biobed, the earpiece from the music player still in one ear, his normal "impatient with sickbay" expression plastered over his face. But his eyes, his eyes held a hint of desperation, and Trip suddenly realised that Malcolm was barely holding it together.
"Not yet," Phlox replied, his customary smile missing.
"And he's not dreaming, or anything like that?"
"No, that doesn't appear to be the case."
Trip dropped his voice, to be sure that Malcolm couldn't overhear. "So, the voices might just be, what, in his head?" At Phlox's nod, Trip felt his stomach drop. It was one thing to think that himself, but to have the doctor concur...God. He ventured what he hoped wasn't true: "So, he could be mentally ill?"
"That is a possibility. Whatever the cause, he does seem to be handling the situation fairly well, so far. At this point I don't see any immediate danger to himself, or others."
Trip gave a short, sharp nod.
"I do have several tests that I need to run, based on the scans I've taken. It may take a while."
"Does he have to stay here for those?" Trip asked.
The doctor's smile finally began to form. "I suppose not, but he should return if his symptoms change, or get worse."
Trip nodded briskly and walked to the biobed. He held a hand out towards Malcolm. "Come on."
x-x
Trip slid a plate in front of his friend and sat across the table from him. At this point, they'd both missed both breakfast and lunch, and he'd had to scrounge through the kitchen to put together bits and pieces left over from both meals.
For a moment, the only sounds in the empty mess were the clink of cutlery against plate as Trip dug into his eggs. Taking another hearty mouthful, he looked up to see Malcolm drawing patterns in his food with his fork, eyes unfocused, the earpiece from the music player still in his ear.
Trip watched him for a moment, then put down his fork. "Is that helping?" Trip asked, waving his hand towards the device.
"Sorry, what?" Malcolm saw what Trip was looking at, and smiled. "Yes, actually, it is. Thanks." He glanced down at his plate and stabbed his mashed potatoes with his fork, shifting them on the plate before setting the fork down with a frustrated sigh. "Although they're still there." He looked up at Trip, his eyes blazing. "It's getting worse."
"In what way?" Trip asked, leaning forward across the table, feeling lost and helpless.
Malcolm shut his eyes. "They're getting louder." His eyes flashed open, pinning Trip in his gaze. "...they're all I can hear sometimes, despite the music. And they're just..." he lifted a hand briefly. "...there. Just beyond my reach. It's like, if I could just focus, really focus, I might understand what they're trying to tell me."
x-x
It was in one of Archer's staff meetings that Trip finally figured it out. Well, actually, Hoshi figured it out, but Trip was the one who'd literally jumped out of his seat, running from the room with the realisation.
x-x
Please review and let me know what you think so far. I love getting your comments - they definately keep me motivated.