Mallory paused her retelling as the food was brought out to her and Jonathan, feeling more comfortable with telling only the Captain what had happened to her brother all those years ago.
"You don't have the same fear that Malcolm has then?"
"Aquaphobia? No." She shook her head. "I tried to help him face his fears, and it seemed to be working."
"I'm guessing things went well with Trip and getting onto his crew?" He asked before putting a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.
"Yeah. Trip was pleased with what he saw and we were on his crew. Four months later and race day was on us. So there was Malcolm, Trip, me and Ensign Steve Walls. Everything was going so well, despite the weather not being completely in our favour. Half way round the bay and we were in the lead." She paused and Archer knew that what was to come next would be painful for her. He could see that in her eyes.
Flashback
The atmosphere on Trip's sailing boat was one of sheer joy. They were miles in the lead of his competitor, and Trip was sure to win the bet. The only one not completely enjoying the experience was Malcolm, although he was better than he had been four months ago. The weather wasn't brilliant and the waves were a little rough, but that didn't stop Trip or Mallory enjoying themselves.
"Wooo hoooo!" Mallory cried out with enjoyment as they were knocked about, enjoying the salty spray on her face and the wind in her hair. The sea was a little rough, not the best weather for sailing, but certainly gave them all a good challenge. "This is great, eh Malcolm?" She looked behind her where she knew her brother was and could see that he had no smiles on his face. "Come on, lighten up!" She grinned, holding on to her rope tightly.
"I'll lighten up when we're back on solid ground!" He replied as he turned the steering wheel to keep them on course, glancing back to see just how far behind the other boat was. "The sooner the better."
"You're a grim one for sure, Malcolm!" Tucker grinned as he made his way down the side of the boat, helping to keep the sails in the right place, gripping tightly to the rails as the hull hit a wave, throwing the bow up into the air and crashing back down on the surface. The salty sea spray splashing on everyone's faces.
"Funny!" Malcolm called out to his friend. "Mallory's nickname for me is the Grim Reaper."
Steve chuckled as he grabbed a rope that had come loose and began securing it back in place. "I can see why!"
Waves crashed against the side of the boat, making the crew have to work hard to keep her on course. Water splashed over the sides, soaking the four crewmen as they moved around, grabbing ropes to keep the sails tight. "Watch out for this big one!" Trip called out and a huge wave crashed against the side of the boat knocking everyone slightly off balance. As Walls stumbled he lost his grip on his rope and the main sail began swinging round.
"Watch your heads!" The man cried out and Tucker was able to dodge it, ducking down just as it swung over his head. Mallory wasn't quite so lucky and the heavy wooden arm of the sail swung round and struck into the back of her head, knocking her unconscious and sent her tumbling over the edge into the cold waters.
"Mallory!" Malcolm cried as he watched his sister tumble over the railings and disappear into the sea. "Man over board!" He yelled and rushed to the side, abandoning his post at the ship's wheel. Without thinking he climbed on top of the railings and dived in after her, forgetting his own fears. His baby sister was just too important to him.
Trip hurriedly pulled in the sails to stop the boat from going any further, keeping the vessel close to where the siblings had gone in as Steve dashed for the wheel to help keep her steady. Grabbing a rope and tying it in place so he could help with the sails.
The waves crashed against Malcolm as he swum for the limp form of his sister floating on the surface, head up. One more push and he made it, doing his best to hold her head above the water as it swirled around them. The water was freezing cold and the waves battered against him as he fought the currents. He was losing his strength fast in the icy waters, but he had to make it back to the boat, he just had to. With all his might he swum against the current, fighting his way back to the ship. It was only a couple of meters away, but felt like it was a lot further. As he reached the boat arms reached down and grabbed Mallory, pulling her back onto the deck.
Trip reached down for Malcolm, holding onto the rail so that he wouldn't fall in. Before he could reach him the British Ensign vanished under the water as a strong wave pulled him out of reach and out of sight. "Malcolm!" Trip dived into the sea and began searching for his friend as the other boat overtook them, their crew watching what was going on and pretty soon they were pulling in their sails as well.
Taking huge gulps of air, the Lieutenant dived under water, looking to see if he was caught under the boat. On his third attempt he spotted Malcolm at the back and swam to him. The man had his left leg trapped between the rudder and the hull and was struggling to get it free. No matter how hard he tried he was wedged in tight. Unable to reach the surface for air, Malcolm was quickly losing what little oxygen he had left in his lungs. Together both men tried to free his leg, pushing this way and that against the rudder to try and move it but the force of the water was slowing things down considerably.
Leaning over the rail, Steve and Mallory, who had recovered, were scanning the waters, trying to see where the two men where. The opponent's boat had stopped and others had dived in to try and help, seeing that there was trouble. Mallory was standing with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, shivering from the cold and wet, calling out the names of her brother and her friend.
No replies came. All that could be heard were the waves crashing against the side of the boat, and the distant sound of thunder. A storm was heading their way, and by the look of the dark clouds that were looming it was going to be a nasty one.
The seconds dragged on and wave after wave kept ramming into the side of the boat. The sky began to darken as the thick black clouds rolled in overhead. Mallory's eyes were fixed to the water, scanning desperately for any signs of life. There were none. Tears began to roll down the young woman's face as she began to worry that the sea had claimed both their lives.
Finally, three heads broke the surface of the water and Steve hurried to help the unconscious Malcolm onto the deck. Immediately he began CPR as Trip and a man from the other boat were able to haul themselves up. Two breaths, then thirty chest compressions, repeated over and over again.
Mallory stood back, watching in fear as Walls tried desperately to revive her brother. Trip stood next to her, pulling her into a hug as the minutes passed on. There was no response from Malcolm and Steve eventually had to stop, exhausted. He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head as the tears rolled down the young woman's cheeks. She wrapped her arms around a drenched and exhausted Trip, seeking some form of comfort. Her brother was dead and it felt like it was all her fault.
Jonathan had stopped eating and was just staring at Mallory in stunned silence. He knew his tactical officer was afraid of drowning, and now if he heard what had happened, it would prove his fears right.
"I was so devastated I nearly resigned from Starfleet." She finally spoke, breaking the silence in the room, and took another sip of her drink after wiping away a stray tear trickling down her cheek.
"What stopped you?"
"Trip." She looked at John briefly and then carried on eating. "He kept me going, convinced me that Malcolm wouldn't want me to quit, that he'd want me to continue with a career in Starfleet. He helped me through it all, and we became good friends from that moment on."
"I guess the race was cancelled? Considering what happened?"
Mallory nodded her head. "Yeah. They called it off, helped Trip back to the harbour before the storm hit. I was in no condition to be of any help. I haven't been back on the water since, not on a boat nor to swim. I haven't been the same since he died."
Jonathan nodded his head in understanding. "What about your parents?"
The female Lieutenant Reed sighed slightly. "They took his very death hard, being their only son. They blamed me for his death and they never spoke to me again after the funeral. Madeline and Trip were all I had left. I did write to them once or twice, but when I never got any reply I gave up. Six months after the accident, Trip was assigned to Captain Jefferies' engineering team to work on the NX Alpha warp two test program. That's when he met you. I was sent on various training and survival courses, and did a short stint at Jupiter Station. During that time I was promoted to Lieutenant, met up with Trip for a celebration dinner before we each got other assignments. When you got command of Enterprise in October 2150, Trip recommended me as your tactical officer. You were sceptical at first of a female, but after a couple of meetings and a couple of demonstrations, you hired me."
Archer watched her for a couple of moments. "Just how close did you and Trip get?"
"We were just really good friends. He helped me over Malcolm's death and then when a species called the Xindi attacked Earth, killing millions, including Trip's own sister Lizzie, I helped him." She replied and she finished off her bowl of pasta.
He could see that there was more to things than she was actually saying, but it wasn't really fair to press her too much. She was going to have to get used to a huge change now, and none of it was her fault. After the steward had cleared away the bowls and a couple of minutes later returned with dessert the conversation started up again. "I've been talking to Admiral Gardner about you." Mallory was mid-way through taking a bite out of the profiteroles when her gaze went to him. "He is happy for you to remain on Enterprise for now."
She put down her spoon as she knew what was coming next. There was an unspoken 'but' hanging in the air near Jonathan and Mallory could see it clear as day. She kept her gaze on him till she decided she was going to have to speak up. "But Malcolm is your tactical officer. I'm being demoted?" She asked, calmly.
Captain Archer shook his head. "No. You can keep your rank, as long as you complete a couple of tests just to prove to us you are worthy of your rank. But you'll just be in security." There was a short pause. "The other thing is it's going to get confusing if someone calls for a Lieutenant Reed and the wrong person answers." Mallory began nodding her head at that, she could easily see the complication there. "Is there another name we can use for you?" She was silent for several moments as she appeared to be just staring into space. Perhaps he had put her through too much too soon. "If you'd prefer we can talk about this tomorrow morning."
"No." She replied quickly. "It's best we get this sorted now." She continued to think. "Riley." She finally replied. "My middle name."
Archer nodded his head. "I think we can cope with that." He smiled slightly to try and give her some sort of reassurance, but he could tell that it wasn't working. Mallory picked up her spoon and looked at the last remaining profiteroles on her plate. After a second she sighed and dropped the spoon back onto the plate, having lost her appetite. It clattered noisily and Archer noticed, gently putting his own spoon back down. "Tired?" Slowly she nodded her head, it had been a long and difficult day for her. "I'll have T'Pol sort out quarters for you tomorrow, I can escort you back to sickbay now though if you'd like?"
"Thank you, Captain." She nodded and, after wiping around her mouth with the napkin, stood up and left the room with Archer, placing a hand at the base of her spine as she walked. Having been sitting down for a while her back had stiffened up and was aching a little. Perhaps everything would feel better after a good night's sleep.