Days have gone by, and he doesn't know how many. Doesn't care much either, because one is much like another in Sickbay, though on account of not being able to shut his ears he's gleaned odd bits of information about the ailments of various members of the crew who come in for treatment. Not that this interests him either.

The doors hiss open. He doesn't open his eyes. The Alpha shift will be on duty, and Em has already visited. Bernhard had mentioned the night before that the ship is in orbit around an uninhabited Minshara-class planet, and that the captain has agreed to take adequate security down when the landing party goes to collect samples.

Miracles, it seems, do happen occasionally. Not that that's any business of his any more.

The new arrival comes quietly across the room and sits beside the bed.

His nose is playing tricks on him now. Obstinately he still doesn't open his eyes. He doesn't care about anything.

"Malcolm?"

He opens his eyes at that all right. Bloody fool.

She's holding a PADD out to him. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I thought you might want to hear this."

He blinks down at the PADD and then up at her. Her expression bewilders him.

"Th-thank you."

Across at his work-table, Phlox stiffens at hearing his voice for the first time since he'd been brought on board.

His thumb is uncertain on the PADD controls. She gently presses the 'play' button. Their fingers brush. Her skin is soft. Vanilla and musk.

Blonde hair, platinum in the sunlight. A clear, girlish voice he'd thought never to hear again.

"I hope you get this soon, Malcolm. Hoshi says you've had to go away on a mission, so I hope you're okay."

His daughter's wearing a white blouse with a yellow flower embroidered on the collar. She has the long strap of some kind of handbag over her shoulder, also yellow. She's fidgeting with it, a little self-conscious in front of a camera.

"Mummy says daddy will be out of the hospital soon. She says I can write to you whenever I want, so I'd like that. But daddy says you've got to check it's okay with the captain first."

"Captain Archer says as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties, he doesn't mind at all." The comm officer's voice is low and amused. "If she sends them to HQ they'll be included with the standard transmissions. It'll be a change for you to have something in the mail like everyone else."

"Don't forget what I showed you about the butterfly cakes," Keri goes on sternly. "You have to practice. Mummy says it's not good for you to just do work things all the time. And I worry about you." She glances aside, obviously responding to a gesture from someone out of view. "We're going to the hospital now. I want you to let me know you're all right. Hoshi says she'll send me a photograph so I can show mummy and daddy what you look like. They want to know." She slips off the chair and pulls up the handbag strap, which has slipped. "Bye bye, Malcolm. Love you."

The screen goes blank.

He's shaking.

He might have missed it. He might have failed her. Why hadn't he understood that?

They'll let him keep the message, surely? Even if he can never receive another?

"Hey." Hoshi's fingers tighten briefly around his hand. It isn't the way you'd ordinarily touch someone you think is revolting, but maybe his wishful thinking's going into overdrive. "I brought someone to share the photo. Trip thought it might be an idea. And he lent me his camera."

Mr. Button's expression hasn't improved in the interim. The smirk is still complacent and exasperating.

Hoshi leans forward with it. At a guess Phlox doesn't miss the way that his elbow shifts helpfully so she can tuck it into the crook of his arm. Yes, and his hair's a mess too. Shakily his other hand runs through it in the vain effort to get it into some kind of order. It's too long, for one thing.

"I think it kind of suits you all mussed up." She has the camera levelled. "Say 'cheese'."

He says 'Keri' instead. At least he does inside his head. Saying it aloud is too complicated, for a lot of reasons.

"She'll love it." She shows him the photograph. He privately thinks he looks like shit, but considering he's had a hole blown through the middle of him quite recently, allowances should probably be made. And that damned rabbit has no bloody business looking so pleased with itself.

"I'll take it back up to the Bridge and send it straight to her," Hoshi continues. "When I have lunch, would you like me to bring you some soup?"

Oh, this is just way, way too complicated. He opens his mouth to say 'No thank you', as would be only right and proper, but 'Lovely' falls out instead. He hopes he meant the soup, but he might not have done.

She squeezes his hand again before she leaves, which is nice of her, if puzzling. It takes him a moment to register the fact that she's left the bunny with him. Talk about persecuting the afflicted; if he has to look at that thing all day he'll suffer a relapse.

It's painfully obvious that Phlox waits a few minutes before coming over. It appears that Mr. Button isn't the only one with an irritating grin.

"So you've decided to rejoin us, Lieutenant?" he says cheerfully.

Sheer coincidence. Don't make anything of it. It's not like I'm going to be a permanent fixture.

"Ensign Sato has been here a great deal," the Denobulan continues, adjusting the drip to the cannula. "It seemed to us that you slept more quietly when you knew she was here. Now that you're recovering, I trust she'll be able to catch up on all the sleep she lost."

I could make her sleep like the dead. Eventually, anyway. If she didn't think I'm revolting.

Why would she sit up with me if she thinks I'm revolting?

Maybe she's just doing it because she thinks I'm her friend. That isn't quite how he'd like her to feel, but it's something. Like the rest of the crew, she evidently hasn't heard yet that he'll shortly be on his way to Starfleet to stand trial. It's the only explanation he can find for their friendliness, which continues to perplex him.

It's all far too tiring. His eyelids are getting heavy.

"A little nap before lunch will do you good, Lieutenant." Phlox's voice is fading away. "But I want you to make the effort to eat, even if only a few spoonfuls of soup. And afterwards, the captain will want to talk to you."

Tell him ...

Tell him I'm sorry.

That bloke I went looking for wasn't there after all.

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