555

The sound was that of a door closing; then of soft steps approaching. He knew he should open his eyes but was reluctant to disturb this wonderful feeling of comfort and warmth. Then he realised he didn't know where he was, his mind was empty, and he was suddenly afraid that if he opened his eyes what he saw might not be pleasant. But he had never been one to shy away from situations, so he braced himself and looked. The face hovering over him was blessedly familiar, and the smile on it comforting.

"I was beginnin' to worry you'd never wake up," Trip greeted him with quiet relief.

Reed took stock of his surroundings. He was in the decon chamber, lying on a bench. Someone had stripped him of his uniform, placed a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket. An IV tube snaked out of one of his arms. He tried to remember how he had got there but his mind was still blank. Then, slowly, a few disconnected memories began to come back.

"Malcolm, you ok?" Trip's blue eyes were veiled with worry now, and Malcolm realised he had been staring at him without speaking for a good few minutes.

"Can I remove this IV tube?" he asked. His voice sounded terrible but he saw his friend break into a wide smile again.

"Now I know you're ok," Trip said, adding, "I think it's only somethin' to re-hydrate you, but better ask Phlox, first."

Malcolm raised one hand to his face, feeling the stubble on it. "How long have I been here?" he asked.

"Twelve hours and…" Trip checked the time, "Twenty-three minutes."

Reed removed his hand abruptly and looked at his friend wide-eyed. "I've been out for all that time?" he enquired in awe.

"Well, if we count also the time you slept in the shuttlepod on our way back, you actually were in dreamland for…"

"Forget it, I don't want to know," Malcolm interrupted him in what sounded like self-disgust. He pushed himself to a sitting position, grimacing as his sore muscles protested.

"You fell asleep like a log the moment you were in the pod and didn't even stir when we docked," Trip explained with a soothing grin. "We got you to decon but then decided not to disturb you any more. You were totally wiped. Well, it's hardly surprisin', if you didn't sleep for two days and had to drag the Capt'n all the way back."

"The Captain," Reed startled, a few more memories returning. "How is he?"

Trip sat down on a bench. "He'll be ok. Fortunately the poison was not deadly; only made him feverish and confused. Phlox was able to counter its effects pretty fast after he analysed the thorns he found in your backpack. Apparently the toxin kinda freed his subconscious, or so says the Doc."

As all the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together, Malcolm felt anxiety mount. "Does the Captain… remember much of what happened?" he asked hesitantly.

Trip shot him a curious look but knew better than to enquire further, and went on to answer, "Last thing he remembers is gettin' mad at you for keepin' watch all night without wakin' him." He shook his head in mock reproach. "Typical Lieutenant Malcolm Reed."

"As if you would have done any differently, "Malcolm scowled, though he felt greatly relieved at his friend's words. "He was already feverish and confused then."

Trip pulled a wry face. "Well, I guess you were right. It didn't turn out to be such a restful shore leave after all."

"Goodness gracious, not in the least," Malcolm breathed out, swinging his legs off the bench and facing the engineer.

"Worse than Risa?" Trip asked with a soft laugh.

Malcolm smirked as he gave serious thought to the playful question. "Nothing can be worse than Risa," he replied flatly. "That was the single most embarrassing moment of my entire career." After a moment he added, tilting his head, "And this experience was not entirely negative. Some good came out of it."

"And what might that be?" Trip asked, puzzled. "A new bond of friendship with Porthos?"

Malcolm chuckled. "That too. He was actually good company and the perfect soldier." After a moment he added, seriously, "A new understanding, I suppose."

"You found the right glue?" Trip asked, referring to the conversation they'd had two nights before.

"I believe I have," Malcolm replied quietly.

Trip broke into a warm smile. "Well, that's good to hear, Lieutenant."

Reed looked briefly away before asking, "So, would you find Phlox and have him remove this bloody IV tube? I'm dying to take a shower and shave."

Archer was reading a padd when the curtain around his biobed was drawn slightly and his Armoury Officer peeked in. "Am I disturbing you, Sir?" he asked with his usual propriety.

"Not at all, come in Malcolm," Archer replied putting down the padd, glad though a little apprehensive to receive Reed's visit. Two days had passed since they had returned to Enterprise and he was starting to wonder if Malcolm was avoiding him and, in that case, why.

Reed proceeded to ask the ritual question. "How are you feeling, Captain?"

"Not bad, all things considered," Archer replied, studying the lieutenant; he seemed a little anxious too, he decided. "The fever is down and I appear to, uhm, be myself again. Phlox is releasing me to my quarters this afternoon. Still only a bit tired, that's all. "

"Well, you didn't get much R&R," Malcolm said with a faint smile.

Archer mirrored it and shook his head. "Not much, no." After a moment he turned serious and added, "I remember almost nothing of what happened down there, but from what I read in your report and from what I was told you had a tough time getting us back to safety. Thank you for what you did, Malcolm."

Reed crossed his arms on his chest and avoided Archer's gaze, looking embarrassed. "I only carried out my duty, Captain. And not even all that well, since I failed to ant… protect you from danger."

"You're not going to blame yourself now, are you?" Archer admonished him. "Flowers could hardly be included in your list of potential enemies." At the words something crossed Reed's eyes but the lieutenant immediately lowered them again, so Archer could not make out what it was.

After a moment Reed replied, "They certainly will be, from now on."

Archer looked at the man before him with narrowed eyes. Something seemed changed in him. He was still his usual stiff self but… there was perhaps a softer edge to him.

"Well, I'd better get back to the Armoury," Malcolm said, abruptly interrupting Archer's thoughts. "It's good to know you're feeling better, Captain."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Before Reed could turn to leave, though, Archer spoke again.

"Malcolm… There is something you told me, down on the planet," he said, and saw Reed's brow immediately knit in concern. "It's one of the few things I remember, actually," Archer continued. "I keep wondering what you meant. You said Porthos knew how to obey an order and that most of the time that was a good thing. It sounded strange, said by someone who would do just about anything not to disobey an order."

Who would do just about anything… Reed pursed his lips. "I…" He looked down briefly at his feet but then suddenly seemed to find the courage to meet his Captain's eyes. "To be honest, I am not exactly proud of all the orders I obeyed, Sir," he said in a low voice, and his gaze was steady.

There was a long silence, during which Archer pondered the deeper meaning of Reed's words. He felt obliged to meet his Officer's sincerity with some of his own. He took a deep breath. "Believe me, I am not exactly proud of all the orders I gave," he said hoarsely. "Some of them… were damn difficult. I am sorry that they dragged you and the others to hell with me."

Reed's blue-grey eyes softened. "We had to accomplish our mission. And we did," he said with deep feeling. After a brief pause he cleared his throat and added, "But thank you for telling me that, Captain. I needed to hear it." He didn't add that somehow, albeit not with the same composure and lucidity, Archer had already told him. He nodded and made to leave. "I'll let you rest."

"Ah, Malcolm…" Archer spoke again. "Your report didn't mention anything but… just wondering… I hope I… uhm, didn't say or do anything embarrassing while I was, well, out of it," he mumbled raising his eyebrows questioningly.

Reed had just the briefest moment of hesitation. "Do you mean other than reciting nursery rhymes, Sir?" he asked in a perfectly serious tone of voice, tilting his head.

"Nurs… oh, yeah, other than that."

"And other than asking me why the bridge is called that?" Reed continued, still in a normal voice.

"Uh, I guess so," Archer croaked out, with a nervous grimace.

The pause that followed was a bit too long for Archer's comfort. Malcolm kept his face perfectly straight but the Captain was almost certain that a glint of amusement was shining in his eyes.

"I can't say I remember anything else, Captain. But if I should, rest assured: your secret is safe with me," Reed answered, slipping away before Archer could stop him again.

THE END

A review is always welcome! ;-)