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Trip triggered the doors of sickbay open and Malcolm marched in, holding the jerking bundle of his friends' shirt with an outstretched arm. Tucker followed.

A moment later Phlox's memorable features appeared from behind a dividing panel.

"Ah, Commander, Lieutenant," he greeted them with his habitual exuberance. Then he seemed to realise who exactly was standing before him and added, frowning, "I thought I found nothing wrong with either of you; could I possibly have overlooked something?"

"We're fine, Doctor," Malcolm replied with the most reassuring voice he could muster, cringing at the idea that Phlox might believe otherwise. "We just brought you a… present, so to speak."

"A present! How very kind of you," the doctor exclaimed, immediately jovial again.

"Yeah, Doc, we… brought back a creature from the planet," Trip added.

"Yes," Phlox said, looking at his shuddering 'present', "Somehow I had gathered as much. What does it look like?"

"Four legs, purplish, no fur, no tail, big, pointy ears, yellow eyes…" Trip replied. "Maybe you can add it to your menagerie?" he suggested with an ingratiating smile.

Phlox regarded the dancing bundle in Malcolm's firm grip. "Well, I am certainly not going to leave it where it is, it doesn't seem to be enjoying its present accommodation very much," he commented.

He held out his hand to Reed, who passed him the 'present' warning him, "Be careful, Doctor, this creature is extremely fast and has sharp teeth."

"How did you capture it in the first place?" Phlox enquired as he put the bundle down on his desk.

"Uhm, actually we didn't," Trip confessed with a grimace. "It must have slipped inside my backpack when I left it open and we carried it all the way back without knowing. It showed up on my desk."

"I see," the doctor chuckled. "Well, let's see what we have here."

He went off and a moment later reappeared with a small cage, which he put down on the desk. Then he opened its top and proceeded to undo the knots in Trip's shirt, while Trip and Malcolm looked on warily.

With caution, Phlox held the shirt over the cage and unfurled it to let the animal drop inside. Nothing fell.

"What the hell…" Trip exclaimed.

Phlox shook the shirt lightly and then, since nothing was happening, turned it to see where the creature was. It was clinging onto the material and looked at them with its beady yellow eyes.

"Watch it, Doc," Trip cautioned. But before he could add anything else, 'squ-ouse' had leapt off the shirt onto the desk, and from there onto the floor, and was running around sickbay at top speed.

"Oh my," Phlox just said.

"I'll be damned!" Malcolm cursed. "Here we go again!"

"Do somethin'!" Trip cried out.

Malcolm looked frantically around. Then he opened a nearby drawer and grabbed a couple of pillows, handing one to Trip.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" the engineer questioned.

"Stand over there," he ordered. "If you please, Commander," he immediately added, belatedly remembering Trip was his superior officer. "Doctor, if you want to give us a hand we may stand a better chance," he told Phlox.

The doctor turned and said, "Let me get my butterfly net, it might help."

A moment later the three of them were strategically positioned: Trip and Malcolm swinging their pillows to try and steer the creature towards Phlox, who stood ready to jump into action.

Swing

"Go on, you little devil!"

Swing

"Doc will give ya a nice little cage, all for you!"

Swing

"Has the blighted monster legs or a warp engine?"

Swing

"You have nothin' to worry about, Phlox is good to his creatures!"

But the alien animal was just running around wildly, seemingly with no intention to go towards Phlox. Seeing they weren't accomplishing much, Trip got frustrated and the next time squ-ouse darted between Malcolm and him he dived pillow first to catch it under it.

"Trip, what…" Reed cried out, seeing the engineer in mid air. There was a crushing sound.

"Ouch!"

"Gotcha!"

"Yes, indeed, and I can bloody well feel it too!" Malcolm ground out furiously, holding his right shin and grimacing in pain.

Trip raised his head, careful not to move the pillow under which the creature lay trapped, and seemed to realise only then that he had not only captured his prey but also made a victim: he had smashed into Malcolm and thrown him off balance, sending him to crush against a cart, which had overturned on top of his friend.

"Damn, Mal, I'm sorry."

Phlox ran to Reed's side and got the cart off him. Then he checked his leg for damage with his scanner. "No broken bones, fortunately," he said in relief. "But you'll develop a nice bruise."

"I fail to see how a bruise could be 'nice'," Reed replied through gritted teeth.

The doctor helped the lieutenant to his feet and led him to sit on a biobed. Then he went to Trip, who was still lying on the floor. "Now raise the pillow slowly, Commander, we don't want this creature to escape yet another time."

A moment later squ-ouse was in its cage, being observed by the three men.

"What an interesting little fellow," Phlox chimed, as he scanned the creature. "It will certainly make a nice addition to my menagerie. And, you never know: I may find that it has useful properties. It vaguely reminds me of the Denobulan grombit, which excretes a substance that is wonderful for treating burns."

Trip and Malcolm looked at each other in disgust.

After a moment Phlox turned to the two of them with one of his typical wide grins. "So, gentlemen. You did end up in sickbay after all. Although only one of you requires my care."

"I'm fine, Doctor," Reed hastened to say, slipping off the bed and gripping Trip's arm for support. "No need to worry, it's nothing, really."

Phlox reached for a pair of crutches and offered them to Malcolm. "Here Lieutenant. These will help you, for a day or two," he suggested.

Malcolm shook his head and started towards the door, dragging Trip along. "Thank you for your concern, Doctor, but they are not really necessary. And sorry for the upheaval."

Phlox let them get to the door and then called out, "Ah, Commander?"

Trip turned.

"You're forgetting your shirt."

The doctor went up to them and handed Trip the sorry-looking garment. Then he blithely asked, looking pointedly at the two officers, "Am I right in assuming that the Captain and Subcommander know nothing about… that creature?"

"Uhm, as a matter of fact you are, Doc," the engineer replied, embarrassed. "Although I will have to mention it in my report," he added, cringing at the idea.

Phlox hesitated a moment then suggested mischievously, "You might say that it was a surprise present for the CMO. After all it was, wasn't it?"

Trip considered his words for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose it was," he replied with a smile. "Thanks, Doc."

"You are welcome."

"Who's the lucky lady?" Hoshi asked, seeing Trip carry a covered tray out of the mess hall.

The engineer smiled. "Come on, Hoshi, don't you know better than to ask a guy such personal questions?"

"Don't worry, Commander," the ensign replied, "Your secret won't last very long. The ship's grapevine…" she let her singsong trail.

"Don't you dare set it in motion," Trip admonished.

"By the way," Hoshi said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Lieutenant Reed was seen limping today, when he thought nobody was looking. Surely nothing to do with yesterday's away mission?"

"Oh, no. Must be a case of gout. Good night, Ensign." And Trip quickly left, leaving Hoshi wondering.

"Come," Malcolm called from the toilet, where he had just finished taking his 'end-of- shift' shower. He leaned out of the door to see Trip enter. "Be with you in a minute. Make yourself at home," he said, before disappearing again.

"Take your time." Trip put the tray down on the desk and sat in the chair.

A moment later Reed reappeared wearing sweat pants. He got a T-shirt out of his wardrobe and slipped it on, while he eyed the tray with curiosity.

"If that's food, thank you, Trip, but I've already eaten," he said. "My shin might hurt but I can walk, I don't need a waiter," he added with a humorous smirk, sitting on his bed.

Tucker shifted uncomfortably on the chair. "Look, Mal, uhm, I'm really sorry about that. I guess I got carried away…"

Malcolm chuckled. "Ah, forget about it. It's not the first bruise, nor will it be the last, that I collect. All's well that ends well," he said.

Trip was a little surprised. He had expected Reed to be still upset about the incident. He smiled at his friend and said, "Thanks, I guess I owe you one."

Malcolm paused, pursing his lips.

"How about telling me, then, why you carried your precious Hawaiian shirt on our away mission," he enquired mischievously.

Trip heaved a deep breath and made a mental note never to say again, for any reason, to anybody 'I guess I owe you one'.

"Alright, alright,"he replied resignedly, here goes nothing, "As a lucky charm." He braced against an onslaught that didn't come.

He saw Reed's eyes dance but the lieutenant kept a straight face. "A lucky charm," he echoed.

"Yeah, that's what I said, didn't I," Trip mumbled with a hint of irritation. "And even if it's not very scientific, let me remind you that we did complete our mission, for once, without a brui… a scratch."

"TUSAM was defeated," Malcolm concurred, nodding, and Trip regarded him curiously.

"Well, aren't you goin' to laugh, pull my leg, and tell me that I'm a 'bloody' whatever?" he asked, frowning.

"I don't think so," Reed just answered. "After all, they… I mean it seems to have worked."

Trip saw a faint blush colour his friend's cheeks.

"Wait a minute, they?" he stressed, a funny thought crossing his mind. "You mean to tell me you have a lucky charm too?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"I never said that," Reed hastened to answer, "I don't really believe in lucky charms."

"Sure thing. So what's yours?" Trip enquired flatly. "It's only fair that you tell me."

"I told you, I don't really believe in these sorts of things …"

"But?"

There was a pause. Reed lowered his head and knit his brow.

"Well, I've got this little stone a friend gave to me a long time ago," he said softly. "She said it would bring me luck. I was still a child and, as children often do, I got attached to it. I've kept it, as the memory of a happy moment; I happened to have it with me one time, before Enterprise, on a dangerous mission. I narrowly escaped death that time, for a series of lucky circumstances, and ever since then…" his words faltered.

He raised searching eyes to meet Trip's. Seeing no hint of mockery in them, he got up, pulled a drawer of his desk, produced the small grey stone and offered it to his friend, who took it and put it in the palm of his hand.

"I'll be damned!" Trip's said, with a good-natured smile.

Reed quickly took the stone back and put it away. Then he sat on his bed again and cleared his throat.

"Even if I have already eaten, you go ahead," he said in a forcefully cheerful tone, steering the conversation away from the somewhat embarrassing revelation, "Your food must be getting cold."

"Ah, but I never said that was our supper," Tucker replied mysteriously.

Malcolm frowned. "You don't happen to have another creature in there, do you?"

Trip just chuckled and lifted the cover off the tray, revealing half a pineapple, artistically sliced by Chef, and a serving of pie. "Ta-da!"

"Pineapple!"

"And pecan pie. I thought we might celebrate our victory over TUSAM."

"A brilliant idea, Commander," Reed said with a rare, full smile.

After a few moments Malcolm asked, "I suppose that shirt if yours didn't get too ruined?"

"As a matter of fact," Trip grunted, "It got a couple of tears in it. I'll have to bring it to the quartermaster to get it patched up."

"Uhm, sorry," Malcolm mumbled. "Though I still believe the thing looks obnoxious."

Trip glared at him. "What? My lucky charm?"

Reed shook his head, smirking. "I don't really believe in luck, Trip," he insisted.

Tucker paused. Then he snickered, "Well, I wouldn't let my shirt hear you, if I were you. Look at what happened to you for treating it the way you did."

"So now you mean to tell me that I got a bruised shin because I caused a couple of tears in your lucky charm?" Malcolm asked in bewilderment. "Sorry, Trip, but it wasn't a gaudy Hawaiian shirt that sent me crushing against a cart in sickbay."

There was a rather long silence.

"Damn! Phlox was right, you know? This time was no different from the others: we can't really say that we didn't end up in sickbay," Trip muttered.

Malcolm sighed, leaning against the bed head. "At least we managed not to remain there. But still, it just goes to prove: lucky charms don't really work."

The lieutenant stretched, letting out a long groan. "I've had a bloody exhausting day. And I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning: I'm supposed to have a sparring session with Ramirez," he said with a glance at his sore leg and a grimace.

"Oh, I'll let you rest, then," Trip said, standing up to leave. "Though I'm sure you'll give him a good whippin' no problem," he smiled reassuringly.

Malcolm tilted his head. "Well, thank you, Commander. It's good to know that you at least have a little faith in your Amoury Officer's fighting techniques, since you don't seem to have much in his shooting skills," he commented chuckling, as he limped to the door with his friend.

"I sure do," Trip smiled as he stepped into the corridor casting a glance at Malcolm's injured limb. "But for a bit of extra luck, Lieutenant…" he waggled his eyebrows, "'break a leg'!"

THE END