Body

DECISIONS OF CONSCIENCE

It had seemed so simple eight hours ago when he first took shuttlepod one out of Enterprise's landing bay. Take the shuttlepod and do some detailed scans of the inhabited planet at the far end of the system that Enterprise was in. Enterprise was going to be scanning several planets in the immediate area and Malcolm had taken shuttlepod two to scan a planet in the opposite direction that he'd gone. Enterprise had gotten some rough scans from it's distance, but they needed details. Were the inhabitants advanced enough to make contact with? Would it be safe to make contact if so? Things like that. All Enterprise had been able to determine was that the planet was inhabited and what their general clothing was like. Archer had insisted that he and Malcolm go dressed in the clothing of the inhabitants just in case they did have to set down for some reason.

Now, Trip was fighting to keep from crashing, and losing. He'd reached the planet only a half hour ago and taken the shuttlepod into a low orbit. As he reached the back side of the planet from where Enterprise was, Trip had encountered an ion storm and it had battered the shuttlepod pretty harshly. Consoles had shorted out and sparks flew everywhere. It was all Trip could do to try and keep the ship under control, but he knew he was going to crash. Keeping a close eye out the front window, Trip tried to make sure he didn't come down too close to any of the villages on the planet. It wouldn't do to let the locals see his ship coming down, as all the scans he'd run so far indicated a pretty primitive society. According to his estimations, they were about as advanced as Earth had been in the early to mid eighteen hundreds.

Banking the shuttlepod to the right, Trip set it down as gently as possible. It wasn't very gently and he was thrown forward. His head impacted the console, but he was not knocked unconscious. There was now a nice gash on his forehead and his head throbbed with the pain. "Great, another head injury. Just what I needed." Trip mumbled to himself as he tried to press a cloth against his head to stop the bleeding. Checking the systems, he found everything to be dead. As he peered out the front window, he could see the front of the shuttlepod had been somewhat smashed up. He wasn't going anywhere until Enterprise could come for him and he knew he couldn't stay where he was.

Checking the blood flow and finding it almost stopped, Trip moved to the rear of the shuttlepod and took out the med. kit. He might not be able to take anything with him that was of advanced technology, but he could at least give himself a dose of pain killer from the med. kit's hypo-spray. Water was another story and he couldn't take the fancy canteens they had.

Checking the external sensors, Trip groaned. Forty degrees, another hot planet. At least he only had about five kilometers to walk this time instead of thirty. Taking a nice long drink from one of the canteens, he prepared himself to leave the shuttlepod and begin his journey to the nearest village. First he would need to do what he could to hide the shuttlepod.

An hour later Trip was less than a half a kilometer from the village he'd seen when he came down. The problem was he didn't think he could take another step. The heat and blood loss had taken their toll and he was ready to collapse. Some twenty minutes ago he had tripped and fallen, causing the gash on his forehead to break open and start bleeding freely again. "Well, hell." Was the last thing he said before darkness enveloped him and he collapsed to the dry, parched ground.

A short distance away, a lone rider watched as the stranger collapsed to the ground. Heading in his direction, she felt a great deal of urgency as the man must be terribly ill or injured to have collapsed like that. Stopping next to the fallen form, Rina dismounted her animal and knelt down to check the man for a pulse. Finding a pulse, she did her best to get the man on the back of her mount and headed back to her village where the man could be tended to.

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Moaning, Trip savored the feel of cool water flowing into his mouth. Where was it coming from? Last thing he remembered was collapsing in the middle of nowhere. Slowly he tried to open his eyes, but had to blink at the brightness. Although it was obvious he was in some sort of structure, even the dim light was too bright for his throbbing head. What he wouldn't give for that hypo-spray right then.

"Please lay still. You were very dehydrated." Rina thought he was a very handsome man and hoped she got the chance to know him better.

Her soft voice washed over him and he relaxed a little. Something about her made him feel safe and secure. Reaching up, Trip felt the soft material of the cloth bandage around his head. Keeping in mind that these people were very primitive compared to him, he smiled as the young woman came into focus. "Where am I?"

"You are in my village. Just try to relax. I was out riding when I saw you collapse. It was a good thing I was nearby as you had already become dehydrated. Much longer out there and you might have died." Placing her hand on his forehead, she checked to see if his body temperature had come down. She smiled as she felt the cool skin under her hand, it had.

"I owe you my life then." Trip smiled at the young lady. She seemed very kind and hoped the rest of her people were the same. "What's your name? Everyone calls me Trip."

"My name is Rina. I am pleased to meet you Trip." Rina gave him more water. She knew if she gave him too much at once he could become sick.

"I am very grateful to you Rina."

The man's smile was enough to make her melt. His blue eyes were without a doubt the windows to his soul and she liked what she saw. "There is no need. Anyone would have done the same."

"Perhaps, but that hasn't always been my experience." Her close scrutiny was almost embarrassing, but he wouldn't say anything since he owed his life to her.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Trip. You should get some more rest and I have to go and help prepare for the evening feast." Rina rose from her place next to the bed and started to move away.

Trip grasped her arm gently and kept her from leaving. "Thank you, Rina."

"You are welcome Trip. Now rest so you will be up for the feast this evening." His gentle touch on her arm made her feel something she'd never felt before and it puzzled her. She'd have to ask Zira about it later.

"Sounds wonderful." Trip was already drifting back to sleep. At least the people here were kind, the one he'd met so far anyway. That was his last thought as he drifted into a deep sleep.

Rina smiled. Trip was a sweet man and she couldn't help standing there watching him sleep for a moment. In all her twenty years, she'd never seen a more handsome man. Perhaps it was just that he was a stranger, but she found herself attracted to him. "I will make this an extra special feast just for you, Trip." With that she left the small cottage and headed for the center of town where the evening feast always occurred.

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As Rina helped the other women of the village prepare the evening feast, which would consist of poultry, rice, cucumber, and corn, a young man stepped up beside her. "Where have you been?"

"I really don't think that's any of your business, Breen." Rina did not like people demanding things from her.

"I was just curious, you don't have to be so defensive." Breen was madly in love with Rina and wished she'd express similar feelings for him.

"I was tending to the man I found in the desert earlier." She said as she stirred the rice.

"Oh, so how is he?" Breen felt jealousy flare inside him and he also felt a sudden dislike for the man, even though he knew nothing about him. If Rina spent all her time with him, then he'd have no chance of trying to win her heart.

"I think he will be fine with a little rest and some nourishment." Rina was getting irritated now. It was important to her that this be a particularly special feast, because she wanted Trip to get a good meal and regain his strength.

"Good, so he'll be going back to his own village soon?" Breen wanted the stranger gone. Without him there wouldn't be much competition for Rina's heart.

"I really don't know. He may be a traveler who doesn't have a particular home, or who's home is far away from here." Rina was definitely fascinated by Trip and wanted to know more about him. She really hoped he'd stay awhile and tell her about some of his adventures.

"A traveler? I thought they were just a myth. I didn't think anyone could survive the harsh climate of the desert that surrounds our village." Breen was skeptical. Granted the man had been in pretty bad shape when Rina found him, but he had his suspicions about him.

"Well, obviously he did. Why so many questions Breen? Why don't you ask him yourself?" Rina was really starting to get angry now. She'd been starting to have feelings for Breen, but right now he was irritating her and she wanted him to go away.

"Well, maybe I will." Breen strode away in a huff. He could tell Rina was falling for the stranger and it made him see red.

Rina couldn't understand why Breen was acting so strangely. She did not realize that he was in love with her. Moving to the fire in the center of the village, Rina checked the poultry and found it to be coming along nicely. It was nice and juicy and the skin was becoming a golden brown.

"Rina."

"Zira. I'm so happy to see you Grandma." Rina embraces Zira in a tight hug.

"My little Rina. You are so young and have so much to learn." Zira returned Rina's embrace and was happy to be with her Granddaughter.

"What do you mean?" Rina was confused now

"Breen. He is very much in love with you dear."

"Breen?" Rina was shocked. She'd never thought of him being in love with her.

"Yes, child. You must consider your future. As the Granddaughter of the village elder, you must carry on the tradition."

"But that doesn't mean I have to love Breen. What if there is another man that I love?" She wasn't sure yet that she loved Trip. After all, she'd only known him for a few hours, but she had more feelings towards him than she had any other man so far in her life.

"That is your decision child, but you must remember that your child we become the chosen one no matter who it's father is." Zira understood that Rina wanted to be in love with the man that gave her a child, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

"And I don't have a say in who that is?" Rina had never been happy with the customs of her village, but there was little she could do about it.

"Of course you do. I would never expect you to love someone that you don't. Just remember that the one you choose must understand the ways of our people." If only she could make Rina understand.

"I know Grandmother, but right now I just don't know what I feel. This stranger has stirred feelings inside me that I haven't felt before." Rina checked the poultry again and found there was no blood. It was done and ready to be removed from the fire.

"Just remember that he is a stranger."

"I know he is, but there is just something about him that is so different." Rina wished she could explain it to her Grandmother, but didn't think there was anything she could say.

"Just be careful." Zira walked away and let her Granddaughter think about everything.

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Trip woke to what smelled like chicken roasting and his stomach growled embarrassingly. His head still hurt a little, but otherwise he felt much better. It was amazing what a little rest and cool water could do. Reaching up, he felt the bandage around his head and wondered if there was ever going to be an away mission that he didn't get injured on.

"It's good to see you finally awake. I was beginning to worry, you slept so long." Rina stood in the doorway to her small cabin. She'd come to check on the handsome stranger and escort him to dinner.

"I'm feeling much better, thanks to you." Trip gave Rina one of his million dollar smiles. "I don't know how to thank you. If you hadn't found me I probably would have died out there." Sitting up in the bed, Trip swung his legs over the side.

"There is no need to thank me." Moving quickly to Trip's side, "Let me help you. Until you get some food in you, you'll be rather weak." She put her arm around his waist as he stood and guided him towards the door.

"Thanks Rina. It all smells delicious." He was grateful for her help and she was a pretty young girl, but Trip had an idea that she was far too young for him. Not to mention he didn't plan to be there long enough to get to know anyone.

"I do hope you will like what we've prepared." Rina looked at Trip's face and smiled. He was by far the most handsome and sweetest man she'd ever met.

"I'm sure I will. Especially if it tastes anything like it smells." Trip was leaning on her more heavily than he'd realized. Fact was he did feel rather weak. He just hoped he didn't embarrass himself by pigging out on the food when it was placed in front of him.

An unhappy looking young man stepped in front of them and stopped their progress. "Rina, what are you doing?"

"I'm assisting Trip to the feast. He is still very weak." She was really getting frustrated with Breen's behavior again. Why couldn't he act more like Trip? "Trip, this is Breen." She indicated the unhappy man. "Breen, Trip."

Trip extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Breen." He lowered it again when it became obvious that Breen wasn't going to shake it.

"Breen, you're being rude." Rina hissed at him.

"Lets just say I don't trust him yet." Breen had a look of suspicion on his face that was unmistakable. However, the look was just a cover for the jealousy he felt.

"I guarantee you I'm not after anything. Except maybe a good meal." Trip smiled, but he somehow got the feeling that just made Breen even more suspicious.

"We'll see." Was all Breen said before turning and walking off.

"I'm sorry, Trip. That was rude and he's not usually like that." Rina pulled a chair out for Trip at the table and sat next to him. "I'll make sure you get a plate full."

"Please, I don't want to take anyone's share." The last thing he wanted was for one of them to go without because of him.

"Don't be silly. There is plenty for everyone." Setting a plate in front of Trip, she smiled as he looked at the heaping plate of food. She'd made sure he got a nice large portion of one of the Creel birds. There was also a large helping of the rice and corn. "We also have some water root if you are interested."

"Sounds interesting." Trip took the bowl holding the water root and smiled. "This looks very good." It looked just like cucumbers to him and he liked those. He thought it interesting how some of their food had the same name as things from Earth and others didn't. That was one of the things he loved about exploring space.

Spending the next several hours enjoying the feast, Trip learned a great deal about the people in the village and some of their customs were interesting. Now it was getting late and the sun's were beginning to set. Trip found himself walking towards the edge of the village. He was looking at the setting suns, but was thinking about Enterprise and how he missed everyone already.

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Now that Rina had helped clean up after the feast, she was looking for Trip. Her hope was that she could get him to go for a walk with her and watch the suns set. Provided he felt up to it that was. She found him standing near the edge of the village looking in the direction of the setting suns. It was also the direction his shuttlepod was in, but she was not aware of any of that. "Hi, Trip."

Turning at the sound of Rina's voice, Trip smiled. "Hello, Rina. Thank you for a wonderful meal. I feel much better now."

"You are welcome, Trip. I was hoping you'd take a walk with me to watch the suns set." Stepping up next to him, she turned her head so she could look at his face. There was something in his blue eyes that she couldn't quite place. A longing or loneliness perhaps. "Is there someone you are missing right now?"

"What?" That question had surprised him. He was missing Enterprise, but he hadn't realized it showed. "No, not really." Trip took Rina's hand and they began to walk towards some large boulders just outside of the village. The sunset was becoming a spectacular view and Trip felt some of his loneliness and depression wash away. For a moment he wasn't even sure why he'd been feeling that way. It had only been about a day since leaving Enterprise and the people of the village had made him feel very welcome.

"Isn't it beautiful?" The joy she felt at sitting on the boulder, holding Trip's hand, and watching the suns set was like nothing she'd ever felt.

"Yes it is." Trip wasn't sure he should be holding her hand. What if she got the wrong impression? Carefully he stood, which made him have to let go of her hand. Walking forward a few steps brought him to the edge of a ravine. It wasn't real deep, but he'd have to remember it's location in case he had to go in the middle of the night to get back to the shuttlepod. Someone could get badly injured if they fell into it. "I'll have to be on my way soon."

It was barely a whisper, but it seemed to cut through her. Rina didn't want him to go. "Why? I was hoping you could stay awhile." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but didn't think she had. Standing, she moved closer to Trip. "I am finding myself becoming very attracted to you."

"Rina." Trip turned to face her. "I've noticed and that's one of the reasons I have to leave. I like you, Rina. You're a very sweet young lady, but you should be with one of your own people and some of my people will come for me soon." He was trying to explain things without giving anything away or hurting her. Suddenly he saw Breen coming up behind her with a very angry look on his face. Grasping Rina by the arms, he pulled her around behind him. "Breen, you need to calm down."

"I knew there was something going on between you two." Breen took a swing at Trip, but he managed to duck it. That only made Breen angrier and he wanted to make Trip pay for trying to steal his girl.

"Breen! There is nothing going on between us. We were just watching the suns set and talking." Rina did her best to make him settle down, but it didn't seem to be working.

"I saw you holding hands, and the way you were standing so close together. I'm not blind you know." Grabbing Trip by the shirt, Breen tried to hit him, but Trip sidestepped him and instead Breen shoved Trip backwards.

"Whoa." Trip gasped as he tried to regain his balance. Before he could do so, his momentum carried him into Rina and she was forced back, where she fell into the ravine. Trip spun quickly at the sound of her cry and felt his heart rip in two as he watched her fall down the side of the ravine. "RINA"

"Oh, God." Breen said as he stood there wide eyed. He'd never meant to cause her harm. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

"Breen, go and get help." Trip snapped at him before turning back and beginning his careful decent down the side of the ravine after Rina. He knew she was badly hurt, as he'd watched her tumble down the rock strewn side of the ravine. Knowing he'd have to move her as carefully as he possibly could, Trip knelt beside her motionless form. "Rina, I'm so sorry. I should never have come here."

Rina was laying face up, but her right arm was pinned under her and there was already obvious signs of bruising on her face. Trip gently pushed a strand of her light brown hair back off her face. Right then she seemed like a little girl and he felt a sudden need to protect her wash over him. There wasn't much light left as the last of the suns began to drop below the horizon. Gently lifting Rina in his arms, he then draped her over his shoulder and used the rope that had been thrown down to pull himself back up. His hands were cut and bloody by the time he reached the top, but he didn't even notice.

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A few hours later, Trip sat beside Rina's bed holding her hand. His hand's had been cleaned up, but he'd refused bandages. It was a small price to pay for what he'd done to Rina. He could only hold her left hand, as the right was badly bruised and swollen. The village doctor had examined her, but couldn't say one way or the other if she would survive. There was damage to her spine and she had some internal bleeding, as well as multiple broken bones. Since surgery was not a common thing with these people, the Doctor would only do so if there was no other choice.

The Doctor had to give Breen something to make him sleep because he was so distraught over having caused Rina to be injured. Zira was currently with him, keeping watch and hoping to ease some of his guilt when he woke. Breen hadn't been able to stop saying "I'm sorry." The whole time Rina was being tended to. He'd let his jealousy take control and now Rina might die. Even the herbs that had been given to him by the Doctor, didn't keep his sleep from being restless.

Trip lowered his head as he fought to stay awake. He refused to leave Rina's side and the exhaustion of the last twenty four hours was taking it's toll. As was the guilt that filled his heart and soul. If he hadn't come there and gone off with her, none of it would have happened. Fighting it with everything he had, he finally lost the battle to stay awake and his head dropped to the bed beside Rina. A few moments later Zira came into the cabin and put a blanket over him.

Zira couldn't understand the thinking of the young. She had two young men that both blamed themselves completely for what happened to her Granddaughter. Granted, Breen was pretty much to blame, but Trip was not. He'd done nothing wrong. All he'd done was show his appreciation for Rina taking care of him and tried to be friendly. Trip was the one she was most concerned about, because he did blame himself and she didn't know how to make him see he wasn't. Right now Rina was probably the only one that could make him see that he wasn't to blame and she wasn't going to be waking anytime soon.

What Trip didn't know was that the Doctor had put some of the same herbs into Trip's water as he had given to Breen. Zira had ordered it because she wanted the young man to get some rest. Deep inside, Trip's consciousness was not at rest as he was trying to decide what to do. He could find a way to get her back to Enterprise so that Phlox could heal her, but how would he make them understand how she was healed? That was the part he was having trouble with. Using such advanced technology on such a primitive people was something they had been told by Starfleet to avoid. How could he do that if it meant the difference between life and death for Rina? Trip really wished Archer was there so he could seek his advice about all of this.

Rina, for her part was on the fringes of consciousness. She was aware that someone was holding her hand, but the pain in her head and body was almost unbearable. Her thoughts were of the incident between Breen and Trip. Why had Breen been so careless? If he loved her like Zira said, then why had he done it? Her youth did not allow her much insight or wisdom into the realm of love, so she didn't understand that love made people do crazy things sometimes. Hearing Trip cry out her name as she fell into the ravine had broken her heart. There had been so much fear and concern in his voice and she wanted to let him know she didn't blame him. .

Zira stood in the doorway to her Granddaughter's cabin and watched her sleeping. Her concern for Rina was deep and she feared Rina might not survive. Shifting her gaze to Trip, she also felt concern for him. He blamed himself and if Rina did die, Trip might not be able to cope with it. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"

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Meanwhile, Malcolm had completed his mission and returned to Enterprise. The inhabitants of the planet he went to were not advanced enough to make contact with. In fact, they were even less advanced than the ones on Trip's planet. Now Enterprise was finishing the scans on the planets directly around them. So far they had found no civilizations advanced enough to make contact with. If there was one thing they were learning on this first mission, it was to be very careful who they made contact with. Archer wondered if Trip was having any better luck and was getting a bit worried. Trip should have contacted Enterprise by now with an update on his mission. "Anything from Commander Tucker yet, Hoshi?"

"No sir. Not a thing." Hoshi was worried too. She knew the planet Trip was going to was farther away than Malcolm's, but he still should have reported in by now.

"Try contacting him. I'd like to know what he's found there."

"Yes sir." Hoshi began trying to reach Trip, but all she was getting was silence. It was as if the shuttlepod wasn't even there. "Nothing sir, nothing at all."

Archer could see the worry on Hoshi's face and knew something was wrong. "What is it, Hoshi?"

"I don't know, sir. It's as if the shuttlepod isn't even there."

"Malcolm, get as good a scan as you can on that planet Trip went to. If he went down, then I want to know it." Archer sat in his Captain's chair and sighed. 'Not again,' he thought to himself.

"Sir, I suggest we have a landing party ready to go in case the Commander did have to land, or crashed." T'Pol wanted to go get shuttlepod two ready to go and obtain the appropriate clothing.

"Go ahead T'Pol. Let me know when you are ready." Archer glanced at Reed to see a look of concern on his face. "Malcolm?"

"Yes sir. I have detected the shuttlepod on the surface. Trip must have tried to hide it, but our sensors had no trouble finding it. According to the readings, the shuttlepod has some damage, but not too bad." Reed was encouraged by the fact that the damage wasn't great and Trip had obviously not been injured very badly. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hide the shuttlepod.

"Any sign of Trip?"

"No sir. There are numerous life sign readings about five kilometers from the shuttlepod. My guess is he went to that village."

"Set a course for the planet Mister Mayweather. Be discreet, we can't just go charging in there." Archer knew they'd have to handle the situation carefully.

"Aye, sir." Mayweather began tapping buttons on his console and Enterprise changed direction.

"Archer to T'Pol."

"Go ahead, Captain." T'Pol was in shuttlepod two getting it prepped. She'd already made arrangements for the necessary clothing to be brought to the shuttlepod.

"We have found Trip's shuttlepod on the surface. It looks like he crashed, but was not injured. How long until the shuttlepod is ready to go?" Archer paced the bridge behind his chair.

"A matter of moments. Who do you intend to bring on this mission?"

"Just you and me, T'Pol." The fewer people on the mission, the better. "Better make sure you have something to hide those ears."

"Already done sir. I'll be wearing a wig." T'Pol had prepared for everything, as usual.

"Very well. I am on my way down then. The sooner we retrieve our stray Commander, the better." Archer smiled. He was relieved to know that Trip apparently hadn't been injured this time. "You have the bridge, Mister Reed."

"Aye, sir."

Archer headed for the landing bay and after a few moments to change clothes, he and T'Pol were on their way to the planet. Hopefully they could retrieve Trip and his damaged shuttlepod quickly and keep contact with the inhabitants to a minimum. Little did he know what mess Trip was in and the dilemma that would face him.

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Rina slowly began to wake and it didn't take her long to figure out that it was Trip holding her hand. As she looked at him sleeping there, it warmed her heart to see how much he seemed to care. Deep down she knew it was more out of guilt than any kind of real affection for her. He'd told her that he didn't have any kind of romantic feelings for her and that he'd be leaving soon. Trying to take a deep breath, Rina discovered that caused her a great deal of pain. She also realized that she couldn't feel her legs and that scared her. Overcome by weakness and pain, Rina slipped back into unconsciousness.

A short time later, Trip began to wake. He knew he'd been drugged, but he didn't mind. Truth was he needed some sleep and his conscience hadn't been letting him go to sleep. Sitting up, he stretched his back to work out the stiffness, but didn't let go of Rina's hand. Looking at her bruised and swollen face made all of his guilt come rushing back. "I'm so sorry, Rina." Reaching out with his other hand, he gently brushed her bangs back from her forehead and stroked her shoulder length hair. He'd give anything to see her striking green eyes again, but his fear was that he never would. God, he wished he knew what to do. If he took her back to Enterprise then Doctor Phlox could heal her and she'd be fine, but if he did that, none of her people, including her, would understand how she was healed. "Where are you when I need you, Captain."

"Who is Captain?" Zira had entered the cabin and heard Trip's words. She'd never heard the name Captain before and found it strange.

Trip turned sharply at the sudden voice. He hadn't known she was there. "You startled me. He's a friend of mine." All he could do was hope that she'd be satisfied with that.

"I understand. He gives you advice?" Perhaps this Captain was the village elder of Trip's village.

"He's given me advice many times, yes." Trip felt relief that she'd accepted his answer.

"Then he must be a very wise man. Is he your village elder?"

"You could say that, yes." Trip had to smile at the thought of how Archer would react to being called that.

"I really don't know you very well, Trip. I do know that you aren't to blame for what happened to Rina. Breen let his jealousy get the better of him and he made a terrible mistake. You, my young friend, did nothing wrong." She moved closer to Trip. It was important for her to make him see what she was trying to tell him.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you're wrong. If I hadn't come here and spent time with Rina, none of this would have happened. I should have been able to protect her." That was where most of his guilt lay. He was a military trained officer and he couldn't even protect a young lady from an angry young man.

Zira knelt in front of Trip and took his face in her hands. His blue eyes held so much emotion. "You did what you could. It was not your fault and if Rina was awake right now, she'd tell you the same."

"Well, she's not awake and may never be again. How do I live with the fact that I could have prevented that?" To himself he added. 'How do I live with the fact that I can change that, but don't know that I should?'

"You don't know that you could have prevented it, Trip. I've always believed that everything happens for a reason. So, for some reason that none of us know or understand right now, this was meant to happen." Zira could see that Trip wasn't accepting what she was saying. "Come with me, Trip. I will get you settled in a place of your own where you can rest and think."

"Thank you, Zira. I can't leave Rina."

"Yes you can. I will come and get you if anything changes." Zira firmly, but gently pulled Trip to his feet and guided him out the door of Rina's cabin. Taking him a few cabins down, she indicated the cabin they now stood in front of. "Everything you need should be inside. If there is anything you need that isn't inside, just let someone know and they will get it for you."

"Thank you, Zira. I am sorry about your Granddaughter." Trip turned and walked inside the cabin. It was very nice and roomy, but he didn't really care. He had a lot of thinking to do and hopefully Enterprise would come for him soon and he could get Archer's opinion on his decision.

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Archer set shuttlepod two down next to shuttlepod one. Trip had done a pretty good job of hiding it from the naked eye, but their sensors had no trouble finding it. They had almost run into the same ion storm that Trip had, but managed to avoid it. As they departed shuttlepod two, Archer noted the hot, arid climate and cringed. Just the kind of conditions that Trip hated. At least if he went to the nearby village, it was only five kilometers and not thirty, like it had been before. "T'Pol, check out Trip's shuttlepod and see how badly damaged it is."

"Aye, Captain. What are you going to do?" T'Pol headed in the direction of the damaged shuttlepod.

"Get some supplies together. I want to find Trip as quickly as possible." Archer ran a tricorder reading before stowing it aboard the shuttlepod. He couldn't take it with him, but he wanted to know what was between them and the village.

"Captain, the shuttlepod will fly with minimal repairs. I was not sure why the Commander did not just make the repairs and leave until I saw the blood on board. From what I could tell, the impact of the crash caused him to hit his head on the console. There is blood there and in other areas, including a piece of cloth." T'Pol held the cloth Trip had used to stop the bleeding in her hand. She had also discovered the half empty canteen.

"Damn, I was hoping he'd come out of it uninjured. Guess there is no way of knowing how badly injured he was?" It couldn't have been too bad, or Trip wouldn't have had the strength to hide the shuttlepod the way he did.

"No, sir. His canteen is half empty, so he must have drank as much as he could before leaving. I would say he was somewhat disoriented and did his best to hide the shuttlepod before leaving. Logic would have dictated that he stay with the shuttlepod until we arrived." She knew full well that human's seldom did the logical thing, but Commander Tucker was usually a little more logical thinking than this.

Archer looked off in the direction of the village with a concerned look on his face. He prayed that Trip was all right and had made it to the village safely. "Okay, T'Pol lets get going."

"I am ready, sir." T'Pol checked her appearance and made sure her ears were well hidden. Then she joined Archer on a path leading out of the small canyon that the shuttlepod's were in.

"Lets hope Trip made it to the village safely." Archer began walking in the direction of the village. It was in the heat of the day and he felt sweat breaking out on his body already.

"Indeed." Was all T'Pol said. Being from Vulcan, this climate was still rather cool to her.

An hour later the two walked calmly into the village and found it to feel very friendly. Now all they had to do was find Trip. Approaching an elderly woman standing outside one of the cabins, Archer spoke. "Hello, I wonder if you might help me. I am looking for a friend that came here a day or so ago."

"You must mean Trip." Zira replied.

"Yes, Trip. He is a good friend and we would like to see him." Archer was relieved to know that Trip had made it there safely.

"He is resting now and I don't know how easy it will be for you to get him to leave here." Zira knew Trip would not leave until he knew if Rina would live or not.

"What do you mean?" T'Pol asked.

"Come with me and he can tell you about it himself." Zira began walking towards the cabin she'd given Trip. "You should know that Trip is blaming himself for something that he should not. My Granddaughter was injured because one of our village boys got into a fight with Trip. He did his best to stop Breen, but because of the altercation, my Granddaughter fell into a ravine and was seriously injured. Trip blames himself." Zira stopped in front of the cabin belonging to Trip.

"He blames himself?" Archer was not really surprised. Trip could be an extremely sensitive man.

"Yes." Zira walked away. She knew Trip's friends would want to be alone with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trip was laying on the bed inside the cabin. He'd heard voices outside, but hadn't paid much attention. His thoughts were on how he could convince Archer to help Rina. The decision had been made a short time ago. He could not leave Rina there to die. If he had to sneak the necessary supplies off of Enterprise, he'd do so.

"Trip?" Archer stepped inside the cabin to see Trip laying on the bed. He had a small bandage covering his temple and he looked emotionally upset.

"Captain?" Trip quickly sat up and faced Archer. "I'm glad you are here sir."

"I'm glad to see you in one piece, Trip. Now what's this about you blaming yourself for a young ladies injuries?" Archer saw no point in beating around the bush.

"It's the truth, sir. If I hadn't come here and gotten involved with these people, it wouldn't have happened." Trip looked away from Archer and T'Pol as shame welled up inside him. 15

"That's not what I was told." Archer was trying to be easy on his friend, but it was important for him to make Trip see it wasn't his fault. Zira had given them the basic details of what had happened and Trip was completely without fault.

"Doesn't matter what you were told. It was my fault and I will do what I have to." Trip looked back at Archer and could tell the determination he felt was reflected in his eyes, because Archer flinched.

"What are you saying Trip?"

"I'm saying that I want her taken to Enterprise to be healed." He glanced at T'Pol and could see the disapproval on her face.

"Captain, that would be unwise. These people are too primitive and would not understand how she was healed." T'Pol had to state her opinion, even if she knew it would not help Tucker in this situation.

"Sir, we have to do something. If we leave her here, she will die." Trip hated pleading for anything, but he had to now.

"Take it easy, Trip. Right now I am just glad that you are okay." Moving into the cabin, Archer sat down next to Trip. "I'd like to see this young lady. Are you romantically involved with her?"

"No, sir. She is too young for me. She does seem to have an attraction to me, but I didn't do anything to encourage her." It seemed like he was always defending himself when it came to women and he'd yet to do anything with any of them.

"I'm sure you didn't, Trip. Just as I am sure it wasn't your fault that she was injured." Archer put his hand on Trip's shoulder. The guilt and anguish in Trip's eyes had him concerned.

"Lets just take it one step at a time. First lets go see this young lady and we can decide what to do from there."

"Thanks, Captain. I really didn't know what to do." Trip rose from the bed with Archer. He really was glad he was there now. However, he wished Archer hadn't brought T'Pol with him as she already seemed to have a low opinion of him. They walked the short distance to Rina's cabin and went inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Archer was saddened by the condition of the young girl and could understand why Trip was feeling the way he was. She was very young and very pretty. The urge to help her was strong inside him too, but he didn't know if they should help her. It seemed cold and heartless, but with space exploration came responsibility.

As soon as they entered the cabin, Trip had spotted Breen sitting next to the bed with Rina's hand in his. The sorrow on the young man's face was unmistakable and Trip felt like that was just another reason to help Rina. It would help Breen too, and Trip knew the two young people belonged together. His hope was that Rina could forgive him and Breen for what they'd done to her, but he especially hoped she could forgive Breen. "Sir, now you see that we have to help her somehow."

"I would like to help her more than anything, Trip. I just don't see how we can without giving ourselves away." Breen's sorrow had gotten to Archer as well, but he just couldn't seem to see a way to help her without showing how much more advanced they were.

"Maybe we could talk to Phlox and see if he has an idea."

"Possibly, but I don't want to remain here any longer than necessary." Archer sighed. Sometimes being the Captain sucked.

"Sir, I recommend you return to Enterprise and discuss this with Doctor Phlox." T'Pol replied

"What are you and Trip going to do?"

"We will attempt to repair the shuttlepod while we await your return." The shuttlepod needed fixing and T'Pol had an idea of how she might solve the problem of Rina's infatuation with Tucker. Provided the young lady woke.

"Very well. I will return as quickly as I can and bring anything Phlox gives me to help her, if there is anything." Archer stepped out of the cabin and prepared to leave the village.

"Sir? Thanks." Trip smiled. He knew all too well what risk Archer was taking in trying to help Rina.

"You're welcome Trip. Just get the shuttlepod fixed and be ready to leave when I get back." Archer smiled back at Trip. If there was anything they could do to help the young woman, he'd do it. It would also help Trip and that was the most important thing to Archer.

"Aye, Captain."

"Commander, I suggest we get moving." T'Pol wanted to get the shuttlepod fixed and leave the planet as soon as possible, before any more damage could be done.

"Okay, T'Pol. I just want to check on Rina first." Trip went back inside the cabin and stepped up next to where Breen sat. "How is she?"

Breen looked up at Trip and felt the jealousy flare again. Forcing it down, he smiled. "She's the same, Trip. I feel so bad about this. It's all my fault."

"No, it isn't entirely your fault, Breen. I am to blame as well." Trip put his hand on Breen's shoulder and felt him tense. The young man still didn't like, or trust him it would seem.

"Well, I don't know about that. I was the one that started the fight." Breen didn't want to argue about it. If Trip wanted to blame himself, then so be it.

"I need to leave for a few hours. I will be back with my friends and hopefully Rina will be doing better." Trip turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Breen speaking.

"Why come back at all?" His voice was harsher than he'd wanted, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Because, I don't run out on people I feel responsible for. I want to be sure that Rina will live before I leave for good." Trip was hurt by the harshness of Breen's words, but tried to push that aside and remember that the young man was in love with Rina and felt he was a threat to that. "I'll see you later Breen. Rina, if you can hear me, hang in there sweetheart." Moving out of the cabin, he and T'Pol headed out of town and to Trip's hidden shuttlepod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a lengthy talk with Phlox, Archer felt a little better about helping young Rina. Phlox could give him some hypo-sprays to give the girl. The effects would be slow and therefore look like it was a natural healing process. The only drawback was that they'd have to remain on the planet for at least several more days, as the hypo-sprays would have to be given to Rina a little at a time. Archer thought it best that Trip handle giving Rina the hypo-sprays. He could get closer to her than he or T'Pol could. It would probably be best if he and T'Pol made themselves as scarce as possible during those few days.

While Archer got the necessary hypo-sprays from the Doctor and headed back to the planet, Trip and T'Pol were completing repairs on the shuttlepod. It had taken over an hour to reach the shuttlepod as Trip needed to take a few breaks. T'Pol did not need to rest, but understood that Commander Tucker did not handle the climate very well and he still had a head injury. "The systems are back on line. How are your repairs coming, T'Pol?"

"There are no hull breaches and I've done what I can to stabilize the outer hull. It should be good enough to get the shuttlepod back to Enterprise." T'Pol didn't like doing the minimum to repair anything. If it wasn't one hundred percent, it wasn't good enough in her opinion. However, in this situation, less than perfect would have to do.

"Okay, as soon as Archer returns we should head back to the village." Trip hated being away from Rina. What if something happened to her while he was gone?

"Provided Archer believes that would be prudent." T'Pol understood, but didn't want to interfere.

"I'm not leaving Rina to die, T'Pol." He knew as a Vulcan that T'Pol didn't really understand, but he wasn't about to leave Rina until he could help her and be sure she was going to be okay.

"I understand. You feel responsible for her, even though you did not cause her injury." T'Pol had been learning what it was like to be human, but still wasn't sure she understood why someone would blame themselves for something that clearly wasn't their fault.

"That's right. I may not have caused her injuries, but as a military trained officer I should have been able to protect her."

"You human's can act so illogically sometimes. You can not make every situation go your way. If you could then you would never get injured or have anything go wrong." T'Pol got the impression she was wasting her breath, but she had to try.

"I really don't want to discuss this any more. I have to follow my conscience and it tells me that I have to help Rina." Trip closed the panel and sat the tricorder down. He'd managed to get all the systems repaired and the damage hadn't been as bad as he thought. Hearing shuttlepod two returning, Trip secured shuttlepod one and moved outside to join T'Pol.

"How did it go?" T'Pol asked.

"Phlox gave me some hypo-sprays for Rina. He said that we'd have to give her the medication a little at a time, so it means we will have to remain here for a few more days." Archer tossed the satchel with the medications in it to Trip. "You should be the one to give them to her. You'll be able to get closer to her than either of us and you would not draw suspicion by requesting to be alone with her." Archer moved around shuttlepod one and was pleased with the repairs that had been made.

"These hypo-sprays will heal her completely?" Trip was skeptical. How would they fix her internal bleeding?

"No, according to Phlox they will not help her internal bleeding, but it will help her bones heal and give her some relief from the pain. They will also help eliminate any chance for infections." Archer knew Trip wouldn't be happy with that, but it was the best they could do.

"Thanks, Captain. I know this was not an easy decision to make and I would have understood if you refused to help Rina. It would have taken a while to get over it, but I would have understood." He fell into step next to Archer and T'Pol as they began the trek back to the village. At least it was getting late and the temperature had dropped.

"Let's just hope it's enough. The longer we remain here, the more danger there is of these people finding out who we really are." Archer sidestepped a cactus and glanced at Trip.

"I know and as soon as I am sure that Rina will survive and I've given her all the medication, we can go." Even though it was cooler, Trip was still sweating and he wiped his sleeve across his brow, being careful of the injury on his temple. They traveled the rest of the way back to the village in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Trip entered Rina's cabin he found Zira at her side and the village Doctor was just leaving. "What's going on? What happened?" His voice was filled with concern as he looked down at Rina. He'd hoped to give her the first of the hypo-spray injections, but it would have to wait a little.

"The Doctor had to open her up while you were away. Her internal bleeding became worse and there was no choice. She survived the procedure, but is very, very weak." Zira looked up at Trip. Her curiosity about where Trip and his friends had gone, was high, but she pushed it aside. It was none of her business where they went.

Kneeling beside the bed, Trip took Rina's hand. She looked so pale and vulnerable. "Was he able to stop the bleeding?" Trip hoped so, then she should be okay once he gave her all of the hypo-sprays.

"Yes, but he is worried that she is now too weak to heal herself."

"She'll do it. I know she will." Of course he did. Now that he had something to help her, she would survive and no one there would know it wasn't her own natural healing.

"I truly hope you are right, Trip." Zira stood and moved to the door. She wanted to allow Trip some time alone with her Granddaughter. Stepping outside, Zira found Trip's friends talking off to the side. "If you would care to join me, our evening feast will begin soon."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." Archer wanted to be as polite as possible to these people. If they were going to be there for several days, it wouldn't do to draw any suspicions.

Back inside, Trip got himself settled in the chair next to Rina's bed. He held her hand in his left, while pressing the first of the hypo-sprays to her neck with his right. Doctor Phlox had been kind enough to set the dosages for him. Each hypo-spray help four doses of medication and would need to be given over two days. There were a total or three hypo-sprays that Trip would have to give her. The first had medication in it that would help her bones heal, the second had pain medication, and the last had antibiotics. "You're going to be okay, Rina." Once he finished with the hypo-sprays, he leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead.

Archer ducked into the cabin that Trip and Rina were in. "How's it coming, Trip?"

"I've given her all three of the medications. I'll have to give her more later." Trip put the hypo-sprays into the satchel and closed it. He'd have to put it some place that no one would find it. Since Archer would probably be sharing his cabin with him, that should be a safe place.

"Good, then join us for dinner. Their evening feast is about to begin." Archer had been watching as they prepared some kind of fish, potatoes, and beans that he would ordinarily call green beans, but they weren't green. They were a purplish color, but smelled good just the same.

"Aye, Captain."

"She will be all right, Trip." Archer could see that Trip was still very concerned. His hope was that the medications would help the young lady and then Trip could relax.

Before rising from the chair, Trip kissed the back of Rina's hand and brushed her bangs back off her forehead. "I'll be back sweetheart." He sighed and moved to join Archer for the evening feast. It wouldn't be the same without Rina there, but he did need to eat.

"Sometimes I think you are far too sensitive for your own good, Trip." Archer hated to see Trip going through all this emotionally, but knew that Trip wouldn't be Trip if he wasn't the way he was. Lord knew Trip could be a force to be reckoned with if you made him angry or tried to hurt someone he cared about, but he also had this incredibly sensitive side. Wrapping his arm around Trip's shoulders, they made their way to the feast. "She'll make it Trip. How could she not with you taking care of her?"

"I hope you're right, sir. I don't even seem to be able to take care of myself half the time and now I am trying to take care of that sweet, young girl." Trip was looking at the ground as they walked, so he didn't see T'Pol approach.

"I would say you are doing a fine job with her, Commander." T'Pol tried not to show it, but she was actually proud of Tucker's actions. He was taking responsibility, even if he was too stubborn to see that her injuries were not his fault.

"Thanks, T'Pol. I just hope it's not for nothing."

Archer glanced at T'Pol and saw that she was worried too. If Rina didn't make it, he was afraid the guilt would destroy Trip. Finding three seats at the table, they sat down and enjoyed the wonderful feast. Archer kept his eye on Trip during dinner and although he did eat, it wasn't a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If not for Zira's interference, Trip would have been right back in with Rina. "Would you mind terribly giving Breen some time alone with Rina?"

"No, not at all." Trip smiled, but it didn't feel genuine. He wanted Breen and Rina to be together the way they should be, but he hated being away from her. There was still another dose of the hypo-sprays that he had to give her tonight, so he'd have to be sure and do that before going to bed.

"Trip, why don't we go back to your cabin so we can get settled in." Archer wanted to do something to distract Trip from Rina. He hoped going back to Trip's cabin and getting settled in would help. They'd need to find something to make a divider between where they slept and T'Pol would sleep.

"Aye, Captain." Trip moved with the Captain and T'Pol to his cabin. They began rearranging the cabin so that T'Pol could have privacy and a place to meditate. Trip still couldn't get his mind off of Rina. For one thing he wanted to know if the hypo-sprays he'd given her had helped any. Even though he doubted it was much, as Archer had told him what Phlox said. The medications would work slowly so her healing would look natural.

A short time later, Breen appeared at the door to Trip's cabin. Reluctantly, Trip let him in at Archer's prompting. Breen knew that Trip blamed himself for what happened to Rina and if he hadn't spent so much time with her, maybe he wouldn't have gotten so jealous. As Zira had pointed out though, that was the easy way out. Blaming Trip for being friendly was not the answer and he knew it was more his own fault than anyone's, including Trip's. Seeing the man now though, still made his jealousy flare.

"What can I do for you, Breen?"

"I know we haven't exactly gotten along and most of that is my fault. Just as the injuries to Rina are my fault." Breen sat down in a chair next to the table. "I let my jealousy take control and Rina paid the price."

"You have no reason to be jealous, Breen. I'm not in love with Rina and I will be leaving here as soon as I know she will be okay." Trip moved to the chair across from Breen and sat down. "I believe that you and Rina are meant to be, but you are really going to have to work now that you have behaved so poorly."

"I know." Was all Breen said, but in his mind he added. 'I won't have a chance until you're gone.' He knew Rina was very attracted to Trip and until he left, she would be focusing all her attention on him. "I have to go now. I just needed to say a few things."

"Thanks, Breen. Everything will work out." Now if he could just believe that. Checking the time, Trip determined that it was time to give Rina more medication before going to bed. "I'll be back shortly Captain."

"Okay, Trip. I hope Rina is doing better."

"So do I." Trip left his cabin and made his way to Rina's where he would give her more of the medication. He spent a little time with her and watched her sleeping. The swelling in her hand and on her face had gone down, but now her bruises were turning a yellowish color as they slowly began to heal. "I'm going to make you better Rina."

Rina knew Trip was there, but couldn't quite make out what he was saying. All she knew was that she was feeling better. There wasn't as much pain and there was a tingling in her legs now. Somehow she knew that the Doctor had opened her up and stopped the bleeding inside her, but she didn't know how she knew. Now all she wanted was to wake so she could see Trip and let him know she didn't blame him for anything. In fact, the way he'd been with her since she was injured only made her like him all that much more. She really did think she was falling in love with him and when she finally woke, she planned to beg him to stay with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't until the next afternoon that Rina finally began to wake. Trip had given her the next dose of medication earlier in the day. He wasn't sure how he was going to give her the remaining doses now that she was conscious. Perhaps once she was asleep again. After all, she was still healing and so she should sleep pretty deeply.

Zira was the one with Rina when she woke and the smile on her face at seeing her Granddaughter finally awake, was priceless. "Rina dear, I am so happy to see you awake."

"Grandma, how long has it been?" Rina was still a bit out of it and disoriented.

"Three days since you were injured." Zira took Rina's hand in an attempt to comfort her. It was obvious that she was disoriented and a little scared. "You have been slowly getting better, but for a while we didn't think you were going to make it."

"Trip?" She hadn't sensed him there since earlier in the day, so she was afraid he'd left.

"I can go and get him." Zira started to stand.

"Grandma, I think I am falling in love with him." Rina closed her eyes as a wave of pain washed over her.

"Rina, I am sorry to hear that. I see only heartbreak for you as Trip and his friends will be leaving soon." Zira hated the idea of Rina getting her heart broken so early in her life. Perhaps she would learn from the experience.

"I can't help it. He's told me he has no feelings for me and will be leaving, but it doesn't change how I feel." Rina tried not to cry, but the pain of her injuries caused her emotions to be out of control.

"My darling Granddaughter, I wish there was something I could do to help you. In this case you are just going to have to face the fact that you are in love with a man that you can never have." Reaching out, Zira brushed the tear from Rina's cheek. She needed to get Trip and bring him to her so they could talk.

While Zira went to get Trip, Breen went in to see Rina. "Hi, Rina. I'm so glad you are getting better." Sitting down in the chair by the bed, Breen smiled at Rina.

"Breen, why are you here?" The anger was evident in her voice, even though her voice was low.

"I'm so sorry, Rina. I would have died if anything happened to you." He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away.

"You should have thought of that before you started the fight with Trip that almost got me killed." She looked away from him. Even though she knew she should be furious with him, she just couldn't and didn't know why.

"I know, but my jealousy clouded my judgment. I do love you Rina and I was afraid of losing you to some stranger." Breen hung his head, if only Trip would leave. Once he was gone, Breen was certain he could make Rina see that she really did love him.

At that moment, Trip came into the cabin and saw the two together. He was glad that they seemed to be talking, but even he could tell the tension was thick between them. If only there was a way to end Breen's jealousy and Rina's infatuation. What Trip didn't know, but was about to find out, was that T'Pol had a plan for that. "Hi you two. It's good to see you awake Rina."

"Hi, Trip. I was afraid you might have left."

"I would never do that without saying goodbye first." Trip was still just inside the door. He had an urge to leave so that Rina and Breen could be alone. Turning as someone entered the cabin, he smiled at T'Pol. "T'Pol, this is Rina and Breen."

"A pleasure, I am sure." T'Pol turned to face Trip. "Trip, I've been looking for you."

Trip was puzzled by her use of his nickname and the somewhat sultry tone in her voice. "Well, you found me."

"Yes, I just wanted to give you this before I left." Stepping closer, T'Pol wrapped her arms around Trip's neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Trip struggled slightly at first, then began returning the kiss. He wasn't stupid and he quickly figured out what T'Pol was up to. Holding T'Pol tighter, he deepened the kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Breen and Rina looked on in shock. Rina felt a terrible ache in her heart as she watched another woman kissing the man she wanted to be kissing. As hard as she tried, Rina couldn't prevent the tear from falling down her cheek. Trip loved another and she had no chance with him. Deep down she'd always known that because he said he was leaving, but she'd hoped to get him to stay. None of that matter now and all she wanted to do was cry.

Breen on the other hand was very happy. Seeing that Trip had someone else, he knew Rina would give up on her infatuation with him. Glancing at Rina, he saw the tears and it broke his heart. He was sorry that she had to be hurt, but in the end it was for the best.

A moment later Trip broke the kiss and gave a knowing nod to T'Pol. "I'll see you soon." Turning to look at Rina, Trip's heart broke at the sight of her tears. "Rina, I'm so sorry. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you." Moving closer, he sat on the edge of the bed.

Breen knew it was time to make an exit. He could come back later and talk with Rina. Hopefully she would be a little more open to him. "I've got to go Rina, but I'll be back later." Seeing her nod, he rose from the chair and left the cabin.

As soon as Breen was gone, Trip moved closer to Rina. "How are you feeling, physically?" He could clearly see how she was feeling emotionally.

"I'm in some pain, but not bad." Every time she looked at Trip's face she saw him kissing the other woman again. She never thought she would want Trip to go, but right now that was all she wanted.

"You know the last thing I wanted was to hurt you, Rina. It's for the best and you have a man right here in this village that is very much in love with you." Trip took Rina's good hand and held it in both of his. Moving his right hand up, he gently brushed the tears from her cheek. "I care about you and I will never forget you."

"Trip, will you kiss me? Just once, I want to know what it would be like." Rina blushed as she made her request, but after watching him kiss the other woman, she wanted to know.

"Certainly, but you know that it doesn't mean anything except friendship?"

"I know, Trip. You've made me see that we weren't meant to be."

Trip leaned forward and gently kissed Rina. It was a tender, sweet kiss, and Trip wasn't sorry he'd done it. After the kiss, Trip moved so that he was leaning back against the headboard and just held Rina in his arms until she fell asleep. He still needed to give her more of the medications, so it was important to stay there until she was deep asleep. If holding her until she was asleep would make her feel better and ease some of her pain, then that was fine with him.

A short time later, when Trip was sure that Rina was deep asleep, he gave her another dose of the medications. There was only one dose of each left and he would give them to her in the morning. He knew she would live now and that put his soul at ease a little. Whether she would walk again or not, was still a question. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do about that and with any luck she would walk. She had mentioned a tingling feeling in her legs and that was a good sign. Carefully he lowered Rina to the bed and kissed her on the forehead. As quietly as he could, he left her cabin.

"How is she?" Breen asked. He'd been waiting outside the cabin for Trip to leave.

"Sleeping. I think she will be fine and I think her heart will be open to you now." Trip smiled at the young man.

"I am sorry, Trip. I misjudged you from the beginning and I know you don't really have a relationship with that woman." Breen had seen them together at other times and could tell they weren't involved. Heck, from what he'd seen, they barely seemed to like each other.

"You do?" Trip was a bit surprised.

"Yes. I've seen you with her other times and you seemed to barely like each other." Breen smiled. At least it had worked on Rina and that was the most important thing.

"Well, I'm glad Rina hadn't seen us together then." Trip gave Breen a pat on the back and smiled. "We will be going in the morning. I wish you and Rina all the luck in the world."

"Thanks, Trip. You really are a nice man."

"Goodnight, Breen." With that Trip made his way to his cabin with the satchel in hand. T'Pol had already turned in after her meditation and Archer was reading.

"How'd it go? T'Pol told me what she did." Archer had been concerned about the effect it had on Rina.

"Rina was hurt at first, but I spent some time with her and she is fine with everything now. I gave her more medication and there is only one dose left." Trip sat heavily in the chair next to Archer. It had been a long day and he was physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Go to bed Trip. We'll leave tomorrow after you've given Rina the last dose and said goodbye." Archer looked at Trip with a little concern. He seemed very tired and Archer hoped this wasn't taking too much out of him.

"Okay, Captain. Goodnight." Trip crawled into bed and was asleep in a matter of moments. He wasn't even aware of Archer pulling the covers up over him.

"Sleep well, my friend." Archer turned off the light and went to bed himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning dawned dark and gloomy. There was a light rain falling and everyone moved around the village trying to avoid the puddles. While Trip went to see Rina one last time and give her the last of the medication, Archer and T'Pol got their gear together so they could leave as soon as Trip returned.

When Trip entered Rina's cabin, she was sleeping soundly. She'd been awake earlier, but was now in a restful sleep. He decided to take the opportunity to give her the last of the medication. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Trip watched Rina sleeping. "I'll miss you Rina. You're a special young lady."

"Trip?" Rina's eyes slowly began to flutter open. She still had a lot of pain and it would be a while before all of her broken bones healed. Most of the breaks were in her ribs, but her hand had some cracked bones, as well as her ankle. Trip would be leaving now and she was going to miss him terribly.

"I'm here, but it's time for me to go."

"I'm going to miss you, Trip." Rina couldn't prevent the tears that began to fall. She wasn't even fully awake yet, but she understood that Trip would no longer be in her life. He may have made her realize that there could be nothing between them romantically, but she enjoyed having him as a friend.

"I'm going to miss you too, Rina. You take care of yourself and get well." Trip leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

Rina moved her head so that she kissed Trip on the mouth. She needed to have one last kiss from him. As Trip rose, she didn't want to let go of his hand. "Goodbye, Trip."

Trip gave Rina's hand a slight squeeze before letting go. "Goodbye, sweetheart." With that he turned and left the cabin. Archer and T'Pol stood outside in the rain waiting for him. "Let's go."

"You okay, Trip?"

"I will be, sir." Trip walked most of the way back to the shuttlepod's with his head down. As difficult a situation as he'd been in there, he had enjoyed the people of the village and would miss them.

"Let's go home, Trip." Archer and T'Pol were taking shuttlepod two back to Enterprise while Trip went back alone in shuttlepod one. It was his request, so he could have a little time to himself. 27

Once he was back aboard Enterprise and working in engineering, Trip began to return to his normal self. For once he'd suffered no severe injuries to his body, but he did suffer an injury to his heart and soul. The flight back to Enterprise in the shuttlepod had given him a chance to think and he'd thought long and hard about the consequences of their actions as they traveled through space. This mission had made him see that even the smallest of acts on their part could have serious implications to others.

THE END