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"All Things Considered"
Rating: PG And When You Think About It (9) Some ‘Doppelgänger’ stuff Hoshi winced, both from the hot tea and the healing bullet wound hurting when she tried to readjust in her chair. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm liquid running down her throat scratchy. “Morning, Hoshi.” Hoshi looked up and smiled at Archer. “Morning, sir.” “How are you feeling?” “Better.” Hoshi looked down. That was only a half lie. She didn’t hurt as bad as she had a week ago. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” Archer asked in a low voice. “Cabin fever, sir,” Hoshi explained. Archer slid into the chair next to her. “I actually know what that feels like. Have you had breakfast?” Hoshi wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. “I’m really not hungry. I just needed to be around the crew for a little bit.” “Doctor Phlox or Likos are going to get after you if they catch you in here, you know.” “I know.” “And then they’ll get after me for not sending you back to your quarters.” Archer smiled. Hoshi shrugged a little. “I’m a troublemaker, Captain. Better not get caught with me, sir.” Archer chuckled at her joke. “Why don’t you come have breakfast with Trip and me? Then they’ll never know.” “That would require moving, sir. It took me a half hour to get here from my quarters to here, so I’ll have to decline, sir.” Archer smiled. “Then how about Trip and I come have breakfast with you?” Hoshi smiled in response to his offer. “I’d like that, sir.” “Keep our seats warm. I’ll be back.” Hoshi nodded. She closed her eyes again, sipping her tea. “What are you doing out of bed?” Hoshi looked up at Malcolm, watching him sit down on her left with a tray. “Cabin fever.” “Say no more!” Hoshi smiled. Malcolm started eating his breakfast. He looked up, watching Archer and Trip sit down with trays of food and just hid his surprise before Archer looked at him. “Morning, Malcolm,” Archer greeted him. “Good morning, sir.” “You know what I just cannot wrap my head around?” Hoshi asked the three. Archer looked up from his meal. “What?” “How in the hell did we travel thousands of light years from Earth and end up running into our twins on the first planet of humans we’ve come across? I mean…the statistics of that happening are astronomical!” “Murphy’s law,” Trip joked with a smile, “He’s to blame for everything that goes wrong.” “Did they have a Murphy on that planet?” Malcolm joked. “If they did, he was to blame,” Archer answered, “All I know is I’m glad I wasn’t that Haeri guy…chalk one up for experiences I don’t care to repeat.” “I had a frightening look at what I would be if I were a sadistic, power hungry military man. Kill me if I ever get like that. I give you all, my permission,” Malcolm said. Archer smiled. “And what did you two think of your twins?” Archer glanced at Hoshi and Trip. “She was a bitch from hell,” Hoshi said matter-of-factly. The three men looked at her; surprised she was being so blunt. Hoshi shrugged. “She was going to kill me. I have a reserved right to hate her. I feel the same way Malcolm does about his.” “Kolin was awesome,” Trip said, “Guess I got lucky.” “Yes you did, Trip,” Archer told him. Trip laughed. “And I got a really good fried catfish dinner too.” They laughed. Hoshi’s side flared and she had to work to hide her pain from the men. “You know what boggles me?” Malcolm said, leaning his elbows on the table. “That even though, for the most part, our twins were evil, they were still connected. Their lives were a part of each others much like ours are…just using different connections.” “Hadn’t really thought about it,” Trip admitted. “Hadn’t really wanted to think about it,” Archer smiled, “but now that I have, you’re right Malcolm. That is as astronomical as even meeting our twins on that plant. However, that leads into a cosmic and fate philosophical discussion that is far too heavy for oh-eight-hundred,” Archer shook a strip of bacon at Malcolm, “and that, Lieutenant Reed, I disallow. My brain is on ooze mode for another half hour. The four laughed again. “Ensign Sato.” The four looked up. Doctor Phlox was standing behind Hoshi looking very cross. “I had cabin fever,” Hoshi explained, “I had to get out. Mingle. You can understand, can’t you?” “No. I cannot. And you, Captain? What is your excuse for allowing her to stay here?” “These are damn good waffles!” Archer answered with a grin. Doctor Phlox scolded Archer rather than respond to his captain’s joke. “You know she is to be in bed for another week, Captain. Come along, Ensign,” Doctor Phlox ordered in a firm tone that was softened by a sympathetic smile. He reached down and gently took her arm. “I have to go now. My doctor is being mean,” Hoshi told the three. She smiled, laying her hand on Archer’s arm as she stood up, “Thank you for having breakfast with me, sir. We’ll have to do it again some time.” “You bet, Hoshi.” They watched Doctor Phlox help Hoshi walk. Archer noticed she was leaning heavy on him for support and it re-ignited his guilt that he’d been trying to suppress since she’d been shot. “She’s a good crewman, sir,” Malcolm said. Archer looked at Malcolm and then Trip before smiling. “She is, Malcolm. I thought I’d persuaded an amazing linguistic officer to join us eight years ago. Turns out I got a body guard in the bargain.” The three laughed. The next short story is Age of Enlightenment The next Tweens story is In Good Time |
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