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"I'm a Believer" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG
Ya-OW! (4) Ensign Cutler jumped; yanking her hand back from the log she was trying to retrieve a beetle from. She held her breath for a minute before any words escaped. “Fuck!” she finally gasped. Trip was nearby helping T’Pol set up a field kit. They both looked at Ensign Cutler, surprised by her cussing. “Ensign?” Trip asked, watching her face twist with pain. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her hand. “What happened?” She looked up at Trip with tears brimming in her eyes. Trip got to his feet and walked over to her. He took her hand, finding blood running from her finger. Ensign Cutler closed her eyes. “It hurts!” she whispered. “Let’s get it washed off and see what the damage is.” Trip stood with her and the two walked back to the shuttle pod. Archer looked away from the companel when the two entered, finishing what he was saying, “...so far Ensign Cutler has classified seven different species of bugs.” “Eight, sir,” Ensign Cutler corrected as she sat down in a bench. Trip retrieved the med kit and knelt down on the floor beside her. “Make that eight, Lieutenant Anderson,” Archer said. “Make sure to bring back plant samples, sir,” Lieutenant Anderson replied. “Will do. Archer out.” Archer looked around to close the channel and then looked back at the two. “What happened?” “OW!” Ensign Cutler said when Trip tried to dab an alcohol pad on the wound. “I didn’t even touch it!” Trip said. “It HURTS!” “Of course it hurts, Elizabeth. It’s bleeding. That’s usually a good indication it hurts.” She gritted her teeth, letting him have her finger to clean it off. Trip smiled once he could see her injury. “You’ve been attacked by a sliver of wood, Elizabeth. Better sue,” Trip joked. “It hurts.” Trip turned and picked up a pair of tweezers. He turned to grab the sliver of wood in her finger and she pulled away suddenly. “No. No,” she said. “Elizabeth, give me your hand.” Trip held his hand out for hers. “It hurts!” “And it’s going to continue hurting until I pull the sliver out.” “But it HURTS!” “Think how much less it will hurt when I get the sliver out and get it bandaged up.” “It hurts NOW!” “Ensign, you went through a whole bunch of shots getting into Starfleet and then there was training. How can this one little sliver get you acting like this?” “Because it HURTS!” Trip smiled. “Give me your hand, Elizabeth.” Very slowly she held her hand out to him. Trip tried again to grab the sliver with the tweezers and she pulled away before he could get it. “NO!” she cried out. Trip sighed, looking up at her. “Would you like me to deaden it before I do anything?” “You can do that?” “Yeah,” Trip said. “How?” Trip got up and went to the back of the shuttle pod. He returned with a hypospray and held his hand out for her hand. “Give it to you in the hand. Deaden it real fast.” Ensign Cutler gave him her hand. Trip pressed the hypospray against her hand. “OW!” she cried out when the needle poked her skin. “That hu-RT!” Ensign Cutler yelled when Trip yanked the sliver out. “OW! OH OW!” Trip bandaged her finger, ignoring her ‘ow’ and ‘ouch’ tirade. “All done.” Trip sat back on his ankles, looking at her face. “That was it? You’re done?” “Yeah. Done.” Cutler got up and left the shuttle pod. Trip looked at Archer who was walking toward him. Archer sat down on the bench. “A shot in the hand?” Archer asked. “I’m no medic, but I’ve never heard of giving anyone a shot in the hand.” Trip started picking up the trash without answering. “You didn’t give her a shot, did you Trip?” Trip held up a voltage calibrator. “They look the same. Lowest setting. Hurt enough to make her forget the sliver.” “I now consider myself lucky that I’ve never needed your help when I was in pain.” Archer stood and left the shuttle pod. “It was just a sliver!” Trip called after him. |
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