The Three of Us

Part 26 - Adjustments

It was the first Sunday of the new arrangement. Malcolm considered flowers again but then rejected the idea as being perhaps a bit too clichéd. Plus he didn't want to create an expectation.

But he did go to visit Lili after breakfast as she and her coworkers cleaned up and loaded the sanitizer. Chef finally threw him out as they couldn't get anything done, but Lili was charmed by the attention.

=/\=

Later, on the Bridge, Jonathan had made up his mind. "Travis, set a course."

"Coordinates, sir?"

"Four two seven mark six point three mark eleven."

"Speed?"

"Warp two." There. And not so fast that he appeared overly anxious, although he was.

"What's out there, sir?" asked Travis as soon as they were underway.

"The Ikaarans have an agricultural colony there," explained the captain.

Travis nodded and went back to piloting. T'Pol looked up. "Is this to discharge our guests?"

"I don't know. Maybe," admitted Captain Archer, "but we've got a destination that's neither Amity nor Paradise, eh? That's good for a few days, I'd say."

"Captain, may I remind you that too much interaction with the people of this time period could prove disastrous?" asked the Vulcan.

"It's possible," he allowed, "but that's a chance I'm going to take."

"May I see you?"

Jonathan blinked a little. He hadn't expected an objection. "Malcolm, you've got the comm."

"Yes, sir."

Jonathan opened the door to his Ready Room and ushered T'Pol in. "Yes?"

"It is as I stated," she said, "There are risks with meeting too many people of this time period."

"Understood," he replied, "but our Ikaaran friends will need to get back to their own people at some point."

"That is not the reason for this excursion, and you know it," she responded, voice becoming a little louder.

"You got me there," he admitted, "but we need women. You know this. Unless you or someone else wants to get in on an arrangement like O'Day, Reed and Hayes are trying – are you?"

"Captain!" she yelled. "I am trying to make you aware of the repercussions of your actions!"

"T'Pol, why are you yelling at me?"

"Captain!" she got a little teary, "you're not listening to me."

"T'Pol, are you all right?"

"You're not listening," she said, between sobs.

He flipped open a communicator. "Hoshi, get me Phlox."

"Yes, sir."

"Captain!" T'Pol yelled again.

"I don't think T'Pol is well," Jonathan said.

Hoshi flipped a switch. "Sick Bay, medical emergency in the Captain's Ready Room."

=/\=

Phlox and Andy dropped everything and grabbed kits and ran to Jonathan's Ready Room. They burst in and found T'Pol still weeping, still shouting a bit, but it was somewhat incoherent. "Doctor?" Andrew asked.