"Exhaustion's Edge"

There had not been a lot of time to sleep, and Miles O'Brien was exhausted. The repairs on the station needed to get done, and he just could not afford to take a break. As he worked, his eyelids drooped, and his head nodded forward, but he jerked himself back awake, refusing to give in to his fatigue. The hum of the station's engines and the chatter of the crew in the background only seemed to make his exhaustion more pronounced. Just as he was starting to make progress on the repairs, a voice interrupted his concentration. "Miles, come on, mate! Time for lunch!" It was Julian Bashir, his friend and chief medical officer. Miles looked up, rubbing his eyes, and smiled weakly. "Julian, I'm almost done here," Miles said, trying to wave him off. Julian strode over to where Miles was working, concern etched on his face. "Done? You're not even standing up straight, Miles. You look like you're about to fall over. Come on, take a break." Miles shook his head, his jaw set. "I can do this, Julian. I just need to finish this one thing." Julian sighed and put a hand on Miles' shoulder. "Miles, you're not even making sense. You're exhausted, you're hungry, and you're going to hurt yourself if you don't take a break. Trust me, I've seen it happen before." But Miles was stubborn. He pushed on, ignoring Julian's warnings, until suddenly, his vision began to blur, and he stumbled. Julian rushed to his side, catching him as he nearly fell. "Miles, what's wrong?" Julian asked, his voice firm. Miles shook his head, trying to clear it. "I...I don't know. Just need to...sit down." Julian's hands went to Miles' forehead and neck. "You've got a fever, Miles. A bad one." Miles looked up at Julian, his eyes unfocused. "What? No, I'm fine." Julian wasn't listening. He was already scooping Miles up into his arms, cradling him like a child. "I'm taking you to my quarters, and you're going to rest, whether you like it or not." As Julian carried him, Miles tried to protest, but his body felt like lead, and his mind was foggy. He couldn't even muster up the energy to argue. When they reached Julian's quarters, he laid Miles down on the bed and began to examine him more closely. "You've been pushing yourself too hard, Miles. You need to take care of yourself, or you're going to burn out completely." Miles tried to respond, but his voice was barely a whisper. Julian was already busy getting a medkit and starting to treat his friend. As the medication began to take effect, Miles felt his eyelids drooping, and his body began to relax. He looked up at Julian, who was watching him with a concerned expression. "Thanks, Julian," Miles whispered. Julian smiled. "Anytime, Miles. Now, get some rest. I'll take care of the station for a little while." And with that, Miles let himself drift off into a well-deserved sleep, surrounded by the gentle hum of Julian's quarters and the soft beeps of the medical equipment.