"A Headache No Ordinary Man Can Endure"

Miles O'Brien groggily opened his eyes to find himself in his quarters on Deep Space Nine. He rubbed his temples, trying to massage away the throbbing pain that had been plaguing him since he woke up. He winced, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him. He knew he had to get to work, no matter how he felt. There were always repairs to be done, and with the station's engineers already stretched thin, he couldn't afford to call in sick. He dragged himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He took a few deep breaths, trying to shake off the fatigue. His head pounded with every step, but he knew he had to push through. He dressed quickly and headed to the engineering department. The day was a blur of wrenching and tweaking, with Miles struggling to focus on his tasks. His head ached with every movement, and his vision blurred occasionally. He knew he wasn't doing his best work, but he tried to power through. As the late afternoon wore on, Miles's thoughts turned to dinner. He was looking forward to a break and some food. Just as he was finishing up a particularly tricky repair, his comm badge beeped. "O'Brien here," he answered. "Miles, it's Julian. I'm in the runabout, heading to the docking bay. I'm picking you up for dinner. We can grab some food at that new restaurant on the promenade." Miles smiled, feeling a small spark of relief. "Sounds great, Julian. I'll meet you there." But as he made his way to the docking bay, Miles couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. His head spun, and his legs felt weak. He stumbled, catching himself on a nearby console. Julian was waiting for him in the runabout, a concerned look on his face. "Hey, Miles, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?" Miles forced a smile. "Just a long day, that's all." But Julian wasn't buying it. He took one look at Miles's pale face and knew something was seriously wrong. "Miles, come on. What's going on?" Miles sighed, feeling a wave of defeat wash over him. "I've had a headache all day. And I've been getting dizzy spells. I don't know what's wrong with me." Julian's expression turned serious. "We're going to my quarters, right now. You're not going to collapse on me, not on my watch." As they flew through the station's atmosphere, Miles felt his head spinning. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. But before they reached Julian's quarters, Miles's vision began to blur. He felt himself slipping away... Everything went dark.