Okay! Here's my take on what happens after the screen goes black. And who knows, I may add on to it. Probably not. Also, only read by yours truly. (PS - if you want to discuss the season finale, come talk to me! Eek!)
TLS is not mine.
****TLSDDG151****
Sounds of muted revelry could be heard from his crew as Tom shut his hotel door. Making his way over to one of the end tables in his room, he placed the envelope from Rachel within arm's reach of his bed. Breathing deeply, the captain slowly began unbuttoning the uniform he had worn for over twenty years. The last time I wore this-
BANG.
Tom braced for impact, knowing instinctively that the sound had been a bullet discharging from a handgun. The seasoned vet reached for his service weapon next to the unopened letter and sprinted for the door, not knowing what awaited him on the other side. Haphazardly throwing the door open, Tom cleared the hallway in front of him and turned left, where he thought the sound came from. Tom methodically walked down the hall, gun raised high in front of him. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he sensed a blur raising something towards him.
"SIC SEMPER TY—"
The captain calmly double-tapped the man about ready to shoot him in the chest, and bypassed his dropped body, not thinking twice.
Tom didn't blink as he took in the crumpled form halfway down the hall. No, no no no NO! he shouted in his brain as his feet quickly ate up the distance. He didn't bother to sweep the area as he slid to a stop beside her.
"Rachel! Rachel! Can you hear me? Rachel!?" Tom called to her as he stripped off his dark blazer. Carefully he tried to staunch the bleeding as much as he could.
"C'mon, doc! You can't do this. Your job isn't done. Wake up!"
Rachel's eyes barely fluttered as the captain called out to her. Gently, Tom tapped her cheek.
"Come on, come on, come on," Tom's mantra began as he felt around her back for an exit wound. Finding the blood gushing out back, Tom ripped off his tie and blouse, leaving him in his undershirt. Stuffing the blouse to her back, he hoped the pressure would keep some of the blood in. Knowing that everybody was still partying below, Tom gently lifted her into his arms. Cradling her, he quickly but carefully ran back down the hall to his unlocked room.
"T-o…."
"That's right, doctor, wake up. I'm placing you back under arrest - you're not allowed to go anywhere without guards. Nope," Tom continued with his hurried speech as he gently laid her on the bed.
Quickly ripping her dress open, Tom made a better dressing for her still bleeding wound.
"Stay right here, hon - I'm going to get Rios," Tom gently kissed her forehead, grabbed his key, slammed the door shut, and sprinted for the stairs.
"Why do the phones have to still be out?! Why can't this god-forsaken hotel have working anything?!" Tom mumbled as he leaped down the stairs, not bothering to grimace as he took too giant of a leap. Please help Rios to be sober, Please help Rios to be sober, Tom recited to himself as he burst into the melee of his crew singing.
Singing abruptly stopped as the crew took in the blood-stained shirt and arms of their captain.
"Rios! With me! Green, Tex - perimeter of my room. Miller, Burke, Wolfe - secure the 3rd floor. XO have the building secured. Nobody in or out. Everybody else to their rooms. Be on alert. NOW!" Tom quickly barked out to his crew. Drunk or not, everybody hustled to comply.
"Are you—"
"Where's your bag, doctor?" Tom called as he sprinted back up the stairs, Rios, Miller, Burke, Wolfe, Green, & Tex hot on his heels.
"My room."
"Tex with the Doc. Room 33 ASAP - Rachel's been shot."
Tex and Rios veered out the door on the second floor as the other four followed their captain up the next flight of stairs.
"Sir…?" Green asked as they made it to the third floor landing. Tom quickly reached his door as Burke, Wolfe, and Miller secured the rest of the floor.
"Not now," Tom replied as he struggled to open his door. "Nobody in or out unless they're crew. Understand, Green?" Tom handed him his service weapon as Tom slammed open the door.
"Aye, aye, sir!" Danny called as he stood watch in front of the captain's door. Shaking his head to ward off the drunken stupor, he diligently stood waiting for a wrong move.
Tom raced into the room, hoping that his - what even do I call her? Friend seems too common… and something more isn't correct. Worry about that later, Chandler! he chastised himself - was okay.
"Come on, Rachel, you've got to pull through this! Wake up! Rios is going to be here any second! You've still got to operate on me. Come on, come on, come on," his mantra carried on as he ripped up bed linen to exchange his coat and shirt with.
"T-o….m…" Rachel shakily voiced.
"Right here, Rach, right here," he softly called as he crowded his face to hers, also trying to keep pressure on her wounds. "Stay awake, please," Tom begged as tears streaked down his face. "You can't leave. You can't."
"So… cold…"
"Hold on, I can help with that."
Tom hurriedly reached for the extra blanket in the room and wrapped it around her.
"Th…annk…. you."
"No, it's me who should be thanking you. Just stay awake, okay? Please, Rachel, just stay awake," Tom begged as the tears kept falling.
Damnit Rios! Where are you?! Tom raged in his head.
"T…om…?" Tom looked on in horror as her face continued to lose color.
"Yes, doctor?"
"Make…. make…. s..ure… you…. rea…d my… le…tter," Rachel struggled to get out.
"Nope, you're going to read that letter to me yourself. I'm not letting you out of my sight again, you hear me? Rachel?"
"Good…b…" Rachel breathed as her hand went slack in his.
"No, no, NO, NO NO NO!" Tom yelled as he frantically started chest compressions.
"RIOS!" Tom screamed as he kept up the chest compressions.
"Here, Captain!" Rios called as he burst through the door.
"Get your six over here now!"
"Tex radioed the James - they're sending the chopper. ETA 3 mics," Rios called as he climbed onto the bed next to Rachel.
"She's breathing, Captain, you can stop chest compressions," Rios said as he took out his stethoscope.
Tom backed off of her and went to his knees beside the bed. Rios opened up his med kit and immediately grabbed a package that looked like it had salt in it.
"What….?"
"It'll stop the bleeding. It won't fix anything, but it will staunch it so she's not bleeding out," Rios answered as he poured it all over her chest wound.
"Turn her over slowly, Captain," Rios instructed as he took a fist-full of the stuff and placed it on the exit wound.
"Place her down slowly and then grab me the bath towels."
Tom hurried to comply, reaching the spot he just vacated seconds later. "I'll roll her slightly and you put the folded towel under her to catch any stray blood. Same with her front."
Tom nodded jerkily as he did as the medical corpsman instructed. Rios quickly and efficiently placed an I.V. in her arm, knowing that he'd need lots of replacement blood once they returned to med bay.
The thwap thwap thwap of the Seahawk could be heard getting closer.
"Have Tex radio them and tell them we're coming to the roof," Tom called as he gently lifted the woman, blanket and all, into his arms.
"Aye, aye," Rios called as he raced to the door and barked out the captain's orders to Tex, and yelling for Green to hit the elevator. What seemed like forever, when in actuality was seconds, the elevator dinged, announcing its presence.
"Tex, Green, on me," Tom ordered as the five hustled into the elevator.
"When we get to the top floor, you clear the area in front of us and find the roof access. The three of us will be right behind you," Tom said as the doors slid closed.
Rachel began to start shivering as the elevator ascended.
"Rios, adjust the blanket," Tom said as he held his precious cargo closer to his chest. Rios quickly complied, trying not to jostle her I.V.
Tom leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "Come on, Rach, just a little more time and we'll be home. Come on, doc, don't give up on me yet."
The ding of the elevator signaled their arrival to the twentieth floor as the doors opened up. The men quickly found the closest stairwell and made their way up. By the time Tom had reached the roof with Rachel in his arms, Green and Tex had broken the emergency door wide open for the others to see the Seahawk hovering a foot off of the roof.
"Green, Tex, you're coming with us," Tom yelled over the propeller blades as they made their way to the helicopter. The doors opened up as Tom reached the side, and gloved hands reached out to take Rachel from him. Shaking his head, Tom stepped up into the chopper and yelled, "As fast as you can, Collingwood! Damn the civilian airspace guidelines!"
Collingwood nodded as he soared the bird into the air, taking it as fast as he dared towards the nearby ship.
Tom looked down at his charge, noticing some color returning to her face. Thank the Lord, Tom thought as he held her tight. You're getting through this, hon. You're too stubborn not to, Tom thought to himself as Collingwood touched down gently on the aft deck of the James. Although only a skeleton crew had been left to guard the fuel-less DDG, two crew members stood waiting with a stretcher between them, ready to bolt to the helicopter as soon as it was safe it.
Leaning down towards Rachel one last time, Tom whispered, "Okay, babe, it's all up to you, now. Rios will do his best, but only you can decide how this plays out. I know you are the fiercest fighter of us all, so don't you give up on me, you here? We have unfinished business," Tom ended his unheard speech with a quick kiss to her forehead, and gently climbed down from the Seahawk. The two sailors were by his side instantly with the stretcher and Rios could be heard shouting orders. After reverently placing her down on the stretcher, all Tom could look at was Rachel being hustled away to med bay, hoping and praying that the hero of mankind would live to see another day.
