The Mess I Made chapter 1
Pairing: Tom/Rachel, Rachel/Sasha friendship
Rating: T (possibly M for language).
Disclaimer: I own nothing because if I did, 1) Rachel would have never been killed off and 2) we would already know the premiere date for season 5.
Author's Note: I really loved writing the Sasha/Rachel friendship in my other fiction, Up in Smoke. For the purpose of this fiction my timeline (at bottom) for season 1 and season 2 are what I'm using. Anything after Rachel is shot is going to be changed.
Don't worry I haven't abandoned Come For You. I've got 7 chapters written and am working on the last chapter but this little plot bunny came to my mind and I had to start writing!
Something about you
It's like a addiction
Hit me with your best shot honey
I've got no reason to doubt you
'Cause some things hurt
And you're my only virtue
And I'm virtually yours
And there's certain things that I adore
And there's certain things that I ignore
But I'm certain that I'm yours
Certain that I'm yours
Certain that I'm yours
-Certain Things by James Arthur
February 24, 2015
"Find me"
Tom watched as Rachel smiled, turned and headed towards her room. She stopped abruptly about twenty feet from him.
Tom cocked his head, "Rachel?"
She turned and walked back towards him, determination on her face. She stopped when there was only about a foot between their two bodies.
"Rachel"
Her hands went up and pulled his face towards hers. Their lips met in a consuming kiss. Tom pushed Rachel against the door, fumbling for the key card to get it open. Tom nudged her into the room and closed the door with his foot. Breaking contact for only seconds to breath, the pair quickly divested themselves of their clothing and fell onto the bed.
Tom pushed Rachel's hair out of her face as he slowly entered her. Rachel sighed at the intimate connection their bodies were making. Tom took his time making love to Rachel, bringing them both to euphoria.
Rachel awoke a hours later as the sun was streaming through the partially open windows. She momentarily forgot where she was, until she realized her body was trapped by another. She turned her head and saw Tom still asleep. She closed her eyes as the memory of last night came rushing back to her.
She knew what she was doing when she kissed him. While she didn't regret last night, she wasn't sure how Tom would feel. She disentangled herself from his arms and went about gathering her clothing and getting dressed. She had just finished zipping up the dress when a voice broke the quietness of the room.
"Rachel."
She turned to see Tom sitting up in bed.
"Hi." She pointed to the window, "I've got to go pack."
Tom got out of bed and put on his boxers. He went over to her.
"Find me when you get back."
She smiled, "I will."
Rachel quickly exited the room. Her thoughts were so consumed with Tom that she didn't notice the man sitting on the floor next to her door until she was feet from him.
"You the doc who created the cure?" the man asked, standing up.
Rachel eyed the man warily and began backing slowly away from him.
"I didn't get it yesterday."
"Well, I'm sure you've been inoculated by now with as many people who have it."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Even talking to me right now will help."
"That's good to know."
Before Rachel could respond, the man pulled a gun from his jacket and fired. The bullet hit her in on the right side of her body. She screamed and fell to the ground. She saw the man take off running.
Stay calm! Stay calm! Stay calm!
Doors began to open in tandem around her. People came spilling out into the hallway.
"Holy shit!" she heard someone yell. "It's doctor Scott."
She felt pressure being placed on the wound.
Stay awake! Stay awake! Stay awake!
"Rachel it's Danny, stay with us."
"Burk, go get the captain, I believe he is in room thirty three. Miller..Wolf..let's get the building locked down. We need to find this bastard. Kara stay with Rachel until the captain gets here."
"Tom" Rachel muttered.
"Shh Rachel, don't talk." Kara whispered to her, keeping pressure on the wound.
Rachel began to close her eyes.
"Rachel! Rachel! You need to stay awake! Rachel!"
February 26, 2015
Rachel groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Rachel? Rios! Rachel is coming to!" the voice shouted.
The voice came from next to her, it sounded like Tom's. Where the hell was she? She tried to sit up but a blinding pain shot through her body.
"Don't try to sit up."
The room and person came into focus. Tom was sitting next to her. She looked around, she was on the Nathan James, in the sickbay.
Rios came into the room, Tom moved out of the way for him.
"What?" Rachel started.
"You were shot Rachel." Rios told her. "It was a through and through, but the bullet nicked an artery."
"You were incredibly lucky Rachel. Kara stayed with you putting pressure on the wound. The captain was able to get you to the James within fifteen minutes after you had been shot."
"Tom, thank you." She reached out and took his hand.
"You're welcome." Tom replied squeezing her hand in response.
Rios finished checking Rachel's IV and blood pressure. "You're bp is good, a little low but that is to be expected. You're going to need to keep the IV for at least another twenty four to thirty six hours. We may need to do another blood transfusion as well"
Rachel groaned, "no arguments doctor Scott, we almost lost you." Rios ordered.
Rios left the room. Tom went back over to the chair and sat back down.
"Who shot me?" Rachel asked Tom.
"An immune by the name of Curtis. Green, Miller and Wolf caught him. He is now in custody."
"Why? Why did he want me dead?"
Tom sighed, "while most of the immune leaders took the pardon offered to them by Michener, Curtis followed McDowell and McDowell didn't accept the president's pardon. There really is no good reason Rachel, you created the cure, this went against everything the immunes were prophesying. They just wanted you dead."
"He waited for me."
"What?"
"He was sitting outside my room, waiting for me."
"Jesus Christ Rachel."
"What happens now?"
"Milowski left for Nebraska yesterday. He will be taking over. You will stay in Saint Louis."
"I should be doing my job."
"And you will Rachel. As soon as you are healed and with a full security detail."
Rachel groaned, "I don't need a security detail."
"Rachel you were just shot! You are getting a security detail whether you like it or not. Green, Burk and Tex have already volunteered."
"They have more important things to do than baby-sitting me." Rachel argued.
"Not right now. The James will be going into dry-dock for repairs."
"Let me talk to Jeffrey."
"Who do you think ordered the detail."
"Bloody hell."
"Come on, you better lay back down and get some rest or else Rios will have my ass."
Rios agrees to let Rachel leave sick-bay the next day, but insists that the IV stay in for another day. Housing was still being arranged for the crew and as her quarters were quite small and she had been using the communal shower, Tom offered to let her take his quarters. This way she had more room to move and her own shower. He stated he would stay in his at sea cabin. Rachel knew arguing with him would be pointless, so instead she just thanked him.
She was sitting in the middle of Tom's bed, going over reports from Milowski when a knock broke her out of her work.
"Come in" she called.
The door opened and in walked Jed, Ashley and Sam. Rachel's face lit up when she saw them.
"Hi! What are you guys doing here?"
"We're moving here!" Sam yelled excitedly and ran over to Rachel. He leaped onto the bed and attempted to give her a hug.
"Be careful there Sammy, she just had surgery." Jed warned his grandson.
"I'm sorry Rachel"
"It's okay Sam, you didn't hurt me."
"Are you okay Rachel?" Ashley whispered from next to Jed.
Rachel looked over to Ashley. Her heart broke as she saw the fear on the young girls face. She patted the open spot next to Sam and Ashley came over.
"I'm going to be okay Ashley. You're dad found me and got me to doc Rios. They fixed me right up. I just need to take it easy for a bit of time."
Ashley nodded.
"So what is this about you guys moving to Saint Louis?" Rachel asked the group.
Jed came in, neglecting to close the door behind him, and took a seat at the chair across from Rachel.
"Well, since Tom will be here as the Chief of Naval Operations, it was only appropriate that we pack up the Norfolk house and make the move here."
"Makes sense."
"Will you be staying here Rachel?" Sam asked.
"Yes. I will be staying in Saint Louis Sam."
"Isn't that awesome Ashley!" Sam exclaimed "We don't have to email or vid-chat with Rachel anymore. We can see her anytime we want."
Ashley smiled at her brothers enthusiasm. She ruffled his hair, "Yes Sam it is pretty awesome."
Ashley and Sam made themselves comfortable on either side of Rachel. She draped her arms around the children, being careful with her right one.
Jed watched with contentment as his grandchildren began telling Rachel everything that had happened since they last spoke. Rachel ate up every word. Jed looked over to the door and noticed Tom standing there watching the scene. Jed quietly got up and went over to the door, walked out and gently closed it behind him.
"Dad, when did you guys get to town? Why didn't you let me know?"
"We got in about an hour and a half ago. The kids insisted on seeing Rachel. They wanted to make sure she was okay."
Tom nodded. "Why was Sam talking about Rachel emailing them and vid-chatting?"
Jed looked over to Tom slightly confused, "She never told you."
"Told me what?"
"Rachel has been emailing and vid-chatting with the kids since you guys left Norfolk."
"She never told me."
"Don't know what to tell you Tom."
"Why wouldn't she tell me?"
Jed shrugged his shoulders, "you need to talk to her son."
Tom opened the door to his quarters. Jed followed him into the room, he stood back though to watch the interactions between the two adults. He saw a smile spread onto Tom's face watching Rachel with the kids. When Rachel realized Tom was in the room, her face lit up and she smiled back, but the smile disappeared just as quickly when she realized the kids were with her.
"Daddy" Sam and Ashley shouted. They jumped off the bed and ran to their father, who engulfed them in hugs.
"Hey kiddos, why don't we go grab some lunch and come back and visit Rachel later." Jed stated.
The kids groaned, but Tom agreed with his father and told them they could come back later. Tom walked them out of the room, giving them each one more hug. He closed the door behind them and went back to Rachel.
She had turned and was now sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not mad at you Rachel."
"You're not?"
"I'm just wondering why you didn't tell me."
Rachel bit her lip, "I'm not sure. Those two weeks Ashley, Sam and Jed spent on the James, I felt I had to constantly check on them...make sure they were okay. I felt like I owed you that much. When the kids asked me to keep in touch, I just agreed. I was going to tell you, but honestly I just kept putting it off. Then when everything happened with Niels...I thought you would order me to stop communicating with your family and I couldn't. Getting their emails and doing vid-chats...it made me feel like I…"
"Had a family." Tom concluded.
Rachel nodded.
"Thank you for being there for my children Rachel."
Rachel smiled, "Ashley and Sam are amazing. I really care about them. I want you to know that."
"And it's obvious that they care about you. Hell, they were more concerned about seeing you than me."
Rachel smirked, "well I was the one who was just shot."
Tom rolled his eyes and laughed. "Take it easy okay."
"I will"
"I'll stop by and check on you later okay?"
Rachel smiled, "I'll be here."
March 10, 2015
The next couple of weeks passed in a blur for Tom. He, Jed and the kids were given permanent housing. Rachel was also given permanent housing, with a full security detail. She was recovering well from her surgery. She had to do some physical therapy for her right shoulder, but there would be no permanent damage. As she would no longer be going around the United States teaching doctors how to spread the cure, she was tasked with training med students, who had survived the virus, how to administer the cure so they could be sent around the country and world. Michener also had her begin to set up a CDC in Saint Louis to begin mass production of the cure. While the contagious cure was the way to go, everyone knew the shot version needed to be available for distribution.
Rachel continued to spend time with Ashley and Sam. It warmed Tom's heart to how his children responded to Rachel. They had never spoken about what happened the night before Rachel was shot. Tom wasn't sure how to bring it up to Rachel. He didn't regret them sleeping together, but he wasn't sure if she did.
Right now the three of them were sitting on the patio playing a game of Sorry. Tom stood watching from the kitchen.
"You going to talk to her?" Jed asked his son coming into the kitchen.
Tom turned and gave his dad a confused look, "talk to her about what?"
"Oh...I don't know...maybe how you feel about her."
Tom turned back and looked outside.
"I love you son...but you're an idiot."
Tom turned back to look at his dad, "excuse me."
"You're in love with Rachel."
"I'm not in love with Rachel. I care about her, yes, but…"
"But what?"
"I just lost Darien dad, not even three months ago!"
"And I understand that you are still dealing with that loss. Grieving. But it doesn't change the fact that you are in love with Rachel."
Tom effectively ended the conversation by walking out of the kitchen and heading outside.
"Can I join the next game?"
Sam begged Rachel to say for dinner, which she agreed too. After dinner, while the Jed and the kids were cleaning up, Rachel pulled Tom outside.
"There's something I need to talk to you about." Rachel started.
"Okay."
"You know about the rumors about the virus mutating?"
Tom nodded in affirmation.
"You also know that the Nathan James will be going to Vietnam to deliver the cure and investigate the claim."
Tom didn't like where this conversation was going.
"I've already spoken to Mike and Jeffrey. I will be accompanying the Nathan James to Vietnam when they leave on the thirteenth."
Tom took a breath, "What about the CDC?"
"I have an amazing staff, they'll be fine. I'm needed on the James to determine if in fact the virus has mutated and if so, to create a new cure."
Tom opened his mouth, when Rachel cut him off, "This is done deal Tom. There is nothing you can say to make me change my mind. I need to go with the James. You know that Mike and the crew won't let anything happen to me."
Tom snorted, "You mean you'll actually listen to Mike's orders?"
Rachel smirked, "Well you know…"
Tom pulled her into a hug, "just promise me you'll be safe."
"I promise."
Timeline
June 2014: Nathan James leaves Norfolk for the Arctic
October 1- November 5, 2014: Nathan James leaves the Arctic to head to Gitmo (12 days at 20 knots, less if faster), couple of days at Gitmo. Episode 4 the ship gets damaged, it takes a week to get to the island (said in episode) and another 7-10 days (10 days for purpose of timeline) to fix ship up. Danny tells Tex that they have known about the virus for almost a month now.
November 5, 2014: Episode 5, Tom does a audio recording home. At this point we know the ship has been gone for 5 months. During this time they were avoiding the Russians (probably doing at most 12 knots to maintain radio silence). They went started towards Costa Rica and then diverted to Nicaragua (4 days), got captured (2 days), got the monkeys. As they had no clear destination in mind and needed to remain close to Nicaragua for Rachel as we know that she would need more monkeys.
December 5-18, 2014: Episode 7, the flashback says "6 months later". They head to Jamaica for the distress call, again probably only traveling 12 knots . Tom and Tex are taken by the Russians (2 days). The trials start. A couple of days were probably needed to get volunteers, do interviews, get blood work back and set up for the trials. The trials lasted 3 days. The ship probably anchored somewhere during the trials near Jamaica. It is 1153 NM to Baltimore, it took them about 3 days to get there and about 3 days to get the ship back. Kara learns she is pregnant, she would at most be 8 weeks.
December 18-February 21, 2015: Season 2- we know the Nathan James didn't leave Baltimore right away as Rachel needed to mass produce the cure and they needed to re-establish order. The James then went to Norfolk and was there a few days to allow crew to leave and look for family members. The ship then traveled to Florida, to the Gulf of Mexico and took out the submarine. Ravit states in episode 10 that Kara is about 16 weeks pregnant, so we know between season 1 episode 10 and season 2 episode 10 about 8 weeks have passed. Episode 13 states that they will be in Vicksburg on the 18th (no month given), Memphis on the 20th and Saint Louis on the 21st.
February 24, 2015: Inauguration Ball, Rachel shot (a season 3 episode states she was shot 12/24, but logically it doesn't make sense, especially with Kara's pregnancy).