Lee knelt beside the admiral and lifted the remnants of his shirt to check the thick, bulky bandage underneath. The white surface was only lightly spotted with blood. Chip sat nearby, a pistol resting on his thigh, his finger curled around the trigger guard. He glanced at Lee, then went back to scanning the beach, watching, listening from their vantage point where the forest met the shore. Then he whispered a question.
"How is he?"
"The bleeding's stopped."
Chip looked at Nelson. Even in the twilight, the admiral's pallor was striking. The wet red of his blood garish and glistening on his clothes, and pooled beneath him. He glanced at his watch. The rendezvous was scheduled in 45 minutes. The admiral had lost consciousness approximately 5 minutes before. It was a wonder he'd made it this far before he collapsed. The rescue had met its objective-the captain was out of enemy hands, battered and bloody but still ambulatory. There was still time for them to follow Nelson's last direct order and make the rendezvous.
Nelson's last order and most likely his last words had ordered them to leave him behind and go. Chip sighed and scanned the perimeter again before he stood. Nelson's last order had no chance of being followed.
"I'll take him first," he whispered. "Help me get him up on me."
Lee shook his head. "You go on. I'll stay here with him until you can bring a party back."
"We can't bring a party back, Lee. It's not Ski and the guys coming, it's paid operatives. Mercenaries to meet us on the beach with a 15 minute window. Officially, we were never here. This was a one shot, renegade deal. We have to go, now."
"Then go."
"I will. As soon as you're ready to come with me."
Crane didn't respond only watched the admiral's face.
"Lee…"
Lee leaned away from the admiral and slumped against a tree trunk. He shook his head and put a hand against his broken ribs.
"I can't make it. You go on."
Chip shook his head. "That won't work, Lee. We both know better and we need to get gone. Now."
Crane's eyes narrowed to glare at Morton but, before he could speak, Chip stopped him.
"And, don't even think about trying to order me to go. If you can ignore an order, so can I."
Lee sighed and ran a hand over his bruised face.
"The bleeding's just stopped. You throw him over your shoulder and carry him, it'll start again. He'll die."
"Lee," Chip's tone was gentler, "he'll die lying here, too."
"Then, you go on and I'll join you once he's dead." Lee's voice was hushed but angry. Chip shook his head and sat back down and began to scan the perimeter again.
"Go!" Chip ignored Lee's whispered order.
"Dammit, Chip-"
"Lee, I won't leave you here. Honor, duty, friendship, so on and so forth. You insist on being stubborn or loyal or stupid or whatever? Well, so do I. The admiral's dying. I hate it and I'm sorry. But, it's a fact. Look at him, check his pulse."
Lee looked away from both Chip and the admiral.
"Maybe he does still have a chance, Lee. We can sit here and wait for him to die or for us all to be captured and make a huge international stink and him die anyway. Say by some miracle he survives, we're all still captured. Do you think he'd be happy waking up in a cell? Look at you, Lee. That's just the start of what we'd all get if they get us."
"We both know what the admiral wanted. He told you, flat out. If he has to die, at least make it mean something. How do you think he'd feel knowing he died to rescue you and you threw it away just to ease your conscience?"
Crane was silent a few seconds before he answered. "I won't leave him."
Chip reached to pull Nelson's pistol from his holster. He placed it beside Lee. His own pistol Chip returned to his holster. He knelt beside the admiral.
"Help me get him up and let's go"