Kara was awoken by the incessant noise of a heart rate monitor. Her eyes fluttered open and she immediately closed them again with a wince when the light nearly blinded her. Kara quickly realised that she was lying in some sort of a hospital bed.
When she was able to reopen her eyes, the first thing that she noticed was that this place was definitely not the Nathan James. There was medical equipment everywhere around her bed which got on with whatever task they were meant to quietly in the background. The room she was in was spacious and the walls around her were made of polished, shiny wood. There was a large glass window to her right with a view of a forest outside. It looked like mid-morning with the sun high in the sky.
There was a faint sterile smell in the air around her. And, then it clicked. She was in a hospital. Or, at least a medical area in a larger facility.
What was she doing in a hospital? What the hell had happened?
Then, it all suddenly came crashing back to her. The ship being taken over. Amy Granderson's betrayal. Norris' gun in her face. Danny.
She had been shot when the captain had retaken the ship. And, now she was here. Wherever here was.
Only when Kara properly looked around did she realize the sleeping figure at the foot of her bed. Danny was sat in a chair next to her bed with his head leaning over and pressed into the soft material of Kara's blanket. He had one of his hands tightly gripping Kara's.
By the looks of it, Danny hadn't moved from his position for quite some time. He looked exhausted, Kara realised. Kara couldn't help but smile at him. It wasn't often Kara was able to wake up to see Danny next to her.
Kara heard the door open to her left and was relieved when she saw Dr. Scott enter.
"Rachel" Kara greeted, quietly so as not to wake Danny
"Hello Kara" the doctor greeted with a smile
First names weren't a problem for the two of them anymore. After the discovery of Kara's pregnancy, she and Rachel had become quick friends. Since Doc Rios wasn't exactly an expert on pregnancies, Rachel had chosen to take over Kara's healthcare and outlining what Kara would eventually need to properly care for a developing baby.
"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked
"The baby?" Kara asked instead almost afraid of the answer
Rachel smiled softly "Missed it by that much" Rachel said as she held out her thumb and index finger, holding them barely a cm apart "You lost a lot of blood but we were able to get you stabilised and got you here before it was too late" she explained "You both should be fine with a few weeks rest" she advised
Kara couldn't help the tear that rolled down the side of her cheek. She was so happy right now. The baby was fine. Danny was fine. They were all fine and all together.
"Uh…where is here, exactly?" Kara asked confused
Rachel took a moment to look around the hospital room "This is the medical section of Granderson's compound" when she saw the look of panic in Kara's face, she continued quickly "But, don't worry, the captain was able to take the place with little resistance with Norris' men taken care of. Right now, we're just using it to treat any wounds sustained in the attack. Everyone's still alive thankfully with mostly superficial wounds. But, as to how it happened, I'll leave that up to Lt. Green here to explain. I was in a prison cell for most of the fight anyway. And, as far as I know, Granderson and Norris along with anyone else supporting her have been subdued" Rachel finished explaining
Kara took everything in, but the only thing she thought to ask was "How long have I been out?"
Rachel shrugged "Almost two days" she answered
'Wow. That's a new one' Kara thought. The most sleep she had ever gotten on the Nathan James was just a few hours.
"You know, I don't think he's left your side since you got here" Rachel said gesturing to Danny "I heard he wouldn't let anyone else touch back on the ship except for Doctor Rios. And, when you got here, it took the captain, the XO and Burke to keep him from storming into the operating room as well. Now that you're awake, you should probably try getting him to eat something"
Kara had to resist the temptation to snort. 'That sounds like Danny' she thought as she gazed down at Danny's still sleeping form.
"Thank you, Rachel. And, I will" Kara said
Rachel smiled brightly at Kara "You're quite welcome" she nodded "Now, I don't want to see you in the infirmary again for at least a week. Understood?" she teased
Kara had to roll her eyes at that one. No matter what Danny or anyone else kept telling her, she was not accident prone.
Rachel gave one last smile before leaving.
When the door shut firmly, Kara looked down at Danny again. She gently squeezed her hand that was encompassed around Danny's. A moment later, he squeezed back. When Danny's eyes fluttered open, he smiled that great big grin that Kara always loved to see. Then, his brain seemed to kick in and instantly he was on his feet and talking
"Kara. You're awake. Oh, thank god" he said as he placed one of his hands to Kara's cheek "You scared me so much" Danny said, his voice barely above a whisper. There seemed to be a considerable lump in his throat as he continued speaking "Don't you ever do that to me again"
"Okay" Kara replied, on the verge of tears
Kara looked around the hospital room once more
"What happened?" she finally asked
"We were able to take out all of Granderson's men when we boarded the ship. Had a little help from a local rebel group led by a man named Thorwald. After the Nathan James was secured, the captain took a few of our guys and the rest of the rebels and came here. There were only a few guards left so we took care of 'em pretty quick" Danny looked down and gulped before continuing "After we got you stabilised, the doc thought they'd be able to treat you better here" he finished his explanation with a small sigh
"But… weren't the people here traitors? Are you sure we can trust them?" Kara asked warily looking at the door to her room expecting something to happen
"Apparently, most of the doctors here had their families held hostage underneath the base. And, when we freed them… let's just say they were pretty grateful. They've already started to produce the cure for us"
"Granderson and Norris?" she asked hesitantly
Danny's eyes darkened for a moment at the thought of the two people he currently hated most. Then, he looked back at Kara and his gaze immediately softened again.
"They're still alive" 'unfortunately' Danny wanted to say but kept his mouth shut for fear of upsetting Kara "Locked up in one of the prison cells. Don't worry, captain's got them under guard. We're safe, Kara"
Kara smiled brightly. She pulled Danny down roughly and drew him into a kiss. Danny was quick to return the kiss and soon they were both lost in the moment.
Danny was the first to break contact with a chuckle "Kara, you just got shot. I think there'll be plenty of time for this when you're back on your feet" he said in a teasing manner" Get some rest Kara. I'll be right here" Danny reassured with a slight squeeze of his hand
"Okay" Kara nodded before slipping into a peaceful sleep.
…
Thomas Chandler and Thorwald were meeting in what remained of Granderson's office.
"Well, captain, it looks like you were a good investment after all" Throwers commented as he went through another desk drawer.
All they had found so far were plans for more facilities like Olympia and status reports on how their operation to power the city by burning the dead was going. It was all pretty grim stuff, but Tom felt he needed to know the complete truth about what his safe died because of. A form of closure.
He couldn't lead his crew properly if he was still mourning over his wife.
"I agreed to help you and that's exactly what I did" Tom replied truthfully "After all, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck at the side of the road and my ship still in the hands of a genocide-committing dictator"
Thorwald just kept sifting through yet more paperwork as he answered with a simple "Guess so" after about 10 minutes of silence, Thorwald asked "So, what are your plans for Baltimore?"
Tom paused in his work, thinking for a moment "Honestly, I don't know" he said honestly "Because, I'm not going to be the one in charge"
That did get Thorwald's attention. He flopped down the binder he was reading through and cast a curious glance towards the captain "What do you mean? After the senator, you're the highest ranking officer there is around here. Logically, the place falls to you"
"Yes, except you know Baltimore far better than I ever could. You've kept your men alive through a global pandemic, fought off Granderson when you were heavily outgunned and outnumbered and you display excellent leadership skills. I, personally, cannot think of a better man for the job"
Tom held out his hand once again for Thorwald to shake "So, what do you say. You want the job?" he asked
Thorwald thought about it for a moment and reached a decision. He gladly shook the captain's hand.
Tom nodded approvingly and smiled, glad that someone capable was now in charge of turning the city back to its former glory.
"What do you plan on doing now?" Thorwald asked
"There's still a mission to be done. We have the cure now and I've got to make sure that the world has it. I'll take my crew and my ship down the coast first. Then, on to other countries around the world. We'll try to find other labs that can mass produce the cure and distribute it. Hopefully I can get it to everyone before too many others die"
"Well, I wish you luck" was all Thorwald said
"I trust you will try to distribute the cure in the neighbouring areas as well once you are secure here" Tom said, an underlying threat in his tone
Thorwald nodded seriously "Of course"
"Olympia is still out there. And, there are bound to still be other of Granderson's men in the city as well" Tom reminded the warlord
"That'll be our next target. There are a lot of leftover weapons in this building. They'll come in handy when we start taking the fight to them" Thermals smiled internally at the thought of using their new toys and equipment in the coming battles
Tom nodded "Speaking of leftovers, I hope you won't mind if we take some supplies to replenish our stores on-board. It's been a while since my crew has had something fresh to eat"
"Of course. When do you plan on leaving exactly?"
"Perhaps a week. As soon as my crew are all healed, rested and ready to leave"
"It will be a shame to lose you, captain, but once again, I wish you luck"
"Thank you, Thorwald" Tom said as he left the room to try and find something to
In the corridors, the crew of the Nathan James, Thorwald's rebels and the remaining staff of Granderson's ex-regime mingled together. Some groups trading information about recent events. It was one thing to hear about news in the radio room, but it was quite another for them to hear about it first-hand.
Tom smiled at the easiness and calm aura that seemed to lift all the heavy burdens off their tired backs. Even if it didn't last long, for now they could relax and recuperate.
Tom could only hope the rest of his journeys would be smoother than Baltimore.
"Dad!" two high pitched voices called from across the room.
Tom's head immediately snapped towards the direction of where the voices and came from and was delighted when he saw his two children running up to him and his dad slowly walking behind them. He immediately grabbed his kids into a hug with a relieved sigh. He looked up at his dad, not letting go of his kids and mouthed the words 'thank you'
"Found 'em exactly where you said they would be captain" Burke said as he walked over to the group "And, we picked up a passenger on the way back" Burke gestured to the side as a familiar Texan came walking up with a baseball shaped cap on his head
"Tex" Tom greeted "glad to see you're alright" he commented as he rose to shake the man's hand
"Good to see ya too cap'n" Tex greeted with his heavy southern accent
With a slight nod, Tex walked past Tom and his children and headed over to where the large group of people were happily eating their meal in the large, open canteen
"What is this?" he asked loudly "We've got a whole storage room full o' alcohol and no-one is drinkin'? Who does that? Come on people, let's get this party started"
Tom glared at the back of Tex's head and rolled his eyes
So much for the peace and quiet
A/N:This story Is not over yet. I've still got plans to continue on with my season 2 story- if I get good reviews anyway
See you next time :)
