Summary: Tag to 1x19. My version of how the episode should've ended.

"Ahoy, mateys! You need a lift, do ya?" Rick's jubilant voice boomed over the speaker. Thomas sagged against the sinking boat as the adrenaline fled his system.

"About time!" He called back hoarsely, pulling a shivering Higgins close. All day, his only goal had been to keep her alive and now that that weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he felt lightheaded with relief. He was absolutely exhausted, and the fight had left him in more pain than he was willing to admit.

"Hang tight, we'll bring her in close." TC promised, steering carefully through the surrounding rocks.

"N-not like w-we're going to g-go anywhere." Higgins muttered. Frowning, Thomas sat next to her, wincing as a sharp pain tore through his side.

"You doing okay?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to give her what warmth he had to offer. She nodded jerkily.

"T-to paraphrase you, give me a b-bottle of Rosé and a paddle and I'll be f-fine." She flashed him grin. Small though it was, it seemed to light up the day. Thomas snorted softly.

"Tell you what. We get back and I'll find you the most expensive bottle on the island, my treat."

"I'll hold you to that." She murmured tiredly, laying her head on Magnum's chest. They sat there, in exhausted, companionable silence until the T.R. Belle arrived.

As TC maneuvered in next to the sinking remains of the Naginata, he let out a low whistle.

"Can't leave you two alone for five minutes!" He scolded affectionately.

"Think you can make it up the ladder, Higgy?" Rick asked, already leaning down to help.

"Well, I just s-saved his arse for the thousandth time," she said, ticking her head towards Magnum, "so a ladder shouldn't b-be a problem." Rick laughed.

"That's our girl!" Still, he remained close, ready to help should she need it. Despite Juliet's confident assurance, Thomas stood beneath her as she began to climb, one hand resting gently on her back, ready to catch her if she fell. Thankfully, she reached the top without incident and was quickly enveloped in a thick blanket by TC.

"Your turn, buddy. That's a nice shiner you've got there." Rick remarked.

"Should see the other guy." Thomas said tiredly, his usual bravado gone. As he reached his arm up to grab the first rung, the pain in his side flared again and he nearly doubled over. He had to brace himself against the side of the boat for a moment just to stay upright.

"Whoa, you okay man?" Rick's tone was suddenly worried, and he looked ready to jump down the into the smaller boat.

"I'm good." Thomas gasped. "Just sore is all. Swimming across the Molokai Channel will do that to you." Carefully, he pulled himself up the ladder, trying his best to ignore the gnawing pain in his gut. As he neared the top, Rick clasped his hands on Thomas' arms and helped pull him the rest of the way up. Once Thomas was safely on the deck, he gave him a shrewd once over before heading over to join TC and Higgins.

"Alright Higgy," Rick said jovially, rubbing his hands together, "let's take a look at that arm."

With practiced ease and surprising gentleness, Rick carefully cleaned and dressed the wound. Throughout the process, Thomas looked on from where he leaned against the railing. Now that he was here and safe, he felt oddly disconnected from the world. Although he was on the boat with them, he felt somehow separate, as though he was watching a movie.

"Well, Jules, looks like you're gonna make it." Rick said, securing the bandage in place as TC handed her a bottle of water.

"S'good…" Magnum mumbled, then promptly collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Three heads whipped around to see him sprawled limply on the deck.

"Thomas!" Rick was up in an instant, running over to kneel at his friend's side.

"What's wrong with him?" TC asked worriedly as he joined Rick. Rick just shook his head and took Thomas' face in his hands.

"Tommy? Can you hear me?" He lightly tapped the man's cheeks, but Magnum didn't so much as twitch. "Help me roll him onto his back." He said to TC. Together, they slowly maneuvered him to lay face up. TC gasped when he was Magnum's abdomen.

"The hell is that?" An enormous dark bruise extended from the navel across his right side and up to his ribs.

"Shit…" Rick muttered, gently probing it with his fingers. His frown deepened when he felt the telltale rigidity. "I think he's bleeding internally." As he pressed against the bruise again, Thomas groaned feebly and tried to curl in on himself. "Easy, buddy. Try to stay still." Rick soothed. Thomas' only reply was a soft whimper. Rick turned to TC. "We've gotta get him to a hospital." Without another word, the big man ran for the controls. With as much care as possible, Rick pulled Magnum over to lie on the couch next to Higgins.

"How is he?" She asked nervously. She had watched everything unfold in shocked silence. Hadn't he been fine just minutes ago?

"Not good." Rick said as he checked his pulse. The weak, rapid beat and the cool, clammy skin all confirmed that he was going into shock. "He's freezing." Juliet instantly shucked one of her blankets and held it out.

"Here, this should help with that." Rick nodded a brief thanks and tucked the blanket over Thomas.

"Any idea how this happened?" He asked.

"He was fine earlier. It had to have just happened there on the Naginata. He'd already taken a few bad hits by the time I got there." Without thinking, she began gently smoothing his damp fair back from his forehead. Suddenly, Magnum's brow furrowed, and he reached clumsily for his injured side. Rick intercepted him and took the errant hand in his own.

"Thomas? I need you to open your eyes for me, okay?" Rick urged. "That's it, come on." Slowly, Thomas' lids fluttered open. He stared dazedly up at Juliet for a moment.

"Higgins?" His voice was barely more than whisper. "You…'kay?" Higgins felt tears burn in her eyes. Later she'd blame it on exhaustion and blood loss.

"I'm fine, Magnum. You kept me safe."

"Crying…s'wrong?" He slurred.

"I think you're scaring her, buddy." Rick said, giving Magnum's hand a gentle squeeze. "Why didn't you tell us you were hurt?"

"Didn't think…this bad." He mumbled breathlessly. "Thought…s'fine."

"Yeah, well later you and I are gonna have a long talk about your definition of 'fine.' For now, though, let's just focus on getting you home."

"Thirty minutes guys." TC called from the console. "I've got EMS standing by." Thomas nodded, then groaned, his face contorting in pain. His head thrashed from side to side as he gasped in a ragged breath.

"Thomas? What's wrong?" Higgins asked, concerned by this sudden change.

"Hurtsssss." He bit out.

"Just ride it out, man." Rick tried to hide his frustration at his utter uselessness in the situation. It was like the camp all over again. Thomas in pain and bleeding out with nothing he could do.

Thomas' chest suddenly convulsed, sending him into a painful coughing fit. Blood gurgled up from his throat and ran down his chin. Rick quickly lifted him and turned his head to the side to keep him from choking.

"Oh God…" Juliet whispered. Thomas was struggling for each breath now. Rick placed an ear on his chest and listened intently.

"The bleeding's putting pressure on his lung. It's collapsing, maybe even punctured…TC!"

"Going as fast as I can!" TC called. The Belle was already cruising at her top speed, but Juliet willed it to go faster.

"Stand up eight, Magnum." She whispered fiercely. "Fall seven times, stand up eight. You owe me eight."

Rick paced the hospital waiting room like a caged animal. He'd tried sitting for the first hour, but the nervous energy had gotten the better of him. The image of Thomas choking on his own blood as they loaded him into the ambulance seemed to be burned onto his retinas.

"Sit down, Orville. You're gonna wear holes in the floor." TC said softly.

"It's been two hours, T. How come we haven't been updated yet? Something's wrong."

"We don't know that. No news is good news, okay? It means they're still working on him."

"But what if…" Rick trailed off as Higgins walked in. She was pale, dressed in clothes obviously from the gift shop, and her arm was in a sling, but she seemed steady on her feet.

"Any news yet?" She asked, sounding both hopeful and afraid as she sat next to TC. Rick shook his head.

"Nothing yet. What about you? The doctors actually discharged you?" He asked with a note of disbelief, taking the seat opposite of Higgins.

"Yes. Unlike Magnum, I know when to take the advice of trained medical professionals. They redressed the wound, pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics, wrote me a couple of scripts, and sent me on my way."

"Glad you're okay, Higgy." TC said sincerely, giving her a gentle on armed hug. Rick was about to second that when a young woman in scrubs and a surgical cap entered the room.

"Family of Thomas Magnum?" She called. The three of them were up in an instant, closing in on her.

"We're his family." TC said firmly. She appraised the small group for a moment, then nodded.

"I'm Dr. Iona. I'm the resident assigned to his case."

"How is he?" Juliet asked tentatively.

"Mr. Magnum has a lacerated liver and a punctured lung. We've just taken him into surgery."

"Just now? He's been here for hours already!" Rick questioned indignantly.

"By the time he arrived, he'd lost a lot of blood and was extremely unstable. Surgery was too risky at that point. We had to give a blood transfusion in order to bring his vitals back to an acceptable level. I promise you, we're doing everything we can for him."

"What are his chances looking like, Doc?" TC asked. Iona took a deep breath.

"I won't lie to you, he's critical. The damage is extensive and the delay in getting treatment adds more risk to the surgery. That said, he's young, he's healthy, and he's fighting very hard right now." She made eye contact with each of them before continuing. "I'll come back out with updates when I can. I suggest you all get comfortable because you'll be here for a while."

The rhythmic hiss and beep of Magnum's machines were slowly lulling Higgins to sleep. For the last ten hours since Thomas had come out of surgery, she'd only caught snatches of sleep here and there. Mostly, it was Rick's anxious pacing that kept her awake. Not that she was upset, God knew she wasn't exactly that most patient person. However, now that Rick and TC had left the room to fill in Katsumoto, Juliet could feel the combination of exhaustion and pain medication pulling her under. Still, even as she drifted off, she held fast to Magnum's cold hand.

Higgins was jolted awake by the frantic, shrill beeping of the heart monitor. On the bed, Thomas was thrashing against the blankets, eyes wide and glazed with panic. His hands grabbed clumsily for the ventilator. The sight banished all traces of exhaustion from her in a second. With her one good arm, she gently pulled his hands away. Weak as he was, it didn't take much.

"Magnum? Look at me. You're okay. You're in the hospital." His eyes locked on hers and she could see the sheer terror in them as he tried to reach toward the tube again. Again, she pulled him back.

"Listen to me, Thomas. You're on a ventilator. You need it to help you breathe. I know it feels like you're suffocating right now, but I promise you're not." As she spoke, she could see the panic begin to slowly recede. It broke her heart to see him so lost and afraid and she ached for a way to help him. Thomas began to grunt softly, as though he were trying to say something.

"Shhh, don't try to talk. Everything's okay. You're safe." Thomas' lids had begun to flutter closed, but she could tell he was fighting it.

"It's alright Thomas, go back to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up." She promised. Even so, Magnum seemed intent on something. He tried, unsuccessfully, to talk again, then reached out one hand to tug weakly on her sling. Thinking he was trying get her attention, Juliet leaned closer.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He tugged again on her sling, glancing between her arm and her face repeatedly. "My arm? You want to know about me?" He nodded once. Juliet rolled her eyes and leaned back.

"You're in the ICU and you're worried about me? Unbelievable…Thomas, I'm fine. I promise you, I'm okay." That seemed to be all that he'd needed to hear because seconds later he was asleep once more.

The next time Thomas woke was far less dramatic. As he'd improved, he'd been transferred to a private room and exchanged the ventilator for an oxygen mask, then later a far more comfortable nasal cannula. He rose to consciousness slowly, comforted by the warm sun that filtered through the half-drawn shades. When he finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by a sight he'd never forget. On a small couch to his left, Juliet Higgins slept curled against the improbably large figure of TC. Her head lay on his chest and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. TC was snoring softly, his own head tipped against Juliet's soft blonde curls. Despite the cramped space, they both look peaceful. Unwilling to wake them just yet, Thomas slowly rolled his head to the right. Rick was sitting in horribly uncomfortable chair, staring out the window. Thomas tried to say something, but only a weak sound no louder than a whisper escaped him. Still, it was enough to rouse Rick from his thoughts. He turned sharply, and his face split into a wide grin. He reached for a small cup on the nearby tray.

"Hey, buddy! Hold on, don't try to talk yet." He said quietly. A moment later, he held straw to Thomas' lips and help him drink. "Slow sips now. Not too much." He coached. Thomas savored the cool, refreshing water.

"Thanks." He rasped. Rick set the cup aside, the leaned in, grabbing Thomas' hand as he did so.

"How're you feeling? In any pain?"

"No…feel drugged. Good kind of drugged." Thomas paused for a moment, taking in the various wires and machines. "What happened?" Rick frowned.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember you and TC coming to get us, but not much after that." Rick sighed.

"You collapsed once we got you guys on board. Turns out you were hurt worse than you thought from that fight you got into with the boatjackers. You were bleeding internally and we almost didn't make it back to shore in time."

"Another one of my nine lives gone. How many is that now?" Magnum joked weakly, but Rick shook his head.

"Don't. This isn't funny. We were so close to losing you this time." The raw emotion in Rick's voice had Thomas' next flippant comment dying on his tongue.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize." He said contritely. Rick squeezed Thomas' knee gently and gave him a small smile.

"You never do, Tommy. You never do."

"So what's the damage this time?"

"Well, you had a lacerated liver and punctured lung. Docs fixed you up, but you're gonna be down for a while."

"We'll see about that." Thomas replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

As it turned out, Rick was right about Thomas' recovery time. He spent nearly two weeks in the hospital before the doctors deemed him well enough to return home. Even then, he was told he'd be mostly on bed rest. Although Thomas' spirit resisted, his body disagreed. He was plagued by constant pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath. He'd spent most the first four days out of the hospital sleeping in a guest room in the main house. When he was awake, he lay in a medicated fog and waited passively as Higgins changed his bandages.

Now, three weeks after the incident, Thomas was finally starting to feel like himself again. The pain and fatigue were still there, but they no longer weighed down on him oppressively. He'd been given permission to take short walks and, even better, he felt up to taking them. As he shuffled into the kitchen late one morning, he found Higgins waiting for him. Her own wound had healed quickly and he envied her. Grabbing a bottle of water, Thomas sat at the counter and downed his morning pills.

"Feel up to a stroll?" Higgins asked casually. Thomas considered for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah. Where'd you have in mind?"

"I thought I'd take Zeus and Apollo down to the beach, let them run off some energy. And you need the sunshine. It'll do you good. You've been shut up inside for three weeks and you're beginning to look downright ghastly." She teased affectionately.

"You're all heart, Higgy." She laughed, slid over his well-worn flip flops, and helped him down from the chair.

They walked slowly, arm in arm across the lawn, Thomas leaning on Higgins. Zeus and Apollo trotted obediently beside them. He had to admit, she was right about the sun. For the last few weeks, he hadn't been able to feel properly warm, despite the sweatshirts and the blankets. Now, he relished the feeling of the sun's rays soaking into his skin and warming him inside and out.

By the time they reached the beach, Thomas was a bit out of breath and his legs had begun to shake. His right lung wheezed with the effort. He hated feeling so weak and it usually put him in a foul mood. Higgins took it all in stride. She had evidently thought ahead and had placed a pair of beach chairs on the sand.

"There we go." She murmured softly as she eased him down into one of them. "Just relax for a moment." As he sat there, he marveled at how this woman could be so incredibly fierce and deadly, and yet also kind and gentle. They sat together in comfortable silence, watching the dogs run through the surf.

"Thank you." Thomas said after a while.

"You're welcome. It's good see you up and about again."

"It's good to be up and about again." He agreed. Then paused, before continuing. "You're right, you know." Higgins arched an eyebrow.

"Thomas Magnum admitting that I'm right? Surely that's a sign of the apocalypse. And what is that you think I'm right about?" Thomas was silent for a minute.

"A lot of things, actually. You were right about the sun. I feel better now than I have in weeks…but it's more than that. You were right about falling down seven times, standing up eight."

"In what way?" Higgins asked, her tone no longer joking.

"My whole life, I've been getting knocked down. Hell, my dad died when I was six. I started down. I've always gotten back up. Every time, it was just a given that no matter what they did to me, I could come back from it. As long as I was still alive, I could get back up." He paused for a moment, staring at the waves. "Back on that atoll, I thought you were dying. You weren't breathing and there wasn't much I could do about it. The way I saw it, you'd stood up your seven times, and been knocked down seven. The only way was for you to give it one last try. To stand up eight." Juliet was a moment in replying.

"On the way back to shore, after you'd been hurt, I also asked you to stand up eight. You were barely conscious at that point and I didn't know if you could hear me, but…" She trailed off.

"Let's make a deal. No matter what, I promise you I'll always stand up eight if you'll promise the same." Thomas said with a grin, turning to Higgins and sticking out his hand. She smiled and shook it.

"Deal. And just so you know, I haven't forgotten about our other deal."

"What other deal?"

"Well I do believe you promised me the most expensive bottle of Rosé on the island."

"You're seriously gonna hold me to that?"