A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews and welcome followers. Just some warnings the medical stuff is complete nonsense so please let it slide as I'm not a doctor. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Tom stood back as he knew if anything he'd just get in the way. Hell, he kind of wished he'd not come up but he knew his absence would speak volumes to the crew and right now they needed everyone to work together as a cohesive unit. The RHIB had been hoisted to the side of the ship after majority of the team had climbed out first so the rig wouldn't have to pull up a full load. Most had stopped to talk with Tom before he dismissed them with orders to meet in the wardroom for a full debriefing in two hours.

Out of the team that had returned, Lt Bivas and SCPO Taylor were the only ones left on the deck still helping out. Bivas stood on the deck with her firearm strapped to her back as she held onto Rachel's arm steadying her as the Doctor was still in the boat directing traffic to get Kate's body off the boat.

When he first glimpsed Rachel, he felt like someone had punched him in the gut. She was still as beautiful as he remembered but that wasn't what had him riddled with guilt and in pain. It was how the two months had changed her that hit him the hardest. Her face was gaunt, her cheekbones more pronounced. She looked like she had not been treated humanely like Dr Milowsky had assured him. The scientist said that Rachel and Kate would be treated with some care due to their value but looking at Rachel face; the scattered cuts, the large bruise on her cheek made him angry that he hadn't forced the issue to find them sooner.

But he had to remind himself that they had tried for two long months with no success to find Kate and Rachel. They had tried… not hard enough… he thought grimly as he took in the sight of her. Her long hair was a greasy mess of knots with lank tendrils of it danced in the wind that blew over the ocean. She brushed them out of her face and for a moment their eyes locked.

He wore a grim expression as guilt flooded him from having failed yet another two people who were supposed to be under his care and protection. She stared back at him but he was the first to break eye contact as what he saw in her eyes completely devastated him. He looked to see Kate's body was lifted off the floor of the RHIB into Burk's arms. The redhead hung limply in the lieutenant's arm. Her head lolled at an uncomfortable angle, it was hard to tell the damage as Kate's face was caked in soot and blood. Her hair was looking considerably shorter than he remembered, he had really hoped for a better outcome as he could only imagine what Mike was feeling in that moment. He had wanted a clean success where Kate and Rachel returned to the unscathed but in good spirits not this; not broken as they all were.

Lt Green and Lt Burk had given him a quick debrief of the mission, apparently Granderson was taking heavy losses. The men had no idea how Kate and Rachel had survived but they had. Tom had to hold his tongue as he'd felt like reminding them that the two women were resourceful and highly intelligent. Well, Rachel was highly intelligent; Kate's level of intelligence was questionable but the woman had common sense in spades. But he kept quiet and listened as they also informed him that Anna and Tex remained on the mainland and were heading south.

Tom really didn't understand Anna at all, she went to all the trouble to save Kate and then once the job was complete just handed her over into their care with a duffle filled with medical supplies and drugs. If it had been him in Anna's position; he would have stayed with Kate but then he also understood on the ship Anna would feel superfluous. If there was one thing he'd learned about Anna. The woman needed a purpose and a mission to keep her moving. She was also more valuable resource to have on the Mainland than keeping her cooped up on the ship.

"Careful, we need to get her to the infirmary immediately" Rachel told them as SCPO Taylor lifted Kate from the floor of the RHIB like she was made of air and straight into the waiting arms of Commander Mike Slattery who was standing on the deck of the Nathan James. He had been standing by the railing well before the RHIB had been lifted up from the water. It had warmed Rachel to see him waiting there even if it wasn't for her.

The RHIB rocked against the side of the ship; momentarily throwing Rachel's balance. Luckily before she even had a chance to lose balance and fall over; a hand gripped her elbow. She winced at the tight hold as the fingers dug into one of her many injuries she was currently ignoring. Her heart jumped in panic before she realised the hand was attached to Lt Bivas. The woman was on the other side of the railing said nothing as she gave Rachel a nonchalant look which oddly comforted Rachel. She looked over at Tom not for the first time since they had reached the deck.

Her eyes couldn't help drinking him in, yet her mind wondered why he was keeping his distance as he was usually one to be right in the thick of it. Physically he hadn't changed that much, still handsome as ever. Just as she imagined him but there was something off about him, she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She wasn't sure if it was his lack of welcoming her aboard. she immediately dismissed the idea as she reminded sarcastically reminded herself that she was not the center of the universe. That Tom had other things to attend as he talked with Lt Green and Burke.

But once he finished with them his attention turned to her. The he looked her way she felt her heart skip a beat and she wasn't sure if it was from frayed nerves or because for those two months she had delusionally envisioned him storming the place she had been held guns blazing to save her before sailing off into the sunset with his family. Just the thought of his family gave her mixed feelings of happiness and sadness. She wanted him to be happy; she truly did but a small part of was sad that there was that finality she would never be with him or even a man like him as he was one of a very rare kind.

He seemed to stare at her for what felt like the longest moment before breaking eye contact to look at Kate. Rachel mentally smacked herself for losing focus as Kate was priority here.

"I'll be careful" Mike assured her as he didn't miss her moment of distraction. Rachel gave him a soft yet sad smile as she knew he would. She could see his obvious concern for Kate and even for herself as he looked her over. She was eternally grateful when he moved away with Kate in his arms and started for Infirmary without asking her how she was. It was a question she wasn't ready to answer let alone think about.

"Let's get you up and over" Taylor said to her with a jovial smile. He introduced himself as he had helped her with Kate on the boat ride. He had training and experience as combat medic training thanks to his training. He was apparently the Australian Navy's version of a Navy Seal. She couldn't remember the acronym he had given her but he seemed to have fun rubbing it in Lt Green's face that he was tougher and better for just being an Australian. It was all in jest of course which at the time had made her smile for the first time in she didn't know how long.

He was the only one except for Lt Bivas who had so far been able to look her in the eyes without pity. But then Lt Bivas just seemed to be completely apathetic which Rachel was grateful for. She also grateful that Taylor had stepped in without making a scene of taking over to help when she was struggled to give Kate the medical attention she needed as the adrenalin dump and her current state finally took their toll on her.

"I can manage" she told him in a curt yet mocking tone as she shakily gripped the railing and climbed over the railing. Luckily she was spared from face-planting onto the deck as Lt Bivas' assisted her. She tried to shake out her limbs but grimaced as pain and heady fatigue washed through her muscles. She felt herself sway on her feet only for Lt Bivas to steady her.

"Well then would you do me the honour to escort you to the infirmary" Taylor said her, offering his arm. The man exasperated her with his meaningless flirtation but Rachel nodded and wrapped an arm around his leaning her weight onto him. She wanted to follow Kate, so she wasn't going to knock back the assistance

Mike kept sneaking looks down at Kate's pale face as he carried her to the infirmary. His eyes taking in every fine detail while the detective side of his brain made deductions. She was covered in blood and soot. Her hair was greasy like it hadn't been washed in a while and her long hair was gone. Her hair cut haphazardly but a knife he thought given its jagged nature. She smelt of blood, sweat and smoke which said to him that she had been in some kind of fire or explosion. She was completely stoned off her face. Her eyelids were creepily half open and quivering as her eyes rolled around like she were actually trying to wake up but found it a struggle. It was the only movements she was making besides her body's normal operations like breathing and keeping her heart pumping though even they were barely registering.

Anna had warned him that Kate would be a mess, he had expected the worse and Kate had surpassed his expectations. But she was alive and that made him feel oddly liberated as he had felt trapped in the never-ending cycle of questions and worst case scenarios of her not living, of not knowing where she was. She now back on the Nathan James, in his arms and she was going to survive. He'd make sure of it.

He walked through the ship, glad that rank gave him the privilege of owning the hallways as crew-members moved out of the way. His course not once impeded before he reached the Infirmary as he reached the infirmary and a crewman opened the door for him.

"Lay her down here" Rios said Mike as he gestured to the main bed in the infirmary. Mike did as ordered and gently laid Kate down. Rios unzipped her winter jacket and felt for Kate's neck for her vitals and checked her eyes. Mike stepped back unsure of what to do from here and not wanting to be in the way.

"She's been given sedatives consistently for the past two months" Rachel said as she came into the room with Taylor. Mike reached out a hand to her and helped her to a stool as Taylor went to the opposite side of the bed to offer Rios assistance. Rachel sat down with an appreciative sigh and gingerly leaned against the wall. She was trying to summon the energy to stand but not finding it.

"I got a party bag of benzos, morphine, antibiotics, paralytics on their way down to us." Taylor offered the Doc as he tuned and pulled up a blanket out of the storage cabinet behind him and rolled it up before shoving it under Kate's feet elevating them off the bed.

"Let's just get the clothing out of the way and get a better look at the situation" Rios said to Taylor.

Mike watched as the two men talked in rapid medical lingo and worked like a well oiled machine as they quickly and efficiently stripped Kate out of her winter coat. Rios placed a nasal cannula on Kate and connected it to the oxygen tank while Taylor quickly cleaned and placed the tabs on Kate's skin for the vitals monitor and the finger monitor cuff that read blood pressure. Rios connected the wires to the tabs and hit the switch on the machine. It took second before the screen on the monitor showed her blood pressure and heart rate.

"She's barely registering. You attach the monitors correctly?" Rios asked Taylor as he squinted at the screen and then double checked Taylor's work.

"Ah yeah mate I did, I think she might be hypovolemic shock given the blood loss in combo with what Anna gave her to keep her passive. Should we get IV started?" Taylor asked him, looking mildly annoyed at being second guessed. But then no one really knew how to take Taylor or their other newest member Lt Ravit Bivas as they kept surprising Mike and the others with their capabilities.

"Yes" Rios said to him. Mike held his position even though he was nearly a second away from shouting at the men to put their ego to the side and work. He was tempted to say something but kept quiet as Rachel spoke up.

"She's lost a lot of blood back at the lab. You should hang a bag of blood with the IV. Also her wounds need to be cleaned and disinfected. The laceration on her back will need to re-opened washed and stitched again. We weren't in a sterile environment and I didn't do a very good job. It's probably where she's losing the blood" Rachel told them as she felt she needed to explain herself. Mike looked Rachel over noting her state, it didn't look any better than Kate but at least she was up and talking coherently.

"It's no one's fault. But we should probably find a blood donor for her" Taylor said letting Rachel off the hook for being responsible even though it didn't make her feel less at fault. "What's her blood type?" Taylor asked the room in general.

"She's O Positive" Mike answered without hesitation. He ignored the looks as he knew it was strange to know that about her but he figured it was common knowledge he and Kate had a past relationship. But didn't care what anybody thought, he just wanted- no, needed Kate to be alright.

"What?" Mike asked Rios as the man wore a pained expression. He was holding a pair of scissors ready to cut the sleeve of Kate's shirt open when he stopped.

"Granderson's people took all of our medical files and blood bank when her people emptied the infirmary. We haven't resupplied the blood bank for Blood type O yet" Rios said to him.

"It's not a problem, I'm the same blood type. Take it from me" Mike told him, he knew that there were more crewmembers on the ship who probably shared the same blood type as Kate but he needed to feel useful and he sure as hell wasn't going to waste time tracking down a donor when he was standing right there.

"Sir-" Rios started argue but was interrupted as Dr Milowsky came into the room followed by Tom.

"I'll take over from here" Dr Milowsky said. A loud clatter sounded and all eyes turned to Rachel. She had jumped to her feet; knocking over the stool she had been sitting on and now backed into the wall. She was as pale as a ghost, her eyes wide in pure terror as she looked like a trapped animal looking for escape but completely frozen at the same time as the only exit was blocked.

"Dr Scott, you're looking pale-" Dr Milowsky started to say as he placed a hand on her arm but she yanked it away as though his touch burned her. She was safe except for this one element in the room. But her body wasn't accepting that fact as it just saw a blur of uniforms and Milowsky's rumpled suit. The memories of the past clashed with the present which made the room spin slightly as her heart pounded a million miles an hour telling her to run. Yet she couldn't escape as her path was blocked. Anger filled her at the touch of his hand on her person, it was enough to snap her out of her frozen state.

"Don't touch me" Rachel told Dr Milowsky in a cold and angry tone. She looked at him, angry at him for being here and backed away from him and clutched her arm; rubbing the spot like it would somehow erase the feel of his touch on arm. Even with the long sleeve from the black flannel shirt she had on didn't seem to protect her.

"Dr Scott-" Dr Milowsky started but she cut him off as she fed into her anger. It seemed to give her the energy to stand up straighter and the motivation she needed to stand her ground because there was no way in hell that she'd let this man treat Kate. He was one of the many reasons Kate and she were in their current state.

"No, you've done enough damage as it stands. Now I suggest you get out now!" Rachel told him in a scathing tone. Milowsky looked affronted by her statement.

"I'm here to help" Dr Milowsky told her, Rachel made a scoffing noise in her throat as tears formed in her eyes against her will. She pursed her lips as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She refused to let the tears fall especially in front of the man before her.

"We will never be in need of your kind of help" Rachel told him in a dark and disgusted tone. The tension in the room became untenable to the point Tom spoke up for the first time.

"Dr Milowsky, leave. We'll talk later" Tom said in a firm tone. The fierce reaction to Dr Milowsky innocuously touching her gave him a horrible feeling in his gut as his mind raced through several unsavoury scenarios. If anything he would have to be a tread carefully around the women until he learned the extent of their time away from the Nathan James.

"I-" Milowsky started but Tom cut him off as he didn't like to repeating himself especially in situations like this.

"Leave the room. Now" Tom ordered. Milowsky shook his head in annoyance as he threw his hands up surrender and left the small room. Tom watched Rachel carefully, her posture was still incredibly tense "Dr Scott, you alright?" he asked her could see the struggle in her features that she was trying not to break down.

"Yeah, she was about to tap the Commander for a blood donation" Taylor said to him, giving Rachel time to recover as her body got a second if somewhat shaky wind of energy and adrenaline. "I want to do a direct tap to get Kate's BP up but Dr Scott's not a fan of the idea" he said with a shrug as he turned to the storage space behind him and pulled out the kit she needed.

"It could shock her system" Rachel said, finding her voice as she quickly and somewhat shakily moved to the bed and took the kit that Taylor held out for her. "Commander, if you could lie down on the bed in the other room. It will make this easier" she said, Mike complied as he moved into the other room and pulled off his BDU Jacket.

Tom picked up the stool Rachel had toppled over in her earlier panic off the floor and righted it before sitting down. He picked up Rachel's discarded jacket and draped it over a hook on the wall near him. He didn't think there was anything he could do to help but didn't want to leave. He watched as Taylor and Rios used a pair of scissors and sliced through the material of her sleeves on both arms and pushed it out of the way.

Tom felt his stomach twist in disgust and guilt as he saw Kate's arms were covered in bruises, cuts that had been stitched up and multiple needle marks. All in vary states of recovery except for one of the bruises that was fresh palm print just the right size for man. That and her wrists were angry red colour and swollen from chaffing burns and bruises from being restrained. Signs of her resistance. He looked into the other room to where Rachel had just hooked Mike to IV and an empty bag that was slowly filling with blood.

Up close she didn't look any better as her shoulders were slumped. He wondered what injuries she was hiding under her clothes as she shirt she wore was baggy and giving him no indications of if she was hurt. The only thing he could tell was that the shirt though black in nature didn't hide the blood or the fact that it was stuck to her back in places but he wasn't sure if now was the time to push it as she was thoroughly intent on the focus being off her. He wanted to take care of her but wasn't sure how to broach the subject without triggering her into a panic attack.

Rachel wheeled her stool to the doorway and flitted a brief look at him before she looked out to where Taylor and Rios were with Kate. "What's her vitals?" she asked them, Tom looked over to the men had Kate on her stomach and were currently examining a wound on her back. Tom didn't bother to stand up to take a look as he had his fill of the gore.

"She's on the verge of tanking, we need the blood" Taylor told her, Tom could see Rios annoyance at Taylor taking charge when it was his infirmary. He looked back to Rachel who had just turned her head to look at the bag of blood.

"Give me 2 more minutes" she told them.

"What happened to her?" Rios asked, Tom had been about to ask the same question as it was like every patch of her skin had a bruise or needle marks or some sort of injury.

"I don't know exactly. Blood tests and maybe talking to Dr Milowsky will give you a clearer picture. I do know most of her injuries are from resisting what they were doing to her. The laceration on her back was made from a bone marrow needle. They had been taking samples when there was an explosion. It happened hours before Tex and Anna showed up, I did my best but I wasn't in the best shape then" Rachel said honestly, Tom could see it hurt her to not have the answers and to talk about it. She turned her back to them. She looked down at her hands that were in surgical gloves wishing they would stop shaking, that Tom would stop staring at her.

Taylor and Rios continued to work on Kate's injuries. She felt like she was in a stranger's body, like she no longer knew or trusted her own abilities as the stitch-work had been shoddy. She knew it had been because her hands had been so cold and shaking. Excuses that didn't fix the fact that Kate would end up with a horrible scar on her back thanks to her.

"We tried to find you" Tom told her in a quiet tone. He needed to tell her that as he didn't know what she was thinking as she was looking down at her shaking hands. He wanted to take them into his and steady them for her but he felt like she were inside a protective bubble of control. That if he tried to touch her it might have the opposite effect he wanted.

"I'm sure you did, it's just that other things took priority. Tex told me, though he never really explained why any of you even bother or waste resources to show up two months after our capture" Rachel said turning around to face him. She had on that impassive mask that told him she had her opinions and anything he said would fall on deaf ears in regards to why they hadn't been able to find them sooner. He could only imagine she was stung by their delay and believed that they had abandoned them and once she heard about Lt Granderson and Foster being recovered in less than a fortnight. It would only add to that pain of feeling abandoned by them. But for just an instance he saw a flicker in her eyes that said she was hoping he would dispute her on her assumptions.

"You're right, we saved you because we needed you. Both of you" Tom said playing into her beliefs. If it made her hate him then fine. He deserved it and it would kill any attraction between them at least on her side. It was safer to be cruel than lead her on, especially given he had more than enough on his plate he didn't need to add their mutual attraction that still existed into the mix. He watched the hope in her eyes extinguish as she looked away, she pursed her lips and was quiet for a long moment before she spoke.

"You already have the cure and a serviceable doctor-"

"Two doctors, one of whom you told to get out" Tom said cutting her off and correcting her. Rachel glowered at him.

"Dr Milowsky was one of Granderson's head scientists. You should have killed him on sight not welcomed him on your ship" Rachel told him coldly, he could see the pure hate and anger she felt towards the man and wondered what he had done to rouse such emotions in Rachel.

He would definitely be looking into it given Rachel's knowledge of the man conflicted with what Milowsky had told him. Dr Milowsky said the two had very brief meetings before he was moved to the hospital ship to focus on Lt Foster and Lt Granderson's cases. Work the man couldn't seem to 'dumb' down so Tom would understand. He just said he had been tasked to study Rachel's cure and how it affected the body on the genetic level.

"That's rather cold of you" Tom commented as he could see she meant every word of what she said.

"You don't know what he's done, the pain he inflicted on the people who were in the same gene therapy trial as Kate. All in the name medical and scientific advancements. He relished his position of power. He enjoyed his work, the righteousness he had about how it was his duty-"

"He's hardly alone in possessing that quality" Tom remarked. Rachel sat up straighter at the accusation and gave him a dark look.

"I never treated any animal or human under my care the way he treated Kate and the people before her. Look at her and tell me that you wouldn't want to kill the people responsible for that much pain. Imagine if that was wife or daughter on that bed and tell me how you can sit there and accept that man into your ranks and on this ship" Rachel told him.

Tom didn't need to look, he knew full well what he would do. In fact he had vented his grief and anger over what happened to Darien and her remains, he had destroyed Granderson's position of power literally when he ordered the destruction of the Power Plant and Avocet Building. It barely assuage his pain but it had been a good start at the time. He knew if he had the man responsible for his loved one's suffering he wouldn't think twice about killing him. So he could see Rachel's reasoning it just caused a problem as he wasn't sure whether to trust her views given she herself was a victim. He knew it was wrong but he couldn't just act on her accusations without finding out all the facts first.

"He told us he worked for Granderson but that he was a prisoner, he either worked for her or be executed." Tom told her.

"He had a choice. He could have died with his integrity. I was prepared to" Rachel said to him.