Chapter 9

Once back in Med Bay, Will jumped into action more thoroughly evaluating Lee's condition. In the course of his examination he discovered that Lee's kidneys were severely damaged and had stopped working, and his liver was on verge of failure as well. He was badly dehydrated and in need of nourishment. His pupils remained nearly non-reactive and the EEG showed minimal brain activity. He also was bleeding internally and required immediate surgery. Once he opened the man up he found tears to both his liver and spleen and worked feverously to repair the damage.

Having completed the emergency surgery, he placed Lee on a ventilator to aid his compromised lungs and to relieve his body of the strain of breathing. He also initiated dialysis to cleanse his body of the toxins and wastes it was no longer capable of processing, and attached every monitor he had at his disposal. As he turned on the last machine, he disgustedly ran his hand over his head removing the surgical cap and threw it viciously at the hamper. There was little more he could do for the man and desperately needed some answers as to how he had come to such a precarious state.

While he took care of Lee, one of the other physicians saw to the admiral giving him a general examination and tending to the minor cuts to his face and arms. Will wearily entered Harri's suite to check on the man himself. He spotted Chip standing opposite the door next to Harri's bed, and as he entered he heard parts of the conversation Nelson was having with the President and senior military staff. He turned to leave but was waved in by Nelson.

"Yes sir, I think that Commander Crane and I were able to destroy their current capability to access the wormhole generator and I managed to plant a virus in their computer system that should erase all data related to our planet so they would be guessing at the coordinates. We had joined up with an agent from an Odejaian intelligence agency sent in to shut down their operation and it assisted us in making our way to freedom and initiated the explosion that took out the complex," Nelson explained.

"Commander Crane is not good; our CMO had to take him into emergency surgery upon our return and I have yet to get a briefing on his condition. He should be commended for his efforts to derail the aliens' activities. Despite severe torture he was able to take out one of our captors and give us the time needed to make it back to our ship…Yes Mr. President, I'll update you on his condition once I have the details…I am for the most part uninjured but I'm exhausted; it was a very tense situation once their intent was made clear…Yes sir, I'll get the rest I need and will be in touch. Thank you, sir. Goodbye."

While Nelson was on the phone, Jamie reviewed his chart and updated himself on Harri's condition. In comparison to Lee he was practically unscathed but was bordering on exhaustion. "Well I hope you're going to adhere to your promise to the President and rest," Jamie remarked.

"In all honesty Will, I don't think I'll have much of a choice. I feel like I'm ready to collapse now," Harri responded. "How's Lee?" he inquired apprehensively.

"To quote you, not good. He's got a long haul in front of him to even make it up to critical," Jamie answered. He went on to describe Lee's condition and what measures he had taken to treat the young man.

As Will listed the injuries Lee had sustained, both Chip and Harri paled, but each reported injury seemed to have the added impact of a physical blow for Harri. He looked as though he was going to be ill and began to shake. Will was at his side instantly concerned by his response.

"Harri what's wrong?" Jamie inquired, as he forced the man to lay back and then lowered the head of the bed.

Harri just buried his face in his hands trying hard to compose himself. Much as he wanted to respond to Jamieson's question he couldn't bring himself to admit to betraying his captain and son. As he brought his breathing under control, he felt suddenly sleepy and raised his head up to see Jamie pulling a syringe from his IV. He glared at the physician but the effect bounced off harmlessly.

"You need at least 48 hours of solid rest and a good meal, in that order. That is my prescription and you are going to follow it," Jamie declared as he pushed the man back down onto the bed. "That's right, just lay back and rest. We'll take care of Lee and keep him safe. Leave that worry to me. Now sleep."

Harri dropped off quickly as the sedative and his exhausted body easily overrode his desire to see Lee, and beg forgiveness for all that had transpired. As he slipped into blessed darkness, he quietly whispered, "Lee, forgive me son."

(ooloo)

With Harri finally out and getting the sorely needed rest, Jamieson motioned that he and Chip should exit. Nelson's response had shaken both men since it was so atypical of the normally unflappable man.

"My god, they must have both been put through hell," Chip commented as he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "Lee's been in critical condition in the past, but I've never seen the admiral react like that. It's almost like he's consumed with guilt for what Lee went through. Lee reacted similarly when Ferrell was executed; he had that same haunted look on his face."

"I know," Jamie replied. "I got that feeling as well. He's too tight lipped given what's happened. Hopefully once he's better rested he'll be more forthcoming with the details of their ordeal. Come on Chip, I'd like you to come to Lee's room and sit with him for a bit, he needs to hear the voices of family and home. I'm hoping that a familiar voice will stir some greater brain activity."

Chip nodded and steeled his nerves before he entered the room. He'd sat vigil any number of times when his friend returned injured from a botched ONI mission, or from rushing into action somewhere on the boat, it was the one duty he truly hated to do. He never really got used to it, but Nelson's reaction had spooked him more than normal. If what they had endured rocked the admiral so badly, he could only imagine what Lee had experienced.

Jamie held open the door for Chip. The lights in the room were very subdued and the only sounds were the mechanical pings, wheezes and beeps of the machines supporting and monitoring his best friend's life. There didn't appear to be a square inch of skin that didn't have some monitoring device adhered to it reporting what was going on inside his body.

Chip walked slowly to the bed and gently picked up Lee's right hand. "Hey bro. You're home now, and you're safe. We've got a couple of things going on with Seaview and could really use your input." As expected there was no response and Chip looked up towards the ceiling, closed his eyes and released a deep sigh as he fought back the wave of worry and despair over his friend's condition. "You just hang tight, I'm going to go corner Jamie and see when we can spring you from here."

He lay Lee's hand back down on the bed and walked over to Jamie on the opposite side of the room. "What are his chances, Jamie?" he asked quietly.

Jamie looked at Chip and shook his head. "If it was anyone else but Lee Crane, I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for them walking out of this room alive. That said, he's got one hell of a fight in front of him. Hopefully taking over some of his body's functions will give him the extra energy he needs to claw his way back. I just find it disconcerting as hell to catalog all his injuries and then try to marry that up with a body that doesn't have so much as a scratch or a bruise. The bastards were damn efficient in executing their research."

"So it would seem."

"I'm going to go check on Harri, then grab something to eat and hit the hay for a couple of hours. I'm afraid we're in for a very tense and bumpy ride."

"Sounds good Jamie. I'll sit here with Lee for a while and keep watch. I've got to take care of a couple of things in the office, but I have a plethora of volunteers that want to sit with him, so he won't be alone," Chip responded. Jamie nodded, did a once over on the readouts from the machines and then headed out the door as Chip moved to the chair positioned by Lee's bed.

"Hey Lee, it's Chip. I know you can hear me; I need you to come back to us. We've all missed you, especially Seaview, and it's time for you to take her out for a good run." Chip watched closely for any sign he'd been heard, any hint of movement back towards consciousness but was rewarded with nothing. "Come on Lee, fight. You can't let those bastards win."

(ooloo)

True to his word, Jamieson kept Nelson down and out for two days. He was less than thrilled at the minimal effort on his part that that required. Harri had been precariously close to crashing and required only the slightest push from Jamie's potion to push him over the edge. As he finished updating the admiral's chart with the most current vitals, his attention was drawn to the man in the bed as he began his ascent back to consciousness.

"Admiral…Harri, can you wake up for me?" he asked.

Nelson groaned softly and sighed. He squirmed and stretched then slowly opened his eyes. As he took in his surroundings he was momentarily confused and uncertain as to his location. He looked rapidly around the room until he spotted Jamieson and sighed in relief. "How…" he started as he briefly wondered how he came to be there.

"How are you feeling?" Jamie asked quietly.

"Tired, sore…Lee! Where's Lee?!" He sat up suddenly and immediately tried to crawl out of bed. "Is he alive?!"

Jamie jumped into action and gently tried to push him back onto the bed. "Harri relax, please. Lee is here at Med Bay. Yes, he is alive."

"And?! Where is he, I need to see him. I need to know for myself," Nelson replied as he struggled against the doctor.

"There's no way I can sugar coat this. He's in critical condition and as of this point in time the prognosis isn't good. He suffered major trauma to most of his internal organs and had to undergo emergency surgery to repair a lacerated spleen and liver. About 10 hours after you'd been back, he began to evidence symptoms of the bends and we had to place him in a decompression chamber for over 18 hours to reverse the nitrogen concentration in his body. At the present time we suspect there is some paralysis and fear that it's permanent but until he's conscious there's no way to really verify his condition. That was nearly two days ago and there's been no real improvement," Jamie explained.

Harri stopped struggling, stunned by the doctor's report on his son's condition. A haunted look passed across his face and he buried his head in his hands. Pulling himself together he looked up at Jamie. "Two days you say? I've been out that long?" Jamieson nodded. "Please Jamie, I need to see him; to talk to him."

The anguish in the man's words stunned the doctor, having never heard such pain in the admiral's voice before. "All right, Harri, just for a few minutes then you need to get back in bed and rest. Your condition isn't all that shiny either. You wait here while I get a wheelchair."

Harri nodded numbly. At least Lee was still alive. He needed to apologize, to beg his forgiveness for serving him up to those animals, and hopefully set things right between them. He just hoped Lee would be able to hear him and come back to him.

Jamieson returned momentarily with the wheelchair and assisted Harri out of bed and into the chair. He then opened the door and pushed the admiral out into the hall and down to Lee's room.

Jamieson backed carefully through the door into Lee's room as he pulled the admiral in behind him. Sharkey had the watch and had been reading aloud to his skipper from a detective novel someone had left on an earlier visit. He rose as they entered and smiled at seeing the admiral.

"Admiral, it sure is good to see you up and about, sir. Welcome home," Sharkey said.

"Thank you Chief," Nelson replied quietly and then focused on the still man in the bed. His face grew paler than it already was as he took in the number of machines attached to Lee's body. The impact was nearly as shocking as a bullet. He felt immediately cold and nauseated then began to shake as tears formed in his eyes. He rolled the chair closer to the bed and gently picked up Lee's hand. "Oh Lee…I'm so sorry, son," he whispered quietly.

"Admiral, are you all right?" Jamieson inquired as he watched Nelson's response.

"Could I have a few minutes alone with him Will?" Nelson asked.

Concerned more with Harri's health than Lee's at the moment, Jamieson hesitated at leaving him alone. He observed his boss and friend as he stared at the motionless man in the bed. His gaze never wavered as he continued to clasp the Lee's hand tightly as if trying to transfer some of his strength to his failing captain and friend.

"Please, I'm fine Will. I just need to sit with him for a bit," Harri nearly begged.

"All right, just for a few minutes and then you're going back to bed for a decent meal and a few more hours of sleep. Deal?"

Harri looked up at him and gave a halfhearted smile. "Deal. Thank you," he replied almost too quietly to be heard.

"If something changes or you need anything, I'll be just outside the door," Will replied as he pulled the door open and he and Sharkey left.

(ooloo)

As the door finally shut, Harri let loose a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he battled back the tears. He sat quietly for a moment and listened to the mechanical means that were keeping the man in the bed alive. He rose slowly from the wheelchair so that he could more fully see Lee's face. His captain was paler than he'd ever seen him before; his face almost waxen in its appearance, almost like a death mask.

The next thing to capture his attention was the fact that his hands were ice cold. Even through the worst of Lee's previous injuries his hands had never been that cold, it was as though his heart and body no longer had the power to warm him as his internal systems slowly failed. Harri gently raised Lee's hand clasped in his and held it against his chest.

"Lee, son, can you hear me? It's Harri. Come on back lad, we're home safe and sound now, thanks to you," Harri said quietly. Watching and hoping for any sign of recognition or reaction, he was sorely disappointed as Lee remained still.

"Son, I have no idea if you can hear me, but I need to say this in hopes you can understand why this all happened. Kolmar and Demari told me of their plans to begin harvesting humans for their slave trade and essentially said they would do it with or without my cooperation. I gathered that if I refused to assist them with their plans they would contact other governments on Earth and offer the same deal of technology for support in collecting stock for their trade. I couldn't take the chance of them happening onto the PR knowing what their first response would be."

"I reasoned that I might be able to sabotage their efforts on Odeja and if not there then maybe on Earth once they arrived. I had to give you up to buy their trust. We stood no chance of stopping them and getting out if we were both out of commission. You of all people understand duty to our country and our planet. I would have gladly exchanged places with you in a heartbeat. I am so sorry Lee; I could see no other way out of this situation. I hope that you can at least understand the reasons for my actions, even if you can't forgive me."

The only response Harri received was the beep of the heart monitor and the hiss-click-whoosh of the ventilator. He reached out with his hand and gently cupped Lee's face. "I'll never leave you like that again, Lee. I promise son. Please come back, lad. It took me too long to find my son and I'm not willing to give you up now."

Harri had no idea how long he stood there, but was mildly startled when Jamie gently placed his hand on his shoulder not having heard the doctor enter the room. He looked up at the physician, his eyes wet with tears.

"Come on Harri, you need to take a break and get some rest," Jamie said quietly.

"No, I can't leave him again. I won't!"

"Sir, I'll stay with him. I'll keep watch," Chip replied. His expression conveyed the worry they all felt for both the admiral and Lee.

Harri stared at him ready to object but suddenly felt dizzy and swayed. Jamie immediately walked him back to the wheelchair and sat him down. He checked his pulse, all the while observing him closely.

"Are you all right?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I just got a little lightheaded, that's all," Harri blustered back.

"That's it, you're going back to your room to eat and to rest, and that's final."

Harri glowered at him but really had very limited energy with which to protest. He harrumphed and slumped down in the wheelchair as Jamie began pushing it out the door.

(olooo)