CHAPTER 14

The sun was setting as Cobra pulled into the parking lot of Children's Hospital in Hartford. They had spent longer at the Massachusetts border than anticipated, shocked to find a no-man's land had been created between the two states, the trees bulldozed down to form a clear line of sight and deter anyone attempting to cross. On the far side of the clearing, Danny could see patrols, as well as wire fencing, giving it the appearance of a prison. He and Wolf had checked the border at four different spots, adhering carefully to Commander Garnett's orders not to be seen, and found the same conditions. There were definitely people here – people that must have heard the Nathan James' broadcasts – raising the question of why they had chosen not to reply. Were these people part of the military group that Tom had joined? The remainder of the Massachusetts National Guard? Immunes?

Danny looked up at the large red Xs that had been sprayed across the exterior walls of the hospital. The building looked intact, at least. As the SUV halted near the entrance to the dark building, Danny saw Caro reach for the door.

"No. You all," he indicated her, Rebecca and Doctor Morrison, "need to stay here until we clear the building." Danny had been less than impressed to see Caro when Miller and Cruz caught up to the rest of the team twenty minutes ago. Miller had stumbled all over himself to explain why she wasn't down in Norwalk where she should be. Cruz had just shrugged, not trying to offer an excuse. "She wanted to come and if we left her she just would have followed us. Our options were to take her to New London or bring her here." Danny couldn't disagree with the assessment. If Caro wanted to come to Hartford, she would have found a way to do so, a little thing like an order from her brother not getting in her way. Still, he would have preferred if Cruz hadn't been smiling as he spoke, a little too pleased with how the situation turned out.

"Which floor is the lab on?" Burk asked.

"Third floor, towards the back. Behind the construction signs. The wing wasn't open yet," Rebecca answered, her voice quaking. She was pale, her eyes large with shock, obviously traumatized by what she had seen and heard in the last few hours. She gripped Caro's hand tightly.

"This shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes," Danny said, trying to reassure her. He glanced at Caro. Someone, probably Rebecca, had rewrapped her arm and fixed the sling, and it looked like she had washed her hands and face. Caro's eyebrow rose, looking at him defiantly.

"Go. We're fine."

Closer to thirty minutes had passed before they finished clearing the building, the task made more difficult by the setting sun and the number of rooms that needed to be cleared, many filled with the corpses of those who had perished here. The pharmacy had been ransacked, of course, as well as the cafeteria and gift shop. As they pushed through the plastic sheets that separated the area of new construction, Danny was relieved to see that the area looked relatively untouched. The air was better there too. In the back, large boxes mixed with various equipment, some of which Danny recognized as similar to that in Doctor Scott's lab. It appeared that they had hit pay dirt.

Danny took the time to move the corpses from the entrance and stairwell, Burk and Cruz helping, as well as washing his hands, before heading back to the SUV. But even so, Rebecca's reaction to the destruction of the hospital had been difficult to watch, her tears when she entered the building and saw the damage that had been done, the hand she brought abruptly to her mouth as the scent of death hit her, the growing comprehension in her eyes as he blocked the entrance to the staff offices. Her reaction reminded him of how he felt on the cruise ship, the first time he had encountered the virus, and how immune he had become to the horror. Thankfully Caro had taken charge, grabbing Rebecca by the arm and pulling her towards the stairway, murmuring something in her ear that Danny couldn't quite catch. Caro hung back for a moment, allowing him to catch up.

"Where did you stash the bodies?" Her voice was calm, as though she was asking him whether it was raining. How had this become the new normal for all of them? When had he ceased to see people and begun to see only corpses? When had Caro? Misunderstanding the reason for his pause, Caro added, "I had to go over to Memorial for medicine. I saw what it looked like. You don't need to shield me."

"The cafeteria," he replied finally. "The third floor smells better. We broke a couple windows to let fresh air in."

There was a short pause, then Caro gave him a sad smile. "You can be a good guy, Danny."

"I'm waiting for the punchline," he responded with a laugh. But Caro just shook her head.

"I mean it." Caro shook her head, her lips pursing. "I don't tell you that stuff because it's weird. You're my brother for crying out loud. But you are. And I'm glad that you found someone that makes all of this a little more bearable. I'm curious to meet her. Kara."

Danny smiled as Caro said Kara's name. She said it slowly, as though trying it on for size. "So you and Cruz, huh? Wasn't expecting that."

Caro rolled her eyes. "What did you think I was doing in Lejeune? You and Rebecca would disappear for hours and I'd be stuck hanging out with the guys. Frankie was a total stick in the mud, pissed about Rebecca being there, and Bercham couldn't keep his hands to himself even though he was married at the time. Cruz was the only acceptable alternative. So we hung out."

Danny considered her words, embarrassed to realize that he had never actually considered what Caro was up to on those visits, too focused on Rebecca during the little time that they had together, assuming Caro was capable of taking care of herself. "Just don't tease him, okay? He's been through a lot the past few months."

Caro gazed at him thoughtfully before starting up the stairs with a flounce. "Haven't we all."

By the time they arrived on the third floor, Doctor Morrison had already begun examining the equipment. He turned towards Danny. "It's all here. We even have some of the original boxes, which should make it safer to transport."

"Cobra to base."

"Status Green?" Danny felt a bit of relief when the Captain responded. Kara would have been his top choice, but at least the Captain answering was within the norm.

"Primary objective has been accomplished. Looks like everything is here. We'll load at first light. Everything set for the distribution tomorrow?"

"Lots of radio chatter," Captain Chandler responded. "You should get a decent turnout. May not be the crowd we want, though. XO and I had an informative meeting with representatives of the 'New Massachusetts alliance' this afternoon. Their rhetoric was a bit too Granderson for my comfort. They seemed a little too interested in our plans to distribute the cure."

Well, that did explain where the Captain and XO were this afternoon. But what about Kara? There was no way Captain Chandler would have taken her with them. "Think we'll have a problem, sir?"

"Not sure. XO will be there by 0800 with backup. He can fill you in on the details." Danny was about to signoff when the Captain continued. "I need to talk to Green alone."

A cold chill ran down Danny's spine, and for an instant he was back on the Nathan James on that hot, windless day during the vaccination trial, watching the Captain walk across the deck towards him, knowing that his presence could not be good news. Certain that Kara was dead. His eyes met Burk's, watching as the man pulled out his earpiece, his expression serious. Putting his hand up to his ear, as though that would somehow make the news easier to bear, Danny turned away from the group, walking towards the far wall, squaring his shoulders. Behind him he thought he could hear Caro arguing with someone. A quick glance showed Burk blocking her way, his arms crossed firmly across his chest, no give in his position.

"I'm alone, sir."

"I thought you should know that Kara's in labor." Danny leaned a hand against the wall. He had known something was wrong earlier, damn it. But he had thought that they had weeks left, another month. And the Captain wasn't done. "The baby is not tolerating it well. Doctor Scott may need to perform a c-section."

A c-section. Chris had been born by emergency c-section, and Danny remembered how hard the recovery had been for his mother. No climbing, no lifting, no driving, no exercise. How could Kara even get back on the Nathan James if she couldn't climb steps? Would she – would they – be stuck in New London for weeks (because there wasn't a chance in hell he was leaving her and a baby here)? How would they get home to Norfolk?

"Is she okay?" His voice hoarse.

"She's holding up." The Captain's voice remained gentle, calm, compassionate. Danny wondered if the Captain had been on the other end of a call like this once upon a time. "I'll try to patch you through if you're ready."

"I'm ready."

It took a moment for the connection to go through.

"Danny?" Kara's voice sounded husky, her breathing choppy, as though she wasn't getting enough air. He suspected that she was crying. He took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that he could pick up her hand.

"Hi sweetheart. I heard that peanut is giving you a bit of trouble."

"A bit but we're okay." The labored sound of her voice didn't match the words. "Rachel tried to stop the contractions, but this baby apparently decided that today was the day and is not backing down. I've changed my mind, by the way."

"About?" Danny felt lost.

"This is definitely a boy. A girl would never be this much trouble."

Despite himself, Danny laughed. That was Kara for you. Alone, in labor, and making him laugh. "We can have a girl next time."

"About that, all of that talk about another one? Forget it. You can sleep on the couch for the next twenty years."

"The couch, huh? I can work with that. Much better than the cold storage locker. It was two days before I thawed out." He smiled as he heard her laugh. "Is Rachel there with you?"

"We're having a girls' night here," Kara replied. "Andrea, Alisha, Rachel and Bertrise are keeping me company. They stepped out so we could talk."

Not for the first time, Danny marveled at the tight bonds that Kara had built with the other women on the Nathan James. "I wish that I was there."

"You'll probably be back hours before the baby arrives. I got a shot for the baby's lungs around 1300. Doctor Taka- he's one of the emergency room doctors here – wants to give it at least twenty-four hours to work." They both knew that she was lying. Cobra wasn't scheduled to leave Hartford until 1400 tomorrow afternoon, and then it would take another couple of hours to get back to New London.

Danny hated the idea of Kara in a strange hospital, relying on some unfamiliar doctor, even if Rachel was there as well. "I'll get there as soon as I can. I love you. Both of you."

"I love you too. Don't worry about us. We're fine."

Smile fading as soon as the radio clicked off, Danny kicked the wall, his steel toed boot cracking the plaster. He had never expected to be there when the baby was born, assuming that he would be back on board the Nathan James. But now that the moment was here, he realized how much he wanted to be with Kara right now, holding her hand, wiping her forehead, making her laugh. He wanted to see this child born, to cut the umbilical cord, to count tiny little fingers and toes, to see Kara's face when she held their baby for the first time. To have something normal – something joyful – in this bizarre world that they now lived in.

A moment later Burk stepped into his range of vision, propping his shoulder against the wall, waiting silently. They had been here before. The first night of the vaccination trials, when Burk had sat with Danny until the early hours of the morning. The night after Ravit's wake, when they had stayed up all night on the deck. A friendship based on knowing when to talk - and when to stay silent.

"She's in labor."

Burk nodded, holding up a deck of cards. "Texas hold-em or 7-card draw?"

"7-card draw." Turning, Danny realized that Tex had pulled a table from the corner and arranged some boxes for chairs. Cruz and Miller were missing, presumably on first watch. Caro sat in the corner by Rebecca, her arm around the other woman. For the second time since they had arrived at the hospital, Danny thanked his lucky stars that Caro had bullied Miller into letting her come to Hartford. There was no way he could deal with Rebecca right now.

"Cold storage locker, huh?" Burk said, shuffling the cards. "I hadn't considered that."

Danny couldn't help the smile that played across his mouth as he remember those heady early days in the arctic with Kara, getting her alone every chance that he could, nothing to worry about except getting caught in a compromising position. Not that everything had changed since then, Danny acknowledged, he still couldn't keep his hands off of her. "Did I say something about the cold storage locker?" he replied deadpan, causing Tex, Eddie and Burk to laugh as they settled into the game.

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Danny stared up at the sky. It was amazing how bright the stars were with no light pollution, almost as bright as they had been in the arctic. He and Kara had met out on the deck late at night sometimes, snatching a few moments together before the frigid cold drove them back inside. Danny looked in Caro's direction, although he couldn't see anything more than the outline of her body in the dark. "How did Dad die?"

"We had been taking people in at the house but there wasn't enough room. You know Dad – he couldn't turn anyone away. So he opened up the school. But someone got exposed. Dad stayed to take care of them. And got sick, of course." Caro paused. "The last time I talked to him was through a second story window. He told me to stay put. To wait for you. He was sure that you were coming."

"I should have come back earlier," Danny replied, his fists clenching. "Maybe I could have saved—"

Caro cut him off. "Maybe. But what about Kara and the baby? Dad wouldn't have wanted you to leave them."

That was true. Danny's father had been devoted his life to his family – to his children. Mark Green had been everything that a father should be – loving, patient, fun, enthusiastic. His favorite holiday had been Halloween, and there had been a contest in the Green house every year to see who could come up with the most creative costume. (Danny's all-time favorite was the time Caro went as a bag of jelly beans, the balloons popping with every step she took.) Mark had attended every dance recital and sports event, cheering his children on relentlessly no matter how badly they performed. He never complained about the constant stream of children or teenagers that could be found inside the house watching television or playing games, or outside playing paintball, instead often surprising them with pizza or snacks.

Mark had been everything that Danny wanted to be as a father, and he would have been overjoyed to learn that his son was starting his own family.

"When I think about what you went through. What Tom did." Danny's voice shook with anger. "I might have been able to stop it."

"Or you might be dead," Caro pointed out. "You can't save everyone, Danny."

For a moment, Danny tried to imagine what might have happened if he and Kara had left the Nathan James the first time it made port in Norfolk. How different his life might have been. How different things in Cornwall might have been. His father might be alive, for one. But he wouldn't have been in Florida to stop Niels from conducting his "experiments" with the teddy bears. He wouldn't have been in New Orleans to help pull those people out of the water. He wouldn't have been with Slattery to help sink the Ramseys' sub. It was impossible to know what would have happened if he had been here instead.

"What's she like?" Caro asked after a few minutes. "Kara."

Danny paused, a thousand images of Kara tumbling through his mind – her standing in CIC, hands on hips, as she passed out orders – in casual clothes, hair loose, eyes laughing – the cute gap in her teeth when she smiled – her concentration as she did her daily exercise routine – the way she pulled her arms into her sweatshirt when she was cold – her head against his shoulder as they watched old Battlestar Galactica episodes – her and Alisha giggling together as they shared a joke – the way she rubbed her stomach absently when she was thinking – the tears in her eyes when she saw her mother in Norfolk – the way her eyes darkened when they were kissing – the cheeky grin that appeared when she was teasing him – the anxious expression she had worn when he had first woken up from Dengue Fever.

"She's tough."

That apparently was not the answer Caro was expecting. "Tough? That's the best you can do?"

Danny tried to explain. "She's this little thing, but when she gives an order, you don't question it. She's confident. She trusts herself. And she doesn't pull any punches. She has no problem calling someone out – calling me out. When she messes up, she takes her lashes, and she expects everyone else to as well. She doesn't back down."

"You mean she doesn't need you to take care of her," Caro replied.

Danny laughed mirthlessly. "No, Kara can take care of herself. She always has. Her mother, well, she's struggled, and her father died before Kara was born. Kara doesn't even have a picture of the two of them together. I know that bothers her. I think that might be the only thing that really scares her – the possibility of being left to raise the baby alone."

"Rebecca said that the two of you were married. Because of the baby?" Caro's voice was curious, non-judgmental.

"Yes … and no." Danny's lip twisted. "I know that's what everyone thinks. Pretty sure that's what Kara thinks. And I probably would have waited if it wasn't for the baby. It's funny. I never really understood how you could make a snap decision about something important. I thought that you were being stubborn – refusing to change your mind because that would mean you screwed up. But that's how I felt – how I still feel – about Kara. Almost from the moment we met, I couldn't imagine my life without her. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her."

"She's in labor," Danny admitted after another pause. "That was what the Captain wanted to tell me."

"But you're still here," Caro replied, her voice neutral.

"Mission comes first. We already broadcast a call for everyone to meet at the stadium tomorrow, and I need to be here in case it all goes south. That's the job."

Danny waited for the lecture that he was certain was coming, but Caro surprised him. "The last time I saw you, I said that you had never made a decision in your life – that's why you joined the navy. So someone would tell you what to do."

"I remember," Danny commented dryly.

"I thought about that a lot the last couple of months, especially after Tom was gone. Every time I turned around, there was a decision to make. Big ones, of course. Where to stay and who to trust. But also constant little decisions - who to send on patrol, how many bullets we could spare for hunting, how much water we could drink in a day, where to check for food. And my decisions didn't impact just me. They impacted everyone. When I made the wrong decision, people went hungry or got hurt or died." Caro's voice dipped to a whisper. "You make those decisions every day. Like now. You could leave tonight. But you stayed because those people tomorrow need you, we need you. I get it now."

Danny reached out and rested his arm over Caro's shoulders, hugging her to him as they sat silently until the first rays of sunlight passed over the horizon.