Taz was vaguely aware of someone taking Karri from her arms. There was someone else guiding her into a chair. People talking, trying to get her to communicate but Taz wanted this moment to herself. The moment before she had to ask any questions.

"Taz?" It was Krayonder. He was leaning over her, her shoulders in his hands. "Taz, I'm going to slap you because you're scaring everyone, okay?"

"If you touch me, I will punch you so hard that your wound will open and your guts will fall out onto this nice, clean floor," Taz replied calmly. Krayonder made a sound like someone stepping on a mouse and ran to hide behind Specs.

"You found him?" Taz said to Price.

"Yes."

"Is he dead?" Taz asked bluntly.

Price deliberated before saying, "He's still alive."

"Still? Okay, so he's going to die," Taz nodded, then held her arms out to February who was cradling Karri. "I'd like you to take me to see him, por favor."

Taz wasn't sure how she was being so calm. There was a box in the back of her head that was trying to open, the box labelled "Qo'nos", and she was not about to lift the lid on those feelings any time soon.

"I don't think that's a good idea-" Price began, but stopped when Taz passed Karri to Krayonder and yanked a knife from his belt, slicing through the sheath as she did.

"I am being very calm," Taz said in a loud voice. "However, I will start throwing knives if you don't take me and my daughter to Up. Right now."

Price looked helplessly at the others. Krayonder (who was holding the baby as though she might explode any second) gestured helplessly and Price sighed.

"Fine! You can see him," Price said, throwing his arms up. "But they're taking him to surgery in ten minutes so you need to be quick."

Taz retrieved Karri from the precarious grasp of Krayonder and agreed to sit in a wheelchair to visit Up, so long as no one pushed her. Karri was settled into her crib once more and was wheeled out of the room in front of Taz by Violet.

They made an odd group, filing through the corridors past the hundreds of injured Rangers. Some of them stopped the group to fuss Karri or congratulate Taz, but most of them let them pass without a word. Price lead them to a quieter end of the hospital and stopped outside a cubicle, the curtain pulled round, shielding the occupant from view. He helped Taz out of the chair and Violet assured Taz that Karri would be fine with her and February while she saw Up.

"Are you okay?" Price asked as Taz got to her feet shakily. She nodded and braced herself before stepping into the cubicle and staring at the bed.

He was still Up. Barely. The synthetic skin that covered his robotic half was gone leaving the complex network of robotics that made up his right side exposed. Almost all of his remaining human side was burned. The smell of singed hair and flesh invaded Taz's nostrils and she gagged slightly. Price put his hand on her shoulder to guide her out of the cubicle, but she shook him off and approached the bed.

"Up?" she said quietly as she stood next to the bed. "Can you hear me?"

He was unconscious, or asleep, Taz couldn't tell. She reached out to take his left hand, but stopped when she saw the bright pink skin peeling away from his fingers. His face had escaped much of the damage that the rest of his body suffered, but his skin was still blistered badly.

"They're sending a robotics team down and the surgeons will fix his burns as best they can," Price said quietly.

"Can we have some time alone? Please?" she asked. He hesitated, then nodded. "I'll be right outside. You've got about five minutes."

He exited the cubicle and Taz leant closer to Up. He had a mask on that was linked to a respirator and an IV drip in his arm that made Taz more uncomfortable than the burns; Taz hated needles.

"I… You look awful," she said finally, then laughed at the stupidity of her comment. "We've got a daughter, Up. And she's…beautiful. She looks just like you and I wanted you to see her before…" Taz trailed off and gulped back the emotions she felt brimming to the surface.

He opened his eyes.

"Up?" she whispered, not daring to move in case he shut them again. "Up, can you hear me?"

His fingers moved against the bed and she cried, "Price! Help! Someone!"

Price burst into the cubicle followed by Krayonder and Bug. He swiftly stepped over to Up and shone a light in his eyes. Up moaned a little and Price turned the light off immediately.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Price apologised. "You're okay, Up, we're taking care of you." He stepped aside and gestured for Taz to approach Up once more, but she held up her hand and walked out of the cubicle.

February and Violet were stood across the corridor, cooing into the crib that contained Karri. Specs was watching them in amusement and gave Taz a small smile when she approached them. Taz picked up her baby without a word and walked back into the cubicle, telling the doctor and Rangers to leave.

Up was staring at the ceiling, eyes blinking slowly. He turned his head a fraction as Taz came to stand beside his bed and made the tiniest noise as he set eyes on his baby for the first time. A tear trickled down his cheek and he tried to lift his arm, crying harder in frustration as his muscles refused to cooperate.

"Hey, don't cry, Up," Taz said as she adjusted Karri in her arms. "Here."

She held the tiny baby next to Up's face and he turned as much as he could to take in every aspect of his daughter that he could. He made another noise of annoyance and Taz frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" Up wrinkled his nose, causing the mask that covered his mouth to move a little. "You want me to take that off?" Taz asked dubiously. He wrinkled his nose again in a gesture she took as a "yes" so she put Karri onto one arm and carefully lifted the mask with her free hand.

He took a deep, rattling breath that set Taz's heart racing, but he managed a tiny smile that she returned. Karri made a whimpering noise and Taz shushed her, before lying her on the bed next to Up. Her tiny arms waved around and caught Up's face, but he didn't wince, instead he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her little cheek. Tears began to trickle down Taz's face and Up tried to move his hand once more. She shook her head and leant down, pressing the gentlest kiss she could to his lips.

"I love you," she whispered, just as Price poked his head around the curtain.

"They want to take him to theatre now," he said gently. Taz nodded and scooped up Karri before replacing his mask and saying goodbye with another kiss. Price ushered her out and into the wheelchair where Krayonder took over and pushed her back to her hospital room.