Chapter 26

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"Danny?" Rachel's appearance – after seeing her every day for the past three weeks, Danny could no longer think of her as Doctor Scott or the Ice Queen (as Berchem was fond of saying) – was a welcome break from the scene on loop in Danny's head, the one that inevitably ended with him standing there stupidly, unable to think of a single coherent thing to say, while his sister swept out of the crew lounge. Not that it was unusual for Caro to be angry at him, she wasn't exactly known for her easy-going personality and Danny stopped trying to make nice long ago, but the betrayal he glimpsed on Caro's face before she turned away, the hurt, that was what he couldn't shake.

Was Caro right? Was he putting the Navy before his own family? And, even if he was – because Danny couldn't say that Caro was wrong – wasn't it still the right thing to do? Didn't spreading the cure to hundreds, to thousands of people outweigh the risk that Hamada's lackeys were still after Chris?

No matter how many times Danny asked himself the question, no matter how he reworked it, he got no closer to an answer. Instead, he felt a yearning for the days before the virus hit, when the toughest moral dilemma he faced was whether to spend Christmas in L.A. with Frankie or in Connecticut with Rebecca. Back when family and duty were two separate worlds. Back when orders came in and were followed without question, any moral ambiguity a problem for someone far higher than him on the chain of command. Back when he had never so much as considered the possibility that those he left at home might be at risk.

Turning to Rachel, he scanned her face. "How is Kara?"

"She fell asleep during the IV drip, but everything looks okay. I'll do a follow-up ultrasound in the morning but I suspect it was a bout of morning sickness brought on by adrenaline and the situation," Rachel explained, her voice tired. She lowered herself into the chair that Mark had vacated no more than twenty minutes ago, her eyes slipping closed, and Danny wondered when she last slept.

"Kara told you then? About Chris being immune?" Danny assumed as much, knowing that Rachel would be curious about the circumstances that resulted in Danny and Kara arriving back at the ship in the middle of the night with his family in tow.

But instead of the corroboration that Danny was expecting, Rachel's head snapped up. "Your brother is immune to the virus?"

"Um, yeah, that's what Chris was told anyway. Apparently Hamada found out. He wanted to bring Chris to Avocet to do experiments. Dad refused but Hamada's men tried to hold them anyway. That's why they were here in Norfolk, rather than Connecticut where they lived. They've been hiding from Granderson."

Rachel's eyes were wider than saucers. "Do you know what this mean? This might be the link we were missing!"

Danny hesitated, aware that his medical knowledge was slim, but "Didn't you already get that information from Bertrise?"

Rachel gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I forget, sometimes, that I am not dealing with trained scientists. Natural immunity is a complex issue, Danny. For example, it is rarely a single gene, but rather a combination of genes, that provides resistance to an illness. Identifying that combination is painstaking work. But by comparing tissue samples from your brother and Betrise, I might be able to determine at least some of the genes responsible for their immunity. That information could allow us to develop a safer version of the vaccine, one with fewer side effects, and would be crucial should the virus mutate and the current treatment no longer be effective."

Striding across the room, her earlier exhaustion disappearing, Rachel reached for the phone connecting the lounge to the bridge. "Hello, yes, this is Doctor Scott. I need to see Commander Slattery as soon as possible. Yes, I know what time it is. Well then wake him up. It's important."

Hanging up from her one-sided conversation, Rachel turned to Danny, her eyes lit with an excitement that he had seen only once before – when she had her breakthrough during the vaccination trials. "I have been in contact with Doctor Hunter, my mentor and an extremely talented virologist, as well as an expert in vaccine production. He has been working on a method to aerosol the cure, which would allow us to drop it via helicopter. The problem has been making sure that enough of the vaccine reaches the ground. But if we were able to develop a way to make the vaccine more potent, a smaller dose would be required."

Rachel was still chatting on about the development of the aerosol cure when the XO appeared in the doorway dressed in a Nathan James t-shirt and sweatpants, obviously having been interrupted on his way to bed. "Granderson told me that this was an emergency. Please tell me she was joking."

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Four hours and one catnap later, Danny poured himself another cup of coffee as he stared blankly across the wardroom, waiting for Slattery to fill the Captain in on the situation and issue a summons. Danny hoped that the briefing wouldn't take too long. His family would quickly realize that something was afoot if he stalled leaving the Nathan James too long this morning.

"Thank you Sonya."

Danny barely suppressed a groan at the sound of Caro's voice. Of all people, why did she have to be the one that found him here?

"Anytime, Ms. Green. If you need anything else, let me know and I'll be happy to assist," a voice that Danny recognized as belonging to Seaman Jackman – apparently her first name was Sonya – responded.

Danny looked up as Caro waltzed into the room, the words coming out rather harsher than planned. "Don't you dare start."

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Caro replied as she headed towards the spread of food laid out on the side-bench. "My roommate for the evening very helpfully directed me here to get some breakfast. Apparently Commander Slattery is pulling out the stops for us. It makes me wonder why."

Hiding the truth now would only backfire. "They know about Chris. Doctor Scott wants to talk to him and Dad about some tissue samples that might help her research."

Caro silently filled her plate, her face unreadable when she finally turned back to Danny. "The eggs look delicious. I can't remember the last time I saw this much food at one time."

Familiar guilt ate at Danny, the awareness of how lucky he was to have been on the Nathan James when the virus hit, the knowledge of how lucky he was to have food and water (for the most part) and not to have to worry about being exposed to the virus every time he left his bunk, the recognition that dumb luck spared him from the fate of millions. "Bacon is a miracle worker. Plus, we restocked once we got here."

"Apparently the Navy hasn't learned how to share," Caro replied, her breezy tone at odds with her suggestion that the Navy was hoarding food stores while the people in Norfolk suffered.

"The base warehouse was pretty well stocked. Lieutenant Anders and his team are distributing the food throughout the city," Danny countered, although he knew that he had no reason to feel defensive. Caro just had a way of getting under his skin, poking at him until he reacted, and the lack of sleep didn't help. "But you know that already. You were at a safe zone yesterday when they came by to deliver supplies."

Caro shrugged. "I didn't realize that Anders was with you. He seems to understand that the people here need more than just the cure. They need food and medical care and help returning home."

Danny was out of patience. "Do you understand that we have the cure for the Red Flu? Are you seriously suggesting that we should stay here when we have the ability to save millions of people?"

"Not at all." Caro wiped her face calmly. "I'm suggesting that you should stay here to protect your brother. The one that even your precious Navy wants to use as a guinea pig."

Danny sighed, standing to pour himself another cup of coffee. "Nobody here wants to use Chris as a guinea pig, Caro. Doctor Scott just wants to take a few swabs, compare them to someone else we came across who was immune to the virus, see if that helps her improve the cure. And if Chris says no, nobody is going to force him."

"Hmpf. Let's see how far their hospitality goes if Chris refuses."

"Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery will help protect Chris – whether or not he agrees to Doctor Scott's request. That's why I told them about what happened." Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, but Danny would have told the XO about Chris's run-in with Hamada even if he hadn't accidentally spilled the beans to Rachel first. "I'm not running out on you Caro. I'm going to make sure that you are safe before I leave."

Caro stabbed at her eggs before setting down her fork, her eyes lifting to Danny. "But they aren't staying here either. How do we know that those people out there won't sell us out to the highest bidder the second you leave? Do you really trust them?"

Danny fought the urge to squirm, Caro's question too similar to the one Captain Chandler asked him upon their arrival in Norfolk, and Danny's answer – "As much as I trust anyone these days" - too revealing. Did he trust them enough to leave Kara here without him? Not at all. There was still too much risk that Ferguson was out there – with copies of all of Kara's medical information – trying to finish what Hamada began. Wasn't that why he had been so relieved last night – was it really only last night? – when Kara told him that she planned to remain with the James? How, then, could he look his father, his sister, his brother in the face and tell them that there was nothing to worry about?

"I trust them enough," he said finally. "Besides, Hamada's dead and the cure is being distributed from Baltimore as we speak. There is no reason for anyone to be looking for Chris."

"If you really believe that, why do we need protection at all?" The question hung between them, both knowing the answer. Because even without the threat of Hamada (and, not that Danny planned to give Caro more ammunition but that threat wasn't entirely gone, not with Ferguson out there), how could Danny predict what new dangers existed in this unfamiliar world? "It's because of Kara, isn't it? That's why you can't leave the ship?"

Danny wavered before admitting. "I can't leave her, not now, not after…"

"Not after what?" When no answer was forthcoming, Caro actually stomped her foot. "How do you expect me to believe you when you won't trust me enough to tell me what is going on?"

Danny sighed, eyes shutting momentarily, the stress and exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours catching up with him. "It's not that easy."

"Nothing ever is," Kara said quietly. Danny's head snapped up, both he and Caro turning towards the door, too caught up in their argument to have noticed it opening, but before Danny could speak – to make sure that she knew that no matter how much Caro prodded, he wasn't leaving the ship – she continued. "Captain Chandler is asking for you to join him in the ready room. Both of you."

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As Captain Chandler filled his family in on the situation, with frequent interruptions from Rachel, Danny found his mind wandering to what Kara was thinking and doing. There was no time – or privacy – to discuss anything in the wardroom this morning and, to Danny's disappointed, she did not join them for this meeting, reminding him that she had promised to visit her mother this morning. Leaving him wondering where they stood, his family's unexpected arrival leaving no time to talk about any of the things he planned on.

"Danny told me about what Doctor Hamada tried to do" – Rachel's face twisted at the name, her abhorrence for the man obvious – "and I want you to know that this is completely voluntary, Chris. I don't need an answer right away. Instead, I suggest giving you and your father a tour of my laboratory. I can walk you through the information that I need and the process, and you can ask as many questions as you would like. I want you to really understand what I will be doing, and how much your contribution will mean to my research."

The room fell quiet as all eyes turned to Chris. The teenager was scrunched down in his chair, arms folded across his chest, clearly uncomfortable at being the center of attention. But just as Danny was about to suggest that they give Chris and Mark time to talk without an audience, his brother straightened. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Are you sure, Chris?" Caro jumped in, her hand gripping Chris's arm tightly. "We haven't even heard what Doctor Scott needs. Do you want to think about it for a while?"

"No, I want to do this," Chris insisted, and Danny unexpectedly found himself seeing Chris not as the little boy who was constantly destroying his older brother's Lego models, but as a man not that much younger than Miller or Cossetti or Mason – one capable of making his own decisions. "That girl – Bertrise? The one who's immune like me. Will she be in the lab?"

"I'm certain that Bertrise would love to meet you," Rachel replied. She stood before remembering who was, at least technically, in charge of this meeting. "If you will excuse us, Captain?"

An amused smile, one that stood in stark contrast to Captain Chandler's solemn demeanor since Baltimore, crossed the CO's face. "Of course, Doctor Scott. I will be spending the day at home with my children, but I know you won't hesitate to call should something come up."

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Danny glanced at his watch – again – as he stood in the lab, flexing his arm until the sting from the blood draw subsided. To his surprise, Rachel had requested mouth swabs and blood samples not just from Chris, but from their entire family. Although Caro (predictably) declined, both Mark and Danny were more than happy to cooperate.

A lack of willingness to share her bodily fluids did not, however, stop Caro from peppering Rachel with questions. "How were you able to replicate the vaccination with so little equipment?"

Tuning them out, Danny focused on the opposite side of the helicopter bay, where Bertrise was talking to Chris with far more animation than Danny had ever seen from the traumatized orphan. Catching his father's eye, he nodded towards the pair. "Looks like they hit it off."

Mark's jaw tightened, then relaxed. "He thought he was a freak after the way those men treated him at George Washington. Knowing that he isn't the only one makes it easier."

"A friggin' lucky freak," Danny muttered.

Mark's lips twisted at Danny's language, but the anticipated lecture did not arrive. "You've forgotten what it is like to be a teenager, Danny. You just want to fit in. I remember you hiding your grades from your friends, as though being smart was a bad thing. That's how Chris feels about this. It makes him stick out, draws attention to him, and he hates that."

"It all seems so long ago." The thought of high school brought a smile to Danny's face, one that faded as soon as he realized that most of his friends were probably dead, brought down not by war or a natural disaster or any of the things they used to fear, but by a virus. "Do you know if Eddie and Amber got out?"

"They were smart. They took the baby and went to her parents' cabin early on," Mark answered.

Danny tried to imagine what that was like – Eddie, Amber, their eight month old son, her parents, most likely her brother – all sharing a cabin that was really more of a hunting shack buried deep in the Berkshires. No running water. No indoor facilities. Terrible insulation against the heat and cold and blood-sucking mosquitoes. And probably the safest place for them to be. What would he have done if he and Kara were in the States when the virus hit? Would he have packed up and left? Or would he have denied what was happening, waiting until it was too late like so many others?

Mark's voice jolted him back to reality. "Caro was out of line last night, Danny. You have your own life, your own responsibilities. You shouldn't feel guilty about putting those things first. It's like on an airplane. In an emergency you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others."

Danny felt some of his tension ebb at his father's words, grateful that his father, at least, understood. "Kara's pregnant."

The words spilled out without though, all plans to make the moment special dashed.

"Congratulations." When Danny turned to look at him, expecting more of a reaction, Mark shrugged. "It wasn't too hard to guess based on the way Doctor Scott and the Commander were acting. And there are only so many reasons that a healthy young woman is going to be throwing up."

"I don't know if congratulations are in order." Danny scuffed at the floor. "I've pretty much screwed everything up from beginning to end."

"So fix it." Mark shrugged.

Danny scuffed his foot across the bay floor. "It's not that easy."

"You aren't dead yet." Mark caught himself, apparently realizing that one of his favorite sayings was no longer all that appropriate. "What would you do, right now, if you could do anything that you wanted?"

"Finish the mission first then…"

"Let me ask another way," Mark interrupted. "When you picture yourself in five years, what do you see?"

Instantly Danny's mind was flooded with memories from that afternoon in Gitmo, Kara stretched out beneath him, images of the future so clear than he could have sworn that they were real flashing before him.

Her face as she said "I do."

Her belly swollen with their child.

Her biting her lip to stop the tears when he left for a long deployment.

Her arms wrapping around him when he came home.

Her watching their children play through the window as she washed the dishes.

Her hair, more gray than brown, wiping in the wind as she walked along the shore.

The images were so strong that Danny barely managed to bite back the word that was on the tip of his tongue.

Kara.

As though he knew what Danny was thinking, a smile stretched across Mark's face. "The hard part is figuring out where you want to be. Once you know that, then all you need to do is figure out how to make it happen."

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A/N - I struggled with the title for this chapter so I am asking you, dear readers, for your suggestions. A quote, a line from a song, a saying, any and all suggestions are welcome. :)