*FFnet is killing me with not leaving this chapter posted! AGHHHH I am so sorry for the hassle! I don't know what's going on, but please PM me if this disappears again!*

Happy New Years, bbs! It's been quite a year, especially with us being given this wonderful show :)

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this fic for you all! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the incredible reviews, alerts, and favorites! This story is one of my babies, and I am so happy I can share it with each and every one of you! It has been one of the highlights of my year, and I thank you-and the writers, producers, actors, crew, etc of the Last Ship-for that!

Cheers to 2015 and Season 2 of The Last Ship! They say the new season will be epic and I have no doubt it will indeed! :D

PS- Please know I will reply to all the wonderful PMs I have received over the next couple days. I've been trying to get this chapter written and posted by tonight for you! I haven't forgotten about y'all, look for replies soon! Please forgive me for my slow responses.

PPS- I still owe a bunch of you reviews (gosh, I'm terrible huh?!). I will make sure to review each and every story before I post another chapter of this story! I owe y'all that!

Thank you again for reading and reviewing! I challenge those of you who read and don't review, to leave me at least one word describing how you felt about this chapter :) It would be greatly appreciated and would start my year off with a bang! (And it always gives me more motivation to write!) Thank you all again, you are incredible! I wish each of you a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2015! *CHEERS*

Chapter 24 [End of Part I]

The radio transmission startled Lt. Mason, who was at his post in the Comms room. The radio crackled with the XO's voice. He hadn't anticipated hearing from him for a few more days. It was startling, and also created immediate anxiety in the young lieutenant.

"Nathan James, this is the XO, do you copy?"

Lt. Mason looked to his counterpart, Lt. Griffin, his eyes wide, before answering, "Aye Sir, Lt. Mason here," he responded, waiting for the XO's reply.

"Prepare to receive us, we're incoming," he radioed. Mason had Griffin call up to the Master Chief for preparations. "We have an injured, make sure Doc Rios is on deck," Mason looked to Griffin, who was finishing his call to Jeter. A grim look covered both their faces-hadn't they lost enough men?

"Aye sir, we'll be ready,' as the radio cut out, Mason spoke to Griffin, "Tell them to have a basket ready, we have one injured coming in." Griffin repeated the message as Mason stood. "I'm going to alert the CO."

XXXX

Laughter rang out through his cabin as he sat with the kids, watching a comedy play across the screen of his laptop. A child on each side, Ava on the floor, and his father in the small lounge chair, they were enjoying the movie and some popcorn. Tom's alone time with his children was few and far between, he was taking advantage of Chief Engineer Garnett's offer to watch the bridge while he rested with his family. Their hour of un-interruption came to a halt as quick knocks sounded on his stateroom door. Quietly he slipped out from the middle of the children to answer the door.

Tom opened the door a small amount, not wanting to let the light in and disrupt the movie. He saw Mason on the other side. The look on his face made him step out into the hallway and close the door behind him.

"Sir, I apologize for interrupting your private time, but the XO has radioed in," Tom's face lit up in surprise at Mason's words, and he checked his watch for the date and time, "They're close, sir. The Master Chief is preparing the ladder," he swallowed and Tom felt his own breathe catch in his throat, anticipating Mason had more to say. "They have one injured, sir. Dr. Rios is awaiting their arrival on deck." Tom stood, stoic for a moment, mentally processing the information. Another injured. He immediately feared the worst.

"Did Commander Slattery say who was injured, Lieutenant?" Tom inquired, sliding his hand back over the door handle. Mason shook his head.

"No, sir, he did not," the young sailor stood, waiting for his CO's response.

"I'll get my coat. Let the Master Chief know I'll be up on deck shortly," he disappeared back inside his cabin before Mason could acknowledge the order.

Tom grabbed his BDU jacket off the chair at his desk, and grabbed his winter coat as well. Jed eyed him curiously, but Tom shook his head that he couldn't talk about it now. He didn't dare say anything or give any indication of his worries. It couldn't be her who was injured, he wouldn't allow himself to think that way. They'd been gone a little more than 30 hours. How could anyone be hurt already? He tried to block his thoughts as he quickly made his way topside.

He greeted the doctor and Jeter as he strode quickly across the deck. "Any word on who the injured man is?" Tom immediately asked. Both men shook their heads. He was surprised at the cold snap on deck as the sun set off the horizon. He slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"No, but they're coming up now," all three moved closer as the first person's hands reached the railing. As the blonde head appeared, Tom could feel his jaw go slack in surprise. His eyes widened as she stood her two feet on the solid deck of the Nathan James. His knowledge was confirmed as she looked him square in the face.

"Jenny?" Tom spoke incredulously, as the blonde woman pushed her hair back. Both men to his right looked from their Captain to the woman and back. A subdued smile broke her pretty face.

"Tommy!" she cried out, running toward him and throwing her arms around his neck. He embraced the younger woman, burying his head in her hair, his hand coming up to cup the back of her head.

"Oh my God, Jenny! You're all right! Dad said he hadn't heard from you since the outbreak, he wasn't sure if you had made it out of Chicago," she leaned back from him at his words, as fresh tears poured down her cheeks.

"I've been with Christine and the girls, we were up in Deer Park. Jimmy was meeting me there to head to Dad's, but we never got that far," He looked over her shoulder as Mike's two daughters climbed over the railing, followed by a much younger girl, and then Christine herself. Jenny released herself from Tom as Jimmy climbed on board. Relief washed over Tom's face as his brother looked up to greet him. Tom stepped toward his brother and embraced the younger man tightly.

"I'm so glad you both are okay," Tom felt incredible relief knowing his entire family was back together. He pulled back from his brother and was about to call to one of the other sailors to get his father, when Green asked for the basket to be lowered for the injured person. He stepped away from his brother but heard Jenny running down the injured person's profile to Rios behind him before he could advance toward the rail.

"-Female, mid 30's, GSW to the left shoulder. Appears it exited through her scapula, leaving a possible fracture. Suffering from severe blood loss—" Tom stopped listening, his heart dropping, feeling the air knocked out of him. He pushed past several men as she was easily lifted onto the deck in the basket. The white pallor of her face terrified him. He reached for her hand, found it under the blanket, cold and limp. Her eyes were closed, and he could see all the little veins through the skin of her eyelids. Fear coursed through his own veins, and panic settled in his chest.

"Rachel? Rachel, honey, can you hear me?" The words slipped out of his mouth, as he was unaware of anyone around him—he could only see her, feel her freezing hand in his own. They set the basket down on the deck, as Jenny and Rios moved in to assess her. Tom didn't budge, squeezing her hand from where he knelt down beside her. He ran his hand over her hair affectionately. Jenny pulled down the blankets and Tom could now see all the blood that had soaked through her clothing. His eyes widened as he looked up to Jenny, questioning. He then looked around for Mike, who was the last one off the boat. His eyes met Tom's and Tom could see the remorse he felt. Tom looked back to Rachel, caressing her lifeless hand. He couldn't form words, was in too much shock, the thickness in his throat too great. He'd already lost Darien—how could be lose her too?

Tom watched Jenny take Rachel's heart rate, as Rios pulled back her sweater to check the wound. Tom immediately felt more protective over Rachel, with her skin exposed to so many men who gathered around them. "Can we move her down to medical?" Tom spoke gruffly to the two doctors. Jenny nodded, looking up at Rios.

"Her heart rate is dangerously low—we need oxygen and blood. Do you know her blood type?" She looked up at Rios, but Tom responded. He'd read her personnel file enough to know it by heart.

"O-negative. Same as me," he replied, helping to lift the basket off the deck. They headed for the hanger, and then down to medical. "When did this happen?" He asked Jenny, his voice overcome with emotion. Jenny's response was tight-lipped.

"They got to us last night around 2000 hours, it happened a little before that I believe," Tom pushed open the door and they set the basket on the bed. Jenny and Rios worked to unstrap her while Tom held her hand. He wanted to ask Jenny how, but decided to leave the grueling question for his XO. Dr. Tophet arrived then, gasping as he pushed open the door.

"Rachel!" he looked to Tom for reassurance, but found none. Tom was having a hard time reassuring himself at that moment. "Lt. Green came and got me, told me what's happened. Dr. Rios, how can I assist?" he asked, desperate to be useful in saving his friend.

"We need to know all the sailors who are o-negative and begin creating a blood supply. Start with the Captain," He looked to Tom, who gladly nodded, eager to help in any way he could. "Would you mind to lift her out of the basket and onto the bed?" Tom nodded again, moving beside the frail woman, reaching his arms underneath her back and knees. She folded up in his arms, and he was surprised by how light she was. She moaned quietly, and he held her close to his chest as Jenny and Rios moved the basket out and prepared the bed.

"Shhhh," he murmured tenderly into her hair, "I've got you." He looked down at her pale face as her eyes fluttered open slightly. His eyebrows knitted together in concern and affection as he tried to catch her eyes. She let them close until he laid her gently back down, resting her head on a pillow. Her pained moan cracked his heart. Her eyes opened again, just barely and they landed on him. He gripped her hand once more, pushed her hair from her face. "Hey there," he spoke calmly, trying to help her focus. Her eyes fluttered a little, and a small smile settled on her lips at the sight of him above her. Jenny caught his eyes as the bleeding in her shoulder started up once more, almost as if asking him to distract Rachel as Jenny began cutting off her shirt. Tom focused on Rachel's eyes, the sight of the blood almost more than he could bear. She let out a shuddered breath, and he squeezed her hand.

"Tom," she managed out quietly. He raised his eyebrows in questioning as she spoke in a whisper, "I'm sorry," she finished, wincing at the pain of Jenny putting pressure on her shoulder; she closed her eyes once more. Tom felt his eyes well up at her apology, and clenched his jaw to fight back the emotion.

"Hey, hey," he tried to gain back her attention with his soft voice, and she managed to crack her eyes open one more time. His gaze was intense and firm as he looked down on her, leaning closer to her face, "Do not be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for." Her eyes closed again, and she took a few ragged breaths. Jenny moved around, grabbing an oxygen mask, looking to Rios who was taking her blood pressure. He shook his head slightly, and Jenny then looked to Tom, sliding the mask over Rachel's mouth, whose eyes did not re-open. "Rachel?" he squeezed her hand again, trying to get a reaction from her. Jenny stepped around the bed.

"Tom, we need space, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she was cautious about her words, not sure what her brother's situation was with this woman but knowing he was clearly close to her.

Tom stood fast and his words were firm, "Work around me, I'm not leaving her."

"Tom, I know you are the captain of this ship, but right now, I'm calling the shots and I need you out," she pushed his chest, speaking to him as only his sister could. She took Rachel's hand from Tom's, and pushed him toward the door. "Out, Tom!"

"Jenny, get out of my way! I'm not leaving her—" he tried to gently fight her in the small space, but when Rios called out to her, urgency in his voice, Tom relented, allowing Jenny to push him out the door of the medical bay. He stood, in shock, staring at the now closed door, before running a hand over his mouth and pacing for a moment.

He couldn't stop hearing her words in his head, "I'm sorry", over and over again. Sorry for what? What had happened out there? How come no one else was hurt? The questions kept rolling through his head, driving him mad, as he paced outside the door. When it became clear, after several minutes, that Jenny wasn't going to allow him back in, he was overcome with anger and found himself storming to the wardroom, where he knew they would be debriefing.

He flung open the door, and scanned the room for Mike as the group stood gathered together.

Everyone could tell by the flush of his cheeks and the darkness of his eyes that their CO was furious. The soldiers stood at attention, all except his XO, who was more concerned about Rachel's well-being, and Tex, who stood back from the group, taking in their hushed arguing. He didn't agree with what they had decided to do, but understood why they were choosing to lie.

Tom only went straight for Mike, his voice calm but direct and full of heat, "What the fuck happened out there?"

"How is she, Tom?" Mike diverted the question, and asked about Rachel instead. Tom scoffed.

"She's bleeding out down in medical!" He thrust his arm out in that direction and then looked around at the faces surrounding him. "I need to know what happened, now!" His yell shook each of them, and they all looked to Mike to respond. It wasn't often that their Captain lost his temper; every sailor on board would call him level-headed and fair. But in this moment, they all knew he was seething.

"Tommy, I'm sorry—" Jimmy started, stepping forward, before Mike could stop him.

"Jimmy-" Mike interrupted him to stop him from telling the truth. Tom's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between the two. He waited a beat for one to continue, as patiently as he could muster. "Someone better tell me the truth about what the hell is going on right now," Tom demanded. Mike's resolve finally broke; as much as he wanted to protect Jimmy, he couldn't lie to his CO and best friend.

"We drove past the little girl in the snow. Rachel was out of the car before the Humvee had even stopped. Before we could get ahead of her, she was shot. Jimmy was simply protecting the child and he didn't see us-" Tom looked at Jimmy, who was clearly devastated over the incident, more so with every angry glare from his brother.

"You shot her?" Tom asked his little brother incredulously.

"I didn't mean to! You have to understand what it's been like out there, we're constantly defending ourselves against the sick, and people who are looting; I didn't know she wasn't going to hurt Sarah!" Jimmy attempted to defend himself, and Tom felt sick to his stomach. He ran his hands over his face.

"This is a nightmare," he mumbled under his hands. Danny took a tentative step forward.

"Sir, with all due respect, Dr. Scott was headed for the child before we knew what was going on, and she's well aware of her mistake. This is no one's fault directly," he tried to ease the situation, truly believing his words, and knowing Rachel wouldn't want this arguing.

"Why was this child out in the snow all by herself to begin with?" Tom asked, exasperated. Jimmy's face still showed sadness.

"Her father became infected, and her mother knew there was nothing they could do to save him or herself. They left Sarah with Jenny and I before she got sick, and Sarah ran away trying to find them that night. She didn't get too far, she wasn't dressed properly for the cold. That's when they came across her," Jimmy explained. Tom nodded his understanding, felt sorry for the child, but was still deeply angry with his team. He looked at Tex and then to Mike.

"I trusted you two to protect her with your lives…" his voice drifted off as he stalked out of the wardroom, slamming the door. Over his relationship with her, or lack there of, stood how important she was to the ship, to their mission for survival. They should have at least protected her for that reason. In his mind, there was no in, ands, or buts about that fact.

For him though, it was personal—so much more personal that he had even truly begun to realize until now.

XXXX

Tom knocked on the medical bay door a short while later, after having donated as much of his blood to Quincy as the doctor allowed him too, and then blowing off steam on deck, staring at the ocean for a while, as they tended to Rachel. Even his father had left him alone—no sense in aggravating the angry Captain any more than he already was.

Now, he waited outside for Jenny or Doc Rios to allow him entry. Jenny pulled the door open after a moment, wiping her clean hands on a towel. She looked exhausted, and he suspected she hadn't slept since this had all started.

"How is she?" he asked, his own choked up voice surprising him. Jenny's expression was one of sympathy as she took in his own pale face and tired eyes. She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

"She's still unconscious. We were able to get inside, sew up the mess that was the wound, and also confirm she does indeed have a fractured scapula. Everything has been sutured and covered, but she lost a lot of blood. Dr. Tophet is still collecting blood from other donors, but it is touch and go for now. We've started her on antibiotics and fluids, hopefully that will help sooner rather than later," she crossed her arms, and leaned her shoulder against the ship wall as her older brother paced. "Care to enlighten me on your relationship with her? It's obvious you two are close," he glanced up at her and it dawned on him that last she knew, he was married to Darien. He rubbed his forehead.

"Darien died from the outbreak in Baltimore back in October," though it didn't directly answer her question, it did drop some insight into the situation.

"Mike told me that part. Tom, I'm so sorry. How are the kids holding up?" Her voice carried concern and empathy. He adored his little sister for how much she cared about people—it was part of what made her a great doctor.

"They're doing surprisingly well. They've really taken to Rach—Dr. Scott," he stopped pacing in front of her, pulled her to him. "I'm so glad you're here," he embraced his little sister tightly. She wrapped her arms around his thick waist and sighed against his chest.

"Me too," she could tell he wasn't ready to talk about Dr. Scott, and who was she to push him? She pulled back after a few moments and yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Tom peered down at her.

"You should really go lie down. I'll have someone show you to my stateroom and you can rest. You should probably also say hi to Dad and the kids, they'll be excited to see you. With all the commotion, they don't even know you're here yet."

"Can you sit with her; make sure she continues to stay stable?" Jenny asked, reluctant to leave her patient, but ready for a few moments of rest. Tom nodded immediately.

"Absolutely. I won't leave her side until you return." Jenny suspected he clearly had affection for this woman he wasn't ready to talk about—but she trusted her brother, knew he was loyal to a fault. This woman was lucky to have his eye, whoever she was.

Tom had Jenny escorted up to his cabin and then took a seat in the dimly lit medical bay next to Rachel, picking up her hand. Her color was slightly better than before, but she still looked piqued. He noticed that she had nothing on under the heavy blanket, her shoulders bare. He pulled the blanket up higher around her chin, tucking the blanket gently in around her sleeping form. The oxygen mask still covered her face, and she seemed to breathe much more easily now. He rested his forehead against the back of her hand, and he attempted to warm it up with his larger ones.

He looked up after a few moments, taking in her face, brushing her hair back. They'd come so far together, he couldn't imagine it would all end here. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he'd been thinking about telling her upon her return. She had consumed his thoughts since she'd left, and he felt he owed her and apology for not saying more when she'd disembarked the day before. He cared for her-more than he thought he would care for anyone but Darien. He'd grown so close to her in the short time they'd known each other.

His heart felt heavy with the fear of losing her. He then worried for the children; they'd already lost their mother, they couldn't possibly lose another female they had grown so close to.

He felt his eyes water again, fought to hold the tears back. "You're going to be just fine," he whispered, stroking a hand over her hair again, before leaning down and placing his lips to her forehead. His lips lingered there, feeling the smoothness of her skin underneath his lips, and he hoped to be able to put his lips to hers again, very soon.

He then prayed that he would be right, that she would be fine.

Yes, you read that right-this is the end of Part I. I have several exciting things planned for Part II that I am very excited to embark on. I think you all will be pleased! I will update very soon! :)

Happy New Year! :D