So here is the update. I hope you like it. Thanks to the very special people who have been reviewing. I appreciate it. Please comment or review this next chapter. I would love to hear from you.

****

ET and RO were making their way along the corridor en route to the wardroom. Robert was holding the stretcher so it was behind his back and he could see where he was going. Further down the corridor, they could see Swain standing at the edge of the wardroom's door, awaiting the new arrivals.

"How is she?" asked Swain as they neared him. He knew only what had been passed onto him via the CO, which was very little. While Swain had known if would have been easier for him to have gone to the island himself, he hadn't been able to leave Bomber. While Sally and Tamsin appeared to be doing fine, Bomber still wasn't alright on her own just yet.

"She's out of it again," replied RO after glancing over his shoulder, catching his breath again. So far, ET hadn't said much. He appeared to be a million miles away.

"Just put her here," instructed Swain, standing a step back as ET and RO placed the stretcher down on the table. Bomber had been moved against the wall in the same room so that Swain could continue to keep an eye on her.

"You've got another coming," added RO as he stood back. Swain turned his head back towards the radio officer.

"Another one?" Swain sighed. " How bad?" But it was ET that answered him.

"The XO shot him. So he's not exactly happy." Swain looked at him unbelievingly. Why hadn't anyone told him this?

"The X shot him?" RO and ET both nodded.

"It was self defence though," added ET quickly. Swain nodded, processing this and allowing thoughts to run through his head.

"We're going to have to move Bomber out of here. She appears to be stable at the moment but I'll move her into austere with Sal and Tamsin."

"Swain, can you check her out too please?" interrupted Mike a moment later, causing Swain, ET and RO to turn around at his voice. Mike was leading Kate into the wardroom by the elbow, her hand pressed against the side of her head.

"You look like you're about to pass out, X," added RO, as if the comment was helpful. The others turned to glare at him and even Kate looked up slightly. "I'm going to go to the bridge if I'm not needed here."

"You can get onto NAVcom and inform them of the situation," said Mike as RO began to leave. "And get fleet medical on the line as well to advise Swain."

"Ah, I already had that arranged after I heard of the incoming," jumped in Swain quickly. RO simply nodded and left the wardroom, directed for the bridge.

As Swain finished up examining her and Bomber, who was fast asleep, had been moved to austere, Nikki began to feel the plastic trapping her mouth and nose, the feeling of suffocation overwhelming her. The urge to fight came over her and she began to pull at the offending object, the last memory she had being of Kate and not knowing whether she was okay.

"Kate?" Nikki's groggy voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"She's right here," said ET in a soothing voice, moving over towards Nikki. As he moved over, Nikki began to struggle with the oxygen mask that was placed over her face.

"Just keep that on," added Swain as he too moved closer. "I promise it will help." While to her the plastic covering her face felt like a restricting object, Nikki could recognise the voice of the Hammersley's medic and could sense the trust in him. So she began to relax and realised that he was right; by relaxing, her rapid breathing began to subside, the oxygen able to reach her lungs.

"CO, bridge," came RO's voice from the internal. He had obviously made it to the bridge by now and Mike turned to leave at this.

"Keep me informed Swain," said Mike, taking one final glance at Kate, who had her eyes closed and was leaning against the wall. "X?" he questioned, pausing when he saw her closed eye lids. And while she didn't open her eyes, she raised her hand in an indication she was alright, allowing Mike to leave for the bridge.

"I don't know," said Nikki, moving her head from left to right. ET, who was holding her hand, looked over to Swain as he tried to get her to calm down.

"Nikki, just relax alright. We're going to get you to a hospital as soon as we can," said Swain reassuringly.

"Hospital? I don't want to go to hospital. I want to go dancing!" replied Nikki, her tone changing despite how muffled her voice was from the oxygen mask. Swain smiled and looked to ET, who was frowning but with a smile on his face. It was obvious she was having "a moment".

"You can go dancing when you are back to a more normal state," replied Swain with a laugh. But Nikki didn't hear this comment; she had closed her eyes. "I'll just check on the X," Swain told ET. ET nodded and held Nikki's hand tighter as Swain moved backwards towards Kate.

"I'm fine Swain," said Kate, opening her eyes at his approach. "Just look after them for now."

"They're alright for now, Ma'am," said Swain with the shake of his head. He pulled on some new gloves before reaching for something in the medical kit beside him. "Bomber's still fast asleep and Nikki's discussing her urge to go dancing so I think they'll be okay for a minute."

"What about her baby?" asked Kate, looking up as Swain held up a light.

"Just follow this light for me. The baby seems to be okay at the moment. But they'll check on everything properly when they get to hospital."

"Swain!" was Chefo's call from down the hallway. At hearing this, Swain stood up and took a step towards the door and peered out, ET turned to watch over his shoulder but didn't let go of Nikki's hand and Kate leant over to peer out from behind Swain.

"Jeez!" exclaimed Swain as he saw the blood soaked bandages around Rob's leg. "What have we got?"

"Single gunshot wound to the right leg. It appears to have missed the femoral artery, but only just," replied Chefo, manoeuvring his way around the doorframe, trying to keep firm pressure on the wound while Buffer and Spider turned the stretcher into the wardroom. Swain set to work already, organising essential items of medical equipment.

"Spider, take over from Chefo? Keep firm pressure on the wound," instructed Swain, not even really waiting for an answer. But Spider did as asked, placing both hands over Rob's leg, causing the said man to groan out loudly as the hands swapped, the change in pressure causing a burst of pain to flare through his body.

"We'll need to attach the IV line," said Chefo, removing the blood splattered gloves that had previously been encasing his hands.

"Yeah, I'll look after that. Can you just check X out?" said Swain, at the same time moving to unwind an IV line.

"Got it," was Chefo's reply, pulling on another set of white gloves before moving over to Kate.

1345 hours, HMAS Hammersley

Just a few hours after the traumatic ordeal was over, the Hammersley was still dealing with problems. The matter of the girls as well as Rob, needing hospital care. And also the little problem of his mates causing a ruckus on deck. The Hammersley and its crew had certainly put an end to their spree of torturous crimes and money syphoning. And they weren't very happy about it, not that anyone cared.

With the Hammersley almost back in port, Swain was doing a check on the patients he acquired on the trip. What had started off as just your everyday patrol had turned into a hellish nightmare and he, along with just about everyone else, were just glad they had come through it. He opened the door to austere, finding all three girls, Bomber, Sally and Tamsin, fast asleep. All were still using oxygen, following instructions to do so. They couldn't be sure that they hadn't taken poison, so it was a safety precaution. But from the states Sally and Tamsin had been found in, it appeared at the very least they had.

After checking Bomber and Tamsin, who remained fast asleep, Swain made his way over to his wife. Brushing a piece of her loose hair away from her face caused her eyelids to flutter. Seeing her begin to open her eyes, Swain let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in.

"Hey babe," he whispered. Beneath the oxygen mask, he saw her smile, before reaching up to pull the mask away from her mouth, let it rest around her neck.

"That certainly sucked," she told him quietly. Swain smiled and chuckled quietly.

"I bet it did. And we've still got to get you to hospital yet."

"No I don't want to!" replied Sally. "I just want to go home and have a bath." Swain smiled, shaking his head.

"Not yet you won't be," he smiled.

"I just want to see Chloe," Sally added, turning her head to the side before facing forward again.

"I know you do. But I spoke to my parents a little while ago. Chloe's just fine," he reassured his wife. Sally nodded slightly, closing her eyes. A minute later, with Swain still watching her, she reopened them, a small, cheeky smile on her face.

"You're the worst medic, making me go to hospital." Swain laughed, his mouth forming a disbelieving smile, even though he could tell she was joking.

"Oh, am I?! Well, if it makes you feel any better, Nikki doesn't want to go to hospital either. She wants to go dancing instead."

"She's okay then?" asked Sally at the mention of her friend. Swain shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"For now. They won't know anything for sure until she gets to hospital." Sally didn't press him any further, letting her eyes settle closed again. Swain could tell she was still drowsy, a side effect to indicate she had indeed been given a poison of some sort. He heard a groan from another of the racks, making him turn and causing Sally to open her eyes and shift her head.

"Tamsin, it's alright. Do you remember where you are?" asked Swain, moving away from his wife's side to check on the newly awake Tamsin. She groaned, her eyes squinting in the offending light.

"A boat," she replied eventually, holding up her arm to shield the light.

"You're on the HMAS Hammersley. And you're okay now. Do you remember coming on board earlier?" asked Swain, unsure if she even remembered being awake on the Hammersley earlier. She nodded.

"I need to call Matt," Swain managed to make out from beneath the oxygen mask pressed to her face. She made to sit up as quickly as possible for her in her drowsy state, until Swain made her lie backward again.

"It's alright, okay? Our radio officer spoke to him a little while ago to inform him that you had been found. He'll be waiting alongside when we dock in port," Swain told her, hoping it would make her relax a bit more.

"Hey Tam!" called out Sally groggily from a short distance away. A small smile formed for Tamsin at hearing Sally.

"Hey Sal. I take it she's okay?" Swain nodded in response to this.

"As well as can be, probably about the same as you I'd think."

"And Nik and Bec?"

"Bomber's just over there," started Swain, nodding back over his shoulder in a general direction. "And Nikki's in the wardroom." Tamsin nodded slightly again, groaning as she shifted. She closed her eyes again as Swain stepped back.

****

The HMAS Hammersley docked in port approximately half an hour later. Ambulances were already waiting alongside, on standby to ferry the injured to hospital. Also alongside, were Matt and Swain's parents, as well as the federal police. With Nikki and Rob listed as most critical, they were the first two taken off the Hammersley. ET and Swain carried Nikki's stretcher off towards the first ambulance. At seeing his sister being taken off the Naval ship, Matt quickly made his way over. Swain's parents held back a bit, but still made their way slightly over.

"Is she alright?" asked Matt in a worried voice, not even bothering to say hello out of fear for his sister. "And where's Tam?"

"They're taking her to hospital in a minute. But with your sister and the man over there in more need of urgent medical attention, they'll get transported first," answered Swain. Matt took a deep breath in, running his hand over his mouth before looking at his younger sister, who had her eyes closed. The paramedics from one of the ambulances joined them on the dock, beginning to assess the situation.

"What have we got here?" asked the female paramedic with dark, short hair in a ponytail.

"Ah, we've got a 26-year-old pregnant female who has suffered a significant amount of trauma, and has possibly ingested a toxin of some sort," Swain told her, as the stretcher was turned around. Matt and ET, who were on opposite sides of Nikki, circled with the stretcher as it turned, loaded into the ambulance.

From the decks, Mike was watching as his former navigator was placed inside the awaiting ambulance, his electronics technician climbing in before the doors shut. He also saw Swain turn back around as the ambulance leave, sirens blaring, and talk briefly to the people on the dock, before hurrying back up the Hammersley's gangplank. Next, Bomber was carried by Spider and Buffer. Mike watched as each person was placed into a waiting ambulance. Finally, after Bomber had left the docks, Swain re-emerged with Spider, carrying Sally from the Hammersley while RO and Buffer carried Tamsin off. At seeing his girlfriend finally taken from the ship, Matt quickly made his way over, as did Swain's parents to Sally. They had already told Swain, who had worried when he hadn't seen his daughter with his parents, that Chloe was with Swain's brother and his wife.

Mike watched as each patient was assessed, guessing that their conditions were being described to the paramedics when he felt a shadow next to him. Turning, he saw his executive officer.

"What are you doing here X?" he asked her instantly. "You need to get checked out at the hospital."

"I'm fine," replied Kate with the shake of her head. "Chefo checked me over."

"Kate, I am not arguing. Come on," he told her, taking her arm and dragging her to where the hum of people were on the docks.

****

There we go. Wow, that chapter turned out a lot longer than I had planned it. It was well over 2,000 words; usually the chapters are 1,700 – 1,800 words long! LOL

Did you like it? This story was tough, sometimes hard to write, but also so much fun. Thank you to everyone that has read/reviewed it and given me such support. I cannot thank you enough.