Chapter 43
"Hey, good job today" Mike told Kate as he walked into the helo bay over to the work station where Kate was packing up for the evening. Or so he hoped as she looked exhausted.
"Thanks" Kate said wryly as she cleaned up the space in front of her. She could barely lift her legs up to climb stairs and Mike was patting her on the back like she were just another grunt. She would have been in bed hours ago but found she was in too much pain to climb up the bunk.
With Rachel sleeping away in the bottom; Kate had no desire to sleep on the floor. She was going to use the bunk in the lab but Anna was resting there leaving her without a place to lie down. At least not an accessible place at which she could pick herself up off of.
"You done for the night?" Mike asked her.
"Yeah, it was a rough one today" Kate said with a nod.
"I know" He said as he was the one who had helped her out of the cockpit. He could tell by how pale and shaky she was that her body had reached its limit. He was amazed she was still standing at such a late hour.
"This is hard" Kate said to him, something he couldn't agree more with as he knew if she were 100% healthy then it would be easier to work on the ship. But her health dipping up and down like it was; it made it hard for him to not be distracted and to not go after her all the time to protect and care for her.
"It's not forever" Mike assured her as he edged closer to her.
"I know but I just want to curl up next to you at night" Kate said as she "I need our downtime. I love sharing quarters with Rachel but can't we square away sometime for us? I know we can't 'fraternise' but I'd like some time alone with you" She said with a smile as she tugged on the front of his BDU jacket.
"I'm free right now" Mike said to her in a slightly cocky manner. Kate's smile broadened as she knew that tone he was using and it usually led to good things.
"Yeah, but we aren't allowed in your quarters or anywhere someone wouldn't interrupt us" Kate argued as she felt he was missing the point.
"Come on" Mike said as his nodded his head to the side in the direction of the door before he moved to the door that led to the interior of the ship.
"We going to a some secret lover's spot on the ship?" She asked in a hopeful tone as she followed him.
"No, we're going to my quarters." Mike clarified with a chuckle.
"It's against the rules." Kate reminded him. Mike stopped at the door and turned to her. His expression serious as he looked her square on.
"Look, we're already 'fraternising' because I'm legally married to someone else. Yes, Tom doesn't want us sharing a bed but I say what he doesn't know won't hurt him and if he wants to demote me then he can have at it" Mike said with a shrug as he was tired of playing by the rules especially one that was already broken.
"Going against the rules and defying your captain. Are you feeling ok?" Kate asked him with a wry smile.
"Yes, now come on before I change my mind." Mike told her.
"they aren't a friendly bunch- Hey Red" Tex said in greeting as they walked past one another in the larger section.
"Tex, who's this guy?" Kate asked in a tone like she was asking what's for dinner. But the way she looked around made Tex's eyes narrow as he figured Commander Slattery had to be close by or the two were going to meet up until he and Michener had caught her.
"President Jefferey Michener, this is Kate Lassiter. Resident Australian and our pilot on the ship." Tex said to her as he gestured to the president and back to Kate.
"It's nice to meet you" Kate said holding out her hand to him but he stared at her like she was a ghost. Kate dropped her hand back not looking remotely awkward for being slighted. She looked him over and dismissed Michener and gave a whatever shrug before looking to Tex "This mean the wardroom is free?" she asked him.
"Yeah for the time being" Tex told her.
"Good" Kate said she looked to Michener was still looking shocked at her presence. "I'll see you both around" she said to both of them before she walked off.
"Red's a weird one. She doesn't believe in Politics or showing deference to authority figures. So you'll have to forgive her for not treating you in accordance to your station." Tex said as he gestured for them to continue walking.
"She's alive" Michener said in a low voice. Tex frowned at the comment not sure if he was supposed to hear it as it looked like the man was talking to himself than to Tex.
"Yeah and a real charmer too. So you'll probably see her around the ship" Tex said before he continued talking about the ship as they walked to the room which was being kept for Michener.
"I don't know why you're here" Rachel told Tom as she stood in her lab. Tom stood a few meters away sitting on the edge of a table.
"I wanted to check in with you. See how it's going down here in general" Tom said to her as he picked up the stuffed toy and played with it's arms. It no longer held the container with the virus in it thus making it safe. But just the thought that some child couldn't have been killed because of it being infectious made his stomach curdle with disgust.
"I have nothing to tell you yet. The machines are doing the work and I'm here watching and waiting" She told him with a sullen look on her face.
"You eaten yet?" he asked her, looking up from the bear as he didn't want to admit he was stalling. He couldn't face Mike or Jeter yet. He also couldn't face Michener without a better game plan yet. So he decided it was easier to hide in Rachel's lab.
He just wished they were alone but Anna laid on a cot outside the tented lab sound asleep. Rachel already assured him that Tex was going to drop by and take the woman back to the infirmary. He was just glad it wasn't Kate as he wasn't ready to butt heads with her.
"Yes, I've been fed and watered thanks to Anna and Kate's not so subtle nudges" Rachel assured him in a mocking manner.
"They care about you" Tom told her. Rachel nodded in agreement.
"I realise this...So I heard the president is on board and it's causing quite the buzz on the ship" Rachel said changing the topic as she was trying hard not cry. It seemed nearly anything would bring her to tears but she knew it was her grief not her pregnancy that were causing the upset of her tear ducts.
"He's on the ship but not exactly on board with our mission" Tom said to her. Rachel frowned and Tom gave a sigh of resignation. "He's one of them" he added.
"One of the immunes" Rachel clarified. Tom nodded as he looked down at the bear in his hands and toddled it's fluffy arms. He remembered when Ashley had been obsessed with collecting bears and gave a faint smile at the memory. But the joy was quickly squashed as he remembered this toy would have killed her if Neils and the immunes had their way.
"Yeah, I tried to get him onto our side and I blew it" Tom admitted begrudgingly. He just felt like he hit a brick wall with no where to go when it came to Michener. He couldn't connect with the man as he couldn't find him under all the bullshit that Sean plied on him.
"How so?" Rachel asked him.
"He firmly believes in the cause Ramsey is feeding him and I pushed him too hard for intel that I came off like I was manipulating him" Tom told her.
"Because you were" Rachel said bluntly.
"I-" Tom tried to come up with an excuse but he couldn't help but realise that she was right. He hadn't purposefully gone in the room to manipulate him but he had done so accidentally.
"Ravit made it sound like the Immunes have a rather pack like mentality. That they shared their experiences like one would in group therapy. Their bonds are formed through trauma and shared experiences. Perhaps if you were honest to him about how important and personal this mission is to you, that maybe you can find common ground to work on" Rachel advised, Tom thought on her words as he knew what she was saying.
"And it would help if you dial back on the judgemental attitude" Rachel added, Tom looked up and gave her a wry smile as he knew that was Kate's words more than Rachel's.
"Thanks" He replied with a sardonic chuckle. He saw the exhaustion and pain in her expression which reminded him of the video that Mike had shown Michener of Dr Hunter's death. "I'm sorry for your loss" he told her.
"I assume you've seen the video" Rachel asked in a wavering voice as she referred to the video where Dr Hunter had been killed. She couldn't make it 3/4's of the way through the video logs now due to Neils' face popping up in them. He was mocking her and it just reminded her that Dr Hunter was dead because of him.
"I have" Tom said with a nod.
"I couldn't watch it. Anna told me about it but I can't bring myself to see-" Rachel stopped as tears filled her eyes and a lump formed painfully in her throat. She wished she could stop crying, stop feeling so miserable at her loss as it gnawed at her as she just wanted the pain to end.
"Neils Sorenson is alive" Tom stated, he knew that she was told and that it had come from Tex's mouth. It really rankled him that he hadn't been able to tell her himself but he'd been tied up with Michener and debriefing Mike. That and Tex knew more about the damn bears than he did.
"I know and he managed to weaponize the virus. Tex gave me the bear. I assume you're going to cut him some deal in helping you aerosolize the cure" Rachel said in a deadened tone, she felt like she had been punched in the gut knowing that he'd used her mentor's work to suspend the virus in liquid form that when sprayed it infected any child that held onto the bear and thus continued the proliferation of the virus.
Tom remained silent as he wasn't sure what he was doing in regards to Neils only that they had and he was alive for now. But he saw the flash of anger in Rachel's eyes as she continued and realised that he had missed a large portion of her day.
Today, she had lost her mentor and by the emptiness that washed out of her with her grief; she had lost any hope of advancing the cure. He'd heard from Mike about how she had broken her laptop and all but closed down the lab until Tex had brought in the bear. It wasn't like her to give up so quickly.
"Because if that's your plan then you can forget it! That man is a monster and I refuse to work with him. Thanks to him; my colleagues are dead or being systematically hunted, the labs we needed are destroyed and the only research I could have used has been completely corrupted and I can't even find Dr Hunter's original work to even attempt to repair the damage Neils has created" Rachel told him vehemently as she paced the small space in front of him wanting to leave but staying as she just needed to know what Tom was thinking. She needed him to reassure her that she wouldn't have to share the same room as Neils Sorenson.
"I know you're in pain-" Tom started but Rachel cut him off.
"In pain? I'm in agony" She confessed tears ran down her face as she continued to move around the space. she was afraid if she stopped, she would just turn into a puddle on the floor. "He killed them! he's been walking around free knowingly killing innocent men, women and children for months. And now he's on the ship and Dr Rios is giving him medical treatment. What the hell are we doing?!" She asked him incredulously.
Tom tossed the bear to the side and caught her by the wrist, yanking her into his arms. He didn't know what to say to her to make it better. But he knew her pacing the floor and shouting wasn't helping either.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly and refused to let her go as she punched and pushed at his chest. He took it all not loosening his hold as part of felt he deserved the punishment. That if it helped to ease her pain it was worth it.
The grief Rachel had been kept stuffed deep within her well up inside her to the point it threatened to consume her. She tried to pull out of Tom's hold but he wouldn't budge. He just took the hits and held strong until she ran out of fight and allowed her grief to take over. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
Tom closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her hair as she quietly sobbed. He knew what she was crying about was more than about Dr Hunter and the destroyed labs. These were tears of pure grief. The kind that tore away at one's being as they came to realisation that their world was irrevocably changed forever. She took solace in his arms and her face buried in his chest as she continued to cry an outpour of emotions she had pent up for weeks ever since they had recovered her and Kate from Baltimore.
"You want to tell me what's really eating you?" Mike asked Kate as they were sharing the couch in his quarters. He had about 10 minutes more spare time before he had to get back to work.
"I'm just overwrought." Kate told him as it was true. She felt completely fried and even though she wasn't crying. Her eyes felt watery and her eyes burned while her body panged with pain. What she needed was strong pain meds but she couldn't cave and take them as Rachel needed her blood.
"How close were you to losing it?" He asked her.
"Just this much, I was fine until those bullets hit my window." Kate told him as she made a centimetre between her index and thumb to indicate how close she had been to panicking in the cockpit. "I'm not cut out for this Mike"
"You just need time to recover" Mike assured her.
"There's a reason I retired three years ago" Kate told him. Mike took a deep inhale and exhaled out slow buying himself time as he didn't know what to say to her. "I love being with you and I'll support you in your career choices but I want my military days to be over" she added.
"I understand but we need you right now to be a pilot" Mike told her. He knew it was harsh but the ship needed her and frankly it wasn't safe for her to living on the mainland with the bounty on her head. But he understood her position.
"I know I just wanted to tell you that." Kate said with a sigh as she shifted her position on the lounge so her head was resting in a better position. "So I ran into the President on my way here. He's scared shitless of a redheads. Sure you want him leading the country?" Kate asked
"What did you do?" Mike asked as they had to take separate paths to his quarters so as not to raise too many eyebrows. Kate didn't mind the cloak and dagger as it was amusing given it was no secret she and Mike were together but they had to put on the show for Tom. Just so the man didn't feel his precious rules being broken.
"Try to introduce myself. He refused to shake my hand and was all pale and weird" Kate said making a face as she leaned against the couch back and looked at Mike.
They could of been spending their time making out but they were both just too exhausted and in Kate's case; in pain to indulge given how little time they she had to admit it was really nice to just be alone with him.
"He's brainwashed. He wouldn't shake my hand either" Mike said as he sat on the couch looking rather defunct about the whole situation.
"So aren't you supposed to fix that?" Kate asked him. Mike gave her a droll look as he didn't work miracles.
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" Mike said, summing up that it was really out of his hands. Kate gave a nod of understanding as she knew his style was about laying out the facts and letting them speak for themselves. Allowing the person to make their own decision and hoping they came to the same conclusion.
"Tom will figure it out, he has a way of rallying the troops" Kate offered.
"Let's hope so because we'll lose the crew if we can't get our own Commander in Chief on board with the mission" Mike told her in a grim manner.
Rachel felt Tom's strong arms around her, she couldn't remember the last time she had been held by a man and felt protected. His hand stroked her back and she was aware that he softly kissed her hair. He rocked her gently as she continued to dampen his shirt. Minutes passed and her weeping slowed to a sniffle, then a murmur. Normally she would be mortified but at the moment she felt like a weight had been taken off her.
She lifted her head and looked at him. He wore an unreadable expression that frustrated her as she wanted him to give her something and before her anger and pain could sear her; Tom touched his lips softly with her, gently, tentatively.
Rachel closed her eyes and gave herself over to the moment as he tightened his arms around her and pressed his lips more firmly against her lips. Rachel opened her mouth and his breath caught as he opened his own and felt her tongue glide into his mouth.
Tom's world reeled as he became lost in their kiss that deepened, that moved him, that shook him. He didn't know why or what he was doing kissing her. Only that it felt right and very good.
"Tom" Rachel whispered across his lips as they broke for air "What are we doing?" she asked.
"I don't know" He murmured as he kissed her again; holding her against him as though he would never let her go. And he didn't want to. After months of pain and ugliness this was the reprieve he was searching for. There was something so strong and vital that made him want to not let go, not stop exploring her and the feelings she was arousing in him.
"I've got nothing to give you. Nothing" Rachel said against his lips, Tom moved his hands to the sides of her face and pulled back slightly as he waited for the icy cold reminder that this was wrong; a betrayal to Darien but it didn't come as he saw only Rachel. He brushed the tear streak lines off her face. She closed her eyes, pain etched on her features as her confession was so raw.
"I'm not asking for anything. Do you want me stop?" He asked in earnest. Thankfully she shook her head and before she could change her mind; he kissed her. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong and that she giving him back apart of himself he thought was lost.
Rachel sank into the kiss and returned Tom's passionate kiss, deepening it. It was the first kiss they had truly shared since the Vyneri and it was more amazing and toe curlingly pleasurable than it's predecessor.
She knew she should pull away and remind him of all the reasons they shouldn't be kissing but all she could think was that for once she wasn't tearing herself apart. There was no pain or grief gnawing at her. No, she ached but this time it was for pleasure. Tom gave it to her and she drank it in; the feeling of being connected to something. To someone. To be anchored after being completely adrift for years. It was also just wonderful for human contact again.
Rachel moaned softly as the kisses grew hot and more urgent. Tom's hands roved down her waist and pulled her tight against him. She snaked the fingers of one hand through his hair;holding his him against her mouth. He gave a groan of pleasure but before he could get the chance to manoeuvre her onto the table they both heard the squeaky joints of the interior door lock open.
It was like a bucket of ice cold water as they immediately broke apart and Rachel turned her back to Tom unable to think and in need to compose herself. Tom sat back down on the edge of the table and looked over his shoulder and watched as door swung open and Tex stepped in.
The man stopped at the open door frame and looked at them with a frown. "Hey, everything ok in here?" he asked as he must have noticed the weird tension that now bloomed between Rachel and Tom.
"Yeah, I was just leaving" Tom said after clearing his throat. He stood up and tugged on his BDU jacket, trying to cool down. He knew he could stay but he didn't want him and Rachel to perform a post mortem on their kiss. A kiss that had him completely aroused but he needed to get back to work. He couldn't avoid the task at hand with Michener even if he'd rather stay in the lab with Rachel to pick up where they left off.
"Right, well I'm here to get sleeping beauty" Tex said gesturing to Anna who hadn't moved an inch since Tom had arrived. Tom had completely forgotten about Anna being in the room. He was just glad the woman had slept through the show as it meant his and Rachel's moment was their own.
"I'll disconnect the IV" Rachel offered as she seemed to pull herself together. She looked to Tom and they shared a look one she interpreted as an understanding but there was something more there that she couldn't quite name. But it didn't matter as she was just relieved to see he wasn't angry or disgusted by their kiss. It made her believe that there was actually something more to that kiss than just the physical pleasure.
He gave her a brief nod and without another word left the room. Rachel gave a closed lip smile and walked out of the lab to help Tex.
Tom left the lab and walked straight to Michener's quarters. He was valiantly pushing away thoughts of the kiss and what it meant as he didn't want to think too deeply on it. He wanted to just enjoy it for what it was and frankly he needed to focus on the task at hand.
Right now besides the scorching kiss; Rachel's advise played in his head and he knew just what he needed to say to the man. He looked to Green who was guarding the door and knocked on the door. He waited a moment and opened the door; stepping in to find Michener sitting in his chair with one foot propped on the bunk.
He was fiddling with the USB drive that contained videos of Sean Ramsey telling him how 'special' he was. Tom wanted to take the damn thing away and stomp it into a million pieces but instead he moved to the end of the bunk and leaned against the frame. The door to the room closed and Tom waited a beat before he spoke.
"I wasn't trying to manipulate you, but I did need to know where that sub was going. We'll be headed to New Orleans ourselves, and we're gonna get there ahead of your friends. We'll lie in wait for them there, and we will take them out." Tom said speaking candidly with the man. There was no point in lying any more given Michener wouldn't believe it any more than he would the truth.
He saw his words had no effect on him and knew he had to dig deeper if he was going to reach the man on any level and sway him to back the Nathan James' mission.
"You should know, sir..." He started, he thought carefully on his words and looked directly at Michener sizing up his reactions which for now said he wasn't listening. But it didn't stop Tom.
"I've given everything for my country to serve a mission I didn't ask for. And I'd be sitting safely in a cabin in the woods in Virginia with my family right now if I hadn't stayed with this ship." Tom told him, deciding he'd just lay it all out for the man. Be damned if he did believe Tom but at least Tom could say he tried his best.
"Instead, I lost my wife to the virus. Didn't even get a chance to hold her hand" Tom felt the grief he'd been stuffing away flare to life "Or say goodbye. My children did. They watched her die wondering where I was." Tom said as he felt like he was in a confessional baring his soul.
He watched as Michener slowly turned his eyes to him and saw the man was taking in Tom's words. In less than two sentences he'd finally gotten Michener to truly see him.
"I found them in an extermination camp. In a stadium, like the one you were in. Had I shown up an hour later, they'd be dead. An hour earlier, I might've been able to save my wife." Tom's eyes welled up with tears as he bared his darkest of thoughts to this man who an hour ago looked at him like his was the devil incarnate.
"Now they're holed up in a ghost town with my father. 68 years old and he has heart condition. If something happens to him and I'm out here in the middle of the ocean" Tom shook his head as he didn't need to finish the sentence as they both knew what would happen. Being a parent, Michener would completely understand.
"Now, I understand why you'd be looking for meaning. Wanting all of this to somehow be fate or destiny. For it all not to just be terrible, tragic and random." Tom sighed before he continued "I do understand." Tom told him, he could appreciate the man's devotion even if he couldn't believe in the cause.
Silence lapsed between them as Tom looked away pulling himself together and blinking away the tears in his eyes.
"I held my son's hand. Watched him slip away. His breath so laboured at the end" Michener said in a low voice. Tom looked to him and saw the detached way that he spoke. "The wheezing, his lungs. He was in agony. I thought there could be nothing worse. And then my daughters. My wife. Knowing what was coming... That was the most unbearable thing of all. If only..." The man drawled out and didn't complete the sentence as he became consumed by his own thoughts.
"If only what?" Tom asked but before he could get an answer a knock sounded at the door and Jeter stuck his head into the room.
"Very sorry to disturb you, sir, but there's something you need to hear." He informed Tom in a no nonsense manner.
A couple minutes later, Jeter, Tom and Mike stood in the Comms room around the main console where Alisha sat.
"It's a looping message on a Major FM frequency. It just started playing" Alisha informed them. She flicked the speakers on in the room and radio static sounded over the system for a few seconds before a female voice came over.
"Attention, citizens of America. This is a message for you from the underground. The U.S. Naval Ship Nathan James has been travelling up and down the East Coast, claiming to have a cure for the Red Flu. No one knows exactly what they're giving people. Some believe it's a new strain of the virus." She had a sharp tone as she spat out the words in disgust. Tom pressed two fingers into the pressure point below his eyebrow to stop the headache he could feel coming on.
He looked up and shared looks with Jeter and Mike as they too were unimpressed with this development.
"Others believe it's an experiment with an unproven vaccine. But one thing is clear... It doesn't work and it is not a cure. We have all suspected for a long time." the woman on the radio informed them in smug tone like she was somehow vindicated. Tom wished they could just catch one break as he listened to the woman continue to spout untruths about the ship.
"Got to be the Ramseys." Mike said, Tom agreed given it was too soon after their return from the mainland with the President for it not to be a fail safe. If they discredited the ship then the President would be a hard sell for the public to believe.
"Can you trace the source?" Tom asked Alisha who disappointingly shook her head.
"No, sir. We're receiving the broadcast from multiple directions." She told him.
"Should you come in contact with this ship, stay away or fight them. We are tired of being lied to."
Anna hobbled into the infirmary with Tex's assistance. She stopped at the door as the man on the main bed looked familiar to her. Thanks to videos she had seen Rachel watching as well as the final one she watched by herself. The man had a screw loose in her opinion and what he had managed to do was utterly terrifying.
"That's him?" Anna asked for confirmation from Tex as she couldn't help but feel some trepidation by sharing the space with the man.
"Yeah, don't worry. He's not going to be messing with anyone. He's in a medically induced coma" Tex assured her, as if that would comfort her.
"Right" She grumbled.
"There are guards outside just holler and they'll come in" Tex added.
"Well, if he miraculously wakes up then I'll kill him if he touches a hair on my head" Anna told him as the idea of smothering the man with a pillow sounded like a better safety measure than waiting for him to wake up.
"Yeah, the Commodore doesn't like that kind of talk" Tex told her.
"He's not bunking in with a serial killer" Anna argued as she reluctantly stepped over the threshold in the room. She felt incredibly uncomfortable at being in the same room as the man who had killed billions lives with the simple act of breathing.
"You want me to sleep with you?" Tex asked the question was said so innocently but the images it imbued in Anna's head were anything but innocent.
"What?" Anna asked momentarily distracted by her thoughts that she had to double check she heard him right.
"Top bunk" Tex said pointing to the top bunk, Anna couldn't help but feel a little disappointed because for one stupid second she had misinterpreted what he had meant.
"No, it'll be fine" Anna said.
"When it rains, it just fucking pours" Mike commented dryly as he referred to the radio message and the fact that Michener was still not won over. They only had less than 6 hours to change that before it tainted the crew's morale.
"Tell me about it" Tom said as he took the last of all the information they had on Michener from Mike. His office was a mess of papers as Tom tried to figure out what Sean and his men knew. That key which would help Tom turn the man's allegiances. But so far, he had nothing except maybe the notion that Michener carried the guilt of arranging a convoy for his family to join only to have them die.
"What you're looking for?" Mike asked him.
"I don't know, before I was pulled away... I think I was getting through to him" Tom said to Mike. He gave a tired sigh and looked at the new pile of information begrudgingly as he wished it was easier to understand how this man ticked.
"Well, I didn't find anything-" Mike stopped mid sentence and turned his attention to the door as it swung open without the preamble of a knock. Tex stuck his head into the room looking slightly out of breath.
"Tex-" Tom started but the man cut him off.
"You better come down to the Lab now" Tex told him, it was then he noticed the barely washed off blood on the man's hands. Cold dread drenched his insides as his mind immediately went to Rachel and her dropped the files he was holding onto the table and ran out of the room.
Tom skated to a stop in the lab half expecting to see Rachel on the floor in a puddle of blood. But when he got there he found Rachel and Rios working on Michener. He knew it was wrong but he was relieved that Rachel was ok. He had it twisted in his head that the stress of her grief and her would make her miscarriage, he hadn't even asked Tex what the problem was. He just reacted without thought.
Granted this turn out wasn't much better as Michener laid on the cot in the lab looking like he was at death's door. The bandaged wrists told him exactly what happened.
"How is he?" Tom asked, Rios and Rachel looked up at him as he moved to stand over the cot.
"He's lost a lot of blood but he'll make a full recovery" Rachel told him as Rios was double checking the IV lines and the vitals monitor. Tom nodded inwardly relieved at the knowledge but also feeling the weight of responsibility as he couldn't help but feel he pushed the man to this.
Rachel watched Tom, knowing the look that crossed his face and wishing she could tell him that Michener trying to take his own life was not his fault. But before she could utter the words Mike and Jeter appeared at the door.
Tom stepped away and the three men moved to side of the room. Rachel looked to Michener and wondered what had brought the man to such measures to escape their world. Sadly, the man was not going to be answering the question any time soon.
"We'll have to hang another bag soon" Rios said.
"Just leave the supplies. I'll look after him" Rachel assured him.
"I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone Ma'am" Rios said, Rachel frowned at him as she wondered where he thought the danger was but then she realised that he was just trying to get out of going back to the infirmary.
"You have to keep an eye on Neils and Anna. Your plate is full. I can handle this. Go" Rachel told him.
"You need to rest" Rios told her.
"And I'm a fully grown adult capable of knowing how to take care of myself. So I appreciate the concern but you can go" Rachel assured him, though she was annoyed at him telling her what to do.
