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"We're transporting her NOW." The medic spoke firmly but quietly. "Hawk, you're going to hold pressure on the entry site while I pack the exit wound. Jax, get me a board to put her on." One of his team bolted in the direction of their ship. To another, he directed, "Get on the comm to Hillside 54 for an incoming with blood loss. Bullet wound to right outer thigh. Straight through, entry and exit sites found." He turned to Power. "I need to get fluids going into her which means I'm going to need some veins. I'd rather not use her hand and I can't get to the ones in her arms with the suit on."
With only a moment's hesitation and without regard for anything Scout had learned from Mentor, Jon motioned Hawk back, then touched her actibadge location and authorized the deactivation of the suit. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until her fatigues appeared without incident.
"Thank you, Sir." Carter quickly pushed up her sleeve as he monitored the pressure Hawk had on her leg. "You're doing great, Hawk. Keep that up."
"Doc, what do you need?" Elzer knew his medic well enough to know he'd had enough of Power's team keeping him from doing his job and was now going to direct the show. And he knew him well enough to know there were things not being said.
He worked on the IV as he spoke. "Load the captain into the ship and get his suit off. As soon as we get Pilot loaded on and I make sure she's stable, he's getting fluids too."
Jon was already protesting. "I'm not going anywhere until Pilot - "
Polarski had to keep from snorting when Carter cut him off.
"You ARE, Captain. Get on the ship. I don't want to sedate you with the head wound you have, so you're either going quietly under your own authority or you're going to be hauled onto it by my team. Your choice." The board arrived and he carefully rolled Jennifer just enough to get it under her, then just as carefully began securing her to it.
Scout and Tank were on either side of Power, pulling him to a standing position and moving him quickly in the direction of Elzer's main ship. Jon's head was turned as he strained to keep them in his sight for as long as possible.
"Hawk, we're going to trade spots. I want you to take this bag and hold it up while I pack the wound." Doc handed off the bag of saline to Hawk then carefully packed the hemostatic gel into the wound, both front and back. "Good to go, guys. Let's get her loaded." He nodded to Polarski.
The commanding officer nodded in return. "We'll finish securing the area and meet you at Hillside."
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Once inside the ship everyone and everything seemed to be moving at once. It was the organized chaos that was the lives of the Resistance. To survive, a team had to work together in perfect harmony. It had to be able to communicate in its own unspoken language. Each member had to do its part above and beyond what was asked of them. They had to be able to trust each other and have each other's backs at the best and worst times of their lives.
After helping load Jon into Pulaski's ship, Scout and Tank joined Elzer and his remaining soldiers in securing the shotguns and any remaining ammo. Scout was also able to secure a few biomech data ports with the hope that there would be information on how and where this ammunition fell into Dread's hands. The why was easy enough to figure out. With Pilot's wound it seemed it did exactly what Dread wanted.
Inside Polarski's ship, Hawk watched nervously from his position beside Jennifer. She had yet to regain any degree of consciousness. He had hung the saline on the hook beside her med bed and was now holding her limp hand. " Right here kiddo. The captain is getting fixed up, so you don't need to worry about him. But you are giving us a bit of a scare, so it would be nice if you opened those pretty blues for this old guy."
Doc smiled at Matt. "You have a strong girl here Hawk. If she is even half as stubborn as her captain, she will be fine."
That made Hawk laugh out loud. "Believe it or not, Doc, she is more stubborn than Jon. By far."
Doc whistled. "Must make for some lively debates. Vitals are holding, but she'll likely need a transfusion. Watch her for me as I go and play nice with your Captain." Doc moved towards the other side of the hold where Jon was sitting being about as cooperative as a two-year-old getting his shots.
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Carter had seen the fuss Power had been giving his two teammates while he'd tended to Pilot and almost felt sorry for them. He dismissed them both with a nod and a smirk that Power couldn't see. It vanished before he turned.
"Captain, you're either going to calm down or I'm going to give you something to calm you down." Options. There were always options. He began pulling supplies from the cabinets, tossing them on the small bench next to the med bunk.
Jon ignored the comment. "How is Pilot? Why isn't she awake yet?"
Though he was annoyed with the captain's disregard for what he'd said, he understood where it was coming from. And he also noticed that Power didn't try to get off the bunk, which meant that he'd heard him. He could give the man enough information to settle him but keep the final verdict for the doctors at the Hill once they could do a thorough evaluation. "She is stable. We've got fluids going into her and the pressure pack has greatly slowed her blood loss. No major arteries or veins were hit, which is always a good thing. The blood loss was slow and though there was quite a bit of it, I think she passed out from the pain of being shot. Probably because she was standing on that leg for so long, which I cannot figure out for the life of me HOW she managed to do that. Regardless, she's probably going to need some blood when we get to the Hill and they'll do a full eval to assess damage to the leg." As he spoke, he noticed Power visibly relax and even regain some of the color in his skin he'd lost earlier.
"She'll be okay?" Jon asked quietly.
Doc nodded, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "From what Hawk says, she's a tough cookie. She'll need some time to recover, but I expect to find her back in the field, probably saving our asses from yet another Dread encounter." He grabbed a small basin from the bench and filled it with a canteen of water. "Now, I'm not going to clean that burn on your hand, but I AM going to get it soaking in some water. That'll help decrease the pain a little. Not much, but a little. When we get to Hillside, they'll take care of it the rest of the way. Looks like you might have gotten away with only a second-degree burn and if I had to guess, a level one or two concussion from where the bullet hit your helmet. You both got pretty lucky out there."
A soft groan from across the room caught their attention.
Though Jon had Doc by several inches in height, the medic anticipated his move and firmly pushed him back on the med bunk with both hands on his shoulders. "You, soak your hand. If you try to get up off this bunk again, I will knock you out. Hawk, how's my patient doing over there?"
"Vitals are still holding steady. Her eyes aren't open, but she's holding my hand now."
"Did you hear that? Stay put and I MIGHT let you see her when we unload her." Doc turned his back on Jon, but not before he caught the look that flashed across his face. It was pure defiance. No one was going to stop him from being at her side when she was taken off the ship. He was sure this was just the tip of the iceberg, if what Masterson had said earlier about his stubbornness had been right.
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The moment the ship landed everything sprang to life inside the small hold. Doc abandoned Jon to see to his more critical patient, but not without giving him a stern pointed glare. One that Power returned with his own steel. Doc turned away grinning. The captain was incredible at his job, but he was still young man and from what Doc saw, a young man who may care for his corporal more than he is supposed to. To be a fly on the wall at that base...
"Okay Hawk get that bag off the hook and get ready to move fast. Pilot, you are doing great. Don't struggle. Let us do all the work and we will get you the help you need, " Doc said as she feebly tried to move off the board he was trying to secure her to for transport to the infirmary.
Hawk gently restrained her hands as she fought to get the restraint off her chest. He squeezed Jennifer's hand again. "Listen to the Doc, Pilot. Let's get you fixed up."
Jon had been stewing with his injured hand soaking like he was told, when Doc's words to Pilot registered in his head. Without concern for the scan that was running to grade his concussion, he yanked his injured hand out of the water; it dripped down his arm as he covered the ground between he and Jennifer in three short strides. He drew himself up with the doctor and the two men stared at each other until the hatch opened and the room crowded with medical staff.
Jon used the chaos of the newcomers to jockey for position and replaced his good hand with Hawk's. "We are right here, Pilot." Then he bent down and whispered, " Jennifer, I am right here."
A small squeeze and her lashes fluttered open. "Jon."
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Scout surveyed the area, his brow furrowing at the number of mechs Polarski's team had taken down. "There was no overunit with all these mechs? Not a BioDread in sight either?" The questions were almost statements, more thoughts spoken out loud than for anyone to answer. "That's not a usual Dread tactic in the field."
"Power did say they were waiting for a data informant when they were fired on. Might have just been to lure them out here for target practice." Elzer looked at the pile of weapons his team had confiscated. "These things are ancient. And the mechs aren't the most graceful at firing weapons even without recoil. Wonder what made him think of trying it?"
"And where did he get them?" Tank added.
"Let's hope Mentor finds some answers in those data ports." Scout had started the scans right after Polarski's ship had taken off, if only to temporarily keep his mind off Power and Pilot. He couldn't get the image of Pilot slumping into the captain's arms out of his head. It had happened just as he'd stepped out of the jumpship to give Mentor's verdict on powering down the suit and his stomach had been churning since then. "I tried to raise Hawk on the comm, but he wasn't answering."
"Jax will let us know when they get to the Hill. Doc'll update us on their condition as soon as he can." Elzer doubted anything he said would put them at ease, so he simply stated the basic information. "They're tough. And the Hill isn't that far away. They've got a good team there."
Neither Scout nor Tank looked convinced, but they didn't argue.
"Either of you know how to fly the jumpship?" Elzer asked, though he already knew the answer.
Scout swore under his breath. "I can attempt to, but Pilot will kill me if anything happens to it. It's already sounding a little louder than usual, so it's probably best if I use the holocam to camouflage it. Probably can use the skybike to get to Hillside." He looked over toward the bike Power and Pilot had taken to meet the data broker.
Tank shook his head. "It took some hits when the mechs were shooting. There's no way we can fly it."
More swearing, this time much louder.
"Load it on the jumpship. Jimbo's got some experience flying this class of ship, so he'll get you over to the Hill. I figure Hawk can get you all home from there." Elzer's wrist communicator beeped, and he answered immediately. "Polarski."
"Jax here. Delivered the payload."
"Acknowledged. Everything intact?" The volume was loud enough for all three of them to hear, but Scout and Tank moved closer so as not to miss anything.
"Yes, Sir. Doc's here."
Polarski hoped the news was good. "What's their status, Doc?"
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Doc glanced behind himself to the commotion in the hallway. Hawk was arguing with a security guard. "Well boys, the good news is your captain is fired up and feeling well enough to be a pain in everyone's side. He has a moderate concussion but nothing that is affecting his colorful choice in words at the moment." Doc chuckled before continuing. "They are attempting to clean his hand... but...
"But?" Scout asked more harshly than he intended. Not being there himself was driving him crazy. This was his family.
"Easy Son. " Doc said in a patient voice. This team was definitely one of a kind. But they could also try the patience of a saint. "As I was saying, they were trying to clean his hand, give a few shots and perhaps even x-ray, BUT he was insisting he not leave Pilot's side. Hawk tried to talk to him, but your captain can be quite a stubborn ass. So, they forcibly removed Pilot to go take care of her..."
"And Pilot?" Tank interrupted. Even his quiet timber held a note of anxiousness.
"Your girl is holding her own. They took her straight away to assess the leg. Pressure is holding and bleeding has slowed, but she is still out of it. She is going to get a blood transfusion and they will repair any damage the bullet left. I don't know much more about her, though she too started fighting us at the end, which made your captain so much more enjoyable. He had to be restrained."
There was a whistle, then Scout asked in an astonished voice, "You kept the Captain AWAY from Pilot? And you restrained him?"
"Yep. He needed care and was too damned stubborn to allow it. Your pilot is in good hands, Gentlemen. Your captain is currently restrained to his bed until he calms down. Hawk has been playing peacemaker. It would be good if you boys get back here," Doc said, the humor never leaving his voice. To be honest, after going toe to toe with Power he had enjoyed cuffing him to the bed. He had warned him. Only the confirmation of the concussion had saved Power from getting knocked out the old-fashioned way.
"We are wrapping up here, Doc, and will be on our way in a few. ETA an hour or less," Elzer told his medic. It was better to reunite the Power team... soon. For everyone involved.
"Understood, Captain. See you soon. Don't worry, boys, I promise to play nice." Abraham signed off, then turned and walked back down the hall toward the captain's room. Peeking in the window, he saw a nurse quickly and efficiently wrapping the captain's burned hand. Then the nurse gave Jon two pills which the captain sullenly swallowed. After that the nurse quickly left the room. Guess the captain was still being unpleasant.
Jon was pulling at the restraints and looking down to see if they could be picked when Doc slid inside the room and crossed his arms across his chest. " I see you are still in a royal snit."
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Scout scrubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head. "Well, that all went south quickly. I'm glad it's Hawk there right now. Maybe he can calm the captain down."
Trying to remain professional, but still wanting to know for personal reasons, Elzer chose his words carefully. "Power seemed to be a little more protective of Pilot than usual."
"He's been like that since the incident with Blastarr. That wall falling on you and Pilot has him rattled." Tank smirked a little as he turned to load the skybike into the jumpship.
Scout had to bite off a laugh. "Yeah. Something like that." A full-blown smile crossed Tank's face, which did not escape Polarski's view.
This really piqued Elzer's interest. "So, what's the story with those two?"
"We have no idea. Hell, I don't think THEY know what the story is either." Scout joined Tank, checking the bike to see if the antigrav units still functioned. It was going to be rough moving it if they were out. Fortunately, they hadn't been damaged in the shooting and they made quick work of it. As they were exiting the hold, a low whistle from Polarski caught their attention.
"Gentlemen, we've got a visitor." Elzer's remaining team assembled near him, weapons at the ready.
A lone figure approached on foot, slowly surveying the destruction. "What have you done with my soldiers?" she asked. "And where are my rifles?"
Scout cast a brief glance at Tank. "I sure hope Hawk has things under control. I don't think we're going to be there anytime soon."