Harm was walking back from the bar when he saw Mac's expression change from
happy reverie to alarm. Mac leaned forward and clutched the table for
support. When he reached her, Harm heard her sharp intake of breath.
"Mac, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
"I don't know exactly," she said breathed, her eyes closed.
"A vision?" Harm asked.
She nodded, "I need a minute to figure it out." For a moment longer she sat rigidly with her eyes closed tightly, then, suddenly, she looked up and searched the room. She stood and continued to look around frantically.
"Come on." Mac beseeched him as she tore off across the room.
"Mac, wait!" he called.
People turned to stare after her, as she ran onto the dance floor, and darted around the couples, Harm following close behind her. Guests jumped aside as they rushed past. When she reached the door, Mac looked to the left, but then she bolted to the right. Harm followed a few paces behind her so he could turn the corners without crashing to a halt. They seemed to race through a honeycomb of corridors and alcoves. They ran for only a few minutes but they had made more turns than Harm could count. Finally, Mac stopped. Breathing heavily, she said, "She's here somewhere."
"Who?" Harm asked between breaths. "Lynn?"
Mac nodded. Her chest heaved with each breath she took.
Then, there came a muffled cry.
Harm's eyes widened and he ran toward the sound. Mac hurried after him. They ran down another corridor, and turned again, and at the end of this dimly lit corridor they saw a woman using one arm to hold a man's hand above their heads. The woman's dark flowing hair over her light dress identified her. Mac had just started toward the couple, when she saw the glint of a knife in the man's hand.
"Lynn!" Mac shouted as she began to run toward her.
"Mac, no!" Lynn called back frantically.
In the moment she had been distracted, the man had gotten the advantage over Lynn, and he spun her around and pinning her arm behind her. Harm and Mac could see that a dark red stain was spreading from her left shoulder. The man behind her reached around her; he thrust the gleaming blade into her belly and pulled it out cruelly.
Lynn gasped and fell to her knees, a look of pain and surprise warped her face.
"No!" Mac shouted, as she saw Lynn fall onto her side and the man turn and flee.
She and Harm reached Lynn's side only a few seconds later and knelt beside her. She was badly wounded; blood seemed to blossom over her belly and shoulder. Harm immediately took off his coat and used it to apply pressure to the belly-wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.
"Ah," she gasped, and her face twisted still tighter.
"It's okay, Lynn," he said, trying to sound calm, "You'll be alright."
"No, you've got to." she tried to warn him off.
"Shh," Mac said as she tore fabric from her dress and pressed it to the wound in Lynn's shoulder, "It'll be okay."
Lynn's breath came in short shallow gasps. "Clay. Penn" she rasped, "Carl." She started to fade; her eyes rolled and then shut.
"No, Lynn, stay with us," Harm said cried, "Mac, go for help."
Mac shook her head.
"One of us has to. Now, go!"
Mac was torn; she gave Lynn another desperate look, and then she sprinted back down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Harm watched after her for a moment, but the he turned his attention back to Lynn.
"Lynn, wake up. Come back," he ordered harshly, but she didn't respond. He lowered his cheek to feel her breath. She wasn't breathing.
"Damn it," he said as he adjusted her neck. He leaned down and gave her two breaths. He tipped his head to the side again, and still she wasn't breathing. He felt for her pulse, and he found it, weak but at least her heart was still beating. "Good, now breathe, damn it." He gave her two more breaths. And waited. She took a breath; it was ragged and shallow, but she was breathing on her own. Harm continued to apply pressure to her wounds, but the blood from her belly wound had already soaked his jacket.
"Hurry, Mac," he whispered.
A few moments later, Mac returned with the paramedics and a gurney. The paramedics fell to work on Lynn. One put an IV into her arm, while another cut through her dress and worked over her wounds. They loaded her onto the gurney, and as they were rushing her down the corridor the paramedic holding the IV bag, put a mask over her face and squeezed the plastic bag attached to it. Mac led them back through the maze corridors. As they ran, Harm explained to a paramedic that Lynn had been attacked and that he and Mac needed to go with her in order to protect her.
"I can't allow you into the ambulance," the paramedic told him curtly.
"Look, this is a matter of national security, British and American!" Harm exclaimed angrily.
The paramedic looked extremely put out. "Fine, but stay out of the way."
Finally, they dashed out a side door to where the ambulance was waiting in an alley. The paramedics loaded Lynn into the bay of the ambulance and pulled Harm and Mac in as well.
As the doors slammed and the ambulance flared its lights and rang its sirens, the paramedics worked feverishly over Lynn. They injected her with something and did everything they could to stop the bleeding. The short drive to the hospital seemed to take hours for Harm and Mac who sat still and silent, clutching the other's hand in support.
"Mac, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
"I don't know exactly," she said breathed, her eyes closed.
"A vision?" Harm asked.
She nodded, "I need a minute to figure it out." For a moment longer she sat rigidly with her eyes closed tightly, then, suddenly, she looked up and searched the room. She stood and continued to look around frantically.
"Come on." Mac beseeched him as she tore off across the room.
"Mac, wait!" he called.
People turned to stare after her, as she ran onto the dance floor, and darted around the couples, Harm following close behind her. Guests jumped aside as they rushed past. When she reached the door, Mac looked to the left, but then she bolted to the right. Harm followed a few paces behind her so he could turn the corners without crashing to a halt. They seemed to race through a honeycomb of corridors and alcoves. They ran for only a few minutes but they had made more turns than Harm could count. Finally, Mac stopped. Breathing heavily, she said, "She's here somewhere."
"Who?" Harm asked between breaths. "Lynn?"
Mac nodded. Her chest heaved with each breath she took.
Then, there came a muffled cry.
Harm's eyes widened and he ran toward the sound. Mac hurried after him. They ran down another corridor, and turned again, and at the end of this dimly lit corridor they saw a woman using one arm to hold a man's hand above their heads. The woman's dark flowing hair over her light dress identified her. Mac had just started toward the couple, when she saw the glint of a knife in the man's hand.
"Lynn!" Mac shouted as she began to run toward her.
"Mac, no!" Lynn called back frantically.
In the moment she had been distracted, the man had gotten the advantage over Lynn, and he spun her around and pinning her arm behind her. Harm and Mac could see that a dark red stain was spreading from her left shoulder. The man behind her reached around her; he thrust the gleaming blade into her belly and pulled it out cruelly.
Lynn gasped and fell to her knees, a look of pain and surprise warped her face.
"No!" Mac shouted, as she saw Lynn fall onto her side and the man turn and flee.
She and Harm reached Lynn's side only a few seconds later and knelt beside her. She was badly wounded; blood seemed to blossom over her belly and shoulder. Harm immediately took off his coat and used it to apply pressure to the belly-wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.
"Ah," she gasped, and her face twisted still tighter.
"It's okay, Lynn," he said, trying to sound calm, "You'll be alright."
"No, you've got to." she tried to warn him off.
"Shh," Mac said as she tore fabric from her dress and pressed it to the wound in Lynn's shoulder, "It'll be okay."
Lynn's breath came in short shallow gasps. "Clay. Penn" she rasped, "Carl." She started to fade; her eyes rolled and then shut.
"No, Lynn, stay with us," Harm said cried, "Mac, go for help."
Mac shook her head.
"One of us has to. Now, go!"
Mac was torn; she gave Lynn another desperate look, and then she sprinted back down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Harm watched after her for a moment, but the he turned his attention back to Lynn.
"Lynn, wake up. Come back," he ordered harshly, but she didn't respond. He lowered his cheek to feel her breath. She wasn't breathing.
"Damn it," he said as he adjusted her neck. He leaned down and gave her two breaths. He tipped his head to the side again, and still she wasn't breathing. He felt for her pulse, and he found it, weak but at least her heart was still beating. "Good, now breathe, damn it." He gave her two more breaths. And waited. She took a breath; it was ragged and shallow, but she was breathing on her own. Harm continued to apply pressure to her wounds, but the blood from her belly wound had already soaked his jacket.
"Hurry, Mac," he whispered.
A few moments later, Mac returned with the paramedics and a gurney. The paramedics fell to work on Lynn. One put an IV into her arm, while another cut through her dress and worked over her wounds. They loaded her onto the gurney, and as they were rushing her down the corridor the paramedic holding the IV bag, put a mask over her face and squeezed the plastic bag attached to it. Mac led them back through the maze corridors. As they ran, Harm explained to a paramedic that Lynn had been attacked and that he and Mac needed to go with her in order to protect her.
"I can't allow you into the ambulance," the paramedic told him curtly.
"Look, this is a matter of national security, British and American!" Harm exclaimed angrily.
The paramedic looked extremely put out. "Fine, but stay out of the way."
Finally, they dashed out a side door to where the ambulance was waiting in an alley. The paramedics loaded Lynn into the bay of the ambulance and pulled Harm and Mac in as well.
As the doors slammed and the ambulance flared its lights and rang its sirens, the paramedics worked feverishly over Lynn. They injected her with something and did everything they could to stop the bleeding. The short drive to the hospital seemed to take hours for Harm and Mac who sat still and silent, clutching the other's hand in support.