Wow people are still reading this, Raven I sorry I haven't reviewed your new chapters, can't wait to read them but I don't want to read your data port story till I have written mine… (I don't want to 'steal' any ideas)

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A man who wants to do something will find a way

A man who doesn't will find an excuse

Stephen Dolley Jr.

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            I looked over at Harper in the white hospital scrubs.  I had to hand it to the dealer, this place looked halfway decent, but maybe he didn't want to spend the money to have Harper up and die on him before he could finish the job.  Then again there had been mountains of paper work to read through for this job, release form after release form saying Harper wouldn't sue for damages, I wouldn't sue for the lost of my engineer and any of his family wouldn't sue for damages if he died.  My head was still spinning as I thought of all that paper work.  But each form signed got us more money, and bribes still was ways to pay the bills.

 None of that was important now as I looked into Harper's scared blue eyes.  Trance stood next to him and took his hand.  "Soon it will all be over and you'll have that data port you always wanted." She said bubbling over with joy, somehow her excitement seemed to be countering all of our fears.    I just hoped in the end we could all be excited in the end.  Rev had stayed on the maru but I knew he would be sitting by the comms waiting for any news. Harper seemed to clam down a little until the nurse walked up with a large needle.

            "What is that?"

            "They just need to give you some drugs; you don't want to be awake for the operation do you?"  Trance said with that same smile on her face.

            "There are these things called hypos, inject meds in through the skin.  No punctures, no rather large needles."  Harper had drawn his feet up to his chest and moving up the bed and away from the nurse.

            "One little pinch."  The nurse said reaching out for Harper's arm.

            "There is nothing little about that needle."  Harper said who was now facing the fact that he had no where else to go and was trapped on the bed between Trance, the nurse, and I.  Trance took the hand she was holding and gave it to the nurse, who found the vein with amazing speed and stuck Harper.  "Traitoooorrr" Harper said as he pasted out.

            "That was fast," I said as the nurse straighten out the ball that was Harper and laid him flat on the bed.

            "Not the medicine, the guys have a tendency to faint before the sedative ever works."

            "It's that dangerous to have the patients pass out before surgery."  Trance said.  I covered my mouth trying to hide the laughter.

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It takes courage to live;

Courage and strength and hope and humor

Jerome Fleischman

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            "Arrrggg… did anyone get the number of that ship that hit me."  I stood up and turned to see Harper.  His face was pale from the blood lost and a large bandage was wrapped around his neck but the blue eyes that stared up at me where clear and full of hope.

            "How you doing sleeping beauty?"

            "Like I need to go back and sleep for another hundred years.  So did it work?"

            "Yeah it went fine, they since you back here once you where out of surgery."

            "So when do I get to test this baby out."

            "Not for a while Harper, like they said tissue has to heal, and nerve tissue takes longer."

            "Even longer on a mudfoot," he mumbled.   I smiled, there was no point in saying anything more, and the truth was Harper took longer to heal.  His head must have felt pretty bad if he wasn't trying to get out of bed.  He stank back into his pillow and winced as the material touched his neck.

            "You want some pain pills."

            "with some sparky."

            "I don't think so Harper."

            "Please?"  I laughed as I walked into the mess and got the pills they had given me for Harper along with a glass of water.  The kid hated drinking water but I wasn't going to give him a sparky when the doc said no stimulates for a month and plenty of fluids.  You play nurse maid long enough you begin to learn that certain things are common sense and certain things don't mix.  Hangovers and loud noises, cats and water, damaged nerves and stimulates I was sure was in that package somewhere.  I walked into Harper's room.  He was lying as still as a board on the bed.  His eyes closed and sweat beating on his forehead.

            "Got the pills, think you can sit-up?"  Harper lifted his head up a few inches and stopped, biting his lip he stuck back into the bed.  I put my hand on his arm and slowly lifted him up.  He opened his eyes; I could see tears starting to form.  I brought the pills to his mouth and then the glass of water which he sipped a little bit.  I began to let him back down when he muttered something. 

Before I could ask what he had said, I was covered in a warm liquid; once again I had gotten to know Harper's insides, up close and personal.  I bit my lip and slowly let Harper back on to the bed.  The kid looked so miserable there I didn't have the heart to say anything about it.  I went to the bathroom and looked at the damage; well it wasn't the first time.  I ran a washcloth under the sink and headed back to Harper's room.  He was already asleep thanks to the pills.  I cleaned up his face the best I could.  The bed and his clothes could wait till he felt better.  I walked down the hall grabbed my boxers and tank off my bed and back into the shower.  I let the hot water come rushing down on me as I leaned my head against the tiles.  This in no way was going to be an easy run.

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Bad guy-all she wanted was some to care for her, someone to watch over her

Jarod- Someone did

The Pretender

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