I'm so sorry this took so long! If anyone is still reading, this is the final chapter. I know it is shorter than the others, but I couldn't think of anything to add that wouldn't ruin it.
I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to review. If it weren't for you guys, I may not have finished this for a looong time. You guys are awesome!
I also know there are plot holes here and there. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or ask them in the review and I'll get an answer to you. Enjoy!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Come on, Harper! One more step," Trance coaxed. Harper's face dripped with perspiration, and his arms shook with the strain of trying to support his upper body. Gripping the bars tighter, he drug his right leg forward one more agonizing step. "Good job! Now, just one more.."
"One more my ass, you already said that," he panted.
"Well, if you could do one more..."
"No. I need to sit down." Sensing Harper was about to collapse, Beka pulled a chair over and Harper gingerly plopped down into it, heaving a giant sigh.
"You did good today, Harper. I'll see you tomorrow for another session." Trance gave him a perky smile and went about gathering her various supplies, and before leaving the two of them alone turned to say one more thing. "Oh, and make sure you start eating more as well. You wouldn't tire so quickly and you still need to gain back the weight you lost. Okay?"
"Yeah, whatever," Harper grumped.
"Well you're certainly the bringer of happiness today," Beka stated, taking a seat next to him on one of the nearby beds. "What is it?"
"What do you think? Look at me! I can't even walk!"
"Harper, it's only been a month! A piece of shrapnel tore open your hip and severed muscles, nerves, you name it. You're lucky Trance is here or you'd probably never have walked again." That had been the worst month of her life. Trance had called them all to med-deck so she wouldn't have to deliver the bad news more than once. She'd come close to tears as she'd explained the extent of Harper's injuries, and that under any other circumstances, Harper's leg would have been amputated. He'd spent almost a week unconscious from the head injury, and soon after infection had set in.
Everyday she came to med-deck. She'd comfort him through the pain or a nightmare, bathe him, talk to him even though she wasn't sure he could actually hear her, or just sit and watch him sleep. She wasn't surprised he was upset now. A month of constant pain and being rendered almost helpless would make anyone irritable. Not to mention the terrible scarring that would forever mar his side. Trance had done the best she could, but the extensive tissue damage could not be completely repaired. Trance had needed to open him up past the original injury to repair all the damage. As a result, there was red, angry scar tissue running from mid-thigh to above his hip bone. To Beka, he had looked more like a shark attack victim. Then there was the fact he had actually died before Trance even started operating on him. If only he realized how close he'd come to dying.
"A month. Gee, maybe by this time next year I'll be able to tie my shoes. I feel so useless." The last part was whispered, his eyes dropping to the floor. The demon that had been eating at him was now in the open.
"Harper, look at me." Gaining eye contact, she continued. "You are not useless. We would have died if it wasn't for you."
"If it wasn't for me, it wouldn't have happened in the first place."
"Harper, we've been over this before. No one blames you except for yourself. Sure Dylan's a little peeved about your computer reprogramming, but he'll get over it." She gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Trance says with a few more weeks intensive therapy, you'll be walking without a cane. Tyr has even volunteered to help. Go figure."
"He's probably just sick of doing repairs and needs some little human to tort... um, intensively train. I can hardly wait."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Mister Harper, come in." Dylan ushered the young man into his office. He was pleasantly surprised to see his walking had much improved. While he still drug his leg slightly, and leaned heavily on the cane, the very fact he was walking was a miracle. Despite all the yelling he'd heard going on between Harper and Tyr the past few weeks, whatever Tyr was putting Harper through was working. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, you know. Takes a lot more than an explosion, fire and near death experience to slow The Harper down," he replied with a forced smile, which too closely resembled a grimace. The hand holding the cane shook slightly.
Dylan ignored the fact Harper hadn't answered his question. He really wasn't expecting him to anyways. "Do you know why I asked you here?"
"Fire me?"
"Not quite." Dylan turned back to his desk and retrieved a small black case. Turning back to the young man, he opened the case and removed a small pin. "Harper, it is my honour to bestow upon you the Tri-Galaxy Gold Cluster, for courage and self-sacrifice in the line of duty." He moved to pin it on Harper's shirt, but the engineer took a step back.
"But I almost destroyed the ship! If I hadn't been so careless, I wouldn't have had to be so self-sacrificing in the first place!" he emphatically stated.
"I've thought about it for a long time, Harper. I don't hold you responsible. I guess I still have to get used to the fact the universe is still different from what I'm used to." He gave Harper a minute to digest that before continuing. "You have shown accountability for your actions, though, and that's an admirable trait." Dylan once again advanced on Harper and pinned the medal to the front of his shirt and saluted. Harper returned a sloppy salute, a shocked expression still evident on his face. "You've come a long way since I first met you."
Dylan put a hand on his shoulder and led him out of the room. Harper's mind was spinning. Whatever he thought he'd signed on for, it hadn't come anywhere close to this, and he was grateful.
"Trance says you're ready for light duty. I know Tyr has been piling various instruments and tools in the machine shop that needs repairs. After that, you should be ready to tackle some of the larger stuff." Dylan turned to head in the other direction, calling over his shoulder. "Oh, and Mister Harper, remove all of your computer by-passes first. Andromeda will be giving you a hand with that."
Harper smile to himself as he limped down the corridor. Maybe things would be all right after all.
The End
