A/N: It gets a little touchy-feely in the next coupla chapters… Don't say I didn't warn you. I also have to give a bit of a nod and a wink to some of the other fanfic out there… Some of you have actually made me like Beach Head. I'm still pairing Cover Girl with Dusty, though.
"I am sure you all mean well, but you're trying my patience! These two need rest and quiet, which they are not getting! I will be happy to call Roadblock and Gung-Ho if my authority isn't enough!"
Cover Girl could tell Lifeline was ready to snap. She didn't blame him. Everyone on base was trying to get into the infirmary to visit their teammates. She peeked around the corner of the room. Beach Head was glaring at Lifeline and looked to be considering knocking the medic on the floor to get past. He had a bundle of flowers gripped in his fist.
"Who is it this time?"
Cover Girl looked across the room at Scarlett. "Uh, Beach Head actually."
"Beach Head?" Scarlett shook her head in amazement.
"And he's got flowers."
"BEACH HEAD?"
"Unless someone is wearing his clothes and face mask, yeah."
"Unbelievable." Scarlett leaned down over Lady Jaye's still form. "Hear that, honey? More flowers." She looked around the room. Every possible space was covered in vases, stuffed animals, and cards. Most of them were for Lady Jaye, but the two girls had made sure that a portion of them surrounded Dusty, too.
Trying to keep her voice light, the red-head continued, "Maybe you should wake up and take a look. Your friends really care about you." She sighed. She had seen no response from her friend since the time she had sat down at her bedside several hours ago.
Lifeline had tried every trick in the book to get a response from his patients. Nothing worked so far. The fact that he had let Cover Girl and Scarlett into the room gave them the impression that the medic felt overwhelmed.
Dusty and Lady Jaye had been back on base for over ten hours.
Lifeline walked into the room carrying the somewhat crumpled flowers. He set them down on one of the few clear spaces left. Then he sat down in the last free chair and put his head in his hands.
Cover Girl walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "You've done everything you can," she told him. "Just give them time."
He shook his head, muttering, "I haven't done enough. There must be something else!"
Cover Girl sighed. She knew he was taking this pretty hard. But she also knew he was the best chance her friends had.
She returned to Dusty's bedside, straightening the sheet as she did so. Wait a minute. Did he move?
She leaned closer. She was sure he was mumbling under his breath.
"…water… my kit? …need…"
"Lifeline!" she called. "He's talking!"
The medic rushed to the bedside, taking a quick note of vitals and brain activity. "He's waking up," he told them with a smile.
Dusty sighed and blinked his eyes open. He didn't speak again or look around the room, but it was a start.
"Dusty. Can you hear me?" Lifeline asked him.
No response. "You try," he told Cover Girl.
She took a deep breath and leaned over. It hurt to see her friend like this. "Dusty, it's Cover Girl. Can you hear me? Dusty?"
He blinked, and very slowly turned his eyes toward her.
"No!" he whispered. "Not you too…"
The other three looked at each other. Cover Girl shrugged and tried again. "I'm here, Dusty, and so are Lifeline and Scarlett. Do you need anything?"
"All three of you?" he asked quietly. "How? Did Cobra… the base?"
"We blew up Cobra's base almost fifteen hours ago." She told him. "Do you need some water?"
He looked at her like she was crazy.
"Water? Too late for water… I didn't have my med kit, either… the snake…" He sighed and closed his eyes again.
"He's obviously confused," Lifeline put in. "That's to be expected, after…"
"After what, Lifeline? You still haven't told us what happened to them." Scarlett frowned at the medic. "We can sit here and keep them company as long as you like, but it might help if we knew exactly what Cobra has done to them."
He met their eyes briefly. "I'm not sure I know, exactly. Only what I was—what I overheard." He began checking the IV bags.
"Tell us," demanded Cover Girl. Could it be that bad? she wondered. She looked down at her friend lying under the sheets, hooked up to monitors and an IV.
Lifeline pulled the three chairs together between the two beds. Making sure the door was locked, he gestured for the women to sit, then took the other chair.
"Duke wanted to keep this kind of low-key. The team leaders know, of course, but we decided it was best not to give out too much information to the team. Mindbender had them hooked up to a machine…" he began.
Mindbender had them hooked up to a machine. The medic's words echoed in Flint's head. He, Duke, and Hawk had heard Lifeline's report only a few hours ago. The Warrant Officer had finished his own debriefing first, giving an account of the attack on the base and the success of both missions. We got them out and we blew up the base in Egypt, he kept telling himself. We all did what we set out to do. Then why did he have a gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach?
She'll be fine, he said over and over. They'll both be fine.
Mindbender had them hooked up to a machine…
Flint slammed his fist into the wall and headed toward the infirmary.
He found the door locked when he got there. A bolt of fear shot through his spine. Why would Lifeline lock the door? He fumbled for his keys, glad that his position offered some advantages.
Flint stopped just outside the door. He could hear Lifeline's voice, but no alarms. That was good. Then why…
He heard what Lifeline was saying.
"…couldn't exactly tell Duke and the others that Zartan helped me. But he showed me where they were and helped me get them free. He's the one who told me about Mindbenders machine."
Lifeline paused for a moment before continuing. "I didn't tell them about this next part either. They've got enough to handle, and I'm the only one the information might help. Zartan watched Doctor Mindbender…experiment…on some of the Cobra soldiers. Apparently he's given charge of anyone who upsets the Commander. After he finished with them…they— …well, Zartan said they never showed up again."
"Did they die?" Flint heard Cover Girl ask.
"No. He thinks they were put in the dungeon. Bludd mentioned seeing them there. But… they weren't in very good shape. He didn't give me details, but it sounded pretty bad."
This time it was Scarlett who spoke up. "So our two friends—what?—think that they're dead? What are we supposed to do about that?"
"I don't know, Scarlett. I was hoping having the two of you here might help. And Dusty has certainly seen some improvement. We just have to hope for the best."
Flint breathed deeply and stepped into the room. He tried to sound cheerful, but it sounded false in his ears. "How are they, doc?"
Lifeline jumped and spun around. "I locked the door for a reason. What did you hear?"
"Nothing I need to tell Hawk. I could care less if you danced through the hallways with the Baroness. We need you here taking care of them, not locked up in meeting rooms discussing the division of Cobra loyalties." Flint surveyed the room. There were even more flowers here now then there had been on his first visit. He tried to keep his eyes from the other bed, but he was drawn to her anyway.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there staring before he felt a gentle touch on his arm.
"She's going to be fine. They both will be." He looked down into Scarlett's blue eyes.
Trying to force a smile, he replied, "Of course they will be."
The redhead returned a sad smile of her own. "Hey, Cover Girl and I need a break. Want to take over sentinel duty for a while?"
He hoped his eyes showed his appreciation for the gesture. "Be glad to."
Cover Girl spoke up. "I think I'll stay for a little while, Scarlett. Why don't you go tell the others about Dusty?"
Scarlett nodded and walked out of the room, telling them to be sure to get her if there were any changes.
"What's this about Dusty, Lifeline?" Flint asked, taking the seat closest to Lady Jaye's bed.
"He woke up for a little while. Mumbled something about water." The medic ran his hands through his hair. "Then he stared at the ceiling for a minute and went back to sleep." He looked at Cover Girl and Flint. "Will you two be okay here for a while? I could really use a shower and a nap." He waited for their agreement and left.
Flint spent some time studying his friend's face. She looked different, now. He was used to seeing her in laughter, in anger, in passion… There was nothing there now. It hardly looked like her at all.
He took her hand carefully in his own and remembered fondly the other times he'd held it like this. What had started as playful teasing had only recently become more. His partner, his friend, the only woman who had ever matched wits with him and come out on top, had become his lover.
They had only been together a few times, each episode standing out in his mind like a bonfire in his memories. He knew—he thought—that it couldn't ever be serious between them. Too many differences, too much protocol in the way. But, God, he yearned for her, already reached for her at night when they were apart. And now…
He reached out and carefully drew a finger across her cheekbone. "Alison, honey. It's Dash. I'm here." She didn't stir, but he continued to touch her and murmur comforting sounds.
He knew Cover Girl was watching from the other chair. He didn't care. He suspected she knew exactly how he felt; how helpless they were to do anything for the people they cared about.
A disturbance at the other bed finally caught his attention. Cover Girl was standing over Dusty, who thrashed under the sheets, trying to get up.
He rushed over, helping her to restrain him. Dusty's voice was cracked and dry, but it was understandable. "No! I'm dead! They came for me already! I shouldn't be here!"
"Cover Girl, go get Lifeline. Don't argue. You can't hold him down by yourself."
She ran from the room, looking pale and shaken.
"Dusty! Dusty, it's Flint! You're not dead. You were a prisoner of Cobra, but you're back at the Joe base now." The thrashing subsided somewhat, and Dusty actually looked him in they eyes. His expression was wild, almost feral.
Flint pushed him back on to the bed, keeping eye contact. "Listen to me. You were affected by one of Doctor Mindbender's machines. You're not dead. You can hear me, can't you? You heard Cover Girl talking to you earlier. That wouldn't be possible if you were dead. Do you understand me?"
Dusty's breathing began to slow. Awareness crept back into his gaze. "No. I'm dead. The desert, the snake…they…"
"You did not die in the desert. There was no snake."
"But… I… it… hurt…"
Flint felt a chill run down his arms. "I'm sure it did. But it didn't kill you. You're at the base." He wished he could offer something solid, some proof. But the room in the infirmary was impersonal, the windows dark. On a whim, he picked up the nearest bunch of flowers from Lady Jaye's table. It was a dozen roses held in the arms of a stuffed monkey.
He set them in Dusty's lap. "Look. Smell. That's real. You're here."
Dusty still looked confused, examining the stuffed monkey as though he didn't know what it was.
Lifeline rushed into the room then, followed closely by Cover Girl. He immediately began checking the various devices connected to his patient, directing a few questions at Dusty as he did so.
"Do you know who you are?"
"I'm… I'm not dead?"
"What's your name?"
"Ronald Rudat."
"Good. What's your birthday?"
"October 13."
"Excellent, Ron. Do you know where you are?"
Dusy looked around the room, seeing it all for the first time. He noticed Cover Girl standing nearby, and tentatively reached out a hand to her. She took it immediately and stood beaming down at him.
"I'm at the Joe base."
Lifeline finished his physical examination. "You seem perfectly healthy to me, Ron—apart from a few bruises and abrasions, anyway. Welcome back."
Dusty gave them a weak smile.
Lifeline scooted Flint and Cover Girl farther from the bed for a moment so he could adjust it to a more comfortable angle. He started to ask Dusty another question, but was interrupted by a burst of laughter from his patient.
"What is it?" he asked, alarmed.
Dusty was examining the stuffed monkey in his lap. He looked up at the doctor. "Apparently Shipwreck is in love with me. Are you sure I'm not dead?"