Thanks to Kiwi for the online betaring.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"This is alpha one to Dale six one, status report on your injured, over."
" Hanging on by a thread alpha one, over"
"This is alpha one to Tyler six one we've just hit the hospital car park how far behind are you, over."
"Tyler six one ETA three minutes, over"
"We're going in without you we can't wait. Bring your units into the Emergency car park, over."
Alec's van hit the car park first, Clint taking the corner so fast that they momentarily spun out of control sideswiping another vehicle before he had it back on its four wheels again, and headed towards the ER entrance.
"Secure the ER." Alec ordered, as they piled out of the van in front of him.
He watched them jog purposefully into the building. Only eight of them but they were all big guys and the black body armour gave them even more bulk. Combined with the helmets and the large sinister M16's they were intimidating enough to make any opposition think twice before engaging them.
The first of the vans carrying the wounded screeched to a stop in front of him and Todd.
Todd leaned into the van and over Steve where he lay on the floor between the seats. "Fuck," he swore, when he saw the hole in his chest. "Over here," he yelled gesturing the frightened orderlies over with the stretchers.
"They were using slap rounds, the bastards, the vest took most of the impact but the bullet still penetrated," Dex explained urgently.
Todd slipped his hands beneath Steve's back and carefully pulled him out until Alec could slide his hands under his legs so they could load him onto a stretcher. Alec felt a sense of fear and foreboding as he noted Steve's grey colour and his bloodied messed up chest.
The scent of blood and death was strong inside the van and his eyes flicked momentarily to Mike's still body as he lay across the legs of the guys on one seat before moving onto a bloodied, convulsing Dale lying across the legs of three of his Unit on the other seat, two trying to hold him while the other applied pressure to a geyser like bleed from his leg.
"Mike didn't make it, Steve, Tash, and Rueben are critical but stable. "Dale's our worst he's got an arterial bleed that I can't tie off outside of surgery. We've been transfusing him but its pissing out faster than we can get it back into him, and he's in shock. He's gotta be in surgery five minutes ago," the medic relayed as Dale's three males shuffled out of the van carrying him.
"We'll take him," Mezo his second snapped, as the frightened orderlies rushed forward. Shouldering them out of the way he commandeered their stretcher and they loaded Dale onto it, the soldier holding the pressure pad to his leg leaping on with him.
Running along beside Dale's stretcher Alec heard the welcome rumble of heavy vehicles.
"This is Tyler six one to alpha one, where do you want us Sir, over?"
"Take half your guys, start from the ground floor up and neutralize all internal security. Guards at all entrances on every floor, but let business proceed as usual. The other half secures the building perimeter. No incoming no outgoing. Keep me appraised, over"
"Roger that Alpha one, over."
"Yeah, and Tyler send your med unit to us in Emergency, over,"
"Roger that alpha one, over."
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"Here Max you have the Kevlar it's not as bulky as these things," Tav said as he relieved her of the bulkier vest. "It won't be so uncomfortable for you."
"Yeah thanks," surprised, Max returned his quick smile as he shouldered his way into the bulkier body armour.
"How long behind the front advance will we be."
"Not long a couple of hours probably by the time they need us. We'll go straight forward, the fighting units would have dispensed with what little opposition they would have encountered tonight. It will only take us as long as it takes to deploy the support units. Unless the familiars Alec tangled with tonight figure out where he went and come after him then we should be safe until morning, our real work will start then, once the City knows we're here, " he said with relish.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?"
He glanced at her sideways as he strapped his equipment on. "Yeah, I am. For the last year we've hidden away and eaten all the shit that's been thrown at us, so yeah I am glad that we are finally standing up for ourselves."
"I don't mean that, I mean this, all this war shit." She gestured disparagingly at the M16 he was slinging over his shoulder then around them at all the activity as the vehicles were armed and loaded for their push to the new boundary
"Yeah," he shrugged, "I'm a soldier that's what I do. I'm good at it and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't feel good to be doing what I was trained to do, to have a purpose again," he shrugged. "It's the same for all the guys. No one's liked hiding and running while White's been killing us. We're good soldiers, much better than White and his enhanced fruitcakes or any ordinaries the army puts together and throws at us."
"For years ordinary officers have been calling us animals and controlling us by the threat of harm to our Units. This is our chance to not only show them we're more than animals but to show them we're much better soldiers than they are. So yeah, I'm gonna enjoy this, as is every other transgenic that's had to do what an ordinary wanted because they killed our pack if we didn't."
"When I was young and Kat had to…do what she did, " he paused and his eyes moved off hers and swept over the compound before coming back to hers.
"Steve and I got shot. His wasn't so bad but mine was. I didn't want to live anymore I'd had enough. Alec bribed his way into the hospital and spent every night for two weeks telling me how it would feel when we were free. What we would do, and where we would go. He promised me that if I didn't give up, that one day we'd be free, all of us."
Max's eye was again drawn to the M16 as he hefted it aside.
Her eyes moved back to his. "Yeah, I remember those dreams, I had them too," her voice small and sad, she remembered Zack telling her the same things when she had the tremors.
She glanced at him sideways as he continued to load the jeep with the comms gear Alec would need.
"What were your dreams of freedom?" she asked curiously, hoping to get some insight into what Alec wanted from all of this.
For a moment he paused as he considered her question.
"They were silly really," he finally admitted, shrugging self-consciously as he went back to loading the gear. "I was only fourteen, Alec was sixteen we didn't have much of an idea about anything, and most of it was just nonsense anyway, just talk to fill the silence."
But I remember how badly I wanted it. I didn't know much about it, but I wanted it because I knew it meant that ordinaries would no longer be able to use me as a means to control, Kat or manipulate Alec or Steve or any of my Unit.
Wordlessly Max started at his back as he bent over the jeep remembering the rage and pain she'd felt when one of her brothers or sisters had been punished for trying to protect her. When he straightened up she stared at the handgun he offered her for a long moment before her eyes flicked back to his. He raised his eyebrow questioningly.
Finally accepting it she hefted it in her hand her thoughts on Alec and his dreams of freedom. She knew that a big part of his dream would be the safety and protection of those he loved. If using a gun again was necessary to keep them safe, then so be it. Staring after Tav's retreating back she attached and fastened the holster and gun to her belt and when Sarah offered her an M16 along with a comms unit she accepted both without pause.
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The continuous clipped, controlled voices from her earpiece were calming and gave a sense that everything was under control. She hadn't heard Alec's voice since he'd told Tav that his support units were there. His team were operating on another channel from the main advance and while she would have liked to have known what was happening at the hospital, she knew silence meant that everything was okay with them. As she listened to the reassuring drone of the Unit CO's relaying news of their virtually unobstructed advance she wondered at the irony of her being comforted by the sounds of war.
They were only about an hour way from Harbour Lights Hospital. As they jogged past Logan's building looking up at it she was reminded of how sad and only half alive she'd been before her heat and Alec. She glanced across at Sarah jogging beside her on one side and Mila on the other, this was where she belonged these were her people and this was her fight.
She 'd been a long time out of training and forgotten this feeling of power and exhilaration when her adrenalin was pumping and she was doing what she was trained to do, surrounded by her own kind. She'd buried those feelings deep but she was no longer doing Manticore's bidding. This was for their own cause, for Alec, and the rest of her own kind, and for the first time in her life Max felt grateful for her Manticore training.
So far everything had proceeded like clockwork, the only resistance encountered had been at police stations and government security installations. Their advance wave had neutralised those and it had felt both strange and exhilarating to be jogging through sector checkpoints and past police stations now manned by their own soldiers.
So far it had gone exactly as Alec had predicted, they had encountered minimal resistance and where they had their own kind had dispensed with it without a transgenic casualty. There had been a few ordinary casualties but astonishingly so far no deaths. When Alec had told her he expected faze one to proceed without much fighting she'd been sceptical, but he'd been right the element of surprise had worked well in their favour.
Tonight they had neutralised all police and government resistance within their new zone and in the morning the work of sorting out how to live peacefully with the civilian population would begin. By that time she would be with Alec and hopefully able to liaise between him and the civilian population so that they wouldn't need the armoured vehicles Tav had talked about.
Uneasily she realized that Alec had never really talked about what he saw happening after they had military control. When she had raised it he had skirted around it saying that he had to win first.
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"This is alpha one to Tav. The hospital is secure no casualties either side, over."
Max couldn't help her involuntary smile as Alec's welcome voice crackled in her ear.
"Steve?" Tav asked immediately.
"He's bad, real bad and so's Reuben."
"Fuck."
Max's pleasure at hearing Alec's voice drained away, her thoughts going first to Steve and then to Reuben another member of their unit a large quiet guy who always hung out with Tav and Todd.
" I've sent Kat and Leah's support units on ahead with Tanner and the first wave. And our ETA is about an hour, over."
"Roger that Tav, over."
Responding to Tav's hand on her shoulder Max jogged sombrely with him back to the jeep. He vaulted in as it moved slowly past them and extending his hand he pulled her onboard. They had already deployed half of the support Units and by the time they reached the hospital there should be just her and Tav plus the fighting Units protecting their back.
"Do you want me to get Biggs to hook you up on the private channel now?"
He met her appreciative smile with a quick strained grin. He may not have liked the way she treated Alec in the past but she was making him happy now, and hearing about Steve and Rueb had put that in perspective for him. None of them really knew how long they had and if she made Alec happy then he was gonna do his best to make that easy for her.
"Yeah, thanks Tav."
"Alpha six five to Alpha six four, open private channel to Alec, over."
"Roger that Tav, over"
"It's open Max, over."
"Hey Alec."
"Hey Max, is everything okay?" he asked anxiously? She could hear the noise of hospital machinery and voices behind him as he talked.
"Yeah, just checking on how everything is going with you. I'm on my way forward with Tav?" She found herself explaining much to her annoyance.
"Yeah, Max, I know."
She could hear the amusement in his voice and found herself smiling as well. They had been skirting the issue of her being in the field for weeks. Now fate had taken a hand leaving no real choice, she'd be absolutely no use to him tucked away in TC if the thrust of the offensive was going to be managed from the hospital.
"How's Steve?" she asked, her thoughts quickly going to Kat.
"He's not good we're in surgery now?" Shocked Max realized the noises she could hear must be the sounds in the operating room.
"I've gotta go. I'll see you soon. Be careful, Max," he said as he clicked off.
"Yeah you too," she whispered, to dead air.
Tav glanced at her quickly, "He'll be really distracted, Max, he's gotta monitor Tanner, and the main advance, as well as Biggs, and us plus whatever is happening there.
"Steve must be bad if Alec's in the operating room with him."
"The medics must have found an ordinary who's better at chest wounds than they are. Alec would only be in there if the surgeon was an ordinary, he hates all that shit it makes him squeamish especially if it's his own Unit. He's only in there cause ordinaries can't be trusted."
Max frowned at him. "Why can't they be trusted? They're doctor's for gods sake they takes oaths to do the right thing by their patients."
"Yeah their human patients, not us, once they get a look at our physiology they soon know we ain't that. Plus were also invaders they wouldn't be to keen to help us even if we were human. Since its been our experience to date that civilian hospitals aren't a very good place to be if you're injured and transgenic we're always in there with them, no matter what the injury.
"Well if you go with that expectation then surely it's a self fulfilling prophecy?
"Yeah, well I dunno," he shrugged. * Sometimes her view of things really surprised him.*
It was quiet and few people were about as they left the support units with the fighting Units now stationed strategically around the city.
As they drove through the early morning towards the hospital Tav glanced sideways at her. "Alec hates hospitals. He's always stressed and freaked when he has to deal with ordinary doctors and he possibly doesn't cope with them as well as he does other things," he said cryptically, and out of the blue.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, I'm just saying," he said shrugging, remembering the last time that Kat had needed ordinary medical help and what had happened to the ordinary doctor who'd told them they should take her to the vet.
What was he just saying, she wondered frowning suspiciously? He met her sideways glance with that guileless smile common to both him and Alec. The one that always meant trouble. Uneasily she returned her eyes to the road.
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They'd had a clean unimpeded run to the hospital and all the support units were now strategically deployed along with the fighting units around their new zone.
"Yes!" Tav grinned elatedly, as the hospital surrounded by their black clad soldiers came into view.
Sharing his exuberance Max couldn't help the same rush of pride she felt seeing her own kind efficiently directing business. For the first time she had a real sense that this was going to work, they were going to win this. In fact they were winning it she told herself as their jeep was waved through. They were going to make a safe home for themselves in Seattle and all their combined childish and adult dreams of freedom were becoming a reality. She followed Tav across the car park her thoughts on Alec It was his skill, commitment and sheer guts that were making it a reality. How could she have ever imagined he was a screw up that needed her to rescue him?
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"We had this conversation before. You do and you will, or else I blow your fucking head off," Alec ground out.
She could hear his furious voice as she and Tav went through the large double doors into the hospital. Narrow eyed she glared at an innocently shrugging Tav. She heard his whoosh of breath as her elbow connected with his stomach. *That fucking smile on either of them always meant trouble.*
Coming to a halt in the doorway of the emergency room, her shocked eyes moved between Alec and the white coated ordinary whose ear he had the muzzle of his handgun in. If it hadn't been for his voice and his scent she wouldn't have been able to pick him out from the other twenty or so soldiers positioned around the emergency room their guns at the ready.
The emergency room looked like a battle scene from a futuristic movie. They were all still in full combat gear Kevlar vests, black helmets, handguns, knives, M16's, their radio earplugs with the wraparound microphones still in place. They looked sinister and very intimidating.
Her eyes moved quickly across the room to Kat in full combat gear sitting awkwardly beside Steve her fingers twined with his, and up to Steve's still, ashen face and down to his chest now swathed in white bandages. She quickly inventoried the rest of their injured.
"Alec?" Max's clear authoritative voice brought both his and the doctor's eyes to her.
"Is there a problem doctor? she asked crisply. Moving to Alec's side she flicked her glance pointedly to the gun and back to his eyes, she could see how angry and cold they were through the visor of his helmet, but to her relief he lowered the gun.
"Is there a problem Doctor?" she repeated, taking her helmet off and shaking out her hair. If she was to be able to liase with these people she had to at the least appear human. Dressed like this and armed to the teeth they all looked like menacing inhuman invaders.
"Yes, there is a problem. I've just told this ignorant thug that I won't operate on this man," the doctor blustered defiantly, gesturing to Reuben unconscious on the gurney Alec was standing beside.
"Yes, you will you're his best chance and you WILL do it." Alec threatened coldly.
"No I won't not with a gun to…"
Alec's gun was back in the doctor's ear before he'd even finished talking. Max heard the mechanism engage and realized he was about to shoot. Horror struck she reacted instinctively moving between him and the doctor and reached up to pull Alec's helmet off. Surprised his startled eyes swung to hers. She inserted herself properly into the small space between him and the doctor her heart hammering in her chest as she met the doctor's eyes.
"My mate isn't ignorant and he isn't a thug he's just stressed and worried about his brother."
As she said it she knew how true it was, she could smell Alec's panic and feel his tension.
"Why are you refusing to operate on Reuben? Is it the policy of this hospital to let people die?" she asked coldly.
She could feel the anger emanating of Alec and with his tense rigid chest against her shoulder and dread in her heart she willed the doctor not to say he didn't operate on Transgenics.
"Of course it isn't," the doctor blustered indignantly. "That's why I won't operate on him. I've already been in theatre for sixteen hours and I can't handle the stress of another operation with him breathing down my neck and his gun in my ear. This man has a chest wound similar to the other one, to get the bullet fragments out requires delicate complicated work. Look at my hands young lady."
Max stared at the shaking hands he held out to her. Steadying his hands in both of hers she meet his eyes. "I'm sorry if we've frightened you, it wasn't our intention, we just want to get our people fixed and you can go about your business."
Alec looked down at her bent head as she held the doctor's hands reassuringly in her own. *Fuck he hated hospitals the loathsome, familiar smells of death and fear and his own panic.*
Dex had said this doctor was the best cardio vascular surgeon in the country. A scared old man, and Steve and Reuben's best source of help and he'd nearly killed him for no real reason. He hadn't been uncooperative and resistant because he didn't want to treat Transgenics, but because he'd been petrified of him. He holstered his gun.
Releasing the doctor's hands Max stepped back until her shoulder was touching Alec's chest again and groped for his hand twinning her fingers with his. She could feel the tension in his arm but he left her hand in his.
"Please can you try doctor Alec won't be in the one in theatre with you this time and there'll be no gun." Max seeing the relief in his eyes realized that he had no problem with doing the surgery his problem was with Alec.
"Yes I will be Max I…"
Max squeezed his hand so hard it sent his angry eyes to her again. Staring at him for a long moment she willed him quiet as she turned back to the doctor.
"We've both been in theatre far too long. " The Doctor gestured to a white-coated female who Max assumed was the other surgeon before his eyes touched on Reuben again.
"He'll die if you don't." Alec said. Even to his own ears his voice sounded belligerent and much harsher than he'd intended.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes as the older ordinary doctor and Alec glared at each other Max flicked her impatient eyes between the two of them her grip on Alec's hand now vice like.
"The longer you argue about this the worse it is for Reuben. You will not be in the theatre Alec, Todd will be." Gesturing Todd over she removed his helmet and reached for his sidearm, her eyes narrowing on him as he grabbed it protectively. Batting his hand away she removed it and turned back to the doctor.
"Todd will be in there with you doctor because that is the way we do things, but he won't be armed and he will not talk or interrupt you. You and your staff have nothing to fear from us. I know you're tired and stressed, but if our medics say you're better than them, then Reuben is having you. Now you can either walk in there under your own steam doctor or I will let my mate assist you in. What is it to be?" she asked crisply.
"Yes, well if you keep him the hell away from me and I have his guarantee that my staff will be left alone to do their work without any more guns being pointed at them, then okay?" the doctor agreed his eyes already on Rueben.
"You have his guarantee and mine," Max assured him her grip on Alec's hand crushing.
"I'll do my best then," he acceded turning quickly to Reuben.
She watched them load Reuben's gurney into the lift before she turned back to Alec. He met her chilly gaze his own defensive and wary.
"I said I wouldn't interfere in military matters Alec because that's your strength. This is mine," she said gesturing at the frightened wary people huddled in scattered groups throughout the ER.
Pulling her eyes off him she walked into the wide doored room with the cluster of beds that held there wounded. She put her hand comfortingly on Kat's shoulder, her throat tight as she looked from Steve's white face to the blinking red cursor on the machine he was hooked up to.
"How is he Kat?" she asked quietly.
"He's stable, they said the next twenty-four hours are critical. He's really strong and he'll fight, he won't want to leave me on my own but…. he's never been as bad as this before…" she trailed off. Max could hear the fear in her voice, her eye drawn to the contrast Kat's smaller hand made as it rested over Steve's large one.
"I'm glad you're here Max, Alec doesn't cope very well with hospitals and doctors," she added quietly. "He tries but they have too many bad memories for him."
"He wouldn't let us take our armour off. He's afraid we'd be too vulnerable, but we need to be able to do what we always do when they're injured. They need to know we're here." Max could see the anxiety in her eyes even through the visor of her helmet.
"If you need to take it off then do it, Kat," she said, shrugging. She followed Kat's eyes to Leah looking as uncomfortable as Kat as she sat beside an unconscious Dale and gestured for Leah to do the same.
Her eyes were quickly drawn back to the blinking red light on Steve's machine before moving unconsciously to a safe, healthy, uninjured Alec now leaning against the wall in the main ER room listening intently to his comms unit.
She'd turned hers off because the incessant drone of the drama outside made it hard for her to concentrate on what was happening around her. He'd been listening to that, plus monitoring Biggs in TC and trying to deal with what was going on in here while he tried to keep their injured alive. No wonder he was stressed. Her eyes lingered affectionately on his intent face as he chewed his lip while he listened.
Feeling her eyes on him he guardedly returned her stare. He knew he'd handled the ordinary doctor very badly and had she not stopped him he would have killed him. She was angry with him and she'd probably end up being a lot angrier by the time this was finished.
Her expression was unreadable as she walked across the room to him.
"I'm glad you're okay Alec." She put her arms around him and hugged his waist.
Surprised and relieved he rubbed his cheek on the top of her head his arms around her as she settled against him.
"I'm not very good with hospitals and doctors and shit, Max," he admitted ruefully.
"Yeah, I saw that, but you're good at the military stuff and that's what we need you for. From now on I'll be dealing with the civilians anyway. Right?"
"Yeah."
Her arms still around his waist she pulled back and searched his face. He stared solemnly back at her.
"You were going to shoot him weren't you Alec?"
His face still and serious he grimaced in rueful agreement as he steadily returned her gaze.
"Yeah, I knew you were," she admitted pulling him close again, and settling her head against his chest her ear over his heart so she could hear its comforting beat. For once not so grateful that he didn't lie to her. "You didn't though, and that's what matters."
She moved her head again so her ear was again over his heart and she could still hear its steady beat. His eyes were open and unguarded as they held hers.
He'd been raised like her to be a soldier and while she'd escaped he'd spent his life becoming what he'd been breed and trained for, killing people before they killed him and his. She had no illusions, she knew he would kill without a qualm if he thought there was no other way to protect his own. So would she if she had to. However the situation with the ordinary doctor had been wholly avoidable. It was a mismanaged confrontation of the sort she'd never before seen Alec involved in. She was starting to understand what Kat had meant when she'd said that she needed to know his strengths and she needed to know his weaknesses.
"I love you Alec, nothing will change that."
His eyes roamed her face and she felt his hand on her as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.
*His instincts compelled him to protect what was his and she'd understood that today with the doctor and she hadn't condemned him for it. Maybe she'd understand the rest as well.*
"You know that day in Jam pony when Logan put his hand on you, Max?"
She immediately knew what he was talking about. It hadn't taken her long to figure out why his unit had been all over him that day, and she also knew what his eyes were asking her.
"Nothing will change that Alec," she repeated emphatically. "I love all of you."
"Yeah."
It was just one word, but it made all the noise, confusion and drama of the ER recede into the background. There was just Alec and her and he'd finally accepted that she loved him
He smiled that slow intimate smile that made her heart race and her mouth go dry. Oblivious to the noise from his earpiece and the people around him he bent to kiss her. His lips had barely touched hers when he scented the female surgeon, still holding Max he raised his head from hers. His eyes now cold went to where the doctor hovered uncertainly.
"Dex asked me to look at your ribs he and Rob are busy patching up the rest of your minor wounds.
"I said I'd…"
Max had felt his lips brush hers and then withdraw. Opening her eyes her moue of disappointment turned into surprise when she heard his cold voice.
"They're fine, I don't need your help," he snapped. *What the hell was Dex thinking he knew how he felt about ordinary medics, especially the female ones?*
Really surprised when she realized who he was talking to, her eyes went quickly back to his face now tight and tense again. *Fuck, they weren't kidding when they said he didn't cope very well with ordinary doctors. She'd never heard him speak to a woman like this before.*
"There's no need to talk to me like that," the female doctor snapped back. "I'm merely doing a favour for a colleague, a professional favour."
Alec snorted contemptuously, "I've just sai…"
"Thank you doctor, I'm Max," she interrupted frowning at Alec as she disengaged herself from his now tight grip.
"I'm Cassandra, Cass for short," she said smiling.
Cass already knew she liked this no nonsense take-charge young women. She'd admired the way she'd handled both her argumentative Brian and her own aggressive young bull. Her eyes flicked to a belligerent Alec now leaning against the wall regarding her coldly.
She'd felt Brian's agitation at keeping his patient waiting as the two of them had argued about whether or not Brian would do the operation. However Brian had been right. The first operation had been a nightmare with the distraction of this one communicating with his men in one ear and his gun in Brian's other ear.
"Thanks Cass, if Dex says his ribs have to be looked at then lets look at them." She'd already followed Cass into a treatment cubicle before she realized that Alec wasn't with them. Moving back to the doorway she saw couldn't see where he'd disappeared.
"Look I'm really sorry he's never normally like this. Hospitals just bring out the worst in him. I guess." She finished lamely.
"I understand I've seen it before. If you've had a bad experience with a medical practitioner when your sick and vulnerable its hard to trust the next one. Unfortunately there are a few in your group like that."
"Yeah, well they haven't had to much TLC from ordinaries in their lifetimes," Max said defensively.
"I'm sorry that's the case, but Brian didn't refused to operate on Reuben because he's transgenic he couldn't give a toss about that. He didn't want to operate because as stressed as he was, he was a danger to the patient. But being Brian he wasn't going to tell your young man that because he was scared his hands were shaking. "
"No," Max agreed.
"And Alec being Alec wasn't going to back off either." She shared a smile of understanding with the older woman.
"He does need his ribs looked at. Dex said they were badly broken only a couple of days ago. He shouldn't even be on his feet yet let alone abseiling…"
"What abseiling? Oh for fucks sake," Max said exasperatedly. "Sometimes I think he's got no common sense whatsoever."
"Mezo," she called as he walked past. "Send Alec to me in here now and ask Dex to meet us in here as well. Thanks."
"I appreciate your trying to help but he's better with Dex." Max explained feeling awkward as she met the calm perceptive eyes of the older woman.
"The arterial bleed to the leg was delirious, convulsing and in shock, but he was worried and rambling about one of the nurses putting her scent on him. Fear of medical people can be illogical and deeply engrained."
"His name is Dale," Max said absently, thinking it highly unlikely that steady, fearless Dale would be scared of an ordinary nurse.
"Max, where's Dex then?"
Alec interrupted her thoughts his voice cold and distant again as he stood warily in he doorway.
"He'll be here in a minute."
"I'll get back to work then since you won't be needing me," Cass said crisply as she walked past Alec.
Max watched bewildered as Alec drew back as she passed.
"What was that all about Alec?" Walking over to him she started unfastening his vest.
"I told you I don't like them. I thought you said they were yours to deal with now anyway," he snapped.
Her eyes went in surprise to his. He obviously didn't want to talk about it and if it made him edgy like this then neither did she. Silently she helped him off with his equipment.
"Your clothes are wet through," she said in exasperation, as she slid his vest off and carefully pushed his wet shirt and tee shirt up his body. Some of the wet adhesive strapping that should have been bracing his ribs came off with his clothes. The rest of it still on his body had lost its adhesion and she could slip her finger in between it and his skin.
"They'll have to be taped again Alec. Sit on the bed and I'll cut it off for you."
Her eyes flew to his as he took her scissors out of her hand and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped hers around his back as he sat on the bed his face buried in her neck. She could feel the tension in his body. When he didn't move but just continued to hold her, unsure of what he wanted from her she started to rub her hands soothingly across the bunched muscles of his back. She heard his grunt of appreciation and realized with surprise that that was all he wanted, just touch and comfort. A first for Alec, but she was obviously doing the right thing because she could feel his tension easing as she continued to stroke his back.
"You know one of the reasons I wanted to be free when I was young was because I thought I'd be able to protect my unit so they'd never have to go to hospital again."
He'd been still and quiet for a while, and when he finally spoke he was so quiet in her ear that if it hadn't been for her transgenic hearing she wouldn't have heard it.
"Yeah its funny the way we see things as children," she whispered back, thinking how similar all their dreams had been. "My reasons were the same I just wanted us all to be safe and happy." She felt his arms tighten around her as he pulled her closer.
"Steve and Reub, all of us we've been together since before I can remember." His voice was tight and full of emotion.
She didn't bother to tell him they'd both be all right, he knew the odds as well as she did and he wasn't asking for empty reassurances.
Pulling back but still in the circle of his arms brown eyes locked with green, "We're doing the right thing Alec, the only thing. We all want this and we're going to win it and be free and have the lives we dreamed about, and so will our families. Yours and mine," she said softly still holding his eyes as she put his hand on their baby.
"Yeah," he agreed his heart lighter and his doubt receding. She was right their child was going to be free and its life was going to be good, they would accept nothing else for it.
She had a gift for putting everything into perspective for him. With her he'd already realized everything he'd ever dreamed and every vague longing he'd ever had, and not really understood. To keep that he had to keep her safe and free, he had to keep them all free.
Cradling her face in his hands he kissed her sweet and lingeringly.
"So lets get your ribs bound up again before they come at us again," She leaned up unable to resist one last quick kiss.
Cassandra glancing into the cubicle across from where she was working noticed Max with her arms around the aggressive, belligerent Alec. When his men had first stormed into her ER she'd been petrified they had all been so threatening and intimidating, but so far they hadn't hurt anyone and were only interested in getting their injured attended to.
The two they called medics were two of the best doctor's she'd ever seen work and apart from the two chest wounds they'd also performed all their own surgery, she would have hired them into her ER in a second. They had been going to do the chest injuries themselves too until Dex had recognised Brian from medical literature he'd read and convinced their harsh voiced leader that he was the better surgeon for the two chest wound patients.
Up until then they'd more or less left them alone and let them work on their own patients but once Alec had reluctantly agreed to let Brian operate the fun and games had started. She'd assisted Brian on the first operation and it had been intolerably stressful. Alec had left Brian in no doubt that if the patient died they were both dead as well. Brian had operated for nearly three hours with his gun in one ear and Alec talking to his men in his other ear.
She'd watched with her heart in her mouth as his usually sure and steady hands had wavered a few times during the ordeal. Thankfully Alec and the young woman, who'd come in half way through the operation and stood quietly at the foot of the bed, had been none the wiser. She'd been so proud of how Brian had kept his cool whilst executing one of the most difficult operations she'd ever seen him perform. That the patient had survived had astounded both of them and was testament to what a tough breed these transgenics were.
She'd know he couldn't do the second surgery under the same conditions and had tried to explain that to Alec. Up close he'd been even more intimidating his eyes cold and contemptuous behind his visor. She'd quickly given that up realizing she was wasting her time. Brian, as she knew he would be, was too proud to tell him why he couldn't do the surgery and had nearly got his stupid self shot for his pride. *Men.*
She glanced up from her suturing and watched Alec's intent preoccupation as Max put his hand on her stomach. *Ah, so she's pregnant.*He's not aggressive with her she mused smiling as he took Max's face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. When he'd been about to shoot Brian and Max had averted it by whipping his helmet off, once her arrested heart had started beating again, she'd been astounded at how young he was. By the way he'd handled his men she'd assumed he was much older. The next thing that had struck her was his angelic face, both of their angelic faces as her eyes had swung between the two of them.
Once Max had instructed the others to remove their helmets she'd been shocked to see that none of them were much older than twenty. Her eyes went again to the cubicle opposite as Max ducked under his arm and started cutting the tape away from his ribs. Over Max's head Alec's cold eyes met hers. *So young to be so hostile*
He winced and groaned as she gently pulled the tape away from his skin.
"That shouldn't be hurting they should be more healed than that by now," she said anxiously.
"Pull it quick Max your pulling hair out, that's what hurts," he complained.
"You can be such a baby Alec." She pulled the tape quickly while he continued to groan as if he was in agony.
"I don't know what you're moaning about its not as if you've got much hair to pull out," she laughed.
"Yeah well it still hurts."
"Why do you like hairy?" he asked sullenly after some thought.
."Yuk, no I hate it," she said shuddering.
"Well then just as well you picked me and not Logan isn't it?" he smirked.
She smiled evilly at him from under her eyelids as she quickly ripped the last bit of tape from his skin. He moaned like he was dying. Laughing she rolled her eyes in exasperation.
She stroked her fingers soothingly across the discoloured areas. "Some of the bruising is still there but it looks a lot better. Do you think you did any damage when you abseiled down the dam? " Her lips pursed and disapproving her eyes went to his.
"Nah, they're a lot better. I can hardly feel them at all now, and the little bit I can feel is probably because the strapping has come loose."
"What about your collarbone you're still favouring that arm a bit."
He shrugged dismissively.
"Your fatigues are nearly dry, and they'll have to do," she said as she felt them, "but I'm going to get a dry sweater and tee-shirt for you."
"Dex can't be far away."
Alec nodded absently, his attention once again back on the radio in his ear.
Going into the room where their wounded were her eyes went first to Kat lying beside Steve her head on his shoulder talking quietly in his ear, and then to Leah doing the same beside Dale. Her eyes swept the room to find all the beds were similarly occupied. This is why they'd needed their armour off, and what Kat had meant when she'd said Steve needed to feel she was there.
Frowning her mind flashed back to long cherished memories of the comforting feel of one of her brothers or sisters warm solid bodies wrapped around her when she'd had the tremors. Sadly she remembered how hard she'd cried and how alone and desolate she'd felt the first time she'd had the tremors after her Manticore escape and there had been no warm, comforting body. Her heart full of emotion her eyes once more swept the room and the people she loved.
Sensing the ordinary female doctor behind her she turned around. "What do you want?" she asked defensively. Moving to block her view of the room.
Cass's perceptive eyes read the emotion in her face, as she stood there bristling and protective.
"I just wanted to see that everything was okay, in here," she answered lamely.
This wasn't the first time Cass had come to hover outside the doorway, for some reason she found herself drawn here. They had at least five men in there, that from the injuries she'd seen should by rights be dead by now and yet they weren't. And it wasn't just down to the excellent medical care they'd had. There was a combined energy and feeling of care and calm in this room that she'd never experienced in a hospital ward before.
"Don't come in here again your scent will disturb them," Max said. It sounded cold to her own ears and she hadn't meant it to, but if her presence upset Alec then it might be the same for the rest of them.
Cass hadn't had the courage to actually come in before and didn't really know why she'd followed Max in, but thought it was probably because she felt safe with her.
"What they're doing, sharing body warmth, and touch and talking to them like that its…"
"Its what Max," snapped harshly, getting ready to tell her to fuck off, and take her judgmental, ordinary, bullshit with her.
Surprised by her hostility, it only took Cass a minute to realize that Max thought she was getting ready to criticise and belittle what they were doing. She's obviously had a lot of it she reflected sadly.
"There were a lot of studies done about this kind of healing at the start of the millennium, but this is the first time I've seen it done to this extent before."
Max stared at her blankly.
"Studies that were done on the levels of awareness of unconscious trauma patients and the value of relatives or even strangers talking to them, touching them and sharing body heat to motivate them to recover. The studies all conclusively found that it favourably influenced recuperation, and most of the subjects, even the deep trauma patients remembered the contact in great detail. I've always remembered it and over the years I've tried to get the relatives of my patients to try it, without much success, " she explained, thinking it was probably the main reason some of these criticals were still alive.
"Yeah, well its instinctive for us," Max explained less defensively.
"I won't come in again, Dex has already explained that most of them are paranoid about medical people who aren't transgenics. I didn't realize they could smell me." What a crying shame Cass thought as she walked away she would have given a years training to have observed what was happening in that room.
Max made her way over to Dale's bed. "How is he Leah?"
"I think he's a lot better. He was really cold but he's a lot warmer now that we're getting some more blood into him, and I think he's already starting to replace his adrenalin stores, his breathing is deeper and more like he's asleep." She resumed stroking Dale's stomach.
" His colours better too, don't you think?"
"Yeah he's definitely not so pale," Max agreed.
"His leg wasn't too badly injured. He's had worse bullet wounds. It was the blood loss and the stress that put on his system, but he's tough and I know he's gonna be okay," she said confidently.
"Yeah, I think your right," Max agreed.
"Can I borrow these for Alec, his are sopping wet?" She gestured to Dale's clothes neatly stacked on the chair.
"Sure Max, take them, he won't be needing them for a day or two."
"I wish we could get them all back to TC before the morning," Leah added her eyes anxiously sweeping the room.
Max's eyes followed hers in silent agreement.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I don't care if you think she's okay, and spare me your fucking amateur psychology Dex. Don't ever send one of them to me again. Ever."
Max heard Alec's hard emphatic words as she approached the treatment cubicle.
"Yeah, well I was busy and your fucking ribs aren't high propriety at the moment."
"And make sure you keep them the fuck away from Dale." Some instinct stopped her in her tracks.
"I ain't stupid Alec. He was convulsing and he could still smell them. He was babbling about Leah not smelling her scent on him."
"Why the fuck did you let them near him, you stupid prick."
"I was trying to stop him bleeding to death at the time and Tim was busy with Reuben. I thought he was too out of it to know the difference." Dex answered defensively.
"We aren't in Manticore now and they aren't all like those two bitches, you know."
"Just mind your own fucking business and tape my ribs."
Max stood in the hall clutching the clothes in front of her. What two bitches? What were they talking about?
"Hey Dex," she said as she went into the now silent room and put the clothes on the bed beside Alec. He was uptight and edgy again, so unlike the easy going Alec she was used to.
She watched as Dex worked and waited silently as Alec grunted in thanks and Dex left.
Alec immediately pulled her back into his arms again just holding her and stroking her hair as she rested against him.
"What are you thinking about Alec?" she finally asked into the silence the steady, familiar beat of his heart in her ear.
He didn't know what he was thinking, his thoughts were chaotic and jumbled, the comms unit was a constant drone in his ear and he hadn't slept for nearly twenty-four hours.
He didn't answer her immediately and when he did it was quiet and hesitant in her ear.
"I feel like crap Max."
She knew immediately that he wasn't talking about his ribs, or their military situation, she didn't know what he was talking about but it wasn't either of those.
"So what will make you feel not like crap?" she asked finally not knowing what else to say to him.
Being back at TC with you in our bed, and not having to leave again until I've got nothing in my head or senses but you.
Silently he rested his cheek on her head and stroked his fingers through her hair. Her hands on his back were soothing and he could feel his edginess start to fade. He'd always hated the uncertainty and the waiting around before a battle, they all did. Neither did he like having his injured outside of TC exposed and vulnerable like this. Once the morning rolled around and he knew what he was up against he would feel a lot better.
Knowing that she was here to deal with the ordinaries was an incredible relief. He'd always known she would be good at it, and tonight she'd proven she was. Tilting her chin up he bent to kiss her. The boom in his earpiece made both of them jump and stopped the descent of his mouth towards hers. It was so loud that Max could still hear it through his comms unit even though hers was turned off.
He was already moving towards the main doors as Max turned her comms unit back on. Not that she needed it to know they were under attack. She could hear already hear the sound of choppers and the blat, blat of gunfire before her earpiece activated.
"No, just Tav the rest of you to the windows and exterior exits," Alec ordered as he and Tav pulled their helmets back on and moved into the door cavity to survey what was happening outside.
"This is Tanner to Alpha one, we're taking heavy air and ground fire north west of the hospital. We're holding on the ground but they've breeched our airspace, over."
"This is alpha one, to Tanner what is in the air. I repeat, what is in air, over?"
Another huge explosion and Alec could see the flash of fire in the sky as it illuminated the darkness. About half a mile away he estimated.
"Two less now but five black hawks left, all carrying full loads. Two little birds on point. They're military but they weren't expecting us to be here or they wouldn't have come at us so low, over."
"I think they could be looking for you Alec," Tanner grunted humorously.
Familiars Alec quickly realized. *Probably the same bastards as before.*
"All units securing the hospital take cover. Tyler and Zab bring your guys in here, over."
"Who has them in sight now, over."
"This is Quinn six one we have a visual now they're headed for you alpha one, over."
"Roger that, do not kill anymore birds. I repeat do not kill the birds, let em through to me, over."
Max watched as the Units Alec had ordered inside piled through the doors into the already crowded ER.
"This is alpha one to all units in the hospital north east grid. Listen up. There are five Black hawks and two little birds, at least eighty men. The hospital car park is the target. If they can they'll blast the shit out of us from the air while they rope them down. Nobody makes it to our ground from a rope. If they want to unload those fuckers in our territory then they have to land. I want those choppers. I repeat I want those choppers. What we don't seize doesn't leave our airspace alive, over."
"Right," he said assessing the soldiers he had in front of him. How many good pilots have we got besides Tav?" Max watched two males push there way to the front.
"Okay there are seven choppers we need another four not so good pilots.
Three of her females made their way through the press.
Alec motioned them over to the others.
"Okay, only one not so good pilot then," he asked.
As the last male joined their little group they could already hear the blat, blat of gunfire outside and the approaching noise of the choppers.
"This is alpha one to all units we're coming out now and we'll take the south east of the car park. Matt and Leon your units take east west and the rest of you just track the ropes, over."
"Max, we've put a Red Cross sign up and they can see it from the air. It won't stop them firing on the building but it may make them think twice before shelling it. Keep everybody away from the windows and when Todd comes out with Reuben he'll monitor screens and comms. In the meantime I'll leave Mezo to do it." Her glance swept the ER Admin Island where their techies were fine-tuning the comms equipment she and Tav had bought with them.
"Its highly unlikely any of them will get through us, but if they do then there are enough of us already spread throughout the hospital to hold the building."
Max's eyes followed his as they assessed her females now back in full combat gear and waiting for orders. "There are only two floors you can access from the car park. Leah take your unit and secure all entrances at ground level. Kat your females will secure this floor. The rest of Dales males to the roof and lockdown that helipad.
The energy in the room was electric and the heavy cloying smell of testosterone reassuring as Max's gaze moved over their soldiers once again in full body armour down to goggles over their helmets waiting patiently for Alec as he gave last minute instructions to Mezo. She didn't recognise the soldier who stopped in front of her until she heard his voice.
"Max, do you know Karen she's one of Dale's females?" Max nodded her eyes curiously trying to find Tav's behind his goggles.
"Yeah, well Reub's been fighting for her."
As Max watched him move back to the door she remembered hearing Biggs complaint that Tav had 'no fucking respect for anybodies rules but his own.'
The sound of gunfire was right outside now and the loud sinister flack, flack noise of the choppers rotor blades invaded the ER. The building shook as a shell exploded in the car park. Unhitching her own M16 from her shoulder Max's eyes briefly caught Alec's before he pulled his helmet back on. He moved quickly through his men and into the door well. Keeping her eyes on his black clad back for as long as he was visible she waited until the last of his men had cleared the door space. With their guns ready she and two of her females secured the door well.
TBC
Thank you for your patience. I know I am slow to update this. The story is actually finished and you can find it and a couple of complimentary fics at agora. I can't post the addy here but if you go to FIND at the top of the page and type in Zacbele it will bring up my a list of my data and agora's addy is there under my home page. I will try and get the chapters up faster in future. Thanks for your support and all your reviews they are very encouraging.