"So Jess, got everything, what is it now, just under 2 weeks to you say I do" Doctor Leighton asked as she walked into her office to speak to Jess and Eric after viewing her test results

"Something like that" Jess said not really trying to think about how close the date was now, 6 days and everyone was going to be boarding the flights to Italy, and in 11 days she would be walking down the aisle of the local cathedral to marry the only man she ever loved, besides her dad of course

"Well, do you want the good news or the bad" Doctor Leighton asked with a smile on her face, the smile was enough to tell Jess the bad news was probably insignificant compared to the good news

"Good" Jess said hoping she was right

"You've just returned your 4th lot of clear test results, you know what that means" Doctor Leighton said handing Jess the paper to read

"It's official, I'm in remission" Jess said looking at her CO

"Hey that's great Jess, I can put you back to work as soon as we get back" Eric said jokingly

"Still have to pass those fitness tests" Jess said with a grin, though truth was it wouldn't take her to long before she would be ready to take them 4-6 weeks at most had been the physiotherapists prediction at the last appointment

"I've sent through the paperwork to Naples cancelling the tests I had booked for you" Doctor Leighton said

"So what's the bad news" Jess asked curious

"You still need to do your last dose of chemotherapy just after you get back, just so the MEB can be satisfied you have complied with treatment" Doctor Leighton said

"Then I'm done with the chemotherapy" Jess asked hopefully, the dose she was due to have was supposed to take place over a 24 hour period because of one of the drugs, she hated the 24 hour treatments because of how long the side effects hung around for after it was finished

"No" Doctor Leighton said

"No, what do you mean no, you said I'm clear" Jess said confused

"And I want to try and keep you that way, I've spoken with some colleagues who are familiar with treating patients with LFS, and research suggests that a regime of maintenance chemotherapy can be extremely beneficial with helping patients maintain remission" Doctor Leighton said explaining the situation

"Maintenance chemotherapy, like what she's been through" Eric asked sensing Jess's shock and confusion

"Not exactly Lieutenant Commander, it won't be as intense as what Jess has just been through, and I'll be using a lower dose of the drugs in an aim to stop any new cancer cells developing, or get them in the extremely early stages before they have a chance to develop into anything nasty, not actually killing cells that have already taken hold like we just had to" Doctor Leighton said to Eric

"How long will she need it" Eric asked looking back at Jess, she was clearly trying to wrap her head around the idea of still having chemotherapy

"For as long as Jess is comfortable with having it, the decision is entirely hers, but I think if we don't at least attempt this course of treatment" Doctor Leighton started to explain to Eric before she was interrupted

"What would it involve, it's not as if I don't take regular medication to prevent me getting sick anyway" Jess asked curiously

"2 injections each month, I would highly suggest adding a mild anticonvulsant when you have them as one of the drugs can cause seizures when administered another way, it's just to be safe and if you use it before you hit the rack, the anticonvulsant should help you sleep through the worse part of the side effects if we select the right one for you, however that's James's department, not mine" Doctor Leighton said

"And that's it, she just has the injections" Eric asked knowing a couple of injections wouldn't be as bad as having chemotherapy daily like she had done

"No, also IV therapy every 6 weeks or there abouts, Doctor Shah will be able to administer the treatment on base, it will take about 4 - 5 hours to administer, however that will include your regular iron transfusion as well, and good news is you won't have to have it during extended deployment, just when you're stateside, you will however need to continue with your injections during your deployment to help cover their absence" Doctor Leighton said explaining the dosage situation and how it would work with deployment

"Same range of side effects I'm presuming" Jess asked

"More or less, I'll still be giving you 5 different drugs, however you're already familiar with 2 of them as you had them during your initial treatment, obviously side effects affect everyone differently, but we can up your caloric intake for the weight loss issue, give you the antiemetic injections before treatment and administer fluids while you're having it, just like how you survived your treatment so far, you carry strong broad spectrum antibiotics for emergency use, medication to prevent diarrhoea, you already wear a blood glucose monitor, there will be nothing you can't handle with this, I believe something was mentioned about a watch that can monitor and transmit your readings and link up with the blood glucose monitor" Doctor Leighton said trying to reassure Jess she would be able to manage as she already had good coping strategies in place she could use

"Sounds interesting" Eric said looking at Jess

"Trent was talking to dad about developing one that can be used in the field, idea being for use in mass casualty situations, our readings would be broadcast to a reader device that would be carried by the medic so they can monitor multiple casualties at once, and be alerted the moment someone's condition deteriorates" Jess said explaining the thought behind the process

"Smart, you have your space and Trent is satisfied and not standing over your shoulder, you both win" Eric said

"So I could get back to exercising independently, get back to marathon running was the ultimate goal" Jess said

"No reason you can't with proper preparation and foundation, give that heart of yours a chance to really do some work again, though I wouldn't recommend any ultras straight up, is it true you once run a race that was 500k" Doctor Leighton said trying to work out if James had been joking when he told her about it

"It was a few years ago now, took me just on 3 days" Jess said remembering the event

"Wait how come we didn't know any of this, what was that 165 clicks a day" Eric asked suddenly interested, he knew Jess was reasonably fast in the field with pack over a long distance, but 100 clicks in a day would test even the most hardened seals, yet Jess could pull 165 apparently

"Just over, think I was making about 12 clicks per hour as my average split, was running just under 14 hours each day, said I missed being healthy" Jess said looking at her CO

"What do you mean give her heart a chance to really do some work again" Eric asked looking back at Doctor Leighton

"Isn't he aware Jess" Doctor Leighton asked her curiously

"Trent is, and it doesn't affect my physical health" Jess said

"What aren't I aware of Jess" Eric asked looking at her curiously

"You saw the AHS listed in my file under medical conditions" Jess asked her CO

"I think I remember seeing it there" Eric said, if the condition didn't pose any threat to Jess, and the team medic was aware then that was generally considered sufficient for DEVGRU, Trent would have spoken him if he saw a problem with it

"It stands for athletic heart syndrome, my heart is enlarged and as a result pumps blood more efficiently around my body, last measurements from the cardiologist put it at 2.33 times more efficient with pumping blood than average, which means when I exercise it takes longer to get into the target zones, so I don't get as tired when I'm working out under normal circumstances, it's what allows me to basically kick everyone else's butts with my fitness scores, or plays a big part. They aren't sure whether it's partly to do with the exposure I suffered, it's normally attributed to years and years of athletic training in one sport or another, but mine was diagnosed when I was 14" Jess said explaining the situation

"So that's your secret huh, I did wonder how you managed to successfully wipe the floor with your fitness scores, particularly your endurance" Eric said surprised, he had wondered how Jess could still manage to keep up with the team without doing all the physical training they did, if her heart didn't have to work as hard to achieve the same results it would explain it

"Well now you know" Jess said

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hey Sonny, you got Pitt Bull's bucks organised yet" Metal asked walking into Bravo's team room to return some reading material he burrowed

"Not completely" Sonny admitted as everyone looked at him

"Why not, he gets married in less than 2 weeks" Ray asked

"I know, I know, we've just hit a language barrier trying to organise some local entertainment, Obi Blond Kenobi's Italian is a very poor substitute for Bookworm's, she gave me the name of some party planner who specialises in men's pre wedding celebrations she called it I was gonna call tonight, Jess said we just let him know what we want and he'll organise it for us" Sonny said trying to please the group

"And how are we paying for his services" Jason asked curiously

"Jay slipped me a savings card to use to help cover the cost for the evening, we go over it then we cover it out of our own pockets" Sonny said

"What's the budget" Brock asked the Texan

"50 grand to cover our expenses, this guys fee and bar tab for the night, anything over that we're on our own" Sonny said

"Sweet as" Clay said, they shouldn't be going over budget he thought trying to quickly run the numbers in his head

"Anyway I been talking to her mate Critter, he's getting sent over here to do some training with a DEVGRU team in a few weeks time to get him prepared for his new job as the Chief of team 4, he's being assigned to Alpha for the duration of his visit" Metal said, Blackburn had spoken to him about it a couple of days ago as he was helping coordinate the exchange, he wasn't to impressed with the idea of having a current bubble head on temporary assignment as he was aware of Jess's past history and what they done to her, however he changed his mind when he was told it was Critter who would be joining Alpha for the assignment. He was aware of how he had helped Jess survive what they were doing to her, that he'd stood up and testified during the inquiry against his peers and CO, and the fact that Jess considered the guy her brother, that was enough to tell Metal that this guy was honourable and decent, and not some piece of scum who only looked out for himself. When Jess had given Metal his contact information, he'd been even further impressed by the bloke as he was completely open about what his concerns were with taking on his new job, it basically boiled down to the fact he had never had anyone show him how to be a leader in the field

"They want him to see how the big boys do things" Jason asked knowing this would be a chance for him to see what potential the Australians had for the future as a team was only as good as its leader

"Something like that, anyway he suggested looking for a stripper that is willing to dress up in character for Pitt Bull's bucks" Metal said looking at Sonny

"Any particular character he had in mind" Sonny asked curiously

"Tinkerbell" Metal said with a smile

"Wait isn't she the fairy from those Peter Pan movies" Ray asked curious as to why this guy would suggest a character from a kids movie as a stripper costume for a bucks night

"It's also Jess's nickname from her time in Australia, Critter and their other mate came up with it" Metal said explaining the suggestion

"Why, she looks nothing like the character" Clay said curious as to how Jess got a nickname like Tinkerbell

"Looks no, personality on the other hand, and she does perform her own version of magic us mere mortals are not capable of" Metal said

"Now that's true" Trent said recognising the reference to magic and Jay being referred to as Mr magic hands because off his ability to disarm devices that other people considered impossible

"A stripper dressed up as the character Tinkerbell, that's a mighty unusual request, haven't seen one yet" Sonny said, all his years at the clubs he'd never come across someone who dressed up in a particular character

"Now Sonny, your standards for a stripper are as long as she's breathing you're satisfied, now it's logical to think that there are higher quality ladies out there who play different characters for money if you look for them and not take the first girl who comes along" Trent said to him as everyone else laughed