Chapter 6

Once in sick bay, Lee helped her get on the gurney. Jamie checked the back of her head. "Lee's right you do have a nice size bump back there. How did you get that bump?" he asked Janet after he went to the cabinet and got her an ice pack to put on it.

"As I told Lee I went to check the count on a valve. I didn't need to climb on a ladder so I didn't fall. Someone must have followed me down there and clobbered me when my back was turned. I woke up on the floor and when I first got up I was dizzy but that went away. I just have a headache right now."

"Let's take you for an x-ray just as a precaution," he told her as he made her lay down on the gurney and wheeled her away. He didn't think she had a concussion but wanted to take no chances.

While they waited for Janet to return, the admiral asked, "Lee, what was she doing down there?"

"Checking inventory on a valve," he replied sighing deeply. "I've already told her to let a crewman check or at least tell someone where's she's going." Since Belinda was there, Lee hesitated before saying anything more. Jamie brought Janet back a few minutes later and gave her some acetaminophen for her headache. After a few minutes, John gave him the x-ray and it showed no concussion.

"Well, no concussion but I still want you to stay here just until your headache goes away," Jamie told Janet who groaned at the news.

"Jamie can I talk to you, privately," he asked looking at Belinda who took the hint and left sick bay.

"Whoa, if you're going to be talking about me I want to hear what you're saying, Lee," Janet insisted.

"Janet, please just give me a minute," Lee said softly giving her hand a squeezed. "Okay" she replied.

Surprised at the request, Jamie nodded and left Janet alone with John while he joined Lee and the admiral in his office area.

"What's wrong, Lee," the admiral asked noticing the concerned look on his face.

"Admiral we have a big problem. You heard her say someone hit her from behind purposely knocking her out and left her there. Someone is obviously after her."

"What are you going to do? Have someone follow her around...post a guard?" the admiral asked.

Rubbing his forehead, "I don't know. She'll be pissed if I do that but someone is out to hurt her and I'm afraid they may go too far and kill her."

"Lee, if it will make you feel better, I'll make her stay here for a couple of hours. So she'll be safe until you can figure out what to do," Jamie remarked.

"Thanks Jamie," Lee sighed.

The three of them went back to the examination room, "I'll make you a deal. Stay here for a couple of hours and then you can go to your cabin," Jamie bargained. "Just until your bump goes down and your headache goes away."

"Okay," Janet replied unhappily looking at the faces on the three of them and knew she wouldn't stand a chance against them.

"Sweetie, I need to go back to the control room. I'll come back when I'm off duty," Lee told her giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"See you later," she answered as he walked out of sick bay and Jamie helped her into a bunk. She was tired so she snuggled under the blanket and fell asleep. Sighing Jamie returned to his office, those two are going to make me bald, he thought as he sat down at his desk to finish up his paperwork.

((()))

Lee returned to the control room where Chip was anxiously waiting for a report on Janet. Lee told him where they found her and that someone had knocked her out and left her there.

"Obviously someone is trying to hurt her or maybe kill her...but who and why? I can't believe that a crew member would want to hurt her and the only new person on board is Belinda," Lee commented. "She wasn't in her cabin when the admiral knocked on her door and only came down when we were looking for Janet."

"Lee, come on. You don't honestly think Belinda is behind this incident and the sabotaging of the regulators," Chip replied doubtfully.

"Do you have any other explanation," Lee asked impatiently. Chip shook his head no.

Lee and Chip finished their watch and went to sick bay to pick up Janet for dinner. Lee smiled when he walked in noticing she was awake and helping Jamie with his filing. "I thought you were going to rest," he said.

"I told Jamie I would stay until you came but I had to do something. I was going crazy just sitting there and Jamie sure had a lot of filing to do. We sure keep him busy with all our injuries," Janet snickered holding a file of papers.

"Let's go to dinner," Lee said taking her hand. "Jamie, I'm sure you could use a break."

Jamie put down his pen, stood up and stretched, "Yes I could use a break." The four of them left for the wardroom and Cookie's dinner of lasagna and salad. They were joined a little while later by the admiral and Belinda.

They sat down at the table with the other group. "How are you feeling?" Belinda asked indifferently taking a drink of her coffee.

"I'm just fine. Thanks for asking," Janet acknowledged as she took a forkful of lasagna. When they were finished, a mess specialist removed their dishes while Cookie gave everyone a plate with a brownie on it and put a fresh pot of coffee on the table. He stood behind the admiral staring at Janet and made sure she ate the brownie as he had gotten word that she was underweight and needed to eat more. She noticed him standing there and took a bite out of the brownie. He walked away with a smile on his face. The group finished up their desserts and retired to their cabins for the night. Lee did his usual walk around the boat to check things out and think of a way he could protect Janet without her knowing. She was asleep by the time he returned. He climbed into the bunk with her and held her close.

((()))

The next morning when Jamie got to Sick Bay, he hoped he would have a slow day as he and John were going to the medical storage room to check the inventory. Chip wanted a complete inventory of Sick Bay so he could order the items they needed for Sick Bay and Med Bay at the same time. Jamie had already done the inventory at Med Bay.

It was a little before noon and Janet needed some coffee. She wouldn't have lunch until 1400 hours because Lee didn't get a break until then. She was almost done typing up the admiral's notes. She wasn't quite sure what they meant, but the admiral sure knew what he wanted with the new torpedo system. She went to the wardroom to get some coffee but Cookie hadn't put out a new pot yet. He was waiting for the lunch crowd to come so it would be nice and hot. She walked past Sick Bay on her way to the ship's mess and heard someone in there. She decided to stop and talk to Jamie on her way to get coffee.

As she walked in sick bay she asked, "Jamie, can I get you a cup..." She didn't finish her sentence because Belinda was in there alone. Neither Jamie nor John were anywhere around. "Can I help you with something Dr. Barry?" Janet asked politely.

"No, I'm just looking for a bandage for my finger," she replied hastily. "I don't want to bleed all over my notes."

She was standing by the large cabinet where Jamie kept all the drugs. Normally it was always locked, but today because he was doing inventory it was unlocked but Janet didn't notice. He had a smaller cabinet right next to the larger one where he put out bandages and other first aid items in case someone needed them. You could see them right on top.

"Oh, I see them," she said as she quickly picked up a bandage.

As she un-wrapped the bandage and put it on her finger she said to Janet, "Chip told me you've been married for three years. Did you date very long before you got married?"

"We only dated three months before we got married," Janet replied cautiously.

"Well, you do know Lee and I dated for awhile. It was getting quite serious," she said arrogantly.

"Yes, he told me. We don't keep secrets from each other. If you'll excuse me I'm going to get some coffee. I'll see you later."

Janet left Sick Bay with Belinda following her out. Janet went to the mess to get her coffee while Belinda told Janet she was going to her cabin.

((()))

Janet got a pot of coffee and went back to her office to finish typing up the admiral's notes. She was having trouble reading some of the handwriting so she went to the laboratory where the admiral was working. She left the door to her office open as she would only be gone a few minutes. Someone watched her leave and went into the cabin. They were only in there a couple of minutes before they left.

Lee managed to get a break before 1400 hours so he went to Janet's office to get her for lunch. He saw the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup. He took a drink of the coffee while reading the notes on the torpedo systems. This tastes funny, he thought, I bet she put some sugar substitute in it. All of a sudden he was having hard time breathing. He was breaking out in hives and his heart rate was slowing down. He knew he was having an allergic reaction to morphine and needed to get to Sick Bay fast. He reached for the intercom and pressed the button.

"Help, can't breath," he said before he collapsed dropping the mug of coffee to the floor.

The whole boat heard him but didn't know where he was calling from. Janet and the admiral ran out of the lab on their way to the control room but when they passed by Janet's office, they saw him lying on the floor. Rushing into the office, they could see he was barely breathing.

Pulling the mic off the wall, pressing the button twice, "Jamie, get to Janet's office on the double," the admiral said frantically. "Bring oxygen."

Janet was by Lee's side making sure he was still breathing. She had tears running down her cheeks because she knew he was in deep trouble. Jamie arrived with the oxygen and put the mask on him. John followed him with a stretcher and with Jamie's help gently put Lee on it. By this time Chip was running down the passageway towards Janet's office. He helped John carry Lee down to sick bay.

Once in sick bay, Jamie let Janet, Chip and the admiral stay with Lee. Janet was holding her husband's hand as he lay on the gurney gasping for breath even with the oxygen mask. Jamie had John start an IV so he could put any drugs that were needed in faster.

"Jamie what's wrong with him," the admiral asked concerned etched deeply on his face.

"He's in anaphylactic shock. The only thing he's allergic to is morphine," Jamie told them. "But where would he get that? I'm going to give him some epinephrine. It will help him breath and raise his heart rate." He gave him the shot in the IV and within two minutes his breathing was a little better and his heart rate was returning to normal.

"Janet, what did you have in your office?" Jamie asked urgently.

"I just got a pot of coffee but I didn't get a chance to drink it because I went to talk to the Admiral. Maybe he drank some of it. I only put some sugar in it," Janet replied tearfully.

"Chip, bring that pot down here immediately," Jamie told him tensely. "I have to test it to see if it does have morphine in it."

Chip ran to Janet's office, found the pot and brought back to Sick Bay. By the time he returned, Lee was breathing easier and his color had improved. Jamie took the pot from Chip and tested the coffee where he found a high dose of morphine in it.

"Admiral, this coffee is full of morphine. Somebody wanted to make sure whoever drank this coffee would get sick. Who would put morphine in the coffee to hurt him?"

Chip piped up immediately, "Jamie that coffee wasn't meant for him. Janet was supposed to drink it. Lee went to get Janet for lunch and stopped in her office because he knew she would be there. You know he likes his coffee so he drank it."

"So whoever put it in there had no idea he would drink it and only four people know Lee is allergic to morphine, me, Janet, the admiral and you," Jamie stated.

"Jamie how would someone get the morphine anyway? It's locked up and only you or the corpsmen have the key," the admiral asked.

Jamie visibly upset said, "The cabinet was left open this morning while we were doing inventory." The three of them walked over to the drug cabinet and Jamie noticed a vial of morphine was missing. "While John and I were doing inventory someone must have come in and taken the vial."

"Admiral," Lee said queasily as he was getting very nauseous. He knew this was one of the side effects of the epinephrine.

"What is it Lee?" Janet asked him softly pushing his hair off his forehead as he was starting to sweat.

"Please get the admiral and Chip over here," he said agitated and tried to get up.

"Okay honey, just relax. I will get them," she replied gently pushing him back down as she walked over to the men.

"Admiral, Chip, Lee wants to talk to you." They quickly went to the gurney where Lee was laying. He removed the oxygen mask.

"Someone is trying to kill Janet, we have to protect her," Lee managed to get out.

"I agree with you, but any idea who?" Chip asked rubbing his forehead.

"I found Belinda in here earlier, she was looking for a bandage," Janet said innocently.

"I don't like this at all," the admiral said very irritated. "We need to find out who and why?"

((()))

Someone was standing outside the door to sick bay and heard the conversation inside.

"Damn, damn, damn. He wasn't suppose to drink the coffee, she was. I didn't know he was allergic to morphine.

They left when they heard voices coming down the passageway.