Chapter Seven

"Oscar, it isn't your fault that Hansen went off the deep end, and you were just following his suggestion when you had the power turned off. You are not to blame for any of this!"

Oscar opened his mouth to argue, but a figure in the doorway interrupted them. They'd been waiting expectantly for Rudy to bring them news, but this wasn't Rudy.

"Michael?" Oscar rose to his feet to shake Doctor Marchetti's hand, introduced him to Russ and then the three men sat down together to talk about the only thing on everyone's mind.

"Rudy called me in to help, since Jaime and Steve are both in need of intensive care and treatment," Michael explained.

"How are they?" Oscar asked, his heart pounding.

"I've just come from Jaime's room. She took a strong jolt of electricity to her right arm and shorted out her power supply, so she was on borrowed time, even before the accident. Steve was apparently able to cushion her fall, but her injuries are still quite serious. Her internal organs are badly bruised, and the concussive force to her brain could have easily killed her. If she hadn't been cushioned, if Steve hadn't been shielding her..."

"He saved her life," Oscar concluded.

"She's still in very serious condition, Oscar, but she is beginning to stabilize. I hope to be able to move her into a regular room in a few days. We'll have to watch her very closely for any signs of bionic rejection."

"And...Steve? How is he?" Oscar asked anxiously.

"Steve's injuries are much more severe. Rudy's taking him into surgery right now. His legs are...gone, but they're the least of our worries. Steve's skull was fractured when they hit the ground, and the bullet wound -"

"He was shot?" Oscar interrupted.

Michael nodded. "The bullet tore a hole in his stomach and lodged somewhere in his chest. In a way, it was fortunate that Jaime landed on top of him. Her weight staunched the bleeding, keeping him alive, but I'm afraid it doesn't look good. Rudy thinks he may not survive the surgery, but we have no other choice than to try and repair the damage from the bullet. The legs can wait...if he lives."

Oscar sat quietly, taking it all in like a bullet to his own heart. "Is Jaime awake yet? Does she know?"

"No, but you can sit with her, if you'd like."

Oscar formally placed Russ in charge of further investigations, and followed Michael down the hall to Jaime's cubicle. He pulled a chair up directly next to her bed, hoping that before she woke up he could find the words to tell his wife about Steve. He had to force back tears of guilt and anguish as he looked at her. When Jaime had been face down in the elevator, it was impossible to see the effects of the crash, and she had been taken aboard the medivac so quickly that this was Oscar's first good look at the injuries she'd suffered.

Her face, or what he could see of it through all of the bandages and gauze, looked almost like she'd been beaten. He longed to touch her, to take her hand and try to give her even a little bit of comfort, but he was terrified of hurting her any further.

"Babe," he whispered, barely able to speak, "I am so sorry..." Finally, with his back to the rest of the world to hide his emotions, Oscar's tears began to fall.

Something in his voice penetrated the heavy fog that had kept Jaime unconscious. She could hear his words and feel the intensity of his pain, and the need to be with him gave her enough focus to pull back from the brink. Very slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Not...your...fault..." she murmured, struggling for each word.

Oscar's hand flew to the call button, to summon Michael. The doctor was there within seconds. "Hi, Jaime," Michael said softly, checking the readings on her monitors, then smiling warmly at his patient. "Welcome back."

"Michael, she's in a lot of pain," Oscar told him, his eye's never leaving his wife's face.

Michael nodded, quickly checking Jaime's vital signs before removing a syringe from his pocket. "This is very strong," the doctor said to both of them. "I'll put it right in your IV, Jaime, so you should start to feel more comfortable very quickly."

Oscar took Jaime's hand, very gently, so as not to hurt her. "Thank you," he whispered, still unable to take his gaze away from her pain-filled eyes. "I'll stay with her, Michael."

"Ok; I'll check back in a few minutes."

Oscar leaned in closer, once they were alone, and placed a feather-soft kiss on Jaime's forehead. "I love you," he told her, very quietly. "Hang on, Babe; you'll be ok."

"How's...Steve...?" Oscar knew the question would be coming, and there it was.

"Rudy's working on him now – they've got him in surgery. That's all we know, so far," he answered. He'd give her a little information at a time, and hopefully when she was ready to hear more, the news would be more encouraging. Jaime managed a very weak smile, then sank into a comforting cushion of oblivion. Oscar watched her sleep, his mind drifting into angry thoughts of what he would do to Jack Hansen, as soon as he got a few minutes alone with him.

- - - - - -