The Call

"Kat," Sky's voice is heavy.

Kat feels her heart stop at the sound of his voice. "Sky, what's wrong?"

"It's Commander Cruger," he continues, voice still choked.

"Sky, what's happened?" she demands, close to breaking down in tears.

"He took a blow for us and now we can't wake him up. We demorphed him and everything but he's not waking up. We're two minutes out in the delta runners; tell Dr. Felix—"

"Done!" Kat barely manages to get out before her hand slams down on the console, shutting off the communication. She gets on the medical branch line. "Felix, Doggie's coming in unconscious, fix him, I'll be right down."

"Kat, what's—"

"Do it, Felix!" she yells and slams the console keyboard again. She takes a moment to let a strangled breath escape from the deep of her throat. It's a sickening sound, ripped from her gut and through her heart. Tears drop down her cheeks. She whispers his name and a few prayers before collecting herself: putting herself on autopilot. She walks out of the lab; she turns right and straight to the medical ward.

"Possible cranial fracture—I need an OR prepped and ready! Compress his chest," Felix commands as the Sirian Commander comes in on a stretcher. "Kat, stay back!"

Kat halts in her place before she can register she's running at them. As Doggie goes past her, blackish Sirian blood running down his muzzle, she snaps. Sky is by her side in a second and has to use all his strength to hold her back. His heart breaks for her as she tries to break free, clawing at him. "Doggie!—Doggie, you better come out of this, you stubborn, old dog!"

Sky grimaces as Kat's angry shouts turn to malformed sobs. They're straight from the pit of her gut, literally torn from her just from the force of the pain that hits her. Her wails are filled with anguish and he can only lower her to her knees on the floor. "Kat, sh, he'll be okay."

"I...love...him," Kat manages to gasp through her crying.

"I know, sh," Sky soothes the heartbroken woman. His guilt rages at him but this isn't about him, or his hero complex. "He'll be okay, Kat. He's made it through everything before, he'll make it through this."

The two sit in silence for hours, waiting for Doggie to get out of surgery. B–Squad joined them awhile ago but no one has said anything. This is not a time for words. Sky sits a little closer to Kat than the others, so she can lean on him tiredly. He keeps his broad shoulders as squared as possible for her. He has known her for most of his life and she's like an aunt, or a second mother to him. Still, he feels guilt. Kat doesn't feel anything.

This was the worst call he has ever had to make.

Sky's morpher beeps at his side and he pulls it out automatically, though his responsive "Cadet Tate, SPD" is not as crisp as usual. He smiles, though, and hands it to Kat. "It's for you."

Kat looks at Sky, who has a faint smile. "Felix?"

"He's gonna make it, Kat."

Sky doesn't get to ask as soon as Kat buries her face against his shoulder, crying and laughing. His smile becomes a little brighter and he embraces her with his one arm. "See, Kat, he'd never leave you."

"Thank you, Sky," she whispers, "for calling me, and for giving me this call now."

Sky smiles at Kat as the rest of B–Squad rushes to embrace her.