Author's Note – This chapter includes a developing slash relationship. I think I've dropped enough hints in earlier chapters so it's not a total surprise. Nothing graphic, but you've been warned.

Cam came to consciousness slowly, not wanting to jar Blake or Hunter with any sudden movement. Unlike the other Rangers, Cam had a keenly developed sense of time while meditating, and in this situation he was very much aware that time was a factor. He knew that probably less than ten minutes had passed since he'd begun his attempt to heal Blake; and though he and Hunter had greatly improved Blake's condition, he still needed medical help, and he needed it soon. There was only so much Cam could do to stabilize Blake's injuries; he'd lost a lot of blood. Cam could mend the rips and breaks, but couldn't replace what was no longer there.

Cam carefully freed himself from the combined consciousness of the Bradley brothers. It had always been obvious that the brothers were close, but Cam had no idea the level at which the two were connected. As he pulled himself away, Cam felt a pang of regret, or was it loss? He didn't allow himself to dwell.

Cam made one final check before he fully pulled away from Blake. Blake had been extraordinarily lucky. The power Blake had been channeling during the battle stayed with him long enough to sustain him until Cam and Hunter had arrived. Initially, Cam had difficulty channeling the Thunder power from Hunter, but then something changed. It was as if Blake's body realized that Cam was trying to help, and instead of fighting him, it helped. After that Cam became a conduit between the brothers – once the energy was fed to Blake, Cam could then direct it inward to heal.

Cam had decided to heal Blake's injuries from front to back – starting at the chest wound under his and Hunter's hands. The Tyranodrone's spear had pierced the lung, but had missed the heart. Cam had channeled massive amounts of the energy passed to him from Hunter into restructuring Blake's injured lung. Once that was complete, Cam pulled back, healing bones, blood vessels, and muscles along the way. The larger side of the injury, in Blake's lower back, caused Cam more concern. Though the spine didn't seem to be directly injured, the spear had caused large amounts of peripheral damage. Cam could use his healing knowledge on larger injuries, but nerves were tricky. The best he could do was send wave after wave of healing energy through Blake's lower back and spine and hope that Blake's body would know the best place to send it.

Cam didn't completely close the wound in Blake's back; he was concerned about trapping alien germs from the Tyranodrones inside Blake's body. And because Blake was no longer bleeding excessively, an open wound would be the best place to allow an infection to seep out instead of remaining in the blood and causing a septic reaction. Satisfied with his work, Cam withdrew his focus from Blake's body, leaving the younger Bradley in a deeply unconscious but healing sleep.

As Cam withdrew from Blake and settled his consciousness within his own body he was overwhelmed with fatigue. He could sense how exhausted his body was; as though he had been training for an extended period. But greater than the physical exhaustion was the very strong feeling of contentment Cam had sitting safe and secure in Hunter's embrace.

What?

Cam's mind had not yet begun to process what his body and heart were feeling so strongly. Though the situation was horrific and the outcome was still in doubt, the feelings of safety and contentment Cam felt sitting within the circle of Hunter's arms was undeniable.

This is so inappropriate!

Cam's heart was much louder than the feeble protests of his mind. And his body was so relaxed in Hunter's embrace that it didn't respond to the mind's insistence that it move – twitch, run, anything!

Cam couldn't believe that these feelings were coming to the forefront at this moment. The timing was wildly inappropriate. But, unable to make himself move, and unable to escape the insistent beat of his heart, Cam was forced to face in his mind what his body and heart already knew – he was deeply, madly in like with Hunter.

In "like"? That is ridiculous!

I'm not in love with him – that's equally ridiculous.

Why is it so ridiculous? Just because he's a guy and I'm a guy?

No. That's not it. I have no problem with that. Well, maybe a little problem with that. The problem being that I've always known I enjoy the company of men, but I have no idea how Hunter feels. I don't want to do anything to freak him out. Doesn't he have enough to deal with?

That's just an excuse – we all have "enough to deal with" – shouldn't it be Hunter's choice?

Cam managed to shake his head the tiniest bit attempting to dislodge the arguing voices in his head. This small movement brought him closer to consciousness in his own body. Not only was he now aware of Blake's weight pressing on him from the front, but he could feel Hunter's solid presence supporting him from behind. And as much as he tried to deny it, there was something undeniably wonderful about being wrapped up in Hunter's arms.

Just stop it. Just stop it! You've got no right to throw these feelings all around like this! It's the wrong time and the wrong place. There are much larger things to take care of right now, and your love life isn't one of them! Blake. Conner. Dustin. They're what's important now. Get focused. Wake up!

Cam's mind finally overpowered his heart and regained control of his body. Perhaps it was the wind in his face, but something urged him back to awareness. And once he woke up he realized they weren't alone. Cam felt a surge of panic before he made out that the shape hunkered on his left side was definitely human and not going to attack. The black-haired man was wearing a black and red jacket and appeared to have a box of equipment at his side. The man nodded in acknowledgement of Cam's startled look. "Didn't mean to scare you." he said. "Just waiting to see which one of you guys would wake up first. We need to know more about the situation and we definitely weren't going to try to move all three of you."

As the man was talking, Cam became more and more alert and felt better able to handle the situation. The stranger was asking for information, and that was something Cam could deal with.. The only concern was, how much to say without giving too much information away. The man he was talking to was clearly an EMT, and once that was understood, it made sense that he wasn't working alone. He and Hunter might have been working longer on Blake than Cam realized because the other EMTs had enough time to get a tarp over the coffee kiosk to cut down on some of the rain falling directly on them.

The second paramedic who had been out of Cam's line of sight lashing the tarp to the kiosk moved over to crouch down on Cam's right side. He was taller and stockier than the first; his short blonde hair was slicked to his head from the rain. He also nodded in acknowledgement of Cam. There was a distinctive symbol on his jacket that Cam could see more clearly because the second man was closer. The second paramedic smiled when he realized what Cam understood.

"My name's Mike. My partner is Duncan. We work out of Lightspeed Rescue, sir. Carter Grayson was in the other ambulance and is taking care of the kids. Let us know what you want us to do."

Lightspeed Rescue? Aren't they out of Mariner Bay? Taking care of the kids? Cam was overwhelmed with a feeling of relief. A huge load he hadn't realized he'd been carrying was lifted from his shoulders. He recognized the Lightspeed insignia on the jacket; and the name Carter Grayson definitely rang a bell – when the Wind Ninjas became active Rangers Cam Googled all the information he could about other Ranger teams. The most information out there was about the Lightspeed Rescue team because their identities had never been secret. If Carter sent these guys, they understood how to work with Rangers, and probably wouldn't be surprised by much that he had to say. So he jumped right in.

"Blake," he indicated the younger Bradley by moving his hands and gesturing toward Blake's chest, "was speared by a Tyranodrone. The weapon entered in his lower back, the exit wound was in his upper chest." Cam hesitated briefly, and then decided to go for it. They might not believe what he was about to say, but they needed the facts if they were going to help Blake. "I managed to heal a lot of his injuries, but he lost a lot of blood. I did what I could for the damage to the lower back, but I was afraid of causing permanent damage to the spine if I messed around with it."

To Cam's surprise and relief Mike barely blinked at hearing Cam declare that he'd healed Blake. Either he was truly unflappable, or Lightspeed trained their personnel extremely well. "That was a wise decision, sir. If you'll just stay where you are for another minute or two, we're going to check his vitals before we attempt to move him. Were either of you other two injured?"

Cam shook his head in the negative. "Just the usual bumps and bruises." Cam's brow creased with concern. "Though Hunter may have overextended himself helping Conner and Blake."

"Okay." said Mike reassuringly. "We'll take care of you guys next. Just sit tight."

So that's what Cam did. But his inability to move combined with his return to complete consciousness created a growing problem. The voices in his head that had been stilled when he talked with Mike were growing louder again; he tried not to pay attention but it was difficult. The problem revolved around Hunter's presence. In the past, Cam had very limited physical contact with Hunter – the occasional back-slap here, a hand up from a fall in training – it was a very deliberate decision on Cam's part. But this nearly full body contact with Hunter was sending him into sensory overload. Every fleeting thought he'd ever had about what it might be like to have Hunter hold him rushed to the front of his brain, and it was making him crazy.

This is ridiculous. Just because I'm sitting here, like this, with Hunter, does not mean I should be losing my mind. I am a rational person who will not be controlled by my baser instincts.

Cam tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but he didn't want to dislodge Blake. It was then he realized that his breathing had fallen into sync with Hunter's. Cam closed his eyes and resisted the urge to bash his head into the nearest wall. He deliberately took a breath that was counter to Hunter's breathing pattern, but then decided it was childish and not worth the energy to try to keep it up.

Cam silently prayed that the EMTs would finish quickly and move Blake; but at the same time, part of him was hoping they'd talk a long time – he wanted to relish the feeling he had being so connected to Hunter. Cam understood, for the first time, a little bit about what Hunter being a "body" type really meant. He had never given it much thought; he understood his own part of the triangle and hadn't felt the need to investigate the others. He'd always been under the impression that as a "body" type Hunter was simply stronger than most people. He had no idea it extended into an overwhelming physical presence when he had extended contact with others. It made sense as Cam tried to analyze it, and at the same time it made him weak.

Cam Watanabe, you've got to snap out of this! First of all, you have no idea if Hunter has any type of reciprocal feelings for you, so don't try to read anything into this. Secondly, even if he did have feelings for you, this is neither the time nor the place to investigate it – Hunter has to be focused on Blake, not you. Third, simply because you enjoy how you feel being this close to Hunter is no excuse to take advantage of his vulnerability. He's not even conscious!

As Cam ruthlessly analyzed the situation and shoved his emotions into the small corner of his soul where he kept them, he felt more and more in control. Just sitting with Hunter was no reason to lose his mind, and he wasn't going to! But just when he thought he was thinking clearly again, another thought occurred to him. But what if Hunter picked up on all of this?

The very idea was enough to send Cam into a panic, and he extended his thoughts in the direction of Hunter's consciousness. But just before he crashed into it he pulled back. If I've got to go this far to read if he's picked up on anything, it's a sure thing he hasn't. He's barely conscious himself, and what awareness he does have is focused on Blake. But…

Cam extended his thoughts again, but this time incorporated much more of his long ignored feelings. He just wanted to see if anywhere on Hunter's surface thoughts there was anything that he recognized, anything that had a similar vibe to his own feelings. There was nothing. And while Cam was disappointed, he wasn't really surprised.

See, that shows you.

Not really. Hunter's not the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. His feelings are much more private, and I'm not about to go diving into his head. Father would kill me if he knew even the small amount I peeked at. What's happened to me –now I'm a unethical and a pervert!

Movement got Cam's attention and he snapped out of his disturbing thoughts. Mike and Duncan had finished assessing Blake's condition and had moved him to a stretcher. Duncan and a third EMT who appeared to be the driver were wheeling him toward the back of the ambulance. Mike nodded at Cam again, apparently oblivious to all of Cam's inner turmoil. "Right then, one squared away. If you're both mobile, I'd like to get you two into the ambulance and out of this storm. Do we need another stretcher or wheelchair for him?" he asked looking at Hunter.

"No. If we can get him to his feet, he can make it to the ambulance." Cam scooted forward away from Hunter and quashed the pang of separation he felt. He moved over to Hunter's right side. Placing his hands on Hunter's shoulders Cam gave him a little shake. "Hunter. You've got to get up. Let's go with Blake."

Hunter's eyes rolled under their lids and he opened them groggily to look at Cam. Cam continued to encourage him. "Come on, Hunter. Time to go. Let's go with Blake." Hunter seemed to register "go" and "Blake". As he reached out his hands, Cam supported him on one side as Mike pulled on the other. Between the two of them they got Hunter to his feet and helped him stagger toward the ambulance. If Mike noticed how much easier it was to move through the storm with Hunter he didn't mention it.

Once everyone was settled in the ambulance, Mike began checking Hunter's vital signs as Duncan continued to monitor Blake. Cam sat slightly off to the side, isolated. He tried to ignore his feeling of being left out when Hunter moved to crouch closer to Blake. He turned his head and looked out the rain spattered window in the ambulance's back door so he wouldn't have to watch the brothers together. Leave it alone, Cam. You're not a part of them no matter how much you wish you were. Get back to doing your job. Let it go.

With a very deep sigh, that's what he did.

TBC

Thanks as always for your support and excellent feedback!

AngelMouse5 – I like writing Ethan's POV. For whatever reason, I really connect with him.

Pink-Green-White-4Ever – Thanks so much for your emotional response. I think it's so awesome when a story moves people like that. Yes, though the entire Lightspeed team will not be appearing, Dana will be at the hospital in a fairly pivotal role.

MzDany – How much did you like the POV in this chapter:dance of glee:

Jenna Summers – When it comes down to it, Conner's going to need assistance from an entirely different source. More to come on that later…

the real vampire – At least this chapter answers a little of your question about Blake. Conner's another story…

Funky in Fishnet – LR was never one of my favorite teams, but it just makes so much sense to include Carter and Dana. I was actually kinda surprised at the excited reaction I got by bringing them in.

emogeek1 – Welcome aboard!

CMR – Stay tuned!

Crazed – Welcome aboard! I love using the "thesaurus" option on my Word Documents. It definitely helps with vocabulary expansion!