FIGHT TO SURVIVE

The precise moment when Hannibal's eyes closed, Clarice's heart broke. It was as if someone had reached between her shoulder blades, tore through the middle of her body and pulled her heart out from behind. Her chest felt as if it were caving in on itself. In utter despair, tears streaming down her face, she reached for her husband's shoulders. She pulled Hannibal's limp body against her chest as if the very presence of him would fill the whirlpool of grief expanding from the center of her being. Sobbing she hugged her husband's body, rocking him back and forth, praying the movement would force his heart to continue beating.

"Don't do this to me. Don't leave me, H! Don't leave me…"

Ardelia rushed to her side, kneeling in the sand, now muddying as it mixed with Hannibal's blood.

"He's dying…oh god he's dying." Clarice cried to her friend.

"I'll get Pearsall. We won't let this happen Clarice…we won't." Ardelia scrambled to her feet and waved Clint over. He was bent over Miggs' body checking his status.

Careful not to add to Hannibal's injuries, Clarice gently lowered her unconscious husband's head to the ground and turned to Pearsall, who was now talking to Ardelia. "Please, I need to get my husband to the hospital…now!"

After confirming that Stuart Miggs was indeed dead, Pearsall moved quickly to assist Clarice. He checked on Hannibal and seeing the open wound, winced.

He yelled out into his headset. "Logan, get that helicopter on the ground. We've gotta get Lecter to the hospital, A.S.A.P!"

The helicopter landed just yards from where Hannibal lay motionless on the ground. The whipping of the blades caused a violent downdraft, swirling gusts of wind that kicked up dust and debris. Seeing this, and concerned for infection, Clarice stretched herself over her husband and gently covered Hannibal's battered body with her own. She was concerned not to allow any foreign material to enter his wound. As the blades slowed and the air calmed around them, she moved back and tenderly brushed the hair away from his face.

Logan ran to Ardelia standing helplessly just a few feet from Clarice.

"What's going on with Hannibal? What happened?"

"He took a round to the chest. It doesn't look good, Babe." Ardelia's eyes burned as she blinked back her tears. She inhaled in short quick breaths trying to control her emotions and avoid a total breakdown. She couldn't block the image of Hannibal, trying desperately to wrench himself free from the handcuffs, his arms bloodied from his efforts to get to Clarice. Her heart ached at the memory.

Equally devastated, Logan stood, his head hanging low, depressed as he stared at Hannibal. "No…dude…no."

Unsatisfied with any outcome that resulted in Hannibal's death Logan rallied his spirits and jumping up and down, waved his arms wildly at the crew of the chopper as they pulled out the rescue basket.

"Hurry the hell up! We've got a man down! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!"

Seeking any way to comfort her husband, Clarice rested her cheek against Hannibal's face and whispered her love to him. She kissed him gently on the mouth, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed the drastic change in his normally warm lips.

Hannibal's skin was now beginning to noticeably cool as his body began shutting down non-essential systems. Leaning closer she hovered just above face, placing her cheek against his nose to check his breathing. Her heart sank…it was now almost undetectable. There was a strange gurgling noise was rolling in the back of his throat and a soft sucking sound coming from the wound in his chest.

The agents approached with the basket they would use to transport Hannibal to the hospital.

Clarice bent to him and whispered in his ear, her tears rolling off her cheeks and flowing onto her husband's face. She gently cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips for what she believed would be the last time. Clarice lingered for just a moment tracing her tongue along his lips, memorizing the shape of his mouth, the pressure of her lips on his and the final tingling sensation as her mouth left his.

"They're going to take you now, H. I'll meet you at the hospital but you have to hold on for me…I love you, H."

Clarice touched Hannibal's face, truly believing this would be the last time she would ever see him alive. Tears flowing steadily, she stepped to the side allowing them to take Hannibal from her.

Two agents lifted him carefully, covered the wound and strapped Hannibal to the basket. When they were certain he was secure, they lifted him quickly and turned, running full speed to the helicopter with Logan charging alongside. Clarice would not be able to ride with them. She would be forced to meet him at the hospital.

"Don't worry, Clarice. Logan won't leave him." Ardelia sought to comfort her friend. Clarice hugged Ardelia, hiding her face self-consciously from the other agents as she cried uncontrollably.

Ardelia sought to console. "He didn't come all this way and go through everything he did for you to give up. He's a strong man and he loves you, Clarice. He'll fight…for you… he'll fight."

"If he dies…I'm not going to make it, Dee…I'm not…"

THE WAITING ROOM

Clarice was oblivious to the scores of journalists gathered outside the hospital. She was unaware that Hannibal's status was being updated on every news channel. There was no way for her to know that the Egyptian Prime Minister had just held a press conference with his daughter and the President, explaining all that Hannibal had done to return his daughter safely to him. The focus of the country was on Hannibal Lecter. All of Clarice's focus was on H.

Hannibal had been in surgery for hours. Sitting beside Clarice, Ardelia continued to be supportive keeping her best friend's spirits up as best she could. "No news is good news, Clarice."

Clarice was not as optimistic. "Sometimes Dee…no news is just that…no news."

Logan stood quietly in the corner away from the women, occasionally slipping out of the room to harass the nursing staff for updates on Hannibal's progress.

Upon hearing Clarice's comment, he was determined to get her some kind of an answer. Believing her boyfriend to have become a bit of a nuisance Logan had been told by Ardelia to leave the staff at the hospital alone.

This time Logan would not take no for an answer and escaped the room without the women noticing to get the latest update. He must have irritated the same nurse, one time too many and did not receive the response he was seeking. Ardelia and Clarice were shocked when they heard Logan's voice very uncharacteristically raised in anger.

"I don't care if someone needs a fucking midol or a goddamned pot to piss in! I want an update on Doctor Lecter and I want it now! It will take you two minutes to go through that door and ask for a progress report. That man was a goddamned hero today. Dude, a little fucking respect would be awesome."

Ardelia ran to the doorway to see Logan, flashing his FBI credentials, his cheerful countenance supplanted by an agitated scowl as he bullied for the nurse to get the update. His face was flushed red and his chest was heaving in anger. The nurse relented and went to check on Hannibal.

Moments later the frazzled nurse returned. Logan stood with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest and stared at her blankly, waiting. When she did not answer immediately Logan probed.

"Well, what did the surgeon say?" His concern for Hannibal was taking the form of frustration.

"The Doctor is closing the final surgical site now. He asked me to let the family know that he will be out to talk to you in a few minutes. Are you family?"

"We're all the family he's got!" Logan barked at her.

Ardelia was more than a little embarrassed by Logan's behavior but excused it, realizing how much he cared about Hannibal. Logan was devastated. Today was the very first time that Hannibal had personally contacted Logan. All of the other contact had been between Ardelia and Clarice. Hannibal trusted Logan and asked him directly for help. Logan was crushed that he hadn't been able to take out Miggs before his friend had been gravely wounded.

"You'll have to excuse, Agent Logan. He and Doctor Lecter have worked together closely on this case and he is very concerned about the Doctor's health. Please forgive his attitude. He's just really worried."

The nurse nodded her head, grateful for the apology. "That's okay…I'm sure it was a really stressful day for all of you. It's been all over the news what Doctor Lecter did…what you all did to catch the Ripper. I appreciate your efforts to keep us safe and I really do hope that Doctor Lecter has the best outcome."

Logan felt sorry he had yelled. It wasn't in his nature to be angry. "I'm sorry." He said contritely to the nurse. "He just means so much to me. I shouldn't have yelled…I'm really, really sorry."

The nurse touched his arm. "Not to worry. Doctor Lecter will be moved to a recovery room in the critical care unit. The surgeon will explain the situation. You might be able to get in and see him soon."

Ardelia spotted the surgeon as he exited the operating room. She tugged at Logan's arm. "Come on Babe, that's him. We've gotta get to Clarice. Christ only knows what he's going to say."

Logan and Ardelia thanked the nurse and left to be with Clarice. The surgeon soon followed.

"I'm Doctor Goodrich. I handled Doctor Lecter's surgery." He extended his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Agent Starling."

"I'm not Agent Starling anymore. I'm no longer with the FBI. I'm Mrs. Lecter now. Hannibal and I are married. How is my husband? Is he going to be okay? Please, is he out of danger?"

The surgeon rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, his muscles sore from the length of the procedures.

"He survived the surgery but I must be completely honest Mrs. Lecter, I have no idea what the next twenty four hours will bring. Your husband presented several injuries. He had a deep puncture wound to the back, a similar wound to his thigh and of course, the most serious injury was the gunshot wound. Your husband arrived in cardiac arrest, so we performed emergency resuscitative thoracotomy and a chest tube was inserted. Further investigation showed that Doctor Lecter's heart was structurally intact. His lung was involved, but fortunately the mechanism of injury was of medium velocity so the damage was not as invasive as it could have been."

"Can you break that down? What does that mean?" Clarice pressed, the concern wearing on her.

"It means that Doctor Lecter was quite fortunate. Although he suffered a severe thoracic injury, damage was not found to either the major central or distal vasculature. The projectile entered between the ribs and exited through his chest so, fortunately there was a clear pathway for the bullet, and thankfully no abdominal involvement and no retained projectile."

Ardelia could see that Clarice was exhausted and overwhelmed. All she wanted to hear was that Hannibal was going to be fine.

Ardelia questioned the surgeon. "So Hannibal's prognosis is? What, Doctor? Obviously, his wife wants to hear that he will survive this."

The surgeon held Clarice's hand and took a seat at her side. His voice was calm and confident.

"Mrs. Lecter, while I can't promise you that he will survive, I'll tell you he has come through the worst of it and he is one hell of a fighter. I have seen men far younger succumb to far less substantial injuries. It is obvious that he believes he has something to live for. Sit with him…talk to him. Let him hear your voice. Keep him with you. He will sense panic so be confident when you speak to him. Don't be afraid when you see him. He is on a ventilator, has an intravenous line and a large chest tube inserted in his side just under his arm. Don't let that tube frighten you. It will be draining and it looks a little intimidating but he is not in any pain."

"Will he wake up soon?" Clarice worried.

The doctor shifted in his seat, obviously exhausted from his efforts to save Hannibal.

"He is comatose and lost a good deal of blood so his body is in shock. It may be that he will open his eyes in a few hours, or a few days but he won't be able to talk because of the ventilator. If he wakes up, we will have a respiratory therapist try stepping him down to see if he is able to breathe on his own."

The surgeon paused. It was obvious something was on his mind. Clarice noticed and it concerned her.

"Is there something bothering you, Doctor? You look like a man with something on your mind."

The Doctor paused. "Actually, yes there is something I've been wondering about…Mrs. Lecter, would you forgive me if I ask what may be a personal question?"

"Go ahead Doctor."

"As I treated the puncture wound to your husband's shoulder, I took note of newly healed and very prominent gashes running across his back and shoulders. They're spaced evenly and very distinctive. What, may I inquire generated those wounds, if you don't mind my asking?"

Clarice smiled. He's not going to believe this. "It was a hunting incident."

The surgeon leaned in as if he hadn't heard her correctly. "Really…what was your husband hunting?"

"It was an incident with a mountain lion."

Clarice remembered that night and imagined Hannibal full of life and concern for her as he carried her to their home. Remembering his passion, her cheeks blushed at the thought of it.

The doctor rocked back and forth on his heels, becoming more curious by the moment. "And aside from the scars, the outcome of that incident was?"

Clarice laughed for the first time that day. "After I cleaned his wounds, Hannibal had a great night's sleep, though I'm sure the mountain lion would have preferred a different outcome."

Logan, proud of his friend's prowess chimed in. "She's not telling you the whole thing…Hannibal's a freaking legend! That cat went for Clarice and Hannibal caught the freaking thing mid-air and killed it with his bare hands and his knife."

The Doctor was obviously impressed. "I thought he was a fighter before, but, if he will take on a mountain lion for you… Mrs. Lecter, I doubt he's ready to leave you now. I don't think you have anything to worry about. One little bullet isn't going to stop him. As soon as your husband is settled, the nurse will bring you to him. It was a pleasure meeting you all."

"Thank you for everything you've done for my husband."

The Doctor excused himself. Moments later, to everyone's surprise, Barney walked into the waiting room.

"I've gotten Hannibal prepped and ready, Clarice. He's not awake, but you can sit with him."

Clarice was thrilled. "I didn't know you worked here. I feel so much better knowing he has you."

"Well, that's the thing… I don't work here but I told them you hired me as his private nurse. I hope you don't mind. It would kill me to know he wasn't getting the attention he deserves and even though he's a big hero on the news, I was worried they might still be a little afraid of him. C'mon. I'll bring you in."

The group proceeded to Hannibal's room. Barney held the door allowing Ardelia and Logan to enter first. Barney stopped Clarice before she went into the room.

"Don't judge his status by how he looks right now. It's a little scary, all the machines and everything, but he survived that gunshot and he's gotten through the surgery. Now he just needs rest so he can build his strength. All you need to do is hold his hand and let him know that you're here." He put a supportive hand on her back and guided her into the room. "Don't worry Clarice…you can do this."

Clarice entered the room to see Hannibal propped upright in bed. There was a large tube down his throat taped to the side of his mouth forcing precious oxygen into his lungs. The machine keeping him alive pumped and hissed, the tube jumping up and down with each inhalation and exhalation. The heart rate machine was beeping and there were lines and leads running everywhere. Clarice moved to check her husband's body and was horrified at the large tube draining fluid from Hannibal's chest cavity. It was collecting bloody liquids into a container. A series of leads were attached to the parts of his chest, not covered with surgical dressings, monitoring his vital signs.

Clarice had never seen Hannibal looking less than confident and in control. The visage of him fully dependent and at the mercy of those around him devastated her. She covered her mouth with her hands. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she tried to steady her breathing…she was sure she was losing him.

"God…oh my god, Barney…he looks so helpless." The tears were welling in her eyes.

Barney put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him, lending support. "What are you talking about, Clarice? He has all the control in the world. He isn't helpless at all. As a matter of fact, he is fully in charge of his recovery. It's all up to him."

Barney's comment gave Clarice some comfort and she smiled, remembering Hannibal's words to her.

I chose to be Power. It is not in my Nature to choose Victim.

Clarice sat by his side and reached for her husband's hand. Feeling how warm he was to the touch, her heart soared and she dared to hope he might return to her. She kissed his hand and whispered to him. "Don't worry, I'm here H…I'm here."

RECOVERY

Ardelia arrived every day with fresh clothing and food. Clarice refused to go home. She would not leave her husband's side. Nightly, when she could keep her eyes open no longer, Clarice would push her chair against the hospital bed and rest her head on her husband, reaching her arms around his waist, his thigh her pillow.

Clarice was sound asleep and did not hear her husband stir.

Hannibal opened his eyes slowly. He strained slightly, moving his mouth against the plastic as he gagged on the tube from the respiratory. Hannibal's mind ever processing, his eyes searched the room, checking the machines. Reading the vital signs on each machine Hannibal sought to fully assess his condition. He felt an unusual pressure on his legs and looked down to uncover the source. He smiled to see Clarice, sound asleep, her head resting on his thigh.

Exhausted, Hannibal reached down, put his arms around his wife and drifted back to sleep holding her.

Later that night, Barney entered the room to check Hannibal's vitals and noticed that his arms were around Clarice. Clarice stirred when she heard Barney checking her husband. When she opened her eyes, Barney whispered.

"Hey, Clarice…when did he wake up?" He was busy taking Hannibal's temperature.

Clarice shook her head, confused. "What? He didn't wake up. What do you mean?"

Barney gestured to Hannibal's arms, still around Clarice. "Look, he's holding you."

Clarice sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes. Her heart began to beat faster. She took both his hands in hers.

"H? Can you hear me, H?"

Though his eyes remained closed, Hannibal's head turned toward her voice.

"Call to him again Clarice, I think he heard you."

Clarice stood slowly and moved closer to Hannibal. She spoke gently in his ear.

"H…I need you. Please…open your eyes. I love you and I need to know you're going to be okay."

Slowly, Hannibal's eyes opened. When he saw his wife, he winked and smiled.

Clarice kissed his hands and began to cry.

Hannibal shook his head 'no', reached up and wiped away the tear.

Barney smiled. "It's good to have you back, Doctor."

THE JOURNEY HOME

Because of the commutation of Hannibal's sentence both Hannibal and Clarice were now able to use their actual identities. They received assistance processing their paperwork and were given new identification and American passports. Clarice insisted they remarry with a justice of the peace. She had become quite used to being Mrs. Hannibal Lecter and she didn't want to give that up. She wanted the paperwork to make it official.

The only possible problem was the fact that the home purchased in San Martin de Los Andes was still listed under their alias. A variety of government agencies and officials communicated the situation and handled the transfer of the property from the alias to Doctor and Mrs. Hannibal Lecter. The concern, however was, would their neighbors adjust to the situation as well.

True to his word, Anwar Bashandi transported Hannibal and Clarice in his private plane for their return to Argentina. They stepped off the plane to see Rodrigo Molina waiting graciously at the gate, holding up a sign that read, 'Doctor and Mrs. Hannibal Lecter'

The greeting, though quite unexpected, was a tremendous relief to Hannibal and Clarice.

"Doctor Lecter, I presume?" Rodrigo said with a smile as he extended his hand to Hannibal.

Hannibal, relieved at the welcome, shook Rodrigo's hand firmly.

"Please…call me Hannibal my friend."

"And of course, you may call me Rodrigo." He glanced over his shoulder and called out loudly.

"Francisco, if you would please bring the Doctor and his wife's luggage to the car…now!"

"Yes Papa." Francisco put his brand new cell phone quickly in his pocket and retrieved the luggage.

Doctor and Mrs. Hannibal Lecter were escorted back to their compound in the company of friends, feeling relieved, content and very much at home.

Clarice was visibly very pregnant, Hannibal visibly very proud and both visibly very much in love.

Until the next chapter my friends!

LH