first of all thanks for the nice reviews on the last chapter. It makes me glad that you're still enjoying it all. so thanks tmtcltb,jag389, forestraider121, Scousedancer.

Several weeks had passed since that night. They were still at sea, not finding another place to go on land, the trust in the people on land had decreased a whole lot since Baltimore, how could they trust the people, they'd trusted them once and look where it got them.

Rachel had continued to grow close to the Captain's kids. It wasn't an uncommon scene to have them helping out where they could or to see them in the lab. During breaks Rachel and Beatrice would sit on the flight deck while Ashley, Sam and Ava would be playing.

Ever since Jed had confronted Tom about what he'd observed from between him and Rachel, he'd been playing and hide and seek game with her, only keeping it professional. At first Rachel had put it down to the fact that he'd maybe realised that his wife wasn't there anymore and he needed time.

But when the time stretched on and she had confronted him in the P-way, Well confronted is a big word, she'd ask if there was anything she could do to help, his reply had made her keep her distance as well. "there is nothing you can do but your job, Dr. Scott." The coldness in his voice had been like a cold shower to Rachel.

Tom had regretted the words the moment they had come out of his mouth, but he didn't want to admit to it, not wanting to be unfaithful to his wife or her memory, so he'd done the only thing he though would help, act cold and aloof towards the woman he cared greatly about, the women this entire crew cared about, seeing his kids growing close with her had just been another reason why he could act on those feelings, but he just pushed her away.

Eye for an eye Rachel had thought acting aloof and cold in reply to his attitude, but she couldn't get these kids in between their fight. Well they just weren't talking to each other, avoiding one another. Jed was the one picking the kids up when it was time for dinner or bed.

Rachel had her hands full though. She'd cleared Alisha to go back to work on the bridge, but only last week she'd started freaking out when Mike had passed by her and touched her, not with wrong intent but she'd freaked out, ran to the chart room and locked herself in there.

Rachel had been the one sitting on the ground in front of the door for two hours, bribing her, talking to her and convincing her to open the door, in the end she had succeeded, but the results was that she had been declared ready for work.

It seemed that along with a doctor and virologist she was now also a Psychologist, but it was the one thing that got her through it. she needed to help others to avoid the nightmares form being tortured, she needed to help others to avoid thinking back to Baltimore, she slept even less then she had done then during the time of finding the cure.

She knew she had to get more rest and sleep, but didn't want to wake up drenched in sweat again or screaming, thank god her quarters were located a bit away from the others. But day by day she could feel herself getting more and more exhausted, she was only keeping up appearances for when others were around, she knew she had to take care of herself better in order to spread the cure, sure they had made landfall once since Baltimore, they spread the cure in the town and left enough doses to treat another 750 people should they go there, a couple of scientist had left as well, wanting to seek a lab maybe.

Getting up she was hit again by a dizzy spell. She had only been eating small bits here and there, mostly when the Ashley and Sam were around, she should know better she scolded herself, she had just gotten so much into her work, trying to forget, it worked, is she kept her mind busy enough with stuff, she forgot, but that also meant that sometimes she forgot to eat, along with separating herself from the crew.

Kara had only confronted her about it yesterday when she had come to the lab, forcing Rachel to eat a sandwich along with her.

What she hadn't counted on was the fact that she'd get so weak, her body would stop working, her vision got blurry as she made her way from the desk to the lab. Black spots covering her eyes and the last thing she saw was the lab turning around.

Sam and Ashley had just made a drawing each to give to Rachel up in the Mesh hall. Their grandfather watching them as Tom was busy on the bridge and Rachel was busy making more doses of the cure. He'd wanted the both of them to get some more time, he was nearly ready to strangle them both.

He had seen first-hand how they started playing the cat and mouse game. Every time he'd start the conversation with his son, he'd run out of the room. "can we go and give them to Rachel?" Ashley asked, holding up her drawing.

"sure, come back though, Rachel has work to do." He warned them as he saw his grandchildren run off to find Rachel. He chuckled at their enthusiasm as he could still hear them at the end of the P-way.

Ashley opened the door letting in her brother first before going into the helicopter bay herself. She noticed that the computer of Rachel was open, so she should have been there as she looked around she couldn't see her anywhere. "Rachel we made you a drawing." Sam yelled out, full of enthusiasm as he walked towards the plastic containment around the lab.

The drawing in his hand falling out of his hand the moment he saw Rachel lying on the floor. "Rachel!" he yelled out, running to her side and touching her head softly, Ashley only a second behind him, pushing Rachel's hair back. "Rachel?" Ashley whispered, scared as she wasn't supposed to lie there in the middle of the ground and when her hand touched something wet, she pulled her hand back and started panicking, when she saw blood covered her hand, Sam crying next to her as he tried to shake her awake.

"SAM GO AND GET DAD." Ashley yelled, trying to keep her tears at bay herself; she didn't want to lost her friend. "no, you go." Sam yelled in reply, holding Rachel's hand now. "okay. Just try to wake her okay, sam?" Ashley asked, placing her hand on his shoulder as she got up.

Sam nodded his head as his sister took off towards the bridge, where she suspected her father was working. "DAD!" Ashely yelled, getting the same feeling as when her mother was dying, she didn't want Rachel to die either. "DAD!" she yelled again, seeing him walk at the end of the P-way she was walking down off. "Ashley, aren't you with your grandfather?" tom asked, confused as to why his daughter would be screaming at the top of her voice down the P-way.

"You have to come with me." Rachel said, taking his hand when she reached him and tugging on it, so he would follow her. "Ashley I have to work sweety." He said, looking down at his daughter, only noticed the tears in her eyes pooling now. "what's wrong?" he asked, worried that something had happened to his father or son as neither were around. "Rachel, we went to give her a drawing and she's lying on the ground, bleeding from her head." Ashley explained, holding up her hand still covered with Rachel's blood.

Panic set in tom's stomach, he'd been avoiding her for the last three weeks, not wanting to admit the growing feelings for her. He'd avoided her so much he hadn't even noticed something was wrong until now. He'd seen how tired she gotten over the last few week, but fought the feeling of wanting to check in on her.

"come on." He said, starting to run down the P-way, the words his daughter has spoken only sinking in now. He was aware that Ashley was trying to keep up with his quick pace as he made his way to the lab of Rachel.

When he finally got there and he heard his son crying, leaning over a form on the ground. "Rachel?" he whispered, not recognizing his own voice as he fell to his knees, ignoring the pain in his knees as he pushed her hair back and noticed that his hand was covered in her blood as well.

"Ashley, sam. You know where the infirmary is right?" tom asked, worriedness running through his veins as the women he had thought about for the last three weeks, had been ignoring for the last three weeks was lying unconsciously in front of him, bleeding from her head.

"yea." Ashely said, still keeping her emotions in check, she'd grown up way to soon than she should have' crossed tom's mind. "okay, I need you to go there and tell Doc Rios about what happened to Rachel, I'll bring her over there." Tom said, trying to stay as calm as possible, not wanting to worry his kids even more.

His kids turned around and ran off as he shook Rachel's body. "Rachel, sweetie, wake up." when she didn't wake up or reply he grew even more worried. His arms moving under her knees and neck he stood up with her in his arms.

"you're making a habit of this." He chuckled, hoping she'd wake up and give him shit about it, like she would have. but nothing happened as her head lulled to the side, he ran out of the lab as fast as he could and to the infirmary. Passing several of his man along the way, all of them shooting worried glances at him as he carried an unconscious woman through the ship, the worry only intensifying when they noticed who was in his arms and saw the blood on her cheek from where she had lain against the ground.

Word spread quickly throughout the ship that Rachel had been unconscious, bleeding and in the Captain's arms.

All sort of thoughts ran through the captain's mind is he carried the women he knew he loved by now was lying unconscious in his arms, he couldn't lose her to, not so soon, not after having lost Darien already.

He couldn't lose her not after being so stupid, he had been stupid and was kicking himself up the ass as he remembered how he'd treated her in the last few weeks, and for what, his father was right, this was a while new world they lived in, in a normal world, he would never have moved on from his wife of 15 years so fast. He'd never have another women, not after losing his dear Darien.

But times were different now. Everything had changed and surprisingly this women had crossed his path, what bothered him the most though was that his feelings for her had started even before he'd known his wife was death, so in his mind he'd cheated on his wife, he'd kissed Rachel on board the Vyereni

Ever since then his bubbling under the surface feelings were that, he just thought that he cared deeply for the scientist cause she was his mission but after that kiss he'd started realising that there might something more to it.

And now he was running through his ship worried like hell for this women, who he'd been ignoring for what. He couldn't think about the fact that he might never get the chance to tell her now. No she'd come back and be arguing with him as usual before he knew it.

Doc Rios met him halfway the P-way of the infirmary. "What happened?" he asked, looking at Rachel, who had become a friend of him now as well. Someone he respected more then anyone, maybe the captain.

"she was lying on the ground like that, the kids found her, I don't know, she's not responding." Tom babbled on as he laid her down on the bed in the infirmary. His kids sitting on the bed of the room in the infirmary. "guy, why don't you go and find grandpa, tell him what happened?" he suggested. "no, dad. We want to stay with Rachel." His son objected and he could see how scared both of them were.

They had already watched their mother die in front of their eyes, in the most painful death anyone could imagine. He didn't want them to see Rachel like this. "come on guys, I don't want your grandpa to hear it from the crew." He tried, hoping they would be bribed with that.

"okay." Ashley whispered getting up as he heard doc Rios working behind him. "come on Sam." She said, holding out her hand for her brother to take.

"no, I don't want Rachel to die to." He started crying. "hey bud." Tom crouched in front of his son. "Rachel won't die," he told him, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"you promise?" Sam asked his dead. "I promise." He just hoped he wouldn't have to break that promise.

"okay." Sam whispered softly, accepting Ashley's hand and walking out of the infirmary. He got up and walked to the bed where Rachel lay. "What's wrong with her?" Tom asked, the worry sounded evidently in his voice even to him.

And it definitely wasn't lost on doc Rios, he along with the entire crew had seen how his captain and the scientist were with each other, he was among the many, rooting for them to get together, not that they do that where the captain or Rachel would see it.

He had also seen how they had avoided one another for the last few weeks. But seeing the captain here in his infirmary. Worried about the woman lying on the bed, in the middle of the room, he was even more sure than ever that he loved the women.

But he also suspected that the captain hadn't acted on them cause of his wife that had died only a month ago. But this was a different world.

"she's dehydrated and beyond exhaustion, I'm going to put her on an IV and keep her here until she's awake, I fear I won't be able to keep her here longer." He ended with a chuckle, after all the entire crew knew how stubborn the women could be.

"she'll stay as long as you need her to stay" the captain said in a voice where his crew wouldn't have argued, but as Rachel always pointed she wasn't part of his Navy crew and he couldn't tell her what to do. Rios would make sure he was far out of reach for that argument.

"what about her head?" the captain asked, pushing her hair back as he looked at her with loving eyes. "she hit her head when she hit the floor, I'll stitch it up, I'm pretty sure she'll have a concussion but we won't know until she wakes up and I'd rather have her wake up soon, to make sure she doesn't have any brain bleed." Rios explaining, putting in the IV.

A knock on the door, stopped both men with what they were doing in Tom's case it was staring at Rachel as if she'd disappear if he'd take his eyes of her and Rios was putting the IV bag on the pole.

"come in." Rios said, the door opening a second later, mike walking in and by the sound of things, other people were standing in the P-way. "I heard that you carried her here, what happened?" Mike asked, coming to stand next to Tom, he had grown fond of the scientist. He knew Tom was denying his feelings for her, but that didn't take away he couldn't care about her, but more like a father would care for his daughter.

"she's dehydrated and exhausted, I don't think she's had much sleep in the last week." Rios replied. "will she be okay?" Mike asked, looking at Rios. "she should be. Probably a concussion from hitting her head on the floor, she'll need rest and fluids, but she'll be fine. We all know how stubborn she is." Rios, chuckled softly. "couldn't agree more." Mike agreed with a chuckle.

"nearly half of the crew is waiting outside in the P-way, worried for her. Can I tell them anything?" Mike asked, he understood why the crew was worried, but he also needed to make sure the ship was being operated and by the looks of it he would be taking over for his captain in the coming days.

"Yea, assure them she'll be fine and needs rest. Rachel will tell them more if she wants them to." Tom told his XO with a small smile.

After setting Rachel down in the below bunk bed, the Captain took a chair and sat down by her bedside, he'd already made the mistake of ignoring her for three weeks, he didn't want her to wake up alone also, he promised himself that when she woke up, he'd tell her why. He needed to apologize, he only hoped he would get the chance, that she'd give him a chance to apologize.

"Mike will you take the lead on the bridge?" Tom asked, looking up at Mike. "don't worry about it" Mike assured him, before leaving the door. Tom could here that he was telling the crew to go back to work and that Rachel would be fine.

Taking her hand in his he whispered softly. "don't make me break my promise to Ashley and Sam."

How could he have been so stupid, he'd hurt her without wanting to. Or maybe he did to try and keep her away. And now he'd pushed her to this, he'd barely seen her since his outburst. He knew from his kids that she had a lot of work and was busy in the lab, asking Beatrice to bring some food, but he doubted she ate much of it. she'd lost weight since he'd carried her in Baltimore.

He heard Rios slipping out of the room, so he was left alone with Rachel. God she could infuriate him, drive him up the walls with her stubbornness, always fighting him and arguing, it had become their thing.

But under the surface he cared about her, enjoyed the time he could spend with her and yes, might he say loved her. He still felt bad about the fact that he had fallen in love with her so soon after his wife had died, but in a way he'd been separate of her for a long time, since he'd left Norfolk to start this mission, he hadn't known about the real mission back then.

Telling himself that might him feel a slight bit better and as he now looked at Rachel the other women of his affection. He should have known after she had come to save him from the Russians that she had crawled under his skin and would crawl out of it again.

Back then he hadn't known yet that his wife would die, he still clinged to the hope of finding his family complete, along with his Darien. But that had not happened. The world had changed, was changed, all in the short time of year.

Who could imagine a year could change so much, but it had. They had to face the new world, hope that there still might some people on the mainland, good people.

Find a place where they could make port and continue their mission of distributing the cure.

But for now that vision seemed very bleak and impossible. A murmur from the bed brought him from his thoughts. "Rachel?" he whispered, getting up and crouching down next to the bed, running his hand over her head softly aware of the stitches

So that's the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think or if you have any ideas?