The final chapter of this season - how does that make you feel?

Chapter Twelve -

"We're losing him!"

"Where did all this water come from? There shouldn't be this much fluid in the lungs!"

"His heart's working overtime to compensate. We need to get him stabilised before we can move him back to ICU."

"I need his name and next of kin; I'll inform them what's going on."

"Mike Flynn, and his next of kin is listed as Kelly Martin."

"Robert Dixon; he's got a concussion. Take him up to Radiology, and get him checked ove... wait!"

"He's seizing!"

"I don't understand how her heart is slowing down! A sailor in her condition should have an excellent heart!"

"Tox screen and blood tests came back."

"She's got what in her system?"

"Get her on dialysis; hopefully we can save Nikki Caetano's heart."

"Sir, I understand you're feeling okay, but I need to check your lungs. Your crewmates said you were underwater for a very long time, and I need to make sure there's no water in your lungs!"

"I'm fine dammit! I hate hospitals, I hate doctors, and I just want to find out what's going on with the rest of my crewmates!"

"You can sit here under observation on oxygen for the next twenty-four hours, and I'll get a nurse to go and check on your friends for you. Now Andy Thorpe, please sit down!"

"He's got a bleed in the skull!"

"Call Neurology; we need to drain this blood now!"

"Get someone to call Toby Jones's family, let them know what's going on."

"Shock him again!"

"Again!"

"His heart's slowing down at last. We need to watch him; there's a pre-existing heart condition. Someone inform Peter Tomasze..."

"He has no family."

"We'll look out for him then."

"Died of a gunshot wound to the heart; ripped his aorta open in seconds, and continued through the chest and out the back. It continued on into the female, where the bullet lodged itself in her heart. It appears that Lachlan Noble and Alexei Hunt both died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, killing them almost instantly."

"God, how many times did this woman get stabbed?"

"She's got four broken ribs, two cracked, a tension pneumothorax, and twelve stab wounds in total."

"I need two more units of blood transfused now! She's almost haemovolemic, and we need to get her fluids up now, otherwise she's past the point of no return."

"She's bleeding!"

"Crap! Where's it coming from now?"

"One of the stab wounds has nicked a lung. Repair it!"

"We're losing her!"

"Come on Kate, this is no way to die!"

Maxine looked at the files on her desk; a ship lost, half a crew in hospital, two crew dead, and a sinister plot for revenge. It read like a bad novel, and she sighed, resting her head on her hands.

"Hey Mum," came a quiet voice from the doorway.

"Ry. How are you?" She asked.

"I'm alive. There's no news yet," he answered in response to her unasked question. She nodded.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her carefully. She looked weary, bordering on exhausted, and Ryan couldn't remember the last time she'd even been home.

"I'm fine Ryan," she answered tiredly.

"You're not. Jess is coming over with Gabby and Logan, and we're going to cook dinner. Do you want a lift home?" Asked Ryan cautiously. Maxine glanced at the paperwork, then shoved it into her desk drawer.

"Sure. Thank you," she replied.

Admiral Daniels could wait until morning.

"How are you feeling Robert?" Asked Ellen softly.

"Tired," he whispered, his speech slightly slurred.

"That's to be expected. Would you like a sip of water?" She asked. He nodded, and felt a shaft of pain spear its way down his neck. He winced, and Ellen helped him upright and passed him a glass of water.

"Slowly," she gently chided. He took a few sips, then pushed it away.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked.

"You had a small bleed in your brain, and it caused you to have a seizure. You managed to clip your finger on a metal table, and broke two of them; they won't take long to heal. They did have to shave your head though," said Ellen. Robert's hands flew up to his head, feeling across his scalp as he realised he was bald. He started to laugh, and Ellen looked bewildered.

"Robert? Are you okay?" She asked nervously.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about how ridiculous I must look," he wheezed. Ellen grinned.

"I'm glad you're okay Robert."

Jono eased himself out of the chair as Nikki started to stir.

"Nik?" Her hand found its way out from under the blanket, and Jono clasped it in his.

"You're okay," he soothed. He smoothed her hair back, and she tried to speak.

"Don't try and speak; you've got a tracheostomy to help you breathe. The doctor has brought your heart back to a normal rhythm, and your lungs couldn't quite do things for themselves, so they gave you a tube to help," said Jono gently. Nikki nodded, feeling safer knowing Jono was there, and her eyes started to close. Jono kissed her on the forehead gently.

"I love you Nik."

"You're bald," said Melissa, giggling.

"Shut up," whined Toby.

"You love it, and you know it," she teased. He looked at Matthew, asleep on his mother's shoulder.

"I've missed him," said Toby sadly.

"You'll have another one to miss soon," said Melissa quietly.

"Really?" Asked Toby, a smile creeping across his face.

"I found out a week ago; I'm nearly four months along," said Melissa, happy that her husband was excited.

"Mel, that's so exciting!" He exclaimed. Melissa leaned forward and kissed Toby gently.

"Promise me you'll try and be around," she said softly.

"Babe, I'll leave the Navy for you if it means I can be there for you and my kids," he said seriously.

"You'd leave the Navy for me?" She said, disbelieving. Toby nodded.

"Mel, I love you. I would do anything for you."

Pete woke up to a small cry, and opened his eyes slowly. Bec was wandering around the room, soothing Sophia. Leo was stretched out on another seat, dozing gently.

"Hey," rasped Pete.

"You're awake," said Bec softly. She placed Sophia on Leo's chest, and crossed back to sit next to Pete.

"My chest is sore," complained Pete.

"It should be. You've died three times in the past twenty-four hours. You've got a small hole in your heart that they've repaired, but they're not recommending you return to the Navy unless it's desk work," said Bec quietly. Pete nodded.

"Guess I've got to find myself a new hobby then!"

"Dad, seriously, if you keep fighting them and taking the oxygen off, they'll restrain you," said Jamie, laughing as his father yet again ripped off the oxygen mask.

"I want to know what's going on!" Exclaimed Charge.

"I know, but you need to be well enough to go visiting. Charlie will be back soon, and maybe she will be able to give you an update," suggested Jamie, flipping through a magazine. Charlie fell into Charge's room, Dutchy behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. She was laughing, something that Charge hadn't heard for a while.

"What have you heard Charlie?" Asked Charge, sitting up in his bed.

"Nothing. Everyone's in intensive care except you Uncle Andy, and even with my kind of credentials, I can't get any information out. You'll have to wait," said Charlie, smiling at her Uncle. She winked at Jamie.

"You know!" Accused Charge.

"Of course I know! I'm not going to tell you though because I know you need to rest," said Charlie. Charge leaned back against his pillows.

"I suppose you're right," grumbled Charge. Dutchy kissed Charlie on the cheek, and she blushed.

"She's always right."

"Kate, please wake up," begged Alex. He held her hand tightly, his mind running over the words that the doctor had told him.

"She has twelve lacerations, one that nicked a lung, as well as four broken ribs and two cracked. Mr Taylor, she's in for a long recovery. One of her lungs collapsed on the way here, and we've given her two transfusions. She's asleep for now, and when she wakes up, we'll start weaning her off the morphine..."

Twelve. The bastard had stabbed her twelve times, all in the name of evening out the score. Alex kissed Kate's forehead gently, noting how pale she was; she had bruises where she'd been kicked, IV lines threaded everywhere, and a heart monitor that beeped monotonously.

"At least you're alive. You've got to fight to stay alive Kate, because I don't know what I'll do without you. You're my best friend; you were in the academy, and you are now. I can't lose you, and I know you can do this. You just need to wake up," pleaded Alex. He dropped his head on the bed, still holding Kate's hand tightly, and sobbed.

"A...A...lex..." She whispered.

"Kate? You're awake!" He exclaimed.

"Al...ex. I love... you," she whispered. He kissed her, and pressed the call button.

"I love you too."

Kelly sat in Mike's room; he had complications when they'd left the ship. His breathing had become heavy and laboured, his eyes had become frightened, and his heart had started to slow down, struggling to pump fluids through his body. Kelly had freaked out, thinking it was going to be the last time she would see her fiance again.

Now he was lying on a cold, stark hospital bed, wires and tubes coming from everywhere. He was in ICU, with complications from being submerged for so long. They'd fought long and hard to keep him alive, and now the rest was up to him in recovery.

She didn't want to speak; she felt strange talking to someone who couldn't talk back. Instead she sufficed with stroking his hand, or his hair, hoping and praying he'd come back the same man he'd always been. She stood up, needing to relieve herself, and headed out the doorway, looking for a bathroom. A man stood in front of her, blocking her way.

"Excuse me, can you tell..." She trailed off as she realised who was standing in front of her.

Her ex-husband Rick.

"I told you I wanted you back Kelly, and I'll get what I want." He clapped a hand around her mouth, and pulled a damp rag out of the other. He moved the rag up to her nose, and as she breathed in, she felt herself become heady and dizzy.

It was all too easy after that.

In ICU Bed 2, Mike Flynn opened his eyes.

There was no-one there for him.

And there my children, is the end of a season.

A whole, entire season.

Complete.

I honestly didn't expect it to get this far!

Thank you to everyone who favourited, who followed, and especially to those who have reviewed!

Now, the all important question: am I writing a seventh season?

The answer - perhaps. I've left it open enough to write one, but at the moment, I need to finish my Rescue Special Ops work before I even consider looking at Sea Patrol again.

Please PM me if you have any questions/queries/comments/virtual cookies - I answer 95% of the time!

Once again, thank you :)

~MissShawnaAlice~