****** Thank you for all the kind and encouraging reviews! This is why I write and will continue to do so - I hope you continue to enjoy! ******
Steve's mind and body were exhausted and he slept quietly until about four thirty in the morning.
Danny woke to commotion coming from the other bed and he was at Steve's side in seconds.
The SEAL was obviously in the throes of a horrible nightmare. His legs were thrashing on the bed and he had kicked his covers to the floor. His hands were white as they clenched the bed sheets tightly. Danny turned on the bedside lamp and leaning over the bed he cautiously placed his hands onto Steve's arms.
"STEVE, STEVE WAKE UP BUDDY" his hands were instantly dampened and his grip on Steve was slippery as he was drenched in sweat. His hair was soaking wet and his bruised body glistened in the dimly lit room. "STEVE, STEVE…..COME ON BABE, OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ME"
Steve was mumbling incoherently and Danny caught several words, "bomb…move Freddy move…..oh God….bomb….sorry…. sorry…" Suddenly the SEAL'S eyes bolted open wide and he pushed up against Danny's grasp.
"HEY STEVE, LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME " His breathing was rapid and as Danny placed one hand on his chest and pushed him back onto the bed he felt his heart beating dangerously fast, "STEVE, it's Danny….you're safe buddy, it's just a dream. Relax and slow down your breathing babe….relax…relax"
"Dan…..nno…..oh God Danno"
"Ssshhhhhhh, relax, I've got you"
"Ohh ffuck Danno...I'm sso cold"
"Okay, lay still and don't move Steve" Danny released his grasp on his partner and he grabbed the blankets from the floor pulling them up over his body. Steve had pulled his knees up and he had turned onto his side in a fetal position. Tucking the blankets tightly around him, Danny said softly "Slow down your breathing partner, you've got to calm down for me now" Danny sat on the edge of the bed and he then reached for a bottle of water from the nearby nightstand. Opening it he said, "Here partner, take a drink"
He held the water to Steve's lips and he took a few sips, "M' good Danno...thanks"
Setting the water back onto the table he asked, "How's your pain...how's your belly?"
"M' ggood...I'm good"
"No pain?"
"I ddidn't say tthat"
Danny grinned, "No bullshit now Steve. How's your belly?"
"Honestly partner...I ddon't kknow...give mme a few minutes, 'k?"
Danny was concerned. Steve's eyes were closed and he clutched at his belly with one hand while Danny reached down and took hold of his other hand. Steve was the toughest man he had ever known and it was very disconcerting to see him in this much pain. He talked to him soothingly, "Calm down Steve, breathe slow…..nice and deep….in, out, in out…..that's it"
It took several minutes, but eventually his breathing eased and with his eyes still closed he spoke softly...
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"The CIA wasn't going to bring in any help for Billy. He was dying and I couldn't let that happen...I was arguing with the team leader when his cohorts arrived at the room with the scientist. We got lucky Danno, the scientist, Borya Nikoloff knew a surgeon and he gave us his name. I went to the hospital with Nikoloff, Chris and Omar. Nikoloff showed us his vehicle and we parked a few stalls from it. We weren't 100% certain that the government wasn't looking for Nikoloff so we couldn't allow him to call his friend...we just waited. As he walked past our van, Nikoloff pointed him out to us and Omar and I approached him. We held a gun to him and after he retrieved a medical kit from his trunk he entered the van with us. Omar was fluent in Russian and between him and Nikoloff they explained to Doctor Roschin what we needed him to do. We guaranteed him that we would not harm him and with Nikoloff's assurances, he believed us, but he was obviously nervous"
Steve paused and Danny asked, "Do you need some more water?"
"Yes...please"
After taking a drink, Steve pushed himself up to a sitting position and Danny inquired, "So Roschin was able to save Billy?"
"Yeah, but it was horrible Danny. I've held men in my arms as they died...but this..." He sighed deeply and continued, "I've never seen pain like this Danny. He had been beaten mainly on his head and face and those animals had sliced him up horribly. They tortured him...cutting layers of skin from his chest, abdomen and legs and also breaking his arm. He was still unconscious but he was moaning and crying out in pain. We had morphine available but because of the head injury we had been afraid to give him any. When we arrived, his cries of agony were echoing throughout the house. The Doctor's demeanor changed immediately and he asked me to bring him to Billy. We entered the room to find two agents holding him down while Freddy was whispering into his ear, trying to calm him. Roschin examined him quickly and then gave him an injection of Fentanyl and his body quickly relaxed. He wanted to take Billy to the hospital for x-rays but we couldn't risk that. He knew that he had bleeding on his brain and we needed to relieve the pressure. Both Freddy and I had been trained in tactical field care and we were prepared to assist him"
Steve ran a hand across his face and after several seconds he continued "Roschin first wanted to try exposing him to hypothermia"
Danny shook his head, "What do you mean, how can that help?"
"Lowering the temperature of the body and thus the brain could help relieve the swelling, but it's not a widely used treatment because it's so difficult to perform correctly. But really Danny it was the best option we had...and thank God it worked. We stripped him naked and after re-dressing his still bleeding wounds we submerged him into an ice bath. Even in his unconscious state it was very painful for him, and we took turns kneeling in the ice water straddling his body and holding him still"
Danny inquired, "Therapeutic Hypothermia is so dangerous, why didn't you try to cool him with IV saline?"
Steve replied, "Cooling Catheters are very effective but they can cause bleeding and infection and the fear was that it could cause more intracranial bleeding. Roschin monitored his body temperature carefully and once it dropped to 70 degrees we carried him back to the bed. We repeated this process four more times over the next twenty four hours and eventually his vitals stabilized and he woke. We couldn't let the Doctor leave until we were ready to leave though because as helpful as he was, we couldn't risk him going to the authorities. After four days, it was was safe for Billy to travel and using alias's provided by the CIA, we all flew back to the U.S. along with Nikoloff and his family. The CIA placed the family in witness protection and they also established a swiss bank account for Doctor Roschin. They sent Roschin an express letter with the banking information, notifying him of a deposit of 75,000.00 for his services"
Danny then asked, "So what happened when you got home?"
"It was hard on Billy Danny...really hard"
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Danny helped Steve to the bathroom and when he was done and back in bed he told Danny about the months after the mission and of Billy's struggle to maintain his sanity.
"Catherine loved him very much Danny and she took a leave of absence to tend to him"
Danny then said, "She told me a bit about the night he beat her"
Tears welled in Steve's eyes as he said softly, "That was my fault"
"How in the world can you blame yourself for that?"
"He was unstable and I knew that. I should have insisted that she not stay alone with him. I know how terrifying those nightmares can be and I should never have let her put herself in that position"
"You know that's crazy Steve. They were a couple…how could you have kept her from being with him? I'm sure she was right where she wanted to be and you can't blame yourself for that"
Steve nodded softly, "He beat her terribly Danny. He broke her jaw and blackened both her eyes…he just snapped"
"Well that's understandable with what he went through isn't it?"
"Yes…it happens. Once I woke him and told him what he had done, he was devastated. He didn't argue with me at all about getting psychiatric help"
Danny then asked, "But they couldn't work it out?"
Steve shook his head, "No…that mission...that mission was his last Danny. He was forced from the SEAL's and into an analyst position overseas. He battled the nightmares and constant headaches for months. He needed six surgeries for skin grafts and he became withdrawn and depressed. She really tried Danny but she was scared. It's obvious now that she never stopped loving him though"
"Yeah….."
Steve then asked, "What time is it?"
"About six o'clock"
"What time is our flight leaving tomorrow?"
"Ian is picking us up at nine in the morning, why?"
"I need to see Cath and Billy"
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"I have to Danno…."
Reaching over to the nightstand, Danny grabbed Steve's phone and handed it to him.
He dialed Catherine's cell and she answered promptly, "Steve?"
"Hi Cath, I'm sorry to call you so early"
"It's no problem at all, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay thanks. Cath, I'd like to see you and Billy before I leave tomorrow"
He heard her voice shake slightly as she said softly "You're leaving so soon?"
"Yes, early in the morning"
"Where are you?"
"The Hilton on Patek Road, room..."
He looked at Danny who replied, "Room 244"
"Room 244 Cath"
"We can be there at about eight, is that okay?"
"That's fine, see you then"
Hanging up the phone he handed it to Danny as he said "They'll be here in a couple of hours"
"Okay, do you want a bite to eat?"
"No, I need to get dressed"
Danny grinned, "Okay"
****** NEXT UP – Steve's conversation with Cath and Billy and the guys have a bumpy ride back to Oahu *******