Kayla handed one of the vials of antidote to a paramedic and told him to make sure it stayed with Shane. If he began to show symptoms of muscle paralysis or breathing difficulties, the paramedics were to give Shane another vial.

There was still so much they did not know about the toxin. She glanced back at Shane, who was talking with two EMTs crouched beside him.

Across the room, an EMT was checking Steve's vital signs. From the way Steve rolled his eyes when he caught her looking at him, she quickly got the sense that her husband was about to make the poor man's life a living hell.

"Lenny, let me do the talking," she said, quickly sliding between the EMT and Steve.

Steve looked at her, apparently amused. "Now, you're not about to lecture me about my bedside manner, are you? I'm the one who's the patient here."

"He's just trying to help," Kayla said, her tone light, despite her implicit admonishment.

"The only thing that will help is letting me get out of here so we can go to that school."

Kayla shook her head. "Wrong answer, Steve. You need to get that shoulder checked out." When he grimaced, she looked him in the eye. "I'm serious. I know you're worried; we all are. . . . But there's nothing we can do right now."

Steve grumbled for a minute, but didn't argue. "How's Shane?"

"He'll be okay," Kayla said. "The EMTs are going to keep an eye on him for another relapse, and I've got extra antidote in my pocket just in case we need more. . . . I'll turn it over to Carly when we get to the hospital."

Steve grinned. "Have I ever told you you're a genius, baby? They should have you running that hospital. Who cares that you're not a doctor?" He seemed to think a moment. "Or maybe you should be a doctor."

"I'm going to be busy enough as a nurse, thank you - and as a mother of two babies, if you hadn't forgotten," Kayla replied. "I think I've got enough on my plate."

"Just make sure you leave a little room on that plate for me," Steve said, He started to add a cheeky grin, but it dissolved into a sharp yelp as Lenny slid a brace around Steve's shoulder. He started to say something to the paramedic, but Kayla cut him off.

"I've got it," she told a Steve, whose eye had shut tight against the obvious pain. "He's just stabilizing it so we can move you."

Steve let out a gasping breath. "I can hold my damn arm to stabilize it," he growled.

"I see the patient is cooperating," Bo's voice chirped from over her shoulder. Kayla looked up to see Bo staring down at them with his arms crossed. "Steve always was a model patient. The doc on board our ship once offered me $50 bucks to push Steve over the rail if he got sick before the doc's transfer orders came in."

Steve clearly did not appreciate Bo's humor. "Har de har har, Beauregard." Steve gave Bo an even look. "Why don't you go do something useful? Like find out if the cops have heard anything about the school."

Could there be news already? Kayla had lost track of time. She looked at the clock, but that was no help because she had not checked a clock when they had first arrived at the refinery. "How long has it been?" she asked Steve in a low voice that could not completely hide her worry.

"Long enough," Steve said. "Roman should have gotten there by now."

Kayla looked back at Bo. "Could you?"

Bo nodded, his face showing some of the same concern that she knew was on her own. He turned and jogged out of the room.

Let the news be good, Kayla prayed. Seeming to read her mind, Steve reached out with his good hand, clasped her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kayla gave a small nod.

She turned her head at the sound of a small commotion on the other side of the room.

"I don't need to be bloody carried," Shane snapped. He had risen to his feet, though he was leaning against the wall of the plexiglass cage. Kayla tried not to think of what Lawrence had used that for.

Steve muttered. "Guess I'm not the only difficult patient at the moment."

There was no humor in Steve's voice though. They both knew Shane was focusing on the school and worrying if Andrew and Kim were all right.

Behind her, Kayla heard a hesitant voice. As if almost afraid to say anything, Lenny said, "Um . . . we're, um, ready to move. . . ."

"About time," Steve said. Kayla felt him let go of her hand before she could even turn her head. By the time she glanced at Steve, he was nearly to his feet. He grimaced as Lenny made sure the brace stayed in place. "It's not going anywhere," Steve grumbled, then he quickly forced a smile to his face and looked at Kayla as if to assure her that he was playing nice.

She took his good arm and steered him toward the exit. She glanced over her shoulder at Shane. He was walking with minimal help and seemed more steady than before.

"You okay back there, Donovan," Steve called.

Shane nodded. "Thanks to you - yet again."

"Yeah. . . well, we'll need to talk about how you didn't tell me about the antidote not working. You shouldn't have kept that from me. . . ."

Kayla squeezed Steve's arm. "Later, after we get you both checked out." She nearly shoved Steve through the door. They could argue later.

Lenny and another EMT led them down the corridor. She held onto Steve, though he could have easily walked on his own. Behind her, Shane followed, shadowed closely by two other EMTs. They had just entered the video room when Bo appeared at the top of the stairs.

"They got him!" he shouted. "They did it. They stopped the toxin."

Kayla felt her entire body sag into Steve's. "They did it," she breathed.

Behind her, she heard Shane gasp and then say a grateful, "Thank God."

It's finally over, Kayla thought. Lawrence was dead and everyone was safe. She felt her breath coming faster. "They did it," she said again. She looked up at Steve, whose eye was shining back at her. Now, almost half-crying and half-laughing, she repeated, "They really did it."

Steve wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her close. "Yeah, baby, they did. It's over. It's all over."