Chapter 12
Kate still stands there with the paper in hand, as if she doesn't know what to do with it. But as Buddy speaks her name urgently, she snaps out of it and finally reads the contents of the paper. She looks up to the others in the room "I'll take this up to Nav. Let me know if his condition changes." With those words, Kate exits the wardroom and runs up to the bridge. She hands Nav the paper "Get us to these coordinates Nav. We need to get there fast." Nav nods and types the numbers into the navigation system.
Charge, who is on the bridge too, has heard what the X just said to Nav and shouts over to them "I'll give you all she's got, ma'am. We go top of the green." Thankful for her crewman's fast thinking, Kate just replies "Thanks Charge." Trying to concentrate on her job, she takes a seat in the CO's chair, while grabbing a pair of binoculars from the bulkhead in front of her. Nav looks up from the radar screen an seeing Kate's struggle, she suggests "Why don't you go down to the wardroom to be with the boss, X? I'll take the ship and as soon as we have reached the rendezvous point with the chopper; I'll let you know."
Turning to Nav and seeing her understanding smile, Kate thanks her and hops off the chair. She hands the binoculars to Nav and announces that she has the ship. As Kate exits the bridge, Charge and Nav exchange a knowing smile, before they return to their tasks at hand. Looking at her radar screen, Nav sees that they are only 15 minutes away from the meeting point with the chopper. Her thoughts turn to her boss, who is lying in the wardroom unconscious and fighting for his very life. Worried to no end, she wrings her hands and moments later quiet tears start to roll down her cheeks.
Right then 2Dads and Spider come up to the bridge. Spider makes his way over to the EOD, leaning agaist the support and crossing his arms in front of his chest. He too is worried for his boss. That man is like a dad to him and if he doesn't make it, Spider doesn't know how he'd feel.
2Dads goes to Charge, making quiet small-talk with him. As he hears a sniff, he looks over in Nav's direction. Seeing her hunched shoulders and hearing another sniff, he decides to go to her. Reaching her, 2Dads puts both his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "You know the boss, Nav. He is tough. He'll make it and in no time he'll be running around again, giving us orders." Despite the situation, Nav has to laugh a little.
Fivteen minutes later the patient transfer is over and done with and the chopper with their injured boss on board, makes it's way back to Cairns. All crew aboard the Hammersley watch after it as long as they can, hoping that their boss will come back to them. But for now they all return to their designated tasks aboard the boat, while sailing back to home port, trying to distract themselves from thinking too much about their CO.
Cairns, Barry General Hospital, 13:20 hrs:
After docking and closing down the ship and leaving a sceleton crew aboard for the watch, Kate, Nav and the rest of the Hammersley crew are sitting in the waiting area of the casualty ward, waiting on news about their captain. Dutchy and Charge remain standing, while the others take the hard plastic chairs. Some are sitting with their head in their hands, while others are wringing their hands, or going over and over through their hair. The X has taken to pacing nervously up and down in front of the crew. Only Charge and Dutchy seem to be able to hide their true emotions, standing their like rocks, watching over the others, mostly the junior sailors like Bird, 2Dads and Spider.
A few hours later an elderly man clad in green scrubs, walks out of the theatre doors. The crew all stand up at once, shocked at seeing all the blood on the doctor's clothing. He holds up a hand to silence them and says "I take it you are all here for Commander Flynn?" They nod in unison. The doctor goes on "We've had some complications during the surgery, but overcome them. All in all the surgery went well and Commander Flynn is now resting comfortably in a room in ICU. But to know if he'll ever has full use of his leg again, he has to wake up. Until then we don't know the full extent of the damage done."
Charge speaks up first after the doctor has ended his speech "Can we see him?" The doctor nods "But only one person at a time. He just got out of surgery and is therefore very vulnerable and weak. And don't expect him to talk. He is so full of sedatives and pain medication that he is mostly out of it." Thanking the doctor, Charge turns to the rest of the crew "You heard him guys and ladies. I say the X goes first, then Bird, then Spider and so on and so on. You okay with that?" The whole crew shouts "Yes Charge!"
Grateful that Charge has taken the lead, Kate bids them goodbye and walks over to the nurse's station to asks for Mike's roomnumber. Having gotten it, she makes her way over to the elevator to get to the right floor. To her surpise Bird and Ryan go with her. Ryan explains "I just got here. Mum told me what happened and I wanted to be there for Jess and for my dad." Nodding in understanding Kate presses the button for the fifth floor. The ride is done in silence. Everyone is deep in thought. The bing of the elevator brings them all back to the here and now and they exit. Bird and Ryan just follow Kate, as she knows where to go.
Reaching the nurse's station up there, Kate once more asks for his roomnumber. But as this is the ICU, the nurse asks them to first change into a pair of scrubs and to wash their hands. She shows them where they can change and leaves them to it. Minutes later Kate, Bird and Ryan exit the change room and walk over to the nurse, whose nametag reads Val. She bids them to follow her, as she uses a keycard to open the doors that lead to the ICU. Once inside Val leads them to a room on the far right. She stops at the door and says "Only one of you is allowed in with him. So you have to choose who goes first, alright?"
Kate nods and thanks Val for her help. The elderly woman just smiles and whispers to her "Go in and be with him, honey. He was calling for you in his sleep. He must really love you." At this Kate blushes and tries to hide it. But Val is old enough to know those things. She pulls Kate aside and goes on with a bright smile "You know, if I were twenty years younger, I'd try my luck with him. He is a real catch. So don't lose this gem. He seems to be one in a million, darlin'." Kate smiles back at Val "He sure is. And I have no intention of losing him. Not ever. I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
Val claps her heartily on the arm "That's the right way, honey. So just go in and sit with him. I'll take care of those two young ones and keep them on their toes, till you give them a chance to see him too, alright?" Once more, Kate thanks Val. But Val just holds up her hand "No need to thank me. This is my job." Turning to Bird and Ryan, she says "Alright you two young lovebirds, follow me and leave those two alone." With a slight smile on their faces, Bird and Ryan go with Val, who hooks her arms around them and pulls them along with her and out of the ICU.