NIMR

Admiral Nelson waited patiently for Lee to arrive as he knew that he would be visiting Chip before he came on duty. He sat sipping his coffee and looked over the plans for the installation of the new radar system to Seaview. A knock at the door caught his attention.

"Come in"

Lee walked into the office whilst removing his cap.

"Good morning Lee. Good to see you. How is Mr Morton?"

"He is a damn sight better than a couple of days ago" Lee sighed.

"So I gather. I called Jamie earlier to get an update"

"I honestly thought we were going to lose him for a minute. When I got to the hospital yesterday…" Lee sighed. "I can't even think about it"

"It must have been difficult to watch. He is in the best place now. How is Lynsey?"

"She is shaken but keeping it together for Chip." Lee said as he poured himself some coffee and took a seat.

"She a strong girl and a very good match for him. I'm sure he will come through this just fine" The Admiral tried to reassure the young Captain. He had been through quite an ordeal himself in the last few days.

"I know. Doc assures me he should be fit in around six weeks" Lee responded

"Just in time for the test run" The Admiral could not contain his excitement with his new project. He felt the timing was not perfect with recent events but he couldn't change that now.

"That fast? That is good news. I wasn't expecting the new radar to be installed for at least three months" Lee said

"The deadline is tight - especially now with Chip on Sick Leave" The Admiral replied

"I know. We will have to manage" Lee sighed. He wasn't counting on having to do this without Chip when this project started three months ago.

Both men knew that not having Chip around would mean extra work and many long hours. They got started with splitting the list of tasks and went to work.

Medbay - 2PM

Chip had slept for most of the day in between the x ray and tests Jamie had been running. It was now time for him to try walking again and he wasn't going to lie; he was dreading it. He couldn't believe the energy it took out of him and how difficult it was to do a little walking.

As like yesterday Jamie stood by him and Lynsey took Lee's place. He was still a bit dizzy and nauseous but he managed to get up and walked to the elevator and back. He felt quite proud of himself. When he settled back into bed he looked over at Lynsey and he could see she was exhausted.

"You need to go home sweetie" Chip suddenly announced in the quite room

"Want to get rid of me?" She asked him jokingly.

"Never…but you need a break Lyns. A proper one" Chip was concerned for his wife and was trying his best to get her to take time away from medbay. He didn't want her to leave but it was for her own good.

"I'm fine" She protested

"Lynsey….go home. At least for a few hours. You can drop by later" He said taking her hand in his.

Lynsey thought about it. She hadn't been home to her own bed in what felt like days nor something enjoyed something other than cafeteria crackers either.

"What if I went home then came back with something nice for you to eat later?"

"Sounds like a plan to me" He smiled

"Ok. Lee said he would drop by after work so I should be back by then" She reassured him

She put on her jacket and reached for her purse before stopping at Chips bed. Something was stopping her from leaving "I'm not sure about this Chip..."

"Lynsey…I am in a hospital bed and I can't walk without help. There are an excellent team of Docs and nurses here to help should I need it" Chip tried to reassure her.

She walked over and kissed him on the lips whilst gently touching his soft skin.

"No nurse as good as me though right?" She asked softly

"Not within a mile" He replied

Reassured by Chips arguments she kissed him one final time and left.

Captain Crane Office

It had been a busy day at the institute. The Admiral and Lee had made a start to plan the test mission and assigned various crew members to different task forces. This was on top of the work they had already on their desk.

Lee was making a start on what he had decided as his last task of the day when Janet came into his office. Janet was Chips secretary who had been busy splitting Chips work into bundles for the Admiral and Lee to take care of.

"I'm so sorry Lee but these files had been assigned to Mr Morton and need to be completed by Monday for the budget committee" Janet said as she handed Lee the files.

"Sorry Janet. I did mean to stop by Chips office and collect them. I'll get them to you for Monday" he said looking for a space to put the files.

"Thank you Sir. There is quite a bit of work here to keep you going." Janet said looking round the paper piles on the Captain's desk. " If there is anything I can do to help just let me know"

"Thank you Janet. I may take you up on that offer by the end of his sick leave and please call me Lee"

Janet gave him a small smile before leaving to go back to her station. Lee looked to see if he had a desk underneath the mountains of paperwork that was before him. He gave up and continued back with what he was doing. An hour later he had decided that he had had enough for the day so he switched off the light and headed to Medbay to visit Chip before heading home.