Despite himself, despite the fear and the anger and the pain, both physical and emotional, that was coursing through his body, Steve Keller laughed. Cupping his partner's face in both hands, he leaned forward till they were forehead to forehead, and for a few precious seconds the rest of the world disappeared.
Beside him, putting the flashlight down, Cox opened a canteen. "Here," he said, nudging Steve and gesturing with his chin towards Mike as he held the canteen out for the younger man to take. As he did, Cox called over his shoulder, "Can we get the bolt cutters over here?"
More aware of what was happening around him than Steve had been, Cox had seen the large tool lowered into the hold and knew one of the sailors was using it to cut the bound men free.
Ignoring the ache in his chest, Steve sat beside his partner, one hand on the back of his head to steady him, and raised the canteen. Closing his eyes, Mike started to drink, taking a couple of gulps before he began to cough. Steve lowered the canteen, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Easy, easy, we've got plenty," he said soothingly.
The sailor with the bolt cutter appeared. Cox lifted the flashlight and Steve put the canteen down, then got on his knees and carefully lifted Mike's hands to expose the chain of the cuffs. A link was severed with a loud snap.
When Steve worked the chain out of the thick rope that bound it to the ring, Mike's arms dropped onto his lap and he gasped. "What?" Steve asked, worried.
Mike caught his breath again. "I, ah, I can't feel my arms. They're numb…" He closed his eyes and held his breath, releasing it in another short gasp.
"Paresthesia," the sailor said from above them as he straightened up. "It's from his arms being elevated for so long; he's lost the feeling in them. It'll come back but it'll be painful, like really bad pins and needles." He glanced at Mike and even in the dark they could see his sympathetic smile. "It'll help if you rub his arms and hands."
As the sailor moved away, Steve and Cox looked at each other with matching impressed nods. "I can do this," Steve said, reaching for the blanket that Cox had set nearby. "Just give me a hand."
Mike was leaning against the wall with his eyes squeezed shut, his arms lying useless in his lap. He put up no resistance when Steve pulled him gently away from the wall, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders then, with Cox's assistance, slid in between his partner and the wall, pulling Mike back to lie against his chest.
As Cox moved away to help the others, Steve offered Mike more water, then pushed his right sleeve higher and began to rub his forearm. "Can you feel that?" he asked quietly. Against his chest he felt Mike's head shake.
"I hate pins and needles," he heard the older man mumble then jiggle slightly as he chuckled.
"So do I," Steve laughed gently, continuing to knead his friend's arm. He felt and heard Mike sigh as he leaned on him even more, and any pain he was feeling receded with the knowledge that their lives would soon be back to normal.
They sat that way in silence, Mike resting against him, eyes closed, Steve trying to massage the feeling back into the older man's forearms and hands. Around them the activity continued as orders and questions were shouted, responses confirmed, the other abductees released from their bonds and being attended to – a swirl of uplifting concern for humanity. Smiling with a warm pride, Steve briefly laid his cheek against the top of Mike's head, almost overwhelmed with the relief.
A couple of calm and quiet minutes later he felt his partner stiffen slightly and catch his breath. "Ah ah ah…" came the uncomfortable gasps. He leaned forward, his mouth near Mike's ear.
"The pins and needles?"
Mike nodded quickly. "Yeah," he gasped, catching his breath again. He began to work his fingers as the feeling started to come back. "Oh god, that hurts," he groaned lowly, trying not to call undue attention to himself.
Steve stopped rubbing Mike's left forearm as the older man breathed in sharp gasps, suppressing his moans of pain. Eventually his breaths lengthened and he began to relax. "Going away?"
Mike nodded, allowing himself to ease back into his partner's grasp, rotating his wrists as full feeling and range of motion returned to his arms and hands. He exhaled loudly and chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that's over."
"You want to try standing?" Steve asked and the older man nodded.
"Yeah, I wanna get outa here."
Steve scrambled to his feet first and Mike turned slowly to get on his hands and knees then, with the younger man's assistance, climbed to his feet, swaying slightly on the bobbing trawler.
Mike chuckled self-consciously, pulling the blanket around himself in the damp cold. "Gotta get my sea legs."
Steve looked around the hold. A few of the abductees had already made the unsteady climb to the deck, and Cox was helping a disheveled young man up the steep gangplank. Against the far wall, a grey blanket covered the body of the man who hadn't survived.
Swallowing heavily, Steve put his hand on his partners elbow and they moved across the hold to the plank. As Mike put his foot on the bottom to start up, Cox appeared at the top, taking a few steps down the wooden plank and extending a hand. "How ya doing, Lieutenant?" he asked with a grin and Mike looked up and smiled, reaching for Cox's hand, accepting the help.
"I'm okay, Bobby, thanks to you guys," he chuckled as he started slowly and carefully up the gangplank, Steve close behind him.
When they were safely up on deck, Mike looked around, eyebrows on the rise, a little surprised to see the large Coast Guard boat and hovercraft moored alongside. "We, ah, we brought out the big guns!" Steve said with a laugh.
"I can see that."
A tall uniformed man stepped towards them, extending his right hand. "Lieutenant Stone, I'm Commander Williams. Are we glad to see you!"
Mike grinned and shook his hand. "Not half as glad as I am to see you guys… especially him," he laughed, indicating Steve with his thumb as he looked over his shoulder at his young partner with pride. "The last time I saw him they were tossing him out of a bar and he didn't look so good."
"Well, I can guarantee you, Lieutenant, nothing was gonna stop him from coming with us to get you back, that's for sure," Williams chuckled, including the inspector in his warm smile.
Steve looked down as Mike stared at him, grinning, then turned back to the commander. "Ah, that's Mike, Commander, not Lieutenant, okay?"
"You got it, as long as you call me Brad." He took as step back as Mike nodded with a chuckle. "Let's get you onto my ACV over there," he indicated the hovercraft over his shoulder, "and back to the city so you can get checked out." He started to turn away but Mike held his ground.
"I'm okay, I don't need to be checked out. And I, ah, I'd rather stay with the rest of these fellas, Brad… we're kinda in this together, don't you think?" Mike was looking at his fellow abductees, some of whom were already on board the lifeboat, two of them sitting stone-faced on the deck of the trawler, huddled under the grey blankets.
"I understand how you feel, Mike," Williams said gently, stepping closer to the detective once more, "but you and your partner are the reason we were able to rescue these guys. And you've got information we need to shut this operation down altogether, and as soon as possible, so this doesn't happen again." He looked at the activity around them. "All these men are going to get the best care – we have ambulances standing by back at the station. You don't have to worry about any of them, okay?"
Steve had taken a step closer and was standing beside his partner. He laid a hand gently on Mike's back, patting him lightly, letting him know he agreed with everything the Commander had just said.
Mike dropped his head briefly and sighed. Then he raised his head and nodded. "Okay, you're right. Let's get these bastards."
"Good," Williams agreed with a sharp nod, starting for the ACV. Mike and Steve fell into step behind him.
Bobby Cox caught Steve's arm and the younger man turned. "You go on ahead. I'm gonna stay with the lifeboat and talk to any of the guys who are able, and willing, to talk to me, see what they can tell us. I'll reconnect with you in The City."
"Good idea," Steve agreed, catching up with Mike and, with Williams' assistance, helping the older man onto the AVC.
Safely in the cabin, Williams turned to the two detectives. He glanced at Steve and smiled before addressing Mike. "We're going to be heading back in a lot slower than we went out," he chuckled, "but you still might want to sit and brace yourselves against the wall. Even on a calm sea it gets bouncy."
"You can say that again," Steve mumbled as he helped his partner to sit, making sure the heavy blanket was wrapped around him. He tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to mask a wince as he got himself down onto the floor.
"You're not alright, are you?" Mike asked anxiously, watching him with a furrowed brow. "What's wrong?"
"I'm okay," Steve assured him, settling himself again the wall.
"Like hell you are. I can see the black eye now, and I know you have quite the cut under that bandage. What else is wrong?"
Steve looked away, knowing he was caught out and not wanting to lie. "He, ah, well, he cracked a couple of ribs…"
"What?" Mike almost yelled. "You have a couple of broken ribs?"
"Cracked, Mike, cracked, not broken. But I'm taped up, I'm okay."
"Cracked ribs are nothing to fool with, buddy boy. Especially not bouncing around on some boat out on the ocean. What were you thinking?"
Steve stared at him silently, forcing Mike to realize what he had just said. Flustered, the older man looked away, taking a deep breath, his eyes suddenly bright. He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his eyes, then looked back at his partner again. "I'm glad you're here," he said softly.
Steve grinned, patting Mike's knee. "I'm glad I am too."
# # # # #
The hovercraft was making its way slowly but surely back to port. Williams had been on the radio communicating with the captains of both lifeboats and the commander of the other ACV; they were all participating in getting the abductees and the trawler back to The City.
The entire operation was going to be kept on the QT; there were still arrests to be made and they wanted to make sure that the capture and detention of the trawler remained secret.
Hanging up the receiver, Williams was stepping closer to the helmsman when he glanced up at their two civilian passengers. Mike had somehow managed to fall asleep, sitting side by side with his partner, his head on Steve's shoulder.
The younger man glanced up, noticing the commander's bemused stare. He turned slightly to look at the top of his partner's head on his shoulder then looked back at the Coast Guard officer and smiled.
"Thank you," he mouthed.