They got to the beach and parked the RHIB. They worked for hours pulling survivors out of the water, back to land, assessing any injuries, and attending to as many of those as they could. It was slow work. They slogged through water, carrying people to the beach. If there were wounded that could stay unattended for a while, they did. But when the sun came up, they were only slightly better off than when they started rescuing survivors.

Flea sat around and for Tex that was going to be an issue. "Hey Cletus! Don't just sit there! Move your ass," He shouted to him.

Flea was an annoyance to him more than anything. Flea sat around, not helping, and generally making things harder. He thought it would not be long before he messed something up. But he needed to help. He had hands and he could dab wounds and wrap people up if nothing else. Anyway, he needed to do something and not just sit there waiting for jesus to take the wheel of his life.

Tex and Danny still had guns in their hands. They knew that they might have to use them at some point, a fact that Tex didn't love. These people were civilians and who knew what their minds would be like right now. Still he rushed for as many survivors while making sure it didn't get wet.

Tex got a blonde woman out of the water and was checking her out. She had superficial wounds. He smiled, "You'll breathe easy," Flea started looking at his phone and Tex took it out of his hand. Flea did not need to be looking at the stupid thing, "You take care of her," He said as he pointed to the blonde woman and walked away with the phone. It was band-aids and patting wounds. Flea could handle that.

On the phone was a video of a bald man talking about the release of "the deadly virus by your military and subsequent cover up" and Tex rolled his eyes. And then he made the flotilla burning the Navy's problem too. He cursed under his breath and looked around. Most people didn't have phones or they weren't looking at phones. He guessed that this was a miracle, but how much longer that would last he didn't know.

This, he knew this could kill their progress with these people, if more of them were aware. He showed it to Danny, who also paled a little at the language being engaged in the broadcast. This man had basically told the world that they were responsible for every tragedy since the virus broke out.

When it ended, Danny looked to Tex. "Put that in your pocket. We'll deal with it if we need to, but right now, we still have survivors," He said looking around the beach. Tex nodded and went to work on some of the people that had less severe injuries.

Back on the ship, Rachel was in the lab, working on her computer, making notes about the progress of the contagious cure, any symptoms and adverse reactions that she'd been having when Kara asked for a prenatal appointment. It sounded positively lovely.

Rachel asked her to provide some blood and urine samples, which she did, and she put those through the regular tests that she knew of for pregnancy. She wished she could do more for Kara, honestly, but they didn't have a whole lot of equipment that could be used in this situation.

"Any swelling?" Rachel asked as she looked the woman over.

Kara shook her head, "No, and thankfully baby has finally settled, I'm not getting sea sick anymore,"

"Good," Rachel said as she ran through the possible things that she could do. The computer chirped. Everything looked very normal in her urine and blood. Those were good things. It seemed like a relatively easy pregnancy.

Vitals. She forgot vitals. She took her weight, gave her a temperature check, oxidation and pulse check, and then finally she took her blood pressure. Blood pressure, she remembered, was the most vital statistic for pregnancy. It could mean the baby could be coming sooner than expected and with more complications.

Thankfully, Kara's was normal for a pregnant woman at the time of her pregnancy.

"I'm sorry to add to your workload right now," Kara said in a littler voice than Rachel was used to from the woman. "I could have gone to Doc Rios, but I don't know, something weird about getting a pregnancy checkup from the HMC."

She understood that Kara being here in her state was something of a rarity that wouldn't have normally happened, but she liked it. She liked being helpful. "It's a welcome distraction. Rest assured, everything's completely normal," She told Kara, "With you, anyway,"

Kara kept looking down and fiddling with her nails, sometimes flicking them, sometimes digging underneath them. "It's just, I want to be useful to the ship for as long as I can,"

"I understand the feeling," Rachel muttered under her breath, not looking at Kara.

This whole being barred from being anywhere useful other than the lab was a real fucking drag. Bacon brought her a meal last night, but that was so far the only meaningful contact that she'd had outside of this conversaton.

Kara looked distressed at the idea that she might have slightly insulted her. "Oh, god, I'm sorry," The girl started.

She just chuckled. It wasn't Kara's fault. "Not at all," She replied.

"Thank you," Kara said, and looked into her eyes. "For everything."

"Attention on Deck," That meant someone important was coming back here.

Kara raised from her chair when he came in and greeted him.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tom asked.

"No sir, I'm back on duty in five mintues," Kara told him.

Rachel looked uncomfortable behind them, trying not to look at them both. It was like they had gotten caught doing something wrong, when Kara came to a medical professional. There was nothing wrong with that. She was being responsible in fact.

"Very well," It was from Tom. Then Kara left. Going back to her position in the CIC as the TAO.

Which left Rachel with Captain Tom Chandler and not her friend Tom in the room. She was uncomfortable with the switch. It happened so quickly and over something she didn't even think should have been that big a deal.

"How ready are you to get your new version of the cure out into the world?"

"As I mentioned before," She stated, "As soon as we safely land in a highly populated area, anyone carrying the new, contagious version will be able to spread the cure via close contact. A handshake or a hug. If each of us carries the cure to just two people, who then pass it on to to two more people, we'll start a chain reaction that even Ramsey won't be able to stop,"

"You said that you injected yourself with the contagious cure, does that mean you've already spread it around the ship?" The Captain asked, intrigued by the whole thing.

"Unfortunately not," She told him. "People who were previously inoculated will need boosters,"

"We should start the process then,"

She shook her head. "The contagious period is only five to eight days, according to my models. And, with all due respect, I believe it'll be best to wait, until we're certain we'll be on land," She had the science. It wasn't like she was disrespecting him. But it felt odd being in this position where she had to disagree with him while they were still in this mental battle.

"Fine," He said and then he went to leave.

"Captain-" She said.

And she tried to find the words. But they wouldn't come to her. He waited and he seemed to understand that this was hard for her too, but he left without a word. She wished that she could make it better but it wasn't that easy.

After a couple of hours, more people showed up, ones that were bringing food and water and even some medical supplies and some qualified medics. Which was good, because they were patching wounds the best they could, but Tex was not qualified on this. He was a man with a gun usually, making sure people got from point A to point B, safe and sound. That had been what it was like for most of his jobs. Even here on the Nathan James, he didn't normally have to worry about taking care of people. His job was to find and secure or to be security.

Tex was looking at the signal detector, trying to make heads or tails of it, because it was active. She was making so much noise, but it didn't matter what direction it was coming from.

Flea, on the other hand, was coming from a certain direction and looking suspicious. Tex looked down and then back up at Flea. "You keep eyeballing my sidearm, I'm gonna poke your damn eyes out," He told him and to his credit, Flea went the other direction, scampering off, but not running.

"Other people are coming in from the New Orleans Flotilla," Miller explained, "They got water and food for the survivors,"

"Good," Tex said, "We could use the help,"

"Do you know if they've seen the video?" Danny asked.

"I don't think so, sir," Miller replied.

"I haven't picked up another broadcast, but the network is humming," Tex told the group. "Funny thing, signal doesn't change no matter which way I point it,"

Flea stared at him, "Telling you, the signal keeps moving depending on who's got the closest phone,"

"You got people in New Orleans?" Danny asked. "Any other immunes on your network?"

They had no idea what they were dealing with here and it could be a whole lot bigger than they wanted it to be. It could be a shit show coming at any moment.

"No, it's my first time outside of Florida," Flea said, looking around.

Tex didn't like the jumpiness Flea had. He was looking for something and it wasn't good. And the signal detector was chirping like a bird telling on its friend. "The signal's definitely stronger here," He said, looking at Flea.

"It ain't me," Flea said, calmly. Tex pulled it away from him and leaned toward the ocean where the signal was definitely getting stronger. The thing was chirping like it was fighting for its life. Like it had just seen a cat and was trying to flee. It didn't make any sense though.

Danny told the ship about it and they were to make a couple of stops that would help the ship track down where the signal was coming from. That didn't bother him at all. It was in fact, a little break from the work that he knew nothing about and into the work he was good at, Point A to Point B.

They did it for a while, before the Nathan James had her coordinates and they could go back to helping people. At least they had help, unlike before. Most people just needed a few moments to think and be fed and have a nice sip of water. They were in shock. Tex couldn't blame them. The explosions caught him by surprise and he was an operator who saw more than his fair share of fire and explosions.

Tex handed out some gauze to people with wounds that needed it and then taped them up. It was pretty easy for the most part now. It wasn't trying to get people to stop bleeding or even setting bones which they had to do for a couple of people and make them some makeshift slings. Danny put a hand on his back, "Do what you can, but we're being called back," He told him as he made off to help someone else.

"Roger that," Tex called out as he went on to the next patient.

It was pretty easy for the most part. Danny and Miller did most of the hard work. Flea and Tex were really just there to give out bandages and gauze. It wasn't much but it did the trick. The other people handed out food and water too.

A group of people were looking at cell phones, Flea was sitting on his ass, like normal. They had given him the cell phone back, only because they didn't need it. It wasn't playing messages.

"Thems the ones who blew up New Orleans, look at their boat," Flea was excitedly telling the group. That group had guns. And Tex knew. This was the shitstorm.

"Hey, heads up," He said to Danny as he walked towards the boat and Miller.

"Everybody just take a breath. We're here to help. Navy had nothing to do with the attack," Tex explained with his hands in the air.

He knew from experience this was the best way that they could talk the group down, but they didn't seem like they were really in the mood to be talked down. Dammit.

And Flea was running.

There was no use in trying to catch him. They had too many other problems right now. Flea had served his purpose and now he was going to be alone in New Orleans. Sure, he'd find some group and be a low level nobody, but that was fine. He had done what he needed for them.

"Let's just take it easy," Tex tried. Nothing was working with these guys. And at this point, he doubted anything really would.

"Let's get a move on," He told Danny. "Green, fire in the air if you have to. None of these idiots need to die today,"

And that's exactly what they did, because people were starting to get riled up and about to charge them. Miller was thankfully at the boat, and he was trying to get the gun up and ready so Tex and Danny could also get in, but it was taking a little time.

Danny threw a smoke bomb and they got as far away as possible, while Danny was relaying information to the ship. They were not in the best position.

As Tex got into the boat, someone with good aim fired a shot, and hit him.

"You okay?" Someone asked.

Tex wobbled as he sat down and put his gun towards the hostility. "I can't believe they shot me in the ass," He told them. Thankfully, at that point, everyone was in the RHIB and they could start getting back to the Nathan James.

They were quickly diverted to the oil rig. Danny said it would take them about five minutes to get there. With explosions, he hoped that everyone on that thing would be able to make it for just five minutes. Thankfully, the helicopter was also on their way. But still, he wanted to help his friends. Ravit and Burk were on that rig.

When they got to the rig, they were responsible for moving Walker's dead body back to the ship. He deserved better. Tex didn't really know the guy, but damn, this was just, it was brutal. And they couldn't even recover Lynn's body.

Tex could see the disappointment that gave Danny. Everyone was supposed to come back. They were supposed to have an at sea funeral or be shipped back to their families in anyway they could be.

Tex understood. When those jihadis had strung up his friend and he couldn't even get him down. It was the worst feeling in the world. He didn't even know how to describe it. The rage and the deep grief that boiled up within him. There had been so many that they hadn't been able to bring home. And it didn't make anything any easier.

When it was realized that they couldn't get Lynn's body, they made their way back to the Nathan James first. They would get there about the same time as the helo by going first. Danny was stoic while he drove, saying nothing to the team. There wasn't a whole lot they could say. What do you say when you can't say goodbye?

Rachel pushed people out of the way coming to the flight deck, where it was a cacophony of noise. Chung looked like he'd been through hell, Cruz was arguing with the Doc. There were so many sounds. She looked around, she didn't see Tex. Bad sign. Good sign? She wasn't sure.

Then he came through the door.

"Tex!" She shouted as she got a greater look at him, "Jesus, what happened?" She asked him.

"Shot in the ham,"

"It's just a shot in back side, I'll be fine," He said.

"Over here, over here," Miller was helping him out to a cot. That was much needed help.

Burk was shouting for Ravit, and she only hoped that it was because he loved her so much and not because she was hurt too bad. She had a soft spot for Ravit who took the piss out of Tex every time she got a chance too. It was pretty funny seeing them together, but it was so utterly platonic. They were friends.

She brought her attention back to Tex where she looked at the hole in his leg. "You all right?" She asked him. It seemed like a stupid question, because in reality, he was not alright but it was different than be alright.

"Yeah, went through and through," He said. And he was right enough about that. She cleaned the wound on both sides and wrapped it up, making sure to compress but not too hard. She didn't want it totally cutting off the flow of blood, just taking it away from the gunshot wound.

She perked up and and threw her hands over his shoulders and squeezed him tight. "God, you just know how to scare a woman don't you?" She asked him.

"Rig was a ball of fire, lucky anyone survived," He said, panting through it. She let him go when she saw Ravit and her heart sank. The woman looked like hell had not only done her over, but not been kind about it either.

The fight had caught up with him and now he was spent. Thankfully, in the med bay that was always crudely constructed after a fight like this, he could sit down and let it happen. Let his body take him where it needed to go.

"What are her injuries?" Rachel asked Wolf, who knew her better than anyone. He would know how she was doing, most likely of all of them.

"I don't know," His voice stuttered and clamored, "She's not responding,"

"Ravit," She said, "Ravit, can you hear me?"

All Ravit could do was breathe shakily to them. She wasn't saying anything yet. Maybe a symptom of shock. That could be dealt with. Her eyes weren't as active as they should be and Rachel knew that this was bad. Ravit was going to be a hard case.

"Start a line," Rachel told the corpsman, "We might need to intubate,"

She worked on Ravit, getting her stable, to the point where she was talking and she thought, okay, well, that was good. That was enough for now, till they could actually get her into the medical bay where there was more equipment and she was working with everyone shouting around her. That would be better. For now, all she needed was her friends around her. Milowsky would check on her condition when he had a chance and report back, to either her or Doc Rios, but she was good for now.

She took a breath as she wiped her brow and got up. She went to go get a sip of water before she went to look at some more patients.

"Dr. Scott! Dr. Scott!"

It was Garnett. Garnett was shouting her name. Rachel quickly turned around and looked. And there was Tom, in the middle of the room, collapsing to the ground.

She immediately leapt into action. Giving orders. "Put a pillow under his head," She quickly undid the vest and saw a cut in his uniform. She yanked the rip wide open and there was a big cut in his abdomen. "Looks like a shrapnel hit. He's bleeding internally," She told everyone, including Doc Rios who was giving others orders.

She got him sedated and on oxygen and did as much as she could there on the flight deck, but he would need actual surgery. It was going to be difficult for him. And he wasn't in the state of mind to give consent to anything, much less surgery in the state he was in.

When she looked over, Garnett and Mike were standing right there looking over him look worried parents. She guessed that they had been through a lot together and they were the closest thing to family each other had right now.

"He's stable," She told them. "I was able to remove some metal fragments, but I won't know if I've got them all until I do an ultrasound," She told them. This was just the standard stuff. They looked at each other and him though, and they worried. They worried he wouldn't make it. And that was a worry. Metal in the body, well, it wasn't always easy to get out. And there was always a worry about it.

"How long will he be out?" Mike asked.

And this is where she had to tell them the truth, that this was not going to be an easy ride. "It's hard to tell," She finally told them. It was so hard to deliver that news. He was a friend to her too. And Tex. And it would be touch and go for them too.

Mike, who had no compassion for Neils, let the rigidity of her punishment be more permeable. She was allowed to sit her with Tex for a few minutes and be around the hubbub, not a strictly allowed thing from the rules. As they sat there with their heads resting together, she thought how this ship had become home and family in so many ways. She didn't want to lose any of them.

Tom woke up several hours later and Rachel took the opportunity to change his dressing. As she ripped the tape of the dressing, he winced, "Yeah, that's the spot," He said, breathing through his teeth.

The man had been hit by several pieces of shrapnel and likely didn't even notice it, but he sure as hell noticed the tape being ripped away from his skin to change the dressing. She did her best not to chuckle outwardly, although, she did allow herself a small chuckle inside and she let her mouth twitch on the outside.

"Just trying to keep you from bleeding to death," She joked as she changed the gauze out for new pieces, as she packed the wound. "I do still know how to use my powers for good."

He just sighed. "Ravit?" He asked.

She cleared her throat, "Likely paralyzed, and looks like she lost a significant amount of hearing," Rachel told him. "She'll make it through. It'll be hard, but she'll make it,"

Instead of being happy about that fact, he simply beat his wrist against his forehead and thought about the ones that weren't. "I lost three sailors," He moaned. "Three more."

"Well, we thought you might have been the fourth," She told him.

He looked at her with real concern and she let down the small mask that she'd been hiding behind. "It was touch and go there for a while," She said in a quieter voice. "Still gonna need to operate and remove this souvenir I found behind your liver," She told him.

"That can wait,"

She pulled the stretch dressing above his regular dressing, "Actually, it can't," She informed him. "The shrapnel can move and cut you,"

"I'm not going under," He said and he was trying to move out of the bed, "Not now."

"Stubborn man,"

"Says the pot to the kettle," He said as he laid back down.

She went to clear away her things at that comment. He wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to think about it too much.

"Rachel," He said.

It was in that friend tone. It was not the crisp way he said it when he was Captain Tom Chandler. She looked over to him.

"Thank you,"