Chapter Twenty-three

Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm an evil bastard. Love triangle. ~evil laughter~. Seriously though. Sometimes the people who are supposed to help you get through the tough times just don't have what it takes.

No...despite the tone of the ending of this chapter. It's not the end of the story ~evil laughter~ just picture a fifties radio announcer reading that.

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1245 hrs CST five days later

Harm was damned near exhaustion as he gazed over at Animal's bed where Maegyn O'Bannon was sitting and the opposite side of the bed where Meg was standing. Maegyn was not happy about Meg's presence nor was joy at the sight of her rival reciprocated on Meg's part as she elected to glare daggers at Maegyn when the other wasn't looking. Maegyn was having to do some serious soul-searching to figure out what she wanted in life, from what Harm could see, and it appeared that some of that soul-searching wasn't all too palatable on her part judging from the look on Maegyn's face.

Harm was tense and his body posture reflected it; shoulders forward, arms straight down; fists clenched. Dr. Winston had told him the brain wave monitor had not fluctuated and it was showing strong electrical signals. If they slowly withdrew the dosage of anesthetic keeping him in that medically induced coma, it was assumed that he would slowly respond given time. Dr. Winston had warned him that it might take the better part of a full seventy two hours for the patient to respond so to not worry or get one's hopes up for a quick recovery.

Meg just looked down at Animal wondering if it would be the last time she ever looked upon his face. She knew that it would be a long road for Captain Nakamura if he came out of the medically induced coma and survived forty-eight hours without incident.

Bud had gone to help the NCIS group with their data collection and dissemination of that info into a concise package to be used in court and Bud didn't want a loophole to hamper a conviction. His demeanour was that of a man on a mission, just the way Harm had taught him to dig for the truth. So in that regard Harm was Bud's mentor. Bud wanted to nail the person who shot Animal to the wall in court, but Harm knew for a fact that it wouldn't come down to court when it came time to deal with the perpetrator.

Dr. Winston moved to the machine that kept the drip of IV anesthetic going into Animal's veins, that kept him medically sedated in a coma. Dialing down the drip, he lessened the amount going into Animal's body. "We'll keep reducing the amount over the next twenty four hours down to zero and within seventy-two hours of that, we should see some response on his part. His body appears to be healing, and there is no sign of further damage, so we will continue to monitor him and hopefully he will respond."

Maegyn looked at her lover comatose in the bed and sighed heavily. Harm nodded to her and spoke. "There's nothing else that we can do until such time as he gives a response to the reduced dosage of anesthetic going into him. We need to get some lunch." He opined.

"Yeah, I guess so." Maegyn responded.

Harm looked over at Meg who seemed reluctant to leave Animal. "So what do you want?" he asked indicating that Meg needed to eat. Meg just looked at him in reply. "Just get me what's on the main menu at the cafeteria. I'm going to stay here with him." Maegyn raised an eyebrow at that, almost saying something, but Harm took her by the arm and led her away.

How often did she show up and care for him? Meg thought to herself as she looked over at Animal's comatose form. How often did Commander O'Bannon even show the slightest bit of regard for his well-being rather than just using him as an outlet for sating her own physical needs. Meg's emotions were in a turmoil as she reached for Animal's limp hand and took it in her own, pulling it close to her body and clinging to it. "I should have told you…how much I cared for you…" Meg said softly, her voice barely audible, "When we were on the Nimitz." She stated softly, hoping that he heard her admission; leaning into the hospital bed. "I need you to come back to me…Tosh…I'm not leaving you…" she whispered brokenly. "I'm not whole without you." She buried her face in the blankets, that smelled of Animal and wept.

It was to this tableau of grief that Harm returned about fifteen minutes later, a tray of food in his hands; the sight of his dear friend and former legal partner, Meg, face buried in the blankets, crying her eyes out, both her hands holding Animal's left hand to her chest.

"Meg…" he gently urged her, tapping her softly on the shoulder. "Meg…you have to eat."

Meg looked up at him with a tear-stained face. "Harm…" she said, her voice trembling, "I need him…I need him to wake up…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I know…it's going to take time. They're lowering it gradually so that they can wean him off. Otherwise, he's going to go into withdrawal: they're habit-forming if not used correctly. These are barbiturates…" he looked at the tag on the IV bag. "This is thiopental."

"That's the same drug they use in lethal injections." Meg said, her voice firming. "But they use it here to keep him under so that his body can heal?"

Harm reassured her with a casual touch of her arm. "It's carefully monitored so that he doesn't get an overdose. Meg."

Meg nodded, "I know, but everything has me on edge lately." Harm noticed that she hadn't let go of Animal's hand.

"I brought you some food. Maybe you can manage to get some food into you today?"

"I'll try, Harm." Meg said, her eyes looked wet still. "I'll try my best…"

"Promise me." Harm said intensely. "I don't need you in the hospital because you collapsed." He rested his hand on her shoulder firmly. "Please…eat the food."

"OK, Harm." Meg said letting go of Animal's hand long enough to take some food into her stomach, while Harm watched over the both of them. "I'll eat. For hospital food, it's not bad." She commented.

"Better than starvation." Harm replied. "I can get something nearby if you want something other than hospital food."

Meg looked up at him gratefully "Thanks, Harm. I don't know what I'd do without a good friend like you." Harm looked at her sadly; it cut him that she only considered him a good friend, but she was intent that Animal was her soul-mate and he wouldn't interfere. Besides he had Liandra who he cared about a lot. He sighed softly and silently wished Meg well; and hoped that Animal would wake up and find out who he really cared for.

Oakville Regional Hospital Cafeteria, Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1335 hrs CST

Maegyn looked at Lia as they sat in the cafeteria eating. "Is LCDR Austin always this emotional about her friends?" Maegyn asked.

Lia looked at Maegyn for a long moment gauging her sincerity. "Are you asking me why LCDR Austin is concerned about Captain Nakamura?" she paused for a long moment. "All I know is that Meg knew Captain Nakamura on the Nimitz when they were doing the investigation for Captain Nakamura's Medal of Honor and that they talked about things that they each wanted in life. But all I know is what Harm has deigned to tell me. Meg seems to be pretty closed off about certain things and Captain Nakamura is one of them." Lia returned back to her eating.

This didn't reassure Maegyn much as she ran her eyes across the cafeteria watching the people going to and fro from the refrigerated shelves loaded down with food to the cashier then to the tables. The bustle of activity just seemed to increase Maegyn's stress-load. She tried to concentrate on her food, but was only able to put down a few bites of the food that she had picked out from the hospital cafeteria selection. It wasn't very appetizing and the food seemed rather tasteless and dry, reheated from a frozen state and packaged up to make it seem palatable. Maegyn's worry was more along the lines of the fact that Lieutenant Commander Austin was sniffing around Animal and she wondered if there really wasn't more to LCDR Austin than what Lia was planning on telling her.

She had to wonder though that Harm wasn't as friendly as he was earlier. It seemed as if he was trying to protect Animal…from her, though she couldn't understand why. It wasn't as if she was out to harm Animal.

Lia looked over at the commander who seemed as though a lot of gear-turning in her head was going on. "My mother was a nurse, Commander. She worked in trauma, in the ER…before she transferred to cardiac post-operative care. She's seen a lot of code-blues, resuscitations and not all of them go well. You need to understand that not everything goes as planned and the resuscitations can sometimes go awry. Are you willing to cope with the fact that the Captain Nakamura that awakes from this coma could possibly not be the Captain Nakamura that you remember?" Lia infused as much compassion into her words as she could, but she had to lay the truth out on the line. "He may not regain what memories he lost, he may have a different personality altogether; one that might not mesh with yours." Lia said to her…matching her gaze, eye for eye. "The Captain Nakamura that comes out of the coma may not ever be able to fly again; and he will not take that well. You live for flying and Captain Nakamura did too. And he may never be able to reconcile the fact that he had the ability and lost it. You need to understand that. He may even reject you because you stand for all that he's lost."

Maegyn's mind was shouting No…it can't be. But she realized the blunt truth of the matter. If Animal couldn't fly again because of the extent of his injuries and the mental impairment that could result, he would push her away because he wouldn't be able to cope with the loss of freedom. "So, you're saying that it's better to walk away from him now?" she bit out.

"What you do is your decision, Commander, but I suggest you take a good long look at what damage it would potentially do to Captain Nakamura." Lia stared her straight in the face. "It's going to be a long hard road to recovery and as Harm probably said to you, it's going to require someone with the fortitude to stand with him all the way. So what you need to do, ma'am, is figure out whether you have that within yourself to go the distance with him. If not, then move out of the way so that someone else who does, can have him."

Maegyn recoiled like she was struck.

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1800 hrs CST 2 days later.

It seemed as though he was in a fog; the tight feeling in the chest, he could see a mist around him and he felt as though he was floating. He looked around to see nothing but the whitish grey mist floating around him. He felt if he breathed too hard, that he would propel himself away from the mist. It seemed a nothingness from which there was no exit. A tightness in his throat made it hard to breathe. And a misty dark form materialized beside him. He recoiled from the presence and another much lighter and much brighter presence materialized between him and the dark presence.

"I need you, Tosh…" A female voice interrupted the presences. "Come back to me, Tosh. I'm not whole without you…"

The voice seemed familiar but his brain seemed to be disconnected. He couldn't remember whose voice it was. It seemed like a mix of voices all resounding in his head.

Then the dark presence receded; almost recoiled from the sound of the voice and the lighter presence grew even stronger. "You have a choice to make…" the presence said. "You can choose to come with me, or you can go back to where you belong; to live out the rest of your life…"

"I have a choice?" he responded to the presence.

"You do, but the choice will involve difficulty should you choose to go back. Life will be hard, you will make some sacrifices but you will ultimately find the happiness you deserve." The light presence stated. "But if you do make the choice to come with me, you will find a peace eternal, but you will never be able to know the true happiness that waited for you should you have chosen the harder path. Take some time to think…and when you have made your decision; choose to fight for what you deserve." With that both presences were gone. But a voice still remained.

"I need you to come back to me…Tosh…I'm not leaving you… I need you to come back to me…Tosh…I'm not leaving you… I need you to come back to me…Tosh…I'm not leaving you…" it repeated. It was a tender voice; heartbreakingly poignant, one of loss and hope mixed into one.

"Have you made your decision?" the light presence asked. It had returned.

"I choose to go back…" he decided.

"A wise choice, my son…" and in that moment, the light presence took on the face of his long-dead father, embracing him. "Choose to fight, my son. Fight for what you deserve. Never give up…never give up…never give up…"

Animal felt as though he was choking and gagged violently. "DOCTOR!" A female voice shouted beside him, his head felt as though it was about to split. "his tube out before he chokes."

The on-call duty doctor rushed over and swiftly removed the tube…as Animal caught his breath and slumped back down on the bed… "…what…happened…" he croaked, barely audible, his throat burning, looking up to see a redhead standing beside his bed holding his hand. A redhead with blue eyes; she looked familiar…but he couldn't think, it felt as though there was a pressure in the back of his head. Another redhead, with green eyes rushed into the room. He peered at her with a look of indecision. "He's awake, Maegyn." The redhead with blue eyes said to the redhead with green eyes.

"Who…are…you?" Animal croaked. "…do…I…know…you…?" The redhead-green-eyes the redhead with the blue-eyes called Maegyn looked stricken.

"Animal…" she whispered, her voice breaking.

He looked blankly at her. His name was Tosh, not Animal. None of them was the voice that he remembered. The one that drew him out of his coma. The one who said that she needed him.

"There will be some memory loss." A man dressed in a white coat that went down past his waist said.

"Who…are…you?" Animal repeated, his voice barely audible, and he looked panicked.

"I'm your doctor, you were shot and went into a medically induced coma to heal." The doctor said , "I'm Doctor Winston."

"Don'need'doc…go 'way." He mumbled, his voice hoarse, his mind confused.

A tall man with dark hair stepped into the room. "Animal, you're awake." He looked puzzled as to Animal's confused expression. "It's me…Harm."

"Who are you?" he asked, confused. Everyone kept calling him Animal and he couldn't understand why and where was the voice who drew him back. She wasn't in this room. And he couldn't remember these people who said that they knew him.

Then he saw her, a tall blonde female with blue eyes. "You're awake…" she whispered softly, tears spilling from her eyes. The voice, who called him back. "Tosh…" she whispered again. "You came back…" The redhead with green eyes glared at the blonde and left the room quickly. The redhead with blue eyes left quickly after the redhead with green eyes. The one who called himself Harm said, "This woman is Meg." as he gestured to the blonde angelic vision.

Animal replied hoarsely. "Me-eg? Call you…Angel." He whispered.

Meg blushed and moved to his side. "I'm here, Tosh…" He startled suddenly as Meg reached for his hand, but settled down when Meg took his hand in both of hers and pulled it to her chest, right above her breasts in an intimate gesture. Harm looked away.

"We need to have an angiogram and a CT Scan of his brain."

"NO!" Animal vehemently said.

"Sweetheart…" Meg said soothingly. "You have to…we need to know how bad things are…so that we can make you feel better."

Animal shook his head.

"Please…for me…" Meg pleaded, holding his hand tightly. "Please…so that I know what to do to make you better."

"OK…but…don't…wanna." He mumbled reluctantly, almost like a three year old.

Harm said to the doctor. "How long do you think he's going to be like this?"

"That's hard to say…considering that there is bound to be some damage to his brain. "He may get back between 80% and 90% of his cognitive function back, but it's hard to tell without a CT-scan and whether some of this may be as a residual of the drugs that have put him under." Dr. Winston replied. "He suffered from Ischemic hypoxia, simply put, lack of oxygen to the brain, due to the internal bleed in his chest, so we need to have the CT Scan to see exactly how much damage he sustained from the lack of oxygenated blood."

Harm shook his head. This was bad and Meg had, willingly, stepped right into caring for Animal. It was going to be hard for her, but he and Lia would do everything they could to help Meg care for Animal.

"How about we let him rest." Dr. Winston said. "…and I can let you know what our options are, now that he is awake."

"No…go…" Animal panicking, clung to Meg like a burr.

"I'm not leaving." Meg declared to Dr. Winston. "He needs me."

"When can he be transferred to Bethesda?" Harm asked. "He needs to be closer to home, while we wrap up this investigation."

"I'm going with him." Meg declared. "Admiral Morris can give me leave to take care of him. I haven't used any of my accrued leave and I intend to use it with Tosh. If the admiral doesn't like it; I'll resign!"

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1835 hrs CST

Lia found Maegyn in one of the washrooms of the hospital looking at the mirror; tears flooding her face. "I guess you told me." She said bitterly as she turned around to look at Lia. "He doesn't even remember me."

Lia replied, trying not to sound heartless. "Commander, he lost oxygen for over three and a half minutes. Did you honestly believe that he would come out of that with no memory loss and unscathed?" She looked at Maegyn. "Understand that he will need a lot of care until he gets back his memory; what memory that can be recovered. And it will be a miracle if he even gets back to three quarters of what he was before this happened."

"It's hard to picture him like this; the way he was. He was alive and so...vibrant."

Lia stared at Maegyn. "He is still alive, he can talk and he's still capable of functioning; just that he needs help. The way he responded was a better sign than anything that he can recover. But to expect him to be at the same capacity that he was before the injury is asking for disappointment."

Maegyn was silent.

"If you can't get beyond what he was before this; then do yourself a favor and go back to flying; forget he even exists." Lia told her flatly. "He deserves someone who will stick by him; not fold when the chips are down. You need to decide whether you love him enough to stick by with him while he recovers or do the right thing and let go. It's your choice but in the end your choice will affect not only you but him." She turned and walked out of the bathroom.

Maegyn stood gazing into the mirror for a long time before she made her choice.

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1914 hrs CST

Harm looked up to see Liandra walking in. "Where's Maegyn?" He asked. "Did she go somewhere?"

"I had a chat with her." Lia said simply as she looked over at Meg resting her head on Animal's shoulder and smirked. Animal was sleeping again; a lot easier it seemed and the room was silent without the oxygen regulator going twenty four-seven. Meg and Animal seemed the intimate couple and Meg looked like the dutiful wife with an expression of at last; and an air of contentment on her face. Lia smirked as the thought went through her mind.

"Oh?" Harm asked questioningly.

"She left for Fallon". Lia stated matter of fact. "Probably didn't think she could cut it being nursemaid to Captain Nakamura. Lucky for him he found someone who would..." She said looking at the intimate tableau and grinned. "Think we should leave them be?"

"Probably..." Harm got up out of his seat as Meg opened her eyes. He assured Meg that they were going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. "Did you need anything?"

"Starbucks grande mocha latte?" Meg begged with a happier look on her face.

"OK." Harm grinned. "I'll see if I can pick you up something other than hospital food."

"Thanks, Harm." Meg replied.

When they left, Meg settled back in her chair, holding Animal's hand. "Please get better." She whispered.

Animal dozed restlessly as he fought his way back to consciousness again. Again Meg was there to calm him. "I'm not leaving." Meg said as she held his hand, bringing it up to her lips. "I want you strong and whole again. And I'm going to do everything possible to help you get there." Animal ceased his restless tossing and turning and settled down.

Meg asked Dr. Winston if she could stay with Captain Nakamura as he seemed to settle down with her being present. About an hour and a half later Meg looked up to see Harm re-enter the hospital room. Harm grinned as he brought a bag of food and some of her clothes from the hotel so that she could change over. Lia offered to hold Animal's hand to keep him calm while Meg went to take a quick shower so she could get into a fresh change of clothes. Coming back out of the bathroom in Animal's hospital room toweling her freshly washed hair, she leaned over the bed and dropped a kiss on Animal's lips. She heard a soft "angel" whispered from Animal's lips. She blushed as Lia looked up and grinned at her.

"You've got him wrapped around your finger, Meg." Lia teased.

"I do not..." Meg protested as she came around the end of the bed and retrieved Animal's hand from Lia.

"Sure..." Lia gave Meg a disbelieving smirk as she looked over at Animal lying on the bed, his hand clutched in Meg's hand, an innocent smile on his face. Animal looked like a little kid with his contented expression as he slept again.

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1000 hrs CST Four Days Later.

"So bored. I want to get out of here." Animal muttered to himself as he looked over at Meg who smiled indulgently at him. His brain injury appeared to be healing with remarkable efficiency even though he had memory lapses and sometimes appeared confused. The CT scan showed very few grey areas on Animal's brain and what appeared to be damaged appeared to be mapping new neural pathways to help create connections between information stored in each lobe of the brain.

"Dr. Winston and Dr. Winthrop both said that you should be able to be transferred to Bethesda via a MediFlight sometime in the next three days. You're still on IV so you can't take any solids until the doctors say you can..." Meg replied.

"I presume...they need to check...and make sure...my stomach...isn't perforated?" Animal said sourly; his voice was still hoarse from the breathing tube that had been removed. They hadn't had to use a tracheotomy but they'd had to put a endo-tracheal tube down his thoat into his lungs to help him breathe while in the coma.

"I think they fixed that. Sweetheart." Meg said coming over and kissing him again. "You're just going to have to be patient."

"If I'm any more patient..." Animal grumbled; his voice crackly and slow. "They might...mistake me for a tree...and plant me." He muttered caustically. "I just want out of here."

Meg enfolded her arm s around Animal. "I know, honey, I know." She soothed him.

She was going to ask Dr. Winston when he was going to do a stomach x-ray or whatever to find out if Tosh was well enough to start eating again. Animal was complaining about the dull ache in his arm from the IV needle. While he was getting sustenance from the IV, it was barely enough and he was losing weight. If they could remove the IV and get him back on solid food; at least then he could occupy his time trying to eat. And then Meg would have to deal with a whole new host of complaints from Animal about how disgusting hospital food was. Meg grinned in anticipation. It didn't matter. She would tackle those problems when they cropped up.

Footsteps outside his door caused Animal to look up. "D-doctor Winston?" He greeted the doctor slowly. Dr. Winston greeted him, a smile unfolding as he looked over Animal.

"You've progressed a long ways since you've been conscious. Your neural pathways are starting to reconstruct themselves and we feel that there is a better than eighty percent chance that you will regain ninety to ninety-five percent of your pre-accident abilities." Dr. Winston informed him.

Animal nodded slowly. "And the headaches;...will they...go away soon."

"Part of the reason you get these headaches is because there's construction going on in your head to put it simply. They're building new superhighways for the information to move around and while they're building you are going to get headaches. Best thing is to take some Tylenol and rest if your head starts to hurt. Is it hurting now?"

"A little bit...but nothing I...can't handle." Animal said, his speech slow and halting a bit. "Doc, when...can I start eating...solids?" Animal asked, his hands were still a bit shaky.

"Well i'm going to set up both a CT scan and a ultrasound to make sure that what lacerations there were are sufficiently healed enough that you can eat solid foods without fear of stomach rupture."

"Yeah...last thing...I need" Animal said slowly and laughed. Meg patted him on the shoulder.

"If every thing looks clear we can have you MediFlighted to Bethesda by Friday this week. Sound good?" Dr. Winston said cheerfully.

"What...about air-pressure...on h-human p-physiology?" He struggled to get the words out that he used to be able to pronounce relatively easily in the past. "Air-pressure...on human organs. Less air pressure on organs...as you rise...above...sea-level. I was a pilot." He managed to get out; he still had problems remembering words but the doctor knowing that it was better to be patient while Animal sought out the words and in turn helped rebuild his own linguistic knowledge. Meg did the same. And even though it was frustrating for him to stand and stammer while searching for the words it was better than learning how to speak all over again. "Air-pressure...fifteen thousand feet... Half of sea-level...organs expand...get bigger? No chance...of burst...if healing from...laceration?" He looked at Dr. Winston.

"You have a good point..." Dr. Winston replied. "Would an Ambulance work better? Will take longer too." And LCDR Austin will still be able to go with you."

"Might be...better than having...stomach rupture...at thirty-five...thousand feet..." Animal stated. "And it would be nice... to take a scenic... drive back to... Bethesda... with my angel." He looked at Meg who smiled tenderly back at him. He lay back in his bed and closed his eyes for a long moment.

"Well, I'll go set up the ultrasound and CT scan for you. An orderly will be by to take you to them."

"Can Meg come?" Animal asked almost eagerly. Meg laughed as Animal smiled at her. She thought Animal, if he had a tail like a puppy, he'd be wagging it. Dr. Winston agreed to Meg's presence while undergoing tests for Animal's comfort level. Animal grinned and lay back against his pillow; Meg's presence comforting him.

Meg knew Lia was helping Harm and Bud with dealing with the last bits of information from the stuff that NCIS had gathered. It was going to be explosive if the underhanded dealings of DSD were brought to light. A lot of people would be having criminal charges brought against them. Meg hoped Admiral Morris would assign someone else to the case because she preferred to take care of her Tosh and planned to do so while they were driving back on the transport ambulance to Bethesda.

Oakville Regional Hospital, Oakville, WI 1000 hrs CST Three Days Later.

"Well, Captain Nakamura, I believe we can discharge you pending transfer to another medical facility. The ambulance to take you to Bethesda will be here within the hour." Dr. Alan Winthrop smiled at Animal while Harm grinned at Meg who held Animal's hand.

"Thank you, Doc." Animal said as he slowly sat up and extended his hand. He still felt sore and the surgery stitches still pulled a little. From here on in, it would be both physical and speech/cognitive therapy to get him back to where he should be in terms of ability to accomplish daily tasks and be considered fit for duty.

"You will however be wheel-chaired out of the facility," Dr. Jonathan Winston admonished Animal with a hearty laugh and a shake of an extended index finger. "I know you are making great strides in your improvement, but we do not need you overextending your abilities and getting yourself re-admitted to hospital for yet another extended stay." Animal grinned sheepishly. We have prescribed painkillers and antibiotics that do not contraindicate those painkillers, Lieutenant Commander Austin. And the intervals at which he should take those antibiotics are listed on the instruction sheet. The antibiotics should be taken twice a day at mealtimes for the duration and generally recommended at mealtimes." Meg nodded at the doctor's recommendation.

With the investigation wrapped up, Harm and Lia would head back by airplane and update their respective COs on the situation. Admiral Morris had been concerned over Captain Nakamura's condition and had given Meg six weeks leave pending transport. He had told her via phone that she would be considered on investigative duties until the transport was approved from Oakville Hospital to Bethesda. That way she would not be utilizing any of her leave time accrued until Animal was placed in the ambulance.

"Hopefully, if we see you again, it can be under better circumstances." Dr. Winthrop quipped.

Animal laughed "I hope so...Doc."

"Now you can eat solids, but that doesn't mean you should attempt Eric's Patio Grill 18 oz. grilled medium rare steak with fifteen oz. of fries on the side and abuse your poor stomach. You've been acclimating to solids for two days now and mostly soft food like mashed potatoes and gravy and creamed corn. Maybe a small hamburger now and then to see how your stomach reacts first." Animal looked disappointed but the small grin lining his mouth indicated his amusement."

"Mocha Frappucino...Starbucks?" He asked.

"I'm sure that ought to be fine." Dr. Winston grinned patting Animal on the back. "Now, Meg, it will be up to you to keep him in check if he tries to eat a meal that's too heavy for him at the time."

Meg gave him a look of mock horror. "But Doc, you know that's going to be difficult. He's a mouth directly attached to a garburator for a stomach." She teased Animal considering how much Animal had wolfed down of the otherwise unpalatable hospital food. Evidently he'd been starving. Animal gave her a withering look but looked satisfied when she wrapped her arms around him. Lia laughed as Meg did this.

A hospital orderly came over to let the doctors know that the ambulance had arrived. Meg and Harm helped Animal get dressed and into a wheelchair.

"Thanks, Angel" there was some residual hoarseness from the endo-tracheal tube down the throat but they could hear him clearly. "Thanks, Harm." He was slowly starting to remember things but a lot of things remained fuzzy. As they gathered up luggage that would be shipped via Air Force C-17 to Andrews, Meg picked up her carry-bag that she would use during her trip in the ambulance with Animal. A paramedic would be with them in the back and Animal's suitcase would ride up front with the driver. There was minimal life-support equipment there but not enough to make things cramped. Animal's lung was the most pressing part of the injury so the drive would be at a pace that wouldn't stress Animal out and provoke another lung collapse. During the past two weeks the doctors had monitored his vitals and made sure that his re-inflated lung could withstand the journey.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Harm and Lia as they would be flying. Harm grinned at Animal giving him a brotherly hug as he said "don't freak me out like that again..."

"I'll try not to..." Animal replied.

Lia bent down in front of the wheelchair. "I was wrong. There is a lot more to you than the by-the-book military officer. If it wasn't you it could have been one of us. But...you went and did it without complaint." She hugged him. "Keep up the good fight, sir, I want to see you back on your feet." Lia turned to Meg and hugged her "Take care of him and I'll see you back at Bethesda when you two pull in."

Meg whispered, "Thanks, Lia" After a final hug from Harm, Meg turned to the paramedic and driver. "He's ready. Thank you."

"No problem, Lieutenant Commander."

Lia and Harm waited while Animal was transferred to a stretcher again, strapped in and fastened to the security restraints in the ambulance so that he wouldn't roll around in there. Then Meg entered the Ambulance to sit beside Animal. She waved at them as the doors closed. Then Lia and Harm headed to their rental car.

"They look happy together, don't they?" Lia pondered

"You did the right thing" harm responded wrapping his arms around her, looking into Lia's eyes intently. "Meg may look like a homecoming queen but she's got a lot of internal strength; and Animal's going to need to rely on that strength." Harm commented, his eyes taking on a far-off gaze. He sighed heavily. "Because...the road just gets tougher from hereon in. And knowing Animal, he's gonna have to work for every step he gets back." He paused. "Where I wasn't sure Maegyn could handle the mental and emotional strain; Meg's the right one to stand beside Animal every step of the way. She's Texas born and bred. She won't falter when the road gets tough."

"So you think I did the right thing?" Lia asked.

"I know you did..." Harm said as he looked over at Lia, his smile brightening his face. "And that's why I love you. You always do the right thing even when it's the tough thing to do." He leaned in and their lips touched. Lia gasped as she looked into Harm's eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, as they deepened their kiss.

A journey of two couples began that late morning; one in an ambulance heading towards Bethesda on a trip that would take many days; the other in a car heading to the airport to take flight. Each heading towards a future that seemed to be brighter than a few days ago.