Chapter Twenty-five

National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital), Bethesda, MD, 0845 hrs

The sunlight shining through the windows of the private hospital room that Animal was resting in, was just bright enough and intrusive enough to stir from sleep a curled up Meg Austin, in a what could not be comfortable hospital chair, who looked up blearily to see Animal looking at her with a soft smile. Stretching to get the kinks out of her shoulders and neck, she looked up to see the clock rounding nine. That woke her up just as Animal looked up to see RADM Stiles Morris come through the doors.

Animal said, "Good morning, sir." as Meg stood up at attention.

"Good morning, Captain Nakamura. Lieutenant Commander, no need to get up on my account, I'm just visiting to see how the Captain is faring."

"Better than I was…sir." Animal said. "Long way to go…though."

Morris nodded. Even though he was a staff officer, he'd seen the legal aftermath of shootings due to the fact that damages were often sued for. The trauma from the shootings often overshadowed the rehabilitation process and it was very rare for someone shot to be one hundred percent afterwards. "Commander, I've given you three weeks of leave to help care for Captain Nakamura. Let me know if you need any more."

"Thank you, sir." Meg was genuinely grateful for the generous leave-time. She knew that she was new to the office and such magnanimous gestures by the CO were rare to those who had just reported in.

"Wishing you a speedy recovery, Captain. The doctors are going to do what they can. I've talked to them and they are readying the course of treatment and rehabilitation. I'd have to say though that it is going to be a long, tough road." The admiral said as he turned to leave. "Now, I have to return to my office before things get out of hand."

"Thank you, sir." Animal replied, a little shocked that the JAG would come to visit him and rather dismayed at the revelation of the doctor's assessment of his condition. RADM Morris grinned, nodded his head in salutation and left. Meg was equally shocked as she was just expecting an acknowledging phone call and not the physical visit to Animal's hospital room. She looked at Animal in bewilderment as they both gazed at each other, grateful for the fact that they had each other to lean on…at least Meg would after Animal recovered. Meg held out hope that he would recover fully, but she knew that he had a long road ahead. There were therapies for brain injury, but unfortunately, these were still in the experimental stages and the efficacies of such treatment were hard to quantify.

"Are you alright?" Meg noticed that Animal was looking a bit down.

"I don't know…" he started to say, then paused for a long moment. "So much to do…don't know where to start…" He looked up with pleading eyes. "I just want to go home." He looked as though he was going to retreat into himself.

"I know, sweetheart." Meg replied as she reached for his hands. "But the doctors will guide you and I'll be there every step of the way."

Animal looked at her "Thanks…Meg." He said with gratitude. "I don't think…I could do…it without you." He replied. He looked towards the open window and gazed at the puffy white clouds floating in the blue sky. His heart was still broken watching those clouds wishing that he could be flying his beloved fast jets, but deep down inside, he wondered if the brain injury that he had suffered would even let him fly his little Piper Cherokee ever again. If he couldn't fly again, then why the hell was he still alive? Silently cursing the brain injury that he'd sustained; he slumped down in his bed and looked up at the ceiling. But then turning his head to Meg, he knew that he couldn't face her if he didn't give it all that he could to recuperate from being shot. Meg deserved his best. And he knew that he needed to do everything to give her the mate that she needed. After all her support, he couldn't very well give up on life. She wasn't going to give up on him so he needed to take the same mindset. And deep down he resolved that he would do everything that he could to make it back. Whether he flew or not was going to be unimportant. Whatever career he could salvage from the shambles of his brain, he would fight to get back.

Meg must have sensed Animal's deep internal struggle because she looked over at Animal with a concerned look on her face and she moved closer to him. She wanted to let Animal know that she was going to be right there with him every single step of the way.

"And what do you want out of life? Sir?" Meg had asked long ago in a bar outside of Yokosuka Naval Station in 1996.

"I guess…"there was a long pause and another couple of drinks before he had answered, his tone wistful which struck a chord in Meg, feeling deep down the desire to take away his melancholy. "I want the white picket fence, the house, the wife, the two kids and dog and…" He paused and chuckled cracking a joke that he figured was wry. "the half a cat…ok…an intact cat."

Meg replied. "I think everyone wants that, sir." Her tone was also wistful; her heart knowing that she with a burgeoning career in the United States Navy was far from that. But she could hope and with a full heart, she did dream a daydream about what it would be like to be married to a wonderful man with the two kids, a dog and a cat.

The O4 Meg Austin was a bit older and a lot wiser than the former lieutenant JG who had asked the then Commander Nakamura that question, but she still felt the same pull towards the now Navy Captain who was lying injured in the hospital bed wondering if his life would ever be the same again. She understood him.

When he had said to her "But really, Lieutenant, all I really want is someone who understands me, who I am, as a person, not someone who just thinks of me as a guy with a sword in one hand, flight helmet in the other, and chest festooned with medals shouting. 'Follow me, men! Glory or bust.'. Inside, I'm not that guy…" he had meant every single word of what he'd said. He wasn't a glory-hound, he was just an ordinary guy trying to understand the situation that he'd been thrust into.

Harm had managed to become extremely jealous at the attention that Meg was paying Animal during the course of the Medal of Honor investigation and snarkingly replied as he had given her a sceptical glance "You know the allure of dress whites and gold wings." He gave her that big grin of his, that worked so well on other females. It didn't work as well anymore.

And she had responded to that jab with one of her own. "I'm sorry, sir…" she smirked back at him. "I've never seen him in dress whites and gold wings." She had said, an innocent tone in her voice as she had demurely blinked at him. She had turned to go back to Animal's side and turning slightly to look at Harm; had shot back with a retort of her own that successfully deflated Harm's ego. "but he fills out that set of khakis really well…and that blue ribbon with the white stars: rounds out that physique so nicely." *KABOOM*. Deep down, Meg would bet money that Harm had been absolutely jealous of Animal. As she looked at Animal resting, his head on the pillow, she reached out to caress his hand, which he upturned the palm and grasped her own hand, softly squeezing to show her his love for her. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Animal looked up at her with a wondering look on his face, gazing into her eyes with a questioning look.

"A penny…for your thoughts." He said slowly.

"Nothing much…just thinking about a few things in the past. What I should have said to you back then…" Meg replied as she gazed back at him, an enigmatic smile on her face.

"…and now?" Animal asked quietly hoping that things hadn't changed with his physical helplessness.

"…just…that…" she paused for a long minute to extend her other hand to take his other hand; leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips. "…I love you, always…Tosh."

His eyes softened noticeably when she used his given name. Animal had by now recalled that he was referred to as Animal because of the fact that he had used to fly F-14 Tomcats in the Navy. Animal was his call-sign although he wasn't still sure how he got it, but that was a memory that would come back eventually as his neural pathways reconstructed themselves. Hopefully the brain injury wasn't too severe to repair itself. Animal hoped so as he would like to still be able to function without needing outside help, though he knew that Meg would do whatever she could to give him a hand. But he needed independence, instead of lying in a hospital bed being helped to shower, shave and wipe his own butt when he had to excrete. In fact he had to go right now… He tried to heave himself out of the bed. "Hon…" he said, a pleading tone in his voice. "I think…I have to go…"

Meg got out of her chair and helped him to the toilet…then gave him privacy while he was in there. When it sounded as if he was finished, she helped him clean off when it seemed as though the stitches in his shoulder prevented him from being able to do so; washed her own hands thoroughly to keep from spreading bacteria and then helped him back to the bed, his gait slow...and painful as the stitches on his gunshot wound pulled slightly. He winced and Meg asked him if he was alright. Animal nodded and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, sighing in relief. Just that exercise in elimination made him realize just how far he had to go to get back to where he had been originally. He had taken for granted just how much he had been able to do for himself and he wondered if he was ever going to be able to do the things he used to be able to do.

His hitching breath conveyed to Meg, Animal's mood, his somber expression the hint of wetness and hopelessness in his eyes. Meg gathered him to her, holding him in her arms and whispered, "I'm not going to let you fall. I won't let you fall…"

JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1300hrs

"Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie reporting for duty, sir." The silver oak leaves on Mac's service charlies were shiny new as RADM Morris stared at Mac.

"Quite a return, Lieutenant Colonel." Morris replied, his countenance not betraying a single hint as to his perception of her and Mac was certain that he wasn't pleased. The orders had come from over his head, presumably from the office of the SECNAV. "Under the circumstances of your TDY posting to DC, you will be serving as the Chief of Staff until such time as we can get this matter straightened out as per briefed by your CO back in RLSO South West." Mac knew that Morris would have preferred to get his own regime into place, but the simple fact that the Secretary of the Navy had overruled that pleased Mac immensely. It was a comfortable position and she had slipped into back into it.

"Yes, sir." Mac replied, also keeping her personal thoughts private as she figured that she would have plenty of time to get an ide of the lay of the land. And in any case she figured that she outranked that now red-headed bimbo of Harm's. Frankly, Mac thought, she'd be really amused to see Liandra's face when she stepped into the office.

"I hope that you will be able to return to your duties at RLSO Southwest as soon as possible." Morris' tone made it sound as though he was certainly going to ensure that Mac's stay at JAG HQ was as short as possible.

"Yes, sir." Mac replied, stiffening to a brace knowing that was a dismissal.

"Tiner?" The admiral hit the intercom on the phone. "Please make sure that Commander Gracen sees me about the Pettigrew case? Thank you. Tell her to see me in my office to hand the case over to Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie." Mac swore that the admiral had a smirk on his face.

It was not more than five minutes before a knock at the door caused RADM Morris to usher the familiar petite naval officer into the room, and Mac's enmity towards the shorter naval officer grew as she saw silver oak leaves on Lia's naval khakis.

"Good to see you, Colonel Mackenzie." Lia's eyes betrayed not a hint of surprise at Mac's change in rank while Mac's jaw hung open and that raised Mac's ire even further. Lia handed her the folder for the Pettigrew case and updated her calmly and professionally on the case.

"Good luck in judiciary. Commander Gracen." RADM Morris stated firmly to CDR Gracen who nodded to LCOL Mackenzie.

Lia acknowledged respect for RADM Morris with a "Thank you, sir." and was dismissed. Executing a crisp about-face, she nodded to Mac and left.

Mac wasn't sure exactly how to deal with the fact that her nemesis was still of equal rank to her.

"I see you were promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. When?" the RADM asked, frowning at her.

"Yesterday, sir." Mac said, looking towards the door.

"She still outranks you." RADM Morris replied. "She was promoted the day before yesterday...and she will also be trying the Pettigrew case; as the judge presiding." He paused, "Dismissed."

Mac, her mental state still in disarray, barely managed to get herself back together to snap to attention and flee from the office. The military was achievement oriented; and the Marines even more so. Mac was highly competitive and the military structure enforced that will to succeed. But her enmity towards Lia was based on the fact that she thought that Harm was hers. What right did that little auburn haired mouse have; to take Harm from her? She couldn't let that situation go.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie? You're back?" She turned around when she heard Lieutenant JG Bud Robert's voice beside her.

"Yes, I am, Bud. Could you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Bud responded, about as eagerly as a golden retriever puppy.

"Find me an office."

"Yes, ma'am."

Office of the Naval Inspector General, Pentagon Detachment, 1425hrs

Concentrating on anything while Animal was in the hospital was near impossible. Vice Admiral Bennett had placed a temporary captain in the NAVINSGEN office until such time as Animal was able to resume his duties. And already the vice-admiral was making changes on how dangerous investigations were to be carried out. VADM Bennett was not pleased that the investigation had resulted in getting Captain Nakamura shot. He was also planning on recommending that attempted charges in addition to the capital conspiracy charges be laid if the person who had shot the captain was captured. Harm was beginning to receive a pounding headache. He would have to consult with the RADM Morris and while the two-starred Judge Advocate General certainly carried a lot of weight; the outraged screaming from a three-star would certainly carry more weight.

"What the fucking hell were you two yahoos doing?" the vice-admiral had stood him up behind his desk and was bellowing at him from less than a foot away. "You went into a black project base to conduct an investigation and then proceeded to play Crockett and Tubbs? Are you two fucking insane? If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you two shared a single brain cell between the two of you and that particular brain cell was developmentally challenged!" Harm would have sworn that the windows were flexing every time that the vice-admiral had let out another outraged bellow. He'd never seen that done with the human voice before. "Black projects…are investigated accompanied by a highly armed security detachment of the United States Marines! Secondly, you secure the entire base. Otherwise you end up with an incident such as a highly decorated officer of the United States Navy getting himself shot in the process!"

The only thing that Harm could do was stand at the position of attention, stare at a point somewhere about eye-level wall-opposite and hope that his "Yes, sir!" responses were good enough to warrant him not getting lined up against the wall and shot himself. It appeared as though the admiral was not so much furious at the investigation going awry than at the fact that he was concerned about Captain Nakamura's health.

When the vice-admiral's tirade was finished and he had stomped out of the office with a slammed door and a reverberating hmmph, Harm winced as Lieutenant Commander Manetti had come into his office and said staring at the door, "I guess that meeting didn't go well." That was the understatement of understatements. Harm had thought.

"Yeah…" was all that Harm could say.

"When are you securing?" Tracy had asked him as Harm was busy gathering up his case files.

Harm sighed deeply, "I know I have a lot of things to do, but I need to get up to the hospital and check up on Meg and Captain Nakamura. I'm sure they're both hungry and I was going to swing by a fast food joint and get them something. You want to come along?" He asked.

"Of course. Is Lia going to be meeting you there or do you need to pick her up?" Tracy asked, not wanting to intrude if he'd prefer to keep his and Lia's relationship private.

Harm relaxed a bit, "Yes, I'm going to drop by the JAG office and pick her up, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind you being there. After all, you know Captain Nakamura and you've had dealings with him on a professional level. I'm sure that she'd understand." He continued to go through his investigative case files so that he could make sure and work on them when he got home from the hospital. Harm was going to have to do his work and hope that the Captain who had taken on Animal's interim role of Chief of Staff of NAVINSGEN was up to the task of dealing with the investigations that needed doing. SECNAV wasn't happy about the shooting, neither was CNO either and that was probably what prompted the grilling from VADM Bennett.

Tracy stood quietly watching Harm do what he needed to do to clear his slate. She sighed and said finally. "You know…they are worried, but what they were doing was unwarranted. Captain Nakamura went into the situation knowing that he could potentially get injured."

"I know that, Tracy, but it doesn't make me feel any better." Harm finally said, slapping shut a file that he was looking through; he found that he needed to shunt this one over to JAG.

"I know you feel guilty for it, Harm…but it's not something that you could have prevented." Tracy stated, meeting Harm's disbelieving gaze. "Unless you're infantilizing your superior officer and thinking that he couldn't think for himself…" she maintained.

Harm said cantankerously, "I don't think that he wears diapers…"

"So why do you think you need to watch over everything that he does?"

National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital), Bethesda, MD, 1630hrs

"Hey…Animal…" Animal looked up to see a tall sand-color haired man standing at the entrance of his hospital room in civvie clothes. "I heard you went n' damn near got yer ass shot off…"

"It actually was a…chest wound, but thanks…for your concern…" Animal retorted. His recovering brain synapses registered that this was Jack Keeter. "So what are you doing here?"

"Actually just was in the area and thought that I'd drop in. Harm called me earlier to let me know that you bit off a bit more than you could chew with that little shindig up in the Great Lakes…" Despite his jocular tone. Keeter was worried; Animal could tell at least that much. "Hi, Meg." Keeter grinned at Meg who was sitting in the chair close to Animal. At that, Animal inquisitively raised an eyebrow in question. "Harm tells me that he got the third degree from VADM Bennett."

"Is that so?"

"It was a black operation. Animal. And those guys don't like getting investigated by someone not in the know. You're gonna be lucky if they don't track you down and try to silence you and Harm…and anyone who gets too close." Keeter was dead serious and he locked eyes with Animal to let him know just how serious he was. "When the Iraqis had me in 1999 in their sandbox, they were playing for keeps and my superiors dealt with a couple of alphabet soup agencies to try to get something done. But they didn't do me any favors for free. Once you're in, you're in deep." Animal could tell that Keeter was trying to tell him something. "You gotta watch your back when you have to deal with these guys. Animal…" Keeter shook his head, a sorrowful expression on his face. "Once you're in deep with these guys, it's going to take a lot to get out."

"I presume you're telling me…these horror stories…" Animal said slowly. "…that you've had some experience…in having to deal with these guys?"

"Animal…trust me…you don't want to get mixed up with these guys if you can help it." Meg and Animal stared at each other with the ominous warning ringing in their ears. "The pool's deep…and if you can't swim, you're gonna drown." Animal's eyes were drawn to the bulge behind Keeter's jacket. Keeter nodded, moving his jacket aside just enough for Animal to catch a glimpse of the M9 clipped to Keeter's waist. "I swung by your place…" he pulled the other side of his jacket to reveal Animal's familiar M92FS Beretta clipped in a paddle holster to his other side, which he pulled out holster and all to tuck it behind Animal's pillow, nodding at him silently. "You need this…" he said shortly.

"I'm…not going to…ask how the hell…you know where I live…and how the hell…you got in…" Animal said soberly.

"Sweetie?" Meg asked. "Wasn't your spare M92FS in your safe?" Animal looked at her then looked at Keeter silently. "How?" Meg asked.

"His grandma's birthday..." Keeter grinned at Animal's silent question.

"I'm changing…my goddamned combination!" Animal muttered, shaking his head.

JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1700hrs.

By the time Harm and Tracy had pulled up to the JAG HQ guard shack, It was rounding 1700 hrs. After being ushered through and finding a place to park (in the guest parking), he and Tracy headed for the door. "I think she's still here." Harm mentioned to Tracy as they walked to the door, having to return a few salutes while doing so. The elevator ride up to the office was silent. When the doors opened, he stepped out, along with Manetti. "She's at Judiciary now." Harm mentioned quietly to Tracy as they stepped through the office doors only to run into a familiar face; a Marine whom he'd thought had gone to RLSO Southwest.

"Harm?"

Harm's gaze went to the Marine's collars; on it were silver oak leaves. Which meant that he and Tracy locked up to the position of attention. "Ma'am!"

"Lieutenant Commanders!" Mac replied as she looked at the two of them. "Can I help you?"

"I was just looking for Commander Gracen." Harm said…staring straight ahead. He hadn't realized that Mac would be one grade ahead of him and that stung in terms of competitiveness between him and the Marine Lieutenant Colonel standing in front of him. The fact that Lia had her O5 wasn't so much of an ego-busting situation as he knew for a damned fact that Lia had worked hard to get where she was and that her O5 was certainly a well-deserved one. But Mac's O5 so soon after her being cited for attempted murder of her husband that she hadn't disclosed, was a stinging slap to the face. He was absolutely certain that the promotion boards had considered his discharge of an MP5 in the courtroom from few years back and that had certainly postponed his promotion for a few months while the promotion boards reviewed his current conduct. He did swear that he could see green in Mac's eyes when he had mentioned Lia's name as who he was waiting for.

"Hi…Harm." Lia's cheery voice was heard coming down the hallway from the judiciary section of the office. "Are we going up to the hospital to see Animal tonight?" She frowned a moment when she saw Harm and an Asian female Lieutenant Commander standing at attention and sure enough, Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie was involved in the matter. "Is there something the matter? Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie?" She asked, not particularly wanting to hear the answer.

"Well, I was just wondering why the two Lieutenant…Commanders…" Mac stated with an emphasis on the Lieutenant part of the rank. "…were wandering around the JAG office…"

"Ma'am." Harm said. "I was just waiting for you…"

"Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie…I'll take it from here, thank you. As you were…" Lia said, as she ushered the now relaxed two junior officers to her office, giving Mac a pointed look as if to say we're going to talk about this later! Tracy thought that there was some tension between the Navy commander and the Marine Lieutenant Colonel.

"Are you just about finished?" Harm asked quietly as Lia shut the door and started gathering her case files putting them into her legal briefcase.

Lia continued with her gathering, looking up just long enough to say, "Just about…Harm." When she had finished, she turned to Tracy and said, "Good to see you again, Tracy. Are you coming up with us to the hospital?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tracy said. "Harm invited me to see our colleague and I figured that I would accept his offer."

"That's great." Lia replied as she gathered her light jacket and cover. "Well, I'm done. Time to go up and see Meg and Captain Nakamura."

National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital), Bethesda, MD, 1820 hrs.

Animal looked up to see Harm standing at the door along with Lia and Lieutenant Commander Tracy Manetti. "Hi, you three…c'mon in…" Harm looked over to the third chair in the corner in which Keeter was sitting; while Meg was sitting right next to Animal.

"Keeter…what are you doing here?" Harm asked.

"Well, I wanted to see our ol' instructor here from RAG and see what he'd gotten himself into." Keeter replied, smirking as he saw the nonplussed look on Harm's face. "C'mon in…I need to talk to you about something." Harm and the two female officers stepped into Animal's hospital room. Keeter got up and walked over to the door and shut it for privacy. He then looked at the three of them with an expression that spoke of a serious talk forthcoming. "Harm…buddy, you and your CO stepped into some big problems…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Harm replied.

"I've got my handler trying to take care of the situation, but…you've gotta be on your toes. Those alphabet soup agencies don't like it when people snoop around their black operations…" Harm looked at Keeter in shock.

"…handler?"

"That's right, Harm…you remember the incident in Iraq…the one that we're not supposed to talk about." Harm nodded quietly. "All I can say is that was my introduction to the world of national security." Keeter gave him a hard look which started from Harm then scanned across the room at all of them. "The guys up at Great Lakes…that black base you were on…knew that you guys were trying to find out about where the money was siphoned. And they don't like it one bit." Keeter turned to Animal. "The stuff that they were working on is so damned hush-hush…one word leaks out and a whole department can get eliminated…swept…as in no more." Keeter made a cutting motion with both hands." And if you get too close, you're going to get cleared out…cleaned." Animal sure didn't like the sound of the word cleaned if that was the connotation that Keeter was attaching to it. "It means you're getting too damned close to what they don't want you to know. Are you guys getting what I'm telling you?"

Harm looked over at Animal, Lia and Meg. "So what does that mean for us?" Harm asked his old friend.

"You have two choices." Keeter said. "You can either take your chances…" He shrugged. "…or go into hiding, until we track these bastards that went rogue and shut them down. If I were you, I'd pick the option that allows you to keep breathing."

"Fuck!" Animal muttered. "…and me limping around like a lame duck." When he was angry it seemed that the brain synapses worked a hell of a lot better.

"So how are you going to explain our disappearances to our superiors?" Harm asked.

A creak of the door opening…caused Keeter to brush his hand against his jacket reaching for his weapon.

"Stand down, Keeter. I've got this…" Harm looked over at the door to see another familiar face stepping into the room. "Hi, Rabb."

"Clayton Webb…" Harm grumbled. "I hoped I'd never have to see you again…"

Chapter Twenty-four

Green Bay International Airport, Green Bay, WI 1245 CST

Harm put their luggage on the closest luggage cart to their rental car. He had stopped at the car drop-off place for the rental service and did all the paperwork for handing the vehicle back to the rental service. Lia turned to him as he pushed the cart along, now fully laden with both their luggage and carry-ons. "What time was the flight?"

"1500 hrs. Gives us enough time to check in and get a bite to eat at the lounge." Harm replied looking around for the American Airways check-in counter. Thank goodness for an efficient Yeoman in Leon Trebalos. Animal certainly knew how to get people who were willing to do anything for him. YN2 Trebalos had efficiently managed to get two American Airways tickets coordinating funds with both the JAG Headquarters; YN1 Tiner and NAVINSGEN to get both Lia and Harm on the same flight seated in the same row side by side. He grinned as he stepped up to the check-in counter.

The woman at the check-in counter gave him a sunny smile and chirped,"Hi, welcome to American Airlines, how can I help you." Lia gave Harm a sidelong look and rolled her eyes when Harm gave 'check-in lady' his 'I'm a naval-aviator' grin. She could have sworn the woman fanned herself with the tickets he passed to her. But the woman composed herself long enough to print out the boarding passes and check-in their checked luggage and then handed the boarding passes with an excessively cheery and throaty "Thank you for flying with American Airlines." Lia hadn't felt so possessive of Harm before but she now gave the woman a smirk, put her arm around his arm and marked the woman off in the 'brainless ditz' category.

Harm looked back and forth between check-in woman and Lia and swore he could see arched backs and hear cat-like hisses. He shook his head and headed for the gate that they were supposed to board at taking Lia along with him.

"Can't believe the nerve of that woman..." Lia growled under her breath, barely audible. Harm grinned at Lia. "...of all the insufferable..." They were in civvies so Harm just halted, causing Lia to run into him, then leaned in and delivered a toe-curling kiss to Lia's lips to silence her fuming.

"Love you..." He whispered in Lia's ear.

"Hmmmph. You win." She mumbled looking up at him with a barely withheld look of mirth, trying to keep an offended air but failing. "You're just damned lucky I love you too..."

Harm, a twinkle of evil merriment in his eye, dropped his bag; jumped in the air, throwing his hands up in the air and smiled fit to split his face in half. "SHE LOVES ME!" He exclaimed. "SHE REALLY LOVES ME!" He picked Lia up and whirled her around while other people in the terminal looked up and clapped.

Lia went beet red with embarrassment. "I'm soooo going to get you for that." She growled then an evil expression came across her face. "See if you get any tonight." She stage-whispered just loudly enough for him to hear. When Harm stopped and gaped at her, she gave him a saucy smile and walked off towards the numbered gate that they were supposed to board at.

Harm gathered his carry-on and followed her, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water.

Transport Ambulance, Oakville, WI to Madison, WI, 1250 CST

"Ma'am, we'll be making a stop at Madison for food, drinks and a top-off of gas." The ambulance attendant monitoring Animal told Meg. She nodded, holding Animal's hand. Animal was resting. "Sir? Are you comfortable?" Animal looked up at him "sir? Are you comfortable?" The attendant repeated.

"Yeah." Animal gave him a one word response.

"No pain?" It would be yet another hour before they pulled into Madison and perhaps they could crack open the back for some fresh air so that their patient could be a bit more comfy.

Animal shook his head. It wasn't uncomfortable yet and his headache wasn't intolerable. Just so long as he didn't think too much. There really wasn't too much to look at while the ambulance made its way along I-90. He could see much other than sky at the angle in which he was strapped into the stretcher. The only thing that made it tolerable was the closeness of Meg seated near him. Every so often she would raise his hand and he would feel her lips gently kiss his fingers and he would turn his head to her. He would see her silently mouth the words. "I love you..." And his heart would feel like it was overflowing that someone would want him so much.

Especially in the condition that he was in now. He was slowly starting to remember as the reconnected lines of memories threatened to engulf him in a wave of emotion. He remembered Maegyn; his life with her and his heart lurched for a moment as he remembered that she hadn't stayed. Maybe he was too much for her to handle in this state that he was in and that was why she bolted. Maegyn couldn't handle it. Was he worth it? Would he even get back to what he was? He was just a burden. There was a twinge of pain from his chest as the attendant looked up at the monitor.

"Calm down, sir. Your heart rate is going up." He moved over a bit so Meg could sit beside Animal.

Meg leaned in, holding his hand as he tried to focus his mind to not panic and held on tightly to the anchor that Meg was providing. She seemed to know instinctively that he needed her reassurance and her inner strength. "I'm here, Tosh." She said softly. "Just hang on. Don't let go. We're going home. Remember?"

The attendant looked at the heart-rate monitor. Animal's heart-rate had noticeably calmed. "Claustrophobia?"

Meg replied. "More than likely bad memories. He and I haven't been together very long. His last relationship, his girlfriend skipped out on him when she found out he was going to need a long recuperative period to recover from this." She didn't feel it necessary to elaborate more even though she hated Maegyn for doing this to him.

"I'll mark this down as a psychological panic attack then rather than something physiological." The attendant commented as he made some notations in his notebook. "Heartbeat's registering as normal. Blood pressure 123/82. He's at a healthy blood pressure for someone his age and remarkable after undergoing trauma like he went through. The human body is resilient." The attendant looked at his watch. "We should be coming up on Madison shortly. Maybe some fresh air in the cabin will help him."

Meg nodded as she held Animal's hand and kissed his fingers, using her touch to keep him calm.

"We'll stop in Indianapolis where a female med-tech will take over for overnight at the hotel so that she and you can stay in the same room with Captain Nakamura. Then I'll see you in the morning at eight for the push to Bethesda." The tech said as he grinned.

Their stop in Madison wasn't a long stop as they were able to stop at Sonic and at a gas station to top off then it was back onto I-90 to Cherry Valley where they switched to I-39 to avoid Chicago. Bloomington, Indiana was passed as the ambulance ticked down the miles.

Washington Dulles International Airport, VA 1815 hrs EST

Harm walked up the jetway, Lia by his side. He was absolutely exhausted. Tomorrow morning he would have to report into the NAVINSGEN to let him know what went on during their investigation and Harm was quite certain it wouldn't go over too well. 1999 sucked so far, he thought. He was just planning on heading back to his loft and heading to a well-deserved sleep.

Looking over at Lia who also didn't look much better than he did, he said, "Shall we just grab our stuff and head for home. I'll grab a taxi tomorrow and drive someone from NAVINSGEN to go get the NAVINSGEN car from Andrews."

"I'm too tired to even contemplate driving home. Luckily, we can find a taxi to get us home. All I need to do is have a uniform ready."

"My car is at the Pentagon." Harm looked sour. "Should we retrieve my car so I can make it to work on time tomorrow."

"Well..." smirked Lia as she elbowed Harm."what about me?"

Harm gave her a nudge with his shoulder. "What, you mean you need to go to work tomorrow?"

"Haha. Very funny. Harm." Lia glared at him as she grabbed her bag from the baggage carousel. "Yes I do have to work tomorrow unless I want to get written up for being AWOL. Admiral Morris expects me in the office tomorrow."

When Harm retrieved his baggage, they headed over to the exit where within ten minutes of frantic waving were able to snag a taxi. " To the Pentagon, please." Harm seriously wanted his wheels back for next morning and he fully intended to get them from the parking lot of the Pentagon.

It was a thirty minute ride by taxi from Dulles to the front gate at the Pentagon. There he was held up for another fifteen minutes verifying that Harm was there to retrieve his vehicle from the Pentagon lot and it was another fifteen minutes after that before he was able to be on his way. At least it only took Harm about thirty minutes to drop by Lia's place and pick up a clean uniform for her plus a change of clothes; then a quick stop for take-out food; vegetarian for him; meat for her. "Let's go..." Harm said as they grabbed the food and headed for Harm's car.

Pulling the SUV into his normal parking spot, he shut off the car and got out his eyes scanning the alley for anyone who shouldn't be there, then he moved around to the passenger side to make certain that Lia was able to get out easily. She was. They swiftly made their way to the door and entered locking the entrance door behind them. The only way up was the rickety freight elevator and it creaked and groaned on the way up.

"Well, that's a comforting noise..." Lia commented as Harm winced from a particularly banshee-like screech as the elevator came to a shuddering halt on Harm's floor. "Wondering if my heart's still in my body after that shriek."

"Yeah, the property management company never does maintenance on it."

"If they're that negligent, why do you live here?" Lia asked, "that thing's an accident waiting to happen."

"Well..." Harm hemmed and hawed as he opened the door to his apartment and ushered Lia in. "I actually have no idea why I continue to live here." He shrugged his shoulders. "I just haven't been all that interested in finding someplace else."

"Hmmm." Lia looked around, "You must've fixed this place up really well. Looking at the building from the outside, one would have expected a trash heap. But this place is nice and liveable."

"Tell you what. The next place we get, you get to decide the decorations." Harm grinned as he started getting down plates and silverware from the shelf. Lia looked surprised. "Well, this area isn't exactly the best area in DC and I just needed a shove to actually start thinking about the future." He left it there because he didn't want Lia to think he was moving too fast.

"You're letting me decorate, next house, we get?" Lia got this absolutely evil grin on her face. "Oh...and you're not frightened that I might paint the bedroom hot pink." Harm blanched. "...with pink outlined unicorns...and..." She laughed as she looked at Harm's horrified expression.

"Let's eat." Harm said rapidly changing the subject. Lia looked over at Harm with a cheeky grin. Harm gave her a smile as he passed over Lia's Chinese food. Harm opted for plenty of vegetable dumplings with a side of straight chow mein; no beef or pork.

It was delicious as the flavorful scents rising from the food containers tantalized their nostrils and Lia sighed in ecstasy since she hadn't eaten in several hours. There wasn't an appetizing selection of food offerings at Green Bay International Airport and she opted for just a Kitkat bar and that had to do her until now.

The food was delicious and it wasn't long before their stomachs decided they had had enough. The food was put up and Harm said, "i can sleep on the couch tonight. Looking at the clock he noticed it was rounding 2000 hrs. "There's towels in the linen closet and you can take a shower if you want to." Lia nodded. Her mind was going into overdrive. She thought back to the innuendo that she had tossed his direction as he had spun her around in his arms. And then said huskily, "I think you more than made up for embarrassing me half to death at Green Bay International this afternoon." She looked at him with low-lidded eyes as Harm looked at her. Wrapping her arms around him, she moved to sit in his lap. Leaning in, she kissed him feeling his lips on her. Harm groaned.

"Do you want this..." He asked her, his voice laden with desire. "I don't want to stop, but I will if you want me to..."

"Shhh." Lia said as she got off his lap, pulling him upright. "I want you..." She said gesturing to the bedroom.

"It isn't too fast?" He asked. She shook her head. Harm gathered her up in his strong arms and carried her up the four small steps leading up to his bedroom. When she regained her feet, she started passionately kissing him along his face, his cheeks and his neck. Wrapping her arms around him while he slipped his hands underneath her t-shirt to un-fetter her breasts from the bra she was wearing. Lia moaned softly as his touch sent shivers along the surface of her skin.

"Oh, God. Yes...Harm." Lia gasped as Harm slipped her shirt from her body, her bra slipping from her shoulders up her arms following along with the shirt. Lia returned the favor by pulling his t-shirt off so that Harm stood there bare chested while her hands caressed his chest. Harm knelt down on his knees to pay 'lip-service' to Lia's breasts favoring them with a tongue flick and a massage with the palm of his hand. A low moan started at the base of Lia's throat as her hands wrestled with Harm's belt-buckle.

Pro-Care Partner Hotel, Indianapolis, IN, 2045 hrs EST

"Yes, of course we have a room available." The hotel clerk said brightly. "We have one that can fit a stretcher and the equipment needed and two attendants for the patient?" Meg and Allison, the female attendant who had met them at the hotel had checked Animal into the hotel. The clerk handed over keys. And the medical patient room was on the first floor. The stretcher could be lowered to form a bed low to the ground and Animal could be slowly wheeled by a waterproof wheelchair to a shower equipped for use by those in wheelchairs.

When they were in the room, Allison asked Animal "Would you like to take a shower, I'm sure that you feel grimy from the trip." Animal nodded quietly. "Would you like to help him? After all you'll need to know this too."

"With...a...little help...I think I can...move from this...to the...wheel...chair." Animal said, he sounded tired and Meg wanted to pamper him.

"Of course that means I'm going to have to take your clothes off. Meg said, without a trace of embarrassment as she gathered up items for a shower, then gathered together a change of clothes for both her and Animal.

"A...beautiful...woman giving...me a..,shower...and I can't re...c-c-ciprocate." Animal said with some difficulty. Meg's heart gave a little jump of glee as she found his voice contained a trace of his old sense of humor.

She walked over, leaned down and whispered, her voice low and husky, in his ear. "Well we can work out something for a method of repayment, when you're feeling better enough." Animal's grin was bright as his brain figured out what she meant by that.

Allison informed Meg, "Just be careful of his stitches and his chest area. It helps that he's mobile enough that he can get himself onto the wheelchair with a minimal amount of assistance."

"OK." Meg stated as she stated helping Animal to take his clothes off. Putting a towel around his waist to cover his intimate parts, Meg helped him to get into the wheelchair. It probably would have gone a lot worse to have to be helped by a man and Animal preferred Meg's attentions by far.

Allison stated, "Hey, I'm gonna go out and get some eats. You gonna be fine?"

"I think I'll be fine..." Meg replied as she stripped off her shoes, socks, pants and t-shirt. Allison grabbed the keys and headed out the door as Meg wheeled Animal into the bathroom that was wide enough to accommodate his wheelchair. He wasn't able to stand for long so it was better for him to be in a wheelchair. When Meg had shut the door to the bathroom, she stripped off her bra and panties and tossed them in a corner where they wouldn't get wet. Then she leaned in and gave Animal a lingering kiss grabbing the shower head, she removed the towel and hung it up to keep it dry so she could wipe him off later. She put the washcloth over her arm as she turned on the shower head. "OK, sweetheart, hair first, tilt your head back a slight bit." First checking the water to make sure that it was not too hot by spraying her wrist, she got it to a temp that wasn't uncomfortable then checked against Animal's wrist. He nodded letting her know that it was alright. The feel of Meg's hand running across his hair as the water soaked it, caused him to react visibly, his interest in Meg's body quite apparent to her line of sight. And the next thing he knew, Meg was purring in his ear. "Mmmmm, like that, do you?" Animal groaned embarrassed and amorous. "Well at least I know you're interested." She murmured softly as she reached over and caressed him gently making him moan softly low in his throat. "I think I read somewhere that having some playtime..." She whispered in his ear,"prevents UTIs and prostate cancer, hmmmm?" She grinned at him and she tapped him lightly eliciting a groan of pleasure, "We do have to make sure we're both clean. And maybe..." Meg winked at him and proceeded with washing Animal's hair then washed his whole body lingering slightly over his manhood. Animal couldn't take his eyes off her breasts. He was able to stand for a few brief moments while she helped get his lower body and back clean. Locking his wheels against the wall at the back of the shower, she caressed him, one hand on his cheek, the other exploring his manhood. She gave him a kiss with a bit of tongue.

About twenty minutes later, Allison returning with the food heard a rather male-sounding groan that sounded much like "oh...God...yes...Meg!" and grinned. She turned on the TV and got some utensils from the kitchen. At least some things wouldn't be a problem. She didn't say a word when both Meg and Animal emerged from the bathroom rather disheveled but squeaky clean. Animal semi-clothed in briefs and t-shirt was settled back into his stretcher so that he could rest He ate sparingly because of how tired he was. The rest of his portion was kept aside for breakfast the next morning.

Harm's Apartment, North of Union Station, 2030 hrs EST

Harm groaned as Lia worked her lips lower down his body. Caressing him and stroking, she elicited yet another groan out of him. She pulled his pants and briefs off to leave him standing there naked but for his socks. Pulling Lia to her feet, he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her panties and tugged down leaving her exposed to him.

"I want you so much." Lia groaned stepping out of her pants and panties to stand bare naked in front of him. "Take me, please, Harm."

Harm picked her up and laid her gently on the blankets. "Lia, are you on..." He paused embarrassed.

"Am I on birth control?" She finished for him. "Yes. I want to feel all of you." She whispered.

Harm bent over her and taking on of her nipples into her mouth sucked gently eliciting a moan out of Lia.

"Now, Harm..." She coaxed then bit off a cry as Harm thrust deep inside her filling her with his length. "Make love to me, Harm." Their desires intermingled as Harm and Lia made love; eventually culminating in an explosive orgasm that left both wrung out entirely, Harm emptying himself deep inside Lia's womb.

2200 rolling around found them intertwined in the sheets, arms around each other fast asleep.

Harm's Apartment, North of Union Station, 0600 hrs

Harm returned from his run to find Lia dressed and ready for work. "Hey. I need a ride to Andrews to collect the car since I don't have a way of getting to work otherwise."

Harm nodded "You'd better call Admiral Morris and let him know."

"Already done. He gave me the morning off but he needs to see me in his office this afternoon. Something really important, evidently."

Harm looked at her while grabbing a towel and briefs. He disappeared into the shower and was back out in fifteen minutes hurrying into his khaki uniform.

A few minutes later he was on the road with Lia bound for Andrews to pick up Lia's car. He checked his watch. He'd be a hour late to the meeting; couldn't be helped. But at least Lia would have her car and she would be able to get to work.

"Harm, yesterday night...was wonderful." Lia declared. "Big question though, are we dating or do we have something even more serious than that?"

Harm looked at her, "I'd say it's pretty darned serious. I don't want to rush you but there's also the fact that I want more than just dating. I want to eventually marry and have kids." Harm gazed into Lia's eyes. "But the pace is up to you."

"Well..." Lia replied. "I'm not entirely ready for a major commitment yet but I find that we have something together and I want it to continue. Would you be satisfied with that for now? Even though it would be intimate, it'll probably be frustrating since you want marriage eventually but I don't know if I'm ready to take that step yet. I want to talk to a counsellor first and get myself straightened out first."

Harm agreed nodding his head. "I would." He indicated to Lia briefly before he took her hand, raised it up to his lips and kissed her fingers. "I love you, Lia. I'll wait as long as you need me to; as long as you come home to me."

When he dropped her off at her vehicle at Andrews, she kissed him gently on the lips and then walked over to her car.

Pro-Care Partner Hotel, Indianapolis, IN, 0730 EST

"Don'wanna get up." mumbled Animal as he stirred. "Hurts..."

"Sweetheart; are you all right?" Meg got out of bed, getting her fresh blouse and a pair of jeans on. Allison passed her the painkillers and the antibiotic which Animal downed with the rest of the food from the night before.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the same medic as the previous day. He grinned saying. "By eleven, we'll be in Columbus, Ohio and then at about three we'll get into Pittsburgh. Provided he's OK..." The medic said gesturing at Animal, " we'll push on to Bethesda which will put our arrival somewhere around seven thirty or eightish give or take stops for food and restroom breaks."

"Sounds good." Meg replied, anxious to get on the road. Harm and Lia would be meeting them at Bethesda with a fresh change of clothes which would help because all of Meg's clothes needed a run through the washer and dryer. "Well, let's go." They raised Animal's stretcher again and headed out to the lobby, where Meg squared up with the hotel. Then thanking Allison for the help, Meg and Animal and their medics headed back out on the road.

JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 0800 hrs

Lia managed to grab a leisurely breakfast and signed in about oh eight hundred. "Ma'am?" Tiner asked. " Admiral Morris would like to see you in the bullpen. She looked at Tiner but he wasn't giving up any information at all.

When she walked into the office, many of her fellow officers were there and so was Harm who just mouthed surprise when she looked questioningly at him.

"Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen; front and centre." Admiral Stiles Morris grinned. "Attention to orders. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Liandra Catherine Gracen, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. Congratulations. Commander Gracen." Lia automatically came to attention repeating the oath. "Lieutenant Commander Rabb, would you please do the honors?"

Lia stood there in shock as Harm whispered congratulations in her ear, unpinning her bronze navy oak leaves and replacing them with silver on both sides, then as per decorum and relaxed PDA, gave her a chaste but tender kiss on the cheek whispering, "celebration tonight, sweetie. After Bethesda."

"Commander Gracen." RADM Morris stated, "You're being transferred to Judiciary."

"Yes, sir" CDR Lia Gracen acknowledged her new orders and station. It was a bit sad leaving the trial counsel position but Judiciary was what she had longed for; laying down judgements and creating precedent decisions. "Thank you, sir".

"Start packing your office, you report to RDML Bennett on Monday."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Wendy's, Columbus, OH, 1120 hrs.

The non-emergency medical transport ambulance pulled into the Wendy's parking lot and the driver parked while the medic opened the back to let some fresh air in. Animal sighed looking out at the sky. Meg came back with two Cokes, two large fries and two Wendy's Junior Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxes apiece. Animal looked so grateful that Meg gave him a tender kiss on the lips. They each ate quietly and, as usual, Animal saved a burger for later. Evidently his appetite wasn't as robust as before. The driver came around the back and said, "OK folks next pit stop three hours in Pittsburgh!"

"Oh Yippee." Animal said quietly. "I'll just...be glad...to get home..." He said; his tone a bit sad and tired. Meg leaned over and gave him a tender hug.

"We'll get there this afternoon, sweetheart. Just keep your spirits up."

"OK."

For most of the next three hours, Animal slept. What comforted him the most was that Meg was always there beside him all the way. The fact that she was close by was a calming security blanket around him. And he lay and dreamt of beaches, sunsets and a beautiful Meg Austin in bikini walking along those sandy beaches hand in hand.

When the driver finally stopped the ambulance, the sun was about thirty-five degrees to the horizon and the air was getting cooler. The place was a Sonic Drive-Thru. Milkshake for Meg, a Coke for Animal and a large fries. Animal swore that when he was fully recovered he was going to a Sonic for a delicious banana shake. After twenty minutes they were back on the road again for the last four and a half hour stretch drive that would get them home to DC and fully transferred to Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

The last stretch drive consisted of going over the Allegheny Mountains as they headed east towards DC. Animal trusted in the driver to get them there safely without running off the road. Seven thirty or nine thirty; it didn't matter, just so long as they got there safely. And that was all that Animal wanted.

Meg looked over at Animal as he lay quietly in the stretcher. It was a long drive and to do it in two days let alone three was a marathon drive. she resolved that when Animal had recovered enough to get back to being what he used to be, that when he reached what the doctors considered ninety-five percent again; that they would take the same drive, albeit at a much slower pace, taking the time to enjoy the scenery and the wonderful vistas of a Allegheny fall. Meg felt with loving support, determination and iron-clad willpower, that Animal would get a lot of himself back again. He just needed to believe in himself. And Meg knew that she would be his rock, when he faltered; a strong post for him to lean against and depend on. And knowing that two and a half weeks ago before the events that changed all of their lives, he was another woman's man; Meg's heart exulted that she had become the woman who meant the world to Tosh.

Meg did realize that there was a long road ahead. She needed to take the strength she had and draw upon it, because there would be days when success would seem to be an elusive pipe dream and Animal's recovery prospects would be dim, at least in his own eyes. He would be discouraged; and discouragement bred anger and anger in turn would feed resentment. Meg reminded herself that when Animal got frustrated and angry, that it was not directed at her, but at himself and that if he focused the disappointment and anger within, that it would lead to depression. Meg did feel a sense of fear that she may have stepped into something bigger than she could handle by herself, but realized that she had her JAG family and Harm to lean on if things got tough and she looked over at her Tosh lying in the stretcher and she knew for a fact that she would go the extra mile for him to help him get back on his feet. Maegyn couldn't or wouldn't; why, Meg did not know, but she was gone. Her mind scoffed and said that Maegyn had better not show her face again around Animal because Meg would defend him, claws bared.

She looked at Animal with affection as he rested, his chest moving up and down with his steady regular breaths. Now that he was out of danger, she felt her mood was a lot lighter. He had survived the forty-eight hour period that was critical after coming out of coma and his situation was no longer critical or even graded as serious. What they classified him was that he was stable and hopefully would remain so.

The miles kept rolling by and eventually around 2035 hrs by her watch the ambulance came to a halt in front of some very bright lights. The doors in the back swung open and Animal was lifted out of the ambulance on the stretcher and rolled into the hospital. Harm and Lia were waiting just inside the door. Animal did another double take at Lia's collar insignia. No, his eyes hadn't deceived him. The oak leaves were silver.

He said softly, "Congrats, Commander." His speech was starting to come a bit easier if he used smaller words to communicate.

"Thank you, sir." Lia said to him as she stood beside Harm.

"Well...Harm, looks like you're gonna have to salute her." He said smiling at Lia and Harm who both grinned back glad to see their friend arrive.

The paperwork to admit Animal to Bethesda was taken care of as quickly as they could and the files were transferred over from the medic to receiving physician, a Commander James Zhen Shi Jiang, MD. Dr. Jiang grinned, "Well Captain, looking at your records it appears you got in the way of yet another stray bullet."

"Yeah, must be my...magnetism." Animal quipped, his words slow but clear. "I really gotta learn...to get out of the way..."

"Then maybe..." Meg grinned at him, her tone teasing, "You can stop giving me heart attacks."

"Yeah, might be good...to stop making...you worry so much." Animal looked up at Meg tenderly.

Harm grinned pointing at a solitary white hair on his head. "See you're even giving me gray hairs."

"Makes you look...distinguished" Animal chuckled.

"Makes me look old, y'mean." Harm snickered.

"Don't laugh...got more'n you." Harm and Lia laughed, happy that Animal was able to joke more freely.

The hospital orderly dressed in Army woodland BDU with embroidered black thread staff sergeant chevrons and notified the officers that Captain Nakamura's room was ready. Animal thanked him as the Staff Sergeant wheeled him into the room. "So who's allowed to stay with him?" Harm asked Dr. Jiang.

"Well we want to monitor him for a week, then get him into cognitive/speech therapy; perhaps..." He looked over at Meg "...someone who is close to him can stay if they would like." He consulted his chart; "...that would be Maegyn O'Bannon?"

Meg disgustedly said. "No, Maegyn O'Bannon found that she wasn't up to taking care of someone who needed her and abandoned Captain Nakamura in his time of need. You can cross her off and put me on there."

Animal was staring at Meg with wonderment. "Is that fine with you? Captain?"

Animal was startled for a moment but said, "That would be fine." He was gratified that Meg would step in so willingly but was extremely disappointed in Maegyn, considering how intimate they had been. But he could also see why Maegyn bolted. He felt as though he was a drain on everyone else. Having to rely on other people for help was taxing emotionally; his self-esteem taking a serious battering. Medical staff were trained to help. The fact that his friends who were here had stuck with him through his tough times made him thankful.

"Well, let me jot down this new bit of information." Dr. Jiang said as he pulled his pen from the pocket of his shirt. "You are..." He prompted.

Meg answered him resolutely. "Lieutenant Commander Megan Austin." She met Dr. Jiang's eyes with a stubborn set to her stance. " Sir. I will be staying with the Captain through his stay here."

Dr. Jiang said to Animal. "I'm gratified that you have a small but strong support system. You'll have to rely on them for moral support. While medical staff can assist you with your recovery, your supportive friends will do wonders in offering the support you need to boost your morale to keep with it. You will need it because recovery will be hard."

Animal looked up at Meg as he grasped her hand as she willingly offered it to him. He saw in her affectionate look her resolution to stand by him willingly; her ironclad will that she would do anything to help him regain what he had lost and even more wonderingly; her love that she gave without reservation and he wondered how this broken down emotionally damaged Navy Captain could be worthy of such a devotion that this beautiful Navy Lieutenant Commander offered him so freely. Her blue-eyed gaze stared back at him with such love there that his heart overflowed. And he resolved to stick with his therapy until he felt that he was worthy of her.

"I want to help you. I want to be your support system" Meg said simply as she held his hand.

That seemed to satisfy Dr. Jiang and he stated, "I'll leave you five to settle in. Tranquility Hall offers a good selection of food. Better than the usual hospital fare." He grinned amiably. "If you are hungry you might want to head down there." He looked over at Animal, "You're on oral antibiotics and oral painkillers so we won't set up another IV unless something drastically changes. We'll run some tests on you tomorrow to see if there's still cause for concern. So enjoy the rest of your evening. And I'll see you tomorrow, Captain." he took his leave of them.

"How about you and Meg...go down and bring up some chow. I...need to talk privately with the commander." Animal said slowly. Meg turned to Animal dropping a kiss on his lips and left with Harm.

Lia nervously sat down. "Sir?"

"Lia..." Animal said tiredly. "No need...for formality." He paused for a long moment; his misery showing through startling Lia that he would show his vulnerability to her. "I under...stand...I have you to thank...for saving me from...Commander O'Bannon bolting...halfway through my recovery."

Lia looked embarrassed. "I really shouldn't have stuck my nose in matters that weren't my business." She said.

"...but in terms...of doing...such...you saved me from...further emotional harm..." He reached out and Lia took his hand as she felt him squeeze her hand gently. "...so thank you..." He grinned amiably and Lia found that she thought he was rather attractive when he actually smiled. "I apologize for having been...a stuck-up asshole."

"...and I apologize for being a bitch to you." Lia said squeezing his palm back.

"Well Lordy, I go down for some chow; I get back...to find..." Harm startled the two of them into releasing their hand. "That peace has just been declared. Hallelujah." He mockingly went over to the window opening the curtain. "Nope the world hasn't come to an end."

"How do...you put up with him?" Animal asked Lia who snickered.

"That wasn't bad. Should have seen him at Green Bay International's concourse." Lia smirked at Harm.

Meg moved to Animal's side as she grinned at Harm and Lia who stood there close by but not touching due to decorum rules as they were still wearing khakis. Meg on the other hand was in civvies. After eating, Harm and Lia made their good-byes and Meg settled in for the night with a cot placed right beside Animal's bed."

RLSO Southwest, San Diego, CA 1515 hrs. Two days later

"Major Mackenzie, front and center!" Captain Nick Akiak Aputsiaq, CO RLSO Southwest, said in a stentorian tone. "Attention to orders. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Sarah Mackenzie, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. Congratulations. Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie."

"Thank you sir" Mac said after she repeated the commissioning oath.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie, I know you haven't been here very long but unfortunately there has been an incident which requires your being attached to JAG Headquarters in DC TAD. Note that there will be three attorneys from various RLSOs being attached as well. Admiral Morris having lost one of his senior staff to Judiciary means that you will have to serve as Chief of Staff till they get their personnel snafu sorted out. Are you alright with that, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Yes, Sir." She looked at the silver oak-leaves on her collars. Man, was Harmon Rabb and that red-headed bimbo, he called his girlfriend, gonna be unpleasantly surprised.

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.