Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

Mike was still running on adrenaline. He anxiously glanced at the boy and back to the doctor. Even if the boy was breathing he couldn't help the concern. "You take care of him. Anything happen to that boy and..." Slowly backing out of the door he started back through the halls. They had plenty of dead men that had charged in without knowing. It was ill planned. If Adam had taken more time instead of rushing things he may very well have succeeded. Mike wanted to feel angry and at the same time he was sad. What was he going to do now that he'd killed a friend of seven years? What hurt most was the betrayal of the man. Then he started to remember the warning signs. The man had begun to buck the captain's authority a long time ago. He wanted to turn the girl in for money at the risk of the entire crew. They just didn't see it that way at the time and assumed it was a bad month or something.

Cautiously he edged his way back to return power to the ship. Lights came on and he saw more blood and bodies. Specifically Adam's in front of himself. "We'll have to get this taken care of later on." Now that he could see the older man ran toward the kitchen. He knew that at least one of the others would be there. Mike caught his breath as he began slipping on the blood covering the floor.

There were 2 bodies in the doorway and then he saw Killian holding Star. It was hard to tell if either of them were alive. Both of them pale and as he worked his way further into the room he saw the blood covering the captain's face. The front of his shirt was drenched in blood though from whose it was impossible to discern. "Kato!" Mike yelled for the man. He couldn't even begin to figure out how to handle this situation. One person he might be able to focus on but, they were both too heavy for him to lift with his injured shoulder.

Edging closer he rested his fingers on the girl's neck. Shaking his head he took a sharp breath. If she had a pulse it was weak even in her neck. Cautiously he grabbed the woman and pulled her closer to himself so he could see the captain. Mike rested his first two fingers on Killian's neck and waited for a long moment. The pulse was there and it was still strong.

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Killian moaned and turned his head to the side. He tried to open his eyes but, they weren't willing for even such a small task. After what seemed like forever of laying still he finally managed to rouse himself. "Eemmmmmm..." Wincing he lifted a hand to touch his head. It felt like his skull would explode and both his legs hurt though one was still significantly worse than the other. "W-w-where's Star."

Looking to the left he could see Timo was in the medical bay too. The boy was sleeping and Killian tried to sit up. Falling back into the bed he groaned. "Ugh. I need to..." With a growl he turned his head the other way and there was Star. There were various tubes running from her arms and even some in her mouth. Forcing himself to sit up he reached for her hand. This medical bay was almost too small for the three of them. Mike got up from the chair he was seated in. Tucked under his one good arm was Timo's cat. While the animal wasn't technically allowed in the room he brought it to see the boy. "Captain just lay down. You've got a good concussion. Doctor Kato will be back in a minute. He has help here for a few days. They're eating and I agreed to keep watch for a few."
 
Kato had just finished stitching Timo's chest wound and bandaging his arm when Mike yelled. It sounded serious. He made sure the boy was stable and sprinted towards Mike's yelling. Both the cook and Captain were down. He took a deep breath.
"The girl doesn't have a pulse that I can feel." Kato kneels next to them and looks her over. She'd been shot in the chest. Mere inches from her heart. But her body had shut down from the shock of it all. Yet...there was still a chance. "The Captain will have to wait. Do what you can to stem his bleeding. I may be able to save her." He lifts Star up and rushes her back to the medbay. He cuts open her shirt, wipes away as much blood as possible and attaches her to the vitals monitor. A steady warning beep. No heartbeat. He prepares the D-Fib, sets the paddles on either side of her heart and hits the charge. No change. He amps up the voltage and repeats the procedure. Still no change.

Kato grabs an epi-pen. He didn't know how long she'd been like this. Likely, he was already too late...but there was still a chance, a small chance that he wasn't. He injects her with the adrenaline and proceeds to shock her again. The monitor beeps. He pauses, watching the heartbeat closely to see if it would flatline. It didn't. He takes another deep breath and gets to work saving her life.
....

Timo shifts and blinks open his eyes. "Ow..." He murmers and looks down at his chest.
"Hey kid." Mike smiles at him, setting comet down at the boy's arm.
Timo looks up at him, but even upon having comet in his arms again, he didn't smile. "Hey, you're safe now. Alright. Adam won't be bothering us ever again." At the the mention of Adam's name, Timo's eyes welled up and his lip quivered. He was trying to be strong but was clearly traumatized by the experience. The kid had liked everyone...even Adam. He couldn't comprehend how a 'friend' could try and kill all of them.

Kato comes back into the room. Dark rings under his eyes and tired look on his normally stoic face. "Ah, Captain. Good to see you awake. Timo as well. How are you both feeling?"
Timo just shrugs, holding Comet under his chin.
 
Killian frowned at the doctor. "This is a hell of a time to ask something like that." Forcing himself to sit up almost felt like a merry go round was stuck in his head. "If you get close enough I'll barf all over you. Now come over here!" The captain laid back in the bed because he couldn't even see straight at this point. "What the hell happened to her? Why isn't she awake?"

No matter how obvious the answers should have been he couldn't help himself. "Do better. Do something, anything." Apparently getting riled wasn't what he was supposed to do right now and he noticed the doctor add a little syringe to the extra port on his IV. "What is that?" Sitting up again he felt a hand push him back into his bed and he drifted off into something like sleep though not entirely. It was a sort of bliss and unawareness.

Mike glanced at the doctor. "A sedative?" He could understand the reasoning still he wasn't sure how it would fix the long term problem.

Several hours later Killian started to become more aware of his surroundings but he remembered the shot and decided that he would have to play by the doctor's rules for a while. At least for as long as he was in the medical bay. Gingerly turning his head he looked at the kid. "Hey..." When Timo looked over at him Killian continued, "You alright?" He wasn't sure if the boy was alright but it certainly didn't look like it. "Doctor's not in here. I could have Mike move you over here to my bed if you want." They were close enough it wouldn't hyperextend any of the I.V.'s for the boy. As badly as it scared Killian he knew somebody had to comfort the kid.

Quickly the older man peered out the door and into the doctor's office. Looked like Kato had fallen asleep. "Alright you just be quiet when I move you." Cautiously he reached under the boy and moved him over to the spot Killian made on his bed. The captain wrapped an arm around to hold the boy though it was a loose grip so he wouldn't hurt him.

Swallowing hard Killian met the boy's gaze. "We'll be looking for a new navigator soon. You gonna help me with that?" Catching the boy's expression he quickly changed the idea. "Maybe we should do that together for a while first. See if you might like the job. Eh?"
 
"What the hell happened to her? Why isn't she awake?"

"Well, the bullet missed her heart, but her body went into shock and shut down everything, including her heart." Kato explains calmly. "I'm not certain exactly how long she was like that, but it was long enough to cause some brain damage. Right now she's in a coma...and there is no telling when she'll wake, if she'll wake up. I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do at this point.

"Do better. Do something, anything." Killian growled getting riled up. He was scaring Timo and prone to injure himself. Making a calculated decision, Kato put a light sedative in his I.V. to keep him calm and help him rest.
***

Timo drifted in and out of sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Adam, felt the burning pain, his lungs squeezing shut, choking for air. Every time...he panicked, waking up with a start and wondering how he wasn't dead. Then he'd turn his head and see Killian, and Mike and Star all hurt as well. His family, nearly dead. He'd heard one of the other doctors say that she probably wouldn't ever wake up. But she had too...she just had too.

Timo looks over at Killian as the Captain address him. Was he alright? No...not at all. But he didn't want to look weak when everyone needed him strong. When Mike moved him over, he grabbed hold of Killian's shirt tightly, as if holding onto a lifeline. He barely heard a word he said, just listened to the comforting sound of his heart beat. Then Killian mentioned teaching him to be a pilot. He nods slightly. Then his lip begins quivering and unbidden he begins to sob into Killian's shirt, trembling painfully.
 
At first holding the boy wasn't so bad. Killian had just started to relax. The boy wanted to learn how to fly. He could probably take over navigation and let the boy do some of the running. Besides it was going to be a while before he could walk again. Just as he was congratulating himself on how well it was all going he felt the grip on his shirt tighten and then sobs started.

Lifting his arm slightly Killian tried to look at Timo. His eyes gradually grew wide and he looked to Mike for help. The older man just lifted his shoulders and shrugged. Neither of them knew what to do about this.
 
Timo continues to sob for several minutes, snot dripping from his nose, tears wetting Killian's shirt. Finally he takes a breath and is able to calm his crying long enough to ask the question on the forefront of his mind. "Is Star going to be ok?"
And then the second most important question, "Why? Why would Adam hurt all of us. I thought we were all family." He begins to sob anew, heartbroken and scared.
 
Killian rolled his eyes at Mike. Of course the man wasn't any help. None of them knew what to do with children. Looking back down at Timo he tried to pull his shirt away. He didn't want snot all over it. "Ummm...Mike?" Hissing to the man he motioned to the kid and Mike shrugged. "I need a tissue."

"You're not going to start are you?" Mike looked at the captain skeptically.

"No!" Finally giving up, Killian just let the kid wipe his nose on the shirt. It was all over. Then the questions started. The captain looked down at the boy and frowned. "I don't know. We can wait here and find out." He was hoping it sounded positive and then the boy asked the worst question of them all. "Timo I don't know." Killian turned his eyes away. "Sometimes a crew member goes crazy, they want power, more money, or they hold a grudge."

He thought that answering the questions would have fixed the problem. Instead the boy was crying harder and the snot was blowing out of his nose in little bubbles. "Mike I need help." Killian's voice held a certain urgency.
 
"Someone call for help?" Kato hurries back into the room. Then he sees the scene that had Killian's pants in a knot. He shakes his head sadly at the boy, grabs a wad of gauze and wipes his face and nose. "Come, little man. Back to bed."
Timo shook his head, gripping Killian all the tighter.
"You need rest." Kato argues.
Timo shook his head again. "Don't want to sleep."
"Well, you must." Kato adds a sleeping aid to Timo's i.v.
The boy calms within a few minutes, his eyes closing. A moment later he was sleeping peacefully on Killian's chest. "Would you like me to return him to his bed, Sir?" Kato asks.
 
Killian nodded at the doctor and it seemed that the man was better equipped to taking care of the boy. That was until Kato was trying to help put the boy back to his own bed. "Ow..." All the pulling was causing some disruption to his legs and reached up to slap the doctor's hand. "Just leave the kid here with me."

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Weeks had turned into a living nightmare. Killian was barely starting to walk. It took a while to get his legs healing and then they didn't want to work. Timo in the mean time had moved into the captain's room. "C'mon little man it's time to get up." Grabbing hold of the bars Killian pulled himself up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. Sooner or later they were going to have to leave the port but, he stayed just in case something new developed with Star. She might come out of the coma yet. Hope was fading with time though.

If they decided to leave port he would have to buy extra supplies to be sure they had enough food that was ready for the feeding tubes. Looking at the boy he winked. "Go feed Comet and I'll go check on Star." Killian had taken to being in the room for a few minutes every day just by himself with her.

Taking the seat next to her bed like usual he cleared his throat. "Well not much to say. You look the same as you did yesterday. Kato is feeding you spinach for breakfast. I'm sure you'd murder him if you knew."
 
There's a beep on the monitor and the hand Killian was holding suddenly flinched.
Another beep. Kato rushes into the room and hurries to the monitor. He smiles lightly and nods. "Her brainwaves are increasing as is her heart rate. She's waking up. But, I must warn you, Killian. She may not be the same woman you knew. There is no telling the sort of brain-damage she has. Also, be aware, most coma patients wake up slowly. She should improve rapidly over the course of the next few days, but don't be alarmed if she doesn't respond to you again for some time."
 
While Killian was sitting by her side Star's hand twitched. At first he didn't know if she really moved and then the monitor started to gradually change. Staring at the screen and then back to the woman he waited for her to do something or anything else at all. Instead it was as if the only thing that changed was the monitor. The doctor seemed to be excited about it though.

Killian sighed. "I don't care if she isn't the same. She needs to wake up that's all." A slight grin had come to his face and yet he didn't want to say anything in case it took time. Timo wouldn't be ready to hear that she was waking up if she couldn't talk to him.
 
"There are ways you can help the process. We need to stimulate her brain a few times a day for the next several days. She needs things that are important memory triggers to her senses."Kato explains. "Such as smelling her favorite perfume or flower, or feeling her favorite blanket or clothing. Even playing her favorite music. You two seemed to be close...do you know what things she seemed to love most?"
 
Killian stared at doctor for a moment. "Oh." Walking out of the room he scratched the back of his head. What in the world could he do. He didn't what she liked except that red dress and it wouldn't do that much for her in that condition. The next best thing was go dig through her room. Standing outside the room he took a deep breath and opened the door. It had been sealed for a while cause he couldn't bear to look inside of it.

Opening a top drawer he found underwear. Why did she have to put it on top like that. Finally he found a bottle of deodorant? Not too helpful. Grabbing a little scarf he noticed her wearing several times he stuffed it into basket that she had sitting by her bed. Maybe he could put some things in this. Then of course the music jam box. Looked like she had some music for it.

Taking the basket into the room he plugged the player in and stuffed a record in to play. When the song first started he didn't mind till the singing started. "What is that?" Grumbling under his breath he held a hand over one ear and pulled her scarf out. Stuffing it into her fist he sat down next to her. "That's your favorite green scarf. I think its your favorite. You wore it a lot."

(Song playing
)
 
Mike peers into the med bay, making a face at the music. "What's all this then?" He comes up behind Killian. "What's up with the music and the stuff. We doing a memorial already?"

Timo enters the room with a bowl of cereal. "Nothing tastes good. I wish she'd hurry up and wake up so we can have good food again."
 
It might have been a strange ritual to begin with but, then the fellow crew members made it purely awkward. "Uhh...NO." Killian glared at the man. "Doctor said it would help." The captain started to turn a little red at the tips of his ears. He felt purely dumb at this point waltzing about the room with a giant basket of stuff trying to talk to her. "I'll probably do this later." While he started to clean up another song began playing.

Of course Timo had to step in while Killian was cleaning up the mess of all the things he brought to her in the medical bay. "What do you expect? We're all lousy cooks." Looking at both of the others he shooed them away. "Get out of here."

 
***
The next couple days seemed unusually long as Killian waited for that next sign of her awakening. Somehow Timo heard through Kato that she would probably be waking up soon and started spending even more time with her than Killian. One morning, as Killian came in for his regular visit he found Star with her eyes open staring off into the distance. She closed her eyes as he came to her side and looked at him. But there was little other response than the occasional blinking and eye movement.

"She's probably only processing part of the information right now. She may only know that someone is sitting in front of her, but not understand who or why." Kato says, coming into the room. "This is good, though. Keep talking with her. She's making progress...but its going to be slow." He puts a hand on Killian's shoulder. "You know you can't keep your crew here in dock forever. The authorities are starting to ask questions despite the bribes. We won't be safe here much longer. You may want to consider checking her into a institution here that can help with her recovery. The smuggler life will not be an easy one to readjust into."
 
Killian got up every morning like usual to go see Star. He was starting to wonder if she would actually show any improvement at all. It was almost as if the monitors were the only indication of change. Regretfully he still used the bar to get up. The one leg didn't heal right after the fight. That wasn't surprising at all. Kato had warned him about the dangers of walking on it again and Adam did his own bit of work with that kick.

"Hey Timo." Frowning he noticed that the boy wasn't in the room. "Ah well. " Grumbling under his breath Killian got himself dressed and limped over to the medical bay. Surprisingly the boy was already in there and Star's eyes were open. Killian moved as quickly as he could considering it was morning. Taking up his seat next to the bed he grabbed one of her hands. "Star?" There still wasn't any response and he frowned. As if in perfect time Kato walked in with a small update. One that only frustrated the captain. Letting go of Star's and he shook his head. "We're not leaving her Kato."

Meeting the man's gaze he gave a firm answer of why not. "Alliance might pick her up. They know her and that was how she originally came to the ship." Rising from the seat he grabbed the doctor by the shoulders. "Why isn't she recovering any faster? Shouldn't she be at least babbling or something?" The last few days had been torture. Waiting for anything to change and now the doctor wanted to leave her behind.

At least she was breathing on her own but, it still didn't seem to get anywhere. Shoving Kato against the wall he peered into the man's eyes. "You say every day that she gets better. I don't see her getting better. She woke up and now she has her eyes open but, that's it. Is that better?" Nearly yelling the last few phrases he suddenly remembered where he was and let the doctor go. "We have to take her with. If you're tired of taking care of her I'll find someone else for the crew."
 
Kato expression didn't change as the Captain grabbed his shoulders, demanding why there was so little change in her condition. He knew what that Captain didn't or wasn't patient enough to understand...that after weeks of being in a coma, this was a massive step forward in the right direction. Even the movement of her eyes and they way she focused on things meant she was gaining more and more control of her brain's function. Kato proceeded to say this but it just seemed to make the Captain angrier and he was shoved against the wall.

Kato listened solemnly to Killian's rant. It was expected for members close to her to be upset with the slow progress. Killian finally releases him, offering to find a new doctor. "I will remain here for as long as I'm needed. But I think you don't understand just how difficult these next several months, perhaps even years are going to be for both the crew and her as she recovers. There is a strong chance that she may not remember any of this. She may not even remember how to even clothe or bath herself, much less cook and be part of a crew." Kato straightens out his shirt. "The woman you love, Captain, may not be the same one who wakes from that body. Will you get angry at her too, then?"
 
The doctor didn't do much to make things better. It seemed that the man was going to just sit here and make excuses for everything. Something was wrong. That was why it was taking so long for this woman to see any kind of recovery. Brain injury was considered a problem but, it wasn't the sole cause of all this. Not so far as the captain was concerned. Kato's response was surprising and sobering in many ways. If she didn't recover quickly. What if it was years? Killian couldn't even begin to imagine what he would do if Star didn't remember him or if she just continued staring at the ceiling for months.

It wasn't her fault that this happened. In a way it was Killian's responsibility and he couldn't leave her. Taking a deep breath he frowned at the doctor. "I don't know." He couldn't tell if he would turn his anger or frustration on her. So far if he was going to be realistic he had a lousy track record for that kind of thing. Getting angry was easy. That was one emotion he was familiar with and it often came out as a default when he was embarrassed, upset, truly angry, or scared. All of it came out angry. Frustration was a close relative and Killian couldn't say that he expressed it very well. There were so many things he would have to work on if she was all that the doctor described. "I hope you're wrong." That was all the more that he could say for now.

Killian walked over to the bed and looked down at her slender little body wrapped in the sheets. Taking a tiny hand in his own massive paw he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Hang in there. Prove this bastard wrong." If she couldn't even take care of herself in a few months he would have no choice, but to leave her. There was a ship to take care of and a crew that would eventually need to leave port. Until now they had an excuse since Killian had barely been able to get himself up. Now that he had recovered enough he didn't need a cane and Mike's shoulder was back in shape there was nothing holding them here. Even Timo had recovered quickly and the boy was no longer in danger of his lungs collapsing. He might have been tempted to kiss her but, that was something better saved for when she was fully conscious. Letting go of her hand he turned toward the doctor again. "We're leaving port tomorrow. Let me know if there is anything you need for her. Plan for several weeks. If she doesn't improve then we'll talk about other options.
 
Comet trotted along the ship's corrider, a small bell around her neck jingling happily. She rounds the corner to the Medbay and leaps up onto a nearby warm body. Curls herself on in the chest of Star, unaware it would be this action that fully awakened her early that morning.

Star opened her eyes, blinking slowly several times before realizing that she was in some sort of ship Medbay. She knew this because of the steady beeping of a medical monitor, and the quiet hum and vibrations of a ship's engines. She looks down at the weight on her chest. A cat? She reached up to pet it when the cat leaps off. A face comes into view. "Welcome back." He says with a calm voice. "Can you tell me your name?"
Star blinks. Her name? She moves her arm, just now noticing the tubes all over her body. She tugs at the one seemingly connected to her stomach. The man beside her pushes her hand back to her side. "Don't touch them. They are a necessity for now. Just relax."
Relax? Why was he telling her to relax. She just wanted to be free of these uncomfortable things. She tried to pull at them again, starting to panic as he put her limbs in restrains, further increasing the discomfort. The heart monitor begins to increase in rythmn.
"Relax, Star, you're safe. You're ok." The man says again then leaves her line of sight. Star? The name felt foreign. She feels her heart forceably begin to slow and blackness begins to encroach upon her mind again. What's my name?
Anne...Anne Starla Lane.
*****
The next time she woke, a familiar face was staring at her intently, but who...she wasn't sure. He held her hand stroking it and saying Star like the other one had. "My name isnt Star..." she protests in her mind but words didnt seem to reach her lips. She pulled away from the hand, at least she tried. The restraints were still in place. She looked around in frustration for a way to escape, to be free.
 
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