The adventures of the Star Traveler Andromeda that started in Among the Stars, Beyond the Farthest Planet, So Far From Home and The Voyage Home continues in Earth in Turmoil.
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Chapter 19
The tunnel walls shook violently causing rocks to fall around them. Dust was thick, and the lights flickered and went out. Rhea activated her wrist beacon and reached to turn on Kacey's.
Kacey looked up at the large cracks that snaked across the ceiling. Cracks that expanded as the ground shook. In an instant she knew Rhea would not get out while she carried most of her weight. She removed her arm from Rhea's shoulders and stopped.
"Do you need a break?" Rhea asked.
Kacey shook her head no. "Do me a favor, Rhea. Tell Talia that I love her and the children and that I am sorry." Kacey shouted
"What? You tell her yourself. We are getting out together." Rhea shouted back.
Kacey gave her a look. "No I will not be able to. I am sorry Rhea." She replied and gave Rhea a powerful shove toward the exit as the ceiling started to fall, burying her.
Rhea pulled the radio from her belt and broke radio silence. "Cavern ceiling has collapsed. General trapped. All available personnel report to the cavern and bring any tools we have." She put the radio back onto her belt and focused her light on the pile of rocks. The dust was still thick, but settling slowly. Rhea started moving whatever rocks she could manage alone. After several minutes she heard the sounds of running footsteps as the lights from many wrist beacons lit up the cavern.
Help arrived carrying whatever tools were in the remaining transports. The troops went to work immediately. The caverns had stopped shaking. She heard the radio at her side crackle to life.
"Commander, we are almost finished here. I am sending a dozen able bodied troops to help out." Mike stated.
"Thank you Colonel." Rhea responded.
"Commander, medical transports have been dispatched. E.T.A. one hour."
"Roger. The access tunnel will be empty by that time." Rhea said. "Colonel Anderson, as soon as you are free, we could use your expertise in here."
"Understood Commander."
"Colonel, we have this under control." A voice stated. "You are needed there more."
"Roger. Continuing offering air support to the ground crews as they take care of any stragglers."
"Roger, Colonel. Our thoughts are with you and the general."
Mike pulled his flyer away and headed towards the access tunnel. Within minutes he landed outside the tunnel. Shutting down the flyer he left his crew securing the vessel as he ran inside. The last of the women and children were boarding the large transports. He stopped only to get directions to the cave in and took off running.
He followed the line of service people as they moved rocks and debris out of the way until he came to the cave in. The workers had made a small dent in the rock pile. Yet they had no way of knowing how far they had to dig to reach their leader. Giving up was not an option. This was one rescue that will not turn into a body recovery. Mike thought, not on my watch and most certainly not my friend.
The noise of the workers drowned out the sounds from the radios each person wore on their belts as they continued to move rocks. One worker finally noticed the blinking light and pulled their attention to their radios.
"Everyone stop. Be quiet." Mike ordered and turned up the volume on his radio. The universal distress code sounded. He keyed his radio. "Kacey can you hear me?" The beeps continued. "General if you can hear me, respond." The beeps were the only response.
"Her radio may not be able to receive." Rhea said.
"At least she was alive to turn the distress code on. Let's get her out before we have to relay the news to the brass or her family." Mike responded.
"That is one call I do not want to make ever." Rhea admitted as she went back to work. The troops continued to move the rocks. More troops arrived to relieve those who were exhausted. The radio continued to beep. Periodically the lights remained steady and would start flashing again. The periods of steady lights grew longer. They doubled their efforts to move the rocks. Mike's foot kicked a piece a metal. He stopped, picked it up and examined it closely. He sniffed it and heaved a large sigh.
"What did you find?" Rhea asked.
"A part of the explosive device that caused the cave in."
"You sound relieved?"
"I am. When I heard about the cave in, I thought it was caused by our attack. This proves that we were not to blame." He pocketed the piece and returned to work.
Another hour passed before they found where Kacey lay buried. Rhea felt the hand that lay still upon the ground. She moved to her wrist to check for a pulse and looked at Mike.
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Kate and Natalia took turns pacing the office floor as they waited for news. The hours passed slowly. The sun had begun it's journey as dawn greeted them and the sky lightened by the second. Admiral Tacher leaned against the wall behind the desk where General Millhouse sat as they waited for updates.
"Is it always this hard for those left behind?" Natalia asked. "It was hard in space, but she was always on camera. This is so much worse."
"It is harder for you because so much of this mission had to be kept secret." Kate answered. "But you are correct, this is much worse. I have to keeping telling myself that she will come through because she is strong and that she took the best possible people with her. People she trusts to watch her back."
"She could still get hurt." Natalia argued.
"Yes. With Kacey that could happen anywhere at anytime."
"She still tempts fate each and every time."
"That is just who she is Natalia."
The computer beeped. General Millhouse read the short missive. He looked up at Admiral Tacher who read over his shoulder. He moved his head in Natalia's direction. Admiral Tacher nodded.
"Mrs. O'Malley, it has been a long night. While we are waiting, lets go to the Mess Hall and scare the cook into cooking breakfast."
"No thank you. I would rather stay here."
"Natalia, go with Admiral Tacher and at least get some air. It has been a very long night."
"All right Kate. I do need to call to check on the children."
The Admiral held the door open for her. As soon as the door closed behind them Kate turned to the General.
"I heard the beep. What did the report say?"
"There was an explosion that caved in part of the tunnel that they women were using."
"AND?" Kate yelled.
"Kacey is trapped. They are digging her out. There is a medical transport on site."
"Is anyone else trapped?"
"The report does not say."
"Did the attack cause the cave in?"
He turned the monitor around for her to see. "Admiral, Kate you can see for yourself there is no other information there."
"I want to go to her."
"Absolutely not Admiral. That request is denied."
"That was not a request General." Kate yelled as she got right into his face.
He stood. His six foot plus frame dwarfed the smaller woman. "You forget who you are talking to Admiral." He yelled back. Kate looked up into his stormy eyes. "Kate think about this for a minute." He said softly. "Even if we did allow you to go to her, it would take at least an hour to get there, even in our fastest ship. This is not space and we are bound by speed laws for all non medical trips. What would that accomplish?"
"I would be there when they rescued her. Or she would have family with her if she... if she..." Her voice cracked. "She would have family present for the journey home."
"That cave in happened hours ago. For all we know, they could already be en route. You would make that trip for nothing."
"Contact them General. The need for radio silence has passed. Contact them and find out what is going on."
"All right, Kate." He sat back down and opened the video. "General Millhouse to rescue team one."
An image appear on the monitor. An image that was distorted by the cavern walls. "Rescue one here, General."
"Do you have any updates on the rescue effort?"
"The team is still removing debris, but they have located General O' Malley and are working to free her. Commander Torrino will contact you as soon as she is free."
"Is she alive?" Kate demanded.
The officer hesitated before answering. "Unknown at this time Ma'am. I am sorry I do not have more information for you."
"What about her tracker?"
"Tracker ma'am?"
"Yes she has a tracker in her arm that will tell you if she is still alive. She would have had it turned on before she left for this mission. It will only stop if she returns and has it turned off or if her life signs... if she dies."
"I will check ma'am and get back to you."
The connection was broken.
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"Has that lift arrived yet?" Mike yelled over the echoing noise in the tunnel.
"It is being unloaded now sir."
"As soon as this rock is off her, we can move her to the medical transport."
"Yes sir. I will go see if I can hurry them along." The soldier ran down the tunnel.
Mike dropped to the ground next to Rhea, who monitored Kacey's pulse. "Any change?"
"She is still with us but her heart beat is really slow and getting weaker. At least she can breathe now that those blasted rocks are off her head and shoulders. Still unconscious."
"Right now that is a good thing. She would not be able to take the pain if anything is broken. She won't feel the pain." He said. "So you were telling me why she needed help to walk."
"One of the Matrons kicked her knee out. We all heard the snap. I strapped and splinted her leg so that we could get out when the explosion happened. She pushed me out of the way just before the ceiling came down on her."
"How the Hell did that Matron get the drop on her?"
"One of the ladies came back and told us there were other women being held else where. The Matrons would choose women to take to the leader to torture. Kacey had the Matron pinned against the wall for hitting the little girls with a belt. She turned and the Bitch punched her in her already injured shoulder and kicked out."
They heard the lift arrive. "Where do you want this Colonel?"
"We need to lift this rock off Kacey so put the arms on both sides of her. How far do those arms open?"
"Eight feet sir."
"We will not need that much. Bring it in here as far as you can go and get this rock off her."
"Understand sir." He activated the lift and opened the arms. He lined up the arms and slowly pushed the lift under the rock that pinned Kacey. Mike and Rhea grabbed Kacey's arms before he began to lift the rock.
"Get a good grip so that we can do this in one go."
"Wait." The doctor called out as she ran up the tunnel. Medics followed close behind with equipment. "Do not move her yet." She placed a cervical collar around Kacey's neck. "When the rock is lifted we need to place this plastic board under her. This will keep her spine straight."
"Gotcha Doc." Mike stated. He nodded to the soldier to begin. The lift was engaged and slowly lifted the rock. The low hum of the lift turned into a whine as it forced the great weight off their commander.
"That should be high enough." The doctor said as she grabbed the plastic board. With Mike's assistance, they pushed the sheet under Kacey so that she was supported from head to hopefully her knees. "Lets get her out of there." Several troops came forward and grabbed whatever piece they could. "Ready?" They all nodded. "Nice and smooth. Go." She commanded. They pulled the sheet until Kacey was completely free of the rock and over the lift to the stretcher.
Once Kacey was strapped on the stretcher, the air jets were activated. The stretcher raised off the ground. The medic pushed it down the tunnel with the doctor close by. Inside the medical transport she did a quick exam.
"How fast can we get back to the Academy Hospital?"
"Four hours unless we can get clearance to override the speed limits of no warp."
"You call whoever you have to, to get that permission. Her life depends on speed."
"Yes ma'am."
"Rescue one to General Millhouse."
"Go ahead rescue one." General Millhouse's face came on.
"We have General O' Malley. She is badly injured and need to get to Academy Hospital as fast as we can. Permission requested to ignore the no warp rule."
"Permission granted. I will advise Air Command, clear all air space and give you a direct path."
"Thank you sir. We are taking off now. E.T.A twenty minutes."
"I will also advise the hospital of your arrival." The screen went dark.
"Wait how badly is she injured?" Kate asked loudly. "General get him back."
"Kate calm down. Look at the facts. Yes she is injured, but she is still alive. Otherwise they would not ask to override the limits. Take comfort in that."
"Comfort General?"
"Yes, I know you are worried and scared right now. So am I, but at this point there is nothing we can do but wait. We will find out more when they arrive. Now I need to send that alert out then go find Natalia and get you to the hospital."
The door flew opened and banged against the wall with such force that the pictures rattled. "Is it true?" Natalia demanded.
"Sorry Tuck, the rumor mill is running full bore out there."
"Natalia please sit and we will fill you in on everything we know so far."
"Before you start on that bull shit spiel on what you think I should know, tell me one thing. Is Kacey dead?"
"Natalia," Kate said softly and took her hand. "What we know is that Kacey was caught in a cave in and is injured. They got her out and are on their way back here."
"How badly is she hurt?"
"Bad enough that they requested a speed clearance. She is being take to Academy Hospital and will be there shortly."
"A special security detail will escort you, Admiral Jensen and your family to the hospital."
"Natalia, we all know that Kacey is a very strong person." Admiral Tacher said.
"Strong Admiral? She is a human being. One that can bleed and die." Natalia shouted at the officers. "How many more times are you going to send her out to do your dirty work while you sit on you asses here, safe behind your desks. How many more times."
"Natalia, don't say something you will regret later." Kate said softly.
"No Kate" General Millhouse interrupted. "She is right. We have asked too much from her. When she returns to duty, her only objective will be running the base. This was her last mission."
"If she lives to return to duty, General. Kate, I need to see the children and your parents need to hear the news from us and not from the military." She turned and walked out the door.
"Go with her Kate. Security will be waiting for you."
Kate left the office. The two officers looked at each other and were silent.
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"Keep pushing those fluids." The doctor ordered as she ran her hands over Kacey's legs and back. "Those rocks did a lot of damage. How long before we land?"
"About seven minutes, Doctor. They have everything prepared for our arrival."
"Good. I need to speak to them before we land."
"Yes ma'am." He keyed the mike. "Rescue one to Academy Hospital."
"Go ahead rescue one."
He handed the mike to the doctor. "This is Doctor McCloud. I have a 32 year old female who has serious injuries to her spine and legs from a cave in. Patient is unconscious at this time. Blood pressure is 92 over 40, pulse is 60 and respirations are eight. We need a full body scan as soon as we arrive. General O'Malley will need specialized surgery on her injuries. Contact Doctor Felicia Durant and ask her for a consultation."
"Everything will set up when you arrive. Doctor Durant has been paged. She is already in the hospital. She will meet you in the scanning suite."
"Roger Academy Hospital." She handed the mike back to the communications officer.
"Doctor do you want to contact her family?"
"Yes they need to be informed so they can be near in case,..." She did not finish the sentence. "I am not sure where they would be at this time. Contact General Millhouse and fill him in. He will know how to contact them. Lets get her ready to move as soon as we land." She went about the task of making sure the I.V was secure and that the oxygen was functioning as well as the vital signs monitor that she placed near Kacey's head.
They felt the ship as it lightly touched down. Medical personnel were waiting at the foot of the ramp when hover bed was pushed out. Take her directly to the scanning suite. Is Doctor Durant here?"
"She is waiting for you in the tech room of the suite, Doctor McCloud. We will take General O'Malley in.
She followed the hover bed into the hospital. At the scanning room, she went directly to the tech room where another doctor waited. and watched as Kacey was put into the scanner. Doctor McCloud handed the small computer with her notes to woman and filled her in on what the notes did not say.
"On the preliminary exam, I noted what may be several breaks in her legs and shoulder. My main concern is in the lumbar/sacro region. That is where most of the weight was located. I also found several breaks in her pelvis and lower spine that has me worried. At this point she has no involuntary reflexes in her legs. Pulse are present in both legs so there is no interruption in the blood flow."
"Was she conscious at all?"
"Not since she was found." Doctor McCloud responded. "I was also informed that her shoulder and knee were injured before the cave in."
"Any head injuries?"
"Not that I am aware of. I felt no fractures or depressions. But with all those rocks falling anything is possible."
They watched the large monitors as the machine scanned Kacey's body and made notes on their hand computers.
"I see no head injuries. You were right about the shoulder, Olive. There is a break that will be easy to fix." She went back to watching the monitors. "The legs breaks will be easy to fix also. Rescan the pelvis and sacro/lumbar regions please." She told the tech controlling the machine. They studied the scan. "There is a lot of damage that needs to be repaired." Doctor Durant said.
"Will you do the surgery, Felicia?"
"Surgeries are a more accurate word Olive. That amount of damage can not be fixed in just one surgery. And a lot depends on how much she can take in one go. There could be organ damage from bone chips from the shattered discs or from the rocks that will have to be repaired also." She stated. "Will you assist me?"
"Of course Felicia. Now comes the had part. We have to tell her family."
"That is the part I have always hated. Have those scans sent to the computer in O.R. one and call in a surgical team. Have her prepped for surgery."
"Will do Doc." The tech replied.
They left the room.
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Natalia and Kate paced the length of the waiting room. They had arrived while Kacey was in the scanner. An hour had passed with no news on her condition. Liam stood near the nurses station to stop them from harassing the staff. Every time the phone rang, they stopped. Until the receptionist stood and motioned for them to follow her.
She opened the Conference Room door. The lights came on automatically. "Please have a seat. The doctors will be here shortly to talk to you." She turned on the coffee machine. "Please help yourself to coffee or tea."
"She left quickly before they could question her.
Chapter 20
Note: I tried something a bit different in this chapter and the following ones. Hope you enjoy it.
Claire
The conference room was set up for comfort during long meetings. A dozen chairs were placed around the oblong table with computer terminals at each place. Large windows let in the natural light.
No one sat as they waited for the doctors to appear. Kate and Anya stood close to Natalia. The late afternoon sun was red as it set. Liam gave each of them a hot drink while they waited. Finally the door opened to admit the doctors.
"Will everyone have a seat. We have a few things to discuss." Doctor McCloud stated and waited until they were seated. "This is Doctor Felicia Durant. She is the best Neuro/Orthopedic surgeon in this part of the country."
"How is Kacey?" Natalia asked.
"She is unconscious, but alive, and in need of surgery." Doctor Durant answered.
"Felicia this is Natalia O'Malley, the General's wife. Admiral Kate Jensen and her wife Anya, and the General's parents, Liam and Patricia O'Malley."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I wish it were under better circumstances. Lets get right to it. General O'Malley has several serious injuries that will require surgery. Mrs. O'Malley as her wife, I will need you to sign the permission forms."
"What exactly are her injuries?" Natalia demanded.
"The cave in did a great deal of damage. She has at least three crushed discs that will have to be replaced. In addition to several breaks in her pelvis, legs and shoulder. The legs and shoulder breaks can be fixed quickly. However the pelvic breaks cannot and will require a second surgery. Those injuries we can easily see. There may be organ damage that we are unable to see."
"What sort of damage?" Patricia asked.
"Bone pieces may have punctured her organs such as kidneys, bladder or intestines."
"What if you let her heal naturally..." Kate started to ask but was cut off.
"Without surgery Admiral, you will be burying General O'Malley within the week. That is the worst case scenario. if by some miracle no organs were damaged, she will face total paralysis in her legs."
"Are you certain about the paralysis?"
"Natalia, at this point, Kacey has no involuntary reflexes. The impulses from her brain are not reaching her legs. Much like when she had no feeling in her hand from undissolved stitches."
"I remember. When would you do the first surgery?"
"The first should be done immediately."
"First? She will need more than one?"
"Yes, I am afraid so. The first will be to remove the damaged discs and repair any organ damage."
"The remainder of the breaks cannot be done at the same time?"
"I would not recommend that, Mrs.O'Malley. The first will take several hours and I hesitate keeping her under sedation any longer than absolutely necessary. Her vitals, while not great are stable."
"You are certain that without surgery, she will lose the use of her legs?
"Absolutely certain."
"I will sign the forms, Doctor Durant. Can we see her before you operate?"
"She will not know you are there."
"I need to see her. We all do."
"They are prepping her now, but I can allow you a few minutes. Then I suggest you go home. As I said the surgery will take several hours."
"I cannot leave her." Natalia cried as she handed the doctor the signed forms.
"Natalia, you have to think about your children. They need to see one of their mothers." Patricia said.
"Patsy is right lass. We will stay here while you, Katie and Anya spend some time with the little ones and maybe get a wee bit of sleep."
"This room will be available for you instead of sitting in the waiting room. We will have cots brought in." Natalia nodded. "Good, I will take you to see Kacey."
They followed the doctor to the scanning room where nurses were removing the environmental suit Kacey still wore. The staff stepped away from the table to let the family in. Each leaned down to whisper something in Kacey ear, kiss her cheek and leave the room until only Kate and Natalia remained. Kate stood by the door to give Natalia a small measure of privacy.
"Sweetheart, please come back to us. We need you and love you so do not think about doing anything silly like dying all right? You promised me a long life together and I am holding you to that promise. I will give your love to the children." She kissed Kacey's cheek and cried. Kate went to her side and helped her away from the table and out the door as she sobbed.
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Hours passed since the surgery began and there was no word. Kate and Natalia returned to the Conference room and sent Liam and Patricia home. Natalia paced the length of the room unable to sit still. Kate drank endless cups of coffee. Night had descended and still no word from the doctors. Natalia stopped pacing long enough to look out the window. The lights from the surrounding buildings reminded her of the stars they flew through in space.
"How long has it been Kate?" She asked softly, not turning from the window.
Kate looked at the clock on the wall. "Seven hours. Doctor Durant said it would be a long operation." She replied. "Have you ever had weird off the wall thoughts at times of stress?"
"I do not think so. What thought did you just have?"
"i just wondered how the surgical team managed during long surgeries. Do they take coffee or bio breaks? Or did they just keep going?"
This caused Natalia to chuckle. "I think you may have gone round the bend." Kate smiled. "How many hours do you think we have spent waiting like this?"
"More than I care to remember."
"What if the surgery is a wast of time and Kacey is still unable to walk? What do we do? That would kill her?"
"We love and support her, two things she will need most of all."
"Where are her friends? And that bastard General who sent her on this mission? Why are they not here, concerned for Kacey's life?"
"Natalia, stop. You are angry and you have every right to be. So am I. This was supposed to be a straight forward mission. Until we know what caused the cave in, there is no use trying to place blame."
"I could hate him, hate them all."
"No, I do not think you have it in you to hate anyone. It is not who you are."
The door opened slowly. They both turned hoping it was the doctor. Anya pushed through, her arms loaded with bags, followed by Rhea, Bella, and Mike who also carried bags.
"I found a few concerned people hanging out in the waiting room." Anya stated. "Patricia sent food. She figures that neither of you has eaten or rested yet."
"Mom does know us."
"Have you heard anything?" Rhea asked.
"Nothing since the surgery started over seven hours ago." Kate answered.
"Rhea, what happened out there?" Natalia asked.
"I am not supposed to say anything until I am debriefed later today."
"Fuck their debriefing." Natalia shouted. "That is my wife in there fighting for her life. I deserve to know."
"Yes you do, Natalia. Mike and I decided to ignore orders and fill you in." Rhea said as Anya filled plates and handed them to everyone. "We landed in a snow storm and colder than a witches ... it was extremely cold. We hiked through the forest without any problems until we were about a kilometer from the access tunnel. Then everything went to Hell. Thunder and lightning, wind and snow falling so hard we could not see a meter in front of us. We gathered at the base of a large tree and waited for the white out to end. Branches were breaking off around us. Kacey had pushed Veronica and I to the inside of the circle. A large branch broke off and crashed down. It hit Kacey knocking her into us. We were stuck for about thirty minutes when it stopped as quickly as it started. Yet still dumped two meters of snow on us." She paused. "We got the hell out of there as quickly as we could and got to the access tunnel with an hour to spare. The two guards were disabled and we took refuge in the guard's room. We ate and rested up. I fixed the gash in Kacey's shoulder, on the outside anyway. I think there was some internal damage as she favored that side."
"There was. The doctor said the bone was broken." Kate said.
"We made it to the women's and children's area without any problems. Manny joined us and we were informed that some of the newer women knew we were coming and were waiting to help. They were waiting for us. Once the attack started, we began evacuating them. Some needed reassurances that it was not a trick. They were the one who had been there the longest. They had suffered the most abuse. The noise brought the Matrons and girls out into the room. The girls raised a fuss. One Matron was hitting the girls with a large belt to get them to be quiet. We all took exception to that. Kacey pinned the woman to the wall while the captives helped get the girls wrapped in blankets and into the tunnel."
"Is that the woman who kicked her?" Mike asked.
"Yeah the bitch caught her by surprise."
"How did that happen?"
"One of the ladies asked about the other women that were being held in another part of the cavern. The Matrons were responsible for choosing the women who went to the leader's area. Kacey asked if that were true. The one she had pinned refused to answer so Kacey asked the women. While her attention was on the woman, the Matron kicked out and dislocated Kacey's knee, then punched her shoulder. We all heard the cracks and knew there was damage that needed to be repaired. The matron tried to escape, but was caught. Once the head one was subdued, the rest fell into line. But the damage was done. Kacey could not walk. We splinted and bandaged her knee and I helped her out. We were almost to the access tunnel when we heard the explosions. Everything started to crumble. She stopped and said," Rhea paused, "she said tell Talia I am sorry and I love her. I told her to tell you herself, but she gave me one of those looks that she is good at, shook her head and gave me a push as the ceiling came down on her. I am so sorry Natalia."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rhea." Natalia said.
"I should have known she would try something like that. She could not out run the cave in."
"Do they know what caused the explosions?" Anya asked.
"We do. They were set off on purpose." Mike answered. "We found the detonator when we were digging her out."
"You found the detonator, Mike and recognized it."
"Up until that time I thought it was our attack that caused the cave in. I had no idea how I would face you."
"We would not have blamed you Mike." Anya stated.
"That means a great deal Anya. Did they say how long the surgery would take?"
"No, just that it would be several hours."
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"We have another bleeder." Doctor Durant called out. "Suction, I need a clear field. Olive can you heal that puncture?"
Doctor McCloud passed the regenerator over the puncture until it was closed. The low hum of the tool was drowned out by the other machines. "Go ahead Felicia."
"More suction." This area must be clean. Are the discs ready?"
"Yes Doctor. Ready when you are."
"Time?"
"Nine hours twelve minutes doctor."
"Vitals?"
"B.P. one hundred over 52, pulse 50."
"Lets continue. I want those discs in place before we stop. Keep a close eye on her vitals. I would rather not lose her."
"She is strong Felicia."
"Evidently." She sniffed. "Wait do you smell that?"
The team sniffed the air. "Bowel? There must be a nick in the intestine. We need to find it before we continue. Angle that light into this area." She passed her fingers slowly. After several minutes she stated, "found it. Olive can you seal that off?"
Doctor McCloud placed her hand near Doctor Durant's until she too found the hole. "Go it Felicia." She moved the regenerator over the puncture until it was also closed. She nodded when she finished.
"Two hours doc." The tech called out. The first team stepped away from the table as the second team moved forward.
"Get a sterile flush in there. She does not need an infection on top of everything else. once it is clean look for any more bone chips." She ordered as she backed away from the table. "We will be back in ten minutes."
The second team continued to work while the first team took the mandatory break. When they returned, the nurse called out. "Doctor her pressure is falling. It's down to ninety over 42."
"Damn. Lets get those discs in place and close her up. We can finish when she is stronger." She picked up the discs and gently placed them around the exposed spinal cord. Once in place she used the bone knitter to fuse the artificial discs to the natural ones. The work was slow and time consuming. When she finished she ran her finger around the fused areas to make sure there were no rough areas. "Time?"
"Eleven hours four minutes Doctor."
"Time to close. Notify I.C.U that we will by pass recovery. They are better equipped to handle any complications. Make sure the circular bed is in place. I do not want her moved any more than needed. "
The surgery was finished and the machines disconnected. The surgical team stepped away from the table as the bed was pushed to the door where they were stopped.
'Doctor we have a problem."
"What now?" Doctor Durant removed her gloves and mask and tossed them in the trash. Two M.P.'s and General Millhouse blocked their way. "What the hell is going on here." She demanded.
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Her world was upside down and she felt disoriented. One second the tunnel walls were falling on her and the next she was soaring above green fields and rolling hills. Over castles that crumbled centuries ago to a hill top above the bay. Her feet touched the emerald carpet as the soft breeze ruffled her hair. Her uniform was gone and she wore traditional clothing. On the next hill she spotted a puff of smoke that came from a man sitting on a large rock. Kacey walked towards the man whose profile stirred a long forgotten memory. She smiled as she hurried to the top.
"Grand da."
"Kirsten lass, come sit and rest for a spell. Ye've come a long way."
"Where am I?"
""I am thinking ye know the answer to that question."
"How can this be? I was caught in a cave in in Maine. Am I dead?"
"Nay lass ye are still in the land of the living."
"How can I be here and there at the same time?"
"The wee folk told us ye needed help, so we called ye here."
"Wee folk? I am not sure I believe?"
"Nonsense, all it takes is but a single drop of Irish blood to believe in the wee folk. Granny will be happy to be seeing ye. To see how fine ye have turned out."
"She is here too?"
"Aye and has tea laid out to welcome ye. We had best be going or she will be in a state and sending out searchers for us."
"Going? Going where?"
"To our cottage of course. See the next hill top?" She nodded. "That is where the family is waiting." They stood and started walking. Kacey stopped to look at the bay below.
"I had forgotten how beautiful it is here. That is Galway below us right?"
"Tis that lass. Now come along there will be time for looking later."
The headed towards the group of cottages. The old man led her to the center cottage and opened the door. He wiped his feet on the door mat as he called out.
"Shannon darlin, I've brought our great granddaughter to tea."
"It is about time old man."
Kacey wiped her feet like her grandfather did and call out, "God bless all here."
"Come in and welcome to our humble cot. Now come into the light so I can see ye better." Kacey walked to the old woman and knelt in front of her.
"Granny." Kacey whispered and let her great grand mother pull her into a loving embrace. Tears filled Kacey's eyes and ran down her cheeks.
"Tis hoping those are tears of joy wetting my cheek,I am." Kacey nodded. The old woman pushed Kacey back and brushed away her tears with her hands.
Kacey took her hands into her own. "Granny can you tell me how I can be here and still, as grand da said, in the land of the living?"
"Aye, but first have your tea while it is still hot then ye can rest. After that we will talk." Kacey's stomach rumbled. "Now do your duty to those cakes."
"Yes ma'am." Kacey stood and helped the old woman to stand. They sat around the table and all bowed their heads.
"Bless this food we are about to eat, and those gathered here." She passed the plate of cakes to Kacey. The tea was hot and sweet and very relaxing. The cakes light and moist. Somewhere off in the distance they heard the tinkling of bells. Kacey felt herself get drowsy. "Come lay on the bed and rest now." Her grandmother said and led Kacey to the bed in the corner. Kacey bent down to remove her boots and found they were already near the fireplace.
"Granny will you be here when I wake?"
"Aye child, I will be right here. Now sleep." The woman ordered and placed a colorful quilt over Kacey, who was asleep within seconds.
"They are moving her now." The old man stated.
She nodded. "She has grown into a fine woman Tim."
"Aye Shannon she has."
"Twill be hard to let her go again."
"Woman don't ye be thinking of trying to keep her here. Ye know the rules. She alone can make the decision to stay or go. Ye cannot influence her in any way."
"I know Tim, but she has been through so much in her young life."
"She has. That is just who she is Shannon."
"She is wearing the ring."
"Aye and when she wakes ye can tell her the story about it. Now let her rest."
Chapter 21
The old woman sat in the rocking chair watching over Kacey as she slept. A kettle of stew bubbled on the stove. The sun rose and set in the in between place, yet time had no meaning. In the distance a bell tinkled again. Shortly after Kacey stirred and woke up. She quietly looked around at her surroundings until she tracked to her great grandmother.
"You are still here. Am I still asleep?"
"No child ye are awake."
"I thought it was all a dream, granny."
"Tis no dream. I told ye that I would be here. Did ye doubt me?"
"Not at all, but I am still not sure this is all real?" Kacey stated. "Where is grand da?"
"He is talking to the family."
"The family?"
"Aye, we old folks are all here for ye. Child, I know there are many question ye want to ask. Questions that I will answer. Then ye will have a decision to make."
Kacey looked at her wrist. "My watch has stopped. It must have broken in the cave in. What time is it?"
"Time is not relevant here. It has no meaning. Ye can use the bathing room to finish waking up. There are some clean clothes in there also. I remember how much ye hated dresses as a child."
"I still do granny." Kacey joked.
"Go change. I have a lunch packed that we can eat outside. You still prefer the outside correct?"
"I do but how...?"
"We have watched ye for many years, child. Now scoot."
Kacey kissed the old woman's cheek and went into the next room to change. When she emerged, she was dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans and short boots. Her hair was wet. "That looks much better that what ye were wearing."
"These are really comfortable and soft. How did you manage that? Not to mention they feel like they were made just for me."
"They were. The Wee Folk do more than just mend shoes." She said. "Now grab that basket and we will go out into the sunshine to eat. I will answer the many questions I see running around your mind. Then there are folks that are waiting to meet ye, but that is for later."
They walked to a large rock that had been carved into a table with benches. Kacey placed the basket on the table and looked around."
"It is so peaceful and beautiful here."
"Tis that child. Now come sit and eat." She poured a cup from the container and handed it to Kacey.
"Coffee?"
"Aye." The older woman said with a smile. "We know ye prefer coffee to tea. Now I see the questions in your eyes."
"I guess the first one would be, what is this place? I know it looks like Galway, but where exactly are we? If I am still alive or rather my body is still in the living world, why am I here?"
"Let me answer the first. Where are we? We are no where yet everywhere. I know that is confusing. It looks like Galway because that is where the O'Malley family started. This is a place where spirits go to decide. Your spirit was called here because your injuries are life threatening."
"Decide what Granny?"
"Where your spirit will go. I will explain more when the time for that decision comes nearer. It is not that time yet. I am your guide. You are here Kirsten because you hold a special place in the family."
"Me? I am no-one special."
"Ah but ye are very wrong on that child. You are very special. Do you know the story behind the ring ye wear?" She touched the silver Claddagh on Kacey's right hand.
"I know some of it, but this design is very popular and can be easily found."
"Aye, but this particular ring was made especially for the first O'Malley woman. Catriona O'Malley who was my Great Grandmother's, Great Grandmother. It has been handed down through eight generations of O'Malley women, yet you are only the fourth woman to wear it. I got it from my Great Grandmother. It is passed down to the eldest O'Malley girl when she turns sixteen. Many boys were born from the time I was given the ring, but ye were the first girl born in four generations."
"Grandpa gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. He only said that it was a gift from you. It made me feel as if you were with me."
"I was child. I have always been close by watching ye. I knew the day ye were born that ye were special and destined to do great things."
"When I was a child, one of my favorite memories were visiting the farm on Sundays and spending time with you. Then one day we went and you were not there. I did not understand it at the time why everyone was sad and crying."
"Ye were but a wee child when I passed, but I have always been near."
"You said my injuries were life threatening, that is why I was called here. But when we were in space, I had many injuries that were severe, yet I was not called."
"Ah I wondered when that would come up. Yes ye were injured but as bad as those injuries were, your were not in any danger of dying. Then there are rules that we must abide by. We are only able to make contact in the direst circumstances."
"Granny if this is a place that spirits go to decide, why are you still here?"
"As I said before, I am your guide. I and others can move between the realms of here and there. Back to your ring. When the time comes, ye will pass that ring on to your first daughter. Ah I see another question forming. Ask it child."
"Caitlyn in not a direct blood descendant."
"What does that matter? You are married?"
"I am."
"Your wife and children carry the O'Malley name?"
"Yes, but..."
"There are no buts. Whether you know it or not, you continued the old ways. Do you remember what my great granny's name was?"
"I am sorry to say I do not."
"She was named after the first O'Malley woman, Catriona." Do ye know what the modern versions of that name are?"
"Catherine?"
"Aye and Caitlyn. You named your first born daughter after you sister and her wife, with Patrick after your parents and I may add your great grand da whose name is Timothy Patrick. Shannon and Colleen after me. Colleen is my middle name. So when the time comes, you pass that ring onto your daughter."
"If I can, I will."
"Now lets take a walk. There are a few areas you need to see."
The left the rock table and walked towards a cluster of building.
--------------------------
Anya watched over Kate and Natalia as they slept. After much discussion, she was able to convince them to rest. Rhea and Bella left to watch the children allowing Patricia and Liam to return to the hospital. She sipped her tea and glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time. Night had long descended and still no word had come from surgery. She turned when she heard the door open. Patricia peaked her head in. Anya held a finger to her lips and went out into the hall, softly closing the door behind her.
"I was able to talk Kate and Natalia into getting some rest. Neither has slept since that damned mission started."
"Good. Has there been any news?"
"Not a word. The doctors did say it would be several hours" Anya said. "I hope the girls have not given you any trouble?"
"Not at all dear. They have been a tremendous help with the little ones."
"Where is Liam?"
"He is outside talking to General Millhouse. He did not look happy to see him."
"None of us are, especially Natalia. You should have heard him cussing him out earlier. She surprised me."
Patricia smiled and shook her head. "I have never had any love for the man, but he is not to blame for bringing that tunnel down on her. But do not tell him I said that." Anya laughed softly. "Have you heard any news about the mission's success?"
"No but then I am a civilian. I do not expect to be kept informed. I do hope he tells Liam something, anything to let us know that it was not a waste of time."
Liam walked off the elevator with General Millhouse and six soldiers.
"Mrs. O'Malley, I need to speak with Queen Natalia regarding General O'Malley's safety."
"She is resting and you will not disturb her." Patricia stated angrily. She and Anya moved to block the door. "Kacey is still in surgery. Why do you think she needs protection? I am assuming you mean protection from someone other that yourself."
"You do not understand. Her life is in extreme danger."
"Yes from you. Every time she has been hurt was because she was following one of your God Damned orders."
"Patsy don't."
"No Liam, she is correct. Our information was incomplete. We did not know they had booby trapped the tunnels. If we had known..."
"You would still have ordered her to go." Patricia interrupted.
"Yes, but we would have looked harder at alternative ways. Kacey and her team rescued over four hundred women and almost one hundred children."
"At what cost General? I may have forgiven you for those ridiculous orders you gave her in space, but not now. This time, General, this time you have gone too far. Even if she makes it through this surgery, she may never walk again. Did you know that? Do you even care?" Patricia was extremely angry as she spoke to him. "Did you all mighty plans shut down the factions?"
"The leader has been neutralized and we will be weeks processing all the men that arrested. However the threat to Kacey's life is still real and present. So far Willhelm and his son are still at large. That is why me must move Kacey to a secure location as soon as she is out of surgery"
The door behind them opened. Kate stood behind a very angry Natalia as they looked at the General.
"You are not taking Kacey anywhere General. Even if the doctors agree. Which I doubt they will. I will not agree." Natalia yelled at him.
"Queen Natalia, I beg your pardon for disturbing your rest, but we do not need your permission. If General O'Malley's doctors agree, we will move her. My orders come from the Secretary of State. Now if you will excuse me, we will be near surgery waiting."
They walked away leaving the family fuming.
"Can they do that?" Natalia turned to Kate. "Can then just walk in here and take her?"
"Not if I have anything to say in the matter. I will contact the President and put a stop to this craziness." She walked back into the conference room.
----------------
"What do you mean we have a problem?" Doctor Durant stated as she removed her mask and soiled surgical gown. She went to the door where the soldiers waited. "This is a restricted area. How did you get in here?" She demanded.
"Doctor, we will be moving General O'Malley to a secure location. Her life is in danger."
"Danger? Who the fuck are you to make that decision."
"I beg your pardon Doctor. I am General Tucker Millhouse."
"Well General I do not give a rat's ass. You are not taking my patient anywhere. She has just undergone eleven hours of surgery."
"We need to move her to a secure location." He repeated.
"You listen to me you pompous piss ant, the only place my patient is going is to I.C.U. She will not leave this facility. Her life depends on remaining here where we can monitor her condition. In addition to needing additional surgery. I will not release her to you or anyone. Do you understand."
"I must insist, Doctor."
"You can insist all you want, General O'Malley will not leave this hospital." She got right in his face. "She will be in a secure location in I.C.U and I will allow you to post guards on her door. As long as they do not interfere with the staff. Now back off." She poked her finger into his chest forcing him to take a step backwards. "Get her to I.C.U. She has been too long off the machines." The staff moved the hover bed out of the operating room and past the soldiers.
"Follow them." He ordered. "You have no right..."
"General you are dangerously close to stomping on my last nerve. We have spent almost half a day putting her back together. After she is in I.C.U, I plan on seeing her family, grabbing a very large coffee and going to the bathroom. Do not mess with me."
She pushed past him.
------------------------------ --- Kate was on the phone when the nurse walked into the conference room.
"We just received word that General O'Malley is out of surgery and is going directly to I.C.U."
"How is she?" Natalia asked.
"That I do not know. The doctors will be out shortly to talk to you."
"Thank you." Patricia stated.
The door closed behind the nurse as Kate ended her call. "President Cord will call me back shortly."
------------------------------ ---- "What is this place Granny?" Kacey asked as they entered the large hall. She left the old woman's side to walk around the room to look at the portraits. She read the names below each. "These are all O'Malley's"
"It is just what it looks like child. This is our family hall. Our branch of the family that is. There are many branches to our family tree. This is just one of them."
"But you had more than one child."
"Aye I did, five sons. This is the one ye are directly descended from. Your grand da and I are in several halls."
Kacey walked past the portraits and read the plaques underneath each one. She came to the end of the portraits to a line of empty frames with just a plaque under them. She found the plaque with her name on it.
"Why are some of the frames and plaques gold, while others are silver or empty?"
"The empty frames are for those who are still in the land of the living. As for the gold, those are the heroes."
"Oh?"
"As ye can see, your frame is gold. You are a hero."
"I have never considered myself a hero. All I have done is just what I have been trained to do."
"Maybe, but ye are still considered a hero to all of us, no matter how ye feel. Come along there is more to see." She led Kacey to another room where a large table with chairs sat in the otherwise empty area. "This is our council room."
"Why do you need a council room if everyone here is... um, well dead. I thought that there were no disagreements here, where ever here is."
"Granny laughed. "Ye would be right. There are no disagreements, but the council room is where we decided many things."
"Such as? Or are they a big secret?"
"No secret child. In fact at our next council meeting we will be discussing allowing non blood members of the O'Malley Clan into the family hall."
"Non-blood members like our children?"
"I believe we have established that the children ye and Natalia have do belong in the hall."
"Then you are talking about Kate."
"Aye. She may not carry the O'Malley name, but Liam adopted her many years ago. She has earned the right. Now lets move on to the next stop on our tour." ------------------------------ -- Kate stood by the window. She was angry at the nerve of General Millhouse. An equally furious Natalia stormed around the room muttering to herself. They waited for the doctor to come see them. They had yet to hear back from the President.
A floor away, the room was enclosed on three sides by glass. Machines rested and covered the fourth. The hover bed was pushed into the room. Six people followed the bed into the room and moved it into position on the tracks of the circular bed. One that would allow the staff to change Kacey's position without moving her.
She was hooked up to the machines. Tubes connected her to the I.V. and a tube snaked out from under the sheet to a collection bag attached to the bed.
"Keep a close eye on her vitals. She needs to remain on her stomach to keep the pressure off the spinal repairs. Her blood pressure was unstable in the operating room. Someone clean her hands and face before her family comes in to see her."
"Understand doctor."
"She will remain in the medical coma until she is stronger and we have finished repairing the damage. After we see her family, I will be in my office if there are any problems."
"The usual rules, Doctor?"
"Lets hold off for now. It is quiet here and just this once I think we can let her family in together. Then hopefully they will all go home. There will be a military guard outside her door and outside I.C.U at all time. If at any point they get in the way or they try to move General O'Malley, I want to know immediately and Security notified." She ordered. "If she starts to wake up, sedate her immediately. She will be in a great deal of pain from all the repairs we made and can not thrash about." She finished writing her instructions into the hand computer which gave to the nurse. "Is there anything you want to add Olive?"
"Well I know her family will fight the time restrictions."
"That is hospital policy, they will have no choice."
They left the room. The guards stood on both sides of the door. They did not speak to them as they walked out of I.C.U.
Kate was in the same position with Anya beside her. Natalia sat with her head in her hands with Patricia on one side and Liam on the other. Liam looked up when the door opened.
"Natalia the doctors are here."
"Doctor, please how is Kacey?"
"Mrs. O'Malley, I know you have a great many questions, please bear with us. It was a very long surgery and we will give you as many answers as we can. Please have a seat." She waited for them to sit. "There was a great deal of damage caused by the rocks. We believe we have fixed the worst of the damage. She will need additional surgery to fix the remainder of her injuries and any damage we missed."
"We could not go any further without running the risk of losing her. Her blood pressure dropped dangerously low for us to continue." Doctor McCloud continued.
"Once her pressure stabilizes, we will go in and finish. General O'Malley is in I.C.U. where she will remain until I deem it safe to move her."
"I take that to mean that General Millhouse tried to take Kacey?"
"Yes the pompous ass accosted us as we were moving Kacey from the operating room. Felicia told him off."
Doctor Durand shrugged. "She is under protective guards. That was the only concession I would make as long as the guards do not interfere with the staff or patients."
"Doctor Durand, what about her legs? Will she walk again?"
"Her chances are better than before surgery, but we will not know for certain until we can finish repairing the damage and allow her to wake up. I will order more scans in a few days once the swelling goes down. We had to replace three discs that will take time to be incorporated into her spine. Fortunately we did not find any damage to her spinal cord. That will work in her favor. She did however have bone chips that punctured her bladder, intestines, blood vessels and nerves."
"Is that why the surgery took so long?" Patricia asked.
"Yes there were a lot of small repairs that took time to fix."
"Can we see her?"
"Yes. The normal rules for I.C.U. are two visitors at a time for no more that fifteen minutes, and only between the hours of one and two p.m. and six and seven p.m."
"We cannot stay with her?" Natalia asked.
"Natalia we are not on Andromeda. We have to follow hospital rules." Kate replied.
"In addition, only immediate family will be allowed to visit during those hours. No children at all. You five will be the only ones allowed in."
"We understand doctor." Liam said.
"Just this once we will allow you all to go in together. But still only for fifteen minutes. After you see her, you must all return to your homes or you will be barred from the hospital."
Anya saw Kate and Natalia stiffen. "We will all return home doctor." She said as she looked directly at Kate and Natalia. "Correct?" They both nodded.
"Then we will bring you to her and give your names to the staff."