The Waiting Game
I DO NOT own Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs or Sei Jushi Bismarck, they are owned by their respective animation companies.
The Price of Peace
Chapter 1: The Waiting Game
The sound of constant beeping and the smell of disinfectant greet him as he slowly returns to consciousness. He looks around wearily and sees Fireball and Commander Eagle in the hall talking quietly. Managing to look around a little more, he sees a blond woman sleeping in a chair not far from him. He goes to speak and realizes he has a tube in his throat. He tries to move his hand a bit and the blond woman seemingly senses his movements and snaps awake.
"Colt?" Robin cries out in fear and relief jumping up and rushing to his bedside..
The commander and Fireball quickly rush into the room followed by a couple of nurses. The nurses are examining him and he points to the tubing.
One nurse nods, "Okay Mr. Wilcox, we'll remove the tubing, but you mustn't try and talk too quickly or you'll choke. I'll get you pen and paper." Colt lifts a hand in reply and the tubing is removed. Another nurse appears with a cup if ice chips and a pad of paper and a pen, "Here you go. Now go slowly. You've been out a while."
Robin fights back tears as she takes his hand, "Colt, we were all so worried. I didn't know what to think..."
Colt squeezes her hand gently and tries to smile weakly. He then takes the pen and begins writing, "How long?" He turns it so they can read it.
"Almost six weeks," the commander replies.
Colt glances at Fireball and notices he looks worn out. He quickly takes the page and starts writing again, "Are you o.k.? Where are Saber and April?" He then turns it back so they can read it.
The others give each other a worried glance and Colt feels a knot forming in his stomach. He watches them almost dreading the answer. "They are both still in a coma, Colt. They are fairly stable, but neither one seems to be improving as much as they should be. April seemed to be the worst when we arrived. But now she seems to be more stable than Saber. She may have some permanent brain damage from the head injury, but we won't know for sure until she wakes up," Fireball says quietly.
"As for Saber, he had some rather bad internal injuries as well as a rather bad gash to the back of his head which caused some swelling around his brain. He tried not to let on how bad he really was, but he collapsed in my office. His head wound has healed, but he still has a pretty bad concussion, although the doctors did get the swelling down from his brain. He shows no signs of waking. He is still on a ventilator, but has begun to breathe on his own for short periods. As with April, until he's awake, I can't say just how bad things are," the commander says.
Colt nods slightly, looks to Robin and begins writing again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."
Robin gently places a hand on his shoulder, tears falling onto his hospital gown, "From what I've heard, all of you are lucky to even be alive. I'd be worse off if you had died, Colt."
Colt smiles weakly up at her and pats the bed. She carefully sits beside him and he taps the pen on the paper for several minutes, trying to think. "You said they are stable?"
"Saber seems to be a bit more touch and go. His pulse is strong, but his oxygen levels keep dropping, which isn't good. The doctors can't find any obvious signs of trouble that hasn't already been tended to, so we are hoping that it will correct itself given time. They are keeping him heavily sedated to keep him from hurting himself. He tried to pull out the tubes one time, and I don't think he was even fully awake. So until he is breathing better on his own, they will have to keep him sedated," the commander replies.
Colt nods, casting a nervous glance to the commander then looks to Fireball, "Are you o.k., Fireball?"
Fireball nods, "I've been better. I had a couple of cracked ribs, and a nice knot on my head for a while, but I've been through worse. I've been worried about you three though. I knew Saber was worse off than he was letting on. I should have made him go to the med bay when I first saw him."
Colt shakes his head and writes, "You would have had to club him."
Fireball laughs, "Probably so, Cowboy. I'm glad you seem to be okay."
"A little sore and quite hungry..." Colt writes with a weak grin.
Robin smiles and jumps up, "I'll go ask the nurse to get you something." She quickly heads out of the room glad to feel useful.
Colt watches her go and sighs, "Does she know what happened?" he writes, glancing between the two men. They both shake their heads. "What if she asks?"
"That's up to you, Colt. I only know some of what happened. Saber is the only one who can give us a complete picture. I was busy trying to get to April..." Fireball replies quietly, trailing off at the end.
Colt nods, "I don't remember much after I was hit. Just flashes of images. I'm not sure I want to remember everything. If she asks, I'll tell her only what I know for a fact. Nothing more. Not even the bits and pieces I think I remember." The commander and Fireball nod and Colt rips up and crumples up the paper, tossing it into a paper collection can.
Robin comes back in a few minutes later, followed by a young woman in a white lab coat pushing a cart. "Food's here, Colt." The young woman rolls the cart to his bedside, and after placing it on the hospital tray, she places the table in front of him. After making sure that he's comfortable, she nods to the group and leaves, pulling the door closed behind her.
Colt lifts the lid to see broth and jello and sighs.
Fireball chuckles, "Hey, your first bit of food in nearly two months. You can't have steak first thing, you might end up worse than before." Fireball quips amused.
Colt rolls his eyes, but slowly starts sipping the broth, then works on the jello.
Everyone sits on in silence for a while, each delving into their own thoughts, when Commander Eagle stands up, "I'm going to go and check on April and Saber. I'll be back in an hour or so unless something has drastically changed." The others nod and he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
Colt looks between Fireball and Robin, then after swallowing more ice chips he asks, "How bad were my injuries?" he squeaks out hoarsely.
Robin looks to Fireball who shrugs, "Well, you broke several ribs and got knocked on the head pretty good. Because of the ribs, you punctured a lung, and long story short, you ended up with pneumonia, which caused a high fever, and such, which is why you're just coming around, I suppose. I was the luckiest one of all of us."
Colt nods, processing the information. "What happened, Fireball?" he finally asks.
"We were on Tranquility. There had been some sort of attack. Evidently, we hadn't destroyed all of the Outriders like we believed we had. Jesse Blue survived somehow," Fireball begins his voice dripping with rage. Colt nods and Fireball continues after calming himself, "Some of his crew had taken some of the villagers hostage. We came in to intervene and were ambushed. There was a series of explosions, April was in the process of rescuing some of the civilians, and was caught in the shock waves of one or two of the explosions. She was thrown against the side of a building and crumpled as a large amount of debris hit her. The person she was carrying died instantly. She at least had her suit to protect her. It is probably the only reason she's still alive. I was able to get in and get her out and back to the ship," Fireball's voice breaks slightly and he looks away.
"That's what got me too, isn't it, the shock waves? I remember I had just dropped off a few people from my bronco buster and was on my way back to meet April when there was this huge blast, then darkness. I remember someone yelling my name, but I don't know who or where it was coming from. I remember seeing a few glimpses of mangled bodies...darkness and pain, then I wake up here," Colt finishes his voice barely audible. He takes the cup and sips on the ice water, making an effort to swallow. He then places a trembling hand on Robin's hand that is beside him on his bed.
Fireball looks back to the couple, "That's about all I can tell you, Cowboy. I know that Saber was further in when the explosions hit, but I swear, he seemed all right, other than the cut on his head. He came out on Steed and was covered in blood, but he went after you, got you out and carried you into the Bismarck. He then got us out of there as fast as he could while I tended to you and April."
A knock at the door brings everyone back to reality as it opens and Commander Eagle enters the room. Taking a chair, he sits down and looks between the rooms occupants before speaking, "Well, I suppose I could have worse news..." They all cast worried glances to each other as he continues, "April is breathing completely on her own, and this is good because it means that perhaps she won't have much if any brain damage. The doctors were confident enough that they have taken her off of the ventilator completely."
"That is good news. Maybe she'll wake up before too much longer," Fireball says, sounding a bit relieved.
"Then there's Saber's condition," the commander says, "he seems to be a little better, but the doctors are still hesitant about taking him off of the respirator since he still has fluctuating oxygen levels. He still has had some fever spikes too, although it's been almost twenty-four hours now without one." He looks to his watch, "Well, it's getting late. We should let Colt rest. Do you want to stay with April or Saber tonight, Fireball?"
"If you want to stay with April, I'd understand, sir. She is your daughter. I don't mind staying with either of them," Fireball replies honestly.
"I've stayed with her the past several nights. You can stay tonight," the commander replies.
Fireball nods, "Thank you, Sir. I'll let you know if anything changes with her condition." The commander nods and Fireball turns to Colt and Robin, "I'll come and see you in the morning, Cowboy." They nod. "Good night."
"Good night," they reply.
Commander Eagle and Fireball leave, each heading to their patient's room for the night.
Fireball enters April's room and quietly approaches her bed. He takes her hand and sits beside her, watching her closely. Eventually, he falls asleep, only to be jostled awake by something moving across his hand. He opens his eyes and tries to look around, suddenly realizing his head had been resting on the bed, and he is now stiff. He manages to sit up and looks around groggily. He looks to the monitor, and sees nothing abnormal, no sign of a nurse, and starts to drift off to sleep again when he feels the motion across his hand again. He looks down and notices April is moving her hand, slowly, but in an obviously deliberate way. "April?" Her hand moves again. "Can you hear me?" Once again her hand moves. He gasps in shock then stands up and reaches for the nurse call button and presses it.
"Nurses station, can I help you?" A female voice says over a speaker.
"I think April Eagle is trying to wake up. Someone should come in here, please," Fireball replies.
"Yes, sir, I'll send for the doctor right away," the voice replies.
Fireball grabs his cell phone and calls Commander Eagle, "Sir, I think she may be trying to wake up. She's moving her hand in response to my voice." murmuring is heard in reply. "Yes, the doctor is on his way." More murmuring. "Okay, I'll see you in a minute, sir." He snaps his phone shut as April's hand brushes his once more. He takes his hand and places it on top of hers and squeezes it gently. She twitches her hand in response.
A knock is heard and the doctor comes in followed by a nurse and Commander Eagle. "You say she is responding to your voice, Mr. Hikari?" the doctor asks as he carefully examines her vitals.
Fireball nods, "Yes, Doctor. Watch this." He brushes his hand across hers, "April, can you hear me?" She moves her hand in reply. "See what I mean? The first couple of times, her hand just brushed mine. I had fallen asleep with my head like this," he places his head back into the position he had fallen asleep in, "and my hand was like this," moving his hand slightly. "I felt something brush across the back of my hand, and started looking around, and no one was here, so as I rested my head back she brushed my hand again. So I spoke to her and she responded like she did a moment ago."
The doctor nods, "This is good. She can form a physical response. Perhaps her outlook isn't as bleak as we initially feared. Keep talking to her, tell her about what is happening, how you are, talk about things you both like, try and keep her stimulated. That might get her to come around sooner rather than later."
Fireball nods and looks to Commander Eagle, "Would you like to talk to her for a few minutes?"
He nods and goes to the other side of her bed and places his hand gently on hers, "April, this is you father, can you hear me?" After nearly a minute, she moves her fingers slightly. "I'm here, April. So is Fireball." A shorter span of time passes before her hand moves.
The doctor watches with interest, "This is good. Perhaps she will awaken soon. Keep talking to her, or get some music or something. I'm going to check on the other patients, afterwards I shall come back. Tell the nurse if anything should change and I'll be back sooner." They nod and the doctor leaves the room, followed by the nurse.
After another hour of talking to her, the commander and Fireball are both exhausted. "I'm going to try and get a little sleep, Fireball," the commander says as he heads for the door. Fireball nods slightly. "I'll be in Saber's room if something changes. Why don't you put the TV on and try and get a little sleep yourself?"
"I will, sir," he replies as he reaches for the remote, clicking on the TV before settling into the chair beside her bed. A few hours later, he awakes to daylight coming through the blinds. He sits up and looks around. April is sleeping peacefully and he relaxes a bit. He goes over and kisses her forehead lightly. "Good morning, April," she smiles slightly. He takes her hand and strokes his fingers across hers, her hand twitches in reply.
He watches her for a while and her father comes in. "Any change?" the commander asks.
Fireball shrugs, "Not really. Although I swear she smiled earlier though when I kissed her forehead."
The commander nods, "I'd say that's a good sign. It's a positive response, so that's better than nothing."
They continue chatting for a while and breakfast is brought in by Robin and Colt, who is being pushed in a wheelchair. The group talks a bit and Colt goes over and speaks to April, getting much the same response as Fireball and the Commander.
"Still no change in Saber?" Colt asks.
The others shake their heads. "No. I am trying to take the no news is good news attitude at this point," Commander Eagle replies.
Colt nods, understanding. "Would it be all right if I visited him?" He asks a bit hesitantly.
Commander Eagle nods, "I don't see a reason that you can't. As long as you remain in the wheelchair and someone stays with you."
"I don't see Robin abandoning him anytime soon, sir," Fireball says amused.
Colt grins, "Nah. I think she'd handcuff me to her if she could, just to make sure I don't try and do something I shouldn't."
Fireball starts to say something, but decides against it and nods towards the door, "Come on, I'll take you to his room." He leads them out into the hallway and towards another section, stopping to swipe his EBU through a reader before entering. "This way, third door on the left." He knocks and they enter. The room is dimly lit, they see Saber hooked up to several machines, Fireball gives the monitors a brief glance and nods slightly. "His vitals seem more stable, I suppose that's good."
A doctor comes in behind them, "Ah, Mr. Hikari, your observation is correct. He does seem more consistent now. I say that is a step in the right direction. Are you planning on staying a while?"
Fireball shakes his head, "No, sir. I am going back to April's room for a while. Colt here, is going to be in here for a bit. He has promised to not overdo it. Robin will come and get me if they need to leave before I or Commander Eagle return."
The doctor nods, looking closely over Colt before speaking, "Very well. If anything should change, hit the call button and someone will be here immediately."
Colt and Robin nod and the doctor and Fireball leave them alone in the room.
Colt and Robin move closer to the bed. "He doesn't look good, Colt." Robin says, barely above a whisper.
"I know," Colt replies grimly. "This is something I never thought I'd see. I guess someone can only keep pushing themselves for so long."
"Do you think he'll pull out of this and be able to work again?" Robin asks quietly.
Colt shrugs, "I don't know. I'm not sure if any of us will be allowed back onto full duty, at least for a while."
They sit quietly talking for a while, occasionally casting glances towards the unmoving figure on the bed.
Fireball enters April's room and the commander looks up as the door closes.
"How is he?" Commander Eagle asks.
"Maybe a little better," Fireball replies hesitantly. "His O2 stats seemed to be holding around 90 or so, a good thing. Maybe if he keeps that up, they can take him off the ventilator in a day or so." The commander nods. "How's April?" he asks, going to the opposite side of the bed and taking her hand.
"Her vitals are strong and she still seems to be responding to sounds and touch. Perhaps she'll wake soon." He replies, sounding hopeful.
Fireball nods, "I hope so. We could use a bit of good news."
Later that afternoon, Fireball is sitting in April's room, holding her hand and dozing when he feels movement. He looks up to see April looking at him a bit bewildered. He quickly gets up and smiles at her, relief washing over him. "April, how are you feeling?"
She attempts to speak, then rubs her throat. He nods and his the call button for the nurse.
"Nurses station, can I help you?" A voice says over the speaker.
"Ms. Eagle is awake, please let the doctor know. She also wants some water or ice," Fireball replies as he pulls out his cell phone and hits a button. "Sir, she's awake. Yes, the doctor is on his way." He closes his phone just as the doctor enters followed by a nurse with a pitcher of ice water and a small cup.
The nurse hands her a cup of ice chips, "Just a little at a time, dear." April nods.
The doctor starts checking her vitals as she slowly works on the cup. "Ms. Eagle, It appears that you are doing much better. How is your head?" She nods in reply. "Are you feeling okay in general, other than stiff and sore?"
"Maybe a little hungry," she whispers, getting a kind smile from the doctor.
"I'll see what I can get for you. It won't be anything heavy at first. Clear liquids for a while to let your body readjust to food," the doctor replies.
April looks around the room, her eyes meeting her father's then Fireball's. "What happened? How long was I out?" she manages to ask hoarsely.
Just as Commander Eagle goes to answer, there is a knock at the door. "Come in," he replies and Colt enters with Robin pushing him.
"I heard you were up, Sleeping Beauty." Colt says with a grin.
April smiles weakly at him, "What happened to you?"
"Same thing as you, only you got it worse. I've been up for a couple of days now," he replies.
"How long have I been in here? How did I get here?" April asks.
"Going on seven weeks now. Fireball got you back to the ship," Colt replies.
April tries to hide her shock. "I've really been out that long?" she asks. Colt nods and she looks around the room. "Where's Saber?"
Commander Eagle takes her hand, "He's still in a coma, April. You were all pretty badly injured. You seemed to be the worst off when you arrived, but I think he was just as bad off as you were."
April nods, a look of concern on her face and she looks to Fireball, "How are you doing? You look tired."
He shrugs, "I've been here since we arrived back pretty much. They made me stay in bed for a couple of days, then I was allowed to roam between your rooms. I've been worried sick. The doctors were afraid you could have had brain damage or something, I'm glad that you seem to be all right."
April is quiet for several minutes, processing everything and sipping from her cup, "I feel a bit groggy and a little dizzy, but as the doctor said, other than stiff and sore from lying here, I guess I'm all right."
"There is one thing I should warn you about, April," Fireball says slowly. "Your hair is a lot shorter than it was before." She gasps slightly, reaching up to her head. "But, it's grown back a lot. It's almost to your shoulders again." He adds quickly.
"They had to shave it to close up your head,. April. But at least it's growing back and you're doing better," Her father adds as she runs her fingers through her shorter hair.
"I'm glad you warned me. It would have been quite a shock otherwise," April replies, placing her hand back on her lap. They talk about various things for a while before deciding to let April rest a bit. They all return to Colt's room to finish their discussions.
There is a knock and the doctor enters. "Oh good you are all here. Mr. Wilcox, tomorrow, I think you should begin physical rehabilitation."
"What for, Doc?" Colt asks.
"You've not been up and around for a while, so to strengthen your body again, you will need to do some exercises," the doctor replies matter-of-factly.
Colt nods, "If it gets me out of here, I'll do it. I don't like being stuck here." The doctor nods. "Can I attempt some walking, with help between now and then, so long as I'm careful?"
The doctor thinks for a minute then nods, "I don't see that being a problem. It might be good for you to do so. Ms. Eagle should be moving around a bit too as soon as she feels she's up to it."
Commander Eagle nods, "I'll see to it that she's up and moving before too long, doctor."
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