authors note: Beware, emotionally intense action ahead (at least I hope so, if I did my job correctly LOL). Some scenes of blood and gore (sort of).

Claudia and Gloval and Vanessa all stared at the monitor, temporarily frozen in their place, then through the speakerphone came the panicked voice from the Pinpoint Barrier room, "Bridge!! Pinpoint Barrier still inoperative, GET OUT OF THERE!"
Sammie glanced at Vanessa's screen and her mouth dropped open but she couldn't scream, thankfully though she managed to get her legs moving and headed towards the door. Kim stumbled out of her seat after her, Gloval grabbed Vanessa's arm and followed, trying to push Kim through the door.

"CLAUDIA!! GET OUT OF THERE!!" yelled Roy. From his seat in his VT he could see the beam was heading straight for the bridge.

Lisa looked up and saw a blinding light coming straight at her...

Khyron's two remaining ships immediately fell back and Azonia stayed in the vicinity, to make sure Khyron didn't try anything else.

"All VT's may return to base, repeat, all VTs return to base," said a technician from the auxillary bridge.
"Medical and damage control teams needed on the bridge immediately!" shouted another tech.
"What's going on up there??" demanded Roy.
"I'm sorry sir, the bridge has taken a direct hit, we are on emergency backup procedures at the auxillary bridge," reported a tech.
"Where's the captain?? What about the rest of the bridge crew?" asked Roy with extreme worry.
"Medical teams are down there now sir," reported the tech again.
"Dammit!" growled Roy as he raced back to the flight hanger.

Rick had seen the direct hit and had heard the fear in Roy's voice. The bridge took a direct hit. What did that mean? Did everyone get out? Is anyone hurt? Is anyone.... The bridge took a direct hit... the sentence didn't register in Rick's mind. He felt numb. Why did he feel this way, he wondered to himself. Just awhile ago he was having yet another fight with Lisa. Now he was staring at a screen of static where he would normall see her face... He had told her to go look up the fuel capacity in her manual... where were the manuals?? If he remembered correctly, they were at the extreme forward section of the bridge... he looked at the bridge again and zoomed in... the extreme forward section of the bridge was gone. His heart began to pound so hard he thought he was going to have a heartattack. He raced after Roy, and hit his afterburners, being in the modified VT, Rick was able to catch up to Roy and both men jumped out of their fighters and ran towards the bridge.

Roy seemed oblivious to Rick running alongside him. The only thing that was on Roy's mind now was to get to Claudia and make sure she was alright. Rick was aware that Roy was in a panic. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Roy so frightened, if ever.
As Rick followed Roy up to the bridge he started feeling sick. What if Lisa were injured? Then it would be his fault, because he insisted she go look in the manual. And if she were still at that part of the bridge when the direct hit came in....
After what seemed like forever, Roy made it to the corridor that led to the bridge. There were gawkers lining the walls of the corridors and Roy had to push his way through the crowd.
"Stay back!" shouted one paramedic.
Roy and Rick saw Sammie standing off to the side near the bridge doorway. She was crying and had a blanket over her shoulders.
"Get back! We need space to work here" shouted a doctor as he tried to push the nosey people away.
There was smoke coming through the bridge hatch and they could hear the sound of a firehose trying to put out the various electrical fires that were still smoldering.
As Rick and Roy got closer to the door they saw Gloval stumble through the doorway, being helped by a general and a paramedic.
"Captain, we need to check you out first, then you can return to duty," explained the paramedic.
"My crew..." croaked Gloval, "I must know about my crew..."
"Don't worry Henry," said the general, "They will take good care of them. Come on, we have to get you checked out first."
Gloval seemed to be a little bit dazed and let the paramedic and general lead him to a wheelchair, then they briskly rushed him to the infirmary.
Sammie saw Roy and headed towards him, still sniffling.
"Sammie how is everyone?" asked Roy, scared at what he might here her say in return.
"They're still getting everyone out. I managed to get out first and then we got the direct hit and it jammed up the doorway for quite some time. They just got it open now. Oh Roy, I'm so scared!" Roy held onto Sammie and tried to comfort her. Rick strained to see beyond the smoke-filled doorway but could not see anything.
After two more minutes they saw Kim being carried out, apparently having suffered leg injuries. Her skirt was torn and there was blood all over her legs. Sammie ran up to her and gave her a quick hug then watched as Vanessa was brought out on a stretcher. her left side bloodied but she was conscious and Sammie ran up to her side and held her hand as the paramedics paused to let Sammie talk to her.
Sammie looked back at Roy, who said, "You go ahead, go with them."
Sammie nodded her head and held Vanessa's hand as the paramedics carried her down the corridor, towards the waiting elevator.
"Let me in there, I need to find Claudia," said Roy angrily.
"Please Commander, please wait out here. Our teams are highly trained, they know what they're doing, they'll have her out soon, just give them some time," pleaded one of the damage control officers.
Roy let out a frustrated growl and started pacing around the small space of the hallway. The onlookers had dissipaited but there were still plenty left, waiting to see the rescue of the final two bridge officers.
After another few minutes, although it seemed like an agonizing eternity to Roy, Claudia was brought out on a stretcher. Her uniform was torn and scorched in various places and she had a gash on her head, but she was trying to talk, which was a good sign. Roy rushed to her side and said, "I'm here baby, don't worry about a thing, I'm here."
Claudia grasped his hand and instantly felt comforted. She was confused as to what had happened and she felt pain all over her body. She looked at Roy and weakly asked, "How is everyone?"
Roy put on a fake smile and said, "They're fine, Sammie, Gloval, Kim, Vanessa, they're all being taken care of and you will too and you'll all be fine."
Claudia looked at Roy for a moment, thinking hard, and then the incident started coming back to her, "Lisa...where's Lisa?" Claudia asked with grave concern.
Roy pointed over his shoulder and said, "They're bringing her out right now. Don't worry, Rick is going to stay with her. Alright, the medics are ready, we're going to take you to the infirmary now."
Roy looked at Rick and said, "You stay here and wait for Lisa. Don't leave her side," said Roy, casting a nervous glance at the doorway.
Rick watched Roy and Claudia go down the hall and into the elevator, he also looked at the line of people who were still looking on. He saw Max and Miriya make their way through the crowd.
"Hey Rick, I just saw Roy leave with Claudia, is everyone ok?" asked Max.
Rick took a deep breath then exhaled loudly, "I think everyone should be alright.."
"Well, then that's good news isn't it? So why is everyone still standing around?" wondered Max.
"There's still one more person they're trying to get out of there," murmured Rick.
Max studied Rick's face and could guess who it was but asked anyways, "Who?"
'No, wrong again. Are you sure you know what you're doing?' .....'I...uhh...I better get back to the bridge, good afternoon gentlemen.' Snippets of the conversations Rick had had with Lisa replayed in his mind. He couldn't get her voice out of his head and couldn't forget the angry look on her face as she stomped to the front of the bridge because he had issued her a challenge. What if his arrogance and need to prove himself right had gotten her killed? He remembered the look in her eyes when they bumped into each other near the elevator.
"Rick?" said Miriya, interrupting his revisted memories. "Who is it?"
"It's Li-," Rick felt the knot form in his stomach and in his throat and as he watched more paramedics rush into the bridge, he felt a cold chill run through him. "Lisa," he managed to say, his voice cracking on the last syllable. "If it weren't for me and my big mouth, she'd have walked out of there by now..."

"What a mess...have surgery standing by, and make sure the blood bank is ready. Quick, gimme a sheet, we're going to cover her up. I don't want those gawkers out there having a show. I even saw some idiot out there with a camera. Quickly, cover her up, head to toe. Be careful now, lift carefully, she's got something internally bleeding somewhere that's spouting something terrible. Make sure we have the best surgeon's ready for her. And, someone, be on standy to ask Gloval to wire down to her father... just in case..." the head physician gave his orders and the team carefully lifted up Lisa's gurney.

Rick saw commotion near the door and walked quickly towards it but was pushed back by paramedics.
"Stand back everyone! Stand back!" shouted the damage control officer.
When Lisa's gurney was brought out everyone gasped, including Miriya. "Is she...deceased?" asked Miriya.
"I don't know..." said Max, in shock at the sight of seeing whom he assumed was Lisa, covered from head to toe by a very bloodied sheet. He could see blood dripping off the gurney and leaving a trail onto the floor as they wheeled her closer to where Max, Miriya, and Rick were standing.
"Lisa..." whispered Rick, as he mechanically walked towards Lisa.
"Stay back sir," said a paramedic.
"Please, I'm suppose to stay with her," said Rick, still in shock.
"Are you a relative? A boyfriend?" asked the paramedic.
"No," replied Rick as he walked alongside the gurney, staring down at the bloodied sheet.
"Then I'm sorry, you can't come," replied the paramedic.
In an instant Rick saw flashes of every possible emotion he had ever seen on Lisa's face, his challenge echoing in his head...
"I have to go with her, she's...she's my friend," said Rick, tears starting to form in his eyes.
A paramedic came up from the rear and said, "Let him stay with her, I heard Fokker tell him to, and I'm sure Captain Gloval would be mad if she were left alone."

The physician cursed at the slowness of the elevator, then a paramedic said in a semi-panicked voice, "Doctor, blood pressure's is dropping!"
"Hang on Lisa, we're almost there," said the doctor in a pleading voice. He looked over at Rick, who had a hollow look on his face. He had overheard some gossip one time from some nurses that Lisa had a crush on Rick, but that Rick was somewhat involved with Minmei. Crushes and whatnot aside, whether they be pure gossip, or had some truth for them, didn't matter now. What mattered was that his patient, his friend, needed someone right now, and perhaps the best someone that was needed right now was Rick, so the doctor looked at Rick, then at the blood pressure monitor, and said, "Hold her hand Lieutenant."
Rick looked at the doctor, not comprehending what he just told him.
"Hold her hand Lieutenant...it doesn't look good...she shouldn't be alone at a time like this..." said the doctor, looking Rick in the eyes, to make sure he understood.
The doctor pulled back the part of the sheet covering Lisa's left arm and Rick slowly took a hold of Lisa's hand. It was bloodied and eerily cold. "Why is she so cold?" asked Rick. The doctor looked at Rick but didn't reply.

Lisa felt strange, she didn't know what was going on, but she was aware that someone was holding her hand. The hand was strong, but the grip was gentle and warm and she felt greatly comforted.

"Heartrate has stabalized a bit!" reported an associate physician.
The lead physician shot a surprised look at Rick, then said with an eager nod of his head, "Don't let go of her hand Rick. Talk to her, keep her with us."

"Lisa...Lisa...you're going to be ok..." said the voice. Lisa didn't know who was speaking to her, she thought she had heard that voice before but couldn't identify it. It was a gentle voice and she instantly liked it. The male voice told her she was going to be ok, and she believed him. Did this voice also belong to the person who was holding her hand? She wished she knew what was going on, but the one thing she did know was that she was glad to have that voice talking to her and someone holding her hand, it made her feel safe and she believed him when he said she was going to be ok.

The elevator opened up and the team rushed Lisa's gurney to the operating room. They threw off the sheet and Rick's gasp was audible. Lisa's was bloodied from head to toe practically.
"Alright, sorry sir but you're going to have to lead now," said a nurse.
"No, I have to stay with her," protested Rick, still staring at Lisa.
"Sir, we need to perform surgery, you have to leave," insisted the nurse.
The lead physician looked at Lisa, then at Rick, and said with some hesitation, "We will take it from here Lieutenant, thank you."
"No! I need to stay with her!" demanded Rick.
"Please Rick, we need to do surgery right away. As soon as we can, we'll let you come and visit her," replied the doctor.
Reluctantly, Rick pulled away from Lisa, and walked out the door.

Wait, he's gone? Where did he go? Why did the voice leave? He's not holding my hand anymore. Come back, stay with me, I'm scared. Lisa felt a cold chill seize her entire body. She didn't know where she was and she couldn't see anything and she still felt confused and now the voice had left and she felt so terribly alone and afraid.

"Doctor! Heart rate is climbing," reported a nurse.
"Have the crash cart ready," ordered another physician.
The lead physican, who's name was Doctor Wells, looked at the door Rick had just departed through. He wanted to call Rick back and let him stay with Lisa, but it was out of his hands. He was subordinate to the surgeons. Doctor Wells had seen it happen many times, too many to count. He'd seen patients seemingly on their way out, when a relative or loved one would arrive and stay with the patient. The love of a relative or a loved one would spark a fighting spirit in the patient, if they had some type of conscious activity, and they would fight back from the brink of death. Doctor Wells had case study after case study in his files and knew that what he observed was no fluke, that is why, one of the first things he did when he treated a badly injured patient was to call for a family member or friend to come and stay with them.

"How is she?" asked Roy, startling Rick as he stared at the operating room door.
Rick turned around slowly and Roy saw the most distressed look he had ever seen from Rick. Rick didn't answer Roy and walked towards the waiting room and sat down on a chair facing the operating wing's entrance. "How's Claudia? And the others?" Rick asked mechanically.
Roy exhaled loudly and sat down on the chair next to Rick, "Claudia has a ruptured spleen and a couple of cracked ribs, she's in surgery now. But the doctors say she'll recover fine. Vanessa has a broken arm, twisted ankle, and a few burns. Kim had both kneecaps broken. Gloval has a concussion and Sammie got lucky and only has a few cuts and bruises."
Roy looked at Rick again, and it was clear that Rick was badly shaken up. He looked down and saw that Rick's hands were bloodied.
"I managed to steal a look as you guys brought her in, not to mention seeing the bloody trail following behind ...it isn't good news is it?" asked Roy somberly.
Rick remained immobile. Roy was a bit surprised Rick was so upset and though he always knew Rick was a very caring person, he had never seen Rick this upset about anyone before.
"I'm...proud of you for staying with her. Thank you. I thank you for Claudia too. You know that Lisa's like a sister to me and Claudia..." said Roy quietly.
Rick slowly turned his head sideways to look at Roy. "Proud of me? You're proud of me? For goodness sakes Roy, look!" said Rick wildly as he held up his bloodied hands. "Look! I've got Lisa's blood on my hands. She's in there now because of me! If I hadn't been such an a---hole to her and distracted her and made her go get that damned manual, she wouldn't be in that operating room right now, fighting for her life. How can you say you're proud of me?!"
Roy stared at Rick, and knew that he was right. Roy shrugged and said, "I...I don't know what to say."
Rick's cellphone rang and he answered it without checking the caller ID.
"Rick, hi! I just wanted to call and say thank you for keeping me company yesterday. Anyways, I wanted to call because I need you to help me with this trivia game that Kyle and a couple of my friends are playing. Oh please say you'll help me Rick. You always help me, you're so sweet," said Minmei happily.
"No Minmei. I'm sorry, I have something very important to take care of right now. My friend has been badly injured and I'm here at the hospital," answered Rick neutrally.
"Oh really?? Oh...that's too bad, I hope he gets better soon," replied Minmei in the same tone in which she first spoke to Rick.
"Goodbye Minmei," said Rick, and then he switched off his phone.
Roy looked at Rick and waited to see what he would say.
"She just doesn't understand. She doesn't get it that peoples lives are on the line here. To her everything is just hunky-dory, and if it isn't well, let's just laugh it away, let's just ignore it. She thinks that all that we do is just some game of cops and robbers. She doesn't understand...I don't think she ever will..." said Rick as he angrily shook his head.
"You see, that's the difference between her and Lisa," continued Rick. "Lisa understands what we go through. But to Minmei, everything is just a game. Things aren't able to hold her attention unless they are things that have specifically to do with her. You should've heard her last night, all she talked about was herself and her career and her fans." Rick was starting to fume and he nearly spat his words. Roy sat back and decided to remain quiet and let Rick talk through his feelings.
"See, but when I talk to Lisa, she listens to me. She ask me questions about what I've said, she doesn't jump in with 'Oh I did this' or 'I that' or 'Me this' or 'me that'," said Rick shaking his head.
Roy sat back in his seat and asked, "So, when you and Lisa talk, do you do all the talking, just like when you and Minmei talk Minmei does all the talking? Or do you take the time to let Lisa talk and ask her how she's doing?"
Rick was taken offguard and stammered, "I..I..."
Roy shook his head, "You know, it would be a little bit hypocritical of you to criticize Minmei when you turn around and do the same thing to Lisa. Do you ever ask Lisa about herself or how she's feeling? Or do you just ramble on and on and whine about Minmei to her?"
"Roy..." said Rick.

"We're losing her!" shouted the doctor.
"We've got to get her heart rate stablized before we can proceed," said another doctor.
"We've tried, nothing's working," said the head nurse.
"Let me try something, we've got nothing to lose," said Wells as he headed through the doors.

"Hunter! We need you in here, she's slipping away from us, you've gotta help her fight," said Wells with determination in his eyes.
Rick sprang out of his seat the instant the doctor spoke his name. He followed the doctor through the doors and quickly put on the surgical gown, cap, mask, and shoe coverings, washed his hands, then followed Doctor Wells to the operating room.
"Wells! Are you up to your nonsense again, only medical personnel allowed!" barked one of the doctors.
Wells walked up to the doctor and said sternly, "I suppose you want to be the one to tell Admiral Hayes that we couldn't save his daughter? Because I sure as hell don't and I sure as hell am going to fight tooth and nail to keep her alive, which includes trying everything and anything."
Wells brought Rick over to Lisa's side and told him to hold her hand and talk to her while the doctors worked on her.

Lisa felt something warm grasp her left hand, then she heard a voice again, "Lisa, come on, you have to fight, come on."
It's him, he's come back!
"Lisa, I'm right here. Come on, you can fight, you can do it," said Rick as he grasped her hand.
Who is he? I know that I know that voice...
After a few more minutes Lisa's heartrate stablized and the doctors proceeded with the operation. Rick kept his eyes focused on Lisa's face and kept urging her to fight. He was standing behind two surgeons, his arm stuck through a small gap between the men so that he could hold Lisa's hand. After another half hour his arm was growing tired but he dare not loosen his grip.
More minutes passed and surgery was going well, Rick was given a stool to sit on and he realized that Lisa's hand was not as cold as it was when he first held it in the elevator. He smiled to himself at this positive sign.
"Lisa, you're doing good. I'm so proud of you, you've always been a fighter. Lisa, it's me Rick, I'm going to stay right here with you, there's nothing to worry about," said Rick as he held Lisa's hand in both of his.
Rick? Where have I heard that name before...Rick... Rick! No, what is he doing here?? He's going to stay with me? What about Minmei?? Wait, this must be some kind of joke...he wouldn't stay with me, not when he has Minmei. What's going on here... this is all a joke, at my expense huh? Oh look at poor Lisa...all alone, always alone. Stop teasing me, I don't need your pity!
"Doctor! Heartrate rising again!"
How can you be so kind and so cruel at the same time? Sure, you'll stay with me now, but as soon as you get the chance you'll go back to Minmei, and I'll be all alone again. Not this time, I can't take it anymore...
"Doctor! She's going into cardiac arrest!"
The doctors and nurses pushed Rick out of the way and time stood still when he lost his grasp on Lisa's hand. Everything whirled and blurred around him as he heard the distant beeping of the monitors and the rushed voices of the doctors and nurses. He remembered the first time he saw her, the first time they had a civil conversation, the time they spent on Dolza's ship, the time they kissed. They had gone through a lot together and they had their share of good times and bad, mostly bad, recently. And Rick was just about to apologize to her last night, but then came Minmei. Shallow, immature, blind-to-the-world Minmei, who never listened to him or cared about what was happening in his life, who said that he was just a good friend to her, a brother to her. Lisa understood him, she always listened to him, and there was that one time when they were trapped during a modular transformation that they almost kissed each other, without being ordered to...why? Rick heard the sound of the flatline tone from the cardiac monitor. What if he lost Lisa now? He'd be losing one of his best friends, a friend who knew everything about him, but he had never taken the time to find out anything about her, a friend whom he couldn't deny he had an attraction for, made evident by the many times when he would steal a glance at her delicate profile or watch her as she walked away. What would happen if she were out of his life, forever?...
Rick pushed his way past the doctors and got up close to Lisa's face and yelled her, "Lisa!! Dammit you can't leave me, I need you in my life!" Rick wondered what exactly that meant, what did he mean by needing Lisa in his life?...

Baby
I get so scared inside, and I don't really understand
Is it love that's on my mind, or is it fantasy
(2)

What does he mean by needing me in his life? Isn't Minmei enough for him? wondered Lisa. Will he give me the chance to show him what I feel?

Heaven
Is in the palm of my hand, and it's waiting here for you
What am I supposed to do with a childhood tragedy
(2)

Rick looked at the monitor and it was still flatlining, he clutched Lisa's hand again and said, "Lisa, come on! Don't give up, come on. I meant what I said, I need you in my life! So many people need you too Lisa, don't give up, come on!" Rick knew that he needed her in his life and he knew that he would have to make sure to show Lisa that things were going to change, because if they didn't, if they kept on fighting with each other the way that had been for so long, he would have to admit that he lied to her.
Lisa was still trying to figure out if Rick was telling her the truth, or just trying to say anything that might keep her alive. Lisa felt cold, everything was dark, and even though she could feel Rick's hand, she didn't feel the warmth that she did earlier. She didn't know if she believed Rick. Of in the distance, she heard a voice...it was a man's voice, not Rick's. Who was this new voice?

(Chorus)
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same...
(2)

"Lisa...come with me...you're tired I know...come with me..." the voice said. The voice was gentle, much more gentler than Rick's. "Commander Hayes, I've come to get you out of here!" The voice was Rick's, the day he saved her from Mars Base. Then simultaneously, both voices said, "Come with me!"

"Doctor! Look!" the nurse pointed to the monitor that showed a quick blip.
Lisa was confused, she didn't know what was going on, she didn't know where she was, she didn't know what to do, hang on and hope things would get better? Or let go and give up?
"Come with me Lisa, there is nothing for you here..." said the voice again.

Sometimes
It's hard to hold on
So hard to hold on to my dreams
It isn't always what is seems
When you're face to face with me
Will you ever take me
No, I just can't take the pain
But would you ever trust me
(2)

Rick watched the monitor with hope and he grasped Lisa's hand again, urging her to fight. The doctors continued their work, trying to stop the internal bleeding.
Rick moved his hand to brush back the stray strand of hair that had fallen over Lisa's cheek. He let his hand linger on her cheek and marvelled at how soft her skin was, softer than Minmei's. He let his hand trace the lines of Lisa's face and, despite the bruises and cuts, in that moment he thought Lisa was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He moved down close to her ear and pleaded with her again, "Come on Lisa, don't give up! Please! I need you in my life!" Rick looked at Lisa again, and hoped that she could hear him, and hoped that she believed him. He had treated her badly so many times, and he regretted everything. If she did pull through, he was going to have to make some big changes and sit down and really do some soul-searching in regards to how to make things up to her.

I know I've been so hard to you
I know I've told you lies
If I could have just one more wish
I'd wipe the cobwebs from my eyes
(2)

"Lisa come with me. You don't belong here, nobody loves you like I do. Come with me, and we can be together again..."
Who is that? I know that voice... where does he want me to go?
The latest fight she had had with Rick started playing in Lisa's mind. She had been challenged by Rick, she had gone to the front of the bridge and looked to see a Zentraedi volley heading straight for the bridge, and then she was here, wherever here was. What was she going to do, go with the voice or stay here? The voice was so comforting and familiar and she didn't really want to stay how she was on the SDF-1, alone, miserable. She decided that when she heard the voice the next time, she would follow him and go with him. She felt light-headed, sleepy...

Close your eyes
Close your eyes
You gotta close you eyes for me...
(2)

"Nurse! Call up to blood bank again, we need more blood!" ordered the lead surgeon.
"Dammit, we can't stop the bleeding!" said the assistant surgeon as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Dr. Wells watched on with increasing realization that he just might have to be the one to tell Admiral Hayes, his good friend for over twenty years, that they could not save Lisa. He remembered the dinner parties he used to share with the Hayes family, and how close his own daughter and Lisa used to be. He had gotten assigned to Macross Island around the same time as Lisa and promised the Admiral that he'd keep his eye on Lisa for him. Then the Zentraedi attacked Macross Island for the first time, and Doctor Wells' wife and daughter had been caught in the firefight downtown and had both died. Wells was still trying to get through his grief. After the death of his wife and daughter he stayed away from Lisa because she reminded him of the daughter he had lost. And though both could have helped each other through their mourning, they avoided each other and suffered alone.
A nurse practically shoved Rick out of the way, causing him to bump into some of the monitors, and as soon as Rick let go of Lisa's hand, the monitor sounded the flatline tone.
The doctors charged up the machine to try and revive her again and tried several times but got no response. The lead surgeon then tried to do it manually, and tried several more times and finally gave up.
When is that voice coming? I want to go with him. I don't want to stay here, it's cold, and I'm scared...
"Don't give up dammit! Look at the monitor, there's still brain activity!" shouted Wells.
Rick stared at the flatline. The sound of the flatline tone was the only thing that could be heard in the room and it was a deafening sound.
The lead surgeon checked for Lisa's pulse on her right wrist...
"I'm sorry Wells, I know she was a friend of your daughter's. Would you like for me to tell Admiral Hayes?" said the assistant surgeon quietly.
"NO!!" shouted Rick. He glared at the group of doctors and nurses, "Keep trying damn it! Keep trying!!!"
"I'm sorry sir, there's nothing more we can do," said a nurse somberly.
Rick scrambled to Lisa's side and stared at her momentarily then started shaking her by the shoulders, yelling in anguish, "NO! Dammit Lisa you can't do this to me!! Don't leave me!! You can't leave me!!"
'Don't leave me! You can't leave me!'.... Who is that? Rick? 'Lisa don't listen to him, you don't belong there, you belong with me...' What? I don't understand, I'm so confused.
Doctor Wells stared at the various monitors, the neuro monitor still showed brain activity, the respiratory monitor...still showed weak, but minute activity. Did Wells hope a miracle would happen? He knew that the brain and respiratory functions continued for a very brief time after the heart had stopped, but this seemed to have been already past that period of time, and she was still breathing, barely...Wells heart began to pound, he now recalled Rick having bumped into some instruments when he was moved out of the way, was there a chance....
"Get a new cardiac monitor in here, now!" ordered Wells.
"Wells, what is going on?" asked the lead surgeon.
"Rick, feel her heart! Is there a heartbeat?" said Wells with hope.
Rick stared at the doctors for a moment, then pulled himself up and placed a shakey hand over Lisa's heart.
Who is that touching me? It's so warm and gentle, so comforting...
"There's a heartbeat! There's a heartbeat!!" exclaimed Rick.
The doctors stared at each other in disbelief then looked at the monitor, which was still registering a flatline. A surgery techician rushed in with a new cardiac monitor and they quickly hooked Lisa up to the new one and it instantly showed a stable heartbeat. The lead surgeon wasted no time gawking and ordered, "Hurry up! We've still got alot of work to do, we need to keep this bleeding under control!"

* * * * * * *

"Roy?" said Claudia weakly.
"I'm here baby, don't worry, I'm right here," said Roy gently.
"Where am I? What happened?" asked Claudia.
"You just got out of surgery awhile ago. The bridge took a direct hit. You'll be out of action for a little while but the doctor says you'll do just fine," replied Roy with a smile.
"The bridge..." mumbled Claudia, still confused. She closed her eyes and tried to remember, then it slowly came back to her. "Everyone? Is everyone alright?"
Roy pushed the blond hair out of his eyes and smiled, "Yeah everyone should be just fine. Lisa's still in surgery but Rick is in there with her. She'll be just fine," Roy lied.
"Can I see her?" asked Claudia.
Roy put a comforting hand on Claudia's forehead, "Not yet beautiful. You need to get plenty of rest right now, and so does Lisa. When the both of you are feeling up to it, I promise, the first thing I'll do is take you to see her."
Claudia nodded then smiled at Roy and closed her eyes to take a nap, she was feeling very groggy still.

Roy waited until he was sure Claudia was asleep then he walked back out to the waiting room where he found the Sterlings, Sammie, and Captain Gloval sitting down, staring at the surgery door.
"Any news yet?" asked Roy as he took a seat near Sammie and gave her a quick hug.
"Nothing yet," said Sammie with a sniffle. "Roy, they've been in there a long time, I'm so worried."
Roy put his arm around Sammie's shoulders, "Don't worry kid. You know how much of a scrapper Lisa is. She'll pull through."
"I'm surprised that Rick has been in there the whole time," said Sammie quietly. "I didn't think he cared."
Roy was slightly offended by the comment. He knew Rick all his life and Rick had always been a sensitive and caring person, well, except when it came to Lisa. Roy decided not to say anything and just gave Sammie another pat on the shoulder.
Finally, after another long hour, the surgery door opened and Rick walked slowly towards his friends. Everyone gasped, his hospital gown was covered in blood, he had blood on his hands and even some on his face. They held their breath as he walked toward them with an unreadable look. He stopped in front of them, looked at them all and said quietly, "She made it through surgery...but she's barely hanging on, the doctors said to not get our hopes up, but if you ask me...I think she'll prove them wrong, and she'll make it...she just has to...she just has to..." Rick collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. He was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained.
Roy and Sammie went to go over and comfort Rick as Captain Gloval met Doctor Wells.
"Captain, Lisa's one hell of a fighter. She made it through the surgery, but she's not out of the woods yet, she's still comatose. I'm an optimistic man Captain, and I've known Lisa since she was a toddler, and I sure as hell am not going to listen to all the negative talk from the surgeons. I think she's got a good chance at a full recovery, if she has the will to do it. I know that she and her father don't get along, but I think it's important that he come and see her if possible. She can't be moved, so he's going to have to come up here. I can call him if you wish, I probably think it's better if I do," explained Wells.
Gloval nodded and asked, "When can we see her?"
"Maybe...tommorrow evening, but definitely not before. I'll let you know as soon as I find out," replied Wells.
"Thank you doctor, I'm glad you're an optimist like I am," said Gloval quietly.
"Well Henry, it's so easy to just throw in the towel and succumb, especially after what we've been through since we launched, but everytime I go to the cemetary to visit my daughter and wife, I make a promise to them that I won't let things get me down, and that's what keeps me going. I couldn't save my daughter and wife, but I sure as hell won't let that make me bitter and stop fighting for every single one of my patients, especially Lisa." Wells looked over at Rick and added in a whisper, "Better keep an eye on that one, maybe give him some time off, it was very intense in there for him. He'll need some time to recover."
Gloval shook Wells' hand and then the doctor headed back through the door. Gloval came over to check on Rick, who was sitting in a chair with his face in his hands. Gloval bent down and said, "Rick, thank you for staying with Lisa. I'm sure it wasn't easy in there. Why don't you take the rest of the week off."
Rick, his face still in his hands, nodded his head. Roy announced, "I'll take him home Captain, and try and get him to sleep, then I'll come back and check on my Claudia one more time. Will you stay with her until I get back?"
"Of course Roy, you go ahead," said Gloval.
Roy and Max pulled Rick up to his feet as Roy said, "Come on Rick, let's get you into some fresh clothes and get you something to eat."

--------------

to be continued.....

OOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEE!! Is that Angst with a capital A or what?! And it's strange, I'm not in an angsty mood or anything, so I really don't know where all the angst in this story came from! LOL!

Ummm.....ok, sorry if the surgery scenes are a bit corny, I don't know anything about near-death experiences because I don't watch shows or movies that have that as a topic, so I don't know how accurate Lisa's internal conversations are. *sweat* :)
But I bet at least Judith and Carla will be happy to see Rick go through the ringer a bit during those surgery scenes! :)

This was actually very very very difficult to write. I didn't know if I captured the gravity and intensity of the surgery scenes correctly or not. Hopefully it did at least have some of the effect that I wanted.

Songs:
(1) Tammy Wynette - "Another Lonely Song"
(2) Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford - "Close My Eyes Forever"