Last Stand Page 4

  Jarrod paused then nodded his head more gently. Shaking it earlier had been a mistake! It had given him vertigo and had his stomach doing flip flops. “Could I get something for my stomach?” he asked. Rivers smiled, nodded, and drew a hypo-injector and an ampule of blue liquid from the cabinet next to his bed. She loaded the ampule into the injector and pressed the tip of the injector against the side of his neck. With a hiss, the medicine was injected through his skin and into the blood vessels underneath.

  Jarrod’s stomach soon settled down enough to allow him keep his stomach contents. Not that there’s much there, he thought looking at the IV lines in both of his arms. Dr. Rivers examined him carefully using several medical instruments. Finally, she stopped and said, “Well, you’re responding well to the treatment regimen I’ve started. Would you like a few more minutes awake or may I put you under and let you sleep?”

  “Actually, doctor, I do feel like I could sleep now. Go ahead,” Jarrod told her. Dr. Rivers checked two wireless electrodes attached to Jarrod’s temples, nodded, then reached out to a small machine on a shelf next to his bed. “Goodnight, Jarrod! I’ll talk with you soon,” she said then tapped a control on the machine. Jarrod’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He yawned and fell into a deep sleep.

  Dr. Rivers checked her patient’s vital signs once more then turned to leave the room. At the doorway, she dimmed the lights and looked at her patient one more time. Poor fellow, she thought then closed the door behind her.

  **********

  Jarrod opened his eyes. At first, it seemed like he’d just closed them, then he realized he felt much better. He looked at the screen of one of the medical scanners and saw the date and time. Well, we now know that Dr. Rivers keeps her word, he thought.

  The door to his room opened and Dr. Rivers stepped into the room. “So, how are you feeling this morning, Jarrod?” she asked as she began to check his vitals.

  “Much better, ma’am!” he replied cheerfully. Then he remembered the bad news she’d given him. He sobered somewhat but his usual optimism began to lift his spirits once more.

  “Excellent! That means you’re ready for the next round of treatment, a bit more freedom, and…some visitors!” said Dr. Rivers. “Two of your old shipmates have been practically camping out in my waiting room and driving my staff crazy asking about you, a Commander Huntington-Smythe and a Lieutenant Esteban-Smith. Once I’ve finished your checkup and you’ve had something to eat, I can invite them back for a short visit, if you are willing?”

  “That’d be fine, doctor,” responded Jarrod. He paused then blushed before asking, “Uh…is there a bathroom nearby? I really need to go!”

  Rivers smiled, “As you should, given the amount of fluids and medicines we’ve been pumping into you. You had a catheter until this morning. Okay, let’s pull these covers back first. No, I want you to sit up slowly. That’s it! Slowly now…slowly. There you go, Jarrod! Now, let me put the rail down on this side. Okay, let’s swing your legs over this side. There you go…excellent! Slowly, slowly…there. Stop for a second.” Dr. Rivers took a moment to scan his medical monitor display. Everything was in the green, so she let him to continue.

  With a little help from the doctor, Jarrod was able to stand next to his bed. “Good job, commander. Now let me adjust this control a bit.” She pulled a small controller from the right hip pocket of her tunic and adjusted one of the slide levers on it. Jarrod suddenly felt lighter.

  Dr. Rivers smiled at Jarrod and said, “I’ve just reduced the gravity in this section of the Med-Center. We’re down to .75 g…enough to make standing easier for you.”

  Dr. Rivers helped Jarrod cross the room to the small bathroom to the right of his bed. He made his way into the bathroom on his own and closed the door to take care of his business. He relieved himself then stepped carefully over to the sink to wash his hands. The image in the mirror above the sink caught his eye. It was still him, but his hair was longer, his face was thinner, and his eyes held a haunted look. Well, I’ve survived where many of my shipmates didn’t and I won’t be around for much longer myself, he thought. It’s bound to show!

  Finished in the bathroom, he entered his room and Dr. Rivers watched him walk more confidently to the bed and sit down on it.

  “How do you feel, Jarrod?” she asked him, concern written on her face.

  “Not bad, all things considered, ma’am,” he answered. “Not bad. A little tired but I’d like to see with my friends, if it’s okay, Doctor?”

  “Okay, but let’s get you back into bed, first. Slide back…and turn. Good…bring your legs up. There! How’s that?” Rivers asked her patient.

  “Comfortable, ma’am. And I really am feeling better. Thanks!” Jarrod assured her.

  “Excellent! I’ll go out and tell your friends they can come in. But only for 15 minutes…okay?”

  “Yes ma’am! Thank you!” Jarrod smiled and nodded his thanks. Dr. Rivers smiled in return and left the room.

  A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door to Jarrod’s room. “Come in!” he called out. The door opened and Ian Huntington-Smythe and Maria Esteban-Smith entered the room.

  “Hello there, Jarrod! How are you?” Huntington-Smythe asked. Esteban-Smith merely walked over to the left side of Caulder’s bed, leaned over, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Jarrod could feel the temperature of his face rising. I’m blushing, he thought to himself.

  Maria smiled at him and said, “Red is a good color for you, Jarrod.” He blushed a little more!

  “Hi, you two! I’m fine!” Jarrod responded. “Well, for the moment at least. Apparently, I picked up a bad dose of radiation before we abandoned ship. I…I…the doctor says it doesn’t look good.”

  His friends’ faces sobered and they nodded. “You were given the anti-rad meds as soon as the medics got to you. Being in the crawlways, you took a much larger dose than anyone on the bridge,” Maria said softly. “The doctors have been working on you ever since.”

  Jarrod nodded and, reaching out, took Maria’s hand in his left hand. “It’s okay. I’m alive for now. I guess I need to make it count…the time I have left, I mean.” He smiled at his friends and spoke with them for several more minutes. When the 15 minutes were up, Dr. Rivers came into the room to chase his friends out so her patient could rest. As they left, Jarrod’s shipmates promised to return the next day for another visit.

  Dr. Rivers spent a few minutes checking her patient’s vital again, then dimmed the lights so he could rest. Before she could leave, Jarrod asked her a question. “Doctor Rivers, how soon will the investigating board want to interview me?”

  The doctor didn’t look surprised. She knew it was routine for an investigation to be launched whenever a vessel was lost. And such investigations tended to occur at the earliest possible time while everything was still fresh in the participants’ minds.

  “It so happens that the members of the investigating board spoke with me while you were speaking with your friends. Commodore James Rivers, my husband and commander of this station, and Commander Bradley have asked if they could meet with you tomorrow morning. If you think you’ll feel up to it, I’ll let them know that it’s alright with me,” said the doctor.

  “Yes ma’am. I think I’ll be fine. May as well get it out of the way,” Jarrod responded. He paused a moment, making a connection. “Doctor, would this ‘Commander Bradley’ happen to be McLelland Bradley? Does he have tattoos on both arms and think he’s the galaxy’s greatest lover?”

  Dr. Charlotte Rivers smiled then laughed before answering. “Oh, do you know Mac, too?”

  Jarrod nodded and grinned. “Yes, ma’am! Many years ago on my first ship. He was a lieutenant in the ship’s Security division. Helped bust up a black marketeering ring aboard the ship and in sector headquarters. They tried to recruit some of us but Mac recruited us first to help him. We’ve been friends ever since.”

  “Mac and my husband go back to their academy days,” Dr. Rivers began, “and have been best bu
ddies ever since. Mac knows you’re here…he’s just trying to stay on my good side by not disturbing one of my patients! Last time he did that, he found himself under quarantine for two weeks. Oh, and just so you know, Mac is definitely off the ‘galaxy’s greatest lover’ list…unless his wife thinks of him that way. Of course, she’s a psychiatrist, so she listens well but tells me little!”

  Jarrod had a shocked look on his face. “Mac? Married? No! Say it isn’t so. Half the women in the sector must be in tears,” Jarrod chuckled. “Please tell him I say ‘Hello!’ and that I look forward to seeing him. Oh, and tell him congratulations for me!”

  “I will, Jarrod. Now get some rest. One of the nurses will be in later to check on you and bring you some solid food!” Dr. Rivers promised as she dimmed the lights and left the room.

  Lieutenant Commander Jarrod Caulder lay back against his pillows and put his hands behind his head. “Wow!” he said out loud. “Mac is here…and married! Will wonders never cease!?!” He tried to stifle a yawn but failed; so he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  **********

  By 0900 hours, Jarrod Caulder had finished his breakfast and been examined yet again by Dr. Rivers. The doctor had pronounced him fit enough to meet with the members of the investigating board. Two chairs and a small table had been brought into the room and Jarrod had moved from his bed to a third chair. When he heard a knock on the door, he called out, “Come in!” and began to rise from his seat. Commander McLelland E. Bradley entered the room and held the door open for Commodore James B. Rivers.

  The commodore was over 6 feet tall with a slender build. He had piercing blue eyes and blond hair that was beginning to show a little gray at the temples. Jarrod guessed the commodore was somewhere around 50 years old. Bradley looked much as he had years before. A couple of inches short of 6 feet tall with a stocky build. His dark hair was tinged with gray as was his beard. Wow! Jarrod thought. He’s only in his late-40s. The things he must have seen in the last few years! Bradley had numerous tattoos on both arms. Jarrod knew that each tattoo reflected an event or mission in Bradley’s career.

  “Please stay seated, commander,” said Rivers, as he extended his right hand to Jarrod. “I’m Commodore James B. Rivers, commander of Camadin Station. I understand you already know Commander Bradley.”

  Jarrod accepted and shook hands with Rivers then Bradley then settled back into his chair. “Good morning, commodore,” Jarrod replied politely. “Yes sir! I’ve known Mac…er…Commander Bradley for a number of years now.” Jarrod and Bradley shared a quick grin before each returned to a more professional demeanor.

  Commodore Rivers nodded and he and Bradley took their seats near Jarrod. Bradley set a recording device on the table and nodded to the commodore again. The device would link with the cameras and microphones within Jarrod Med-Center room to create a 3-D recording of the meeting.

  Rivers cleared his throat and began speaking, “This is Commodore James B. Rivers. With me are Commander McLelland E. Bradley and Lieutenant Commander Jarrod R. Caulder. This is our first interview with Commander Caulder regarding the Battle of Rana.” This was the first time Jarrod had heard the name given to the Europa’s final battle. Commodore Rivers took time to explain to Jarrod that Terran Fleet Headquarters had been transferred from Earth to Terrango Station prior to the Azairi attack upon the Terran homeworld.

  For the next hour, the commodore and Bradley asked questions about the events leading up to the final battle. Jarrod answered each question openly and honestly with the information he knew. He did not try to second guess Captain Dua’s or Admiral Shimizu’s strategies or tactics. If he did not know something as a fact, he informed the two senior officers of that. After an hour, the commodore ended the session.

  “I think that’s enough for today, gentlemen,” Commodore Rivers said. Bradley turned off the recording device. Then Rivers said “You need your rest, Commander Caulder, and I refuse to argue with my chief medical officer while in her territory. She just messaged me to let you get some rest.” Rivers pointed to a spot just behind and slightly above his right ear. Command Level personnel were implanted with neuroelectronic devices that allowed them to communicate electronically through the devices. Jarrod had such an implant himself and was fully trained in its use.

  Jarrod smiled and nodded. “Thank you, sir! I am feeling a little fatigued.”

  “Well, get some rest. Mac and I will drop by again tomorrow morning…okay?” asked the commodore.

  “Yes sir! That would be fine, sir!” responded Jarrod, trying to rise from his seat as the commodore and the commander did from theirs.

  “Keep your seat, Jarrod! You’re on the sick list and don’t need to be hopping up and down for an old space station commander like me. I’ve got to check in with the CMO on my way out but I imagine Mac would like to stay and chat for a few minutes. See you tomorrow!” Rivers said cordially and exited the room.

  Commander Bradley sat down in the chair closet to Caulder. “Sorry about the formality, Jarrod. Part and parcel of being on the investigating board.”

  “I understand, sir,” Jarrod replied.

  Bradley gave him one of his patented crooked grins and said, “It’s still Mac to you, buddy.”

  The two men spoke amiably for another half hour. Bradley gave a brief overview of his life during the past few years. He even showed Jarrod a photo of his wife, Lieutenant Commander (and Doctor) Allison Schmidt-Bradley, a psychiatrist aboard Camadin Station. Bradley invited Jarrod to visit the Bradley quarters once Caulder felt better and the investigation was over.

  Bradley checked the chronometer on his comm-unit and rose from his chair. “I’ve got to run. If I stay much longer, DOCTOR Rivers will get upset with me for not letting her patient rest. Last time I aggravated her, she scheduled me for a colonoscopy. She didn’t go through with it…but she DID schedule it! Convinced me me she wasn’t joking! Jarrod, take it easy and I’ll see you in the morning.” The two men shook hands and Bradley stepped over to the door. It opened and Dr. Charlotte Rivers stood in the doorway.

  “Commander Bradley, you’d best not be upsetting my patient!” she said with a cross look on her face.

  “No ma’am! It’s all good! I’m on my way out right now. You have a nice day, ma’am!” Bradley made a show of edging around the doctor to escape through the doorway.

  Dr. Rivers was smiling as she turned her attention back to her patient. “He’s just a big kid!” she said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. It’s all an act between us. James and I love Mac like a kid brother.” Jarrod returned the smile, glad that his friend wasn’t truly in hot water with the doctor.

  After another quick examination, Dr. Rivers assured her patient that he was doing well. She insisted that he rest for a while then he could have his friends visit in the afternoon. Jarrod readily agreed. The interview with Commodore Rivers and Commander Bradley had exhausted him more than he initially realized. After the doctor left the room, Jarrod got himself comfortable in his bed and dropped off to sleep.

  He woke a few hours later to discover that he was ravenously hungry. A nurse, Lieutenant Eliana Rai, entered his room a moment later. Seeing Jarrod’s surprised look, the nurse replied, “You’re being monitored from our station and I could see by your vital signs that you were awake!”

  “Oh!” was all that Jarrod could think to say at first. Then he thought to ask about lunch.

  “This is your lucky day, commander,” the LT Rai answered. “Dr. Rivers feels you’re well enough for a little more exercise and a change of scenery. As we speak, the good doctor is notifying your friends to meet you for lunch in the dining facility located next to the Med-Center! She’s arranged for a semi-private table and…you may order whatever you like! Within reason, of course. Don’t stuff yourself and make yourself sick, okay?”

  “Hey…that is great news!” Jarrod responded, a big smile on his face. The smile held until he realized that all he had to wear was a hospital gown! “Uh…any chance I might get
some different clothes to wear on my outing? I…uh…wouldn’t want Commander Bradley’s security personnel to arrest me for indecent exposure wandering the corridors in this…kinda revealing number I’m wearing now.”

  LT Rai smiled again and said, “Not a problem, commander. I’ve brought you some underwear, socks, boots, and casual coveralls to wear until you can draw fresh uniforms.” She stepped from the room only to return a moment later pushing a small cart. “Okay commander, I need you to strip down for me. I’ll check the sensors we’ve attached to your skin to ensure they are secure and active. Then, I can help you dress if you need me to.”

  Jarrod blushed for a moment, then realized that LT Rai had probably seen his body naked on many occasions in recent weeks. She had probably been one of the nurses who gave him an occasional sponge bath. So, he rose from his bed carefully. He felt so much better than he had since first waking up in this room. Once on his feet, he unfastened the gown at the back of his neck and pulled it down his arms.

  Eliana Rai took the gown from him without acknowledging his nudity and dropped it into a basket on the cart’s bottom shelf. She then turned to Jarrod and began to examine the numerous sensors adhered to his skin at key locations on his body. Rai found the one just above his heart to be loose, so she silenced the alarm on the screen in Jarrod’s room then pulled the offending sensor off. She quickly attached and activated a new sensor then reactivated the alarm circuit.

  “There!” Eliana said to Jarrod. “That’ll hold. Now, let’s use these wipes to give you a quick ‘bath’…unless you feel up to a shower?”

  Jarrod’s eyes went wide! “A shower! Hell yes!” he said then blushed again. “Yes, please.” LT Rai couldn’t fault him for his enthusiasm. Fleet personnel aboard most vessels only got an old fashion water shower twice a month. In between, they had to rely on sonic showers and hygienic wipes. Under Nurse Rai’s watchful, and quite pretty eyes, Jarrod made his way into the adjoining bathroom. Rai let him set the shower for his comfort and stood by just in case.