Chapter 20

As we came into sickbay, it was a picture of organized chaos. Medical staff were scurrying about from one room to the next. You could feel the urgency in the air. And yet it was surprisingly calm and quiet.

Doc Holland was standing at the central desk, talking to a formidable-looking nurse. She had a grim look on her face and was nodding her head to what Holland was saying. As he turned from her, he spotted me and started towards us.

“Captain, any idea what is going on?” Before I could answer, he continued, “We’ve got 20 people in various conditions. I think we can save most of them, but two or three of them might be too far gone.”

“Doc, it seems that Sergeant Jones may be the key to this situation. It appears that some of these people were rescued from a pirate slave ship. And others are refugees from the Mosley Station takeover. All of them have been worked over pretty roughly.”

I could tell that Holland was not happy. “That’s an understatement, Captain. Things like this need to be addressed.”

“I’ll do what I can Doc. What little I can do.”

He was interrupted by a nurse who stepped out of one of the rooms. “Doctor Holland.”

He turned and noted the room she had come out of. “Dammit, I was afraid of this.” he walked into the room with Olivet and myself trailing behind him.

I was shocked to see April and Agnes Seward in the room. Agnes was seated next to the bed and was holding the occupant’s hand and gently petting her grey hair. She was an ancient appearing woman struggling to breathe. Agnes looked up at me, and I could see the pain and horror in her eyes. “Captain, this is my childhood friend Beverly Chilkoot. She is, was, the matron of the Chilkoot Pass. It disappeared ten years ago. Everyone thought that she had been lost with all hands.”

The old woman opened her eyes and looked at me. “Aggie, is this him?”

“Yes, Beverly, this is my Captain.”

“Closer son, my time is coming quick, closer.”

I stepped to the side of the bed opposite from Agnes. The old lady reached out and grabbed my hand. I was stunned by the strength there. “Thank you, Captain. We all thank you. You have saved our family. Please keep them safe.”

“I’ll do the best I can, Grandmother.” she smiled at that.

“You’re a sweet boy. What is your name?”

“Henry, Ma’am, Henry Sullivan.”

“Sullivan? Do you have a touch of the Irish in you son?”

“Yes Ma’am, my ancestors hailed from County Cork.”

“Ah such a lovely place, a lovely land. I do so miss the green. Son, when I’m gone, you must have a good old-fashioned wake for me. No crying or wailing or making a to-do over my corpse. Just a few pints and a fond remembrance. Will you do that for me son?”

“Yes Ma’am, we’ll give you a grand send-off. The wee ones will be speaking of it forever.”

Beverly gripped my hand harder, even painfully. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling. “Aggie, I can see him. I can see my Richard. He’s just as handsome as when we first met. Remember how jealous you were Aggie. But he only had eyes for me. I had forgotten how handsome he was. Aggie it’s been so long. He’s beckoning to me Aggie. He’s saying it’s OK now. Such a strong voice he has.”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes closed. The only sound in the room was the flat line tone on the monitor. And the quiet sobs of both Agnes and April.

As I stepped from the room, Agnes and April followed. April was holding and supporting Agnes. April looked at me. “What are we going to do Henry? Some of these folks are in bad shape. They need a safe place.”

“I agree honey. For now, we’ll do the best we can. Later with time to consider our options. We’ll do the right thing.”

Agnes looked up at me. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Captain, I consider these people as family. Anything they need, anything, I authorize it. If anybody has a problem with that, direct them to me.”

“Yes Ma’am. That had been my intention from the beginning.”

“Good, please keep me advised on the situation and the arrangements for Beverly. I will be attending both the remembrance and the wake.”