Author's Note: This continues to be one of my favorite TV shows. While I was thrilled to hear that it was renewed for two more seasons, there is just too much time between now and the next season. In the interim my mind has been churning out stories to fill the time. Earlier in the season I had expected that we would have seen something like this on the show. The Killjoys writers continue to surprise me.

Johnny played the message again still trying to absorb the information it contained.

"Johnny, I know that you are off dealing with issues of your own. I'm sorry to add to your problems. I could tell you the long story but the short version is that Dutch is hurt. I think you should come back as soon as you are able. I've sent you our coordinates. Hope to see you soon."

Johnny looked at the coordinates again. Lucy was far from home and it would take him a few days to reach them. He immediately input the coordinates and got the ship underway. No matter his own personal turmoil he would put it all aside. Dutch needed him and she would always have dibs.

The days passed incredibly slowly and when Johnny was finally within direct communications range he contacted Lucy. D'avin's face filled the screen.

"John, it's good to see you."

"You too. How is she?"

"A little better. We moved her back to Lucy today. She woke up for a few minutes during the process."

"What actually happened, D'av? Is she going to be okay?"

"We thought we had Aneela but it turned out to be a trap. Dutch was snatched and it took me two days to locate her. They tried to convert her to Hullen but it went badly. Apparently it acted like a poison to her system. She managed to escape on her own but lost conciousness once she was out of the building they were holding her in. We only found her when we did because her tracking beacon started working once she was outside. I found her under a bush where she had taken shelter. She needed a doctor fast and we found one willing to treat her."

"You said she woke up today?"

"Yes, she did. She's been spending most of her time sleeping. Apparently the reaction she experienced started destroying her blood cells and some of her tissues. The staff said it had to have been incredibly painful. It'll be a while before she is back to normal. Her boyd needs to repair itself and that won't happen overnight."

"But she'll be okay?"

"We were told that she should be okay. But honestly, John, who really knows? No one has seen this crap before. Khlyen would have been the one best suited to treat her, and without his knowledge, the doctors could only do their best to treat her symptoms."

"What did Turin say?"

"Basically that warmongering was on hold for the time being and to use the break to focus on helping her get better. He may not really like Dutch but he knows full well that we need her for this war."

"Trust me D'av. He should consider himself lucky that he isn't the one trying to help her. You know how she can be."

Johnny flashed back to the couple of times she had been sick. She absolutely refused to stop running warrants. She just pushed and pushed until the illness caved under the pressure. With Dutch it was always mind over matter.

"This time will be different, Johnny. I don't know that she'll be able to bounce right back. When she woke up today she seemed. . . confused. Honestly with the reaction she experienced to the Hullen process, she should have died."

The image moved and instead of D'av's face he was looking at Dutch. Or what he could see of her since most of her was covered in a blanket.

"What's wrong with her arm?"

"The dark color is from the reaction in her blood. You can basically see the veins under her skin. It is a lot better than it was originally. As the chemical components of the Green leave her system if should improve. Initially there was some thought given to a total blood volume exchange transfusion but the doctors decided it was too risky. We're going to have to wait it out while her body processes the crap."

Johnny hated knowing that she had been hurt. She had needed someone to help her and he hadn't been there. His words echoed his thoughts.

"I should have been there."

"I feel the same way John but it was a solo mission. Even if you had been here on Lucy you wouldn't have gone to the surface with her. You just would have had the opportunity to see her sooner. Honestly, I wouldn't have brought her back to the ship yet but the Monk seems like a pretty good nurse. He was doing a lot of her care there and has been doing the same here."

"You know he has a name."

"Yes, I know, but Monk sounds so much better than Alvis," D'av said with a chuckle.

"It would make Dutch happier if you would use his name but that can be a conversation for another time. I'll be there in less than a day. Please let me know if anything changes."

"You'll be my first call."

The call disconnnected and Johnny took himself to bed to try and get some sleep. He wanted to be rested when he saw her. He did manage to catch a few hours of restful sleep, between the tossing and turning, before he received notice that Lucy was a short distance away. Grabbed a quick shower he prepared for a long overdue reunion. Visions of the first time they met, their many missions together, and their often humerous training sessions flashed through his mind. He was grateful that he had chosen her ship to try and steal all those years ago. It didn't take long for him to pack his belongings in a bag, connect to the airwalk, and walk on board. His first action was to take a deep breath of the air. He was home.

"Welcome back, John."

"Did you miss me Lucy?"

"Of course."

"I missed you too. I'd like you to take over guidance of the other ship and mirror her flight pattern to ours."

"I can do that John. D'avin asked me to inform you that Dutch is in the lounge. They moved her bed there so they could keep an eye on her."

"How is she?"

"I haven't been able to talk to her. She's been sleeping since shortly after her arrival but her vital signs are mostly stable."

"Mostly?"

"Occasionally her heart rate spikes to dangerous levels."

"Cause?"

"D'avin says trauma."

"What kind of trauma?"

"The kind that causes nightmares."

Great. Like Dutch didn't have enough fodder for nightmares already. The fact that she wasn't insane from the way Khlyen raised her spoke to her fortititude.

He wandered down the hall to the lounge and found D'avin sleeping in the chair and Alvis on the floor. Dutch's bed dominated the room and she was curled up in the center. Johnny quietly put his bag down and crouched in front of her. In the light he could clearly see black tracings everywhere under her skin. It was more noticeable in person than on the video screen and it was instantly apparent the effects went thoughout her circulatory system.

"Johnny," D'avin said from the chair behind him.

He stood and moved away so as to not disturb Dutch's sleep.

"How is she?"

"The same. She wakes up for a short period of time once or twice a day. She won't admit it to me but I can tell she is hurting. She is. . . . I guess softer is the right word. . . around Alvis and he confirmed that she admitted to some discomfort."

Johnny knew her well enough to know if she was admitting to any level of pain it was pretty severe.

"How is that being treated?"

"There is some pain medication in the continuous infusion she is receiving. I think that is contributing to the amount of time she is sleeping. Hoestly, knowing that she is still in pain, I'd prefer she stay asleep. I want her to be comfortable."

"Me too."

"We left your room the same but I'll warn you that Dutch as been sleeping in your bed. She also has been seen reading your comics so things might not be exactly as you left them."

Johnny felt a warm sensation spread through his chest. If there was one thing he would never doubt, it was that he and Dutch had a special connection. He loved her. Not the traditional husband and wife relationship but much deeper than a typical brother and sister relationship. Something unique to them. He would lay down his life for her and he knew the reverse was true. This current situation made him have to face something he hoped he would never experience. A life without her in it.

He grabbed his bag, preparing to leave the lounge to drop it in his room, when a soft voice stopped him in his tracks,

"Johnny?"

He quickly walked back and sat on the floor next to her bed.

"Hi, partner."

"You're back?"

"Couldn't keep me away. Apparently you and D'av can't function without me," he said with a smile.

"I missed you," she said softly as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"I missed you too."

Johnny was fairly certain she hadn't heard his reply. He turned back to his brother.

"D'av, why don't you get some sleep in your own bed. If you'll take my bag to my room, I'll watch over her. I slept before I got here."

"I'll take you up on that offer. Somehow this chair seems so comfortable until you have to stay in it for a long period of time."

"No worries. If Alvis wakes up I'll offer it to him."

"I'm awake," Alvis' voice drifted up from his pallet on the floor, "and I'll be more than happy to take you up on the offer of that chair."

Johnny watched as Alvis settled in and then asked him the questions weighing heavily on his mind.

"How do you think she is doing?"

"I think she's in a lot of pain. Normally I would expect that she could push through the pain but the fatigue seems to be overwhelming her. Right now I don't think she could defend herself from any type of attack."

"D'av mentioned that she was having nightmares?"

"I think that's what's going on but she hasn't admitted to any such thing. She'll jerk awake and cry out your name or my name. She even called out to Khlyen once and she was clearly afraid of something."

"Afraid for him?"

"Actually I think she was calling out to him for help."

They both knew that wasn't good. She wouldn't call out to Khlyen for help unless it was her last possible option. She could never be certain that he would act in her best interests.

"Did the doctor give you an idea of recovery time?"

Alvis shrugged, "Your guess would be as good as his. Basically he was just treating symptoms as they occurred. He couldn't even confirm that she would fully recover."

"What?! D'av said she should be fine."

"Your brother didn't lie to you. He heard what he needed to hear."

"But the doctor did let you bring her here? You didn't take her out against medical advice?"

"Yes, he was fine with us bringing her back here. He didn't have any further treatments to offer her. She isn't getting worse. We just don't know how much better she'll get."

Johnny couldn't believe it. Dutch was larger than life in his mind. The girl that could be knocked down but always snapped back up regardless of what life threw at her. But looking at her now he had to admit she didn't look like she would be bouncing back anytime soon. He rested his chin against her mattress and regretted the time he had been away even more.