A/N: This is the last chapter in the story. I decided to put last two up at once since we're traveling and I'm not sure if I'll have time tomorrow. Thank you again so much to all of you for taking the time to read my story and I especially appreciate the reviews. I'm afraid the is the last of my Voyage stories, at least for now. Thanks again and enjoy!

CHAPTER EIGHT

It seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl for Admiral Nelson. He had ordered the sub to follow the small boat with Nash but radar announced the arrival of helicopter shortly thereafter. Figuring the helicopter had arrived to take Nash off, Nelson decided to give up the chase. They still had many more missiles to tend to so reluctantly, Nelson ordered O'Brien to resume their original mission. Now, he waited for information from sickbay. It had been at least a couple of hours since they had picked up Crane and still no word. Nelson was finding it very hard to concentrate. He stood up and paced his claustrophobic cabin restlessly. Finally, unable to wait any longer he strode from the cabin and headed to sickbay.

He found Jamieson finishing setting Lee's shoulder. It had been broken during the explosion. The doctor looked up as Nelson slowly approached. "How is he, Doc?"

Jamieson sighed wearily. "Well, Admiral, he's still alive. That's about the best news I can offer you at this time. He's sustained a variety of injuries from the explosion but given time, should recover from those. However, he is suffering from acute renal failure. His blood chemistry is a mess; his creatine levels are through the roof and as you can see, he has retained a massive amount of fluid and has developed jaundice." Nelson frowned as he noticed Crane's swollen arms and hands and the yellow tint of his skin.

"Meaning?"

"His kidneys have completely shut down and his liver is failing," replied Jamieson grimly. He indicated a tube in the captain's abdomen. "I've started him on dialysis. Obviously, we're not set up for doing that long term but hopefully it will prevent further damage until that antidote kicks in." He paused, shaking his head. "If it kicks in. We're assuming Vandergriff was telling you the truth. If it doesn't work, then his only hope is an immediate kidney transplant. Admiral, we need to get both the captain and Mr. Morton into a hospital. I'd feel better if we were on our way to Pearl Harbor."

Nelson looked unhappy. "Doc, you know that normally I'd just take them out on the flying sub but since that's not an option, we've got a problem. Vandergriff could the reveal the location of other missile silos which means we have got to get those firing mechanisms replaced immediately. As long as they have the ability to fire those missiles, we're all at risk. We've got to continue our mission."

Jamieson remained silent as he finished his task of wrapping Crane's shoulder. When he finished, he stepped back and met the Admiral's gaze. "I'll do what I can for both of them, Admiral. Let's just hope that antidote is the real thing. Otherwise, there's nothing else I can do for the skipper. He'll be dead by tomorrow."

A fleeting look of anguish passed over Nelson's face, then he nodded. "I understand, Doc. Under almost any other circumstances we'd be on our way to Hawaii but our nation's security is at risk until we take care of the rest of those missiles." He ran his hand through his hair as he gazed sadly at Lee's still figure. He then looked over to Chip who was still unconscious. Then, with a heavy sigh he turned and headed out of sick bay. Without turning he said, "I'll be in my cabin if anything changes." Then he was gone.

Jamieson's sickbay vigil seemed interminable as he waited for the twelve hours to pass before he could administer the second dose of the antidote. Although not as rapidly, Crane's vital functions continued to decline and Jamieson prayed the captain would stay alive long enough to receive the second dose. Wearily, he rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, Frank was shaking him gently by the shoulder. "Sir," the corpsman said quietly, "It's time."

Jamieson slowly lifted his head and rubbed his eyes. Blinking against the light, he stood up and approached the captain. "Any changes?"

Frank shook his head. "No, sir. His creatine levels are still rising, although a bit more slowly and his liver function continues to decline. The same as before."

Jamieson nodded then opened the cabinet where the antidote was stored. "This is his last chance," he sighed filling a syringe with the pale liquid. "Let's just hope it's the real thing." With that, he injected the liquid into the captain's IV port. The response was immediate. With no warning, Crane's body instantly contorted as a convulsive spasm tore through it. Several more violent spasms almost sent Crane flying from the gurney. It was all Jamieson and Frank could do to anchor him in place. Bucking beneath their combined weight, Crane continued to convulse uncontrollably.

"Hold him!" cried Jamieson as he lunged for his medication cabinet. Searching frantically, he pulled out another vial, loaded a syringe and quickly injected it into the port. Panting, he stepped forward to assist Frank, but Lee's convulsions had already begun decrease until finally, they stopped. Hesitantly, Frank stood erect releasing his hold on the captain, ready to jump back in if necessary. Donning his stethoscope, Jamieson listened to Lee's racing heart frowning at its uneven rhythm. He shook his head as he removed the earpieces. "I don't know if that reaction was good or bad. Well, we'd better put on the restraints just in case it happens again."

Frank nodded and together they securely strapped the captain to the gurney. "Do you want me to take another blood sample, Doc?" Frank asked as he tightened the final strap.

Jamieson thought for a moment. "No, we'll wait awhile and give the antidote time to work. I have no idea how long this is supposed to take, but I'm sure it'll be awhile before we see any positive change."

It was several hours after Jamieson administered the second dose before Nelson was finally able to break away to check on Lee and Chip. He was pleased to see Chip was conscious and eating what appeared to be broth. The exec didn't look particularly enthused. "How are you feeling, Chip?" Nelson asked, approaching Chip's bunk.

"I'll live, Admiral," replied Chip as he set down his spoon and eyed his bowl forlornly. "and maybe when Doc says I can have something beside beef broth and jello it'll seem worth it."

Nelson laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure it won't be long." He turned to greet Jamieson. The doctor looked completely drained "Doc?" Nelson hesitated to say more, afraid of the answer.

Jamieson gave the admiral a weary smile as he led Nelson to the gurney where Lee still lay. He was no longer bound by restraints and Nelson was quick to note that his color looked better. He turned to Jamieson, a question in his eyes. "The antidote worked, Admiral," Jamieson said softly. "I wasn't sure he was going to make it when we gave him the second dose and he had such a strong reaction to it, but over the past few hours there has been a definite improvement in his liver and kidney function. We won't know for some time if there has been any long term damage but right now, I'd say his prognosis is good."

"Thank God," breathed Nelson with a relieved sigh. He had been very worried about both his senior officers and couldn't bear the thought of losing either one.

It was early the next morning when Lee finally regained consciousness. He could feel an odd pressure on his arm and it took him a moment before he realized someone was checking his blood pressure. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking to try and bring the figure before him into focus. "Good morning, sir!" Lee thought a moment. It was Frank.

"Frank?" Lee rasped hoarsely. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls.

"Yes sir," the corpsman replied with a smile. "Here, Skipper, drink this. It'll help." Lee could feel his head being gently lifted and a cup being held to his lips. He drank eagerly. "Not too fast, Captain!"

With a contented sigh, Lee relaxed back onto his pillow. "Skipper?" Another voice. Lee opened his eyes again to see Dr. Jamieson smiling down at him. "Welcome back, Captain. How do you feel?"

Lee had to think about this a moment as he took inventory. "Sort of like I've been beaten with a baseball bat then run over by a truck."

Jamieson laughed. "That's about right. You'll be happy to know that the admiral was able to get us the antidote to the mushroom poison in time. I imagine you'll feel pretty lousy for awhile longer, but we were able to stop the damage to your kidneys and liver. I'm afraid the rest of your injuries," and here Lee became more aware of his painful, bandaged head, shoulder and abdomen, "were the result of the flying sub explosion."

Lee groaned softly as the memory of escaping the flying sub rushed back to him. He wasn't sure how he's found the strength to open to escape hatch but the last thing he remembered was slipping into the water. His eyes snapped open. "Nash? The bomb?"

"It's all right, Lee!" Lee turned his head to see Admiral Nelson striding towards him grinning. "Chip remembered seeing Nash in the reactor room and that led us to the bomb just in the nick of time. I'm sorry to say that Nash escaped, but at least Seaview was spared." Now the admiral's face was grim. "I honestly thought we'd lost you when the flying sub exploded," he said quietly. "I couldn't believe it when you floated by. I thought the Chief was going to jump right through the viewport to retrieve you!" He laughed, laying a hand on Lee's uninjured shoulder. "I'm just glad you're alive."

"That makes two of us, Admiral," smiled Lee weakly. He frowned. "What about Chip? Is he…"

"I'm doing great, buddy," came a voice nearby. Lee turned his head to see Chip sitting up in an adjacent bunk smiling. Lee grinned back in relief. "Few more days and Doc says I can leave!"

"I said we'd see, Mr. Morton," said Jamieson shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

Lee closed his eyes again, feeling himself drifting back into sleep when another thought hit him. He looked at Nelson. "Admiral?" he began hesitantly. "You didn't actually give Vandergriff the plans to the flying sub…did you?"

Nelson coughed guiltily and then smiled. "I did, in fact, give him plans to the flying sub."

"Admiral!" exclaimed Lee fighting vainly to sit up, "You couldn't! That man is insane. There's no telling what he'd do with his own flying sub."

"Lee!" cried Nelson gently pushing him back on the bunk. "Don't worry. Yes, I did give him plans. I gave him the plans for FS-P1."

Lee's eyes widened in surprise. "The first flying sub prototype? But didn't that…" He trailed off then began to laugh as both Chip and the Admiral joined in.

Puzzled, Jamieson stared at the three of them. "Is that funny?"

Nelson, still chuckling, turned to the doctor. "The first flying sub prototype was a disaster. On paper, it looked perfect but after we attempted to fly it, it got about ten feet above the water and exploded! Thankfully, we were testing it unmanned. It took weeks to finally track down the calculation and design errors that led to the defect. We ended up having to totally revamp the entire thing. Those plans are useless. With any luck, Vandergriff won't see the problems either and he'll blow himself up the first time he tries to fly it."

This time, Jamieson joined in. In the adjacent room, Frank listened to the ship's senior officers laughter as he put away supplies. He smiled to himself. Yes, things were going to be all right.

THE END