A/N: Hello Sea Patrol fandom! I discovered this show at the end of last summer and holy cow, WHAT A TREASURE. I'm completely in love. I've already watched multiple times. These are such great characters and there is so much gratuitous whump and I am HERE FOR IT. I've also noticed a serious lack of fanfic so I thought I would help. Please enjoy some insights from 1x07 "Rescue Me."

It had started out as a few stomach cramps. Nothing terrible, nothing he couldn't handle. He'd hardly even noticed at first. The junior seaman were like children, they needed constant supervision which meant there was always work to be done and he didn't give much thought to his own needs until he was lying in his rack at night.

But a particularly painful clench stole his breath away as he walked toward the stern and gave him pause. He winced, putting a hand to his stomach and then rolled his eyes. Spider and his stupid crabs. It was a wonder they weren't all heaving their lunches over the side.

He made it to the stern and began working on the coil that had been giving them trouble. "All right there Buff?" Nikki asked as she wandered toward him.

He smiled. "Yeah I'm all right Nav."

"Brought you a brew if you want it." She offered him the mug but the thought of it turned his stomach. "Think I'll pass this time," he told her.

"All right then. Don't blame me if you fall asleep while working," she said cheekily and moved on.

Ten minutes later he wished she'd stayed. His tongue and lips were tingling and his vision swam a bit. Dehydration could be a bitch on a ship but he was usually pretty on top of things like that.

He wrapped up his work and headed to his rack. He had first watch so an early turn in was in order. Charge was absent from the room, probably up on deck practicing his golf or something and Peter found himself grateful. He didn't feel up to a conversation. His head had begun to ache on top of everything else. He considered tracking down the Swain but decided to muscle through it instead.

He stripped off his shirt, damp with sweat, and was about to climb into his bunk when a knife-like pain stabbed through his gut, nearly doubling him over. It stole their air from his lungs and he had to grip the bunk to keep himself upright. Maybe a trip to see Swain wasn't a terrible idea.

What had been merely uncomfortable moments before was now nearing unbearable. He stumbled into the hallway, his knees weak, and knocked on Swain's door. It opened and Chris stuck his head out. "Hey there Buff."

"Swaino, I'm not feeling right," he managed, as the world began to swim before his eyes.

Swain frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

"I—I don't—" he knees gave out and Swain had to catch him.

"Whoa all right just come in here and have a lie down yeah?"

Swain got an arm under his shoulder and pulled him along toward the junior sailor's mess, easing him onto one of the benches. God it felt good to lie down. "Can you tell me what's going on?" Swain asked as he opened the med kit and pulled out a stethoscope.

"Um," Peter swallowed and tried to focus. "My chest is really tight. And there's tingling in my mouth, my hands."

"And when did this start?"

"I don't know, like an hour or so I guess."

"Swaino!"

They looked up to see ET dragging Alex, one of the junior seaman coming into the room. "He's sick or something Swain," ET said, helping the new man lie down.

"Yeah he's running a fever too. Buff have you had an upset stomach?"

Peter closed his eyes trying to think around the pain. "No, it's like knives though."

Swain was starting to look really concerned. "ET, go get Cheffo for me will you? Alex when did you start feeling sick?"

The junior seaman reported similar symptoms and seemed to be taking it slightly worse than Buffer was. Charge poked his head in. "All right Swaino?" he asked.

"Charge, get me some blankets and then radio the captain."

Peter put a hand to his head and then curled in pain as another knife sliced through his abdomen. "Buff, you all right?" Swain asked.

Peter gritted his teeth. "Yeah take care of Alex."

Charge returned with the blankets and then ET dragged a very ill looking Spider into the room and laid him out on the floor. Despite how awful he felt Peter could immediately see that Spider was in a worse way. "Spider," he said.

"Buff," Spider's voice was faint. "Buff my stomach."

"Hang in there Spid," Peter said, but his words weren't enough.

He lay there helplessly as Spider's body seized. It took both Swain and Cheffo to hold him down and keep him from injuring himself. When the jerking finally ceased Spider's head lolled to the side and he wouldn't wake up no matter how Swain tried. "Boss we've got to get them to a hospital," Swain's words were tight with fear, Peter could hear it in his voice.

"We've set course for home and we'll get there as fast we can," Mike said. "They'll have medical staff waiting at the dock."

That was all Peter heard for awhile. His chest was growing increasingly tight and he found himself drifting restlessly in and out of consciousness. He was somewhat aware that Spider had started seizing again and he could hear Alex's breathing, labored and loud, from across the small room.

He had no idea how long it was before they docked, only that he'd never felt so ill in his life. "All right we're going to get you boys out of here," Swain finally said.

"Take Spider and Alex first," Peter said faintly. His eyes would only half open, but he was determined to see the juniors taken care of.

"All right," Swain said, putting a hand briefly on his shoulder.

Spider was taken out first and then Alex on a stretcher. "All right Buff, your turn," Swain said as they laid out another stretcher.

"I can walk," Peter said immediately, struggling to sit up. He gasped and wanted to cry like a baby when pain stabbed at him.

"No way Pete." He wasn't sure when his boss had come into the room but the way he was looking left no room for argument.

Peter allowed himself to be lifted onto the stretcher. The small corner of his brain that had any energy left for something beyond staying alive realized how incredibly humiliating this was. They passed Nikki on the deck and she grabbed his hand briefly, squeezing it for support.

When he woke again he was at the hospital having missed the ambulance ride completely. He supposed he must have passed out. Despite several tubes, which he assumed were administering meds, he didn't feel better at all. In fact he felt worse. Where the ship had seemed too hot now he felt too cold. His body shivered despite the sheen of sweat on his forehead. "How're you doing Buff?"

Mike was standing by his bedside. Beyond his CO he could see Spider and Alex, their bodies incredibly still. "How're they?" he managed to croak out.

"Well it seems like you'll all live," Mike said. "You gave us all a bit of a fright though."

"Anybody else sick?"

"No, just the three of you."

His head was throbbing fiercely but he needed to have this conversation. "What is it Boss?"

Mike took a breath. "It seems the three of you were poisoned. It was the crabs Spider got from the island."

Peter stared at him. "Poisoned? You're joking."

"I'm afraid not. That's all the information I have right now, but as soon as we know anything more I'll pass it along." He put a hand on Buffer's shoulder. "You rest up. Get your strength back. We'll have you back on board in no time."

Peter watched him go, wishing he had the strength to follow. He'd long ago come to terms with all the ways one could die in the Navy, but poison had never crossed his mind.

A/N: More to come soon! Leave your love in the reviews!