Yep, I know, it took long enough. It was the ending I was having trouble with, so I wrote "The Lost" while I struggled with it. I may revise it someday, just not sure when. Anywho, I hope you enjoy it and thanks!

Chapter 12

Hanson couldn't help but cry out as so many hands fumbled across his body. Someone had smashed into his injured shoulder. GOD it hurt! The pain was unbearable sending shock waves all over his body. He heard voice but couldn't make anything out. He still had a hold of Dennis until someone grabbed his hand and pulled the two men apart.

"N-No… Dennis… help…" He was a mess of cloudy thoughts as he continued to reach for Booker. He could feel someone messing with his eyes, a blur of bright light and a voice.

"Pupils are dilated and nearly unresponsive. He is not at all reactive to this light. Looks like some powder burns on his face. Get his eyes rinsed out and wrapped now! Fourteen liters of O2 non rebreather and I want fluids going now." The voice sounded urgent as someone began to poor liquid over his eyes igniting a new fire. Hanson clinched his teeth and began to thrash about. The action ceased as he felt someone holding him down one person on each side.

"This is going to take a few minutes are you sure you can hold him down." Her voice was calm and professional as the liquid began to poor again.

"Yeah we got him." The voice… who was it.

"Doug…" Hanson stuttered.

"Yeah Tommy, it's me and Ioki, you're gonna be fine, but you gotta stop fighting her, she's trying to help." His voice was soothing. Hanson gripped both of the hands holding his own again clinching his teeth.

"It… burns." He managed to speak as the gentle fingers held his eyes open while the liquid poured over his delicate eyes a second time.

"Tommy you have some powder burns on your eyes, that's why you can't see." Ioki stated as calmly as possible. Within a few minutes the liquid had stopped and the young female medic began to wrap his eyes with cotton and gauze. Once finished she then began to toil over the hole in his right shoulder and prepared to load the injured officer into the back of an ambulance.

--

"Booker hang on buddy, you're gonna be fine." Judy Hoffs stated as she rolled Dennis onto his back. Dennis lay unconscious on the floor with Tom Hanson by his side. Fuller noted the discoloration of Bookers unwrapped hand. He also noted the blood pooling at his side. Medics scrambled and separated the two officers who had relied on each other to make it through their life threatening ordeal.

"He's breathing, pulse is strong. Let's get him out of here now." The voice of the medic in charge of the scene barked loudly. Several hands grabbed and pulled at Dennis Booker's unconscious body.

Hanson had tried to fight as the two were separated and sent in the direction of two separate transport vehicles. Booker was put immediately into an ambulance and sent to County for treatment. Hoffs watched intently as the officer was rushed out and the others continued to work feverishly on Hanson. Fuller placed an arm around her shoulder as she watched intently as they finished all they could do for the young officer. Ioki and Penhall both stood as they watched them load the officer into a separate ambulance and rush him off to County General.

The three officers gathered together around Adam Fuller and Mike Garrison as the two moved from the building to the outside. Several others were sent into the building as clean up began. The coroner was called in as the first body was found.

--

Tom Hanson struggled to sit up as the doctor came into the room to examine his eyes. He hurt all over. He groaned as the pain in his shoulder ignited every time he moved his right arm. As it turned out, Gordy had done a decent job cleaning and patching up where the wood had torn through his flesh. He was on a high dose of pain medication and antibiotics. Although he had cleaned the wound, there was still a large amount of infection in his body from the burns and the continued abuse he had sustained. Because he had gone without fluids for most of the day he had become extremely dehydrated which hadn't helped in preventing any onset of infection.

"How are we feeling today Mr. Hanson?" The doctor asked. Hanson cringed at the words "mister." It made him feel like he should be married with five kids. Or that he was behind on his rent and the building supervisor had called to collect on it.

"Sore." Hanson replied. He still had a layer of gauze wrapped over his eyes preventing him from opening them as they healed.

"Are you having any pain or burning in your eyes at all?" The mature voice asked.

"Not really, they itch a lot." He answered the doctor.

"That's good." The voice laughed.

"It is?" Hanson replied. He was caught off guard as the man answered him.

"Yes, means they're healing." The older man replied. "Now Tommy, were going to be taking the gauze off today. You will probably have some headaches for a couple of days, but that is normal for this. They will go away in a day or two."

Tom could feel the man fumbling with the bandages and checking the side of his face. He lifted his chin as he looked at the officers yellowing face. It had been over a week since the incident at the warehouse and Hanson's bruises were starting to fade to a green and yellow hue.

"Mr. Hanson, I need to cheek your shoulder. It's probably going to hurt a little, but I promise I will go easy on you." The man tried to reassure Tom as it seemed every time someone touched the tender wound it would nearly crumple the officer. An x-ray had revealed that Hanson had some chips of bone fragments in the area of the injury where the piece of timber had shaved some off of the bottom of his collar bone and the top of his rib cage. There was even damage done to the back of his shoulder blade.

The doctor had called for a nurse as he began to remove the dressing on his shoulder to examine the injury. Hanson flinched as the doctor touched the tender area around the stitches. He clinched his teeth and sucked air through his teeth as the doctor felt around the area under his armpit and around his ribs. He dug his hands into the sheets trying to hold onto a cry of pain. He knew that he was healing, but it hurt so badly and the process was so slow he just wished it would go more rapidly. He wished that he was in Booker's shoes. He had two clean breaks on in each hand and a gun shot wound to the right of his abdomen. He was still in the hospital but he was told by Judy Booker would probably be home by Friday… lucky bastard.

"Mr. Hanson, you're healing up nicely. I want you to take it easy for about the next half hour or so and I will be back to take off the bandage on those eyes." The thought of seeing the television again was music to Hanson's ears. He had had to listen to Penhall narrate episodes of any show he watched and it was getting old. He was sure the only thing Penhall ever thought about was "how good that burger looked," and the "amazing rack on that chick." Hanson was lost in his own thoughts as the nurse was rewrapping his injury when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Hanson responded.

"Hey… damn Tommy, you've looked better." Dennis Booker's voice cut through the air. Hanson tried to offer a smile as the nurse bumped a stitch as she finished wrapping his injury. Hanson flinched and sucked in a breath.

"Booker..." Hanson responded.

"In the flesh." Dennis responded. "Your eyes are they…"

"They take this off today; you wanna stick around for the freak show?" Hanson jibed.

"Sure thing." Booker pulled up a chair as the two men conversed about the lousy food and the need for a long vacation when the door to the room opened again.

"Mr. Hanson, are you ready." Tom recognized the voice of his doctor.

"Yeah… I'm… just get these things off me." Hanson responded.

"Ok, we'll have you set in a jiffy." The doctor laughed. "Once I take the bandage off do not open your eyes until I say, ok."

"Yeah." Hanson answered nervously.

Tom heard a snipping of scissors next to his ear and then he felt the doctor rolling and rolling the endless coil of white gauze. Finally he felt a final give and felt the nurse assume the final roll of the gauze. He felt a pressure as the doctor was holding the small patches of gauze on his eyelids. Then all at once there was no pressure at all. He trembled as he waited for the doctor to allow him to open his eyes. He could feel the doctor examine his face, his touch as he noted the healing of the various degrees of burn on the young officer's eyes.

"Alright Tom, on the count of three…" Tom… he just called me Tom. "One… two… three…"

Hanson slowly opened his eyes as the dark world that had become his habitat for a week started to dissolve away. There was a slight burn as his eyes had become accustomed to the darkness but soon they accepted the bright light. Hanson blinked as the world came into focus and he looked into the intent dark eyes of Dennis Booker, next to him stood an ever radiant Judy Hoffs leaning on Doug Penhall. Adam Fuller and Harry Ioki stood next to Blowfish as Tom's mother teared up as she looked on. Hanson closed his eyes and opened them again. Booker was the only one in here…

"Where… I… I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life…" Hanson smiled as a cheer erupted from the crowd who had gathered and stood vigil at the young officer's side. They had been at the hospital for days waiting for Booker to wake up and Hanson to see open his eyes again.

Again thanks to all my faithful readers and reviewers! You guys are wonderful. To those who waited patiently for this ending, I hope it isn't too lame for you, and I will start to write Vengance now... I promise. On another note... If you haven't read the lost yet, I think it turned out pretty good. I know, it was a little fluffy at the begining, but it got pretty ugly later and I am so pleased with the way it turned out! Please check it out if you get a chance and let me know what you think, it is all done too!