"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Nathan," Doctor Kristin Westphalen clucked, hopping nimbly into the Moon Pool. She pulled the water-resistant scrunchie off her wrist, and pulled her auburn hair back into a pony-tail. "I mean, exploring a sunken Spanish galleon is not very high on my list of priorities in research," she continued in her English accent.

"I know," Captain Nathan Bridger said simply, jumping the low wall and into the Moon Pool. "But I thought you might like to get away. After all, we have both been working very hard the past few weeks. Here, let me help you with that,"  he said, helping her pull on her breathing gear.

"Thank you," she murmured gratefully. "Let me help you," she said with a grin, assisting him with his gear. "We are taking Darwin, aren't we?"

Nathan nodded, and pointed to the team putting the dolphin into his breathing apparatus. "Ready?" he inquired sweetly. She nodded and put in her mouthpiece. "Bridge, pressurize the Moon Pool and open the hatch," he ordered into his communicator. He set down the communicator and put in his mouthpiece, following Kristin past the descending Moon Pool wall.

Before they went anywhere, they both opened the inter-suit communications link. The link would also be broadcast into a speaker attached to Darwin's breathing apparatus.

"The water might be a tad chilly," Nathan warned, checking his gear one last time, while Kristin did the same.

Kristin groaned. "I hate the cold-- anything cold," she grumbled.

"Even ice cream and cold drinks?" he shot back.

"Smart ass," she snorted with a chuckle. "You know exactly what I meant."

Darwin swam up beside her and playfully knocked his tail into her legs. "Sorry, Darwin," she laughed," it's not time to play yet."

"Soon," Nathan promised the dolphin.

The Moon Pool hatch opened, and the trio swam into the dark ocean.

"Damn, Nathan, you weren't kidding about the temperature," Kristin hissed, feeling the cold water even through her thermal wetsuit. "Now, where is this wreck, so we can explore, then go back to seaQuest and get warm again?"

"This way," Nathan said, swimming away with Darwin at his side. Kristin followed, watching the fish that passed them.

The wreck soon came into view, its wooden hull looming in the dark waters. They swam above its top deck, looking at the galleon's uppermost layer. It amazed both humans that even the masts were still there, and upright, to boot!

But as they made another pass over the deck, one of the masts broke at the base, falling right on top of them, pinning them to the rotting deck. Nathan yelped in surprise, finding his legs pinned down too tightly for him to even move. "Kristin," he said, "are you all right?"

She was still beside him, which was a relief. "Nathan," she gasped, "I don't think so. My hips are probably broken." It was only then that he saw that the beam had fallen across her hips. "Call seaQuest," she hissed, fighting back the pain that coursed through her.

"I can't," he snorted. "I can't reach my comm gear. And I know you can't reach yours." This fun little outing was quickly becoming his worst nightmare.

"Darwin," she called, "help us."

Nathan caught on, and called, "Come on, old friend. We need your help."

They waited for several fruitless minutes, with no sign of their dolphin diving  partner. Kristin was humming to herself, fighting to stay conscious, and thus alive, but it was a losing battle. Nathan held her gloved hand tightly in his, trying to infuse her with the strength she needed to live on.

She stopped humming, and whispered, "Nathan."

"Yes, Kristin?" he whispered back.

"I've had a horrible life. The only bright spots are working on seaQuest, having Cynthia, and being with you," she moaned softly, trying to shift her weight slightly, so she wasn't in so much pain.

"But at least you have your daughter," Nathan replied, squeezing her hand. "I don't have anything left-- besides my boat. And you." The revelation startled him. Carol hadn't even been dead and entire year, and he was in love again. But strangely, he felt no guilt. She would have wanted him to go on with his life. Feeling certain of that, he allowed himself to say, "Kristin, I love you."

"I love you, too, Nathan," Kristin moaned, holding his hand as if it was a lifeline-- her lifeline.

"I don't want to die," she whispered sadly.

"You won't," he said firmly, moving just enough to be able to support her upon his chest. It was painful for them both, but they needed the contact just then. He wrapped her torso in his embrace, feeling her breathing equipment grinding into his body. But that didn't matter. Nothing in the world mattered beyond being there for her. "I won't let you die, Kristin," he promised.

The minutes drew ever onward, and both grew weary from their fights for life. Suddenly, Nathan felt something bump up against his oxygen tanks. "Darwin!" he shouted joyfully. The dolphin nudged Kristin, and she reached out wearily to touch his fin. "Go back to seaQuest. Get help."

"No need, Captain," came the voice of Commander Ford over the comm link.

"He already did." A team of four divers came into view, and Nathan breathed an audible sigh of relief.

Kristin went suddenly limp in his arms, overcome by shock. "Hurry," Nathan barked. "Doctor Westphalen is out."

The divers surveyed the situation before Ford said, "Captain, we'll have to use hydraulics. How badly off is she?"

"She thought both hips might be broken," he replied, cradling her near-lifeless form. "Probably some internal bleeding, too."

"Sir, we might lose her," Ford warned.

"No," Nathan growled determinedly, "we will not." He blocked out everything beyond holding her, until the weight was lifted from his legs and he and Kristin were wrapped in something for the return trip to the ship.

Midway through the transport, Kristin's eyes fluttered open, and she whispered, "Nathan, don't leave me."

"I won't," he promised, hugging her as best he could. When he looked down, her eyes were once again shut.

Medical teams were waiting anxiously for them as they were lifted out of the Moon Pool. Before he could say anything, they had whisked Kristin off to the Medical Bay. He was loaded onto another stretcher, bound for the same destination.

Hours later, he awoke from the sedative Doctor Levine had given him. He remembered someone having told him that his broken legs had needed surgery and a new polymer-based bone glue to bring the fragments together again, and then he'd fallen asleep as the sedative took hold.

Nathan groaned, immediately conjuring up Levine and several nurses, as well. Levine said, "You're going to heal nicely, Captain."

"What about Kristin?" he asked, afraid of the answer that might well come.

Levine hesitated, then said, "The damage to Doctor Westphalen was extensive. Both of her hips were shattered, and there was a lot of internal bleeding, confined, thank God, to one small area. It was easy to stop." However, he declined mentioning that they had performed a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding. "When the sedative wears off, we'll see how she's doing."

"Can I see her?" Nathan asked.

Levine looked doubtful, but finally nodded. "Put the Captain in a wheelchair, and roll him to the Doc's bed," he ordered, pulling back to supervise the operation.

Nathan fought back his impatience as the nurses lifted him from the bed and placed him in a wheelchair. One of the nurses rolled the chair across the Med Bay to where Kristin lay. Nathan could hardly see her through all the wires and medical apparatus. She was on a respirator, for she was too exhausted to even breathe for herself. She was hooked up to two IV's, one giving her much-needed blood, the other feeding a clear liquid into her system to keep her hydrated. Her eyes were closed, and her face was relaxed, without a hint of any pain. He was just close enough to take her hand into his. "Kristin," he whispered, "you're going to be just fine."   He kissed her hand and said, "After you wake up, I'm gonna have something special for you. I promise."

Levine shook Nathan awake. "Captain, Doctor Westphalen is awake and asking for you," he said as soon as Nathan opened his eyes. Levine lifted him into his wheelchair and rolled him across the Med Bay.

Kristin smiled weakly and extended her hand as they approached. Nathan took gentle hold of it, and pressed a kiss into the soft skin. "No offence, Nathan, but I am never going diving for pleasure with you again." she whispered, and they both laughed. "You said you had something for me," she said softly, a smile dancing in her hazel eyes.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," Nathan laughed. "But it's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," she groaned with a chuckle.

"You hate everything," he chimed in, laughing. She nodded, her face a mask of seriousness, but then a grin cut across her features. "But, if I do say so myself, you will enjoy this surprise," he said sweetly.

"If it's another dive, you won't live to see another tour of duty," she growled.

"Oh, no," he said hastily, "it's nothing like that!" He kissed her hand again and said, "You get some rest, and I'll wake you up when it's time."

"Okay," she whispered, squeezing his hand and closing her eyes.

Nathan greeted Cynthia Martin as Commander Ford escorted her to the Med Bay. He pointed her in the direction of her mother's bed, where a nurse was hanging up a new bag of blood for Kristin. "She's asleep right now," he said, "but I have no doubt that she'll wake up as soon as she hears your voice."

Cynthia nodded and went to her mother's bedside. "Hi, Mom," she said softly.

Kristin's eyes flew open and she let out a cry of joy, pulling Cynthia close.

"Captain Bridger called and told me what happened," Cynthia said, hugging Kristin back. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm better now that you're here with me, Cindy," Kristin whispered, glancing over at Nathan. He waved and grinned, and, if she hadn't known before, she definitely now knew that this was the famed surprise she'd lived for.

She smiled back, letting him know how much it meant to her.