The Adventures of Tim Bodge Ch. 24: Pt. 01

"Tim, you send for us?" Both Commanders stood there.

"Yes, the Queen's ship is under attack from another pirate ship. I need your soldiers to transfer to Tabatha's ship, then proceed to the pirate ship and relieve them of their ship." While Tim told the Commanders this, he felt a pain in his left side again, and he still thought nothing of it.

"Tim, this is Mayio; the pirate has fired at the other ship. What do you want to do about it?"

"Take them out."

"Firing now will call when this is done."

"Commander, it looks as if we won't need you. Thank you for meeting with me."

"Tim, this is Mayio again, Just to let you know. The pirate Captain named Jack said that there was a 10,000-credit reward for you, dead or alive."

"Did he say who put out the reward?"

"Something about a federation, that's all."

"Well, it is nice to know that I am wanted."

***

It had been a long day; Tim was headed to his quarters. Tabitha and Tammy were with their mother, and Sherald and DarkIce headed to the new ship. He just needed to rest.

Tim walked into his quarters and headed to the bedroom felt a little lightheaded. Rubbed his left side. He changed into his sleeping PJs, looked down at his left side, and didn't see anything.

He went to bed and drifted off to sleep. He lay there for a while and started having a shiver in his chest, and the shiver grew larger.

He took a blanket to cover himself up, holding it firmly around his body.

The shivers really began to get unpleasant. He decided to get up and add an extra sweatshirt.

He set his legs on the ground and attempted to stand. His legs could barely support his weight, and he struggled as he got up. He retrieved the shirt and went back to bed.

The shivers changed to a chill. His body trembled; he trembled so violently that he could not control his arms and legs.

He tried to turn sideways and was unable to move his arms. They couldn't be controlled, and they felt like dead parts. He tried to move his legs; they felt the same way.

He drifted off to sleep. He awoke later, tried to move, and had no control of any part of his body. Tim thought, 'Maybe I'm dead,' while he tried to open his eyes.

The chill had disappeared, but he could not feel or move any part of his body. Tim thought, 'Sarha said that I could not be killed. How did it happen to me?"

Tim, trying to remember anything that could have killed him. 'So, if I am dead, what happens now?'

Tim thought, 'Is death a way of getting over his life,'

He looked back to see how he could have changed things. The more he thought about it. He had to be dead. There was no sound, no light, and movement, just the total darkness.

'I wonder why the nano-bots didn't protect me? They healed me from the gunshots and the knife. Wait a minute, the knife.

I don't remember a knife.

There must have been a knife.

Oh, yell, when Crook came at me, and I sidestepped him. Could I have been cut with that knife?

But the nano-bots did heal it. There are no marks on my left side. But that's where the pain was.

'I wonder how long this will last. I'm lying here. If I am lying here, where is here?''

'Will I be going over the same thing when I am here?''

***

"Mommy, can we go and visit Tim?" We want to go play in the lake." Asked Wendy with those sad eyes, which she uses so well.

"No, Tim's most likely busy on the bridge."

But, Mom, we haven't seen Tim in the last few days, and he usually stops in to see us daily." Reply David.

"Yes, which means he's busy."

"Mommy, can we go and say hello, please?" Wendy had her hands together.

Deniece thought, 'it would be nice to see him. I do miss his visits.'

"After dinner, as long as you have eaten everything, maybe we could check on him. But it will only be for a little while, he's a busy man."

Both kids jumped with joy. "We'll clean our plates. Then go see Tim." They ran out to play while Deniece prepared dinner.

Later after dinner, the kitchen was cleared. Deniece gathered the children together and departed for the bridge.

They reached the bridge and found that Nifuru was the pilot. The two kids ran up and said, "Hello."

Wendy looked around and saw that Tim was gone. "Nifuru, what's happened to Tim?"

She turned and noticed that the Captain's seat was empty. "You might want to ask Sarha."

Deniece stood near Tim's seat, "Sarha, could you please tell us where Tim is?"

Sarha appeared on the opposite side of Tim's seat. "Tim went to his quarters a while ago, and I haven't heard a word from him."

Deniece rounded up the kids. "Let's go find out how he's doing."

They went to Tim's quarters and knocked on the door. The door opened gradually, and Deniece just stuck her head in and called Tim.

There wasn't any reply. Deniece thought it odd; Tim always answered the door. She kept the children waiting beside the door while she checked the bedroom. If Tim had a female, Wendy, and David, didn't need to see it.

She knocked, and no answer; she opened it slowly to check the interior. Tim was on the bed wrapped in a blanket.

She stepped into the room and called Tim's name again, still no answer. She moved closer to the bed and checked to see if there was a female in the bed, and she was not seeing anybody next to Tim. She now stood close to the head of the bed and leaned over to tap Tim on his shoulder.

She tapped him slightly and stood up quickly, hoping he would not hit her. Her x-husband would do that occasionally. But Tim did not move.

She reached over and shook Tim real hard. Still no response. Deniece, now worried, climbed onto the bed next to Tim. Grabbed Tim's shoulder and pulled him onto his back.

Tim's face was white as a bedsheet. She screamed for Sarha.

Sarha now appeared at the foot of the bed, "Deniece, why are you calling me from Tim's bed?"

"Tim's dead. He's white as a sheet and cold."

"No, I still monitor a heartbeat, and it's a strong one."

"Then why isn't he awake?" Deniece sat next to Tim's body, wrapping her hands around each other and trying to keep the tears back.

Wendy walked into the room and saw mommy on Tim's bed, and it looked like she was about to cry. "Mommy, why are you on Tim's bed?"

Deniece climbed off the bed and walked over. "Mommy was trying to get Tim up. But he's still asleep."

"Deniece, why don't you take the kids into the living room. I have called Madlyn, and she is on her way."

Deniece held Wendy by the hand, walked back into the living room, and sat down. David came over and sat down next to his mother. "Mother, what is wrong with Tim?"

"I don't know. Madlyn is on her way." Deniece held out her arms for David so that she could hold him and Wendy.

"Mommy will Tim be OK?" asked Wendy.

"Tim is a strong man, and he will fight against everything that knocked him down."

Madlyn entered Tim's quarters and saw Deniece and the kids. She stopped to say "Hi."

Madlyn asked Deniece a few questions about Tim and how he had looked. Then got up and headed to the bedroom.

As she entered, she saw Tim wrapped in a blanket. "Sarha, send both Doctor Marus and Doctor Wellbe here. Also, call Jeanne."

"Madlyn, his heart is beating strongly. So, he didn't die; he went into a coma."

Madlyn stepped to the end of Tim's bed and looked at Tim's face. His face was white, and he had blue lips. With being in a coma. "Sarha, Tim's been poisoned."

"The doctors are on their way. Jeanne said she'll be right there."

"Once Jeanne gets here, we'll need blood work. Can you start tracing Tim's steps backward? We'll need to see where he picked up the poison."

Madlyn moved to the head of the bed, removed her little light, and stared into Tim's eyes.

***

'Look, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wonder whether this is heaven or hell for me." thought Tim.

'That really makes no difference. I've been living both ways. At least it will be over. I am sorry, I'll miss the kids and Deniece, too.'

'It was nice to have a family of some sort.'

***

"Madlyn, I've traced Tim's steps back until this morning, and I didn't see a thing dealing with poison. The only thing was the knife, and I don't think it touched Tim, but I am not sure."

Jeanne and the two doctors entered the room. "What do you need us to do?" asked Jeanne.

"Doctor Marus and Doctor wellbe, I need Tim out of the blanket and then a blood draw. We need to check for any kind of poison."

Madlyn walked back to the living room. "Deniece, when you entered Tim's room, did you see anything that might have had poison in it?"

"No, I didn't touch a thing. Why was Tim poisoned?"

"I think so. We need to find out what kind it is."

"Will Tim be OK?" Asked Wendy.

"Yes, Tim is fighting it. So, he will be OK."

Madlyn sat down next to Deniece. "We don't want Tim's condition to get out. So can you and the kids stay in the extra bedroom?"

Tabitha and Tammy came into the living room as they sat there talking. "We just heard; how is he?" asked Tabitha.

"Tim's in a coma, but he's hanging in there."

"Madlyn, I have gone back over Tim's steps today. I think I have found something. Please look at the viewscreen."

Everyone turned to look at the screen. Each saw Tim as he sat in the Captain's seat. "OK, Sarha, what are we looking at?"

"Watch; Tim touches his left side and then looks down at it."

"So, what does that have to do with the poison?"

"Why would you touch your side and then look down at it? Because if it hurts, you would like to know if there was something there. Also, look at his face just before he reaches down, and there is a look of pain."

"Madlyn, that was earlier this morning. Then while he was talking to Mayio, and the last time he was talking with the Commanders. Each time the face showed more pain." This was brought to everyone's attention by Sarha.

"OK, we now know he had the poison yesterday. Now, where did he get it?"

"Maybe Sherald could help," Sarha said.

"OK, who's Sherald?" asked Tammy.

"Sherald is the pilot of a ship where Tim was yesterday."

"But Tim was on the ship that mother was on, and he captured the bad guy," Tammy replied.

"Sarha, can you reach out to Sherald and see if she can help?" asked Tabitha.

"Sherald, this is Sarha; we need your help."

"How may I help?"

"Sherald, this is Doctor Madlyn; Tim was on your ship yesterday and encountered some kind of poison. Is there any kind of poison kept on that ship?"

"OH yes, Mr. Crook kept all different kinds in his bedroom. He used to mix them and give them to his prisoners, just for fun."

"Did he ever add the poison to his weapons?" asked Madlyn.

"He did that all the time. That way, he would always win. Some of the poison would only slow the person's reflexes. Why do you ask?"

"Tim has poison in his system, placing him in a coma. We need to know which poison Mr. Crook used?"

"I don't know that, but I can gather up all the bottles and send them to you."

"Our vessel will send you a shuttle. Then that will be sent directly to us."

"I will start to gather the poisons now. Hopefully, Tim will be OK."

***

'The light, it's gone. Does this mean I won't die? I could be alive right now. A second opportunity.'

To be continued