All Hands On Deck

Thankfully, the team got Shaw to the doctor on the resort property pretty quickly, and he was able to examine and figure out what exactly stung the petite teammate. All four teammates stood around the examining room while the doctor checked vitals, while Shaw continued to have labored breathing and sweat pouring off her with extreme looks of pain on her face. Root looked on with the utmost concern, as soon as the doctor was done with his exam she moved next to Shaw and gently pushed the matted wet hair from her forehead, she then continued to stroke her hair in what she hoped was calming for her favorite primary asset.

“Well, it looks like she was stung by a rare breed of jellyfish migrated from Australia called Irukandji, or at one of its species. They are becoming more common in this area; they have even been documented in Florida as well.” As the doctor continued to speak, the four teammates all looked to each other with dread. “It’s probably the most venomous jellyfish in the world and one of the most dangerous species period.”

The doctor leaned over to recheck Shaw’s vitals; his patient gritted her teeth even more than usual and continued her very labored breathing.

The doctor turned to face the four teammates and address them, “For the next 8 to 12 hours, she’s going to go through hell.”

“Don’t sugar coat it doc,” said Fusco, he looked anxious about his fake wife.

“Some studies have said that the pain level of an Irukandji sting on a scale of 1-10 is about a 12. Massive doses of morphine seem to have no effect,” said the doctor in a bleak tone.

“Sounds like Shaw’s kind of party,” said Root trying to lighten the mood. “Is there any permanent damage?” she added, looking on with concern on her face.

“No, thankfully, no permanent damage. She’ll be in a hellish state for the duration. Besides the physical pain, there will be emotional pain. There will be intense feelings of abyssal depression and impending doom, and in very rare cases they are mixed in with…what can only be described as sexual heat like state,” said the doctor while looking over Shaw trying to decide if she was indeed a rare case. “Again, that part is rare.”

“Sounds like… Root’s kind of party,” Shaw breathed out hard in between her clenched jaws, “So keep her away from me if that happens, guys.”

Shaw looked hard at Reese, Fusco, and Finch; all three men looked very uncomfortable. If anything of that nature were to happen, none of them wanted to fight Shaw or Root, that was pretty much an unspoken head nod between the guys.

“Sameen, you don’t trust me?” asked Root in a mock tone while she continued to push the petite’s sweat-soaked hair from her face, the truth was she didn’t know if she could trust herself either if Shaw were to direct a sexual heat like state towards her. However, she wondered too, she might not be Shaw’s target, and that thought almost made Root want to enter her own state of impending doom.

Shaw began to assess and realize; she didn’t trust herself around Root anymore. She had a ripped red shirt to prove it. Shaw was barely holding off on ravaging the tall brunette teammate as it was, add a sexual heat like craze, and she was definitely doomed along with her impending doom delusions. Shaw couldn’t even describe the pain she was in; it was nothing like she ever felt before; the doctor was right; this was about a twelve.

The doctor went over and prepared a shot of morphine. “I’m going to give you some morphine; it probably won’t help, but just in case it does,” the doctor administered the shot while adding in a deadbeat tone, “There’s not much we can do for her except keep an eye on her. I would recommend keeping her here or on bed rest in her room. She will have incredible lower back pain, relentless vomiting and nausea, full-body cramps, profuse sweating, extreme muscle spasms, and the uptick of adrenaline, which will cause the indescribable feelings of impending doom. Her world will be ending, and she might make requests for all of you to end hers.”

All of Shaw’s teammates looked around to each other, very distressing feelings plainly displayed on their shared faces.

Shaw noted the doctor said she would have feelings of impending doom, so maybe this would be the one time not having feelings will come in very handy.

“Let’s take her back to our room,” Root said to Reese with him nodding and agreeing with her. A nurse brought in a pair of shorts and a shirt with the resort logo on them for Shaw to wear over her bikini.

“Hey, she’s my wife, don’t you think she needs to come back to our room?” asked Fusco, smiling at Shaw, trying to lighten her mood. He patted her arm too; he didn’t like seeing his fake wife in so much pain. He was eternally grateful he wasn’t going through this pain though; he absolutely knew for certain Shaw was way tougher than he was with this kind of pain.

“I pick their room…smells better,” spat out Shaw pointing to her taller teammates.

“It might not after 8 to 12 hours of profuse sweating and vomiting,” observed Finch, “Ms. Shaw, I’m going to analyze the data that was retrieved from your underwater expedition. Please, get some rest. I do hope this passes quickly.” Finch began to move towards the door, “Please, keep me posted on how she’s doing. I’ll have the resort staff send provisions for you.” Finch came back to Shaw and briefly squeezed her arm then turned to Root, “Please, take care of her.”

Root nodded to Harold, “Will do, Harry.”

Suddenly, a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. “I can wheel you to your room,” she said kindly to Shaw.

“Hell no,” Shaw growled fiercely, “I’ll walk…the morphine is already kicking in.” Shaw felt like she was lying to herself, but she would be damned if she was riding in a wheelchair, she had some dignity on this silly ass mission. A mission so far where she had to see Root pee twice, unbelievably on her leg. A mission where she had to listen to Fusco fart and snore and had to see Reese in yoga pants.

Root and Reese looked to each other, not believing Shaw at all, the petite woman could barely speak in between her labored breathing and profuse sweating.

The doctor added before he left the room, “There’s also a 15% of heart failure. So keep an eye on her heart rate as much as you can.” The doctor also gave them a few more shots of morphine, “Good luck.”

Again, Root and Reese looked back and forth to each other with alarm and concern.

The tall brunette then let her gaze drift off and asked the best source, “Is all that information completely accurate?” She stood momentarily frozen and transfixed, “Okay, well, I guess I don’t have to taze the doctor, after all, still that man has zero bedside manner,” she said mainly to Reese while Fusco looked on confused.

“Okay, sunshine, let’s go,” said Fusco while going over to help Shaw get off the bed where she swatted him away. She did eventually let Reese hold onto her arm and Fusco to; Roott trailed behind them.

As the four teammates, aka the two fake married couples, made their way back to the room so Shaw could rest. Out of nowhere, Joan came barreling up to them excitedly.

“There you guys are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You four really like to hang out together, fast friends, I guess.” Joan eyed all four people, they looked pretty disheveled, and the short, grumpy woman looked even more unaccommodating than usual. “The race is about to start on the beach. Gotta save the treasure and build the castle,” she smiled weakly at three uninterested people and one hostile one.

“Race? Save a treasure?” Shaw started pulling herself away from Fusco and Reese, who had been helping her walk. “People are in danger…we haven’t seen the numbers. Gotta save the numbers,” Shaw mumbled.

“My wife Sammy here got stung by a jellyfish, just been with the doctor. The sting and pain meds are making her loopy. Gotta get her back to the room,” Fusco said to Joan pushing Shaw to get past the irritating assistant.

“Oh my,” Joan looked disgusted, “I do hope you’re feeling better later today. Well, that leaves you two to round out the competition,” Joan said to Root and Reese.

There was no way Root was leaving Shaw’s side for some idiotic therapy session when her primary asset was in so much pain. “Actually, Joan, we have to miss it. We are going to help Lionel with Sammy; she’s in tremendous pain.”

“No, I’m not,” Shaw very quickly jabbed Fusco’s ribcage with her elbow causing him to let go of her, “People are in danger,” Shaw mumbled again then surprisingly took off in a sprint to the shocked expressions of her three teammates.

“How did she do that?” asked a befuddled Fusco turning to Root and Reese.

“Guess the morphine kick in,” Reese said as he watched Root sprint after Shaw.

“And I’m guessing those impending doom scenarios which just so happens a lot with you people,” said Fusco to Reese’s distressed expression on his face. They both ran off in the direction of their fake wives while Joan stood there left behind, very confused.

*****

Shaw ran frantically around the resort until she found the other couples on the beach. Root chased after her, never being able to catch up to stop the shorter woman. Root realized she needed to work on her cardio, maybe tag along with Shaw on some runs in the future. There were five rowboats lined up on the beach, Dr. Tinswell was addressing the three couples, and of course, two spaces were empty for the Fuscos and the Reese’s.

Dr. Tinswell was just finishing her assignment address when Shaw ran up, followed by Root, “…so go forth and find the treasure on the small island just yonder there. Stay for a bit on the tiny island. Enjoy the peace. Take pleasure in each other’s company. Then return here and build your castle together. Build a new bond together, “Tinswell finished with her trademark dramatic hand gestures.

Shaw wasn’t listening; she hopped into a rowboat much to Root’s bewilderment.

“Sh…Sammy, what are you doing? We need to get you back to the doctor.” Root didn’t know if the others could hear her.

“I’m rowing this boat, there’s something out there,” Shaw was already in position and was pushing off into the ocean, “…could be a smoke monster,” she said under her breath.

Root was shocked by Shaw’s wild statement. She sighed and waded out in the water and pull herself into Shaw’s rowboat. Shaw was feverishly rowing the boat toward the tiny island about a half-mile away that Dr. Tinswell was instructing the other couples towards. Shaw’s vigorous rowing had them far ahead of other couples. Of course, that wasn’t hard as no one was as strong as the petite firecracker.

Root squinted and could see Reese and Fusco on the shore getting into a rowboat of their own; she did love those boys for caring so much about her favorite primary asset.

When the rowboat hit the shore, Shaw sprung out and started running again. Root tried to grab her, out of reach, and fell down on the beach. “I thought she was supposed to have horrible lower back pain? How is she running?”

“Well, Shaw is strong, maybe the doom delusions are outpacing the physical pain,” Reese said over the communication link. “We’ll be there soon.”

Root looked off in the distance to see Shaw running into a small forest, she stood up and ran after her. “Sameen, wait! What are you looking for?”

Shaw had stopped, and Root finally caught up with her. Shaw grabbed Root’s shirt hard right in the middle of her chest and then pointed back to the main island, but to the other side of the resort where the scientists were, “See look over there. Everything is going to end.” Shaw’s eyes were wild, and sweat was pouring off her body. Root put her hand over Shaw’s hand.

“Shaw it’s just the sting. Everything is okay. Well, not okay…never mind. Everything is okay at this moment. Never really ya know with Samaritan lurking around …don’t think about that, might cause more doom delusions,” Root was surprised that Shaw hadn’t pulled away from her yet, not only did she still have her hand on Shaw’s, but they were standing in each other’s personal space.

Then suddenly, Shaw grabbed Root’s hand, started running and yanking the tall brunette along with her. They ran deeper into the forest until they found a cave opening, which Shaw dragged them into without hesitation at all.

“You know why caves are great for sex?” Shaw stopped and stared into Root’s eyes with a way too mischievous grin on her face, “...the humidity and the echoes.”

Shaw let go of Root’s hand only to discard her shirt and untie her bikini top; she tossed them both to the side and pulled Root further into the cave. The taller brunette did manage to grab them both before being dragged again by her feisty crush. Root had to admit; she was a little in shock, her brain was telling her to plant her feet and not go further into the cave with one jellyfish stung sexual heat crazed topless Shaw.

Root thought this was going to be her hardest mission yet. Watching over an induced jellyfish sex-crazed Shaw topless, making innuendos towards her for the first time ever, she needed to get to the boys so they could help her. She worried whether she would have any self-control when it came to the petite firecracker on jellyfish brain. Root looked at Shaw, who was leering at her pretty hard and topless. She needed to find the guys fast or hoped they would find her. She thought she needed to keep it as business as possible.

Shaw slowed their walking down, stopping deeper into the cave where it was almost completely pitch black. Dripping water, stalagmites and stalactites everywhere, condensation pouring off Shaw and the cave itself. Root couldn’t stop gawking at Shaw topless; her heart was pounding so loud in her chest; it sounded like a timpani or at least twenty of them beating. Root hoped Shaw’s heart was not racing as much; she needed to check it. This was new territory for the hacker, how could she be this turned on, and this worried at the same time.

Shaw tugged on Root’s shirt to get it off, while the taller brunette tried to stop the wandering hands.

“Shaw, remember we’re on a mission. Let’s go back to the bemfff...”

Root didn’t get to finish because Shaw’s mouth was on her mouth. Instead of pulling or pushing right away, she froze. She wanted and waited so long to kiss Shaw, and never would she have guessed these particular circumstances. Before Root could stop it because her mind kept telling her that she had to stop it, Shaw’s tongue was exploring her mouth, and her body was pressing into the shorter woman’s body like it was in her DNA programmed to always reciprocate to this woman. She was drowning, she was on sensory overload, despite the extreme physical state Shaw was going through she was still the sweetest thing Root have ever tasted. The only thing she wanted was to ravage Sameen right there on all these stalagmite formations. Root knew she had to stop this kiss, this smoldering kiss, this kiss like no one had ever kissed her before in her life. Then she reminded herself, this kiss that was brought on by a jellyfish. If Shaw remembered this kiss, she was going to kill her and not in a fun, sexy way. Then something even more wonderfully worse happened, Shaw started sucking on her tongue. Root’s body completely betrayed her brain signals by latching onto Sameen’s hips, pulling their bodies even harder together with one of them whimpering and one moaning, Root didn’t know which one she was. Root wondered if she could blackout from a kiss.

“Root! Are you in here?” shouted Reese from the opening of the cave.

Root pulled away from Shaw much to the shorter woman’s anger and in fact she grabbed onto Root’s shirt and yanked her back. Root’s shirt was completely soaked from Shaw’s sweat.

“Let’s go further up in the cave. I want to spelunk you,” Shaw said as she continued to wrangle Root’s shirt off.

Root grabbed her hands to stop, which gave Shaw an angle to latch her lips onto the taller woman’s neck. Root immediately felt her eyes roll in the back of her head as Shaw sucked on her neck, and her hands traveled down to grip and grope her ass firmly. She could hear John getting closer; she had to push Shaw back, she kept reminding herself this was the jellyfish brain talking; damn wicked jellyfish. Root was quite taken aback; she felt like this jellyfish brain Shaw was giving her delusions. Shaw continued to grope Root while the hacker tried to move away as John got closer. Root got Shaw’s shirt and tried to put it over her head before John was upon them.

Reese walked up and saw his female co-workers somewhat tangled up with each other. Root was unsuccessfully trying to pull Shaw’s shirt over her head, getting her own head caught in the loop as well since she couldn’t pry the shorter woman off her neck. Her favorite primary asset appeared to be going for some kind of a hickey record on the taller woman’s neck.

“Are you both okay? How is Shaw doing?” Reese asked the two women, who were both breathing heavily.

Root tried to pull her head out of the shirt while getting Shaw to stay in the shirt. Reese was very cautious as not to get to close to the two women, to give them space while Root got Shaw’s shirt on. He didn’t want to know why Shaw’s shirt was off.

Root looked over at Reese; she hoped she didn’t look as flummoxed and thoroughly aroused as she was. She hoped she was hiding it, but she was betting her dilated pupils were giving her away.

“Well, the doomed the stage has taken a back seat to the uh…other stage,” Root said as she tried to untangle herself from Shaw, and much to her disappointment, pull her neck away from the petite firecracker’s lips, which had gotten reattached after the shirt was on. Shaw did not like this at all and reached out to pull Root back to her.

Reese was surprised to see Shaw’s hands reaching out and grabbing onto Root roughly, like a child whose favorite toy was just taken away. “Have you checked her heart rate recently?”

“She’s a little hard to get to stay still,” said Root while gently swatting Shaw’s roaming hands, “And just so you know, nothing happened…well, almost nothing. Although I’m glad, you showed up when you did.”

Reese reached out and put his fingers on Shaw’s wrist, she then put her fingers to Root’s neck where she leaned in again about to start her imitation of a vacuum cleaner again.

“Let’s go make your heart rate skyrocket,” Shaw pulled Root closer to her while Reese was still trying to gauge her pulse, his eyebrows couldn’t go any higher.

“I told you, it’s getting weird,” said Root, “Maybe it’s not just directed at me,” the hacker did wonder.

Root took Shaw’s hand and put it on John’s neck. Shaw immediately withdrew her hand, reached out yanked Root close to her again, so their bodies were fully pressed up against each other, with John standing right there it was extremely awkward.

“We could go test that theory out on Fusco too?” Reese motioned to the opening of the cave. “Let’s get Shaw back to the resort.” He reached out to take Shaw’s arm, which she promptly kneed him hard in the groin area. Reese doubled over and fell down. “You might be on your own on this one.”

For a tough guy, this time, he did look in pain as he stumbled over in a fetal position on the cave floor.

“Sorry, John,” Root said as Shaw pulled her along to the opening of the cave.

“Let’s go back to your room. I need you,” Shaw said while interlacing her fingers with Root’s fingers as they headed back to the rowboat.

“You sound almost normal,” Root said while glancing down at their interlocked fingers and couldn’t help a smile spread across her face despite leaving one of her teammates behind writhing in pain.

“Of course, I sound normal. Root, I need your help, like any other mission. You gonna help me or not?” asked a determined Shaw as she stopped to plant a searing kiss on Root’s lips, which once again left the hacker too swooned to respond properly until she heard Fusco’s voice calling after them. Shaw heard it too and said, “We gotta find the hatch too before the smoke monster does.”

There was nothing like hearing the words’ smoke monster’ to kill one’s libido. Root opened her eyes and saw Shaw looking frantically around, and then she saw Fusco fast approaching them with a bewildered look on his face as he looked between the two of them and John on the floor in the distance.

The detective noticed, of course, the hickey that was already forming on Root’s neck, “Let me guess, you got bit by a spider too?” asked Fusco in a mock tone.

Fusco didn’t blame the tall, crazy brunette if she gave in a little to her crush because he was pretty sure that if the tables were turned, his fake wife might do the same. He was guessing spending every night so far in their room was more than just his snoring, although he had been told it was legendary. However, the grumpy little pill here wasn’t in her right mind, so hopefully, Cocoa Puffs wasn’t crossing too many boundaries.

Suddenly, Finch’s voice was coming over their communication links, “Ms. Groves, where are you? How is Ms. Shaw? I think uncovered what the beacon might be; it’s not good news. Are Mr. Reese and Mr. Fusco with you?”

“Sorry, Glasses. We’ll have to get back to you,” Fusco responded to Finch. “Thelma & Louise seem to have assaulted your dark knight,” Fusco walked past his two female co-workers to help his partner on the ground.

He noticed the taller one tried unsuccessfully to push away the shorter woman’s wandering hands. Just as he was almost past his shorter co-worker, she tripped him and then sucker-punched him. Fusco hunched over in pain while groaning; he looked very much like his other male co-worker; the petite hyped up firecracker could pack some power.

“Shaw!” Root looked shocked that her petite firecracker took out yet another teammate, “Fusco, are you okay?”

“Let me guess, she’s onto that other rare state now,” groaned out Fusco, “not surprised that Shaw’s rare. She’s getting away there Sexy Puffs,” the detective pointed to Shaw, sprinting away and headed for the beach.

Root did notice that the wandering, groping hands had stilled for a moment. “Help John. I’ll try and get Shaw back to the resort. Meet you there,” said the tall brunette as she begrudgingly started running after her jellyfish infected teammate, she felt like she had enough cardio for a very long time.

By the time Root almost caught up to Shaw, the shorter woman had boarded the rowboat again and rowed a bit out to sea. Root rolled her eyes, and she started swimming towards the rowboat, she was beginning to think she might need to drug her favorite primary asset again.

Once Root was fully in the boat and soaking wet, Shaw started rowing more strongly until they were about halfway between the tiny island and the mainland. Root looked up and saw they had stopped, “Shaw, are you okay?”

“I will be,” Shaw then lunged for Root.