Quantum Leap: The Almost Paradox

Chapter Ten

"Crap!" Sam said.

Samuel looked up from poking Albert. "What? What's wrong?"

Sam felt Al's head. "He's getting really cold! I - I think he's got pneumonia or something!"

Samuel gasped. "That. Is. Not. Good."

Sam ran inside the hospital and nearly ran into a woman in a lab coat. "Are you a doctor?" He asked her.

Looking up from her clipboard, the woman said "I'm a doctor, yes, what's the matter?"

"My friend here," Sam said, pointing outside to Albert, "is passed out and we think he may have pneumonia!"

"Oh my word!" The Doc exclaimed. "I'd better have a look!" She quickly accompanied Sam out to the sled, and checked Albert over. "It is pneumonia! We have to get him on the helicopter right now!"

"Will he be ok, doc?" Samuel asked worriedly.

"Too early to tell." The Doc said. Then she noticed the splint around Samuel's leg, and frowned.

"Well, let's go!" Sam said impatiently.

"And you!" The doctor said to Samuel. "Is your leg broken?"

"Yes." Samuel stepped forward onto his splinted leg, and winced in pain.

"On the helicopter!" the doctor ordered. She turned apologetically to Sam. "But I'm afraid there's only room for two passengers."

Sam was concerned. What if something went wrong? He couldn't abandon them now! "But..."

Samuel didn't want to leave their new friend behind either. "But-" Sam interrupted his objection.

"No, you know what? It's fine. You go." Samuel still seemed upset. "I'm fine. You have a broken leg. I don't exactly call that fine."

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologised again to the group, "but there are also others that we have to take. That makes only enough room for the two of you. And Mr.-?" She looked Sam over, seeming surprised. "Are you Shandy Woodshed?"

"Yeah."

"Mr. Woodshed." She said in awe. "Are you ok? No injuries? And do you have camp set up somewhere?"

"Yes I'm fine, and yes I do have camp."

"Then the best idea is to head back there." She instructed him.

"Alright." Sam agreed.

The doctor signalled for a couple orderlies to bring gurneys to Samuel and Albert. After a hasty goodbye between Sam and Samuel, the two were loaded onto a chopper waiting over on the helipad. Sam stayed to watch the chopper take off, and then turned to start the long journey back to camp.

"I've got about 4-5 hours of walking ahead of me." He told himself. "Unless a nice polar bear comes along and gives me a-" His joke was interrupted by the dogs, still harnessed to the sled.

"Woof!"

"-lift." Sam finished. He smacked himself in the face. "Or I find the dog sled I left three metres to my right."

"Woof!"

Sam tousled the ears of one of the dogs before climbing on the sled. "Shyeesh. Tha's a pretty bad blizzard. Don't you think so Fido?"

"Mush!" Al yelled.

"Al!" Sam exclaimed happily. Then the dogs started running at top speed. "AAAAAAAH!" He managed to get the dogs calmed down and the sled eventually stopped. Al reappeared beside them.

"Yeah." He said. "When the helicopter took off the odds went up to 99.9%"

"99.9% what?" Sam asked, worried. "Life or death?"

"That I would live." Al said gently.

"Phew."

Al looked down at the handlink. "They are now 100%"

"Al!" Sam cried happily.

"Yeah?" Al looked up. Forgetting that Al was a hologram, Sam was now trying to give him a one-armed hug. When his hand went right through Al's head, Sam nearly toppled over.

"Don't fall off the sled Sam." Al smiled kindly. "And thanks. For everything."

"Al." Sam had tears in his eyes. "Al. You almost died. Twice."

"Yeah, well, YOU saved my life. Twice. And your own. So... thanks."

The pain of the distance between them, not only in miles but also in years, hit Sam hard. Would the two friends ever be reunited again? Would Sam ever return home? "Al I-I wish I could hug you right now. But-" He returned the smile. "You're welcome."

"Someday soon Sam." Al said sadly.

"Hopefully." Sam added.

Al grinned. "But now-" He waved. "Bye-bye, Sam."

"Bye." Sam said, emotion in his voice. Suddenly, Sam's entire body was filled with an intense blue light, and the Arctic scene vanished to his eyes. Al was returned to the – now blank – imaging chamber. Who knew when and where Sam would leap next? For now, all Al could do was return to the project, where Ziggy was already scanning to find Dr. Samuel Beckett's next location in time. Hopefully, Al thought, the next leap... would be the leap home.

THE END