Invasion: Chapter 9: Tense Moments

Mika Kykalisko and the Army Rangers who had just saved him from the Soviet extremists hurried down the mountainside toward Nome. In the Finn's arms, Balto was barely hanging on after sustaining a gunshot wound to his right side in the battle. He was still breathing, but it was noticeably faint. The wound had already been bandaged in an attempt to stop the blood loss. Other dogs that had been wounded but were still alive were also being taken back to town. On the way, they passed Steele, who was still limping in after landing askew on his left rear leg. Seeing that another ally of his was in pain, Mika alerted one of the troops accompanying him to the injured husky, and without any further delay, he too was on his way to the town animal hospital.

Meanwhile, the residents of Nome had already come out of hiding. They had been out since Mika and David had drawn the invaders out of town. And they were quite relieved when the Army and National Guard showed up and quickly ended the battle. Word had also spread about Mika's return after being away for two months.

None of that mattered much now. The lives of a sizable chunk of the town's population - both human and animal - were now hanging in the balance. Several civilians had been injured early in the assault on Nome. Most of them suffered only minor injuries. The one who got the worst of it was David Stoner. He took a bayonet stab right to the chest and had lost a lot of blood. Mika had somehow emerged unscathed, and even he wasn't sure how. But that didn't concern him. Not one bit.

The remaining dogs who did not take part in the battle saw the emergency convoy enter town and had started to panic at the sight of their fellow canine residents of Nome injured and being carried back. Jenna in particular was in a state of disbelief at the sight of Balto being carried unconscious in Mika's arms.

Eventually, the battle casualties that were still alive made it to the hospital and the veterinarian hospital. After dropping Balto off, Mika immediately went over to the hospital to see how David was doing.

Aleu had lost half of her pack in the onslaught. But those that did survive were not seriously injured. Most of them weren't even hurt at all in one way or another.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Mika immediately asked about David's condition. He had been told that David was already in the emergency room being attended to. However, his condition was very grave. The bayonet had punctured a hole in the left ventricle of David's heart, and he was losing blood very rapidly. His wife, Jessica, and son, Michael, were waiting outside the room where David was being worked on. Also there was Mika's mother, Erja, and brother, Kaj. His father, Toni, had been injured when a wooden board fell on him and almost crushed his lower right leg.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" said Mika's mother as she hugged him.

"Yes, I'm okay," Mika replied. "Where's Dad?"

"He broke a bone in his lower right leg," said Kaj. "Our house was practically destroyed by those creeps."

"Not to mention half the town," added Mika. "Any of you know how David's doing?"

"Not to well," said Jessica, who overheard what their conversation.

'What happened to him?" asked Erja.

"You wouldn't believe it even if I told you," replied Mika.

"Well, you were there," said Jessica. "You know what happened."

Mika eventually revealed that he had followed the Soviets since they burned the town of Wales, where he had been hospitalized for two months. After catching up to them here at Nome, he eventually shot and killed two of the extremists, which started the battle. After which, he led them on a chase before ditching them to reload. Unbeknownst to him, he had stopped at David's house. When David and his family were attacked, he decided to join Mika and fight back. In doing so, they led the enemy outside of town into the nearby mountains. That was where most of the battle was fought. In the process, David got stabbed and Mika had almost been killed several times. But with help from some unlikely allies - not to mention the timely arrival of the Army and National Guard - the invaders were soundly defeated.

"You mean you were actually fighting those guys?" asked Kaj. "Dude, that's awesome!"

"No, it's not!" their mother protested. "What were you thinking?"

"Did you not here the part about Wales being totally destroyed by them?" Mika retorted back in a tone his mother didn't like. "I was the only one who survived the attack! I was the only one who could've stopped them! David came to my assistance out of his own free will! So don't any of you accuse me of intentionally starting a fight! Because I didn't start it! But I sure finished it."

"You tell them, bro!" exclaimed Kaj.

The two brothers exchanged a high-ten, went "Huh" and faked banging their heads together.

Meanwhile, at the vet, all the dogs who had sustained injuries were already being treated to. Most of them were minor. Steele had twisted his knee as a result of landing askew on it when he thrown off the back of one of the extremists. He was quickly bandaged up and advised to keep the weight off that knee. Balto wasn't the only dog who had sustained a gunshot wound, but most of those who did and survived the initial hit were treated and released, as the vast majority were hit in a non-vital area. Balto, however, got the worst of it, having been hit in the right side. Further diagnosis revealed that the bullet didn't touch any vital organs. Instead, it got trapped by two ribs and was wedged in between them, enough to leave small cracks in both bones. However, the tip of the bullet did puncture a blood vessel, and the possibility of losing some blood upon removing it meant it would have to be taken out very carefully.

Jenna was very distraught and insisted on being in the operating room with her mate. She was able to see him before the operation began. She had her paws up on the table and was in tears the whole time. Before being asked to leave the room, Jenna had something to say that she hoped who help Balto pull through.

"Hold on, my love," she said as she held his left front paw, her voice sounding very choked up. "I know you can make it. I've seen you emerge okay from other dire situations before. I know you can do it again. I can't be in here with you during the operation. But I'll be waiting for you right outside the door. Don't give up!"

By this point, Jenna was bawling her eyes out.

"Come on, girl," said Rosy's father, grabbing Jenna's bandana. "Let's let the doctors do their job."

Jenna took one look back at the operating table as she left the room.

Back at the human hospital, Toni Kykalisko emerged with a cast on his lower right leg. His family was relieved to see that he was okay.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Erja as they embraced.

"It's great to have you back, Dad," said Kaj as he and Mika joined in a group hug.

"Kaj," Mika said to his brother, "Don't you think were getting a little old for group hugs?"

"You two are never too old for a group hug," Toni responded. "How did you get back here, Mika?"

"I'd been trailing those Soviets ever since they burned Wales to the ground," Mika replied. "I was the only survivor of the attack. And therefore, the only one left who was able to find out what they were up to and stop them! And I did! How's David?"

"He's barely hanging on," said the doctor who came out with Toni. "He took the hit in a critical area, and right now his survival prospects are looking anywhere from very slim to none."

"I know that much," added Mika. "I saw it happen. But I was tied up with three of the invaders attacking me simultaneously, so I couldn't do much of anything to help him."

"And he and Dad are not the only casualties that we know in one way or another," put in Kaj. "Nick Jones, the guy we had lined up for lead singer in case you didn't return, was hit in the head by a airborne floorboard and was knocked unconscious. Now he's in a coma."

Mika slapped his forehead with his right hand and shook it in disgust.

Just then, Jessica and Michael came out of the operating room where David was, and she was teary-eyed beyond belief.

"What's wrong?" asked Erja.

"David died," said Jessica, sounding really choked up.

Toni and Kaj's mouths dropped open. Mika's arms hung limp at his side.

"Well," he said, "I think we all could have seen this coming from the minute he was brought here." He sighed, hung his head and shook it in disbelief.

Just then, John Robertson, the owner of Outdoor Outfitters, came out of the bathroom.

"What's going on?" he asked, not knowing what had just happened.

"David just died," replied Mika.

"Oh my god," said John, who was both shocked and saddened. He immediately offered his condolences and joined them in a group hug.

"Hi, Mika," John said eventually. "Great to see you back."

"Great to see you, too, John," Mika replied.

John didn't mind Mika or David calling him by his first name. Or anybody else for that matter.

"Uh, somebody's standing on my foot," said Toni.

"Oh," said Michael, who realized he was standing on Toni's right foot. "Sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it," said Toni. "It's not my foot that's broken, anyway."

Amidst all the talk, none of then even noticed Mika walk out. By the time they did, he was already long gone.

Mika couldn't stand being in there, so he went home. His place wasn't in great shape. Several windows were blown out. There was some damage to the support beam. And some items had been burnt. It was amazing that the whole house didn't burn down.

Mika then went into his liquor cabinet, grabbed the fifth of Drunken Czar he was keeping, and took several gulps from it. Distraught over his coworker's death, he then went on a drunken rampage. He smashed out the only two windows that remained and his bathroom mirror. Basically, he made an even bigger mess than the one that was already there. Once finished, he sat down on the toilet, with his pants still up, put his hands over his face, and wept quietly.

"Why?" he thought to himself. "Why the hell did this have to happen to me?"

Still clutching the bottle, he went back to the liquor cabinet, put the booze away, and walked outside. At which point, he caught a glimpse of the animal hospital and the huge crowd that was gathering in front of it.

"Boy," he said to himself. "You know somebody important is in there when the whole town comes to a stop to watch."

Jenna couldn't stand waiting in the animal hospital any longer waiting for Balto to come out. While no one was looking, she snuck out through a window to first use the lavatory, and then headed for the town church. There, she hoped for some alone time.  The door was open, so she walked inside. Not seeing anybody else, she found a seat, climbed up on it, sat, and prayed to herself. She was hoping that someone would hear her and help Balto make it through his operation.

As Jenna got up to leave, she noticed a familiar figure several rows in front of her. It was Mika. There was no mistakingly who that leather jacket and blonde mullet belonged to.

Mika had come straight here after his drunken rage. He, too, was hoping to find some relief following David's death and the ensuing rampage he just went on. The look on his face told Jenna that something was wrong. Wondering what it could be, she walked over to see him.

"Hi, Mika," said Jenna.

"Oh, hi, Jenna," said Mika. His voice was noticeably depressed from both the alcohol and his recent loss.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked.

"I've been better," replied Mika. His almost started crying.

"Mika, what's wrong?" asked Jenna, sounding very concerned.

Mika cleared his throat and wiped his eyes before answering. His voice sounded very choked up as he spoke. He finally said, "David died."

Jenna was speechless.

"What happened?" she eventually asked.

"He was stabbed in the chest by a bayonet," Mika replied, still choked up. "It punctured the left ventricle of his heart, and he lost a ton of blood." Mika then pointed to that part of his own heart to show Jenna exactly where David had been stabbed.

"My god!" said Jenna, who was in total shock over what she just heard. "How are his family holding up?"

"Oh, they're really hurting," Mika responded.

Jenna then smelled something odd. It was clearly coming from Mika's breath. The smell of booze was prevalent in the immediate area.

"Uh, Mika?" Jenna asked. "Are you drunk?"

"Just buzzed," Mika replied. "After David's death, I went home to inspect the place. I then had quite a few swigs of vodka and went crazy. I smashed out two windows and my bathroom mirror in a drunken rage."

Mika had never been drunk before, let alone buzzed. Nor had he ever gone crazy and destroyed anything because of it. But as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything.

"I'm so sorry for David, Mika," said Jenna comfortingly as she put her front paws around the Finn and hugged him.

"Me too, Jenna," Mika added as he hugged her back. "How's Balto doing?"

"I don't know," Jenna replied. "He hasn't come out of surgery yet."

"How are the kids holding up?" Mika asked.

"They're hanging in there," Jenna responded. "Well, the boys are, anyway. The girls are very upset."

"I don't blame them," added Mika. "How's Rosy handling this?"

"She's pretty upset, too," Jenna replied.

"What about the other dogs?" Mika asked. "Any of them faring any better?"

"Most of them have already been treated and released," Jenna responded. "Of course, most of them suffered only minor injuries."

This caught Mika by surprise. With all the bullets and shrapnel flying around, it was amazing to him that the number of those with serious injuries wasn't higher than what if actually was. Even Jenna noticed that Mika wasn't seriously injured.

"How come you weren't hurt in that battle?" Jenna asked puzzled.

"Actually, I did trip and bruise my left elbow," Mika responded. He then took off his jacket, rolled up the sleeve on his black shirt and showed the black and blue on his left elbow. "That happened while I was being hauled away to be executed by the extremists. One of them pushed me down with his rifle and I landed on that elbow. Actually, it hit a rock upon impact with the ground. I just haven't been able to get a doctor to take a look at it. It really hurts when I try to bend it." He grimaced in pain as he tried to demonstrate. "But right now, the hospital is overrun with patients, so I can't get in to get my elbow checked by a doctor.

It was a minor bruise, but the mark was clearly visible.

"At least one of you two survived the battle," said Jenna.

By "you two", she meant Mika and David.

"Yep," added Mika. "I'm not sure what would have happened if both of us had been killed."

Mika then looked down at his Tag Heuer watch on his left wrist. It was exactly 6:00 PM.

"Do you think Balto's operation is done by now?" Mika asked.

"I sure hope so," replied Jenna.

"Come on," said Mika as he got up. "Let's go see how he's doing."

With that, the Finn and the husky walked out of the church and back toward the vet. On the back, Mika was stopped by somebody he didn't recognize.

"Mika Kykalisko?" the stranger asked.

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" Mika asked.

"I just got the results back from your case related to the scuffle in the alley two months ago," replied the stranger. "With all the evidence gathered, it was deemed that you were indeed acting out of self-defense and out of defense for your brother. Congratulations, you've been cleared of all charges."

"Oh, thank God!" Mika said sounding very relieved. "You just made my day, sir."

"The names Thomas, Mika," said Thomas. "And you're welcome."

Mika took off toward the animal hospital, pumping his fists in delight.

Jenna went in through the front door of the animal hospital, somehow making it past the crowd that had assembled in front of it that was waiting for word on Balto's condition. Somehow, Mika also got in, even though the only ones technically allowed in there were the owners of the dogs that were in there. Once inside, Mika found a chair to sit in and crashed out. He was drop dead tired. And who could blame him. Jenna had resumed her position right outside the door to the operating room where Balto was being worked on. But she was quickly thumped out of the way by one of the doctors who had to make a pit stop. Eventually, she sat down with Rosy and her parents.

Meanwhile, in the operating room, the doctors found that the only way to remove the bullet was to chip away at the ribcage to work it free. It was in too deep to be just pulled out. Balto was under an anesthetic, so he didn't feel any pain. Besides, the bones would heel anyway.

Eventually, enough clearance had been made in order to safely remove the bullet from Balto's ribcage. The next step in the procedure was for the surgeon to take a pair of tweezers and carefully remove the bullet. This was done successfully. The problem was that the blood vessel that had been punctured had started to leak rapidly. A bandage was quickly put over the wound. However, something else was going wrong.

"Pulse is dropping!" said one of the doctors, noticing that Balto's pulse was on the plunge.

Immediately, the bandage was taking off to diagnose the problem. It was revealed that the punctured blood vessel was starting to clot on the inside. This could spell trouble. The tool of choice to remove it was an even smaller pair of tweezers that could slip into the tiny gap. Next, the clot had to be found. Which it was. Right on the inside wall of the vessel.

Outside the doorway, Jenna overheard the sudden turn for the worse and got very worried and upset.

"Come on, hang in there, Balto!" she thought to herself.

Her cries woke Mika up. He couldn't miss who was making them. And he couldn't help but get worried himself. Mika then went back to sleep, trying not to worry so much.

A fresh bandage was readied to prevent further blood loss upon removing the clot. But removing the clot itself came first. The surgeon who went in with the tweezers had trouble removing it because it had somehow managed to adhere itself to the wall of the vein rather strongly.

"Steady, steady," the head surgeon advised his assistant who was removing the clot. Or at least attempting to remove it.

"Got it!" exclaimed the assistant lightly as he pulled it out.

"Blood pressure stabilizing," said the lead doctor.

The bandage was quickly put in place and the bleeding slowed down. Balto was eventually taken out from under the anesthesia. His emergence, however, 

was slower than usual. This was also worry-some for the doctors. If Balto didn't wake up within a certain amount of time within being taken off the knockout stuff, he might never wake up at all.

When his blood pressure did stabilize, it had dropped to a dangerously low level. A minute passed and Balto showed no signs of waking up.

Jenna heard about this and really started to panic.

"Oh, no," she said to herself.

"What's wrong, Mom?" asked Dingo. "Is Dad okay?"

"He's not waking up," Jenna replied. She started crying again. And again, Mika was woken up by the noise. He knew that something was really wrong this time.

One of the doctors came out and asked Balto's former race musher if he knew of Balto having any allergies or some kind of condition that might be the cause as to why he was taking so long to wake up. He knew of nothing that might be the cause. None of the others present who knew him well enough knew what the reason behind his slow awakening might be.

Suddenly, the door to the operating room opened. A nose emerged from the crack between the door and the door frame. This caught Jenna's attention.

"Balto?" she asked herself.

The door opened further and Balto emerged from behind.

"BALTO!!" Jenna exclaimed with delight. She was also relieved that the whole wait was over. Her exclamation startled Mika awake.

While nobody waiting was looking, Balto's blood pressure returned to normal and he had started to wake up. One of the doctors who was still in the operating room came out to tell the good news. The apparent cause of his slow awakening was a form of hypertension.

Jenna bounded over to the doorway. Balto was still a little drowsy, so his reaction to Jenna's delight was slightly slower than usual. They nuzzled each other, happy tears streaking across their faces.

Mika slowly climbed out of the chair he was sleeping in and onto his feet to see what was going on. When he saw what all the excitement was about, his face brightened and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Everybody in the room starting petting Balto, unable to say enough of how happy they were that he was okay. Rosy and her parents made it through the crowd to see them and Rosy herself couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Attu, Dingo, Kiska, Kodi, and Saba came over to greet their father upon his exiting from the operating room. Eventually, Mika made his way through the crowd, albeit staggering slightly from the effects of the alcohol and the lack of sleep he had gotten over the past few days.

"Thank God you're okay!" Mika lightly exclaimed as he hugged Balto. "Oh, guess what! The murder charges against me stemming from the alleyway incident have been dropped. I'm a free Finn!"

"That's great to hear!" Balto replied.

"I know, it is," said Mika. "Uh-oh!" he added as he put his right hand over his stomach.

"What uh-oh?" Balto asked.

"Stomach bug is acting up!" exclaimed Mika in response.

"What stomach bug?" asked Balto.

"I think that bag of beef jerky I had with me on my return must have expired," added Mika. "And I think it's been made worse by my recent vodka binge."

"What vodka binge?" Balto asked again.

Jenna explained to Balto that David had died from his battle injuries and that Mika's brief excess boozing was because of that.

Just then, Mika started making a noise that sounded like he might start to puke at any second now.

"Hey!" exclaimed Balto. "Don't you dare throw up on me!"

"Oh, I don't know for sure if that's where it's gonna come out," Mika retorted.

Immediately, Balto herded Mika towards the bathroom, pushed him inside, and shut the door behind him.

"Come on, boy" said one of the doctors who worked on Balto to remove the bullet. "We just need to do a quick physical evaluation and then you can go."

Balto went back with the doctor for the evaluation and returned a few minutes later. He was grimacing in a little bit of pain from the cracks in his ribs left by the bullet wedging itself in between them.

Mika, meanwhile, was still puking his guts out in the bathroom.

"Is he really that ill?" asked Jenna.

"Apparently," replied Balto.

They nuzzled again. This time while in the sitting position.

"I'm so glad you're okay," said Jenna as she pulled her head back. Next, as if on impulse, she took him in her still tear-soaked paws and kissed him long on the lips. Balto was caught by surprise and almost didn't return it.

"Hey, guys," said Kiska as she walked past. "If you're gonna do that in public, be younger. And not my parents."

Balto and Jenna looked at each other in a very confused manner. It was as though they didn't understand a word their daughter was saying.

"Sure feels good to be out of there, Jenna," said Balto. "They had me so drugged up from that knockout stuff while in that operating room I didn't know whether I was coming or going."

"Oh, Balto, try not to worry about that," Jenna replied. "I'm just happy you're still alive."

"Me too," added Balto.

Impulsively, she embraced and kissed him again. He, too, was flooded with emotion: back from the dead, his beautiful mate filling his front paws, saving him from the jaws of the abyss at the last possible second. Overwhelmed, unable to even speak, he held her tightly, both of them blind to everything else that was going on around them. Or at least they were until they moved apart.

"Best kiss of my life," said Jenna, smiling.

"Best kiss of your life so far," Balto added. He, too, was smiling.

Just then, Mika came out of the bathroom not looking too pleased.

"Alright, who use up the toilet paper and didn't replace the roll?" he asked.

Before he could further inquire about the toilet paper, Mika couldn't help but notice what Balto and Jenna had been doing. There wasn't anything going on right then and there, but he could tell what had happened.

"Hey, you dogs are really good," Mika said while scratching his head in a state of disbelief. "How the hell do you do that?!"

"Same way you humans do it," Balto replied. He was already facing Mika, so he was able to say it right to his face.

"Okay, I'm gonna pretend I never saw that," Mika added as he walked towards the doorway, shielding his face from them. The crowd was still out there.

"Why is that crowd still out there?" he asked. Then he remembered his own prediction of what they were there for when he first saw them.

"Oh," he said to himself. He then opened the door and stuck his head through the doorway to give the crowd the answer to what they were waiting for.

"He's OK!" Mika exclaimed as he gave a thumbs up with his right hand.

Right then and there, the whole crowd started to clap. But the they didn't really get excited until Balto appeared in the open doorway. Jenna followed him out. Mika joined them. The crowd then broke out in a thunderous applause.

"Hey, look!" somebody in the crowd exclaimed. "It's the Soviet slayer!"

"You mean the same kid who shot my son in that alleyway skirmish!" yelled the mother of one the victims who survived.

"Who cares about that!" said another voice. "I hear he was acquitted."

"More importantly, he just whooped an entire band of extremists and saved us all!" added another voice.

Quite a few "Yeah!"s rang out.

"That formerly accused killer is a hero!" rang out the same voice who said "Who cares about that!"

At that point, both of Mika's fists shot upward in triumph. He even exclaimed "YES!", but it largely drowned out by the roar of the crowd. A huge grin emerged on his face. It was one that had not been there in a very long time.

Mika's parents, brother, boss, and even his band mates were among those who had congregated outside the animal hospital. He eventually went over to where they were standing. Along the way, he stopped to accept several congratulatory high-fives, handshakes, and the like.

"Way to go, man!" Colin exclaimed as he patted Mika on the back.

"Alright, Flying Finn!" yelled Ryan. "Or should I say 'The Wild Child of Vaasa province'!"

"Ryan, I don't give a rat's ass which name you refer to me by," Mika replied as Keith an Kaj grabbed his wrists and raised both arms in victory.

From the deck of the animal hospital, Balto and Jenna watched the whole scene unfold right in front of them.

"Well, how about that?!" said Balto. "I think Mika's finally got what he's been after all this time that he's lived here."

"What's that?" asked Jenna.

"Respect," replied Balto. "And not just by a select few."

Just then, Boris, Stella, Muk and Luk came bounding through the crowd, all the while, calling Balto's name. They had been waiting outside for word on how Balto was doing and were delighted to hear that he had survived.

"Way to hang in there, tough guy!" exclaimed Boris.

"We're so happy you're alright!" Muk added.

The foursome couldn't help but hug Balto. Luk's grip was the strongest. It was so strong, Balto started gasping for air.

"Let go, Luk, let go!" he said, albeit almost muted out. "It's bad enough I almost died once. I don't need for it to happen again."

Hearing those words, Luk relaxed his grip. Jenna managed to get in on the hugs. Meanwhile, Mika was still out in the crowd enjoying the moment. The last time he got this level of attention from an entire town was back in his glory days as a hockey player in Kokkola. He didn't expect to get this when he returned to Nome. But he didn't mind that at all.

Even though most of Nome of in ruins, nobody seemed to mind for the time being. But the long, hard road to recovery would have to begin soon.

Up on a mountain ridge on the outskirts of town, Aleu and what was left of her pack listened in on what was happening. She was relieved to hear that her father had survived his ordeal. She wanted to go into town and see him and her old family. But uncertainty over how the town's human residents would react got the better of her. All that remained for her now was to start rebuilding her pack, which as mentioned earlier, had been reduced to half of its size before the battle.

Will the town of Nome ever get back on its feet? And what other surprises lie in waiting? Find out in the tenth and final Invasion chapter: Picking Up The Pieces.