Just a thought I've had for a while. I am going to finish up the rest of my stories before really starting this one. I liked the idea of this couple and a few of the other authors have teased with one-shots but nothing has been really written so here goes. Will be Mike and Maddie-centric. Maddie as in Brawler from Season 5! It takes off where Season 5 ended.
Once in A Lifetime Love
Chapter 1
Maddie Rawlings or Brawler, as she was better known climbed up on the Michener. Her huey was gone, and her gunner had died. She was feeling a little lost and had a feeling she wasn't the only one. The great Nathan James had sunk and her crew looked very forlorn. Maddie focused on Admiral Mike Slattery from across the deck. He was assessing injured crew members and shouting out orders for bandages, IVs, and fluids. Maddie had liked his take-charge attitude from the beginning. She was only a junior grade lieutenant and a newly minted pilot. She had liked the analog huey more then the more advanced digital features. It had put her on board of the Nathan James and then in the middle of the modern-day D-day.
Maddie had cuts and bruises all over, needed a hot shower and an ice-cold beer but knew, she would not even get a hot shower. She walked towards the injured crew, hoping to be of assistance. As she neared Admiral Slattery, she realized how woozy she felt and just as he turned to look at her, everything went black.
Mike caught Maddie before she hit the ground and gently lowered her to the ground, assessing her for injuries. He hollered for Kara, not feeling comfortable touching or cutting another woman's clothing away. Kara and a combat medic ran to him and began cutting the coveralls away.
"She just passed out." Mike said. Kara finally found a goose egg on the back of Maddie's head.
"We need to get her below decks. Lieutenant?" The medic said as he performed a sternum rub. Maddie quickly came to and started fighting them a little.
"Hey, hey, stop that, Brawler; you're safe." Mike said in a comforting voice as he and the combat medic lifted Maddie to her feet. Someone else called for the medic and Mike nodded at him. "I'll get her there." Mike said. Mike put an arm around Maddie and began walking her below decks to the medical bay.
"My head feels foggy." Maddy said. She was swaying on her feet and put an arm around Mike's waist, not even caring how it looked. He was an admiral and she was a lieutenant. It was not appropriate but Mike didn't seem to care.
"Concussion. I'll have the doc check you over." Mike said. They found the medical bay and Mike practically lifted her onto the exam table.
"She definitely has a concussion. Needs to be monitored overnight." The doc said just as Maddie threw up for the third time. Mike held the pan and rubbed Maddie's back reassuringly. Someone came to the door and spoke with Mike for a moment about his quarters. Maddie heard him ask where she would be and then express displeasure. She was going to be on a rack, third up. He finally walked back to the exam table and offered his arm.
"They have you assigned a rack but you can't sleep in it. You'd break your neck. You'll stay in my quarters." Mike told her firmly.
"But, sir…" Maddie started to argue.
"Nah. I have a couch and a bed in my quarters. You'll take the bed. No argument. We're all ahead for Mayport and will be there in a day or so." Mike told her firmly. Maddie nodded but knew by the time they got to Mayport; the scuttlebutt would spread throughout the ship. She was staying in an admiral's quarters. It was not appropriate, even if the admiral had piqued Maddie's interest. He had a wedding band on, a big no-no for Maddie. He was someone's husband.
Mike led her through the p-ways and finally found his quarters. It was way more luxurious then what Maddie was used to and was bigger than Mike's quarters on the James. There was a larger outer room, with an office area, couch and small dining table and chairs. In the inner room, there was a queen-sized bed, nightstand and armoire. Next to it was a bathroom with a private shower. That was enough to make Maddie happy.
"I'd kill for a hot shower." Maddie said.
"You're in luck and no blood shed. They left me some sweats and t-shirts. Will be big on you but you're welcome to them." Mike said as he handed her a pair of black sweats, a Michener crew t-shirt and a pair of wool socks. Maddie would have to find a clean pair of underwear and a bra somewhere but she wasn't about to ask an admiral who was being entirely too generous for those very personal items.
"Thanks." Maddie said. She went in and turned on the shower as hot as it would go, which on a ship; was lukewarm at best. It still felt good and she took advantage of the shampoo and body wash. She'd smell like a man but she didn't care.
When she wasn't deployed and not at work, she loved acting like a normal woman and had a large closet to prove it, not to mention make-up, purses and jewelry. It was an odd juxtaposition for her career but it made her feel good. Her parents had never approved of her career choice, first as a flight medic and then an air-evac pilot before the Red Flu. She loved every second of it and once her career in the Navy was over, she would return to be a flight medic. She finished showering, braided her wet hair, dressed and walked back into the main area, where Mike was talking to Admiral Chandler and Captain Green. If they were shocked to see her, they didn't show it.
"I can step out?" Maddie offered.
"Absolutely not. You eat and get some rest." Captain Green said as she pointed to the food on the table. Admiral Chandler nodded in agreement and left Mike and Maddie to their own devices. Maddie was shocked when Mike held a chair out for her and then scooted it in.
"Not exactly a five-star meal but it isn't terrible. Feel better?" Mike asked. He had taken his jacket off and Maddie couldn't help but to look. He was a lot more muscular then most admirals.
"Yes, much. Thank you." Maddie said. The soup and sandwiches were simple but sufficient and easy on Maddie's stomach.
"Good. Before you go to sleep, I do plan on taking advantage of that shower. Don't want to disturb you too much." Mike said.
"Oh, no problem. Sir…why are you doing all this? Its not…appropriate. I don't care about that but I cannot imagine that Mrs. Slattery would approve." Maddie said, pointing to Mike's wedding band.
"Oh, she wouldn't say much. She's been dead for almost five years now. Just never took the ring off. Besides, this is not that…now." Mike said. Maddie was intrigued by his use of words.
"Now?" Maddie asked. She didn't want to push too hard, party because he was an admiral and she was not and partly because she had the worst luck with men.
"What are your plans now?" Mike asked as he took a bit of his sandwich.
"I have no idea. My commission is up. And yours?" Maddie asked.
"I am tired of a constant fight. This has been my life for five years and I am ready for retirement. There's talk of rebuilding the Navy's fleet but I need to find a place to land." Mike remarked.
"Completely understandable. I am in the same mind-set but am too young to retire. I'll go back to work after I retire." Maddie said.
"Pilot?" Mike asked.
"I was a flight medic before the Red Flu, and then become a pilot for rescue flights. When the Red Flu hit and the Navy was needing pilots, I enlisted. The Navy was never in my plans but I love flying helos. I loved being a medic more though and kept all my certifications up. I'd go back to that. I also have a little house south of Tampa. It's my sanctuary." Maddie admitted.
"I've lived off destroyers, hotels and BOQ's for years. I miss having a place of my own. Haven't had a vacation either. I am tired." Mike said.
"Sounds like you need it." Maddie remarked. She still felt odd. She would be stupid to deny the attraction she felt to Mike and now that she knew he was widower, at least she wasn't pining over another woman's husband, albeit it was over a dead woman's husband, which might be worse.
"I do. Look, I am just going to be honest; and this is not appropriate. If you feel differently, tell me and we'll drop it. I feel…an attraction to you and that is not something I have felt in a long time. I thought I was moving on with…a friend and then she died too. I realize there are some logistical issues and I am in no way suggesting we do anything while we are on board the Michener but I would like for you to think about it. I am retiring, so rather you do or don't won't matter. There will be no ramifications for your career over this, regardless of how you feel." Mike promised. Maddie was stunned. She felt the same way but didn't figure he would be the one to vocalize it.
"I…feel the same way but was worried about…you're an admiral and I am a lieutenant and was also worried about your wife. Even if she has passed away, you obviously still care deeply for her, or you would have taken your ring off. I am fine with it, it's just…I don't know." Maddie said.
"Well, I will be a retired admiral soon and as far as Christine is concerned, I will always care for her. She and I were married for a lot of years and she was the mother of my kids but if she knew I had waited to be happy for so long, she'd kick my ass into next year. You remind me a lot of her, and that is not a bad thing. She was spunky. I don't want a carbon copy of her but maybe that is the attraction I feel for you. Admiral Chandler noticed it too. And Captain Green is aware of this. She is turning a blind eye to it. Regulations have been relaxed." Mike explained.
"Your kids?" Maddie asked.
"Gone too. From the Red Flu. It took me a few years to find out." Mike said. Maddie could see the visible sadness in the man's eyes. He obviously still grieved deeply for his wife and dead children. Maddie reached across the table and touched Mike's hand.
"I'm sorry." Maddie said simply.
"Me too." Mike said as he looked away for a moment, obviously trying to get his emotions in check.
"You can tell me about them when you're ready." Maddie said and then yawned, breaking the mood.
"Done eating? I'll take these back to the galley." Mike asked.
"Yeah. I'm done." Maddie said as they both stood up and Mike began gathering the dishes up. Maddie stopped him and pulled him into her arms. As she put her face into his neck, she was surprised of how good he smelled and the way his whiskers tickled her forehead. Or how his muscles rippled in his back or how strong his arms were. "The answer is yes. Whatever this entails, I'm in." Maddie said into his ear. She could feel him smile and laugh.
"Hold your horses, though. I am this close to retirement, I don't want to break regulations at this point, even though it would be worth it." Mike said as he pulled away.
"I'm patient." Maddie said.
"Good, cause I'm not." Mike said as he stacked up the dishes and walked out. All Maddie could do was smile. She had not been expecting any of what Mike said.
I know regulation-wise, this would never happen but it is a fanfic about a fictional show, so bare that in mind! It'll be a bit before I update, as I finish my other stories.