TITLE: Dockside
AUTHOR: Simon
RATING: Gâa warm and fuzzy, and from me! This may be a one-on, kids, enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters; I make no money from them.
SUMMARY: Dr. Hornblower surprises his son with a visit
ARCHIVE: surely, if you'd like
FEEDBACK: Of course, that's half the funâ!
Dockside
The older man approached the work party on the dock. They were loading some heavy barrels of salted beef onto a harbor barge, bound for one of the Naval ships out at anchor.
They ignored him as he stood there watching them, apparently looking for something or, more likely, someone. Family and friends waiting on the docks were a common enough sight in Spithead.
After watching for a while he finally spoke up and asked, "Excuse me, gentlemen, but would you happen to know if any of those ships is the Indefatigable?"
A large, burly sailor answered, "Yes, sir, that one out there is the Indy. The one flying the large Ensign off the stern."
The older man's eyes turned to her as he continued, "Is there any way to get a message to one of the men aboard her?"
Another sailor, this one somewhat older than the first, with graying hair answered, "Yes, sir, this lot" he indicated the barrels, "is headed out there now, they can take a message for you if you'd like."
"Ah, good. Would any of you know Lieutenant Hornblower? And do you happen to know if he's onboard the ship at this moment?"
"Aye, sir, we know 'im, 'e's there alright."
"Could you be so good as to tell him that his father is on the dock and would like to see him if that's at all possible."
The sailors looked at him with sharp interest that wasn't there before. What on earth was that about, he wondered.
"Right you are, sir, I'll tell 'im for ye." A young man knuckled his forehead to him as he hopped down to the barge.
"Thank you, that's most kind of you."
The burly man looked him over, "So you're Mr. Ornblower's da, are you, sir?" He spoke perfectly politely and with a good deal of respect.
"Yes, that's right. Do you work with him on the ship?" The sailor laughed at that.
"E's our officer, sir, we're 'is division, y'see." The shore man looked blank at this bit of information.
"Each of the officers and the Midshipmen 'as men under their direct command, y'see. We're Mr. Ornblower's. E'd be out here with us, but e's looking over the loading onboard."
"So he'll be busy for a while then, I take it? Perhaps it would be better if I came back later."
"Nah, this is the last lot, 'e's done when this bit gets stowed." The older man suppressed a small smile.
"They seem to keep him busy, then, if he's supposed to be watching you men, but he has to be on board at the same time. I fear he would have benefited by being born twins, it would seem."
"Nah, there's no one like 'im, sir, if you don't mind my sayin so. E's a corker, 'e is."
"That's the God's 'onest truth. The other lads are right jealous that they aren't one of the Lieutenant's lads, sir."
The work done, the other men were moving closer, now that they all had heard who was standing in front of them. Adding in their own comments.
"E's quiet like, y'know, sir? But 'e gets it all done. Not like some o the others, always yellin at ya, 'e just asks nice and polite like. But at the same time, you know that 'e expects you to do wot 'e says."
"Aye, there's none like 'im when we're in a tight spot, that's for certain. Ah, but you know that, sir, seein as how you're 'is da and all."
"Aye, sir, if you don't mind me askin, what was 'e like when 'e was a lad?"
"Aye, sir, did he ever like climbin trees?" There was a small round of laughter, joined in by the visitor.
"No" with a slight smile, answering their questions seemed harmless enough. "He's always hated heights, ever since he fell from a rope swing onto a rock and broke his arm when he was about four." The father smiled, thinking back to when his son was still small. "He never cried, though when that happened, even when I had to pull the bone back into place when I set it, not a sound."
"You set it, sir?"
His face hardened a bit, "Yes, I'm a Doctor, you see. At one time I had hoped that he would follow me and study medicine himself, but he was always one to go his own way."
"Aye, 'e is that, sir, that's for certain. Goin back to a damn prison when 'e didn't 'ave to, that's one for the books, if ever I 'eard one."
The young blonde man spoke up, "Aye, that it was, that and some of 'is ideas like fightin that duel-"the burly man smacked him across the shoulder before he got any further.
"My son fought a duel, sir?"
"Well, sir, it wasn't a real duel, like, not really."
"Like 'ell it warn't, it sure was, if the Cap'n hadn't shot –"
"Well, the Cap'n knew that Simpson, that's who Mr. Ornblower was fightin with, y'see, 'e realized that Simpson was a rotten egg as ever there was one. So when Simpson fired early and Mr. 'Ornblower was shot, well, the Cap'n finished him off right smart."
"Excuse me, did you say that he was shot?" The look on the Doctor's face was like that of any father who has just heard that his child was hurt. Fear and panic were there, along with anger that he hadn't been informed.
"Oh, now, don't you be worryin, now, sir. 'E's just fine. It was just in the shoulder and it healed up with no problem at all. It was a couple of years ago now, anyway. When he was still a Mid."
"That's right, sir, 'e most likely just didn't want ye concerned'."
The Doctor nodded at this. That would be like Horatio.
"Excuse me, did you say that he voluntarily went back to that Spanish prison?"
"Well, ya see, sir, 'e gave 'is word that 'E'd go back. The Don's let us all out again in about a fortnight, though, and they were right decent to us when we got back in the cells. They let us out in the courtyard all the time and the food got lots better, too. That warn't too bad."
"Why were you with him if he gave his word to go back? I don't understand."
"Oh, when 'e said 'e'd go back, we agreed to go with him, that's all, sir."
"Indeed?"
"My favorite was when 'e steered that fire ship away from the fleet. That was somethin', eh, lads?"
Amid the laughter touched with awe, the Doctor made out, "Seein 'im standin' on that deck, all lit up like bleedin' daytime, Lord, that was something!"
"Horatio did that?"
"That's wot got him his Leftenant's coat, y'see. After doin that, well, they couldn't very well break 'im back down with the Mid's again, now could they?"
"Forgive me, but why would they break him back to Midshipman?"
"Oh, he was failin his exam, but he saved the fleet, so they had to give it to 'im, y'see."
"Horatio never failed an examination in his life. How on earth would he be failing something like that?"
"Oh that was because Cap'n Foster took a dislike to 'im when we was on that plague ship and Mr. Ornblower didn't want 'im to take the sides of beef, seein as 'ow we was mabbe carrin plague."
"Horatio was on a ship carrying Bubonic plague? Did I hear that right?"
"Oh, it warn't nothing. No one got sick, we was all just fine."
The Doctor seemed to be going into a slight state of shock.
The large sailor spoke up again. "So, wot was 'e like when 'e was a lad. Sir? Pretty much like e is now, right?"
Dr. Hornblower looked at him for a moment and then ventured, "He seems to have changed a bit since he was younger, it would seem. He was quiet and loved books and study, kept mostly to himself and usually went his own way about most things."
"'E's like that now, sir. 'E's hardly changed a bit from the sound of it."
"Cap'n sure thinks that the suns rises on his head, no doubt about that."
There was general agreement all around.
"You mean Captain Pellew is satisfied with his efforts?"
"Satisfied with 'is efforts? "E'd be 'appy to 'ave Mr. 'Ornblower as 'is own son, if you don't mind me sayin so, sir. Treats 'im as 'is own, 'e does."
"But Mr. "Ornblower probably writes you about all of this sort of thing, I'd reckon. 'E's good at all that sort of thing, writin and numbers and all that book learning. You've most likely 'eard all of this lot already. "
"Right, it all must be old news to you, sir."
"Horatio has always been a faithful correspondent, that's true. Perhaps not always as forthcoming in his information as I would like."
"Cor, it's easy to see that you and 'e are related. "E talks just like that all the time."
"Oh, 'Ere 'e comes now, sir. That's the jolly boat with 'im in it. Cap'n must have let 'im 'ave the afternoon off or something."
"Ow long has it been since you two 'ave seen each other, sir, if you don't mind my askin'?"
"It's been almost two years. I'm afraid that every time that the Indefatigable was in port, I've been unable to make it all the way down here and I gather that my son had other interests than just visiting a small backwater village. That's pretty boring for him at this point, I fear."
"Why was it that 'e didn't become a doctor like you, sir. 'E'd 'ave made a good one, I'd bet."
The Doctor looked thoughtful for a few moments, perhaps framing his thoughts then quietly answered, "He wanted to make his own way, away from me and whatever reminded him of where he had come from. I think that, perhaps, I was not a very good father to my son. I would like to try to make that up to him, if that's possible. I hope that it is, but I don't know."
The jolly boat was closer and it was now easy to make out the faces in her. It would be docking in a very few minutes.
The older sailor watched the boat approaching and said, "It's not too late until you're dead, sir, not if you both want the same thing."
Dr. Hornblower smiled and in that second looked exactly like his son. They really were very much alike. "Yes, I hope that you may be right." The boat was pulling up to the quay and the Lieutenant was stepping ashore.
Walking the few steps between them, he quietly said, "It's so very good to see you, Father", and embraced him.
6/2/02
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