25
The newly-painted boat rocked gently at its moorings in the morning light. Just another fishing boat to most; few knew it as originally being a military craft.
The MK23 pulled into the marina parking lot, and stopped at the end of the pier where the boat was docked. The driver and one passenger got out of the cab, and eight more men hopped out of the back. The driver was the only one without a duffle; two had two a piece.
"Where did Shipwreck get a harbor patrol boat?" John 'Topside' Blanchet demanded, his voice tinged with a slight note of envy.
"Lady Hawk took him to a surplus sale for his birthday, and let him pick it out," General Clayton 'Hawk' Abernathy, the truck's driver, replied. "It needed a lot of work, and I thought they were both crazy. But Spanner gave them a hand, and you see the result."
" 'The Kathryn'," Conrad 'Duke' Hauser read the name on the bow. "No surprise there, but does anyone actually ever call Lady Hawk 'Kathryn'?"
"Only my aunt, and only when she's not going super dramatic and calling her Kathryn Therese," Hawk admitted wryly. "She's always been KT to family, friends…teachers. Half the time, I call her KT; the other half of the time, she's Lady Hawk. I've heard Shipwreck call her 'Kath', but I do not suggest anyone else try it."
"Shipwreck!" Dashiell 'Flint' Fairborn called out loudly as they approached the Kathryn.
Polly erupted from the cabin in a flurry of green wings and cries of 'Yo Joe!' Hector 'Shipwreck' Delgado followed, a large mug of coffee in one hand and a scowl on his face.
"You said 'early'. Been waiting on you lot for two hours," the sailor groused.
"We had a glitch at the motor pool," Flint shrugged. He didn't mention the fact the 'glitch' was Hawk being late, and finally arriving in Spanner's company.
"Yeah, well, let's get moving," Shipwreck motioned for them to board.
"He's cheerful this morning, ain't he?" Morris 'Heavy Duty' Lamont commented lowly to Ronald 'Dusty' Tadur.
"Yeah," Dusty snorted. "I was hoping for a cup of coffee, but I think I'll pass. He probably left the grounds in it this morning!"
"What's his problem?" Duke looked at Hawk.
"You're asking the wrong guy," Hawk shrugged. "Keep in mind, you are going to look, only. You find something, report it and get the hell out of there. The Flagg will rendezvous with you if need be."
"Yeah, we got it," Duke nodded.
One Month Later:
"What is with you lately, KT?" Duff demanded, watching her friend and team leader pace like a caged lioness. Jo had called Duff the day before, begging her to visit KT and find out what had the usually rational Lady Hawk acting like a drama queen.
"That's just it; I don't know!" KT declared in frustration. "I've been… hormonal for the past few weeks, to the point no-one wants to be around me, including Hector…"
"Did you two have a fight?"
"Did we ever, and it was all my fault," KT sighed. "He ended up grabbing his gear and leaving, and I cried myself sick. I tried calling him, but he won't answer or return my calls. I even went down to the boat; no luck. And I missed him at his aunt and uncle's…"
"Some people would say you're being pathetic," Duff said carefully. "That you should just let him go, and move on."
"Been listening to my mother recently?" KT demanded snidely.
"Hell no!" Duff shook her head, not taking offence at KT's tone. "She doesn't talk to your friends, or your father's side of the family, unless she has no choice."
"I started the stupid fight," KT sighed wearily. "And I don't even know why I did. I've been starting fights at the drop of a hat lately, with everyone except Hector's aunt. When she told me I'd missed him by about twenty minutes, I crumbled up and cried like a little kid."
"He did promise you the Kathryn's maiden voyage…" Duff began, but KT was already shaking her head.
"That was the reason I used to start the fight, but I knew he didn't have a choice there," the redhead said. "Shipwreck, invite Deep Six to go marlin fishing? It was a Joe assignment, probably to check out all those disappearances down on the Crimson Archipelago. I knew he couldn't talk to me about it! I should have wished him luck with the fishing, sent him off with a kiss, and waited for him to come home. No, I went into screaming banshee mode, and he packed up and moved out. I've tried calling and leaving voice messages, I've tried texting him…"
"KT, is there any chance… that you're pregnant?"
KT went very still, a look of disbelief and wonderment creeping over her face.
"It's possible," she admitted. "I didn't even think of that, to be honest. I've been dealing with mood swings and a short fuse. Mother always complains how physically sick she was, when she was carrying me. The only time I throw up is when I've been bawling my eyes out, like the night Hector left."
"How many times do how many people have to point out to you that you aren't anything like your mother?" Duff rolled her eyes. "Get a home test, and make an appointment with an OB/Gyn."
"I think I'll ask Aunt Elizabeth and Mrs. Delgado to go with me, too."
She tried one more time to reach Shipwreck when she got the test results back.
'I'm sorry I started that stupid fight. Hope you're having a good fishing trip. Come home safe, and soon. I love you and we need you.'
"You look like you've just had your legs knocked out from under you," Heavy Duty commented, seeing Shipwreck staring at his phone.
"I feel like it," Shipwreck showed him the text. "Does she mean what I think she means?"
"If you're thinking you're about to have to start answering to 'Daddy', I'd agree!" Heavy Duty grinned. "Call her and confirm it, man!"
"No, I'll wait until I can see her," Shipwreck shook his head. "I could be wrong. Don't mention it to anyone, will ya?"
"Your call, Shipwreck," Heavy Duty promised. "I still think you should call the woman."
One Month Later:
"Two months, and nothing," Shipwreck grumbled. "When do we call off this circus?"
"If Deep Six and Topside haven't come up with anything this time, we're packing it in," Duke stated. "Before we all die of food poisoning."
"Ha. Ha." Shipwreck made a face at him. "There's only so long the story of a fishing trip is gonna work…"
Two heads popped up from the water. Topside was dragging Deep Six. Heavy Duty leaned to grabbed the injured diver.
"We stirred something up this time!" Topside gasped, reaching for the helping hands Duke and Flint held out to him. "Get us out of here, Shipwreck!"
"What the devil is that?" Duke demanded, as a huge form broke the surface of the water behind Topside. The displacement sent the Kathryn rocking.
"Hold fast!" Shipwreck ordered. "We're under attack! Falcon! Get the Flagg on the horn!"
The massive jaws of the beast opened, and it headed for the much smaller Kathryn at ramming speed, churning up the sea. Duke was knocked over-board, hitting his head as he went.
"Duke!" Gung Ho tried to grab for him, but was sent sliding backwards as the Kathryn tilted. Polly grabbed a life ring, and headed after the stunned Duke.
The steel jaws snapped shut, trapping the Kathryn in its massive maw, and the hulking presence sank back below the water, leaving Duke clinging to the buoy, and Polly circling above him.
"Admiral Colby! The tracking unit and the radar fix on the Kathryn just vanished, sir!" the voice was controlled, but confused. Admiral Everett 'Keel Haul' Colby looked up at the display sharply.
"What do you mean, 'vanished'?" he demanded.
"Just that, sir," the younger man sounded totally baffled. "They were both there, strong, one moment, and then they were both just…gone."
"Helm! Get us to the Kathryn's last known position ASAP!"
When they got there, all they could really do was haul Duke out of the water, while Polly practically fell onto the deck, exhausted.
"Duke, where is the Kathryn?" Keel Haul asked as Duke was lifted onto a gurney. "Where's the rest of your team?"
"Leviathan…" Duke said hoarsely, just before he passed out.
"Get him to sick bay. Somebody get General Hawk on the horn! I want radar scans of this entire area!"
"Where the hell are we?" Snow Job demanded, looking around.
"The belly of the beast," Shipwreck spat blood out of his mouth. He could hope the Flagg would find Duke and Polly. The rest of them were on their own.
"In this case, a man-made beast," Flint pointed to a rivet line in the dull metal not far from them. "A sub of some kind?"
"It has its own attending frogmen, too," Topside sat, shaking and pale. "They got Deep Six. Cut his air hose, then ripped his suit…and his skin… with a harpoon. We came up too fast…"
"Dusty, there's an O2 tank behind you," Shipwreck pointed. "Get it on Topside now. I'll take care of Deep Six. We need to keep them in their suits!"
"What's that smell?" Gung Ho asked. A fine cloud was spreading out through the massive cavern.
When they were next aware of their surroundings, the metal leviathan and the Kathryn were gone. The men were on a beach, in the dark, with no radio equipment or weapons, or even their cell phones.
Day Three:
"General Abernathy, the people you sent for are here, sir," a female voice announced over the intercom. Hawk was still always a bit surprised whenever he heard a voice other than Hammet's on that intercom. But Hammet had been transferred during Hawk's absence. "They are in conference room three, sir."
"Thank you," Hawk acknowledged. He couldn't recall the woman's name or rank. There'd been several since his return. The first had been biding time until her retirement. One had been hopelessly inept. A third had never shut up, and yet another had been more interested in her boss than her job. "I'll be with them shortly."
"Very good, sir."
Hawk took a deep breath. He wasn't looking forward to the next few days, starting with this meeting. He'd been dreading it all since he'd heard from Keel Haul the first time. It was going to be a busy, depressing week. He could only hope dealing with his own people first would be easier than the home visits he needed to start making that afternoon. The Chaplain's Office had offered to help with those, or handle them completely, but Hawk had declined the offer. The missing men were his; He felt he owed it to them and their families to be the one who brought the news. His team, his rules, his choices, to borrow KT's favorite line. His duty, too. He'd take Doc and Spirit with him. The native tracker had a way with helping people deal.
The conference room was cool and impersonal. Usually, Hawk preferred to conduct business in his own office, but his office wasn't large enough for nine people.
Four women and five men got to their feet as he entered. Hawk motioned them back to their seats.
"You look like Spanner just dumped you, or something," Slaughter commented.
"Or something," Hawk nodded, no trace of humor in his face or tone. "It's about the fishing trip aboard the Kathryn…"
"Which was not for marlin," Lady Jaye injected. Hawk glared. "No, Flint didn't tell me."
"None of them had to, with Deep Six out on Shipwreck's boat," KT stated flatly, one hand resting on a belly just starting to bulge a little. Not enough to be noticeable, and she hadn't told anyone beyond her aunt, Shipwreck's aunt and uncle, and Duff.
"Cobra is gone! We eradicated it!" Scarlett protested.
"Cobra is gone," Hawk nodded. "Apparently, someone else was waiting in the wings. We got intel about missing boats, and someone using an old Dreadknot base, possibly having added an underwater section. So, Shipwreck's boat was the perfect cover: just another group of old friends on a fishing trip…"
"With Shipwreck and Deep Six on the same boat?" Cutter snorted. "And lasting two months?"
"Whatever you are trying to tell us, Hawk, just say it," KT's face was already pale. Hawk realized she really wasn't looking well… and she had an idea of what he was about to say.
"The Kathryn has vanished," he couldn't soften the blow, and he knew it. All four of the women sitting at the table had men they especially cared about on that boat. All the men on the boat were teammates and friends of everyone in the room.
"Vanished?" Slaughter seemed to be the only one with a working voice. KT had gone completely white, and closed her eyes. "Whaddya mean, 'vanished'? A thirty-three foot long boat does not just 'vanish'! And what about the ten men on board her?"
"Nine of them are MIA. Duke is being air lifted to Travis, in pretty rough shape," Hawk stated. Ziff got to her feet.
"I'll have you there by dark, Scarlett. We'll pick up Duke's parents on the way," the helicopter pilot promised.
"In your Huey, you're gonna get her there by dark?" Cutter looked at her.
"Yeah, in Baby. By dark. Suck a lemon, Cutter." Which told the others just how worried she was about Heavy Duty in that instant. Ziff didn't usually sass higher ranks, within her branch or not.
"I'm not finished, Blackbird," Hawk sighed.
"The Kathryn is missing, there are nine MIAs, including my man, Duke is in bad shape," Ziff stated. "I'm betting the Flagg is already on-site, which means Freestyle or Wild Bill is already running aerials while the other one is bringing Duke in. Until they need another pilot and bird, I'd most likely just get in the way out there. I can't sit and do nothing, but I can get Scarlett and the Falcones to Duke. Did I miss anything Scarlett or I urgently need to know, sir?"
"No, Blackbird. You got it all."
"Then, with your permission, General?" Ziff was already at the door, and Scarlett was on her feet.
"Go," he waved them towards the door. The two women hurried out. "Is there any discipline in your unit, Lady Hawk?"
KT didn't answer. Her head was down, her eyes still closed, and both arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.
"Lady Hawk," Spirit touched her shoulder.
"They are not dead!" she said fiercely, raising a tear-stained face. "They are not!"
"Does Shipwreck know?" Spirit asked quietly, going down on one knee by her side.
"I don't know," she shrugged helplessly. "He might, if he read the last text message I sent…"
"Does Shipwreck know what?" Hawk demanded.
"That Lady Hawk is carrying his children," Spirit said calmly.
"Excuse me?"
"Twins?" KT looked at Spirit, hope and grief warring in her eyes.
"Are they ever going to be spoiled!" Lady Jaye, despite her fears for Flint, and the others, managed to grin. Right now, KT needed the support.
"We will find them, Lady Hawk," Cutter promised. "If I gotta tear apart every atoll, island, sandbar and cubic inch of ocean on my own!"
4 yrs, 4 mos, 12 days
"Admiral Colby, there's smoke on that island, 20 degrees starboard, sir," a young seaman pointed. "Our charts indicate no habitation there. The island is roughly two square miles in size."
"See how close we can get," Keel Haul instructed. "It's worth a look." It was always 'worth a look' to Keel Haul, and Cutter. Whenever they'd been able to manage it, they'd scoured every island, atoll, and out-cropping, looking for their missing Joes. Finding the mechanical 'leviathan' Duke had told them about hadn't helped as much as they'd hoped it would. The warped genius who had built the thing saw himself as some sort of modern day Captain Nemo, striving to protect the oceans of the world. Captured craft were scrapped and used to repair or expand the Leviathan. Crews were drugged, and dropped off on uninhabited shores in the dark. No records were kept to say what crew was ditched where.
"Flint, either I am finally starting to crack, or I'm really hearing an engine…" Dusty had the guard. They hadn't been attacked by humans in the four plus years they'd been stranded on what they'd been calling Snow Six Island. There weren't any large mammals to worry about, either: mostly birds, snakes, rabbits, lizards, and insects. But Flint, backed by Falcon, had insisted right from the start that they set watches, and keep routines. Flint knew that without the discipline and routine, they'd all lose hope. If that happened, they might as well all be dead. It had been hard enough losing Deep Six to his wounds within the first week of their exile, and Snow Job to a tropical fever of some type within the first year.
"I hear it, too," Flint told Dusty now. "Of course, that might not be a good thing." He whistled sharply, drawing attention of the others in the camp. At this time of day, when the sun's heat was at its strongest, they all stayed close. Hunting and fishing was done early morning and late evening, when it was cooler, and they weren't likely to burn to a crisp.
Someone had been stranded here at some point well before them. They'd found the stone hut their first day, near a spring of fresh water. They had buried the time-bleached bones of the former castaways; cleaned, repaired and enlarged the hut; and settled in to wait for rescue. They'd all been nervous when Snow Job had gotten sick, but none of the others ever got the fever, and Gung Ho was of the opinion Snow Job had gotten bit by an infected insect. Shipwreck had been ill much more recently, and was actually just recovering now. He'd been spear fishing in the cove with Heavy Duty when he'd stepped, barefooted, on a sea urchin buried in the sand. Falcon and Gung Ho had lanced the wound and cleaned it out every time it festered, but he still couldn't put any weight on it. Flint was afraid there was still at least part of a thorn stuck in there someplace they couldn't get to.
"What's up, Flint?" Falcon came out of the cool house, the small building they'd erected around the spring.
"Listen," Flint ordered.
"A boat!" Heavy Duty grinned.
"Could be pirates," Gung Ho warned. "But we won't know 'til we look."
"Topside, you're with me," Flint said. "The rest of you, stay here and stay alert!"
"It doesn't look like much, does it, sir?" The same seaman who'd spotted the thin curl of smoke had accompanied Keel Haul ashore. Keel Haul had been mentally calling the kid 'Hawkeye' all day. "But there is fresh water, birds, fish, and small mammals."
"It might just have been enough," Keel Haul nodded.
"Look sir!" Hawkeye pointed further up the beach, where two ragged figures were just emerging from the underbrush.
There wasn't much left of their uniforms. Both men were barefoot and bare-chested, and deeply tanned. Flint's trade-mark beret still perched on his dark hair.
"Flint?" Keel Haul started forward to meet them. "Topside?"
"Keel Haul," Flint grinned slightly. "As good as it is to see you, please do not get all soppy on us. Either one of us could probably gag a horse by smell alone."
"I have no intentions of hugging either one of you," Keel Haul's gruff tone gave lie to his words, though. "But it's been over four years, man! A lot of people have been missing the lot of you, praying and worried. Cutter and I have torn apart atolls smaller than this, trying to find you!"
"At least we weren't just written off," Topside scratched at his beard.
"Never that, Topside," Keel Haul shook his head. "You are all here?"
"The two of us, Shipwreck, Heavy Duty, Dusty, Falcon and Gung Ho," Flint listed. "We lost Deep Six and Snow Job within the first year. I have no idea what happened to Duke…"
"Eight months in a coma, and a few extra months in the hospital; that's what happened to Duke," Keel Haul said. "He married Scarlett on the second Christmas Eve you were missing."
"Good," Flint swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. They'd missed a lot. He wondered if Lady Jaye was still waiting for him.
"How about a ride home?" Keel Haul offered. Time later, aboard the Flagg, to catch them up on all the changes. After a medical exam, bath, change of clothes and a decent meal. Neither Flint nor Topside looked starving, but they had both lost weight. Keel Haul figured they probably all had.
"Shipwreck needs a doctor," Flint stated.
"I got two, ol' buddy! Let's go get the rest of your team."
The shouts from Falcon, Dusty, Heavy Duty and Gung Ho brought Shipwreck hobbling slowly out of the hut, leaning heavily on a wooden crutch.
"Keel Haul!" His face lit up, but only for a moment. "Admiral Colby, sir." He saluted a bit awkwardly.
"Ready to go home, Shipwreck?" Keel Haul asked. "Your nephew will live off your story for a year at Annapolis."
"Jesse… at Annapolis?" Shipwreck blinked.
"One year down," Keel Haul nodded. "When he said he wanted to go, Hawk, me, and a certain stubborn Sergeant First Class moved mountains to make sure he got there."
"Good for him. You tell him I'm proud of him."
"You can tell him yourself."
"Naw," Shipwreck pulled back, almost shrinking before Keel Haul's eyes. "This place ain't so bad. I'll stay…"
"The hell you will!" Keel Haul snapped. Flint was looking at Shipwreck with pity and anger mixed in his eyes. "You need medical attention for that foot, ASAP. And I am not going back to face Lady Hawk without you! She'd have my guts for guitar strings."
"Kath…" Shipwreck groaned a little, closing his eyes.
"She has never stopped believing we'd find you, and you'd be coming home," Keel Haul told him. "She even loans me or Cutter Blackbird on occasion, to help with the search."
"Blackbird?" Heavy Duty's face lit up. "She still as pretty as ever?"
"Still as crazy, too. For one thing, she's still waiting on you," Keel Haul teased. Then he moved forward, and put a hand on Shipwreck's arm. "It's time to go home, sailor. Your aunt and uncle, your nephew, your woman and your children are waiting. Oh, and the bird."
"Children?" Shipwreck's eyes snapped open.
"Congratulations, Shipwreck! You've got a set of twins," Keel Haul grinned. "How they aren't a pair of spoiled brats, with all the honorary aunts and uncles they've got making a fuss over them…"
"Twins?" Shipwreck started to collapse. Keel Haul's grip tightened, until Heavy Duty literally scooped his friend up and carried him to a stool by the cook fire. "And Polly?"
"Sounds like Lady Hawk has her hands full," Flacon grinned.
"Told you you shoulda called," Heavy Duty teased.
"She's got her hands full. She doesn't need a cripple on top of that…"
"You better let Lady Hawk decide what she wants and needs, and what she doesn't," Keel Haul advised.
"Pack it up, gentlemen!" Flint ordered. "Make sure that fire is out, and we aren't leaving a mess behind. We are going home!"
4 yrs, 5 mos, 16 days:
"Admiral, may I speak to you?"
"Of course, Captain. Is there a problem?" Keel Haul asked. William Denton was a good doctor, and a likable man. His one 'bad' habit, teasing the hung-over after a night's liberty, was a common joke among the crew.
"Possibly, sir. Senior Chief Petty Officer Delgado…"
"Who? Oh, Shipwreck. Continue."
"He's suffering from depression, sir," the Captain went on. "He has moments he's glad to be going home, and he sits up working on those wooden toys he's carved. He's eager to see his aunt and uncle, and his nephew, and meet his children. But I think he's terrified of seeing his girl. He's convinced he's going to be permanently crippled from that urchin spine, and that she won't want him the way he is."
"Won't want….that thick-skulled…" Keel Haul pulled himself up. "I know one person, other than Lady Hawk herself, who can probably knock some sense into him. I'll get right on it. You do what you can with his foot."
"General Hawk, you have an urgent hail from the Flagg, sir."
Jo had found him this aide, and Hawk was glad of it. Rick Brenner was efficient, organized, tolerant of Hawk's schedule, and didn't blink an eye when his people used his code name, or theirs. He probably had memorized every code name already.
"Thank you. Patch it in, Rick."
"Yes sir. On tac 3, sir."
"Keel Haul, you are planning to be in port for the twins' birthday, aren't you?"
"Yup! But I need you on the Flagg, ASAP," Keel Haul informed him. "Have Blackbird bring you out. And tell Cutter he can stop tearing apart empty islands."
"You found them?" Hawk leaned forward in his seat, his hand almost shaking.
"Aye-aye to that! But keep it under wraps for a while, or I will get no peace and neither will they. Just get here." Keel Haul rattled off coordinates and a course heading before cutting the connection.
Hawk called Ziff.
"Blackbird, I need a lift."
"You've got perfectly good pilots among your Joes, General," Ziff protested. "I'm supposed to meet Cutter…"
"OMEGA is as much mine as the Joes are, since Colton retired," Hawk stated. "I want you for this trip. I will expect you in one hour."
"You're a bossy sod, even for a general, Hawk," Ziff complained. "If we miss the twins' birthday…"
"We have two weeks until the twins' birthday. We'll be gone maybe three days. One hour, Blackbird."
"Yes sir."
Hawk did not tell her where they were going, just gave her the coordinates and course setting. When she realized they were setting down on the Flagg, and that the carrier was headed for port, Ziff shot him a suspicious look.
"Just what are you up to, General?" she demanded.
"In this case, it's more what Keel Haul's been up to," Hawk told her.
"Then why aren't Lady Jaye and Lady Hawk with us?"
"Keel Haul requested the two of us. No, I don't know what that means, and I am trying real hard not to think about it," he stated. "Although…"
"Heavy Duty!" Ziff spotted him standing on the deck.
"Put us down easy, woman! My back can't handle you bouncing us like a ball off the deck!"
"That bird is ancient!" a young sailor commented as the Huey settled.
"That's Baby, and she's almost as beautiful as her pilot," Heavy Duty corrected, starting forward as the rotors slowed.
"I don't know if I can watch this or not," Gung Ho snorted.
"Me, neither," Topside agreed.
"Jealous, fellas?" Falcon asked lightly.
"That all depends on Blackbird's reaction to having her ribs crushed," Gung Ho put his hands on his hips.
Before the rotors were completely still, Ziff was out and running. She nearly knocked Heavy Duty over, jumping into his out-stretched arms. The ensuing kiss had wolf whistles coming from all directions.
"Yeah, we're jealous," Flint nodded.
"Good to see you, Heavy Duty," Hawk smiled as he drew even with the couple. They were still kissing. "When you two decide to come up for air, do join the rest of us in Keel Haul's Ready Room."
"Yes sir, General," Heavy Duty set Ziff back on her own feet, but kept her tucked under his arm, and she kept one arm around his waist. They followed Hawk back to where Keel Haul stood with Flint, Falcon, Gung Ho, Topside and Dusty.
"Six out of nine…" Hawk began, his smile fading a little, and a sick feeling in his stomach. How did he go back and tell KT the twins would never meet their father?
"Shipwreck is in sick bay, Hawk," Keel Haul said quickly.
"General," Flint saluted, and the others followed suit. "We lost Deep Six and Snow Job with the first year, Hawk. Deep Six was badly wounded in the attack on the Kathryn, and we didn't have any sort of med kit. Snow Job came down with a fever that first summer…"
"He never did like the heat," Falcon said.
"They were good men, and they will be sorely missed," Hawk sighed, returning the salute. "Damn, it's good to see the rest of you!"
"Thanks for never giving up on us, Hawk," Falcon grinned.
"We need to get off the deck," Gung Ho said gruffly. "I keep gettin' dirt in my eyes."
"Sorry about that, Gung Ho," Ziff apologized, and kissed his cheek. "You know my Baby kicks up anything there is to be kicked up."
"Sportin' some new insignia, I see," he eyed the stripes on her sleeve.
"Been four plus years. A gal can't stay an E4 forever."
"Watch out, Heavy Duty! She outranks you now!" Dusty teased.
"She's allowed," Heavy Duty shrugged. "She also out-ranks you."
Hawk went to see Shipwreck alone, once the debriefing was done. He left Ziff to bring the rest up to date on whatever Keel Haul hadn't yet. It looked like the feisty pilot was ready to pick up with Heavy Duty right where they'd left off, so Hawk wasn't worried there. Keel Haul's report on Shipwreck was more concerning.
"General Hawk!" Shipwreck tried to sit up straight when Hawk walked in. It was a bit difficult, with his foot in traction.
"At ease, Shipwreck," Hawk motioned him back. "It's good to see you. How are you feeling?"
"Useless," Shipwreck scowled. "They had to cut my foot…"
"I heard they cut it open to get the last piece of spine out of it. I was also told you should make a full recovery," Hawk snagged a chair in passing, and dragged it next to the bed to sit down.
"Feels like they took half the foot," Shipwrecked stated. "And ya can't tell nothin', the way they got it mummified right now."
"They didn't even take the equivalent of half the big toe," Hawk shook his head. "You aren't getting a medical discharge that easy, Delgado!"
"You try putting me behind a desk, and see how fast I lose my sanity," Shipwreck snorted. "Keel Haul told us you got the Leviathan, and the pirate responsible for it."
"We did. The man read Jules Verne too many times. That said, I nearly had to put a pregnant woman in the brig over him. Roadblock had to help me keep Lady Hawk from going for the man's throat, when he couldn't tell us where he'd dropped you lot," Hawk said wryly. "When my aunt was pregnant, she was constantly sick. KT didn't get morning sickness, but talk about mood swings? She'd cry at the drop of a hat. Pick the hat up, and she'd be ready to claw your eyes out! Thankfully, that didn't last long."
"I wasn't there for her…"
"That wasn't your fault, or your choice, and she never blamed you," Hawk said firmly. "She never gave up hope, either."
"It's been four years," Shipwreck sounded doubtful. "Raising twins alone…"
"Alone? Not hardly," Hawk snorted. "Your aunt and my mother were both there in the delivery room when the twins were born, and still spend as much time with them as possible. Your uncle signed off on the paperwork so the twins have the Delgado name, legally. Those kids have more honorary aunts and uncles…"
"What about her parents?"
"Her father is gone. Massive heart attack, not long after you disappeared," Hawk said. "Her mother…Eleanor moved back to Atlanta right after Uncle Marcus died, and barely speaks to KT. She doesn't speak to anyone on the Abernathy side, unless my mother calls her."
"KT was born to the wrong set of parents."
"I've made that comment myself," Hawk pulled out an eight-by-five framed picture. "Thought you might like to have this. I'll be getting a new one soon. KT has them done every six months."
"They've got their momma's eyes," Shipwreck's eyes got misty, looking at the smiling faces in the picture. Polly was in it, too, perched on the little girl's shoulder. "And Polly!"
"Who knew a parrot could make a good nanny?" Hawk laughed. "Might be interesting when they start school, since Polly rarely is not with them."
"I don't even know their names. Keel Haul didn't say."
"Craig and Courtney Delgado."
"She named them for Rock and Roll and Cover Girl?" Shipwreck drew a sharp breath.
"Yeah. Figured you'd approve, and told her mother she was not saddling any son of hers with 'Winston Eugene'."
"Oh brother! Winston Eugene Delgado?" Shipwreck rolled his eyes.
"Eleanor wanted them both to use the Abernathy name."
"No offence, Hawk….they are my kids."
"And don't I know it! You know, I could have Blackbird get us home tonight," Hawk offered. "Well, I'd be home. You'd still be in the hospital…"
"No. I…I need some time," Shipwreck shook his head. "I want to be on my own two feet when Kath sees me, not in a hospital bed. I don't want her getting back a cripple she needs to take care of."
"Fair enough. I am telling her you're on your way home, though," Hawk warned. "Because if I don't, and she finds out I knew and didn't tell her….. I'll be thinking fondly of facing Cobra in the field!"
4yrs, 4mos, 18 days
"This is…a bad memory," KT murmured, looking around the conference room. Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Doc, Spirit, Slaughter, Beach Head and Cutter were all there, just like four years ago. There were differences. Duke sat next to Scarlett, and Ziff wasn't there. And Brenner had brought in coffee, ice water, and a box of donuts.
"Yeah," Lady Jaye snorted. "Remind me to discuss that with Hawk."
"Where's Blackbird?" Scarlett asked.
"No idea. I haven't heard from her all week." KT shrugged. "She was supposed to go out with Cutter, but Hawk pulled her for a special assignment. Wild Bill brought me down today. He's running a shake-down on that new Blackhawk."
Cutter said nothing. He alone knew what the gist of Hawk's announcement was, but he'd been warned to keep his mouth shut.
When Hawk entered, Ziff was with him. Both looked serious, and KT felt herself go cold.
"Doc, Spirit, I'm going to need the two of you tomorrow," Hawk stated. "And when I'm done with you, you'll need to get together with the Chaplain's Office, to plan a double memorial. Deep Six and Snow Job are no longer MIA. They have been confirmed dead, and their remains will be taken to Arlington."
"And the rest?" Duke demanded.
"On the Flagg, and on their way home," Hawk smiled.
"Thank God," Lady Jaye closed her eyes.
"Are they alright?" KT knew her voice was shaking, and she didn't care.
"For the most part," Hawk replied. "Dusty looks a bit like a scarecrow, he got so skinny. They've all lost weight, but they'll probably rectify that soon enough..."
"You saw them. Blackbird took you to the Flagg…"
"Easy, Lady Hawk!" Hawk warned, seeing the flames in her eyes. "Yes, I saw them. Blackbird didn't see Shipwreck."
"Why not?"
"He's in sickbay, and was having some trouble adjusting…"
"He'll be alright, KT!" Ziff said quickly. "He stepped on a sea urchin while spear fishing, and had a piece of spine still in his foot when Keel Haul found them. He was convinced he was going to be crippled for life, and he didn't want to be a burden to you…"
"As long as he's alive, he could never be a burden to me!"
"Which I believe I finally got through his thick skull," Hawk assured her.
"To be honest, as much as I missed Heavy Duty, I'm not so sure I could have handled seeing him when Keel Haul pulled them off that islet," Ziff said. "We couldn't have really got close to them, if ya know what I mean. Four years without soap, shampoo, deodorant or razors?"
"Oh lord!" Lady Jaye started laughing. "Flint, with a beard?"
"Falcon, with hair longer that his ears?" Duke snorted.
"Permission to spread the word, General?" Slaughter asked, getting to his feet.
"Permission granted, Sarge. Go holler it from the rooftops!" Hawk nodded. "Lady Hawk, I am letting you tell the Delgados."
"When?" KT demanded.
"When what?"
"When will he… they… be home?"
"I don't have a date, KT. The Flagg runs to its own schedule. Soon, sis."
4yrs, 5mos, 1 day
"I expected a bigger welcome party," Flint's disappointment was evident when only Hawk was there to meet them when the Flagg docked.
"I didn't tell anyone when you were getting in," Hawk shrugged.
"You what?"
"Ever since the twins learned how to speak, they asked for only one thing every birthday and Christmas," Hawk stated. "Their father," he pointed at Shipwreck. "This year, I get to deliver. Tomorrow, every single one of you can go home to your families. Transport has already been arranged. This afternoon is for the twins, and Lady Hawk. Most of the Joes, and all of OMEGA will be there. Shipwreck's aunt and uncle are already there…."
"Their birthday… is today?" Shipwreck demanded.
"I didn't tell you?"
"No, you didn't tell me!"
"Good thing you spent so much time whittling, Shipwreck," Heavy Duty teased. "At least you won't be empty handed… unlike the rest of us."
"Blackbird took care of it, for everyone but Shipwreck," Hawk said. "Come on. I've got a car waiting…well, not exactly a car…" he led the way to a GMC nine passenger Yukon.
"This came out of the base motor pool?" Flint asked.
"We got a good deal on it," Hawk grinned. "Shipwreck rides shotgun. He doesn't need one of you jokers stepping on his foot."
One of the first things KT had done when she'd found out she was having twins was to go house hunting. It had to be close to the sea, for Shipwreck; have a large yard for the children; spare rooms for visiting family; and she needed to be able to get to Tirnagog in decent time. Thankfully, she didn't have to rely solely on her military income to finance it.
She'd found a small, private cove set well off the main highway, with a fine-sand beach and plenty of grass and trees, and designed her own house to sit on the bluff above the beach. The property included several acres of woodlot and field between the house site and the road, and a mile of private shoreline defined by rocky promontories at either end. A reinforced staircase led from the large deck to the beach, and steel shutters could be lowered to cover the multitude of windows against bad storms. She'd also put a dock off of one promontory, and there was space to land Baby on the front section.
On the twins fourth birthday, she needed all the space, and the large kitchen, where Roadblock was in charge of the cooking. KT's mother had once again not sent a card or made a call, but KT was used to it, and the twins, who didn't know Eleanor, didn't miss her. They had two sets of grandparents: Shipwreck's aunt and uncle, and Hawk's parents. That was good enough for them. They also had so many honorary aunts and uncles, it was surprising they could keep track, at their young age.
They still didn't have their father, though. KT was glad she had not told them he was aboard the Flagg, since Keel Haul hadn't made it back for the party. That was disappointing enough for them. Had they known their daddy was with 'Uncle Admiral', the delay would have been crushing.
The Yukon pulled into the long drive, and moved slowly toward the house.
"Some layout," Flint commented. "A helipad?"
"Certain people don't drive, when they can fly," Hawk shrugged. "Enough space for Baby, Wild Bill's copter, and Freestyle's all at once."
"Is this a resort?" Dusty asked.
"Private home," Hawk shook his head. "Less than two years old, so not all the 'new' is worn off yet."
"Being a general pays this well?" Shipwreck joked.
"Not hardly, and this place isn't his," Keel Haul snorted. "KT designed it, though, and over-saw the building…and boy, did she give Slaughter a run for his money as a drill instructor! Welcome to La Casa Cove, gentlemen."
"Being an Admiral pays better than being a general," Falcon said. "I'm in the wrong branch of the service."
"This place isn't Keel Haul's, either. It's KT's," Hawk stated.
"KT had a little apartment…" Shipwreck shook his head.
"Operative word being 'little'," Hawk snorted. "The two of you barely fit in the kitchen at one time! The only piece of property that Uncle Marcus left that KT bought Eleanor out of was the cabin up in the Rockies. She made Eleanor buy her shares of the rest, or sell them outright so they could split the profit. Uncle Marcus had a lot of property."
Craig, Courtney and several other young children were playing on the front yard, watched over by Ziff, Jo, and a handful of Joes when the Yukon parked further down the drive. Hawk was the first one out.
"Hey, it's Uncle Clay!" Craig announced happily. "Betcha the Admiral's with him!" Courtney turned to look, always glad to see her Uncle Clay. But her eyes didn't focus on Hawk's familiar form. She was staring at the bearded man slowly getting out of the passenger side front seat. She knew that face; there were pictures all throughout the house, including one above her bed, and another above her brother's.
"Daddy?" Although her voice was barely a whisper, her grey eyes widened, and she took a step in that direction.
"Courtney?" Jo turned to look at her, then up at what the child was looking at. "Oh!"
"Daddy!" Courtney took off running, and Craig followed, less certain but used to following where his sister led.
"Prepare for boarding!" Topside warned, chuckling, as the twins barreled toward them. "Ramming speed!"
Shipwreck moved forward, almost hesitantly at first, like a man in a dream.
Courtney reached him ahead of her shyer twin, and threw her arms around his legs.
"It is! It is!" the little girl had tears streaming down her face, and a huge smile. "Daddy!"
"Daddy?" Craig looked from Shipwreck to Hawk, who nodded. "Daddy!"
Shipwreck knelt to pull both of his children into his arms. The fact he was crying, too, didn't even register with him.
"Come on, you lot. Give'em a minute or five," Hawk grabbed Shipwreck's bags from the back of the Yukon, and motioned the others toward the house. Ziff was already running to greet Heavy Duty.
"KT, you need to come out front now," Jo burst into the kitchen and took a tray out of KT's hands.
"What happened?" KT demanded, as Jo basically shoved her ahead towards the front door.
Shipwreck, a child in each arm, was walking up the drive toward the house, limping slightly.
"Hector," KT's voice was a strangled whisper. She almost fell off the top step of the porch, but Spirit grabbed her, and swung her to the ground, even as Shipwreck allowed Hawk and Falcon to take the twins.
"Welcome home, sir," Courtney hugged Falcon's neck. She didn't know him yet, but he was a Joe, and he'd been with her Daddy, and that was good enough for her, just then.
"Thank you, princess," Falcon smiled.
"Aunt Charley is Princess," she shook her head.
"So she is. How about Duchess?"
"Okay!"
"And we thought Blackbird and Heavy Duty were embarrassing?" Topside was grinning.
"Flint!" Lady Jaye came running around the side of the house, followed by Scarlett and Duke, and a large number of other Joes, and the rest of OMEGA.
"I can handle Shipwreck and Lady Hawk," Dusty said. "I can handle Blackbird and Heavy Duty, and Lady Jaye and Flint. But Falcon's already gotten a hug from a pretty girl? That's just not fair."
"Here ya go, Dusty," Falcon handed Courtney to him. "Give your Uncle Dusty a hug, Duchess. He's feeling left out." Giggling, Courtney hugged Dusty…and kissed his cheek. "Okay, now that's not fair. I didn't get a kiss!"
"She's too smart to kiss you, Falcon!" Footloose joined them. "We're teaching her not to get too close to the ladies men-types!"
"Kath," Shipwreck groaned, pulling her into him arms. "I'm sorry, baby…"
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Shut up and kiss me, Sailor-man!"