A.N. - This little one shot was written in celebration of Al Eben's birthday. Enjoy!
Doc Holiday
Doc Bergman dug his bare toes into the warm white sand as he watched the gentle waves lapping at the shore. The blue Pacific sparkled in the morning sun while the trade winds tossed the coroner's greying hair. He was in no hurry; he had taken a few days off and he intended to enjoy every minute.
The morgue could wait. His assistant could prep any new bodies that were delivered and place them into cold storage and his staff could handle the paperwork until he returned. As for his other job involving medical encounters with the detectives of Hawaii Five-O, well, he didn't even want to think about that.
Yesterday Doc had turned sixty and the milestone had sparked thoughts of retirement. Isn't that why I purchased this beach house in the first place? His rare days off were few and far between, making them treasured days that he thoroughly appreciated. But me, retired? He couldn't quite imagine himself not working. What would he do with all that time? He'd have to take up some hobbies. Golf? No, too frustrating. Sailing? Not with his fair complexion. The problem was that he liked feeling useful and his job provided that feeling. Still, it was nice to walk on the beach and listen to the ocean with the city traffic and his professional demands miles away, if only for a couple of days.
By the angle of the sun and its warmth on his bare arms and legs, Doc knew that it was getting close to lunchtime. After one more glance at the incredible ocean view from his portion of island paradise, he turned and headed back toward his house. When he reached the lanai, he grabbed a towel and sat down in his wicker chair to brush the sand from his feet. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifting through the screen door drew him inside.
The instant Doc's foot hit the carpeting, the telephone rang. "I'll get it," he heard his wife call out from the next room. Her determination to insulate him from the intruding outside world on his days off warmed Bergman's heart. He grinned while he poured himself a mug of coffee.
"Bergman residence," Mrs. Bergman cheerfully answered the call when she picked up the kitchen phone. The response on the other end caused her usual carefree smile to turn into an annoyed frown. She held the receiver out to her husband, and the brief look that they shared told him all he needed to know.
"Bergman," he greeted after taking the handset from his wife.
"Hi Doc, McGarrett. It's Danno…"
Just those two words and the worried tone in Steve's voice meant that Doc's holiday had just ended.
Pau