Chapter 26

The rest of the morning was quiet. Kristin and Katie made it back to the base without incident. Joshua had been a dear; he'd taken all the patients so Kristin would have the rest of the morning off. She couldn't say she was upset about that. Although she usually liked keeping busy, she didn't mind having the time to herself. She opted to do paper work for the rest of the morning. It was tedious, but it was something. She didn't even realize when the clock struck noon.

A short time later, Nathan appeared in her doorway. He knocked twice before entering. He gave her a smile, relieved to see her. "Glad to see you made it back in one piece."

"Did you have any doubt?" she asked him. She stood and walked around her desk to give him a quick hug. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"I'm just glad you're back," Nathan replied, not saying anything further on the matter. "So how did it go?"

She shrugged. "The shopping went well."

"And everything went as planned at Reggie's?" Nathan pressed.

"Not exactly," she said with a sigh. "The senator changed his mind. Now, normally, that isn't a bad thing because I could still get a divorce on the grounds of cruelty whether he signs the papers or not."

"Normally?" Nathan asked. "So there's a but coming up?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Have you seen a newspaper today?"

He shook his head. "I'm thinking I won't be happy when I do."

She took the one Katie had given her and handed it to him. "Reggie says that a judge might not be so sympathetic if he thinks there's something immoral going on between you and me," she said quietly.

Nathan read the story to himself and couldn't believe it.

"I…I never guessed they'd drag your name into it, too," Kristin continued apologetically. "I do hope you don't get in any trouble with the admiral or the secretary general."

Nathan put the paper down on the desk and put a hand under her chin. He lifted gently so she'd look at him. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But it's my fault that-"

"No, it isn't," Nathan assured her. "We both know none of this is true."

She nodded. "I know, but a judge isn't going to care. Honestly, I'm not even worried about that since I don't think we're going to be here long enough where that will be a concern." She paused for a moment, holding his gaze. "My concern is you. We already know that Secretary Knox seems to be…interested in us for whatever reason. I-"

"Don't worry," Nathan interrupted. "I can handle Knox…but I doubt he'll say anything."

"You're sure?"

Nathan wrapped her in a tight hug. "Yes, I'm sure. Please, don't worry, okay?"

She nodded. "I'll try."

"Good…now how about some lunch? I thought we could go down to the docks like yesterday. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful," she confirmed.

The two walked out to the docks together. They passed some of the other crew members along the way and offered some quick greetings as they passed.

It wasn't long before they saw Katie. She offered them a smile. "It looks like you're feeling a little better now," she said to Kristin.

"I suppose," Kristin answered. "I really haven't much of a reason to worry about the senator."

"That's not what I meant," Katie said with a slight frown.

Kristin didn't exactly want Nathan to know what had happened back at the dress shop. "Oh…yes, I'm fine. Everything's fine," she replied in an over-compensating manner. She looked at Nathan. "Could...could you excuse us for just a moment, please?"

Nathan gave her a strange look, but stepped back. "I won't go far." He went over to talk with Lucas, keeping a watchful eye on the two women.

"I don't want Nathan to know about the dress shop incident," Kristin said quietly.

"I'm sorry if I've said too much, but, Doc, I don't think-"

Kristin shook her head. "I'd just like to keep it between us for now…please? I'm embarrassed enough, and I just want to forget it."

Katie nodded. "Okay." She put an arm around Kristin's shoulders. "But it really is nothing to be embarrassed about."

Kristin simply nodded.

The two remained quiet for a moment. Katie wanted to try to cheer Kristin up. She elbowed her gently and said, "Did you try on the dress at least?"

Kristin blushed slightly. "No…I'd forgotten."

"Well, try it after lunch, okay? I want to know how it fits in case we need to make a quick stop before the party." She gave Kristin's hand a squeeze. "I'd better let you go so you can spend time with him."

"Thanks, Katie…for everything."

"Anytime, Doc." Katie turned to leave when she had an afterthought. She turned back to her. "Doc?"

"Yes?"

"Just remember he'll love it," Katie said with a smile before turning again.

Kristin felt her face go warm and jumped slightly when she felt the unexpected hand of Nathan on her shoulder.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Is…is everything all right?" he asked worriedly upon seeing her face.

"Y-yes, everything's fine," Kristin assured him. And without missing a beat, she took his hand and pulled gently before they happened to meet up with anyone else.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"So what was Katie talking about?" Nathan asked after they'd found a comfortable spot on the dock. Just like the day before, they got sandwiches from a nearby cart. Nathan was pleased to see that Kristin was at least eating this time. She'd only taken a bite, but it was something.

"What?" Kristin asked, somewhat dismayed.

"She had said, 'Just remember he'll love it'. What did she mean?" Nathan asked.

"Oh…well…" she hesitated. "We did a little shopping."

"Yes, I know," Nathan said. "You told me you were going for party supplies."

"We got a few other things as well." She took another bite of her sandwich.

"Care to elaborate?" Nathan pressed.

She smiled softly. "What's with the twenty questions all of a sudden?" She sighed. "Look, it wasn't my idea; it was Katie's. I'd like it to be a surprise, though, okay?"

Nathan nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'm just-"

"Worried, I know," Kristin finished for him.

"More like concerned," Nathan corrected. "So are you looking forward to the evening's festivities?"

She shrugged. "Partly." She looked out over the water for a moment before continuing. "The other part doesn't want it to happen because that means…" She turned to him. "It's the last night here, as far as we know. The last night we'll all be together…"

Nathan shook his head. "We don't know that last part for sure."

"I know...I'm still a little worried."

Nathan put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "I already told you I don't plan on letting you go."

She smiled softly. "And I appreciate that…more than you know. But…"

"This party wasn't planned to make you feel sad, you know."

She nodded. "I know. It's supposed to be a happy time."

"Then let's make it so. Sylvia will handle the rest."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Meanwhile, downtown, Reggie closed her office early for the day. She put on her sunglasses and drove to the Mayfield residence, being sure that no one was following her. Richard was there waiting for her with lunch on the table, a bouquet of roses in his hand.

She sauntered up to him seductively and kissed him passionately. "Now that's how you make an entrance," she purred into his ear when she broke the kiss.

"You can say that again," Richard replied dreamily.

She smacked his cheek gently. "Don't think that means you're off the hook for your little slip-up earlier, however."

"It wasn't a slip-up," he countered. "No one saw me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, you still broke our rule."

"Your rule," Richard corrected. "I never agreed to anything."

Reggie sat down at the table and leaned back in her chair, crossing her long, shapely legs over the corner of the table. She then reached into her purse and took out a cigarette.

As if on cue, Richard lit it for her.

She smiled. "You do seem to be very eager to atone," she noted.

"I've already told you how I feel about you," Richard told her. "I thought you believed me."

"I do…but there is one little thing making me have doubts." She gave him a look.

Richard sighed. "I don't understand why I couldn't just sign the papers and be done with the whole thing. That's what Sylvia wants, isn't it?"

"She says that's what she wants, and I believe her on that account. What I don't believe is that she has no desire for anything you own." She glared at him. "Please, no one is that angelic." She took a puff on her cigarette.

"But Sylvia isn't that kind of person," Richard said. "She never was very interested in money or expensive things."

Reggie exhaled, blowing smoke into the air. She then scoffed. "Now you're defending her? I thought you said you no longer loved her?" Then she added, "And you seem to forget this is not my first rodeo. I've seen it before. The wife wants a divorce from her cruel husband. The wife claims she doesn't want any money whatsoever, that she only wants to be free of his evil clutches. Then once we're in court, it's a-whole-nother story. It never fails."

"I don't love her," Richard insisted. "That ship sailed a long time ago, I promise you, but Sylvia isn't like other women. She's educated. She has the means to make her own money if she needs. She doesn't need my money or anyone else's."

Reggie raised an eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously. "Necessity is not the same thing as desire, you know. And I'm not quite sure I believe you." She brought her cigarette to her lips and inhaled again.

"I've already told you I love you. I'll do anything to prove it," Richard promised. "I…I'll do whatever you ask…including following through with the plan…"

Reggie smiled, looking quite pleased. "I admit, I was beginning to have my doubts, especially about what you said earlier. But I'm quite happy you've reconsidered."

"I…I have," Richard said nervously. "So what is it I do again?"

Reggie rolled her eyes. "We've been over this a thousand times."

"I just need to make sure I get it right."

She sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow night, you give her a call. First, you're going to apologize, tell her how sorry you are about everything. You tell her that you'll sign the papers as long as she agrees to see you one last time."

"What if she says no?" Richard asked worriedly.

"Please, I know this woman already. Sylvia might be book smart, but she is not street smart. She'll do anything you say because she so desperately wants her fairy tale happiness with her prince charming. Of course she'll agree."

Richard sighed. "Okay…then what?"

Reggie shrugged. "I think that part should be up to you. Really, I don't care how you do it, just make sure you get it done. And make sure you hide the body."

Richard nodded sadly. "And what about once people realize she's missing?"

"We tell them she ran off, eager to start her new life. Her poor captain will be heartbroken, but he won't have anything to go on because you'll be careful not to leave any clues," she said, patting his cheek, "won't you?"

Richard nodded. "Of course, darling."

Reggie smiled. "Let's eat then. And if you're a good boy, you might get some dessert."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

"Do you have a busy afternoon ahead of you?" Nathan continued to make small talk, hoping to keep her mind off of other things.

She shrugged. "Since I returned, all I've had to do is paperwork. Joshua was kind enough to give me the morning off, so he took on all the patients. He's really too kind to me sometimes."

Nathan laughed softly. "We'll see if that carries over to twelve hour shifts once we get back home," he mused.

She smiled. "Well, maybe not, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts."

"You know he'd let you have the whole day off if you wanted."

"Perhaps…" She looked at him. "What are you saying?"

"I have the afternoon off…and so do you," Nathan said with a satisfied smile.

"What?"

"I spoke with Joshua this morning. He told me it didn't look to be a very busy day anyway, so I asked him if he could go easy on you."

"Go easy on me?" she repeated.

"Well, yes…we all thought you'd appreciate the break…considering. I was thinking we could do something, just you and me." He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

But Kristin pulled away. She stood and walked a few feet away, her back turned. "I never asked for a break, Nathan," she said flatly.

"I…I know," Nathan said, standing up and walking towards her. "We all know that, but-"

She looked at him, her arms crossed. "You were just doing what was best for me?" she finished.

"Exactly," Nathan replied, taking a step towards her. "Under the circumstances, we-" The fact Kristin backed away made him stop mid-sentence. "What's wrong?"

"I don't need all of you deciding what's best for me," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze. "I think I am quite capable of doing that on my own."

"Kristin, you know we didn't mean it like that," Nathan countered. "It's just that we thought-"

She looked at him. "I know what you thought, and I suppose I can't blame you or Joshua or anyone else…but no, I don't need time off. I actually enjoy seeing the patients. That's the only time I feel like I have things under control. That's the only small bit of normalcy I have in all the chaos; I mean, besides all of you, that is. Quite honestly, if I didn't have the clinic, I'd probably have gone mad by now."

"We never meant to cross a boundary, you know. We just thought you would appreciate a break," Nathan said apologetically.

"I know; I understand."

"Look, how about I start over? I have the afternoon off, and I would love it if you would accompany me on some sort of outing. Perhaps a movie? A stroll along the Boardwalk? I honestly don't care as long as I'm with you. But of course, only if you truly want to. If you would rather work at the clinic, I'm certainly not going to argue. I'll find a way to occupy myself in the meantime," Nathan told her.

Kristin couldn't help but laugh softly. "You really are the charmer, aren't you?"

Nathan gave her an innocent look. "Who, me?"

She sighed. "When you put it that way, I guess spending the afternoon with you rather than doing paperwork does sound more appealing. But perhaps we should just stay in for the afternoon?"

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked. He tried to hide his disappointment, but he didn't do a very good job of it. "I just thought you'd want to do something more…adventurous. Like when we went dancing?"

Kristin smiled softly. "Nathan, I'm not saying I don't want to have fun with you. In fact, it isn't you at all."

"Then what is it exactly?"

"Aren't you the least bit concerned about the article? Nathan, they're watching us, and I'm not sure we want to advertise…well, whatever it is we're advertising. If we were back on seaQuest, the situation would be entirely different. But I'm supposed to be a married woman, at least until those papers are signed. And this little situation is quite a scandal."

Nathan sighed. "But everyone knows-"

Kristin shook her head. "No, Nathan, everyone doesn't know or it wouldn't be in the papers. Perhaps you can't understand because it isn't the same for you." She turned to start walking back up the beach.

Nathan ran to catch up with her. "Did Sylvia say something?"

"No."

"Then I don't think we should worry," Nathan replied. "I thought there was no right or wrong here."

Kristin stopped. "I know, but…I just think we need to be more careful. I just don't want to do anything that would attract unnecessary attention."

"Something happened," Nathan said after a brief moment of silence.

"What?"

"Something happened…in town, didn't it?" Nathan pressed.

Kristin turned away from him. "And what would it matter if it did? My point is, Nathan, that we need to be careful. I told you that from the moment we got here. But neither of us really listened. I admit, I take part of the blame…but for the rest of our time here, perhaps-"

"So what are you saying? You want to go back to Katie's?"

"No…I just think we need to be more discreet. And I'm not just saying that for my own protection."

"I've already told you, I'm not w-"

"You seem to be forgetting one very important thing," Kristin interrupted.

"What's that?"

Kristin sighed and brought a hand to his cheek. "Nathan, you've been so sweet to me, so kind, so protective…and I need you to know how very grateful I am for that. But in all this time, you've never asked the question you should have. In fact, I didn't even think of it until just this morning…when I saw the paper. We don't know what happens to you."

"What?"

"Well, Jack, rather," Kristin continued. "Lucas' Internex article," she explained. "We already know what happens to Sylvia. We know Richard dies eventually. But we don't know what happens to Jack. Maybe you're not worried about it, but I certainly am." She was sure she caught his gaze on her last few words.

"Kristin, you…I'm sure a little outing isn't going to affect my…rather, Jack's fate."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I…I guess I can't, but-"

"Look, Nathan, truth told, I did have a little encounter downtown with a disgruntled fan of Sylvia's. Well, I should say ex-fan. She was apparently not too happy about the divorce, being the good Christian woman she is. And frankly, I don't want that kind of attention, whether it's warranted or not. I think Sylvia is in enough trouble as it is, and I don't want to increase it. I have enough to handle as it is," Kristin told him. "If this were 2019, I'd love nothing more than to go to a movie with you. But right now…"

Nathan sighed and put his arms around her. "You don't need to explain. I understand, and I'm sorry I didn't quite get it before. I just thought…"

"I know," Kristin said, snuggling into him. "I just want us to be more careful…just in case. You don't want to lose me…but I don't want to lose you either."

He nodded. "I promise to be more careful then. Why don't we go back to the base? I think the lunch hour is already over."

"I think so, too," Kristin said sadly. "I suppose I need to go tell Joshua I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off."

Nathan gave her a look. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure we can think of something to do indoors, hm?"

Nathan smiled. "Of course."