Chapter 29

Kristin reviewed the events of the last few days in her mind. Nathan had allowed Katie to tell her and Lucas right after Nathan accepted her wonderful partnership proposal. She'd recently inherited a huge oil company and wanted to design and fund the submarine that no one else would pay for. Kristin understood why the politicians raved at Lucas's slideshow and gave a standing ovation to Nathan, only to turn around and stab him in the back when money was at issue. Bloody leeches is what they were. At least she understood funding spacecraft out of fear better than she understood funding them in the name of science while simultaneously short-changing research of their own planet's oceans.

Building the next seaQuest-class submarine as a private research vessel was more along the lines of Nathan's original dream, so he had to be ecstatic. Katie was even going to make him a full partner, not some token advisor. And Lucas, well Lucas forgot all about his 'bomb' in Congress the second Katie asked if he'd help her with designs. He and Katie took to drawing sketches and hatching ideas right there in the kitchen. They stayed up until wee hours of the morning until Katie finally said she had to go.

"We don't have to hang around Washington anymore," Nathan had whispered in bed. "We can go home now."

"Actually, Nathan, I need to go back to England for a few days. When I came here, I didn't know if I was going to get back on seaQuest or not, so I left most of my belongings behind. I still have a flat rented until the end of the year."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I think you and Lucas should stay here and spend a little time with just the two of you. Let him take you to the Smithsonian and walk your pants off like he did me. How about we meet back in Florida next week? We can finalize our wedding plans and make arrangements."

"Have we set a date?" he asked.

"No, we haven't. But we should. What do you think?"

He shrugged. "Hey, my dress whites are waiting at the cleaners. Don't you need a dress though?"

"Actually, I already have a dress. You've seen me in it."

This earned some raised brows from her fiancé.

"I still have Lillian Straitharen's ball gown."

"You're kidding! From the George?"

She nodded. She'd been wearing it when they made a hasty retreat from the old sunken cruise liner they found on the bottom of the Atlantic. "I sent it to a history professor friend of mine back in London and he was supposed to get it to a museum. It is in pristine condition, you know."

Nathan nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing I did or it would have gone down with seaQuest I in that lava bed. But Professor Smythe died last summer and someone found the box among all his belongings, never opened. My name was on the return address. So the package was returned to me and I just haven't had the heart to take care of it yet. I know I was possessed and all, but some part of me remembers how you looked the first time you saw me wearing it."

"Stunned, if I remember correctly."

She smiled. "So I take it you approve then? In a way, Lillian gave it to me. She made me put it on in the first place. I see no point in wasting a lot of money on some silly dress I'll only wear once when this one will do."

Nathan smirked. "You know, Kristin, you don't have to be practical when it comes to your wedding."

She scoffed. "I did the lavish, indulgent wedding once already. It's vastly overrated. I'm sure we can put the money to better use."

"Whatever you want."

"That's just one of the things I need to take care of back home. But back to the wedding date. How much time do we need?"

"We haven't talked about a honeymoon. Do you want to go somewhere special?"

She shook her head. "We do enough traveling on seaQuest. I say we go back to our island and relax with no one to bother us."

"Then we need to find Lucas other accommodations for a week or two. He'd feel awkward even if we didn't object."

"Ben and Katie?"

"Maybe. But they've got a lot of paperwork and planning to do before they can get down to the exciting parts they need Lucas for. Katie was hesitant about telling him because she thought he'd abandon seaQuest when I needed him. And that means she didn't think she'd need him until the next tour started. I'm really not too concerned though. Miguel and Tony both invited him to come stay with their families. Tony sees Darwin a lot and Miguel has pretty cousins. Lucas will have a hard time making up his mind."

"But no matter what, we should see him on his birthday."

Nathan nodded. "Agreed. And have him home for Christmas."

"And not long after that, the next tour starts, so what are we looking at?"

"First week of December at the latest."

Kristin pulled out the electronic pocket planner that sat on the bedside table. "Saturday the third?"

"I'm open."

"December 3rd it is then. Let's have your wonderful Best Man whip us up some invitations on his computer. I'll email him my list. Most of mine won't actually come, just family that should get an invitation as a courtesy."

"I'll find us a caterer in New Cape Quest, but you'd better engage the florist. The botanist in me goes a little crazy when I walk in and see them hacking up plants for the sake of art."

She laughed. She'd have to remember his botany sympathies when she bought flowers. "We're keeping this small and simple, right?"

"Yes. Just close friends on a little celebration cruise. Nothing fancy."

The day she left, Kristin finally tracked down Cynthia in Brazil and asked if she could make it to the wedding and be her maid of honor. She didn't really hold out much hope that her daughter would make the effort because of the transportation costs, but it would have been inconsiderate not to let Cynthia decide on her own. She did indeed decline, but at least she was cordial and acted happy for her mother.

Kristin asked Katie to be her maid of honor. They'd been good friends on the first tour, gravitating toward each other in the shortage of females aboard, not to mention she'd saved Nathan's life and she was going to be his business partner. Katie accepted. Kristin also asked Wendy to be a bridesmaid. She hadn't known her very long, but they had really hit it off when she spent those few days with them and it would show the rest of the crew that she held no ill will over the rumors.

She realized both women were quite a bit younger than her, but they weren't any younger than Cynthia, and therefore they didn't seem any less acceptable. She didn't try to dictate what they wore. Katie had the right to wear dress whites since she was back in the reserves and she might want to be in uniform with all the males dressed likewise. Then again, she might want to turn Ben Krieg's head with a knockout dress. She could afford anything in the world she wanted and a wedding was the best excuse to buy a dress if ever there was one.

Going back to England was a chore, but it had to be done. She'd dropped everything so fast in order to get to the states when she heard that seaQuest had reappeared out of nowhere. She'd ended up having to wait over a week once she got to Florida, but it had been well worth the wait. Not only did Nathan want her back as CMO, but he was ready to marry her. She didn't mind being discreet, but she resented having to hide as if being in love broke some sort of international law. They were both adults and it wasn't as if she were trying to gain favors or a promotion or anything. She still had absolute control over Medbay and he still ruled everything else on the boat. Neither love nor marriage nor a hurricane was going to change that and Kristin wouldn't have it any other way.


Kristin emptied her flat in Birmingham. She sold furniture, threw away anything superfluous, and sent anything important on a slow boat to Bridger's Island. She also cleaned out research notes and equipment she'd left in Cambridge. England would always be her homeland, but she couldn't be at home there anymore. Now, home was where Nathan was: seaQuest or their island. She'd even started to think of that cute cottage on the military base in Virginia as home for a while. She might come back for visits or professional conferences, but she wanted her belongings to be in her new home on the other side of the pond.

She talked to Joshua while she was there, briefly. He was looking forward to coming back to seaQuest. She invited him to the wedding, but he couldn't afford the passage across the Atlantic twice or a place to stay between the wedding and the tour. He did offer what sounded like sincere congratulations though.


It wasn't long before she was back in Florida with Lucas and Nathan. The navy didn't have any spare housing available for them, but when Lucas put out an email for help, Tim O'Neill said they could stay at his house at Fort Gore. Evidently, he was staying in Oklahoma City until the wedding rehearsal. His little bachelor pad was really small with just one bedroom, but Lucas didn't mind the couch and it was only going to be a few weeks.

James Brody invited them all to Thanksgiving dinner with his wife and new baby, as well as some of his wife's relatives. Evidently, he had no family of his own, although Kristin thought he was the one that Lucas told her had a mother in cryogenic freeze. How horrible would it be to have a beautiful new family and not be able to tell your mother that you were married or that she had a grandson? Kristin would have to remember to be sensitive to the young lieutenant's unique past if ever she had him in Medbay.

Lucas spent a lot of his time swimming out in the ocean with Darwin. Kristin joined him a couple of times, but she had too many other things to do to be able to play as much as she would have liked. There'd be time for that after the wedding. She could hardly wait.

Nathan stressed a little over weather reports as their date neared. She shared his concern. She didn't want to be in a sailboat if there were the slightest chance of a storm. Hurricane Sheila had forever ruined her for taking any chances with surface vessels. But the tropical storm that concerned him turned the wrong way and eventually fizzled out. They would monitor the weather during the cruise, but it looked like smooth sailing all the way.

December 3rd dawned bright and clear. It was breezy and a mild 75 degrees, perfect for sailing. Chief Kendall, or rather Captain Kendall, as they would call him on skyQuest, did all the pre-trip inspections and made sure the trimaran was ready. Lieutenant O'Neill arrived back in town to help Kendall with preparations. As a last-minute surprise, Commander Ford flew in from Nepal just in time to join the festivities. Nathan and Kristin both welcomed him. Kendall, Ford, O'Neill, Piccolo, Brody, Krieg, Lucas, and the big GELF Dagwood all wore turquoise polo shirts and white Bermuda shorts while crewing to Cuba.

Admiral and Mrs. Noyce, Malcolm and Caesar Lansdowne, and Manny Crocker were among the guests who stood on the upper deck, enjoying the ride. Lucas had rigged a sound system for them to play music. Soothing steel drum melodies played while everyone chatted. Nathan, Kristin, Wendy, and Katie talked with the guests until they were almost to Cuba. Then they excused themselves below deck to change.

After Miguel was aboard, Kendall took skyQuest out of sight of land and dropped the anchor. Without the need for sails or the solar jets, several of the crew could be excused to participate in the ceremony. Tim, James, and Jonathan changed from their crewing polo shorts into their dress white uniforms. Lucas had a very nice white dress shirt, a white vest, and white slacks so that he didn't look out of place with all the men in uniform.

Malcolm knocked on Kristin's door. She opened it to see his eyeballs bug out when he saw her. "Wow. Nathan better marry you quick before we throw him overboard and steal his bride." He looked exactly as she remembered him, in a Hawaiian print shirt and khaki pants.

She chuckled. "You're here to give me away, remember?"

"Do I have to?" he asked playfully.

She kissed his cheek. "Yes. And thanks for not being sore."

"Well, if I had to lose, I'm glad it was to a friend." He offered his elbow, but she took one look at the narrow hall and shook her head. They would have to go single-file until they got up on deck.

Katie and Wendy had evidently gone shopping together and bought elegant yet understated evening gowns in turquoise and white. They weren't an exact match, but the colors and style were too close to have been coincidence. Jonathan and James unfolded chairs and helped seat all the guests. Wendy and Tim walked the aisle first, followed by Katie and Lucas. The sound system cued up a lovely Celtic rendition of the Wedding March and Malcolm escorted Kristin down the aisle. Her lovely satin gown shimmered in the bright Caribbean sun and Kristin imagined that Lillian looked down and approved.

Nathan and the chaplain waited at the "altar" which was just a podium covered with ivy, plumeria, and hibiscus. The captain had gone clean-shaven since he didn't have to look 'distinguished' for stodgy Congressmen anymore. Kristin loved the beard, but she also had a soft spot for the clean look he had sported when she first met him, right in the middle of an argument with Commander Ford. He looked younger without it, and his tanned face set off the white in that uniform very nicely indeed. Her groom was beyond handsome.

The chaplain performed an Anglican ceremony in her honor, although she'd never given any indication it mattered that much. Lucas had her beautiful 'love fish' green gold ring so that Nathan could place it on her finger during the ceremony. She didn't know whether Nathan or Lucas realized it had probably been designed as a Pisces zodiac symbol. It didn't matter. It was perfect and she loved it.

When they finished their vows and kissed, Kristin felt time stand still. The only sound was the breeze and some ropes flapping against the masts. Just as Nathan finished, Darwin jumped out of the water less than a foot from the starboard side of the trimaran. He got enough height to be seen by all the guests and from the whispers it was evident that everyone thought Nathan had trained him to do it and even signaled him do it at that precise moment. Ha! Like they could have planned such a thing.

The chaplain declared them husband and wife, and the deck erupted in loud whoops and whistles. Kristin laughed. What else should she expect when ninety percent of the guests were sailors? Lucas put on the party music and the crew who were still in polo shirts and Bermudas started hauling food out from the large coolers they'd brought aboard. The few ladies on board gathered around for Kristin to throw the bouquet. Kristin overheard Wendy ask Lucas where someone named 'Lonnie' was. "We invited her, but I guess she thought Wyoming was too far away," he whispered back.

Since Kristin didn't know her, she figured it must have been one of the newer crewmembers. But if Jonathan could make it from Nepal, she wondered how Wyoming could be out of range. Then again, there was no reason anyone on leave had to drop everything just to attend their captain's wedding either. If she was coming back for the next tour, Kristin would meet her soon enough. Although she had limited movement in the satin gown, Kristin somehow managed to throw the bouquet over the heads of all the young ladies and right into the lap of Tim O'Neill. Startled, he threw it back in the general direction it came from and Katie ended up with it.

Everyone ate and drank and danced the rest of the afternoon away. Kendall had the GELF turn the capstan to raise the anchor. Jonathan, James, and Tim changed back into their polo shirts to help get the sails up and get the trimaran underway. The solar collectors had been charging batteries all day, so the deck lights didn't require any engines to function. The moon was nearly full and the sky was cloudless, so Kendall had no trouble finding Bridger's Island to drop off the newlyweds. The plan was to drop off Miguel and Lucas back in Cuba next, then return to New Cape Quest with everyone else. Kristin could tell that Nathan had complete confidence in Captain Kendall.

They waved from the beach as the skyQuest disappeared into the starry night, carrying all their friends.

"Well, Mrs. Bridger, shall we go find a room?" Nathan teased.

Kristin played along. "Find? Why, have you lost your own house?"

"Our house."

"That's even worse," she said with mock indignation, "losing my house before I even got to see it."

Nathan scooped her up off her feet and carried her so her gown didn't trail in the sand. "Kristin, how do you feel?" he asked after he set her down at the foot of the stairs.

"Happy, Nathan. I feel so happy."

"Good. I intend to keep you that way. Shall we?" He gestured toward the door.

"We are alone, right? No vid-links left on? No holographic images of Carol?"

"Completely alone," he breathed. However, the water was just twenty feet away and Darwin chirped loudly from near the dock just then. "Except for a dolphin crashing the party," he amended.

"Go find your own mate, Darwin!" she called. Then she entered the honeymoon home on their own private island with the man of her dreams.