CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: FAMILY OF FIVE

By the time the sun was starting to lighten the sky (which happens at about 4:30am in mid-June in Portsmouth), the baby had been cleaned up, weighed and measured, examined, swaddled, and returned to his parents. Rachel had also gotten cleaned up and changed into comfortable pajama pants and a tank top. She and Tom cuddled together on her hospital bed with her legs draped over his and his arm around her waist. Their son was cradled between them as he nursed for the first time.

"He looks just like you," Tom whispered as he watched the baby.

"You think so?"

He nodded. "Your nose, hair, eyes - "

"His eyes are all yours," she countered.

"Color, maybe, but the shape… He definitely lucked out in the looks department."

Rachel chuckled. "You're not exactly a bagger, my love." She smiled down at her son as he slowly drifted off to sleep, trying to memorize every little thing about him. "He's everything I imagined."

Tom smiled at the sheer wonder on her face. "I know. I feel like the luckiest guy on earth. I'm so glad to be here."

"Do I get to hear the story of how that happened?" Rachel asked.

Tom sighed. "We lost the Seahawk."

Rachel looked up in surprise and confusion. "What?"

"Only one witness from the deck survived, but apparently the tail rotor tore apart just after takeoff. They lost control and came back down on the ship."

Her mouth fell open. "Oh, God."

"Yeah… I guess it could have been worse if they hadn't continued spinning and gone overboard. But even still, the helo bays and flight deck got cut up by the rotors, and the Seahawk leaked fuel all over, which caught fire… It was hell." He could too-easily recall the dread of seeing acrid black smoke pouring from his own vessel. A normal morning had turned into a nightmare in an instant. "I'm not sure how we managed to stay afloat."

Rachel looked down at his bandaged hand. "Was this a burn?"

He nodded. "Was trying to help find people near the helo bay. I wasn't thinking about the heat and grabbed some metal debris…" She winced sympathetically. "It didn't matter anyway. We were too late."

Rachel gently threaded their fingers together. "How many lost?"

He couldn't look at her. "Twenty-seven." Rachel knew each would haunt him. There was no blame, but they had been his people, his responsibility.

"I'm sorry, my love."

Tom scrubbed his other hand over his face. "Yeah… The James is a mess. I thought there was a legitimate risk of being stuck in Brazil indefinitely if we went back to Belèm." They'd been north of their forward operating base, near Venezuela and the Leeward Antilles, and he'd been faced with a hard choice about which direction to go in. A short trip south that they'd almost certainly survive to a foreign country where supplies were very limited? Or a longer journey full of uncertainty back to a functional American shipyard? "Since the engines were still working, I made the call to try for Portsmouth. Luckily, we made it."

Rachel doubted that it had all been luck; they had a very experienced and dedicated crew with an exceptional leader. "I'm very glad you did. I was so scared when I heard you'd all disappeared."

Tom gently kissed her. They'd had no warning before the incident, or of course they would have let someone know what had happened. It was out of his control, but he still felt bad for frightening her. He was fully aware of the fact that their son had been born early and had a feeling stress was the reason why. Thank God the baby was healthy. "I'm sorry. That's the last thing I ever wanted."

"I know," she replied with a little grin. "And you made a quite memorable entrance to make up for it."

Damn, he'd missed that smile. "If it helps my case, I have a feeling I'm going to be around for a while."

"Really?"

Tom nodded. "The ship is going to need a lot of work. After that... I don't know what's going to happen. The admiral has dropped a few not-so-subtle hints about the quantity of material resources we need compared to the nuclear subs. Fuel is getting harder to come by around here."

"So what would that mean for the ship?"

"Not sure yet. But the James needs to be seaworthy again before we really worry about it."

Rachel took a breath. They could tackle whatever came their way. They'd been through so much already. And she wouldn't complain about having her husband home more. "Okay. You're fetching him for 3am feedings, then."

Tom smiled. "I think I can manage that." He ran a gentle hand over the baby's little head. "I can't believe he's here."

"Me either," Rachel softly agreed. "He needs a name," she pointed out.

"Well, you had the hard job," Tom replied with a grin. He was still amazed by her strength. "What were you thinking of?"

She smiled. "I'm still partial to Thomas - "

"No," he instantly cut her off.

Rachel laughed lightly. "I thought you'd say that. What about Nathan?"

Tom groaned. "Naming him after the ship was supposed to be a joke, babe."

Rachel smiled. "Before you say no, do you know what it means?"

"No idea."

"Given. A gift."

"Really?"

Rachel nodded as she ran a finger over her sleeping son's soft cheek. "And he is."

Tom smiled, holding both of them closer. "Yeah, he definitely is."

"And so was the ship," she continued. "It saved us all - "

"YOU saved us all," Tom countered.

"We never would have made it far enough for that without the James," Rachel pointed out. "We'd never have been together without it. And it brought you home."

Tom's smile grew; he knew that she was right. "Nathan Chandler, huh?"

She nodded. It felt right. "Nathan Chandler."

Rachel fell asleep shortly after that, exhausted. Tom took his son, who was still sleeping, and stood by the window, watching morning arrive across the base. It was starting to really sink in that he was home. Safe. The mission was over - at least for the moment - and he'd gotten the best possible welcome home gift.

"This is a very interesting world you've just entered," he whispered to his son. "If anybody ever makes you wonder why your mom and I wanted you, despite everything that was going on, I hope you'll know how tremendously loved you are, and how deeply we believe you'll continue our goal of making this world better. Just by being here, you've made our lives - our family - better."

Around 7:30AM, there was a knock on the door before it cracked open. Tom turned around to see Ashley and Sam poke their heads in the room. They were wearing the t-shirts that they'd gotten for Christmas as a way of announcing Rachel's pregnancy. Both of them looked terribly excited, but then they stopped in their tracks, completely stunned, when they saw their father.

"Dad!"

"You're home!"

"Shh," he tried to tell them. "Mom's sleeping."

"Not anymore," Rachel pointed out as she sat up.

The kids at least looked contrite. "Sorry," Ashley apologized.

Tom handed Nathan to his mother, then caught both of his older children in a hug at once. "How'd you get here?" Sam asked.

"Magic… and gas turbines," he teasingly replied. "The ship got back late last night."

"Are you okay?" Ashley wondered.

"I'm fine," Tom assured her, noticing that there were tears in her eyes. Whether they were from fresh relief, old fears, or a little of both, he wasn't sure. "I'm okay, sweetheart. Just a couple little bumps."

Ashley wiped her face, trying to be brave. "We missed you," she told him.

Tom pulled both children into another hug. "I missed you guys, too. You've changed so much! You look great."

They beamed proudly. "Thank you."

Tom's eyes met Rachel's; she was watching the three of them together with a smile. Having their whole family back together again was a dream come true for both of them. Especially since that family had just expanded. "You guys ready to meet your little brother?" he asked Ashley and Sam.

They both quickly turned around, as though they had just now remembered what they'd originally come for. "Yeah!"

The siblings stood by Rachel's bed and carefully studied the baby. They reached gentle fingers to touch their brother's hands, face, and silky hair. Nathan didn't stir at all. "He's so adorable," Ashley declared. "He's so tiny!"

Rachel laughed. "He didn't feel very tiny last night." Despite being three weeks early, the newest member of the Chandler family had tipped the scales at just over seven pounds (or nearly three and a quarter kilos).

"What's his name?" Sam wondered.

"We decided that we're going to call him Nathan," Tom replied.

Ashley giggled. "Like the ship?"

"Yeah, like the ship. What do you think?"

She shrugged. "I like it. We can call him Nate for short."

Sam took his little brother's hand, watching him carefully. "Hi, Nathan," he whispered. "I'm glad you're here. We've been waiting forever, ever since Christmas."

Tom laughed and ruffled his hair. "Six and a half months is not forever, bud."

"It is to me!"

There was another knock on the door, and this time Jed looked in. He seemed just as surprised as his grandchildren to see his son in the room. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. By the time we had the lines tied, I was already hearing rumors that my wife was at the medical center, so I came straight here."

Jed chuckled as he came closer to get a look at his new grandson. "Bet you never thought you'd be grateful for base scuttlebutt."

Tom smiled. "Yeah, seriously. Thankfully, I made it in time for the kernel's grand entrance."

"He has a real name, now," Ashley pointed out to her father, rolling her eyes.

He laughed. "True, but I think the nickname has stuck."

Rachel adjusted her hold on her son so Jed could see him better. "A beautiful boy," he told her. "Just like his mother."

Her smile widened. "Thank you. We named him Nathan."

"Yes, like the ship," Tom chimed in before his father could ask.

Jed chuckled. "I see. Do you two want your bag now?" he asked Ashley and Sam.

"Bag?" Tom wondered.

Ashley nodded as she took the large paper bag from her grandfather. "We brought presents for Nate," she told her parents.

The first thing she pulled out and handed over was folded up fabric - a small quilt. "This looks like your handiwork, Ash." Tom told her.

She smiled. "I'm not very good at sewing, so it's not very big. But I thought he should have a blanket like ours. The different pieces came from things from each of us. See, those were Sammy's jeans," she pointed to two squares. When he'd fallen off his bike in the spring, he'd really ripped up one leg. Rachel had cut the bottoms off to turn them into shorts, and Ashley had collected the extra material. "And this is from my old pajamas," a yellow square from a shirt that had gotten too small, "And this was one of daddy's t-shirts," a gray piece of material with 'NAVY' printed on it.

"I don't think I was done with that shirt, monster," Tom pointed out. Ashley grinned sheepishly.

"It's beautiful," Rachel told her. "Thank you, luv. I'm sure he'll treasure it just like you love yours." She could imagine her son as a toddler, dragging the blanket around everywhere with him.

Sam pulled out the other object in the bag, a small rectangular picture frame with a photo of the older kids and their parents. "That's to go on the side of his cradle," Sam explained. "I heard that babies can't see good, so I wanted him to have a picture real close, so he'll know who his family is."

"That's very sweet, Sammy, thank you," Rachel told him.

"I decorated it." The simple wood frame had been colored in blue with baseballs and footballs drawn on. She could picture Sam teaching his brother how to throw and catch a ball in a few years.

"It's perfect."

"Can we hold him?" Ashley wondered.

"If you sit down and be gentle," Tom replied.

Ashley went first; she sat on the bed next to Rachel, who transferred little Nathan into her arms after giving a gentle warning about supporting his head. Ashley stared down at her sleeping brother in awe.

"Hi," she whispered. "I used to wish you were a girl, but I'm glad you're here anyway."

Tom chuckled. "Maybe next time," he told his daughter.

Rachel shot him a glare. "Bite your tongue." She wasn't completely ruling out the idea of another child, but it certainly wouldn't be anytime soon.

"My turn now?" Sam begged.

Tom took Nathan so that Ashley could get up, and Sam took her place. He had a look of absolute reverence on his face as he held his little brother for the first time. Nathan yawned and cracked his eyes open.

"He's looking at me!" Sam happily exclaimed.

Tom smiled as he knelt beside them. "He has to check out what his favorite playmate looks like."

"Hi, Nate," Sam whispered. "I love you."

"We'll see how long it takes before they're trying to kill each other," Jed softly commented to Rachel. She laughed, also certain that at least a couple wrestling matches lay ahead in their future.

"What are brothers for, hmm?"

"Or family in general," Tom chimed in. He knew from his own childhood that sometimes they'd drive each other crazy, but when they really needed it, they'd have each other's backs.

"When does Nathan come home?" Ashley wondered.

"Hopefully this afternoon," Rachel replied as she took the baby back from his big brother. "They just want to make sure we're both doing okay."

"And Dad gets to come home, too?" Sam wondered.

"Sure do," Tom replied. "That okay with you?" Returning after deployment was always an adjustment for everyone. He hated to think that his son's answer might be no, but if it was, they needed to deal with it.

However, Sam nodded vigorously. "Yep."

Ashley smiled. "We all get to be a family again," she pointed out.

Tom wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It had taken a lot of work, with a few missteps along the way, but he and Rachel built a wonderful family together. "Sounds perfect to me," he agreed with a smile.

When the lights have faded to black
Only stars are guiding me back
I'll keep running to the place where I belong
When you think you're on your own
I'm still coming home
When you think you're all alone
I'm still coming home

FIN.

A/N: The epilogue will be coming later today (think of it as that little teaser after the credits that sets up the next movie in a series) but I wanted to make sure I got my thank yous out. This is by far the biggest writing project I've ever undertaken; it became about 10 chapters longer than originally planned thanks to feedback and ideas from readers, so thank you very much for all of your support. I am kicking around the idea of writing a third story for this series instead of doing a S2 finale fic, so hopefully I'll be posting again sometime soon. As always, suggestions are welcome.

Song Credit: "Running" by James Bay