The Reporter

Chapter 3

Libby walked into her apartment that night and immediately heard a baby fussing. She walked into the room that her mom would be using as a nursery and smiled at Hannah swaying back and forth with a small baby in her arms. Hannah was singing a soft song that Libby remembered her singing to her when she was little.

"This must be Gracie?" Libby asked.

"It is. She is readjusting to her new environment. She likes it better than the hospital but its not as bright or loud." Hannah said. As Libby got closer, Gracie gave a small smile but cuddled into Hannah closer.

"She's a cutie. I remember you singing that song to me when I was little." Libby remarked.

"Yeah, I remember it from when I was small, but I remember a man singing it to me." Hannah explained. It was the first time she had recalled a memory from before the foster homes.

"Your dad, maybe? Isn't it a different language?" Libby asked.

"Maybe. I think its Gaelic. I just remember the words. I have no idea what they mean. I just liked how soothing it was." Hannah said.

"You know, the interview I did today; Gator? I mentioned how you thought your dad was in the Navy. He said that his DNA would be on file and we could have your DNA ran to see if it matched anyone." Libby explained.

"That wouldn't be so bad. I am just terrified that he's either died or will want nothing to do with me." Hannah said as she sat down in a rocking chair and began rocking Gracie.

"I can't imagine that." Libby said.

"We could check into the DNA thing, and you could be the one to find out. If he's died, don't tell me. I don't know how to handle if he is still alive. I'm not holding out a lot of hope." Hannah responded.

"I'll check into places and see who can compare against DNA from the Armed Forces." Libby said.

"So, otherwise; how did your interview go? Did you get to do the second one?" Hannah asked.

"No, he's out of town but said he would meet me next week here in Washington. Makes it easier for me." Libby told her.

"No doubt." Hannah said.

Two Days Later

Libby was scheduled to meet with Eric Miller, who was not in leadership on the James but he had worked closely with both Chandler and Slattery. He had lost both legs in the battle with Tavo. Eric Miller had remained close with several members of the crew and had gone on to advocate for disabled veterans. Libby walked up to his ranch style home and rang the doorbell. A gray-haired woman answered the door and greeted Libby with a smile.

"My name is Libby Johnson; I am here to meet with Chief Petty Officer Eric Miller. I believe my editor spoke with you?" Libby asked.

"Yes, come in; my name is Courtney Miller, Eric's wife." Courtney said as she led her in and into a living room. There was a man sitting in the recliner, waiting on them. Libby immediately noticed the prosthetic legs but decided not to pay them any attention. "Eric, this is Libby, that reporter. I'll get some coffee." Courtney introduced.

"Please sit." Eric said. Courtney had left the room and Libby sat down on a couch across from Eric.

"Alright, how much did my editor tell you about what I was doing?" Libby asked.

"He told me that someone is finally writing an honest account about what happened. No one has ever asked us any questions. A lot of assumptions were made. And you can call me Eric by the way. No formality here." Eric said.

"Thank you. Yes, I want to write an honest account. The cruise to the Arctic was your first deployment, correct?" Libby asked.

"Yep. I was barely out of boot camp. Nineteen years old. I had no idea what my future would hold." Eric answered.

"Did you lose any family or friends to the Red Flu?" Libby asked.

"I only had my mom and she survived. She's still living, in fact. I had a lot of friends that died. I was in the trials and my friend Maya Gibson died during that. Wasn't the first friend I would lose and definitely not the last." Eric replied.

"Do you remember anything from during the trials? I am trying to figure out…what the disease was like?" Libby asked.

"I remember being so hot. I was running a fever, honestly and I felt like I had run a 10k the entire time. A headache and general weakness. It got pretty hopeless for a while." Eric answered.

"I see. I understand you were on the away teams but you were never a SEAL. What sort of training did you receive and how were you chosen for this?" Libby asked.

"I was. I don't know how Tom made that decision and I was definitely a rookie for a while. My first mission was the first time I killed someone. Wish I could tell you it was the last, but not so much. As far as training, I learned through some intense training on the ship and by osmosis. I spent time with the operators, Chandler and Slattery. It was not traditional." Eric explained.

"You were a POW with Slattery and Jeter, correct?" Libby asked.

"Yes, and Captain Andrea Garnett, Rios and Diaz. It was horrifying." Eric said, and Libby realized that he didn't want to talk about that time in his life.

"I imagine." Libby said. Courtney had come back in with two coffee cups, sugar and creamer. Libby fixed her coffee and thought about her next question.

"Mike led from the front, like Tom did. He really helped with emotional fallout from that time. Most people think he's kind of hard; but he isn't. He just covers it well. He let us know that it was okay to not be okay. After it was all done, we sat down and talked it out amongst ourselves." Eric responded.

"That's good. I understand since your injury; you have done a lot of advocation work for disabled veteran's?" Libby asked.

"Yeah. Somebody has to be a voice and because I was on the James; I have a loud voice. So, I talk. The government would like to forget us. If a country can spend a couple billion dollars sending men and women to war, they can spend the money for the aftercare." Eric explained.

"True. Now, a lot of the people I have interviewed have mentioned how steadfast Slattery was compared to Tom Chandler. Any thoughts on that?" Libby asked.

"Steadfast, yes. More compassionate too. Mike was going through a hell all of his own but he still kept us going. I think the world of Tom and still talk to him, but Mike was amazing. He just will never get the credit he deserves and he honestly doesn't care. He wasn't in it for accolades." Eric said.

"You stay in touch with both of them?" Libby asked.

"Yeah, once a week; I meet Tom for coffee and I meet Mike for dinner. We don't talk a lot about those days. Mike always wants to hear about my family as he does with everyone else. He has bought birthday gifts for all of my kid's birthdays, attended graduations and weddings. He danced with my daughter at her wedding. I think in a lot of ways; he lives vicariously through us. He never got to do those things with his own kids, so he does it with ours and we let him. I would never deny him." Eric explained.

"That's good, I suppose. Alright, if I have any further questions; I will call. It was nice to meet you." Libby said as she stood up. Eric also stood up and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for finally getting our side of the story." Eric said as he let Libby out.

As Libby drove home, she thought about her interviews. She was going to do Tom Chandler's last, but she was rethinking that. She wanted to see what he said about Mike. The crew seemed intensely protective and attached to their former XO.