Disclaimer: same as in ch.1
About the same time
A prisoner camp in China
Matt's head was about to explode as he woke up in a cold, dark and rather small room. He began to shiver just as the door opened to reveal a shortish man--probably around 5'8"--in his fifty who was wearing a Chinese military uniform. Behind him were two young men wearing the same uniform.
"Take him!"
When the older man barked out the order, the duo following him quickly grabbed Matt and dragged him to a very bright room where they tied him into a chair. The same short man--whom Matt later learned was called Captain Chen--began to interrogate him. "Tell me about your mission!"
"Matthew Jonathan Rabb. Commander, US Navy. Serial Number 9607..." Before he could finish his recitation, he was punched hard in the stomach.
"I hope you cherish your life, Commander. I ask you again, what was your mission? Why was the US still sending fighters over China?"
"Matthew Jonathan Rabb. Commander..." This time, the irate punch knocked him out.
* * *
Matt awoke several hours later--5 hours, 22 minutes, and 26 sec, to be exact. He had inherited his mother's ability to track time, which drove his father crazy. He smiled a little at the thought. His father always would grumble about it.
"Are you ok?" A voice broke into his thoughts. It was then that he realized he had a 'roommate'.
"I...I'm okay. Who are you?"
"What year is it now?"
"It's 2038"
"Oh..." The reply sounded very dejected.
"Um, would you mind answering my question now? Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter. They all called me Lieutenant. You can do the same. How about you?"
"Just call me 'Matt.' Lieutenant, eh? Are you in the Navy or Marines?"
"I was a Naval Aviator. They shot me down in 2027." His voice got shaky.
"2027?! That 11 years!"
"Yeah...I've seen a bunch Americans get in and out of this place, one way or another. The last one was about 2 years ago."
His tone made Matt shiver. This man endured more than just being imprisoned for 11 years. With limited light source, Matt wasn't able to see his face, but it was obvious that he'd gone through a lot in his years here, and most of it was ugly.
"Matt, are you a naval aviator, too?"
"Yeah. A commander."
"I suppose to call you 'sir.' "
"Nonsense! You've got to be older than me. If you hadn't been shot down, you'd probably be a Captain by now."
"I don't know. Maybe..." Lieutenant whispered as the door opened and two trays were shoved into the cell. "That's our dinner. You sit here. Let me get yours."
Without waiting for an answer, he quickly limped across the room and grabbed the food, handing some of it to Matt as he sat down near him. He was finally visible in the dim light, and his face looked almost familiar...Matt couldn't place it, though.
He was still young, probably in his early thirties. There were a couple of worry lines visible on his forehead, and it looked like he has a bit of a mustache. He favored his right leg, which was likely injured when he punched out. Matt wondered who he might be.
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1100 EST
14th August 2038
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, MD
Seven months had passed since Matthew had been declared MIA. After that moment, Elaine hadn't been the same. For that matter, none of them had been the same. Matt's daughter, Elizabeth Elaine Rabb, was born two days earlier, but Elaine insisted that nobody needed keep her company during the night.
Harm and Sturgis had come to take the mother and daughter home. Harm stopped at the nurse station to get the release paper, leaving Sturgis to get his daughter and new grand-daughter.
"Hey, honey. Ready to go?" Sturgis grinned at her as he entered the room.
"Hi, Daddy. Yeah, I'm ready to go." She sounded half-hearted, but Sturgis tried to ignore the sad tone in her voice.
"Where is my little princess?" As if on cue, a nurse entered, carrying his grand-daughter, and followed by Harm.
"We are good to go." Harm said happily, letting the baby girl grab his finger.
"Harm, she already has you wrapped around her little fingers. Try not to spoil her like you used to with your twins." Sturgis tried to say it seriously, but a smile kept tugging at his lips.
"Oh yeah? Let's see, who's already gotten her those "Barbie" dolls set?" Harm smirked.
"Well...uhm...hey, looks like everything's ready. Let's go, darling."
Elaine smiled slightly; sometimes her father and father-in-law could be worse than five year-olds.
"Now, young lady, you are supposed to come with your daddy, not smile at him."
"Oh, and here I thought Dad was here to pick me up...yes, I distinctly remember saying Dad, not Daddy."
Sturgis grasped at his heart as if he had been wounded. "Oh, it hurts!"
All the others started to chuckle, and then Elaine pulled Harm and Sturgis into a brief hug. "Thanks, Daddy. Thanks, Dad. I love you both."
Pulling her closer, Harm spoke for both of them. "We love you too, darling. Now, let's go on home before your mommy and mom send down a search party!"
Still chuckling, they strolled out of the hospital.
TBC…