CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It had been a few days and the resupplying and repairs on the ship were going as planned. Mike had been tied up during the day with supervising the ship. He had hoped for more time with Andrea in the afternoons and evenings, but the engine repairs were taking up a majority of her time. She had spent the last couple nights with him in his stateroom, but exhaustion and taken her almost as soon as she finished eating a meal.

Today as the day ended and Mike was heading towards the wardroom for his meal, he decided to detour through engineering and check on the crew. He popped in the engine room and saw Andrea elbows deep into the guts of the ship, a strain on her face. Chung was across the p-way flipping toggles and checking gauges.

"How about now?" Andrea yelled and Chung flipped a switch then knocked his knuckle against a gauge.

"Still nothing," he ground out, the frustration heavy in his words.

"Damn it," Andrea breathed out and then shifted her body and reached to another area. She strained again and did something then looked back at Chung. "And now?"

Mike watched as Chung flipped the switch a few times and then shook his head and breathed out a frustrated sigh.

"No change," he said with gritted teeth then slapped the panel. "What the heck are we doing wrong?"

Andrea pulled herself free from the ship and wiped her hands absently at her uniform pants. Mike could see the concentration on her face as she was working the problem through her head.

"We're losing prime somewhere. Where else along this line could we lose prime?" Andrea asked looking at Chung. Neither one had noticed the XO standing back watching them.

"We've checked all the points along this route," Chung said thoughtfully as he closed his eyes and thought. Andrea chewed at her lower lip, her eyes locked on the floor, eyes glazed as she thought about their problem.

Mike stood back quiet, he didn't want to intrude on this moment, and he wanted to continue to watch her work. He watched as her head snapped up to Chung's and her eyes brightened with an epiphany.

Andrea launched into a fast-paced flow of words that made little sense to Mike. She was talking a mile a minute and he watched as Chung's face brightened and then his head was nodding furiously as her idea started to make sense to him. Mike was glad someone understood what she was saying because he was lost. The two sprang into action as Chung climbed up high and worked on something. Andrea stood at the panel waiting for him to tell her he was ready.

"Try it now!" Chung grunted out. Andrea flipped the switch and watched the gauge with a triumphant smile.

"Yes!" she cheered out as the gauge climbed into the green. "Well done, Lt. Chung!"

Chung hopped down to the p-way and pumped his fist into the air. "It was your idea, Ma'am, I just did what you said."

"Problem fixed. On to the next one," she said wearily. Chung's smile faltered a little, the victory short lived with all the other issues they still faced. Andrea turned and finally noticed Mike standing back watching. "Commander Slattery," she said trying to hide the surprise in her voice. Mike smiled. Chung turned and stood at attention.

"Well done, you two," Mike said, his eyes still on Andrea. Chung nodded and Andrea smiled at him.

"That was a particularly difficult little issue we've been battling for a few hours," Andrea breathed out.

"It surely was," Chung agreed.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to figure it out. How are repairs coming?" Mike asked in general. Andrea seemed to catch his hidden meaning.

"Slow," she replied with a shrug, then she shook her head slightly letting him know she couldn't leave just yet. He nodded.

"Captain Williams offered a few bodies if you need some extra help down here," Mike replied.

"When we do the overhaul on the engines and rework the generators we could use some extra hands," Chung replied. Mike looked at the young Lt.

"I'll let her know. Just let me know when you're ready for that."

"Aye, aye, Sir," Chung replied, as the young man stepped around the corner to work on something. Mike watched him until he was out of eyesight then stepped in closer to Andrea.

"So, dinner's out?" Mike asked quietly. He saw the disappointment on her face, and he nodded. "It's okay. I'll have something for you in the room when you get back."

"Thanks," she whispered. "Sorry I haven't been the best company."

"You're exhausted, it's okay," Mike whispered as he reached out and touched her face gingerly. She smiled at him and nodded slowly.

Chung came back around the corner and Mike stepped back a step. He saw the disappointment flash through Andrea's eyes and his smile widened. He winked at her then bid his farewells and headed back to the wardroom.

Later that night Mike lay stretched out on his couch lightly dozing. Something pulled him from sleep, and he sat up quickly on the couch looking around. A small laugh caught his attention, and he looked over to Andrea at his desk eating the meal he had got for her. He blinked and looked around, slightly disoriented.

"Hey," she said as she finished her food and got up walking towards him. Mike took in a slow deep breath and let his mind calm and refocus on being awake.

"Hey," he whispered back as she sat down next to him. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes again. "What time is it?"

"Twenty hundred," Andrea said with a yawn.

"Did you just get out of engineering?" Mike asked as she leaned into his side, her eyes slipping closed.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled as she wrapped her arms around him. He shifted and laid down, pulling her down with him. She settled against him, her head on his chest, her breathing slow and even. Mike stroked her hair and sighed.

"I'm going to order my chief engineer to take more breaks," he whispered. He felt her laugh gently against him and then she was still. Mike sighed. He knew why she needed to work what she was working but it was killing him to see her so exhausted. This, he thought. This is why this is discouraged. I never thought about this before, he thought. Duty was duty and everyone was bound. He shook his head to clear it and leaned down enough to kiss the top of her head. "Sleep, Babe, we've got another round tomorrow."

To Be Continued…