CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tom woke when he felt the bed dip, but he feigned still sleeping. He wasn't quite ready to face the world yet and he was wondering what Rachel would do. He also wondered what time it was as he felt well rested. He winced a little and almost blew his cover when her fingers danced along his wound.
Her hand pulled away and he felt it take residence on his hip. His heart fluttered. How could he be so lucky to have this twice in his lifetime. He was glad he was able to overcome the guilt as he was truly happy to have this woman in his life. He opened his eyes with the need to see her and found her staring blankly off over his shoulder. He wondered what she was thinking about and had the sudden urge to feel her skin under his fingers.
He reached up and touched her gently on the side of the face, relishing in the smooth feel of her skin against the coarser skin on his hand. She jumped and her eyes flew wide, and he felt a chuckle roll through him.
"Sorry," he whispered as he retracted his hand, laying it gently over her hand that was still on his hip. He watched as she tried to compose herself, after the scare he had just given her. He managed to push the laughter down.
"I didn't know you were awake," she mumbled as she closed her eyes. He could tell she was still trying to calm herself down.
"What time is it?" he asked as a yawn escaped.
"Thirteen thirty hours," Rachel replied, and Tom felt his eyes grow wide in surprise. How the heck did he sleep that long. "Was it your plan to stay in bed all day?"
"No," Tom replied with a chuckle. He gave in to the need to stretch. "Good thing I have the day off after the bender I just pulled."
"I should say. Forty-eight hours of nonstop action was not a good look on you," she replied. He watched her gesture to his forehead. He pulled his hand away from hers and gingerly touched his wound.
"Yeah," he mumbled. He was still slightly embarrassed he had let that happen. "Thanks for patching me up, Doc," he said with a smile. He watched Rachel nod, then the emotions that filtered through her eyes had him concerned.
"It scared me," she whispered. He felt his heart hurt for her and reached for her hand on his hip. He tugged it up to his lips and gently kissed it.
"I'm sorry," he replied softly, as it was the only thing, he could think of to say. Rachel nodded at him.
"I didn't like seeing you like that."
"I know. And I am sorry. But sometimes…"
"I know. This ship," Rachel cut him off. He felt the tightness in his chest as he wanted to make it all better, but he could never walk away until the mission was complete. It would fester and destroy him.
"Is my responsibility," he cut her off in turn. She nodded slowly again, and he could see she understood his point. "But it's okay. We'll be okay now. I'm guessing things are going smoothly today as no one has woken me up demanding my immediate attention."
"We can hope."
"The James needed dry dock while we were home but there just wasn't time, so we have to do this on the fly."
"I understand."
"Good," Tom said. He rolled onto his back, sliding his arm under his head. He felt her curl into his side, resting her head on her shoulder. His body relaxed and he absorbed the warmth from her body. He was just settling in when he heard her stomach grumble. He looked at her with a wry smile. "Hungry?"
"Maybe a little," Rachel replied with a chuckle. He nodded at her.
"Let's go eat. Then I'll need to check in."
"Thought you were off today?" Rachel said and he could hear the disappointment in her voice. His heart beat a little faster and he wrapped his arms around her.
"I am but I still need to check in. A captain is never truly off duty."
They got up and Tom made his way into the bathroom to get ready. Once he was dressed and groomed, they headed to the wardroom to get a late lunch. He was expecting it to be empty at such an odd hour but was a little surprised to see Mike and Garnett sitting together eating lunch.
Tom grabbed a plate of food as Rachel followed behind him. He took the seat across from Mike and Rachel sat down next to him across from Garnett. Tom gave Mike an inquisitive look, but Mike didn't give anything back.
"Have you checked in with Jeter yet?" Tom asked Mike.
"No. I just got my ass moving not too long ago. You?"
"Likewise," Tom replied with a nod. He knew now that as soon as he had Mike alone, he would be asking him some questions. "How's engineering?" he asked turning towards Commander Garnett.
"No news is good news I suppose," Garnett replied with a smile. "Last I heard all engines were running in prime condition, power grid was holding with no surges, and the ship was cooperating running at a smooth twenty-five knots."
"Finally," Tom replied as relief flooded him. Lunch continued with casual conversation, and after everyone had finished eating, the four broke up and separated. Tom looked at Rachel and saw a contemplative, almost dreamy, look on her face. He rose an eyebrow in question, and she laughed at him. He was suspicious now.
"Something funny on your mind?" Tom asked as he closed the door to the stateroom behind her. He turned to face her fully waiting for her answer.
"I was just thinking," Rachel started but then trailed off. He could see the wheels in her mind spinning about something.
"About?"
"Commander Slattery," she replied absently, and Tom was not expecting that. He grew even more suspicious as to why Rachel was thinking about his best friend and XO on the ship. She looked at him and laughed again.
"Should I be worried about Mike?" Tom asked her. Rachel smiled and kissed him passionately, making him momentarily forget what they were talking about. She shook her head slowly as she pulled away from him.
"Not like that," she replied.
"Then what?" Tom asked, wondering what she could possibly be thinking about Mike.
"I was just wondering if there was something going on between him and Garnett," Rachel admitted to him. Tom fought hard to keep his emotionless captain's mask on his face and knew he had failed slightly as the corner of his mouth twitched up. He watched her narrow her brow at him. "You already knew."
"I don't know for sure. I haven't asked him, and he hasn't let it slip…too much," Tom replied as he thought about the little things that had caught his attention lately. "But yes, I've suspected for a while now."
"You think they're serious?"
"I think it started much like you and I did…well sort of… I mean the grieving part," Tom stumbled through his words, trying to figure out what he meant to say.
"How so?"
"I think Mike was hurting after finding out about his family. And so was Garnett as she lost her daughter and her husband."
"And you think that grief brought them together?"
"I think it started as two friends looking for someone who understood the pain they were feeling. They had both lost a child and a spouse and well, I think maybe," Tom replied, trailing off as he couldn't think of how to finish his sentence. He shrugged his shoulders to push his point. He saw her hesitate, thinking about something.
"I saw her enter his stateroom late last night," Rachel said. Tom's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was not expecting that. Rachel nodded with a coy smile on her lips.
"Well, damn," Tom said quietly. He was definitely cornering his friend now.
"So, you going to talk to him now?" Rachel asked with a smile.
"I may," Tom replied with a chuckle. "What are your plans for today?"
"I don't really have any, but if you're off today…" she trailed off with a smile that spoke of more. Tom couldn't stop the groan that escaped him, as he knew he had to at least check in with the crew.
"Let me get some official duties done. I'll be back hopefully in an hour," he said. He stepped forward and latched his lips over hers giving her a promise that he would be back. He then turned and left the state room making his way towards the bridge.
When he got there, he found Jeter and Mike talking about what had happened during the night and morning that may have any importance. Both men acknowledged him when he stepped up.
"Anything I need to know?" Tom asked, he glanced at Mike, which earned him a curious look from his friend. Tom turned back to Jeter.
"As I was telling Commander Slattery, after Commander Garnett fixed the five inch and the power grid settled down, we had no more issues. The work in the main galley to fix the burned appliances is almost complete. The engines are cooperating. We will be entering the Mississippi within a couple hours, and with the slower speed will be in St. Louis in two and a half days," Jeter updated him. Tom nodded.
"Sounds good. I'm taking today as a down day after the last bender. Jeter you got it from here then Granderson or Foster can take the night watch."
"Aye, Aye, Captain."
"I want the ship ready to increase speed in the Mississippi if we can. Maybe shave some hours off our arrival time."
"Yes, Sir," Jeter replied. "We have had no contact from St. Louis is twelve hours."
"Okay," Tom replied as he blew out a breath. "We approach using the last intel, as if the environment is hostile."
"I agree," Mike chimed in. Jeter nodded.
"Mike, take the day. Get some rest. I have a feeling you and I are going to be pulling more all-nighters soon."
"Aye, Sir," Mike nodded.
"All right. I'll check in later, Jeter," Tom said to his Master Chief. Jeter nodded and stepped away. Tom looked at Mike.
"What?" he asked suspiciously. Tom pointed to the at sea cabin and the two men stepped in for some privacy. "Okay, we're alone. You've been giving me side looks for a while now. Spit it out."
"I should say the same to you," Tom replied with a half-smile.
"What?" Mike asked incredulously. Tom couldn't help but chuckle.
"So, tell me about Commander Garnett," Tom asked with a smirk. He watched the recognition on his friend's face, and a slight blush rise. Mike rubbed a hand at the back of his neck and shrugged slowly.
"Not much to tell," Mike said cautiously.
"How long she been staying in your room?" Tom asked. Mike's jaw dropped for a second before he recovered.
"Uh…I don't…how the hell did you know that?"
"I'm the captain, buddy, I know everything," Tom said with a straight face. Mike was searching Tom for some humor. He let him stew for a moment before he smiled. "You're not in trouble."
He saw Mike physically relax a notch. His friend drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Then Mike looked down at his shoes.
"It just kind of happened," he said, looking back up at Tom with a smile on his face. He shrugged. "It started as two friends sharing a common grief. We found ourselves alone in the wardroom one night, both unable to sleep."
"And things happened."
"Yeah. I mean not right away. We talked that first night. I opened up about Lucas dying. She told me about Lily. We shared the bond of losing a child. Then another night on deck we talked about losing a spouse. She talked about her marriage to Bill and damn if I wasn't envious," Mike said a sad look crossed his face. "Then I talked about how rocky my marriage was and the fact that Christine and the girls were gone."
"You seem like it's a good thing for you," Tom said softly. Mike smiled.
"It is. For both of us. After a while we just sought each other out after watch and talked, soon grief turned to other aspects of life, then hopes, dreams, and what would you dos if. Then I don't know it just changed at some point."
"I can understand that," Tom said thinking about Rachel.
"She makes me happy, Tom," Mike said with a smile.
"I'm happy for you," Tom replied clasping a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Sorry I didn't let you know sooner; I think I was just enjoying…us…for a while."
"I can understand that too."
"But really how'd you know about my room?" Mike asked. Tom smiled.
"I actually didn't, until Rachel told me," Tom replied with a shrug. "I can't really say anything as Rachel pretty much moved into my stateroom. Just…"
"I know, not while on watch and keep it discrete. Rachel really saw her come in?"
"I guess last night. I found out after lunch today. I was passed out when Rachel came in last night."
Mike gave him a tight-lipped smile before he couldn't hold it anymore and laughed. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his neck again.
"So, tell me. Was your speech about how I'm hiding behind the fraternization rules all a ply to get me to get into a relationship, so you didn't feel guilty for doing the same thing?"
"I..." Mike began but froze as he thought about his answer. He smiled a sheepish grin and looked down at his feet." "Ah, maybe." Tom laughed.
"Jeez, Mike, way to play the heart strings to manipulate me to get what you wanted," Tom said with a chuckle.
"Hey, you're happier now. The crew needed you to…"
"To what?" Tom replied in a warning tone, daring Mike to say something. Mike laughed.
"To lighten up," he replied softly. "You have to admit, Rachel is good for you. And Andrea is good for me. So, let's just finish this mission and see where it takes us next."
"Next," Tom said absently with a sigh. He was still seriously considering this to be his last tour. He looked at his friend as Mike stared back at him quizzically.
"You, okay?"
"I've been thinking," Tom said, and it was his turn to look at his feet. He stared for a moment trying to gather his thoughts. He looked back up at Mike.
"About what?"
"About after this mission. I don't know if I want to be at sea anymore."
"Wow," Mike said impressed. "That's…have you ever had thoughts like that before?"
"No," Tom said and frowned.
"What brought this on?" Mike asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't know. I'm just…tired. I guess. I'm ready to spend time with my kids...with Rachel, away from the constant pressure of having to save the world."
"It is a drag isn't it," Mike said, and Tom laughed. Mike smiled at him. "But seriously. You want to hang up your sea legs?"
"I think so, Mike. Ready to be a captain?"
"Yes," Mike said quickly, and Tom smiled.
"I think so too. I haven't made any formal decisions, so I'd appreciate this stay between you and me."
"Absolutely," Mike said with a quick nod. Tom nodded back at him.
"All right. It's our day off. Get out of here."
Mike nodded and left. Tom stood for a moment longer thinking about their conversation before heading back to his stateroom. When he came in, she was sitting on his couch reading. He walked over and slumped down on the couch next to her, leaning his head back against the top of the couch. He saw her look over at him and he reached out to take hold of her hand.
"Everything okay?"
"Right as rain on the Nathan James," he mumbled before picking his head up. "We're about to reach the Mississippi River."
"How long until we reach St. Louis," she asked a hint of worry working through. Tom heard it and cocked his head to the side. He noticed the underlying fear on her face.
"Two and a half days if all goes well. Hopefully nothing fubar happens," Tom replied.
"Fubar?" she asked him.
"Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition," he quipped and waited as he saw her putting the acronym together. She nodded at him as she understood.
"Ahh, Fubar."
"Yep. We expect snafus of course, but those last forty-eight hours were definitely fubar."
"Snafu?" Rachel asked with a laugh and Tom looked at her while shaking his head slightly.
"Don't you know anything?" he asked playfully. "Snafu. Systems Normal All Fucked Up."
"Snafu," Rachel repeated. Tom nodded and smiled at her.
"Life in the Navy," Tom said softly. He was longing for normalcy. "What do you want to do today?"
He watched her eyes take in his question and her ponder the meaning and what it could mean. He sat there waiting.
"I don't know. It's not like we can go to the opera or ballet."
"Well, I might be able to arrange something," Tom began, as he struck a pose to mimic deep thinking. He was thinking he probably could put together something of the likes for her if she really wanted it.
"I'm sure you could," she said warmly. Tom felt her snuggle into his side. He loved the comfort he could take from her physically.
"Well, I am the captain you know," he teased as he kissed her hair.
"I've heard that," she whispered against his neck. He shivered as her breath spread over his skin. "But seriously. It doesn't matter to me. This is fine," she sighed happily. His arm tightened around her a little more.
"Yes, it is," Tom said softly as he kissed her hair again. He was very content to sit like this forever.
To Be Continued…
