CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Tom had taken two full days to rest. He had to admit it was an enjoyable time of reading, talking with Rachel, and cuddling. But he had grown restless and ready to return to duty. He had talked to Mike each night, learning about what they were doing on shore. The president was working to reestablish control and make a network to prevent what had happened. He was relieved when Rachel and Rios had agreed on the third day to let him return to duty. Although he missed being with Rachel, he was glad to be on shore and in the thick of the decision making.
Currently he and Mike were in the inner office with the president discussing the state of the local police force, and the situation with the military. There really was no structure in place, and no designated chain of command, for either. Tom had some ideas, but it seemed the president did as well.
"So, I was thinking we need someone to be Chief of Operations for the Navy. I also need a chief of police that I can trust."
"Did you have someone in mind?" Tom asked hesitantly. He was sure the president did.
"I do. First let's address the military and the status that we know as of now. I have messages being sent out over the network that we are slowly patching together for all military personnel, all branches, to report to Norfolk. Captain Williams is to register them all and give me reports on our numbers."
"And where are we now?" Mike asked.
"As of now we have gathered four hundred and sixteen people from all the branches of the military. It's very small but it is a start."
"And what is your plan for this?"
"Eventually when we are a little more organized, I'll have a base of operations opened up here in St. Louis. I think this is a great city to reestablish a capital city, and I'd like to have a main base here. I'd like to see how many naval ships can be recovered from Norfolk and possibly out at sea."
"A big undertaking," Tom replied.
"It is, but I feel like as we get our feet more solidly on the ground, and round up more survivors, we can do more and more to get things…back to normal."
"Understood," Tom said.
"Now, on to the Chief of Operations for the Navy. I would like for you to hold that position," Michener said looking to Tom. Tom held his face in check, not letting any emotion show.
"That's a big offer," Tom said carefully. Michener gave him a smile.
"I want someone that I trust to hold that position. I know you are able to make the tough decisions and follow through. You won't be afraid to tell me the stakes and how it really is."
"Yes, sir," Tom agreed. Mike looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Tom know he was thinking about being permanent captain of the Nathan James. "Can I take some time to think about it?"
"Certainly," Michener answered with a small nod. "Now, the police situation is unclear in this city. We just lost the chief of police. The state police are in shambles. I have messages going out asking for any one with police training and experience to report to the station house we are using for now. So far, I believe we have thirty-six guys with some experience."
"It's a start," Mike replied with a shrug.
"It is. And hopefully more are coming forward. In the meantime, I need someone to help get the force back into working order. And I wanted to offer that spot to you, Commander Slattery," Michener said. Tom saw the surprise flash across Mike's eyes before he pushed it down and licked his lips.
"Uh, I'm not sure I'm interested in leaving the Nathan James," Mike said trying not to offend the president by turning down the spot.
"I can understand that. Especially with the offer I just gave Captain Chandler."
"Yes, sir," Mike said.
"Well, give it some time, and think it over," Michener said. Mike nodded slowly, but Tom knew he wouldn't take that offer. Mike liked being at sea, especially now that he didn't have anyone on shore waiting for him. He on the other hand had a lot to consider after the offer Michener had given him. "Okay, with that said, I have one more thing I'd like to discuss."
"Yes, sir," Tom answered.
"I'd like to talk about Dr. Scott and your opinion on her running the agency we are trying to put together. It'd be like the CDC. To begin with it would focus on the Red Flu and making sure we recover. As we get our feet wet, and things settle down it would take on more responsibility."
"Is there a lab in the city that can handle that?" Tom asked suddenly. Things could get interesting he thought.
"We have the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in the works to being reopened for the city to use. We are thinking about housing the agency there. We can start looking for the equipment that they would need. Do you think she would be a good fit for that? To lead that agency?"
"I do, Sir, but you would need to ask her," Tom replied. He knew Rachel was a great fit for what he wanted to do.
"Okay. Let's get her on shore, so I can talk to her. Also, I want to let you know that there is a block of rooms set aside for you and your officers while they are off the ship."
"Thank you, Sir," Tom replied.
They wrapped up their conversation and Tom and Mike left the inner office. Tom made his way to the comm center to contact the ship to let Garnett know to send Rachel ashore. When he was done, he saw Mike staring out the window.
"Lot to think about," Tom said quietly. Mike looked over at him and waited a pause.
"Yeah," Mike replied absently.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking…what are you thinking?" Mike said changing directions midsentence. Tom grinned.
"I'm thinking I'm tired," Tom said, and he really was. He wasn't sure if Chief of Naval Operations was the right fit for him, but it would keep him on shore. Something he and Rachel had halfway discussed.
"Big promotion from Captain to four-star Admiral," Mike said with a grin. Tom nodded. It felt a bit weird to think he may be made an admiral.
"Any interest in the police job?" Tom asked. He didn't figure Mike would have any.
"Not really. I mean I liked being a detective before, but I love the Navy. And I'm ready for my own command," Mike replied tipping his head to the side with a grin. Tom nodded, knowing he was angling for his ship.
"I figured as much. I have to get to the RHIB and go pick up Rachel," Tom said looking at the clock. They said their goodbyes and Tom made his way out to the front of the hotel. He found Lt. Green and explained what needed done and Danny produced an SUV to take him to the RHIB. Once on the RHIB a petty officer took him out to the ship.
When he got there, Rachel was not ready yet, so he climbed out the boat and leaned against the sidewall. His leg was aching, and his shoulder throbbed. He was ready for the day to be over already. But he knew there was more to do before he could call it a day. Finally, he saw her coming towards him. He gave her a smile.
"Glad you could join me," he said softly. He watched a quick smile cross her face.
"What should I expect?" she asked. He could hear the nervousness in his voice. He gave her a reassuring smile and helped her climb into the RHIB. Once he had her safely over the edge, he carefully climbed in himself, trying hard to keep his weight off his injured leg.
"You should expect to meet the president," Tom replied. Rachel frowned at him, and he worked to keep the smirk off his face. "The president has something he wants to ask you, I guess."
"So, is that all you've been doing? Talking about me?"
"No," Tom replied with a smile.
"Okay. Any idea what he wants to ask me?" she replied. He could tell she was not completely comfortable with the idea of meeting with the president.
"You'll find out when you get there," Tom replied.
He moved to a seat and sat down, hanging on to the bar for support. He watched as Rachel followed suit and sat down next to him. The trip to shore didn't take long and then Tom helped Rachel out of the boat.
He led her to the SUV waiting for them, to take them back to the hotel, and they climbed into the back. Lt. Green drove them the short distance, with everyone keeping quiet. Tom studied her face from the corner of his eye and saw her working to control her anxiety. He reached over and took her hand in his, giving her a reassuring squeeze. He saw her face relax a little bit.
When they arrived at the hotel they unloaded. Tom acknowledged his sailors that were guarding the place, then led Rachel inside. He took her to the main conference room that the president was using. Tom saw Miller smile at Rachel as they approached the doorway. Miller nodded at Tom then opened the door, allowing them to enter the main office area of the president. President Michener was standing talking to an aide as Tom and Rachel walked up to him. Tom waited for the president to finish talking to the aide, and when the president dismissed the other man, Tom stepped forward.
"Mr. President," Tom said as he reached out and put his hand on Rachel's shoulder, guiding her in next to him.
"Dr. Scott," Michener said with a bright smile. "So nice to see you again."
"Likewise, Mr. President," Rachel said with a tight smile. Tom could feel the anxiety in her. "Captain Chandler says you want to ask me something."
"Yes. I do, let's take this somewhere with a little more privacy," Michener replied. He reached a hand out and wrapped it around Rachel's shoulder, pulling her along with him as he moved towards his inner office. Rachel glanced at Tom, and he gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. When Rachel turned her attention away from Tom, he made his way back to Mike.
"Mike," Tom beckoned. Mike turned and faced him.
"Yes, sir?" Mike asked.
"Do you have the rooms sorted out, that Michener gave us?"
"Working on it now, Sir," Mike said as he turned towards another aide to the president.
"Also get word back to Commander Garnett about scheduling officers shore time. I think we'll be here for a while now."
"Aye, Captain," Mike said. "As of now I have a room for you, Rachel can be right next door."
"Sounds good," Tom mumbled. Mike stepped in closer to him.
"The rooms are adjoining," Mike said quietly and gave Tom the two keys. "Rooms 3203 and 3205."
"Thanks," Tom said as he pocketed the keys. Mike went to the comms room and contacted the ship to coordinate officers coming ashore while Tom walked back into the conference room to the table with a map of the city on it.
"Captain Chandler," an aide said. Tom nodded at the man.
"How are things going?" Tom asked. The man sighed a little.
"We're making slow progress but at least it's progress."
"And this map?"
"The areas that need to be restructured," the man said as Mike walked up.
"All set with the officers," Mike said.
"Thanks, Mike," Tom replied. "So, first things first, we need police, and hospital care."
"Yes, sir," the aide replied with a nod. He pointed to the map in a few places. "We have Barnes-Jewish hospital here that we are in the process of reopening. We have a few doctors and some nurses, and they are slowly testing the equipment. That's where the president wants to run the new agency out of as well. Over here, we have the police headquarters that President Michener wants to get up and running when he finds a commissioner. Over here, we have a block of schools we are looking to reopen. We've found a handful of teachers that are working together to reorganize the school system and make a functioning model that we can work with."
"Sounds like Michener is on the right track," Mike said.
"This insurgence with the militia scared him." The aid said with a tight-lipped smile. Tom studied the man's face. Someone called his name and the man looked in that direction. "Excuse me, Gentlemen, I have to attend to something."
The man walked away and Mike and Tom both studied the map. Tom was surprised in how much they were accomplishing in such a short time. It made him think that the CNO position wasn't all that bad, and that he'd be able to relocate the kids and his dad to live in St. Louis.
"I think things are on the right track right now," Mike said absently. He pointed to a mark on the map. "Looks like they have several schools marked out, from preschool up to university level."
"Yeah, I noticed that. Also, it would make sense if they fortified this fire station and this one, then this police station along with these two plus headquarters there."
"Think that finding a commissioner statement was a dig at me?" Mike asked with a grin.
"Maybe," Tom said with a chuckle. "You aren't taking it are you?"
"Ninety percent sure I'm not. But feel free to take CNO, Admiral Chandler," Mike said tipping his head to the side and grinning.
"Stop," Tom said cringing, before he laughed. "I'd say no just to keep you from getting my ship."
"You probably would too, you bastard," Mike huffed with a laugh. Tom laughed again.
"But I think this city is in good hands. Would be a good place to settle down."
"Is it time?" Mike asked his friend. Tom looked at the map.
"It might just be, friend, it might just be," Tom mumbled with a giant grin on his face. He noticed Rachel and Michener come out of the inner office. She gave him a scowl, which made him chuckle. He winked at her, before he motioned her over to join he and Mike.
"Well?" Tom asked softly. Tom noticed Mike look down at the table at the map of the city.
"You could have warned me," she said coldly. Tom heard Mike chuckle, and he smiled at her.
"I could have, but then I'd have ruined the surprise," Tom said gently, he watched Rachel nod slowly. "What did you tell him?"
"That I'd give it some thought," Rachel replied coolly. A look of surprise graced Tom's face for a moment. He was sure she would have jumped at the opportunity. Rachel turned towards Mike. "What's all this?"
"We're marking certain parts of the city that will be the first to be reorganized and put back into use. The president wants St. Louis to be a blossoming metropolis as soon as possible," Mike said with a sigh.
"Like a fully functioning hospital with a well-equipped lab for making a cure?"
"One of the things on the map," Tom said as he dropped his finger on the red dot marking the Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Rachel nodded slowly at him.
"So, is the Nathan James under new orders?" Rachel asked. Tom could tell Rachel was agitated. He figured she wanted to get him alone to discuss things. He would be lying if he didn't admit he wanted to spill his news to her too. But he knew he'd wait until tonight when they were alone in the hotel room together.
"For the moment. We are working with the communications network. There're small pockets of Army, and Air Force, Marines and other Navy personnel that survived. Also, some National Guards from different states. We are trying to get word for them to gather here so we can reevaluate what we have and distribute them accordingly. If we can get some jets with piolets, then we can get the cure across to all of Europe and Asia," Mike said.
"I'll leave you too it then," Rachel said as she looked around. Tom could see she was uncertain of what to do next. He fingered the key cards in his pocket.
"I'll be back, Mike," Tom said as he nodded his head for Rachel to follow him. He led them out to the lobby towards the elevator. Neither one of them spoke and Tom was trying to figure out the best way to bring up his idea to her. He was nervous she would reject it. Rachel looked confused as he stopped at the elevator and pushed the up button, then waited for the car.
Neither spoke as they waited for the car to return to the lobby from wherever it had been. Finally, it dinged and the doors slid open. Tom stepped inside the elevator. He waited as Rachel followed suit then he pushed the three button and the doors slid closed.
"What are we doing?" Rachel asked as the elevator car moved upwards. Tom leaved heavily against the wall as the elevator slowly inched upwards. The fatigue of the day mixed with the injuries to his body was taking its toll. He was half tempted to stay in the room with her and forget about the rest of this day. He knew he couldn't do that, but the thought was tempting none the less. "You should rest, you look wiped out."
"Yeah," Tom mumbled as he struggled with the tiredness in his body. "We're going to the third floor," he replied to her earlier question.
"Why?" Rachel asked. He could hear the frustration in her voice and read it in her body language. He smiled at her. He thought she was going to smack him, but she refrained.
"To your room for now," Tom said with a sigh. He watched as her eyebrow arched at the news. He felt his eyes drooping and he struggled to stay awake.
"My room for now?"
"Yes. Since the Nathan James is going to be docked later this afternoon, we are moving in here for now."
"Did you already give my acceptance to the job?" Rachel asked as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Tom was a little confused by her question and gave her a look to belay it before he pushed himself upright and walked off the elevator. His leg was giving him fits and he looked over his shoulder at her as he limped down the hallway.
"No, I figured you'd make that decision."
"I figured we'd make that decision," Rachel deadpanned back. Tom felt his heart soar and smiled as he focused on reading the numbers on the doors.
"I like that even better," he said softly. "Here's your room, 3205."
He stopped and opened the door for her, before stepping inside. He held the door open from the side allowing her to enter the room. She brushed against him as she walked by, and he felt his body react. Oh, how he wanted to call it a day and just lay down on the bed with her. He fought the urges down as he watched her examine her room. She finally turned back to face him.
"And your room?" she asked. Tom gave her a sly smile as he knew exactly where he wanted to stay tonight.
"Officially?" he asked with a playfulness to his voice. He heard Rachel chuckle.
"Or unofficially," she said with a smile. Tom felt his heart rate quicken.
"Officially I'm next door," Tom said before nodding further into the room at the adjoining door. "But they're adjoined, so," he finished, trailing his words off, letting her fill in the rest.
"Do you have to run back to your duties?" she asked him, and he felt the urge to forget his duties again. He wanted to spread out on the bed with her.
"Unfortunately, yes," Tom said, the sadness of that statement seeping through into his voice. He was struggling with the fatigue as it coursed through his body. He was pushing his limits having been shot multiple times just a few days ago. "But I'll be done in a few hours."
"I'll be here," she said with a smile and Tom couldn't help but smile back. He walked up to her, cupping both side of her face, before leaning down and kissing her slowly, leaving her with the promise of more.
"I'll hurry home," he said seductively, his voice husky with desire. Rachel gripped the front of his shirt, giving him another kiss before he pulled himself away. If he let this continue much longer, he'd never make it downstairs again. Tom made his way back down to the lobby and ran into Lt. Foster on his way.
"Captain Chandler," she said with a smile. Tom smiled back.
"Lt. Foster, do you have some time?" Tom asked, getting a sudden idea.
"I'm technically off duty at the moment, sir, but what do you need?"
"Perfect," Tom said. "Can you make sure Rachel gets the things she needs while we're staying on shore? Clothes, toiletries, that sort of thing?"
"Oh, yes, sir. I was about to go get stuff for myself."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it. She's in room 3205."
"No problem, Sir. I'll take care of her."
Tom walked away and made his way back into the conference room. He and Mike worked a few more hours on communications and organizing a meeting for the morning with the command structure in Norfolk. They had a video link that was working between the two places. Tom was happy with the way things were going. They finally called it a night and his body was wrecked. He was exhausted and his leg was on fire. He bid good night to Mike and then headed up in the elevator, struggling to stay awake. He felt the happiness of heading home at the end of the day, and he thought about being able to do that and seeing his children as well as Rachel.
The more he thought about it the more he was sure he'd take the president's offer for CNO. It was a big advancement and a big job to take, but he knew he wasn't going to enjoy another sea duty, and Mike was more than capable of running the Nathan James from here. He was excited to talk to Rachel about it. He slipped into his room and then opened the adjoining door.
He couldn't help but smile as he saw Rachel sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. He undressed down to his boxers and slipped under the covers, spooning up behind her. It felt good to take his weight off his injured body parts and he sunk into the comfortable mattress. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.
To Be Continued….
