Author's Note: I'm back! After having no time to write last week I'm back with another chapter here and for Rachel's Point of View! I'm also working on a new story for Tom and Rachel so be on the look out for that as well! Happy reading! Dark rolling sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The next week had flown by for Tom. The very next day he and Rachel had gone in and taken their respective positions. Tom had been promoted to Admiral and given the title of Chief of Naval Operations. He had overseen the handing off of the Nathan James as Mike Slattery had become captain. Garnett had been named his XO.

"Take care of my ship," Tom said as he shook Mike's hand. Mike laughed.

"She's mine now, Admiral," Mike replied with a beaming smile.

"I still expect her to stay in one piece."

"Absolutely."

"But seriously, congratulations, Mike. It's well deserved."

"Congrats to you too, Tom, CNO is a pretty big deal too," Mike said with a smile.

"That it is."

The rest of the week found Tom in meetings most of the day getting his feet wet as the CNO. He worked closely with the forces in Norfolk, trying to organize the fleet enough to retrieve ships and see which ones were still in working order. He got a handle on numbers and worked with the high-ranking officials from the other branches. There weren't many left, but those that were there were working hard to get the men and women who had reported in organized. Tom also met with the president on numerous occasions as well. One such meeting Tom brought up moving the base of operations for all branches of the military to St. Louis.

"Mr. President, I have a suggestion to make," Tom said as the meeting neared completion.

"Yes, Admiral Chandler?" Michener replied.

"I propose we move the remaining heads of the military branches here, to St. Louis, so we can better organize our forces."

"That's a sound idea. What all will this entail?" Michener asked.

"I think we can relocate the personnel fairly easily. It will cut down on the need for open communications and give us less risk of messages and meetings being intercepted."

"I think that's a good idea. We can reestablish here in St. Louis. Make this happen."

"Yes, sir."

"Has a head of police been named yet?" Michener asked quickly as everyone started packing up their things.

"No, sir. There is an interim chief working in place right now, but he's not wanting the job long term. He was a retired St. Louis detective. He would like to stay retired if possible."

"Are there any other candidates available?"

"Not at this time. I'll continue to search, Sir," Tom replied.

The meeting broke up and Tom went to his office and sat down picking up his phone. He called the realtor that was working with the office and set up a meeting to look for two houses. He then went back to the hotel to get Rachel. She wasn't there yet so he waited. She finally walked in and saw him sitting there waiting for her. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he walked up to her giving her a kiss.

"Ready to find a house? He aske as he pulled back. He watched as she smiled and nodded. They left the hotel and met up with Shelby Conners the realtor.

"I've found a nice little house just down the street from the hospital for you, Dr. Scott," Shelby said. Tom smiled a little as the woman had misunderstood what he had told her.

"How big is it?" he asked.

"It's a two bedroom, one and half bath," she answered. Tom shook his head.

"Not big enough for us," Tom replied quickly. The realtor looked from Tom to Rachel and back to Tom again. Tom remained a stone face.

"Oh, I was told that I'd be securing two houses, I just thought," she started, her words trailing off.

"First house will be for my family," Tom replied. "Rachel and I, and two kids. But would also like room to grow," he explained. He squeezed Rachel's hand when he said grow as he knew they'd add another child in the near future. "Second house will be for my dad."

"Oh, that changes things a bit. I have a few options available for you then. The house I'm talking about would probably be good for your dad, Captain Chandler."

"Admiral," he corrected her. "And yes, he wouldn't need much bigger. Although he did say he'd like more bedrooms if possible."

"Right," Shelby replied. Tom could see the woman think things over for a moment. "I have just the houses for you. They're on the same street, not direct neighbors but on the same street. First house has four bedrooms with a fifth bedroom option. Two full baths and a half bath. Second house has three bedrooms and one and a half baths."

"Let's take a look," Tom replied.

They went to the first house with the more bedrooms and looked around. Tom had wandered off around the house looking at things. Rachel had gone to look at the kitchen. Ms. Conners had left them alone for a while. Tom made his way to the kitchen and came up behind Rachel who was staring out the kitchen sink window. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder.

"What do you think," he whispered. He felt her lean back against him and sigh.

"I think it's perfect for us," she replied. Tom kissed her neck, excited about the future for the first time in a long time. "Are we ready for this step?"

Tom pulled back a little. Her question had taken him off guard. He felt a pang of fear strike his spine. Was she not wanting to take this step with him? Was she going to back out now that it was becoming a reality?

"Do you think we aren't?" he asked slowly. He felt her turn in his arms and came face to face with him. He could read the nervousness in her eyes.

"I'm worried about what the children will think," Rachel admitted. Tom looked down and sighed.

"I've been thinking about that too. But I think it's time to try. We'll tackle the issues as they come along."

"You think they'll be ready for us to just jump into a family role? They've barely had time to adjust to us…dating."

"I don't want to be away from you," Tom said softly, his arms tightening around her waist. "The kids will come around."

"If you think so, then let's do this," Rachel said, and Tom felt his heart speed up.

Later that day they went and looked at the house for Jed. Tom agreed it would be a perfect fit for his dad and they all went back to Shelby Conners' officer to fill out the paperwork.

Three days later they were allowed to move in. There wasn't much to move in yet, but what little they had was put in their house. Later that night Tom picked up the phone and called his dad.

"Hey, Dad," Tom said when the elder Chandler picked up the phone.

"Tommy, how are you?" Jed answered.

"Really good, Dad. I've got some good news to share."

"Oh? That's a welcome sound. What's going on?"

"I've been promoted to Admiral and am now the CNO."

"That's amazing news, Son," Jed said, and Tom could hear the pride in his dad's voice.

"It is. It brings more good news with it."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I'll be stationed in St. Louis for the foreseeable future. I've secured two houses. One for Me, Rachel, and the kids, and one for you."

"You want us to move to St. Louis?"

"Yes, Dad. Rachel took a position here as well. I have room for the kids, and we secured a house for you just down the street from ours. I'd like you to start packing up my house in Norfolk and move down here with me and Rachel."

"The kids will be happy to have you back," Jed said. They finished up their phone call and the plan was for them to move down in a week. Tom spent the next week getting the house ready for the children as well as working on his dad's house, when he wasn't swamped with his duties as CNO.

Two days before they were due to arrive Tom was sitting at the table with Rachel as they ate dinner. She was quiet tonight and Tom was watching her trying to figure out what the issue was. He noticed her slowing down as she ate, and her skin was a little on the pale side. He was sure there was something wrong, but she hadn't said anything to him yet. She looked up and saw him watching her.

"What?" she asked.

"You feel, okay?" he asked softly. She waited and didn't answer him.

"I'm fine," she finally said, then a small burp escaped her mouth. She smiled a tight-lipped smile and tried to eat another bite. Tom watched closely, knowing something was amiss. He watched as she dropped her fork and moved quickly to the sink before she threw up the contents of her stomach into the basin. He was out of his chair in a flash. He came up behind her and gently cupped her shoulders with his hands. Worry flashed through him, as he felt her shaking slightly.

"You're not fine," he chastised her. He felt her heave again and he quickly gathered her hair up to hold out of the way. He stood there, one hand holding her hair the other gently pressed against her spine, until she threw up the entire contents of her stomach. When he was sure she was done, he let go of her hair and grabbed a washcloth from the windowsill, and carefully wiped her mouth. Rachel filled a glass and took a drink, swishing to rinse her mouth out.

Tom felt the worry pang in his stomach again. Something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what. He stood there staring at her, trying to gage her reaction to this. Rachel looked run down, a little paler than usual. She looked at him quickly.

"Just a stomach bug, nothing to worry about," Rachel said. He got the feeling she was trying to convince not only him, but herself as well.

"How many times have you thrown up?" Tom asked her curiously. He watched as she contemplated his question and he wondered if she was going to lie to him.

"I threw up at lunch too. It's not a big deal," she replied. Tom frowned. Then he reached out with the back of his hand and placed it against her forehead, like he did with the kids. Her head felt normal to him.

"Don't feel feverish. Why don't you go lie down for a bit in the living room," Tom said gently. He watched her nod and then glance at her half-finished meal on the table. He saw her make a slight face at the sight of the food and he grew a little more concerned. Rachel finally relented and walked into their living room.

Tom stood in the kitchen for a while longer thinking about what she had said. Her only symptoms seemed to be fatigue and nausea. He was worried that maybe taking on this new position had worn her out, but he remembered that she had endured much more grueling environments while making the cure. Maybe she was right, and she simply had a stomach bug. He broke from his revere and made his way into the living room where he found her stretched out on the couch. He squatted down next to her, and she reached out and touched his face. He leaned into her touch.

"You, okay?" he asked gently. Tom's hand found her hip and settled loosely on top of it. He watched her smile at him, but it did nothing to elevate the deep concern he had for her.

"Yes, just tired. I'm sure it's nothing," Rachel said. Tom watched as her eyes flashed with recognition. Tom frowned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Rachel mumbled as she looked away from him. Tom felt a pang of panic hit him. She knew something but she wasn't ready to talk to him about it. He felt a little saddened that she didn't feel comfortable talking to him about everything. He was watching her intently, trying to read between the lines, wondering what had captivated her attention. She glanced back at him.

"It's not nothing," he replied. He watched her running something through her mind and saw fear cross her eyes. "Babe," he said softly.

"I…nothing. I'm just not feeling well," she said hurriedly. He knew there was something more. Something that was weighing on her mind. He decided not to push her for information right now. It was something she needed to come to terms with then he knew she'd come talk to him. It was then that something occurred to him. He thought about the timing. He thought about the conversation they had had not that long ago. Could it be? She certainly had the beginning symptoms. He thought about asking her, but then he decided that maybe she wasn't ready to face it. He stood up and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her.

"Get some rest then," Tom said before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. He watched as she settled deeper into the couch, pulling the blanket tightly around her. Her eyes drooped with drowsiness. Tom went to the chair and sat down as he watched Rachel falling asleep. He could tell her mind was still racing about whatever was bothering her. He picked up a book but wasn't able to fully concentrate as he thought about her symptoms and the timing. He knew they hadn't used any protection when they had had sex. Honestly, he hadn't even thought about it. He'd been married for so long, and Darien had taken measures to not get pregnant, so they hadn't needed to use any.

He tried to not think about it, not get too deep into the what ifs until Rachel talked to him. He could be completely jumping the gun. She was asleep now on the couch, curled up snuggly under the blanket. He watched her, thinking about what could be coming and knew he was okay with it.

To Be Continued…