Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: I want to let you know how much I appreciate all of your kind comments and reviews. I'm still determined to get the rest of this out by U.S. Memorial Day

Special thanks to Shining Zephyr for letting me use a quote from her Shining Stetler story "Bathroom." You can check out more Shining Stetler Stories in Shiny's profile.

Chapter 6-The Accidental Hero

Rick Stetler's mood didn't match the warm, sunny Tuesday morning as he dragged himself onto the elevator, still tired, sore, trembling and nauseous from the near-death experience he'd had over the skies of Miami only a few days ago.

That moment in the limelight seemed but a distant memory now. It hadn't escaped his attention that the respect and glory he had so hoped for was largely absent. In fact, it seemed like the Miami-Dade Police Department remembered him not for taking the legendary flight in the F14 Tomcat, but for throwing up on Erica Sykes. He also suspected that the cockpit recording had to have made its rounds because he had overheard Frank Tripp laughing to Delko about how he "hadn't heard Stetler scream like that since the time he ran into the ladies' room and scared the hell out of Valera."

Despite the fact that Memorial Day was only yesterday, the frustrated and disillusioned IAB agent buried himself in his work, ready to snap his pen in two with one hand, when he heard a firm knock on his open door. He looked up rather sullenly.

Tyler stood behind Harm and Mac, motioning into Rick's office. The two distinguished Navy lawyers were smartly in uniform and looked like they were ready to present a case. Rick immediately softened his expression. "Come on in" he said dryly.

Harm and Mac approached his desk. "Sergeant Stetler. Colonel MacKenzie and I were just about to head back to Washington, but we wanted to say goodbye and to leave you something" Harm said.

Rick huffed. "What?"

Mac smiled as she handed Harm a brown package from which he produced a handsome oak plaque with a picture. He placed it proudly in Rick's hands. Rick looked at it curiously.

"Sergeant, by doing that 5G climb in the F14, I bet you didn't know, but you became an honorary member of the 5G Society. That's a special club for fighter pilots who complete the climb successfully." Harm pointed to the picture on one side. "And if you look here, Tyler got your picture as you were giving the thumbs-up to the flight crew. We're having another one made for Dover Air Force Base. Not too many Miami police officers have received this award."

Rick lost all expression as he studied his picture next to the plaque. He then looked reproachfully at the officers. "I threw up all over a reporter on network TV."

Mac suppressed a chuckle. "That was another thing we wanted to talk to you about. Emmie saved a copy of Tyler's footage—"

He slowly, painfully stood up, his eyes blazing at Tyler. "I distinctly told her to turn all of that over to me!"

Mac then leaned toward him, looking straight into his eyes. "She did. After she kept a copy on the video camera's memory. Anyway, the video somehow made it onto YouTube over the weekend."

His eyes widened in horror. "WHAT?"

Harm put up his hand. "Wait. She emailed a link to one of her old Quantico friends, who sent it on to some deployed sailors. They loved it! You see, most of us hate reporters. In fact, we have a colleague stationed on the USS Nassau out in the Persian Gulf, and he says your video was the most watched video on the ship's internet café over the weekend. I guess you didn't know it, but you're a bit of a folk hero with our troops. Oh, and then there's the emails."

"What emails?"

"Mac? Would you like to read the one we received from the Admiral stationed at the Baghdad headquarters?"

Mac produced a page from her briefcase. "His words, not mine. 'Kudos to Sergeant Stetler for giving that tart what she deserved. I'd like to fly him out to Baghdad personally if he promises to puke all over every one of these prissy, spineless news correspondents I have to deal with.' I cleaned up the language a little. And then there's this one. It's from a female ensign stationed in Italy who wants to know if you're single."

Rick never changed his expression. "The chief, the mayor, and everybody else saw what happened out there. Now I'm known as 'that guy who threw up all over a reporter.'"

"Admiral Chegwidden made a few phone calls to the mayor's office and the county commissioner. You have nothing to worry about" Mac assured him. "Enjoy your hero status while it lasts, because everybody will forget after a while. And Sergeant? Don't worry. Widowmaker's a little crazy, but he's one of the best pilots in the Navy. If he didn't think you could handle the 5G climb, he wouldn't have taken you there. He knew you had it in you."

Rick sniffed. "He didn't give me much choice."

Harm shrugged. "You're a sergeant. You should know that sometimes you can't give people a choice."

Rick looked at the plaque and admired his picture. "Thanks."

"They'll eventually forget, but they'll see that picture. I hope that's the part you remember, too. Oh, and there's one more thing."

Rick looked up at Harm and Mac as they turned to leave.

Harm raised his eyebrows at him. "Next time, let Lieutenant Caine take the flight. I understand it was his in the first place. That way you could have watched him throw up on Erica Sykes instead. Well, we have to catch our ride back, so you take care."

Tyler was just about to leave when Rick's eyes blazed at him. "Tyler, get in here!" he barked.

Tyler breathed deeply. "Something wrong, Rick?"

"What the hell was on that video that got sent out?"

The AV expert leaned toward his computer. "I'll bring it up for you. Want to see it?"

"No! Just tell me!"

He shrugged. "Just you barfing on Erica Sykes. That's it."

Rick lowered his head at him and glared. "You and Miss Stockburne are not off the hook. Both of you wait for me in the computer lab downstairs. Tell her I want to see every piece of equipment and every email file."

"Horatio gave Emmie the day off so she could see off the flight crew. It's just me today." He looked at the steamed IAB agent cautiously. "You're not gonna drop the video camera again, are you?"

"Get the hell out of my office!"

"So he thinks he's the only one whoever won the 5G award? He doesn't know about Lieutenant Caine?" Harm whispered as they walked down the blue hallway.

The brown-haired JAG officer smiled back quietly. "I said not too many."