U.S.S Hope
Chapter 1
Doctor Kaitlyn Adams surveyed the approaching Naval Ship with a groan. Sure, she was on a Naval vessel, but the Hope was a medical ship, and she was not in the Navy. She was a doctor, sailing around the world saving children's lives. Anytime she had to do anything with the Navy, she hated it. The captain of the ship, Captain Grant Adams, also happened to be her husband and understood her serious reservations about the Navy.
Odd that the thing she hated most—the Navy, was the same Navy that her husband was a proud member of. She remembered how her mother had cried anytime her dad left. She knew that her days on the Hope were numbered because she and Grant had every intention of having a family and home, and she would be in her mother's shoes. Hopefully, she could draw strength from her mother's memory.
Grant actually reminded her a lot of her dad, but she loved those attributes. She had hated them in her father and still did. She knew her dad was a hot-shot Admiral in the Navy and had remarried and apparently had a couple more kids. Replacements. It hurt that he had replaced his family so easily. Every time she thought about her dad, her blood boiled. But then she remembered being small and before her dad had joined up and how she would crawl into his lap and he'd read to her. There were happy memories but the Navy had chipped away at that. Thank God for Grant.
Instead of greeting the ship when it berthed beside the Hope, she went back to the treatment rooms and assessed patients. Let Grant greet the Michener. She would take care of her patients. She was talking to a little boy, Jose; that they had picked up in Chile. He had been orphaned and had burns on his feet from drug dealers making him walk across hot coals and glass. He'd be okay but he had stolen Kaitlyn's heart and it was hard to turn him back over to an orphanage. She was playing with him when she heard Grant lead a group of military brass into the treatment room. She hated having them on board. They were terrible with patients, did not worry about sanitation and a cruel reminder of her past life.
"Ah, here she is. This is Doctor Kaitlyn Adams. She is one of the pediatricians on board. And this is Jose." Grant said. Kaitlyn nodded at the brass, but immediately recognized one. She lowered her gaze, hoping he didn't recognize her. It was her dad.
"Adams? Any relation?" Her dad asked.
"Ah, yes; actually. We are married, Sir. But that doesn't get in the way." Grant answered.
"How could it not? We'll speak about this. And what is Jose's story?" Admiral Slattery asked. Katie slipped further away so he couldn't recognize her and concentrated on another child.
"He was a child we picked up in Chile. Local drug lords enslaved orphans and forced Jose to walk on hot coals as a punishment. We took him with us and have him just about healed up." Grant explained.
"What do you do in those cases? When the child is ready to be released?" A Marine general asked.
"We generally try to get the children back with their parents. In Jose's case, we will try to find him a foster family, so we don't have to take him back to Chile." Grant explained.
"This is a political nightmare, Captain Adams." Admiral Slattery said.
"So, you would allow him to go back to a country where he will be killed by those same drug lords?" Kaitlyn asked. Grant gave her a warning look. He knew who Admiral Slattery was and the last thing that Katie wanted was for her father to recognize her.
"Look, I get what you are doing, Doctor. On a personal level, I would not want him to go back to that country, but a Naval Ship—which the Hope is, cannot take children out of country; get them healed up and adopt them out to people in other countries. Jose might be an orphan but what if there is family you weren't made aware of?" Admiral Slattery asked. It was a valid question and one that had come up before. Katie couldn't argue it.
"We've discussed that in the past, Admiral. Doctor Adams is just very enthusiastic about it. Please understand?" Grant asked.
"I am all for saving children. But if I was a member of Jose's family; I would want to know at least that he was safe. Captain Grant, before you take children out of their home countries, make sure that you have investigated thoroughly that there is no family. If you need investigators, we can help but it is a must." Admiral Slattery said.
"Understood, Sir." Grant said.
"Who would have ever thought you would be so interested in children. You certainly weren't interested in your—" Katie started and Grant shook his head vigorously. Thankfully, an assistant had handed Mike something, so his attention was deviated.
"Careful." Grant told her quietly.
"Alright. Captain, we will dock alongside the Hope for a day or so. Perhaps in that time, I can help you come up with game plan for when these kids are released from care." Admiral Slattery said.
"Absolutely, Sir. Would you like to see our operating rooms? I called down and only one is in use at the moment." Grant asked.
"Sure." Admiral Slattery said. The Marine General was not as easily distracted and was watching Kaitlyn. She deviated her gaze and picked up one of the toddlers to distract General DuFine, but the woman was very intuitive. Katie was just going to have to be more careful. Grant led the group away and Katie took a deep breath.
Being so near her father, she realized how much she had missed his presence. They had hit a rough patch in their relationship before he had left for the Arctic but he had not been a bad father. He had loved them. He was just inattentive and busy. She had been a mouthy teenager. And yes, she was angry because he had 'replaced' them, but she also missed him at times; especially when she and Grant talked about starting their family. Her mom would never be able to see or hold her grandchildren, but Katie hated the idea of her kids missing out on having any grandparents, especially when her dad was still alive and healthy. Could they rebuild a relationship after so long? And what was she supposed to do with his new wife and kids?