The admiral watched Sharkey go, then remembered that when he had come back the first time, he had called Chip to his cabin to speak to him. If he didn't do it, now, what would that do to the future? He didn't really want to contemplate that, so he pressed the button on his intercom and snapped out, "Mr. Morton, to my cabin on the double." He couldn't remember if those were the exact words he'd used before. He rather thought they hadn't been, and worried what that might mean. Time travel was going to give him a headache…
"Mr. Morton has the word, sir." Lee's voice, blessedly alive and with an undertone of humor. His words were words the admiral remembered perfectly. In a few moments, Chip would knock on the door…
But when the knock came, it was somehow still surprising… Nelson studiously avoided looking, but said clearly, "Enter," and heard the door open. Only then did he look, trying to block out the last time he'd seen that young face…
Chip came up to the desk and stood there, waiting. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
Nelson rose and looked at him, surprised at the way his heart quickened, the way his hands clenched. He could remember that his first sight of Lee after seeing Lee dead what seemed like only minutes before had been a shock for him. Then, he hadn't been able to shake the memory of Lee's dead body as he looked at the living man. This, too, was a shock, but this time he was more successful in blocking out that deathly pallor, and the still, lifeless hands… He drank in the impassive face, the cool blue eyes, the pristine uniform… Odd, how for some reason, he was suddenly able to see things he'd never been able to see before in those eyes that looked back at him so coolly. There was a bit of apprehension, behind the calm gaze, a tightness to that pale face, as if he expected to be chewed out. The emotions that hid behind that façade were suddenly plain, as if having stared into a dead face, with all emotion smoothed away, the admiral was hyper-aware now of the thoughts and feelings that moved behind that dispassionate mask. "Sit down, Chip."
He waited and watched as Chip subsided into a chair, wondering what he had said before. He didn't know if it were important to say exactly the same things or not. After all, none of this had happened the first time, the time that Lee had died…
Oh, God, how could he think of that so cavalierly? Lee dead… It still cut him absolutely to the quick. But then the alternative… The alternative didn't bear thinking of, either. He'd prepared them both for burial, and he could no more choose between them now than he could fly to the moon. There had to be a middle ground. He would find the path that allowed him to keep them both alive.
"Sir, are you all right? Should I call Will?"
He remembered those words, but he didn't remember seeing the concern before, the worry in those blue eyes. Again, he was reading what he'd never been able to read before. It was so odd… He wondered how long this new ability would last… How long, before he once again forgot how to read the emotions behind the outward façade? "I'm fine."
But what did he say? What could he say to a dead man who was no longer dead? He knew that Chip was a true skeptic. He remembered the disbelief when he'd spoken of time travel before. "You're not much good at believing any wild tale, are you?" The words were gentler this time. Nelson knew the value of that skepticism. It had proven itself, time and again. But he also knew the admiration and respect that would listen to him and believe what couldn't be believed, simply because the admiral had said so. He had seen his own power to hurt; he intended to wield it more carefully in the future… If he only remembered to do so.
So there was no need to add the part about calling Sharkey. He'd only said it the first time to wound, because he hurt so much himself that he chose to lash out at a man who was such an easy target. He'd hit the mark, too. He wouldn't fire that arrow this time. Besides, he'd already spoken to Sharkey, and he had absolute faith that the COB would do his job.
But he still got the same response, though clearly Chip was puzzled. "I promise to listen, sir. And I'll work on keeping an open mind."
Nelson had to smile at the earnestness behind those words. An open mind indeed… Fortunately for the admiral, his young command team did keep exceptionally open minds. They had seen a lot for all their youth, for all the jokes Nelson sometimes got from his colleagues about the nursery he was running on his boat. He would back this team against any other command team in the Navy or out of it. And he wouldn't lose his money either. Yes, Chip would keep an open mind, for all his skepticism. He would weigh the admiral's words carefully and come to his own conclusions, conclusions he probably wouldn't share with anyone. But whether he thought Nelson was on the mark or crazy, he would do his best to look after Lee… He just wouldn't use that same care in looking after himself. Hence Sharkey, who had already proven that he could look after anyone.
What had he said before? Oh, yes, something like… "I know you will, lad. And I've made up my mind anyway. You need to know what's going on." Nelson drew in a deep breath, contemplating his XO. The news wouldn't go over well. This man had never lived through the coming three days. Yes, it was the second time he'd sat in Nelson's presence listening to the admiral explain the situation, but that was only because the admiral had always caught him at this point in time.
From this point, time diverged into at least two separate pathways. From this point, Nelson hoped to start yet a third path, a path that would give him what he needed: a living command team that had never experienced the traumas that Nelson hoped to prevent in three days. What would happen to the other two pathways? Would they fade away, even out of Nelson's own memory? Or would he preserve the memory of them forever? Would he even know the answers in three days' time, or would he never find out?
Three days… Three days before Nash entered the control room and one or the other of his command team would take a bullet… Three days to prevent a death, and hopefully not suffer through another. Three days to change the future once again… How would he ever be able to make this right?