Chapter 11
When Kate boarded the next day Kate, she rushed to her cabin. She threw away her luggage and suitcase and locked herself in the toilet. When she wanted to leave her cabin, she quickly turned around and rushed to the toilet again. Then she headed for the bridge with a hand resting on her belly.
My God, why now? Why do I have to have diarrhoea? It's because of those bloody sardines I ate yesterday!
"Ah boss! Good morning", Dutchy greeted her.
"Hi Nav", she greeted back with a grimace.
"Hey? Are you feeling well? You're pale", he asked.
"Nah, I think the sardines last night were not one hundred percent good. I have cramps", she replied rubbing her belly and stomach.
"Did you have to throw up?", he asked worriedly.
"No. Uh, I just want to say I'm going to Navcom to take our orders", she said.
"All right. Good luck. Oh, do we get replacements?", he asked.
"Only a buffer. It's Pete Tomasewski, your predecessor. And no XO. We have to wait until Nikki is back. That means you are acting XO in the meantime", she replied with a grimace, rubbing her belly as another cramp set in.
"Ah? Alright then", he said rather surprised.
"I'm going now", she said.
"See the doctor over there", Dylan said worriedly.
"Yeah yeah", Kate replied, waving her hand.
He shook his head.
Yeah yeah, it's more like no no. Stubborn girl!
Hmm, that changes everything. I must see that this ship is ready to sail.
He looked around.
"Charge? Tell me when the engines are ready to start. RO, contact Navcom for the latest tide and the weather reports", he ordered.
"Aye sir", they both replied.
"Hi! I've to report here!", said a deep voice behind them.
They all turned around to see the newcomer.
"Pete! You bugger! You're back!', Charge greeted, patting his back.
"Hey Buffer, good to see you again", RO replied.
Dylan went to him, "You must be Pete Tomasewski, right? I'm Dylan Mulholland, the navigator and now acting XO", he said, reaching out.
Both men shook hands, "Nice to meet you sir", Pete said.
"Welcome aboard Buffer. I heard a lot of good things about you from the crew. I was the buffer after you", Dylan said.
"Everything happens. And now you're lieutenant", he noticed.
"Yeah everything happens", Dylan said with a smile.
"It's an honour to serve on the Hammersley again. Jeez, how time flies!", Pete said looking around.
"And we're glad to have an experienced buffer aboard".
"Thanks. But, where's the CO? I want to congratulate her because I heard she finally got promoted", Pete asked.
"She's at Navcom to take our orders. We're going to New Caledonia to say hello to the French, but the details will follow", Dylan said.
Pete grinned, "Hopefully none of our geezers will nick a flag".
Dylan nodded, "I've heard that story before. We better be prepared".
"Who's the XO?"
"Lieutenant Nikki Caetano…", Dylan began.
"Ooh, Nikki…uh Lieutenant Caetano. Great.. She's a good officer. I can consider myself lucky this time", Pete said with a broad smile.
Dylan couldn't hide a grin.
Pete, you betray yourself easily. You have a crush on her, that's more than obvious.
"Yes, she is, but actually she's recovering from gunshot wounds. We had some bad luck on our last boarding and three of us were shot down including her, the buffer and a sailor. You're the only replacement we have", Dylan said.
Pete made a face, "Ouch, that's intense. How is she now?", he asked, frowning.
"She's fine. She's a strong woman with a particular Italian temperament. I don't think anyone ever bring her down", Dylan said.
"Absolutely. Wonderful huh!", Pete said with a broad smile.
Dylan smiled at him.
Mate, you're head over heels in love with her. I only hope the feeling is mutual.
"Who was the buffer? Maybe I know him".
"Harpie".
"Ooh, did he become a petty officer too? That's good for him. Who else do I know?", he asked.
"Hmm, let me think. 2Dads and Bomber, I think".
"Bomber? That's good. Good food. But 2Dads?", Pete asked suspiciously.
"No worries mate. He's a good reliable sailor, but don't go out with him ashore".
"I do believe you, sir", Pete said.
Dylan patted Pete's shoulder, "I'm sure we'll get along well".
"Absolutely sir. Which cabin can I have?"
"You will share a cabin with Charge. Senior NCO's together".
"Nice. I'll be right back", Pete said.
Kate returned about thirty minutes later.
With a sigh she reached the bridge, "Nav, I'll be in my cabin to read the orders", she said wearily.
Dylan noticed it, "Boss, are you okay?".
She waved her hand before leaving the bridge, "Yeah, I'm fine".
He made a face and shook his head.
As stubborn as a mule. When you say you're fine, you're not really fine. I'll keep an eye on you and send Bomber to you if needed.
"Charge? Can you watch the ship for a moment?", he asked a few minutes later
"Yes sir. I've the ship", he said out loud.
Dylan went downstairs and knocked at her door.
"Yeah, come in", he heard and entered.
She was putting on her DPNU jacket. "Yes Dylan?"
"Kate, how are you? Because, I'm fine, is…", he said, waggling his hand.
"Have you seen a doctor there?"
She sighed. "Dylan, I'm fine, really. I just had to go to the toilet a few more times, the bloody sardines I ate last night, I guess", she said with a smile.
"Okay, I was just a little worried. That's all. And, Pete Tomasewski is aboard now", he said.
"Oh well, I'm looking forward to seeing him again", she said.
He pointed to the map on her desk, "What are we going to do there?"
"A courtesy visit. A reception, a drink, empty diplomatic talks", she said, grabbing a chart to head with him for the bridge.
He sniffed the air in the corridor, "Lunch. Are we eating together?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea, but I'll put this on the chart table first", she said.
"Ok, I'll wait for you", he said, watching her head for the bridge.
At the bridge she saw Pete standing in the middle, his hands on his waist, looking around.
"Pete?"
He turned around and smiled broadly.
"Kate! I may not say that aboard, but I'm really happy to see you finally made it", he said, shaking her hand.
"From now on it's ma'am", he said grinning.
"Thank you Pete. It's good to have you aboard again. I heard you met Dylan before", she said.
He nodded, "Yeah, we're going to be a thoughtful team".
"Yeah, nothing can go wrong now", she smiled wryly.
Except my belly. Those damn cramps. Maybe if I eat a little?
"Uhm, Pete, I was just on my way to lunch, can you take the bridge?", she asked.
"Absolutely."
"Buffer has the bridge!", he said out loud.
A minute later she was back. Bomber gave them a plate with a fried chicken tenderloin and they sat down at the officer's mess.
Dylan noticed that she had put her cutlery down after eating half the tenderloin. "Are you doing well?"
"Why?", Kate asked, frowning?
"You only ate half", he said, pointing with his knife at the plate.
"I'm fine, but not too hungry", she replied with a shrug.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to review the orders before we leave.", she said, standing up.
"Okay, no problem", he answered between bites.
Kate and the XO called the senior NCO's and RO for the briefing.
"Guys, this time, it's not a regular patrol, but a courtesy visit to New Caledonia. We'll meet the commander of the French navy, the governor and a few other officials. There will also be a function for the whole crew…. Uhm…I don't want a repetition of the flag affair. You know how sensitive a flag is to them. So, I wish the crew would behave. I don't want anyone to complain about your uproar in the city. Is that clear?", she asked looking at them .
"Yes ma'am", they replied.
"So, that's our only goal. No extras were said".
She looked at her watch, "We leave at 2:00 p.m. So in an hour. Carry on men".
Dylan looked at her and waited for the men to leave the control room. "Are you feeling well?"
She looked at him a little annoyed, "Why?"
"You're still pale".
"Dylan, it's my skin tone. I. have. a. pale. complexion. I have to cover face with a whole jar of foundation cream to have some colour. And, I'm just a little tired, that's all", she replied.
He nodded, "Okay, don't neglect yourself. The ship needs you".
She gave him a small smile, "Thank you".
An hour later, the Hammersley left the base.
Kate sat in the captain's chair and as soon as the ship put her bow into the ocean swell, she began to feel uneasy. Sweat drop appeared on her forehead and her pale colour gradually changed to a greenish shade.
"X, I don't feel….", she stammered, covering her mouth with her hand and rushed to the toilet.
Dylan looked surprised by her reaction, as did the men at the bridge.
"Navigator has the ship", he announced.
He waited for her to come back, but she didn't appear.
He looked around and saw Pete talking to Charge.
"Buffer, you have the ship. I'll see what happens with the CO", he said.
"Buffer has the ship", Pete said as he walked to the captain's chair.
Dylan hurried downstairs to her cabin. The door was ajar, he knocked and peered inside. No answer. He pushed the door open. Kate was lying on her bunk, ashen pallor, one arm on her forehead and the other holding her stomach.
"Hey, what's going on?", he asked softly sitting in the desk chair.
"I…I don't…feel well. Vomiting … diarrhoea … cramps, it's just … a volcano … inside", she said faintly.
"Weak… I feel … so weak. My legs…. just jelly", she mumbled.
"Kate, that's no good. We're going back to base", he said but she grabbed his arm.
"No! Please, no! I don't want to go back!", she pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks.
His heart sank seeing her like that.
"But Kate, you're sick. How can we proceed?"
"Please Dylan, don't go back to base. Promise me!", she begged, grabbing his arm.
He felt pity for her and nodded, "Okay. I'll do it. We continue, but on one condition. if your health deteriorates, we will immediately turn back. And now, I'm going to call Bomber", he said holding her hand.
Bomber will kill me. That's for sure.
"Thank you", she murmured.
He stood up, took off her boots and settle her more comfortably in her bunk. Then he left her cabin to go to the galley where Bomber just finished putting away.
He poked his head inside, "Bomb, we have a problem".
She looked up, "Dutch… uh, sir?"
"The CO is ill, can you examine her?", he asked.
"Sure!", she replied and dropped everything.
They went to her cabin, she knocked and entered. He continued to the bridge.
"Hey ma'am, what's going on?", she asked, sitting down next to Kate
"Nausea. Vomiting, feeling weak", Kate replied softly.
"Hmm, nausea, vomiting can mean a lot of things. I'll start with the easiest one. Did you have unprotected sex a few weeks ago?", Bomber asked.
Kate shook her head, tears rolling down again, "No, no. it's not… I'm not pregnant. I also have cramps and diarrhoea", she replied.
Bomber nodded, "Okay, understood, but I'll do the test, so we can rule that one out. Wait a second", she said and went to the sick bay to get her medical equipment.
A few minutes later she was back. "Let's see", she said and began the examination.
Thirty minutes later, Bomber headed for the bridge where Dylan sat in the captain's chair.
"Sir?"
He turned to look at Rebecca, "And?"
"From what she told me, she went swimming yesterday and she ate sardines in a beach bistro. It could be a viral infection from something in the water, which I doubt, but I would lean more toward food poisoning due to sardines. She also has a little temperature. To have control over her, I put her in the sick bay and gave her something to sleep. But, wouldn't it be better to go back to base?", she asked worriedly.
"The boss doesn't want to", he said.
Bomber made a face, "Yeah, but… okay. If she still has a temperature tomorrow, we will have to call a doctor".
"It's also my idea. How are we going to proceed?"
Bomber shrugged, "She's going to feel like crap, but she will be better in the days to come. The bad things are now mostly out of her body, so recovery can begin".
He nodded, "Okay, I know what to do. Thank you Bomber for your help".
He grabbed the microphone, "Do you hear me there, this is the navigator speaking. Our CO is ill and she's in the sick bay. I'm taking over the ship as acting CO. We wish her a speedy recovery. Carry on", he said and ended the call.
Pete looked at him, "What's happening?"
"Food poisoning. She apparently ate something dodgy last night", Dylan replied.
Pete made a face, "It could be life threatening. Can't we go back?"
"Kate was very firm on that. She said no and when she says no, it's no. But, if the situation doesn't improve tomorrow, I'll have her evacuated", he said.
"Hmm, okay. I would have done it by now", Pete said.
"Me too, but she's still the boss".
He looked around and saw 2Dads, "2Dads!"
"Yeah", he replied and came up Dylan and Pete.
Dylan looked at the two men, "Pete, you're now acting as XO and you 2Dads, you're the buffer again, during the period of CO sickness", he said.
"Aye, aye sir", replied a very serious 2Dads.
When 2Dads walked away, Pete looked at him in disbelief, "2Dads? Are you serious?"
"I know what you're thinking Pete, but he's changed. Apart from you and me, he's the most experienced man aboard now. He has already done so and you can rely on him".
Pete rubbed his chin, "Hmm, that's interesting to hear. Okay, we'll see".
After his watch Dylan went to the sick bay where Bomber was busy. He entered. "How is she?"
"She vomited a second time and went back to the toilet. I think it's clean now. I gave her something to sleep", she said, looking at Kate lying on the bunk.
"Right. Good job Bomber. If there's anything, even the smallest change, let me know, okay?", he asked.
"Yes Dutchy, uhm… sorry….sir", she stammered.
"Hey Bomb, no worries. We know each other", he said, raising his hand before leaving.
The next day, Dylan went to the sick bay, knocked and peered inside. Bomber was looking at the thermometer. "Hey".
"Hi sir", she said looking up.
"How are we doing?", he asked.
"Fine. No temperature. We're on the right track", she said.
"Nice", and he came up to Kate who was lying on the bunk her eyes closed.
"Hey, how are you?", he asked softly.
His kind and gentle tone didn't escape Bomber's attention. She raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Kate opened her eyes, "Hey…"
"How do you feel?", he repeated.
"I feel like crap. Tired, weak. I feel like I weigh a ton", she answered softly.
"It's getting better Kate, no worries. Give yourself time, sleep, okay?", he assured her.
She nodded.
"How's the ship?", she asked suddenly.
"Great. No problem. Daily routine. Pete is acting as XO now", Dylan replied.
The answer seemed to reassure her as she closed her eyes and relaxed.
He squeezed her hand gently. "I'll come back later. I've a ship to steer, you know".
He stood up and walked towards the door. Bomber followed him and when he wanted to leave she said, "You like her, don't you?".
He gave her a smile and simply said "Yes" before walking out.
Rebecca couldn't help herself and smiled broadly.
Dutchy, you're a bad liar. You betrayed yourself in no time!
In the early afternoon, everything seemed normal, except that Dylan was sitting in the captain's chair and Pete behind the radar. A blimp on the screen drew his attention.
"Sir, we have a contact. It's a FFV".
"Ah? How far is it? ", Dylan asked, leaning over to glance at the screen.
"Half an hour. We can catch her", Pete said.
"Hmm, not this time. The CO said, no extras. These are apparently instructions from Navcom. They are waiting for us in Noumea and what about putting these fishermen in custody? And in addition a steaming party? We are already understaffed", he replied.
Pete made a face, "You're right. Damn bad luck!" He looked disappointed at the screen, "These bastards don't know how lucky they are now".
"Don't worry Pete. Our time will come!", he said patting him on the shoulder.
Dylan went to see Kate several times a day and each time he noticed that she was getting better and better. Luckily she accepted the advice to take it easy. At the end of the second day, Bomber decided that she was ready to return to her own cabin to recover.
On the third day, he entered her cabin after having knocked at the door. She was sitting against pillows in her bunk.
"Hey!", she greeted him joyously.
He sat down on her desk chair. "I'm glad to see you seated again. How are you?", he asked.
"Well, not too bad actually. Yesterday I wanted to read but I couldn't. The book was too heavy", Kate answered with a grin.
He patted her thigh over the sheets, "You can still play a prank. It's good news. Have you ever tried to eat something?"
"Yeah, Bomber brought me a toast and some tea. It tasted me. So, that's a good sign, isn't it.?"
"Absolutely."
"How did it go with the ship? I've been out for a few days", she asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon, we'll arrive in Noumea. Two days ago we had an FFV on the radar, but we let her go", he said.
Kate frowned, and straightened up, "How come? Why did we let her go?"
He shrugged, "I thought we had orders to sail directly to New Caledonia. No extras, you said".
Kate nodded and leaned back against her pillows, "Yeah, that's true. Good decision. By the way, who took over?"
"Pete as XO and 2Dads as buffer. 2Dads is really amazing. I didn't notice any jokes on his part. It was even a bit boring".
"You see, people can be very surprising".
"If Bomber allows me, then I'll return to duty tomorrow morning", she replied.
"Okay, but be sure, will you", he said, patting her thigh again before standing up.
She grabbed her laptop and opened the messaging application and noticed an e-mail from Nikki.
Hey Kat!
How are you doing?
I heard you were on your way to Noumea. You are lucky. It's very pretty over there and I wish I were with you.
Is everything really okay? Because I was expecting an e-mail from you, so I'm a little worried.
Today, I'm discharged from hospital. My shoulder is healing well, although it's still a little sore. I wonder what I'm going to do for the next three weeks before I get back aboard.
Is Dylan still your XO? Who did you get as Buffer or is it still 2Dads?
Hope to hear from you soon and stay safe.
Nik
Kate smiled and started to reply
Hey Nik,
Sorry for the late reply, but I was very sick. The day before we sailed, I ate something dodgy and suffered from food poisoning. I threw up my guts and got stuck in my bunk as weak as a rag doll. It's over now and tomorrow, I'll at the bridge again.
Dylan is still acting XO and you'll never believe it, but Pete is back as a buffer.
Get well soon. I miss you here.
Bye.
Kate hesitated for a moment and signed 'Kat'.
She didn't have to wait long for an answer from Nikki.
Poor Kat,
It's bad luck that you had to go through this and that I wasn't there to help you.
But on the other hand you had your big, handsome navigator to settle you in your bunk. GRIN
Pete's back! Damn! And I missed that! These three weeks will last three months! Grrr!
Now I want to be back even more!
Stay safe.
Nik
Kate smiled.
Nikki! You betrayed yourself unintentionally!
She closed the laptop and turning off the light above her bunk.
To be continued