On the Front Porch
The guest was fascinated by the view from the Nose. He waxed poetic about sailing ships and waves washing at his feet.
Everyone found the view fascinating and mesmerizing. The men of the complement informally called the Observation Nose with its view of the deep the Front Porch.*
Crane followed the corpsman whose duty was to attend him this watch and worked his way forward through the control room. Today's walk from sick bay to the nose, and later from the nose to his cabin would be his biggest efforts since the incident. He put a good face on it but his fragile state was revealed in his pale, drawn looks and hesitant movement. Although the men would rather gather round and show their delight at seeing him with back slaps and laughter, instead they drew back to give him plenty of room so he wasn't bumped or jostled. The crew were pleased to see him but were unsettled by the visible change in him.
The Doc, who won the argument with the Skipper about civvies, and was glad he didn't have to push any harder, walked behind him taking in the slow, careful, and guarded movements of the usually agile, vigorous man. He was troubled and worried, since he didn't think the Captain was ready to leave sick bay. But Nelson was adamant, the Captain must be ready to attend the commissioning and Nelson wanted him back in his own quarters. Nelson thought Crane would feel healthier if he wasn't in sick bay.
"Good to see you, Skipper."
"Welcome back, Skipper."
Crane nodded; acknowledging the men with a genuine, albeit wan, smile.
"Skipper, we've got things set up for you here in the nose. Nice easy chair for you today, sir."
"Easy does it, Captain."
With the corpsman's assistance the Captain settled into the comfortable supportive chair they had set up there for him. One he could sit and talk in, or lay back on if he got fatigued. The men worked hard on selecting from what was aboard and adapting it for this purpose; their care shown in thought and action more than words. The Admiral, Exec, and Doctor gathered around, with coffee at hand, to chat with him. The control room crew looked on delighted to see their Skipper, and quietly celebrated his return with worried smiles covering their enduring concern. Then after a bit, they reluctantly dispersed to their duty stations.
Nelson looked pleased and proud to see his captain in the nose, "Lee, I am glad to see you on your feet again. The last time I saw you upright you weren't standing so well.
The Captain made a rueful face saying, "Not too steady I suppose. Still not actually."
"Well, maybe the less said the better."
The Admiral glanced toward the Doctor. "I wanted you to know, Lee, that I have put in a commendation for the Doctor for performance above and beyond his regular duties. I understand that he has developed quite a side line in cloak and dagger communication."
Doc looked at the Admiral, wondering if the Admiral was trying to placate him with the honour. "Thank you, sir, but I was glad to help."
The Admiral looking more closely at Doc realized what he was thinking. He knew he had stepped on Doc's toes in this and had much more work to do to restore that working relationship. "Mm hmm." The Admiral then looked at the Exec. "I also put in a commendation for Mr. Morton for his imaginative strategy to regain the boat."
Crane nodded and said, "I will gladly second both, Admiral."
The Admiral looking mischievous added, "Now, Chip, I did hear the Captain say something to you during your little manoeuvre even though you weren't there to hear it. He said it very emphatically even if not at all loudly … "
The Captain now looked embarrassed and slightly puzzled. What did he say? He tried to remember, hoping it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
"What did he say, Admiral?"
The Captain shifted uncomfortably still trying to piece that together himself. "Hey, no fair, Admiral!"
The Admiral smiled, "He said 'Chip! Trim the boat!'"
Morton looked startled and after a pause, "Well I did."
Crane nodded to the Exec. "Yes you did, and you did it very well indeed."
* The Saboteur