Note:  Read “A Pawn’s Promotion” first

 

A Wild Heir

 

By Chris B.

 

“He’s alive.  Thank god he’s alive.” Admiral Harriman Nelson, founder of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research and creator of the nuclear submarine Seaview, mentally repeated those words over and over again as he hurried to Sick Bay.  The overwhelming shock and relief he felt when he discovered that Chip Morton, Seaview’s Executive Officer and his assault team had recovered Lee Crane, Captain of the Seaview, alive from Magneson’s 1 island had left him feeling weak-kneed and momentarily faint.  In those horrific moments on the video when Lee willingly offered up his life to protect him, his crew and Seaview, Harry felt the color and joy in his life drain away.  The image of Lee disappearing over the edge of the island cliff still made his stomach churn and sent chills through his soul.

Reaching Sick Bay, Harri quietly entered and took in the frantic activities as Chief Medical Officer, Will Jamieson and his corpsmen worked to save his Captain’s life.  Lee’s bloody and soiled clothing had been removed and his body quickly washed revealing the massive damage the young captain had sustained while a prisoner of Magneson.  There were multiple IVs attached to Crane adding desperately needed fluids, whole blood, antibiotics and pain medication to mitigate the abuse.

Working rapidly to stabilize his patient, Dr. Will Jamieson finally looked up meeting the Admiral’s worried eyes.  “I don’t know how he’s even alive Admiral other than pure stubbornness.  He’s on the verge of circulatory collapse from loss of blood and dehydration, his left lung has been seriously compromised and he has sustained a number of broken bones and severe internal bruising.”

Will started divesting himself of his protective gloves and blood stained surgical scrubs.  “Aren’t you going to operate now?” Nelson inquired alarmed that Jamie wasn’t making preparations to tend to Lee’s gunshot wound beyond the fresh dressing that had been placed over it.

“Not yet Admiral.  I’ve got to get him stabilized by getting his system recharged with blood and fluids or he won’t stand a chance on the table.  He’s in deep shock and if I go in now and start stressing his system even more it will all just shut down for good.”

Nelson paled noticeably and moved nearer to the gurney where Lee was lying.  Staying out of the attending corpsmen’s way Harry gently laid his hand on Lee’s head and lightly brushed a couple of long curls back off his forehead.  He couldn’t lose him again, not after just getting him back.  Still in a state of shock himself, his concern and affection for the young man was transparent, not hidden by his usual gruff demeanor. 

Although Will had long recognized that Nelson felt protective if not somewhat parental towards Lee he was surprised to see the true depths of those feelings play across the Admiral’s face.  The Admiral was not one to ever wear his emotions on his sleeve but with Lee Crane apparently all bets were off.  It dawned on him that if Crane didn’t survive, the loss would be truly devastating to the Admiral, especially after having already thought the Captain was already dead.  He also knew Chip would be hit equally hard if Lee did not survive.

Will grabbed a chair and placed it at the head of Lee’s gurney.  He then moved to the Admiral’s side and lightly placed his hand on his shoulder. “Harri it’s going to be a couple of hours before we get him stable enough to attempt surgery why don’t you sit down here and keep him company.  Just talk to him and let him know he’s safe at home and not alone.  He’ll know you’re here at a subconscious level and keep fighting to come back to his boat and his family.”

Nelson’s head shot up at that last statement.  Their eyes met and Harri knew that Will understood what Lee had come to mean to him.  It also said that he was becoming too obvious with his emotions and needed to step back a bit, to not betray too much of what he was feeling.

“Thanks, Will” he replied.  “I’ll sit with him awhile until Chip gets cleaned up and comes down.  I know he’ll want to spend time with Lee as well.”  Harri eased himself into the chair and stared at the unconscious man before him.  “Hold on Lee, just hold on.” He said softly.  The corpsmen had moved off as they had completed what they could do to improve their Captain’s condition.  Harri listened to the steady report of the monitors tracking Cranes’ status.  He placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder hoping the contact would let him know he was home.

Thirty minutes later Chip entered Sick Bay and moved directly to Lee’s gurney.  He took in the scene and closed his eyes and sighed deeply.  As he opened them again the Admiral was staring at him.  “How is he sir?” Chip asked.

“Not good Chip.  Jamie said that his system has been so shocked and depleted he can’t operate until they get him stabilized.  If they took him into surgery now he’d never make it off the table alive.”

Chip swallowed hard.  He gently picked up Lee’s hand and held it between his.  “Hey, Lee its Chip.  We got you back buddy now we need you to hang on so Jamie can fix you up good as new”, he said softly.  Chip’s concern and worry was equally visible as he watched his brother of the soul fight to hold on to the thin strand of life that still remained within his body.

Harri stood up and met Chips eyes.  “Why don’t you come over here and sit with him awhile.  Jamie says it will do him good to know that he’s not alone and that he’s safe.  I’ve got to make a couple of calls and I know you’d appreciate having some time with him.”

Chip nodded and lowered Lee’s hand back to the gurney.  He moved to the chair and took over the Admiral’s station.  As Nelson departed Chip started a low monologue telling Lee about the status of the boat, plans for his upcoming vacation and how much he needed his brother to stay strong and fight his way back to health. 

Will stood at his office door watching the changing of the guard.  “You can’t die on me Lee,” he thought to himself. “Your father and brother will be devastated.  I won’t let you die, I promise.”

It was nearly four hours before the Captain’s condition had stabilized enough for Will to chance taking him into surgery.  Chip and Harri had traded places a couple of times ensuring that Lee was never alone.  Completing his survey of the Captain’s vital signs Jamie called over his corpsman John and had him finish prepping the operating room. 

“Admiral, it’s time” he said softly.  The Admiral looked up to meet Jamie’s concern filled eyes.  “I feel his condition has improved enough that we can operate now to repair the damage from the gunshot wound and whatever else they did to him.  Why don’t you head to the wardroom and grab something to eat?  This may take quite a while depending on the amount of damage I find once I get inside.  I’ll call you when I’ve finished and we get him settled in.”

Harri nodded somberly and rose from his chair.  “I’ll let Chip know you’re taking him into surgery” he replied and moved woodenly out of Sick Bay.

“Come on John; let’s take care of our Captain.”  Jamie said as he helped roll the gurney into surgery.

Harri delivered the update on Lee’s condition to Chip in the control room.  The concerned looks across the con told him he wasn’t the only one worried about the Captain.  He patted Chip on his shoulder and then exited up the stairs to his cabin.

He walked slowly back to his cabin, drained by the emotional stress of the last couple of weeks.  He entered and moved to his desk and lowered himself into the chair.  Turning on the lamp he drew open the bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of the family label and a glass and poured about two fingers worth.  He took a large sip feeling the burn of the scotch as it shot to his stomach.  “Come on son, I can’t lose you now,” he said softly to himself. With that thought the realization dawned on him that he really had come to consider Lee his son, it was no longer just a term of endearment used by an older man to younger one.   Lee Crane had become what time and circumstance had denied him.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes thinking back to the first time he really got to know Lee Crane.  It seemed like a lifetime ago back there at Annapolis. 

It was a couple days after Christmas and he was heading home after an evening out with friends.  It was a frigid December night as the east coast was in the grip of an unseasonably cold stretch of weather.  The temperatures were well below zero resulting in a thick coating of hoarfrost on the trees.  That evening, the sky was absolutely clear and the moon and stars shone brightly against the black background making things seem even colder.  It was nearly 0200 and no one else was out on the road at that hour.  As he drove down the street Harri noticed someone walking along the sidewalk.  Looking closer he could see the person had a USNA backpack slung across his back and was hunched down into his winter jacket. 

The pedestrian and Nelson reached the street corner just as the light turned red.  Harri absentmindedly stared at the man on the sidewalk next to him as he waited for the light to change.  He had on a light parka, jeans, sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head.  He could see his breath as the small white clouds formed in front of him with each exhalation.  The man could have easily crossed the street against the light as there was no traffic but he didn’t seem concerned about being anywhere too soon.  The figure looked up into the night sky taking in the stars and as he did his hood fell back revealing the face of a young man with dark close cropped hair.

Nelson stared at him intently, he knew that young man.  Out of context with the surroundings he couldn’t immediately put a name to the face.  Then it dawned on him Lee Crane, fourth year midshipman.  The young man had made quite an impression on him while attending his course on military tactics this last semester.  His grasp of the subject matter was extraordinary; he posed well considered questions and pressed Nelson for details and justifications for his interpretation of events until he fully understood.  He wasn’t disrespectful in any way just incredibly curious, he just wanted to know.

Harri rolled down his window. “Mister Crane isn’t it a little late for you to be out and about?”

Startled by the voice Lee spun quickly around to see who had spoken to him.  He shot immediately to attention as he recognized Captain Nelson behind the wheel.  “Yes, sir,” he responded quickly trying to collect his wits about him.

“At ease.” He said with a smile “Are you heading back to the Academy?” Nelson inquired.

“Uh, no sir.  I’m uh just taking a walk sir.” Lee replied.

Harri stared at the boy in disbelief.  Lee couldn’t hide the huge shiver that ran through his slender body.  Nelson gave him a harrumph.  “Get in and I’ll give you a ride to wherever you’re heading.  It’s far too cold to be tromping around at this time of night,” he said as he unlocked the car door.

“Thank you for the offer sir, but that’s not necessary.  I don’t want to inconvenience you.” Lee answered as another shiver racked his thin frame.  He needed to get moving so he could warm back up.

“It’s no inconvenience, hop in.”

Lee couldn’t stand there arguing with him all night and didn’t want to go into the reasons why he was out walking around so he resigned himself to accept the ride.  He crossed in front of the car and crawled in the passenger’s side and shut the door.

“All right, where to Mr. Crane,” Harri inquired.

Lee began thinking frantically trying to come up with some place Captain Nelson could take him.  The dorms at the Academy had been closed after the end of the semester because a rather toxic strain of black mold had been discovered in the ventilation system and all the buildings had to be fumigated to remove the hazard.  The dorms weren’t scheduled to reopen until after the New Year.  Not having any family Lee had nowhere else to stay over the winter break.  When he couldn’t get a bed at the local shelter he spent the nights, like tonight, wandering the streets until morning when he could go to the library or gym on campus to get warm and grab some sleep.  He had a little money but not enough to get a room for the entire break and barely enough for one meal a day.   “Hattie’s Diner, sir.  It’s about a mile ahead if that’s not too much of an imposition.”

Harri stared at the young man for a moment.  It was an odd destination for this hour of the morning.  Something just wasn’t right with all this.  “Okay Hattie’s it is.  I know right where it’s at.”  As the light turned green he accelerated and drove down the street to the diner.  He pulled into the parking lot and put the car in park. 

Lee immediately started getting out.  “Thank you for the lift sir,” he said nervously as he climbed out.  “Have a nice evening sir”.  He shut the door, turned and started walking quickly towards the front door of the diner.

“Wait up Mr. Crane,” Nelson called as he too got out of the car. “I could use a cup of coffee and something to snack on, mind if I join you?”

Lee could feel all the color draining out of his face, he was so glad it was still dark and hoped Nelson hadn’t noticed.  “Of course sir,” he replied.  He was rather proud of himself that his voice sounded normal not revealing the panic he felt inside.

Captain Nelson walked over to join Lee and they entered the diner together.  Nelson motioned to a booth and Lee followed him over.  Once at the booth Lee  divested himself of his backpack and jacket revealing that he had at least three more layers of clothing on underneath.

The waitress came over to the booth.  “What can I get you gentlemen tonight?”

“I’d like a cup of coffee and a piece of the apple pie you have in the case,” Harri said.

“Would you like that pie warm with a slice of cheese” she inquired.  Harri smiled and nodded.

“And what would you like, young man?”

“A cup of coffee would be good, thank you.” Lee responded quietly.

“Nothing to eat?  You look like you could use an entire pie.” The waitress kidded him.

“No thank you ma’am, I’m not hungry.  Just the coffee please.”

Nelson looked at Lee and something told him that he was worried about the cost, not that he wasn’t hungry.  “Make it two slices of pie” he said to the waitress. She nodded and smiled and moved off to fill their order.

“Really sir, I’m not hungry the coffee is all I want.”  Lee protested.

“Humor me Mr. Crane, it’s my treat anyway.”

“Thank you again, sir.”

They sat there quietly waiting for the waitress to return with their food.  Lee seemed to find the tabletop immensely interesting as he kept his eyes fixed on it.  Nelson stared quietly at the young man trying to figure out what was going on.  Once the pie was set in front of them Lee very nearly inhaled the dessert whole.  He couldn’t help himself, it was the first thing he’d had all day. There weren’t even any crumbs left on the plate.  Harry sat there staring in amazement; he’d seen starving dogs eat a bowl of kibble slower than that.

“I’d say you were a little more than hungry, Lee.  You want to tell me why you’re really out walking around town in this kind of weather at this time of night?”  Lee felt trapped and looked as though he were going to bolt from the table.  Nelson reached across and placed his hand on Lee’s arm.  “Lee relax, I’m just concerned about why you’re wandering the streets in the middle of the night when you should be home with your family and friends during break.”

Lee blushed self-consciously and swallowed hard.  He really didn’t want anyone to know his situation but cornered as he was he couldn’t avoid it.  “Well sir I had intended to spend the break in the dorms but when they closed them at the last moment I really didn’t have anywhere to go.  I had a little money saved up from the stipend we get but it wasn’t enough to get me a room for the whole break.  So once most of that was gone if I could get a bed at the homeless shelter I stayed there.  If the shelter’s full, like tonight, then I just walk around all night to stay warm and then in the morning I go to the gym or library on campus to get warm and sleep during the day.”

Harri was shocked.  “You should have let someone know, Lee.  There are other places you could have stayed.”

“It’s no big deal sir; I’ve done it lots of times before I came to the Academy.”

Harry frowned.  “What about your parents, aren’t they concerned about you doing that?”

Lee blushed again.  “I don’t have any parents, sir.  They were killed in a car accident when I was three.  They couldn’t find any next of kin so I grew up living in a couple of orphanages, a few foster homes and other places.”

Harri stared in amazement.  As resourceful and self-reliant as the young man seemed to be he couldn’t see letting him head back out into the streets in that cold for the rest of the evening let alone the rest of the break.  Quickly coming to a decision he looked at the boy sitting across from him. “Mr. Crane, you are going to come home with me tonight.”

Lee’s head shot up in disbelief. “Oh no sir, that’s not necessary.  I’ll be fine until the dorms reopen.  As I said it’s no big deal once you know what you’re doing.”

“The subject is not open for debate.” Nelson said sternly.  He smiled and added, “We take care of our own Lee, remember that.  You aren’t alone anymore.”

“Yes sir,” Lee responded quietly and resumed his study of the tabletop.

Harri signaled the waitress for the check and paid their bill.  He stood up, put on his coat and indicated that Lee should do the same.  “Grab your gear Mr. Crane.  Let’s get going.”

The drive to Harri’s was made in silence.  Nelson had a million questions he wanted to ask the young man but didn’t want to pry too deep and make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already did.  As he pulled into the driveway he hit the garage door opener and then pulled his car into the garage and turned it off.  “Well we’re here.” He said as he opened the car door and got out.  Lee slowly followed suit, still feeling embarrassed and ashamed about his current situation.

Harri led the way into the house.  It was a good size home and very tastefully decorated.  He tossed his jacket on the sofa as he walked by heading for the kitchen.  “Would you like something else to drink or eat,” he called out to Lee as he pulled a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator.

“No sir I’m fine, thank you,” Lee replied.

“Suit yourself,” Harri said as he exited the kitchen with a large glass of juice.  “Follow me and I’ll show you where you can bed down.”

Lee followed behind quietly taking in his surroundings as Harri led him to the downstairs bedroom.  “There’s a bathroom over there through that door and extra blankets in the closet if you get cold during the night.  Make yourself at home.  If you get hungry or thirsty you know where the kitchen is.”

“Yes sir.  Thank you, sir.”

“Tomorrow morning we’ll whip up some breakfast and talk a little more about your situation, okay?”

Lee blushed again and nodded.  “I’m sorry to be such an inconvenience sir, but I very much appreciate the place to sleep tonight.”

Harri smiled and exited the room pulling the door shut.  He made a point of mentioning breakfast so the young man wouldn’t dash off first chance he got.  He went upstairs and readied himself for bed.  He crawled in between the covers and laid there thinking about how he could help the young man downstairs as he fell asleep.

After the late evening, Harri slept later than normal and didn’t crawl out of bed until nearly 0930.  He recalled the events of last night and wondered if his house guest would still be there when he went down stairs.  He hit the bathroom and then donned a pair of Navy sweats to see if Crane was to be found.  Much to his pleasant surprise he found the young man seated on the couch in the living room quietly waiting for Harri to get up.  He was already dressed and had his backpack and coat lying next to him on the floor.  As Harri came down the stairs, Lee shot to his feet at attention still very nervous in Nelson’s presence.

“Well good morning Mr. Crane.”

“Good morning sir.”

“Would you please relax, Mr. Crane.  I’m not going to bite you, you know,” Harri said laughing lightly.

“I’m sorry sir.  I’ll try sir,” Lee said earnestly yet did not relax his stance as Harri passed by him on his way to the kitchen.

“Did you sleep alright?”

“Yes sir, very well sir.  Again thank you for letting me stay here last night.   I’m sorry I inconvenienced you and I‘ll get out of your hair sir.” Lee said turning to pick up his things.

“Not so fast.  I promised you breakfast and we still need to talk about what we’re going to do with you until the dorms open back up,” Harri interjected before Lee could grab his gear and dash out of the door.

“That’s not necessary sir.  I’m fine and can take care of things until then.” Lee said somewhat defensively.  He had been taking care of himself for quite some time and didn’t need to be fussed over.

Harri stopped and turned around to look at the young man and let out a big sigh.  “Lee you’re not fine.  You look half-starved and kicking around the streets of Annapolis in the dead of night to keep warm until you can get into an Academy facility to warm up and sleep is unacceptable.  Now come with me into the kitchen and let’s see what we can drum up for breakfast.”

Lee dropped his eyes and then looked up shyly through his long lashes, “Yes sir.  Thank you, sir.” He said as he followed Harri into the kitchen.

Between the two of them they put together a very respectable meal of eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast.  Lee took a small portion of each item and sat at the table munching quietly.  Harri stared disapprovingly at Lee’s plate. “You need to eat more than that Mr. Crane; you’re a growing boy and need to add some weight.”

“I’m not all that hungry sir,” Lee replied. 

“I’m not buying that one minute.  I saw how fast that pie disappeared last night,” Harri responded as he grabbed the spoon in the eggs and added a couple of spoonful’s to Lee’s plate along with a couple more sausage links and hash browns.  “You don’t want to hurt my feelings do you,” he joked.

“Oh no sir!” Lee exclaimed mortified that the Captain would think that he didn’t want the food or didn’t like it.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry he just didn’t want to seem greedy.

“Lee I told you before, relax.”  Harri said with a smile and started in on his own breakfast.  They sat there eating quietly.  “So what made you decide on the Naval Academy” Harri asked after a bit breaking the awkward silence.

Lee swallowed his mouthful of food. “Well sir, when I was 12 I got an academic scholarship to the Farragut Military Academy.  It was a charity thing they did with the orphanage every now and then and I was lucky enough to get it that year.  Any way I really enjoyed learning about the Navy and the various types of ships and boats.  The battles and the tactics and strategies used intrigued me very much as well. I also like the thought of serving my country. I did well at school and my school advisor helped steer me towards considering the Academy.  Plus I love the ocean, it fascinates me and the Navy looked to be a way to learn more about it and to always be near it.” 

Harri smiled and nodded.  “Good reasons.  What interests you now that you’ve been through your first semester?”

“I like engineering and mathematics so I think I’ll probably go for a degree in marine engineering.  I also think I would like to try for submarines.   They intrigue me as well.  I really like that you have to always think in three dimensions when out patrolling.  It’s like the penultimate game of hide and seek and three dimensional chess combined,” he said with a smile.

Nelson smiled back at Lee.  “I couldn’t agree more Mr. Crane.”  Nelson noticed how Lee’s amber eyes seemed to glow and change colors as he talked about what interested him.  The fire in his eyes when he spoke of submarines was much like his own and Harri recognized a kindred spirit.  That Lee seemed inspired by the sea and what lay below it was another point in his favor as far as Nelson was concerned.  He was really coming to like this young man seeing much of his younger self in him.

Harri sat quietly for a long moment.  As the silence became somewhat awkward Lee fidgeted a bit drawing Harri’s attention.  “Mr. Crane I have a proposition for you.  My research assistant has gone home for the holidays and there is great deal of research I would like completed so I can focus on a pet project of mine.  Since you say you’re interested in engineering and submarines, that would make you an outstanding candidate to conduct the research until he returns.  In exchange for ferreting out the data I need I’ll let you bunk here until the dorms open up again.  What say you to that?”

Lee sat there totally stunned.  Captain Nelson wanted him to do research for him.  Ever since going to Farragut he had been inspired and awed by Nelson’s intellect and achievements.  He couldn’t believe he was being asked to assist the man he so deeply admired.

“Sir, I would be more than honored to assist you any way I can.  You don’t have to give me anything to help you out.  I don’t want to impose on your hospitality sir.” Lee said excitedly.

Nelson had to chuckle at the young man’s exuberance.  “No if you take this on I insist you stay here.  I will expect you to work hard and conduct a comprehensive study of the topics I give you to research.  Your whole day will be consumed with the tasks I want done.  Are we agreed?”

“Agreed sir.  Thank you sir.” Lee smiled broadly.  It was the first time Harri had ever seen the full power of a Lee Crane smile.  The unbridled joy that danced across his face, his eyes once again seemed to pulse and glow with different colors as the light played across them.  Harri couldn’t contain himself and smiled broadly as well.

“Very well.  Let’s get the dishes taken care of and I’ll explain the task I want you to undertake.”

“Please sir, I can take care of this if you have other things you need to do.  I need to repay you somehow for the room and board.”

“Okay Lee, I’ll let you have at it.  If you need anything just call.”  Harri left the kitchen chuckling to himself as he went up to shower and shave before heading to the Academy and turning Crane loose in the library.  He had a strange feeling something very important had just occurred in his life.

Not surprisingly Lee turned out to be an excellent research assistant.  Harri was looking for information on metallurgy and making complex blends of metals for use in the construction of his submarine.  Lee poured through everything he could find working from the moment he was dropped off at the library until Harri came in looking for him in the evening.

Lee provided him with a comprehensive collection of current smelting techniques along with other experimental methods being developed for forming exotic alloys.  He had also included some ancient texts from when metal amalgamations were first made that would actually prove in later years to be the key to Harri’s  invention of the translucent metal he dubbed Herculite.

In the evenings Harri would look through the information Lee had collected and then they would sit and discuss various topics related to the research. They discussed Nelson’s plans to construct a revolutionary new submarine for the purpose of exploring and understanding more about the oceans.  Lee soaked it all up reveling in being able to listen and dialogue with the Captain about his plans and goals.  Harri likewise enjoyed his time talking with Lee.  He was completely impressed with the young man and his ability to grasp complex concepts and take them to the next logical step.  He was well spoken and had a keen and cutting sense of humor when he would let it peek out.  That week flew by for both of them and a lifelong friendship had begun to grow.

Harri drove Lee to the dorms the morning they were re-opened. “Well Mr. Crane I want to thank you for your outstanding efforts as my research assistant this past week.  The information you gathered will prove very valuable to me as I move towards building my submarine.”

Lee blushed and smiled shyly not at all comfortable with any type of praise.  “You’re more than welcome sir.  I enjoyed the work and I very much appreciated you letting me stay at your place until the dorms opened back up.  If you need me to do more please let me know, sir.”

“I’ll do that, you can count on it.  Have a good semester Mr. Crane.”

“Thank you sir, thank you for everything.”  Lee let loose one more of his high-powered smiles.  With that he climbed out of Nelson’s car and headed into the dorm.  Harri watched the young man disappear into the building anxious to see what kind of officer he would grow into.

Nearly six hours later Harri was brought back to the present by a soft knock on his door.  “Come” he said in response.

The door opened slowly and John stepped in.  “Admiral, Doctor Jamieson wanted to let you know that Captain Crane is out of surgery if you want to come down to Sick Bay and see him.”

“How did it go John?”

“You had best speak with Dr. Jamieson for all the particulars on that sir.” John responded.

Harri grew immediately concerned and rose from his chair and walked rapidly to Sick Bay.  He entered and quickly scanned the room for Lee.  He was laying on the gurney in the middle of the room attached to just about every piece of equipment Jamie must have had.  He was on a ventilator with IVs and whole blood transfusions replenishing his depleted body.

He walked over to Lee and looked down at him placing his hand lightly on his head.  Lee was still ghostly white; his skin had taken on an almost waxen appearance making him look more mannequin than man.   “Hang in there son.  We’re here for you.”  He turned slightly as he saw Jamie come into the room.  He looked totally exhausted his face drawn and tight.

“Jamie, how did it go?’

Jamie motioned him to come into his office and have a seat.  He sat heavily in the chair behind his desk and sighed tiredly resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.  “Not well.  I’ve sewn up the damage but his heart stopped three times during the surgery.  He’s got virtually nothing left to give Harri.  Any more shocks to his system and he’ll be hard pressed to pull through.  Once I got him open I discovered his spleen had been lacerated from the blows he had taken and based on the output from the Foley tube his kidneys are severely bruised as well.  Right now he’s held together with spit and baling wire.”

The news hit Nelson hard as he paled and sat back dejectedly in his chair.  They sat there quietly digesting the information when Chip Morton entered Sick Bay walking directly to Lee.  His face paled as he took in Lee’s condition.  He too placed his hand on Lee’s head and leaned down to speak quiet words of encouragement to his CO and brother.  He looked up and spied the Admiral and Jamie sitting in the office and moved to join them.

“Well Jamie, how is he doing” Chip inquired.  Jamie repeated the information he had given the Admiral regarding their Captain’s condition.  The news slammed Chip hard and his face took on a grim frown.  He moved back to Crane’s side.  “Come on Lee, no more lazing around.  Your watch is coming up and we need you in the con.”  He picked up Lee’s hand and squeezed gently between his to try and will some of his strength to his struggling friend.

Chip desperately wanted to remain by Lee’s side but he had to see that Lee’s boat was properly taken care of and headed for home. “I’ve got to get back to the con and take care of a few things for our trip back to the Institute.  Please keep me updated Jamie.”

“You know I will.  Don’t despair Chip, this is Lee Crane he is the most tenacious person I’ve ever known and I can’t see him giving up.  Keep positive thoughts and throw in a prayer now and then.”

Chip nodded and gave Jamie a wan smile and headed back to the control room. Harri stood up and moved his chair next to Lee’s gurney.  He sat down placing his hand on Lee’s arm.  “Hang in there son.  We’re all here to help you fight your way back.  You can’t leave us again.”  The only response was the soft click and sigh of the ventilator and the steady beep of the heart monitor.  The Admiral remained by Lee’s side for the next four hours until Chip returned to take his turn keeping watch.

As the Admiral prepared to leave he looked over at Jamie taking in his haggard appearance.  “Come on Will, let’s go get something to eat and then you need to get some rest.  You look as though you’re going to topple over from exhaustion.”  The doctor nodded slightly and slowly pulled his tired and aching body out of the chair and followed the Admiral down to the wardroom.

They entered the wardroom, taking in the concerned looks of the other officers as they moved to the food line.  They filled their plates and settled themselves at an empty table.  They both sat silently picking at the food on their plate; too worried about the Captain to have much of an appetite.  They had been there maybe 15 minutes when the intercom blared to life. “Doctor Jamieson to Sick Bay, medical emergency.  Repeat Doctor Jamieson to Sick Bay medical emergency.”  The hint of panic in the corpsman’s voice filled both men with a sense of dread as they jumped to their feet and flew down the passageway to Sick Bay.

The scene when they arrived was disturbing.  John was standing over the Captain performing CPR as Thomas worked the air bag between each set of compressions.  The heart monitor was emitting a high pitched monotonous tone indicating that Lee’s heart had stopped.  “What happened” Jamie asked as he moved to relieve John so he could assemble the necessary medications and machines required to restart Lee’s heart.

“He was doing okay until suddenly he went into v-fib” John replied.

“Get the defibulator charged.” Jamie called.

John pushed the crash cart next to the doctor and activated the charging unit.  He pulled out the paddles and handed them to the doctor then added gel to each pad.  “Two hundred, three hundred, four hundred…charged” John recited.

Jamie rubbed the paddles together distributing the gel across their surface.  “Clear,” Jamie called.  As everyone pulled back from Lee, he placed the paddles on Lee’s chest and sent the electric shock into his body.  Lee’s body arched at the jolt and fell limply back to the gurney.  They all froze for a moment waiting to see if the charge and done the trick.  Nothing.   “Again,” yelled Jamieson.

“Charging” replied John as he reset the machine.  “Two hundred, three hundred, four hundred…charged.”

“Clear,” Jamie yelled as he once again sent an electric jolt into Lee’s lifeless body.  Again nothing.  “John, get me a heart needle and the adrenaline,” Jamie directed.  John grabbed the items and handed him a vial and the long needled syringe.  Jamie loaded it with an appropriate dose and shoved the needle through Lee’s chest into his heart and injected the adrenaline into the organ.  Still nothing.

“Charge again John” Jamie directed and they once again cycled through the process with the same result.  His frustration at being unable to pull his captain back from the edge was taking control.  Jamie jumped back into frantic chest compressions.  “Damn you Lee Crane don’t you dare give up on me.  Come on, fight!  Fight for this,” he yelled at the unresponsive man on the gurney. “I told you the only way you’re getting out of here is on two feet now fight damn you.  Come on back!”

The doctor’s outburst stunned the other men in the room.  They had never seen him so distraught and upset.  The realization that the battle was probably lost was written across their faces.  Jamie looked up from his task and took in their grim looks.  “No, goddamn it this isn’t over yet!  John, charge it up again.”

John rapidly complied charging the unit and reporting the charge progression as before.  Jamie once more placed the paddles on Lee’s chest and depressed the button sending yet another jolt of electricity through the slender body.  They all held their breath as they waited for the results of the last charge.  Suddenly the heart monitor beeped, then again and again until a rhythmic cadence was established announcing that Lee’s heart had restarted and he once again was with them.

A massive sigh of relief sounded across the room as they said their prayers of thanks.  “Well that was fun,” Jamie finally said breaking the tense silence.  He quickly gave instructions to John to administer additional medications to stabilize Lee’s heart rate and then moved to his office collapsing into his chair.  The surge of adrenaline was wearing off and he could feel himself shake as he crashed back to earth.  Harri and Chip looked no better as they moved to join him.

Jamie pushed a hand through his hair and blew out a long breath of air.  “That was the last thing he needed,” he said to his companions.  “I’m surprised that we were able to pull him back this time. He’s got to be on empty by now.  I hope to hell we don’t have to go through that again.  I don’t think my heart could take it,” he said with tired laugh.

“Good work Jamie” Nelson said.  Chip added his commendation as well.  The three friends sat quietly still recovering from Lee’s most recent brush with death. 

John stepped in and let them know that he had cleaned up and resettled the Skipper and that he seemed to be resting comfortably.  He handed Jamieson a clipboard with Lee’s current vitals for his review.  Jamie rose and went back out to check the Skipper himself.  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust John but he was a very hand’s on physician and very dedicated to those under his care.  After listening to Lee’s heart and lungs and taking his pulse he gently laid his hand on Lee’s forehead feeling for any sign of fever.  He seemed slightly warm but that could be a carryover from all he had been put through to restart his heart.  Jamie bent down and spoke softly in his ear. “That’s enough of that Skipper.  You need to be on your best behavior now after putting us all through that little exercise.”  He ruffled the younger man’s hair and then returned to his office.

“His vital signs have stabilized and he seems to be doing fine for now.  I have no idea what triggered the heart failure but I’ll keep an even closer eye on him now.  I know it’s probably pointless to suggest this but you two need to get some rest.  I don’t need any more of the command crew in my Sick Bay as patients; I don’t have the stamina for it.”

The Admiral and Chip each gave Jamie a small smile.  “Chip why don’t you go grab some shuteye and I’ll sit with Lee.  You’ve got to be about on empty yourself; you haven’t stood down since before the raid on the island.”

Chip sighed deeply.  He couldn’t recall the last time he felt this spent.  He desperately wanted to remain at Lee’s side but knew that if he didn’t get some sleep soon he would crash and crash hard.  “Okay sir.  I’ll head to my cabin and see if I can get some sleep.  Let me know if anything changes with Lee, please.”

“Of course Chip, you can count on that,” the Admiral replied. Turning his focus to the doctor Harri added, “You look like you could use a good night’s rest as well Jamie.”

Jamie smiled. “Practicing medicine without a license Admiral?”  He stretched his body and stood up slowly from his chair.  “I’m going to crash in one of the bunks over there just in case the good Captain plans on throwing an encore of tonight’s performance.  You would be well served to use one of the bunks too Admiral.”

Harri chuckled lightly.  “Someone has to keep an eye on him.”  He stood and reclaimed the chair that had been tossed aside during the activities to resuscitate Lee.  He lowered himself tiredly into the chair and resumed his vigil over his friend and Captain.

With Jamieson crashed out in one of the bunks Harri sat quietly next to Lee trying to read research proposals to pass the time.  He had a tough time focusing on the proposals as the events earlier in the evening kept replaying in his mind.  He had almost lost him; he’d almost lost his son again.  Had he ever told Lee that’s how he thought of him? Did Lee ever think of him as a father? He had the impression that Lee cared deeply for him but neither of them had ever spoken of such things.  That’s just not something superior and subordinate naval officers discuss. In fact it was generally frowned upon as such relationships could interfere with their respective duties.   Hell even Magneson had made mention of their connection and had used against him to go after Seaview.

Harri’s thoughts once again slipped back into the past and the first time Lee was under his command on the Nautilus.  He was quite pleased to see that Lt. Lee Crane had been assigned to his boat and was anxious to see how he had matured since graduating from the Academy. 

Harri was not disappointed when he was reintroduced to Lt. Crane.  The young man had become the officer he knew he could be.  He excelled in every task he had been assigned was knowledgeable about his duties and took a personal interest in the crewmen under his supervision.  He spent every free moment familiarizing himself with the boat, seemingly bonding with the vessel. Late at night they on occasion sat and talked in the wardroom when no one else was around about the Captain’s pet project and what Lee was up to.  In reviewing Lee’s personnel folder he had discovered that he had spent significant time working with ONI.  Nelson was definitely concerned by Lee’s association with them and not so subtly let him know he would be better served to focus on submarines than espionage.

While during a patrol off the coast of the People’s Republic the true scope of Crane’s capabilities came to the fore.  Having been given the con, while Captain Nelson and the senior officers met regarding mission orders and other boat business,  LT. Crane was alerted to the presence of a torpedo zeroing in on them.

“Lt. Crane, high pitched screw in the water, someone has fired a torpedo at us,” reported the sonar man.  As Lee headed for the mic to alert the Captain and raise the general alert the Nautilus was rocked by a sudden explosion outside the vessel.

“Battle stations, all hands to battle stations.” Lee called into the intercom.  Just as the words left his mouth the boat was rocked violently again as another explosion occurred in close proximity sending him into the periscope island rail and dumping crewmen off their feet across the con.   “Sonar can you give me any indication where these things are coming from,” he yelled to be heard over the various panels overloading and overhead pipes rupturing. 

“Where the hell did that come from,” Lee called to his sonar man. 

“There was no indication of anything out there sir, the damn things are coming from behind us, “the man responded tensely.

“Evasive maneuvers, hard astern take us down to 1,000 feet.” Lee ordered trying to figure out which way to go and wondering where the Captain and XO were, they should have been on the bridge by now.  Lee grabbed the mic, “Damage control report.”

“Damage control here sir, “came the response.

“What’s the situation, report.”

“We’ve got flooding between frames 25 and 31.  Water-tight doors have sealed in those areas not permitting access.  There are some electrical overloads but weapons and engines are on line and available,” responded the disembodied voice.

“Mr. Crane, there’s a submarine 5,000 yards directly behind us and closing fast.”

“Any idea whose it is?” Crane inquired.

“No sir, it doesn’t match any of the sound profiles we have,” the sonar man replied.

“Prepare countermeasures, load all torpedo tubes.  Helm come to heading 180, depth 1,800 feet.

His orders were rapidly relayed across the con and down to the torpedo room.  “Torpedoes loaded, countermeasures at the ready,” came the response.

“Sonar, where is that boat,” Lee called out.

“Still behind us closing fast.  Torpedoes in the water sir, 4,000 yards!”

“Helm full ahead emergency flank speed.  Launch countermeasures,” he commanded.  Lee quickly strode over to the chart table rapidly scanning the contours of the ocean bottom.  “Helm, change course to 240.”

“Course 240, aye,” the helmsmen replied as the boat began making her turn.

“Sir countermeasures didn’t work, torpedoes still closing, 1000 yards.”

Given Lee’s new course the Nautilus powered through the water directly towards a large sea mount.  Just as they neared the point where the boat would be unable to change course rapidly enough to avoid the mount, Crane order the vessel hard a starboard.  Nautilus heeled over hard to the right, barely missing the looming underwater mass.  The torpedoes were unable to correct their course fast enough and slammed into the mount exploding on impact.  The Nautilus rocked hard again sending anyone not seated or braced to the floor.

“Sonar where’s the other sub,” Lee inquired again.

“She’s 3,000 yards off our port side, sir.”

“Weapons officer do we have a firing solution?”

“Aye Mr. Crane.” Came the response.

“Lock in the solution and fire aft tubes 1 and 3.” Crane ordered.

“Fire 1…fire 3” ordered the weapons officer.

There was a faint jolt and a whoosh sounded as the weapons left the sub.  “Torpedoes have acquired, sir” relayed the weapons officer. “They’ve launched countermeasures.  Torpedoes still have acquisition.”

“Helm, turn to course 010, depth 1500 feet.” Lee commanded.  The order was rapidly acknowledged and Nautilus turned quickly to her new course.

As they waited quietly they felt, then heard their torpedoes impact on the enemy submarine, catching them once again in a violent shockwave.  Lee lost his grip and his back slammed hard into the chart table.  He sank to his knees and rolled onto his back as the wind was knocked out of him and the pain coursed through his body.  He laid there momentarily waiting for any additional shocks; he was tired of being tossed around like a rag doll.

He pulled himself slowly to his feet. “Sonar what’s the status of that boat?”

“We’ve lost contact with her sir, I’m just reading debris in the water,” the sonar man replied.

Lee let loose a huge sigh as did the rest of the control room crew.  A series of “well done Mr. Crane” and “congratulations” flew across the room from the control crew.  Lee smiled slightly and blushed at the praise, “We all did well,” he replied. 

“Stand down from battle stations,” he ordered. “Damage control report.”

“Damage control here.  We’ve got flooding controlled and are shoring up the bulkheads now.  We’ve also freed the Skipper and XO from the damaged sections and they should be heading your way.”

Just as the words came over the speaker Captain Nelson and XO Farris strode into the control room.  Nelson looked quickly across the con taking in the damage and the state of his crew.  His roving eyes located and fixed themselves on Lt. Crane.  “Report Mr. Crane.”

Lee snapped to attention. “Sir we had no idea there was an enemy sub in the area.  Sonar picked up the torpedoes before we were even aware there was another boat out there.  We also have no idea who the attacker was.  Sonar says that it was a new profile not previously logged in our records.  After trying to elude the attacker I finally returned fire when we could get a clear shot and by all indications the sub was destroyed,” Lee responded succinctly.

Nelson listened intently to the report all the while taking in the condition of his youngest junior officer.  He could tell Lee was quickly coming down from the adrenaline high and would be crashing shortly; he’d been through this himself too many times not to recognize the signs.  “Well done Mr. Crane,” raising his voice louder Nelson continued, “Well done to you all.  You ensured Nautilus defended herself admirably.  Mr. Crane I have the con, you are relieved and are to stand down.  Go get some rest, you’ve earned it.”

“Aye Captain Nelson you have the con and I stand relieved, sir” Lee replied.  He took a deep breath, flinching slightly from his run in with the periscope island and chart table and turned to leave.  Nelson caught the slight grimace on Crane’s face but he needed to ascertain the condition of his boat and crew first and would pursue Lee’s condition in short order.

Lee walked quickly to his quarters, entered and shut the door.  Once behind closed doors he let the wave of exhaustion, nerves and anxiety wash over him.  He started to shake slightly and lowered himself to his bunk before he collapsed.  He inhaled deeply over and over again running his hands through his hair as he tried to recoup his composure now that the crisis was over and the adrenaline rush faded.  He just wanted to sleep for a thousand years after that wild ride.  He removed his uniform and pulled on a pair of shorts, killed the lights and climbed between the covers for a quick nap.

About an hour later he was awakened by a knock on the door.  “Come” he called.  Lee painfully sat up and flipped on the lights as Captain Nelson entered.  He immediately jumped to his feet in the Captain’s presence.

“At ease,” Nelson said with a smile. “I’m sorry Mr. Crane I didn’t mean to disturb you; I just wanted to check-up on you.” Harri took in Lee’s bare torso now showing the signs of his run in with the control room fixtures and disturbingly a couple of fairly recent scars that looked suspiciously like bullet wounds.  “Are you all right Mr. Crane those bruises look painful.”

“I’m fine, sir.  I just got up close and personal with the periscope island and the chart table.  Nothing broken just bruised sir,” Lee replied.

“Well I want you to check in with the Doc and have it checked out anyway.” Nelson said with a wince of sympathy pain having had his share of such meetings in his time.

“Yes sir,” Lee answered with a slight look of disdain which he quickly wiped off his face when he realized his Skipper had seen it.

Harri laughed quietly.  “You did a hell of job out there Lee.  I don’t think anyone could have done any better.”

Lee flushed bright red at the Captain’s words of praise.  “It was a team effort sir and I had some really great teachers.”

Nelson shook his head rolling his eyes.  “The results of your orders truly were a team effort but the plan of response and attack were solely yours.  You saved both the crew and this boat.  I couldn’t be more proud of your performance.  Take credit where credit is due, lad.”

Lee flushed again.  “Yes sir, thank you sir.”

“So how are you holding up?  It can be rather overwhelming commanding your first battle.”

Lee released a huge sigh and relaxed his stance slightly.  “I’m doing okay, sir.  I felt as though I was going to throw up and pass out right after it was all over.  I think the enormity of what had just happened really hit me.  Does it get any better with time sir?”

Harri chuckled.  “Not really.  You’ll become more confident in your abilities as you get more experience but the aftermath of an engagement still knocks the wind out of my sails for a bit.”  A moment of silence passed between them as Lee considered Nelson’s words.  “Well, I’ve disturbed you enough.  Get back in your rack and get some rest.  Once you’re up again head to Sick Bay and get those bruises checked out.”

Lee smiled shyly.  “Yes sir.  I’ll do that.”

With that Nelson exited Lee’s quarters and headed back to his cabin to begin on the endless reports and conferences that would result from this unwarranted attack on his boat.  He smiled to himself taking an almost parental pride in Lee’s accomplishments.  He was pleased that all the promise he had seen in the young man back at the Academy was coming to fruition.  He’d definitely keep a closer eye on Lee’s career.

Harri had spent the entire night pasted to Lee’s bedside.  Other than the call of nature, nothing else could get him to leave his “son’s” side until he saw those golden eyes once more looking back at him.  Harri was brought back from his reminiscences by the sound of movement next to him and a low moan from the man on the gurney.  He placed his arm on Lee’s shoulder.  “Lee can you hear me?  Can you open your eyes son?  You’re back on your Gray Lady, you’re home.”  Lee moaned quietly again.

At the Admiral’s words Jamie immediately snapped awake and moved to Lee’s side grabbing his wrist and taking his pulse.  “Come on Lee, I know you’re in there open your eyes for us.”  Jamie continued his evaluation as Lee fought to return to consciousness.

He slowly became aware of the soft bed beneath him and the telltale odor of antiseptic.   Sick Bay, how did he get to Sick Bay, he was on an island last he recalled.  He tried to open his eyes but they felt as though they were glued shut.  He suddenly became aware of the tube down his throat and his eyes snapped open as his free hand flew up to grab the offending item.  Jamie quickly caught his wrist and held it tightly until he got Lee to focus on him. 

“Lee, Lee!  Lee look at me, come on focus.  You’re alright, just relax,” Jamie commanded. 

His eyes wide with panic Lee slowly focused on Jamie and at roughly the same time the pain from his injuries slammed home.  He screwed his eyes shut as they began to water from the pain.  His face took on a grimace as he tried to gain control of the agony lancing throughout his body.

Jamieson took in Lee’s reaction.  “Lee I need you to look at me again and I need you to be honest with me or I can’t help you.  On a scale of 1 to 5 how bad is the pain.”

Lee spread his hand wide indicating that the pain was overwhelming.  Jamie turned quickly and walked to the medicine cabinet and filled a syringe.  He returned and emptied the contents into Lee’s IV.  The reaction was almost immediate as Lee relaxed noticeably as the drug coursed through his body.  He opened his eyes and sighed as best he could with the ventilator still in place.

Jamie pulled out his stethoscope and listened intently to Lee’s heart and lungs.  Comfortable with what he heard he looked down at Lee, “Would you like to get rid of the tube?”

The joy and relief in Lee’s eyes was palpable as he nodded.  He readied himself for the procedure to remove the tube.  Jamie quickly and expertly extracted the torture device, as Lee referred to it.  Once it was out he coughed and gagged until he again began breathing normally.

Nelson moved back to Lee’s side now that things looked to be in control.  He gently placed his hand on Lee’s head and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Welcome home lad,” a smile spreading widely across his face.  “You’ve really had us worried.  We thought we lost you.”

“I thought you lost me too, sir,” Lee replied weakly.  He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

Jamie returned with a glass of water and straw and helped Lee take a drink.  “Is that better?  Do you need some more?”

Lee shook his head no and tried to sit up.  “Seaview okay?  Crew okay?  How did you find me?”

“Just relax Lee and I’ll answer all you questions.”  Nelson replied gently pushing his Captain back onto his bed.  “Seaview is okay, she took a bit of a beating from Magneson’s beam but we’ve got most of the damage repaired and we’re heading home.  The crew is fine other than a few bumps and bruises; you’re by far the worst one off,”

“As to how we found you Magneson more or less told us where he was, wanting us to blunder into his trap, and thanks to the People’s Republic, we unfortunately did.  Chip led an assault team to the island to take care of Magneson and his weapon.  They did a HALO jump out of FS-1 and got to the beam just about the time it exploded, thankfully releasing us from its grip.  As the team was sweeping the island for any survivors from the explosion Ski and Patterson found you under a tree looking out to sea and Seaview.”

Lee frowned and spoke hoarsely, “Told you not to come it was too dangerous, sir.”

“Well that’s the nice thing about me being an Admiral and your superior officer, I don’t have to follow your orders or we wouldn’t be having this discussion now,” Harri said with a twinkle in his eye.  Just then Chip entered Sick Bay and a huge smile of relief spread across his face.

Nelson backed away from the gurney as Chip moved close to greet Lee on his return to the conscious world.  “About time you came back,” he said as he grabbed Lee’s hand and squeezed it in welcome relief.  “You’ve been sleeping through far too many of your watches and your paperwork is reaching monumental proportions.”

Lee smiled weakly and laughed.  “I got detained on the way back home, wasn’t my fault.  Hear I have you and a select team to thank for my rescue.  I appreciate it buddy.  Didn’t think I’d ever get back aboard or see any of you again.”

“Don’t thank us too much; all we did was find you.  Mangenson’s weapon was in the process of destroying itself just as we got to the party.  Don’t suppose you had a hand in that did you?”

Lee gave Chip another weak smile raised his hand and held his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.  “Little bit, maybe.”  Lee sighed heavily catching his breath and then yawned.

“Gentlemen I think it’s time for the Captain to take a little nap,” Jamie interjected.  Lee didn’t look the least put out at that prospect as Jamie added a mild sedative to his IV and he dropped quickly off to sleep.

The relief that Lee had regained consciousness and hopefully was on the road to full recovery swelled across the room.  All eyes were very bright and more than a little damp as they thought about how close they had come to losing him. 

“Well Admiral now that the Skipper is back there’s no need for you to camp out here anymore.  I’m ordering you to your quarters and specifically your bunk for the next 8 hours,” the CMO stated.

Harri gave him his patented “Harrumph” and smiled.  “I won’t argue with you there Will, I think I could sleep for a week.”  He turned and patted Chip on the shoulder and headed out the door to follow the doctor’s prescription.

Chip smiled and looked back down on his best friend and brother.  His color was looking more normal and he seemed to be sleeping soundly.  He placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder and closed his eyes thanking every deity he could think of for the return of his friend. 

Jamie came up next to Chip, “Why don’t you go get some breakfast Chip, we need to change his dressings and get him moved to a bunk now that it looks like he’s back to stay. You can come back then and sit with him if you’d like.”

Chip smiled and nodded.  “I’ll do that after I deliver an update on the Captain’s condition to the crew.  I think that will do wonders to lift everyone’s spirits and make the trip home much lighter.”

Some six hour later Lee awoke.  He was thankful to be back on his boat and thrilled to find Chip sitting next to him keeping watch.  “Hey” he said softly.

“Hey yourself,” Chip replied.  “Are you back with us for a little while longer this time?”  He smiled warmly at his friend and gently grabbed his shoulder reassuring himself Lee was back.

“Well if you can keep Jamie away from me I might be able to do that,” Lee joked.

“I heard that,” Jamie said from the other room.  He walked over to Lee and started taking his vitals and evaluating his general condition.  “You’re going to be hard pressed to do much more than sleep for quite a while given what you’ve been through.  Sleep and a few good meals are the best things for you right now.”

“When can I get out of here Jamie?” Lee said donning his most innocent and angelic expression.

Jamieson sneered and emitted a loud growl.  “Don’t even start with me Captain.  After what you’ve put us all through the last few days you’ll be lucky if I let you out of bed in a month.”

Chip and Lee broke out in laughter at his response.  “Guy’s gotta try.”  Lee said with a wink.  Jamie just rolled his eyes in response.

Just then the Admiral entered Sick Bay.  “Couldn’t stay away, huh Admiral?” Jamie admonished.  He knew his commanding officer would be a constant fixture here until the Captain was up and around.  Nelson blushed a bit and smiled pleased to see Lee awake and alert.

“Do you feel up to some lunch, Captain?” Jamie inquired.

Lee inhaled deeply, thought about it for a moment, when was the last time he ate, he couldn’t for the life of him remember.  “Yes, I could go for about anything but Jell-O or applesauce.” He said with a smile.

“Good.  I think you could probably handle some soup and an egg salad sandwich.  I’ll have Cookie send down some lunch for us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Nelson.  “While we wait you can start filling us in on what happened on the island.”

Lee began recounting how he had been kidnapped by Mangeson’s henchman and what he had been put through during his confinement.  He relayed that Magneson had grabbed him to gain access to Seaview and to turn him and the boat over to the People’s Republic to repay certain debts he owed them.  His friends listened intently and cringed from time to time as Lee described his treatment while in that bastard’s hands. 

“I think when he couldn’t get me to divulge the information he wanted, he decided to “let me” escape so that I would try and contact you for rescue.  I had no intention of ever doing that.  I knew I had to do something to destroy his weapon so he couldn’t use it on any vessel, especially Seaview.” Lee recounted.

“How did you survive the leap off the cliff,” Chip asked.  He paled slightly as he flashed back to that horrific moment in time.

“That was pure dumb luck,” Lee replied.  “When I did my recon of the island I had noticed these two shafts in the side of the cliff.  I thought they might be ventilation shafts leading down to the lab.  He had four huge generators down there and they had to put off some serious heat when he fired up the beam.  So I went back to the main complex looking for rope or something to lower myself down but came up empty.  When he got his video system up I was on my way back to free climb down the cliff face to try and reach them.  Once he let me know you could see and hear me I was afraid you would try and rescue me and that would have put you all at too much of a risk.  I figured if I was dead you wouldn’t have to be concerned about me and could take full measures to destroy his complex with minimal risk to Seaview or the crew.  So I decided to jump.  As I went over the edge I found that there was actually a ledge below the shafts and through some stroke of luck I was able to land on the ledge and become one with the rock.”

As Lee described his decision to sacrifice himself for his boat and crew the men in the room blanched and scowled in anger.  “Damn it Lee you should never have resorted to that,” Chip responded angrily.  “We could have gotten to you and taken out the weapon.”

“Chip I couldn’t have lasted much longer.  I knew I had to do something to take that thing out of commission and by freeing your hands to do it without consideration for my well-being, then your margin for safety went up a thousand fold.  It was the least I could do to keep you safe.”

Chip still scowled at his CO and by the look of the faces of the Admiral and Jamieson Lee knew neither of them approved of his choice as well.  “It was my duty, I took an oath to protect and defend and that is what I had to do.  You can’t tell me any of you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you were in same situation.”

Nelson softened his expression realizing that Lee had taken the only course of action he could to uphold his duty and give his friends the best opportunity to take out Magneson’s threat.  “Why am I not surprised you snuck into Magneson’s lab using a ventilation shaft,” Harri said with a large degree of amusement.  At those words everyone broke into laughter.

“The irony of the solution didn’t escape me, even at the time.”  Lee continued.  “Once I recovered from my surprise landing I was able to get the grate covering the shaft open and climbed in.  I think I passed out for a while once I got inside because it was dark by the time I remembered anything.  I crawled down the shaft and it came out directly above the generators.  When I got there Magneson had the beam on and the generators were really laboring to meet his power demands.  I think Seaview was proving to be much more of a challenge than he had anticipated.  I opened the vent grate and lowered myself to the lab floor then went to work setting up the generators to overload.   They were so far gone by the time I got there it really didn’t take much.”

“After I rigged the generators I took my gun and fired a round into the main control panel and that cut the beam off.  Magneson really lost it at that point.  He started ranting and raving and throwing things around his lab then he really focused on me and came at me.  I dropped him with a single shot to the leg and then left him with his machine.  From that point on I really don’t remember much.  I was kind of wandering around in a fog and wasn’t feeling much of anything.  I recall seeing which direction the beam was pointed and was hoping I could make it outside and get a final glimpse of Seaview before I checked out.  I don’t know how I managed to get to the coast but I do clearly remember seeing Seaview fly up out of the water.  It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and I knew you were all safe.  I had done my job right and could die happy. ”

They all sat quietly as Lee finished his recollection of events.  The enormity and depth of his commitment to both them and his boat resounded with them all.  Nelson reached forward and put his hand behind Lee’s head, his eyes glistening with unshed tears of gratitude and relief.  “Thank you son.” He said as his voice broke slightly.  Chip and Jamie both nodded in agreement with his words and moved to wipe their eyes as well.  Lee smiled reveling in the comfort and security of being back on his boat with his family and crew. 

Finished with his story lunch arrived and they all sat there enjoying each other’s company and chatting about anything but Lee’s ordeal.  With lunch finished Jamie moved to shoo everyone, except Lee, out of Sick Bay.  Fixing Lee in his sites he moved to take another evaluation of his vitals.  “You have a choice you can lay back down and go to sleep willingly or I can help you on your way.”

Lee glowered back at Jamie and the syringe he flaunted in front of him.  “I’ll try it on my own, thank you very much.”

Jamie laughed out loud.  “Fine.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle and shook two pills into his hand and proffered them to Lee.

“I said I would go to sleep on my own.” He said warily eyeing the pills.

“These are for the pain Lee; I can see it ratcheting up by the look on your face so it’s pointless to deny it.  They won’t put you to sleep but they will make it easier for you to rest.  Take the pills or I’ll pull out my trusty, or is it rusty, syringe, and not give you the option.”

Lee glared at Jamie and grudgingly took the pills from him and popped them in his mouth.  He grabbed the cup of water on the tray next to his bunk and took a big sip swallowing the meds.  “Happy?”

“Ecstatic, overjoyed, elated, pick a word.”  Jamie smiled as Lee blushed and settled down into his bunk.  He pulled the blankets up over the Captain’s shoulder and wished him a good nap.

The remainder of the voyage back to Santa Barbara went without a hitch.  Lee was not allowed out of Sick Bay as Jamie still had concerns about his heart and didn’t want to run the risk of Lee having a heart attack because of complications associated with his recovery.  To say things were more than a little testy between the two combatants was an understatement.  Jamie was counting the hours until he could lock the Captain in a room in the Institute Med Bay and let someone else deal with his carping for a bit.

Lee himself was more than ready to be out from under Jamie’s microscope.  He wanted time by himself to sift through events and deal with his emotions and the nightmares that had plagued him since waking up on Seaview.  He was by nature a private man and regained his sense of equilibrium when left by himself to deal with his demons.  Chip called it brooding but it was his coping mechanism and it worked.  The constant scrutiny wore on his nerves leaving him edgy and unpleasant to be around.  He knew that but that’s the way he was and he desperately needed his space.

Lee complained loudly about his incarceration and based on the look in his eyes, Jamie knew Lee was done “asking” to be released.  “Lee,” Jamie said “if I thought for a nanosecond that you would follow my instructions and do nothing but rest and recover I would let you go but not alone.  Significant complications can still occur from your cardiac arrest and I don’t want you without someone around to take care of you if something happened.”

“I recognize that you are concerned for my well-being Jamie but I’m fine.  I NEED to be out and on my own.  I don’t need to impose on Chip or the Admiral or even you.  You’ve got to want to do something more than chase after me.” Lee came back.

It had been three weeks since Lee had been rescued from Magneson’s island and he hadn’t been allowed outside Sick Bay or Med Bay without guardian.  Jamie let him have an occasional outing under the direct control of Chip only.  Supervised parole is what Lee began calling it.  It amounted to an afternoon out for a car ride and lunch or watching a ball game at Chip’s place but at the end of the day Chip dutifully dropped him off at Med Bay where Jamie once again took control and shepherded him back to his “cell”.

Lee had been granted a day pass and Chip had picked him up for a trip to their favorite restaurant for lunch.  As they sat there waiting for their order to arrive Lee looked at Chip.  “Have you noticed anything different about the Admiral, Chip?”  

“No, not really.  What have you noticed?” Chip responded.

“It’s nothing really specific he just seems more reserved or introspective around me, almost cautious.  I didn’t notice on Seaview but since we’ve been back I get the feeling he’s avoiding me to some degree.  I almost get the feeling he’s mad or disappointed in me for getting captured so easily.”

Chip stared at his friend for a long moment.   “He’s not mad Lee, I think he’s scared.”

“Scared?! Why the hell would he be scared of me?”

“I think he’s scared at how much you’ve come to mean to him.  Lee when you jumped off that cliff to save him, to save us all, it hit him really hard.  I’ve never seen him look so defeated or so broken as when he thought you had given your life to protect us.  Hell that little act of yours hit everyone on board really hard, a sacrifice like that isn’t something you dismiss lightly.”

Lee stared questioningly at Chip.

“You always hear those stories about the guy who throws himself on the grenade in the foxhole to save his buddies but until you’ve faced the enormity of that selfless act you have no idea of the impact it has on those receiving that gift.  Personally I’ve spent many hours since Norway evaluating my own sense of self-worth in light of what you were willing to give up for us.  I love you like a brother and know you feel the same way but realizing the depth to which you would go to protect me I suddenly felt so unworthy of that gift.  I kept thinking it should have been me. How would I ever repay such a debt, how could I ensure that it was not made in vain?  It wasn’t just me either Lee, the entire crew to varying degrees struggled with that revelation. “

“Chip you would have done the same thing. I’d like to believe everyone on Seaview would have reacted the same way. There was only one choice; I had to protect my friends and family from that madman.  If the price was my life then I was willing to pay that to keep you and everyone else safe.”

“I know Lee.  But you haven’t seen this from our side and I hope to hell you never have to.  It puts our relationship in a whole new light.  Anyway back to the Admiral you and he have had a special connection since we were at the Academy.  I think he looks on you more like a son, especially since you’ve come to command Seaview.  I think he’s trying to figure out he feels about that and how he needs to deal with it.  I’m not kidding when I call you the “number one son”.  It’s obvious to everyone on the boat even though you both try to downplay how much you care for each other.  I’ve always heard it said that a parent should never outlive a child and I think this whole event left Nelson dealing with the feelings that kind of loss engenders.”

“Wow” Lee said stunned.  “That’s pretty deep Chip.  I had no idea you felt that way or even think the Admiral considers me his son.  I must admit I at one time had kind of fantasized about having him as a father and wondered what that would have been like.  I had no idea I had become so transparent in my feelings for him as well.”

“I could be totally off base about his feelings for you Lee, but that’s the impression I gotten over the years watching the two of you together.  How you two interact reminds a lot of how I am with my dad.”

Lee looked stunned by Chip’s observations.  “I know he thinks of me as a friend maybe even a kid brother, but I wouldn’t have gone as far as to think he regarded me as a son.  That’s definitely something to think on. Thanks for the insight.” 

“What’s a big brother for,” Chip said with a big smile which got even bigger as his chili cheese burger with fries was set before him.  Lee just shook his head and laughed.  He grabbed his fork and dug into his salad as Chip dove into the burger.

“Afternoon Jamie,” Harri said as he entered the Med Bay. “You look like you’ve lost something.  Lee hasn’t gone ONI AWOL has he?”  Harri chuckled lightly.

Jamie scowled slightly then smiled.  “Yes I’m missing our favorite captain but he’s under Chip’s control so I’m not too worried.  Chip probably wanted dessert and they’re just a little late in getting back.”

“How’s he doing Jamie?” Nelson inquired.

“He’s getting there but I’m still not comfortable about letting him out on his own.  I know I’m pushing my luck that he hasn’t disappeared already; I think it’s only a matter of time based on the last look he shot me when the topic came up.” Jamie confessed. 

“What if he stayed with me at the Penthouse, would that ease your mind on letting him out?”

“That would meet my needs as long as he promised to relax and complete his recuperation.  Left to his own devices he would be hip deep in Seaview’s ballast tanks the second he thought no one was looking or digging his way through a mountain of paperwork.  His body took one hell of a beating and he could experience delayed complications by not giving his system the time it needs to heal.  I think only you or Chip stand a ghost of a chance of getting him to behave.  If you’re really up for that kind of direct supervision and abuse I would release him to your care.” 

Harri laughed out loud.  “Getting a little tired of him Jamie?”  He could see Jamie’s response as he rolled his eyes.  “Well when they get back I’ll make the offer and make sure he knows all the stipulations of his release.”

They both turned and watched as Chip’s SUV pulled up in front of Med Bay.  Both men got out and walked up to meet the Admiral and CMO.  “Have a nice afternoon, gentlemen?” Nelson inquired.

“As nice as a temporary parole will allow” Lee sniped back glaring at Jamie.  The other three men just laughed.

“Well Lee how about a move to house arrest?” Jamie interjected. 

Lee’s eyes immediately lit up like a kid waiting for that last second of school before summer vacation begins.  Freedom loomed tantalizingly close and he could almost taste it.  “Sure Jamie.  I’ve been telling you all along that I am more than capable of going home.”

“Um, not your home Lee.  The Admiral has offered to let you stay at the penthouse with him until I feel you’re well enough to be on your own.”

Lee’s expression clouded as his bid for total freedom was choked off. “Sir you don’t need to act as babysitter for me, I fine and quite capable of following doctor’s orders and taking care of myself.”

Harri smirked at Lee’s profession that he would do whatever the doctor prescribed.  “Lee we’ve all known you far too long too ever believe that line of bull you just tried to hand us.”  Lee blushed and shot a look through the eyelashes in hopes of recovering from that misstep.  “I realize you’re tired of living in a fish bowl and could go for some privacy.  If you really want out you will come home with me to rest and recuperate just like Jamie has ordered.  You bust orders and I’ll deposit you back here faster than you can spell ONI.”

Lee stood there thinking long and hard.  After a suitable pause he responded, “Well if I haaaavvvveeee to.” and broke out laughing.  “I accept your offer sir if you’re sure it’s not too much of an imposition.”

“You’ve never been an imposition Lee.” Harri replied slapping him lightly on the back.  “Go get you gear and let Jamie check you over and we’ll head to the penthouse and get you settled.  Jamie I’m going back to my office, give me a call when you’re ready for me to take custody of our problem child.”  Lee rolled his eyes, turned and sprinted into the Med Bay.

While Harri sat in his office waiting for Jamie’s call he kept going over in his mind all he’d been thinking about the last couple of weeks.  Recent events had forced him to reexamine how he felt about Lee and deal with the emotional toll his apparent death had exacted from him. For the first time in his life he had sat down and closely examined his feelings.  He had come to the realization that Lee had for all intents and purposes become his son and as his son he wanted to protect the young man as any parent would.  He also recognized that that was something Lee would have a hard time ever accepting.  Life had taught him to take care of himself and that the only person he truly could rely on was himself, and that had only been reinforced by his association with ONI.  That attitude had started to change to a limited degree since he had come to the Institute but life’s lessons learned the hard way were difficult to overcome.

Agreeing to be Lee’s keeper for the next couple of weeks would give him the opportunity to sit down with the younger man and determine to what degree his feelings were reciprocated.  That is if he could work up the courage to broach the subject.  Even if Lee didn’t see Harri as a father, he felt that Lee did hold him in high regard and he still could think of no one else he would want to take over NIMR and continue his work.  Lee was the ideal man to lead the Institute into the future and the next level.  Edith didn’t hold the passion for NIMR that Lee did and knew she would be thrilled that Harri had found a son to carry on his vision.

Harri was pulled out of his reverie as the phone rang.  “Nelson” he answered.

“Admiral you may come over and claim the Skipper at your earliest convenience,” Jamie said.

Harri smiled just visualizing Lee’s reaction to that statement.  “On my way Jamie, you’re liberation is at hand.”  He hung up and headed out the door and back down to the Med Bay.

Lee and Jamie were standing outside the main entrance as Harri pulled up in his car.  As he came to a stop Lee grabbed his bag and moved towards the sedan.  Harri put the car in park and got out to speak with Jamie and to get the care and feeding instructions for one Lee B. Crane, cranky captain.

Jamie walked over and handed the Admiral a bag containing bottles of antibiotics, pain pills and vitamin supplements.  “Here Admiral, are all the goodies Captain Crane needs.  There is an instruction sheet inside with dosages and frequency.  Make sure he RELAXES,” Jamie said accentuating the last word.  “He’s not to exert himself beyond an occasional short walk and no work regardless of the form.  He has not been cleared for duty, period, end of sentence.”

Lee shot Jamie a particularly dirty look as he climbed into the Admiral’s car.  Harri chuckled as the combatants continued to spar. 

“I’ll make sure he’s a good boy Jamie.  If he misbehaves I’ll bring him right back and you can apply restraints to ensure he stays on the straight and narrow.”

Lee sat inside the car glowering at his over protective mother hens muttering under his breath.  He was a grown man and quite capable of taking care of his own life, he did not appreciate being treated as some kind of invalid or kid.

The Admiral and Jamie shook hands and Jamie sent Lee a salute through the window.  Lee was sorely tempted to return it with a one finger salute of his own but decided that would not be in keeping with his position as Captain.  He read Jamie’s lips as he delivered his parting words to the Admiral, “Good luck, you’re going to need it.”

As the Admiral climbed in Lee regarded him impatiently, “Sir this is not necessary, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it since I was 10.  I don’t want to impose on you sir or cause you any inconvenience.”

“Lee did it ever occur to you that I want to take care of you and it’s not an imposition; it never has been.”

Lee sat stunned.  Maybe Chip had been right.

“I’m sorry sir.  I’m not in the best of humor.  I’ve been away from everything far too long and my patience is shot.  As always I appreciate your hospitality and I don’t want you to feel obligated to watch out for me.”

Harri just sighed.  When will he ever learn that people really want to care for him?  Probably about the time you tell him that, he thought to himself.  “Come on Mr. Crane you’re coming home with me.  It’s not open for debate.” 

That same phrase uttered long ago took Lee back to the first time the Admiral had stepped in to look out for him.  Lee stared at the Admiral and finally smiled.  “Just like Annapolis, huh sir?”  Harri smiled, put the car in drive and headed for home.

Harri parked his car in his reserved spot, popped the trunk and climbed out.  Lee likewise eased himself out of the car.  The Admiral walked to the trunk and grabbed Lee’s bag and headed off to the elevator.  Feeling more than a little embarrassed having the Admiral toting his gear around Lee tried to take hold of his bag.  “You don’t need to do that sir; I can carry my own bag.”

“Lee you are here to relax and recuperate and I will see to it that you do.  The last thing I need is Will on my case for letting you overexert yourself.  My physical is coming up and he plays dirty.” Harri responded with a smile.

“Aye sir.” Lee answered with a knowing nod.

As the elevator opened at the penthouse level they stepped off and Harri opened the door to his quarters.  He walked to the east guestroom and placed Lee’s bag on the bed.  “I know you’ll be comfortable here.  You know where everything is, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you Admiral, I really appreciate it.”  Lee replied.

Harri turned and regarded Lee for a moment, making him quite uncomfortable.  “Lee don’t you think you could call me Harri when it’s just the two of us?”

Lee gave Harri one of his “smiles”.  “Sure Harri.  Thank you again for agreeing to be my mother hen,” he said with a wink.  Lee was privately pleased that Harri wanted him to call him by his first name.

After settling in Lee walked out of his room into the living room to find his host.  Harri was in the kitchen busily putting together a salad.  He smiled as Lee came in and pointed to the fridge.  “There are beers in there if you’re so inclined.  I don’t think one will hurt.  I’ve got a couple of steaks with our names on them along with potatoes and asparagus.  Does that sound like something you could stomach?”

“Yes sir, I mean Harri that sounds like just what the doctor ordered.”  Lee grabbed a beer out of the fridge, popped the top and took a long refreshing swig.  “Oh that hits the spot.”

Lee set the table and helped Harri with the odd ends of the meal.  They both enjoyed the dinner and the relaxed company.  Lee rose from the table and started gathering up the dishes.  “I’ll get that later Lee, just sit back and relax.”

Lee smiled.  “I have to pay for my room and board someway, sir.” 

Harri just laughed.  “Have at it Mr. Crane.”

After the dishes were done and everything stored back in the fridge Lee and Harri retired to the deck on the roof to have a cup of coffee and watch the stars come out.  They talked about this and that until Lee started yawning.  “Looks like it’s time for bed, Captain.”

Lee couldn’t deny that he was tired and got up from the lounger.  “Yes, I think it is.  I’m a bit tired.  I’m not used to being up with the grownups.” He said laughingly. “Jamie usually has me sedated and tucked in hours ago.”

“Sleep well Lee.  I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.”

“Good night, sir.”  Lee turned and headed back to his room.

Harri started turning out lights and headed off to his bed as well.  He crawled between the covers thinking back to the first time Lee stayed at his place and smiled.  It had been a very good call on his part to rescue that way too young plebe all those years ago.  He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

Around 0200 Harri woke up thinking he heard something.  He listened intently but whatever had caught his attention was gone.  Now wide awake he decided to get up and get himself a glass of juice.  He pulled on his robe and padded into the kitchen.  He poured himself a glass of juice and then wandered towards the deck to look out over Seaview and the ocean below.  On his way he noticed a light from under Lee’s door.  Concerned that Lee may be having nightmares or a problem he walked over to the door and tapped lightly.  There was no answer so he quietly opened the door to peek in on his guest.

As he opened the door he froze in place.  There before him was Lee Crane sound asleep amidst a sea of paperwork arranged neatly in piles all around his bed.  Harri knew exactly what had awakened him now, it was his Captain sneaking out of the apartment to raid his in-box and bring the work up to his room.  Lee was dead to the world so Harri moved in quietly and carefully picked up every piece of paper he could find and took them out of the room.  As he exited he shut the light off shaking his head and chuckling as he went.

Morning seemed to roll around too early as Harri slapped the offending alarm as it nattered at him to wake up.   He rousted himself out of bed and started moving through his morning routine.  As he exited his bedroom he spotted the pile of paper’s he had confiscated from Lee during the night.  He sighed resignedly knowing that the proximity to temptation was not going to get his captain the rest he so sorely needed; he needed to remove those distractions, but how.  As he thought on it he had an epiphany and smiled deviously.  Lee’s little foray in the middle of the night would play nicely into Harri’s plans.  He went into the kitchen humming cheerily and started a pot of coffee and then set to making breakfast for himself and his less than willing guest.

The delicious aromas seductively lured Lee awake.  He laid there enjoying the quiet and not having to endure the entrance of a well-meaning nurse intent on taking and recording every vital sign his body produced.  He opened his eyes and looked around the room.  Everything was neat and tidy, then it hit him everything was neat and tidy.  “Oh shit,” he thought to himself. “Busted.”  He pulled himself out of bed, hit the bathroom then donned his NIMR sweats and headed out to take his punishment.

“Well good morning Captain Crane,” the Admiral said as he sipped on his coffee.  “Sleep well?”

“Good morning to you sir.  Yes I slept very well, thank you.  How about yourself,” Lee replied innocently.

“Oh I’m sure I slept much better than you.  You apparently suffered from a bout of sleep walking during the night,” Harri said as he pulled out the stack of papers he had claimed from his captain’s bed.  “Missing something?”

Lee just laughed and hung his head.  “Jamie doesn’t understand that I find much of the paperwork relaxing.  I’m tired of being kept out of everything and not up on the status of the repairs to the boat.  So you gonna turn me in?”

Harri smiled evilly.  “As I recall that was our bargain.  However I’m inclined to let you off with a warning this time if you agree to go with me up to the cabin for the next two weeks.”

“Two weeks?!  Oh have a heart Harri I can’t be away for another two weeks.” Lee pleaded.

“It’s either that or you go back to the Med Bay and do hard time for breaking your parole.  At least I know up there you won’t be getting into things you’re not supposed to as far as work goes.”

Lee grumbled and groused but finally agreed to go up to the Admiral’s cabin for the stipulated two week period.

“Fine, I’ll call Jamie and clear it.  We’ll have breakfast, stop by your place so you can grab some more appropriate clothing and we’ll be on our way by noon.”  Harri had to try and control his laughter taking in Lee’s reaction.  He looked so very much like a little boy who had just been told he had to spend his entire summer vacation with his elderly maiden aunt.

After dispatching with breakfast both Harri and Lee got cleaned up and ready for the day.  Harri called Jamie and in fact did rat Lee out but told him he was taking him up to his cabin where the temptations were much less prevalent.  Jamie agreed as long as Harri checked in periodically to give him an update on Lee’s condition.  He also sent over two weeks’ worth of medications and supplements Harri had to feed Lee.

Harri called his cabin caretaker and had him lay in supplies for their impending visit.  Next he gathered up his reluctant charge, made their stop to get him some more clothes and were on their way north by noon.  The car ride up was quiet as Lee was not in the mood to really chat.  He responded when asked direct questions but nothing much beyond that.  The rest of the drive he spent sleeping as he still tired very easily.

As Harri pulled to a stop and shut the car off Lee shot up like he’d been pinched.  Harri gently placed his hand on his shoulder.  “Just relax Lee.  We’re here son.”  Lee blinked his eyes a few times and slowly moved to get out of the car still a bit disoriented.  They collected their bags out of the trunk and went up the steps to enter the cabin.

The cabin was a large log and river rock construction nestled snuggly amongst the trees in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  For its size the cabin had a very cozy feel.  The furnishings were rustic but comfortable and the huge stone fireplace added the perfect finishing touch.  The master suit was upstairs in the loft with three large guest rooms on the main floor.

As Harri entered he headed upstairs to drop his bags off in his room.  Having been a guest here numerous times Lee moved down the hall to his favorite guest room to dump his bags.  He pulled out a sweatshirt, put it on and then exited out the glass doors onto the deck.  It was a crisp fall day and the leaves were already turning a bright gold.  He stood there breathing deeply taking in the beauty of the secluded glen the cabin was located in.

Harri came back down stairs and called out for Lee.  Getting no response he assumed Lee had moved out to the deck.  He opened the doors off the living room and found him standing there eyes closed, arms wrapped tightly around himself.  “You okay,” Harri asked with a hint of concern.

Lee opened his eyes looked at Harri and just smiled.  “I was just taking in the scents and sounds.  I forget how beautiful and peaceful it is up here.”

“It is that.  You feel like something to eat?  I’ve got some horse pills I need to feed you and the directions say take with food.”

“I’m not really hungry, that was a huge breakfast you served up.  I would normally be good for the day with a meal that large.”  Lee replied.

“How bout I slice up some salami, cheese and throw on a few crackers.  That would count as food and shouldn’t overwhelm your delicate system.” Harri joked.

“Yeah, fine, whatever” Lee responded somewhat testily.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes. No.  I’m just tired, tired of having to take all these damn pills and tired of having such a limited say about what goes on in my life.  Have to take this, have to eat that, have to sleep now, can’t do this, can’t do that; I’m ready for everything to be back to normal.”

“I understand Lee, but to risk more of your ire, it is for your own good.  You took a hell of a lot of abuse and scared us all more than once that we might lose you.  We all want to make damn sure you take the steps necessary to completely regain your health.  You can’t blame us for that,” Harri replied.

“I know that and truly appreciate that everyone cares as much as they do but it’s becoming very wearing.  Everyone keeps trying to handle me with kid gloves and it gets frustrating.  I’m ready to move on but I’m not being given the opportunity to do that.  Even you seem to treat me differently.  I get the sense that you’ve even been avoiding me as if somehow I disappointed you or have let you down.  I’m just so very tired of it all.”

“Lee I’m sorry if I have in anyway given you that impression.  If anything it’s quite the opposite.  I am totally in awe with how you prevailed on Magneson’s island and humbled by your willing sacrifice of your life to keep the crew and Seaview safe.”

“Harri you all keep going on about that as if it were a much bigger deal than it was.  I was at the end of my rope and had very little left to give.  If I had given him any information I would have found myself packaged and shipped off to the PR for interrogation and eventual extermination.  I saw no other way out, so to make sure you didn’t take unnecessary risks trying to rescue me, it made far more sense to free things up by removing myself from the equation.   I didn’t want to face what prospects lay before me so I tried to take the easy way out.”

Harri stood there quietly staring straight ahead down to the lake.  “You just don’t get it, do you Lee.  You value and cherish your friends and crew so highly and would willing give anything to keep them safe yet you fail to see how special and valuable that makes you to all of us.  What you did shook a lot of us to the core, me especially, and made us reevaluate our lives and how we feel about things in the light of your actions.”

They stood there side by side in the cool afternoon sun silently going over what each one had said.  After a few minutes Harri broke the silence.  “Come on Lee let’s go get something to eat so I don’t have to lie to Jamie about feeding you pills at the right time.”  Lee sighed resignedly, nodded and followed Harri back into the cabin to force down his pills and some cheese and crackers.

The rest of the evening was characterized by a relaxed and companionable ease.  They chatted off and on but for the most part sat silently watching the flames dance across the logs in the fireplace.  Since the meds Lee had to take didn’t prohibit alcohol they each nursed a large brandy. 

Finishing his glass Lee stood up and stretched.  “I’m going to turn in now Harri, I’m feeling pretty tired.  Good night.”

“Sleep well Lee.  I’ll be heading off to bed shortly.  I’m going to watch the fire a bit longer until it burns down more.”

Lee headed off to bed leaving Harri alone in front of the fire.  Harri sipped at his brandy and contemplated the orange and yellow flames before him.  His thoughts turned to what he wanted to discuss with Lee now that they were away from the interruptions of the outside world.  He played over his conversation with Lee earlier in the day and wondered if he had the resolve to say what he wanted to say.  He shook his head slightly in disgust, “I can deal with aliens and monsters but can’t seem to face the one person I’ve come to consider my son and tell him just that.  I’m such a coward.  Come on Nelson man up and just do it.”

He sat there for over an hour mulling over how to approach Lee, watching the fire reduce to glowing embers.  As the room began to take on the autumn chill he finished the last sip of his brandy, banked the coals in the fireplace and then ambled off to bed resolved not to let this opportunity slip away.

Lee awoke early and lay quietly in his bed watching the morning twilight grow brighter as the sun moved up the back side of the mountains.  There wasn’t a sound to be heard as most of the birds had already migrated south and not even the wind stirred through the trees.  He reveled in the moment of absolute peace and then pulled himself out of bed to greet the day.  Listening intently for any sign that the Admiral was up he knew that he was the only one awake and could get in a little exercise before having to face his mother hen.  After taking care of his morning ablutions he donned a pair of sweats and his running shoes and quietly opened the doors and stepped out on the deck.

The morning was chilly and a thin layer of frost had been deposited on the grass and trees giving everything a pearlescent shimmer.  He breathed in deeply savoring the moment of solitude.  He walked to the edge of the deck and down the steps to the path below.  Performing a few stretches to limber up muscles that had become stiff from lack of use he headed down the path into the surrounding woods at a fast paced walk.

This was heaven.  For the first time since the ordeal on the island Lee was alone and able to start working through the feelings and fears that had arisen from his kidnapping and incarceration.  He replayed the conversations he had had with Chip and Harri and how they had reacted to his apparent death on the island.  His mind kept skittering away from the notion that they had been deeply injured by the loss of their friend, that they valued him so dearly,  it was something that he had never really encountered in his life.  He knew deep down that he would keenly feel the loss of either of them but couldn’t seem to reconcile the fact that the same feelings on their part would apply to him.  He just couldn’t grasp why this had so affected his friends, after all it was just him.  He was nothing special.

As he walked farther down the trail his mind eventually turned to the Admiral and what he had come to mean to him over the years.  What had started out as an unlikely acquaintance between the young plebe and the esteemed captain had grown into a deep friendship transcending the strictures of rank and status.  Chip had said he thought the Admiral had come to consider Lee as a son.  The magnitude of that thought continuously amazed him.  He had long thought of Harri as his mentor and role model and as a younger man had fantasized about him being his father, but the idea that his feelings might be reciprocated to that same depth by the Admiral seemed a huge stretch.  Lee’s childhood and upbringing left no room for that type relationship as it always proved to be an illusion when examined too closely.  Too often he had moved into that territory only to find the perceived interest was not based on affection but on what he could do for the other person.

Consumed totally in his ruminations Lee lost all track of time.  As he absently noticed the trail starting to head up the mountain at the far end of the lake Lee came to a screeching halt.  The sun was high above the mountains now and Lee shot a terrified glance down at his watch.  He was so dead.  It was nearly 1100 and Harri was no doubt ready to have kittens wondering where his errant Captain had wandered off to this time.  Lee quickly spun around and began trotting back down the trail to the cabin.

By the time he reached the cabin it was nearly 1300 and Harri would be on the warpath.  Lee steeled himself for the impending explosion and forced himself to ascend the steps to the deck and walk through the doors into the living room.  As he entered the room Nelson caught sight of him, the anger and worry clearly visible on his face and in his posture.

“Where the hell have you been,” Harri thundered. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

Slipping quickly back to patterns long established in his military career Lee snapped to attention, “Sorry sir, no excuses sir.”

“Don’t go Navy on me” Harri growled. “Where the hell were you?  You know you’re not supposed to be off on your own.  You could have been injured or had a relapse and I would have had no idea where to find you.  I was actually at the point of calling the Search and Rescue team to go out looking for you!”

“I’m sorry, Admiral” Lee responded quietly. “I had no intention of being gone so long.  I got up early and decided to take a quick walk to loosen up a bit, I just got caught up in my own thoughts and lost track of time.  It was only when the trail started heading up the mountain slope that I realized how far I had gone and how late it had gotten.”

Harri’s eyes narrowed as he took in his recalcitrant Captain.  He could tell Lee honestly had not meant to wander off for so long but that did little to stem the worry and fear he felt when he couldn’t locate him.  He was furious and was having a tough time letting go of that anger.  He was breathing hard as if he’d just run a mile and was desperately trying to bring himself back under control before he said something he’d regret.

Lee fully registered Harri’s ire, knowing he had scared his friend badly by leaving with no indication as to where he had gone or how long he was going to be away.  As he watched the Admiral try to compose himself he finally said, “Sir, maybe we should go back to Santa Barbara, this doesn’t look like it is such a good idea.  I’ll just go back to Med Bay and suck it up.  Again I’m sorry to have worried you, sir.”  Lee turned to go back to his room and start packing.

This was so not the atmosphere that Harri wanted or needed.  He didn’t need Lee slipping back into the superior/subordinate relationship, not now.  “Lee,” Harri called out much softer than his earlier bellow. “Lee I’m sorry too.  I overreacted when I couldn’t find you.  Please come back and let’s discuss this a little more calmly.”

“There’s not much to discuss sir.  As I said I just got caught up in my thoughts and lost all track of time and distance.  I am truly sorry, it was not intentional.  I’ve just not had the opportunity to be by myself for what seems forever; I got consumed by that freedom and let it lead me on without regard for anyone else.”

For the first time it really dawned on Harri how oppressive the constant scrutiny and hovering had to be for Lee.  He knew him to be an intensely private man and to lose the right to go off by himself to gain that solitude he needed to make himself whole had to be unbearable.  Harri was himself a private man and knew how much he resented the loss of privacy and control when he was injured.  Lee took that need for privacy several levels beyond him so he could only imagine how trapped he felt as his right to self-determination was stripped from his control.   

“Come on; let me get you a drink Lee.  You have to be pretty thirsty after that long walk.”

Lee turned and followed the Admiral into the kitchen.  He gladly accepted the glass of water and drained it immediately as he was quite parched.  He walked over to the tap and refilled the glass and emptied it as well. 

“Are you hungry,” Harri inquired.  “I know I’m starved, its way past lunch and I haven’t had anything but a piece of toast.  I’m pretty sure you haven’t even had that.”

Lee looked at Harri and smiled.  “Yes sir, I could probably go for a sandwich, thank you.”

Harri nodded and started pulling lunch meat, bread, mayo, mustard, cheese and veggies out of the refrigerator so they could start work on a suitable repast.  Harri stood there mentally cursing himself as he made note of the fact that Lee was back to “yes sir, no sir, Admiral sir”.  That was the last thing he needed was Lee erecting the walls of military protocol and cutting off any emotional attachments he felt for Harri.

They each assembled their sandwich quietly.  Harri pulled out a couple of plates along with some chips and pickles.  They loaded their plates and grabbed a couple of Cokes out of the fridge and moved to the breakfast table in the kitchen to eat their meal.

“Oh, almost forgot.”  Harri stood up and moved to a cabinet and started pulling out medicine bottles and shaking the prescribed number of pills into his hand.  He walked back over to the table and took Lee’s hand and poured them into his palm.  Lee looked up at Harri with a pained expression then sulkily threw them into his mouth and chased them down with a slug of Coke.

“Thank you sir.” He said then looked down and started picking at his sandwich and chips.

“Lee can we drop the “sir” and go back to Harri?” Nelson inquired.

Lee sat up straight and closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.  He opened his eyes after a moment and just stared at him.  “Sure.” He said tiredly and resumed picking at his meal.

“Lee I am very sorry about my outburst.  I know you’re a grown man eminently capable of taking care of yourself and anyone else that comes along.   I got scared when I couldn’t find you and that fear changed to anger once I knew you were safe.  Fathers tend to feel overly protective of their sons when they’re not 100%.”

There, it was finally out, hanging like a pregnant pause in time and space.  Lee’s head shot up, his eyes huge with surprise.  Harri stared back at him for the first time completely open about how he felt towards Lee.  He took in what looked like tears welling up in Lee’s eyes then finally they spilled over the edge to run down his cheeks.

Lee closed his eyes and swallowed hard.  Did he really say that?  Does he really think of me as his son?  A myriad of emotions flowed over Lee as he tried to take in the Admiral’s words.  Not in his wildest dreams had he ever thought Harri would ever claim him as a son.

“Lee, son, are you all right?”

Lee slowly opened his eyes to meet the Admiral’s gaze.  He saw the love and concern that Harri felt for him written clearly across his face.  Lee nodded yes unable to speak as he fought to regain his composure.  Harri reached across the table and rested his hand on Lee’s giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Lee when I saw you disappear over the edge of that cliff I thought I was going to die from grief over your loss.  The man that I thought of as my son had just given his life for me and without him ever knowing how much he had come to mean to me.  When Chip brought you back aboard Seaview I felt as though I had been given a second chance to let you know that I love and cherish you as if you had been mine since birth.  The reason I seemed to be avoiding you was me trying to build up the courage to tell you how much you mean to me.  I’ll understand if you don’t have the same feelings towards me, I mean you don’t consider me to be a father but I had to let you know.  I didn’t want to go through life regretting never having told you how I feel.”

Lee just sat there like a deer in the headlights, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.  After a few moments he wiped his eyes and began to speak haltingly as he slowly gained control over his emotions. “Sir, Harri, I have thought of you as a father probably since the Academy.  I’ve always looked to you for the advice and guidance I think that fathers give their sons.  Especially since coming to NIMR I’ve relied heavily on you to be my sounding board and my anchor.  For the first time in my life I actually think I understand the concepts of family and home.  Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think it possible that you would think of me as more than a friend.  I love you too sir as my father and I am honored beyond belief that you think of me as your son.”

By now Harri too had tears running down his cheeks as Lee revealed that he returned Harri’s feelings and had long thought of him as his father.  He stood slowly and walked to Lee pulling him up and wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.  Lee returned the gesture as they stood there for several minutes enjoying the new found feelings of family.

“Wow that was quite liberating,” Harri joked as he wiped his eyes, sat back down and fiddled with his sandwich.

Lee looked at him and smiled.  “I don’t know about you but I feel like I just ran a marathon.”

“Come on and eat up, you’ve got to keep your strength up.  We’ve got quite a bit more to discuss but you need to eat and then grab a quick nap.  You look beat.”

Lee picked up his sandwich and took a big bite.  He couldn’t agree more.  The long walk and the sudden emotional revelations were exacting a heavy toll.  “Yeah I definitely could use a break.  This is far more work than I was prepared for,” he said with a smile.

They polished off their sandwiches, cleaned up the kitchen and then headed off to their respective rooms to rest.  Feeling totally spent Lee was out about the same time his head hit the pillow.  Harri wasn’t much better off as the worry over Lee’s whereabouts and finally summoning the courage to reveal his feelings for him left him feeling emotionally scourged and spent as well.

It was nearly 1700 when Harri was awakened by his cell phone ringing.  “Hello,” he answered groggily.

“Harri, its Will is everything all right?”

“Oh hi Will, yes everything is all right.  What time is it?” Harri responded looking around trying to spot a clock.

“It’s 1700.  I thought you were going to give me an update on Lee around 1530.  I was getting concerned.”  Jamieson replied.

“Sorry Jamie, we had a bit of an exciting day.  I sent Lee off to grab a nap and apparently I followed suit.”

“What happened, is he okay?” Jamie pressed.

“He’s fine.  He headed out for a walk early this morning and lost track of time and didn’t get back until after 1300.  Since he hadn’t left a note letting me know where he’d gone things were more than a little tense when he showed back up.  After things settled down I made him eat some lunch, take his pills and then off to his room to rest.”

“Is he still there?  How far did he go?  You know I don’t want him overexerting himself.” Jamie persisted.

“Hold on, I’ll go check.”  Harri got up and padded down the stairs to Lee’s room.  He knocked lightly on the door and got no response.  He quietly opened the door and much to his relief Lee was still curled up under the covers.  “Yes, he’s still here and sound asleep.”

“Harri I hate to be a mother hen but go over and check on him.  He could have done some damage if he went as far as I think he did.”

Harri walked quietly over to the bed.  Lee was lying on his side with just the top of his forehead sticking out above the covers.  Harri gently pulled the blanket down to get a good look at his face.  He laid his hand on his forehead to feel for any fever.  At the touch of Harri’s hand Lee was instantly awake flinging himself across the bed and into a crouched stance on the other side.  His eyes were wild and fixed on Harri with no sense of recognition; he was wholly prepared to take on whatever attacker had caught him off guard.

The sudden movement startled Harri into dropping the phone followed by a string of expletives for not remembering Lee’s penchant for reacting defensively when awakened unexpectedly.  “Lee, son relax its Harri.” He said trying to calm the young man down.

Lee stood there his gaze firmly fixed on Harri until finally he blinked, shook his head and relaxed as he realized he was not in danger.  His heart was racing and he was breathing raggedly as he suddenly noticed the pain surging across his chest.  He closed his eyes and tried to tamp down the pain, as he drew his left arm tightly across his chest and sank slowly to his knees.

“Oh my god, Lee are you all right.” Harri cried as he ran to Lee’s side.  “Is it your heart?!”

Lee was desperately trying to control his breathing so he could respond to Harri’s question.  He opened his eyes and made contact with Harri’s.  They were wild with near panic at the thought that Lee was having a heart attack.  Lee placed his right hand on Harri’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly.  As he got his breathing more under control he was able to speak.

“I’m fine Harri, it’s not my heart.  My ribs just didn’t appreciate all that sudden activity that’s all.” He said between gasps.  He slowly got to his feet and then sat heavily on the bed.   “You just surprised me.  I was having a ni… I was dreaming when the person in my dream reached out to touch me about the same time you touched me.  I’m sorry I startled you.”

Both men suddenly became aware of Jamie’s voice stridently calling out from Harri’s phone where it lay on the floor on the other side of the bed.  Harri rose to his feet and went over to retrieve the phone.  “Jamie, are you still there?”

“Harri what’s going on, what’s wrong?  Is it Lee’s heart?” he inquired in a near panic.

“Nothing’s wrong, Lee says he’s fine.  When I went over to check on him I startled him and he reacted as he is often wont to do.  He’s scared the hell out of me as he sprang up from the bed making me drop the phone.  He said he just stressed his ribs too much.”

Will sat there on the other end of the line bringing his heart beat and respiration back to normal after having listened to the events unfold over the phone.  “You damn near gave me a heart attack,” he confessed.  “Put Lee on the phone would you?”

“Sure thing.  Hold on a second.”

Harri walked back over to Lee who seemed much recovered from his rather rude awakening.  “Here, Jamie wants to talk to you.”  Lee grimaced and then took the phone with a smile.

“Hi Jamie, how ya doing?”

“Hello Lee.  I’m fine how about you tell me how you’re doing.”

“I’m fine Jamie.  I just moved a little faster than I should have and my ribs let me know they weren’t happy about it.  I don’t have any radiating pains down my arm, shortness of breath or any of the other signs of a heart attack.”

“Uh huh,” responded Jamie.  “I knew I shouldn’t have let you out yet.  What’s this I hear about an unauthorized excursion this morning?”

Lee shot Harri a dirty look. “I just went out for a walk this morning and went a little further than I intended to, no harm done.  It felt good to actually get out and do something for a change.”

“Not a good move Lee.  You need to take things easy and let the Admiral know where you’re going in case you run into problems.”

“I’ve been duly chewed out Jamie.  As I told the Admiral I didn’t do it on purpose and it won’t happen again so please chill out.  I’m fine.” Lee added the last for effect.  He could see Jamie rolling his eyes in response.

“Have you been taking your meds?” Jamie inquired.

“Yes mother, the Admiral has been quite diligent in seeing that I swallow all your nasty pills.”

“Good boy.  Now put the Admiral back on.”

Lee rolled his eyes and handed the phone back to Harri.  “Hi Jamie.  What do you need?”

“Harri you need to watch him closely following that reaction.  It probably is just his ribs but it also could have been a mild heart attack.  Try and get him to take it easy and get him to eat and drink lots of fluids.”

“I’ve got it covered Jamie.  I’ll see to it that he’s on his best behavior.  I’ll give you a call tomorrow night, okay?”

“Alright Admiral.  If you need anything I’m available any time.  Talk to you tomorrow.”

Harri hung up and looked at Lee just shaking his head.  “You’re right he is the penultimate mother hen.  You really feel okay now?”

Lee nodded and stood.  “I’m fine sir.  How about we move out to the living room and get something to drink, I think I need it,” he said releasing a huge sigh.

They adjourned to the living room where Harri poured them each a measure of scotch.  He raised his glass “To mother hens.”

“To mother hens,” Lee responded and swallowed a large sip.

Harri moved to his chair in front of the fireplace and plopped down.  Lee moved to the other chair and did the same thing.  “Well now that we’re wide awake,” Harri started, “what should we do now?

Lee laughed.  “Well since I’ve royally pissed off the good doctor I should probably do something to atone for my indiscretions like eat a well-balanced meal and voluntarily take his stupid pills.”

Harri laughed heartily in response.  “I think that sounds like a well-considered course of action that will assuage the doctor’s concerns about your health.”

“There looked to be some very nice steaks in the fridge.  If you’ll fire up the barbeque I’ll start working on dinner.” Lee replied.  He stood and moved to the kitchen while Harri rose and exited onto the deck to fire up the grill.

Lee got to work whipping up a batch of potatoes au gratin, a green salad, steamed broccoli and even a batch of double chocolate brownies for dessert.  Harri came in and grabbed the steaks and wrapped each one generously in bacon then slapped them on the grill.  He also pulled out a very nice merlot from the wine cellar in the basement to compliment the meal.

Lee grabbed the dishes and flatware and set the dining room table.  As he started putting the rest of the meal on the table Harri walked in with the perfectly cooked steaks.  Harri picked up the wine bottle and poured them each a glass. They both pulled out their chairs and seated themselves at the table.

Harri picked up his glass and made eye contact with Lee.  “Son, here’s to the first of many meals together as a family.”

Lee smiled broadly and touched his glass to Harri’s, the joy he felt reflected in his amber eyes as the many colors seemed to change and glow like something in a kaleidoscope.  “I’ve always hoped for this but never thought it possible.  Thank you Harri, you’ve made me happier than you can ever imagine.”  They both drank deeply to seal their new pact of family.  They then tucked in to their meal with relish.

After the dinner was finished and everything cleaned up and put away Harri went to the fire place and started a fire.  He poured them each a brandy and passed the glass to Lee as he settled in one of the chairs facing the hearth.  Harri lowered himself into his chair and sipped on his brandy savoring the feeling of having his son by his side.

“Lee, I know all of this has been a bit of a shock to you but I’ve got a few more things that we need to discuss.  First off, if you agree, I would like to legally adopt you.”

Lee was dumbfounded and sat there with his mouth agape.  “Adopt me, sir?  Isn’t it a little late in life for that to occur?”

“Lee I want to do this for many reasons.  First as a demonstration to you of the commitment I feel towards you and hopefully you feel towards me.  As far as I’m concerned our personal acknowledgement means that you ARE my son and I will always claim you as such but I want it legally established.  Secondly I have long envisioned you taking over the Institute when I’m too old to carry on.  As my legal heir it immediately resolves any issues regarding succession.  Thirdly it allows me to pass on my estate to you without the nuisance of probate and coincidently limits the tax burden associated with that.”

“Also Lee family creates a whole new level of responsibility for both of us.  As family we need to look at our actions and how they will impact the other.  I don’t intend to intrude into your life any more than I already do but I do insist that you start to take into consideration your own well-being and safety especially as it pertains to ONI.  You leave family behind now Lee, you no longer live just for yourself, especially when you marry and have your own children.  You need to take better care of yourself for my benefit as your father.  What made me realize how much I cared for you was how devastated I was when I thought you were dead.  No parent should outlive their child Lee and that is what you have become to me, my child.” 

Lee sat quietly digesting what Harri had just presented him.  My god, what a day he thought to himself.

“Harri I can’t describe how honored I’d be if you adopted me.  As an orphan you hope and dream of that day when someone comes along to claim you as their own; I personally had written this day off long ago.   I’m not sure I want it known far and wide that you have adopted me but not for the reasons you might think.  There will be too many people thinking I’ve insinuated myself into your life for the sole purpose of gaining your estate.  No matter how much we refute that claim I will always be viewed as suspect in my motives.  I also don’t want you viewed as some doddering fool who has allowed some upstart to push his way into your life for the purpose of gaining control of your assets.  Harri I’ve never valued you for what you have but for who you are.”

“Also I don’t want this to interfere with our relationship on Seaview.  It has to be that our duties and responsibilities there transcend this.  There may be instances where you have to order me into a perilous situation but you must regard me as the captain of your boat and not your son.  Is that something you think you can do?”

Harri smiled back as his son.  “I agree with your conditions Lee and think them to be very prudent indeed.  Once we get back I’ll have my attorney complete the paperwork and get it filed post haste. I do insist that we tell Edith, she has a right to know as she will become your aunt.” Harri laughed. “I also couldn’t agree with you more regarding our relationship on Seaview.  I will rely on you to act as her captain and ensure that she and her crew are protected to the greatest extent possible.  I also expect you to continue to be the voice of reason when my ambitions and interests get ahead of my better judgment.  Is that something you think you can do?

“Yes sir, I will always take care of my Gray Lady and protect her and her crew fiercely,  with my life if necessary, even from you.”   He smiled broadly.

Harri stood and faced Lee extending his hand.  Lee rose and accepted his hand firmly. He then pulled Lee into another embrace as father and son.  Lee hugged him back as well feeling the unequalled joy of having found his father.

As they sat back down Lee got a rather mischievous look upon his face.  Harri rolled his eyes in expectation of what was coming his way.  “Can I call you Dad?” Lee inquired.

The question caught him totally off guard.  “Dad,” he thought to himself, “am I really going to be a dad?”  His own father insisted on “father” feeling the familiar “dad” was undignified.  Was it appropriate for Lee to call him dad?  Well why the hell not, at least in private.

Lee watched him closely as he worked through that request.  Had he gone too far?

“You know Lee I think I’d like that. I like the sound of that, Dad.”  Harri smiled broadly and began to laugh.  Lee gifted Harri with one of his special smiles revealing his total delight with Harri’s acceptance of the sobriquet.

The rest of the time spent up at the cabin flew by as Lee and Harri further defined their relationship and for the first time Lee really opened up about his childhood.  Harri couldn’t help but feel a sense of grief and regret for not having found Lee earlier in life.  His heart ached for the little boy who grew up abused and alone. 

As Lee revealed the hardships he faced, Harri finally understood what Lee had meant that night he picked him up in Annapolis when he said walking around all night was no big deal once you knew what you were doing.  Lee had learned all too well how to stay away from the unsavory types hunting the streets during those dark hours.  He had had to do it all too often when the state sanctioned facilities and homes were more dangerous than the streets.

Lee’s formative years were also what made him such an effective ONI agent.  It gave him the ability to adapt and improvise as the situation demanded.  He learned quickly how to read people and divine their true intentions towards him.  For as young as he was Lee had already seen and experienced things no one should ever have to endure.  He never had the opportunity to truly be a carefree child when his very survival at times depended on him being savvy to ways of the streets.  It was a truly sobering revelation for Harri as the ugly side of child services was brought to light.  Listening to Lee’s life story it was no wonder he found it difficult to rely on anyone but himself. 

But for all that, he had somehow grown into a very loving and caring man who would fiercely protect those he cared about even to the detriment to himself.  It frustrated Harri no end that Lee could not see or believe that others valued and cared for him as much as he did for them.  Harri had decided to make it his mission in life to convince Lee of that, and to see that to make his friends and family happy he needed to care for himself just as much.  He didn’t need his new son and heir, a wild heir at that, Harri chuckled, doing himself in long before his time.

The time at the cabin was just the medicine Lee needed to regain his health and inner balance.  Upon their return Jamie snagged the Captain for a checkup almost before his feet touched NIMR soil.  He was thrilled with Lee’s convalescence as it seemed he had strictly adhered to all of his instruction.  Much to his amazement Lee had even managed to add five pounds to his slender frame.  He had to get the Admiral’s secrets for keeping their hyperactive and impatient captain in line.  Giving Lee the all-clear to return to duty he literally had to jump out of the way as Lee flew out of his office and down to his lady love Seaview.

Jamie walked over to the Admin building to give the Admiral an update on Lee’s condition personally.  He was waived on in to Harri’s office by the Admiral’s admin assistant.  The Admiral looked up as he heard the door open. “Afternoon Will how are things,” he inquired.

“They couldn’t be better Harri.  Lee is in excellent health and I have reinstated him for full duty.  I had to jump out of the way or risk being trampled to death after I gave him the news.  I think he set a new speed record getting from Med Bay to Seaview,” Jamie said with a chuckle.  “Care to share with me how you managed to get him to behave all that time up at the cabin?”

Harri smiled at the good news.  “That my dear doctor is a family secret that I have promised not to divulge.”  Ironically that was the truth.

“I won’t press you for your secret but I may have to call on you to exert your considerable powers in the future should that degree of control be required to keep him in line.” 

“Believe me Jamie, I would have no problem bringing that to bear when the situation calls for it, of that you can be assured,” Harri replied with a wink and a smile.  “We hopefully have reached an understanding about taking unnecessary risks in the future and taking better care of himself in general.”

“That must have been one hell of a conversation you had with him up there to pull that out of him,” Jamie remarked.

“I think you could say that, Jamie.  We talked about a lot of things and have come to a much greater understanding of each other.  I just hope it sticks.” Harri answered with an enigmatic smile.

Lee was bouncing around Seaview like a 5 year old hopped up on sugar.  He was into everything and touching base with every member of the crew on board.  Chip was getting exhausted just trying to track his activities.  Once Lee had reconnected with his boat and crew he headed back to the control room to shoot the bull with Chip.

“Well it looks like you’ve been taking good care of my boat in my absence,” he said with a smile for Chip and a pat on the bulkhead for Seaview.

Chip just laughed at his Skipper’s joy and exuberance at being back aboard his Gray Lady.  “If you took better care of yourself you could have been doing that all along,” he quipped back.  “You’re looking good Lee, I’d say that the trip to the cabin was just what you needed.”

“You have no idea Chip.  It was good to just sit and talk with the Admiral and relax a bit.  I had had enough of Sick Bay and doctors and just needed to get away and beat back the demons.  There were a couple of moments that got a little tense but other than that it was the best leave I’ve had in a long time.”

“Oh would that happen to be when you disappeared on him that first morning?” Chip joked.

“Are there no secrets allowed in this place?!” Lee replied with mock indignation.  “Yeah that pretty much set the Admiral off but after I beat back the flames we were good from there.  I think he finally understood my need to just get off by myself and put things back in their boxes.  Granted I wandered off much longer than I intended to but I think that just illustrated my need to have some time to myself.”

“Well it seems like you’re both back on an even keel and resolved whatever problems you thought he had with you.”

“You can definitely say that.” Lee replied with an enigmatic smile.  “Come on I’ll buy you lunch and you can fill me in on everything that’s been going on while I’ve be banned.”

They had been back a week and Harri’s lawyer had let him know all the paperwork for Lee’s adoption was ready for signature.  Harri asked Lee to join him at the penthouse for dinner to present the documents.

Lee very carefully read each and every page.  “Are you sure you want to go through with this Harri?  I’ll understand if you want to just keep this an informal understanding between us.  I don’t have to have a piece of paper telling me you’re my father, I know that deep within my heart.”

“You aren’t trying to back out now, are you Lee?” Harri joked.  “I meant what I said up at the cabin.  I very much want you to be my son and heir.  I’m not going to walk away as others have done in the past; this is a lifetime commitment on both our parts.  Agreed?”

Lee smiled, picked up the pen and scrawled his signature where indicated.  Once finished he passed the pen to Harri and watched him likewise sign making them an official family. 

“Welcome to the family Son.” Harri said with a broad smile and a bear hug.

“Thanks Dad.  I couldn’t be prouder to be a Nelson.”  Lee replied returning Harri’s embrace.  As they separated each wiped away their unshed tears of joy; truly content as father and son.

The End.

 

1 A Pawn’s Promotion