The Beginning of a New Life
By JSRobertson
Lee
Crane was standing in the observation nose of Seaview. He was watching them load the supplies and
gear that would be needed for the next mission.
Seaview, his gray lady, had a new lady to compete for her attention. Seaview would always be his first love
but now he had a wife.
“I
can’t believe I’m married. I never
thought it would happen. I knew the
first time I met Janet Cornwell interviewing for the secretary’s job on Seaview
that I would marry her.”
Janet
Cornwell came from
The
interview had been at
“Good
Morning, Miss Cornwell, I’m Admiral Nelson and this is Captain Lee Crane and
Lt. Commander Chip Morton.”
They
were reading the resume and looking at the documents she’d brought.
“Have you ever been in the Navy or on a submarine?” Nelson asked.
“No
sir.”
“Does
that make a difference in getting the job?”
“No.”
Captain Crane replied.
“The
job is to take notes on the missions, collect daily logs and help with any
paperwork that needs to be done by me or the other officers. This job requires you to be on the Seaview.” When we sail we could be gone for days, weeks
or months. Is there any problem with
being gone that long?” Nelson continued.
“No
sir. I have no one to be accountable to. My husband was killed in an auto
accident. I needed a change, so I came
out here for this interview.”
“Can
you work on a computer?’ asks Lt. Commander Morton.
“We
had computers at my previous job and I’m comfortable working with them.”
“We
are taking out all the interviewees for a pilot mission tomorrow,” Crane said, “Can
you come back tomorrow to go on Seaview?”
“Yes
sir.”
Do
you have any questions?”
“No
sir.”
“Be
here tomorrow morning at
As
she got up her bag got tangled on the arm of the chair and out fell a book on submarines. Captain Crane picked it up “Is this how you
learn about submarines?” \
“Yes,
sir, I figure some information is better than nothing.”
Angie
gave her a letter to show at the front gate to let her in again tomorrow. Angie was very friendly and told her to make
sure she wore pants and flat shoes. It was very hard to get up and down the
ladders on Seaview in a skirt.
“Thank
you for the information. I will see you
tomorrow.”
Well,
that is something she didn’t know. She
would have to work aboard Seaview. She had a hard time starting her car but got
it started and drove back to the hotel, relieved the
interview was over and scared of a ride on Seaview.
Admiral
Nelson, Lee and Chip were having a meeting on the candidates that they had
interviewed. There were four vying for the job, two women and two men. The other three all had naval
experience. Two were in the Navy and one
with the Coast Guard. Janet’s only asset
is the fact was the fact that she was the only secretary and that was what they
were looking for.
“Does
it make a difference if the last one, Miss Cornwell doesn’t have any Navy
experience or that she could be the only female on a boat of 125 men?” Nelson
asked.
“I
don’t see a problem with the naval experience,” Chip said, “but I didn’t even
think about her being the only female on the boat. Lee has all ready told her it didn’t make a
difference she didn’t have any naval experience so I think we should consider
her. She is only one with the secretarial skills we are looking for.”
“I
have no problem with her being the only female on the boat,” Lee said.
Angie
called the Admiral and told him there was a problem on Seaview and Chip
needed to get down there. He left to take care of the problem.
“Lee,
do you have any preference as to who should get the job. Nelson asked Lee.
“They
all have their good points. I did like
Miss Cornwell and her book on submarines.
Maybe I should ask to borrow it to see if I can learn anything. It really doesn’t matter to me who we hire
because Miss Cornwell is going to be my wife whether we give her the job or
not.”
“You
are going to marry her?” the Admiral laughed
“Yes.”
After the interview was over Janet was hungry. It was close to lunch so she went to the
diner to talk to Trish.
“Hi,
Trish, can I please have a grilled cheese sandwich and fries with a cola?”
Janet
had met her on her first day in
“Sure. How did your interview go? Were you nervous?”
“Yes,
I was and I hope it went OK. I’m going
out on the submarine tomorrow for a pilot mission with three other
candidates.
“Good
luck.”
“Thanks
I will need it.”
After
eating Janet went back to the motel. Again
she had a problem starting her car. She really needed to find a place to live, but
I didn’t have a job and while she did have some money, she felt it best to wait
a little while longer to see if she would even be staying in
She
couldn’t sleep. She was so nervous. She got up about
It
was
She
went to the motel office. Mrs. Thomas
was there. “Do you have a phone
book? I need to call a cab. I have to be at the Nelson Institute at 9:00
and my car won’t start.”
“The
cabs drivers are on strike.”
“What
am I going do to? Has Mr. Thomas left
for work yet?”
“Yes,
he left an hour ago.” The Thomas’ had only one car. Their son, Jimmy had one and he hadn’t left
for work.
“Can
Jimmy give me ride to the Institute?”
“Let’s
ask him. Hey Jimmy can you give Janet a
ride to the Nelson Institute?”
“Not
all the way, only to Ocean Drive. I’m all ready late for work.”
“Tell
him I’ll take it.”
She
got a ways down the road and it was already
“Do you need a ride?”
“Yes,
please. I need to be at the Nelson
Institute in a half an hour regarding a job.
My car wouldn’t start and the cab drivers are on strike. Can you give me a ride there?”
She hopped into the car not waiting for an
answer. She was so relieved that she had
a ride that she didn’t pay any attention to who was driving the car. At this point she didn’t care; she just
wanted to get to the Institute.
“Thank you very much for the ride.” She finally look to
see who was driving the car and it was Captain Crane.
“How
far have you been walking?”
“I’m
not sure. I got dropped off at
“Another two miles.”
If
he hadn’t picked her up she never would have made it.
“I cannot thank you enough for picking
me up.”
“No
problem. You must really want this job to be willing to walk to it.”
They
got to the front gate of the Institute and the same guard, Howard, was there
again. He greeted Captain Crane and
looked at her. Jane gave him her driver’s
license and paperwork from Angie to let her in.
He let them through the gate and they drove to the office.
“Where is your
car?” Captain Crane asked.
“It is at “The Blue Bird Motel. Why?”
“I will have Tommy from the motor pool here at
the Institute take a look at it. He is
the only mechanic I will let work on my car.”
“It is a black car with
Captain
Crane left her at the front desk with Wanda Jones, the receptionist. He went to his office to call Tommy.
“Hi, Tommy. It’s Lee Crane. I need
a favor. Could you please go to the Blue
Bird Motel and look at a black car with
“No
problem Captain.”
At least Janet had made it on time. None of the other candidates had
arrived. Wanda looked at her and asked, “How come you came in with Captain
Crane?”
“My
car wouldn’t start. I was walking down
While
she continued explaining her situation, the other candidates arrived. They introduced themselves. Barbara Manning worked for the Coast Guard,
Bob Stevens was in the Navy on a destroyer and Tom Scale was also in the Navy
on an aircraft carrier. Janet told them
her name and that she had worked as a secretary in
Admiral
Nelson and Captain Crane came out of the Admiral’s office.
“We
are going to take you down to Seaview,” Admiral Nelson said, “Seaview is a privately owned research
submarine that will do work for the Navy and the United States government as
well as private companies. There are
many classified areas on her. You will
only be allowed in the observation nose for this mission. We are going to sail about two hours from the
Institute to test a new piece of equipment.
We will be out about two more hours and then return. Please follow me.”
“I’m
not going to be going on the mission,” Barbara said, “I talked it over with my
husband and we didn’t realize that I would be gone away for long of periods of
time. I have small children and don’t
want to leave them for that long. I
didn’t want to let you know by telephone so that is why I came here today. I’m sorry if I wasted your time. Thank you for the interview.” She said her goodbyes and left.
The
rest were led down a path to the docking area of the Institute. They finally get to see the Seaview, huge,
gray and beautiful.
Following
Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane, they boarded the Seaview through the
conning tower. (Janet had learned that from her submarine book.) Now she knew why Angie said to wear
pants. One has to climb down a spiral
staircase to enter the observation nose.
In front of the Seaview were windows looking out to the sea. They took us upstairs to the control room so
we could see what and where it is. There
were many instruments, radar, sonar, computers, a large plastic map of the
world and a charting table. There were about ten crew members working. Lt. Commander Morton was already on board at
the charting table plotting the course.
They
returned to the observation nose and were shown where to sit. Janet still wasn’t sure why they wanted them aboard
today. Maybe to test how they reacted on
a submarine when it was submerged and to observe how things were done. We couldn’t ask questions, as everything was classified.
They
left the dock and headed out to sea.
Looking out the windows in the front one could see Seaview
cutting through the water. It was a
fascinating sight. Janet wondered what
kept the windows from breaking. The
water started going over the top of the windows and then they were under the
water. Bob looked a little nervous, Tom
looked calm, and Janet was just amazed.
She didn’t feel the Seaview moving at all.
“Set
a course of one five zero. All ahead standard,” Lee told Chip.
When
they reached their destination, they tested their equipment and then headed
back to the Institute.
“How
are you doing?’ the Admiral asked coming down the staircase to the observation
nose.
“Fine”
the group stated. Nelson sat down at
the table.
“I don’t know if I can do this.” Bob said, “being underwater all this time is unnerving. How do they do for days or weeks at a time?”
“I
think it is very calming.” Janet said.
Tom agreed with her.
Before
they knew it they were back at the Institute and leaving Seaview. They were brought back to the office.
“Admiral
Nelson and Captain Crane I want to thank you for letting me go out on the Seaview,”
Bob said, “but I cannot do this job.
Being under the water is not for me.
I prefer to be on the top of the ocean.” He said goodbye and left.
Tom
and Janet were left. The Admiral and
Captain went into the Admiral office to discuss what they wanted to do next. “We
should take each one out separately on an actual mission to see how they handle
themselves,” Lee said, “let them ask questions and see what is actually done
when we are on a mission.”
The
Admiral agreed.
“Tom,
are you available on Friday to go out on a mission?” Captain Crane asked.
“Yes sir.”
“We
will be gone until Saturday.”
Janet
was disappointed that Tom was asked to go first; hopefully she’d get a chance
to go out also when the Captain asked, “Janet, are you available to go out on a
mission on Monday?’
“Yes
sir.”
“We
will be gone until Tuesday. You will both stay on Seaview overnight and
see what actually happens on a mission.
Be here at the office by
They
were done for the day. Janet had one
problem. She didn’t have a way back to
the motel and didn’t want to ask for a ride.
She really didn’t want to walk back and it was too early for Mr. Thomas
or Jimmy to be finished with work. So now
what should she do
Captain
Crane came out of his office, “Tommy has fixed your car. The distributor cap was cracked that is why
it wouldn’t start. I will take you back
to the motel.”
“Thank
you very much. How much did it cost to
fix it and who do I owe for the repairs.”
“I
will let you know what the cost is.”
She
thanked Angie and Wanda and said goodbye.
Angie winked at her and smiled. Janet hoped she had a say in who got the
job.
Janet
and Crane got into the Captain’s car. He
drove her back to the motel. She got
into her car and it started right up. She went back to thank him again for his
help. He drove back to the Institute.
Janet
was starving so she drove to the diner.
“Hi Trish, how are you doing?”
“Fine,
how was your trip on the submarine?”
Janet
proceeded to tell her that her car wouldn’t start, that she’d started walking
but got a ride from the Captain of the Seaview, the trip out to sea and
that she was going on an actual mission on Monday and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday. She noticed two men are eating at the diner
dressed in the uniforms the men on the Seaview had on.
“Trish,
do you know those two men over there?”
“Yes,
the one in red is Kowalski and the one in blue is Patterson. They come here to eat once in a while. Why?”
“They
were on the Seaview today. I
remember seeing them in the control room.”
Janet
had nothing to do until Monday. She drove
into the city of
“Jimmy,
thank you again for driving me this morning, I really appreciated it.”
“Hi
Janet, how did your trip go? ”Mrs.
Thomas asked.
“Great. I’m going on a mission on Monday and won’t be
back until sometime on Tuesday.”
“Did
you walk all the way?”
“No,
I got picked up by the Captain of the submarine.” “If he hadn’t picked me up I never would have
made it on time.”
“Seems
like a good omen to me.”
Janet
drove around the area see what kind of apartments were for rent. If she got the job, she’d need a place to
live. Hopefully she could find something
close to the institute. If she didn’t
get the job, she’d need to look for a job in the city and find someplace there
to live.
Finally
Monday, and she’d packed an overnight bag and her bag with the submarine book
in it. She didn’t know what to expect
when she got on Seaview. She
assumed there was a cabin for her. She
hoped she had everything she needed; there was nowhere to shop if she forgot something.
She
arrived at the Institute at
“Have
either of you ever been on Seaview for a mission?” Janet asked.
“No”
both stated.
“We
have been on Seaview,” Wanda said, “but never overnight and never on a
mission. Are you nervous?”
“Yes,”
“Don’t
be,” Angie said, “the crew on Seaview is very nice and friendly. If you have any questions, just ask.”
“I’m
afraid I will get lost. The Seaview
is so big.”
“I’m
sure someone will be with you most of the time to show you where to go and what
you will need to do.”
“Will
I be able to ask questions and see what kind of paperwork they use?”
“I
think so. That is why they are taking
you out. So you can see what they do and
what actually goes on when they are on a mission. Right now I take care of the paperwork but
whoever they hire will have the responsibility of the paperwork from each
mission.”
Lt.
Commander Morton came to get her and brought her to Seaview.
“Don’t
be nervous.”
They
boarded Seaview and came into the Control Room. The Admiral and Captain were already there.
“Welcome
aboard” Captain Crane said, “let me show you to your
cabin.”
He
took the overnight bag and led her out the aft door to where the officer’s cabins
are located. He showed her the one she’d
be using. He put the bag on the bed and
showed her where everything is located.
They went back to the control room another way and she was already confused.
“We
will be getting under way soon, so you can sit in the observation nose and
watch us leave port. Once we leave the
channel someone will come for you and take you to the control room to see what
we are doing. The mission is to look for
some unexploded bombs in the southern
Captain Crane gave her a brief tour of some of the Seaview’s
unrestricted areas. “If you get hired
for the job you will have access to all areas.
How are you doing so far?”
“Right
now very confused on where I am. Do you
have a map? It will take me forever to find
where I’m supposed to be.”
“He
sure is taking quite an interest in her,” Chip told the Admiral, in the Control
Room, “he bet me that in three months they’ll be engaged or married. If it doesn’t happen, I get to drive his car
for a month. You know he never lets
anyone drive his car.”
“The
first day we interviewed her he said she was going to be his wife whether she
got the job or not.”
Janet
asked if there is any paperwork she could look at to see what she would be
using. They brought her some of the
forms to look them over. There sure are
ways that they could be made easier to work with. She offered some suggestions on how to simplify
the forms. They liked her suggestions
and said they’d try them out.
They
traveled a few more hours and reached the spot where the bombs were. A diving party consisting of Captain Crane and
the two seamen named Kowalski and Patterson left the boat. They swam in front of
the observation nose where Janet could watch them disarm the bombs and bring
them back to the boat. The mission was a
success.
“How
do you like your trip so far?” the Admiral asked.
“So far so good.”
“Not too much happening on this mission. Some missions there is so much going on that
you don’t even get a break. No
underwater sea monsters, no foreign country submarines chasing us or underwater
laboratories to explore.”
What
has she gotten herself into?
They
were on a course back to
After
dinner they retired to their cabins. Hers was across the corridor from Captain
Crane’s.
“If
you need anything, just knock on my door.”
“Thanks.”
“We
will be up at
“Thanks.” She would never find it by herself.
She
didn’t sleep very well. Not that the bed
was uncomfortable, she was just too nervous.
At
“Did
you sleep OK?” Captain Crane asked.
“Just
fine” she lied.
They
entered the channel at the Nelson Institute and Seaview is docked. Lt. Commander Morton led her back to the
cabin where she gathered her things to leave the boat. She might have found it by herself, but was
grateful he took her.
They
walked back to the office.
“We
will be making a decision on who will get the job by tomorrow,” the Admiral
said, “we will let you know whether or not you got the job.” “Is there a number
where you can be reached?”
“You
will have to call the Blue Bird Motel.
Mrs. Thomas is the owner and she will get me to the phone. “Thank you
very much for the opportunity to go on the mission. I really enjoyed it.”
Well,
Janet had never had such a wonderful experience in her life. Even if she didn’t get the job, she would
never forget her voyage to the bottom of the sea.
The
three officers went to the Admiral’s office.
Angie was there and asked how the mission went with Janet aboard. They said
it was fine and told her about Janet’s suggestions on changing some of the
paperwork.
“She
knows what she is doing” Angie agreed, “She can probably redo all those forms
you use. I vote for her. Besides that I
like her.”
“The
only problem I see is the fact she is a woman,” said Chip. “How are the men on Seaview going to
relate to a woman on board?”
“That’s
their problem.”
“You’ve
been very quiet, Lee,” Nelson said, “what is your opinion?
“I
can see Chip’s point about her being a woman, but why should that stop her
being hired to do a job I feel she can do?”
“I agree” the Admiral replied.
The
Admiral called Janet the next day to tell her she had the job and could she
come in at
“Yes,
sir, I will be there. Thank you for the
job.”
She
couldn’t believe it, working for the Nelson Institute for Marine Research on
the submarine Seaview. She told
Mrs. Thomas she got the job. She was very
happy for her. She went to the diner to
tell Trish.
“Hi
Janet, you sure look happy.”
“I
should be. I just got the job at the
Nelson Institute.”
“I
knew you would get it. When is your
first day of work?”
“I’m
not sure. I go this afternoon to sign a
contract.”
One
problem solved. Now she had to find a
place to live. She couldn’t worry about
that now as she needed to get ready to go to the Institute to sign the contract. Maybe Angie would of a place to rent. She’d have to ask her.
Janet
arrived at the Institute at
“Congratulations”
Angie and Wanda said, “we’re glad you got the
job. We look forward to working with
you.”
“Me
too” she replied. “I do have one
question, do you know of any places around here that are for rent? I’m living in a motel right now and would
like to find a place.” Angie was about
to answer when Captain Crane came out of the Admiral’s office.
“Welcome
to the Institute and Seaview. We
all look forward to working with you.
Please come in.”
The
Admiral and Captain Crane were the only two in the office. They had a one year contract for her to
sign. She would be on probation for
three months. The salary is very generous. When she wouldn’t be working on Seaview,
she’d be working in an office at the Institute. Captain Crane showed her to the office she’d
be using. It looks over the berth where Seaview
is. She had a job, now she needed a
home.
“Lee,
do you know of any places to rent around here?” Angie asked. “Janet needs a place to live and you live
near here.” “Yes, I think I might know
of a place. There is a man in my condo
building that is looking to rent his place out for three months while he goes
out of the country. Would you be
interested in seeing it? I can take you
there right now.”
“Sure.”
The
condo building was a few miles from the Institute. It was a beautiful area by the ocean. She didn’t know if she could afford to live there. Captain Crane found the superintendent of the
condo building.
“Hi
Sam, is Richard’s condo still for rent?”
“Yes, it is. Do you know someone
who wants to rent it?”
“Yes,
this is Miss Cornwell and she will be working at the Institute starting
tomorrow and she needs a place to rent.
Can we see it now?”
“Sure,
I will get the keys.”
“Captain
Crane do you know what the rent will be on this place,” she asked.
“No,
but I know Richard only wants half of what the mortgage payment is and you
would pay for the utilities. He just
wants someone to live here so it isn’t vacant while he is gone. Also, from now on you can call me Lee. When you are on Seaview in front of
the crew you call me Captain Crane.”
Sam
came back with keys and showed them the condo.
The place was fantastic. The rent
was very reasonable. She now had a home
for at least three months and could move in right away. Captain Crane came to the rescue again.
“Do
you live in this building,” she asked.
“I
live right around the corner in a unit that faces the ocean” he replies. “Will you need help moving?”
“I
only have a few boxes but a couple of them are quite heavy, would you mind
helping me? We should only have to make
one trip as everything should fit in the car.”
They
drove back to the motel and loaded up her car.
Jimmy helped Lee put in the heavier boxes. She said good bye and thank you to Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas and Jimmy.
“Thanks
for your help,” she tell Lee. Before
the day was over she was moved in.
She
had been on Seaview for six weeks.
The crew has been very welcoming and patient with her when she gets
lost. But, she was getting better at knowing
where she was. She had been on missions
that have taken her to the Artic,
Lee,
Chip and she had gone out for dinner after work at couple of times to discuss
what paperwork needed to be revised.
They usually went to the diner.
Lee met with Trish’s approval since she told her about him. He was only good looking, but very kind and
considerate.
She
was working at the Institute today and for the rest of the week as were no
missions scheduled. She understood this
is very unusual. Lee came to her office
and asked, “Are you free for dinner tonight?”
“Yes,
I am.”
“Good,
I will pick up at
Wow, she was going a real date with Lee Crane.
She
got home from work at
They
went to downtown
“Do
you have any family back in
“No, I have some friends but no family.”
“You
said your husband was killed in a car accident.
That must have been very hard to get over.”
“You
would think so but he had his girlfriend in the car at the time. They both were killed. His family still blames me for the accident.”
“That
must have been a shock, but how are you to blame for his accident?”
“I
guess I wasn’t a good enough wife for him that he needed to have a
girlfriend.”
“Do
they know you moved to
“No,
I didn’t tell them I was leaving, but I’m sure they will find out and cause
trouble. They never did like me.”
They
were having a wonderful dinner and she asked him about his family. His mother, Helen, lives in
She
got to work the next morning and find out they had a mission. They would be leaving on Saturday and be gone
for a couple of weeks.
Lee
came into her office and asked, “Are you free for dinner on Thursday?”
“Sure,
where are we going?”
“We
will go to Giovanni’s. I’ll pick you up
at
She
put on a dress and heels.
They
arrived at Giovanni’s and Lee said hello to hostess and gave her a piece of
paper. They ordered dinner. The food was
quite good. Lee was telling her about
the mission they’d be going on. It was
an undersea laboratory that was in danger of exploding and the reactor needed
to be shut down.
“Is
there something wrong? You are very quiet tonight,” Lee asked.
“I’m
going to need to look for another place to live as Richard will be coming home
in a couple of weeks. I really like
living there.”
“Well,
if you marry me you won’t need another place to live,” he laughed. She didn’t know if he was serious. They were
just finishing dinner when the waiter came over and told Lee he had a phone call. There was a problem on Seaview. Chip and Chief Sharkey weren’t available so he
had to go and check it out.
“Do you want me to take cab home so you can go
to Seaview?” she asked.
“No,
you can come with me”
“How
did they know you were here?”
“I
leave a number where I will be with the guards on the dock so they can reach me
if there is a problem. Sorry we have to cut our date short.”
“No
problem, let’s go see what is wrong.”
They
got to the dock area and there was an alarm going off on Seaview. Lee needed to check it out. They boarded Seaview and she learned
why she had to wear pants and flats. It
is very hard to go down the ladder in a dress and heels. There was only one emergency light on when
they got in the control room. It was very eerie when all the lights weren’t
lit, no beeping of sonar or radar and the computer was off. Lee found the problem and turned off the
alarm.
“I
will have to have the electronics crew look at that issue before we go on the
mission.”
Then
Lee kissed her right in the middle of the control room, catching her by
surprise. He was a marvelous
kisser. They leave Seaview; he
took her home and she got another kiss.
She
got to work early the next day and Lee was all ready there.
“Sorry
about last night.”
“It’s
ok. I understand that you need to take
care of Seaview.”
Angie
asked how their date went.
“I
think Lee asked me to marry him last night but I’m not sure. He said it laughingly and then he got a call
to go to Seaview for a problem.
So, I didn’t know what to say.”
Janet
could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t shocked at what she just
told her.
“He
has been in love with you since the first day he met you.”
“No,
that can’t be, besides I think he all ready has a love.”
Angie
looked at her kind of funny. “His first
love is Seaview. Whoever he
marries will always come in second to his “gray lady” not that I think there is
anything wrong with that.”
Janet
told her that she was in love with him too, but didn’t want to be second in his
life. She had to think things over.
She
needed to get back to work. She had to
gather the papers she needed to bring with them for the next mission. She was redoing all the forms, lists and other
paperwork they use. It was quite a job,
but it kept her busy when they were at sea.
Since they were leaving at
They
shoved off at
They
reached the underwater laboratory. Lee,
Kowalski and Patterson dove out to the laboratory to shut down the reactor. She got nervous when they go out diving. She knew they are all experienced divers, but
something could go wrong. She was in the
observation nose and watched them swim towards the laboratory. They entered it and shut down the reactor
when something went wrong. Kowalski and
Patterson got out, but Lee was caught in the hatch when the laboratory
exploded. The boat rocked and rolled and
everyone was thrown about. Kowalski and
Patterson went back to get Lee but he was unconscious. They got him aboard Seaview and he was
taken to
”Chip, can I go to
“Sure,
go ahead. The Admiral will be there
shortly.”
She
ran up the spiral staircase to get to Sick Bay.
Lee was still unconscious. He
looked very pale. Doc left her to sit
with him when the Admiral came in.
“Doc,
how is he doing?”
Not too well.
He has a severe concussion”
“You
really love him don’t you,” the Admiral came over to her.
“Yes,
I do. I didn’t realize how much until
now. I’m not sure but I think he asked
me to marry him the other day. I can
live with being his second lady.”
“I
don’t understand what you mean by being his second lady.”
“Admiral,
the Seaview will always be his first love. If he asks me again to marry I will say
yes.”
Lee
began to stir. Doc came over and said he
was coming to.
“I’m
asking you again, will you marry me?”
Lee
heard almost everything the Admiral and she had been talking about.
Well, what is your answer?”
“Yes,
I will marry you. Admiral, will I have
to give up my job on Seaview when I marry Lee?”
“No, Lee and I have all ready discussed
this. It will be no problem if you are
married, just no kissing in the corridors.”
“Would
you have not married me if you couldn’t keep your job?’ Lee asked.
“No
I would still marry you even if I couldn’t keep my job.”
“Janet,
will you go into my office and get the brown envelope in the top desk drawer
and bring it here.” Lee told her.
“Sure,
I will be right back.”
“Lee,
what is in the envelope?” Nelson asked.
“Her
engagement ring, I’ve had it for a month.”
“You
were that sure she would marry you.”
“Yes.”
Jane
came back with the envelope. The Admiral
and Doc left
“Do
you like it? If not, we can take it back
and you can pick out one you like.”
“No,
the ring is perfect. I do have one
question however, how long have you had this ring?”
“I
bought it three weeks after I met you.”
“You
were that sure that I would marry you.”
“Yes.”
Chip
came into
“Did
you ask her to marry you?”
“Yes,
and she said yes. You lost the
bet.”
“What
bet?” Janet asked.
“Lee
bet me that he would be engaged or married to you in three months. If that didn’t happen I would have gotten to
drive his car for a month.”
“I
told the Admiral the first day I met you that you would be my wife, job or no
job.”
Doc
came back and said enough excitement for now.
Lee would have to stay in
“What
did you mean when you told the Admiral you would be my second lady?” he
asks.
“Lee,
the Seaview will always be your first love. I know that and I can live with that. She has grown on me too.”
Hopefully,
the crew wouldn’t have a problem with her marrying their Captain.
Lee
and she decided to get married in three weeks.
They had a mission that would take two weeks and then would have a week
off with another mission scheduled to last at least four weeks and didn’t want
to wait that long.
Angie,
Wanda and Trish helped Janet plan the wedding for the week they’d be off. It would be a small afternoon wedding on the
grounds of the Institute. There was a
small garden overlooking the ocean and Seaview. Angie, Wanda and Trish would be bridesmaids
with Chip, Doc, and Chief as groomsmen.
Admiral Nelson agreed to walk her down the aisle. There weren’t too many people to invite as
she had no family and the only friends were Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Jimmy from
the motel and Lee had his mother and Chip’s mom and dad. Of course, the whole crew was invited
All
the details had been completed. No
honeymoon them as they’d be leaving leave on a mission the day after the
wedding.
There
was one little problem to solve before they got married. Richard, the gentlemen whose condo she was
renting was returning and she needed to move out before Lee and she got married.
“No
problem. Just move in with me,” Lee told
her, “we will be gone all but two days in the next two weeks.”
She moved into Lee’s condo the next day.
The
next two weeks and the mission flew by.
Luckily, Lee didn’t end up in
The
day of the wedding arrived and the weather was perfect. The girls came over to help her get
ready. The Admiral came to pick her up.
“I’m
very happy for you and Lee” he said as we drove to the Institute. “He loves you very much.”
“Admiral,
I love him very much, more than I ever thought I could love someone.”
She
was a little nervous. She had a feeling
something was going to go wrong.
They
arrived at the Institute. The whole crew
was there and they were all dressed in their dress uniforms. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Jimmy were
there. So was Lee’s mom, Helen, and she
wasn’t happy Lee was marrying Janet. She
thought he was rushing into this marriage.
Janet had only met her once.
Chip’s mom and dad have come in from
They
were ready to start. All the men looked
handsome in their dress blue uniforms, but Lee looked dashing and nervous
too. The admiral walked her down the
aisle and even he was a little nervous.
Janet didn’t know who was shaking more, her or him. The ceremony started and before they said
their vows. Father John said, “Is there
anyone here who doesn’t know why these two should not be joined in marriage,
speak now or forever hold your peace.
“Captain
Crane do you really want to marry her?” someone stood up.
Janet looked over and there was her dead
husband’s brother Joe.
“Did
she tell you she caused the death of my brother and that he was with another
woman when he was killed?”
“She
has told me everything.”
Janet
was in shock as was everyone else. She
couldn’t believe he found out where she was.
He left before the entire crew tackled him.
“This
is the first time someone has actually stood up and didn’t hold their peace.”
Father John said.
“Father,
will you please excuse us for a moment?” she asked.
She
took Lee’s hand and the walked a little ways down a path. “Lee, if you don’t want to marry me, I will
understand and I will leave right now.
You will never have to see me again.”
“Why
wouldn’t I marry you?” Lee looked at me straight in the eye, you didn’t kill
him and I love you too much to let you go.”
“I’m
so sorry he showed up and ruined our wedding.”
“It
doesn’t matter as long as we get married.”
They
walked back to Father John where they finish the ceremony and are married with
no more interruptions.
“Lee, you may kiss your wife.”
Lee
and Janet kiss.
“Let
me present for the first time, Captain and Mrs. Lee Crane.”
Everyone
clapped and congratulated us.
There were many questions regarding the man
who interrupted the ceremony but everyone is too polite to ask, everyone that
is except Lee’s mom.
“Who
was that man and what did he mean when he said you killed your husband?”
“My
husband was killed in a car accident with his girlfriend. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend and his
family blames me for his death. Lee knew
all about this. I told him everything
about my past before he asked me to marry him. When we walked away, I asked him if he still
wanted to marry me. If he didn’t, I
would have left him. He chose to marry
me. Helen, I love your son very
much. I didn’t know my dead husband’s
brother would show up. I didn’t tell
them I was leaving or where I was going.”
She
didn’t know what to say and walked away.
Lee
apologized for his mother.
“Please
don’t apologize. She is only looking out
for you and wants the best for you.”
Chip’s mom and dad came over and gave her a hug.
Everyone
was having a good time but all good things must come to an end. They had a mission to leave for at
Cookie
left them their favorite dinner but who cared about food as they started their new
life together on Seaview.
The
next morning Chip came into the observation nose and saw Lee staring out the
windows.
“What
are you thinking?
“Just
how lucky I am to have two ladies in my life”
“Where
is Janet?”
“She
is getting coffee because Cookie isn’t here yet. Life is good.”
.