Double Trouble
By R. L. Keller
“Now
this is the way to live.”
“What’s
that, Jamie?”
Dr.
Will Jamison, CMO at both Nelson Institute for Marine Research and their research
submarine, Seaview, looked up from the poolside lounger he was stretched out in
at the tall, dark-haired man standing to the side and slightly behind him. He waved one hand at their surroundings, the
other one occupied at the moment holding a large pina colada. “I said, Skipper, that this is the way to
live. Warm sun, cold drink, and a lovely
view.”
Lee
Crane, Seaview’s Captain, raised a speculative eyebrow, but grinned
nonetheless. “Better be careful with the
view, Doc. Lu Tsi finds out you were
giving all these lovely ladies the eagle eye, you’ll be looking out of black
ones.”
Will
chuckled. “I’ll have you know, young
man, that she has absolutely no problems when I look.” He paused a second. “Anything further, on the other hand…” He let the sentence trail off, listening to
delighted laughter he so infrequently heard at work. The sound also attracted the attention of
those ‘lovely ladies’ who didn’t already have their eyes focused on the darkly
handsome young man. Will laughed himself
as Lee noticed, and ducked his head.
Thoroughly enjoying Lee’s self-conscious embarrassment, Will turned back
toward the pool and took a sip of his drink.
Two
days ago, Seaview’s two officers found themselves in a rather unusual situation
– spending four days aboard a luxury liner sailing between Port Stanley in the
Falkland Islands and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Will had flown in a week ago for a medical convention. Lee had been to Puerto Montt, Chile, on
business for their boss, Admiral Harriman Nelson. The original plan had them meeting in Port
Stanley and flying home together. But
weather and Mother Nature conspired against them. Severe storms had followed Lee’s plane in,
and lightning strikes had not only started several very smoky fires, but had
damaged the airport’s air traffic control instrumentation. On top of which, a heavy ground fog had set
in, and didn’t seem in any hurry to dissipate.
Between the smoke, fog, and faulty equipment, all planes, both incoming
and outgoing, were grounded until repairs could be made and visibility
cleared. Impatient as always, hating to
waste time, Lee had been on the verge of calling Santa Barbara and having Chief
Sharkey bring FS1 to pick them up. But
fate had stepped in, in the form of Will’s host at the convention. He and his wife had been scheduled to leave
the day following the convention for a cruise.
But because of the fires, with their accompanying injuries and hospital
staffing adjustments, they decided to cancel, and offered Jamie and Lee their
cabin. Rio was the ship’s first stop and
from there the two could fly home. Will
was a bit skeptical at first – you don’t just make that kind of switch in
reservations overnight – not with today’s heightened security measures. However it happened – and Will was willing to
bet it had not a little to do with Admiral Nelson being their employer – the
travel agent had everything arranged in a matter of hours. But not without a bit of under-the-breath
muttering from Lee that had Will watching his Skipper closely for the first day
or so. The cabin was upper deck with its
own private balcony. Light, airy, and
roomy – for a cruise ship – Lee had barely tossed his bag on one of the two
beds before Will noticed he was prowling around, looking uncomfortable. Will put his hands on his hips and glared at
Lee.
“Skipper,”
he started meaningfully, and waited until Lee looked at him, albeit darkly,
“why does the thought of spending four days in my company have you acting like
a caged tiger? How many injuries are you
trying to hide?”
That
brought Lee up short. “What,” he
practically squeaked, giving Will a totally disbelieving look.
Will
shrugged. “Figured that’s the only thing
that would have you prowling around like that.”
Lee
hung his head and closed his eyes. “I’m
fine. I’m just not fond of surface
vessels when I’m not the one in charge.”
He gave Will a sheepish grin.
“Okay?”
“Chill,”
came the instant order. As Lee glared at
him, Will added, “Sir.” Seconds later
they both chuckled. “Try changing into
something besides a uniform,” Will suggested.
“That should help you relax.”
When Lee ducked his head and gave him that through the lashes, bashful
look that always reminded Will of a small child caught with his hand in the
cookie jar, he gave Lee a hard look. “Don’t
tell me – there’s nothing in that bag except uniforms.” Lee kept his head down, but gave Will a small
grin. “Chip’s right – you don’t know how
to take a vacation.”
At
that Lee’s head came up. “This wasn’t
supposed to be one.”
Will
waved that off as being totally beside the point. “Come on.
We’ll go down to the on-board shops and get you something a little more
appropriate.”
Lee
shook his head at the suggestion. “Stuff
on a cruise ship is too expensive, Jamie.
It’s only for four days. I can just
stay here in the cabin. I’ve got several
reports I can work on.”
“Come,
Commander. Now!” Will grinned at the look Lee shot him for
that particular tone of voice. “We’ll
just charge it to the cabin.”
“But
the Admiral said he was going to pick up the tab for this.” Lee’s glance swept the room.
“That’s
right. And when he sees what all the
charges are for, maybe it will finally get through that thick skull of his just
how hard he expects you to work.” Lee
flared up at the suggestion of any wrongdoing on the Admiral’s part, but Will
cut him off before he could say anything.
“Coming, Commander?” he said with a grin belying the use of Lee’s formal
rank, something he usually only used when he was royally ticked. “I really rather think you might want to tag
along. No telling what I’d be tempted to
buy for you, otherwise.”
Now,
two days later, Will looked up at Lee, fresh from a long swim in the short
ship-board pool. Lee had settled for
dark blue swim trunks with a red stripe up each side, a couple pairs of shorts,
and several casual shirts, one of which he now pulled on but left unbuttoned as
he dropped into the lounger next to Will.
“Feeling better?” Will asked teasingly, and got the expected glare
before it quickly relaxed into a friendly smile.
“Yes,
Doctor. Your prescription worked. For a change,” he added gruffly, but his
smile quickly broadened.
“Good. Then I won’t have to go down to the
Dispensary and get you a prescription for tranquilizers to last you the rest of
the trip.” Will got the reaction he’d
expected from that irreverent remark and grinned at Lee over the top of his
frothy drink.
Lee’s
dark look was softened perceptibly by a large yawn. “That part of your prescription won’t be
necessary, Jamie,” he admitted, and dropped the head of the lounger a little
lower.
“Long
meetings?” Will asked casually. “Or
didn’t you sleep as well as I thought you did the last two nights?”
“How
would you know how I was sleeping?
You’ve been sawing logs the instant your head hits the pillow.” The glare that brought from the older man
relaxed as both men chuckled.
“So?” Jamie asked.
“So,
what?”
“So,
you’re avoiding the original question.”
“Oh. No, not all that long. Just boring,” Lee finally admitted, eyes
closing.
“Oh,
oh.” The humor was evident in Will’s
voice, and Lee opened his eyes, sat up, and showed Will his hands.
“See? Not so much as a scratch,” he said
defiantly. Lee had a tendency to punch
out any available surface when he was frustrated, and boredom all too often led
to frustration for the workaholic officer.
Will
refused to be goaded. “Very good,
Skipper. Go ahead; lay back and close
your eyes. I’ll wake you for dinner.” Lee surprised Will and actually did just
that, albeit not without another glare.
But Will saw the corners of his mouth twitch as Lee turned his head
away, and watched as hands, while not clenched, still slowly relaxed. Will relaxed back into the lounger as well,
comfortable that the skimpy clothing couldn’t hide any injuries Lee wouldn’t
think worth mentioning. He hadn’t had
much chance to check before now. While
not in uniform, Lee had still spent the previous day - no matter how Will had
sniped at him - working in the cabin finishing the reports so they’d be ready
for the Admiral when they got back. He
just kept telling Will that he was better off in their cabin’s air conditioning
than out on deck where there was still some residual smoke in the air. With the reports done and the skies now
clear, he’d had no excuse not to comply with Will this morning and get some
fresh air. Sipping at his still
half-full glass, Will now, too, occasionally closed his eyes in
contentment. He knew Lee didn’t sleep. The lovelies poolside continued to try –
without looking like they were trying – to attract Lee’s attention, and Will
saw Lee’s eyes flick open at a particularly infectious giggle or splash of
water. But he’d just let a contented
grin briefly cross his face and close his eyes again.
Since
neither had formal clothes with them, they were bypassing the main dining room
at dinner and opting instead for the 24-hour buffet. Lee decided that evening he’d take a jog
afterward to help himself relax. That
told Will loud and clear that Lee probably hadn’t been sleeping well. But he wisely remained silent on the subject,
and told Lee he’d settle for a more leisurely stroll. Neither was all that interested in the
plentiful shipboard nightlife offered.
Lee left to change back into shorts, after some good-natured teasing
about Will joining him for the jog. Lee
reminded the older man that his diving re-certification was coming up shortly,
as well as his fit-rep, and Will would need to be in good physical shape for
both. Lee timed the remark just as Will
was finishing the last of his coffee, and nearly got a face full as Will
sputtered and coughed at the reminder.
Lee laughed out loud, and made his escape before Will could get off the
suitably scathing reply that instantly formed in his mind. But he shook a finger at the still chuckling
younger man as Lee turned and looked at him over his shoulder, and finally
grinned as well.
He
cleaned up the bit of a mess Lee’s teasing had caused and was gathering their
dishes together in a neat pile when he spotted Lee’s head on the opposite side
of the somewhat crowded room from the direction in which Lee had gone. Or thought it was Lee’s head. Standing, he realized the other man just
reminded him of Lee. Same dark, short
cut, curly head of hair. The man was
exiting the other side of the room, so Will didn’t get to see his face. Had me going there, for a second, though, he
chuckled to himself. He left the dining
area and spent the next couple hours wandering around the huge liner. He and Lee did share a couple of speculative
glances as they both prepared for bed that night, but nothing more was said
directly about either sleeping habits or upcoming scheduled events.
The
following morning, their last full day aboard the cruise ship, Lee decided
after breakfast to go talk to the Purser and see what the chances were of getting
a tour of the bridge. Will just grinned
– he was a bit surprised it had taken Lee this long to ask. He took another long walk through the ship,
glancing into the shops and enjoying the artwork displayed throughout the
various decks. At one point, coming out
of one elevator, he noticed a couple of men in the uniform of the ship’s
officers entering the next one, and heard an all too familiar voice. Guess he got his tour, Will chucked to
himself. Just as the elevator doors
closed, he thought he heard Lee’s voice say something that sounded like
“I gave him a shot of penicillin. He’ll
be fine in a few hours.” Will, you’d
better have your hearing checked. He
shook his head sadly, then grinned at himself.
You’ll have to ask Lee later if he remembers what he actually said.
Two
hours later found Will watching from an upper balcony over the central lobby,
laughing with all the other spectators at what was happening on the floor two
decks below. The Activities Director had
set up what looked like one hole from a miniature golf course. There weren’t any obstacles, but none were
needed. The ‘green’ had a couple gentle
curves, with bumper boards on the sides to help the golfer negotiate them. But the main ‘obstacle’ was the fact that
because they were on a ship in the middle of the ocean, the green kept tilting
in different directions. The Activities
Director and her assistants were encouraging everyone to try their luck, with
prizes awarded to anyone who could score a ‘Hole In One.’ One contestant had just been within a few
inches of the hole, the ball headed straight in, when the ship tilted just
enough to make the ball just barely skirt the edge and slip past. Amid all the laughter and groans, Will’s eye
just happened to catch a glimpse of two ship’s officers pass by underneath
him. While again he missed seeing the
face, there was no mistaking that head of hair attached to a tall, slender
frame. Not a chance. No way, Will assured himself. Just because he went off to the
bridge… However… Will sprinted for the staircase, but
since it was crowded with spectators also watching the golfing ‘tournament,’ it
took him several minutes to reach the lower deck. By that time there was no sign of the two men
he’d seen from above. He thought about
asking at the desk, trying to describe the man.
But with what, 50 to 60 people on board running around in officers
uniforms, from a multitude of nationalities, many of them dark-haired and
olive-skinned, what was Will going to say that didn’t come off sounding totally
silly? He just shook his head and found
another vantage point from which to watch the conclusion of the golfing.
He
wasn’t worried when he didn’t see Lee at lunchtime. While in a lot of ways a very private man,
put Lee in a group of kindred-spirited ‘men of the sea’ and there was no
telling when he’d re-surface. Will
assumed that whoever he was with wouldn’t have Lee’s same aversion to eating,
and Lee would go along if for no other reason than to be polite. Will, after taking far more food than he normally
would from the overabundant selections at the buffet, once again stretched out
on a poolside lounger and dozed contentedly.
Definitely have to talk to Lu Tsi about taking one of these
cruises. I’d gain 20 pounds, he
acknowledged silently, with a grin. But
it would be worth it. Just have to make
sure it’s right after my yearly fit-rep.
He
finally roused himself about 1520 hours and decided he’d take another walk
around the ship before returning to the cabin.
He was half-heartedly hoping Lee would check there for him, and the two
could enjoy one last relaxing dinner before debarking the following morning and
returning to NIMR and its usual assortment of chaos. He made one round of the upper deck then
descended to the lobby level and walked through the more heavily used
area, enjoying a little unobtrusive people watching. He’d just come down the grand staircase into
the main lobby when, across the crowded area, he once again spotted the
familiar-looking head on top of an officer’s uniform. This time he got just a glimpse of the side
of the man’s face before whoever he was disappeared through a door on the other
side. Before Will could do more than
take a deep breath, his jaw dropping open, a hand landed on his shoulder from
behind and he spun around, to stare at the smiling face of Lee Crane. “Dear God, there’s two of them,” he blurted
out, and watched Lee’s face fill with concern.
“Jamie,
are you okay? Do you need to sit
down? You look like you’ve seen a
ghost.”
“Something
even scarier,” came out before Will could stop it, then he gave himself a shake
and got himself back under control.
“Jamie? What’s wrong?”
Will
finally grinned. “Apparently nothing,
Skipper.” He gave his head another
shake. “I gather you’ve had an
interesting day?” He could read the
indecision on Lee’s face, unwilling to let pass what he didn’t yet
understand. But Will just continued to
smile easily, and watched as the younger man finally relaxed. As Jamie turned
back toward the way he’d been going, the door at the far side of the lobby
opened and the dark haired, olive skinned officer came back out. While there was a minor similarity to Lee
from the side, now that Jamie saw him straight on he took a deep breath and
relaxed, greatly relieved at the differences he now saw between the officer and
his Skipper. He didn’t think he could
survive two Lee Cranes in the world! He
and Lee ended up spending the next couple hours enjoying more excellent food,
and a couple of equally excellent drinks, as Lee expounded on the virtues of
cruise liners. Not that he was in any
hurry to give up his beloved Seaview, he assured an amused Will. But the big ships did have their attractions. Will started to ask at one point about what
Lee had actually said as he entered the elevator with the two officers he’d
been with, but ended up keeping quiet.
Lee was in such a relaxed, easy state, Will didn’t want to do anything
to mess it up. Asking his question would
involve telling Lee what he’d thought he’d heard. While innocent enough, with Lee’s aversion to
anything medical it might just be enough to spoil the mood.
The
ship was due to dock at 1030 hours the following morning. As their flight home didn’t leave until
nearly 1600 hours, they decided to just relax and let the passengers who had
shore excursions planned get off first.
Lee said he’d take care of the bags if Will wanted to wander around the
ship a little longer. Will tried to tell
him that that wasn’t necessary but Lee just waved him off, and arranged to meet
him at 1230 hours at the bottom of the boarding ramp. They could then be assured of grabbing a cab
with a good deal less hassle, stop somewhere for lunch, and still be at the
airport in plenty of time to check in for their flight. Not all that grudgingly, Will agreed. There were still a couple places on the ship
he hadn’t checked out. Lu Tsi would want
a first-hand report on the exercise room if she was going to be subjected to
that much food, and Will still hadn’t run across the Dispensary. Professional curiosity suggested a quick
look.
He
received a concerned look when he asked at the Purser’s Desk for the locations,
and had to grin as he assured the pretty young woman that “no, he was not
planning on hurting himself over-exercising on the equipment; that he was
indeed a medical doctor on a bit of a fact-finding mission.” The woman’s frown turned instantly to a
dazzling smile as she gave him careful directions to both areas.
The
exercise area was what he’d been expecting.
Weight machines of various configurations, jogging machines and
stair-climbers – they made Will tired just looking at them all. The steam room had possibilities. But he figured he’d be just fine walking
around a cruise ship and enjoying the shore excursions offered – depending on
what destination Lu Tsi chose. Now that
he thought about it, she had mentioned casually a couple times about taking one
of the cruises to Alaska. But never with
any real conviction, and Will had simply forgotten about it. Shame on you, Will Jamison, he
chastised himself, and sent his wife a silent promise to do better.
Will
wasn’t sure what he was expecting in the way of medical facilities aboard. But when he stopped to think about the
approximately 2500 passengers and 1200 crew aboard a ship like this, he decided
that finding what resembled the efficient Emergency Room at NIMR’s Med Bay
shouldn’t be all that surprising. He was
met immediately upon entering the area by, from appearances, a young
corpsman/male nurse, and again had to explain who he was and that he didn’t
really need assistance of any kind. As
the ship was in port and things were fairly quiet, the young man took the time
to show Will around and explain the staffing.
The corpsman explained that they were equipped to handle most
emergencies, up to and including surgery.
They also had satellite-based communication available to assist in the
management of complex and emergency situations, and there was a helipad on the
top Deck if anyone did have to be evacuated.
“I
think you like it when we have to evacuate a patient, Billy,” came from behind
Will, in such a familiar-sounding voice it caused Will to almost stop
breathing. He spun around and stopped
dead – he was looking directly into the face of Lee Crane! Wearing the dark blue officer’s uniform with
a caduceus on the collar! The man was
focusing on the corpsman, thankfully, broad smile on his face, and didn’t
immediately notice Will’s reaction.
“Now,
Doc,” the corpsman protested, “you can’t mean that. I hate when a passenger is sick or
injured.” Will got his shock under
control enough to glance back in Billy’s direction. “However,” the young man added with a
sheepish grin, “getting to ride back to the mainland on the chopper is kind of
cool.” As the newcomer chuckled oh so
familiarly, Billy made introductions.
“Dr. Jamison, Chief Medical Officer at the Nelson Institute in Santa
Barbara, California, our Ship’s Surgeon, Dr. Brooks.”
Will
wasn’t sure how he managed to get his expression under control enough to keep
his greeting from sounding too strangled.
But apparently something was amiss, because Dr. Brooks raised an eyebrow
just slightly – again, an all too familiar gesture to Will, and he gave the man
a self-conscious little smile.
“Sorry,
Doctor,” he practically mumbled, before getting his voice – and emotions –
under better control. “It’s
just…well…you look so much like someone I know.” He shook his head. “It’s a little unsettling, actually.” Understatement of the century, he told
himself.
The
man with Lee’s face smiled. “They say
each of us has a twin somewhere.” He
grinned all too familiarly. “Anyway,
pleasure to meet you.” He stuck out his
hand and Will took it readily. “And,
it’s Peter.”
“Will,”
Will amended as well. “I’ve been
admiring your set-up,” he added, trying to steer the conversation back into
comfortable channels. It gave Will the
chance to look around the area, and the two chatted comfortably for several
minutes. At least, it seemed to Will that
Dr. Brooks was comfortable. He, on the
other hand, was practically coming unhinged.
Standing here, talking to ‘Lee Crane’ about anything medical as if it
were the most natural thing in the world.
Just the thought of that man wearing a caduceus on his collar –
gad. It’s almost more than I can take!
Suddenly Dr. Brooks got a speculative look on his face. “Your friend, ah…” He hesitated and gave Will Lee’s sheepish little grin. “I just assumed he was a friend…”
Will
chuckled. “There would be those who
wondered, listening to the two of us on occasion,” he acknowledged. “But yes, very much a friend.”
“He
wouldn’t happen to be aboard, would he?
Reason I ask,” he hurried to explain, “one of the crew was giving me a
hard time, teasing me about being out of uniform last night, having a drink in
one of the bars.”
Will
just nodded. “Obviously they saw Lee and
me. Perhaps it’s a good thing we’re
leaving the ship here. No telling what
trouble Lee could get you in.” He
frowned, realizing Lee had spent the day previous on the Bridge. He shook his head and shuddered, but smiled
nonetheless.
“He’s
still on board?” Brooks asked. “I’d like
to meet him.”
Will
glanced at his watch. “Should be waiting
for me at the bottom of the boarding ramp, if you’d…” He never got a chance to finish. At that moment the loud speaker called.
“Ship’s
Doctor, please report to the Pirate’s Lounge, “C” deck.”
Brooks
shrugged. “Ah, the life of a doctor.”
Will
gave him a sympathetic look. “Tell me
about it. Pleasure to meet you, anyway.”
Brooks
nodded as he grabbed his bag. “Another
time. I definitely want to meet this
friend of yours. Here I thought all
along I was unique.” He grinned Lee’s
easy, companionable grin, and hurried out.
And
I was hoping Lee was unique, Will breathed quietly, and shuddered. Glancing at his watch again, he thanked the
corpsman for the tour, and hurried to meet Lee.
As the more familiar khaki uniform came into view, Will asked casually,
“Skipper, I keep forgetting to ask you, how was your day on the Bridge
yesterday.”
Lee
just shrugged. “Never actually made it
there.” He grinned. “Got sidetracked with the Engineering
Officer, and spent the whole time down in the engine room.” He paused a second before continuing. “There was one interesting little bit…” His voice trailed off.
“Yes?”
Will prodded gently.
Lee
gave him that same sheepish grin he’d seen not that long ago on a man dressed
in dark blue. “Lt. Awadi gave me the
most curious look when he first saw me.
Said he almost mistook me for one of the ship’s officers.”
“Oh? Which one?” Will asked innocently.
“The Ship’s Surgeon, actually,” Lee admitted, almost reluctantly, with another sideways sheepish grin at Will. Will shuddered over-dramatically, causing Lee to laugh out loud. “Yeah, Doc. My reaction as well. Told him that would be the absolute last position I’d hold!”
* * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr.
Peter Brooks, as portrayed by David Hedison, appears in the Irwin Allan
Made-for-TV movie, Adventures of the Queen, c. 1975
Lu
Tsi Jamison used with permission of Cris Smithson