This story doesn’t have any
ONI missions gone badly or anyone on Seaview being injured, near death, shot,
or rescued. It’s a story testing the
love between Lee and Janet Crane. Maybe a little heart tugging at times and too
sentimental for some readers who like more action.
Honesty, Understanding and Forgiveness
By JSRobertson
Lee Crane was waiting while
the helicopter got into position so he could jump on the deck of Seaview
which had just surfaced. He was
returning from an ONI mission in a small country off the coast of
((()))
He was exhausted. This was his third ONI mission in the last
nine weeks. He’d been in Vadvostok picking
up intel and barely had time to recover from a bullet wound in his thigh before
he had to leave for the People’s Republic on an extraction that went off without
a hitch. He finally got to stay home for
two weeks before he had to leave again.
His missions have not only
been hard on him but also on his wife, Janet, Chip and the admiral. None of them were very happy that Admiral
Johnson kept using him for these missions.
Janet and Chip were almost killed when FS-1 crashed while he was in
Vadvostok. For once Seaview
didn’t have any missions scheduled while he was in the People’s Republic but
now they were on their way back to
He escaped with only a graze
wound on his arm. The men setting up the laboratory and the guards never realized
why he was there until he was ready to leave.
They started shooting at him as he scrambled out of the compound with
plenty of pictures. He ran through the jungle staying just ahead of them. Much to his relief, the helicopter was
waiting for him on the beach and he boarded it before they could take any more
shots at him or the helicopter.
Even though it was getting
dark, he had no problems jumping from the helicopter to the deck. He waved to the pilot who dropped him off and
he slowly lifted the helicopter away from Seaview. Lee went in the sail
hatch and down the ladder to the control room where Bobby O’Brien was waiting
for him. He couldn’t wait to see his
wife, take a shower and hit the rack.
But once in the control room he looked around for his wife and Chip. Both of them were not in the control room.
“Mr. O’Brien where’s Mr.
Morton and Mrs. Crane?” Lee asked concerned they weren’t there.
“Mr. Morton is going off duty
but is coming back in couple of minutes with some last minutes instructions and
I’m not sure where Mrs. Crane is,” Bobby said warily.
Lee left the control room
went up the spiral staircase to their cabin.
He was surprised his wife wasn’t there so he checked her office and she
wasn’t there either. He was worried as she
was always in the control room or even on the bridge when he came home from a
mission. Hopefully she was working on a project with the admiral. He felt and looked disgusting, he was filthy,
bloody and smelly not that Janet or the admiral would have cared how he looked
or smelled. He would check in with the
admiral and let him know about the mission when he finished taking a shower,
shaving off his beard and was in uniform. He would then be able to hit rack and
get some much needed sleep.
He would also have to go to
sick bay and check in with Jamie as he always did when he returned from an ONI
mission.
After showering his wound
started bleeding again so he took a towel and wrapped it up and rolled his
uniform sleeve over it. It would need bandaging but he needed to find Janet and
Chip first.
Before going to sick bay he
returned to the control room and found Chip giving O’Brien some instructions
before he went off duty for the night.
Jamie was also there looking for Lee.
“Hi Chip, where’s Janet. I can’t find her anywhere,” Lee asked anxiously.
“You’ll have to ask the
admiral,” Chip replied quietly.
“Let’s go captain. I need to check you out, you know the rules,”
Jamie said taking him by the arm.
Scowling he yanked his arm out of Jamie’s grasp.
“What do you mean ask the admiral...Chip did
something happen to her...Please tell me,” he asked frantically while the
control room listened to the exchange between the two men.
Before Chip could answer
Jamie piped up.
“Lee,” Jamie said softly,
“Come with me and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
He knew something was wrong
when Jamie called him Lee in front of the crew.
Lee and Jamie went to sick
bay where Jamie checked him out. His arm didn’t need stitches so he put a bandage
on it and gave him a shot of antibiotics.
“Jamie, please tell me where
she is...isn’t she on Seaview...what happened to her,” he demanded as he
rolled down his shirt sleeve.
“The admiral sent her away. She needed some time away from the institute,
Seaview and you.”
“Me, why me? I haven’t been home for the last few weeks.”
“That’s the problem. If you want more details, you’ll have talk to
the admiral. I’ve already told you too
much.”
“Where is he?” Lee hissed.
“The reactor control room.”
Lee stormed out of sick bay
with Jamie following right behind him.
He knew Lee was pissed but he also had more to tell Lee about Janet but
needed the admiral to talk to him first.
He barged into the reactor control
room where the admiral was working with a couple of crewman. He stood in front of the nuclear reactor
console and tape machine that recorded the reactor’s readings.
“Please leave,” he snapped at
the crewmen who couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.
Pointing his finger at the
admiral he yelled, “Who the hell do you think you are sending my wife away with
consulting me? What gives you the right
to do that?”
“It’s a little hard to
consult you when you’re not around,” the admiral said sarcastically looking at
him with fire in his eyes. “I did it for
her health and well being as her employer.
She wasn’t fit for duty so I had to take matters in my own hands.”
“Her health...not fit for
duty?” Lee questioned still livid.
Jamie now angrily spoke up,
“Yes especially her health. Have you
really looked at your wife lately? She’s
lost ten pounds from not eating, has dark circles under her eyes because she
can’t sleep when you’re gone. While you
were in Vadvostok, I had to sedate her to get her to sleep. Two days after you left on this last mission,
she went to Chip’s office to give him a report and passed out right in front of
his desk. Luckily she wasn’t hurt. Chip put her on the couch and put a cold
cloth on her head by the time I got there she was awake. I had to threaten her
with med bay and an IV unless she started eating. The admiral, Chip and I took turns making
sure she ate. Do I have to tell you
anymore?”
“I didn’t know,” he replied
rubbing his forehead. “I guess I never
paid attention. I would ask her if
everything was alright and she would tell me yes.”
The admiral barked, “Of
course she’s going to tell you yes. She
didn’t want you to have to worry about her while you’re trying to save the
world and get yourself hurt or killed.”
“You had to sedate her...she
passed out,” Lee whispered. “What I’m I
going to do. Please tell me where she is?”
“No,” the admiral said
emphatically. “She needs to be away from
you while you straighten out your priorities.”
“Please admiral I promise I
will take care of her. I won’t leave her
alone,” Lee pleaded.
“That’s what you say now
until Admiral Johnson calls with a new mission and off you go and leave her
alone again.”
“Admiral, I can’t believe you
won’t tell me,” he said desperately.
“Skipper,”
Lee couldn’t help but see the
smirk on the admiral’s face.
“Pipe it in here please,” Lee
said guiltily.
“Yes, skipper.”
“When are you bringing me
those pictures?” Johnson demanded.
“Seaview will be docking
in
“I’ll look for you in a
couple of days then,” Johnson said and hung up.
“Lee please believe me when I
tell you I’m doing this for her and your own good.”
“Yes sir,” Lee replied
dejectedly.
He left the reactor control
room and went to his cabin. He needed to
sleep and think about what Jamie and the admiral told him. How could he not notice how badly his wife
needed him?
After Lee left Jamie
looked at the admiral.
“Harry are you sure you’re
doing the right thing?” Jamie asked, “He isn’t very happy.”
“Jamie, it was very hard for
me not tell him where’s she at. He’s
devastated I wouldn’t tell him but I have to stick to my guns. My gut tells me I’m right.”
“Okay Harry I’ll go along
with you for now,” Jamie concurred.
((()))
Seaview docked the next morning. Lee slept but he didn’t necessarily feel
better. He went to the control room
where Chip was waiting for the rest of the crew to leave.
“You know the admiral sent Janet
away, please tell me where? I need to talk to her. Please Chip,” Lee pleaded.
“I honestly don’t know where
she is. The only people that know are
the admiral and Jamie and you know neither one of them will tell you,” Chip
told him. “I’m really sorry Lee.”
((()))
The admiral came down the
spiral staircase and went to the control room.
“I need to see the both of
you in my office in thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied.
The admiral went up the
ladder to the sail hatch and down the gangplank stopping to salute the colors
before leaving the sub pen. He went to
his car and drove to his office.
Lee and Chip finally left Seaview
after making sure all the crew had departed.
They walked down the gangplank saluted the colors and stopped to talk to
the guards on duty.
Chip had his car so he and Lee
drove to the institute office. Lee
stopped and stared at Janet’s empty office.
He had to find out where she was.
He went to his office and hung up his jacket. He noticed there was only a few days work on
his desk. She must have taken care of everything. He sat down and put his head in his
hands. What has he done?
They had no idea what the
admiral wanted to talk to them about.
They were scheduled to leave on a research mission in a week but there
was nothing special about it. No outside
personnel would be involved.
Chip stopped at Lee’s door to
get him. He needed to talk to Lee too
but not here.
“Ready. We don’t want to keep the admiral waiting.”
“No we don’t,” Lee sighed as
he got up from his desk. “Chip I miss
her.”
“I know I miss her too.”
Lee knew Chip well enough to
know if the admiral didn’t tell him where she was and he was worried about her,
something must have been very wrong with her.
Chip and Lee went to the
admiral’s office where Angie greeted the two of them.
“Welcome back Lee. Hi Chip.
The admiral’s waiting for you.”
“Thanks Angie,” Lee said tensely.
Angie could see how unhappy
Lee was. All of them missed Janet but
Angie knew what the admiral did was for the best. She and Wanda didn’t know where Janet was
either.
((()))
They went in the admiral’s
office and sat down in the chairs in front of his desk.
“Chip is everything set for
the next mission?”
“Yes sir. All the special equipment will be loaded on Seaview
by the end of the week.”
“Good. Lee when are you leaving for
“I have a flight out of
“Lee I will tell you where
Janet is on one condition.”
“Yes whatever it is I will do
it.”
“When you go to
“Admiral I don’t know if he’ll
go for that,” Lee answered cautiously.
“You’d better convince him if
you want to know where Janet is. He will
have to call me personally and tell me he will not assign you to any missions
before I tell you where she is.”
“Can you give
up ONI missions for six months,” the admiral asked honestly.
“I will do anything to find
out where Janet is but what if Admiral Johnson doesn’t agree to it will I ever
find out where she is?”
“Yes, when I think she’s
ready to come back and you’re ready to take care of her.”
“Admiral is she safe where
she is?”
“Of course. I would never put her in harms way. You better get ready to leave for
“Yes sir.” Lee answered
wondering why he didn’t want Chip to take him to the airport.
Chip and Lee left the
admiral’s office. They grabbed their
jackets and covers and went to Chip’s car and drove to Lee’s house.
((()))
“Chip, you’ve been pretty
quiet today. What’s up,” Lee questioned
before he got out of the car. He knew
something was bothering him.
“Lee, I’m going to add to
your misery,” Chip said softly. “I would
find Janet sitting in your office in the dark wrapped in your coat. She told me she was afraid you weren’t coming
back. She tells me this every time you
leave on a mission. It breaks my heart
to see her so unhappy. We went out for dinner
and I when I dropped her off, I walked her to the door instead of waiting for
the signal she was in the house and everything was alright. She kissed me and not like a brotherly kiss
but a very romantic passionate one. I
didn’t stop her and returned her kiss just as passionate. I’m really sorry bro, I didn’t mean for it to
happen.”
“Has it ever happened
before,” Lee asked rubbing his forehead.
“No and it won’t ever happen
again.”
Lee could see Chip was very
upset at what he told him.
“Lee, you’re always gone,
she’s lonely, worried and afraid.
“I know Chip. I guess it’s my own fault. I leave her alone so much and you get to pick
up the pieces while I’m gone. I’ve
relied on you to look after her since we got married. Do you love her?”
“No Lee, but I could. I never meant to hurt you,” Chip stressed.
“Thanks for being honest with
me,” Lee sighed deeply. “Does the
admiral know about this?”
“Yes, we had to tell him. We felt guilty every time we saw each
other. That was another reason why he
sent her away so she could sort out her feelings.”
“I’m almost as bad as her
parents. I’ve been neglecting her without
even knowing it. Too engrossed in ONI, Seaview
and the institute. I’m surprised she’s
still with me.”
“Lee, she loves you
more than anything. Anyone can see
it. She will do whatever it takes to
make you happy.”
“I really thought she
understood by now how difficult it could be married to a spy and the captain of
Seaview.”
“I don’t think the captain
part is the problem. As you know from a
previous experience she isn’t too thrilled with the spy part and you have to
admit you’ve taken on a lot more missions lately than in the past. Maybe you better convince Johnson you’re not
the only man for the job.”
“You’re right. If I get her back or should I say when I get
her back she will be my top priority after Seaview of course,” Lee said
with a small grin.
“She’ll live with that.” Chip
replied with a small grin too. “Come on
you better get going or you going to miss your flight. The sooner you convince
Johnson the sooner you get your wife back.”
Lee patted Chip on the back
as he left him at the door. He packed
his suitcase taking a few extra clothes just in case he could convince Johnson
to leave him alone for six months.
((()))
Tommy took Lee to the airport
as instructed by the admiral. He dropped
him off at the terminal and helped him with his suitcase. Lee boarded his plane to
((()))
Lee took a taxi to Johnson’s
office. Sandy, his secretary, greeted
him warmly and asked him to wait as the admiral was on the phone. He didn’t have to wait too long before he was
shown into Johnson’s office.
((()))
Two Weeks Earlier
Lee and Janet were in Lee’s
office waiting for a helicopter. Janet
couldn’t believe her husband had to leave on another ONI mission. This would be his third one in the last nine
weeks. She could see he was exhausted. These missions were not only hard on him but
her also. She couldn’t sleep or eat when
he’s gone. She’d lost ten pounds and
given up trying to cover her darks circles with makeup. She avoided Jamie as much as she could
because all he had to do was look at her and know she hadn’t slept or ate.
“Honey, why do you have to go
on another mission? Are you the only
ONI agent in this country,” she asked sarcastically.
“Sweetie, they’re short a few
agents. A couple of them were hurt on a
mission and some have retired. The new
ones they recruited aren’t ready for this type of mission. I’m really sorry,” he said as he pulled her
close and rubbed her back.
“Please tell Admiral Johnson
you can’t go on any more missions after this one,” she pleaded her head on his
chest.
“I will let him know I need a
rest after this one,” he reassured her as he gave her a kiss goodbye.
They walked to the heliport
where a helicopter was touching down to pick him up. He gave her a long kiss
and hug. Chip and the admiral were also there
to see him off. Both of them had
disgusted looks on their faces.
After he took off, the three
of them walked back to the office.
Janet went back to her office
and finished up the work Lee had left her.
Chip had a meeting with the admiral that afternoon and they weren’t
finished so she would go home and make herself dinner not that she was even
hungry. It was 1700 hours so she grabbed
her jacket and purse and walked to the elevators. Jamie got off the elevator
and saw her standing there.
“Good I’m glad to see you’re
ready to leave. I’m taking you to
dinner. I know you didn’t have lunch so
we are going to a new Chinese restaurant.” Jamie told her grabbing her arm.
“How do you know I didn’t eat
lunch? Do you have spies watching me?”
Janet asked surprised.
“Yes, to be honest with you I
do,” he said unhappily.
He pushed the button on the
elevator as they waited for it to come back to their floor he looked at her and
saw how tired she was.
“Do you need me to give you
something to sleep tonight?”
“No, I’m actually very
tired. I think I will sleep tonight but
thanks anyway.”
They left the institute and
got in Jamie’s car. Standing at the
window watching them leave was Chip who went looking for Janet after his
meeting and saw that she had left for the day.
He would take her to dinner tomorrow night. The admiral had the next night. This was the only way they knew she would
eat. They knew she wouldn’t make dinner
because she hated eating by herself.
((()))
Janet managed to fall asleep
that night wrapped in Lee’s shirt. It
made her feel close to him. She woke up
the next morning feeling a little better.
She was running a little late today so she didn’t have time for
breakfast. Chip knocked on the door a
few minutes later, she grabbed her sweater and they left for work.
“How was dinner last night
with Jamie?”
“It was good. We’ll have to go there when Lee gets back,”
she grinned, “did he have ‘Janet’ duty last night?
“Yes, he did. I get that duty tonight. We’re going to Giovanni’s. I have a taste for their chicken parmesan.”
“Okay sounds good to me,” she
answered as they walked in the institute.
((()))
Janet would be very busy
today. Angie had the day off and the
admiral had some letters and reports that needed to be typed up. Angie stayed late to get them done but the
admiral hadn’t finished them all so Angie called last night to let her know
what needed to be finished.
She went to the admiral’s
office and he had the letters and reports ready for her.
“I know there’s a lot there,
but do you think you could have them done by the end of the day and sent out?”
“Yes sir. I will stay until they are all finished. There isn’t that much here, I should have
them done after lunch.” Janet replied as she took the items and went to her
office.
She got them all done by 1500
hours and had the admiral sign them so they could be sent out. She finished just as the mailman dropped of
the mail so she gave them to him to take, it would save her a trip to the post
office. She worked through her lunch
hour but wasn’t hungry so she skipped lunch.
She would have a big dinner tonight anyway.
((()))
Chip called her on the phone and asked her to
bring him a proposal he put on her desk earlier that morning.
When she got up she was a
little dizzy but didn’t think much about it.
She walked to Chip’s office and everything went black.
“Janet,” Chip yelled as he
jumped up from his desk and ran over to her but couldn’t get there before she
fell down on the floor. Luckily she
didn’t hit her head on his desk. He
picked her up and laid her on the couch.
Chip ran over to his desk and
called
“I’ll be right there.”
He ran out of his office
grabbing his bag as he left.
Chip went to the bathroom and
got a cold cloth and put it on her forehead.
The admiral was walking by
when he heard Chip on the phone to Jamie.
He ran into Chip’s office and knelt next to the couch.
Janet was coming to and saw
the admiral kneeling next to her.
“What happen?”
“You passed out,” the admiral
told her.
“I don’t remember anything,”
she replied starting to cry.
By then Jamie was there and
took a look at her. He wanted to take
her to
“I’m fine now,” she told
Jamie as she sat up and took a deep breath.
“You’ll go to
“Yes sir.”
Jamie called
“Did you eat breakfast and
lunch today?”
“No I haven’t eaten since
last night. I was running late this
morning so I didn’t eat breakfast and the admiral needed to have some letters
go out so I skipped lunch,” she said sheepishly.
“You know better. No wonder you passed out.”
Chip and the admiral got to
“She hasn’t eaten all day,”
Jamie told them angrily.
Not only was Jamie mad at her
but the admiral and Chip were as well.
“We’re going out to dinner
tonight,” Chip told them, “It’s almost
1600 hours. We’ll go to dinner now and I
will make sure she gets home.”
“Fine,” Jamie retorted. “Make sure she eats more than two mouthfuls
or I’ll put her in
“I’m sorry to worry all of
you.”
Chip and Janet left for
dinner while the admiral stayed with Jamie.
“We’re going to have to take
some drastic action with her,” Jamie told the admiral.
“I have a plan but she’s not
going to like it. You’re going to have
to tell her she’s unfit for duty.”
“Admiral if I do that she
won’t be able to go on Seaview.
She will have to stay at the institute and who’s going to watch
her. I know we have no missions now but
if one comes up what will we do?”
“Oh, she’s not going to be by
herself. I’m sending her away.”
“You’re going to send her
away...Where...She’s has no one.”
“Here’s what I’m
thinking. I’m going to send her to my
house in
“Harry, she’s going to worry
about Lee no matter what we do. You know
she is going to want to see him when he returns. Is he going to come and get
her?”
“I’m not going to tell him
where she is until he convinces Admiral Johnson to lose his name for any
missions for six months. He’s been
working for him too much lately. If he
stayed home she wouldn’t have a problem.
I’m fed up with all these missions anyway he’s not the only spy in the
country. Johnson will have to call me
personally to tell me he will not use Lee for six months.”
“Harry, they’re not going to
like this at all,” Jamie said rubbing his forehead.
“Do you have any better
ideas?”
“No, are you going to tell
her or do I have to do the dirty work?”
“We’ll both tell her.”
Jamie sighed, “It’s not going
to be pretty whoever tells her.”
((()))
The admiral left
“Nelson residence,” Cora
answered.
“Hi Cora, how are you and
Alfred doing?”
“Just fine sir.”
“How would you like a
visitor? Dr. Jamieson and I will be
bringing Janet Crane there for you to take care of if you don’t mind. I’ve
removed her from Seaview for health reasons. She needs to get away from here and her
husband who happens to be away again.”
“No problem Admiral but she
needs to be away from Captain Crane?”
“Yes, he’s been gone quite a
bit lately. When he leaves she doesn’t
sleep or eat. He won’t know where she is
until he gets a six month leave of absence from ONI. If he doesn’t get the
leave, I’m going to rely on you to let me know when you think she is well
enough come home. I will keep you posted
on the situation.”
“Yes, sir whatever you want
us to do. We love Captain Crane like a
son and would do anything for him and his wife.”
“Thanks Cora. We should be there sometime tomorrow
morning.”
“You’re welcome sir.”
The admiral hung up the
phone.
”They’ll take care of her,” the admiral told Jamie relieved. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be ready.”
((()))
Chip and Janet had a nice
dinner at Giovanni’s. He was glad to see
them but knew not to ask where Lee was.
He knew from past experiences he must be away again.
Chip would normally drop
Janet off at the door and she would signal with the light everything was
alright, but tonight he walked her to the door.
He unlocked the door and before she walked in she turned around and
kissed him very passionately and romantically.
He didn’t stop her and returned her kiss with just as much passion.
“I’m so sorry,” Janet apologized
as she pushed herself away from Chip, “I don’t know what came over me, please
forgive me.”
“I’m sorry too,” Chip said
embarrassed. “I should’ve never let that
happen.”
“I better go,” he told her
guiltily as he walked back to his car.
She went in the house, closed
the door, and slid down the door to the floor.
Lee I’m so sorry. How could I betray you by kissing your
‘brother’ like that, she thought as
she sat there sobbing before she got the courage to go to their bedroom where
she grabbed one of his shirts. Lee
I’m so sorry, was her last thought before she finally fell asleep.
Chip went to his house also very
upset at what had taken place. He knew
she loved Lee but he could very easily fall in love with her. He lay in bed a long time before falling
asleep thinking of how he was going to tell his ‘brother’ what he had done.
((()))
Chip didn’t pick up Janet the
next morning and got to work early. The
admiral was already there working. Janet
came in a little while later by herself.
The admiral wondered why Chip didn’t pick her up and could tell by the
looks on their faces that something was very wrong. He called Chip in his office to find out what
was wrong and tell him his plan involving Janet.
“Good morning Chip. Is there a problem? Why didn’t you pick up Janet today?” he asked
very concerned by the look on Chip’s face.
“Sir, Janet kissed me last night...a
romantic kiss...I didn’t do anything to stop her...I went along with it.”
“Damn, Chip what were you
thinking?” the admiral asked raising his eyebrows.
“I don’t know, it just
happened and I know it was a mistake that will never happen again,” Chip
stammered.
“Does she know you’re telling
me this?”
“No but knowing her, she will
probably tell you too. We’re both very
sorry it happened.”
“You’ll have tell Lee about
this. Damn, none of this would take
place if he would just stay home.”
“Yes of course I will tell
him.”
“Well, that just makes my
plan that much easier to do.”
“What plan, sir.”
The admiral explained to Chip
what his plan was to do with Janet and Lee.
Chip knew they would not be happy but maybe it would shake Lee up enough
to stop taking on those damn ONI missions.
The admiral didn’t tell Chip where Janet was going. He didn’t want to burden him with trying to
avoid telling Lee when he came home.
Just as the admiral finished
talking to Chip, Jamie knocked on his door.
He could tell Chip knew what was about to take place but he could also
tell something else was wrong but didn’t push the issue. He would find out later.
The admiral asked Angie to
call Janet and have her come to his office.
While they waited for Janet to come in the office, the admiral told
Jamie what happened between Janet and Chip.
Jamie wasn’t surprised since Chip took care of her while Lee was gone. How could they not get close with Lee gone
all the time?
((()))
Janet went to Angie’s office. She was afraid something had happened to Lee.
“Angie do you know why the
admiral wants to see me? Is Lee okay? Is
there something wrong with the work I did yesterday?”
“Yes, Lee is fine as far as I
know and no Janet there is nothing wrong with the work. I’m not sure why he wants to see you,” Angie
told her, “Please calm down.”
Angie couldn’t believe how
nervous and worried she was.
Janet entered the admiral’s
office and saw that Jamie was there too.
As she went in Chip was leaving.
“Chip did you tell him?” she
asked nervously.
“Yes, I had too,” he replied
quietly.
“It’s okay I was going to
tell him too.”
The admiral and Jamie were
sitting on the couch in the office. The admiral directed Janet to one of the
chairs directly across from them.
“I’m so sorry. You know I would never do anything to hurt
Lee. I don’t know what came over
me. I promise it will never happen
again,” Janet said with tears in her eyes.
“I’ve not only let Lee down but I’ve let both of you down too and I
should’ve never put Chip in that position.”
“You haven’t let me down but
you will have to tell Lee but that’s not why I asked to see you,” the admiral
sighed.
“I know, don’t worry I
will. If there’s a problem, I will leave
NIMR and find another job so Lee and Chip can still work together here and on Seaview,”
Janet offered unhappily. “I know how
much you depend on them.”
“Let’s not worry about that
for now,” the admiral said taking a deep breath, “As of today I’m relieving you
of your responsibilities here at the institute and on Seaview until
further notice. Jamie and I have talked
it over and you desperately need to get away for your health and well being.”
“Please don’t. I promise I will eat and sleep,” Janet said
as tears ran down her cheeks.
“Janet, you need to get away
for awhile. You haven’t gotten away
since you started here over two years ago sometimes people just need a break
from work. You and Lee spend a lot of
time together sometimes couples just need a break from each other and going on
ONI missions with Lee isn’t getting away,” Jamie told her gently.
“What about Lee? Will he come and get me when he comes back?”
“That will depend on him and
his priorities,” the admiral answered.
“What if I don’t go,” Janet
said stubbornly.
“You have no choice. You either go or I will permanently remove
you from Seaview,” the admiral threatened.
“Yes sir,” she relented. She didn’t want to leave Seaview but
most of all Lee so she would do whatever the admiral told her.
“Please give me your cell
phone. You won’t need to call
anyone. Where you’re going there will be
a phone. Just pack some casual clothes
for a few weeks and meet Jamie and me at the sub pen in an hour.”
“Will Chip know where I am
and does he know I’m leaving?”
“Jamie and I will be the only
people who know where you are. Please
don’t worry you’ll be safe and sound. He
does know you are leaving and knows it’s for the better.”
“Yes, sir,” Janet replied
taking a deep breath as she walked out the door.
Janet met Jamie and the
admiral at the sub pen in an hour. They
left on FS-1 a few minutes later as Chief Sharkey had already completed the pre-flight
check. Standing at the window in his
office was Chip watching them leave. He
wasn’t happy but knew the admiral was right, she needed to get away to sort out
her feelings and before they did something they might regret.
((()))
The admiral, Jamie and Janet
were very quiet as they flew on FS-1.
She had no idea where the admiral was taking her. All she could tell was they were heading
east. After an hour, she fell asleep.
“Well if nothing else she’ll
be rested when we get there,” Jamie smiled seeing her sleeping.
“Isn’t that what we wanted,”
the admiral asked grinning.
Janet woke up two hours
later.
“Guess I was more tired than
I thought,” she said yawning. “Admiral, where are you taking me?”
“Don’t worry. You will like it there,” he replied as he
prepared to land FS-1.
She could see they were
landing at a small dock but couldn’t make out where.
He glided FS-1 to the dock
where a man and woman were waiting for them.
The admiral opened up the rear hatch and got out securing FS-1 to the
dock as Jamie helped Janet out and grabbed her bag. Where ever she was there was a beautiful old house
not too far from the dock. The admiral shook the man’s hand and gave the woman
a hug.
“Janet, this is Cora and
Alfred. They work for me at my
house. This is where you’ll be staying
for awhile and they will be taking care of you.”
“Admiral where is here?”
“You’re in
Janet was amazed at the size
and beauty of his home. She’d never been
here before though Lee had told her about it.
“Nice to meet you,” Janet
said shaking their hands, “You must have gotten the short straw to have to take
care of me.”
“No, the admiral explained
your situation and we were more than happy to help him out. We love Captain Crane and would do anything
for him too,” Cora said warmly grabbing Janet’s arm as they started walking to
the house.
“We can only stay a little
while,” the admiral told them as they walked behind them.
Alfred picked up her bag and
joined the men.
Before they could get to the
house the admiral’s phone rang, it was Chip.
“Admiral you need to get back
here right away. The Navy needs us to
help locate a submarine in trouble. Seaview
will be ready to leave in three hours.
Sharkey managed to assemble the crew.”
“Okay Chip, we’ll leave right
now,” the admiral replied. “We’ll meet
up with you en route.”
“It’s not Lee,” Janet asked
panicking.
“No honey, the Navy needs us,”
he reassured her.
“Sorry we can’t stay,” he
told Cora and Alfred.
He gave Janet a kiss on the
forehead.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll let you know when Lee gets back.”
“Yes, sir. Please be careful.”
“We will,” he winked as they
boarded FS-1.
The three of them watched as
FS-1 took off. Cora took her hand and
they walked to the house.
“Let’s get you to your room
and then some dinner. You must be hungry
after that long flight.”
“No not really,” Janet said
softly.
“The admiral told me you
weren’t sleeping or eating but that’s going to change right now. We eat three meals around here and that
includes you too,” Cora said seriously.
“Yes, ma’am,” Janet said
smiling. “I can tell you aren’t going to
let me get away with anything.”
“You got that right. I don’t want to have to report you to the
admiral.”
Cora and Alfred showed her to
a lovely room overlooking the ocean. This
was the room Lee would use when he stayed there.
“Why don’t you freshen up and
meet me in the kitchen. Do you like to
cook?”
“I don’t mind cooking but
we’re not home a lot so I don’t get to do too much.”
“Well now’s your chance. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks Cora.”
Cora left Janet alone to
unpack. She put her clothes in the
dresser and closet. She took out one of
Lee’s dirty uniform shirts and put it under the pillow. She liked to sleep with one of his shirts; they
smelled like him and she felt close to him when she had his shirt. She had packed a few of them.
Cora went down to the kitchen
where Alfred was waiting for her.
“Well Alfred we have out work
cut out for us. She’s far too thin,
needs sleep and to stop worrying about Captain Crane. Did you see how she panicked when the admiral
got that phone call?”
“I’m sure you’ll have her
fattened up by the time he gets here, if he gets here. We’ll work on getting her to relax and sleep,”
he told his wife kissing her on the forehead.
Janet went downstairs and
found the kitchen. Cora handed her an
apron and told her to peel the potatoes for dinner while she got the chicken
ready to put in the oven. Dinner would
be served at
((()))
Janet got into Cora’s and
Alfred’s routine right away. She ate
breakfast every morning; lunch was at
((()))
The admiral called Cora to
check on Janet after she had been there a couple of days. Jamie was in his
cabin when he called.
“Hello admiral,” Cora
answered not surprised he was calling.
“How’s she doing,” he asked
cautiously.
“She’s doing better. She’s been eating, sleeping is still a
problem but I think she’s taken a sleeping pill that last couple of nights. Sir, no matter what you do she will never
stop worrying about Captain Crane.”
“Well, Cora it’s a
start. Thank you for taking care of
her. Please don’t tell her I called.”
The admiral disconnected the
call and breathed a sigh of relief.
“So far so good,” he told
Jamie.
((()))
Janet’s been at the admiral’s
house for a week. When she first got
there she needed the sleeping pills Jamie gave her but she hasn’t taken them
for the last few days. Lee’s been gone a
long time and she’s running out of his shirts to sleep with. She wondered how Seaview was doing on
her mission. She missed Chip and the
rest of the crew.
She’d actually put on a
couple of pounds thanks to Cora’s cooking.
She has learned a lot about cooking from her so when she’s goes home she
will be able to cook a few new meals for Lee.
She’d also helped Alfred with the gardening. She
might even put in a small garden next to the house. She’d taken long walks on the beach or just
sat on the shore thinking about him. She
missed him very much and couldn’t wait to see him. She realized they have a lot of talking to do
to straighten things out between them.
After lunch one afternoon she
helped Cora clean up the dishes and decided to go for a walk on the beach. Cora had some chores to do and didn’t need
her help. Even though she was sleeping
better and eating she was still very worried about her husband. That would never change as long as he would
take on ONI missions. The admiral still
hasn’t called to tell her Lee was back.
((()))
Present
Lee removed his cover and saluted Admiral
Johnson and sat down. He gave him the
pictures he took showing the layout of the laboratory and some of the chemicals
being stored there. He also managed to
take pictures of the formulas they were using.
“This information will help
us out when we go back into destroy it.
Thanks Lee great job,” Johnson said gratefully.
“You’re welcome,” Lee replied
nervously. He knew Johnson well enough
to know he had something else to tell him.
“Lee, I know I told you that
other forces would go in and destroy the laboratory but you’re going to have to
go back and do it. I’m going to send
another agent with you this time. I’m
really sorry about this.”
Taking a deep breath Lee
said, “Admiral, I’m not going back. I’ve
been on three missions in the last nine weeks.
I’m exhausted. Admiral Nelson has
sent my wife away because I’ve been neglecting her to the point where she is sick. I need you to give me a six month leave from
ONI or he won’t tell me where she is.
Admiral, I love my wife and I’m very worried about her. I’m begging you please lose my phone
number,” Lee pleaded.
“I can’t do that. I need you if not for this mission but for other
missions that are coming up,” Johnson said sharply.
“If you don’t give me the six
month leave, I will quit right here and now,” Lee said defiantly. “I’ve never turned down a mission unless I
was physically unable to do it so please give me a break.”
Johnson was about to say something
to Lee about his insubordination when he realized he has never turned
down a mission and he couldn’t afford to lose him permanently as an agent.
“You’re right you do need a
break and I can’t afford to lose you as an agent. Okay Lee, I will lose your number for
six months.”
“Thank you Admiral. Now I need you to call Admiral Nelson and
tell him that personally,” Lee told him as he dialed the admiral’s number on
his cell phone.
“Yes Lee what can I do for
you,” the admiral answered recognizing the number.
“I have Admiral Johnson for
you, admiral,” Lee said with relief.
“Harry, I will give Lee a six
month leave of absence from ONI,” Johnson told Nelson, “and why do I feel like
I’ve been railroaded into this.”
“You have Gerald. Thanks for doing this. He really needs a
break.”
Lee took his phone back from
Johnson who was not happy at all.
“Admiral please tell me where
Janet is,” Lee asked anxiously.
“She’s at my house in
“Thank you, admiral.”
Lee hung up his phone. He grabbed his cover, saluted Admiral Johnson
and left his office. He now had to make
arrangements to get to
((()))
The admiral hung up his phone
with a huge smile on his face. At least
he wouldn’t be bothered for six months by Admiral Johnson but after that there
would be hell to pay. Johnson would be
calling him for every mission he could.
Hopefully Lee will realize he couldn’t take on every mission and the
world if he wanted to keep his wife.
The admiral went to sick bay
to tell Jamie.
“What can I do for you
Harry? You never come to sick bay unless
something is wrong.”
“Not this time. Just talked to Johnson, he’s giving Lee his
six months leave and I told him where Janet was.”
“Now we have to wait and see
what happens between them,” Jamie sighed.
“I’m sure everything will be
fine, I also gave him the next two weeks off.
But now I have to tell Chip he’s in command for this whole mission as
Lee won’t be back.”
“I’m sure he will be happy for
Lee and Janet.”
The admiral left sick bay and
was going back to his cabin when he saw Chip in the passageway on his way to
his cabin. He could tell Chip was
worried about Lee and Janet.
“Chip got a minute? I need to talk to you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I just talked to Lee and
Admiral Johnson; he’s giving Lee a six month leave of absence from ONI.”
“He actually went along with
it?”
“Yes but he knows he was set
up. So he’s going to be mad for a while
and will probably give Lee the difficult missions when he returns. So I might have made more problems for
him. But I’ll have to take that chance.”
“Maybe by that time Lee will
realize he doesn’t want to do them anymore.”
“We can only hope.”
“When will they be
returning?”
“Well, I gave Lee the next
two weeks off so that means you’ll be in charge for the whole mission.”
“No problem sir. I can handle it. I hope Lee and Janet can straighten out their
problems. Some of which I caused.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Remember she’s the one who initiated it.”
“Thanks for the vote of
confidence.”
Chip went into his cabin and lay
on his bunk. He really did miss Lee and
Janet and hoped nothing would change between them.
((()))
The admiral went to his cabin
and asked
“Hello sir. What can I do for you?” Cora answered.
“Lee should be there soon.
I’m sure he will call and let you know when he’s coming. I gave him two weeks off so I hope you don’t
mind them staying there a little longer.”
“No sir, we’ll be glad to
have them.”
“Thanks Cora for
everything. Remind me to give you and
Alfred a raise,” the admiral said laughing.
“Thank you admiral.”
He walked out of his cabin a
somewhat happy man. Now the rest was up
to them.
((()))
Lee got settled in his hotel
room and watched the lightening light up the night sky. He couldn’t wait to get to
“Hello, Nelson residence,”
Alfred answered.
“Hi Alfred its Lee Crane.”
“Is Janet near you?”
“No sir she’s upstairs in her
room.”
“Good, please don’t tell her
I called. I just want to let you know
I’ll be there late tomorrow morning.
Could you also not tell her I’m coming?”
“Yes sir, if that’s what you
want. We’ll look forward to seeing you
tomorrow. Janet will be very happy to
see you.”
Lee hung up and went back to
the window to watch the lightening.
Alfred told his wife that Lee
would be there tomorrow and not tell Janet.
She would make arrangements for her and Alfred to be gone most of the
day as they would need to be alone.
((()))
Janet was in her room
watching the lightening over the ocean.
She heard the phone ring but figured it was Edith checking in as she
usually called at this time of night.
She was tired tonight and she was down to her last shirt. She would call the admiral tomorrow and find
out if he heard from Lee or even Admiral Johnson. She lay down on the bed clutching Lee’s shirt
and fell asleep.
((()))
Lee woke up the next morning
and it was still overcast but at least it wasn’t storming. He checked out of the hotel and went to the
airport. He boarded the plane and
settled in his seat for the hour and half flight. He arrived in
((()))
Janet woke up early the next
morning and the sky was still overcast but it wasn’t raining. She went downstairs and made some
coffee. She was hungry this morning so
she started making breakfast. She would
make breakfast for Cora and Alfred today as it was her turn to cook. She and Cora decided to take turns cooking
the meals. Cora showed her a way to cook chicken and rice the way Lee
liked. Janet made ravioli casserole for
her and Alfred which they enjoyed very much. But she was getting bored and
wanted to go home even if Lee wasn’t back.
She missed her house, work and her friends.
Cora came in the kitchen and
smiled as she saw Janet cooking breakfast.
“Good morning Cora,” Janet
said pleasantly. “How about French toast
this morning?”
“Sounds good to me,” Cora
told Janet as she grabbed a cup of coffee.
“Alfred and I are going to be gone most of the day today. Twice a month we spend the day in
“You go on a date day?”
“Yes, we’ve been doing it for
years.”
“How long have you and Alfred
been married?”
“Almost forty happy
years. I’m not saying we didn’t have our
share of arguments. We would talk it out
and then have some ‘fun’,” Cora smiled.
“Lee and I don’t argue too
much. There’s only one subject that does
cause quite a few arguments,” Janet said to Cora as she dipped the bread in the
egg mixture.
“I know. He’s come here a few times to recuperate
after he’s been injured on a mission.”
“He can’t say no and that
pisses me off,” Janet told Cora, “sorry for my language. But he doesn’t get it makes me mad.”
“I understand you get mad but
you need to accept that’s a part of his life and you may not like it but he has
to know you are there backing him up.”
“I’m there for him when he
leaves and returns. I’ve had to sit at his bedside waiting and watching for him
to come out of comas, surgery and stitched up from being shot more times than I
care to count. I don’t tell him a lot of
my problems because I don’t want him to worry about me while he’s on a
mission. He needs to concentrate on what
needs to be done and get out of there safely.”
“I’m sure he knows how to do
that. Just be honest with him.”
“I’m sure you’re right. You’ve given me something to think about
regarding his missions. Thank you Cora.”
“How about I get Alfred and
we eat this delicious looking breakfast so we can leave for our date day.”
Cora left to get Alfred and
tell him about their ‘date day’. He’ll
have no idea what she’s talking about.
They don’t really have a ‘date day’.
She made that up so they would be able to leave Lee and Janet alone. They ate breakfast quickly as Cora wanted to
make a special treat for when they got home.
“What’s the treat we’re going
to make,” Janet asked as Cora took out a bottle of amaretto.
“Brownies.”
Janet looked at Cora
sadly.
“Brownies are Lee’s favorite
dessert. I wish he could be here to
enjoy them.”
“You can make them for him
when you get home,” Cora told her giving her a hug.
“But brownies don’t have
amaretto in them.”
“These brownies do. You’ll see how good they taste with the
amaretto. Instead of putting in the water
you use amaretto.*”
Cora and Janet made the
brownies and finished just before Cora and Alfred were going to leave on their
date day. They left the brownies on a
plate cooling on a rack. Janet had to
admit they sure smelled good and couldn’t wait to taste them.
Cora and Alfred left about
((()))
After Cora and Alfred left
Janet went down to the beach for a walk.
Cora had given her some things to think about. She walked about a mile down the beach when
it started to rain. She turned around
and was walking back to the house when she saw a man on the beach near the
admiral’s house. As she got closer she
saw it was Lee. She ran the rest of the
way and into his arms. He picked her up
kissing her deeply and hugged her so hard he almost broke her ribs.
“When did you get back...the
admiral was suppose to call me...are you okay?” Janet asked out of breath as
tears ran down her cheeks.
“I got back yesterday but had
to go to
“Yes for now,” she said
kissing him again still crying.
They stood out in the light
rain wrapped in each others arms her head on his chest as he rubbed her back.
They were finally back together. Holding
her close for a few moments longer, he realized she was the most important
thing in his life.
“How about we go inside,” he
suggested as it started to rain harder.
They walked quickly back to
the house with their arms wrapped around each other. By the time they came in from the rain Lee’s
hair was a mass of curls and Janet’s short hair wasn’t much better. They took off their wet coats and hung them
on the hook. Lee gave his wife another
kiss and hug.
As much as Lee wanted to take
her to bed, he knew they needed to talk first.
“Sweetie we need to talk.”
“Yes honey we do.”
It got quite cool when the
rain started, so Lee lit a fire while Janet made some coffee. They sat down on chairs facing each other. Lee reached for her hands and held them
rubbing the tops of them.
“Sweetheart I’m so sorry for
taking off and leaving you for these last few weeks. Jamie told me that you passed out among other
things. I guess I wasn’t very observant
of what was happening to you. I was
pretty angry at the admiral for sending you away. I wish he didn’t have to do that.”
“Honey, it wasn’t easy for me
to leave but he didn’t give me much choice.
He would’ve taken me off Seaview permanently if I didn’t go. I must admit I’m glad he did. I’m feeling a lot better than I did before.”
“Janet you needed to tell me
that you weren’t sleeping and eating while I was gone. You need to be honest
with me when I ask you if everything is okay.
Jamie’s right you’re very thin but it looks like you’ve been
sleeping. I don’t see any bags under your
eyes.”
“I know I should have told
you but I didn’t want you to worry about me while you’re on a mission.”
“Once I leave on a mission my
focus is only that and nothing else. My
life and the life of someone else could depend on what I decisions make and
actions I take. ”
Taking a deep breath, he
continued, “Do you still love me or have I lost you to someone else? I know you kissed Chip.”
“What Chip and I did was terribly
wrong and it will never happen again. I was lonely, you were gone again but that’s
no excuse for what I did. I will always regret I kissed your ‘brother’
romantically. Please forgive me,” she
asked with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I can’t imagine my life without you.
Being here by myself convinced me you are my only love.”
“Sweetheart, I forgive you
and him. I put both of you in a bad
situation by relying on him to take care of you while I’m gone. But it gives me peace of mind to know Chip
and the admiral are there with you and watching over you so I will continue to
rely on them,” he told her truthfully.
“I missed you more than
anything but I realize when you’re gone I have to take care of myself so I can
be there for you when you return. The
only thing I won’t be able to do is stop worrying. I understand you need to go on ONI
missions. I may not like it but I will
accept you need to do this. I still may
cry when you leave but I know you will come back to me as soon as you can
hopefully in one piece.”
“Sweetie thank you for
understanding,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I know that must be very hard
for you to admit but I do have some good news.”
“Good news and ONI missions
in the same sentence. What’s up?”
“Admiral Johnson agreed to
give me a six month leave from ONI missions.
I told him I’ve been neglecting you and you were more important to me
than anything he could do to me if he didn’t give me the leave. I also told him I would quit if he didn’t.”
“Damn. He should’ve never agreed to a leave,” she
said with a grin. “But I will take the
six months and enjoy it while it lasts.”
“I have more good news. I also have the next two weeks off. The admiral thought I needed to take some of
my shore leave so you have me all to yourself for the next two weeks,” he told
her happily pulling her up from the chair and kissing her forehead.
“What I’m I going to do with
you for the next two weeks,” she replied with a grin kissing him back.
“How long are Cora and Alfred
going to be gone?” he asked wickedly.
“Until
He led her upstairs to their
bedroom and locked the door. They took a
shower together and of course one thing lead to another. After they dried each
other off, Lee picked up his wife and gently laid her on the bed where he skillfully
caressed her body that led to love making all afternoon.
((()))
When Cora and Alfred came
home Lee and Janet were in the kitchen eating a sandwich and having a cup of
soup out of a can. The brownie plate had
nothing but crumbs on it.
“All those cooking lessons
and you serve him canned soup and a sandwich,” Cora asked appalled. “I see he found the brownies too.”
“Well we’ve been kind of busy
and I didn’t want to take the time to make dinner,” Janet replied a little
embarrassed. “I had some of the brownies
too. You’re right they are very
special.”
“Cora’s been teaching you how
to cook?” Lee asked as he took a bite out of the last brownie.
“Yes, she has. I’ve actually
put on a few pounds since I’ve been here. Some day when I’m home I’ll make you
gourmet dinners like Cora makes for Alfred.
Maybe Cookie will let me help him in the mess hall when I’m on Seaview.”
“You’re going to cook on Seaview? I better prepare Cookie and the crew when I
get back,” he laughed.
Cora and Alfred smiled at
them and knew they would be alright.
((()))
Lee and Janet stayed another
week at the admiral’s house but wanted to get home. Even though Seaview was still on the
research mission they wanted to be there when she docked.
As they packed their
suitcases Lee noticed a few of his dirty shirts in Janet’s suitcase.
“Why did you pack my dirty
shirts?” he asked innocently.
Sighing and slightly
embarrassed she replied, “I sleep with them when you are gone. They smell like you and I feel close to you
when I do. It’s a good thing you came home
when you did as I ran out of shirts.”
“Sweetheart,” he responded
quietly shaking his head.
He took their bags and
brought them downstairs where Cora and Alfred were waiting for them.
“Thank you Cora and Alfred
for all you have done for me,” Janet told them with tears in her eyes. “I can’t begin to tell you how much you have
helped me. I’m going to miss both of you.” She gave each of them a hug and kiss.
“Cora and Alfred I can’t
thank you enough for taking care of Janet.
The admiral was very clever sending her here to the two of you.”
“We’re going to miss you both
and take care of each other,” Cora told them with a smile as she wrapped her
arms around her husband. “Remember you need to be honest, understanding and
forgiving for your relationship to last.”
“We won’t forget,” Janet
replied softly looking at her husband. What
are you going to do now? You have no one
to take care off.”
“Well, Miss Edith will be
back in a week and you know she will have a lot of charity work to take care of
and catching up with friends so we will be busy. Until then we have our own plans,” Cora said
with a gleam in her eye.
The taxi honked outside and
Lee and Janet climbed in the back seat for the ride to the airport. Alfred offered to take them but Lee told him
they would take a taxi so he and Cora could finally be alone.
They arrived at the airport
and boarded their plane for the long ride home.
Not one of the flight attendants hit on Lee the whole time. He looked handsome in his jeans and denim
shirt but he could be up to his elbows in grease in a torpedo tube and Janet
wouldn’t have cared.
They watched the movie on the
plane holding hands. For once Janet
didn’t fall asleep. She had gotten
plenty of sleep and ‘exercise’ over the last week.
((()))
Lee had arranged for a limo
to take them home from the airport. They
sat in the back seat close together holding hands. The limo driver kept looking at them.
“You two newlyweds or
something,” he asked boldly.
“No just very much in love,”
Janet replied giving Lee a kiss much to his embarrassment.
Lee just smiled at her and
returned the kiss.
The limo driver dropped them
off at their door and helped Lee with suitcases. Lee gave him a generous tip and he drove
away.
“I’m so glad to be home,”
Janet told Lee as she grabbed her suitcase while Lee unlocked the door.
“Me too,” Lee replied as he
took his suitcase in the house.
They walked over to the couch
and sat down. It never felt so good to
be home.
Lee called the institute to
check in.
“Hi Angie,” Lee said. “How are things there?”
“Just fine. Are you and Janet back home, the admiral said
you wouldn’t be returning for a couple more days.”
“Yes, we wanted to come home
and greet Seaview when she docked.
When will she be back?”
“She’s scheduled to be back
tomorrow morning around 1000 hours. Is
everything okay with you and Janet?” she asked carefully.
“Couldn’t be better. We’ll stop by and she can tell you about it.”
“I know the admiral and Chip
will be glad to see both of you. It’s
been far to quiet around here with you gone.”
“Thanks Angie. See you tomorrow.”
“Seaview’s due in at
1000 hours tomorrow,” Lee said excitedly.
“I can’t wait to see her and the crew.”
“I missed them all too.”
Lee turned out the lights and
they went upstairs to bed. As usual Lee
wrapped his arms around his wife and they fell asleep after some evening
exercise.
((()))
Lee and Janet were up early
the next morning. They went for a walk
before breakfast. Janet made French
toast for Lee the way Cora taught her and he really enjoyed it.
After showering together,
they dressed and went to the dock. Since
Lee was technically still on shore leave he didn’t have his uniform on. The guards almost didn’t recognize him since
he very rarely came to the dock in civilian clothes.
They sat on the bench near
the dock until Lee spotted Seaview in the channel. Chip was on the bridge and could see the two
of them waiting.
“Admiral we have two visitors
waiting at the dock for us,” he called down to the control room. “You might want to see who they are.”
The admiral went to the
bridge surprised to see Lee and Janet there waiting. They weren’t supposed to be back for another
two days.
“They just can’t stay away
from here, can they,” the admiral told Chip smiling.
“No sir they can’t but I
don’t blame them it seems like forever since they’ve been around here. I really did miss them both,” Chip replied
softly.
“I know I missed them
too. They look happy.”
“Yes sir they do look happy
and relaxed.”
Seaview docked and after the shore detail put down the
gangplank as the crew were leaving they were glad to see their skipper and his
wife back.
Before Chip and the admiral
left the boat, Lee and Janet went down the gangplank to the sail hatch and into
the control room. Lee as usual jumped
down the last three rungs of the ladder and helped Janet down.
“Welcome back,” Lee said
patting Chip on the shoulder and shaking the admiral’s hand. “Cruise go okay?”
“Yes it went fine,” the
admiral said with a stern tone and then smiled, “what are you two doing here
aren’t you still on shore leave?” noticing Lee in his civvies.
“We missed you and wanted to
greet you when you came into port.”
Janet gave the admiral a kiss
and a hug. She went over to Chip and
gave him one too. He knew she and Lee
had worked things out but he couldn’t tell if things would be back to normal
for the three of them.
“Thank you, admiral for
making me leave it was the best thing you could’ve ever done.”
“I wasn’t so sure at
first. I almost caved when Lee asked
where you were but I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”
While they were talking in
the control room, Jamie walked in and saw the four of them together. He had to admit the admiral was right. Both Lee and Janet looked relaxed and
happy. He even noticed Janet put on a
few pounds and looked a lot healthier.
“I see we’re all back in one
piece. No injuries I need to be made
aware of,” Jamie said in his doctor voice.
“No everyone is fine,” Lee
replied cheerfully.
“Good, I have to confess you
both look a lot better than when you left.
Being away must have agreed with you,” he smiled.
“Yes, Jamie it was the best
thing for us,” Janet replied giving Jamie a kiss and a hug too.
It was almost
They enjoyed a good lunch and
each other’s company. Chip told Lee
about the mission and how everything went perfectly. Giovanni was happy to see they were all there
this time.
Before Lee and Janet went
home Lee wanted to talk to Chip. Janet
waited in the car while the admiral and Jamie went back to the institute.
“How about a round of golf
tomorrow?”
“Sure, even though you’ve had
more rest than I have, I’ll still beat you,” Chip challenged.
“You’re on.”
They dropped Chip off at the
institute and headed home. After they
got home they went outside and sat on the deck.
Lee had a beer while Janet enjoyed a glass of wine and the fresh air. After a while Janet went over and sat on
Lee’s lap and gave him a kiss. Well one
thing lead to another and they decided they better go in the house before
someone saw them. They headed upstairs
to their bedroom room where they finished what they started.
When they were finished, they
went for a walk on the beach holding hands.
“What are you going to talk
to Chip about?”
“I want to tell him
everything is fine between the three of us and I will still want him to look
after you when I’m gone. Is that okay
with you?”
“Yes sir. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said
giving him a kiss.
It started to rain so they
went back home and snuggled by the fire Lee made when they got back home. They went to bed early so Lee would be ready
for his golf game with Chip tomorrow.
((()))
Lee picked up Chip and they
went to the golf course. As they waited
at the first hole to tee up Lee took a deep breath.
“Chip I want you to know
everything is alright between us. I know
the kiss will never happen again and I would still like to you look after Janet
when I’m gone. Okay bro?”
“No problem,” Chip sighed
with relief, “I’m really sorry though Lee and you’re right it will never happen
again.”
They finished the round of
golf and Chip won again.
While they were golfing Janet
made Cora’s special brownies and had lunch ready for them.
When Lee and Chip returned
home she could tell everything would be back to normal with the three of them.
It would have to be. The admiral called while they were golfing
and said they just got mission and would have to leave by the end of next week.
The End.
Many thanks to Chris B.
for giving me the idea that some of my stories suggested there was something
developing between Chip and Janet so I decided to follow up on her idea and
also for her help with the story.
Author’s note: *Using
a store bought brownie mix that used a ¼ cup of water, I substituted the water
with amaretto and the brownies tasted great.
I’m sure you could use brandy or rum too.