Chip’s New Shoes

 

By R. L. Keller

 

 

 

“Not one word, Crane!”  The threat was delivered slowly and succinctly as Cdr. Lee Crane, the submarine Seaview’s captain, entered the cabin of the boat’s Executive Officer, and Lee’s best friend, Lt. Cdr. Chip Morton.  It momentarily stopped Lee in his tracks.  But as Chip’s expression turned ever so sheepish, the grin Lee had had on his face made an instant return.  He finished walking into the cabin, shut the door behind him, and settled into Chip’s desk chair before speaking, looking across the room to where the blond was propped up on pillows, laying on his bunk.

 

“Just came to check on an under-the-weather member of my crew,” he said innocently.  But the sparkle in his eyes was clearly visible.

 

The blond muttered a few indecipherable comments before his expression turned even more sheepish.  “Okay.”  The word still came out with a grumble, and he sent Lee a bit of a glare as he continued.  “So, say ‘I told you so’ and get it over with.”

 

Lee gave him a wide-eyed, totally innocent look.  “Now, would I do a thing like that?”

 

Chip sent back twin blue lasers.  “In a heartbeat,” he growled.  Lee burst out laughing.  The harder Chip’s glare became, the harder Lee laughed.  Finally Chip relented and grinned.  “Not like I don’t deserve it,” he admitted.

 

Seaview had left port two days before.  They’d been home just over a week, and before that they’d made a run into the Mediterranean on a project for the Cousteau Society.  They’d stopped for several days in Naples, Italy, so that Admiral Nelson could attend meetings on the state of health of the sea and discussions on ways to improve the pollution that was causing increasing problems.  During that time most of the crew had at least twenty-four hours of shore leave.  Neither Lee nor Chip had been off boat that long at one time, but they had made several trips to area restaurants that Lee knew about, and also had done a bit of shopping.  Lee had picked up Christmas presents for several people, including his mother.  He’d then had to listen to Chip rag on him to not forget where he put them by the time the holiday, still several months off, rolled around and he needed to wrap and mail them.

 

Lee had gotten his own bit of retaliation when Chip decided that he was going to buy himself a new pair of stylish leather shoes.  The pair he picked out certainly looked good – slender and sleek, made from rich black Italian calfskin.  While they were laced and low-heeled, with no adornments, they weren’t exactly normal navy issue.  But as Chip was quick to point out, there was a lot on board Seaview that wasn’t necessarily standard navy issue.  Seaman Riley’s surfboard came instantly to mind by both men and they shared a grin.  Lee, however, pointed out that the shoes looked a little too slender and sleek to be very comfortable standing around in all day.  And Chip had grudgingly admitted that they were a tad snug.  But with the salesman ignoring Lee and slathering Chip with compliments on his fine choice of style, how well they looked on him, etc, as a salesman with his thoughts of a fine commission filling his mouth with words of praise could all too quickly produce, Chip ignored Lee’s warnings and the sale was completed.  Chip did assure Lee that while they were snug now, the leather would quickly break in and they’d be ‘perfect.’

 

Chip, while not vain in the least, still couldn’t help himself and showed off his new shoes to Seaview’s officers and crew when they got back to the boat.  To a man, everyone complimented Chip on his stylish new footwear and they became part of Chip’s new daily uniform.  Lee thought that he caught a few slight grimaces on his friend’s face as they neared home but when he brought it up, Chip just shrugged and said that he didn't quite have the shoes broken in enough; that by the time their week in port was up and they headed out again on one of Admiral Nelson’s periodic charting missions they’d fit like old familiar gloves.

 

Lee didn’t see much of Chip that week.  He’d barely gotten to his house on the beach when an old friend called.  With nothing major in the works there had been no reason that he couldn’t take a few days’ vacation.  He laughed out loud when that statement nearly made both his boss, Admiral Nelson, and NIMR’s CMO, Dr. Will Jamison, speechless; Lee took so little time off that it was always a major surprise to those around him when he did actually get away for some R & R.  Chip asking what Becca had planned for him changed Lee’s laughter to a glare, but as the others chuckled he merely smiled and left.  When he got back Nelson had lined up several meetings with different department heads that he wanted Lee to attend as well, while Chip got Seaview ready for the upcoming cruise.

 

The first day out Lee was kept busy enough around the boat, and in his cabin working through the stacks of paperwork that accumulated all too quickly, that he hadn’t noticed anything amiss with his XO.  But that evening he happened to see Chip limping ever so slightly.  On being questioned, Chip just shrugged off the slight note of worry in Lee’s voice and headed for his own cabin and his own stack of paperwork.  However, the next morning, as Chip was getting up from breakfast and preparing to head for the Conn, Will noticed the limp and called him on it.  Once more Chip shrugged it off, telling the doctor that he was still breaking in his new shoes, no big deal, and walked out.  Lee shared a quick look with both Will and Nelson, but then also shrugged and headed after his XO.

 

The morning went by smoothly.  They wouldn’t reach the sector to be charted for a couple of days yet so Lee used the morning to run proficiency drills in several areas of the boat, including the Conn.  Chip sent him a couple of snide smirks as every one of the Duty crew posted some of their highest proficiency ratings ever.  Lee had expected nothing less, but he let Chip’s antics carry over to the men on duty, and everyone was in a good mood when Lee headed for his cabin to transfer his statistics into the computer.  He’d kept one eye on Chip while he’d maneuvered around the Conn, but apparently Chip’s shoes were finally feeling better because he saw no sign of the earlier limp.

 

By 1430 hours Lee was almost done with his reports where a knock on his door announced a visitor.  Dr. Will Jamison ambled in at his call to enter.  “I did not miss lunch,” Lee started to defend his absence from the Wardroom at the normal mealtime.  Jamie was constantly on his case about his eating habits – or lack thereof.  So, he ended up raising an eyebrow when the comment merely caused the doctor to chuckle.

 

“I know,” Will assured Lee.  “Cookie made sure to let me know that he’d delivered a tray up here.”  The doctor settled casually into the chair at the side of Lee's desk.  “Just wanted to deliver this in person,” and he handed Lee a thin folder.

 

Lee quickly read the brief report inside, sent Will a puzzled look, and then read the report a little more slowly.  When he was done he sent the doctor a worried look.  “Serious?” he asked.

 

Will once more chuckled softly.  “I don’t think so.  Oh, it could have been,” he amended, “if it had gone for too long a time without treatment.  But it doesn’t appear to be all that advanced so rest, and some extra padding, and I rather suspect that it will go away all on it’s own.”

 

An ever so slight smile started to touch the corners of Lee’s mouth.  “That's really what it’s called?” he asked.

 

Will grinned.  “Been called that for as long as I’ve been practicing medicine.”

 

“What is it, exactly,” Lee wanted to know.  “And what caused it?”

 

“The cause is easy – his shoes.  They are too narrow for his feet.”

 

“I tried to warn him, but...”

 

Will nodded.  “Specifically, the toe area is so narrow that it cramped his toes together.  The leather didn’t stretch, like he was expecting, and the constant pressure caused an inflammation between the third and fourth toes, which then started to swell and make the pressure even worse.  That’s basically what a neuroma is – the bones squeeze the nerve, it swells, and if not caught in time can cause major issues.  Up to and including surgery if it gets too out of hand.”

 

“But you caught it early enough?”

 

“I think so.  Oh, he’ll still feel some pain for a bit.  But I’ve ordered him off his feet for at least forty-eight hours, and given him a corticosteroid shot to relieve the swelling and start the healing process.  No walking other than what little he needs to move around his cabin.  Socks only – no shoes at all for that time period.  He can eventually go back to his old shoes, but he’ll have to wear a special metatarsal pad under that area for probably a couple of weeks at least.  With luck the neuroma will go away all on it’s own.”  He grinned.  “In the meantime, you’re without your XO on duty.”

 

“No problem,” Lee assured him.  “Things should be quiet the next couple days.  I’ll just give him all of my paperwork.”

 

Will promptly stood up.  “I’m out of here before you tell him that,” he told his CO.  But they both chuckled, Will headed back to Sick Bay, and Lee headed to check on his friend.

 

Now he asked softly, “How did Jamie nail you?”  Both men went out of their way to hide illness or injury from their CMO.  Not because they didn’t value and trust the man.  It was merely their usual reaction to anything that might slow them down – they simply ignored it.

 

Chip frowned.  “He didn’t,” he grumbled.  At Lee’s raised eyebrow he continued.  “I was doing a pretty good job of hiding how much it hurt from both you and Jamie.  The Admiral ratted me out.”  Lee tried to stop the bubble of mirth that complaint triggered but he wasn’t overly successful, and Chip’s glare came back.  “But that’s not the worst part,” was added in a menacing tone.

 

“The name?” Lee guessed, still struggling to contain his chuckles.

 

Chip nodded.  “I even made Jamie go get his medical books and prove it – I just knew that he was making it up.”  Chip slammed his back harder into the pillows behind him, and crossed his arms over his chest with a ‘harrumph.’  “Only I could manage to inflict myself with something called Morton’s Neuroma.”  Lee couldn’t hold in the laughter any longer, and it wasn’t long before Chip joined in.