What If?
By
Carol Foss
A WHN for The Magnus
Beam. You should really be familiar with this episode for some of this to make
sense.
Chief Jones gave Cookie a wolf whistle from his seat in the crew’s mess as the Chief Culinary Specialist, decked out in an immaculate Chef’s toque and coat, carried a heavily laden tray toward the open door. Boasting an ornate silver coffee pot, teapot, creamer, spoon, and sugar bowl (complete with tongs and sugar cubes), it was engraved Sterling Silver, last used at Seaview’s Christening. Decorated china coffee mugs and teacups with matching saucers completed the set.
But what was of most interest to the men were the warm ‘just from the oven’ chocolate chip cookies nestled in their own embroidered white bread linen basket liners, personally stitched by the Admiral’s sister, Edith, for Seaview’s special day more than a few years ago.
The officers sometimes used a silver-plate coffee set in the Observation Nose, but this? It had to be for their guests, the resistance fighters including a beautiful singer without whom the men aboard Seaview would probably not be alive to wonder about it.
***
“You’ll live,” Frank, Seaview’s ranking Corpsman said while finishing up his treatment of Ski’s bullet wound. “No more work today. Light duty tomorrow. Skipper still in the Nose, Pat?”
“As far as I know. The dame’s been giving him first aid.”
“ Nothing like a broad to kiss it and make it all better,” Frank chuckled.
“That’s not funny, Frank,” Ski said as his best friend Pat also scowled.
“I’m kidding, okay?”
“Well, from what I saw of him,” Pat said, “it’ll take more than a kiss. I heard that General Gamal’s troops beat the shit out of him and were dragging him out to be shot ‘cause he wouldn’t tell them the girl’s name.”
“Would have saved him some grief if he had,” Ski said, “I’m not sure I could have resisted being tortured.”
“You’d be surprised what you can do when you have to,” Frank washed his hands, “Now, Pat, why don’t you go tell the Captain I’m ready for him.”
“Why not call him over the mike? Ski asked, uncomfortable in the sling.
“Because if what you say is even halfway true, he may need a little help getting himself here.”
“I’ll go with you, Pat, ” Ski said then in response to Frank’s raised eyebrow. “My other shoulder’s just fine…”
***
“Sugar?” Admiral Nelson asked of the sweat stained woman. Her companions Azziz and his ‘many cousins’ were enjoying the cookies and watching the ever changing view from the viewports.
“Two cubes, please, Admiral. How about you, Lee?”
“Hm? Wha?” Crane opened his eyes. He’d literally drifted to sleep in the recliner.
Before he could say more, Nelson had already poured him a cup of coffee.
He sipped it gratefully.
“I don’t know how you can drink that straight,” she said.
“Excuse us, Admiral, ma’am,” Pat did the honors, Kowalski beside him, “Frank’s ready for you now, Skipper.”
“You okay, Ski?” Crane sat up groaning slightly as he brought up the recliner. For the first time, with the better light, Ski saw the heavy bruising to his face and could only wonder about the rest of him.
“I’ll be okay, Skipper. ”
“If I haven’t said it already, good job all of you.”
“Couldn’t have finished without you Skip.”
“Or without the Admiral’s ingenuity. I would never have thought about using a battery to open the hatch or…
Pat’s cough changed the subject.
Nelson gave Lee a nod.
“Why don’t I give you a hand, sir? Pat asked.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Crane pushed himself up trying not to wince.
“Why don’t I come with you, Lee,” Luanna purred taking his arm. “I was a Nurse’s Aide in the school where I taught music.”
But Nelson nodded to the men to follow along, just in case…
***
“Man, he’s whacked,” Ski said over what was left of the cookies in the Crew’s Mess. “Tried not to show it with the broad there…finally Frank shooed everybody out, including her. But just before we closed the door I saw how hard it was for the Skip to take off his shirt. Couldn’t manage his turtleneck either. I’m telling you he’s busted up bad.”
***
Showered, scrubbed, shaved, changed, combed, and teeth freshly brushed, Crane managed to escape Sickbay just as the sub docked. They had returned to Ras Kandaara to deposit their prisoner and say goodbye to their guests, now heroes to the small nation, it’s dictatorship at an end. It was no surprise to the crew that the Captain was spending a bit longer topside than was actually warranted. Well, why not. She was a looker wasn’t she? Not to mention the fact that she and her companions helped him to safety once he’d barely managed to escape his captors. In fact, rumor had it that he’d collapsed in his attempt and without her companion’s intervention, no doubt he’d have been quickly dispatched.
Finally he returned to the sub, but it was noticed that he climbed down the ladder without his usual exuberant leap from the middle rung. Instead he grabbed each and every one of them until he hit the deck. Giving Morton the order to get underway, he excused himself for the evening.
***
“Ski?” Cookie asked of the dozing crewman in the crew’s mess.
“Huh?”
“You know our guys pretty well, any idea where that new batch of cookie dough went? When I find out who swiped it…”
“Sorry. Besides, nobody’s allowed in the galley but you and your staff. Maybe you just lost track of how many cookies you made.”
“No... I wanted to make some for the Skipper. I don’t think he had any. I hear tell he fell asleep almost as soon as they pushed him into that chair in the Observation Nose,”
“I’m just glad he’s okay; looked like shit to me. Smelled like it too.”
“Hmf. Whad’ you expect? You shouldn’t be making jokes about it.”
“Okay okay, sorrrry.”
“And you’d better not repeat it, or Nelson’ll have your hide. Come to think about it…getting kinda chummy those two... Go on, go to bed…”
***
He was tired, and Ski took an unauthorized shortcut through Officer’s Country toward the crew’s quarters. Just as he was passing the Captain’s cabin he heard retching from within.
“Skipper?” he knocked. But receiving no reply he gingerly opened the door. Crane, in his white silk pj’s was bent over the toilet with violent heaves.
Crane shook his head in response as Ski knelt beside him, too busy to speak as the vomit, streaked with red, made him gasp for breath.
“Sickbay!” Ski rose and hurried to the intercom on the desk, “Skipper’s cabin! He’s puking blood!”
***
“You never said he was beaten as badly as this!” Nelson ranted, as Frank removed the soiled pajama tops, revealing taped ribs and massive bruises. “Broken ribs?”
“Cracked…. looks worse than it is.”
“Worse? Worse? Damn it man, he’s black, blue, and purple! This wasn’t a beating! This was torture! What kind of a corpsman are you? He should never have been let out of Sickbay! I should have sent him to you right away…all right all right, I know Ski had a bullet wound but you should have reported his condition to me right away!”
“I did a complete evaluation of the Captain, which included x-rays. Medically speaking the injuries are only moderate.”
“How can you say that! He vomited blood! Pack your bags, You’re fired!”
“Belay that!” Lee interrupted wearily, as Ski helped him into the bunk.” I’ve been roughed up before…bloody vomit happens when you’re punched in the gut…”
“With what? Fists or rifle butts? Damn it man, I can see the outlines of their serial numbers! And what about this and that!” he pointed to some stitched lacerations.
“I’m fine. Frank knows what he’s doing.”
“Well, you certainly didn’t! What if you aggravated those ribs by going topside?”
“I wanted to get her phone number,” Lee said sheepishly.
“Be that as it may…”
“Admiral…please…forget it…it’s all my fault anyway, the upset stomach…”
“This was not tummy trouble!”
Crane pointed to the chair behind his desk. “Over there…probably irritated the bruises.”
Ski picked up the large shiny bowl, grinned, and brought it over for Nelson to see.
“What’s this?”
“Looks like cookie dough,” Frank examined the thin streaks of remnant goo.
“You’re not going to tell on me are you?” Lee asked, “Cookie’ll have a conniption if he finds out I lost his cookies, literally,” he laughed, then clutched his side with a groan, “remind me not to laugh…I was going to tell him later that I swiped the stuff, but…then I got sick.”
“How much cookie dough did you eat?” Frank asked.
“All of it.”
“And how much was that?”
“I don’t know…the bowl was full of it…home made cookie dough…I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven…I didn’t mean to swipe it, honest…but when I went to the wardroom to see if there were any cookies left, I saw this through the ‘tween through, just sitting there…and he and the mess crew were in the pantry…I took a fingerful…then another…and realized I’d contaminated the bowl….so I brought it here…before I knew it…I’d eaten the whole thing.”
From his expression you’d think Nelson was foaming at the mouth, then, “And you didn’t think to share any of it? All right. It was a tummy ache… well, Frank, what are you going to do about it. We can’t have him upchucking in his sleep.”
“That’s doubtful, now that the worst is over, but I do have some antacid I can give him that will reduce any reflux action.”
“I’d still rather you examine him again.”
“I’d like to do a full gastroenterology exam myself, but
we’re not equipped. I keep telling you sir, that
“Are you questioning my judgment, sailor?”
“Harry,” Lee warned.
‘Harry?’ Ski mouthed to Frank, equally surprised by the familiarity.
“What are you waiting for, Corpsman. Go get that antacid. Ski? What are you still doing here?”
“Ski? Thanks,” Lee tried to grin.
Kowalski thought he looked like a mere kid when he grinned like that. Like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar…he tried not to chuckle.
“Goodnight Ski,” Nelson reiterated, “And take this to the galley, will you?” handing him the bowl.
“Aye sir. G’nite Skipper…”
If Nelson noticed the evening greeting didn’t include him he made no mention of it.
***
Hours later Nelson still couldn’t get to sleep. On edge, his mind was exploding with all of the ‘what if’s lately. He’d been surprised by his initial reaction to Lee’s capture by General Gamal. It must have shaken the crew to see him go ballistic and literally begin to ring Major Amadi’s neck. If the Magnus Beam hadn’t chosen that moment to use it’s magnetic power to entrap Seaview he might very well have killed the man.
Not the actions of an employer in retaliation for one of his kidnapped staff, he realized. No, his friendship with Lee had been developing into something far more. A kind of brotherhood, maybe? He knew Crane would never allow it to interfere with their professional relationship, but how was Nelson to avoid confusing the issue in the future? Why, he’d acted like Lee’s irate father…and he’d have trusted Frank’s expertise and not questioned it if the injured man was other than Crane. But this was Lee, damnit! If anything happened….
****
Slowly opening the Captain’s cabin, Nelson stopped in his tracks. Someone was sitting beside the bunk.
“Kowalski?” Nelson whispered. “What the devil are you doing here?”
“Er, uh…I couldn’t sleep sir…when I kept thinking about him maybe throwing up in his sleep…I mean….you can choke and die from that if it gets into your windpipe…”
“You entered the Captain’s Cabin without permission? That’s a court martial offense sailor.”
“Er…yes sir. But I was worried about him. No matter what Frank said.”
“Well, considering I came here to do the same thing we’ll let it go. You’ve done your stint. Scram…”
But instead of sitting alongside Lee’s bunk, Nelson flipped the intercom.
“O’Brien? Reverse course to Ras Kandaara.
***
“Hey Cookie, didya hear that it was the Skipper what pinched that cookie dough you kept complaining about?” Chief Jones snickered over breakfast. “You gonna’ read him the riot act?”
“If it was the Skipper, he can pinch all the cookie dough he wants. Just he doesn’t go making himself sick like he was last night…Chief,” he added, suddenly serious, “I hear he was busted up a lot worse than what we were led to believe. A lot worse. ”
“Yeah…but I’m more concerned about us going back to that flea hole…what do we have to do now?”
***
“Welcome back aboard, ma’am,” the surprised Morton extended his hand to the passenger Nelson had had them pick up.
“Miss Deveroux will be acting as
Nurse’s Aide for the duration of our trip home, Chip. Chief? After she’s
settled in Cabin B, see to it that she’s escorted to
“Aye sir…this way Miss,” Curley did as he was bid, picking up her luggage and showing her aft.
“I thought he was going to be okay?” Chip asked, confused. He’d been as concerned as the next guy, maybe more as he and Lee had become friends.
“Oh, he is…but Ski and I can’t spend all our time babysitting.”
Morton furrowed his brows. So it was true. Nelson had spent most of the night sitting with Crane. Then, coming back here to pick up the singer? “You’re up to something.”
“Am I? Funny, I thought I was simply insuring that our gallant Captain get a little TLC.”
“That what they call it now?” O’Brien snorted.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, mister!”Morton ordered.
“Nothing like the ‘girl next door’ type to keep him safe and sound in bed,” Nelson continued, “And I know what that sounded like but it’s quite innocent. She is a Nurse’s Aide and even if he were inclined to,er…well, you know, I doubt he’d be able. Now, let’s get underway for home.”
***
“I’m telling you, Ski,” Jones pouted in the crew’s mess for lunch, “It’s one thing for us to bring her back with the Skipper, but it’s another when she’s gonna be spending the next week or so with us! Women ain’t supposed to be on submarines! They’re bad luck!”
“Not for the Skipper, ” Malone snickered.
“It’s not like that at all,” Frank entered the mess, “She’s just babysitting. Sitting at his bedside taking his vitals now and then. She’ll be a big help when he wakes up. And she’s all motherly like. Even ruffled his hair…”
A groan escaped Ski.
“What?”
“He doesn’t like his hair played with…I heard one of the girls at the water cooler complaining.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know…does it matter?”
***
Lee groaned as he awoke, at first only aware only of how everything hurt. Then he saw her. “Luanna?”
“Easy Lee,” she reached out to help him sit up. “Sore?”
“A little.”
“No. A lot...”
“Bit warm in here, isn’t it?” he swung his legs over the bunk,“Ohh, not a good idea,” he leaned against the frame. “No, don’t call Frank. It’s okay…just a bit woozy, it’ll pass. Must be the pain killer….what are you doing here? Not that I’m objecting but…”
“Technically? I’m your nurse, actually your chief babysitter. They took turns you know, Nelson and one of your crewmen, Kowalski I believe was his name.”
“I don’t need a keeper…”
“But you do need a nurse…”and with that she began to take his pulse, check his eyes, and made sure the bindings around his bare chest weren’t too loose or tight. Then she inserted a thermometer in his mouth and waited for the timer to beep. “Normal range, but a bit elevated, um. Lee?” she flushed and handed him a small cup with a lid, “I’m supposed to get a sample.”
He flushed with embarrassment and utter exhaustion, “To be honest, I’m not sure I can walk all the way to the head by myself…”
“Well, Frank did give me this,” she held up a male urinal bottle.
“No way!”
“Then there’s this,” she held up a dreaded tubed instrument.
“Call the Corpsman,” he sighed.
“Good boy. I knew you’d come around…”
***
“And you say his temperature was 99?” Frank asked Luanna as he examined the specimen under the microscope in his office.
“Yes, and he complained it was warm, and he was sore and dizzy. He’s hurting even if won’t admit how badly. And what does it mean, blood in his urine?”
“It may be nothing more than burst blood vessels or kidney stones, but it might also mean his kidneys were damaged….as for his temperature, there could be a slight infection…I’ll know more when the blood analysis is complete…in the meantime, just continue to keep an eye on him…maybe get him some food…I’ll give you a list to suggest to Cookie…”
***
“How are you doing Lee?” Nelson asked, leaning against Lee’s desk, as Crane was being given a small bowl of Jell-O by the girl.
“I don’t understand it…I’ve been beaten less and was back on the job the next day…frankly sir, I feel like shit, sorry Luanna…and I don’t like Jell-O!”
“It’s that or applesauce.”
“Babyfood! That’s all I get, babyfood!”
“Pick pick pick. Lee, it’s just for a little while.”
“And I think I should be allowed out of bed! I need to move around or I’ll be stiff and sore forever…”
“You couldn’t even walk to the head without help. Now, lie down and stop fussing. Give your body a chance to heal. Now, I’ll let you two talk shop, then I’ll be back to take your temperature again.”
“Is there a problem?” Nelson asked taking Luanna’s chair.
“Slight elevation and some blood in his urine. Frank’s checking it out now…”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” Nelson shouted.
Lee warned Nelson with a look.
“Never mind, Miss Deveroux. I apologize for my outburst. Please, take a break.”
“Blood in your urine?” Nelson asked after she’d left. “A temperature? I think I should have been informed, Captain.”
“I guess they didn’t want to worry you till they know more.”
“You do look a bit flushed, now that I think about it. Here, finish your Jell-O, son.”
“I look fine…it’s just your imagination. Can’t you feed me something else?”
“Humor me.”
“The things I do for Seaview,” Lee accepted the bowl back and took a bite.
At first Nelson thought it had simply gone down the wrong way. Lee wasn’t choking…and the cough was getting worse…and the phlegm was…green.
****
“What is it?” Nelson asked as Frank examined the sample under the microscope.
“I’m not sure…if I didn’t know better it looks like some kind of mold spores are in it..the caves!”
“But Luanna and Azziz’s men didn’t suffer any ill effects…”
“They weren’t whipped. Captain Crane was clothed when he was tortured. But mold spores can still penetrate through the fibers, especially if he came in contact with a moldy surface…Admiral…if he’s been infected, depending on the mold, well, there are kinds that can kill. I need samples from the caves…sir. I’m only a Corpsman. I don’t know how to make an antidote if my hypothesis is correct,” he looked toward the bunk he’d placed Crane. He was coughing sporadically, and his temperature had been climbing rapidly. Luanna was busy sponging his fevered brow and with each cough he groaned in pain as his ribs objected.
“Chip,” Nelson clicked the mike. “Return us to Ras Kandaara
and organize a shore party. We’re going mold hunting in the caves. Have
***
“I’m sorry, Kowalski,” Morton said topside to the disappointed crewman as Seaview sat docked at her destination.“ The best thing you can do is assist Frank and Miss Deveroux with the Captain…”
“Aye sir.”
“Shore party’s ready sir,” Jones called out.
“Right…Mr. O’Brien you have the conn. Men, let’s go…”
***
Lee had been placed on the metal drip gurney now, an IV in his arm and a Foley in his nether regions as he thrashed about, at first humiliated, and hurting. But now, in greater pain, delerious, and with beads of sweat dripping down his naked body. Luanna was sponging him down, while Frank was checking vitals and fluid samples.
“Ah Ski, glad you’re here…help Miss Deveroux cool him down, ” then, “Get an enema in him! We have to get that fever down, now! It’s 104!”
***
“Over here, this is another place where we rested,” Azziz pointed out yet another cave wall.
“I don’t see anything,” Jones said.
“It doesn’t have to be visible to be deadly,” Morton said, “Scrape the rock and bag it..what about the cell block? Frank said a mold spore could penetrate clothing…and he was whipped remember…we need everything we can find if we’re going to be able to cure him,” or save his life, Chip said to himself.
“This way.”
***
“I’m not sure I can help you Admiral,” the Surgeon General was saying on the radio link, “even if you find the same mold, a vaccine made from it might not work…”
“Just tell me how to make one. Step by step. ”
“I’ve got an air Evac helicopter on it’s way to you…full medical team…”
“There’s no time! Don’t you understand…he…he’s dying!”
“This is what you do…”
“Got em!” Jones raced toward him, returned from the caves, waving the sample bags.
“Get them to Sickbay! All right Doctor…step by step again…” Nelson began to write furiously on his clipboard.
***
“Negative. No match to this green stuff in his lungs,” Frank said of the next to last sample and began the next.
Lee was screaming more and whimpering in agony. Luanna was crying.
“C’mon lady!”Ski yelled as he collected more cold wraps “He doesn’t need this from you now…get back to work!”
“I’ll take it from here Luanna,”Nelson said. “I can’t do anything till we have a match anyway…”he began to wipe Lee’s flushed and inflamed skin. This was no ordinary fever.
“Last sample negative,” Frank said morosely.
“That’s it then…”
Just then Ski swatted a fly away from Crane.
“Wait…sir,” Frank said excitedly, “maybe it’s not a mold…maybe it’s a pest…a parasite…I need a mass spectrometer! Er..do you have one sir? For all the microscopic creepy crawlies you can only see with one?”
***
“So how do we kill the damn thing?” Frank asked, the projector showing a multi legged ‘bug’ as it ‘ate’ away at the cells in Lee’s phlegm sample, the green discharge it’s waste…
“We have to identify it first,” the Evac Doctor said having finally arrived, “Admiral I need a link to the medical data bank. We can send a radio photo of the thing.”
“Of course Doctor…Jamison is it?”
“Will. Will Jamison…but sir, I have to tell you, even if we identify it, I’m not sure there’s a cure.”
***
Luanna was in the Observation Nose, Azziz trying to comfort her when Ski approached.
“Er. Ma’am…I just wanted to apologize…”
“No…you were right…I was just so upset…he needed me to be strong and I wasn’t.”
“Yeah…I know what you mean…well, the paramedics are working on him and Frank found the thing killing him. Some kind of exotic parasite.”
“But wouldn’t we all be affected?’ Azziz asked.
“Don’t know…he might have picked it up anywhere…he had a long walk to Ras Kandaara from the landing beach, and he was already scraped up a bit.”
***
“A species of mold mite?” Nelson said as Lt. Cmdr. Jamison confirmed the critter’s identity and clicked the mike.
“
“I don’t understand…”
“All these microscopic creatures have to do is infect the blood. From there, they can travel all through the body, infect organs and eat their victims alive. Probably got in through a scrape or cut. I understand Captain Crane was hurt not only while he was incarcerated, but also at the landing beach…the mites die at 104.9 degrees farenheit…are you okay Corpsman?”
“Oh god…I almost killed him…he needed the fever to happen and I tried to stop it…”
“Not your fault you treated the symptoms, “ Jamison said as they headed to SickBay.
“Admiral, I am so sorry…you’ll have my resignation right away…”
“Let’s not start talking about resignations just yet, Frank.”
***
“No kidding?” Pat asked Ski as he returned to his console.
“No kidding. The Skip’s body was trying to fight it off the whole time…we just shoulda’ let him!”
“So he’s okay now?”
“Well the bugs are dead and the fever’s broke, but he still has a lot of waste guk in his system. The Doc says his white blood cells will take care of it all in time. He’s not only going to be stiff and sore from his beating but from having his insides chewed up too, that’s what was hurting him so bad, them eating him. So I guess Mr. Morton’s got command awhile longer.”
***
“Well,” Nelson escorted the Evac team ashore, “I hope you’ll consider it, Will. I seem to have a Captain who manages to get himself into more and more into trouble.”
“I’ll let you know soon. And don’t be harsh on your Corpsman. I’ve no doubt I’d have made the same mistake…”
“Well, thank you all again…”
Jamison saluted the colors and departed, his helio team waiting to take him back to the carrier.
“Mr. Azziz, thank you and your team for your help yet again.”
“No thanks is necessary. Will Miss Deveroux be returning with us now?”
“Actually she’s agreed to continue as our Nurse’s Aide until
we get to
“And as Captain Crane’s mother substitute perhaps?”
“Perhaps not quite that…”Nelson laughed and waved him off. “Cast off Mr. Morton…”
***
Lee was still in Sickbay. Insurance, that Frank believed was warranted after what he’d been through. After checking on Crane, cleaned up, dried off, and sleeping peacefully in flannel pajamas this time, it seemed sickbay had a line of men awaiting treatment.
Luanna was looking at Pat’s hand when he interrupted, “All right Pat. Our Nurse’s Aide is required elsewhere,” he indicated Crane, “go ahead Miss Deveroux….that is, Pat, unless you have some objection to me treating you?”
“No..er..none at all…”
“I don’t’ see anything wrong here, Pat.”
“Uh, not as bad a burn as I thought it was…”
“How about the rest of you men? Are your little boo boos not quite as bad as you thought? Go on. Unless you’re really hurt, go away and leave Miss Deveroux to watch over the Skipper.”
***
He slept for two days, before waking to find Nelson at his side.
“Easy Lee…how do you feel?”
“Sore…slept like a rock though. Weird dreams. Giant green monsters…what?”
“Never mind.”
“Well, about time sleepy head,” Luanna appeared and took the seat Nelson vacated.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” Lee said, slightly embarrassed. He didn’t remember a lot, but he remembered being naked under her hands before the delirium hit.
“Are you going to be as much trouble now that Seaview’s finally go home for real?”
“Trouble?”
“I’ll let her fill you in, son. How about some lunch?”
“If it’s Jell-O no thanks.”
“Applesauce?”Luanna asked.
“No baby food!”
“Is he always this obstinate?”
“Part of his charms. Now Lee, you behave. Do what your nurse wants,” he left the two alone in SickBay.
“Well, what does my nurse want?”
“This,” she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, “Boo boo all better now?”
“Actually, this one still hurts, ”he pointed to one of the bruises on his check.
She obliged and kissed it. Then he pointed to the other. And she kissed it too. Before she could say anything more he grabbed her arms and brought his lips to hers…
“Oh I forgot to tell you…ah…never mind,” Nelson blushed. He’d barged back in but seeing the two in the romantic embrace, he thought Frank’s news of an unrestricted diet could wait. Good, they hadn’t seen or heard him…ducking out, closing the door, he bumped into Kowalski.
“Don’t go in there Ski.”
“The Skipper…” the man practically wilted, thinking him dead or dying again.
“No no no, nothing’s wrong…just er…give him some space, okay Ski?”
“But the Chief sent me down for some aspirin.”
“The Corpsman’s not here…”
“That’s okay. I know where it is…”he opened the door and almost as quickly closed it aain, “Er…yes sir…I’ll go sir…”
As Nelson meandered down the corridor, he couldn’t help overhearing the crewman say, “Now that’s what I call babysitting!”
Author’s Note:
This is a What
Happened Next story, so I won’t go into
details about The Magnus Beam but would like to point out a couple of
things.
In The Magnus Beam,
a weapon of high magnetic power has the ability to stop anything based on
steel. (Okay, so Seaview’s supposed to be titanium, but this is Voyage so
ignore that little detail.)
Nelson indeed goes
ballistic when he learns Crane is kidnapped and tries to strangle his undersea guide
and ‘informant’ Amadi.
In a great deal of
fanfic, Crane and Chip are supposed to have the buddy buddy friendship, but in
the series, I don’t really see it. They’re friends,that
was brought out in Mutiny, but no
mention is ever made of it going further back than aboard Seaview, nor do we
see the same kind of almost family type friendship that we do see between Crane
and Nelson. And so this little tale shows the budding realization that Nelson
has about just how he feels about Lee.
Sorry Chip didn’t get
much a part in this story. Next time, I promise more.