The alarm rudely awakened her at 0400, a mere three hours after she'd crawled into her own bed. Sighing, she got up and padded to the little kitchenette in her cabin. She made a cup of coffee and sat down to enjoy it before she began her morning routine. She was anxious to get going. The quicker they could get back out to sea, the sooner this tour would be ended and they would be back in San Diego. What the future held for her and for Blaine, she didn't know. What she did know was that if they planned to stay together, some changes would have to be made.
Chapter 7
The first two weeks back at sea were uneventful. Things were going along as scheduled and Charlie was enjoying doing her job. She saw Blaine for dinner and occasionally during her shifts but, other than that, they were downplaying things a bit, only getting together in her cabin a few times a week. She had explained to him her feelings, and surprisingly, he had agreed with her.
"I totally agree. I don't like it any more than you do. I want you in my arms all night, not sneaking out the door in the middle of the night or vice versa. We will remedy this situation, I promise. I love you too much to ignore your concerns on the matter," he replied when she'd told him.
Surprised, she could only smile and kiss him. That had been the day they left the dock.
Tonight, she was meeting Marci for dinner after they finished their shifts. She hurried to her cabin to shower and change. When she arrived in the Wardroom, she found a table and waited for Marci to join her.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Marci said when she breezed in breathlessly, a few minutes later.
"No problem, I haven't been here long," Charlie said. "Sit, relax a minute. We have a lot of catching up to do."
"So, tell me, how are things with you and the captain? I must say, you are doing a great job of keeping things quiet. I haven't heard anyone say anything."
Charlie sighed. "Yes, well, about that."
"You haven't broken up, have you?" Marci asked in alarm.
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just that I really don't like all the secrecy so I suggested we slow things down until we are dockside, in San Diego. Then, we are going to have a long discussion about where we go from here."
"He was agreeable to this?"
"Surprisingly, yes, very much so. Seems he feels the same way I do on the subject. We are still together, we l-love each other, we want to see where it goes this time. However, having said that, we don't want to cheapen the relationship with all this sneaking around in the middle of the night. We still get together, just not often and we are in our own cabins at a reasonable hour."
"I totally get it, you know. And you just said the L word. Did you realize that?"
Charlie sighed again. "Yes, we've admitted that to each other, too. In fact, I don't think either of us ever stopped loving one another."
"Wow, such a fairytale romance."
"Hardly," Charlie said with a grin. "Let's get our food and then we can talk about your wedding."
When they were seated again, Charlie asked how the plans were coming along.
"We set the date for fall. We'll both have leave then. My mother and his mom have talked on the phone several times, so they're helping with a lot of the planning, since he and I are both deployed right now."
"You tell them what you want and they take care of it for you?" Charlie asked as she bit into a roll.
"Sort of, yes. There is so much we can't leave till the last minute, so they are taking care of all that, reserving the church and things. You thinking of tying the knot, too?"
Charlie looked at her with a shocked look on her face. "I never thought about it. Hmm, maybe that would be the solution to our dilemma. I was thinking more along the lines of not keeping our status a secret so we could be seen together socially. Marriage… wow."
"You almost married him once upon a time. Maybe you should have."
"I don't know. I guess I'll wait and see if it comes up when we have our discussion in a few months."
"If he asks, will you say yes?" Marci wouldn't let the subject drop.
Charlie thought for a few minutes. Finally, she said, "Yes… yes, I actually think I would."
Just then, Blaine walked up to the table. "Evening, Vandecamp and Bing."
Charlie flushed bright red and took a drink of water. Had he heard their conversation?
If he did, he didn't let on. "Enjoy your dinner. I'm meeting Lieutenant Crane in a few minutes.
"You have a nice dinner, too, Captain," Marci said.
"Yes, enjoy," Charlie added with a smile.
When he was out of earshot, she looked at Marci. "Oh, my God, what if he heard what we said?"
"Oh, forget it. So what if he did? I'm sure it's crossed his mind a time or two, already. You forget, I've seen the way he looks at you. I was also there the night of the fire when he came to your cabin to check on you."
"I know he loves me. I don't doubt it at all. But marriage? That's a very serious matter."
"Yes, you, more than a lot of us, know that. Just take your time. I think your plan to talk it all over when we get back to the States is a good one."
"There's a movie tonight. You feel like going after dinner?" Charlie asked, changing the subject.
"Sure, it's early enough. I love movie night on the ship."
They settled in to enjoy the comedy that was showing that night. When they got back to their cabins, they said their good nights. It had been a fun evening but Charlie was tired and she was glad to crawl into bed. She had the beginning of a horrendous headache and she was freezing. She hoped she wasn't coming down with something.
She spent a fitful night. Her headache was worse, even after popping a few over the counter pain relievers, and her stomach was upset. By morning, she was convinced she had a fever and when she took her temp, she was right. Damn! She notified Blaine that she was ill and unable to report for duty. He showed up at her door, a few minutes later.
"I think you should see the medic. Let me walk you down to sickbay," he offered.
"It's probably just a virus. I need rest, most likely, and liquids."
"Just the same, I think you should be checked out. Do you need help dressing?"
"Oh, all right. You aren't going to let it drop until I agree to go, are you?" she asked.
"No, I'm not. And keep up the attitude and, when you are feeling better, I'll adjust it," he replied.
Shaking her head and mumbling, she went to the bathroom and attempted to clean up. It took a while as she had very little strength but, finally, she was dressed and ready to go.
After the medic asked several questions and examined her, blood was drawn. As they waited for the results, she told Blaine her throat was starting to hurt.
"Sounds like a flu bug, but we'll wait to see what the labs show. Hope we don't have an epidemic starting. I know a few of the crew were down last week."
Sure enough, Charlie tested positive for a strain of influenza and was confined to her cabin. She was told to rest, drink fluids and take something for the fever. The medic also gave her something to help with the nausea and help speed the healing process.
"I'll see that she follows your orders to a T," Blaine said as he helped her off the examining table. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your cabin and make sure you have plenty of drinks available."
He made sure she was snuggled comfortably in her bed, made a cup of tea for her, gave her the meds and promised to return later with bottles of water and lemon-lime soda. "Sleep, angel, if you can," he said after making sure a glass of water was set where she could reach it. He kissed her forehead and crept quietly out of her cabin as she was already dozing.
A few hours later, she awoke to find Blaine sitting next to her bed. "What are you still doing here?" she asked.
He chuckled. "I've been gone for a while. You were asleep when I left. Do you feel like some broth or tea? I also brought lemon-lime soda and some bottles of chilled water for you."
"More tea sounds really good. My head still hurts and my throat."
/>
"Coming right up," he said as he got up and went into the kitchenette. He returned with honey lemon tea and helped her to sit up so she could sip it.
"You aren't the only one down today," he said when she leaned back against the pillows.
"Really? An epidemic?" she asked.
"Not yet, but seems this thing is definitely making its way around the ship."
"The germ may have been caught while we were in port so long," she suggested.
"Probably. We'll get through it. The medics have been busy all day, though."
"I'm sorry, Blaine."
"Honey, it's not your fault you're sick. I want you to rest and get well. I'm going back to my office. I'll check in later and I really think you should at least try some soup or broth, tonight. I'll bring some, when I come later."
She nodded and took another sip of tea.
Blaine kissed her forehead and remarked that she felt cooler. "I'll see you later. Sleep, if you can."
She finished her tea and lay back against the pillows, exhausted. She hated being sick. She wanted to be at work. She needed to be at work. Damn it all to hell! She closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her again. The next time she woke, it was dark in her cabin. She looked at the clock and saw that it was seven o'clock. She wondered where Blaine was. Had he been by while she was sleeping? She reached for the bottle of water he'd left next to the bed and unscrewed the cap. Taking a swig, she winced as the liquid made contact with her throat.
It had been a while since she'd had any meds so she took something for the pain and fever, hoping it would relieve the achiness she felt. Her head hurt, her throat was sore and her body ached. The nausea had subsided so maybe she would be able to eat something, after all. She got up to go to the bathroom and realized how weak she was. Just as she was headed that way, she heard a key in the door. She turned and saw a very tired looking Blaine walking in the door with food.
"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked when he saw her.
"I have to use the bathroom. Do you mind?" she retorted.
"Let me help you. You don't look too steady on your feet." He set the food down on the counter and went to her.
"I'm just weak from lying in bed. I slept all afternoon, apparently. I dozed off after I finished my tea and just woke up a few minutes ago. I've had some water and some more pain reliever."
"Good girl. Now, here we are. Go ahead and take care of business. When you're back in bed, we can eat. I brought chicken noodle soup."
"You worked late," she noted after he had helped her get back into bed.
"It's been a long day. Several more of the crew have taken ill. The medics have ordered them all to their bunks with the same instructions as they gave you. Sickbay is full."
"All tested positive for flu?" she asked as she took another sip of water.
He nodded. "This is getting out of hand quickly. We are running on a skeleton crew right now."
"Oh, Blaine, no."
"I'm afraid so. Now, let's try to get some nourishment into you." He tried to feed her a spoonful of the soup.
She ate a small amount and told him to go ahead and eat. "I need to go slowly. I can't handle any more yet," she told him.
He nodded and started on his own meal.
"What about Marci? Is she ill, too? We were together all evening last night."
"I'm afraid so. She went to her cabin late this afternoon with the same symptoms. I made sure to have drinks sent to her cabin."
"We are going to run out of meds and drinks, if this keeps up. I stocked up before we left Japan, but how long can it all last?" she asked.
"We'll deal with it, if it happens. I don't want you to think about anything but getting rest. Ready for more soup?"
"I'll try a little more. I know I can't eat the whole bowl."
"That's fine, just so we get a little into you. I want you to keep drinking throughout the night. If I could, I would stay here and sleep on your couch, to be available if you need anything, but I have to get back to the bridge."
"You're going back to work? Can't you take a nap first? You'll be the next one down, if you keep this up."
He grinned. "Thank you for being concerned. I rarely get sick. I'll be careful, hon. I am going to rest on your couch for a short time then I have to help out. I'm also making sure the cleaning crew is sanitizing the whole ship around the clock."
"What else is going to happen on this tour?" she asked.
"Don't think like that," he replied. "One disaster at a time, okay?"
"Have I told you today how much I love you?" she asked.
This produced a grin. "I don't believe you have. I love you, too, sweet Charlie Rose. Now, would you like to take a bath or shower while I'm here to help you to the bathroom? I have a little time before I have to go."
"If you don't mind, I would like to clean up a little."
"Let me run you a bath. I think that would be better than trying to stand in the shower. I'll get you in there and come back to help you out when you're finished."
"Okay," she said meekly. It wasn't in her nature to have someone take care of her.
When he had helped her into clean pajamas and she was back in bed, she noticed he had changed her bed linens and cleared away the remnants of supper.
"Thank you, Blaine, for all of this. You really should be resting, though, if you're going to have to pull double shifts."
"Just trying to get you well, sweetie. Now, why don't you rest?"
It was a few days before Charlie felt human again. Blaine agreed to bring her laptop to her so she could work from her cabin. He didn't think she needed to be back to work at a regular schedule yet. From what the medics were telling him, it was taking most of the stricken a full week to completely recover. It seemed that as soon as a few were feeling better, six more were taken ill. At this rate, it was going to be quite a while before it ran its course.
"Have you had any sleep?" she asked one evening when he brought food to her. "And who is taking food to the other sick crew members?"
"That is being taken care of. They are all being fed and keeping hydrated. I'm seeing to Marci and to you. Marci sends her love, by the way, and says she hopes you are feeling better. She has no fever today."
"Thank you for helping her."
"With her cabin right next door to yours, it only makes sense, when I'm bringing food for you, to drop some by for her, too.
"Now, back to my other question. Have you had any sleep?"
Wearily, he nodded. "Not a lot. Would you mind terribly if I camped out on your couch?"
"Let me get you some blankets and a pillow. I'd invite you to sleep here but I don't want to risk you getting sick. You've already been exposed but that's just taking an unnecessary risk."
She got up and grabbed her extra blankets and a clean pillow for him from the closet.
"You get back in bed. I can make up my own bed." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Charlie Rose."
She smiled. "Get some sleep. You sorely need it."
He didn't argue that point. In no time, he was snoring lightly from the couch. Charlie watched the even rise and fall of his chest before going to bed and dozing off again.
Finally, after a week in her cabin, Charlie was able to resume her normal duties. A lot of the crew was back and things were getting better. There were still some out sick, but things were slowly going back to the normal routine. In a few weeks, they would be docking in Sydney. She knew there was a lot of work to be done before then, to catch up. She would start working on the shore leave schedule as soon as her other work was done. Blaine definitely needed some time off the ship, after all the doubles he'd pulled recently. She checked to see which other crew members had worked extra hours, as well. They were first on her list to receive leave time.
The week before they were to reach Sydney, the entire crew was back on duty. It had been a long siege but they should be caught up by the time they reached port. After much arguing, begging and discus
sion, Charlie convinced Blaine to take a much needed day of rest. She banished him to his cabin and took over his duties for the day. At lunchtime, she delivered his meal and ate with him, as he had done for her, when she was ill. After her shift, she joined him for an intimate dinner in his cabin.
"Charlie, are we going to spend some time together in Sydney?" he asked. "I know you've been working on the schedule."
"I am trying to work that out. I've arranged for a compete cleaning and disinfecting of the ship, while we are docked. I also need to replenish our supplies. I think I can arrange it so both of us can be on leave together for at least two days. I want you to have a few extra days, due to all the hours you've put in."
"That's not necessary. If you're onboard the ship, I'd like to be here, too. Two days is enough for me, if it's all the time you're allowing yourself."
"If you're sure. But, may I insist that, during those two days, you rest?"
"Only if you are resting next to me. I miss you, Charlie, and I want you next to me all night long, very soon. I also want to feed you some good food while we are there. You lost quite a bit of weight in the week you were ill. You need to put some of that back on."
"Mmm…I think that may be just what the doctor ordered—for both of us." She smiled slyly at him. She had missed him, too. And he was right about the weight. She'd been shocked when she stood on the scales and realized she'd lost twelve pounds.
"Now that you are back to good health, there is one other matter."
"What's that?" she asked as she cleared the dinner tray.
"I believe a certain XO was giving attitude to her superior officer a few weeks ago, when he suggested she needed to go to sickbay. Do you recall that?"
"Vaguely," she answered warily.
Her Captain's Command Page 8