| Giving Thanks |
| Thanksgiving Day, 2004. I'm recovering from knee surgery and my crutches and I have been banned from the kitchen. Instead of food, this is what I 'cooked up.' |
| Being a private vessel rather than part of the US Navy, Seaview usually managed to make it to her home port in Santa Barbara for the big holidays. But not this time. Thanksgiving morning dawned, but her crew had little to be thankful for. Four days ago, the Skipper had taken off on a secret ONI mission, and he hadn�t been heard from since. Seaview held her position offshore at the rendezvous point, and the crew kept a constant lookout for the recall signal, but hope was rapidly fading. Knowing that this cruise would likely not end before the holiday, supplies for a proper Thanksgiving dinner had been loaded aboard. It was with heavy hearts that Cookie and his staff began preparations for what should have been a festive occasion. Turkeys roasting, a veritable field of potatoes cooked and mashed, mountains of stuffing, all the trimmings. And desserts; pies of every variety, apple, blueberry, cherry, pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Not home baked of course, but in great abundance. The kitchens smelled as wonderful as any childhood memory of a family holiday. But this family was missing its father. Captain Crane was immensely well liked, almost worshipped by the crew. Over the years, Seaview�s crew had become almost like a family. They had been through things together that no outsider would believe; this had created a bond even greater that the usual camaraderie of the silent service. The Captain�s absence wore heavily on everybody�s minds. And one mind in particular. If Crane was this family�s father, Admiral Harriman Nelson was its patriarch. He woke this Thanksgiving morning after barely getting a few hours restless sleep. His body went through the motions of showering, shaving, dressing. For the sake of the crew, he didn�t allow the hopelessness he felt to show in his expression and posture as he walked through the boat to the control room. As he entered the nerve center of his beautiful gray lady, his eyes sought out the XO. Chip Morton was one of the few who knew just how hard Crane�s absence affected the Admiral. Meeting his commander�s eyes, Morton just gave a small shake of his head, indicating that nothing had been heard yet. He saw the flash of pain behind the Admiral�s blue eyes as the older man simply nodded and went down the spiral staircase to the observation nose. Nelson sat there, staring out the herculite windows into the sea around them. It was a view that usually comforted him, but not today. He poured a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette, thinking about the missing man. Lee Crane was Seaview�s Captain, but to Nelson he was so much more. Their friendship had grown over the years into something very special. In Nelson�s heart, it had become love. // If I only had the courage to tell him � // Like most gay men in the military, Nelson had sublimated his sexual urges. For far too long, he had buried himself in his work, taking satisfaction in his scientific discoveries, leaving his mark on the world in the form of the Nelson Institute. There was no place in his life for intimacy or family, except for his sister Edith. But lately, he had realized that perhaps he had missed something important. And now, with Lee gone, missing, he realized painfully just how much the vibrant young man had come to mean to him. Despite his Irish Catholic lineage, Nelson was too much the scientist, the skeptic, to embrace the church. But on this day of thanks, he prayed that someone, somewhere was watching over Lee Crane, and would bring him safely home. The day wore on slowly. Nelson sat on his �front porch,� chain smoking and thinking. The galley crew continued preparing the festive meal, even though nobody was in the mood for a celebration. In the Control Room, Morton watched over the men with a stoic silence. Sparks was monitoring local radio frequencies. Suddenly, he sat upright, listening intently. �Commander Morton! I�ve got something!� All hands froze, waiting for the details. Sparks continued. �There have been explosions at the installation, it seems several prisoners have escaped!� Something inside Chip relaxed just a little at the news. It had to be Lee. He reached for the intercom. �Sharkey! There�s been a breakout on shore. Take a team in and see if you can retrieve our Captain!� �Aye aye, sir!� came the enthusiastic response. Morton even managed a smile as he replaced the microphone and descended the stairs to inform the Admiral. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nelson had wanted to go ashore with the shore party, but Sharkey�s men were so efficient that they were already on their way by the time the Admiral got there. So he was forced to wait nervously back aboard the submarine, hovering over Sparks in the radio shack. After nearly an hour, the radio crackled to life. �Crane to Seaview, come in Seaview!� The cheer that broke out in the control room was almost physical. It was all Nelson could do to remain standing at the sound of that beloved voice. Luckily, Sparks answered, because Nelson�s voice completely deserted him. �Captain! Boy is it good to hear your voice, sir!� �Believe me, Sparks, it�s mutual. We�re on our way back in, be there in a few minutes.� �Aye, sir!� Nelson and Morton hurried up on deck to meet the returning rafts. They each grabbed an arm, pulling the wayward Captain back on board. Slightly off balance, Crane fell against the Admiral, who caught him all too willingly. Their eyes met briefly and Lee noticed something �he wasn�t sure what, and then he was being pulled to his feet amid laughter and cheers and an inordinate amount of back slapping. Nelson reluctantly let go, letting the men reassure themselves that their Captain was truly back. His eyes drank in the vision. Crane�s hair was mussed, the thick curls sticking out everywhere. Several days growth of beard darkened his face. The overall effect was amazingly sexy. Nelson tried to force his mind away from that thought � As soon as everyone was safely on board, Seaview submerged and headed toward home, flank speed. The Captain, thankfully uninjured for once, wanted two things; a hot shower and a good hot meal. Word of the Captain�s return turned the planned feast into a true Thanksgiving. The command staff joined the crew in the mess for a true celebratory dinner with racous cheers and an all-hands toast at the end. Safe, warm, and well fed, Lee headed to his quarters for some much needed sleep. He changed into pajamas and was just about to get into bed when he heard a soft knock at his door. At his �Come,� the door opened and Nelson stepped in. Seeing Lee ready for bed, he hesitated. �You need some rest. I�ll come back tomorrow.� Remembering the look in Nelson�s eyes earlier, Lee stopped him, gently touching his arm. �No, please, stay. I�m not that tired.� Nelson looked up into Lee�s hazel eyes. Suddenly all the emotions he�d been holding back for days reemerged. His throat constricted and he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. �Oh, Lee,� he sighed. �I really thought we lost you this time.� Crane could see Nelson�s struggle to retain his composure. �It�s all right, Admiral. I made it back.� �Something to be truly thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.� Nelson managed a weak smile, but it was belied by the single tear which escaped down his cheek. The Admiral�s usual crusty exterior was so well established that this vulnerability shook Lee to his core. He suddenly realized what that look as he came back on board meant. // He loves me! // He reached out to gently brush the tear away with his thumb as his hand caressed Nelson�s cheek. Nelson tried to look away, but Lee�s other hand came up, capturing his face. Their eyes locked, and then Lee bent to gently kiss the trembling lips. When he let go, blue eyes bright with emotion looked up at him. �Lee?� He smiled, letting one hand slide through the rich auburn hair. �I�m here, Harry. Not going anywhere.� Long arms slid around Nelson�s body, pulling him close. He trembled, not believing what was happening. Crane�s unexpected use of his given name had touched him deeply. It appeared his love was not only accepted, it was welcomed. He felt himself relaxing in that embrace, for the first time in days. His head settled comfortably on Lee�s shoulder as if it belonged there. His own arms wrapped around the slim waist, feeling the warmth through the thin flannel. And much to his surprise, he felt something else through the flannel. He looked up into the hazel eyes again, the question in his eyes. �Of course I want you, Harry. I�ve wanted you for a long time. I just didn�t dare hope you�d feel the same way �� Nelson was feeling giddy; this on top of the alcohol consumed at the celebration was too much for one emotionally drained Admiral. �Oh, Lee � yes. I do �� Once again, the dark head bent to kiss him, but this time he found Nelson�s lips open and welcoming. The kiss was long and tender as tongues traded spaces back and forth, and hands caressed bodies. Eventually, they had to come up for air. Lee�s long fingers again caressed Harry�s face. �Harry, I want to make love to you. But not here, not now. We�ll be home in Santa Barbara tomorrow. I�ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer to do it right. Is that all right?� Nelson nodded. Lee was right, this was too special to settle for a quickie in the cramped quarters. He wanted to hold Lee in his arms all night, not for a few moments in a bunk that was small for one man Lee�s size. And truth be told, both of them were exhausted. Nelson had a feeling he was going to need all his energy to keep up with this young stallion. Lee smiled and bent to gently kiss his forehead. Nelson blushed and hugged him tightly before stepping away. �Get some sleep, Lee, my love.� �You too, Harry. Until tomorrow �� Nelson stumbled down the hall to his quarters, quickly shedding his uniform and falling in to bed. As he drifted off, he thought again of all he had to be thankful for this day. send me some feedback Back to Voyage home Back to Home Page Disclaimer: These characters belong to their original creators; I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |