My Navy Specialist

I Really Needed That

ALICE

I see this remarkable man standing against the railing of the ship. He just stares at me as I walk closer to him. I see a hint of hesitation in his deep piercing blue eyes.

"I thought I was the only one out here this time of night. Struggling to sleep?"

He clears his throat and then turns back looking out over the ocean.

"Yeah, I usually don't sleep much before deployment"

"Deployment?"

"Uh, yeah, we are heading out tomorrow first thing. I just needed some time to...to..."

"...clear your head"

He turns again to look me in the eye, amazement plays on his face.

"How did you know that I wanted to say that?"

Then I turn and look out over the ocean. I sigh loudly.

"Cause, I like to do that before a big surgery. I just want to make sure, they get the very best of me...you know"

He stares at me and I can feel his adoration for me. This time he moves closer to me and looks over the ocean, allowing his arm to rest lightly against mine. Something happens at that moment. I can not describe it but I know that this could be a special bond forming between us.

We both just stare at the ocean, not saying a word. His arm moves just a little bit closer ever so often until our arms are completely against each other. He turns to look at me and I look at him. We breathe each other's air. I feel heat flowing through me, filling all the lonely places.

Liam turns to me.

"Thank you…"

"For what?"

"For...for...just being here. I really needed it"

"You are very welcome. Please do not hesitate to ask me to come and stand with you again if you need it"

He smiles and then pulls away with much agony in his eyes and he takes with him all the warmth of his touch. He looks down with his hands in his pockets.

"I've got to go, otherwise, I might not be ready for tomorrow"

"Yes, we do not want that, we need you to be in tip-top shape"

He laughs and then turns around. I feel like I have to tell him something that is burning deep within me. Then I just blurt it out.

"Liam!"

"Yeah?"

I take a deep breath and say.

"Be careful and please come back to us…alive"

Tenderness fills his eyes and his voice is soft and gentle. He wants to walk closer to me but he only takes one step and then stops.

"I promise to do my very best to come back to you...I mean to the ship"

He coughs and then turns away leaving me alone on the pier. What am I doing, Alice?? What am I doing...? I look at the ocean one last time and find my way back to my banker. I fall asleep, praying that Liam will be safe.

It's the next morning and Nita shows me the sickbay and operating room. The sickbay does not have a lot of beds but enough to handle the occasional sick soldier.

"Dare we say, home sweet home?"

"I guess so, this is the place we would spend most of our time?"

"That's true. So, as you can see, there are quite a few beds folded up against the walls if there were to be any disaster. At this moment, there is not always a surgery but we are in desperate need of a surgeon, so please let me know if you would need anything"

"Oh, I feel honored to be the only surgeon here. I hope I do not disappoint but I do not mind performing the normal duties other than surgery, I am here to help where I can. Please put me to work"

"Thank you for my willingness the world needs more of your kind. Now, let's have a look at your home, while we are on the ship"

She opens the door to a small room just big enough for a bed and a few people to stand around the operating table. It is nothing that I am used to, it is so much smaller but somehow this feels like I belong. I walk around the room inspecting all the tools for surgery and I notice they have exactly everything I will ever need to operate successfully.

"I can definitely work with this. I like it and it is very well equipped"

"We try to get everything a surgeon might need but please let us know if there is something you might need other than what we have. We can let them fly it in"

Nita shows me the rest of the sickbay and I meet the rest of the staff. The day carries on with a few sea sick patients coming in. I catch myself thinking of Liam and what he is doing but then I must remind myself that I have John, waiting for me back home. It is the end of the day and I have finished eating dinner. I am starting to get the vibe around the ship and how things work.

A few days have passed and I have become more comfortable with the routing of the day. Liam and his team are not back yet and I am starting to miss his presence even more but then I remember John. I go to my banker after a long day at work when I see a letter on my bed. I stand still for a little while just staring at the letter in front of me. I know from who it is...John. I open the letter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My dearest Alice

I know that I need to write you a letter but I don't know what to say to the only woman, I've ever loved?

I miss I more than the sun misses the moon. Every day that goes by I realize more and more that I will not be seeing you for a very long time. I will not be able to hold you or kiss you goodnight…you have been so long in my life and now...now just nothing...

I do not know if we would be able to make it but I hope so, with my entire heart...

Yours forever

John

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh, John...I miss you too”

I fall back on my bed with the letter on my chest. I feel tears falling down my cheeks. I know what I have always known for a long time, that this relationship will not survive such a long time apart. I fall asleep with tears still flowing down my cheeks.

Suddenly I feel my bed shake. I wake up and all I see are red lights. Then I hear the voices around me. I get out of my bed and another shake rocks me off balance. I am thrown against the wall, bumping my head on the pipe. I sit for a little while, assessing my own situation. I touch my forehead with my hand and I see blood on my fingers. I stand up slowly to see if I can. I find my feet and then hold on to the wall to stabilize myself.

I hear a loud bang and then the ship rocks again. This time I am prepared and I am holding tight on the pipe I hit my head against. The door burst open and Nita stands before me with her life jacket on, she has a life jacket in her hand. She throws the life jacket at me while holding on to the door.

"Alice! Put that on!! Now!!"

"Why? What's going on?!"

I take the jacket and put it on, making sure to follow the instructions they have drilled into me the first few days.

"We're under attack!!"