Read Online The Captain's Lady by Lorhainne Eckhart - Free Book Online
Authors: Lorhainne Eckhart
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, Military, Man-Woman Relationships, Love Stories, kidnap, navy, Ship Captains
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and strode into the head.
Gail heard the familiar squeak of the faucet. Water galoshed through the pipes, then the faucet squeaked off. A moment later Mary-Jo returned to the bunkroom. She didn't look any calmer.
"Humpff, you just remember what I said, and if I was you, Miss Gail, I would drop it and start doin’ the job you're supposed to do and keep your nose out of the cap'n's business."
The angrier Mary-Jo got, the more pronounced her southern accent became. Taking them all in with a sweeping glance, she clenched her fists and smacked Gail on the back of the head. “What's wrong with you, trying to cause trouble? And what's wrong with the rest of you girls, sittin’ here listening to this? Shame on you.” She gave each of them a final dark glare before heading for the bunkroom door. “If you even think about causing trouble and I hear about it, I'll go straight to the cap'n. I won't stand by and take it. And I won't do it sneaky like you the cowards. I will be in your face and wipe the floor with you.” She made a point of peering right into Gail's eyes, conveying the warning before turning on her heels and leaving.
The remaining girls, one by one, looked at Gail. “She's right, just let it go."
The rebel in Gail sprouted up seething at the humiliation she had just endured at the hands of Mary-Jo. She had almost convinced them. Her silent thoughts pulsed with anger. No, she wouldn't let it go. If they wouldn't help her, she'd find her own way. Scowling, she plopped into one of the chairs by the TV, earning a pitying glance from Jennifer, still standing beside the bunk. God, how she hated them for making her feel this low.
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Chapter Nine
Eric sat behind his desk surveying the room. Joe sat across the room in the chair by the couch, where they had just held their daily department head meeting. The meetings were, as a rule, held in the morning, but with the sudden arrival of Abby and the ensuing commotion, they'd rescheduled it to 1900.
He acknowledged each officer as they passed by his desk, waiting until they left before swallowing the last of the bitter coffee in one gulp and rereading the orders clutched in his hand.
To Captain Eric Hamilton,
Commander USS Larsen
Northern Arabian Gulf
DATE: June 19, 2004
Indeterminate extension of existing orders to remain in the Persian Gulf, conducting operations in support of multinational forces in Iraq and Maritime security operations in the Gulf, in order to set conditions for security and stability in the region.
Stability in the region. There was the crux of the issue.
When the USS Larsen pulled out of its homeport six months earlier, as part of the battle group now stationed in the gulf under Operation Iraqi Freedom, emotions were high as the thrill of being back on the open sea stirred the blood of the crew. Most had left behind wives, children, and families. Some had even become new fathers while out at sea.
At the announcement of the orders, the officers masked their disappointment well, but it was still there. This left Eric with a silent, piercing guilt for feeling a lonely jubilation that they were staying. He had no ties to shore, only a rented apartment in Portsmouth with a few meager possessions. No, the sea was his true home, his lady-love, the only place he truly felt alive. He was merely a survivor of life's fickleness until experiencing a soul-awakening rebirth the first time he went out to sea.
He slipped the orders back in the folder, and then dropped it neatly to the side of his desk with a measure of finality. Tension in the region was already high. The increase in hostilities prompted the creation of a task force scheduled for dispatch later in the week.
Eric was hesitant about bringing up the subject of Abby, but there was no way around it. Without covering the pertinent details, he'd advised the men that they would not be moving her, and for the time being, she would remain in sickbay, off limits to the
Gail heard the familiar squeak of the faucet. Water galoshed through the pipes, then the faucet squeaked off. A moment later Mary-Jo returned to the bunkroom. She didn't look any calmer.
"Humpff, you just remember what I said, and if I was you, Miss Gail, I would drop it and start doin’ the job you're supposed to do and keep your nose out of the cap'n's business."
The angrier Mary-Jo got, the more pronounced her southern accent became. Taking them all in with a sweeping glance, she clenched her fists and smacked Gail on the back of the head. “What's wrong with you, trying to cause trouble? And what's wrong with the rest of you girls, sittin’ here listening to this? Shame on you.” She gave each of them a final dark glare before heading for the bunkroom door. “If you even think about causing trouble and I hear about it, I'll go straight to the cap'n. I won't stand by and take it. And I won't do it sneaky like you the cowards. I will be in your face and wipe the floor with you.” She made a point of peering right into Gail's eyes, conveying the warning before turning on her heels and leaving.
The remaining girls, one by one, looked at Gail. “She's right, just let it go."
The rebel in Gail sprouted up seething at the humiliation she had just endured at the hands of Mary-Jo. She had almost convinced them. Her silent thoughts pulsed with anger. No, she wouldn't let it go. If they wouldn't help her, she'd find her own way. Scowling, she plopped into one of the chairs by the TV, earning a pitying glance from Jennifer, still standing beside the bunk. God, how she hated them for making her feel this low.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Nine
Eric sat behind his desk surveying the room. Joe sat across the room in the chair by the couch, where they had just held their daily department head meeting. The meetings were, as a rule, held in the morning, but with the sudden arrival of Abby and the ensuing commotion, they'd rescheduled it to 1900.
He acknowledged each officer as they passed by his desk, waiting until they left before swallowing the last of the bitter coffee in one gulp and rereading the orders clutched in his hand.
To Captain Eric Hamilton,
Commander USS Larsen
Northern Arabian Gulf
DATE: June 19, 2004
Indeterminate extension of existing orders to remain in the Persian Gulf, conducting operations in support of multinational forces in Iraq and Maritime security operations in the Gulf, in order to set conditions for security and stability in the region.
Stability in the region. There was the crux of the issue.
When the USS Larsen pulled out of its homeport six months earlier, as part of the battle group now stationed in the gulf under Operation Iraqi Freedom, emotions were high as the thrill of being back on the open sea stirred the blood of the crew. Most had left behind wives, children, and families. Some had even become new fathers while out at sea.
At the announcement of the orders, the officers masked their disappointment well, but it was still there. This left Eric with a silent, piercing guilt for feeling a lonely jubilation that they were staying. He had no ties to shore, only a rented apartment in Portsmouth with a few meager possessions. No, the sea was his true home, his lady-love, the only place he truly felt alive. He was merely a survivor of life's fickleness until experiencing a soul-awakening rebirth the first time he went out to sea.
He slipped the orders back in the folder, and then dropped it neatly to the side of his desk with a measure of finality. Tension in the region was already high. The increase in hostilities prompted the creation of a task force scheduled for dispatch later in the week.
Eric was hesitant about bringing up the subject of Abby, but there was no way around it. Without covering the pertinent details, he'd advised the men that they would not be moving her, and for the time being, she would remain in sickbay, off limits to the
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