Chapitre 4: Farewell

You sit and eat the food they've prepared for you and you're enjoying the company. After dinner, you go back to your sleeping quarters. You get into bed and you try to fall asleep. You're not used to sleeping while the bed you're sleeping in, isn't on solid ground. The movement of the ship is something you need to get used to.

It's a few hours into the night when you decide that maybe some fresh air will do you good. You maneuver through the halls and finally find a door to the outside.

You open the door and the smell of the ocean fills your senses. You feel the wind through your hair and the unmistakable stickiness that comes with the sea air. You walk on the deck to the side of the ship. The moonlight is playing on the dark ocean in front of you. It's a warm summer night. You hear the waves crashing against the ship. You take a deep breath of the fresh ocean air.

You stare at the ocean and an unfamiliar calmness comes over you. You feel for the first time that you have to be here, that this is where you belong. You've always wondered if you made the right choice and this feeling right here confirms what you've been thinking all this time. This is your home now.

You walk around the deck, just enjoying the quietness of it all when you see someone leaning against the ship's railing also staring at the ocean. You walk closer and then you see him. You can help but think of him in all the wrong ways. He turns around and looks at you. His white, see-through shirt's top buttons are open, revealing his chiseled chest, cut to perfection. It's like he's teasing you with his body...

You see this remarkable man standing against the railing of the ship. He just stares at you as you walk closer to him. You see a hint of hesitation in his 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're heading out tomorrow first thing. I just needed some time to...to..."

"...clear your head" He turns again to look you in the eye, amazement plays on his face. "How did you know I wanted to say that?"

Then you turn and look out over the ocean. You 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 you and you can feel his adoration for you. This time he moves closer to you and looks over the ocean, allowing his arm to rest lightly against yours. Something happens at that moment. You can't describe it but you know that this could be a special bond forming between you.

You both just stare at the ocean, not saying a word. His arm moves just a little bit closer ever so often until your arm is completely against each other. He turns to look at you and you at him. Your breathing each other's air. You feel warmth flowing through you, filling all the lonely places.

Nick turns to you "Thank you"

"For what?"

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

"You're very welcome. Please don't be shy to ask me to come and stand with you again if you need it"

He smiles and then pulls away with much agony. 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 don't want that, we need you to be in tip-top shape" He laughs and then turns around. You feel like you have to tell him something burning deep within you. You just blurt it out. "Nick!"

"Yeah?"

You take a deep breath. "Be careful and please come back to us"

Tenderness fills his eyes and his voice is soft and gentle. He wants to walk closer to you 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 you alone on the pier. (What are you doing, Kim?? What are you doing...?)

You look at the ocean one last time and find your way back to your banker. You fall asleep, praying that Nick will be safe.

It's the next morning and Nita shows you 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 I would spend most of my 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. Now, there won't always be a surgery necessary 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 don't disappoint but I don't mind performing the normal duties other than surgery, I'm here to help where I can. Please put me to work"

"Thank you for your willingness the world needs more of you. Now, let's have a look at your home, while we're 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's nothing that you're used to, it's so much smaller but somehow this feels like you belong. You walk around the room inspecting all the tools for surgery and you notice they have exactly everything you'll ever need to operate successfully.

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

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

Nita shows you the rest of the sickbay and you meet the rest of the staff. The day carries on with a few sea sick patients coming in. You catch yourself thinking of Nick and what he's doing but then you must remind yourself that you have John, waiting for you back home. It's the end of the day and you've finished eating dinner. You're starting to get the vibe around the ship and how things work...