by J. P. Larson
“You were pretty quick to ask for help, Alex.”
“Sure I was. I asked for two missiles. I’ll gladly pay for them, if you like. And I asked for humanitarian medical assistance.”
“You asked for the marines, Alex.”
“I was completely in control of that ship, Mother, not counting some minor medical problems. I killed 21 people. If anyone was left, he was hiding pretty darn good. A ten-year-old could have held that bridge long enough to get it here. We could ask the Admiral how many prisoners he took off the cutter.”
“You needed help, Alex, and the military provided it.”
“Mother, I will gladly pay for the two missiles plus reasonable costs for a squad of marines for three days. I’ll even cover my medical expenses. I had nothing to do with the other expenses.”
Julie turned to Pamela. “Congratulations, Dear. You seem to be the proud owner of a very well equipped merchant vessel.”
“Not quite,” said Alex.
“Now what?” replied his mother.
“I’ll back off if this is a problem for you at home.”
“You would?”
“Of course, Mother. I would never do anything to hurt you politically. If I have to, I’ll find another way to get Pamela her own ship.”
“Are you kidding? Think about the PR. ‘Wounded War Hero Gives Beautiful Bride Extravagant Wedding Gift While Proud Parents Applaud’.”
“Mother, you need someone else to write your headlines.”
Julie laughed, then turned back to Pamela. “What are you going to call her?”
“Are we really done here? I really get a ship?”
Alex looked at Elizabeth and Julie for a moment. “Yes, Pamela. All yours, inside or outside DS space.”
Pamela started to smile. “How does Grey Ghost sound?”
“I like it,” said Alex. “Do I have a job?”
“Yes, Alex, if you want one.”
“Thank you, Pamela. I was wondering what I was going to do. ‘Wounded War Hero Forgotten by Navy Now Starving Beggar’.”
No one smiled.
“Oh, come on. It’s an image.”
“I wouldn’t let you starve, Alex,” Pamela told him. “I can set you up with that little cottage, a few tools. In ten years, you can turn out figures like your fathers. I would stop in for a day or two every few months, bring you gifts from all those faraway places you never visit anymore…” She noticed Alex’s expression. “Oh, Alex, I’m kidding!”
He looked at her sadly. “What if my leg doesn’t work?” he asked quietly.
“Then your title is Finance Officer and Security Advisor.”
Alex took her hand for a moment. “Thank you, Pamela. I’m better now.”
He looked around. “Um. This isn’t really my business. It’s Pamela’s ship. But I want to meddle.”
“Meddle away, Alex,” Pamela said.
“This is just my opinion. Take it for what it’s worth. I think Grey Ghost should run as part of this new shipping line. Pamela, it’s a real pain being a solo operator.”
“I think that’s an excellent suggestion, Pamela,” said Elizabeth. Julie nodded.
“Under what terms?” Pamela asked.
“Pamela, if you try to negotiate with either of these two, they’ll eat you alive.”
“Thanks a lot, Alex. You just walked all over them, but they’re going to eat me alive.”
“Are you kidding? I can't beat my mother in an argument, and I bet I can't beat yours, either. They let me win, and only because they both knew it was just to give you your own ship. Your mother especially likes knowing I will follow your orders without question or back talk. And my mother thinks I am being romantic. I have some legal standing, but not enough to stand up to either of them, much less both of them.”
Pamela looked from her mother to her mother-in-law. They were both nodding. “He’s absolutely right, Pamela," said my mother. "If he'd gotten the ship to port without help, his position would be much stronger, but he didn't. And he doesn't have the legal resources to fight for it. He would need either me or Elisabeth to take his side against the other one, and we wouldn't do that. And he wouldn't ask us to."
Pamela looked between the three of them, then settled her gaze on Alex again.
“You won’t win if you negotiate with them, Pamela.” He paused. “So don’t negotiate.”
Julie looked at Elizabeth. “He’s about to really win for once, isn’t he, Elizabeth?”
“I do believe he is, Julie. He’s very sneaky.”
“He certainly is. Gets that from his mother,” said Julie. “But his temper! Oh, his temper! That he gets from his father.”
“I never lose my temper,” Alex protested. “I just get even.”
“My point exactly.”
“Can we get back to the issue at hand?” asked Pamela. “If I don’t negotiate, what do I do?”
“This is just my suggestion. You can certainly negotiate if you want to. And you can go it alone. Totally your decision.”
“I know all that, Alex. I know the difference between advice and demands.”
“Okay. Then I would ask Mom and Elizabeth for their advice. In fact, I would go so far as to ask them to draft the agreement they think you should sign. I assume they would discuss your goals with you before offering their advice, of course, so that they’ve got your perspective in mind.”
Elizabeth looked at Julie. “Do you think my daughter recognizes good advice when she hears it?”
“I don’t know. She looks like she likes a good fight. Do you think we should try to convince her of the merits in Alex’s suggestion?”
“No, I don’t think so. If she’s foolish enough to go up against the Prime Ministers of two worlds, who are by definition the most politically savvy people on their respective planets, then she deserves what she gets.”
Pamela’s expression clouded, then cleared. “Mother, Julie, I was hoping for your advice in this matter. You know, help me figure out what I should do, make sure I’m not making any mistakes. Would you help me?”
“Of course, Dear,” said Julie. “We would love to help you get started. For a position on your board of directors. For each of us.” Elizabeth nodded.
“Take it!” yelled Alex quickly. “You’ll never get a better offer! How many companies have a Prime Minister on their board? Or, two? Two? Unheard of!” He cocked his head for a moment, then added, “I think.”
“I would like that,” Pamela said. “You are both being very generous.”
“Have you decided how you’re going to pick which ship you want, Pamela?” Julie asked her.
“I thought I would look them over, see which was in better shape, had the best systems.”
Alex coughed.
“Your husband isn’t done meddling, Daughter,” said Elizabeth. “He really is quite forward. We’re going to have to work on that.”
Alex grinned.
“I suppose it’s only fair that you pick the ship, Alex,” Pamela told him. “It’s your gift to me.”
“Oh, don’t ask me to pick. I’d pick the one with the biggest Finance Officer’s cabin.”
“Not to mention Security Advisor,” added Pamela.
“Not to mention.”
“But you don’t want me to pick the ship, either? I’ve been aboard ships before. I can pick a decent one.”
Alex didn’t say anything.
“Oh my,” said Elizabeth. “He’s being polite.”
“No, he’s pushing her buttons,” said Julie. “He’s going to make her ask for his opinion.”
“If you two make her angry, she won’t,” said Alex. “And you already know what I’m going to tell her. Maybe she should just ask her board what to do.”
Pamela looked exacerbated, then began smiling. “I don’t need to ask any of you for advice. I’ll do it my way. I bet Admiral Swanson can offer excellent advice.”
Alex smiled. “Bring me a picture. Now, give me a kiss, then let me take a nap.”
&nb
sp; Elizabeth and Julie started to sneak from the room.
“Wait. Elizabeth, will you stay for a minute?”
Elizabeth turned her back on the couple while Alex’s mother left. “I’ll stop back later, Alex,” she said. “Maybe I’ll bring you some real dinner.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Pamela leaned close.
She kissed him.
Pamela stepped from the room, giving Alex and Elizabeth a strange look on the way. Elizabeth turned around and returned to the side of the bed.
“You and I need to talk,” Alex told her. “I wimped out the other night.”
“Now?”
“When we have time and won’t be interrupted. Please, if you can find the time, I would appreciate it.”
“You really are trying to get along with me, aren’t you.”
“I’m totally running in the dark, Elizabeth. If I’m going to be breaking protocols, I like to do it on purpose, not out of ignorance. Please, will you find the time to see me?”
“Of course, Alexander. And you’re not doing so bad.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth.”
“Do you want some help sleeping?
“If you could, just a nap. I don’t want the physical therapist to have an excuse for not staying this afternoon.”
“I’ll make sure she knows she should wake you.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth.”
“Lie back, Alexander.” Alex relaxed. He didn’t even feel her before he fell asleep.
* * *
“Alex, it’s perfect! Well, it’s not. It’s kind of ugly. But your father says a ship should have some character. And he started telling me about the refit!”
“Pamela? I got you the ship. But now you’ll have to do something with it. You’ll need a good crew. A mixed crew, if you’re going to have me along.”
Pamela nodded. “You going to tell me how to pick the crew?”
“I’m not qualified. I can interview people with you, if you want, give you my opinion. But I’ve never held a position on a crewed ship. You’re far more qualified than I am. However, I can talk about teamwork. That’s something I’m real good at.”
“Go ahead, Alex.”
“Just my opinion. Make it half DS women, half Random Walkers, right down the middle. The Random Walkers don’t have to be all male, of course. In fact, they can be all women, if you want, but if I’m along, I don’t know what that does to the equation.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“Next, I get my own cabin. Or whatever arrangements are appropriate to my position. I don’t stay in yours, though.”
“I’ll think about that, too.”
“Pick the DS women first. Make sure they can work with the Random Walkers. That’s going to be tricky.”
“Not that hard.”
“For the Random Walkers, well, talk to my father. He always has leads.”
“Anything else?” Pamela asked him.
“I would like to see an org chart with the chain of command. I would like to see where I sit. And I would like to know if the position immediately below your name is going to a DS woman or a Random Walker.”
“Do you have an opinion on that subject?”
Alex didn’t say anything.
“Does that mean you have an opinion you’re not sharing?”
Alex remained quiet.
“Okay, Alex. Thank you for your advice.”
“Pamela, in a combat situation, the DS women will have to take orders directly from me without hesitation. That includes the captain. Any other situation could kill us all.”
“Okay, Alex.”
Rehabilitation
“Mr. Grey, this part can be quite painful. Would you like some drugs?”
“No, Doctor Tate,” Alex replied.
“I’m not sure you understand, Mr. Grey, so I will rephrase. This procedure, although fairly brief, will probably be the most painful experience of your life. I really suggest the drugs.”
“Doctor, if you manage to make this the most painful experience of my life, I will be very, very impressed.”
“You are a foolish man, Mr. Grey.”
“Yes, Doctor, I’m sure I am. I don’t need any drugs.”
The doctor looked at Pamela. “You argue with him,” she said. “Think of this as an opportunity to pay him back for all the trouble he has caused you.”
The doctor smiled briefly. “Maybe I’ll do just that.” She turned to the trio of nurses who were hovering in the entryway. “Let’s do it.”
The nurses moved to the bed. One of the nurses lowered the head of Alex’s bed until he was laying flat on his back. The doctor pressed some buttons on the machine that surrounded Alex’s lower half. There were a variety of electronic noises. Alex gritted his teeth, but didn’t say anything.
“It’s going to get a lot worse, Mr. Grey.”
“I didn’t think this tickling feeling was it, Doctor. No drugs.”
“Tickling?” The doctor pressed more buttons, and the top of the machine flipped over, exposing both of Alex’s legs, side by side. One of the nurses quickly covered him with a sheet.
“Mr. Grey, you are now going to experience one of the disadvantages of this unit. We haven’t figured out an elegant method of removing you from this machine and transferring you to another bed. The machine is built into your bed, so you have to move, not it.”
“Is that all?” Alex asked. “I know what to do.”
“Oh, you do?”
Pamela piped up. “Doctor, I would trust him on this. At least listen to what he says.”
“I have to exit up and to the right, yes?” Alex asked.
“Yes, Mr. Grey.”
“Okay. Shift the bed to the left. Put the gurney next to me so I have someplace to go. I’ll pull myself up with this thing you have conveniently hanging from the ceiling and just shift myself over.”
“You’re going to do all that?”
Alex paused. “I wouldn’t mind some help,” he finally said. “I don’t think my legs are going to behave.”
“I think maybe we’ll just pick you up, if you don’t mind.”
“Can we try my way first? If it’s obviously not going to work, I’ll be a good boy and do it your way. I’ll even take your drugs, if you insist.”
“You have a deal, Mr. Grey.”
“But I get two tries.”
“Certainly. But we get the third?”
“Deal, Doctor.”
They adjusted the bed and the gurney, then everyone arranged themselves around the bed. There were more people than there were places to use them.
“Any time you’re ready, Mr. Grey,” said the doctor.
“Alex, maybe we should do it their way,” said Pamela.
“She already admitted she didn’t have a very good way. Now, I’m going to lift slowly, straight up. If my legs can follow me at the same pace, I would appreciate it.”
Alex paused, then grasped the bar suspended two feet over his chest. He began lifting. He only got about six inches before he lowered himself back down.
“It’s possible I’ll need a third try, Doctor,” he said after a few moments.
“The third try is on the pain killers, Mr. Grey. My way.”
“Well then. Shift the bed up towards my head. I want the bar I’m using directly over my hips, not over my chest.”
Adjustments were made. Alex nodded, grasped the bar, and muscled himself straight up. This time, his hips and shoulders both came off the bed. The nurses lifted his feet. With a grunt and a curse, Alex was free of the dreaded machine.
“Shift him!” said Pamela. “Quickly.”
Working together, the nurses helped Alex shift over to the gurney, where he quickly lowered himself before
passing out.
* * *
“Please don’t tell my father,” Alex pleaded. “He’ll be so embarrassed.”
“That you passed out?” Pamela scowled at him.
“It was only thirty seconds.”
The doctor chose that moment to walk in.
“I heard you were awake, Mr. Grey.”
“Hello, Doctor. I guess you were right.”
“Your method worked, Mr. Grey. How do you feel today?”
Alex looked down for a moment. “Nothing works,” he finally said quietly. “Well, the left one works a little, but I can barely lift it. And I can wiggle the toes.”
“Do you mind if I watch?”
Alex shook his head. Pamela removed the blankets that were covering his legs, partly bunching them around his waist.
“First, I wiggle the toes.” Alex wiggled his toes at the doctor. “I can rotate the ankle and do all the normal stuff.” He demonstrated. “But when I try to lift the entire leg….”
Alex lifted his leg only a few inches from the bed before it fell back down. He was sweating.”
The doctor stepped to the side. “I’m going to lift your leg. I need you to tell me if I do anything that hurts, even just a little. Please don’t lie to me.”
“He won’t lie to you, Doctor,” said Pamela.
Alex started doing calculus problems.
Alex grinned at his wife, but concentrated on what the doctor was doing. The doctor slowly lifted Alex’s leg, supporting it at the ankle and knee, bent the leg slowly, then unbent it. Finally, she set it back down.
“Any pain or discomfort?”
“No,” Alex said.
The doctor looked at Pamela, who shook her head.
“This leg has seen six weeks of no activity. It’s weak. The muscles are atrophied. Physical therapy will take care of it. If you work hard, Mr. Grey, it’ll be right as rain.” She looked at him briefly. “I don’t think I’ll need to encourage you.”
“No, Doctor. But the other one isn’t doing so well.”
“Hmm. Well, maybe you would like my opinion?”
Alex nodded, and the doctor moved to his right side.
“What have you tried?”
“Same thing as the other leg. It twitches, but that’s it.”
