NICK

I stand in front of the Admirals door with my hand on the door handle. I am about to walk into this office and tell him that I quit the Navy Seals. It feels like I am going to betray him in some way. But when Kim gives me a kiss on my cheek and tells me that I mean the world to her, I know I can face the Admiral.

So, I open the door and we walk through the door hand in hand but the moment that I see the Admiral I let go of her hand and stand at attention saluting the Admiral.

"Sir, Admiral sir!"

I watch as the Admiral turns around at our arrival and then he comes walking up to me. I am still standing in a saluting position when he comes over to give me a hug. I do not really know how to react to this hug but then I slowly put my arms around him. Then he says.

"I'm so glad that you are back. I thought that we have lost you out there"

Dammit, this just makes things worse. Now all of a sudden he is affectionate towards me. I know that we are good friends but I never expected him to cross that line of professionalism. I always thought that he would just quietly show his affection towards me.

"I am glad to be back, sir"

KIM

I watch as Nick nervously stands at attention and then I can not believe what I am seeing. I know that Nick and the Admiral had a special bond but I never thought it was this close. I can see the surprise on Nick's face when he gave him a hug.

I want to laugh but I cover my hand with my mouth because of the uncomfortable situation he finds himself in. I can see that he struggles to know how to handle the situation. Then the Admiral takes a step away from Nick and then he turns his attention to me.

"Dr. McPherson, it is a pleasure to see you again"

"The pleasure is all mine, sir"

"I can see that our boy took a beating again"

"Yes, sir. It seems like he can not stay out of trouble"

We all laugh together and then I can see Nick starting to fiddle with his fingers. I know that he has to say those words for himself and so I keep quiet.

"So, what brings you to my office?"

Nick takes a step forward and then he says.

"We have a bit of news that we need to share with you, sir"

The Admiral then gestures for us to sit down and then take a seat across from us behind his desk.

"Okay, I am listening"

NICK

I can feel my palms starting to sweat.

"As you know, Kim and I have gotten engaged..."

"Yes, I know, you told me this before you deployed"

"Sir, what I am trying to say is...well..."

Then I feel Kim taking my hand under the table and I turn and smile at her just when I was ready to give in, she saved me. That was just the right time for me to get a little bit of guts.

"...you want to quit the Navy Seals?"

It almost feels like someone is hitting me with a baseball bat in the stomach. Never in a million years did I think that he would know what I'm going to say.

"Well yes, but how did you know, sir?"

He stands up from his chair and then turns to look out of the window.

"I have been in this industry before you were been born. I know how it works. Almost every time when someone gets engaged they leave the Navy Seals..."

I can hear a bit of sadness in his voice but on the other hand, I am happy that he knows what is going on and that I do not have to explain myself. I just keep quiet and keep on listening. He doesn't look back he just keeps on staring out of the window.

"...I guess you have found the love of your life and you do not want to let her wonder where you are every time you go out. You want to start a family and be happy?"

Then he turns around and looks straight into my eyes and says.

"Am I right?"

"Yes, you are right, sir"

Then he turns to Kim and says.

"...and I'm guessing that you want to leave us too?"

KIM

I look at this entire thing happening in front of my eyes and I feel for the Admiral and Nick. I knew this is going to be a bit hard on both of them but this is just plain sad. Then attention is drawn to me and suddenly my heart starts to race uncontrollably. My lips start to dry and I know I must give him my answer but I do feel a bit anxious.

"Yes, I would like to, sir"

The Admiral sigh deeply and loudly. This is very heavy on him and I can see Nick just avoiding his eye contact. He just keeps on staring in his lap. I think if he could he would stand up and run but he knows he needs to face this. Then the Admiral sits back down on his chair and directs his attention to Nick.

"Usually, this would be my answer that I think you are making a big mistake and you are throwing away a great career. That you can still be a happily married couple and still have a great job. I would say to the doctor that you can not just start and then stop. There is a certain amount of months that you need to work but..."

I can not help as there starts to develop a tremble in my entire being. I fear the words that he is going to say next.

"...I have seen you on the stranded island together and I know what kind of a man Nick is. I have also come to know Dr. McPherson and I have seen the compassion that she has for the people around her. Nick has become something like a son to me and I would not want any other woman to be his wife but you..."

Then he gets up again and this time walks around his desk sitting on the edge between me and Nick.

"...and now, I'm going to do something improper and completely out of character. I'm going to tell you that you are not making the biggest mistake of your life. If I could go back in my life and I would have chosen the woman I love instead of the job that I love. Now, I am old and I do not have a son or a daughter or a wife. All I have is this job. So, if I would have had a son, I would have done this for him..."

I watch Nick closely and I can see that there are tears behind his eyes. I can see that this is breaking him up inside because he never really had a dad. I wish I can do something to comfort him but we are both in this boat together. We have to take whatever is coming our way.

"...I am going to bend backward to get you out of the life of a Navy Seal. I want you to be happy and get married and have lots of kids. I want you to have the life that I never chose. I want you to walk away from this and find what you have always been looking for. So, it is with my blessing that I say go, run and be the best that you can be"

NICK

I am almost completely torn up inside by the words that the Admiral is saying to me. I have had so many walls up around my heart regarding any kind of family that hearing the Admiral say these things just breaks down any defenses that I have left. I never thought that he would give us his blessing. I knew that he would be sad or maybe angry but never thought this.

I stand up and suddenly I do something that I never would do. I give him a hug and I hold tight onto him. Because happiness has started to grow in my heart and I know that Kim will come with me to start a life. I feel him wrapping his arms around me too. I know that this is a highly uncomfortable circumstance but I do not care.

He has given me something that my own dad could not give me and that is love. I will miss him extremely. I will miss these talks that we have and that is the thing I am sad about. Then I release him and he holds me by my shoulders.

"Now go and have fun. Have the life that I always dreamt about"

Then he takes Kim's hand and says.

"You take good care of her and you love her forever. You hear me?"

I step away one last time and salute him saying.

"Yes, Admiral sir!"

Then I turn around and walk out of the office. If I stay one more minute he will see how I break down and that is the last thing I want him to see. I almost run out and Kim stays behind. I close the door behind me and quickly find a private place. I slide down against the wall to the floor putting my hands in my head.

"Fuck!"

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like