Saved

Chapter 5, SAVED

Chapter Five

Larry Saunders made a point of avoiding conflict, but when facing a problem that could escalate into something bigger, he firmly believed in sitting down face to face to work it out. He was a diplomat, and he loved playing the role of peacemaker, searching for the good that existed in everyone. He truly believed that sometimes, with some people, he just had to dig deep to find it.

After asking several crewmen about Gail Carruthers' whereabouts, he was told to try the mess. Several of the enlisted moved over to let him pass. It never failed to amaze him that the majority of the personnel aboard looked like kids. This should not have been surprising, as so many of them were under twenty. He wondered about the captain and the officers dealing with these kids. At times, it was so much like high school.

Walking into the mess, he took a minute of searching over the heads of all the crew crowding the cafeteria-style seating before he spied Gail, seated with the other female enlisted. As he approached, he noticed their heads gathered close together and the serious conversation they were engaged in. One of the girls noticed him, and her eyes widened. She whispered something to the rest, and they all turned when he approached. Six women, all junior crewmembers whom he didn't recognize, gathered their trays when he stopped at the table. They then promptly stood and acknowledged him, saying, "Lieutenant." All except Gail.

"Carry on," he said.

"Yes, sir," each of them replied. All except Gail. She sat there as if she carried a dark cloud over her head. He didn't miss her oversight. It was a deliberate slap, obviously, and if this was what she had done with the captain, she should have been thanking him for not having her court-martialed. He took the seat across from her, and she gripped her tray and started to get up.

"Sit down; we need to have a chat," he said, holding his narrow hand up as he waved her back down. "And you will address me as your commanding officer, sailor."

Larry had a sudden feeling that she was going to ignore him. Then he saw her face tighten, and she slowly returned to her seat. When she finally looked over at him, he was a little taken back by the hostility blazing in those dull brown eyes.

"Tell me, please, what that was all about," he said, squinting in fury as he tilted his head towards the women hurrying to leave the mess hall.

The abrupt turn of her head scattered the unruly curls in her hair as she watched the retreating women with a defiant tilt in her chin. "Nothing, sir. I was just having lunch with my fellow crew members."

"Bullshit. I don't know what's going on with you, but when you enlist in the Navy, there are rules you follow, and I am not about to let some chit start an upheaval on this ship. Do I make myself clear?"

She flushed and looked away, and Larry was finding himself leaning towards the captain's way of thinking. Right now, he was finding it downright impossible to see anything likeable about this girl. He wondered too for a second whether he could get away with giving her a good swift kick in the backside. Sometimes, someone with that kind of arrogant chip on the shoulder could only understand one thing.

"I want to know right now what happened with the captain in sickbay," Larry said.

A coolness manifested from Gail as she tensed, sitting up straight as if someone had pulled her by the scruff of the neck. She appeared to clamp her mouth shut, as if unwilling to part with one bit of her story.

"At ease, Carruthers. Please, let's speak freely."

She raised her bushy eyebrows and then frowned. "All right, sir. The captain obviously doesn't like me, and he makes no bones about it. I was just doing my job when he walked in and started questioning me about the patient. I told him how she was doing, and then, for no reason at all, he got mad and told me to get out. I did nothing wrong, sir. He makes a habit of treating us women on this ship as if we're nothing." Tears appeared in her dull brown eyes as her chin began to wobble.

Resisting the urge to put her on report, he said, "You've had other problems on this ship. I understand when you were on the Vincent, as well, there was some conflict between you and your commanding officer."

"He didn't like me, sir, is all."

Larry was trying to remember the details of why she requested the transfer. She may have trouble with men, period. Perhaps it was time to move her again. "Are you looking for another transfer, Carruthers? Is that what this is about?" He slipped out of the seat and watched her, frowning, as she refused to look at him or rise and acknowledge his leaving. "Stand up, Carruthers."

This time, she did.

"You are very well aware that when an officer enters, you are to acknowledge. Are you not, Carruthers?"

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"Good. See to it you remember in the future, as this is the only warning you'll get from me. Your attitude needs to change. You sound like a whiny high school kid with a chip on her shoulder, and you better figure out right quick where you are, because this is the last time we're going to have this kind of chat. Another officer is not going to be as forgiving as I am." Larry didn't wait for her response. He left, running his hand over the coarse hair at the side of his head as he swiftly stepped out into the passageway, realizing that before he returned to the Vincent, he'd need to see that Carruthers was posted elsewhere, anywhere but on this ship.

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