Nathan Bridger sighed to himself as he pulled the zipper of his shorty wetsuit up tight.  There was something to be said for this boat late at night.  It was almost 2 a.m. now and the boat was peacefully quiet and serene.  He snatched his diving mask from the bench as he headed out to the Moon Pool.  He should have known but he still smiled when he saw Darwin floating in the pool waiting for him.

"Hey there, Darwin-me-boy."

"Bridger play?" the dolphin said rolling over onto his side so he could watch the man.

"Yeah, I want to play," Nathan said sliding over the wall of the pool into the warm salt water.  He spit on the lens of his mask and then wiped it off before sliding it down over his face and diving into the water heading directly for a foam ball that floated on the side.  Darwin swiftly swam the same way and was only prevented from getting the ball by Bridger bouncing into the dolphin's body as he reached the ball.  He shook his head as he raised up with the ball in his
hand.  "Catch this one, big guy," Nathan said tossing the ball to the other side of the pool and then swimming after the fast dolphin.

For Doctor Kristin Westphalen it had been a long evening… hell, it had been a long day…. but she found herself unable to relax.   The events of the day were spinning through her mind and she had headed down to the Moon Pool in hopes of having a relaxing swim to try to calm herself down.  As she stepped from the locker room onto the Sea Deck she was more than surprised to hear a familiar laugh.

"Bridger cheat," she heard Darwin say petulantly.

"I'm not cheating."  That was Captain Bridger.  "I'm being creative."

"Cheat," the dolphin repeated.  "Throw ball, Bridger," he said insistently.

"Alright," Bridger relented.  Kristin looked around the edge of the wall just in time to see him throw a foam ball up against the wall of the pool.  Both man and dolphin dived into the water to try to catch the ball with Darwin coming up with it after a fierce pushing battle.  This time Darwin threw the ball against the wall and the battle was repeated.  After a good 15 minutes of furious play Bridger swam over to the shallow end of the pool and pulled his mask down
breathing hard from the exertion.

She saw him stop for a moment and look around a little before a small smile crossed his face and he looked her direction.  "Are you just going to be a voyeur, Doctor, or are you going to come in and play with us?"

Kristin sheepishly came out from behind the wall.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to spy on you but I didn't want to disturb your game."

Nathan noticed that she also was wearing a shorty wetsuit and had her mask in her hand.  Probably going for a late night swim, he thought.  "You're welcome to join us," he said holding out his hand.

"Alright, I shall," she said holding his hand as she stepped over the combing into the water.  "What kind of games do you play?" she asked as she put her own mask on.  The foam ball had drifted towards her and she picked it up and looked at it.

"Well," Bridger said thoughtfully, "we play catch, a version of basketball….." She saw a grin cross his face as he put his mask back on.  "And we play a mean game of keep-away," he said grabbing the ball from her hands and swimming away with it.

"You rat!" Kristin yelled before diving into the water after him. For the next thirty minutes a rousing game of keep-away ensued and the water in the Moon Pool sloshed over the side as the three of them dove back and forth in a quest for the ball.

At one point Kristin jumped high in the air to sail the ball over Bridger's head and slipped as she came down.  Nathan reached out quickly and grabbed her around the waist pulling her, sputtering, out of the water.

"Are you alright?" he laughed still holding her around the waist.

"Yes," she said pointedly looking down at his hands on her hips.

"Oh, sorry," Nathan said letting go of her.

She grinned at him and then he saw a mischievous glint come to her eyes before she put both hands on his chest and propelled him back into the water.

Nathan scrambled up coughing.  "Hey, what was that for?" he asked indignantly.

"*That* was for stealing the ball from me earlier," Kristin laughed.

"That's the whole point behind keep away," Nathan said moving towards her menacingly.

Kristin backed up until she was against the side of the pool but just as Nathan got to her a grey form butted between them.  "I think Darwin is playing keep-apart," Kristin smiled.

"Play," Darwin said adamantly.

"Okay, just for that, you're `it'," Nathan said diving for the ball and swimming away from Darwin.  After another half hour all three of them were getting worn out and Kristin and Nathan again swam over to the shallow end and took their masks off.

"I think I'll be able to sleep now," Kristin said shaking the water from her hair.

"I was wondering why you were up at such a late hour," Nathan said with a small smile.

"I had just started to relax when Seaman Becker took that fall in the engine compartment.  He made my evening a little interesting."

"You said he'd be okay though, right?" Bridger asked concerned.

"Oh, yes," Kristin said slipping out of the pool.  "He'll be rather sore for a while but he'll be just fine."  She smiled over at Bridger as he handed her mask to her.  "So, what has you up at this ridiculous hour of the morning?"

Nathan pushed up on the side of the pool and slid his legs out until he was sitting on the side.  His face had become somewhat serious.  "Before I got here last month I'd spent the last six years on an island with my wife and for the last year I've been alone."  He shrugged.  "Sometimes there are just too many people around for me and I need some time apart."

"And I ruined it," Kristin said apologetically.

"No.  No, not at all," Nathan said hastily.  "Three was just right.  You, me and Darwin was just the right amount of company.  I really enjoyed it," he smiled.

A relieved smile crossed Kristin's face.  "I did too."  She self-consciously fingered the mask in her hand.  "I suppose I'd better get to bed or I won't be good for anything tomorrow," she said hesitantly.

"Yeah, me too," Nathan said with a small, nervous smile.

"Good night," Kristin said as she turned to go.

"Good night, Doctor," Nathan said, his eyes involuntarily drawn up to admire her shape as she walked to the locker room.  He sat, thoughtfully, on the edge of the pool for a while, watching after her until Darwin splashed him from behind.

"Smart ass," he said dryly to the dolphin.

"Bridger tired."

"Yeah," Nathan said standing slowly.  "Good night, Darwin."

"'nite, Bridger."
 
 

<<The End>>