`A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune.'
                                                                       ~ Anonymous.
 

"Oh yeah, so I'm the one who works too hard... I see," Nathan said in an angry sarcastic voice.

Kristin sighed and shook her head before glancing back at his image on the vid-screen.  "Nathan, you know that I've arranged to work at the hospital occasionally to keep my skills toned up and I'm sorry that my schedule isn't working into yours but you never asked me when I was working.  How was I to know that you'd arrange for an intimate dinner for the two of us without ever telling me about it?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," he said petulantly.

"It certainly was," she shot back.  Kristin took a quick look at her watch.  "And as much as I'd just love to stand here and argue with you, I have to be at work in 30 minutes.  Look, I'll call you in morning."

"Yeah, right," he said angrily.

"Oh, grow up, Nathan," Kristin said reaching for the disconnect switch.

"Grow up??!!" Nathan yelled at the screen which immediately went blank.  He leaned back in his chair and stared angrily at the terminal.  "Grow up," he muttered.  "Hell, that's no fun."  He turned at the tentative knock he heard at the door.

"Ummm, Tim and Migs are here," Lucas said hesitantly.

"Okay," Nathan responded evenly.

"B... But I can stay here tonight instead of going to the concert, if you'd like," Lucas stuttered.

Nathan looked at him confused.  "Why in God's name would you want to hang around here with me tonight when I'm in such a rotten mood?"

"I don't know," Lucas muttered.  "But I figured I should offer."

"If I were you, Lucas, I'd make the fastest escape I could."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah," Nathan nodded.  "I'll go for a walk or something.  Don't worry about me.  I'll calm down in a little while."

"Alright, sir... if you're sure."

"Have a good time, Lucas."

"We will," the boy said heading out the door.

Nathan watched him leave before looking back at the vid-screen.  "Like hell, I'll calm down in a while," he muttered uttering a quick expletive.  He stared at the screen a little before shaking his head and then wandered out onto the beach to see if a walk would help ease his tensions.

Two hours later he walked back up to the house and stared at his car.  The walk hadn't calmed him down at all, if anything, he was even more pissed off than he'd been when he started.  'Fine,' he thought, 'if she can work, so can I.'  He fished his keys out of his pocket and slid into his car.  As he pulled into his parking spot at the seaQuest construction dock he looked at his watch.  Not bad, a forty-five minute drive in only twenty minutes and no cops... best of all worlds.  Snatching a gym bag out of the back seat he strode into the entrance port and nodded to Petty Officer Dan Corsley on the main desk.   The construction had gotten far enough that several of the modules were able to be worked on at one time.  Right now their main concern was the engineering module which had its problems.

"Good evening, Captain.  You just missed everyone."

"Missed them?"

"Yeah, the evening construction crew just left and headed over to the Bitter End.  You could probably catch them if you wanted to."

Nathan sighed and chuckled a little.  "No, actually, I thought I might get some work done." He looked down the passageway.  "I'm going to be in the Chief Engineer's office and maybe in the engineering spaces themselves if you need me."

"Hell of a way to spend a Saturday night, Cap, but if you gotta work, you gotta work."

"Right," Nathan grinned as he headed down the passageway.

Thirty minutes later he'd changed into his jumpsuit and was staring seriously at a schematic on the screen of the terminal in the Engineer's office.  With his finger he traced out the path of some connections and then frowned and traced them out again.  "Hell," he muttered.  "That's what's wrong."  He pushed his chair back and left the office heading for the engineering spaces.

Once he reached the engine room he climbed between two large engine housings to glance back at the connections on the walls.  He backed out and selected an adjustable wrench from the tools carefully stored around the edge of the room.  He slid back between the two housings and stretched his arm out to try to reach a fitting.  The connection was tantalizingly close but was just beyond his reach.  "Damn," he muttered stretching as far as he could to get to the fitting but it still was unreachable.

As he leaned against the wall breathing heavily and glaring at the offending fitting his eyes slid down to notice the space between the bottom of the engine and the base.  The engine itself was raised on a housing to allow for bumpers that would prevent any vibration noises being transmitted to the hull.  He tilted his head around as he gauged the distance to the fitting from underneath the engine... that might do it.  He had to wiggle a little to squeeze his body between the housing and the engine so that he could lie underneath the engine and slide over until he was next to the wall.  He reached out with his arm, holding the wrench and smiled a little as he was able to slip the head of the wrench over the offending fitting.  Wincing a little, he pulled on the wrench and felt the fitting move slightly, from the housing to his side he suddenly heard and felt a cracking sound.  He looked up just in time to see the engine itself shift slightly.

"Oh, shit," he said as the engine moved towards him and the wrench dropped from his hand as his arm was wedged between the engine and the housing.

"Hey, Dan," Kristie Warren called out.  "You need a break?"

"Oh yeah," Dan Corsley said stretching his back.  "I could use a walk."

"See how nice I am to you?" Kristie said putting three cups of coffee up onto the desk.  "I even bring you gifts."

"Even better," Dan said picking up two of the cups. "Captain Bridger is working in the engine spaces.  Let me see if he could use a cup."

"Great, have a nice walk," Kristie said settling herself behind the desk.

Corsley wandered down the passageway at a slow pace enjoying the feeling of moving around after sitting behind the desk for the last two hours.  He stuck his head into the Engineer's office and shook his head at the papers that the Captain had spread around on the table but saw no sign of the man so he went back into the passageway and directed his steps to the engineering spaces.  He looked first in auxiliary engineering before heading for the main engine spaces.  As he walked in the engine room he frowned in concentration.  Something wasn't quite right.  Corsley looked at the top of the main engine and a shocked look covered his face as he realized that the engine was shorter than it had been before.  His eyes quickly slid down the engine.

"Oh, no," he muttered, dropping the cups of coffee as he reached for his PAL.

Jonathan Ford sipped his drink while watching two of the construction crew engage in a heated game of darts.  He looked over to where Kelly Richtler, the evening shift construction director, was dancing with one of the crew and smiled at how she could have so much energy after the tiring night they'd spent working on the boat.  It had been one of those evening shifts where nothing went right sparking the suggestion that this visit to the Bitter End was in order.  He leaned back comfortably in his chair and then jumped a little as the PAL he carried on his waistband beeped insistently.

Kelly looked across the floor and frowned as he saw Ford slip out into one of the alcoves off the bar.  She sure hoped that he wasn't leaving already.  This was the first time they'd actually gotten him to accompany them out to the bar after a shift, of course, with the shift they'd just worked though it hadn't taken much to convince him.  Suddenly, he reappeared and his eyes anxiously raked the dance floor before coming to rest on her.

"Kelly, with me," he called across the floor waving her to him as he headed quickly for the door.  Kelly squeezed her way through the dancing couples as she rapidly found her way to the door of the bar.

Ford brought his car to a screeching stop in front of the seaQuest construction dock.  The flash of revolving emergency lights blinked off the many vehicles parked haphazardly outside the entrance portal.  Kelly was out of the car even before Ford had switched it off and was through the portal at a run closely followed by Jonathan.

"Where?" she shouted to the security officer on the desk.

"Main engineering," she answered as Ford and Richtler took off at a run down the passageway.

As they ran into the main engine room Kelly slid to a stop staring at the large impeller engine while Ford moved quickly to kneel next to the man pinned under the engine.

"Sir, are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

Nathan looked up from where he lay beneath the large structure.  His head was turned to the side due to the limited area beneath the engine.  There was an angry scrape on his cheek, evidence of how close the engine had gotten to his head.  While the engine itself didn't appear to be resting on him, it had shifted enough to pin him under it, compressing his chest and smashing his arm.

"You've got to be kidding..." Nathan said in a strained voice.

"How did you end up underneath there?" Ford asked.

"I was trying to adjust that fitting," Bridger said looking over at the wall where he'd been trying work.

"What the hell for?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Nathan breathed, swallowing heavily.

Kelly walked up next to Ford with a fire department commander.  "We've got to raise the engine off of him."

"I'm all for that," Nathan muttered painfully.

Ford stood again and looked up at the engine.  "How?"

"Block and tackle off the support struts," Kelly said gauging the job with her eyes.

"Brace below, please," Nathan said between groans.

"Absolutely, sir," Kelly reassured him.  She looked over at the fire commander.  "We need at least six braces for under the engine so that we make sure it doesn't slip down anymore."

"Please," Nathan muttered.

Kelly squatted down.  "Is it actually on you, sir?"

"Yeah," Nathan said with a groan.  "It's squishing my chest," he gasped a little.  "And making it hard to breath."

"Anything else?"

"My arm's broken."

They looked over to where his left arm was pinned between the base and the engine, obviously broken.  "Are you bleeding at all, sir?" Ford asked.

"I don't think so, but it hurts," Nathan grimaced.

"We'll have you out of there in no time, Cap," Kelly said standing again.  "We've got block and tackle equipment in that cabinet.  We should need about four of them."

"How heavy is that engine?" the fire commander asked.

"About two tons... and we're going to need to be sure that we keep the tackle even or we'll shift the engine onto him... and that wouldn't be good."

"No, not at all," Nathan agreed with a grimace.

Quickly, between the fire crew, Kelly and Ford they rigged up block and tackle off the support struts and connected them to the engine. Kelly and three firefighters stood on ladders at the tackle while six more firefighters positioned themselves below to brace up the engine.

"What do you want me to do?" Ford asked Kelly.

"You stay down there with Captain Bridger and let us know if the engine is shifting unevenly."

"Right," Ford said kneeling near Bridger's head.  "Ready, sir?"

"More than you can imagine," Nathan said wincing heavily.

Ford nodded up at Kelly who signaled the others to pull up on the chains of the tackle.  Slowly, agonizingly, they raised the engine millimeter by millimeter stopping only to make adjustments as they were called out by Ford and wait while the men below slid bracing under the engine to ensure that it couldn't fall back down onto Bridger.

"Any better, sir?" Ford asked softly.

"Yeah," Nathan said only gasping slightly.  "It's still on me but I can breathe."

"Hang in there, sir. A little bit more and we might be able to slide you out."

"Uh huh."

It took another half hour of careful, slow raising of the engine until they decided that there was room enough to pull Bridger out. Kelly and the firefighters came down off of the ladders and Kelly and the fire commander carefully inspected the bracing placed under the engine before they risked moving the man pinned beneath.

While the bracing was being inspected one of the paramedics slid an aircast over Bridger's left arm to stabilize it before he was moved. Jonathan noted that since they'd gotten the engine up Bridger's color had improved considerably.  When they'd first arrived a slight blue tinting of his lips was evidence of the lack of oxygen that he was suffering from the way the engine was crushing him.  Cautiously, they slid a backboard under Bridger's shoulders and then drew him up onto it so that he could be transported to the waiting ambulance.

"How are you doing, sir?" Jonathan asked gently as he joined Bridger in the ambulance.

"Much better," Nathan said tiredly.  "I don't think anything's broken besides my arm so that's good."  He closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again and looking up at Ford.  "I wonder why the damned engine fell."

"I don't know, sir.  We'll have to check it out."

"Yeah," Nathan sighed.

"Doctor Westphalen?" Nurse Rob Smid said as he stuck his head around the corner of the door into the doctor's lounge.

"Hmm?"

"An ambulance just came in with a man who got trapped beneath a piece of machinery."

"Oh dear," she said taking a sip from her coffee cup before putting it down on the table.  "That's a perfect way to ruin a nice evening."

"Yeah," Smid smiled, "he's in treatment five."

Kristin walked quickly down to treatment room five, pushed the door open and walked in.  She came to a sudden stop when she saw the patient on the bed.

"We have *got* to stop meeting like this," Nathan mumbled humorlessly looking over at her.

Kristin walked up to the bed with a rueful smile on her face.  "How bad are you hurt?"

"Not bad," he sighed.  "I broke my arm and got a little smooshed."

One of the paramedics grinned.  "He ended up underneath a two ton engine that fortunately didn't fall all the way."

"How in God's name did you manage that?" she asked pulling the top of his jumpsuit open to check his chest.

"Talent?"

Despite herself, Kristin smiled and shook her head.  "What have we got in the way of vitals?"

The paramedic recited out Nathan's pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure and Kristin nodded. "That sounds acceptable," she said gently feeling down his ribcage and palpitating his abdomen.  "No rigidity, that's good."  She looked up at Rob Smid.  "X-rays, please.  The left arm, of course, chest, ribs, upper and lower back," she watched Nathan grimace as she felt his hips.  "Pelvis."  She looked down at Nathan noticing that he had his eyes shut and was holding the sheet of the bed firmly in his right hand.  "Nathan, does it hurt anywhere else?"

"No," he said his eyes still shut.

"Okay, we've got him," Kristin said to the paramedics.

"Great, take care, Cap," they said walking out of the room.

Kristin watched them leave and then looked back at Nathan.  His eyes were still shut and she noted that his breathing had become a bit ragged.  She leaned down so her head was close to his.  "Nathan," she said softly putting her hand on his shoulder.  "Is this a panic attack?"

"I hate hospitals," he mumbled, not opening his eyes or letting go of the sheet.

"I know," she said gently.  "I need to check your eyes to make sure that you don't have a head injury."

"I didn't even hit my head."

"Yeah, I can tell," she said tenderly touching just below the scrape on his cheek.  "Come on, open your eyes," she said putting her hand on the side of his face.  She frowned slightly as she felt the clamminess of his skin.  "Let me check your eyes."

He opened his eyes and glanced up at her with a worried look.  "I hate this."

"I know," she said softly shining a light in his eyes and noting that the pupils were reactive and equal.  "That's good. At least your head appears to be in one piece."

"For a change," he said with a quick humorless smile.

"Are you going to be alright to go get your x-rays?"

"Not much choice," Nathan said tightly.

"I don't remember you being this nervous last time you were in the emergency room," Kristin smiled down at him.

"Last time I was hurt worse... I wasn't quite as aware of my surroundings, such as they are, as I am now... and I didn't have any choice."

"You had to be here."

"Yeah," he said with a grimace.

"Well, tell you what... if you think you can handle the x-ray part I'll talk to Jonathan and see what we need to do about getting Lucas taken care of for the night.

"Oh, geez, I forgot about Lucas," Nathan said frowning.  "He's at a concert with O'Neil and Ortiz."

"Alright," she said patting his shoulder.  "For what it's worth I don't think you'll be spending the night."

"That would be good," he breathed in relief.

"For sure your arm is broken and we need to check on your ribs and such but barring any major problem there I don't think you're hurt all that bad."

"Good," he said relaxing a little.

"I'll come back and see you as soon as you're done with x-ray," Kristin said turning to go.

"Kris?" Nathan said softly.

"Hmmm?" she asked turning her head back towards him.

"I'm sorry.  I was wrong."

Kristin turned back the rest of the way and moved over until she stood next to the bed.  She brought her hand up to stroke the side of his face before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his lips.  "Yes, I know you were, but thank you for admitting it," she said gently smiling at him.  She winked at him.  "I'll see you as soon as you finish with x-ray."

"Okay," he sighed.

Kristin pulled her coat a little tighter around her body as she looked up into the clear, cool night sky.  She glanced back as Nathan walked out of the Emergency Room doors.  He shifted his sling gingerly on his shoulder and came up to her.

"Is your arm alright?" Kristin asked softly.

"Yeah," Nathan sighed.  "It's just finding the most comfortable place for it."

She smiled a little and nodded.  "How about if I take you home?"

"Yes, please," he said tiredly following her to her car.  She saw him take several deep breaths and look around a little.

"Better now that you're out of the hospital?"

"Much," Nathan said in a relieved voice.  He slipped into the passenger seat of Kristin's small sports car and leaned back against the headrest with a sigh.

As she expected, Nathan fell asleep even before they got out of the hospital parking lot.  She'd never known such a person for falling asleep in cars.  A little over a half-hour later she pulled gently over the slight rise at the entrance of the driveway to Nathan's beach house.  She looked over at him and smiled a little.  She knew the trick about this part too.

"Nathan," she called gently, making sure that she didn't touch him. No reaction.  "Nathan," she said a little louder and he shifted and sighed but didn't wake.  Kristin shook her head and tried one more time.  "Nathan!" she said much louder.

"Hmmm?  What?" he mumbled.

"We're home."

He frowned, confused.  "Whose home?"

"Your home.  I just drove you home from the hospital."

"Oh," he said stretching a little, stopping suddenly when he moved his casted left arm.  "Ow."

"Are you awake yet?"

"If I wasn't before, that arm did it."  He grimaced and opened his car door.  Kristin slid out on her side and joined him at the sidewalk.

She patted him on the shoulder.  "Come on, sailor.  Let's get you to bed."

She'd helped him get his jumpsuit off, propped up his arm on some pillows so it didn't throb quite so much and now was pulling the sheet up on him when a thoughtful look crossed her face.  "Lucas is staying overnight with the boys?" she asked rubbing his right shoulder.

"Yeah."

"Hmm.  Instead of going all the way home how about if I go lock up the house and stay here tonight?"

A soft smile lit up his face.  "That would be nice, if you'd like to."

She leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his lips.  "I'd like to."  Kristin slipped out of the bedroom and went around to the porch door and the French doors to lock them.  Then she went back into the main bedroom.  She smiled softly as she saw that he was now sound asleep.  Kristin checked his closet and removed a well-worn denim shirt.  Changing into it she slid under the sheets, turned off the lights and snuggled in next to him.

A frown crossed Nathan's face as he felt the pressure against his chest.  For just a moment he was back under the engine with it's weight robbing him of badly needed air before he struggled up to wakefulness and realized that the pressure was just Kristin's arm draped across him.  He shifted his head a little and then tensed and groaned as he unintentionally moved his left arm.

"Nathan?" Kristin said sleepily.

"I'm alright, I just moved my arm when I shouldn't have."

She propped herself on her elbow so she could look at him.  "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Only if I move it," Nathan grimaced.

"Then don't move it," Kristin smiled at him.

Nathan sighed and smiled back.  "No such luck.  I need to use the head."

"Put on your sling, then," she said taking it from where she had left it on the end of the bed.

Nathan slipped the sling over his shoulder before sliding out of bed and heading for the bathroom.  When he came out Kristin was standing in the hallway.  "Did you take a pain pill?"

"Can I take that on an empty stomach?"

"Yeah, this one you can," she said walking into the bathroom and filling a glass with water.  "Take this," she said handing him a small blue pill.  "Now go back and lie down," she said after he'd swallowed the pill.  A short time later she came back into the bedroom and locked the door before slipping into bed with him.

"What was that for?"

"I have no idea when Lucas is going to be home," a suggestive smile crossed her face and her fingers tenderly traced the bruises on his chest.  "And I don't know about you, but I intend to be naked for a little while," she said reaching for the buttons of the shirt she was wearing.  Then she looked over at him with a concerned face.  "That is if you feel up to it?"

Nathan smiled that little-boy smile that made her heart do flips.  "At least part of me is up for it already," he said glancing down at the sheets that covered his middle.  "And the rest of me is more than willing, if a little damaged," he said bringing his good hand up to the back of her head and pulling her down into a long, passionate kiss.

Lucas bounded up the stairs ahead of Tim O'Neil and Miguel Ortiz.  He unlocked the door and headed straight for the back of the house. Knocking on Bridger's bedroom door he tried to turn the handle and then frowned as he found the door locked.

"Good morning, Lucas," he heard the Captain call from the bedroom.

"Hi, Cap.  I just wanted to check on you and tell you that we're going to car races."

"I'm fine and that's okay.  Do you know when you'll be home?"

"The races run until about 3 so sometime after that I guess."

"Alright, have a good time."

"Okay, Cap.  I've got to change and then we'll be going."

"Have fun, kiddo."

"We will," he called and turned towards his bedroom but then stopped.  "And good morning, Doc," he said with a grin.

"Good morning, dear," he heard Kristin say from inside the bedroom. Lucas turned with a smile and headed into his room.

"He's a pretty smart kid, isn't he," Kristin said with a little grin as she rubbed Bridger's chest, her head resting against his shoulder.

"Not so smart.  Your car is in the driveway."

"Oh, yeah.  Where are you going?" she asked as he slipped his legs from under the sheets.

Nathan slid his arm into the sling and grabbed a pair of shorts.  "I better let him see that I'm alright or he'll worry about it all day."  He frowned as he pulled the shorts up, first one side and then the other, with one hand until Kristin leaned out of the bed and helped pull the left side up.  "Thanks," he said turning for the door.  He stepped out just as Lucas was coming out of his bedroom pulling down the Marlins shirt that he was wearing.  "How was the concert?"

They walked into the living room where Ortiz and O'Neil were waiting.  "The concert was great, Cap.  Nice and loud, just the way I like it."

"Sorry about messing up your night last night," Nathan said to the two older men.

"Not a problem, Skipper," Miguel smiled.  "I have a feeling that your night was worse than ours."

"What happened, sir?" O'Neil asked.

"I was under the main impeller engine, trying to adjust a fitting when the housing gave out and the engine shifted onto me. Fortunately, it only shifted and didn't fall so I ended up getting a little squished and I broke my arm."

Lucas was frowning at him in concern.  "You could have been really hurt."

"I know, kiddo.  Got lucky, I guess."

"Again."

"Yeah," Nathan reached over and ruffled Lucas' hair.  "But I'm just fine," he looked down at some of the bruises on his chest.  "If a little colorful.  You have a good time at the races."

"We will," Lucas said heading for the door.  "Are you going to stay home today?"

"This morning, yeah, but I better go into work this afternoon and see if they need me for the investigation at all."

"What investigation?" Lucas asked turning from the door.

"Anytime they have an injury accident there has to be an investigation, Lucas," Tim said softly.

"Yeah," Nathan said, "and I've got to pick up the car."

"Are you alright to drive?" Lucas asked concerned.

"Yup, I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so.  Just take it easy, will you, sir?"

"I will," Nathan said pulling the French doors shut behind the trio before going back to the bedroom where he let Kristin help him out of the shorts this time and then slid back into bed with her.

Mid-afternoon found them in Kristin's car traveling back to the UEO complex.  "Are you sure that they need you there?" Kristin asked frowning out the window.

"Yeah, I called and they've got some investigators on site already. While they weren't totally insistent that I come in I got the feeling that it would be a good idea."

"They should let you rest," Kristin said disapprovingly.

"Then again, I should be nice to them."

"Good heavens, why?" she asked throwing him a quick glance.

"'Cause I'm the fool that's messing up their weekend."

"It was an accident, Nathan."

"Yeah, maybe," he said looking out the side window.  "But it was a dumb accident."

Kristin had finally agreed to just drop Nathan off and leave.  Two hours later he walked tiredly out of the portal to the seaQuest construction site to find Lucas sitting on the hood of his car.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas shrugged.  "We got done at the races and I just thought that it'd be easier if the guys dropped me off here rather than taking me all the way home."

"How did you know that you weren't going to get stranded here?"

"I checked and found out that you were inside with the investigators before they left," Lucas grinned.  "You about ready to go home?"

"More than ready, Lucas," Nathan sighed.  He reached in his pocket for the car keys and then looked over at the boy.  "You want to drive?"

"Yeah," Lucas said cheerfully sliding off the hood.  "I could use some more practice."  Then his face turned serious.  "That means you can't fall asleep while we drive you know."

Nathan grinned cheekily at the boy.  "Trust me, Lucas, when you drive I find it very hard to sleep."

"Your confidence is under-whelming, sir," Lucas grinned slipping into the driver's seat.  "Do you want to stop for dinner on the way home?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea.  I really don't feel like cooking tonight."

"I imagine not," Lucas said checking carefully both ways before pulling out of the parking lot.  "Does it hurt much?"

"Nah, my chest doesn't hurt at all really and my arm only hurts when I swing it around or bounce into something.  Other than that, it's more of a serious ache than a hurt.  More distance between you and the car ahead of you, please."

Lucas let off the gas a little and let the car ahead move out.  "Well, when we get home you can just relax and goof off all night so you can rest it."

"Sounds like a great idea to me," Nathan said shifting the sling into a more comfortable position.

Monday morning found Nathan over at the UEO Headquarters building in the office that he occupied there.  About half-way through the morning he looked up as he heard a knock on his doorframe.

"Had an exciting weekend for a change, did you?" grinned Bill Noyce as he leaned into the office.

"Way more exciting than I wanted it to be, Bill."

"How's the arm?"

"Ah, it's alright.  I got lucky I guess," Nathan said holding up the casted arm that normally rested against his khaki uniform.

"From what I've heard, I'd say that was an understatement.  How's the investigation going?"

Nathan leaned back in his chair.  "Sounds like they're just about done.  They grilled me for a couple of hours yesterday and today they're checking out all the pieces."

"I've got to go," Bill said turning back to the door.  "Try to stay out of trouble for a little while, will you?"

"I'll try," Nathan grinned, "but you know I won't succeed."

Noyce flashed him a knowing smile as he headed out of the office.

Bridger's vid-phone chimed and he reached over to activate it.  On the other side of the screen was a young-looking petty officer dressed in whites.

"Captain Bridger, I'm to tell you that you are to report to Admiral Trevor's office at 1300 hours tomorrow afternoon."

Nathan nodded.  He'd been expecting this.  "1300 tomorrow, roger that."  The petty officer nodded and reached over to sever the connection.  For just a moment afterwards Bridger stared at the screen before returning to his work.

"Ooooo, whites this morning," Lucas teased as he came into the kitchen the next morning.

"Every once in a while they try to dress me up," Nathan grinned.  "Are you going to eat here or at work?"

Lucas glanced at his watch.  "Considering how late I am this morning, it better be at work."

"That works for me.  You want to drive?"

"Captain," Lucas said snatching the keys from the counter, "I'm a student driver... I always want to drive."  Nathan grinned and shook his head as he followed the boy down the stairs.

Nathan had taken special care during lunch to ensure that he didn't spill anything on his summer white uniform.  He had a feeling that he'd better be ship-shape when he saw the admiral.  Now he was walking into Admiral Trevor's office where the same young petty officer was sitting behind a desk.

"Good afternoon, Petty Officer Yancy," he said noting her name on the stand on her desk.

"Good afternoon, Captain.  Let me just let the Admiral know that you're here."  She stood and walked over to a door, knocking softly before sticking her head in.  After a short conversation she backed away and held the door all the way open.  "You can come in, Captain."

"Thank you," Nathan said going past her and entering an office which was covered in deep oak paneling.  At one end of the large office was a large matching desk where an imposing man in whites sat.

"Make sure we're not disturbed," the Admiral told his aide as she shut the door.  Then he looked expectantly at Bridger who now stood in front of his desk.

"Captain Bridger reporting as ordered, sir," Bridger said formally from the position of attention.

The Admiral stared at him for just a moment.  "At rest, Captain," he finally said.

Nathan moved to a position of parade rest with a small frown.  That didn't bode well.  Normally, a person reporting was put at ease, a much less formal position.

Trevor looked over at the computer screen on his desk and silently reviewed the documents there before looking up at Bridger with a stern face.  "Just what the hell did you think you were doing, Captain?"  He didn't allow Bridger to say anything but just continued.  "What kind of safety rules do you enforce over at the seaQuest which allow you to work on a major piece of equipment while totally alone?"  He stood up from his desk while he was talking and came around to the front of the desk until he was standing face-to-face with Bridger.  Well, almost face-to-face since he was at least six inches taller than Bridger.  "Do you realize just how lucky you were?  If your security crew wasn't so diligent you could still be under that engine."

Nathan just stood there, straight-faced and looking forward, as the Admiral's voice became more strident.  He glanced up at the Admiral's face when he realized that the man had stopped.

"Well???" Trevor asked.

"No excuses, sir.  It was a bone-head thing to do."

"Damned right, it was," Trevor said angrily turning back towards his desk.  "And certainly not something I'd expect out of a senior Captain in the UEO Navy.  How many violations can you count?  Working alone, working under an unbraced engine, using improper tools and I don't know what else.  You're presenting one hell of an example for your people, Captain."  He picked up a stack of papers and held them up.  "And just what the hell is going on out there, Bridger?" he asked heatedly.

"Going on, Sir?" Nathan asked confused.

"That engine falling wasn't an accident, Captain.  The mounts had been weakened, it appears intentionally, and the pressure that the weight of your body put on the base plate was enough to cause the mount to buckle."  A frown covered Nathan's brow as he listened to the Admiral.  "That was no accident, it was sabotage, Bridger."

"You're sure, Sir?" Nathan asked cautiously.

"Positive, Captain.  The report has been put on your computer.  You can review the findings for yourself," the Admiral said in a considerably calmer voice.  He moved back to sit behind his desk.  "You've got a problem, Captain," he said levelly.

"It would appear so, Sir."

"What do you intend to do about it?"

"I don't know yet, Sir," Nathan answered honestly.  "First, I'd like to look at the report and then I need to check the site to be sure that wasn't the only place where someone screwed around with the equipment."

"I think that would be a very prudent thing to do, Captain" Trevor shuffled the papers on his desk and looked up at Nathan.  "Let me know what you find.  That will be all, Captain."

Nathan brought his right arm back down to his side as he assumed a position of attention.  "Yes, Sir.  Thank you, Sir," he said turning smartly and heading for the door.  His hand had just touched the doorknob when the Admiral called him back.

"Bridger," he said sternly.

"Yes, Sir?"

"A entry will be made in your personnel file reflecting an official verbal reprimand relating to the unsafe work practices which caused your injuries."

Nathan sighed.  He'd kind of expected that.  "Yes, Sir."

"Don't do it again, Bridger."

"Aye, aye, Sir," Nathan said nodding and opening the door.

He thoughtfully walked down the hallway to the area where his staff had offices.  Looking up, he saw Jonathan Ford, Kelly Richtler and Gil Contreras, the dayshift construction director, standing in the passageway discussing something.  They stopped talking as he approached.

"I heard you were over with Admiral Trevor, Sir.  Everything alright?" Ford asked.

"Well," Nathan shrugged, "I just got a thorough ass-chewing for unsafe work practices because I worked on the engine alone... along with an official verbal reprimand."

"Oh, hell," Ford muttered.

"I deserved it, Jonathan.  It was a stupid thing to do," Nathan said calmly.  "But there's something else we need to talk about."

"Sir?"

Nathan looked over at Kelly and then at Ford and Contreras.  "Come on," he said indicating his office door.  "I need to talk to all of you.  We've got a problem."