For The Love of a Child

"No, shit," Dad grinned, "He made us all look like amateurs."

"He sure did," Victor laughed.

"Humph," Mike playfully snorted, "You two assholes can speak for yourselves," making me laugh like hell.

I watched him throughout the entire jump, performing tumbling and air acrobatic moves, as he got closer to the ground. All at once and without warning we saw his chute open, standing steadfast as he floated effortlessly to the ground.

I'll bet you ten dollars the son-of-a-bitch lands on his ass," Dad laughed, "He never could operate an air ram canopy right."

"You're on," Victor laughed, "He's been practicing a lot lately."

Suddenly Pete was right over us waving and laughing, and instead of pulling the lanyards downward to help slow his descent, he simply landed in the dirt, emitting a loud "Ooff," as the chute dragged him to a halt.

"He still needs to practice some more," Dad, laughed, to Victor, "You owe me ten bucks."

~~~~~~

"Once Pete was up and had his chute rolled and tucked, I got all four of them together, and beginning with Pete, I said, "You're supposed to be out of town, and I know all of you didn't just happen to show up at the same time; now I want to know just what in the hell is going on here?"

"I told you he'd figure it out," Dad laughed, "So; you may as well tell him now."

"You're right," Pete chuckled, "My daughter knows so; why the hell shouldn't Mark?"

"Okay," I replied, "You guys are giving me the creeps here."

"Calm down, son," Dad smiled, "Pete, this was your idea so; why don't you tell him."

"Okay, Tom," Colonel Miller laughed, and then turned to me, "It's like this, Mark, when you got into trouble for beating the shit out of that asshole bully, and then volunteered to join the service to appease everyone; it surprised the hell out of all of us."

"I don't understand, Colonel," I replied, now totally confused, "I mean, I just met you recently so how could you have know about...."

"We've all been watching you for a while now, kid," Mike interrupted smiling. "And when you joined the service, you showed us all what kind of man you were back then..."

"Volunteering to go with the Marines into Beirut showed us that you had heart, Mark," Dad proudly said, "And I'm so very proud of you for it, son."

"That was also about the time that I decided I wanted my daughter to meet you, Mark," Pete admitted, "I hope we haven't offended you by setting you two up together."

"Fucking Marines," I laughed, shocking everyone but Mike, by what I'd said, "I could never make you guys understand."

"I don't understand son," Dad said puzzled.

"Me either," Pete added.

"Teela's young and beautiful, she loves me and I love her," I teased, "What do you expect for a Navy man."

"HOO-YAH, MARK," Mike loudly howled, "Way to go, boy, give those Marines hell," and he laughed till he could laugh no more, then looked at Pete and said, "Your soon to be son-in-law is a squid, don't ever forget that, Petey Boy."

"Fuck off, dick," Pete laughed, "You always were an arrogant and aggravating fucker, Mike."

The parachute that Mike had spoken of earlier was one that my Dad had just bought for me and jumped with it a couple of time just to test it out. We ended up, the five of us, jumping three time that afternoon, which helped form a bond between me and four of the greatest men I'll ever know.

~~~~~~

When I got back to my car that evening, Dad had driven me, I wasn't surprise to find Teela and Mom waiting for us when we got there.

"Hi, baby," she purred, throwing her arms around me the moment I got out of Dad's car, "I sure missed you."

"I missed you, too," I chuckled, returning her hug, "You and I need to have a talk, Miss Sneaky Britches."

"What about?" she knowingly smiled, feigning innocence.

"I want to know how long you've been in on the plot to get the two of us together?" I pointedly asked her, Mom giggling in the background.

"Ever since I saw your picture about six months ago," she meekly replied, "Please don't be mad, Mark."

"How could I ever be mad?" I softly asked, pulling her into my arms and gently tasting her lips, "I loved you even before I ever met you."

Suddenly, I heard Mom, who was standing off to the side, start crying, making me ask, "What's the matter, Mom?"

"Nothing, really," she sniffled smiling, "It just warms my heart seeing the two of you together."

"We love you, Mom," I smiled, Teela and I hugging her, "Very much...you, too, Dad," who was standing back with a content little smile on his face.

~~~~~~

Unbeknownst to Teela and I, our parents, as well as Mike and Laurie, with Victor and his wife, Tina, all gathered at Mike's house for an impromptu celebration of sorts. It was rather modest, but leave it to Mike to really throw a party.

Long before the women had the food ready, Mike turned on his stereo, and seconds later, "Alvin Lee and Ten Years After" playing "I'd Love To Rule The World" came blaring through the speakers out on his back deck.

"When are you gonna start listening to decent music, Mike," Pete teased, "What I wouldn't give to hear some good ole Hank Williams right now."

"I don't dislike country music, Pete, you know that," Mike laughed, "This is payback for making me hump your gear that time in Cambodia because you had a bad case of the shits."

"I remember that," Dad laughed, "Man I'm surprised we never got caught during all the time he spent in jungle with his pants around his ankles trying to keep from shitting on himself."

"Yuck," I replied, a sour look on my face, "How did that happen, Colonel?"

"We told him not to eat those damn nasty chicken feet," Vic laughed, "He knew we were gonna be dropped into the bush the next morning."

"Jesus Christ," Pete complained, "Are you guys ever gonna let me live that down?"

"Hell no," Mike chuckled, "At least I'm not."

"Count me in on that, Mike," Dad grinned.

"Me, too," Vic heartily laughed.

"You're all three a bunch of pricks," Pete laughed, "You know that, don't you?"

About that time, Teela came out to join us, carrying a tray full of drinks for us. After setting the tray on the table, she leaned down and kissed her father on the cheek, then walked over to where I sat, and sat down in my lap with her arms around me.

"What're you guys out here talking about?" she sweetly giggled, "I don't want you hoodlums corrupting my boyfriend any more than you already have."

"Hoodlums?" Pete chuckled, "Little girl I'll have you know we were never something as common as hoodlums," he paused for effect, "We were part of the brotherhood of the coast. In other words, my darling daughter, we were pirates, one and all."

"Aye, Mateys," Dad, Mike, Vic, and Pete, all growled in unison, making me just shake my head and laugh.

I really enjoyed that night that I spent in fellowship with the people that I cared about and loved the most. And as I look back on those days now, I realize that I was thankful for the people that God had blessed me with by putting them into my life.

~~~~~~

The next day at work, Teela and I were riding together by this time, I found out that Dr. Swartz was going to be off for the next three days, meaning that Mike Gaines was going to sub for him while he was gone.

"Well, I'll be damned," I said the next morning when I came in, "Look at what the cat dragged in."

"Yeah, yeah, keep it up," he chuckled, "Just remember that your ass is mine for the next three days."

"Oh, no," I playfully mocked, "I'm so afraid."

"We'll see, shit bird," Mike laughed, "Yes we will..."

~~~~~~

Later that morning we had an emergency case sent down to us. A twelve-year-old boy had gotten into a pissing contest with seven and a half feet of alligator and had lost his left leg just past his knee. The emergency room had taken him directly to us, calling down ahead of time so that we'd be ready when he got there.

~~~~~~

"Okay kid," Mike told me, once the anesthetist had the boy asleep, "This is one I think you can handle by yourself so; show me what you've got.'

"Are you crazy?" I incredulously asked, "I'm not supposed to even think about doing what you're asking of me."

"Relax, Mark," Mike smiled, "I'm going to be standing right here next to you in case you get stuck."

"You've lost your mind," I replied.

"Look," Mike plainly said, "We've got two choices here, either you get moving and help this patient, or get the hell out of the way."

I immediately went to work, trimming the components of the femoral artery, which when completed, I sewed them shut, cauterizing them on my way out. As I began denuding first the femoral bone and then the musculature and surrounding tissue, I noticed a rather prominent pointed and angular shaped object buried deep within the muscle tissue.

The moment I dislodged the object and held it up to the light, I realized that it was a tooth, most likely an alligator tooth. "Here," I said to the operating room tech that was working with me, "Take this down to Doctor Gwen Stafford in Pathology and tell her that Doctor Gaines wants it analyzed, stat, and then have her call me with the results."

The moment the tech took off, Mike looked at me cockily asked, "Just what the hell was that all about, using my name."

"I may as well," I nonchalantly replied, "I'm doing you're job so; I'm also going to use the clout that you seem to have around here in order to get faster results. Now, either get in here and help me finish with this patient, or get the hell out of the way."

"Smart ass fucker," he muttered, chuckling as he made his way around to the other side of the operating table, "What's next, Doctor?"

"I need your help holding the leg while I saw the bone," I said, "Then we'll cap it off, and close the wound, okay."

"You got it, Doctor," Mike laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," I chided him, "Doctor, my ass."

~~~~~~

By the time we were finished repairing what was left of the boy's leg and had stabilized him, and sent him to ICU, it was going on lunchtime. However, no sooner had we sent him out of the door than I saw Dr. Gwen Stafford coming down the hall to where Mike and I sat in what was normally Dr. Schwartz's office.

"I thought I would bring the results myself, Doctor Gaines," she said, entering the office, "You do realize that you sent me a crocodile tooth, don't you?"

"I wasn't sure," he said, "That's why I sent it to you."

"You're missing the point, Doctor," she impatiently replied, "I said it was a crocodile tooth, do you understand me now?"

"There aren't supposed to be any crocodiles around here," I suddenly remembered.

"That's right," Doctor Stafford smiled, "Not very many people know that."

"No," I said, "They don't."

Doctor Gwen Stafford was a woman in her early thirties, blonde, blue-eyed, and very well built. However, she couldn't hold a candle my beautiful Teela, and that's why I was immune to her when she extended her hand and flirtatiously said, "I don't believe we've met, my name is Doctor Gwendolyn Stafford, and you are?"

"Off to go eat lunch," I replied, nonplussed, "It was nice meeting you, Doctor Stafford."

"Oh, no," she continued, "Please, call me Gwen."

"Like I said," I coolly replied, "It was nice to meet you, Doctor Stafford," and then I was off, leaving Gwen Stafford to talk to Mike, who as Chief of Surgery, I'm quite sure knew how to deal with the likes of her.

~~~~~~

I walked to Mike's office to get Teela so that we could go to lunch, and I was surprised to find little Jessica Sanders waiting with Teela to join us for lunch.

"Hi there, cutie," I smiled, "How're you feeling today?"

"I'm hungry," she excitedly replied, "And Doctor Mike said I could eat lunch with the big boys and girls if I wanted to."

I knew immediately whom she was talking about so; I simply smiled and said, "Well, in that case, come with me, my little sweetie. I'll even push your wheelchair for you."

"Be careful," Jess playfully warned, "I don't want to make Teela mad."

"Why would she be mad?" I asked, winking at Teela.

"She's your girlfriend," she preciously replied, "And you shouldn't be calling me your sweetie."

"Why not?" I smiled, pushing Jess' wheelchair with one hand, and holding Teela's hand with the other, "She can be my big sweetie and you can be my little sweetie, how's that sound?"

"Really," Jess wistfully asked.

"Yes," Teela replied, kissing Jessie on her little cheek, "Really!"

~~~~~~

After a very interesting lunch with Jessie, which of course Teela and I both thoroughly enjoyed, we took her back to her room, where Teela held her wheelchair while I lifted her little body into bed, and then covered her up and tucked her in.

"I had a good time eating lunch with you, Jess," I smiled, gently rubbing the side of her pretty little face, "We'll have to do it again real soon, okay."

"Okay," she smiled, at Teela and I both, "Can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure," I replied, "What is it?"

"Can I have a hug?" she innocently asked, and of course Teela and I both gently leaned down and tenderly, so as not to hurt her, hugged her and kissed her little cheeks on both sides.

"Thank you," she giggled

"We'll see you later, sweetie," Teela said, on our way out of her room.

~~~~~~

"God," I smiled, "What a precious child."

"Yes she is," Teela giggled, as we walked to the elevators, "And she thinks you look like the prince who kissed Sleeping Beauty."

"I don't know," I teased, as we stepped into an empty elevator, "I'll have to see if that really works the next time we spend the night together."

"I love you," Teela purred, as the elevator door closed on us.

"I love you, too," I replied, softly kissing her.

~~~~~~

That afternoon brought us an appendix that was about to rupture. However, due to Mike's genius with a scalpel, the patient was taken care of post haste and sent to the recovery room in a little under an hour. And I was more than pleased at the work that we'd done that day, especially getting the opportunity to see Mike work first hand.

"So," Mike asked, "How do feel about the job you did on that boy's leg today?"

"What're you talking about?" I asked, "I was scared shitless that I was going to fuck up."

"That fear is what keeps you sharp," he replied, "Alvin Schwartz was right about you, kid."

"Come on, Mike," I complained, "Don't start that shit again, please?"

"No, dammit," he adamantly replied, "You're damn good, Mark, and you should go on to med school and become a surgeon. It's not like you don't have the skill."

"Let me think on it some more," I said, "I don't have the time for this right now, Mike."

"Okay, kid," he replied, "But I'm going to stay on your ass till you finally give in."

"I believe you," I laughed, "I've got to go, see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, "Get the hell outta here and go see Teela."

"Who says I'm going to see Teela?" I chuckled.

~~~~~~

When I walked into Jessie's room to see her before I left for the evening I was pleasantly surprised to find her mother, Jayne, there also.

"Hi, Jessie," I smiled, "Hello, Jayne."

"Hi, Mark," Jessie squealed, "I'm glad you came."

"I told you I'd come back before I went home," I grinned, "What have you been doing all day, pretty girl?"

"Mommy was here when I woke up," Jessie chirped, "So, I've been talking to her."

I sat down on the side of the bed next to Jessie, suddenly horrified to find that Jayne, while doing a decent job of covering it with make-up, was still sporting a black eye that looked fairly fresh. However, as opposed to saying anything in front of Jessie, I talked and played with her for the few moments I had to spare, making sure that her little mind was innocently occupied, even if was only for a short while.

When I got ready to leave, and after I'd said my goodbyes to Jess, I looked at Jayne and politely asked, "May I speak to you out in the hall please?"

~~~~~~

"Your husband gave you that black eye," I plainly said, "Didn't he?"

"It was my fault," she replied, trying to make excuses for the asshole, "Really, it was."

"No," I softly but adamantly replied, "There is no reason whatsoever to hit a woman."

"It's not that," she replied, "He just loses his temper sometimes, that's all."

"Bull," I quietly seethed, "If it happens again, I'm going to press charges against him, and then I'm going to file a petition to have Jessie placed into protective custody, and you can tell him I said that. As a matter of fact, I'm begging you to tell him what I said."

"Please." she begged, tears now forming in her eyes, "He'll get really angry."

"Can't you see that he's got you living in fear of him?" I pleaded with her; "He was the one who hurt Jessie, wasn't he?" And when I was met with her silence, I again asked, "Wasn't he?"

"It was an accident," she submissively replied, "He didn't mean to do it."

"Stop making excuses for him," I told her," Or one of these days he's going to go overboard and either you, or, God forbid, Jessie could end up very badly hurt, or dead."

"Please," she practically begged, "Please stay out of this, it'll only make things worse for us."

By this time, Jayne was so upset that she was leaning against me and crying. "There, there," I soothed, "Please don't cry, because you'll make me cry, and how would that look? "

Suddenly Jayne began to giggle, regaining control of her faculties again, then stood up straight and smooth her clothing. And then as an understanding smile began to spread across her face, Jayne looked at me and said, "Thank you, Mark, Jessie's right about you ya know."

"Oh yeah?" I smiled, "And what is that?"

"You really are a noble prince that saves damsels in distress," she smiled.

"Hardly," I smiled, then seriously told her, "I meant what I said about pressing charges if I see another mark on you or Jessie...."

~~~~~~

Chapter Seven

"Well, hello there, stranger, Mom teased me, as I walked into the house after work that evening, "Where's Teela?"

"Don't worry," I knowingly grinned, "She'll be here shortly."

"Oh, good," Mom happily grinned, "She's the prettiest thing, don't you think?"

"You can relax, Mom," I finally told her, "Pete already spilled the beans about you guy's little scheme about trying to get the two us together."

Oh, shit," Mom worriedly replied, "I'm sorry, honey, and hope the two of you aren't mad at us."

"On the contrary," I happily smiled, "We're both very grateful, and just so that you know, Mom; I love her very much."

"Oh, sweetheart," Mom grinned, hugging me as her eyes filled with happy tears, "I'm so tickled to hear that."

"Can I have a hug, too, Sheila?" Teela suddenly said from the doorway, Dad having let her in the house unbeknownst to Mom and me.

"Of course you can, sweetie," Mom gushed, opening and extending her arm to her, "Come over here, pretty baby girl.

"I love you all so much," Teela smiled, wrapping her arms around both Mom and me, "And I promise you, Sheila, that I'll keep Mark out of trouble."

"Uh-oh," Mom suddenly laughed, "Don't go making promises that he's not going to let you keep," causing both she and Teela to erupt into fits of female laughter.

"Ha, ha, Mom," I sarcastically smiled, "Very funny."

~~~~~~

Dad was very jovial during dinner, now that his and Pete's plan of putting Teela and I together had come to fruition. It was kind of funny watching Dad act like a little boy at Christmas, and I couldn't really remember the last time he laughed and smiled as much as he did that night.

"So, tell us, dear," Mom said to Teela, "Do you two have any immediate plans?"

"Immediate plans for what?" I asked, immediately noticing where Mom was going with her questions.

"For the future," Mom replied, "I mean aren't you two going to get...."

"Whoa," I said, interrupting her, "You know that I love you dearly, but don't even think about it."