EPILOGUE

By mid-afternoon, Emma and the medical center's pediatrician were still very happy with how Rachel and Nathan were doing, so they were allowed to go home. Tom had stayed with them all day and drove them back to the house, where Ashley, Sam and Jed were eagerly awaiting them. However, by then he knew he needed to give some attention to the responsibilities that made up the other half of his life.

When Tom arrived at Admiral Williams' office, his yeoman showed him right in. "I hear congratulations are in order," the older man told him.

He smiled. "Yes, Sir, thank you."

"He's healthy? And Dr. Scott is doing well?"

"Yes, Sir, they're very well. Got two very happy older siblings, too."

Williams smiled. "Excellent. I won't keep you from them for too long. I went over this morning and saw your ship… she's going to need quite a bit of work, Commander."

Tom nodded. "I know, Sir."

"I'm starting an investigation into what happened with the Seahawk. My aim is not punitive, but if there's something we can learn to make sure this doesn't happen again, I want to find it. We don't have enough people to lose even one to an accident."

Tom nodded once; he wholeheartedly agreed. Losing sailors to the enemy was bad. This was far worse. "We'll cooperate however you need."

"Glad to hear it. In the meantime, we'll take care of any parts requests from your engineering department for repairs. I know you've all been through a lot, but it looks like they're going to be busy for a while."

"We've got no problem with hard work, Sir"

The admiral smiled. "Of course. And hopefully they can get some R&R when you get to Florida."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Florida?"

"I was going to discuss it with you this past week. Once you were finished in South America - which I thought wasn't going to be until the fall - I wanted you to head for Key West. The base there is getting spread pretty thin and could use another vessel. I thought the James would be a good fit, and it would put you close to the refinery they're trying to bring back online in Alabama."

It appeared Tom's fears about the ship being restricted were unfounded. "We'll help however we can," he promised.

"Good. I'll keep Admiral Richards apprised of the James' status during repairs. And I'm sure someone from her command can help with the logistics of moving your families down there."

Tom nodded. "Thank you, Sir." He could imagine the conversation that he was about to have with his wife when he got home. Heading to Florida would be a big change, but most likely a good one. The kids would love living on the water and the dynamic city would give them better opportunities for their futures. Their lab was thriving; Rachel would be able to continue her research on new ways to deliver the cure to remote areas.

A new adventure awaited them, on top of all the other new things they had to look forward to with their family. As Tom left the admiral's office and headed home, he had just one thought: At least life won't be boring.