Contemplation, a reaction piece

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Chapter 3

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Between opening the bar and managing the early traffic of customers, Rick didn't have time to call Higgins and get into a long explanation of what was going on with Thomas, so he texted a relatively brief message to her explaining Abby had broken up with Thomas because Hawaii had taken away her law license, so she was moving back to the mainland, and she had preemptively ruled out trying a long-distance relationship.

That was all Rick really had time for, before the man himself showed up, still gloomy and glum, but trying to act positively. His smile didn't reach his eyes even when Rick insisted on treating him to a glass of his best Scotch. He also hadn't been drinking the drink. He just sat there, much as he had earlier on the beach, but at least he wasn't isolating himself which Rick feared would just feed his depression. With Thomas here in the bar, he could keep an eye on him and that was probably the best thing. It was certainly best for Wright's peace of mind.

After TC's three tours of the afternoon, he showed up back at La Mariana and he and Rick made a stab at cheering TM up by showing him silly videos, but it wasn't really having the desired effect. When Higgins came in and reminded Thomas of his obligation to help his friend, Russell Harlan, out by acting as the Hotel Detective while Russell took his grandkids camping, Rick was at first relieved until he heard her snap "Still?" when she saw TM looking like he lost his last friend.

The fact TC had to clue the woman in as to why this was a big deal for Thomas made Rick remark just loud enough for the Englishwoman to hear. "You flunked the empathy test in spy school, didn't you, Higgins?"

Higgins had indeed overheard and responded, "Yes, actually...my instructor told me I had the EQ of a porcupine!"

Rick gave her a puzzled look. "EQ?"

"Empathy Quotient..." TC retorted evenly.

"Just another way of saying one has the emotional range of a teaspoon..." Juliet quipped.

"Isn't that a quote from a Harry Potter book?" Rick asked.

TC grinned at Higgins and remarked. "It troubles me deeply that you know that, Orville!"

The two men gave each other that certain look and busted up laughing.

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After Thomas and Higgins finished their stint at the Hotel, Higgins had treated Thomas to the 'couple's massage' he had turned down at the hotel earlier, but her enjoyment of the experience was hampered by Thomas' groans of pleasure and 'oohing' and 'aahing' as the masseuse attending him did her work. It was really irritating the woman until she overheard the woman doing TM's massage inquire. "What are these ridges on your bones back here?"

Thomas quietly explained, as succinctly as possible. "Those are from the microfractures."

"Microfractures?" The masseuse further inquired.

Magnum sighed, but went on to explain. "My three friends and I were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan and held in various camps and enclaves…many of which were literally cages in caves for eighteen months and eleven days. I was NOT an ideal prisoner. So as punishment and to mess with all of us, they would throw me into 'the hole' for long periods of time. Before they threw me in they would beat me, whip me, and/or cane me."

"What do you mean by 'cane me'?"

An even heavier sigh emitted as he went on. "You take a green bamboo stick and cut it lengthwise so it is split, but still a cane, leave it to dry and harden and then use that to beat the person…on the feet, on the back, once on my stomach while the person is restrained. The cane being split means you actually get hit twice, once by the other side thwapping into the first side to impact you…many times some of your skin and sinew had sort of bounced up from the impact and it got caught in-between the two sides of the cane and when the person draws back to strike again, that bit of skin and fat and muscle gets further abused."

Juliet was wincing as she pictured the abuse he was casually describing happening with impacts severe enough to cause microfractures, although the microfractures might have been from some of the many beatings the man had endured.

"I'm sorry you went through that." The masseuse remarked, sympathetically.

"Hey, we survived and eventually we escaped and made our way back to our side."

"So these ridges in your muscles I'm feeling?"

Magnum took a deep breath and explained. "You have really sensitive fingers, don't you? That's the scarring in the muscles and tendons. Whipping doesn't just break the skin, it peels you open like an onion. After one session, the guys told me they could see my lungs inflating and deflating when I'd breathe." He sighed as he exhaled. "They did quite a bit of plastic surgery to 'properly' put me back together in the hospital at Landstuhl, which is why you don't see a crisscross mess of scars on the surface, but I'm supposed to go to the VA for 'therapeutic deep massage' to break down that scar tissue and preserve my full range of motion in my back. However, I don't really go very often. I'm in pain all the time anyway and I hate being stuck inside those ugly walls at the VA being tortured again in the guise of 'treatment'. So, I preserve my range of motion by rowing on the ocean on my surf-ski or swimming in the ocean - much better scenery and mentally soothing as well." He closed his eyes, hoping the interrogation would end.

Juliet frowned a little, thinking of her earlier snarky comments regarding his vocal reactions to the massage. She hadn't known about the microfractures, but she could understand why he had been reluctant to share that, even with the masseuse who was tending him.

Thomas, Rick, and TC mostly acted so care free and easy-going. It was far too easy to forget all that the men had gone through. She had never considered as she sniped at him that he suffered from chronic pain. He certainly gave no indication of it as he paddled and swam and ran and did his PI work, but she really should have known better, by this point.

Right at that moment, he groaned appreciatively again and the irritation flared once more, but she bit down on the acerbic remark that was dying to come out. Let him enjoy his massage. If they ever did it again, she'd bring noise-canceling headphones to tune him out so she could enjoy her much-vaunted tranquility without hearing his vocal appreciation for the masseuse's skillful work.

Later that evening, Higgins joined Rick, TC, and Thomas at La Mariana. Thomas seemed more lighthearted than he had been since the breakup. Rick, TC, and Shammy looked relieved. They had really been concerned about Thomas. Speaking of Magnum, he was handing Nick 'the kid' the piano player a CD. What was the man up to? Rick had produced burgers which were excellent and sweet potato fries, though Thomas waived aside the healthier treat and went for his usual traditional American chips. Bugger calling them 'French Fries' as the Americans did. Thomas ordered himself a beer to enjoy with his dinner, but after that, he switched to water for two glasses. Then he went back into the bar's kitchen and came back out with a bloody cup of tea. She had no idea he even liked tea, Lord knows she didn't!

Russell Hardin entered the bar a bit later into the evening. Juliet had been a bit surprised when Thomas had invited him to come, but she was even more surprised the man had actually shown up. The gentlemanly older man came over to the booth where the four of them were sitting and Thomas quickly got up, went and got a chair and made sure the older man was comfortably ensconced. Hardin smiled at his friend. "Thomas I knew I had picked the right man to relieve me while I took the grandkids camping, but you don't fail to impress, do you? You know a Lieutenant Akana from HPD?"

Magnum nodded. "Yeah, he doesn't like me very much. He's the chief of detectives."

"Well, for someone who doesn't like you much, he was nothing, but complimentary when he came by today with Detective Katsumoto. He commented on how you and Ms. Higgins here not only solved the first crime, but were the ones who discovered and were mostly responsible for solving not just the second crime, but the first one. He really seemed impressed by how quickly you got things done. And what's this about you made a blue light to find the bloodstains from the second crime on your phone with some tape and a blue pen?"

Thomas grinned his cocky grin, saying, "Hey, I've hung out with these two Marines long enough," He indicated Rick and TC with a nod of his head, "I've adopted the unofficial Marine motto as my own! 'Adapt, improvise and overcome" is just a way of life with me these days."

In short order, he finished his dinner of burger and fries and asked Russell if he could get him another drink. "My treat." He assured the man and handed Rick the money for the beer Russell requested. Rick handed the money right back and told TM, "Just put it in the till for me, Thomas. I want to finish my dinner, okay?"

Thomas laughed and agreed. "You've got it, buddy." He went over behind the bar, put the money in the cash register and got the Longboard longneck out of the refrigerator. He brought it over to Russell and said, "You enjoy that…I'm going to provide some light entertainment."

TC remarked to his friends. "Oh, goody. Thomas is going to sing for his supper."

"Hey," Rick disagreed, "that was my treat tonight. Still, I'll definitely let Thomas sing for his supper. I love it when Thomas sings."

"Thomas sings?" Harlan remarked, sounding surprised. "Inventive and talented." He seemed impressed.

"He's a talented cook as well," Higgins remarked. "You should taste his shortbread and his chicken noodle soup, made from scratch no less; served with handmade tortillas."

"I'd like to," Russell replied.

Thomas was over next to Nicky now. He picked up the microphone and nodded to the piano music man and said. "Hit it, Nicky."

The intro he played wasn't immediately recognized by Higgins, but she realized it was a lower octave than the original recording. The song was an older song from the '80s, originally sung by a woman…Higgins mused. What was her name? She couldn't recall but it was used in that ridiculous movie, Pretty Woman, she remembered. The angst in his voice as he sang concerned her a bit.

"Lay a whisper on my pillow,

Leave the winter on the ground

I wake up lonely, this air of silence

In the bedroom and all around…

Touch me now,

I close my eyes and dream away…

It might have been love,

But it's over now
It must have been good
But I lost it somehow
It must have been love
But it's over now
From the moment we touched
Till the time had run out

Make believing
We're together
That I'm sheltered
By your heart
But in and outside
I turn to water
Like a teardrop
In your palm

And it's a hard
Winter's day
I dream away

It must have been love (it must have been love)
But it's over now (but it's over now)
It was all that I wanted
Now I'm living without
It must have been love
But it's over now
It's where the water flows…

It's where the wind goes…."

Harlan looked at Higgins and asked, "Is there some sort of significance to that song?"

"Thomas' girlfriend Abby broke up with him recently," Higgins explained simply.

"Oh…" The older man looked thoughtful.

TC and Rick both wandered over to join their brother and Nicky by the piano, talking to the Thomas briefly, but Thomas shook his head and said into the mike. "I was a bit blue of late because the woman I was dating broke up with me and moved away, but…" He gave TC a look that seemed to indicate something to the man, "I was forgetting something my mother always said…"

"Oh, what's that?" TC asked out loud and Higgins could tell right away this was something of a routine.

Thomas started snapping his fingers and TC grinned that big enthusiastic grin of his. The rhythm he was snapping seemed rather familiar. Thomas began to sing as Nicky began to play again.

"I need love, love

To ease my mind

And I need to find time

Someone to call mine."

Rick put on a pair of sunglasses and Rick and TC joined him on the chorus, doing the hand motions like a Motown group…

"My mama said, No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "love don't come easy
But it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in a good time
No matter how long it takes

How many heartaches must I stand
Before I find the love to let me live again
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on
When I feel my strength, ooh, it's almost gone

I remember mama said, "you can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take"
How long must I wait
How much more must I take
Before loneliness
Will cause my heart, heart to break

No, I can't bear to live my life alone
I grow impatient for a love to call my own

But when I feel that I…I can't go on

These precious words keep me hanging on.

I remember Mama saying…"

Higgins had realized shortly into the song that the men were singing the 80's version by Phil Collins and Rick putting on the sunglasses was in keeping with the music video for that performance of the song.

Russell commented to the former MI6 operative. "They're not half bad!"

Juliet smiled, "They are rather good, aren't they?"

The crowd in the bar evidently agreed because there was quite a bit of applause. Rick was talking to Thomas and TC, gesticulating wildly. Thomas grinned and advised the group. "We have a request for the next song from our bar owner and proprietor, Rick Wright. Okay guys, let's go…"

Higgins had to chuckle when the boys launched into the next song. Rick was quite a Disney-phile and the song was from the Lion King...

Nicky was shaking his head in amusement as he played the piano in accompaniment.

The three men sang together with their arms around each other's shoulders…

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day

When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away

An enchanted moment, and it sees me through

It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight?

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far

And can you feel the love tonight?

How it's laid to rest?

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best

There's a time for everyone if they only learn

That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager

beats in time with yours

And can you feel the love tonight?

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far

And can you feel the love tonight?

How it's laid to rest?

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best

For a bar crowd, the individuals present seemed to equally enjoy the music from THE LION KING, for the applause was quite enthusiastic. TC, Rick, and Thomas all patted each other on the back, gave a bow and walked back to the booth to sit where they had been before.

Russell smiled at the friends as he said, "Well, Thomas, you are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Thomas chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, we had some fun."

"That was quite enjoyable, gents."

"Well, thank you, Juliet," Thomas replied.

"Sincerely meant," she assured him. He smiled slightly and the smile almost reached his eyes at last.

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A/N: Probably not what you expected, but there you go, folks. The End