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this distance, yet here he was, doing the same thing. He shook his head, disgusted with himself and swearing under his breath. He tossed the papers in his drawer, pushed away from the desk, and marched out determined to have his little chat with Abby right away.

Chapter Three
    A tall guard was posted outside sickbay. If there was one thing about Joe, it was that he followed through on everything asked of him without hesitation. Eric nodded to the guard as he opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. His hand was still pressed against the steel door when he caught sight of her. For a moment, he found it difficult to breathe as he gazed over her lying on her side, propped with pillows nestled in one of the bunks. A sheet had been draped over her, but her slim bare legs were sticking out, her right palm resting easily on the mattress. White tape covered the entire surface of her small hand, which held the plastic tube of an IV in place. Her eyes were closed, and she was an absolute picture of innocence and peace. He hated to wake her and found that watching her this way stirred something in him. He felt something jam his throat until it felt oddly uncomfortable. He’d closed himself off for years, and he’d been able to control his caring for anyone at a snap of his fingers. He could shut it down and move on, and he’d had to do that. It was too painful to care, to want, and then have it all ripped away from him and told he was worthless.
    He didn’t know what made him look over, but he spied Gail Carruthers, second-class hospital corpsman, on duty. There was something about her that set his teeth on edge. There were those he tolerated and could put out of his mind, but her, she seemed to know which of his buttons to push, and it was as if she went out of her way to stomp on each one. In fact, she was doing it again now. She wasn’t acknowledging him and his authority as captain. She stared at him as if he wasn’t there. What the hell? He took a step toward her and was about to strip her down and yell at her, reminding her of her position, when he glanced at Abby again and paused mid-step. He couldn’t and didn’t want to upset her. “Where’s Lieutenant Saunders?” he growled at the short, mousy-looking corpsman.
    “He went down to the wardroom. He’ll be back at twelve hundred,” she replied, as if he was just another sailor and no one of importance.
    The captain blinked again and gripped his hands behind his back, and it took a minute to register in his head that she hadn’t addressed him as required. Why, this arrogant chit was about to get the dressing down she so deserved! He stared down on her, watching her feeling the fires of hell burning inside him, and he knew he had to be shooting sparks from his eyes. He felt his face burn and cheek twitch as he contained what he really wanted to do, throttle her. He knew he was close to the edge, and any sailor who had pushed him to this point would have wished to be anywhere other than forced to stand in front of him, sweating and pissing his pants.
    But this woman didn’t seem to care. She stared at him and glanced away as if he was keeping her from something important, as if he was an insect. His mind was spinning as he tried to remember who she was and what the hell she was doing on his ship. He growled inside, but it was a rustle from Abby that had him hesitate and stifle the urge to toss this corpsman in the brig until she learned some respect. “How’s Miss Carlton?” He gestured toward Abby with a subtle tilt of his head.
    “Her vitals are stable, sir.” She had one of those obnoxious screechy voices, and she spoke a little too loudly, considering where she was.
    Abby moaned and rustled again. What the hell was the matter with this corpsman? He gestured to Abby and stung Gail with a look that implied she should know better. Then, in a clipped tone, he said, “That will be all, Carruthers.” He was proud of himself for the restraint