The Cloud - 6. Chapter 6

Meridian Naval Air Station

Lt. Matt Hollister landed the C-2 Greyhound aircraft at the Meridian NAS field after a long flight home from the big carrier group that had assembled in the mid-Atlantic. He wished that he had been allowed to carry a camera. The assembly of hundreds of ships was really quite remarkable. They had reached across the horizon for a hundred miles in every direction.

It wasn’t just the US Navy and its NATO allies. Russian and Ukrainian flagged ships were sailing side by side the Americans, British, and numerous other nationalities. Hollister didn’t know what was going on, but he had a feeling that he was witnessing history in the making as he delivered spare parts and personnel to the USS Eisenhower.

Scuttlebutt said that it was all an international disaster response exercise, but somehow that didn’t ring true to Hollister. The F-18 Hornets standing ready on the carrier had been all loaded up with live AMRAMM and Sidewinder missiles. You didn’t need war-shots to deliver rice and MREs.

After a short debriefing with Air-Ops, Hollister was handed new orders. He was to join the air group of the USS George Washington in the Western Pacific and fly out as soon as he recovered from the day’s flight. His wife wouldn’t like it. He dreaded the thought of having to tell her as he got in his Nissan Titan and drove the short distance to base housing. He parked in the driveway beside his wife’s Camry and quietly entered the house.

His wife Lillian was asleep on the love seat, surrounded by her student’s papers. The television was tuned to one of the all-news channels with the volume way down. It was playing file footage of the big world-wide military mobilization.

He leaned over and kissed her on the head and said, “Hey baby, I’m home.”

She yawned and stretched, reached out and pulled him down beside her onto the love seat. She put her arms around him, “Oh Matt, that’s my favorite way to wake up. What time is it?”

He replied, “A little after three in the morning.”

“Any idea what all the ruckus is about”, she asked as she pointed to the TV?

“They say it’s a disaster response drill.”

She sniffed and said, “Since when have the Russians been interested in disaster response?”

Matt smiled and thought that’s why we’re good for each other, we even think alike.

“I don’t know, baby. You want to go to IHOP or something?”

She stiffened and said, “You’ve got new orders.”

Hollister said, “How did you know that I’ve got new orders?”

“Every time you show up at 3am and want to go to IHOP, you’ve got new orders. So spit it out, Mister Hollister.”

Matt knew that he was busted, “I got assigned to the George Washington. I’m supposed to fly out as soon as I’ve rested up.

“Oh Matt”, she said as she laid her head on his shoulder. She always did that when she didn’t want him to see her cry.

“I’ll be running the mail between Pearl Harbor and the big task force South of Okinawa.”

She said, “How long?”

“I don’t know, baby. Sure you don’t want to get some breakfast?”

“No. I’d just cry in my pancakes. Besides, I’ve got new orders for you, Lieutenant.”

“Mam?”

“Leave me with a baby, Matt.”

“Yes Mam. I will give it my best efforts.”