When Love Comes Along.

"Are you going to call your friend Jack Pounders?"

"Yeah, I guess I will. I like what he is doing."

Bob looked up the area code for the number Dave had given him, it was a number in south Mississippi. Bob dialed the number. The ringing could be clearly heard by both Mary and Bob. Then a clear male voice answered, "Hello there Bob, how are you doing?"

"Just great Jack, I saw your piece on the History Channel tonight. The wife and I enjoyed it very much. I am proud of what you have done."

"Hey, you are big in Cancer work too! Way bigger than I am, you built a new modern Cancer Clinic and fund its operations. My deal is a drop in the bucket compared to that." Mary pulled back and stared at Bob. Jack continued, "I understand that you own the sister ship to my 'Cancer Mercy' and that you had her converted to diesel. How do you like it?"

"We love it, it is much quieter and has longer range, your cruise speed is only about 30 knots but we are not in a hurry. It is a very comfortable ride at that speed and we never break anything like we did with the turbines."

"Well, I am glad to hear you are satisfied with the Diesels. We can't find can't serviceable turbines that don't require a total rebuild. The rebuild on our own engines costs twice what the switchover would cost us. I wonder if I could come down and look over your installation."

"Hell yes Jack, we would love to have you, we'll even take you for a ride. We live aboard our vessel and love it. I can send a Learjet to pick you up whenever you are ready."

"Damn, I appreciate that Bob, right now they are busy clearing and opening the engine access hatches. That has to be done no matter which way we go. You name a time and I'll meet your jet at the Biloxi Airport, the sooner the better."

"Jack, let me make a call, will you be alone?"

"If it is OK I'll bring my chief engineer along too."

"No problem, there is room for six passengers. I'll get back with you in ten minutes or less. Goodbye."

Mary pulled Bob to her for a kiss, when they broke for air she said, "Bob Murphy, why didn't you tell me you built and fund the Cancer Clinic?"

"Hey, I figured you knew from the name that I had something to do with it!"

"The name?"

"Yeah! The R.P.M. Cancer Clinic."

Mrs. Murphy kissed her husband passionately and said, "No wonder I love you so much. You are a wonderful man. I am a very lucky girl. Now make your call."

Bob was on the phone for about three minutes then he placed a call to Jack, "Jack, how is 10 o'clock tomorrow morning? Great, we will see you for lunch tomorrow, you will be staying with us aboard my boat. We'll take you out for a run if we are not aground on our own spare rib bones."

The next day the limo arrived just after noon, Mary and Bob awaited their guests in the salon. Jack Pounders was a man about Bob's age, with a slim build and graying hair, he was accompanied by a lovely woman who he introduced as Dr. Nancy Pounders, MD, his wife, and the Medical Director aboard 'Cancer Mercy'. There were two other women in the party, one was a stunning young woman who was Dr. Grace Pounders, MD, the Head of Oncology, and Jack's daughter. The other lady was very attractive too and was introduced as Miss Jane Adams, RN, the DON (Director of Nursing on the ship. Two other Men were in the party, first was a very handsome and attractive young man who was introduced as Max Montague, First Officer, and Henry Platen, Chief Engineer.

Mary was introduced and made the other ladies welcome, she showed Mrs. Pounders to the Guest Stateroom. The other guests were shown to separate cabins. Mary told the guests that lunch was going to be served in the salon in 30 minutes. Grace Pounders took Mary aside and said, "Mrs. Murphy, you are a very beautiful young lady and I can't believe this is a sister ship to our vessel. This is like a beautiful country home. Simply beautiful, you have done a wonderful job making it into a lovely home."

Mary smiled, "Mrs. or should I say, Doctor Pounders?"

The older woman held up her hand, "Sweetheart, everyone aboard our little ship calls me 'Dr. Mom', but I want you to call me 'Nancy'."

Mary smiled, "Thank you Nancy, I take no credit for this beautiful boat. I have only been aboard her for seven or eight months, Bob and I are newlyweds." Nancy took both her hands, "Congratulations girl, Jack has always spoken glowingly about your husband, they were close friends in the service. We generally spend eleven months a year abroad, working in God forsaken places. This is a vacation for us. It seems like years since I have worn anything but scrubs."

Mary hugged the older woman, "I love you for what you do, my seven year old son is a Cancer survivor, and so is my sweet husband. We'll talk later. Would you care to freshen up before lunch, it will be very casual."

After a pleasant lunch the guests were given a tour of the small ship. They were amazed at the differences between the vessels. The main salon and the Master stateroom were once the helicopter hanger, aboard the Cancer Mercy the same spaces were now two state of the art operating rooms, PET/CAT scan spaces, and radiation treatment and recovery rooms were also part of the original hanger. The two original Operating rooms, triage and treatment spaces, x-ray spaces and wards were untouched. The crew and medical living spaces we unchanged too. The two officers from 'The Cancer Mercy' teamed up with their opposite numbers aboard 'Tach'.

The three ladies were enchanted by the master stateroom and especially Mary's closets and vanity area. They couldn't believe Mary had separate closets for casual outfits and a different closet for formal and business wear. Both closets were huge and packed full of clothes. Mary confessed that she really had never worn half of the clothes. She explained that Bob had a friend who was a personal shopper who had orders to keep his wife supplied with the latest fashions. Mary laughed, "Now she has to outfit me with maternity clothes and has no place to put them."

The other ladies shrieked, "You are PREGNANT?"
Mary giggled delightedly, "Yes I am, but I have a long way to go, I am only two months along."

Gracie said, "Your delightful and intelligent son must be from a prior marriage, I am afraid I have fallen in love with him, he is such a wonderful little guy who adores your husband." Mary looked at her, "No, I was an unwed mother until I married Bob. I was given a date-rape drug at a party and woke up the next morning no longer a virgin and as it turned out, also pregnant. I refused to abort the baby and my parents kicked me out. I got a job and my Willy and I did fine until the economy crashed and I lost my job. Willy and I were in the cancer clinic Bob built and funds, when we met him. Willy had less than a month to live and we were virtually homeless. I recognized Bob as an old neighbor from years before. He took over and moved us in with him here. He wheeled and dealed and got Willy a double kidney transplant." She smiled, but the others noticed a tear roll down her cheek, "God how I love that dear man. He had a lung cancer too but kept putting off the operation, when he booked Willy's operation he had the same doctor remove the upper lobe of his lung. Both of my guys are doing great."

"The same surgeon did both operations? That is unusual."

"Yes, he uses the Da Vinci robot. His name is Eric Sommers, he does great work. He did it for nothing because he admires Bob's contribution to fighting cancer at the Clinic."

The other ladies grinned, Gracie said, "We know Eric very well, he and his wife have gone on several missions with us. He is begging us to get a robot. We just don't have the funding to do that."

"Mary grinned, "I'll bet I can get one for you! I heard Bob and Dr. Eric talking. There is one available but it is an older model that needs to be upgraded. Bob was interested in getting one for the clinic and they are getting a new one shortly. Bob holds an option on the old one."

"Do you really think he would do that for us?"

Mary smiled, "Let me discuss it with him tonight after we go to bed. He responds well to suggestions then."

The next day the Tach was cruising up the Saint Johns River nearing Jacksonville. The guests were all on the bridge watching Mary control the ship from a console in the front center using a small joystick. Digital screens displayed all sorts of information. A large monitor sat to her right. She demonstrated how she could split the screen and view the information from any of the 50 cameras aboard. She could even look under each engine to check for oil leaks. She could look at the various decks outside the hull or view the river ahead and enlarge the screen to read the sign on a piling 5 miles ahead. Other monitors constantly showed the radar and chart presentations showing their present position and track showing where they had been.

Mary flipped a control and viewed a weather report showing the current local weather and forecast for the seas offshore. The winds were out of the north at 15 knots, forecast to increase to 20 t0 30 knots in the next few hours. The seas off shore were at 4 to 6 feet increasing to 7 to 12 feet. Mary glanced at Bob. He smiled, "When we pass Fort George and approach the outer jetties announce Ship wide that we will be encountering rough weather and higher seas and to act accordingly." Mary smiled up at him and whispered something. He leaned down and listened to her. He laughed and bent further to give her a sweet kiss on her lips.

Jack was constantly questioning Bob or Mary about various things. When the little ship cleared the end of the jetties Mary increased the speed and continued on a course to take them out to sea. The ship hit into the waves throwing great sheets of water into the air that blew back over the vessel. Jack looked at Bob, "Shouldn't she slow down a bit?"

"Why, I was going to tell her to speed up a bit, we are only doing 25 knots." Mary pushed forward on her joystick and 'Tach' surged ahead. The spray flew higher.

Jack looked at Bob, "We would be rolling violently running down the trough of the waves like this." Bob told Mary to head North. She pushed the joystick to the left and turned directly into the seas and the wind. The spray flew up in huge sheets of almost solid water but Tach was as steady as a rock, she never pitched up and down or rolled from side to side.

Henry Platen, Jack's engineer said, "These have to be the best stabilizers I have ever seen. They are fantastic, how do they work?"

Mary answered, "We have four 20 foot long retractable, gyro controlled, stabilizer fins that smooth everything out." She looked up sat Bob, "Do you want to turn back now?" Bob nodded. Mary flipped he joystick hard to the right and the boat turned hard to the right and turned back into the deep trough, then continued the turn through the waves until she was headed back to the West.

Jack grinned, "That is amazing we would have rolled and pitched 'Cancer Mercy' violently trying to do that. The crew would have been pissed at me for the cleanup they would have to do. The patients would be tossed out of their bunks on the deck. We need some of those."

Bob smiled, "Have them installed at the shipyard while she is in drydock, install your new Da Vinci Robot at the same time."

"WHAT? What Robot?"

"The one I have in a warehouse in Ocala. Give me a time and I'll have it installed by the factory people."

Jack looked around and saw his wife and daughter laughing at him. Jack grinned, "What did you two have to promise him to get that?"

"Not a damned thing, we just talked to the real boss around here, Mary!"

"Jack looked at Bob, "I don't blame you, I think I would do anything she wanted too!"

Nancy yelped, "JACK!" She grinned and looked at Mary, "I used to get Jack to do things that way too, now it takes hours and hours of wheedling to get anything done."

Jack smiled, "And all this time I thought that was just plain old bitchin'."

Mary glanced at Bob, "Is that what I do? Bitch?"

"Never Babe, you just wheedle a little bit. No, you know you don't have to do that. I told you just before we got married that all you had to do was ask. And if it was within my capabilities you would receive your request."

Mary looked at him seriously, "Was it too much?"

"No Dear, this is for a good cause, it's not too much."

Henry laughed, "How about lending me a million 'til payday."

Bob coolly looked him in the eye, "Son, there are only two people alive who can work me that way; you are definitely not one of them. I might go five bucks or a cup of coffee, but I'll need your driver's license and your shoes for collateral."

Jack doubled over laughing, "Hank, Bob sure got your number in a hurry."

Henry looked a bit pissed.

Jack grinned, "Don't ever think of crossing this guy

About ten years ago Bob and I and two other guys went out in one of the guy's Jeep and we had a flat. The guy got out his spare and looked for his jack. It was missing. To make a long story short Bob held up the front of the Jeep while he changed the tire." Jack looked at Bob, "Right?"

Bob smiled, "No, I only lifted the one corner. I almost dropped it, I think you guys were fooling around to see how long I could hold it up."

Jack laughed, I'll admit we had the wheel back on for a while before we told you it was fixed."

Bob grinned back, "I was not having a problem, I could have held it up lot's longer than that."

"Bob you were the most competitive guy I ever saw. I never saw you refuse a challenge, I never saw you lose one either." Mary felt Bob's hand gently slip around her hand and softly press it. They watched as Max navigated Tach back towards her birth. When they were backed into the dock and all the lines were secure the party moved back to the salon. They all sat in a large conversational grouping and discussed the little demo ride. The guests were very impressed. Jack said that even with over twice the horsepower, there was no way that the 'Cancer Mercy' could run with Tach. Bob asked if their funding would let them install the stabilizer fins. Jack said he wouldn't know until they got an estimate for the job. After dinner the conversation moved to a discussion of the entertainment of a few years ago. Nancy mentioned that she had loved the Karaoke set they had that connected to a TV a few years before.

Mary jumped up and said, "I have one of those. I bought it at a yard sale a week ago and haven't had a chance to try it out yet. It has over two dozen DVDS with it."

Everyone insisted she go get it and they would try it out.

When it was hooked up and appeared to be functioning well, Nancy started. She was a good singer. Mary noticed some of the crew slipping into the galley to watch the fun. Mary smiled and nodded that it was alright.

Henry was next; he had a nice voice but really didn't know the songs that were on that DVD. Grace tried next she was very good and received a nice round of applause. Everyone wanted to have Mary try. When Mary started to sing there was dead silence in the salon. She finished and the silence continued for a second then everyone jumped up and clapped. Mary took a little bow and sat down. The crowd would have none of that, they wanted more. Mary looked through the DVDs and found a Country Western DVD. She grinned when the first song was '9 to 5'. Mary belted out the song and encouraged the group to join in.

There were several oldies that she knew well. Her voice was exceptional and it soon became evident that she was an excellent mimic, she sounded just like the original artist, if it was a female.
Mary insisted that others try some songs. She tried to get Bob to try but he insisted that the only way he could carry a tune was in a basket.

Max was a very good singer and someone said there was a DVD of Country Duets and wanted Mary and Max to try them. They were very good together and the crowd wanted more and more. Being that there was only one microphone they sang cheek to cheek with their arms around each other. They were very, very, good together. Mary noticed that Bob had disappeared and said she needed to powder her nose. Bob was not in their Cabin. Mary went back in the salon and Willy waved at her and ran over. He pulled her down and whispered, "Daddy went up the ladder to the bridge." Mary felt a hand on her arm, she looked and Nancy was smiling at her, Nancy pulled Mary around a corner and softly said, "Mary, Bob got very jealous of you singing with Max. I lost a man like him when I was young, he thought I wanted another guy and he left because he loved me so much he did what he thought I wanted and I didn't see him for five years. I was lucky and ran in to him in a city I had never been to before. We were together again in an instant. That was Jack. We were lucky, I KNOW you are deeply in love with Bob. It shows in your every move when you are near each other. Now go up that ladder and drag him to one side and show him who you love."

Mary turned and scurried up the ladder. It was 30 minutes before they returned to the salon.

Nancy hurried to her and whispered, "You guys need to go clean up, and Bob has more of your makeup on than you do."

Mary giggled, "I know, that's the way I want it."

Willy ran up to Mary, "Momma, I want to try this song, Please! Mary looked at the title, 'Ragtime cowboy Joe.'

"She looked at Willy, "I have never heard of it before, do you know it?"

"Yes Momma, let me try it, please!"

Mary went to the machine and put in the DVD. She turned to the people, "At this time I would like to introduce the world famous country singer Willy Gordon. Let's hear a big hand for Wild Willy." Mary hit the start button. Willy listened to the intro and then sang the song,

"Oh how he sings,

Raggy music to his cattle,

As he swings,

Back and forth in his saddle,

On a horse,

Pretty good horse,"

Willy was getting into the song now, his little ass was swinging in time to the music and he looked as if he were riding a horse. His free hand swung around his head as if he was swinging a lasso.

"Who is a syncopated gaiter,

And with such a funny meter,

To the roar of his repeater!"

Willy danced and held his hand as if he were shooting a gun in the air as he rode his horse.

"Oh how they run,

When they hear that fella's gun,

Because the Western folks all know,

He's a high falutin', Rootin' Tootin' son of a gun from Arizona,

He's some cowboy,

Talk about your cowboy,

Ragtime Cowboy Joe."

Willy danced around in a little circle clapping for himself until the stunned crowd realized he was through. The clapping and yelling startled him until he realized the people were cheering for him. He blushed and took a little bow.

Mary and Bob hugged him and he was very happy. Everyone wanted to know where he learned that song. Willy said he learned it that morning on a kid's show, Alvin and the Chipmunks sang it.

Nancy was very impressed, she told Mary that Willy was the most adorable little boy she had ever seen. Mary and Bob agreed with her. She couldn't believe he had been only given a month to live, six months before and he had had a double kidney transplant. She said she would have said it was impossible. Her daughter agreed with her.

Mary said she felt the robotic surgery which only required two small incisions was the answer. She felt the less invasive surgery kept the trauma to his body to a minimum. She explained that the donor must have been a perfect match because there was never any sign of rejection.

Nancy and Grace said that in their experience that only one in a thousand transplants has that good a match. They added that the quality of donors that they used was not very good because there was never much of a donor pool. They lost many patients because there were no donors. Most of their surgery was removing cancers and they didn't attempt many transplants.