Work Text:
It's a miserable 4th - or is it?
by vonnie
The Vast Explorer was lying dead in the water. After already having lost an engine, now the second one had given up also. Gabriel Patterson had been trying to fix the engine for the last four hours. And on top of everything there was something wrong with the radio, they couldn't even call for help.
Now he threw the wrench he had been working with at the engine. His face, hands and forearms were blackened with grease, his cloth didn't look much better.
"There is nothing I can do without spare parts!" he growled.
"I told you to check the engine before we left!" Mac growled back.
"Yeah, so you did, but I also remember saying we needed to replace the whole thing because it consists only out of spare parts anyway."
"So, what do you want me to do about it? You are the rich Senator's kid!"
Ouch, that one hurt, but even though Gabe was angry, he understood were it came from. Mac had been ranting and raving for the last several hours. It was the afternoon of the 4th of July and she had wanted to spend the day with her dad. Now they were stuck here in the middle of the ocean, with no help in sight.
So he decided to ignore her last words but he was still mad. For the first time in years he had been looking forward to the celebrations. Usually would spent it with his family, which mostly turned into a boring event during which he almost ended up having an argument with either his father or one of his brothers. This year he had the argument before hand and decided to spend it with some friends he had made in Beau Harbor.
"Okay, now you really behave like kids!" the voice came from Judson who just came up from below and had overheard their conversation
"Mac, if you want to be made at somebody, than it has to be me, it is still my ship after all! And Gabe, throwing the wrench at the engine won't fix it. Why don't you go get cleaned up and join us?"
He handed Mac one of the three bottles he had in his hand, then he waved another one at Gabe, "This one is waiting for you!"
+++++
It took Gabe about an hour to reappear. Mac was just ready to look for him. By now she felt really bad about what she had said earlier.
Now he was carrying a big tray filled with hamburgers, chips, dip, and several more bottles of beer. One of them already almost empty.
"I plundered the fridge, thought we could at least celebrate the 4th out here!"
"Great idea, kid!" Judson grinned, grabbing one of the hamburgers.
"Gabe, I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I really didn't mean it, guess I was mad at the world!" Mac voice sounded sincere.
Gabe waved her off, "its okay, I forgive you; I guess I wasn't very nice either!"
They ate until all the food was gone, and then spent the time talking. Evening turned into night and the sky got very dark. It was a clear night and the stars sparkled above them, their light reflecting in the quiet surface of the ocean.
Around 10 PM Mac suddenly got very quiet, finally she spoke up, "You know guys, I always would watch the fire works with my dad. There were only very few years when I missed it. In '91 I had to stay with my aunt because my dad had been in `Desert Storm' and was still not back home. I remember how I worried about him! Seems kinda silly now, doesn't it?"
"Not at all!" Judson gave her an almost sad look, "My brother was there, he was killed. I think my father never quite got over Jason dying. He was very proud of him for giving his life for his country but he rather would have had him back!"
"I'm sorry Judson, I had no idea!" Mac laid her hand on his arm.
"Its okay, Jason was a soldier with heart and soul, he was proud to serve his country and he always knew this could happen. He told me one time he didn't want to die but he rather would know others could live in a free country than to sit around and do nothing!" Judson's eyes light up when he remembered his brother.
Mac looked at Gabe who was quietly taking another sip from his beer.
"You're okay, buddy!" she questioned him with a concerned look.
"Hell yes, why wouldn't I be, none of my family ever died in a war for our country. I don't think any ever fought in one. I tried to enlist at one time but my dad made sure I would be disqualified. It was below Patterson standards to be an enlisted man. He told me to go to college and if I still wanted to play soldier after that, he would get me a place in the navy academy and later at the `JAG' office. So that ended it all!"
His head was hanging low now. Mac lifted his chin until he was looking straight into her eyes, "Gabriel Patterson, haven't you learned by now, that the fight for freedom is not just fought by the military? Every one of us fights it everyday by standing up for what we believe in, by not being afraid to help others in need!"
"Mac is right!" Judson threw in, "I never been in the military, but I vote, I support our troops and I do whatever it takes to keep our country free. We are a special country, where every one can come and say speak their mind. Where differences are embraced rather than suffocated. By getting up every morning and doing our part, we become part of the greatest country of the world - the United States of America. We are not above other countries, but we have something they don't have and also it seems to disappear in times of peace, it always comes through in time of crises - United we stand! To me this is not just a slogan; it is a reality that I live with every day. And this is what the 4th means to me! So how about it?"
Gabe was astonished by the passion in Judson's voice, exchanging a glance with Mac he could see she felt the same way. And suddenly he knew that Judson was right. They all were willing to fight for their country every day, military or not.
Looking at the sky, he lifted his bottle, "Who needs fireworks, with sparkling like this!" Then he continued, "To freedom, justice and liberty for all, may they last forever!"
Mac and Judson joint him, celebrating their freedom in the vast open of a seemingly endless ocean.