Metal ripped to shreds. Glass shattering. Smells of hydraulic fluid and fuel. And heat, like from a fire. These are not the sounds and sensations you want to experience at the start of your day. I felt hot, like sunburned hot. I blinked a few times, unsure where I was or what happened. Someone, I guessed an EMT, was kneeling over me, shining a bright light in my eyes. I couldn’t turn my head, and my arms were strapped down, so I blinked a few times, trying to get the bright light out of my eyes. My head was throbbing.

               “Captain Jefferson, sir? Can you hear me?”

               I nodded, but my head didn’t move.

               “Captain, do you know where you are?”

               “Yeah. Off post. Somewhere along PCH between Newport and H.B.”

               “Okay. What day is it?”

               “Friday. Friday, August 11, 2023.”

               “Can you tell me what happened?”

               I felt someone else prodding and poking at me. A blood pressure cuff inflated on the bicep of my left arm. “I think so. An accident. I was in an accident.”

               “Blood pressure is steady, sir.” Another EMT interrupted, giving his supervisor critical details about my condition.

               “Okay. Captain Jefferson? We’re going to evac you back to the Naval Weapons Station hospital. Your injuries aren’t life-threatening, and we can get your statement on post.”

               “What about the car? Is it okay?”

               I could see him look up at his partner, and like all seasoned EMTs, his face showed zero emotion. Keeping accident victims in the moment, rather than thinking about the condition of their vehicle, is the last thing anyone in the medical community needs, especially when assessing damage. “It’s a nice ride. What year is it?” he asked.

               “Um, ’67 or ’68.”

               “Can’t remember?”

               “No. It’s not that. It’s a little fuzzy. That’s all.”

               “Captain Jefferson?” He was shouting at me, but I couldn’t focus, my vision blurring until it went black.

               Someone was whispering, but I couldn’t make out the words. Words I should recognize were muffled. It’s like someone packed cotton into both ears. My arms were strapped down, as were my legs. But I could move my head. Turning to my left, I saw two figures, one wearing a white lab coat and the other in blue scrubs, standing close to the bed.

“What I wouldn’t have given to drive that car! It was a sweet ride, sir.”

               “Now it’s nothing more than a paperweight. Such a shame.”

               “Think it was his fault, sir?” the man in blue scrubs asked.

               “Highly unlikely, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, what is it Captain Jefferson does?”

               Lab coat looked over to the bed and noticed I was awake.

               “Captain Jefferson? Are you awake, Captain?”

               I nodded. “Where’s my car?” I asked.

               The man in blue saluted the lab coat, spun around, and marched out of the room.

               “Let’s talk about you first, Captain.”         

               “No. Where’s my car,” I demanded.

               “Captain, where are you?”

               “In a hospital, somewhere in SoCal.”

               “Close. Do you remember what you were doing?”

               “Traveling to Newport Beach. I was going to see about meeting a woman, have a few drinks, maybe dance a little, eat at Rockin’ Baja Lobster, and call it a night.”

               “Do you know what day it is?”

               “Yes. It’s Friday, August 11, 2023.”

               Lab coat frowned. “Captain, do you know how long you’ve been here?”

               “Where’s here?”

               “Langley.”

               “No. I’m not in Langley. That’s Virginia, East Coast. I was in California.”

               “Yes. The injuries were more severe than previously thought. Air evac brought you here ten days ago.”

               “No. That’s not right. It can’t be August 21.”

               “I’m sorry, Captain. Today, like it or not, is August 21, 2023. Do you remember anything about the accident?”

               “Other than it trashed my car? No. I don’t remember anything about it. Can you take these off,” I eyed the restraints on my hands and feet.

               “No. I don’t have clearance. But now that you’re awake, I can call the C.O. She’s the only one who makes that call.”

               “She? Your C.O. is a woman?”

               “Are you surprised, Captain?”

               “No.” His lab coat sported golden wings with crossed anchors and a center shield.

               “Do you remember anything at all, Captain?”

               “There was an accident.”

               “Is that all?”

               “There was a fire, I think. I could smell hydraulic fluid.”

               “You know how it smells?”

               “Yes. When you fly a lot, there are leaks and spillage.”

               “Commerical?”

               “No, sir.”

               He nodded. “That’s enough for now, Captain. I’ll be back later to check on you.”

               “And the restraints?”

               “Only on orders from the C.O. will they be removed.”

               “I understand, Captain. Who is the C.O.?”

               “Admiral Rosalie Hiegel. I understand you two have history.”

               I closed my eyes, doing my best to relax under the restraints. Me and the Admiral had a history. We often competed for the same roles and ranks. She was a little smarter than me, a bit more educated, and had a solid family legacy in the Navy. Not me. I was the first in my family to enlist. My grandmother said I should’ve pursued education, not the Navy life. Now, I was thinking she might have been right. “It was a long time ago.”

               “That’s what she said, Captain.” Lab coat walked out the door, leaving me to think about Rosalie, now my commander.