Finding His Father

Disclaimer: Benton Fraser, Ray Vecchio and the other folks you normally see hanging out on Due South are property of Alliance. All other characters are property of the RideForever listsibs who created them. No infringement of any copyrights is intended. This story is written for the private enjoyment of Due South fans and not for monetary profit. Permission to use this story for profit is not given.

For more information on the USS Indianapolis, please check out the following web site:

http://www.ussindianapolis.org

Wednesday, November 8, 2000, 8:00am

Chicago Police Department, Area 7 Roll Call

Captain Anderson stood at the podium reading the daily announcements to the officers who were about to go on duty. It was the normal list that came out every day. What cases were hot. Which detectives had asked for assistance. And the usual smattering of personnel notices that came out every so often.

"Finally," he announced, "As you were informed earlier this week, it's time for most of you to be getting your annual check up from the neck up by our resident head shrinker. The following officers will report to Ms. Sandison's office today. I'll post the rest of the schedule on the bulletin board."

A wave of groans rolled back to him from the officers assembled.

"I'll take this moment to remind you that these evaluations are not optional. Ms. Sandison will report any absences to me. And I'm sure you'd rather spend an hour with her than even 10 minutes with me if I find out you've skipped. Have I made myself clear?"

There were mumbles of assent from the cops.

"Good," he acknowledged. "On the roster for today then; Adams, 9:00; Allen, 10:00; Bartholomew, 11:00; Officer Benton you're the first one scheduled this afternoon at 1:00. Officer Besbriss, 2:00; Blackford, 3:30; and Boone, you go at 4:30. Any questions?"

There was no response.

"Good, now get out of here and keep Chicago safe."

He could hear Elaine taking some good-natured ribbing over the fact that it appeared her session was scheduled for more time than anyone else's. But he knew that the young woman was more than capable of taking care of herself. And he had seen the complete roster and knew that was simply the way the afternoons were scheduled.

At 1:55 that afternoon Elaine made her way to Kali's basement office. She was shocked to see several of the detectives that she had worked with as a civilian aide were there as well. Jack was the first one to look up and notice her.

"Elaine, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm scheduled for my annual review. What about you?"

"I think there's been some sort of mix-up. We're all scheduled to be here for the review."

"All of us at the same time?" Elaine was clearly confused.

"Yeah, well, it's probably some sort of computer screw up. You know how those things are," Vecchio asserted.

Others nodded good-naturedly, knowing of his distrust in technology.

The door to Kali's office opened and Officer Diana Benton walked out. She looked confused to see so many people but simply nodded to Elaine and walked on. Moments later, Kali appeared.

"Oh good, you're all here. Please come inside."

The policemen entered.

"I'm sorry I don't have enough chairs for everybody but please make yourselves comfortable where ever you can."

Once everyone was seated she pushed a button on her phone. "Constable Fraser, are you still there?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Great. I'm sure you're all curious about why I've set this up this way. I apologize for the ruse but I needed to get everyone together at the same time and this seemed like the easiest way to do it."

"What's up, doc?" Kowalski asked.

Kali glared at him with mock fierceness. He insisted on calling her 'doc' even though she didn't have her PhD yet.

"Yeah," added Gardino, "what's more important than chasin' down murderers and rapists?"

"One of your fellow officers needs help," she answered.

"I'm sure you all know," she continued, "that Lt. Welsh's father passed away a few months ago. And I'm sure that most of you know that they didn't have a particularly close relationship. On the surface, the lieutenant doesn't seem to be affected by the death of his father but the truth is that there's a lot going on beneath the surface."

"I've spoken at length with Commander O'Neill and with the lieutenant's new bride as well as his brother and half sister. His work is not up to the standards that the department has come to expect from him and his home life is, frankly, a little shaky."

"Now his wife and I have been doing some discreet inquiries and found that Harrison Welsh was a young seaman on board the U.S.S. Indianapolis."

"So what does that have to do with the lieutenant?" Dewey commented.

Constable Fraser's voice broke in to tell the story. "The world's first operational atomic bomb was delivered by the U.S.S. Indianapolis, to the island of Tinian on 26 July 1945. The Indianapolis then reported to CINCPAC Headquarters at Guam for further orders. She was directed to join the battleship USS Idaho at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. The Indianapolis, unescorted, departed Guam on a course of 262 degrees making about 17 knots."

"At 14 minutes past midnight, on July 30, 1945, midway between Guam and Leyte Gulf, she was hit by two torpedoes out of six initiated by the I-58, a Japanese submarine. The first blew away the bow, the second struck near midship on the starboard side adjacent to a fuel tank and a powder magazine. The resulting explosion split the ship to the keel, knocking out all electric power. Within minutes she went down rapidly by the bow, rolling to starboard.

"Of the 1,196 aboard, about 900 made it into the water in the twelve minutes before she sank. Few life rafts were released. Most survivors wore the standard kapok life jacket. Shark attacks began with sunrise of the first day, and continued until the men were physically removed from the water, almost five days later. Out of the 900 who made it into the water only 317 remained alive."

There was a chilling silence as everyone present realized that the lieutenant had been born on the day that the Indianapolis went down.

"Thank you, Constable," Kali acknowledged. "This Saturday afternoon there is going to be a reunion for the survivors and their families, as well as the families off all the crew members at the USS Indianapolis National Memorial in Indy. M-A and I will be escorting the lieutenant to the reunion."

"Escorting?" Huey asked.

"Okay actually, we're going to toss his ass into their van and take him there whether he wants to go or not."

"So what do you want us for? To actually be the people doin' the tossing?"

"Well, yes and to keep it there," she said with a smile. "Folks, what I want is for the lieutenant to be surrounded by his friends. He's not going to be happy about this but there are some things he needs to hear and the only people who have better than a snowball's chance in Hell of getting him to listen will be in Indy on Saturday. Are any of you willing to help us out here?"

"I have a question."

"Yes, Fraser?"

"Will Sheriff Welsh and Dr. Pearson be attending?"

"Yes, but they won't be going with us. They're heading down Friday."

"Just how are we goin' ta get there?" was Kowalski's question.

"I have my van and M-A will have their Silhouette. Between the two I should think that we'd be able to carry all of you."

"And just how are you going to accomplish this?" Vecchio asked.

"We've enlisted the help of Janice Sager. She's invited the Welsh's to come have breakfast at the bookstore on Saturday. I believe she promised the lieutenant a strudel. Speaking of which, if you know of anyone else who you think should be included in this little intervention, let me know and I'll issue the invitation. While I want as many people as possible to be there, I'd rather that we kept this quiet."

The group fell to talking amongst themselves. They had all witnessed the lieutenant's strange behavior over the last month. Francesca had even noted that the man suffered from mood swings that would give you whiplash. And as much as they may occasionally disagree with their commanding officer, they respected him and they cared about him.

"I'm in," Vecchio said, "and I'm sure Frannie will join us but I'm not sayin' a thing about this to her until Friday night. You know she couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Kali, you can count on me," added Fraser.

Soon everyone assembled had said they'd attend.

"Thank you all," Kali said. "This really means a lot."

Saturday, November 11, 2000, 7:30am

Kali met up with the Welsh's at the Meandering Muse. Lieutenant Welsh seemed surprised to see Kali show up at Janice's shop. But M-A greeted her warmly and the three sat and chatted comfortably while they enjoyed their breakfast.

Behind the scenes, the officers from the precinct as well as a few of the lieutenant's friends were pulling together the final details of their plan. Jan Brandt had pulled some strings at the Chicago Street Department and had an area blocked off to allow for the number of cars that were meeting near the bookstore and coffee shop. Melanie Mitchell had convinced her editor at the Chicago Sun-Times that the reunion would be a good story and they agreed to let her cover it. She was, after all, one of their best writers of human-interest stories. And she had even requisitioned one of the newspaper's vehicles to take with her. No one seemed surprised to see Dulcie Nelson since she worked for Dr. Pearson. Ray was somewhat stunned to see Dr. West show up but, as the Welsh's family doctor, she had been very concerned about his mental health as well as the fitness of his body. And, of course, Nurse CJ Larsen showed up as well.

Eyebrows were raised when Alex Peters appeared. Most of the officers at the precinct were instinctively distrustful of anyone from Internal Affairs. But they also knew that there were far worse people they could be dealing with than Alex. Shane Jackson and Amanda Dannehl had arrived with Melanie though the two of them argued over who was going to ride shotgun.

Shortly after 8:00, the Welsh's departed the Meandering Muse and headed towards their mini-van. M-A walked to the driver's side door and immediately hopped in and started the engine. Harding didn't question it but simply walked to the other side of the vehicle and entered the passenger side door. He was, however, stunned to see detectives Vecchio, Huey and Gardino, as well as Constable Fraser and Diefenbaker.

"What they hell are they doin' here?" he demanded of his wife.

"They're taking a little trip with us," she said as she quickly locked the doors and pulled out of the parking spot.

Kali swiftly jumped into her van and pulled out behind the Welsh's with Melanie bringing up the rear.

It was a long trip to Indianapolis for those in the lead van. Throughout the three-hour trip, Harding complained loud and long about the treatment he was being subjected to. Finally, when they were about thirty miles from their destination his wife had had enough of his bitching.

"Harding dear," she said. "Remember how I once told you that I loved you and I would support you no matter what?"

"Yes, so what?"

"And how I also told you that I reserved the right to call you a jackass if necessary?"

"Yes."

"You're being a jackass. Now just shut up and enjoy the trip."

"Okay, just tell me one thing. Why are we going to Indianapolis? And why are these officers joining us?"

"Because we've never been there," she replied.

Once they approached the downtown area, Kali took the lead. She had grown up in this town and had the best knowledge of where they were going. It wasn't long before they were parked near the State Government Center. Once everyone had exited the vehicles, Lieutenant Welsh began his harangue anew.

"Lieutenant," Kali said, "this is an intervention. Now, you're either going to shut up and cooperate for the rest of the afternoon, or, when we get back to Chicago, I'll be recommending that Commander O'Neill take action to have you suspended pending a complete psychological review."

"You can't do that!" he exploded.

"Actually sir, I'm afraid she can. Under Public Law 26-1-9-402.2 Ms. Sandison has the authority..."

"Thank you, Constable," Kali interrupted. "I believe the lieutenant's outburst was rhetorical." She fixed a steely gaze on the man she had brought here to help. "Harding, I'd hate to have you suspended. You're a damn good cop and an excellent commanding officer. But I'll do it if I have to."

He looked to his officers and friends for help but no one would meet his eyes.

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

Kali led them to the canal walk. She purposely brought them here to avoid the signs that might alert Harding to their destination. They walked for several blocks before finally coming upon the area where several people had already gathered for the ceremony. It was Fraser who first spotted Lt. Welsh's brother and stepsister and steered them in that direction. Everyone could tell that the lieutenant wasn't happy but he was seething quietly.

"Harding," his brother said acknowledging his presence.

"Wilson, Esther," he responded.

"We're supposed to check in over there," Wilson said pointing to a table a short distance away.

"Check in?" Harding questioned.

"Yeah, they're askin' family members to check in."

It was clear from the look on the lieutenant's face that he still didn't know what he was doing here.

"Haven't you told him?" Dr. Pearson asked M-A.

"No, I thought I'd let you do that."

"Harding, this is a gathering of people who are in some way connected to the U.S.S. Indianapolis."

"And how does this concern me?" Harding asked.

"I'll take that as a rhetorical question," Dr. Pearson answered. "Come on Harding, let's go get checked in."

The lieutenant's friends stood and watched as the medical examiner led her stepbrothers away. Fraser pointed out that a section of chairs had been roped off for the survivors and the relatives. Then he suggested that Harding might be a little more comfortable with some privacy.

"You're right Fraser. I think it's best that the rest of us blend into the background for now."

It was a cold but clear day for the ceremony. Next to the monument was a raised dais with a podium and several folding chairs. A few local dignitaries were milling around, shaking hands and talking to each other. The Chicago group found a large block of unoccupied seats near and settled in there.

Everyone watched as Lt. Welsh, his wife and siblings were directed to their assigned seats. The grim look on Harding's face showed his displeasure at his surroundings. Kali prayed that things would go well today. She didn't want to have him suspended. Throughout the ceremony she kept a careful eye on him, trying to gauge his reactions.

"Ladies & Gentlemen, if I may have your attention please? Would everyone please go ahead and take their seats and we'll begin in just a moment." A man was standing at the podium making the announcement. Soon all the seats on the dais were filled. And the man began speaking again.

"Good afternoon. As Mayor of Indianapolis, I'd like to welcome you today. It is a great honor for me to be here and extend our thanks for your interest in the great ship that bears the name of our city and for your interest in this memorial."

Sheriff Welsh looked attentively while the mayor announced the next speaker but his older brother was obviously less than interested. Resentment was clearly written on his face and his family knew there could be hell to pay for bringing him here. But they loved him enough to do whatever it took to keep from ruining his career.

Kali's attention returned to the podium as a young man named Hunter Scott began to speak. He told his story about hearing the chance reference to the doomed ship while watching the movie "Jaws" and how it had led him to do more research on what really happened. This young man had been instrumental in getting legislation put forth that had cleared Captain Charles McVey of any wrong doing in the sinking of the ship.

The entire ceremony took just under 45 minutes. When it was concluded, Harding burst from his seat, anxious to return to Chicago and irritated at the way his day had been wasted. An older man standing in front of him, however, stopped his exit from the area.

"You're one of Harry's boys, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Harry Welsh. Aren't you one of his sons?"

"Yes, sir," he said remaining polite for the moment. "I'm Harding, this is my brother Wilson, and this is our step sister Esther," he added pointing to his siblings.

"I'm so glad you came today. I heard about your dad's death but I was in the hospital and couldn't get to the funeral. I wanted you to know just what a great man he was."

"Thank you Mr.," he stopped to look at the man's nametag.

"Madison. Edward Madison. But your dad always called me Fast Eddie. He saved my life you know?"

Both the boys were stunned to hear this news.

"Yup, I'll never forget it. I had just gotten to sleep when the first torpedo hit. I hadn't much more than gotten to my feet when the second one got us. Within two minutes the ship was goin' down. I headed out with some others to abandon the ship when the order was given. I didn't know where your dad was. I knew he was supposed to be on duty that night but in that mess, I wasn't even sure where I was."

The lieutenant nodded, having been in some shoot-outs that had left him similarly disoriented.

"I jumped over the side and started swimming away. We'd had to get out so quickly I didn't even have time to grab a life jacket. And I wasn't a particularly good swimmer. But then I saw a wooden crate go floating by, potatoes were shipped in wood crates back the, and I held onto it for dear life hoping it would keep me from drowning. I heard some voices and yelled out. The voice that answered me was your dad."

The old man's gaze became less focused as he lost himself in the memories he was sharing.

"The next few days were just hell. During the day, the sun was blistering hot and at night it got real cold. Guys were goin' crazy from starvation and dehydration. Some guys even started drinking the seawater. And of course, there were the sharks. Every so often you'd hear a guy scream because he'd got bit. Somewhere along the line, Harry had found me a life jacket. I really appreciated it cuz my arms were getting' real tired hanging on to that crate."

"The fourth day a little PV1 Ventura, out on sub patrol flew over and spotted us. Later that day a couple more planes came out and started dropping survival gear. There was this little three-man raft that already had one guy in it. Harry and I started swimming to it and he made it before I did. The other guy in the raft wanted to go pick up some people he'd seen but your dad had seen sharks around us and he made this guy go pick me up. Just as they was pullin' me into the raft, I felt something brush up against my leg. If Harry hadn't gotten me then, I'm sure I would have been some shark's dinner."

Tears began to well up in Eddie's face. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. "It was a terrible time; one that no man should ever have to go through. I'd have never made it without Harry. He kept me sane and alive through the whole ordeal. He was a good man. And I sure miss him."

To everyone's surprise, Harding reached out and hugged the old man tightly. Those in close proximity to him could see that there were tears in his eyes as well. His father had rarely spoken of his years in the Navy and had never talked about the sinking of the Indianapolis. So this was the first time any of the family members had heard of his heroism.

"Thank you, Mr. Madison," he said. "Thank you for sharing that story with me."

"You're welcome, son."

As Eddie walked away, Harding felt an arm reach around his shoulders and he turned to see his brother, who also had tears in his eyes. He returned the embrace and then hugged their stepsister as well. M-A looked over at their friends from Chicago and gave them a big 'thumbs-up' gesture. A spontaneous cheer went up from the crowd when they heard Kali's pronouncement.

"I think he's gonna be okay."

The End