Enemy of the State

(NOTE:I have begun coding my stories, so you can tell which ones follow which plot. Example: New Lives,New Loves is (NLNL1). Death Do Us Part, which follows, is (NLNL2). This story follows that, and is (NLNL3).

Chapter One - 10/12/78 - 11:45am

A man of Oscar's stature within the government should've seen it coming and been prepared for it, but Oscar, preoccupied with the annulment papers Jaime had returned to him - signed - that morning, had been completely blindsided. His office door flew open, a hole straight through the middle of it. Damn, he thought, second door in two days. When he saw Jack Hansen and two of his NSB cronies coming at him with guns drawn, he realized this would be much worse than facing an angry Steve Austin. Jaime's papers fell from his hand and scattered beneath his desk. Something told Oscar he wouldn't be filing them today, after all.

Hansen stepped forward and Oscar came around the desk to meet him. "Oscar Goldman," Hansen said sternly, "You are officially remanded immediately to NSB custody as an Enemy of the State, pending possible charges of Conspiracy and Treason."

"What?" Oscar was stunned.

Hansen explained while Oscar was being handcuffed. "Seems you have a wife locked up downstairs, in our wing. A Commie wife. Didn't mention her when you were promoted to Director, did you? Slip your mind? Now she's conveniently back in the country. My friend, you are in major, major trouble."

As he was being led from the office, Oscar turned to his stunned secretary. "Call Rudy. Until I get a lawyer, he can get in to see me downstairs."

"What about Jaime?" she called out as he was going out the door.

"Call Rudy!"

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10/12/78 - 4:30pm

Rudy Wells knew he had to find Jaime. He tried Oscar's house, and then Jaime's old apartment, both with no success. Callahan thought she might have left with Steve, so, growing desperate, he drove to Steve's house and pounded on the door. The doctor finally had a stroke of good luck when Steve answered the door.

"Rudy?" Steve saw the stricken look on Rudy's face and quickly ushered him in. "What is it; what's wrong?"

"I really need to see Jaime. It's urgent - is she here?"

"She's sleeping, for the first time in two days. Is...she sick?" Steve asked, frightened by Rudy's agitation.

"It's about Oscar -"

"Jaime's heard that name enough today. She's been through hell."

"I understand, Steve, and I'm sorry. But I really need to see her."

"Rudy?" Jaime appeared in the hallway that led from the guest bedroom. She'd been lying down, but not sleeping. She saw the doctor's stricken manner and nearly dropped to her knees. Steve was immediately at her side like a well-trained guard-dog. "My God," she whispered, "he's had a heart attack..."

"No, Honey," Rudy said, trying to calm her so he could give her news that would devastate her all over again. He wished there was some other way, but she was Oscar's only hope. "I think we should all sit down first," he suggested.

Jaime was already shaking so badly she could barely stand. Steve helped her to the loveseat and sat beside her, holding her hand. When that didn't seem to comfort her, he placed an arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head on his arm and seemed a little steadier.

"What happened to him?" she asked in a quivering voice. "Is he alright?"

"No, Honey, I'm afraid he isn't," Rudy said grimly.

"He's - in the hospital?"

"Jaime, he's in a holding cell in the NSB catacombs underneath our building."

"I don't understand. What did he do?"

Steve got the picture immediately. "Natalie, I mean Natalia." Rudy nodded.

"What is he charged with?" Jaime asked.

"The NSB can actually hold him without charging him, but he's looking at Conspiracy charges, and Treason."

"Treason." Jaime tried to absorb it. "They - they execute people for that."

"Yes, they do," Rudy confirmed.

"What does Jaime have to do with any of this?" Steve wanted to know. "They're not married anymore. With the annulment, they never were."

Rudy took a huge breath. "He hadn't filed the paperwork yet when they grabbed him."

"We're still - married?"

"I spoke to the lawyer representing Oscar," Rudy explained, "and he said that all depends on you Honey. You can still file those papers and be done with it -"

"And let them kill Oscar..."

"Or you can go to court and try to prove you are the legal wife of Oscar Goldman and it's the other marriage that's invalid."

"Now, wait a minute," Steve protested.

Jaime leaned forward, fully in the conversation. Rudy looked at her sadly. "Honey, it's a lot to ask of anyone, especially when you've already been hurt by all of this. If you succeeded, though, they'd have no case against him. You're his only hope, Jaime."

"Goldman screws up his own life - and hers - and now he expects her to fix it?" Steve was livid.

"No," Rudy corrected. "In fact, he told me to give Jaime the annulment papers and insist she file them in the morning."

"I wanna talk to him," Steve insisted.

"You can't get in there. Neither can I, now that he has an attorney. The only ones who can see him are his lawyer...and his wife."