DISCLAIMER: I do not own the JAG characters, and promise I will put them
back neatly in Donald B's toy box when I am done playing with them. Later
on I will add characters of my own, and those are mine, and if you want to
play with them, please ask me nicely first. Also, if you would like to post
this somewhere, please tell me about it first.
WARNING! Character Death in chapter 2!
Author's Notes:
I tried to start each new speaker off on a new line for ease of reading,
hope this helps. Thoughts are in single quotes, Dialogue in Double.
3) This is my first JAG fanfic, so please be nice to me. However,
constructive criticism would be welcome.
One February Morning in the JAG Bullpen.........
February 29, 2004
1145 Romeo
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA.
Admiral Chegwidden headed toward the bullpen in a very foul mood. He was
supposed to have retired at the end of last week, but the court case the
SecNav had especially wanted him to stay and prosecute himself was turning
into a three-ring circus. The Navy's computer system had been hacked, and
personnel records had been tampered with. The hackers hadn't been smart
enough to change anyone else's information, and so it was easy to figure
out that the five enlisted personnel whose information had been altered
were the people they were looking for. To top it off, they had hacked the
system while logged on to a Navy computer on base, which was easily
traceable. It should have been an open-and-shut case...unfortunately, one of
the enlisted women involved was a spoiled rich daddy's girl, and Daddy
refused to believe that his innocent little girl could be involved in such
a thing. So he had hired s dream team of lawyers from New York, and got his
friend from the TV network to arrange for the trial to be aired on Trial
TV. The result: a media circus that was making his head ache more with
every passing minute. And now the stupid civilian lawyers had asked for,
and gotten, a two hour lunch break.
'There goes getting home to Meredith at a decent hour, he thought. It was
bad enough I had to cancel dinner on Valentine's Day, but this is leap year
day. It happens much less often than Valentine's, her reaction may be
worse. God save me from the wrath of a woman who is three days past her
due date! We are never doing this again, if she wants another, we'll adopt!
And now with her and Harriet, I can't get away from it....and Commander
Brumby is coming back with his pregnant wife...but that will be Mac's problem
as the new JAG... I just hope Harriet doesn't go into labor before I leave!'
"TINER! Where's the aspirin?" AJ bellowed on his way through the door.
"ATTENTION ON DECK!" Tiner quickly said, noting that the Admiral didn't
look like he would be too patient if anyone failed to comply quickly
enough. Ever since Meredith had gotten pregnant the gale warning had been
out far more often than usual.
A very pregnant Lt. Harriet Sims-Roberts gently eased herself out of her
chair. "OWWWWWW!!!"
"What's the matter, Lieutenant?" The Admiral eyed her sharply.
"I think the baby was just following military protocol, Sir! She was either
saluting you herself or elbowing me to hurry and get up, I'm not sure
which."
"SHE?" the Admiral, Mac, Harm and Sturgis blurted out simultaneously.
Harriet blushed. "I guess that's out of the bag. We've known since the
amniocentesis results – it's a girl, and she's perfectly healthy, by the
way, but we had decided not to tell anyone yet. You all know my mother -
she in particular would start bugging us about baby names, and we wanted to
choose something perfect, and take our time doing it."
The Admiral smiled. "Thanks, Lt. That's the best news I've had all day.
However, you might want to get with Meredith and just make sure you aren't
considering the same names. At least I talked her out of giving our two the
same..." He stopped short. "Dang, this isn't a morning for keeping secrets,
is it?"
"TWO?" squealed Harriet, "Twins? How wonderful! And if you're thinking of
the same names, and she's thinking of two the same, are you having two
girls?"
"Yes, identical girls. And she wanted to name them both after my mother.
Belle is a pretty name, but she wants to use the middle name. Geraldine.
Isn't that the most awful name you've ever heard?"
Mac blanched "EWWW."
"YUUCCCKK!" was Sturgis' contribution.
"UCK!" Coates made a gagging noise.
"I just hope I can keep her grounded until the baby gets here. She's been
really hard to keep out of trouble, but as she had such a hard time getting
pregnant it has made her be more careful ... Harm, as soon as she gets the
all clear she wants to go flying again. PLEEEASSEEE don't let her anywhere
near the controls! Here I am, getting ready to retire, and becoming a
parent again! They say the three comforts of old age are an old wife, an
old friend, and an old book. What do I have? A middle-aged and pregnant
wife, two newborns on the way, and I certainly won't have time to read!"
Just then, the phone on Tiner's desk began to ring...
