Season 6

Episode 1

9 – 18 – 1971

Log Line: Jeannie's father comes for a visit.

Story:

One morning, Jeannie was up and drawing the curtains when her father appeared in a puff of red smoke.

"Father" Jeannie embraced the man in a red turban and outfit. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would come and stay for a while and meet your husband. Asmire tells me you are now married".

"Jeannie" Tony muttered and woke up. "What's going on?"

"Oh master, meet my father".

"What?" said Tony and sat up. "Oh well, it's nice to meet you." He whispered to Jeannie "Is he a genie?"

"Oh yes certainly. Father, erm wouldn't you like to go down to the sitting room and make yourself comfortable?"

"What for?"

"Father" Jeannie repeated pointedly.

"Oh, oh yes". He folded his arms, blinked his eyes and vanished.

"Did he have to appear in the bedroom?" asked Tony grumpily, standing up and searching for something to wear.

"Well, father doesn't really think of things like that. He just acts on the spur of the moment.

Al of them had breakfast together during which time, Jeannie's father reminisced over working in hospitals for some time before meeting Jeannie's mother. Roger arrived and was introduced to him.

"Well, we had better be getting over to the base".

"I'll go with you" Ajeck stood up at once.

"Why?" Tony asked, surprised.

"I'm interested in seeing what you do for a living".

"You'll find it very dull" Roger hastily put him off. "Wouldn't he Tony?"

"Yes, very dull" Tony reiterated. Why don't you stay here and help Jeannie?"

"I would never stay in the house all day." Ajeck walked towards the door.

"Father, wait, you have to wear ordinary clothes. Nobody other than my master and Major Healey know that either I or my family are genies."

Ajeck blinked and was soon wearing a white shirt with dark jacket and trousers and had short black hair with glasses.

Major Nelson and Major Healey had great pleasure showing Ajeck around the space program. He was very

interested and asked a number of questions. Dr Bellows came into Tony's office just as he had finished explaining to Ajeck further particulars of his job.

"Oh Dr Bellows, this is my father in law, Ajeck".

Dr Bellows shook Ajeck's hand. "He was interested in my work so I promised to show him around".

"I see. I tell you what Major. You need time to work so why don't I get to know Ajeck while you finish those ratio reports".

"Well…I don't want you to go to any trouble sir".

"It's no trouble at all Major."

Ajeck and Dr Bellows departed in conversation. "And my greatest ambition was to be a psychiatrist". Dr Bellows went into his office. And I managed to become one. Do you have any ambitions?"

"I always wanted to be a doctor" Ajeck replied.

"Why didn't you?"

"Well I helped out in hospitals for a long time but then I met Jeannie's mother and we married and…" he trailed off.

"Ah", Dr Bellows considered. "If you still want to be a doctor, I can take you under my wing. You can help me with ordinary medical work at NASA and at the hospital.

"Can I?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes, well thanks.

Dr Bellows went to the hospital, taking Ajeck with him. On the way, they encountered Major Healey.

"Where are you going sir?"

"Oh, Ajeck and I are going down to the hospital. I promised him he could help out there and I would take him under my wing."

Roger casually mentioned this to Tony.

"What? I must stop him at once."

"But why?"

"What do you mean why? It would be a disaster if I didn't."

Tony sped out, leaving Roger in charge of the work.

Dr Bellows took Ajeck to the hospital and asked the doctors there to try him out. Ajeck was taken to a room where a woman was giving birth and asked to deal with it. Ajeck blinked up two flasks. One contained something that looked like milk and the other honey wine. He poured the honey wine into the milk, shook it and poured it into the pregnant woman's mouth. She spat it out and screamed at him. Blinking the flasks away, Ajeck blinked some bandages and waited. Then he wrapped the infant in them and, leaving her in a nearby cot, retreated.

One of the doctors, coming in was surprised to see the infant in the cot, tenderly wrapped in bandages. "This man Ajeck certainly knows how to go about everything" she said to herself as the allowed the mother to hold her briefly.

Dr Bellows then asked Ajeck's help with an arm fracture.

"I know how to do this." Ajeck told the patient to hold it as an archer does when he projects the shoulder and started to bind it up in that position.

"No, no, no" Dr Bellows shook his head. "You do it like this". He demonstrated the correct way.

"In every hospital I've ever worked at they have done it my way" Ajeck argued.

"They couldn't have. That is the kind of thing they did in Ancient Greece".

"Well the Greeks had the right idea."

At last, after much grumbling, Ajeck allowed Dr Bellows to do it his way.

Dr Bellows was called off to deal with an operation and so Ajeck was left alone. A patient complained of muscular pain so Ajeck blinked up some needles and started inserting them just as Major Nelson dashed into the room.

"What are you doing Ajeck?"

"Acupuncture".

"Yes but that won't do for muscular pain. It sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't."

"Are you a doctor?"

"No, but Ajeck, they did that kind of thing in Ancient China. Nobody does that now in the United States."

Ajeck crossly blinked the needles away and stood with his arms folded in a corner.

"Look" Tony attempted to reason with his irate father in law. "If you really want to be helpful, why don't you fold bandages or something like that?"

Tony saw a nurse walking past and stopped her. "My father in law is frustrated that he can't do anything to help but he's not dealing with the patients rightly. Can you find him something to do?"

The nurse agreed and Ajeck, when he saw how attractive she was, obligingly accompanied her. She left him some wok and went off. Dr Bellows, having asked where he was, came in to see Ajeck blinking away. Bandages started folding themselves, medical equipment were cleaned automatically and stacked on shelves or in drawers and cupboards. Ajeck suddenly caught sight of Dr Bellows sand stopped.

"Anything wrong Doctor?"

"Wrong?" repeated Dr Bellows faintly. "No, no, nothing at all. Keep up the good work".

He walked out and was so preoccupied, he walked into Tony.

"Are you all right Sir?"

"Fine"

"You have a very funny look on your face".

"Do I? It's nothing. Anyway, what are you doing here Major?"

"I came to collect my father in law".

"Yes" Dr Bellows said quickly. "Take him home. I don't believe he is cut out for medicine."

Ajeck, though reluctant to stop work was eager to see Jeannie and so agreed to leave. Major Nelson drove him home. "It's not like it was in the old days" Tony told him. " Jeannie had problems like that too. In our second year together she drove down a one way street the wrong way and the police confiscated my car".

Ajeck, slightly more cheerful, laughed.

Jeannie had just got supper ready when they arrived. "Anthony, there's something I need to tell you, and you too father".

Both looked surprised. Tony took her in his arms. "What is it darling?"

"Well" Jeannie blushed. "How do women usually say it, ah, erm, I'm going to have a baby".

"You're what?"

"Yes, I kind of felt sick this morning after you left for the office. I thought it was something I ate at first but then Mrs. Bellows told me to take a test. I had no idea how of course but I followed all the instructions and yes, it's positive".

"Oh Jeannie, that's wonderful." They kissed.

"I know how to deal with that" chipped in Ajeck. "You place the right foot of a hyena…"

End.