Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland
June 15, 2017

Caroline Reynolds-Watson was quickly overawed as she walked onto the grounds of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Her eyes were drawn to the towering white spire which formed the center of the main complex. Even more so than the impressive architecture, she was consumed with the knowledge that so many sick and wounded servicemen were housed inside the facility.

Unlike many visitors to Walter Reed, Caroline was not a member of the military or even related to one. She was a legislative assistant to Brenda Daniels, a Missouri senator on the Armed Services Committee. As the assistant responsible for Senator Daniels's work in that committee, Caroline was one of the staff members who were accompanying the senator on her visit to the military hospital. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the level of medical care being provided to wounded servicemen, but the senator's PR people would never have allowed her to leave without visiting some of the wounded.

"Keep up, Caroline. There are many heroes to visit, and we certainly do not have all day." Richard, Senator Daniels's executive assistant had noticed Caroline's pensive moment. He was determined to keep the senatorial party on schedule and was not about to allow the young assistant to fall behind. Forcing herself to not roll her eyes, she quickened her pace for the few steps that she needed to reach the rest of the group. Over-glorified secretary…let's see him try to do real political work for once. To be fair, Caroline did not dislike Richard. He was a kind man who did his job very well, making the senator a good boss to everyone else on staff. It was only at times like this, when he acted like the staff alarm clock and cheerleader, that Caroline had just cause for annoyance.

As the group neared the front entrance to the hospital, a senior petty officer stepped forward to meet them. "Good morning, Senator. Welcome to Walter Reed. I am Command Master Chief Aaron Wilson. I'm the ranking enlisted member on site and I'll be conducting you to the CO's office. You'll have the opportunity to talk with him in private before he conducts your tour of the facilities."

Senator Daniels, a tall severe woman, looked down at the middle-aged sailor. "Thank you, Master Chief. Lead on." The Navy man nodded, then turned and escorted them into the hospital. The senator wasted no time in beginning her evaluation. "Tell me, Master Chief, what are your duties here at the medical center?" She did not look at him as she tendered the question. Rather, her eyes swept the hospital, noting the activities of the staff.

"Ma'am, I work closely with Rear Admiral Dawkins in running and maintaining the hospital. That means less day-to-day interaction with patients and more administrative work. Significant incident reports go through me, I'm on a panel that reviews proposed research, I distribute memoranda to department heads, and I have other administrative tasks."

"Including babysitting senators," Senator Daniels quipped with a wry grin.

"Yes ma'am." Chief Wilson suddenly realized what he'd just agreed to. "Uh, no ma'am. That is, I don't mean to imply that I think of you as needing 'babysitting' per se, ma'am."

The senator laughed, a light harmless chuckle. "Don't worry about it, Master Chief. It was a joke, and perhaps a cruel one on my part. I know shuttling me around can't be the most fulfilling work you have here. Go ahead and tell me more about normal operations here at Walter Reed."

As the chief launched into a detailed rundown of the hospital and its capabilities, Caroline looked around at the hospital's lobbies and hallways. She was impressed at the cleanliness and efficiency of the facility. It's calm enough to almost make me forget we've been at war for almost two decades. In stark contrast to the bloody anarchy novels and movies portrayed as common occurrences in military hospitals, Walter Reed seemed to rival the most prestigious civilian medical centers. That's 21st century technology and administration for you. She was pleasantly surprised at the number of nurses and technicians who smiled and nodded a greeting at the senatorial party. Those who wore the oak leaf insignia of the Navy Medical Corps far outnumbered their Army counterparts who wore the caduceus. Although Walter Reed was a tri-service facility, it was located on the site of the old National Navy Medical Center, and the Navy remained the most visible partner.

The soon found themselves in the office of Rear Admiral Phillip Dawkins, the commander of Walter Reed. The admiral cut a warm and fatherly figure. A former primary care physician, Dawkins seemed the embodiment of the healing nature of the medical field. Surgeons had to be cold and distant and, in Caroline's opinion, were not disposed to the nurturing disposition that the commander of a hospital needed. As Senator Daniels discussed funding and operational efficiency with the admiral, Caroline took notes on their conversation. She was surprised to hear that combat-related wounds and injuries were at their lowest points in years. A lot of resources seemed to be dedicated to the same medical procedures in civilian hospitals.

"To be honest, Senator, our people are just flat-out living longer. In addition, a lot of them would rather re-enlist than go out into the civilian job market. So we have older servicemen and women who just need the same medical checkups and treatments as anyone else." The admiral smiled. "While I admire their dedication, I wonder if we might be better served by re-establishing a younger Navy."

"Whether it's that or more resources for Walter Reed and other medical facilities, I'll do what I can to keep the military running at peak efficiency, especially where its medical capabilities are concerned." With that, Senator Daniels rose from her seat. "I think that's all I have for you, Admiral. If you would be so kind, I would love to see more of this noble facility."

Led by Rear Admiral Dawkins, the senator and her party began to wend their way through the corridors of the hospital. Caroline continued to take notes as Dawkins spoke, but had trouble keeping up while writing.

Bzzzz…Bzzzz…

Exasperated, Caroline looked down at her buzzing phone. She quickly ran and tapped another staff member on the shoulder. "It's Will from Armed Services. I have to take this." The staffer nodded; he wouldn't say anything about her absence if it wasn't discovered and would explain if it was. She answered the phone just as it was ringing for the last time. "Caroline Reynolds for Senator Daniels."

"Hey, Caroline, it's Will Hart."

"What is it, Will? Please don't tell me you have bad news."

"I'm a committee staffer, not a senator's lapdog–"

"Give it a rest, Hart."

"–so I don't have the same estimation of good and bad as you."

"What's going on?"

"The Navy has recommended combining some installations in San Diego, and closing or selling the excess facilities."

Caroline groaned. "That means Fernandez is never going to support sending money to the Navy anywhere else. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. You know, if you want to repay me for this info…"

A grin tugged at the mouth senatorial aide. "I told you, Will: find a way to make yourself at least thirty years younger and then we'll talk."

"Well, can't blame a guy for trying."

"True, but you don't have to reward him either."

"Fair enough. Talk to you later, Caroline."

"Bye. Thanks again. I'll see you in session next week."

She hung up, and made a frantic note about the conversation. Senator Jorge Fernandez, a Democrat from California was something of a rival to Senator Daniels. There was very little the two senators could agree on. He was on the Strategic Forces subcommittee while she chaired the Personnel subcommittee. While he was interested in machines and weapons, she concerned herself with the servicemen controlling them. It was no better on the Senate floor than in the committee: a California liberal and a Midwestern Republican were just not going to be friends. With the Navy consolidating their San Diego installations, there would be civilian job loss in Southern California. If Fernandez was unable to stop that, he would certainly try to retaliate in a way that would hurt Daniels, such as attempting to block her proposed funding increases for military hospitals. Not good. We need a way to counter this. Determined to work on it later, Caroline tucked her phone into her purse and moved to catch up to the group. She turned around the corner they had gone…and found herself facing a four-way intersection. Oh no…which way did they go?

As he left the hospital room, Lieutenant David Shen, a twenty-eight-year-old Navy Judge Advocate, chuckled to himself. He had just helped a wounded Marine lay the foundations for a will. The kid had never been in combat, or even a combat zone. He was in Walter Reed because he had broken a leg while preparing for a "friendly" Army-Navy football game on the Fourth of July. Still, being hospitalized had been enough to shake him up. Even if he wasn't in for a combat wound, it was difficult to forget just how easily he could return full of holes. That was certainly a thought that made you feel the need to account for everything. As he dwelled on that last thought, David's smile turned into a frown. The Marine had been nineteen years old, with less than a year in the Corps. He shouldn't have had to even consider getting a will. When David had been nineteen, he'd been a student at the University of Miami. He'd spent his days busting his intellectual butt and his nights partying all over the Magic City, from South Beach to Brickell to Coconut Grove. Dying? Not even remotely on his mind. He hadn't even known the first thing about wills until law school. To be fair, Lance Corporal Ruiz didn't either. Still doesn't.

After taking a last look at his notes, he tucked them into his briefcase. He would take those notes and draft a preliminary version of the will. However, he would not see Lance Corporal Ruiz all the way through the will's completion. He was not assigned to Walter Reed for Legal Assistance, but was filling in for a Lieutenant Pierce who, unsurprisingly, had gotten sick while working in a hospital. David normally worked at the Washington Navy Yard for Command Services. Because of that, he wasn't used to working with enlisted men with little knowledge of the law. He normally assisted senior officers with interpreting civil and military law as necessary. His recent encounter with Ruiz left him feeling more frustrated than normal. He had no quarrel with the Marine, and thought he was a good kid; David was simply used to better-educated clients.

Crap. Where is Lieutenant Pierce's office? After a few moments, he got his bearings and headed towards the legal offices. No sooner had he taken a few steps, than he heard a voice that sounded neither medical nor military. "Thanks again. I'll see you in session next week." Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, David turned the corner and saw a young woman. She was petite and definitely not military. The cut of her suit was professional yet stylish and her blonde hair was pulled back away from her face. She turned around and he saw that while she was undoubtedly pretty, her features were contorted in a worried frown. The expression soon changed, but from frustration to confusion. Looking for any excuse to talk to her, he approached her. "Miss, is something wrong?"

The girl looked at him. "Yes and no. I'm a legislative assistant to Senator Brenda Daniels. I was taking a call from the Armed Services Committee and got separated. I can call another staff member and find out where they are, but actually finding where that is could be difficult. I've never been here before."

Hoping his nervousness didn't show, David nodded. "No problem, miss. Go ahead and make the call and I'll get you there."

Finally, she broke into a smile. It was a pretty smile, with pale green eyes complimenting the soft angles of her face. "Thank you so much, Lieutenant." She retrieved her phone from her purse and dialed quickly. "Amelia, I lost track of you guys during that call. Where are you right now?" As the girl fell silent, ostensibly for Amelia to answer, David looked over the girl again. She was young, much younger than he would have expected a senatorial staffer to be. Despite that, she carried herself with all the poise of an experienced aide. "Immunology lab? It's a satellite building? Thanks so much. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up and turned to face David. "They're in the immunology lab. Thank again, Lieutenant. I really appreciate it. My name is Caroline Reynolds, by the way."

David reached out and shook her extended hand. "I'm David Shen. Please no more of that 'Lieutenant' business. I get plenty of that, so hearing my actual name is nice every once in a while." He began to lead her down a hallway in the direction of the hospital's main elevators. After that, it's just guessing and gambling.

"Fair enough, David." As they walked she glanced at the shoulder boards on his services whites. Recognition flicked across her face as she saw the millrind insignia. "Wait a minute. You're not a medical officer; you're a JAG lawyer."

He was surprised that she recognized the insignia and glanced over at her. "Pretty impressive, Caroline. How did you know that?"

She threw him a sly grin. "I am a legislative aide to a senator on the Armed Services Committee."

"Well yeah, but-"

"And my dad's a lawyer, so I've met a couple of his law school buddies who joined the Navy to see the world and all that jazz." The grin spread from her mouth to her eyes as they reached the elevators.

David chuckled as they walked into an empty elevator. "You're not a woman to be underestimated, are you Caroline?"

The senatorial staffer rolled her eyes and groaned in exaggerated frustration. "Please don't call me that. I used to love being called a 'woman' when I was younger, but now I don't want to admit that I'm getting older. But I'm still twenty-five. I'd like to think I'm still young enough to be called a girl."

This time, David reacted with a hearty laugh and he held his hands up. "Woah there. That may have been the first time I've given offense in quite that way. But I can respect that. So how does a twenty-five-year-old get to be a legislative advisor for a senior senator on the Armed Services Committee?"

"The same way anyone gets a job in politics: kicking butt and lot of networking. Honestly, I probably just got lucky. Right place, right time, you know?" As she said that, the elevator doors opened, revealing the ground floor of Walter Reed.

As they stepped out into the sunlit lobby, David stopped and turned to face her. "Okay, confession time. I don't actually know where the immunology lab is. In fact, this is only my third time at the hospital. I work at the Navy Yard and was just assigned here to cover for a sick Judge Advocate."

Shock rode freely on Caroline's face. "So you were planning on helping me…how?"

Sheepishly, David shrugged. "Well, I have a friend who works in the biomechanics lab, and I know where that is. It wouldn't surprise me if immunology is close by." I know they keep all the labs separate from the healthcare facilities. Accidental contamination, in either direction, would be bad."

Caroline sighed and shook her head, though a tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Well, at least you're trying to help me. That counts for something." They walked into the warm summer morning. "Wait a minute, don't you have clients that you need to deal with, even if you're just covering."

David shrugged again. "Not really. None that I know of anyway. I'm covering in Legal Services, so we have walk-in clients. So it's not like I'm tracking cases that require me to spend the whole day in front of the computer. I mean, I have to draft a will for a nineteen-year-old kid, but I've got all day to do that and it's only 10:30 in the morning."

"Well what if…wait!" She stopped and looked up at him, an alarmed look on her face. "Did you just say a will for a nineteen-year-old?"

"He broke his leg in a football game and the aura of invincibility the Marines gave him in boot is shattered. He's not in any real danger, but he's a little paranoid so he wanted one written up." He sighed. "It's not necessarily a bad thing; I just never thought I'd ever be writing out a will for a kid. I mean, my kid sister is nineteen and there's no way she's even remotely thinking about wills."

Caroline shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not going to pretend that I understand the things these men and women are going through. For too many at the Committee, soldiers are just…resources. Senator Daniels is on the Personnel subcommittee and she's done a lot to change my mentality, but it's so surreal to hear about what they go through. A will at nineteen? I can't even imagine." She shook her head again. When she looked up, she saw a group of people crossing the grounds at a distance. "There they are!" She changed her path and began walking towards them.

"That's the senator? The tall one?"

"Yep. That's Senator Brenda Daniels, Republican from Missouri." Caroline stopped and turned to face David. "Thank you again for your help, Lieuten – sorry, I mean David. Actually you didn't really have much to do with finding them, so at the very least, thank you for the company."

"My pleasure." Now or never, dude. David cleared his throat before speaking again. "Caroline, I really enjoyed the few minutes we had. I'd love to continue this some other time. You know, like when I'm not at work."

She smiled at the Navy man. "I really did too." Her smile grew even wider as she looked up into his chocolate brown eyes. "But there's no way you're getting my number."

Well that was direct. "Really?"

"Not a chance." David's heart dropped into his stomach. He certainly was not expecting that response. She could have softened it a little. "But I'll tell you what: you can pick me up for drinks tomorrow. If that goes well, maybe – just maybe – you can have that number. 2221 Northwest 1st Street, in Georgetown. Apartment 726. Can you remember all that, Lawyer Man?"

Quickly getting over his surprise at the reversal, David recited "2221 Northwest 1st, Georgetown, number 726."

Caroline raised an eyebrow in approval. "Not bad. Come by tomorrow night around 8 PM. Pick out somewhere classy but not too formal. And no uniform. If I see you in dress whites, I will throw on sweats and watch a movie at home. Without you."

"I think I can manage that. I'll see you then."

"I certainly hope so…Lieutenant." Caroline winked before turning back and walking towards the senatorial party.

Watching her walk away, David was unable to wipe the bemused look from his face. Well I'll be damned. That was unexpected. Caroline Reynolds. What a fascinating girl. He turned on heel and headed back towards the main hospital building. Lance Corporal Jimmy Ruiz would probably live for at least another sixty years, but just in case something terrible happened, David had to make sure he was prepared.

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I don't claim to be an expert on naval or legal affairs. I just like both. I don't know the layout of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and I'm sure my depiction is wildly inaccurate, but I hope you enjoy it for what it is.

I realize this is not an actual JAG story (with regards to the show), but I figured it would fit in and have an audience here.

I'm a college senior preparing to go to law school next year (and hopefully Navy JAG afterwards), so I can't promise regular chapter updates. Once again, I hope you enjoy what I come up with.