Chapter 3

Janet awoke the next morning after the alarm went off. When Lee was home she didn't need an alarm, he would always wake up at 0500 every day even the weekends. She dragged herself out of bed and turned on the shower. It was no fun taking one alone. They would take a shower together every morning. Conserving water he told her. The shower on Seaview was a little small to shower together but once in a while they did. She really missed him. She got dressed, did her hair, put on her make up and went downstairs to make some coffee and breakfast. Even though she didn't eat much dinner last night she wasn't very hungry this morning. Chip would be there in a few minutes. She ate part of a bagel, drank her coffee and cleaned up before Chip knocked on the door.

"Get any sleep?"

"Some, how about you?"

"I think more than you did."

She looked even more tired today than she did yesterday.

"Janet, if you don't start sleeping I'm going to go the Jamie and have him give you something to make you sleep," Chip said seriously. "You're not looking very good and I'm worried about you."

"I know but it's so hard to sleep without him and not to worry about him."

They got to the office and Jamie was already there talking to the admiral when Janet and Chip walked in. Janet went into her office while Chip stopped to talk to the admiral and Jamie.

"Chip is she sleeping at all?" Jamie asked unhappily seeing how tired she looked.

"She says yes, but I highly doubt it. I told her today I was going to get you to give her something to sleep."

"Admiral, Chip, I'm going to get Janet to sleep but she's not going to like it and in fact she will probably be pissed with me so just go along with me on this."

Jamie went to Janet's office and knocked on the door.

"Good morning. How are you today besides looking a little tired," Jamie asked smiling.

"I'm fine and yes I'm not sleeping," she snapped.

Jamie ignored her outburst.

"I need your help with a project in Med Bay this afternoon. I checked with the Admiral and Chip and its fine with them if I borrow you this afternoon. Could you please help me out?"

"If it's okay with them I can help you. What time do you want me there?"

"How about 1100? We'll go to lunch and I will show you the project I need help with."

"I'll be there at 1100."

Jamie winked at Chip and the admiral who were waiting by the door.

At 1100 Janet went to Med Bay and Jamie took her to lunch. She ate a ham sandwich at Jamie's insistence. She took an iced tea to go. While she went to the rest room, Jamie slipped a sedative in her tea. When she returned they went to one of the examination rooms.

"Since Seaview is in port, I gave Nurse Betty, Frank and the rest of the staff the week off so that's why I need your help. John is on Seaview doing inventory there. What I would like you to do is inventory everything in each of the examination rooms. I haven't done a complete inventory in a few months. Chip wants to see what I have in supplies before we order any more."

"Okay how will I know what some of these items are?" Janet asked as she took a drink of her iced tea.

"Here is a list of what should be in the cabinets. Just put the number you count by the item number. Thanks a lot for your help. I have some other paperwork to take care of but when that's done I will help you," Jamie said smiling as he walked out the door.

Janet was working on the inventory and was very thirsty so she drank all her iced tea. All of a sudden she was very tired and could hardly keep her eyes open. She was sitting on the floor counting bandages in one of the cabinets when she fell asleep. Jamie was standing by the door smiling. He picked her up, put her in the bed and covered her.

He called Chip's office.

"Morton."

"Hi Chip its Jamie. I got her to sleep. She should be out for about five hours. You can pick her up about 1700."

"How'd you do it? Slip her a mickey?" Chip asked laughing.

"Yes, I put a sedative in her tea," Jamie said proudly.

"You know she's going to be pissed at you."

"I know. I'll take my chances."

Chip came to get Janet at 1700 and she was just waking up. Jamie was there and she almost took his head off.

"What the hell did you give me," she yelled at him.

"A sedative so you would sleep. Don't worry you will be able to sleep tonight too," Jamie said helping her off the bed.

"Thank you Jamie. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know you were only trying to help."

"No problem. Chip's here to take you home. Go get some dinner and go to bed."

"Yes Jamie."

She was still too tired to argue with him.

Chip and Janet left Med Bay and went to Chip's car. They stopped for pizza on the way home. He dropped her off, she give him the okay signal and went to bed and fell asleep.

What Janet didn't know was there was a special delivery letter for her in her office.

((()))

When Chip and Janet got to work the next morning Janet saw the letter on her desk. She looked at the address and saw it came from a lawyer's office in Washington DC. She had no clue who he was. She opened the letter and it was from a lawyer hired by her parents to handle their estate. She had to go to Washington on Friday to meet with him. Chip went to her office to give her a letter to type up and saw she was upset about something.

"What's wrong?"

"Read this. I can't go now. I need Lee to come with me," she fretted. "Maybe I can ask them to postpone it until Lee's back."

Chip read the letter and was surprised at how soon she needed to be in Washington. He knew she would never go by herself.

"That's a good idea. If that doesn't work, try calling Jason Campbell in the legal department. Lee has dealt with him before."

Janet knew him from a previous meeting when Lee served her with fake divorce papers.*

Janet called the lawyer's office while Chip waited.

"Could I please talk to Ivan Stein?"

"Who is calling?" the secretary asked pleasantly.

"Janet Crane. It's regarding the estate of Nick and Nora Carter."

"Mrs. Crane, this is Ivan Stein. How can I help you?"

"I just received your letter telling me I need to be in Washington by Friday. Is there anyway we can postpone this for a few weeks. My husband is out of the country and I would like him to be there."

"No I'm very sorry the date cannot be changed," he said seriously.

"Please I really need to have the date changed," Janet pleaded.

"No, I can't change it," he replied and hung up on her.

"He can't or won't change the date."

Chip phoned Jason Campbell and gave him the information Janet had and asked him to try and change the date. Maybe having a lawyer call would change Stein's mind. He told Chip he would call him back. Janet and Chip waited in her office for him to call back. The phone rang ten minutes later.

"Yes, Jason."

"That guy's a real ass. He said he wouldn't change the date even if Admiral Nelson himself called. Tell Janet I'm sorry but she will have to go on that date. If she wants, I can go with her but it sounds like they are going to go over the conditions of the estate so there is nothing really to do but listen."

"Thanks for your help. I will let you know if she wants you to go."

"No luck?"

"Sorry honey, you have to go on that date."

"Do you think the admiral would let you or maybe he could come with me?"

"Let's go ask him," Chip said as he grabbed her hand.

After explaining to the admiral what had taken place it was decided that Chip would go with Janet on FS-1. The admiral had some important meetings scheduled regarding up coming missions and needed to be at NIMR or he would have gone with Janet. He was not very happy the way that lawyer treated Janet and would find out more about him.