Mommy Dearest

Chapter 4
Sounds Like a Plan

Harmon Rabb sighed; I could have done with an easier start to the day. Especially after yesterday! That old... Admiral had wound me up pretty tight, and he knew it! I swear he was laughing at me when I said good morning earlier. Oh, well, sooner started sooner through, out into the wild blue yonder, bite the bullet, over the top, pal, oh crap, stop putting it off! "Hi Mom, it's me..."

"Harmon Rabb, if you are calling to tell me that you can't come on Friday, as you promised me I shall be most disappointed!" Dammit, why does she do that? How does she do that?

"Er, no Mom... I definitely do want to see you, I miss you, and I do want talk to you and tell... er... try to tell you all about Sergei, it's just that things are a little bit tight timewise right now, and I was wondering whether you and Frank could possibly, perhaps...?"

"No!"

"Pardon, Mom?"

"I said, 'no'" Yeah, that's what I thought she said.

"Mom, it really is difficult right now, and it would really help if..."

"What part of 'no' do you not understand? Was the 'n', or was it the 'o'?" Oh, right, the sarcasm bit. OK, time to run up the white flag... but not just yet. Let's see if I can make her squirm a bit first.

"Mom, this is really, really important, Mom. Mom I need you and Frank, but especially you, Mom, to please come back east?" Now, has that done the trick?

"Harmon Rabb Junior, I have followed your career- both your careers as a pilot and as a lawyer - with great interest and admiration, but I am not one of your witnesses to be manipulated into self incrimination. I am not going to drag Frank all the way across the country in his condition and I'm certainly not going to leave him home alone!" Oh! Yellow flag on that play, please! Frank's as healthy as a horse! She only brings up his 'condition' when it's inconvenient for her to do something someone else wants her to do!

"Mom, Frank's good to be on his own for a couple of days, isn't he? Doesn't he still walk up to the golf club and play a full eighteen holes once or twice a week?" Ha! Gotcha!

"That's neither here nor there. We can't come back east; we have house guests!" Yeah, right. What's the betting that when I, when we, get to La Jolla, they'll have been called away on some emergency! She must think I was born yesterday!

"What house guests, Mom?"

"That's a surprise, son." It'll sure be a damn' surprise if there's anyone there when we arrive.

"Alright, Mom, I'll be there, but Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"Mom, you'll need to make up an extra guest room; I shall be bringing a friend with me."

"Oh, who's that? Anyone we know?"

"It's a surprise, Mom!" Now, how does that feel? "Goodbye, Mom, I love you!"

"I love you too, son." Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! She does it to every time! And she says I'm the manipulative one!

Now, all I have to do, is get myself and Jen out to La Jolla on Friday and back on Monday... or do I? I wonder...

"Hello, is that Andrews' Naval Air?... Hi, could you put me through to Commander Air Operations, please? Thank you."

"Air Ops, Senior Chief Brennan, sir."

"Senior Chief, good morning, this is Commander Rabb at JAG HQ, Falls Church, is Commander Keeter running the board today?"

"He is, sir, hold the line a moment and I'll patch you through."

"Harm?"

"Hi, Keeter, I need some help."

"No, I am not going to lend you any money, neither am I going to introduce you to my sister, or any of my female cousins. And I'm not going to pretend that I'm your father in law." Great.

"No, none of that; I don't need money from you, there's no shotgun wielding fathers on my six, I don't need an escort to a dance. But what I do need are two fast seats to Miramar on Friday, and getting back before the following Saturday. Please?"

"'Please'. That's a bit unusual coming from you, isn't it Commander? Oh, right, more sarcasm.

"Keeter, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really, really important. I've got to get out west to visit with my Mom on Friday, or she'll have me keel-hauled. The return flight's not so urgent, as long as I'm back before next Saturday."

"What's so important about that particular day?"

"I'll tell you when you meet me at... JAG HQ at eleven-hundred hours that morning. It's a bit of a formal thing, Dress Whites, no sword, OK?"

"Formal? Dress Whites? What's going on? What are you up to?" Gottim!

"Keeter, why ask all these questions? Trust me!"

"The last time I trusted you, I ended up kissing the academy mascot! I ain't falling for that sort of crap again." Oh, boy. This is going to be so good; I only wish I could see his face!

"Keeter, your suspicions are very hurtful. I promise you, no jokes or tricks. What's wrong? Don't you want to be my best man?" Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, thr...

"Your what! Harm, stop jerking around! This is far too serious to joke about!"

"So, who's joking?"

"You're serious? You're really getting married? The great commitment-phobic himself is actually getting married? Oh, boy. Wait until Skates hears about this!" Skates! Where in hell does he know Skates from?

"How do you know Skates?"

"Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Hawkes is my two-oh, here. We only found out that we both knew you a couple of weeks ago. Man, are you in trouble! The intel she gave me on you is going to cost you plenty!" Oh, it is, huh? Well suck this up!

"I assume you've actually told her about the academy goat? And that red-neck father and his two sons... and his daughter, and about...?"

"OK, OK! Let me have a look at the board... Two seats you said? You wanna drive? I got a Tomcat going to Miramar, scheduled for Saturday... but I could re-schedule for Friday. She's a good ride, but her avionics need a retro-fit."

"Is she safe?"

"Harm, you may tick me off from time to time, but not so much that I'd want to kill you!" H'mm, is he sure about that?

"OK, sounds like a plan... except, if it crashes and kills us, I'll haunt you to death my own self!"

"OK, OK. It's wheels up at fourteen hundred, to Miramar via Wiley Point for on-deck refuelling. I'll get on to Miramar and see what they've got heading our way next week. But I warn you, you may not be able to drive." Good man, Keeter!

"Thanks, Keeter, I knew I could depend on you! Just one more thing, have you got a number for Skates that I can call?"

"Go one better than that, my man. She's right here! Hey, Commander Hawkes, your lover-boy is on the horn!"

"Sir, Yellow Light! Hello?"

"Hi, is that the incredibly lovely, shapely, beautiful, sexy, clever and extremely talented Skates Hawkes?" Wait for it, wait for it.

"Who the hell is this? Hammer? Hammer, is that you? Dammit that's a red light for you! How are you, handsome?"

"Hey, Skates, I'm fine, really, really fine. Skates, I gotta question for you: Do you want to jump my bones again before next Saturday?"

"I told you, sir that was just scuttlebutt! Next Saturday? Why the rush?" Damn! I wish I could see her face right now.

"Well, because that's my wedding day, and..." Ouch! Why do women have to squeal like that?

"No, don't say anything else just now Skates. This isn't a joke. It's really happening, and I'd like for you and Keeter to be at the ceremony to act as our witnesses. Dress Whites, eleven-hundred hours at JAG, Falls Church, OK?"

"Harm, of course I'll be there, it'll be my privilege. But this is all a bit sudden...?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Look it's not really something I want to talk about on the 'phone, but I promise I'll explain it all next Saturday... if you're coming?"

"Harm, this sounds like a mystery romance to me; you couldn't keep me away from it now with wild horses. She's a lucky gal, whoever she is!"

"No, Skates, I'm the lucky one. See you next Saturday."

Well, that's not a bad morning's work. All I need to do now is get our leave applications in and get Jen to sign this wedding licence. If I move my chair just a bit, can I see her desk? Yes! Oh, damn! Harriett's talking with her... I wonder...

"JAG, Petty Officer Coates, sir"

"Has anyone ever told you, Petty Officer, that you have the nicest, tightest little butt in the whole of the US Navy? Woah! Look at that red face!

"Yes, sir, frequently! Will that be all, sir? Thank you!" Damn. She's not playing! But that was a hell of look she got from Harriett. Time for some face to face. At least she can't throw anything at me while we're at work, and I don't have any more ink bottles at home!

"Coates?"

"Yes, sir?" Oh wow, if looks could kill!

"Petty Officer, I need your signature, here and here on your leave application, and our licence application. OK? Right I'll take those, thank you Petty Officer. Tiner!"

"Sir,"

"Rush job on this and this to the Admiral, please."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

"Jen, we're mostly all squared away," Rabb and Jen were curled up together on the couch in his, no, their, apartment; his arm was draped across and down her back while her head resting against his chest provided in its turn a convenient support for his own head. "I've fixed a flight to Miramar on Friday, that leave application was for two weeks, starting after we secure on Friday. I even managed to get a court-house date in Falls Church for Saturday thirteen-hundred next week. So that gives us plenty of time to get back from La Jolla. I've asked Jack Keeter and Elizabeth Hawkes..."

"M'mm, who they?" She murmured sleepily. Jen didn't want to move, she was warm and comfortable and felt safe, but she did need to make some sort of contribution to this conversation, so she tilted her face up to look at him and to try and fool him that she was really paying attention. It sounded as if this lovely, infuriating man of hers had been busy making plans, while all she was doing was day-dreaming about the little person in her womb, and about being married. He was the one doing all the worrying about getting married; surely that was the bride's job? Hell, he could have it; she didn't want it. Besides, he's enjoying himself. Jen was totally unaware that she had one of the most expressive faces Rabb had ever seen; he could tell what she was thinking as each thought was mirrored by its own fleeting expression. He smiled, and gently planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Keeter's an old academy and flight school buddy, and Elizabeth, Beth, used to be my RIO, you probably heard me mention Skates?" She nodded, "Well, that's her, Skates is her call-sign, but most folk these days call her Beth. I've asked them to come down to be our witnesses. Is there anybody that you want?"

"H'mmm? No... The only family I've got is my Dad, and you know I don't want him there. There are a couple of other girls that I'm friendly with at the office, but I couldn't trust them to keep their mouths shut until we are ready to go public."

"Are you sure?"

"M'mm." she agreed snuggling back into her former position.

"OK, then, so we're agreed, Mom, Frank, Keeter and Skates?"

"M'mm"

"Jennifer, I want to get this right. We can't really do it over. Once we're married, we're married. So tell me now if you want to postpone and organise a big fat wedding?"

"Uh-uh"

"Well then, ceremony at Falls Church Courthouse, then a table for all six of us at the Arlington Army Navy Country Club. OK?"

"M'mm."

"If you're going to stay so easy to please..."

"Oh, it's not that Harm; you make any and all the wedding plans you want. I'm thinking more about marriage."

"Yes?"

"Well... I know you put a lot of work into this place, and I know you love it, and I guess I love it too, but it's no good for a family, Harm."

"Why not?"

"Well there's only one bedroom, and I do not want to traumatise our daughter with our bed-time goings on, so we'd have to find somewhere to put the crib, and you know how cold it gets out here during winter nights. Then as the family gets bigger..."

"Oh, yeah?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and you can stop looking at me like that!"

"How do you know how I'm looking at you, you've got your eyes closed!"

"A woman knows these things! But seriously, we need to find a bigger, better place. With a yard, and a real fireplace and at least one extra bedroom for when your Mom comes visiting."

"How do you know she will?"

"Because from what you've said about her, she loves you very much, and she will surely want to come and see your daughter, her granddaughter."

"Why are you so sure it's a girl?"

"I am sure she's a girl, because I am!"

"OK, that's logical." No, it's not, but I'm not going to argue the point.

"And that's one of the reasons I'm not interested in a big fat wedding!" OK, now I'm officially confused.

"You don't want a big wedding because you're sure that your little passenger is a girl? Right?"

"No... Because we have more important things to spend our money on than expensive and unnecessary ceremonies and parties." Well, that is logical!

"You know something? That's another reason to love you?"

"It is?" Jen sounded pleased.

"Uh-huh, not only are you beautiful, sexy, and smart, you're also practical."

"Yeah, know." Reminder to self, tell her that I love her, at least once every hour.

"Jen, you said about going public, when and how do you want to do it?"

"As soon as my new ID and name tags arrive. I don't want to make a huge bull-pen announcement, just walk in with my new name tags and see if anyone notices."

"New name tags? New ID?"

"Yep, for Legalman Second Class Jennifer Alison Rabb. I've already filed the requisition."

"You're changing your name to mine? You sure? You don't want Coates-Rabb, or to stay as Coates?"

"No! I'm not ashamed of loving you, I'm not going to hide that we are together, I'm going to be so proud to be your wife, that I want the whole world to know!" You're proud? My heart is nearly bursting!

"Jennifer Alison Coates, have I already told you today that I love you?"

"You did, but you could always tell me again, or better yet, you could show me."

So he did, both.