Chapter 7: Simple Man

O'Neill sat in the bar opposite of the Arena Club. He could not help feeling that Agent Carter had sent him away because she did not trust him. But he wanted her to, so if he had to sit outside the Arena Club for the next year to gain her trust, he would.

He had grown up with only his mother, so he was not unused to strong women, and knew that most women were capable of much more than what most men would give them credit for. Peggy Carter was clearly such a woman, and even though the other men could not see it, she was clearly in control.

He had secretly enjoyed the speech that Mr. Jarvis had given Chief Thompson. If just half of the rumours about what Peggy Carter had been involved in were true, she should receive a lot more recognition. But he did not dare to say anything in the bullpen. He smiled to himself. He was apparently not as brave as his mother had been.

People passed by on the streets, going who knows where in the world, nothing looking out of place, and no one coming in or out of the club. He left the bar to take a round of the block and settled in a restaurant in another street, now still able to see if there were any activities by the front of the building, but especially what happened down the alley behind it. He could not help feeling clever by his change of position, but the day still passed uneventfully. He grew more and more impatient, feeling a weird sensation of not wanting to let Peggy Carter down, wanting to prove his worth, both to her and to Chief Sousa. He wanted nothing more than to serve his country, not having been able to serve in the war, being too young at the time, and the moment he was old enough, the war had ended. Of course, that was not something to be sad about.

It suddenly dawned upon him that he did not know when to return to the hospital or if he were to return at all. Maybe he just had to return in the morning to take the next morning shift. But could Agent Carter and Chief Sousa really cover a 24-hour shift? Of course they could, but he just wanted to be sure.

He asked to use the telephone of the restaurant to call the hospital. Chief Sousa answered, and urged him to come to the hospital as quickly as possible. At first, he thought that something had happened to Chief Thompson or that they had some new big lead, but Chief Sousa assured him that everything was fine but still asked him to hurry, to come take the evening shift. O'Neill did as asked, though wondering what could be so important if nothing new had happened in the case since this morning.