11 – Revealed

Milky Way after 5 weeks

Jennifer looked at the paperwork she'd received for the umpteenth time in three days. She gritted her teeth together as she held her emotions in check, willing the tears to stay at bay. With a slight shake of her head and shoulders to clear her mind and gain more resolve she set the divorce papers on the passenger seat of Lorne's truck and stepped out, straightening her business suit.

Taking a deep breath she walked toward the entrance of the administrative offices at Peterson Air Force Base. She hadn't been further than the parking lot since she'd been here to meet Evan's commanding officer and sign some beneficiary paperwork only a few weeks ago. The base hospital was on the other side of the base and so she typically used a different entrance when she came to work.

Once she was in the reception area of the administrative offices, she didn't wait long.

"Jennifer."

Jenn looked up to see Colonel Hayes standing before her, a kind smile on his face. For a moment she worried that he knew about the papers she'd left in the truck that had brought her world crumbling down, but she quickly reminded herself that legal issues were confidential. "Colonel Hayes," she returned his greeting, standing and shaking his hand.

"It's nice to see you again. How have you settled in?" he asked and he began to walk leading the way down a hallway to their right.

"Yes Sir. The hospital has kept me quite busy and the work is very interesting at times."

"I just bet it is," Hayes acknowledged with a chuckle as he indicated a door to the left for her to enter.

Jennifer entered a small room that held four individuals sitting at a table at the front of the room. The setup of the room was reminiscent of the footage she'd seen of congressional hearings or city council meetings, with the board being in front and the individual that they were grilling sitting before them.

"Dr. Keller, thank you for coming," greeted a balding man with glasses as he stood from the table. "I'm Richard Woolsey. These are my colleagues, Russel Chapman, Shen Xiaoyi and Jean LaPierre. Please be seated," he instructed, indicating the single chair that'd been placed in the center of the room.

Colonel Hayes gave Jenn a parting nod and warm smile before retreating, leaving Jennifer to comply with Mr. Woolsey's request nervously. She hated these kinds of things.

"I trust you know why we've asked for this meeting with you?"

"Yes, the chief of medicine said that there was a temporary position that had come up and he felt I'd be a good fit for the job."

"And you read through the legal documents that were given to you and signed the consent forms?"

"Yes," Jenn answered, sure they didn't want to hear how her mind kept wandering while she was trying to read the dry document which had been full of legal speak. "I returned them to the Chief yesterday." She was sure the man before her knew that or she wouldn't have been instructed to report here this morning instead of her usual shift at the hospital.

"Good," Mr. Woolsey said with a slight nod, taking his seat, "then let's get started." He gave a look to his left and right making eye contact with the other individuals seated with him before looking back to her. "There has been a fatal accident at one of our, umm… outposts. We are beginning the task of finding a suitable permanent replacement, but it will take time. Subsequently we are in need of a temporary Chief Medical Officer while we conduct the search and appointment. Your superiors have assured us that you are the best candidate for the temporary position."


Jamie Lorne pulled up in front of her brother's townhouse. She really should've come by before today, but with all the other holiday errands she'd had to run lately, this one had fallen to the very end.

Jamie put her truck into park and turned it off, letting out a slightly depressed sigh. She still hated the fact that her brother had been deployed so close to the holidays. Evan always missed them and this year she'd actually begun to hope he was indeed going to be around for at least Thanksgiving and hopefully Christmas. When he'd made that hasty call to her to tell her he'd been deployed again she'd been so mad at him.

Jamie let herself into her brother's home and automatically moved down the hall to the spare room, looking for the folding chairs she borrowed from him whenever there was a family gathering at her house. A slight smile graced her lips, the memory of her brother teasing her that she should invest in folding chairs coming to mind. She always teased him right back with the threat that one of these days she just wasn't going to give the chairs back. What did he need them for anyway?

As she surveyed the room looking for the chairs she noticed that he'd obviously had time to tidy up his art before leaving. Spotting the chairs she grabbed two and made her way to the front door. As she turned to go back for the remaining two chairs, something in pastel colors caught her eye from the entertainment center. Her brother's choice in movies tended toward the action end of the spectrum, not leaving much room for warmer, happier colors.

Jamie was shocked to see such titles as You've Got Mail and Steel Magnolias sitting on the shelves mixed in with the Die Hards and Lethal Weapons. She even saw the complete seven seasons of The Gilmore Girls on one of the low shelves. She picked up the CD case sitting next to the stereo and tried to get the Taylor Swift jacket cover to make sense.

It's a girl, Jamie thought incredulously, setting the CD down and straightening swiftly. She slowly pivoted and took in her surroundings with a shrewd eye. There were definitely feminine markers beyond just the books, music and DVDs. Jamie noticed several plants on some of the table tops and a throw blanket lying across the back of the couch that she didn't recognize.

"So, girlfriend or room mate?" Jamie asked the room aloud. Jamie ran toward the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator quickly. She stood before the open door and stared at the full contents within. "So the next question is live-in girlfriend or room mate?" she asked again, looking at the date on the Milk and confirming that it wasn't expired.

As she turned to leave the kitchen she noticed a few dishes in the sink. Evan hadn't mentioned a room mate or girlfriend, but then again, her brother was never that forth coming about his personal life. She felt a little intrusive as she began to walk back down the hall, justifying in her mind that she needed to get the chairs from the guest room.

While taking inventory of the spare room she eyed the spare bed, but the amount of boxes and things atop it suggested it wasn't used to sleep in.

"Aha, I've caught you, big brother!" she exclaimed with glee, turning to go look in his room. She didn't delude herself that this wasn't snooping, but she definitely now felt justified in her snooping since Evan hadn't shared his new status.

Live-in girlfriend was a big, big deal. She couldn't actually remember her brother ever having a live-in girlfriend. Jamie knew he'd dated from time to time. She'd even met one or two of his past interests, but she was pretty sure that none of them ever actually moved themselves in and infiltrated his movie collection.

She stood on the threshold of her brother's bedroom. There was definitely a more feminine fragrance in the air, although the room was nice and tidy. There were just a few subtle changes that she could see, but then again, she hadn't spent much time in her brother's bedroom. But noticeably atop the dresser was a dish with jewelry, the bedside table had a book, bottle of hand lotion and what looked like a pony-tail holder from her vantage point.

Jamie crept into the room, now feeling like she was intruding, but unable to quell her curiosity. Next to the bed was a pair of running shoes, one of the dominant colors besides black being a very vibrant pink. Definitely not her brother's. Jamie's cell phone burst to life in her pocket startling her to the point of shrieking. "Okay, so I shouldn't be in here," she said with an exasperated huff as she quickly left the room while answering her phone.

"Hello Saul," she greeted, her caller i.d. having already informed her it was her brother's friend Saul Stewart.

"Hello back, girl," Saul returned, "just got in and I'm heading your way."

Jamie couldn't hold back her grin at his laid-back voice. She missed him. Saul only came around for Thanksgiving each year, but she was glad he felt at home enough with her family to do so even when Evan wasn't around.

"Have you passed the exit for Peterson yet?" Jamie asked, excited to share her discovery with someone who knew her brother well enough to understand how big this was."

"No, it's just a mile or so ahead."

"Meet me at my brother's. You can help me with the extra chairs and stuff." Jamie was too absorbed in her careful snooping in the living room to notice the hesitancy in Saul's agreement.


Saul had planned to make a stop at Evan's house anyway. He'd wanted to check up on Jennifer as well as convince her to come with him to the Lorne's for Thanksgiving dinner. He could help her get over the awkwardness of meeting the family with him there as a friend. Christmas was coming and he knew from the one email he'd gotten from Lorne that there was no way his friend would make it home for the holiday. No one should spend that holiday alone if they didn't have to.

Of course having to have the conversation with Jamie before talking to Jennifer was something he hadn't even considered. Saul tried Evan's door before entering, knowing that unless the young doctor's tastes ran toward the very masculine, he probably already had a lot of explaining to do.

"Jamie," he called out when he didn't see her immediately. He heard rustling down the hall but no answer. "James," he called again, using the more common shortened version of her name he typically used when not calling her some other endearment to rile her. He finally found her in the bathroom, rifling through the medicine cabinet.

"What are you doing?" he asked, hands on hips.

"Learning what I can about Ev's girlfriend," she replied without halting her perusal.

"You shouldn't be snooping through their medicine cabinet," he scolded, reaching past her to shut the mirror.

"So," Jamie exclaimed, whirling around to face Saul, "you don't seem surprised to hear my brother has a girlfriend," she accused, pinning him with a glare. She watched the soldier open his mouth, but then close it again before glaring back at her. Jamie continued to glare, not ready to let him off the hook yet, enjoying watching him squirm.

It wasn't often she got to see the airman at a loss for words or a comeback. As they stood toe to toe in the small bathroom though, she suddenly felt a shift in her observations. She noticed how incredibly close they were and that she was actually without an escape route unless he backed out. She could smell his aftershave and feel his heat and he suddenly felt less like her brother's friend and more like the attractive man she'd begun to glimpse more often during these holiday visits.

She watched his face and would swear she could almost see him searching for the right words or answer to her accusation. The next moment she saw his entire body stiffen and his head turn toward the hall. She could hear it too, a key in the front door most likely.

"Shit," Jamie whispered under her breath as she physically began pushing Saul back out the bathroom door.

It took Saul only a moment to figure out what the sound was, but several more moments to get his feet moving. By the time Jamie had pushed him the rest of the way out into the hallway he heard the front door shut. This is going to be awkward, he thought, but there was really no way out of what was going to happen next.

He moved to the end of the hall, Jamie right behind him. He could feel her hand on his back as they crept together to the living room.

"Jennifer," he quietly called out when he saw her turn and knew it'd just be a moment before she saw them. He heard the intakes of surprise, one from Jennifer and one from Jamie behind him, probably shocked to hear him call the woman by name. The look on Jennifer's face though had him more concerned at the moment.

The young doctor took a step backward, away from him, her face looking pale. "Saul," he heard her say in what sounded like a question as she took another step backward.

"No," Jennifer whispered, her back hitting the front door, halting any escape. "No, please Saul," she pleaded, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Saul stopped moving toward her, his mind not comprehending her response for a moment and then his scrambling mind understood. "No Jenn, that's not why I'm here. He's fine… or at least last I heard he was fine."

Saul began walking toward her again, watching her deep intake of breath and her hands swiping at the tears on her face. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight for a minute, allowing her time to try to regain her composure. "Sweetheart," he soothed, still holding her against him, "they won't send me. Not that I wouldn't want to be the one, but they will send two men in uniform to your door. You don't ever have to fear my appearance at your door." He loosened his grip around her, but didn't step back, giving her time to end the hug when she was ready. "Now your refrigerator on the other hand should be very afraid and if you're not big on sports you may become exasperated at the amount of time I spend on your couch, hogging your TV."

Saul was relieved to feel her loosen her grip and even step back, a wobbly smile upon her face. "Sorry 'bout that," she apologized, "I've had a hell of a week."

Saul heard a throat clearing behind him and he chuckled, thinking about how patient James had actually been considering the situation.


It was all Jamie could do to not tap her foot impatiently. To say the scene she'd just witnessed had been a shocker would be an understatement. And she might have cleared her throat to remind the couple in front of her that she was still there much sooner if the shiny glint of the wedding band on the woman's finger hadn't left her at a loss for words for a moment.

"Oh, right," Saul began, smirking at Jennifer and giving her a wink before stepping to her side and slipping an arm across her shoulders. "Jennifer, this is Jamie. James, this is Jennifer."

Jennifer stepped forward extending her hand toward the woman, and had to hold in a grin. The younger, dark haired woman was still glaring at Saul, her shaking of Jennifer's hand an automatic thing not requiring her attention.

Before Jamie could start to ask questions, Saul began again. "So, will there be a lot of family at your house for Thanksgiving this year?" he asked Jamie.

Jamie narrowed her eyes at Saul, "Just the usual. Mom, Aunt Edna and Uncle John. Maybe some cousins if Aunt Edna was able to talk any into coming with them."

"Room for one more?" Saul asked, giving Jenn's shoulder a squeeze.

Jennifer pulled back immediately, protesting profusely, "No really, that isn't necessary."

"Yes it is. Thanksgiving is about family; you're not allowed to spend it alone." Saul gave her a very stern look.

"Says who?" Jennifer asked raising her voice. The last place she wanted to be tonight was eating Thanksgiving dinner at a stranger's house. "I'm sorry but I have plans for tonight." Jennifer cast a quick look over at Jamie, hoping her look conveyed that it wasn't personal.

Jamie wasn't thrilled about the obvious closeness between Saul and Jennifer, but she knew in her head that the woman was married and besides… she had no room to be jealous, Saul was just a friend of her brother's, she was sure he didn't think of her as more than that. She was however confused about who the woman was. The only explanation she could readily come up with at the moment was that her brother was possibly sub-leasing the townhouse while he was deployed; no way would he be involved with a married woman. Saul was right though, no one should spend the holidays alone.

"There's plenty of food and my mother loves company. Since she flew in three days ago she has been driving me a bit nuts, having someone new to talk to would be wonderful." Jamie grinned at the woman, she'd practically told her she'd be dumping her mother on her, probably not the best way to get Jennifer to say yes.

"No really," Jennifer tried to say as gratefully as possible, "I'm good here. I have some things I need to take care of tonight and some packing to do before tomorrow." She turned her eyes upon Saul's and tried her best to convey her desire to stay home.

"Okay, we'll do this the hard way then," Saul said with an apologetic smile at Jenn. "Jennifer," he raised his voice and added a touch of authority to it, "this is Jamie Lorne." Saul turned to James, ignoring the gasp from his side, "James, this is Jennifer Lorne, your sister-in-law."

"Saul," Jennifer protested, but Saul's eyes were glued on Jamie, watching the dark haired beauty alternate between looking at Jennifer and looking at the ring on Jenn's finger. He'd never really seen the young woman speechless before and it was amusing.

"You're not joking are you?" Jamie finally asked Saul, unable to take her eyes off Jennifer.

Saul shook his head, "Nope."

Jamie slowly began to grin, she still didn't know how, why or any of those particulars, but that didn't stop the giddy feeling rising in her chest. "You are so coming to dinner," she exclaimed. "Saul, there are two chairs in the spare room and two over by the door. Load those into my truck, will ya?"

It was actually an order, not a question, so Saul nodded his head and turned to comply, giving the two girls a chance to absorb the bomb he'd just dropped. From down the hall he heard James' laugh, "This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever!"