Chapter 49
Thursday, October 2, 2003
1000 EST
Office of the General Counsel
Washington, DC
"Admiral, Chaplain Turner is here to see you, Sir," Harriett said into the intercom. Because AJ had used his 'Admiral's Privilege' to keep Harriett there at JAG with Bud, she could no longer stay after AJ transferred. To solve the problem, and keep her in DC near her family, AJ had requested she become his aid in his new position. Harriett and the SECNAV had both agreed to this plan and the move was made easily.
"Send him in!" AJ was always glad to see this old friend. Harriett opened the door for the Chaplain and he hobbled in slowly with the use of two canes. AJ thought how much worse he looked now, than the last time he had seen him. Offering him the nearest chair, AJ sat down also and said, "William, what brings you here?"
"Good morning, Admiral."
"I thought we had decided the last time we met that it was AJ and William?"
"Today I think it needs to be, Admiral," he told AJ.
"Alright, then what can I do for you?"
"I need a lawyer."
"Your son…?"
"I can't ask this of him, Admiral," was the answer AJ got.
"And this is?"
"I need to put my affairs in order," William gave AJ a meaningful look.
"Is there some time table about this?" AJ asked.
"Yes, the doctors have given me six months."
AJ looked saddened and concerned, "William, I am so sorry!"
"This time comes for everyone, AJ, and I am ready to meet my maker. Plus, I will see my wife again. It has been too long!"
"Have you told Sturgis?"
"No, not yet. I wanted to get things in order first. The only thing that is still undone is to see those children of ours married! I am hoping that we will be in-laws together before I go."
'He doesn't know!' AJ thought. 'How in the world am I going to tell him, after what he just told me?' "William, how long has it been since you talked to your son?"
"Just before he left for Italy on vacation, why?"
"Then you had not heard. William, I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it seems that the engagement never happened."
"What happened?"
"I have no idea. Sturgis came back from Italy early and will not talk about it, and I have been trying to get Francesca to tell me what happened ever since and she will not say anything either."
"Well, then it seems like I have more than one thing to talk to him about. AJ, here are the things that I wanted to make sure were settled," William handed AJ a written sheet of paper, "if you need any more information than that, my phone number is on the top of the sheet. I can come in anytime you have them ready, to sign them. The only sermon I have scheduled right now is my traditional one at the Christmas service." He slowly rose to leave, and as he reached the door, he added, "If I can find out anything from Sturgis about the engagement, I will let you know."
"Thank you, William, I will get right on this paperwork for you and give you a call when it is done."
Later that evening, after calling to make sure that he would be home, William Turner paid a call to his son's apartment. Sturgis opened the door to him and was as surprised as AJ had been, at the change in his father's appearance.
"Come in, Pop, have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? To eat?" Sturgis asked as his father took a seat in one of his easy chairs.
"Nothing, son, thank you. I just wanted to talk with you, we haven't had much time for that lately."
"This talk needed to be in person? You usually just call…" Sturgis said as he sat on the couch near his father's chair.
"Yes, I had something I wanted to tell you, and then when I stopped by to see AJ this morning, I found out that there was something more that we needed to talk about. I was under the impression that you were engaged to be married, but I learned today that that's not true."
To be continued…
