A Friendly Demonstration
Chapter 52
Sunday lunch had finished in the Walker house too, and Mrs Walker had made a command decision that Zoe, Alison and Julia could do the washing up and cleaning down of the kitchen, while Johnny finally got around to replacing the couple of cracked tiles on the shed roof, while she, Mrs Walker, would retire to the living room to catch up with the weekly omnibus edition of her favourite TV soap.
Julia handed the last of the now clean and dry plates to Alison and glanced ruefully at the prune-like condition of her finger-tips, drawing a sympathetic smile from both Johnny's sisters.
"Mum won't have a dishwasher in the house," Zoe explained half-apologetically.
"No… she doesn't think they get dishes properly clean, and so they're a waste of money!" Alison added.
"And you can't put the pots and pans into them, so they still have to be done by hand, and that means you still need hot soapy water and once you've got that, then crockery and cutlery only take a few minutes," Zoe finished.
"Well that might be," Julia grumbled, "but one thing's for certain: I am going to have a dishwasher!"
"Oh… me too!" Alison sighed, "That is if we can ever afford to get a mortgage and find a place of our own!"
"Um… talking of a place of your own… is it alright if I borrow one of your bedrooms for about twenty minutes."
Zoe shot a mischief-filled glance out of the kitchen window, to where Johnny, well wrapped up against the chill was replacing half the tiles on the garden shed – the job being much bigger than Mrs Walker had hinted. "Twenty minutes? Surely Timmy's good for longer than that!" she quipped.
"And don't let Mum catch you! Remember she's only going to be in front of the telly for just so long!"
Julia felt the colour rise to her cheeks, "Oh… no… it's nothing like that… It's just that I need to phone home and tell La Mamacita about us… about Johnny and me, I mean."
"You mean you haven't told your family yet?" Zoe exclaimed in astonishment.
Julia shook her head, "No, not yet. I tried to call them yesterday evening – the time difference means they are about seven hours behind UK time – but no-one answered, so this time if I call now they should be at breakfast…"
"Oh… Sure… You'd better use my room," Alison ventured with a scathing glance at her younger sister, "At least you'll be able find space to sit!"
"Hey! My room isn't that bad!" Zoe protested indignantly.
"Uh… yes, it is – that is unless it somehow magically tidied itself since I saw it this morning!" Alison said, "Honestly Julia, it's a disaster area! Clothes and God knows what just flung everywhere!"
Zoe poked her tongue out at Alison, "And since when did you become the Queen of neat?" she demanded.
"I'm definitely not that, Zoe, but there are limits!"
"And when I come to them, I'll let you tidy them up!" Zoe replied.
"Only if Tim lends me his – what did he call it? Oh, yes – his Noddy suit and gas mask!" Alison laughed.
Julia smiled as Alison and Zoe wrangled happily. They sounded, she thought, just like Maria and Consuela did at home… Typical sisters… Still smiling, Julia quietly backed out of the kitchen and turned towards the stairs. Once upstairs she took advantage of Alison's offer and entered the elder sister's room, and perched on the end of the neatly made bed. Fishing in her purse she brought out her cell phone and with a deep breath, dialled her parents' phone number in Socorro and with the air of someone about to plunge into ice-cold water, she waited for the pick up at the other end. Six rings later it came.
"¡Digame!"[Speak to me]
"Hola, ¿Mamacita? It's Julia…"
"¡Julia! Hija mia, ¿qué pasa? ¡Papa, es Julia!" [Daughter. What's wrong? Dad, it's Julia!]
Mamacita, calm down, no pasa nada… Well. That's not true, not really. Mama, are you sitting down?" [Nothing's wrong.]
"Sí! ¿Por qué?" [Yes, why?]
"Mamacita, tengo que contarte algo… And before you start, don't worry, it's not bad news!" [I've got something to tell you…]
"What is it then, querida?"
"Mama, I met a guy and… and we're getting married…"
Her mother's "¡Qué!" was followed by a pregnant pause, and then, maybe a little tentatively, "¡Qué fuerte, hija! ¿Te vas a casar? ¿De veras?" [What! What, girl? You're getting married? Really?]
"Sí, Mamacita, de veras! [Yes, Mom, really.]
Her mother's "Papa…" sounded frail to Julia's ears and she took a further deep breath.
"Julia…" her father's voice sounded in her ear.
"Yes, Papa…"
"¡Qué me estás contando, hija! [What are you telling me, girl!] You are getting married?"
"Yes, Papa…"
"You'd better tell me about this guy… I can check him out, make sure he's one of the good guys…"
"No, Papa," Julia gave a soft laugh, "You can't check him out. Papa, he's English, a British Soldier I've met over here…"
"Ah…" Felipe Martinez's ears hadn't missed his daughter's soft laugh, "You are happy with him?"
"Very happy, Papa…"
"And you love him, and he loves you?"
"Oh, very yes, Papa…"
"I see…" Felipe said heavily and then, "When and where is the big day? Or haven't you set a date yet?"
"Yes, Papa, we're getting married four weeks from yesterday, here in England."
"That's very quick… Julia, querida mia, tell me, is there any special reason for the hurry?"
"Do you mean am I pregnant?" Julia chuckled, "No, Papa, not yet, but I'm aiming to be just as soon as we're married! I know how you and La Mamacita love your grandchildren"
"Well… if there's no urgency, why the big hurry…If you're getting married next month, it's going to be difficult getting the family over to England at such short notice…"
"Ah, Papa, we haven't really talked about the logistics yet, but I was thinking that we get married here for Johnny's family, and then we get a flight home and stand in front of a justice and have an American wedding for you guys…"
"No church?" Felipe sounded faintly disapproving.
"No, Papa… You know I'm not one for the Church and Johnny… well… Johnny is a Protestant…"
"Ah well… maybe it doesn't mean as much today as it used to… but your mother and I… we married with the Church's blessing…"
"I know you did, Papa, and in so many ways, Johnny and I mean to follow your example… A whole passel of kids and the rest of our lives together, but we can do that without a Mass…"
"¡Ay de mí! You youngsters with your modern ideas… Still, if he makes you happy and you love him, then… ¡hija mia, felicidades!" [congratulations, girl!]
"Thank you, Papa."
"¡No hay de qué, querida! Now… La Mamacita wants to talk with you…" [No need for thanks, darling!]
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A plethora of hugs and kisses and some heart-felt "thank you's" had been the prelude to Mattie wheeling herself down to the Subaru while Harm heaved the ramp back to a vertical position while Gill stood by as Mattie made the transfer from wheelchair to car and then loaded Mattie's chair into the rear compartment of the Legacy Tourer.
Finally with all aboard and Mattie waving a farewell through the window, Harm engaged the gears and the Subaru rolled down the gravelled drive to the road leading back through the village. The Reverend Jack stood on the doorstep flanked by his mother to one side, and with his arm hooked around his wife's waist, "I like them," he said approvingly.
His wife turned her head and smiled up at him, "What you mean, is that young Mattie has got you totally wrapped around her little finger!"
Jack Shephard didn't deny the accusation he merely smiled and said, "And that's a bad thing?"
"Oh, I didn't say that!" Mrs Shephard replied
Granny Shephard gave an inelegant but emphatic snort "Not that my vote counts for anything, but I liked her too. She's charming, polite, bright, inquisitive, and loyal to her friends; not afraid to stand up for them if she thinks they're being slighted."
"Well… if your vote did count for anything, Mother, then we would certainly take that into consideration!" Alice Shephard smiled, "But, for what it's worth I liked her too! And I like Harm as well!"
"All of us in agreement?" Jack asked in mock amazement, "Well, it seems the age of miracles is not over yet!"
"That's as maybe!" Granny snapped, "But are you meaning to keep me out here all evening! You may not have noticed it, but it is getting a bit chilly!"
"Come on indoors then" Jack smiled, "And I'll fix you a cup of chocolate!"
"No you won't! You'll fix me a pot of coffee, and you can fix me a drop of cognac too – just to warm me up!"
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Gill twisted in her seat to look back over her shoulder, "Well, how was your day, Mattie?" asking the question that Harm was longing to ask, but had refrained from doing so in case Mattie made some sort of derogatory remark. He needn't have worried.
"I had a great day, thanks, Gill!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. Yeah, I was nervous about meeting your folks, but your mom was kinda sweet, and your dad didn't seem to mind talking grade school history to me, and your grandmother… well… she's just awesome!"
"And how did you like your first British Sunday Roast?" Gill asked, "I don't seem to recall you leaving anything on your plate…"
"It was… different. Good but different… I think the Yorkshire pudding was the strangest, and that horse radish sauce was hotter than I figured it would be. I'd never tried it before, and when I saw how much your dad put on his plate, well, I just kinda took after his example…."
Gill winced in sympathy, "Daddy always did like hot, spicy food, and he sometimes forgets that other people don't have asbestos palates!"
"Oh, I'm not complainin', just sayin'," Mattie hurriedly assured Gill.
"I should hope you're not complaining! Seeing the amount you put away, and the speed you did it!" Harm interjected.
"Hey, I was hungry, and the food was too good to waste, and way too good to let it go cold!" Mattie protested in her own defence.
Harm chuckled," Well, there was no danger of that happening!"
"None at all!" Gill agreed with another grin in Mattie's direction, "but Mummy will have taken it as a compliment. There's nothing she likes better than seeing an empty plate in front of a full tummy!"
"H'mm… It looks like Gill's mother has given you an out, Squirt… So… What do you fancy for supper?"
"Supper? You must be joking!" Mattie replied, "After that lunch, and then the sandwiches and cakes at teatime… I'm stuffed!"
Harm flashed a quick grin across at Gill, although she could only just make out the flash of his teeth in the darkness. "Looks like your mom's cooking has achieved the almost impossible. We no longer have a hungry teenager on our hands!"
Mattie sighed and leaned back against the upholstery, "Go ahead," she said with immense dignity, "Pick on me. After all, when you're getting at me, at least you're leaving everybody else alone?"
Harm and Gill exchanged a further look and then burst into laughter, with Mattie joining a just as whole-heartedly.
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Mattie hadn't entirely believed Harm last night when he'd packed her off to bed at what the teenager considered to be an excessively early hour, not even when he'd told that they were making an early start and had a full day ahead of them. The early start was, in part, occasioned by the need for Gill to get back to the King's Troop Mess and change into clothes suitable for work before she undertook the journey up to Stanmore, and there was no way that Harm was going to let her leave the house without at least an attempt at breakfast, even if on this occasion it was only toast, marmalade and coffee.
As it was Mattie was chivvied into and out of the shower in practically record time, but even so it was only the promise of a more substantial lunch that reconciled her to the same breakfast that Gill and Harm had eaten. The need for speed was highlighted by the knock at the front door which came at zero seven fifteen hours just as Harm placed the last of the breakfast crockery in the sink tidy to drain dry.
"Mattie! The car's here, let's get moving!" he called out to the teenager, and opening the door smiled at the young Marine standing at the top of the ramp and said, "Good morning, Hawkes… if you'll take my advice, you'll stand clear of the ramp!"
Libby Hawkes blinked in surprise, "Aye, aye, Sir!" and stepped off the ramp onto the lawn just in time to hear a clear voice ringing out from the interior of the house. "Make a hole! Coming through!"
Not quite a blur, but at a pretty impressive speed, Mattie wheeled across the hallway and on to the ramp, where assisted by gravity, she made a rapid descent to the footway, and almost to the sidewalk, where she braked to a halt and grinned back over her shoulder.
Harm shook his head at her youthful exuberance and carefully locked the door before he turned back to face Hawkes, who was biting her lip in an attempt to prevent her asking the questions that were betrayed by the lively curiosity on her face.
"Hawkes," Harm motioned the young woman to walk with him as he headed down the ramp, "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Mattie. Mattie… This is PFC Hawkes, my back-up driver. Mattie will be coming into the office with us today," he added for Hawkes' benefit.
Hawkes shot a slightly nervous look at Harm before she looked at Mattie and said shyly, "Hi, Mattie…"
Mattie grinned up at the brunette, "Hi… Miss Hawkes?"
"Libby," Hawkes corrected her with a quick, slight grin, "Now… how much help do you need getting in and out of the car?"
Harm nodded approvingly, quite happy that Hawkes had assumed the initiative, but ready to leap in if something should go amiss and Mattie suddenly had need of a strong arm or two.
"Well… it's bigger than Vic… uh… First Sergeant Galindez's car, so if you could just open the front passenger door…"
"Sure thing!" Libby smiled, suiting her actions to her words.
Mattie edged the chair forward until she was in arm's reach of the car, and then applying the brakes to the chair, she used the same technique as she used on Saturday, bracing her arms against the top of the door and the car roof to, albeit somewhat gingerly, lower herself butt first into the seat, and then picked up her legs one at a time and twisted around until her feet were safely in the passenger foot-well. "All done!" she smiled brightly at the concerned look on Libby Hawkes' face, and the same expression reflecting his concern, mixed with pride adopted by Harm.
"Buckle up, Squirt!" Harm reminded her as he folded the chair while Hawkes hurried around to the driver's side to pop the lid of the trunk.
Two minutes later Hawkes turned on the ignition and engaging the gears pulled smoothly away from the kerb.
For the first few minutes of the drive there was silence in the car and feeling that it was growing a little oppressive, Harm broke it, "So, how was your weekend, Hawkes?"
"Pretty good, thanks, Sir! There was a dance on the RAF NAAFI on Saturday and about a dozen of us went, just to have look more than anything else."
"And how was it?" Mattie asked eagerly.
"Not too bad… The music was a bit cheesy, but there were some cute guys there."
The mere mention of cute guys was sufficient to send Harm's parental protectiveness streak straight into zone five, "TMI, Hawkes!" Harm grinned, "And you aren't going anywhere near the NAAFI for at least another two years, young lady!" he warned Mattie.
"In two years I'll be at Annapolis!
"So, we don't have a problem then, do we?" Harm prompted the teenager.
"No, dad," Mattie answered, just a shade too demurely in Harm's opinion, but he then consoled himself with the thought that Mattie was so set on the academy that it was a certainty that she would nothing that might disrupt her application.
Libby ventured a glance across at her front seat passenger, "The Navy academy?" she asked.
Mattie nodded and then saw the expression on the young Marine's face, "Oh… you're thinking about the chair? Well, that's just temporary, isn't it, dad?"
"Damn straight!" he agreed with a grin, "But we've a lot of work ahead of us to get you back up on your feet and running again – starting tomorrow, don't forget!"
"I haven't forgotten! Don't worry about that!" Mattie replied on a somewhat sour note that Harm was quick to pick up.
"I know it's a pain, Squirt, but if we want to get you back on your feet full-time, then it's a necessary evil."
Mattie sighed, "Yeah, I know… it's just I get so sick of doctors prodding and poking… but…"
"Yeah, but… Now, Hawkes, I'll give you a full briefing later but, tomorrow morning we're heading straight from home to Stoke Mandeville hospital, that's near Aylesbury, about an hour from Northolt. So it might be an idea to set up your GPS for the journey, just so we don't go adrift."
"Aye, aye, sir!" Libby replied crisply, "Usual time, sir?"
Harm thought for a moment or two and then shook his head, "No… we don't need to be there until zero nine hundred, so we'll make a slightly later start… Say zero seven forty-five!"
"Zero seven forty-five, aye, sir!"
The increase in traffic density the nearer they got to central London brought conversation to a halt as Libby concentrated on manoeuvring the car around the various road hazards, and Mattie unconsciously held her breath and clutched her seat belt As she came to terms with being on, what was for her, the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road.
Eventually Hawkes pulled into the Embassy yard and Mattie let out a sigh of relief as the engine was switched off.
"You okay, Squirt?"
Mattie nodded, "Yeah… the weekend driving around country roads didn't do much to prepare me for London though…"
"No… country and big city driving are totally different animals, which is exactly why I didn't want you driving from Grace Aviation up to and through DC!"
Mattie shook her head, "No, the one time I did, I nearly wet myself, and that was at night after most of the traffic had gone home!" then she turned to Libby Hawkes, "How did you manage to do it… I mean get to drive like that over here?"
"Well, I had some city driving experience back to home. Oklahoma City isn't DC or New York, but it's still a pretty big place… and then the Corps sent me to driver school when I got here… So I guess I just learned…"
"And pretty well, too!" Harm endorsed the young woman and then turned his attention back to Mattie. "But now, let's get you out of the car and into the building, young lady!"
The process of re-installing Mattie in her wheelchair was accomplished as quickly and as painlessly as transferring her from the chair to the car had been, although Harm didn't really want to contemplate how different the situation would have been had Mattie not been able stand, even if precariously, during the transfer.
Once Mattie was safely back in her chair Harm turned to Hawkes, "Do I have to tell you…?" he started.
Hawkes shook her head, "No sir! Make sure the car has a full tank and is ready in all respects by secure this evening, and to recon the route to… to… "
"Stoke Mandeville Hospital," Harm supplied.
"Stoke Mandeville Hospital!" Hawkes echoed making a determined effort this time around to memorise the name, "And make sure that the location is entered into the GPS!"
"That's it! I don't expect I'll need you again until secure, but stay handy!"
"Aye, aye, Sir!" Hawkes answered cheerfully but she knew that 'staying handy' would inevitably mean having to help with maintaining and filing the PCPs records, safely tucked away in the back office out of sight.
And the PCP desk was exactly where Harm directed Mattie so that she could be signed in and issued a visitor's badge, which the cheerful Corporal on the desk handed over to her with a "Here ya go, Miss Rabb, just make sure you keep it visible at all times!"
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Mattie was still smiling with pleasure at being officially addressed as 'Miss Rabb' for the first time, when Harm held open the bull-pen's swing doors for her and she pushed down on her chair's wheels to roll into the work area. It was obvious from her first glance that JAG London was a different kettle of fish than JAG at Falls Church. Although there was just as much bustle, there were fewer bodies in a smaller space, but one of those bodes spotted the new arrivals and called out "Captain on deck!" bringing all activity to a momentary halt.
Harm's cheerful, "Carry on, people!" restored the bull pen to its customary level of morning activity and Harm indicated to Mattie with a nod of his head, the direction they would be taking to get to his office.
Jen and Julia were both at their desks when Harm walked into the outer office and both leapt to their feet with a chorused, "Good morning, sir!"
"Good morning! At ease, sit down!" Harm ordered and grinned as a smile appeared on Jen's face.
"Hi Mattie!"
"Hey Jen!" the irrepressible teenager replied, and sent a look of frank curiosity at Julia.
"That's Julia Martinez," Jen said with a grin, "You've spoken with her on the phone…"
"Oh… oh, yeah, hi Julia…" Mattie grinned.
"Socialising is all very well!" Harm said with mock sternness, "But Yeoman Two, you are about to become a very busy sailor! Legalman One, can I devolve the making of coffee to you for the moment? You can show Mattie the galley, I need a few minutes with Martinez! With me, Yeoman Two!"
With a puzzled glance at Jen, Julia grabbed her notepad and pen and followed Harm into his inner office.
"Take a seat, Julia, and relax, you're not in trouble! In fact just the opposite. Firstly, congratulations!"
"Congratulations, sir?" Julia asked.
Harm grinned at her, "Please don't try to pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about! Your Bombardier proposed to you, and you've started to make arrangements to be married at Dinton Church. I have that right, don't I?"
"Uh… yes, sir… but…"
"But how did I know? I… uh… I've been dating Captain Shephard, and we took Mattie to meet her parents yesterday. Captain Shephard's father is the preacher who is going to be marrying you and your Bombardier. He let it slip out at dinner, not realising that you worked here in the same office as I do…"
"Oh…"
"And when I said you're going to be a busy sailor I meant it. Do you know just how many hoops you are going you have to jump through before you get married? For a start you need permission to marry a foreign national from COMNAVFOREUR, then so your own security clearance isn't compromised, the Bombardier is going to have to be security cleared by the DOD then there's mandatory marriage counselling, and of course, the physical that he will have to pass… All of that takes time, but the most time consuming aspect is the security clearance. You need to get straight onto that! As for COMNAVFOREUR's permission I have a feeling that Admiral Taylor is his designee for sailors based in the UK, so I'll get straight onto him and get that started! But you'll need to have Legal Services on your side to help you navigate through the maze. Get a written application for Legal Assistance downstairs by lunchtime today! Got it?"
"Uh… yes, sir!" Julia said in a shaky voice.
"Good… now I have a feeling that there's a MILPERSMAN instruction covering marriages to foreign nationals, you'd best look it up and make sure you're in full compliance."
"Yes, sir!" Julia replied, more firmly this time.
"And there's just one more thing, Julia," Harm said.
"Sir?"
"No ring?" Harm asked with a nod at her naked left hand.
"Oh, yes, sir! It's just that I didn't want to wear it before I'd had a chance to tell Jen – uh… Legalman One Coates - and you, of course, sir!"
"You have it with you?"
"Oh, yes sir!"
"Good. Well now that you've told me… you can go tell Legalman One Coates and put the thing on your finger, where it's supposed to be!"
"Sir! Yes, sir!" Julia stood and froze into a brace.
Harm grinned, "G'wan… git! And definitely congratulations!"
"Thank you, sir!" Julia squeaked and practically fled the office.
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By the time Jen and Mattie returned to the office, Jen carrying a tray on which sat four mugs of steaming hot coffee, Julia was frantically opening the morning mail while at the same time trying to search through the Navy's intranet to find the appropriate instruction, giving a squeak of relief just as Jen put the tray down on her desk.
"What was that for?" she asked in surprise.
"Found it!" Julia grinned.
"Found what?" Jen asked after exchanging a puzzled glance with Mattie.
"MILPERSMAN Section 5352-030!" Julia exclaimed.
"Yeah, but what's that when it's at home?" Jen asked.
"I'll tell you when you've taken the Captain's coffee into him!" Julia promised with a sunny smile.
Jen shook her head sorrowfully, "C'mon, Kiddo," she said to Mattie "there's no point in talking to her when she gets like this!"
A quick knock on the door and brusque "Enter" in reply saw Jen take two mugs of coffee into Harm's office.
"One for you, and one for Mattie, sir!"
"Thank you, Legalman One! While we're drinking it, can you find Mattie a workstation in a quiet corner of the bull-pen, I'm sure she has some research she wants to do!"
"I do?" a surprised Mattie asked.
"Yep, there's all that history stuff you were asking the Reverend about yesterday, and then maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out the hospital for tomorrow, maybe download a couple of e-books to read… here… catch!" he lobbed a flash drive in Mattie's direction and grinned with pleasure when her hand shot out to grab it in mid-air.
Jen too grinned, "Right, sir! I'll get Lennard to sort that out for Mattie, she's about the best we've got for IT in the bull-pen!"
Jen bustled away to get Lennard on task and returned to her desk about five minutes later with a smile on her face, "That's that sorted out!" she remarked to Julia as she slid into her chair, "Now what was all that about MILPERSMAN?"
Julia looked up from where she was just date stamping the last couple of folios for the first sight file and said in as innocent a tone as she could manage, "Oh… that's the instructions for Navy personnel marrying foreign nationals while overseas…"
Jen frowned, "Why would you want…" and then realisation dawned, "Oh! Julia! He didn't! He did! He proposed to you, didn't he? And you said yes!"
"Yes, he did propose, and yes, of course I said yes!"
"When, where?"
"Well we're scheduled for a month at Dinton, that's where Johnny's folks live… and here's the kicker… the Captain knew all about it before I had a chance to tell him! He's been dating Captain Shephard…"
"Yes, I know that; I've met her!" Jen said a touch impatiently.
"Well, Captain Shephard's dad is the minister we asked to conduct the service!"
Jen shook her head almost in disbelief, "Wow! It really is a small world!" and then n important question flashed through her mind, "Did you get a ring?"
"Sure did!" Julia smiled, holding up her hand so that the single diamond caught the light.
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"Thank you for seeing me at short notice, Mister Secretary!"
"It's to our mutual advantage, General. You saved me a phone call asking you to come to see me. Take a seat."
Major General Gordon 'Biff' Cresswell eased into one of the leather upholstered wing chairs that faced Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield's desk, "You wanted to see me, Mister Secretary?"
"Yes, I did. But you first," he replied courteously.
"Well, Mister Secretary, I want to relieve Captain Rabb of his command in London, and have him brought back here to DC to face charges of disobeying an order or regulation."
"That's a rather drastic step, General. Would you like to explain your thoughts behind it?" the SecNav asked politely.
"Certainly." Cresswell paused for a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he continued, "Rabb is a maverick. His service record speaks for itself. He is undisciplined and unpredictable. His career is littered with broken regulations and disobedience to orders. This latest incident is merely the frosting on the cake. His nomination for the promotions board had already gone through when I was appointed JAG, but if it hadn't been, then I would not have made the nomination, and I certainly wouldn't have recommended him for promotion."
"Ah… it may interest you, General, to know that it was I who nominated Rabb to the board with a strong recommendation that he be promoted. Yes… He has a record of bending orders and regulations, of climbing through windows when doors have been shut in his face, but in every case I have investigated he has done so, not out of any sense of self-gratification, but in order to pursue the truth. Much as he has done this time!"
"This time?" Cresswell asked.
"Yes, this time! I suspect the latest incident you spoke of pertains to the investigation he carried put into the abuse of the SOFA between the US and the UK. The results of which he sent to you with a request for advice on proceeding to inform the other services of what he had discovered. Instead, you ordered him to destroy all the evidence he had collected and to refrain from taking his findings any further."
"Instead of which, Mister Secretary he had the brazen effrontery to write me and say that he found he could not obey my order, on the grounds that he doubted that it was lawful order, and that much as he regretted that I had forced his hand – forced his hand, me!" Cresswell almost spluttered at this point, "That he had gone over my head and submitted his damned report anyway! I don't know to whom he submitted it, but it has obviously come to your attention, and so is evidence of his liability to a charge under Article Ninety Two of the UCMJ"
"It has indeed come to my attention, primarily because I am the higher authority to whom he delivered the report. I take it you have read it? Good, because it makes damning reading. Our forces in Europe systematically and over the course of years abused and subverted the spirit of the SOFA, for which I am sure that the individuals responsible could have and should have be prosecuted under Article One Hundred Thirty Four, and I am appalled General, that you should have elected to continue this conduct in basically ordering a cover-up of Captain Rabb's report."
Creswell's jaw nearly hit his chest, "Mister Secretary…"
"I haven't finished yet, General. I find another example of service discrediting conduct on your part. Over the past four months, you have been in receipt of complaints from Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie concerning the loose moral conduct of a Lieutenant Vukovic, an officer who seems to have become somewhat of a protégé of yours, and one to whose conduct you have consistently turned a blind eye, or at best protested that he is young and needs seasoning. In fact, is that not the reason that you sent him to JSLO South West, over Colonel MacKenzie's protest that she did not consider him to be suitable for the post, or even continued employment as a naval officer? And is not also true that despite the reports on his conduct that you have received, you have declined to take any disciplinary action or even have him counselled? As a result of this inaction on your part, I received a telephone call this morning, at a very early hour, to inform me that Vukovic is under arrest for the murder of a Commander Webster. Webster apparently caught Vukovic in flagrante delicto with his wife, who is also a serving naval officer, a Lieutenant Commander, and in the ensuing altercation, Vukovic got hold of a pistol and shot Webster, killing him instantly!"
"B… But…" Cresswell tried to protest, but was again cut short by Sheffield.
"But nothing, and as this incident…" he inflected the word with as much disgust as he could, "took place off-base, the shooting was reported initially to the San Diego Police Department, and of course the gutter press have got hold of the story, and it has made the early morning editions in San Diego. Now, no matter if Vukovic is found not guilty of murder, but is acquitted on the rounds of justifiable homicide, his career in the Navy is over, as is the career of Lieutenant Commander Webster. Both she and Vukovic will face charges of fraternisation and adultery as well as charges under Article One Hundred Thirty Four. And all, General, because you had a soft spot for an individual who, from what I can gather, should never have been commissioned in the first place!"
Cresswell looked pale and grey, "Mister Secretary… I don't know…"
"Do you not?" Sheffield cut in sarcastically, "Well I do know. You, General have two options. Firstly you can continue in the service and face at least two charges of Dereliction of Duty, in failing to forward Rabb's report up through the chain of command, and secondly in failing to take action to curb Vukovic's behaviour. Both cases amount to covers up of wrongdoing by service members. The wrongdoings that you are supposed to prosecute, not hide under the carpet. The Navy can't afford to have a Judge Advocate General whose judgement is so poor! I need hardly point out, I'm sure, that if those charges are proved you stand a very good chance of being dismissed the service with loss of pay, pension and benefits. Alternatively, you can submit your resignation and you will be permitted to retire quietly with all pension and benefits intact."
"Mister Secretary, that's a hell of a choice! I need time to consider, to consult an attorney…"
"You have until zero nine hundred hours tomorrow morning, General. If your resignation letter is not on my desk by that time, I shall assume that you prefer to take your chances with a court martial."
