Walking wounded- the legs of Judge Laura Delaney

Ch02 – "Baby steps"

A/N: AU. What if the booby-trap explosion under Admiral Chegwidden's front step didn't kill Judge Laura Delaney outright? What if she survived, to embark on a slow, painful recovery which had the added bonus of building a life with AJ?

A/N: link to Canon Episodes: "Ghosts" (S02Ep07) first broadcast 14FEB1997.

A/N: Publication date: 08-04-2020: The morning after the explosion: the implications sink in.

Notes Mike, UK, 08-Apr-2020

Characters from FFNET – AJ Chegwidden and OC

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Ch02 – "Baby steps"

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Saturday 15th February 1997, 08:29hrs

Home of RAdm AJ Chegwidden, Falls Church VA:

"Morning Admiral; oh boy, how much sleep did you get?"

"Morning Agent Franks; she finally cried herself to sleep around 02:10 (or the drugs kicked in) so I got away just after; hit the sack at 03:00 and up at 08:00hrs. So, you will understand my next question; coffee?"

"Yes please – oh, I believe you met Agent Todd yesterday."

AJ nodded his welcome to the tall red-haired woman with the sea-green eyes. "Agent Todd, I trust you will forgive (or understand) my brusque manner last night. So, surname of Todd; with those eyes and that hair, you've gotta be from the Emerald Isle?"

"Nailed it in one, Admiral, Cork City at the time of the Potato Famine and grew up as a Navy brat in San Diego and Hawaii, then Okinawa and back to SD - where I joined NIS the year before NCIS was formed."

He looked briefly at her hands; no rings. Not a surprise – half of his married JAG officers wore their wedding bands on their dog-tags as a simple method of not giving the defendant any information or leverage. That reminded him of Laura again and he sighed, heavily.

Mairead Todd picked up on this; "Admiral, how are things this morning?" "Keep the poor sod distracted and he'll get moving and thinking quicker."

"Frankly Agent Todd, little better than they were at 02:10hrs. She's asleep, she is stable but I (and we) have one hell of a journey ahead. I just hope that…"

His train of thought was interrupted by his cell-phone going off. He frowned at the slightly-familiar number then decided to answer it – which was just as well.

Franks and Todd watched him leap out of his chair and stand to attention, phone to his ear. Being in the same room as Admiral AJ Chegwidden made it impossible for Franks and Todd to avoid overhearing AJ's side of the conversation.

"Yes sir, Mr Secretary; alive, bloodier, feeling sorry for herself but definitely starting the recovery. My workload? Well, to be honest sir I hadn't given it much thought but… Rabb? Yes, keen and eager and knowledgeable but the damn man keeps trying to get back to fly his beloved F-14s! No, I do agree that it might help him lose the 'Peter Pan' attitude. Yes I shall discuss with him in the morning. No sir, thank you – Laura is going to need a lot of support, and most days once she is mobilised. Roughly? Two years maybe, so I won't start worrying until the Christmas after next. Now that is a good idea sir, but I don't think that selection has started yet for the 2000 Paralympics! I will sir – 1030 Monday on the phone. Thanks once again sir."

He flipped the phone closed and sat, for a moment, staring at it. Mike Franks coughed gently, bringing AJ back into the room.

"Oh excuse me people; that was the SecNav. Wants me to take whatever time is needed; turns out his wife was at university with Laura and is keen to assist. OK Agents, where were we?"

"Judge Delaney's whereabouts. This seems to be a very opportunistic attack on the judge – just happens along in case she turns up at your house?"

Franks was looking at the Admiral with a cool, questioning, sceptical expression. AJ nodded – he didn't want Franks haring off down any blind alleyways. Hell, NCIS would have a better chance of tracking down Gayle Osborne while he, AJ Chegwidden, was re-prioritising his life to support Laura. And support her, he would. This attack had been aimed at him; it was just sheer shit bad luck that his girlfriend was the one who had triggered the device.

"No, Agent Franks, I believe that I was the target; there are a couple of recent deaths which you need to look at, all sharing some features of a CIA psychopath from 'Nam days; went by the name of Gayle Osborne. There was a car wreck two weeks ago, looks plausible until the wrecking crew found a little fat Buddha with a hole through its stomach on the front of the vehicle." His shoulders slumped as the implications hit home, following the realisation that the damage to Laura had been meant for him

Todd looked baffled, until AJ took pity on her. "It's an old trick from 'Nam – use little tricks like that to spook the VC – quite effective too. But I had been fairly sure that Osborne had died in a brothel in Manila during a furlough. False trail, I guess."

"How would you describe him, Admiral?"

"Psychopathic, Agent Todd; murderous, target-focussed, determined. Which is why the best description that I can give you is he looks like he will in his autopsy photograph."

"Admiral." Franks raised a cautioning eyebrow; AJ raised his hand in weary acknowledgement.

"Yeah, I know, if I do the job, then I have to make sure that there is no body – ever - found."

"Mairead Todd burst out laughing. "Admiral, that is such a descriptive phrase; I wish I could use it some time. Does this nihilistic approach to enemies come with being an Admiral?"

Chegwidden leaned across and tapped the Trident on his dress uniform, still sitting where he had laid it the previous night during a quick dash into the house.

"No, Ms Todd – it comes with being a SeAL."

She nodded her understanding.

"But realistically Admiral, your priority is going to be supporting the Judge over the coming months."

"Yeah, I know Agent Franks."

"So, Admiral, a slightly delicate question; the judge is, I understand, still married and you two are…" Franks was tiptoeing around the question. AJ met him head-on.

"Yes, we were in a relationship; yes she was divorcing; in fact, when I was comforting her, I discovered that she had removed her wedding ring for the first time that I had even noticed."

"OK Admiral and thank you."

"Agents, you have my details; I expect to be in my office at Falls Church HQ until 10:00hrs on Monday, then over at the Pentagon."

"Thank you Admiral; we shall see ourselves out."

"Thanks Agents – let me know if you need a door opened at the CIA".

AJ picked up his phone and scrolled down to a number, which he called.

"Mister Rabb; sorry to disturb (Well, actually just briefly interrupt) your morning, I need you in my office for 07:30hrs on Monday. Let me explain…"

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Saturday 15th February 1997, 10:47hrs

Room 4-024, Critical care ward, Washington General Hospital, Washington DC:

"Morning Laura."

"AJ, you came; good morning. Now come here and hug me."

"With pleasure, ma'am. Just you try keeping me away"

He settled into his chair alongside Laura's bed, holding – as though it were a usual gesture between two long-standing people – her left hand. At the feel of his touch, Laura sighed and relaxed a little into the pillow. How could this man, this former SeAL, be so warm, considerate and – dammit – just so nice? She felt parts of her body beginning to respond, once more betraying her as often happened in AJ's presence (but never, in the past four years, with the drunk whom she had married all those years ago, out of University).

"When is the surgeon due?"

"She has rounds an hour later than normal on a Saturday; I've been told to wait and to expect her sometime around 11:30, AJ."

"Well in that case, if you are on an unrestricted diet, may I offer to go get us some coffees?"

"Sounds good – out of here, turn left I understand and two floors down the stairwell."

"How did you know – you've not moved yet?"

"Aha, AJ: I asked the nurses for directions earlier, hoping that you – like me – would be ready for caffeine when you arrived."

"Good thinking, Judge."

"Yeah well, won't be judging for a while." She suddenly looked despondent and AJ took her hand once more, gently brushing his lips across her knuckles. With her free hand, she gently patted his shoulder.

"Actually Laura, I don't think that's true; once you are up and about, there is nothing wrong with your brain (apart from choosing to get together with me – which I'd like to think is just a life-long aberration). Realistcally, the physical therapy should be able to fit around your workload as you recover. I'll be alongside you every step of the way."

She looked up into his eyes, as hers misted up.

"You mean…?"

"Yes Laura, this is just a bump (OK, it's a helluva bump, but just a bump) on the road to the future."

He kissed her again, closing in to whisper "you're on the road to my future – if you'll have me?"

"Oh yes AJ, every step of the way."

"I can see that becoming our motto; one of my JAG staff, who is a pilot, always mentions that their back-seaters have a saying of 'to hell and back' every time they launch off the carrier."

He sat up, still slightly misty-eyed. "OK, let me go find that coffee machine."

As he headed off, Laura whispered to herself: "and tomorrow you can wheel me with you; I need to organise some form of Escape Committee."

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End of Ch02 – "Baby steps"

Mike, UK, 08-04-2020