Confused Memories
Chapter 7: In which friends begin to worry
Author's Notes: Sorry 'bout the length of this part. I'll have a longer one for you tomorrow.
I warned you in chapter 1, but I'd just like to warn you again: I do not write Harm/Mac. If you dislike other 'ships, please leave now. Flames will be laughed at and posted to fic_flames on LiveJournal.
Disclaimers and other info in part 1.
"Damn it, Coates, have you gotten MacKenzie on the line yet?" Admiral AJ Chegwidden asked his yeoman impatiently.
"No, sir. I've tried her home, cell, and pager numbers. I'm calling Dulles now; perhaps her plane was delayed, sir."
"Good. Tell me as soon as you get her." AJ sighed in irritation and ran a hand over his bald head. His Chief of Staff was supposed to have returned from her leave the day before, and he could count on one hand the number of times she had been late for anything. Well, hopefully Coates would find her.
Fortunately, Ops had been a bit slow lately. Apparently, the sailors had decided to behave themselves for the summer--he was down to disturbing the peace charges to assign his staff. Sighing, he picked up the thin stack of files and headed for the conference room.
"Keep your seats," AJ said brusquely as he entered the room. "As you can see, Colonel MacKenzie has not yet returned. I will deal with that when she reports back. However, we still have work to do."
An hour later, the staff filed out of the room, whispering amongst themselves. AJ could hear Lieutenant Roberts say to Major McBurney, "Do you think I have a death wish?" AJ smiled grimly. Probably not, seeing as he hadn't yet asked if AJ knew where Mac was.
AJ strode past them, wanting to get to his office as quickly as possible. "As you were," he barked as the personnel in the bullpen came to attention. He entered his outer office. "Coates, have you heard from Mac yet?" he asked in a low voice.
The petty officer turned to him. Her brow furrowed quizzically, she said, "No, sir. I called Dulles, and they said her flight got in yesterday. I asked them to check the manifest, and she wasn't on it."
AJ frowned. "What about her hotel?"
"I called there as well, Admiral. No one's seen her for over a week, sir."
AJ restrained the urge to curse. "Thank you, Petty Officer. If you don't hear from her by the end of the day, let me know. In the meantime, keep calling her apartment. Maybe she fell asleep from jet lag and hasn't heard the phone ring." Even as he said it, AJ knew it was a long shot.
"Aye-aye, sir." Coates picked up the telephone and began dialing as AJ entered his office, slamming the door behind him.