* * * * * *
Part One
* * * * * *
When I woke up that morning, I had no idea it was day that would change my life. Monday began ordinarily enough. I woke up 10 minutes too late, Angela refused to eat her breakfast, we got stuck in traffic and were late.
Normality. And I may have been cursing when I skidded into the office 15 minutes late, but I was comfortable with it.
That was just about where things began to get a little crazy.
Jade wasn't there. She wasn't sitting in her office laughing while I got scolded for being late. Jade was always at the office, always laughing and grinning while someone else got reprimanded, but never found herself in the same position. The place felt strange without her.
Then I was called into the CO's office.
He didn't say anything about Jade, just that he was taking leave effective immediately and that I was in charge.
I almost flipped with excitement.
Not.
If it had been my ambition to run a military establishment, I would've stayed in Washington.
So I was in charge of an entire office that knew something I didn't: Lt Cmdr Jade Henderson was dead as of Friday night.
And I was in charge of an office in chaos because of it.
That wasn't so normal, but still, I could deal with that. I could handle being in charge of an JAG office, I could handle the murder of a good friend, I could do all that. It was only after 1530 that the day became positively insane.
Within 2 minutes I got 3 phone calls I didn't really want. The first was Angela's day care cente calling to inform me she'd somehow managed to injure herself at lunch. Dr. Field telling me she wanted to see me again. And JAG HQ in Washington called saying they were someone was scheduled to arrive to investigate Jade's death at 1600.
"Ryder," I called as the PO walked past.
"Yes Ma'am?"
"Walk with me. Listen, Angela's done something to herself and I really can't leave right now. "
"You want me to go get her?"
"Would you please?"
"Sure Ma'am."
"Thankyou so much Nikki. Could you take her home and watch her for me?"
"Ma'am, I don't finish here until."
"Yeah, well I'm acting CO, so go, but don't tell anyone."
"Of course not."
"Thankyou."
"You owe me one Mackenzie."
"Like hell. I got you out of briefs on Thursday, and covered for you Friday night."
"Yeah, how many Friday nights have I watched your kid while you're still here?"
"Ok, Ok, I owe you."
"See you later."
"Yeah."
"Colonel Mackenzie?" Lt Sawyers called to me as Ryder disappeared around the corner.
"Yes?" I replied absently.
"Your 1600 is in your office waiting."
"But its only 5 to," I complained quietly.
He heard me.
"You probably don't want to keep a Rear Admiral waiting."
"Shit," I complained even quieter.
"What was that Ma'am?"
"Thankyou Lieutenant," I sighed, walking across the room to the door of the CO's office and pausing with a hand on the doorknob.
"You really don't want to go in there," I reminded myself, opening the door.
"Sir," intoned clearly, listening to my own voice while stand at attention in surprise. I sounded ten thousand times more authoritative than I felt. He returned my salute and I immediately launched into a moving speech about why we could handle an investigation without Washington's help. Very brave of me. (Brave in this sense is a synonym for stupid.)
Halfway through a sentence I actually looked at who was standing in front of me.
It took a few seconds for my mouth to receive the message from my brain reminding me to close it. As I did so, I spun on my heel and closed the door behind me.
"Are you going to say something Colonel?" he asked me, "Cute jacket by the way."
"You haven't changed, Sir," I commented flatly.
"Neither have you."
"Are we still on a first name basis?" I questioned carefully, feeling as though I balancing precariously atop a balancing beam in a gym, afraid and wishing I could fade into my surroundings.
"Sure Sarah."
And that was all it took. I inhaled shakily and leant against the wall sobbing.
"Why are you the one crying? You're the one who left 5 years ago," he asked, raising his voice slightly in indignant confusion.
It only served to make me cry even more while uselessly mouthing, "I know, I'm sorry" in an incomprehensible fashion.
Several minutes later, I managed to regain some of my former composure.
"I'm sorry," I muttered quietly, slightly embarrassed now that I realised he was scrutinising me silently.
"Rear Admiral Rabb," I stated, testing the title, "Nice slides."
"Thanks. And you're Colonel now."
"Yeah."
"And CO."
"Acting CO, ah, Sir."
"You don't have to call me that Mac," he interrupted softly.
"Why not?" I questioned at equal dynamic, daring him to give me the reason I'd like to hear.
"Because," he responded, staring at me.
"Ok," I agreed, unable to challenge his look.
"So, Lt Cmdr Jade Henderson. You know her?"
"Yeah," I replied, studying my hands, "She was my. best friend here I guess."
"Right."
"Um, how about I give you to our Chief of Staff? Wait, that would be me, I mean, acting position, who was it? Oh, yeah, Lt Cmdr Peterson."
"You can't work with me any more," he stated accusingly.
"Not right now, without being unprofessional," I answered honestly.
"Right."
"You got a place to stay?"
"Not yet."
"Good, we'll talk later," I said, tossing him my keys, "They're the keys to my apartment, let yourself in, I'll be there around 1900."
"Is this a good idea?"
"Probably not," I bluntly, "But we've got to discuss your investigation sometime."
"Who did you say'd show me around?"
"Lt Cmdr Peterson."
"Right, see you at 1900 then."
"Yes sir," I replied, saluting him as he walked out and collapsing into the chair behind me the second he was gone.
Sighing I picked up the phone and dialled Dr Field's number, "Dr Field?"
"Yes?"
"It's me, Sarah Mackenzie. You called?"
"Yes, I want to speak to you. Today, if possible."
"Is it really urgent?"
"Yes."
You know you're in serious trouble when doctors start talking to you in monosyllables.
"Ok, I'll come around after work. Say around 1800, I mean, 6 o'clock?"
"Ok, as long as I get to speak with you in person today."
I hung up sure that the day couldn't get any worse, and at the same time positive I was wrong.
* * * * * *
A/N: Hey, it's dark outside. It's really dark outside.
Part One
* * * * * *
When I woke up that morning, I had no idea it was day that would change my life. Monday began ordinarily enough. I woke up 10 minutes too late, Angela refused to eat her breakfast, we got stuck in traffic and were late.
Normality. And I may have been cursing when I skidded into the office 15 minutes late, but I was comfortable with it.
That was just about where things began to get a little crazy.
Jade wasn't there. She wasn't sitting in her office laughing while I got scolded for being late. Jade was always at the office, always laughing and grinning while someone else got reprimanded, but never found herself in the same position. The place felt strange without her.
Then I was called into the CO's office.
He didn't say anything about Jade, just that he was taking leave effective immediately and that I was in charge.
I almost flipped with excitement.
Not.
If it had been my ambition to run a military establishment, I would've stayed in Washington.
So I was in charge of an entire office that knew something I didn't: Lt Cmdr Jade Henderson was dead as of Friday night.
And I was in charge of an office in chaos because of it.
That wasn't so normal, but still, I could deal with that. I could handle being in charge of an JAG office, I could handle the murder of a good friend, I could do all that. It was only after 1530 that the day became positively insane.
Within 2 minutes I got 3 phone calls I didn't really want. The first was Angela's day care cente calling to inform me she'd somehow managed to injure herself at lunch. Dr. Field telling me she wanted to see me again. And JAG HQ in Washington called saying they were someone was scheduled to arrive to investigate Jade's death at 1600.
"Ryder," I called as the PO walked past.
"Yes Ma'am?"
"Walk with me. Listen, Angela's done something to herself and I really can't leave right now. "
"You want me to go get her?"
"Would you please?"
"Sure Ma'am."
"Thankyou so much Nikki. Could you take her home and watch her for me?"
"Ma'am, I don't finish here until."
"Yeah, well I'm acting CO, so go, but don't tell anyone."
"Of course not."
"Thankyou."
"You owe me one Mackenzie."
"Like hell. I got you out of briefs on Thursday, and covered for you Friday night."
"Yeah, how many Friday nights have I watched your kid while you're still here?"
"Ok, Ok, I owe you."
"See you later."
"Yeah."
"Colonel Mackenzie?" Lt Sawyers called to me as Ryder disappeared around the corner.
"Yes?" I replied absently.
"Your 1600 is in your office waiting."
"But its only 5 to," I complained quietly.
He heard me.
"You probably don't want to keep a Rear Admiral waiting."
"Shit," I complained even quieter.
"What was that Ma'am?"
"Thankyou Lieutenant," I sighed, walking across the room to the door of the CO's office and pausing with a hand on the doorknob.
"You really don't want to go in there," I reminded myself, opening the door.
"Sir," intoned clearly, listening to my own voice while stand at attention in surprise. I sounded ten thousand times more authoritative than I felt. He returned my salute and I immediately launched into a moving speech about why we could handle an investigation without Washington's help. Very brave of me. (Brave in this sense is a synonym for stupid.)
Halfway through a sentence I actually looked at who was standing in front of me.
It took a few seconds for my mouth to receive the message from my brain reminding me to close it. As I did so, I spun on my heel and closed the door behind me.
"Are you going to say something Colonel?" he asked me, "Cute jacket by the way."
"You haven't changed, Sir," I commented flatly.
"Neither have you."
"Are we still on a first name basis?" I questioned carefully, feeling as though I balancing precariously atop a balancing beam in a gym, afraid and wishing I could fade into my surroundings.
"Sure Sarah."
And that was all it took. I inhaled shakily and leant against the wall sobbing.
"Why are you the one crying? You're the one who left 5 years ago," he asked, raising his voice slightly in indignant confusion.
It only served to make me cry even more while uselessly mouthing, "I know, I'm sorry" in an incomprehensible fashion.
Several minutes later, I managed to regain some of my former composure.
"I'm sorry," I muttered quietly, slightly embarrassed now that I realised he was scrutinising me silently.
"Rear Admiral Rabb," I stated, testing the title, "Nice slides."
"Thanks. And you're Colonel now."
"Yeah."
"And CO."
"Acting CO, ah, Sir."
"You don't have to call me that Mac," he interrupted softly.
"Why not?" I questioned at equal dynamic, daring him to give me the reason I'd like to hear.
"Because," he responded, staring at me.
"Ok," I agreed, unable to challenge his look.
"So, Lt Cmdr Jade Henderson. You know her?"
"Yeah," I replied, studying my hands, "She was my. best friend here I guess."
"Right."
"Um, how about I give you to our Chief of Staff? Wait, that would be me, I mean, acting position, who was it? Oh, yeah, Lt Cmdr Peterson."
"You can't work with me any more," he stated accusingly.
"Not right now, without being unprofessional," I answered honestly.
"Right."
"You got a place to stay?"
"Not yet."
"Good, we'll talk later," I said, tossing him my keys, "They're the keys to my apartment, let yourself in, I'll be there around 1900."
"Is this a good idea?"
"Probably not," I bluntly, "But we've got to discuss your investigation sometime."
"Who did you say'd show me around?"
"Lt Cmdr Peterson."
"Right, see you at 1900 then."
"Yes sir," I replied, saluting him as he walked out and collapsing into the chair behind me the second he was gone.
Sighing I picked up the phone and dialled Dr Field's number, "Dr Field?"
"Yes?"
"It's me, Sarah Mackenzie. You called?"
"Yes, I want to speak to you. Today, if possible."
"Is it really urgent?"
"Yes."
You know you're in serious trouble when doctors start talking to you in monosyllables.
"Ok, I'll come around after work. Say around 1800, I mean, 6 o'clock?"
"Ok, as long as I get to speak with you in person today."
I hung up sure that the day couldn't get any worse, and at the same time positive I was wrong.
* * * * * *
A/N: Hey, it's dark outside. It's really dark outside.