Chapter 4: The Newest Member

That afternoon around 3 pm, Nancy had finished her second detailed review of the files.  She wrapped up a few clerical items around the office and checked in with Stephanie Loucks, their office manager, before heading to the hospital to see how Amy was doing.  Once there, she went straight up to the maternity ward and found Maggie and Hannibal in the waiting room.

"How's she doing?" Nancy asked.

Maggie shrugged, "She didn't start labor on her own, so they applied some topical oxytocin, to try and get the labor going.  So far, she's still not progressing very rapidly."

Nancy grimaced, "So, that light at the end of the tunnel is kinda dim, huh?"

"'Fraid so," Maggie said regretfully, "They've got a fetal monitor on the baby, and so far there isn't any stress.  But they're watching closely.  If there's any change in the baby's vitals they'll take her in and do an emergency C-section."

"Can we go in and see her?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, she's in room 212, just down the hall," Maggie said, "We were just heading out to grab some dinner.  We haven't been able to get Face to leave, but if you can, send him out and we'll make sure he eats."

Nancy went down the hall, and knocked on the door to room 212.

Face poked his head out, "Nan, good to see you, come on in," his voice was cheerful, but his face reflected his worry and concern about his wife.

She walked in, and looked around, Amy was sitting up in the bed, with a strap across her belly, a blood pressure cuff on her arm, and various monitors ticking all around her.  She looked very tired.

Nancy smiled at Amy, and she smiled wearily back, "Hi Nan - this isn't going quite as smoothly as I thought it would.  This little stinker just doesn't seem to want to come out and play."

Face looked at her, the lines of worry showing plainly, "You want some more ice chips, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Not right now," Amy said, "You should go get something to eat.  Nancy will sit with me for a little while, won't you, Nan?"

Nancy nodded, "Amy's right, Face.  Maggie and Hannibal were just heading out, why don't you join them for some dinner?"

Amy pushed, "Go on Face, we'll be fine."

Face hesitated, then said, "I'll only be gone for a few minutes, I'll just grab a sandwich out of the vending machines and come right back."

"Don't even think about eating in front of me," Amy said, "Just go with Hannibal and Maggie.  Come back when you're done.  I'm not going anywhere."

Face relented, "OK, I won't be long."

"Go." Amy said irritably, and Face retreated out of the room, looking to Nancy who gave him a reassuring smile.

Nancy walked by the bed, "So what are all these monitors for?" she asked, hoping to distract her friend.

Amy indicated the strap across her belly, "That one monitors my contractions, which they tell me are still pretty weak.  Doesn't feel that way though," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

She then indicated another cord, "They also hooked an intrauterine fetal monitor to the baby's head."

She pointed to the strip chart, "They're both recorded on the strip chart so the nurses and Dr. Phillips can monitor how my labor is progressing and how the baby is doing."

"Uh-oh, here comes one," Amy said.  Nancy reached over and took her hand, watching the strip chart in fascination, as the contraction occurred.  Another monitor beeped in time to the baby's heart beat, which increased in rate as the contraction reached a peak and slowed as the contraction ended.

Amy let out a relieved sigh and closed her eyes, "I'm getting tired," she admitted, "I didn't think it would take this long."

Nancy squeezed her hand, "It'll be over before you know it," she said encouragingly, "And when it's over you'll have a beautiful little baby to make you forget all about this."

Amy opened her eyes and looked at Nancy, "Thanks, Nan, I know this has to be scaring the hell out of you."

Nancy looked at the monitors and recorders ruefully, "Yea, it kinda does," she admitted with a small smile, "But I plan to make sure HM feels good and guilty about the whole labor thing.  Should get me a few months of leverage."

Amy smiled weakly, then winked at her conspiratorially, "Trust me, it's good for a few years of their best behavior." Both women laughed, they knew they needed every advantage they could get with Face and Murdock.

A few widely-spaced contractions later Face came back into the room, and Nancy stayed for a few more minutes, until Dr. Phillips came in to examine Amy.  Then she backed out and wandered back down to the waiting room to join Hannibal and Maggie.

Hannibal walked over by her, his arms crossed.  Nancy thought he looked strange without the ever-present cigar, "Holding up OK, Hannibal?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm fine," he said, " How about you - have you heard from Murdock?"

Nancy nodded and filled Hannibal in on the basics of her conversation with her husband, "Hopefully he'll be back by Wednesday, but I'm not holding my breath."

Maggie patted her shoulder, "I'll go with you for the ultrasound if HM isn't home," she offered.

Nancy looked at Maggie gratefully, but declined, "Actually, Dad's flying out tomorrow anyway, so I won't be going alone, even if HM isn't home."

"Has to be difficult for your Dad, being so far away," Hannibal said, "He still thinking about moving out this way from Chicago?"

Nancy nodded, "Yea, in fact, he's gonna be in town for a couple weeks.  He has appointments with a couple realtors, to help him find a house. Says he's too old to move back in with his daughter, or into an apartment."

Hannibal agreed, "Can't blame him there.  Is he retiring?"

Nancy's father was in his late fifties, and still a very active partner in his law firm, "No, I think he's talking with the other partners about starting a branch office of sorts in Langley."

"Ought to be a lot of opportunities for work in this area," Hannibal said.

Nancy shifted uncomfortably in the straight-backed chair, "Guess they don't really care if the guests are overly comfortable," she said grimacing.

Maggie chuckled, "You should head home and get your feet up.  We'll call you as soon as we know anything."

Nancy smiled gratefully, "I think I'll do that," she agreed, "But call if there's anything I can do."

The General arrived back at the jet in the early evening. Murdock stopped him on his way back to his office, "I've got the flight plans ready for the trip back to Langley – when do you want to leave?" he asked restlessly.

"I should be ready to go in about an hour," Stockwell said absently, heading on back to his office without another word.

Murdock shrugged and looked at Jeff, "Guess that means I can file the flight plans?"

"I guess. . ." Jeff agreed uncertainly.

Murdock turned and headed out of the jet, "Well, that's what I'm gonna go do. If the General's lookin' for me, I'm in the 'port."

Murdock walked into the flight office and leaned on the desk, looking at the young woman behind the desk, with a glance at her name plate, he said with a grin, "Hey, Jennnifer, I'm not sure when we'll get goin', but  I've got my flight plans ready for when the General says go," he held the paperwork out.

She came over, taking the papers from him, she asked, "You got an east Texas accent that's been northernified – where ya from?"

"I was born here, but grew up in Oakland," he offered in his usual friendly manner, "with my grandparents.  But I lived in LA for quite a few years before moving to Langley, Virginia. That's where we're headed home to – and the sooner the better," he added with a hopeful glance out towards the jet.

"Whatcha in a hurry to go for," Her Texas drawl was flirtatious. Leaning forward on the desk she smiled warmly, "you haven't even gotten to sample the night life around here. I could show you around, I'm off in 10 minutes."

Murdock stood up in surprise, "Well, I'm kinda anxious to get back home, to my wife," he said pointedly, shoving his hands uneasily in his pockets.

She turned with a regretful smile, "Too, bad . . ." she said, "you're wife is a lucky lady."

He grinned self-consciously, "Thanks – I think for the most part she'd probably agree with you."

He glanced around, "Is there a pay phone around here somewhere that I could use to make a credit card call?"

"Just down the hall, there's an AT&T phone that'll take a calling card," she indicated the door, "Gonna call your wife?"

Murdock nodded, "Yea, let her know I'm headed home."

Nancy stopped at Subway on her way home and grabbed some food.  At home, she ate in front of the TV.  Once she finished, she went into the office and emptied her brief case onto the desk.  She looked at the personnel files, wondering how her Uncle got his hands on confidential things like these.  In some ways, it really disturbed her to think about how well-connected he was.

She decided she'd call Mr. LaSalle and set up an appointment for the next day. She found the cordless phone in the living room and dialed the phone number, "Hello, Mr. LaSalle?  This is Nancy Murdock.  General Hunt Stockwell asked me to contact you."

The man on the other end of the line sounded very cautious in his response, "You work for Hunt Stockwell?"

"In a manner of speaking, he's contracted with me to look into your current problem and see if I can come up with anything that will help your case."

"How do you relate to Stockwell Enterprises if you're not an agent?"

Nancy gave mental shrug, "I guess you could say I'm related, literally," she said, "Hunt Stockwell is my Uncle."

This seemed to amuse LaSalle, "Hunt Stockwell, an Uncle.  That's hard to imagine."

"Yea, well believe me," she said ruefully, "It's no picnic living the reality."

LaSalle laughed out loud, "The Stockwell wit - you have me convinced."

"I'd like to meet with you tomorrow to discuss your case, if you have the time," Nancy said.

"Tomorrow would be fine, how about lunch at the Colvin Run Tavern in Vienna," he suggested.

"I'll see you then," Nancy said, then rang off.

She went into the kitchen to clean up, but realized that there wasn't anything to do.  She didn't do much cooking to begin with, Murdock handled most of that when he was home.  And when he wasn't, she found she didn't eat much at home anyway - it was too lonely.

She was considering going back to the hospital to see how Amy was doing, dreading the thought of spending any time sitting in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, when the phone rang. It was Jasmine, calling to let her know that she had a rehearsal time set up for the next day, at the Langley Community Center at five. 

Nancy agreed, "What are we going to play?" she asked curiously.

"Well, Terra said you like folk and gospel," Jasmine said tentatively, "So I thought we'd stick with that basic genre, though we should probably steer clear of the gospel at a bar. Are there any popular artists you're particularly comfortable playing?"

Nancy didn't have to think too hard, "I'm a big Shawn Colvin fan, and I like America, Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, that kind of music," she offered.

"I can work with that - I like Shawn Colvin myself.  What about Mary Chapin Carpenter?"

"I like what I've heard from her, but I don't think I know any of her music personally."

Nancy could hear the smile in Jazz's voice, "Well, we'll just have to add to your repertoire!"

Nancy chuckled, "That shouldn't be hard for you, Jazz.  I haven't learned nany new songs lately.  So it probably won't take much to expand my horizons."

"Do you prefer playing piano or guitar?" Jazz asked.

"Guitar, definitely," Nancy said, "but I don't mind either."

"That's OK, I like piano and synthesizer, personally, so that should work out well. We can work out the specifics for each song as we go, but I'll plan on you for the guitar."

"Sounds good, I'll see you at LCC tomorrow afternoon," Nancy said.

"Yea, see ya then," Jasmine said, "and Nancy, thanks a lot.  This really does mean a lot to me."

Nancy smiled, "No problem, Jazz, just don't expect too much from me.  I'm a hack when it comes to the music thing. I do it for myself, no one else."

Jasmine chuckled, "Once you get used to it, you'll enjoy it.  There's nothin' like having an audience appreciate your talent."

Nancy laughed, "I'm not worried about them appreciating my talent, I'm worried about them lamenting the lack of it!"

Jasmine reasoned, "Well, Charlie seems to think we'll be able to draw a crowd.  And he wanted you specifically."

Good old Charlie, Nancy made a mental note to remember to talk to him about the cover charge donation. To Jazz she said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, and you can make your final decision from there."

Nancy and Jazz said goodbye.  The phone rang almost immediately after she had put down the phone.  It was Maggie, "I've been trying to get through to you for the last half hour," she sounded frustrated.

"Sorry, Mags, I was talking to Jazz.  What's up?" Nancy felt a tingling of concern.

Maggie sounded excited, though and not upset, "Well, half an hour ago, I called to tell you they were taking Amy in for an emergency C-section.  But now the baby's here.  It's a healthy baby boy!"

Nancy sighed in relief, "Is Amy OK?"

"Mother and baby are fine, and we'll be able to go in in a little bit.  BA, Char, and Mrs. B. are already here."

"I'll be over as soon as I can," Nancy said and rang off, heading straight out the door.

Murdock picked up the phone and dialed the home phone number, it was after 8, and Nancy should be home.  But he got the answering machine, "Hey Short Cake – I'll give you a call later.  Hope everything's OK."

He hung up and dialed the office phone number.  Riley answered, "Adams Investigations."

"Hey Riley," Murdock said, "Is Nan there?"

"Nope," Riley said, "she left a couple hours ago."

"She wasn't home," Murdock said reflectively, "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

Riley had to smile, the pilot worried inordinately about his wife since the incident with Kennedy, not that he could blame him, "My bet would be on the hospital . . ."

"What's wrong?" Alarm was evident in his voice.

Riley laughed, "Nothing – Amy went in this morning.  I'm not sure, but she's probably there for moral support if nothin' else."

Murdock sighed in relief, "Oh, yea – I forgot about that. Thanks, Riley," he said sincerely, "I'll talk to you later."

He hung up the phone again, and considered trying the hospital, but decided against it.  He'd wait and give her a call in a little while. Hopefully she'd get home before they had to leave.  He wandered over to a coffee vending machine and got himself a cup and sat down to read one of the aviation magazines in the little sitting room to while away the time.

Jeff came walking in carrying a bunch of paperwork a short while later, "Hey, Murdock, General said we're gonna be staying at the Hilton tonight, and we'll have to refile for an early morning flight to LA," he held out the paperwork, most of which he had completed, "He wants to leave at 6am."

Murdock took it with a sigh, "Damn, I'd fly all night if it meant we were goin' home."

Jeff shrugged, "Sorry.  If it's any consolation, he did say we'd probably be headed back to Langley tomorrow afternoon . . . depending on how things go in LA."

"We better be," Murdock said, standing and stretching, "We might as well head over to the hotel and get some shut eye.  I'll finish the paperwork in the morning before we go."

At the hospital, they went in to see Amy in shifts, with Maggie and Hannibal going in first.  Nancy let BA, his mom, and Char go next, and then she went in about 8:30.

Amy was lying on the bed, looking tired but happy.  Jonathan Francis Peck was a pudgy newborn with blue- black eyes and a shock of dark hair. Face was holding him, sitting on the edge of Amy's bed, when Nancy came in.

Amy grinned at her friend, "You were right, Nan - as soon as he was here, it erased the last 12 hours from my mind.  I think I understand now why people have another one."

"How are you feeling?" Nancy asked.

"Tired, sore," Amy looked at her husband and child, "just wonderful," she added sincerely.

Nancy moved next to Face, who held the baby out, "Would you like to hold him?"

Nancy smiled, "I'd love to," she took the little bundle and sat in the chair against the wall.

The baby was wide-eyed, and instinctively wrapped a tiny fist around Nancy's finger, "Hey there little Jonny," she cooed.  She looked up at Face and Amy, "He's absolutely beautiful, guys."

Nancy sat for a few more minutes with the new little family then stood and handed Jonathan back to Amy, "You need your rest," she said, "I'll see you tomorrow."  She ducked out of the room and down to the waiting room.

Nancy walked up to Hannibal and put an arm around his waist, "Well, Grampa, what do you think of your namesake?" she asked teasingly.

Hannibal looked like he might burst with pride.  He had a cigar that said 'It's a boy!', still in the wrapper, clenched in his teeth.  Putting an arm around Nancy's shoulders, he squeezed, "He's perfect," he said, "And I definitely saw the glow of the jazz in his eyes!"

Maggie heaved an exaggerated sigh, "God help us all!"

Nancy got home at 9:30, and the message light was flashing on her answering machine.  She had missed a call from Murdock. The other call was from her father.  She'd have to wait for Murdock to call her back, but she dialed her Dad.

"Hey, Dad - still coming to Langley tomorrow?"

"Yep," Carl Clay sounded cheerful, "I'll land in Dulles at 3pm, can you or HM still pick me up at the airport?"

"HM's out of town, again," Nancy said quietly, "But I'll be there to get you."

"OK, be waiting at the pickup area about 3:30, that should give me enough time to pick up my luggage."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you, Dad," Nancy said, "Oh, by the way - Amy had a little boy, Jonathan Francis."

"Wonderful," Carl said, "How are they doing?"

"They're both fine.  They'll probably be coming home in a couple days."

"I'll bet Hannibal and Maggie are bursting at the seams," Carl said, "I know I will be."

Nancy smiled, "Just a few more months," she said, "and Wednesday you'll get your first glimpse of the newest member of the family."

Carl and Nancy said their goodbyes, and Nancy went upstairs and got ready for bed.  She was dozing, with the lights still on, when Murdock called, "Hey, Short Cake, how're you doing."

"I'm fine," she said sleepily, "You need to get home soon and meet Jonathan Francis Peck - he finally joined us this evening."

Murdock laid back in the hotel room, "I'm guessin' Amy and little Jonny are doin' good."

"They're both fine.  They had to do an emergency C-section, but Amy came through it OK," she said, "I got to hold him - he was so tiny."

Murdock smiled, "Just think we'll have one just like that in a few months," he said warmly, aching to put his arms around her, "One all our own."

Nancy rolled on her side and looked out the window, "Where are you?"

He sighed, "We're in Houston, again, though I am starting to loose track."

"I thought this was just a quick trip to Houston and back, where else did you go?"

"So did I," he said quietly, "I think we're headed to LA from here, then hopefully home.  I should be back tomorrow, but it might be late."

"As long as you're home by Wednesday, for the ultrasound," she said hopefully.

"I will be," he said, "I told your Uncle, and he said we should be back in Langley by Wednesday morning at the latest. I'll hold him to that."

They talked for awhile about nothing in particular.  Nancy told him about the first scheduled rehearsal with Jazz and discussed her reservations about the whole thing. He told her that when they had talked this morning they'd been in Houston.  They'd flown from there to Denver then back to Houston, and were headed to LA early in the morning. He told about getting in trouble after talking to her earlier in the day, and they both laughed.

Murdock finally looked over at the clock, "I don't want to say goodbye, but you need your sleep."

Nancy yawned, "I'm fine," she asserted, "I've been dozing since I got home, waiting for you to call."

"I'm picking Dad up tomorrow afternoon at the airport," she continued, unwilling to break the connection with her husband.

"He'll be staying for awhile won't he?"

"Yea, he's house hunting for the next couple weeks.  He's hoping to make his move from Chicago before winter, so he needs to get moving," Nancy confirmed.

"Well, I'm going to say goodnight, Short Cake," Murdock said regretfully, "I love you, and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too, HM, 'night."

She put the phone down reluctantly and turned off the light, staring out at the starry sky, and thinking about her sky-bound husband, wishing he were home.