Disclaimer: I don't own Jag or the characters, However, Amelia, Isabelle, Nurse Robley and Jeff are mine.
1445 Romeo
Bethesda Naval Hospital
A.J. called to check on Harriet, who said she was having some back pain and needed to rest for awhile, so she was propped up on the conference room couch writing birth announcements. He asked her to send Tiner over with some food and Meredith's will, which was in the Colonel's office since she had redone both their wills for them after the wedding. That part done, he turned his attention to the twins, who had just been brought back into the room after having a nap and a diaper change. Nurse Robley handed him a baby and a bottle, and did the same to Mac. They were just finishing up when Tiner showed up with food and Meredith's will file. A.J. had figured that Meredith, being the kind of person she was, wouldn't want an exactly conventional burial, but nothing prepared him for what he found.
"She wants WHAT!!!!!????? " A.J. exploded in disbelief, "Can you even do that? She wants…"
"…to be made into a diamond, sir." Mac smiled. "Yes, it's possible. It's new, and it's a fad right now. Before she discovered this, I talked her out of cryogenic freezing, mummification and also burial at sea. I convinced her it would be too hard for anyone to visit. And her original choice was to be cremated and have her ashes scattered over Shakespeare's grave. But they wouldn't let her do that."
"Well, if this is what she wanted, this is what she gets, no matter how crazy I think it is." He turned around to Jeff. "Can you make arrangements for this, or how do I do it?"
"Yes, I can make the arrangements. The only thing I need to know first is whether you want one large diamond or a few smaller ones, and if you want the diamonds in a setting. While you make that decision, I'll go make the phone call and get her moved." With that he nodded and exited the room.
"While he does that, lets make plans for a memorial service. It says all the plans are here, and also on file at the Shakespeare Club. Lt. Singer's memorial service is Wednesday – I can't believe it took them five months to release her for burial – and in all that time they still haven't found any family – but I digress… - so let's see if we can get the Shakespeare Club Friday night. Mac, can you see about that?"
Mac handed Amelia off to Rev. Turner, and went to make the call. Now, back to what to do with Meredith. I don't want to put her in a safety deposit box or anything…"
"If I may make a suggestion, I have an idea…" Reverend Turner spoke up for the first time.
"Of course, any suggestion is welcome," A.J. replied"
"Choose the two smaller diamonds, and have them put in pendant settings, one for each of the twins."
"That's a great idea, I'll do that." Just then Jeff returned, and A.J. told him of his decision.
"That's fine, I'll go fill out the paperwork. Can I take Jen with me, and then I'll send the paperwork back with her? I have a meeting of the FDA in an hour.
"FDA? What's that?" Mac queried.
"Funeral Directors Association," Jeff said. He and Jen got up, and she passed Belle over to her daddy.
"I'll see you in a little while, Sir. Do you need me to pick anything up before I come back?"
"No, we'll be fine. I think we have everything done."
" One more thing, Mac said on her way back into the room. We have to put her obit in the paper, she wrote it already – it's in the file. All we have to do is edit it to include the girls. And Friday night is fine for the Shakespeare Club. They will call all the people she had listed, and arrange for flowers. All we have to do is call the people she wanted to do things during the service, and three of us are right here."
" We can look at that right now. But let's do the obit first and we can fax it in so
we can get it into tomorrow's paper." Just then the phone in the small room rang again, waking both twins, who started to scream. Nurse Robley took them back into to the nursery while A.J. took the call. Mac and rev. Turner watched his face get redder and redder, as if he was trying really hard not to laugh. " Tell Rabb to get the right ones over there ASAP!" he thundered. " I'll be the laughingstock of the entire NAVY if this gets out!" He listened to Rabb a minute, blanched, and then said. "Fix it, and keep an eye on Harriet. Tiner said she's been having back pain this morning." He hung up and turned to Mac and rev. Turner.
" Harriet did exactly as I asked, and took all the different cigars to the office. Harm, however, sent the wrong one to the SecNav. To make matters worse, he was meetign with the president when they arrived. He offered the president one, and went to get a lighter. When he returned, President Bush was blowing bubbles! Sheffield, however, wasn't amused. He'll never let me retire now!" The entire group dissolved into giggles at the thought anyhow.
"And then there's the other problem. Last week I gave Harm the information to arrange housing vouchers for the Brumbys. He apparently lost them. Meanwhile, They will be her tomorrow, and the next opening for an apartment in this city is in two weeks! Because of the big convention, there's not a hotel room in town, and the VOQ is packed. There's not even any on base housing at Norfolk. If Harm even had one bedroom, I'd have then there and him on the couch. I'm in that tiny apartment, because the house Meredith and I were building isn't done yet. The Roberts are going to have a baby any day, and Sturgis's apartment is smaller that a submarine bunk space. I'm sorry to do this to you Mac, but they need to stay with you, at least for a few days."
