Flint reached around Lady Jaye and nuzzled her neck. "How were things on base while I was gone?" he asked. Unfortunately, she was on duty, or he would be doing other things rather than talking.
"Mmmm…things were pretty quiet," she answered, leaning back into him.
"No surprise attacks? Inspections? Drills at three a.m.?" Flint chuckled. "Why do those only happen when I'm here?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued to chat with her, catching up after his month-long absence. "And how did Bazooka's weight loss regimen go?"
Lady Jaye laughed, blushing a little. "Ah, well…"
She had been surprised when Doc had summoned her to his office a month ago, arriving only to find Bazooka seated across from Doc's desk. The man had been looking rather glum, not even looking up as she came through the door.
"Thank you for coming down here, Lady Jaye," Doc had said. "I've got a request for you." Doc had gone on to explain that Beach Head felt that Bazooka needed to lose some weight, and that he hadn't been keeping up with the others in PT. Doc had wanted Lady Jaye's help instigating the diet. "It shouldn't be too hard on you, Jaye. Just let me know if Bazooka breaks the rules."
He had then turned a stern gaze on Bazooka. "You are to eat exactly what Lady Jaye eats every day—and no more," Doc had ordered. "In addition, if Lady Jaye spends an hour working out, running, or lifting weights, you will spend an hour doing the same thing. No cheating and no shortcuts, Bazooka. Do I make myself clear?"
Bazooka had given a small sad nod, asking, "How long?"
Doc had answered, "One month, for starters. We'll see what progress you've made and decide from there."
Bazooka had caught up with Lady Jaye in the hallway. "Can we go to dinner now?"
Flint laughed at Lady Jaye's expression. "What?" He asked. "Didn't Bazooka lose enough weight?"
She bit her lips and looked down at the floor. "Not exactly. I may not have been the right person to choose as Bazooka's role model."
"You eat the most sensibly of almost any person I know," he protested. "What went wrong?"
"I felt sorry for him," she explained. "He kept bugging me to have dessert every night, and to watch TV instead of going to the gym. Once he even woke me up in the middle of the night to go raid the kitchen."
Flint was trying not to smile, knowing how persistent Bazooka could be, especially with regard to food. "So? What happened?"
Lady Jaye threw Flint a don't you dare laugh look and replied, "We both gained seven pounds."
Flint held it in for about five seconds, but finally had no choice. He burst into laughter and reached forward slowly to poke a finger into Lady Jaye's stomach. She slapped his hand away, glaring, but the corners of her mouth were twitching into a smile. Flint's laughter finally subsided, and he pulled her close again. "I'll help you work it off later…" he whispered suggestively.
"Good. Just make sure to let Bazooka know," she answered, pretending to miss the innuendo. She smiled at Flint's confused expression and continued, "Doc decided that you would make a much better role model…"