BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGG...
"Shut up," I murmured and hit my alarm clock.
Alarm clock?
"Oh my God." I stood up and checked my calendar.
August first. The day I would fly to Maine.
I ran to my closet and pulled out a pair of blue jeans (that Mother hated) and a black blouse, to be worn with red high heels.
As I got dressed, I thought ferociously about what Hawkeye would do when he saw me...what I would do when he saw him...what Dr. Pierce would do when he saw me...what we would do when we collectively saw each other.
My flight was scheduled to leave at six A.M. It was five at the moment, so I ran downstairs, ate some cereal, and then woke up my family.
"Whadouwat?" Elliot moaned.
"I'm leaving," I said. "You won't see me for a week."
"Mmm...bye."
I rolled my eyes, and went into my parents bedroom.
"Mother. Dad," I hissed. "I'm leaving now."
Dad, who had been awake, said, "That Hawkeye had better be the right man for you."
I kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, Dad."
"Well, goodbye, Jaclyn," Mother said. "Enjoy Maine."
"I will."
XXX
"In Iltai we have a slight cloud cover. The temperature's a chilly fifty-five degrees..."
I woke up immediatly from my flight. Maine!
"Ma'am, will you move? I have to get out," a man said impatiently.
I stepped into the aisle and exited the plane.
After getting my suitcases, I ran for the phone booth and looked up the Pierces.
"Hello, Iltai operator," a woman said. "How may I help you?"
"Can you put a call through to Benjamin Pierce?" I asked.
"Right away."
It took a few minutes, but soon the phone at the Pierce household was ringing.
"Hello?"
The voice I recognized as Dr. Pierce's.
"Who is this?" he asked. "Look, Jimmy, I'm going to give you three shots next time if you don't knock this off."
"Dr. Pierce!" I managed to say. "This is Jaclyn--Jaclyn Pierce."
"Jaclyn!" he said. "How are you doing?"
"Pretty well," I answered. "I'm in Maine. Iltai, to be exact."
He chuckled. "I take it you heard about the war ending."
"I almost crashed my car when I did."
"I'll drive out to Iltai and get you," Daniel said. "You're at the airport still?"
"Right."
"Just sit tight and I'll be there."
We hung up, and I found a comfortable bench.
XXX
I'd gotten through about two-thirds of my book when a car pulled beside the bench. I looked up, and inside there was a man who had graying dark hair.
He got out of the car. "Well, Jaclyn, I'm happy to finally meet you."
"Me too." I got my bags and stood up. "Hawkeye talks about you so much. I hope this isn't an inconvenience for you, I just...I had to come."
"It's no trouble." Dr. Pierce put the three suitcases in the backseat while I got in the front.
Finally, we were off.
"Do you know when Hawkeye will be back?" I asked, suddenly feeling stupid that I'd come so soon. The truce had been signed on the twenty-seventh--there was no way Hawkeye could be back in six days.
"Anywhere from the tenth to the twentieth," answered Dr. Pierce. "It may take awhile. Ceasefires don't always mean a cease in firing."
I hit myself on the head. "Could you suggest a good place to stay?"
"Chateau de Pierce. Quiet, exclusive, and most of all, free."
"Oh, no, I--I couldn't!" I protested, but Dr. Pierce held up his hand.
"Please," he said. "I insist."
XXX
Crabapple Cove was slightly bigger than Stockton. There were four hundred people, according to Dr. Pierce. It also had a school, a clinic, a gas station, store, and a cafe.
The Pierces lived on the water, which was beautiful. The house was painted white with dark blue trim.
"This house looks huge," I observed.
"Well, Calla had a large family."
"Calla?" I repeated.
"My wife." He sighed.
I nodded as we went in the door.
"So, where should I sleep?" I asked.
We went upstairs and Dr. Pierce showed me into a bedroom with a handmade quit on the large bed. There was a window right next to the bed that looked out onto the cove.
"Oh, it's lovely," I breathed as I looked out the window.
"If you'd like to get settled, I'll go make something for you to eat," said Dr. Pierce.
"Oh, by the way," I began, "your first grandchild should arrive in September."
I'm glad he reacted better than Mother did.