Chapter 14-
12312.23- Skyler/ Holtz quarters- 12:42 hours
Jacob laid his cane on the table and picked up the towel from his bag. Given how much he had been sweating, he was surprised it wasn't soaked. Jacob was making his way to the sonic shower when the communication terminal announced, "Incoming personal communication for Lieutenant Commander Holtz from The Xenological Menagerie of Alpha Crucis VII."
"Who the heck?" Jacob tossed his towel over his shoulder, "Computer, Answer.." Then, at the chirp, Jacob began, "This is Lieutenant Commander Jacob Holtz; how many I assist you."
Before he appeared, the image of a young enlisted officer, "Hi Jacob, it's Daniel, Katie's former bodyguard. I'm not sure if I remember me."
Surprised, "Daniel! It is good to hear from you. I hope everything is all right with Katie."
"Oh, she's fine. She is off on a 6-week run with two plays on Feru III. And I'm already missing her like crazy."
"You are not still with her?" Jacob asked, concerned.
"MP's caught the bastard causing all the trouble back in October." Daniel shrugged, "I was sent back to my unit, but Katie and I are still a couple if that is what you are asking."
Jacob chuckled, "Oh, that's good to hear," Jacob crossed his arms, "What can I do for you?"
Daniel got a little nervous, "I need your advice."
"On what?" Jacob tried not to smirk. "Do I need to advise you on how to talk to her father without getting killed?"
"No." Daniel glared at the gentle teasing, "It is hard enough getting her and me in the same room, much less have time to do something that her father would kill me for, thank you very much."
"I said I would be there if you need me." Jacob smiled at the young petty officer. "What can I do for you, Daniel?"
"It is Christmas in a couple of days, and I wanted to have something waiting for her on Christmas eve when she finishes her show. And did you have any ideas?"
"I don't know Katie that well, Daniel."
"But you do know her sister quite well," Daniel smirked.
"Christine is not her sister. They are very different." Jacob shook his head.
"True, but they are similar enough that you would be in the ballpark. Help a brother out, Jacob." Daniel pleaded.
"Fine, I hate to see Petty Officers cry." Finally, Jacob said in mock frustration, "I overheard her talking with Christine about this lace corset gown that she was absolutely in love with. But that is a little bit over the top, I think. From what I know, she likes simple yet fancy things. Like what about a necklace or a tennis bracelet?"
"I could do that as long as she doesn't mind replicated." Daniel considered.
"Katie wouldn't care as long as it is from you." Jacob chuckled, "But I think she might like something else to go with it."
"Oh, great. I find one thing, and now I need to find more." Daniel threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Oh, calm down. Katie is supposed to be the drama queen." Jacob teased, earning him a glare from Daniel. "Look, there is something I have done for Christine when she is working an odd shift, and we don't see each other much."
"At least I now know I'm not the only boyfriend who has this problem."
"Ha, Ha, Petty Officer." Jacob mock glared at him, "Look, sometimes you just want a piece of them there when you can't be." Then, Jacob got a little wistful, "For me, I leave her the T-shirt I sleep in, a cup of herbal tea, and a blueberry muffin."
Daniel looked at Jacob with new eyes.
"Look, Christine is not Katie, far from it. But I can bet that, like her sister, Katie would like someway to have you there on the nights when she is missing you."
Daniel considered, "She sent me a recording of her singing all these old jazz and torch songs, a bottle of Scotch from the distillery near the Skyler ancestral home, and the program for her favorite perfume." He smiled wryly.
"I think you have your answer there, Daniel." Jacob gave him a knowing look.
"Maybe I do." Daniel smiled, then cleared his throat, "Enough of that mushy stuff. Can I ask how your recovery is doing?"
"I'm now doing 15 miles a week and five-six miles swimming a week," Jacob said smugly.
"So terrible." Daniel teased.
"And I can kick your ass back to earth, PO McBride."
"I have no doubt, sir." Daniel chuckled and crossed his arms. "We can't have Katie's sister's boyfriend unable to defend himself."
"You are pushing it, Petty Officer," Jacob smirked, "How are things in your world, or at least what you can tell me?"
Daniel leaned back in his chair, "Not a lot to say. We are on Alpha Crucis VII training. We are temporarily assigned to the REACT team at the Xenological Menagerie."
"How are you liking the assignment?"
"So far, the biggest emergency I have been called to was when a guy high on Dragontail tried to light a dead squirrel on fire and only managed to light the trash bin next to it. Thankfully it didn't spread too far."
"He didn't kill the squirrel, did he?"
"No, given the smell coming off it, the thing had to have died days before." Daniel waved the thought away. "The squirrel was the least of our worries between the fire and him tripping on Dragonstail."
"At least you followed procedure and got everything squared away properly."
Daniel frowned, "We did, but I had a few questions about that during debriefing."
Jacob noticed the frown, "What do you mean?"
"Lieutenant Kline, he is the commander for our REACT team; he didn't secure the guy before he sent in the fire guys to attack the blaze. Granted, the fire was relatively small, but still, the procedure would have called for the guy to be secured before fire and medical moved in."
Jacob thought, "That is odd. Unless scene securing protocols have changed considerably in the past couple of years, which I know they haven't, that seems odd for him to do."
"When I tried to bring it up in debriefing, he told me to shut it."
"Not very professional, that one."
"Indeed, sir, but considering we got the job done in the end, it was no harm, no foul," Daniel explained with a shrug.
"The ends do not always justify the mean, Daniel." Jacob eyed him, "A good officer takes care of his troops. Sending them into an unsecured situation, no matter how minor, is not wise. Your troops need to trust your judgment. One hesitation on their part due to lack of trust will get someone killed."
"My fire guys, we are a team. We can predict what the other thinks before they even think it." Daniel said honestly, "There are no better people I would want at my side going into an inferno. Our CPO is in the thick of it with us, and I have no reason to doubt his judgment. This Lieutenant, on the only hand…."
"Makes you hesitant." Jacob nodded.
"Commander, am I wrong to feel that way?" Daniel asked bluntly.
"No, you are not." Jacob blew out the breath he had been holding, "I can't speak on if this guy had an off day and slipped or if he is willfully ignoring protocol. I don't know." Jacob pulled the towel off his shoulder. "All I can say is, watch your back out there, Petty Officer."
"That's the plan," Daniel smiled, "And thanks for the advise, both parts."
"Any time," Jacob smirked, "Just don't do anything to make your Skyler girl cry."
"Don't plan to," Daniel waved as he closed the com, "McBride Out."
Once the connection ended, Jacob paced, muddling over what Daniel had said. This Lieutenant Kline had ignored a principle procedure. It had been during a minor altercation, but ignoring it where the stakes were much higher could be disastrous. With a sigh, Jacob headed for the sonic shower. It was no use playing the what-ifs as long as it was an isolated incident. For now, he had a piano lesson to get to at the holodeck, and his pupil would be most displeased if he was late. His concerns about this Lt. Kline would need a pin placed in it until it could be appropriately addressed later.
12312.25- Skyler/ Holtz quarters- 07:48 hours
"And this one is from," Christine checked the paper tag on the box, "For Miss Brielle O'Connor from her Aunt Katie." Christine handed Brielle the beautifully wrapped package to the excited little girl.
"Katie does know that that fancy wrapping is going to be destroyed, right?" Jacob laughed as the tissue paper and wrapping paper went flying as Brielle tore into the package.
"And this one is for Mr. Josh Holts from both Katie and Daniel." Christine handed another brightly colored package to a surprised Josh.
"Me too?" Josh happily took the package and began opening it with vigor.
Christine leaned over and kissed Jacob, "Oh Katie knows. The way she see's it. The packaging gives you something pretty to look at until it is ready to be opened."
Brielle pulled a Nutcracker doll from the tissue paper, "I got a nutcracker! He can dance with my doll!"
"Aunt Katie thought you would like that since you were in The Nutcracker like she was when she was little." Christine laughed, "She loved watching the holovid you sent."
"I love it!" Brielle gave Christine a big hug before running off to put the nutcracker on her bed with her ballerina doll.
"What is in your box Josher?" Jacob asked.
"The USS Kendall. It is a Star Fleet fire ship." Josh pulled the model out of the box.
"Katie and Daniel haven't gotten to meet you yet, but they hoped you would like it." Christine offered.
"Does Daniel work on one of these?" Josh asked in awe of the ship.
"Yes, he is assigned to that ship right now." Christine was glad the gift went over well.
"I'm going to go put it up in my room." Josh got up and made a beeline for the shared bedroom.
The couple laughed at the children's antics.
"Come on old man. The munchkins will riot soon if we don't start breakfast." Christine stood up from the floor and offered Jacob a hand up.
With a groan, Jacob stood up next to Christine.
"Told you you should have sat on the couch." Christine teased.
"Maybe, but I liked having Josh in my lap while he opened his presents." Jacob looked to where Josh had run off to.
"It may be Brielle's first Christmas without her parents, but it is also your first Christmas with Josh. I know how much all of this means to you."
Jacob wrapped his arms around Christine's waist, "It is not just my first Christmas with him but also with someone else?" He grinned.
"And who might that be?" Christine gave him an impish grin. "Ember?"
"No," He chuckled, "You." He looked into her eyes, then reached over and got a small box off a branch of their Christmas tree. "And as your first Christmas present from me, I want to give you this."
Christine looked at him warily but took the small box. "What is it?"
"Open it and find out," He smirked. Eyeing him, Christine opened the box and gasped.
