Chapter 16 --- Texas, Tears and a Car Crash

Diane was tired; Fran was merciless with her testing. "I had a good teacher." Had been her response to Diane's grips. "Going to be adding milquetoast to the assistant requirements," was Diane's muttered epitaph.

The news was consistently good, so far junior was nanite free, but stress was exhausting Diane. Jake had been on the mission for ten days and Diane was constantly watching the JMD screen on Jake's computer, except when Sarah was around. Diane was keeping very late nights.

A surprisingly nice part of the evenings was when Lou stopped by to give Diane an unofficial report on Jake. She was always encouraging and a surprisingly good story teller, catching Diane up on the gossip from Sat Ops: Hart's juggling three girl friends, Carver scared off another beau and Kyle's house hunting. Diane knows that Fran doesn't know and is worried about strange phone calls and disappearances.

On the eleventh day of Jake's mission, Fran ordered Diane to complete bed rest.

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Jake was pissed. The Intel on this group of domestic terrorists had too many holes in it to be accidental. Werner obviously wants him away from Dine to stress her out, endangering their baby.

The Big Country in North Texas, Jake swears, is the noisiest place he's ever been. The area is in a three year drought; when the wind blows tree limbs clatter against each other, grass sounds like sand paper and with every step he takes on the ground he swears he hears dirt crunching at least five feet below the surface.

When it had been discovered that he understood computers he was pressed into service immediately. It was simple work for him to download tracking software into their systems. He'd been in eight camps the past two weeks and had learned two surprising details: One, the leadership of this Southern Separatists group were all from the North. The second was very worrying – there is a US Senator at the apex of the group. One Senator Mead, who is best friends with Senator Thompson.

His extraction had been easy. One nanite controlled car chase followed by Jake's truck 'losing' control and crashing into a telephone pole, blowing up with a medical cadaver inside.

Watching from a helicopter were Jake and Kyle.

"And Fran wonders why I like muscle cars from the '60s."

Closing the remote booster he had used to control his truck, Jake smirks, "I thought you just liked the power?"

"Well there is that. Driving something that powerful and fast makes you feel powerful."

"You sound like Dick."

"Agent Fox? You still hanging around that fossil?"

"Hey, if I've learned anything from you it's to use all available resources. He's 'been there and done that', besides he tells goods stories."

"Any of them true?"

"Diane thinks so."

"I thought she didn't like him."

"She didn't, but after we married, he quit trying to get her shirt off. Then she warmed up to him, even letting him smoke on the deck – if she's not around."

"And he listens to her?"

"He follows his chauvinistic remarks with genuine respect. Women seem to eat it up. Just ask Lou."

Kyle stares at him for a long time. "Lou is dating Richard Fox."

"If you call a dozen dinners over the last three years dating."

"You think you know someone."

"It's not that odd Kyle. He has NSA clearance and he's not a subordinate so she can be more open with him than most. Diane thinks she enjoys being treated like a lady on occasion."

"I just never thought about it. I mean she's Lou!"

"It's easier to not think about it. Anyway, I want to go home."

"Eager to get back to your harem?"

Jake shook his head. "That neighborhood is about as gossipy as Sat Ops."

Handing Jake a bag with his personal processions in it Kyle says, "Fran wants you to call her first. That's an order from your doctor."

"Why? Diane's worried."

"It's about Diane. Now, call Fran while I arrange our ride home."

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Eighteen days after Jake left on his mission Diane awakes to find Jake sleeping in a chair, holding her hand.

A smile brushes her lips until she realizes she must look a mess. She tries to comb her hair with her fingers the way Jake does and uses a tissue to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Somewhere in doing all that she notices Jake's hand tightening on hers. "Don't look at me!"

"You're right."

"I'm… What?"

"You're far too beautiful to look at with the naked eye."

"Jake!" An exasperated Diane began, "I… I missed you!"

"I missed you to sweetheart." Jake moved and sat on the side of the bed. "You sure are pretty."

"Jake…"

"Diane, I haven't seen you in two and a half weeks. I missed everything about you." He helps her sit up and looks deep into her eyes. "I love you so much…" Jake couldn't finish, Diane had leaned her head to his chest and was crying.

"I was so scared," she cried. "I love you too!"

Jake held her as she cried herself to sleep.

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"Fran," Jake asked over his coffee, "why did she cry so much?"

"Judging from her readings," Fran leans back from the kitchen table and says thoughtfully, "she was reacting to the sudden relief of a great stress."

"Why didn't you want me to call her last night?"

"She wouldn't have gotten any sleep, or anyone else for that matter."

"Why?" Jake asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"She wanted to great you home with a spotless house, big dinner and be glammed up."

"The house looks great, there's pizza in the 'fridge and Diane never looked lovelier."

"You're a good man, Jake Foley." Fran puts her hand on his arm. "She's going to need you for what comes next."

"What does come next?" A puzzled Jake asks.

Fran puts her hands on his shoulders, looks deep into his eyes and scares him with just one word; "Caesarean."

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Next: The New Boss

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