Paul stood outside the Infirmary looking through the glass. He couldn't
help but notice Flint was the one holding her hand not him while Lifeline
examined her. Hawk and the Chaplain stood a little ways behind him. The
fingers of his right hand gently pressing against the glass, he closed his
eyes trying to shake the image of his wife with another man, a man who had
apparently taken his place so easily. "She's moved on?" He quietly told
himself. He saw her coming around slowly opening her eyes. He felt his
back stiffen at the smile she bestowed upon Flint not him.
"Allie...Allie, honey, what happened?" Flint looked down at her shaking off the fog clouding her mind.
"Wh...where's Paul?" She scanned the room sitting up.
"Paul?" Flint asked slightly confused.
"I thought I saw Paul? I could've sworn it was him."
Lifeline looked over at the viewing window and saw Hawk standing there and went out to him to leave Flint and Lady Jaye alone.
"How is she? What happened?" Hawk broke his gaze on her and Flint, turning to face Lifeline the minute he walked out the door.
"She's fine. What happened? I suspect she had some kind of major shock to her system that caused her to lose consciousness." Lifeline answered peering back threw the observation window.
"But she's going to be alright, right?" Paul pushed past Hawk, stepping closer to Lifeline.
"I think...." Lifeline looked him over before turning right back to Hawk with confusion in his eyes. "Sir?"
"Lifeline, this is Major Paul Burnett, Lady Jaye's husband." Hawk introduced the two.
"Hu...husband? She never mentioned," Lifeline stammered. "I mean she tells me a lot. I just never..."
"It's all right Lifeline," the Chaplain patted his shoulder. "We all assumed Paul was dead."
"Dead? Look if she's never said a thing about ever having a husband to me," Lifeline glared at Paul. "How do I know you're who you say you are? I won't have her upset further!" Lifeline raised his voice pointing to her.
"What's going on out there?" Jaye looked towards the observation window seeing Lifeline with the others. Paul's back was turned towards her.
"I don't know." Flint smiled warmly at her. "But I'll go find out." He walked out the door just in time to hear Hawk answer Lifeline.
"He's her husband. His plane went down 5 years ago tomorrow. We all thought he was dead until Flint and his team rescued him a few weeks back." Hawk scowled at Lifeline. "Let him see her, NOW!"
"Hawk, I'm telling you I don't want her surprised again," Lifeline looked over his shoulder. "Flint?"
"What's going on?" Flint growled. "What did I just hear about her husband?" Flint's eyes widen. He reached to stop Paul from entering the infirmary, "Where do YOU think you're going?"
"She's my wife!" Paul growled.
"Flint, stand down!" Hawk ordered. "Let him go in and see his wife!"
"She's not married," Flint protested.
"FLINT, STAND DOWN AND LET HIM PASS NOW!" Hawk pulled him back. They stood back watching Paul enter her room.
Jaye was lying with her back to the door when he entered. "Flint what's going on?" She slowly turned over looking up at the door when she saw him. "Paul?" She stared at him a moment unsure if what she was seeing was real or not. She reached up to touch his face. "Oh my God…it is you? She smiled slowly at the realization this wasn't a dream. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "How…they said you were dead?" She choked back a sob. "Paul?"
"Yes, Alison, it's me." Paul quickly pulled her into his arms. He tried to kiss her but she pulled away catching what she saw as hurt in his eyes.
"I thought you were dead." She cried. "They told me you were dead."
Lifeline walked in,"Jaye, you can leave as long as you take it easy."
"Thanks, Lifeline." Jaye stood up and walked towards the door.
"Yeah, thanks, Pal." Paul said over his shoulder as he followed her out.
Flint was about to follow Jaye when Hawk put his hand on his shoulder. "Leave them, Flint." Flint grumbled something and turned and walked in the opposite direction.
"Where are you staying?" Jaye asked as they walked.
"They put me in the officer's quarters. There's enough room for you there too." Paul stopped her pulling her around to face him.
"I...I can't. I'm sorry." Jaye looked down at the ground.
"You can't? Why? Alison, I'm your husband." He turned her to face him.
"I know that!" She snapped then softened. "It's just that...that this is so sudden. One minute I think you're dead and the next you are right hear with me. I need some time."
"Does this Flint have anything to do with it?" Paul asked with slight bitterness.
Jaye turned and started walking again. "I'm not going to lie to you Paul. Flint and I have been together for 2 ½ years. I care very deeply for him."
Paul tried to hide his hurt from his wife but it didn't work. She saw it anyway. "I understand." They stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to the women's quarters. "I'll see you later. Go and rest."
Jaye turned and went upstairs. She wasn't surprised to see Flint standing at her door. "Hey." She said quietly. The hurt and jealousy that Flint felt was masked by his calm expression but when she walked up to him he couldn't hide it in his voice.
"I thought you were divorced, Allie?"
"I never said that. You asked if I was married and I told you, not any more." Jaye tried to defend herself.
"Which lead me to believe you were divorced." Flint went into her quarters after she opened the door. "How come you never told me?"
Jaye plopped down onto the couch in the living area of her and Scarlett's shared apartment and put her head in her hands. "When we first met I was still hurting very badly over his death and then the loss of our baby I was carrying a month after that. I still couldn't bring myself to admit it. Then when we got closer it didn't seem to matter so much. Don't misunderstand I loved Paul very much…but I hurt I felt lessened the more time we spent together. You never brought the subject of my marriage up again and I didn't want to revisit old ghosts." She sighed, shaking her head.
Flint walked over and sat down beside her. He put an arm protectively around her and pulled her to him. "What are you going to do?"
She leaned against him. "I don't know."
"Allie, you're not going back to him are you?" Flint asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Dash, please I need to think." Jaye begged.
"But Allie..." Flint began to protest.
Jaye shot up from the couch and stood before him. "What do you expect of me Dash?!? I'm Catholic. I was raised with a strict Catholic upbringing. I took vows with him."
"You aren't that strict a Catholic," he shot back when his pager went off. "I've gotta go. Can we talk later, please? I don't want to fight with you about Paul but I don't want to throw what we have away…I love you, Allie," he pulled her to him gently kissing her before he stepped back. "Allie?"
"Sure…later," she nodded opening the door.
Flint passed Paul in the hall on his way to the Control Room. Paul was on his way to see Jaye. The two glared at each other but do not exchange words.
Several hours later Flint went to meet Jaye for dinner as usual at the mess. Picking up his tray, he headed for their usual table off to the side but stopped short spotting Paul sitting with her. Sighing heavily, he took his tray over to sit with Duke before stealing one more glance at her with Paul. He thought to himself, "Choose well, love…I don't want to lose you but if you want him…."
"Allie...Allie, honey, what happened?" Flint looked down at her shaking off the fog clouding her mind.
"Wh...where's Paul?" She scanned the room sitting up.
"Paul?" Flint asked slightly confused.
"I thought I saw Paul? I could've sworn it was him."
Lifeline looked over at the viewing window and saw Hawk standing there and went out to him to leave Flint and Lady Jaye alone.
"How is she? What happened?" Hawk broke his gaze on her and Flint, turning to face Lifeline the minute he walked out the door.
"She's fine. What happened? I suspect she had some kind of major shock to her system that caused her to lose consciousness." Lifeline answered peering back threw the observation window.
"But she's going to be alright, right?" Paul pushed past Hawk, stepping closer to Lifeline.
"I think...." Lifeline looked him over before turning right back to Hawk with confusion in his eyes. "Sir?"
"Lifeline, this is Major Paul Burnett, Lady Jaye's husband." Hawk introduced the two.
"Hu...husband? She never mentioned," Lifeline stammered. "I mean she tells me a lot. I just never..."
"It's all right Lifeline," the Chaplain patted his shoulder. "We all assumed Paul was dead."
"Dead? Look if she's never said a thing about ever having a husband to me," Lifeline glared at Paul. "How do I know you're who you say you are? I won't have her upset further!" Lifeline raised his voice pointing to her.
"What's going on out there?" Jaye looked towards the observation window seeing Lifeline with the others. Paul's back was turned towards her.
"I don't know." Flint smiled warmly at her. "But I'll go find out." He walked out the door just in time to hear Hawk answer Lifeline.
"He's her husband. His plane went down 5 years ago tomorrow. We all thought he was dead until Flint and his team rescued him a few weeks back." Hawk scowled at Lifeline. "Let him see her, NOW!"
"Hawk, I'm telling you I don't want her surprised again," Lifeline looked over his shoulder. "Flint?"
"What's going on?" Flint growled. "What did I just hear about her husband?" Flint's eyes widen. He reached to stop Paul from entering the infirmary, "Where do YOU think you're going?"
"She's my wife!" Paul growled.
"Flint, stand down!" Hawk ordered. "Let him go in and see his wife!"
"She's not married," Flint protested.
"FLINT, STAND DOWN AND LET HIM PASS NOW!" Hawk pulled him back. They stood back watching Paul enter her room.
Jaye was lying with her back to the door when he entered. "Flint what's going on?" She slowly turned over looking up at the door when she saw him. "Paul?" She stared at him a moment unsure if what she was seeing was real or not. She reached up to touch his face. "Oh my God…it is you? She smiled slowly at the realization this wasn't a dream. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "How…they said you were dead?" She choked back a sob. "Paul?"
"Yes, Alison, it's me." Paul quickly pulled her into his arms. He tried to kiss her but she pulled away catching what she saw as hurt in his eyes.
"I thought you were dead." She cried. "They told me you were dead."
Lifeline walked in,"Jaye, you can leave as long as you take it easy."
"Thanks, Lifeline." Jaye stood up and walked towards the door.
"Yeah, thanks, Pal." Paul said over his shoulder as he followed her out.
Flint was about to follow Jaye when Hawk put his hand on his shoulder. "Leave them, Flint." Flint grumbled something and turned and walked in the opposite direction.
"Where are you staying?" Jaye asked as they walked.
"They put me in the officer's quarters. There's enough room for you there too." Paul stopped her pulling her around to face him.
"I...I can't. I'm sorry." Jaye looked down at the ground.
"You can't? Why? Alison, I'm your husband." He turned her to face him.
"I know that!" She snapped then softened. "It's just that...that this is so sudden. One minute I think you're dead and the next you are right hear with me. I need some time."
"Does this Flint have anything to do with it?" Paul asked with slight bitterness.
Jaye turned and started walking again. "I'm not going to lie to you Paul. Flint and I have been together for 2 ½ years. I care very deeply for him."
Paul tried to hide his hurt from his wife but it didn't work. She saw it anyway. "I understand." They stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to the women's quarters. "I'll see you later. Go and rest."
Jaye turned and went upstairs. She wasn't surprised to see Flint standing at her door. "Hey." She said quietly. The hurt and jealousy that Flint felt was masked by his calm expression but when she walked up to him he couldn't hide it in his voice.
"I thought you were divorced, Allie?"
"I never said that. You asked if I was married and I told you, not any more." Jaye tried to defend herself.
"Which lead me to believe you were divorced." Flint went into her quarters after she opened the door. "How come you never told me?"
Jaye plopped down onto the couch in the living area of her and Scarlett's shared apartment and put her head in her hands. "When we first met I was still hurting very badly over his death and then the loss of our baby I was carrying a month after that. I still couldn't bring myself to admit it. Then when we got closer it didn't seem to matter so much. Don't misunderstand I loved Paul very much…but I hurt I felt lessened the more time we spent together. You never brought the subject of my marriage up again and I didn't want to revisit old ghosts." She sighed, shaking her head.
Flint walked over and sat down beside her. He put an arm protectively around her and pulled her to him. "What are you going to do?"
She leaned against him. "I don't know."
"Allie, you're not going back to him are you?" Flint asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Dash, please I need to think." Jaye begged.
"But Allie..." Flint began to protest.
Jaye shot up from the couch and stood before him. "What do you expect of me Dash?!? I'm Catholic. I was raised with a strict Catholic upbringing. I took vows with him."
"You aren't that strict a Catholic," he shot back when his pager went off. "I've gotta go. Can we talk later, please? I don't want to fight with you about Paul but I don't want to throw what we have away…I love you, Allie," he pulled her to him gently kissing her before he stepped back. "Allie?"
"Sure…later," she nodded opening the door.
Flint passed Paul in the hall on his way to the Control Room. Paul was on his way to see Jaye. The two glared at each other but do not exchange words.
Several hours later Flint went to meet Jaye for dinner as usual at the mess. Picking up his tray, he headed for their usual table off to the side but stopped short spotting Paul sitting with her. Sighing heavily, he took his tray over to sit with Duke before stealing one more glance at her with Paul. He thought to himself, "Choose well, love…I don't want to lose you but if you want him…."