Chapter Four

"That's strange..." Steve puzzled, hanging up the phone.

"What's strange?" Jaime called from her bubble bath.

Steve poked his head in the bathroom door, smiled at what he saw...and forced himself to stay focused. "Rudy just called. He wants me to come down to the lab. Something about my last tests being incomplete."

"Wonder why he didn't just tell me this morning..." Jaime said. "Want me to come with you?"

"No – I'll just get it over with and be back in a few hours. I'll bring dinner."

---

"So, did it work?" Rudy asked when Steve got to the lab.

"I think so, but I don't like lying to Jaime – not even a white lie. What's on your mind, Doc? What'd Oscar do?"

"He may be wanting to put Jaime back to work."

"No way. I won't let her do it."

"We won't know for sure until at least tomorrow, but I know if you found out at the same time Jaime did, well...she'd most likely get her way about it. Which is fine – she's healthy – but I figured I'd give you a heads up, just to be fair."

"Thanks, Rudy; I appreciate it." Steve was already on his way to the elevator.

---

Steve nodded hello to Callahan and did a double-take when he saw Christine waiting outside Oscar's office, then nodded hello to her as well before pushing the inner door open (and nearly taking it off its hinges). "Forget it, Oscar. You can't have her."

"Rudy told you already?"

"Of course he did! If I'd only heard about it when Jaime did, a day or two from now, you know she'd get her way. She always does. But...you were counting on that, weren't you?"

"Steve, I -"

"No. End of discussion!"

"There'd be virtually no danger involved -"

"Forget it!"

"Just a simple fact-finding mission – a couple of days undercover to see what she can overhear -"

"Even the most basic assignment can go bad in less than a heartbeat – you know that!" Steve argued.

"I may not even need her, Pal, but -"

"You don't need her! This agency ran just fine for a whole lot of years before Jaime came along. If you'd never met her, if she'd never worked for you...you'd find another option. You'd have to!"

"I suppose you're right about that," Oscar admitted.

"Well, you have to! Even if Rudy's cleared her and Jaime thinks she's ready...she isn't. She'd need one hundred percent of her attention focused on her work – and at least part of that attention would go toward keeping our baby safe. She can't work like that! And you can't ask her to – it's too dangerous!"

"Are you done now?" Oscar asked quietly.

"That depends."

"I'm already working on finding a different agent – and I think I have. She's NSB and very good, but it'll take her twice as long since she doesn't have the advantage of Jaime's ear."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Steve agreed. "Buy you a drink?"

"Actually, I have a dinner date waiting for me..."

"Oh? Christine?"

"That's right." Oscar grinned. "If she meets your approval, of course. Wouldn't want anything to happen to my door on your way out."

---

Jaime was sitting with her feet dutifully propped up on the ottoman when Steve came home. "How'd the tests go?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Oh, fine." Steve set the Chinese take-out boxes on the kitchen table and returned to kiss his wife. "The lab lost one of the blood tests, so he re-did it – nothing serious."

"Uh-huh. And did you talk to Oscar?"

"Did I – what?"

Jaime tugged on her ear. "Can't get much past this amplifier, Colonel."

"Sometimes I really hate that ear....but I love you."

"So...what'd they want, Rudy and Oscar?"

"We should eat while it's still hot. Chinese tastes nasty cold."

"Steve..."

"All those soggy veggies and mushy meats, congealing together...."

"Hey – pregnant stomach here! Save the yuck for somebody else. We'll talk about it over dinner."

Somehow, Steve knew she'd drag the truth out of him. Jaime always did.

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