Disclaimer in chapter 1

19

Jack woke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. It was muffled. Where'd he put the damn thing? His muzzy mind tried to focus enough for him to recall where he'd left it. It sounded as if it was somewhere on the coffee table. The one next to the couch where he must have passed out the night before. He discovered the device just before the call was sent to his voicemail.

"Hello?" he croaked into the phone.

"Jack? That you? Jeeze, you sound terrible."

Jack tried to swallow past the dryness in his throat. "Kawalsky? I had a little too much to drink last night," he said, licking his lips hoping to find some moisture. He was rubbing a hand over his face, trying to wake up. He needed water, but it seemed too far away at the moment.

"Hey, I've got some information on that girlfriend of yours."

Instantly, Jack was awake. "You found her? Where is she? Is she okay? Put her on the phone!"

"Easy, Buddy. I said I have some information. She's all right, but she isn't being allowed phone calls. They let me call you because I've been in contact with you when she went missing."

"In contact with me about what? All I told you was my girlfriend had been taken by some Army guys. You know who took her?"

"Jack, you know I can't talk about. . ."

"Bullshit, Charlie! How is it a guy who's a glorified astronomer knows about why the government would want Sam? Need help naming a new star or something?"

Kawalsky's voice lowered, "You're not stupid, Jack. You know that's not what I do"

"Then what is it you do? Kidnap civilians who didn't get your burger order right?"

"You know Samantha is way more than a waitress. The government is interested in her other 'talents'."

"Oh, so you're on a first name basis now? Just how well did you and Samantha get to know each other?"

"Jesus, Jack, will you listen to yourself? Do you really think this is all about me having a affair with your girlfriend?"

Jack took a deep breath. "No, of course not. I'm just so damn worried about her I can't think straight."

"I know. She's been trying to get permission to call you. She's just as freaked out as you. I was the only option they would allow."

"So, she's really okay? She's with you, or your people?"

"For now. Look, you know I'll watch out for her the same as if she was Marie."

"I know," Jack sighed. "I just wish I could talk to her myself. How long is this going to go on?"

"I really can't say. She's working on a problem for us. I'm guessing when she has a solution she'll be free to go."

"Days? Weeks? Months?"

"I don't know. Honestly. Hey, I've got to go. I've probably told you too much already."

"Too much? You haven't told me anything!"

"She, uh, asked me to give you a message." Jack could tell Kawalsky was finding it difficult to voice her request. "She told me to tell you she loves you." The last bit came out in such a rush it was practically a single word.

Jack was finding it just as difficult to say the words to Charlie for him to relay, but he knew it would give Sam some comfort. "Tell her, um tell her, I love her too." There. He'd said the words aloud to someone other than Sam while she was sleeping. Instead of feeling embarrassed, he felt oddly free.

"Who do you two think I am? Cupid? You seen any wings or a bow lately?" Jack smiled at his friend's rant. Actually, Kawalsky should be considered Cupid. He'd played matchmaker to him enough times.

"Thanks, for calling, Charlie. Doesn't mean I'm going to take this lying down, but at least I know she's all right and she's got you looking out for her."

"I'll do what I can. Talk to you later." With that, the line went dead. Jack got up off the sofa and wandered into the kitchen to retrieve a much needed glass of water. Leaning against the counter, he began to wonder about Kawalsky's call. She was safe for now. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He got the impression it wasn't his "people" who'd taken Sam, although she was now with them. It didn't add up. Sam was necessary to something Kawalsky and his group was working on, but another group wanted her badly enough to kidnap her before "the good guys" could get to her.

How did they even know about her? Sure she claimed to be a theoretical astrophysicist, but he hadn't seen her doing any astro-physing. It wasn't like her waitressing was a front for secret science projects. She was at her job all morning and with him at night. She had to be working her full shifts because if she didn't, Jack knew someone at the diner would bitch to him Sam was always ducking out the back. The only time he could think she would be completely on her own would be from two p.m. until 5 p.m., and even in that block of time, she usually crossed paths with Charlie. It just didn't make sense.

Finishing his water Jack looked up, noticing it was nearly noon. Good thing it's Saturday, he thought. He hadn't planned on drinking himself into a stupor the night before. Charlie had spent the night at a friend's, and the house had been just too quiet.

He wasn't sure how in a matter of weeks Sam had become a fixture in his home. So much so that when she wasn't there, he felt like a lost puppy. At first he'd had one beer to try to relax, to get his mind off why on Earth someone would want to take her. That led to another, and soon the six pack was empty. Whiskey was the next up, starting with ice and water. Then the ice went away, followed by the water and finally the glass. He deserved the pounding in his head for his stupidity. The last time he'd been on a binge had been after Sara had died. Charlie had been the one to find him and right then and there he resolved to get his act together. Since that time two beers had been his limit.

He needed to clean up the mess in the living room before his son came home, which could be at any minute. Dragging the recycling bin over to the coffee table, Jack winced at the pain in his head as the deposited bottles clinked way too loudly. Then there was the stale odor permeating the room. His already sensitive stomach roiled at the scent of spilled whiskey, and it took several deep breaths through his mouth to calm his nausea. A good cleaning with Pine-Sol and some open windows would make the room habitable again.

Folding up the last of the newspapers, Jack came across Sam's laptop. She had few possessions and the computer was sacred to her. She'd never asked him not to use it, it was simply understood: this is mine. Don't touch it. And he hadn't. He respected her privacy and warned Charlie off as well.

Now it was blinking at him, taunting him to open it and see what kind of secret files it contained. Proof she was working with dissidents to take over America. He almost wished he would find something subversive so there was a reason they'd taken her. Jack continued to debate if he had the right to betray her trust and open the lid. What if there was something that could help exonerate her and he hadn't looked?

He was inching towards it, then stopped. If there was something on the computer that would help her, she would have mentioned it to Kawalsky. Jack picked up the laptop and took it to their bedroom, unopened. He hoped to God he'd made the right choice.

A/N-Another short one. I'll post chapter 20 later today.