A Friendly Demonstration

Chapter 47

Victor grinned as he heard Jen's key in the lock. The end credits of the movie he'd watched to pass the time until she got home from the airbase had just rolled, and while he had enjoyed the move – a rerun of the old John Wayne movie 'Flying Leathernecks' – he was more than just happy that Jen had made it back in time for some conversation before bedtime.

Hauling himself to his feet as the door opened, he turned to her with a smile and held his arms open for her to walk into them. Jen did so, back-heeling the door closed, and lifted her face to his, "Hiya, handsome," she murmured against his lips.

"Hey, booful," he replied just as their lips met.

The kiss ended, Victor kept his hands on Jen's hips and leaned back slightly to look into her deep brown eyes, "So… how was your evening, sweetheart?"

To his consternation Jen's eyes flooded with tears even as her face broke into one of her beautiful smiles, "It… it was wonderful!" she sobbed out

"Hey…" a confused Victor gently led Jen to the couch, "Sit down… if it was so wonderful why the tears?"

Oh… that's nothing! I'm crying because I'm so happy!" Jen sniffled rummaging in her purse for a Kleenex.

Victor nodded, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Living with four sisters had long ago convinced him that there were dark and dangerous areas of the female psyche where mere men were not meant to trespass and did so only at their grave peril. If Jen wanted to tell him what had wound her up to the pitch of crying tears of joy, then tell him she would. Otherwise… He gave a mental shrug.

It appeared that on this occasion Jen did. Dabbing away the last of her tears she smiled again. "We got to the base okay and of course we were kept waiting while the passengers deplaned and then Mattie appeared in her wheelchair, being pushed by one of the Air Force guys – oh – and she'd managed to convince an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant to collect her baggage from the carousel too! That girl is going to break hearts in a year or two!" she sighed happily.

"Not if she's at the Academy!" Victor demurred.

"Well, yes, there is that, but stop interrupting!"

"I wasn't interrupting, you were leading the conversation astray!" Victor objected.

Jen looked thoughtful for a moment or two and then nodded, "Well, perhaps I was! But the important thing is, as she was being wheeled towards, Harm – the Captain, I mean – she held up her hand in a stop sign, and then… and then… Oh, Victor!" To Victor's dismay, Jen broke out into a fresh storm of tears, smiling foolishly through them as she tried to stop the flood.

Her attempts took a few seconds longer this time around but eventually the seeming Niagara dried up and Jen, tear drops glistening on her lashes smiled in a watery fashion and said, "And then… then she pulled herself to her feet and actually took two steps before landed on Harm – I mean the Captain's – chest! Oh, Victor it was incredible! Wonderful! Amazing!"

Victor smiled back at her and looped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close so that her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder. "You know, one of the things I love about you Jennifer Coates is that you have such a huge, compassionate heart!

Instead of bringing about the pleased murmur that Victor might have been expecting, Jen pulled herself upright, stared disbelievingly into his face and gave a shout of laughter.

"Oh, Victor! At times you say the most, incredible things! Very loving, but totally incredible!"

Victor knew when not to argue, "If you say so," he smiled gently, "But I know what I know. So apart from leaping to her feet and sprinting across the arrivals hangar to meet you, how was Mattie?"

Jen chewed her bottom lip before she answered, "Well… it's hard to say, she seemed to be her usual full of beans self, but… Oh… I don't know, something seemed… off…"

"Well, she had just had her first long-distance flight, maybe she was tired?" Victor suggested.

Jen nodded, "That could well have been it. I thought she dozed off a couple of times on the trip home…"

"Home?" Victor teased lightly.

Jen looked at him in surprise, "Of course home. Home for me is where you are, and home for Mattie is where Harm – oh, I mean…"

"Yes, I know you mean 'the Captain'," Victor acknowledged but then added gravely, "You've got to stop thinking of him by his first name, hon, before it lands you, and possibly him in a whole world of hurt!"

"I managed it okay when we were in DC!" Jen said, a little defensively, Victor thought, "I never once slipped up at work and said something inappropriate!"

"Yeah, I understand that. But back then he was a Commander; now he's a Captain. That's only one step in rank, but you're Navy; you know better than me just how big a step up in prestige and position that is!"

"Yes, I do know… but you have to understand that for ten months, he, Mattie and I were a de facto family, a bit unconventional, but still a kind of family. Harm," she used his name deliberately, "was a parent to Mattie and a cross between a parent and an elder brother to me. And Victor, you should have seen his face when I had to tell him that Mattie had her accident and was in hospital. You'd have thought his whole world had ended. He really loves that girl, and I think he likes me…"

"Hah! What's not to like?" Victor demanded.

"The whole of me, if you keep interrupting!" Jen shot Victor a glare that for all its intended ferocity didn't intimidate him for even a second.

"And as I was about to say," Jen paused giving Victor an opportunity to interrupt again, one which, although he was smiling broadly, he happily passed up. "Good!" Jen sniffed. "Now, as I was about to say, I told Mattie that I'd give her a call in the morning, and maybe meet up with her for a coffee later in the day. So unless you have any other plans, I was thinking… no… I was hoping that you'd like to come along and meet her?"

Victor nodded, not that he was particularly keen on meeting high school girls, but Mattie was obviously very important to Jen, and if she was important to Jen and was a part of her life, then it was obvious that she was going to become part of his life too.

"No… There's nothing I had in mind for tomorrow that can't be put off for more important things…. Although there's one thing I had in mind that could be brought forward…" he added with a speculative gleam in his eye.

"And what might that be?" Jen asked with patently false wide-eyed innocence.

"Well, if you were to come with me to the bedroom, I might be able to show you, rather than just tell you?" Victor suggested.

"I like the way you think, Jarhead!" Jen gurgled.

"Jarhead? Jarhead? I'll give you Jarhead, woman!"

"Ohh good… that's just what I want!" Jen crowed in triumph

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

The simple meal, pizza, garlic bread and salad, washed down with a soda for Mattie and a glass of wine each for Harm and Gill didn't take long to finish, although the back and forth between Mattie and Harm gave Gill some insight into the dynamics of their relationship, and despite the teasing and gentle sarcasm it was easy to see that all came from a well-spring of love.

Gill had been slightly concerned that Mattie may have been taking advantage of Harm, young girls, she knew, could be exceedingly manipulative, but unless Mattie was a far, far better actress than any of the current crop of Hollywood 'stars', the way she hung on Harm's every word and the devotion that gleamed in her eyes were more than enough to stifle any further suspicions on Gill's part at birth.

For her part Mattie although appearing to concentrate on her banter with Harm managed to keep a covert eye on Gill, subtly observing her reactions to the interplay between Mattie and Harm. For a few minutes she had thought that she had detected a certain stiffness of manner in the British officer, but by the time she had seen Gill lick some still warm half-melted cheese from her fingers and make a rude face at Harm's objection to her action, Mattie was almost convinced that no matter what might lie in the future, at the moment Gill was exactly who he needed in his life.

Harm also, despite his banter with Mattie, and making sure that Gill was included in the conversation – an aim in which he was ably seconded by the teenager – also kept a keen eye and ear for any trace of tension between woman and girl. That there was none enabled him to relax even more and his relaxed mood communicated itself to the other two diners. So, at the end of the meal he turned to Gill and said, "There's an old house rule, that the cook doesn't clear up, so if you'd like to take Mattie to her bedroom and show her the shower room… I'll crack on here and come and say goodnight in about twenty minutes. I guess you're ready to catch some shut-eye?" he asked Mattie.

Mattie tried to refute Harm's observation but was caught in the middle of her denial by a huge yawn which left Harm and Gill looking at her quizzically and left the teenager looking rather sheepish, "Okay, okay, maybe I am a little more tired than I thought!" she conceded, and bracing her arms on the table she pushed herself to her feet and then carefully feeling behind her lowered herself into the waiting wheelchair.

Harm watched her manoeuvres, his heart in his mouth for fear that Mattie would stumble or lose her precarious balance and fall, but much as he wanted to spring to her aid he knew that any such move on his part would be deeply resented, so contented himself with a cautionary, "Easy, tiger…"

"It's okay Harm, I got it!" Mattie replied with an irrepressible grin as she laboriously lifted each foot in turn onto the chair's footrest.

"Do you want a hand?" Gill asked tentatively, not wanting to appear uncaring, but not wanting to smother Mattie either.

"No, no thanks, Gill," Mattie answered with a cheerful grin, addressing Gill by name for the first time, "I got it, if you could maybe grab my blue bag from the lobby, and then lead on, Macduff!"

"That's 'lay on Macduff'," Harm grumbled from the sink, "Why does everyone get that quotation wrong!"

Mattie paused in the act of spinning her chair around in its own length and looked over her shoulder at him, "That's because 'lay on' doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe not today, but it did when Shakespeare wrote it!" Harm shot back with a grin, already anticipating Mattie's reply.

"Huh! Shakespeare!" Mattie replied in tones of the deepest loathing. "We had to study one of his plays in English Lit last year. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'! I ask you, what sort of guy writes plays about elves and fairies?"

Harm grinned at Mattie's outburst, "Tolkien?" he suggested, "I seem to remember that you and Jen were both pretty well fired up to watch 'The Lord of the Rings', and as I distinctly remember not only did it have elves, it had dwarves and goblins too!"

"Oh, that!" Mattie waved a dismissive hand, "We weren't all that interested in the story; it was Orlando Bloom we wanted to see! You gotta admit," she added to Gill, "that he is kinda dishy!"

"Yes, I suppose he is," Gill agreed with a smile at Harm, "But sitting here critiquing films and plays isn't going to get you settled in, is it?"

"I guess, not," Mattie admitted as she wheeled herself put of the door into the hall, "Which way now?"

Mattie nodded approvingly as she inspected her new room. The bed had a trapeze attached via a boom to the headboard and guard rails that a quick inspection showed could be quickly and easily removed. The dresser had three full length drawers and two half-length while the vanity was low enough and wide enough for her wheelchair to roll underneath it. It was the soft furnishings and the colour scheme that pleased her most, all in shades of cream and chestnut-brown and with a sly smile at Gill she asked, "Did you choose the colour scheme?"

Gill nodded, "Guilty as charged, but if you don't like it, I'm sure we can change it…."

"Oh, no!" Mattie interrupted hurriedly, "I like it, honest! It's just that it's not really Harm's style. He's great at fixing up, but décor and decorating just isn't his strong point…"

They both allowed themselves a laugh and then Mattie sobering quickly indicated the bedroom chair, "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?" she asked seriously.

"Ah…" Gill said knowingly, "is this where I get the third degree?"

Mattie regarded her gravely, "Um… no, not really, but I do need a couple of answers."

Gill nodded, "Understandable. Okay, shoot, and I'll see if I can come up with the said – and correct – responses!"

"Um… yeah…" despite having been the one to bring up the subject Mattie wriggled in her chair in embarrassment as the blood rushed to her cheeks. "The first question is a bit personal… but… are you sleeping with him?"

Gill sat in the offered chair and nodded, "Yes, we are sleeping together, Mattie" she answered gravely.

Mattie nodded, "Yeah, I thought as much… there was just something between you…I needed to know that before I could ask any other questions, 'cos if you weren't, then it… then things would have to be different… Did Harm tell you about Mac?"

Gill nodded, "Yes, he did. It was a long story going back ten, eleven years and it took all night, well… all of one evening for him to tell me, and I could see that it wasn't easy for him." Gill paused a second, "I don't know how you stood or stand with her, but it seemed to me that Mac … well, Harm was more sinned against than being the sinner, but he seemed to be defending her at every turn, but reading between the lines he also seemed to have blamed himself…"

Mattie nodded, "Yeah… that would be about right. As for how Mac and I stand? Well… at first I thought she would be good for him. By the time I came on the scene they had a lot of history and I could see that Harm was in love with her, and I really thought that she loved him, but they were both too stubborn and too scared to admit it…"

"Scared?" Gill interjected in surprise.

"M'mm… scared of losing their twisted kind of friendship… or that's the way I can see it now, back then all I could see was the roses around the door… but they were also scared of Navy regulations, and not being able to be partners at work, and scared of fraternisation charges and… oh a whole heap of bullshit… Oops!"

"I've heard worse," Gill commented, "but I've a feeling you wouldn't want Harm to hear you use language like that!"

"Damn straight!" Mattie agreed, "But if you won't tell him, then I won't either!"

"Deal!" Gill laughed and after a second Mattie joined in, but again after a few moments she sobered up.

"You see, I kinda feel responsible for what happened, in a weird sort of way. I pushed Harm into opening up to Mac, and all he got in return was a broken heart… And I don't think I'll ever forgive Mac for being so cruel. She led Harm on for years and then when he had screwed himself up to where he could open up to her, she shot him down and then just walked away." Mattie regarded Gill thoughtfully for a second or two, "But you seem to be on the way to curing that, so I gotta ask, how serious are you about him?"

Gill looked the teenager in the eye, "Normally I would tell you that's none of your damned business. But I know you are only asking because you want to protect Harm, so I'll give you a straight answer: For the moment, I am totally serious. As to what lies in the future, well, that remains to be seen, but I promise you this, I will never intentionally be cruel to Harm or hurt him in any way. I like, respect, and admire him on so many levels… and yes, I love him and might even be in love with him."

"So… do you think you'll marry him?" Matte asked bluntly.

For a moment Gill gave Mattie a stunned look as she was seized by a fleeting feeling of déjà vu but then realised that this conversation was beginning, eerily enough, to sound like the talk she'd had with Sue. But that was not Mattie's fault, and in the interests of full disclosure she needed to give an honest answer. A thoughtful; expression settled on her face as she replied, "Firstly, Harm hasn't asked me, so I really don't know what my answer would be if he asked me today…" she smiled slightly, "it could very well be a 'yes' if he did… secondly, I don't think that, no matter how ready I am, Harm isn't ready to ask that particular question yet."

"That's okay, then," Mattie smiled, "'Cos to know Harm, if you're normal that is, is to love him. And ya know something? I figure you're good for him. So… unless you have any questions for me, or you want to tell me something else, then I say we finish this conversation right here and now, and file it away safely in a secure place. Deal?"

Gill chuckled, "Deal! How old did you say you were?"

"Sixteen," Mattie grinned, "Why?"

"There's an old saying about not being able to put old heads on young shoulders… well… I think you've just proved that saying wrong! Now… just how much help do you need getting ready for bed?"

"Um… not so much now I can wobble on my feet a bit. I can undress myself down to the waist no problem, and the same for getting dressed, but I think I'm still gonna need someone to lean on to take off my jeans and underpants…"

Gill nodded, "That's a bit of a relief. For a while I've been thinking that I'd have to do that for you!"

"Yeah, me too! And I wasn't looking forward to that…" Mattie paused and then said shrewdly, "And I'm guessing that you weren't either!"

"Not so much that you'd notice!" Gill agreed dryly, "Now… how about nightwear?"

"In the blue case… there's some boxer shorts and t-shirts, and a couple of towels…"

"How about a dressing gown?" Gill asked and the seeing the look of incomprehension on Mattie's face, "I think I mean bathrobe," she added.

"Uh, yeah, but that's in my other bag, out in the hall," Mattie mumbled red-faced.

"Not to worry…" Gill was gone and back in under a minute with Mattie's other bag and less than two minutes later Mattie was wrapped in her bathrobe and heading for the shower having emphatically refused Gill's offer of assistance although allowing the older woman to accompany her in case physical help was needed.

Harm had done such a good job on converting the shower to suit a wheelchair bound person's needs that all Gill needed to do was point out the shower chair and the purpose built and securely fixed grab rails that almost lined the room and the shower cubicle before retreating gratefully to the lounge having promised Mattie she'd be back in ten minutes, or sooner if Mattie called her.

Harm, together with a glass of wine, was waiting for her in the living room, a quizzical smile on his face, "So you survived the interrogation, then."

Gill took the wine with a smile and dropped onto the couch alongside him, "No so much an interrogation, more of a mutual setting out our stalls." Gill paused to take a sip of wine before she continued, "Mattie's remarkably mature for her age, and more understanding than I'd hoped for. I really more than half expected jealousy, teenage tantrums and general stroppiness, but she seems to have considered our situation carefully, and as objective and dispassionately as she can. She's given me carte blanche just as long as I don't abuse the privilege or you!"

"Well… not all forms of abuse are prohibited," Harm said slyly and grinned as Gill nearly choked on her drink, but then his smile faded, "Yeah, Mattie's mature for her age, maybe even too mature… she's had to grow up fast, running a business after her mom died, and then with her dad, and then the accident… yeah, she's gone through a lot."

Gill nodded, "I like her. Despite everything she's been through, she's got spirit, she seems to have bounced back…" Gill took another sip, "And didn't you tell me that she's hoping to attend the Naval Academy? Well… despite her injuries I think she's strong enough and spirited enough to do just that! Now… I think I'd better go and check on her, make sure she hasn't washed herself down the drain!"

"Okay… I'll go fix us all a hot drink, and then it's bedtime for us all… It's gone midnight!"

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

In the peaceful darkness of the Owl's second bedroom Julia Martinez lay propped on one elbow. In the faint glow of the street lights seeping around the edge of the bedroom drapes she could just make out Johnny's face as he slept peacefully, his hair tousled and his mouth slightly open as breathed lightly and slowly.

Determined as she was to abide by Harriet Roberts' advice, second hand though it may have been, and during the day, especially when with Johnny she succeeded in banishing all outward signs, it was in these quiet, small hours that the fear returned. It was bound to have happened Julia thought. Given her family's history of service in uniform, it was almost a certainty that when she met the man she could picture herself bound to for the rest of his life, that man would also wear a uniform. Of course, she hadn't figured on it being a foreign uniform, still less had she thought that once having found him, he would face the risk of being taken from her so soon. Of course, that had always been on the cards in the world's uncertain times, but it seemed doubly unfair now. Not only was she facing a year's separation but also a potential loss, and the prospect of a life with Johnny scared her, but she had no other option but to accept the facts as they were and try to maintain a cheerful front.

Johnny's family, it appeared to her, had also put their fears behind them and seemed to be as chaotically happy and cheerful as they always did. Julia felt almost at home with them now. Johnny's mom, or mum, as he called her always had a pot of fresh-brewed tea to hand when visitors called and although the British habit of drinking it hot with milk had at first seemed strange to Julia she had quickly become used to the taste, and had even come to like it.

Julia gave her head a quick shake. She had let her thoughts ramble on unchecked, a sure sign that she was tired. Okay… she made a decision. Tomorrow, she'd ask Johnny a question that had been hovering on the tip of her tongue for the last couple of weeks and hoped that it wouldn't sound the death knell to their relationship.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

The day began at the Rabb house in a fashion that Harm considered to be at least conduct to the prejudice of good order and domestic discipline. He had gotten into the habit of using the downstairs shower room after his morning run at weekends, leaving Gill free to reign over the upstairs bathroom and indulge in a long, hot soak. This morning however on his sweaty return both bathrooms were occupied by the ladies of the house, and although Harm forced himself to patience and partially occupied his time by brewing a large pot of coffee he was still remarkably relieved when Mattie, clad in her terry cloth bathrobe and with a towel wrapped around her head, wheeled herself out of the shower room and greeted him with a sunny smile and a cheerful, "'Morning, Harm!"

Harm's less than cheerful grunt in reply brought a momentary frown to Mattie's face, but she soon dismissed Harm's surliness as a part of his normal early morning persona. She had forgotten in the intervening months just how grumpy he could be before he'd breakfasted.

"Breakfast! now… that's an idea!" she declared as she struggled into her jeans, anticipating maybe pancakes with bacon, or scrambled eggs with toast, or maybe a combination of both.

Mattie was doomed to disappointment however, or at least to having to wait for her meal. She was the first to enter the kitchen and one disgusted look around told her that all the kitchen storage, with the exception of the refrigerator was out of reach. Not that she couldn't make an effort to stand reach the cabinets, but she wasn't yet confident enough to be able to do that, take something from a cabinet and then sit down again in her chair without either losing her balance, or worse dropping the said item and making a mess. God knew Harm was already grumpy enough this morning and she certainly didn't want to make things worse.

But the refrigerator… 'Now… there's a thing,' she mused, and 'Yes! That was a pot of coffee steaming gently on the worktop.' "Okay, Mattie Rabb, here goes!"

It took her a bit of manoeuvring back and forth to get the fridge open and take out the eggs and the carton of orange juice, but they were safely extracted and placed on the kitchen table. Mattie grimly eyed the row of mugs hanging on hooks below the cabinets, deciding that if she wanted a drink, she'd have to get at least one mug down without dropping it. If course, she could always chug the OJ straight from the carton, but the thought of Harm's probable reaction if he caught her made her swiftly abandon that idea. So wheeling herself to a spot directly in front of the mugs, she applied the chair's brakes and let her feet drop to the ground before she used her arms to raise herself out of the chair. Balancing uncertainly on her feet and with her abdomen pressed against the worktop for support she gingerly leaned forward and unhooked two of the mugs and placed them on the counter in front of her. Carefully feeling behind her for her chair she grabbed the arm rests and carefully and with a puff of effort lowered herself to a sitting position.

She picked up the two mugs and placed them on her lap, released the brakes and spun towards the table stopping dead, with her jaw hanging open as she spied Harm, smiling at her from the doorway.

Still in his bathrobe, he shook his head and croaked, "Bravo Zulu, Squirt!" before he took three swift steps across the room to drop to one knee by the side of her chair and enveloped her, despite her squeak of protest, in a hug that was almost bone crushing in its intensity, before dropping a kiss onto her still shower-damp hair.

"Tweren't nuthin' much!" she protested as she wriggled free, "I was only getting a couple of mugs down so's I could have a drink of OJ and some coffee!"

Harm hunkered back on his heels, "And is that something you could have done last week?" he challenged her.

"No, it wasn't," she admitted, "And you have no idea how frustrating it was for me to have to ask Harriet to do something really dumb and simple like that! Well, at least until she realised that life would be easier all round if she left glasses and mugs as well as plates and forks where I could reach them without having to bother her."

Harm's grin spread slowly across his face, "Okay… I can see that you can find your way to the refrigerator, and you can probably reach the coffee pot from your chair, right?"

"Right," Mattie agreed.

Harm rose and then sat in one of the kitchen chairs as Mattie wheeled herself back to the table. "Okay, so you've made progress, Squirt. In leaps and bounds – almost." He grinned again. "So how about I take a lesson from Harriet and leave your breakfast stuff on the table, so you don't have to risk reaching and falling… just until you're more certain on your legs. I could leave the bread, butter and marmalade there too. So you could at least make yourself some toast if you're ready for breakfast before I am."

"Uh-huh, what about Gill?" Mattie asked.

"Well, Gill told me that you two had a long talk last night and that you both seem happy with each other."

"Yeah, I think we are, but that's not what I meant. You said if I was ready for breakfast before you were…"

"Oh, no, Gill only stays here at weekends. It's a bit too much of a trek to her office from here for her to make on a daily basis."

"So, why doesn't she just move in?" Mattie demanded.

"No can do. This is official housing and I have a feeling – which Gill will probably be able to confirm – that the Brit powers that be wouldn't look too kindly on that."

"What wouldn't they look too kindly on?" Gill's voice came from the doorway.

Harm was immediately on his feet, and leaned in to kiss her, "Good morning sweetheart," he smiled, I was just telling Mattie that I don't think that the base commander and his minions would take to the idea of you moving in here full time."

"God, no!" Gill laughed. "As far as I know the base commander here is an Air Commodore…" she thought for a moment "I think that's about the same as a Brigadier, or Rear Admiral Lower Half. And I can just imagine him, all stiff and pompous with a ridiculous Bomber Command moustache, going goggle eyed and red with rage if he heard that an Army officer was living over the broom with a visiting Yankee Captain!"

Harm grinned, "You paint a pretty picture!"

"Yeah, well, it sucks!" Mattie grumbled. "What is it with people that they can't let other people just get on with their lives?"

"It's the military, honey," Gill said as she poured three cups of not quite so hot anymore coffee, "And as much as you poor benighted colonials may hate to admit it, your military took a lot of its attitudes from ours. And we all know how stiff, and silly and pompous senior Brit officers can get!"

All three laughed as Gill rolled her eyes at the end of her sentence but then Harm sobered.

"You're going to have to watch your language, young lady," he said quite severely to Mattie. Tomorrow, we're going to visit Gill's family… and I think I've told you that her dad's a vicar, a preacher… And her grandmother, a formidable lady lives with them – and you do not want to get on her bad side!"

"Oh, Harm, that's nonsense. You love her, and you know it!" Gill objected with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, I do love her, but she terrifies me all the same!"

"Why do we have to go and visit with them – sorry Gill, but I was hoping to spend some time with Jen before…"

"Yeah I know, and she'll be calling you later on. But, like I told you on the phone, you're going in to Stoke Mandeville hospital on Tuesday for evaluation. That's only a short drive from Gill's folks, and they've offered to drop by on a daily basis and keep an eye on you and keep you supplied with magazines and stuff," Harm explained.

"Oh…" Mattie's shoulders slumped, "I guess in that case, I'll have to play nice…"

"You better, squirt!" Harm admonished her, "But… speaking of Jen calling you… here… I'll be back on a moment…" he stood and hurried out into the living room, from whence he returned, true to his word, in less than thirty seconds.

"Here, this is a sort of welcome to England present," he told her. "Your US one won't work over here."

Mattie opened the plastic bag to pull out a cell phone, "Oh… wow, Harm, thanks!"

"Now, mind it's a 'Pay as You Go' phone, a pre-paid phone. There's twenty pounds of credit on it, and any and all top ups will come out of your allowance, capisce?"

"Yeah, wow, thanks a heap!" Mattie grinned.

"Now listen up, it's a basic phone. You can make and receive calls and send and receive text messages, but there's no internet access or fancy applications, I don't think it's even got a camera, okay?"

"Yeah… great, thank Harm… can I call the States with it?"

"You can if you're prepared to pay for it, but technically, I don't know if that phone will make those calls, but you can try!"

"Yeah, I will… and Harm, thanks, truly, thanks…"

"Well thank Gill as well, it was her idea!" Harm grinned again.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Breakfast at the Owl was much quieter. Johnny and Julia were the only two residents and so had the breakfast room to themselves. Johnny was, as usual making the most of a full cooked breakfast while Julia contented herself with eggs and toast, and as a result finished first, watching in horrified fascination as Johnny dipped a slice of black pudding into an egg yolk and with every sign of enjoyment conveyed it to his mouth.

Julia shuddered and turned her attention to her coffee cup, taking sips of the drink while she waited for Johnny to finish. At last he sighed with satisfaction, wiped his lips with his napkin and sat back in his chair, a pleased smile on his lips.

"Finished?" Julia asked.

Even that one word conveyed enough of her nervousness for Johnny to lean forward and with a look of concern in his face ask, "Is there something the matter, sweetheart?"

"Not exactly the matter…" Julia said, but her expression was, in Johnny's eyes, still troubled.

"What is it, love?"

"It's time and timing," Julia began and then steeling herself she blurted out, "Look, it's about this deployment of yours… I don't want you to go on deployment and leave me with nothing if something happens to you! No, don't interrupt! I know you're going to say that nothing will happen, but we have to face it Johnny, it could, and I don't want to be left with nothing!"

"Julia, what are you talking about?" Johnny asked, his face a picture of confusion and his hands spread in exasperation.

"What I'm talking about is a baby. Our baby! Johnny, I want you to give me a baby before you go Afghanistan!"