Nerd and the Marine (10 page)

The lump returned in full
measure with Laurie’s sign off line of
lots of love
and then the
afterthought of the kids calling him Uncle Mitch. With no siblings
or family there’d been no possibility of becoming an uncle. Now,
through Lainy, the no possibility had in fact become reality. He
owed this woman a lot. She'd offered him so much and there was very
little he'd done in return.

His eyes fell on his dress hat with
the Marine insignia. He could continue working to keep her free and
safe. That was something he could do. It was all he could offer her
at the moment. And then he caught sight of a picture of Bentley.
His dog laughed back at him from the photo and Mitch smiled. He
could also give her some time with the funniest dog
ever.

Lainy certainly seemed to enjoy
Bentley. Of course, he'd take Bentley back when he returned home,
but he had no intention of leaving Lainy behind, either. If she
fussed, he could overcome her fears. Whatever they might
be.

He was a Marine, after all. He hoped
her family continued to accept him. Mitch didn’t want trouble from
her protective family. Or from her.

Because he had very definite plans to
keep Miss Lainy Morrison. He didn’t know how he knew, but women
like Lainy only came along once in a lifetime. If you were
lucky.

Chapter Twelve

The cellphone pierced the silence of
the late morning lull and Lainy peeled one eye to glare at it. The
caller seemed insistent, however, so she picked it up and barked a
gruff greeting.

“
Lainy, it's Ben,” the
caller said, sounding like he'd just run a few miles.

“
Hello, Ben. Have you been
running?”

“
Yeah, and I don't have
much time.” He still sounded breathless.

“
Okay, what's
up?”

“
Remember how I thought I
might get to the base Mitch is at?” His words ran
together.

“
Yes.”

“
Well, I'm
going.”

Sitting up straight in bed, Lainy
squealed, “When? How long will you be there? Have you contacted him
yet? Do you want me to tell him? Oh, he'll be happy to meet
you.”

“
Yo, Lainy, I've only got
two ears, girl. Could you tone the volume down a bit?” Ben teased
and Lainy shifted into contrite mode.

“
Oh, right. Sorry. But
answer my questions.” Excitement forced out the remorseful
feeling.

“
I go next week, and I'll
be there for a night and a day. It's not going to be a long visit,”
Ben cautioned.

“
I hope he's there.” Lainy
chewed a fingernail.

“
Why wouldn't he
be?”

“
He goes off on projects or
missions, or something.”

“
Ah. Right,” Ben agreed.
“You got a cold, Lainy?”

“
Yes. Bronchitis. Max and
Laurie took me to see Doctor Mark a few days ago. I felt
awful.”

“
Well, you sound awful.” He
teased her in typical cousin fashion.

“
Actually, I sound a lot
better.” She was too used to Ben’s teasing to get riled
up.

“
I think you sound
terrible.” Brattiness interlaced his voice.

“
Yeah, well, what do you
know?” Lainy dug for her laptop under a pile of books and
magazines.

“
Not much, apparently. I
gotta go, but let Mitch know I'll be there on these dates.” Ben
rattled off the numbers for her. Lainy repeated them before she
said goodbye.

She’d turned on the computer while
speaking with Ben, so she clicked on her e-mail icon and tapped a
finger on the base while she waited for the program to load. As
soon as it did, she clicked the writing tab.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Subject: My cousin
Ben

Hello Mitch,

My cousin, Ben, is coming
to your base next week. If you're there, he'll look you up. Or you
can look him up. He's Benjamin Morrison. He's with the Navy, a
SEAL, and only there for a short time. I think you'll like him.
He's very much a Morrison, so a good indication of what the rest of
us are like.

Laurie told me she sent
you an e-mail about my being sick. Contrary to what I'm sure she
wrote, I am not at death's door. I was feeling quite unwell, but am
improving every day. I still sound like I swallowed a frog or two,
but am better.

I've seen more of my
family these past few days than I normally do in a month. Even the
herd has come to visit, which I don't believe their parents would
condone, but alas, they had to see how Aunt Lainy was. (My cousins’
children all call me Aunt Lainy, too, seems easier for all
involved. I don't believe the kids actually know who their true
aunts and uncles are, but that's okay.) ☺

Bentley doesn't appear to
like when I get sick and he's been a faithful shadow during this
entire ordeal. He even follows me into the bathroom. I must look
worse than I feel, because I can’t use the facilities without
someone following me. It's ONLY bronchitis, but you'd think I have
some life threatening disease.

I've never seen so many
fussing ladies in all my life, and remember, many of the cousins
and all of my sisters are married. I know fussing
ladies.

Have you ever had your
pillow fluffed? Five times by five different women, in the course
of an hour? It's a relief when they all leave, because then I can
finally sleep. Did I tell you I prefer to be left alone when I'm
sick? Probably stems from not liking my pillow fluffed. Five times!
In an hour! Aaaahhhhhh!

Okay, I'm better. Anyway,
I need to get up this morning and pretend I'm all better. I think
if I can convince them now, I'll be able to nap all afternoon in
peace. When I get sick, I really get sick. Usually knocks me down.
So, I tend to have a longer time frame before feeling better. But,
at least I'm among the living again.

Hope you're doing well.
Did you get a package from me yet? Hhhmmm. I suppose I could check
e-mail, if you have received it, you probably already wrote
me.

Bentley sends his
greetings, but we're not sending pictures this time since I've been
unable to take new ones. Give us a few days and we'll be back to
normal.

All for now. Please be
safe. I really hope you're on base when Ben gets there.

Yours,

Lainy

She hit the send button and watched
the message disappear while others filled her inbox. She saw one
from Mitch and clicked on it. He’d received the computer and seemed
pretty excited about his newest toy. Smiling, happy she could ease
one of his burdens, she read through his note once, and then
another time. His exuberance in coming home to a new computer
helped make her feel better somehow.

Selfishly, she knew she'd built his
laptop half in part so she wouldn't lose contact with him. She
couldn't bear to go without a message from him for longer than a
week. She would miss him far too much. This man had managed to
touch her soul. Somehow. And she’d been so afraid to write that
initial e-mail. Now she thought of how foolish her fears had
been.

Wondering if not wanting to lose touch
with him made her a self-centered person, Lainy read through her
other messages. She replied to the business related ones, informing
her brother his project would be done on time.

After she finished his program she
could concentrate on building another laptop like the one she'd
made for Mitch. That way, when he had problems or concerns, she
could address them right away.

Besides, constructing the computer had
been a lot of fun. And she couldn't wait to try another one. It was
like building Porsches and then switching to Hummers. Each was a
lot of fun in its own way - speed and agility versus strength and
durability.

Several family members entered her
room, but intent on her work, Lainy barely noticed. She finished
the program and shut down her laptop before nestling under the
covers. All was quiet downstairs, so she hoped not to be
bothered.

Her work done for the day, she fell
asleep almost immediately. She dreamed of Mitch and Bentley with
her at the lake. Then of her and Mitch utilizing The Closet in
Will's house. And most of the herd and canine population occupying
the space with them. She heard Mitch's laughter and smiled in her
sleep.

*****

Mitch opened his new computer and
booted it up. He couldn't help the lingering satisfaction pulsing
through him whenever he used his newest electronic device. Lainy
had definitely outdone herself. The speed and ease of use of this
laptop versus his previous bemused and exhilarated him. He was the
envy of his friends and a few of his superiors. He wondered if the
admiral who'd stopped him yesterday had been serious about
contacting Lainy to order computers for the base.

He noticed a message from her and
clicked on it. Then laughed when he read of her pillow fluffing
woes and wondered if she'd mind if he fluffed her pillow? He read
on and, while disappointed to not receive photos, he was grateful
she felt well enough to write. Mitch enjoyed communicating with her
and was intrigued by her cousin Ben's visit.

This would be the second contact he'd
have with a Morrison family member, although he remembered very
little of Melly Lytle. He'd been traumatized that day, so he
figured the Morrison family would forgive him. He hoped cousin Ben
would approve of him, because he didn't want troubles when he went
home and tried to develop something lasting with Lainy.

Tapping out a response took little
time and then maybe he'd watch another Morrison Family Treasury,
starring Miss Lainy Morrison. At least he hoped she starred in each
of them. He had the distinct impression Ed Morrison had deemed him
an appropriate love interest for his sister. Mitch wasn't certain
whether to be worried or grateful.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Subject: Glad you're
feeling better

Hello Lainy,

Glad and relieved to hear
you're feeling better. I hadn't heard from you in a little while
and was concerned, so your sister Laurie's e-mail was well
received. She didn't make any mention of the Grim Reaper, so I
don't think you need to worry. She did mention how sick you were
and that they, she and Max, had to wrestle you down to take you to
the doctor. (We may need to talk about your apparent aversion to
doctors.)

Bentley doesn't like when
people get sick. My friend Al came down with the chicken pox and
just happened to be visiting me that weekend. Now remember, Al's
the biggest guy in our company.

Nursing him wasn't
pleasant. Bentley wouldn’t leave his side. I had to bribe the mutt
to go outside to go to the bathroom. Al, like you, just likes to be
left alone when he's sick, but he didn't seem to mind Bentley. We
had a tough time keeping Al from scratching, but he did pretty
well, considering the amount of spots he had. I had them when I was
a kid (went around my floor – all of us at once), so no worries
there, but he was pretty miserable.

I really love this
computer, by the way. It's so fast and durable. Far faster than my
previous laptop. The guys are all envious of my new machine. And I
had an admiral stop me yesterday and ask about contacting you. Now,
I don't know whether to take him seriously or not, but anyway, just
to give you some warning, should you be contacted. One never knows.
I hope you can recreate this computer if necessary? I figure you
being you, no problem.

I don't foresee being off
base when your cousin arrives, but that doesn't mean I might not
be. One never knows. I'll hope for the best and look forward to
meeting him.

I'm going to view another
Morrison family video. Wish me luck.

Glad you're feeling
better. Don't overdo it.

Yours,

Mitch - Oh, by the way,
the herd has taken to calling me Uncle Mitch. I've never been an
uncle, but already I like it. Laurie told me when she wrote about
how sick you were.

Mitch sent the message and
then eagerly sorted through his precious collection of videos
before selecting a promising one. It read
Lainy and the Herd
. Liking the title
he opened the slot of his new computer and inserted the DVD. A
movie program popped up and he maximized the screen, selected a
cookie, and leaned back to enjoy the show.

The video started with a close-up of
Lainy sleeping. Then the cameraman focused on the activity
surrounding her. What looked to be about twenty kids bounced on the
bed and squealed with delight as Lainy's eyes flickered
open.

As soon as the squirts noticed her
begin to awaken, they pounced.

“
Aunt Lainy's awake. Aunt
Lainy's awake
,” they chanted in excited
little kid voices and Mitch caught sight of a sleepy brown dog
before canine noises added to the cacophony.

“
Oh no,” Lainy muttered and
tugged the covers over her head. This set off gales of laughter
from the small, wriggling occupants.