The Captain's Lady (15 page)

The door closed. Abby waited with a slack jaw until Eric turned his attention to her.

"What was that all about?” Her voice sounded breathy to her. She hoped he didn't pick up on it.

With an edgy sigh, he turned a brief, heated look on the solid door before pulling up a chair, straddling it, and sitting down. He rested on his arms while leaning over the back of the chair. “Forget it, just a little trouble that will be resolved shortly.” The weariness crackled in his voice while he held up a hand to forestall her coming protests. He reached forward and squeezed her arm before caressing it in a soothing gentle motion.

"Abby, I'm more concerned about what happened last night. Your nightmare scared you enough to put you into early labor. I want to talk to you about it...” The buzz of the phone interrupted Eric. “Just a minute, I need to get this.” Jumping up he reached the phone in two long strides. “Yeah."

She watched as he turned his back and straightened up, one hand rubbing the base of his back and then shifting to massage tense shoulder muscles. “I'll be right there.” He hung up the phone. “I have an important call coming in, I have to take it.” He paused briefly; his eyes softened. “I'll be back in a while. See if you can't get some rest in the meantime. Okay?"

Abby wanted to get up and offer this man comfort, but was all too aware of his impatient stance and realized that whatever was going on, this phone call was a big part of it. So she just nodded. “I'll try."

They couldn't have a private conversation right now; the doctor might return at any minute. Oh, if only she could get out of this room. It was becoming so claustrophobic. Her limbs were aching to move. Even for just a short walk. She gave a heavy sigh. It would have to wait until he returned.

The door closed, leaving her surrounded with a feeling of helplessness.
Oh Eric, what's going on, what has this woman done to you?
The knot in her stomach tightened around her unborn baby. Boy or girl? Blond or brunette? She shivered, thinking of the baby's father and the nightmare she'd endured at his hands. But she was free from him. Or was she? Abby placed a cautious palm over her stomach. “My baby, my treasure."

The realization struck her fiercely, flowing wide with a peaceful rightness. She loved this child as much as life itself. It didn't matter where it came from. This innocent life inside her would be free from the monster that produced it. Abby stared around the room. Even though it was just cold steel walls and tiny round windows, the love and joy here was the most she'd felt in her young life. The US Navy, yes. They were the catalyst, but more important was her knight in shining armor, Eric Hamilton. And he needed her now.

And Abby was the one person to find out just what was going on. The time was right; nobody was around. Eric wouldn't return for a while. No more contractions, she felt good, but she would be careful and take it slow. Abby slipped her feet into her thongs and stood up.

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Chapter Seventeen

"Admiral James, thanks for returning my call.” The tension headache he struggled with earlier had returned, pulsing viciously in his temples. Tentacles tightened at the back of his neck. Leaning forward in his chair, he reached behind and grasped his neck, squeezing, trying to relieve the building pressure.

"No problem, Eric. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about this report I received via a Petty Officer Jennifer Hampton, filed by an HM3 Gail Carruthers. What the hell's going on? I'm presuming this is all bullshit, right?"

Wincing and a little pissed off by the question, Eric replied, “Admiral, I hope you know me better than that.
Yes,
it's bullshit!"

He heard the deep sigh of regret in the Admiral's voice. “I'm sorry, but I had to ask. What I can't figure out is why you didn't call me before I got it?"

"Actually, Admiral, none of us knew. Believe it or not. She didn't follow proper channels in filing the report. Joe was the first of us to get it, and he got it from your assistant."

The deep voice growled on the other end. “Are you telling me she did an end run around, sending it directly to the top, not notifying her commanding officer?"

"I'm afraid that's how it happened."

"Why that fucking little bitch! How dare she!"

Eric sat stunned for just a moment. He was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. “Admiral, do you know anything about these rumors of other charges she tried to lay in the past, against a senior officer?"

"I do know they were made to go away. I don't think I need to tell you, there is more focus right now on women's rights in the military. The media is all over any abuse, especially on women.” The Admiral paused before continuing, his tone sympathetic. “Eric, I'll do what I can to help, but I gotta tell you, if the media gets hold of this, the shit's gonna hit the fan. Just what the hell does she have against you, anyway?"

The tension headache pounded; Eric fumbled through his drawer with his free hand looking for some Tylenol. Reaching for the bottle he flipped off the lid with his thumb, dumping a couple of tablets in his mouth and swallowing them dry.

"She's a stupid twit. I dismissed her for a minor offense in sickbay. Obviously it ruffled her feathers, but believe me, if you'd seen her you'd know. Right from the beginning I pegged her for trouble. Dammit, I should have followed my instincts then and gotten her off this ship."

"Listen Eric; is there any way to disprove this claim of hers, any witnesses?"

Sighing heavily, he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “No, unfortunately, no one.” Not wanting to bring up the fact that Abby had been in the room, albeit sleeping, he just shook his head. “No, sir, no one at all."

"You know, Eric, unofficially, I'll do everything to block this thing, but between you and me, it's going to be real tough to squelch an official investigation. Unfortunately, you and I both know what that means."

He answered for the admiral, hearing the pain lingering in his voice. “Yeah, I know, suspension of duties.” Eric felt as if he'd swallowed his heart, having to finally admit aloud what he already knew, but was unwilling to acknowledge before now.

"Is Joe investigating?"

"He's already begun interviewing the crew."

"Okay, good. I want to talk to him. In the meantime, make sure you're never alone with the girl, got it?” The stern warning was clear in his voice. Eric knew it came from his concern for him and nothing else. “Don't worry, I have no desire to be alone with her."

After he disconnected with the admiral, the weariness began to consume him. Leaning back in his chair, he propped his feet up, closed his eyes for just a moment, telling himself he'd just relax until the pounding went away.

* * * *

The pounding on the door grew louder and more insistent. He jerked his feet off the desk and slapped them on the floor. Disoriented, he tried to shake the cobwebs that lodged themselves deep in his head. Glancing at his watch, Eric was shocked to realize he had been asleep for nearly three hours. Groggy, unfocused, he barked. “Come in."

Joe entered and stopped cold. His eyes widened, then he closed the door and strode over to the chair in front of the desk. He pulled it out and sat down. “You look like something the cat dragged in. Did you sleep in that chair all night?"

"It's morning?"

"Yup."

The lightness in the tone did little but earn a glare of reprisal from Eric. He rubbed the corners of his bloodshot eyes with his thumb and forefinger, trying to soothe the ache. In no mood to trade barbs right now, he said in a biting tone, “What do you want?” The pounding was still there in the back of his head. Leaning forward, he yanked open the top desk drawer, and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol once again. He tossed a couple in his mouth with not even a passing thought to how long it had been since he took the last ones.

He jumped when Joe appeared beside him, handing him a glass of water; he accepted the glass and tipped his head in a gesture of thanks before washing down the white, chalky pills. He set the glass back down with a heavy clunk and wiped the water from the sides of his mouth with his fingers in a quick swipe. “Okay, so what's up?” Eric pressed eight fingertips firmly to his temples trying to massage away the vicious pounding in his head.

"I wanted to let you know, Petey filled me in on your conversation yesterday morning. I followed up with Ernie Biggs and some of the other enlisted men too. It's clear they all have a low opinion of her, even before this incident. Some are even talking about teaching her a lesson."

Eric rolled his eyes at yet another possible problem to deal with, but remained silent as Joe continued. “I spoke with the admiral to express my concerns about Gail. I want to let you know he agrees with me, that she needs to be watched closely. You know, for her protection, of course."

Eric could not help but note the sarcasm in his tone.

"She'll be given the option of reassignment to headquarters with Vice Admiral James, or, if she refuses, she will be assigned a female guard who will shadow her; again this'll be for her own protection. Everywhere she goes, the guard goes."

Smiling at the ingenuity of his friend, he tipped his head in a mock salute, meeting the devilish gleam in his eye.

"I wanted to let you know first, before I talk to her. As you're probably aware, she's gonna be right pissed off. But if she tries to raise shit, it'll only backfire on her. You know how it is, we're doing our best to make sure that she's kept safe and protected and that's exactly how I'll make sure it's viewed."

Eric noted the smugness in his tone. “Thanks, Joe."

"Eric, go get some sleep, you really do look like shit, I'll get Petey to defer anything dicey to me right now. I need you to be well rested so we can fight this. You and I both know you need a clear head for that."

He nodded, too tired to argue. “You're right, I do need some sleep."

Joe pushed himself out of the chair. Reaching for the doorknob, he turned and paused briefly. “We'll beat this. Don't worry.” Joe hesitated for a brief instant, focused as if wanting to say something else; instead he pulled the door open. “I'll see that you're not disturbed. And don't worry, if anything urgent comes up, I'll wake you."

Nodding, Eric watched his friend leave, feeling a sense of warmth surge through him at Joe's unwavering support. Wondering for just a moment what it was that he wanted to say, before abruptly stopping. A deep weary ache renewed itself. With a heavy groan, he pushed himself out of his chair, stumbled into his private quarters, and collapsed on the bed, not bothering to take off his clothes or boots. The last thing he thought of before dropping off was that he needed to go and speak to Abby.

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Chapter Eighteen

Larry escorted Gail to the wardroom. Over the fury in his pace he could hear her hurrying to keep up. Never could he remember ever being so angry with someone. He noted that one officer lingered over coffee. But with one glare from Larry, he picked up his cup with a nod and left.

He turned to face her defiant stance and watched, stunned, as she thrust out her chin and met his eyes with a challenge. Attempting to understand this insolent behavior, he tamped down the urge to react and unleash his fury. By defying the chain of command, she had destroyed any compassion he might have felt for her. “What is going on with you? Please explain it to me, this insolent behavior, this accusation...” Stuck for words, he raised his hands in the air, and shook his head.

When she refused to answer, but just stared straight ahead, appearing calm and unshaken, he clucked his tongue and waited a few more seconds before continuing. “Please explain to me what it is that actually transpired. There is obviously a misunderstanding here."

"Sir, everything that happened is in the report.” She appeared calm and refused to elaborate on the details.

"Ah yes, the report you filed and sent directly to the admiral. By the way, that was quite the end-run around. Who in the hell do you think you are to pull this? There are protocols and you know quite clearly there's a chain of command. That report should have come to me. How dare you forward the report directly to headquarters!” Stopping, he closed his eyes and bowed his head to regain control, reminding himself he needed to hear her out. Clasping his hands behind his back he studied her and the hardness that transformed her face. If she'd relax sometimes she might be a decent looking woman. Right now her whole demeanor was hard.

She remained looking at him, unblinking. Finally she spoke. “I felt it was necessary. And, sorry to disappoint you, sir, but the charges are true. Everything that happened is in the report.” She'd already said this. He couldn't help thinking it was rehearsed. How many times had she stood before her mirror, rehearsing the repetition of these words? Had she reveled in his reaction to them? Imagined his growing irritation at her insolence?

Larry strode up to stand a foot from her. In his peripheral vision, he saw the long table surrounded by the black chairs. It was the distracting balance to the heated mist that now hung heavy around him. Hands gripped behind his back, he bent in close. With a self-control that surprised him, he positioned his face within inches of hers, trying to intimidate her, to crack the hardened stance she was determined to hold.

"You and I both know that report was bullshit! Just what the hell are you trying to pull?"

She didn't move a muscle; her control was amazing. Instead, she looked straight ahead at something over his shoulder, now refusing to meet his eyes at all. “My report stands, sir, and I will not be bullied or intimidated by you or any other officer on this ship into recanting my story. It's the truth and it really happened.” A smug righteousness etched her voice.

Suddenly her chin began to tremble and a pair of tears popped into her eyes. Astonished, Larry moved back a step. Not surprisingly, the thought of consoling her never once entered his mind. He wondered for a moment if in fact she was mentally unstable, bi-polar, or a schizophrenic. He was reaching, he knew, but with his scientific background, he felt there had to be a reason for this turnaround. Gail's recent erratic behavior was a hint that the possibility existed. She was what appeared to be a pathological liar and the reality of her deviousness made him examine the situation with an even more critical eye.