by Robyn Carr
Sean could see that the hardest thing for Maureen was trying to keep her enthusiasm in check enough so she didn’t completely overwhelm Rosie. He shouldn’t have worried—Rosie took the edge off things right away. “You have wed hair like me!” she exclaimed. From that point on, the two redheads chattered like a couple of magpies all the way to Beale—more than a three-hour drive. They took along books and a couple of Rosie’s favorite toys—her toy computer helped her practice letters, numbers and writing. Maureen sat in the backseat with Rosie and they played and read the whole drive while Sean chauffeured. Franci called his cell twice to check on them before he even made it to Beale.
An air force squadron is a little like a small town. The men who work and fly together get real tight, and Sean had a close working relationship with their squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Sorrell. That came in real handy, since Sean had to phone and tell Jake the circumstances that would bring him to Beale during his leave—he wanted to give his mother and daughter a tour of the base and the airplane, the U-2. Given the high security, he had to have special permission and an escort, even though it was basically Sean’s ride.
“Daughter?” Jake had asked during their phone conversation. “Our most notorious bachelor has a daughter?”
“That’s right,” he said, and for the first time it struck him how lucky he was that little accident had happened with a woman he happened to have had a serious relationship with. Then he thought of something that struck him damn hard. What if that accident had happened with someone he hardly knew—like Cindy? “I’ll explain more about that later, but obviously I just learned about her and the one thing she’s asked of me is to see my plane. And my mother happens to be in town also.”
“Good,” Jake had said. “Your mother can keep an eye on your daughter while you and I steal a half hour for a conversation.”
“On Saturday?” Sean asked.
“I’ll be in the office when you’re done with your tour.”
Sean drove his mom and Rosie around the base and showed them the hangar and an airplane that happened to be in for maintenance. He laughed when Rosie put both her little hands over her cheeks and gasped at the size of the U-2. He took a picture of her in the cockpit without getting any of the instrument panel in the photo. In fact, he’d have Jake download the pictures, delete them from his camera and send them to Franci’s e-mail address when he was satisfied there wasn’t the slightest security breach. It wasn’t as though the U-2 was a secret—the plane sat on static display during air shows. But this was a working plane.
He also showed her the KC-135 tankers that refueled the jets in the air, a batch of C-130s and a staggeringly huge C-5. By three o’clock, Rosie was completely exhausted and Maureen was looking a little worn, as well. He took them to the squadron’s waiting area—not very fancy—and asked them to read for twenty or thirty minutes. “I won’t be long. We can have dinner on the way home. I’m sure Rosie will nap in the car after I fill her belly.”
Jake Sorrell stood from his desk and came around to shake Sean’s hand. “I’m glad you had an excuse to come in from leave, Sean. I thought about calling you…”
“What’s up?” Sean asked, before sitting down.
“What’s up is four years. You only got on the waiting list for an open slot at Air Command and Staff College when you pinned on major and you’ve been flying under the radar. You know you’re maxed out here. It’s time for you to be reassigned. Have you thought about that?”
Sean looked down and shook his head. “Think there’s any way I can get this put off a few months? I just found my daughter, man. She and her mother live close to Beale.”
“I’d sure like to hear about that, if it’s something you can talk about.”
“I can guess what people might think, but it’s not sleazy at all. Franci and I were a couple.” Then he proceeded to explain how he’d given the woman plenty of good reasons to think she was better off going it alone. He didn’t even realize how differently he was seeing the situation now. In less than a week he’d gone from it’s all her fault to I made her do it. “I need some time to get this straightened out a little bit, Jake. Franci’s not jumping into anything with me and I can’t just run out on Rosie the minute I find her. It could screw the kid up for life.”
“Any chance you can put things together with the mother?”
Sean gave him a contrite expression. “The woman I told I’d never get married or have children with four years ago? She might be slightly wary.”
Jake, father of four, sat back in his chair. “Smooth.”
“I need time, Jake.”
“You have to look at your options,” he said. “You’re overdue.”
“I did look at my options, but they were all different before I knew I had a child. I figured if I didn’t get Air Command and Staff the first try, I’d go to Iraq or Saudi in the U-2 and earn my slot to ACSC. I’m not real anxious to do it that way now.”
Sean was an Air Force Academy grad, a former fighter pilot, a distinguished graduate of several training programs—and all of that added up to not only a command position in the not-too-distant future but, if he hung in there, the rank of general. From the age of eighteen, that had been his plan—to end his career running the world from the Pentagon. Of course, there were steps—assignments, career-building training programs like Air Command and Staff College, remote tours, et cetera.
“Well, I suggest you take another look at the options,” Jake said. “Your leave is approved through November, but if you don’t put in for an assignment somewhere, orders are going to be cut without any input from you. You know what’s out there—U-2 overseas accompanied or remote, change of mission to U-2 in weather, a staff job somewhere, or you might get lucky and slip into an open slot at Air Command and Staff…” Jake leaned forward, folding his hands on top of his desk. “The hard part about being a family man in the military—we serve where we’re needed. The air force gives you a chance to put together an assignment if you can, but you know what’s expected of you, and the air force will take its pound of flesh.”
Sean was quiet for a long moment. Finally he said, “They’ve been right here all along and I didn’t know it until last week.”
“I’m sorry about that but, Jesus, Sean, you do your next assignment right and you’ve got stars in your pockets. But you can’t sit here any longer. Get in touch with the flesh peddlers who make assignments at the Military Personnel Center and find out what they’re trying to fill. Get the jump on ’em before they send you remote. All I can do is give you a heads-up, Sean.”
“Yeah,” he said.
Jake stood. “Listen, be honest with the woman. Tell her the situation, ask for her input. Maybe if she feels involved in the decision…”
“Yeah, right,” Sean said. But he was thinking, She barely got her life together the way she wants it and here I come, showing up unannounced, and before I can even get checked out on spending the night, the air force is ready to ship me out. “She’ll probably think I did this on purpose.”
“You knew this was coming, Major. No one sits in the same assignment for this long. You should have come up with a better plan.”
Sean stood. “Until a week ago, I thought I had a plan. I was going to do a couple of years of hard time in the sandbox and ACSC, and then take your job right out from under you. I just wanted to fly, then take command of a flying squadron. Until now, there wasn’t anything to keep me in one place.”
Under any other circumstances, Sean would be really grateful for that kind of a heads-up from his boss. It was real tough to get into Air Command and Staff in a residence program; making the waiting list alone was a good showing. He had an itch to get on the phone to MPC, but no one would be at the office on a Saturday night, so instead he took his mom and Rosie to Denny’s for dinner, and afterward they headed back to Eureka.
Once again the girls settled in the backseat and, while there was still light, they looked at books together. When the sun lowe
red in the sky and Rosie had fallen asleep, Sean called Franci’s cell. “Reporting in,” he said, when she answered. “She had mac and cheese and fish sticks for dinner and a little bit of salad. A glass of milk, too. And she loved the planes.”
“Did she have a good time?” Franci asked. “Did she mind her manners?”
“She was perfect and she had a blast. She’s asleep in the backseat, and yes, she has her belt on. I’m not supposed to talk and drive in this state, so I’m going to sign off. Want me to check in when she’s home?”
“Yes. And Sean? Is Maureen very angry with me?”
“Near as I can tell, she’s not even mad at me anymore,” he said with a laugh. “Am I invited to dinner tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m going to need a nap to sleep off my twenty-four-hour shift. Why don’t you entertain Rosie and…and why don’t you cook.”
“Be happy to,” he said. “Any special requests?”
“Anything, but remember the food groups—Rosie’s growing.”
“How about Stroganoff, fat noodles, peas and salad? I’m good at Stroganoff. I’ll make it with chicken instead of beef—for Rose. She’s partial to chicken.”
“That would be awesome,” she said.
“You got it. And some nice snacks and a good white wine.”
When they were back at Vivian’s, he parked and lifted Rosie out of the backseat. He asked his mother to carry Rosie’s books and toys to the house while he helped get his daughter in her pajamas.
Rosie had her own room at Viv’s house, as well. This room was all little girl, too, but was yellow in color. She had her arms locked around his neck so tight, he’d have to peel her off. “We’re home, short-cake. Let’s find your jammies.” She squirmed and murmured, not letting go of his neck. He laughed at her and said, “I can’t help you change clothes if you don’t let go.”
With her face buried in his neck, she asked, “Are you still my daddy?”
Sean felt his heart catch. All at once he was filled up with so much emotion he was sure he wouldn’t be able to swallow if he tried. And he suddenly couldn’t focus his vision. He turned his head and kissed her cheek. “I’ll always be your daddy, pumpkin.”
“You’re a silly daddy,” she said.
“You’re a silly Wide Iwish Rose. I’m so glad I found you.”
Ten
While Sean was helping Rosie into her pajamas, Maureen was handing toys over to Viv. The two women had never met before today and had spent a whole ten minutes together in the entirety of their acquaintance, and that was when Maureen and Sean had picked up Rosie earlier in the day. “I want to thank you,” Maureen said. “Rosie is an incredible, brilliant, wonderful child and I bet some of that had to do with what a fantastic grandmother you are.”
Viv put a hand on Maureen’s forearm. “I have things to tell you,” she said quietly. “Important things about Rosie—what she likes, what she hates, momentous moments in her little life…about her temper, her giggles, her ear infections and her love for animals. And also, I want you to know that I argued hard for Franci to find Sean and let him know about his daughter. Maureen, there is only so much we, as mothers, can do when our adult children have relationship issues. In fact, in most cases, the more we do, the worse it’s bound to get.”
Maureen laughed ruefully and nodded in agreement. “Oh, I know. I have five sons. Do you think they talk to me about the women in their lives? Even though I might be able to answer the hard questions? It’s true what they say about sons and daughters—your daughter is your daughter all her life, but your son…”
“…is your son till he takes a wife.” Viv gave a short nod. “We’ve both been wives. We’d probably both agree it’s all right that way.”
Again Maureen laughed. “I want to stay on and dominate Rosie’s time. Not just to get to know her, but for her to get to know me. But I’ve been with Luke and Shelby for almost a week now and they need their house back. In fact, Sean needs the freedom to work things out with Franci and Rosie! I don’t want to be in the way of that! No matter what’s to come with them, I want my granddaughter to have a father and I want to be part of her life.”
“You will be—please don’t worry about that. I have an idea. I’m sure the three of them will want to spend tomorrow afternoon and evening together as they have the past week, but Sean can drop you here, with me. We can look through photo albums, go to an afternoon movie, have a nice dinner out, and I’ll be happy to drive you to Virgin River tomorrow evening so Sean and Franci don’t have to work their schedule around either one of us.”
“Really?” Maureen asked. “Really?”
“I’d enjoy it so much. Your position right now must be tough.”
“You have no idea.” Maureen laughed. Then she dropped her voice to a whisper. “My new daughter-in-law is certainly pregnant and I’m not sure she even realizes it herself yet! She is moody, nauseous, cries at the drop of a hat, and they want a baby. Vivian, I have to get out of there so they can be alone together for this news. I remember when I was barely pregnant with Aiden and my mother-in-law just wouldn’t leave. I thought about killing her in her sleep!”
Viv laughed. “I have a spare room if you think your life’s in danger.”
“I can’t stay much longer or it will be, though I do try to be helpful…”
“I know—and sometimes the more helpful you are, the worse it gets.”
“You do know!”
“I didn’t have five, but I’ve been there for Franci for thirty years. Come over tomorrow and spend the day. Maybe we can get a game plan, you and me. For example, you can always come for a visit and stay here. That way you’d have lots of time to spend with Rosie and you’d be able to give both those boys their space with their women. As for me? I’d get a companion!”
“You don’t even know me! Are you so sure I wouldn’t be a burden? I could be a slovenly houseguest!”
Viv tilted her head and smiled. “I work full-time as a physician’s assistant for a small family practice in town. More than full-time, some days. I’m betting you cook like a dream.”
“Ohhh, what are you getting yourself into?” Maureen asked.
“I lived with my pregnant daughter and then Franci and a baby! Do you intend to be more trouble than that?”
The two of them were laughing and holding on to each other when Sean came out of Rosie’s bedroom. He stopped in his tracks, looked at them and said, “Uh-oh.”
After hearing from Sean, Francine was kicked back in a recliner at the station on Saturday night. Also in the same room were two flight crews—another nurse, a couple of paramedics, two pilots and two copilots. They shared the station with other emergency first responders—two fire-engine crews, two paramedic ground crews and a staffed ambulance crew. She’d been on a couple of runs during the day, routine hospital transports that were serious but not critical—one cardiac patient in need of bypass surgery and one expectant mother of twins in early labor.
She was just thinking about grabbing some sleep in case the night proved busy when her cell phone chimed and she recognized the number. T.J. on a Saturday night. She jumped out of her recliner and left the rec room to take the call so as not to bother the people watching TV. “Hello,” she said as she stepped into the next room, which was the kitchen. “How are you?”
“A little disappointed,” he said. “It’s been a week, Francine. I thought by now you’d have something to say to me.”
She shook her head. “Say to you? I’m completely confused. I’ve given you almost daily updates. Sean is trying to get to know Rosie. His mother is in town and met Rosie for the first time today. I heard from him fifteen minutes ago that Rosie had a fun day, seemed to get along fine with the new grandma, and—”
“What about him?” T.J. asked.
She laughed a little. “What about him?” she countered. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Think, Francine. Give the guy visiting privileges that don’t interfere with your personal and
professional life. Tell him you’re committed, that he can’t be hanging around.”
“I’ve pretty much done that,” she said. “He’s asked if he can pick Rosie up in the afternoon from day care, bring her home for me, have dinner with her. He’s doing all this because he’s on leave right now, but he’s not on leave forever, and it’s not only good for Rosie, it helps me out.”
“And I haven’t seen you at all,” T.J. said.
“I only see you about once a week, anyway, and that’s if you’re not in Cabo or Alaska or out on the research boat. We’re busy people with demanding work schedules and kids. In fact, I’ve never had so many calls from you during the week! Does this whole situation threaten you?”
“It concerns me,” he said. “I thought a week would be enough to get things lined up with this guy so we could have our lives back as they were.”
“Well, that makes you a lot more optimistic than I was,” she said. “Getting to know a small child you didn’t even realize you had takes time and patience, and I’m certainly not going to toss Rosie at him and expect him to sink or swim! She’s my baby, for God’s sake!”
“Are you purposely—?”
God bless that siren! It went off, followed by the official and somewhat mechanical voice giving the coordinates of a motor vehicle accident on Highway 5 with critical injuries, dispatching a helicopter, one paramedic ground unit and two ambulances—one of which came from a different service. Must be a bad one.
T.J. would have heard the blast. “Gotta run!” she said, signing off.
She ran for her helicopter with the rest of the crew and didn’t think about him again before morning.
Sunday morning in Virgin River found Ellie Baldwin, the Presbyterian church secretary, getting herself and her kids ready for the church service.
Ellie’s life had changed so much in just a few months that she barely recognized herself. To start with, she’d grown up poor. Not kind of poor, dirt poor. She’d lived with her grandmother in two rooms and they’d shared a pull-out sofa bed her entire life. They had managed on Social Security checks and food stamps. Then she had two children without the benefit of marriage or support of any kind. Her grandmother kept them while Ellie worked day and night to keep body and soul together. She took any kind of work. After her grandmother died Ellie even held a job as a stripper for a short time. It paid the bills and put food on the table.
