Steve and Chuck Changes and Life AdjustmentsChapter 6
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Steve
Mercy was shaking me, "Steve, Steve, wake up. Chuck may need you. I think Maria's in trouble."
I sat straight up trying to think why Maria would be in trouble. Oh yeah, she's about to hatch. "What kind of trouble, Mercy, what is it?"
Mercy just shook her head, "I don't know, but she just woke Chuck up. He may need us. Let's get over there to make sure they are alright."
I began putting some clothes on. Sue, Kathy, Mickey, and Juanita woke, seeing Mercy and me dressing, didn't ask any questions, but got out of bed and began dressing as well. Beth walked into the bedroom to ask what was happening and Sue told her, "I think Mercy felt something was wrong over at Chuck's. Watch the kids, okay?" We were on our way in the family Expedition in just a couple of minutes.
Chuck
Maria was lightly shaking me on the shoulder. When I looked up at her, I could see tears on her face and fear in her eyes. "What's the matter, Maria?"
"I hurt, Chuck, something is wrong with the baby. Please help me, I hurt real bad."
It was amazing the response her words had. Lisa was climbing over me, and Tina came around the bed to check on Maria. Julie and the Chinese sisters were sitting up, trying to get a grasp on what was happening.
Tina was pushing and rubbing Maria's belly and said, "Get dressed; we need to get to the hospital."
Lisa touched Julie on the arm, "Call the doctor and tell her we're on our way."
"Tell her I think it's a breach. It doesn't feel as if the baby has completely turned," Tina added.
We all dressed quickly and advised the three new moms in the other room of what was happening. I looked up and Etta was standing in the doorway, "I felt you were having a problem, Chuck. Can I help?"
I looked up at my aunt and smiled. That told me that we were growing closer as we were now feeling each other. "Stay with the others here. We'll call you to keep you posted."
Just as I was pulling our Expedition to the door to load Maria, Steve and family showed up. The women rushed past me into the house, and in seconds the women were carrying Maria out to the SUV. I quickly explained to Steve what I knew and told him where we were going.
"What can I do?" Steve asked, "Should I come with you?"
"Maria is probably going to need blood," Tina explained to Steve and her aunts, "so anyone who can give blood will be welcome at the hospital."
"I'll gather the troops and we'll have donors there within an hour," Steve promised.
I took off for the hospital and was almost instantly intercepted by two county Deputy Sheriff's cars. One stayed in front of us and the other behind with their lights blazing, and using their sirens every time they approached any kind of traffic. I needed to thank Mickey at the first opportunity.
Steve
As my ladies and I left Chuck's to go back to the patio, I could see and hear Mickey on her cell phone, requesting an escort for a medical emergency. That was quick thinking. It is nice to have someone like Mickey around for a lot of reasons. This was just one more of them.
The lights were on at the patio, and people were walking over to find out what the problem was. I didn't think we'd made that much noise, but we must have as one person from all of our closest families was showing up to find out what the problem was. As soon as the situation was explained, arrangements were being made to bring kids to our house to be watched by Beth, Missy, and Glenda.
A bunch of sleepy kids were walked to our place, where they vanished to bunk with one of their buddies. I doubt they will even remember in the morning how they got into the bed they were sleeping in.
Missy had made a pot of coffee that gave everyone a sip to wake up with. It took a minute to figure out how many vehicles to take, and which ones, but we got that done and loaded up.
At least a dozen of us took off for the hospital to make sure there was enough blood for Maria in case it was needed. We would give blood anyway as it never hurts to donate.
Chuck
As soon as we arrived at the hospital emergency door, emergency staff met us with a gurney. The doctor was already there and began the technical speak with Tina as they were both bent over checking the whimpering girl. In an instant, Maria was pushed into the hospital and that was all we saw of her, Tina, and the doc.
As I parked my SUV, three more came into the parking lot full of several of my extended family. They all parked their vehicles while the women flooded the emergency area waiting room. When the guys walked in, Mercy announced, "The nurse at the desk said for us to begin going into that room with the big Red Cross two at a time. She said they would welcome any blood donations we were willing to make."
"Come on," I said, grabbing Steve, "we'll go first."
Steve raised his open hand to stop me and insisted, "You should stay out here in case they want you with Maria." Turning, he waved at Charlie, "Come on, big guy, let's bleed together."
As Steve and Charlie went through the door marked with the Red Cross, a nurse came out and looked around, "Chuck Johnson?"
As I moved to her, she instructed, "Come with me. The doctors want you with the patient."
Before we entered the glassed-in room where I could see a bunch of masked people in surgical gowns, the nurse said, "Scrub, I'll get you a gown, head cover, and gloves. Do a good job and make sure your fingernails are clean."
By the time I was finished washing, the nurse was back and held up a gown for me to slip my arms into the holes. She put a paper cap on my head, a mask over my mouth, and helped me get into a pair of gloves. She looked me over, then knelt and put some paper booties over my shoes. When she stood, "They will tell you what to do. Go to the head of the table and stay out of the way."
She pushed the door open and I walked into the busy room. Tina was between Maria's legs, and it looked like she had both hands inside her. The doctor was over Maria, where it looked like she was pushing the baby around from the outside.
She told Tina, "It's not moving for me. It must be sideways and stuck. Hopefully the cord isn't around its neck." She turned to a nurse who was watching some monitors, "How's the fetal heartbeat?"
"Ragged, not very strong."
The doctor looked up at me. "Hold her hand and whisper something nice to her. Help keep her calm. That will help the baby." She spoke to Tina, "I'm going to take it. I don't think we can wait or we're going to lose both of them." The doc said to one of the nurses waiting for instructions, "Bring the C cart stat, let's get this kid."
I held Maria's hand and leaned down to her. She had her eyes squeezed shut and was groaning. I whispered, "They are going to take the baby, Maria. They are going to make you feel better real soon. Relax, Honey, they will take care of you."
In her pain, she looked up at me and gave a partial smile before closing her eyes and gritting her teeth again.
They used a cloth shield in front of the patient, so the mom can't see the mess the doctors were making. I listened to a lot of the same words they had used with Tiani, but this was more critical as the baby or Maria may not make it. I said a silent prayer knowing that good thoughts would help in this situation. Mercy, Missy, Lisa, and Aunt Etta flooded my head, telling me they were also thinking good thoughts. A trio of little voices said, »We hope Maria will be alright, Chuck. We will think good things too.« I suppose that answered any questions as to how tuned in the triplets and the twins were.
A male in surgical garb was holding a mask over Maria's face. Maria looked as if she was sleeping, and I'm sure this was being done so she wouldn't feel what was being done to her.
It took what seemed an interminable amount of time before I heard the doctor say, "Move the cord away gently as I can't tell how tight it's been."
Next was Tina calling the pediatrician, "Take the baby; get her going."
That scared me as it meant the baby wasn't breathing yet. The doctor looked up at me. "Maria's going to be okay, I had to open her up more than Tiani as the baby was in the birth canal sideways with the cord around her neck. Come on Tina, let's clean her up, and you can do the sewing this time."
"Oh sure, give me the one with a meter of incisions," Tina groused.
With a smile, the doc replied, "You need the practice."
Just then, there was some sputtering, spitting, and coughing where the pediatrician was working on the baby. Then the welcomed scream of a newborn that started as a whimper, growing into a loud cry. When I let my breath out, I realized I had been holding it in, near panicking, waiting for the baby to make a noise. I should have been becoming an old hand at this, but it was still scary, especially when there was trouble like this.
In a few minutes, Tina spoke without looking up, "All done, Chuck. Maria should be fine. The baby sounds fine too. Doctor Journey? How's the little girl?"
The man at the pediatrician station answered, "I think she's made it through this fine. She's not very big to have been stuck the way she was. That cord must have gotten out of position and in the way when she began turning. Thank goodness they had enough sense to get her in here right away."
Tina and the doc looked at each other and I could see their mouths curl up on each side as they finished cleaning Maria up.
The anesthesiologist was using another mask to blow oxygen into Maria's nose and mouth to wake her. When her eyes opened, I leaned down and pressed my lips behind the mask to her forehead and said, "You have a little girl, Maria, just what you wanted." She smiled a little, groaned, and closed her eyes again.
"We're going to take her into intensive care recovery for a while," Tina explained. "One of us will stay with her until we know she will be okay. Go count fingers and toes, then tell everyone what brand of baby Maria had."
The pediatrician had just finished cleaning the baby and held a diaper up to put on the tiny baby. He said, "She's a small one, only five pounds, six ounces. We'll put her in an incubator to watch her for a while, but she appears to be healthy. Little Latin babies are so cute. That's probably why I have a Cuban wife."
They wrapped up the baby and handed her to me. I held her just a second before the nurse took her from me and placed her into an incubator on wheels. The baby was wheeled from the room through one door and Maria was pushed from the room through another.
A nurse pulled her mask down and smiled at me. "I've been seeing a lot of you around here lately. Do you have any more?"
I really didn't know how to answer the question, considering the Chinese sisters were negotiating with the brothers. I sort of shrugged my shoulders and said, "Maybe."
Tina was still in the room with the doctor and spoke up, "You know the Chinese sisters, and of course, his Italian beauty, Gina."
The doc said as she and Tina were leaving, "And of course, your friend, Lisa, and you, Tina, are both possibilities. I'm going to have to come up with a volume discount."
That elicited a chuckle from the nurse as she had me turn around and untied the surgical gown. When I was stripped of the clean room garb, the nurse pushed me toward a door, saying, "Straight through those double doors to the waiting room. Go make your announcements."
When I walked out into the waiting room, a mass of people rose as one, looking at me questioningly. Mercy and Lisa were grinning, so I knew they had been, or even still could be, in my head. I must have had a relieved look as Steve gave me a hug and said, "Maria must be okay, you're smiling."
Sue asked, "Okay, tell us; tell us what she had?"
"Maria had a baby girl, only five pounds, six ounces, and they are going to put the baby in an incubator for a while. Tina said Maria should be fine and they have her in the intensive care recovery area."
Juanita handed me a cup of coffee and hugged me, "You have to take care of my little sister. At least, I feel like she is, most of the time."
Steve was guiding me away from the masses and whispered into my ear, "Julie called me to tell you your cell phone has been ringing every five minutes almost as soon as you left the house. Here, use mine, and call Julie to find out who is calling."
Julie answered the house phone on the first ring. I asked, "Can you get my phone so you can tell me what the number is that is calling?"
"Already have it in front of me," she replied, "but all it says is 'undisclosed', whatever that means. Do you know who is undisclosed?"
"It could be a couple of people," I told her, "I'll make some calls."
Lisa had noticed me on Steve's phone and walked over to me. I told her, "You call our desert contact and I'll call DC. Someone is trying to reach me. I'll use Sam's cell number."
A grumpy, sleepy voice said, "Nightfox."
With as much of a smile in my voice as I could get, I said, "This is Johnson, and I just wanted to tell you I'm the dad of another little girl."
"You called me at quarter to four in the morning to tell me another of your women had a kid? I'll get you for this one."
"Nightfox, I really called because someone is trying to get in touch with me from an undisclosed number. I thought it might be you."
"Not me, big guy, but congratulations on another baby. Now go away; I'm going to get some more sleep. Don't call me." He hung up on me.
Lisa handed me her phone and a voice, not our contact, said, "You are needed, but your contact can't call you for a few minutes. Call back in five to ten and he should be back."
I told the person on the other end, "No, you know the rules. Call me on my partner's number." I hung up.
After I hung up, I just stared at the phone. When I told Lisa what the guy had said, she looked at me quizzically, "That's strange, they are always supposed to initiate calls so a trace can't be put on us as quickly. I'm glad we're using my phone instead of Steve's, as I'm sure his isn't safe."
"How about we wait fifteen minutes and if no one calls back, I will call the check-in desk to see if they know what's going on." I thought for a second, "You know what, let's call the desk right now. This is really strange. You call as it's your phone, and they will receive your signal when you call. If I'm on the phone, the voice prints won't match."
Lisa called, and when she spoke, she gave the current password and waited before continuing. "Chuck has been getting calls from someone. When I called our contact, the person who answered didn't ask for the password, but asked Chuck to call him back in five to ten minutes as he said the contact would be there then. That's not how it's supposed to work, is it?"
She listened a second then said, "He's right here," and handed me the phone.
The voice asked me for my password, and I gave it to him before he said, "What number did you call?"
I told the check-in desk attendant, "I used the contact number I have in memory. Not my phone's memory, but mine. We were instructed to memorize three numbers, our contact, the desk, and cleanup. My cell phone is at home, and I'm told it is only displaying undisclosed. I called the Marshal Service and they didn't have a clue."
The man at the desk said, "I will call Lisa back as soon as I have confirmed a couple of things. Don't call your contact yet. If you can leave what you're doing, go get your cell phone, and be prepared to leave upon notice."
I told him I was at a hospital where a close friend has just had a difficult delivery of her first baby. He said, "Make excuses, make an apology, but go get ready. I'll call Lisa's phone back as soon as I have information."
I went to Steve, "Ah, I have to go somewhere and need to go get ready. Can you intercede with Maria? Tell her I was called out for an emergency."
Steve just nodded and asked, "I'll need to tell the girls something, what should I say?"
"The same thing, tell them I have an emergency. They should understand by now."
Gina and the Chinese sisters were there and I quietly told them I had to leave. They seemed to understand, and didn't frown or anything as Lisa and I left for the parking lot.
We were home in fifteen minutes where we both did our morning's get ready stuff. We pulled our cases to check our equipment and were interrupted by Frieda walking in. She looked at the deadly looking equipment displayed in the open cases and asked, "Are you two going somewhere?"
I could tell the sight of the equipment made her nervous, but she didn't say anything. I went to her and hugged her. "We may have to do something and were just getting prepared. We'll know in a few minutes."
Frieda hugged me and kissed my lips, "Be careful, Chuck." She turned to Lisa and hugged her too. "Take care of yourself, Lisa." She walked back to her bedroom area.
When Lisa and I walked into the kitchen, Julie and Aunt Etta were putting a good country breakfast on the table. Lisa and I dug in, not really talking much. Aunt Etta asked, "Does this sort of thing happen often?"
I smiled, "Not often. As a matter of fact, it's been a while since we've been called. I'm not sure what this is about yet, but we'll see."
My phone was sitting on the table and began ringing. It said, "Undisclosed," so I answered the phone. The voice on the other end said, "Password please." I looked at Lisa and mouthed, "Call the desk to have them trace this call."
I waited for a couple of seconds to give Lisa time to get through then gave the guy a password that had been used last year and waited. The guy said, "Now I can tell you where you need to go. We need you, by yourself, to report to an address in Atlanta. when you reach Atlanta call this number I will give you and we will give you the address."
I asked, "Should I bring extra arms?"
The voice answered, "Not necessary, this is more of an interview than a case."
"Where's my contact, why isn't he talking to me?"
"The man has a stomach virus and can't stay away from the toilet bowl. I have to be your contact now."
I told the voice, "Protocol says you have to give me the address now and I will meet you at a specified time. I can be anywhere in Atlanta in four hours. Now where?"
"Don't argue with me. I am your contact, and I make the rules. Do as I say and call me when you get to Atlanta. I will give you the address then."
I said with what I hoped was an obviously nervous voice, "This is not the way we were taught to always react to calls. I'm concerned you are not following protocol. How about getting the desk or the director to initiate a call to me?"
Lisa was holding up her thumb and middle finger in the okay sign. That must mean they had traced the call. I told the guy, "One more time, give me the address, or have someone I know call me."
The guy went off on me, "Dammit, I just gave you an order. I want you in Atlanta, calling this number for instructions in less than four hours. Now do it, or you will pay dearly for your insubordination."
I smiled, "Then it might be the time for me to tell you I resign. I will not break protocol any more than I already have, so let me give you my resignation. I will e-mail you a scanned copy of a signed letter by this afternoon. Now go away and leave me alone."
"Okay, okay, I'll give you the address, but this is a classified address and you will not disclose it to anyone, do you hear me?"
"I hear you. I have a pen and my pad, where is this secret place?"
"4615 Morgan, Downtown. Go to the blacked out door nearest the corner and rap three times. Before you get there, call this number to let us know you're about to arrive. Remember, come alone and don't disclose this address to anyone."
"Got it, I'll call you in about three hours."
The voice hung up and Lisa handed me her phone. The man at the desk said, "Perfect. I have the call recorded from the fake password on. You did good to get the address. We'll converge on the area before you get there. Call this number with Lisa's phone as soon as you land in Atlanta and watch for a tail. If you can land somewhere other than Hartsfield-Jackson International, do it so you can be a little more invisible."
I told him, "I'll call in a couple of hours. I wanted an extra hour to make any plans, so I gave that guy three hours."
The man said, "Now, do yourself a favor and call the director on his private number. Explain to him what's going on. He'll contact us here and dispatch as necessary. If he doesn't call me, I'll know something else is seriously wrong and will call Lisa. I seriously don't believe anyone could get to the director, but stranger things have happened."
Lisa and I acted casually and finished our breakfast and coffee. We said our goodbyes with hugs, picked up our cases, and went to my car. I called out to the airpark and asked if Wes might be there early. They said he was probably at breakfast, so I drove to the patio. Lisa and I went inside and quickly cornered Wes. "We need to make a flight today. How about I put some hours on your twin turbo for you?"
Wes said, "Oh man, I'm sorry. We've torn it down again to check on wear. You can use my old twin if you want."
I patted the man on his back and said, "No, that's okay, I have a couple of perfectly good aircraft to use, so no big deal. Just thought I could help out."
"Ask me later in the week, Chuck. It will be back together by Wednesday or Thursday," Wes replied, as we turned to leave.
On the way to the airpark, I called the charter desk and asked, "I know this is late to ask, but can I use something that isn't painted up with logos and cartoons?"
It was Betty who had answered and said, "Let me check. I think you're in luck. The little Citation is open today. We'll need it tomorrow. Why don't you use yours?"
I told her, "I couldn't keep the paint crazy kids away from mine and it's too distinctive sometimes."
"Gotcha, Boss. I'll have someone get the Citation out and prep it. See you when you get here."
Thanking her, I said, "We're on our way, thanks, Betty."
At the airpark we did our preflight, and once we were in the air enroute to Atlanta Lisa asked me, "How are we going to do this?"
"I don't know, Lisa. Do you recognize the address? Do you know the building and area?"
"It's downtown where there are a lot of abandoned office buildings," she answered. After thinking for a moment, she continued, "The forty six hundred block is at the end of that area bordering a big park. I thought those buildings still had offices in them, but it's been a while since I would have known. When we're close, I'll call to see if we can get some help with a map to make a plan. I'm not letting you walk into something completely blind. I know you think you can handle anything, but there's no sense in being stupid about it."
"Agreed, my lady. I don't like it, and I'm not walking into the spider web. The way the guy sounded, they were going to try to jump me as soon as I stepped through the door. That means I need to do something bizarre to keep them from doing that."
I was thinking about the situation, when I had an idea, "Take over here, I need to use the satellite phone."
It took me a minute to look up the number in my contacts, but I found it. When I called, a female voice answered and I asked, "Veronica Highsmith please, this is Chuck Johnson calling."
The voice said, "This is Veronica, Chuck. How nice to hear from you, but it is early, isn't it? What do you need, more space for the offices?"
"Veronica, I'm calling to find out if you own any property in Atlanta."
"I do, Chuck. I have several buildings there. Surprisingly, I'm still at better than seventy percent occupancy there."
"Veronica, do you recognize 4615 Morgan?"
She said in her most refined voice, "I sure do. I own that building, the building next to it, and the one across from it at 4616. The other side of the building you're asking about is a street before a large walking park. Do you want some office space there?"
"Tell you what, Ma'am, give me the name and number of your building manager there so I can look at the buildings. I'll have one of my men take a look at them."
"Sounds good, Chuck, do you have a pen?"
"Go ahead, Veronica."
She gave me the man's name and telephone number. I thanked her and told her I would be giving her a call. I used Lisa's phone to call the desk and explained the information I had. The guy couldn't believe I had someone to let us in all three buildings. He took down the information and reminded me to call the director and when I arrived in Atlanta to call the desk back.
I felt a little better when I relayed the information to Lisa.
The director answered on the first ring, so I know he didn't get a caller ID for a sat phone. I began telling the director the whole story, but he told me to stop.
He said, "Let's start over again," and challenged, "Pond."
"Dumbo can't fly," I responded instantly.
"That's better. At least I feel more comfortable."
He asked me to start over again before asking what I was going to do. I told him I was most worried about the condition of my contact, but I would think of something by the time I arrived in Atlanta. He said to me, "I'm going to call in everyone we have over there. I'll get a good man to lead and have him call Lisa's phone. Don't do anything to spook the people trying to get at you, and hopefully our men will be able to get at the people who are waiting to do whatever they are going to do with you. Oh yes, and don't forget the password protocol. It is important."
We touched down at least two hours ahead of schedule. I used one of the agency's general credit cards to rent a car so it wouldn't set off any alarms. Lisa called the desk and told them we were in Atlanta. The deskman said, "The director has mobilized everyone we have in the area. He's not going to use any of the other services as he doesn't know if there is someone watching there. We're already going through the buildings as if we were prospective tenants. I'm told we've planted listening devices at the location where you are supposed to enter. I haven't heard anything from them yet. I'm getting off the phone so our man can call you. Make sure he uses the passwords. If there is a new one, we will text it to Lisa."
Lisa and I drove to a Roy Rogers roast beef sandwich shop for a quick sandwich. While we were sitting there, my phone rang. When I saw it said undisclosed, I let it ring as I wanted the caller to think I was in an aircraft on the way to Atlanta.
Lisa's phone rang and she went through the passwords with the caller, and then handed the phone to me. He said, "Protocol." I challenged, "Pond." He responded, "Dumbo can't fly." Strange word groups today. He told me his name today was Ace. He also said I could have his real name later if it was important, but right now, only disabling the growing plot was important. I asked him, "Have you heard from my contact? I'm concerned."
He admitted, "Me too, he's mine as well. We both have a stake in this." After a pause he continued, "So far we've identified three different voices in the room where the door you have to enter is located. One of the guys listening thinks he recognizes one voice. He thinks it may be from a guy attached to the Bosnian consulate. The listener said the other two men had heavier accents and all three often slipped into Arabic. Who have you pissed off over there lately? Do you think someone is still carrying a grudge over the shit you were involved in last year?"
I explained, "The group who were probably the meanest and had the most firepower was the group that went both east and west out of the Detroit area. We put a big crimp in their plans in that region. The counterfeiting print shop they had was huge, and was probably already supplying cash to other insurgents. I'm sure there were some stragglers from that group that didn't get picked up. It's always possible someone could have figured out who was leading up there."
"Who knows," Ace acknowledged, "but if these guys are part of a local cell, I would really like to try to find them. How far are you willing to go to find this out?"
"If I don't go in, there is no way to find out where the contact is being held if he's still alive," I asserted. "I'll armor up and pack enough spare firepower to make sure I don't fall prey to some vultures. Tell me when you're ready, and I'll make the call to tell them I'm in town and will go to them."
"We're ready," he declared. "I have men in place on both sides, across the street, overhead, and we are watching the rear. If we hear they are going to get nasty, we'll rush the door. Remember to stay away from the door in case we have to blow it. You know the drill, one sharp rap on the window, and it's boom time two seconds later. Cover your eyes."
I told him, "I'm going to go get another car so I'll have it if I need this one for cover. I'm going out to Hartsfield-Jackson, and should be back downtown in an hour. I'm going to have Lisa tail me and be ready to help. She is wearing a navy blue pantsuit with a blue and red scarf today. She should be easy to recognize."
Steve I was laying on my back, with Gio on my left shoulder and Juanita on my right. I could see the clock on the other side of the room showing that it was right at six AM. We were up later than usual last night. Even after coming to bed, my ladies were more active than usual, but what is normal for these women? Poor Gio, I could tell she wanted to be loved, but all she received was a lot of kisses and hugs. Our baby is more important than sex. The other girls are being almost overly...
Steve I had just discussed the medical laboratory plant with Sue and we agreed that this was an important project. We both wanted to continue to assist Chuck in helping vets any way we could. It was past time to run into work, so I went to see how the company was functioning. A walkthrough of all the shops is always the best way to get a feel for what's going on. I saw Hank in the rear of the motor shop, painting one of Shawna's chopper creations. He was doing it from a chair with his...
Chuck Lisa and I were having fun doing what we liked to do when we were relaxing. We were both sitting on a little raised stage at the bottom of what was like a theater in the round. The platform had a baby grand with a bench and two chairs, with Lisa and me sitting on them. An interesting part of this is that there was absolutely no sound system. If you were looking for un-plugged, this was the ultimate. The acoustics in the theater had been designed so that what was played on the little...
Chuck Morning is always pleasant, but being between two women is even better. We had enjoyed a great evening at Merlin's and I know Mercy had enjoyed herself by working with her dad. Steve and Sue were going to have to convince Merlin to open another place like that in Tampa to get him closer to Missy and Mercy. Wanda, Lisa, and I were at the airport having breakfast by seven fifteen, in the air by seven forty-five, and parking at the private terminal in Reno at eight fifteen. While we...
Chuck A speaker in the room was broadcasting reveille. It had the desired effect, as I swung my foot and stump out of bed. Across from me, Lisa was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She looked up at me and said, "Old habits are hard to break, aren't they?" Wanda was trying to pull a pillow over her head, but Lisa gave her a shake and said, "You better get up, or you won't get a shower and breakfast." Lisa looked up at me, "Since you're fast, go do your thing, and I'll go next after I...
Chuck I was on my way to Cut Bank, Montana. Way up in northern Montana. My Aunt Etta-Mae had called saying she was in trouble. Lisa had just asked me to tell her what was really happening. The cabin satellite phone was ringing. Julie went to answer it and looked up at me. I told her I could transfer the call to my headset. "Johnson." "Is this Charles Johnson?" I told the voice, "It is. Most call me Chuck." "Chuck, you have an aunt named Etta-Mae Johnson, right?" Being wary I...
Chuck Waking up in a strange bed, or in this case, on a strange couch is disconcerting. I had to look around to find my leg before going to the bathroom. As I traversed to the toilet, I thought I smelled coffee brewing. When I left the bathroom, I went straight to the kitchen and found Julie and Missy sitting at the big kitchen table with fresh cups in front of them. In a chair across from them was a steaming cup of coffee. Julie smiled, pointed to it, and said, "Good morning,...
Chuck The last baby had been fed her middle of the night feeding, and I was really deep asleep. Lisa was shaking me. When I came out of my fog, I heard her say, "Your cell phone is ringing. Hope that isn't a problem." I got up from bed and hopped into my closet/dressing area to retrieve my phone from the tray I put pocket junk in. "Johnson," "You son of a gun, we did just like you've been doing and let it ride, all of it, we kept letting it ride. Brother Chuck, Tiny and I have hit...
Steve Amazing, one night the little ones don't wake you up, and the next they wake up a couple of times. It wasn't bad either time, as Mickey and Giovanna were quickly up to take care of them. I can't imagine what Chuck is doing with ten of them in his big suite. Chuck has made some very nice plans for us, considering I thought the resort was sold out to other customers. Chuck is sneaky that way. He'll have had this planned for months now, and was able to coordinate holding the Costa...
Steve As soon as I stepped out on the patio, Tiny came in the back door, waving some papers while grinning his conspiratorial grin. I asked, "What are up to, Tiny? What's got you wound up so early?" "I've just heard from another Saudi sheik who is buying a new 737. The man heard we were buyers and called our office. The night customer service people transferred the call to me and we will get the new or rather new/used bird today. The Sheik's agent said we would like the price. I...
Chuck There was a noise in the room. I couldn’t place it right away, but I finally realized it was my cell phone that was still in my pants pocket. I moved over Tiani and Lena and hopped to my pants. I pulled the phone from the pocket, flipped it open, and said, “Johnson.” The voice was very dry, very curt, “We have a job for you. You need to be in DC in four hours.” I said, “Who are you?” The voice once again with a very curt response, “We have a job for you. Get in your plane and get...
Steve On Monday and Tuesday, Sue and I went through our local plants, visiting with the managers and workers, assuring them of what a great job they were doing. A highlight of the visits was my time spent in the recently expanded R&D building. The new guy, Sandy Flowers, had become an integral part of the team there. After setting up software to track testing and modifications, Sandy had begun helping Gerry on one of her quests to create a special polymer composite that would resist...
Chuck When we woke up the next morning, I went up to the galley and made coffee. Up in the main salon, I opened the sliding door to a cacophony of birds in the nearby trees. I watched a turtle run down a log into the water, and even saw a set of eyes back in the mangroves looking for something to eat. Lisa brought me a mug of coffee and we sat out on the deck, looking around at the peaceful setting. A boat would come down or go up the river, but we were fairly obscured and someone would...
Steve I was awake around three in the morning, thinking about Chuck and Lisa. I watched them go through some really deep emotions yesterday. Every person who has gone through combat has experienced it. You hold it in and hold it in, experiencing the flashbacks and reliving the fear and adrenaline boost all over again, time and time again, whether in dreams at night or when something triggers it. Anyone who has every experienced it would have recognized that Chuck and Lisa were sitting on...
Steve It was already six thirty when I looked at the clock. Today was Saturday, but I could hear noises and people moving around in the kitchen. I did my bathroom stuff and walked out to find what looked like most of Chuck's household in the kitchen. Chuck and Lisa were peeling potatoes, some pregnant women were working with dough for some kind of treat, and Gina and Mesa were making some paper thin pancakes and wrapping them around cream cheese and fruit. I wanted to try one right then....
Chuck When I woke up between Nancy and Judy, I was surprised they were still sleeping next to me. The noise that woke me was building in volume. Two of the babies were awake and fussing because they wanted to be fed. As I was preparing to get up, both of the mothers got out of bed, changed the babies, looked around, and found me sitting on the edge of the bed. Nancy said, "We have to use the potty. Can you hold your daughters so we can go?" I just smiled and held the two tiny people in...
Chuck I awoke when the clock clicked over to five thirty. My internal clock was working as always. As I moved from between Lisa and Tina, Tina raised her head, "Do you have to get up so early? I don't have to go in until nine this morning." Lisa also woke up and told her, "The man is flying to his islands this morning with all of the investors and architects. I'm sure he's strung pretty tight this morning." Tina grinned at me and patted the bed, "Lie down here, Lover, and let me...
Chuck When I woke, it took me a second to get my bearings. We had been moving around so much lately it was difficult to remember where I was. The clock said it was only five fifteen, but I was wide awake and needed the bathroom. After the bathroom, I put my peg on and went into the kitchen to heat up some of yesterday's coffee in the microwave. With cup in hand, I walked out to the patio and it seemed as if the studio was calling me. I reached inside the patio door, took the studio keys,...
Chuck Oh my, I was really hurting this morning. I don't remember being hit that hard last night, but Jin must have gotten a couple blows through my defenses. I did use most of my body to counter his attack when I took Chin out of the spar. That's probably why I hurt. This isn't normal; this is the sign of old age or something. I was taught better than this and should be able to overcome simple bruises and minor sprains. As I moved from the bed, Lisa looked at me and smiled. I heard her...
Chuck The household went to the patio for breakfast. That morning, Lisa and I were taking off for the beginning of our tour of offices around the country. Our first stop was going to be in Seattle, an office that is both a regular U.S. Marshal's office, but also houses the Marshal for that area when he isn't in DC to fight for funding. After lots of hugs and kisses, and getting a big sack full of sandwiches from Julie, Lisa and I went home for our suitcases and weapons cases. We have...
Steve After thinking my aunt and cousin in Lakeland would enjoy watching Merlin at Sue's Blues, I went inside to get my cell phone to call the two. When my cousin answered, I happily greeted her, "Hey, Gail, how're you doing? This is Steve, your nearby cousin who never gets to see you." Gail was suspicious. "What did you call for? We don't talk but a couple of times a year. Do you need something?" I laughed. "Actually, I am calling to offer you something. A good friend of mine who...
Steve Breakfast had the usual menagerie of people. I did miss Tiny and Henry, along with Ruth and Nancy. There's something about having your family and close friends around in the morning to get your day started off good. When I spied Wanda and John, I went over to them, "Hey, Wanda, have you heard from Chuck?" Almost sadly, she said, "No, but I did hear that he had some kind of run in with some FBI guys but was instrumental in apprehending some homegrown U.S. terrorists and for...
Steve I went to check on Chuck and found him crashed back by the kids. Bonita had her head in his lap, snoozing too. Trixie and Dixie were sitting with him with their heads on his other thigh, so he was well taken care of for the time being. Back up front, Mercy and Lisa were trying to explain about the women at Chuck's condo and on the new boat down in Costa Rica. I had to ask, "Mercy, how do you know all this. Did Chuck tell you?" Lisa and Mercy looked at each other and said,...
Chuck As I came out of my fog this fine Monday morning, there was pressure on my hips and my ego was feeling pretty good. I lay there thinking Lisa, Julie, Taiying, Sing, or one of the boat or condo girls was getting some early morning pleasure from my now very firm, very excited pleasure injector. Lips touched mine, but I didn’t feel the hips shift forward for the horsey rider to be kissing me and I didn’t feel any breasts on my chest. As the kiss became more insistent I opened my eyes to...
Chuck Tuesday morning was the usual confusion, yet precision, of getting the little ones taken care of and ready to transport to the patio for breakfast. There, Lisa and I had coffee and spoke with everyone for a while. Steve and I gave Billy the go ahead on beginning our machine shop and school. Tiny said he would come up with an accountant to keep the new business on track. I thought my morning was going well until Mark came to me after breakfast and asked, "Can we get together for some...
Steve I was having coffee in my room at the resort. I had the patio doors open, looking out from the ninth floor toward the beautiful lagoon or small harbor in front of the hotel. It was still too early for beach people, but there were workers cleaning the beach. Two tractors were dragging the sand, smoothing it out to make it more appealing to the tourists. In the harbor and at the dock were several large yachts and sailboats. None, however, rivaled the Have Mercy, the Mercy Mercy, or...
Steve I had been told first by Mercy, then by Sue, that all of the women wanted to talk to me. That usually is almost instant death, or maybe it was going to be an execution, mine. At least they had waited for me to finish eating breakfast before the hanging. It was with great apprehension that I was following Sue, Kathy, and Mickey up the stairs, or more appropriately, the broad curved ladder that goes up to the salon. Mercy was at the helm, with Juanita sitting beside her . Juanita...
Steve I was up early, as usual, sitting in the parlor on one of the fixed stools at the bar in the suite. You know how it is; waiting for coffee to brew can seem like an eternity when you don't want to sit there and wait. There was no place else to go and nothing else to do. If I went out to the patio, I would just have to come back in. If I went back into the room, I would probably disturb someone. Wonder why I can never sleep late? Only on rare occasions can I sleep until seven or eight....
Chuck When Sue and Don relieved me at midnight, I went down to the office to check the rings I was going to hand out later that night. I separated eight of the rings, along with the special one I had made up for Lisa. The only difference between the special one and the others was that it had two brilliant blue diamonds on each side of the big diamond while the other rings had two bright red rubies on each side of a big diamond. The bands were wide, much wider than what a normal engagement or...
Chuck I woke up in a sweat. Remembering the night before didn't help with the PTS, with maybe a D on the end. That was close. I wonder why the bomb detonated, did it have a timer? Was there another person with a remote detonator? I doubt I'll ever know. I do know I was grateful to have carried Lisa out of the way. A heavy-breasted person was at my back and it wasn't Frieda as the belly wasn't bulging. That's when I remembered Gina. My, oh my, what do I do after hearing Giovanni's...
Steve Chuck had come out for breakfast this morning to talk to me about something. When we had our coffee and were sitting at the bar away from people, Chuck said, "There's a bunch of things coming together all at once. Magellan called to say the boat's ready to be picked up. I've transferred funds and paid them, so we can bring it up any time." He took a sip of coffee and said, "You want to go to Hawaii for a few days, which at a minimum is a day going and a day returning. I can get...
Chuck It seemed like just a few minutes ago I was totaled, dead tired, completely exhausted. So what the heck, what's the matter? I never have trouble sleeping. I can even sleep soundly on the hot sand snuggled up against a track, like an APC or an Abrams tank. The shade is always good unless it's too close to mid-day. What's in my head now that I'm having trouble sleeping? I looked at the clock to see it was only two o'clock, and I was wide awake, tired but definitely wide awake. Oh...
Steve We had eaten a great supper and were all relaxing on the patio when Wanda came to get me. She asked if we could go somewhere to talk. Not knowing what was up, I took her to Sue's offices in the other end of the trailer from the bedrooms. Wanda and I sat down and she said, "Steve, I don't know what to do. I talked to Chuck this morning and he's been shot. Lisa, Nightfox, and him, were all shot. He says they're not too serious, but I'm not sure about that. When I called our base...
Steve I had just kissed Sue goodbye when she left the airpark to go to work and Chuck was inside the hangar going over evidence. This was going to be a busy day. Turning back to the charter office, I found a new person at the desk. "Hi, Charlotte, I thought Star was working this morning." "No Sir, Star is right seat on the G5 out there leaving in a few minutes. If you need to talk to her, she's probably on the aircraft now." "That's okay, I'm sure she's fine. Do we have the other...
Steve, Sunday mornings are always fun around home. Chuck showed up with his crew, dressed to stimulate as much as my ladies did. As breakfast was eaten, Chuck said, "I want play with the new boat. What do you think, Steve, could we take it out for a while?" People heard Chuck's request and were speaking up, "Yeah, take us out on the new boat." "Let's see if Chuck can captain his new boat." "Come on Steve and Mercy; let's help Chuck check out his boat." Sue rolled her eyes and...
Steve Now that Chuck was back from hiding out in the Gulf, life around home seemed to be getting back to normal. He was busy with a bunch of federal people and his prisoners were all transported to DC where they would be held or given an option to be bailed out. I told Chuck that I didn't care what happened, as long as they left me and my company alone. Tiny told me that a major military supplier was negotiating to have us produce bodies for their equipment. That is what we wanted in the...
Steve Three weeks later Wes was sitting on an overturned bucket, staring at the right wing of the parts that Jeff's team had molded before he had been hired. He had been determined to have this bunch of parts flying within a week or two. No such luck. He kept finding flaws in how the pieces fit together. He kept checking the blueprints that were downloaded from the internet with the finished product, and found the pre-made parts to be exact to the print. The problem was they didn't fit,...
Chuck This party is an amazing testament to all of the girls' ability to organize, plan, and carry through to their objective. There were many people who showed up that I would not have expected. John, the Marshal, and their families came followed shortly by Dewey and his family. I was honored to have him here, as that man has some "cool." I had to ask John and the Marshal, "I thought you two were staying down in Costa Rica?" John answered, "I wanted to surprise you. You know we had...
Steve Last night had been strange. Chuck was in a fight, no that wasn't right. He really didn't have a fight. That monster guy attacked him, and Chuck just tossed him. He did whack the guy in the nose, but it could have been the heel of the hand into the nose, a killing blow. We all learned that one. That wrist thing Chuck did was so quick that it was just something that happened as the big guy went over the top of him. I was sitting drinking that first cup of coffee contemplating what...
As soon as we all made it back to Mac's after the kidnapping, Sue, Mercy, and Kathy cornered me. Sue said, "You shouldn't have been involved in that. You are the father to a bunch of kids with another on the way. What in the world were you thinking?" Before I could answer, Mercy said, "I know you felt you had to help Chuck, and we all love him, but you have to be careful, Steve. We need you, we don't need you hurt." Kathy actually defended me, "Steve is a man. He has to defend his...
Steve I woke up several times during the night, hearing things that were normal sounds. Sure wish Chuck had stayed, I would have felt a lot more secure. Funny how a guy like that can make you feel safe. He's just a guy, a one- legged guy with a crooked smile, who is as friendly as a kitten. He can be vicious when he's on the job though. Drinking coffee at 5:55 in the morning is a good way to enjoy the day. I called down to the gate guard to see how everything was going and he said that...
Steve (Tuesday) Mercy and I were in the restaurant early, having coffee, when a couple of salt and pepper guys came in. I stood and both came toward me with their hands stuck out to shake. They sat with us and were brought coffee. Bud Anderson, said, "I've been working on this case for a year and thought we had most of it put to bed. There must be more to it, as you've turned up a significant group here in Nevada." Jim said, "Chuck split me off as his backup a while back to work with...
Chuck Lisa and I landed in Key West for customs and immigration inspection on the way home. Julie asked about shopping the beach stores, but Lisa said we should pass on that and get home. Giovanni and Mesa didn't care one way or the other as they had never experienced the wild frenzy of Key West shops. Upon arriving in the airpark traffic pattern, I thought it was unusual for no one to be manning the radios. The ILS was up, but I was a little concerned that no one responded to my...
Chuck A few days later, we were passing Gibraltar. Everyone on board was out on deck to view the sight that was so familiar from the kids' geography books, the thick yellow National Geographic magazine pictorials, and advertising. The iconic view we all remember from the Prudential Insurance ads, though, is visible only from one angle, on the Mediterranean side of the Rock. Fortunately, our course kept that view in sight for quite a while. Gibraltar looks unrecognizably different from...
Steve As I passed through the galley, I was confronted by Glenda, still in her robe. I asked, "Are you going to stay in today?" Glenda said, "I think Martin and I have been overdoing it. The scooter thing we did yesterday helped, but we were both so tired last night that we thought we should stay home and rest a little. I can spend the day doing some dusting, and I need to wash some clothes for my man. The two of us could use the rest. I thought I might give home a call this afternoon to...
Chuck I woke being hugged between Julie and Brandy. The two were really hanging on, but I needed to offload pretty soon. Sliding from the grasp of the two women, I saw that Lisa was sleeping with her head on Gina's cushions. I was going to go back to bed after using the head, but saw it was five fifty already and we were going to shove off early this morning. Instead of going back to bed, I hopped back to the head, showered, shaved, and quickly dressed to go see if anyone else was up. The...
Chuck Life was settling down all around. I was just doing the usual office work with no flying everywhere on an almost daily basis for a change. John Scott seemed to have settled down in DC and was enjoying his job again. I had the flying lessons and was checked out in the new Citation X but had no reason to go anywhere. The charter company used it once for a quick trip to San Diego and back, but Lisa took that one. She said it was great to have an aircraft that could fly that far, that...
Steve Oh, what a night! My lovely ladies must have thought I needed the attention as they were absolutely on fire. I think they were trying to help me set a record as they all had some of my loving and started over again. The surprise among the players was a sneaky person, as all of a sudden, when Mercy fell to the side, two large bazooms were in my face and they did not belong to Sue. Sue's mother was sitting on my pride and joy, smiling down at me. She said, "Oh, Steve, this feels so...
Chuck How can that be? My cell phone is ringing. I don't remember leaving it on. Jesus, who could be calling at, I lifted my head to see it was six thirty? I was on the outside of the pile of female flesh, so I was able to get up and hop to the table where my pocket stuff and cell phone was. "Hello." A sort of familiar voice said, "Hey, Chuck, how're you and that sweet Lisa doing?" Trying to figure out who this was I said, "We're all fine, ah, who is this?" "Hey man, this is...
Chuck Sunday mornings are fun out at the park. The women wear near nothing, driving us men crazy. I anticipated a good time. When I woke and began my exercises, John joined me on a treadmill, followed by some weights. He said, "It sure would be nice to have you close by. We could workout together. It's a lot more fun to do this stuff when you have a buddy." About that time, Lisa, Brandy, and Tiani came in and began using the other treadmill and the stationary bikes. Little Tiani said,...
Chuck Sunday Waking up in a strange place is always weird, but this is too much. I'm hugging someone different, my hand is around a soft full breast, and if what I feel is real, I'm balls deep in a very juicy unfamiliar pussy that is sliding slowly back and forth. I can feel breath on my shoulder and hear Lisa breathing. She has a little catch to her breathing when she is sleeping and when she's excited. But her hand is holding and squeezing my balls so she is probably not...
Steve We picked up a nice wind the first day out. There was a low pressure area stalled to the northeast of us, providing us with an almost direct stiff wind from the south-southeast. If we can keep this up, we'll be home in four days easy. Chuck had the helm this morning and seemed to be contemplative about going home. I went up and handed him a fresh mug of coffee. "What's on your mind, Guy, anything to worry about?" Chuck smiled and said, "I love being out on the water, but I...
Steve It was after seven when I woke up to an empty bed. I was still sleepy, but got up to at least start the day with everyone. When I sat down and joined the regulars with a cup of coffee, Sue came over and kissed me good morning, "Morning, Sleepyhead. I know you didn't get back until after four, but it's unusual for you to sleep late." "If there was not so much to do today, I would just go back to sleep for a while," I said, looking around while hugging my wonderful wife. "I see...
Steve Perhaps things are getting back to normal, or for what may pass as normal lately, and that has been near chaos. Everyone at the shop that had some activity to report visited with me, until Ruth looked in on me and said, "Its lunch time, and Sue has called to make sure you come home. DeDe said you are scheduled for a flying lesson this afternoon too. What's that about? I thought you could fly already." "I can, Ruth, but I need to be checked out in the new aircraft, and I have to...
Steve I feel as if everything is going faster. Time was rushing by the closer it comes to the time for us to sail. When I woke up Monday morning, I felt a sense of urgency to get up, do something, prepare for something, to take care of last minute anything. Mercy hugged me and whispered, "Relax, everything is taken care of. You have wonderful people who will take care of everything while you're gone. They can call you anytime, and can even e-mail you with pictures or other information, if...
Steve I had slipped out of bed while the girls were all sleeping soundly. Sue raised her head, smiled at me, looked at the clock, and lay her head back down. While I was taking a quick shower, Kathy joined me and was very amorous this morning. It wasn't long before the shower degenerated into doing her while she leaned against the wall. When we both successfully and enjoyably completed our coupling, we clung to each other as the water rained on us. Kathy said, "This is nice. Sometimes I...
Steve Monday mornings are always fun. Everyone is getting started on a new week, with new energy, new ideas, and new motivation. My first task was to return a stack of non-urgent calls that had come in the previous Friday. The first was that the St. Louis cart plant was concerned their production was not keeping up with orders. The easy solution was to ship the extra production from Florida since the local plant was working at less than sixty percent capacity. I think the St. Louis plant...
Chuck For me to not sleep well means there is a crisis. I guess there were many crises going on. It was just after five, but I was wide awake, so I slipped from bed, used the bathroom, mounted my peg and went outside to relax by forming for a few minutes. I was concerned about getting the cash and gold down to Ben in Costa Rica. If I could get out of here with all of it, I could leave here and fly direct. I might have to pull some tricks in Costa Rica to get the stuff to a bank, but I...