Chapter 30: Patrick

The embassy driver dropped Henry off at Dulles International Airport where he boarded his 9:55 p.m. flight to Heathrow. He had opted for a later flight because it arrived at Heathrow at 10 a.m. the following morning instead of 7 o'clock, an ungodly hour for somebody to pick him up.

He was so tired that he fell asleep in his seat right after the lift off. He skipped dinner but awoke intermittently and drank some water to keep hydrated in the artificially dry air.

He finally woke with stiff joints when the customary hot towels were distributed. He made a quick beeline for the heads. After relieving his bladder, he made use of a courtesy toothbrush before he returned to his seat again, ready for the breakfast service.

His seat neighbour, a young woman and not entirely ugly, seemingly tried to make up for the missed chances at small talk while he tried to stomach the airline coffee. She was a TV producer of some sort as it turned out and in charge of a casting show. To say Henry was disinterested was putting it mildly. An intensely private person, Henry could not fathom what possessed people to make arses out of themselves before millions of TV viewers. He told her so, but she was unfazed.

"It's the business I'm in. Casting shows are the current rage. Personally, I think that most of our contestants need professional help." She shrugged and her ample bosom did enticing things in response. "They pay me well to produce this stuff and there are fun moments in it too. And you? Are you a general or something?"

"Or something," he answered curtly, firmly discouraging further questions.

Half an hour later, the plane began its descent towards Heathrow. They touched down five minutes ahead of time. That was a new one Henry thought to himself.

Getting through immigration was a breeze. Retrieving his suitcase was another matter. It was one of the last to appear on the carousel. Sighing inwardly, he picked it up and went through the 'Nothing to Declare' exit. Josie and Pat were waiting for him outside customs with big smiles on their faces. He heaved a sigh of relief. Nothing was wrong with Ellen.

Josie flew into his arms as soon as he cleared the barrier. They kissed for a minute or two whilst Pat was watching them with an embarrassed look on her face. Finally Henry let go of Josie and hugged Pat.

"Hello, Pat!"

His kiss was a fatherly one on her left cheek and Pat pouted. They led him outside and to the short-term lot where Josie's Audi was parked. Pat was driving (she'd had her driving licence for two months), and Henry sat in the rear with Josie. Pat was a careful driver and very conscious of her responsibility. Henry thought he could have made it back home a half hour faster, but they arrived safely and that was okay.

They had a surprise for Henry when he entered the house. Josie led him to the garden room where they usually had breakfast. The whole family was waiting, except for Chris who had gone to work already and Ellen who was supposed to stay in bed.

The he saw a recent addition to his household. Firouze Azad was sitting at the table with her eyes on the table cloth and her skinny hands torturing a napkin. She looked up, but before she could say a word Josie explained.

"Evelyn allowed it, Henry. I suggested it, but he was okay with it. She needs to be with people and she needs to eat. Please, Darling, don't be mad!"

Henry needed a few moments to digest the situation. His first reaction was concern. He could not trust Firouze completely. Yet here she was in his house, with his wife and his daughters. Reason asserted itself when he realised that in her emaciated state, Firouze was no threat even if she tried. He nodded slowly.

"Wherever did you find room for her?" he asked.

"In the unused apartment upstairs," Josie smiled. "She shares it with Sandy."

Henry decided that he might as well accept the situation. He stepped up to Firouze.

"Hello, Firouze. Welcome to my home," he offered.

She looked up at him, but then her eyes flicked towards Josie and Henry saw a look full of gratitude, even adoration.

"Thank you for letting me stay here, Henry," she answered. "I will not intrude on you for long. Colonel Burns told me that the Americans will interrogate me. Then I can go to Canada to live with my sister and her husband."

"I know, Firouze. I will be with you during those debriefings. The Americans just want to hear everything about Hamid Ouarid. You can complete your revenge on that man."

Firouze nodded. "I want him destroyed," she said calmly.

Josie steered Henry to an empty chair.

"Now stop talking about these things, Darling. Let's have breakfast. Then you can shower and go and cuddle with Ellen. I promised her to send you up."

There were other pressing issues to handle first, such as hugging his other daughters. Megan and Tammy made him feel welcome, but then he had to sit and eat. The coffee infused some life into him and gave him a more positive perspective. He became aware of what Firouze had said. She would be given her freedom and not passed on to other interrogators. In that sense, his mission to Washington had been a success already.

"So, wife of mine, any more surprises?" he asked with a smile.

"I gained another four pounds!" she said as if blaming him for it. "Let's hope I'll look human again soon."

Henry took hold of her hand and made her look at him.

"Josie, you have never been more beautiful or more endearing."

Their emotions were plain to see for everybody. While Pat, Megan and Tammy took it in stride, Firouze stared at them with her mouth agape. Then she slowly nodded as if understanding something that had eluded her so far.

When they finished breakfast, Josie led Henry upstairs and into their bedroom where a beaming Ellen held out her arms in greeting. Nothing could top his feelings for Josie, but holding Ellen in his arms was a solid second he decided.

"Can you stay with me for a while?" Ellen asked.

"Give me five to take a shower," Henry smiled at her and ripped open his shirt on the way to the bathroom. Five minutes later saw Henry in the centre of the bed, with Ellen on his right side and Josie to his left. Both of them were snuggling close to him.

"I'm a lucky bastard," he proclaimed causing happy smiles on both women's faces.

Moments later, he was asleep.

The rest of November went by quickly. The Americans sent three interrogators to London. The interviews were conducted under Henry's supervision in the Admiralty Building. There are ways to enter and leave that building which are among the best kept secrets of British Intelligence. Firouze was staying in a safe house in London during the debriefings. She returned to Oxford Manor a few days after three very satisfied Americans boarded a plane to Dulles.

Henry learned from Evelyn Burns that efforts were underway to obtain a visa for Firouze from the Canadians who would have full access to her debriefing protocols in return.

His own temporary reactivation would end on Dec 31st, but there was nothing for him to do anymore. He spent the time in his house and with his family. Mostly in his bedroom, that is. With Ellen confined to the bed, Henry and Josie spent a lot of time with her keeping her company and planning for their future.

Ellen insisted on keeping her own household. Josie argued with her, but in everyday life Ellen could be obstinate. Henry concurred with Ellen. Things would be easier for everybody if they did not live in an all-out menage à trois.

After a few days the presence of Firouze ceased to make Henry nervous, but something else did. He had the impression that Josie promoted close contact between him and Firouze. It was subtle, but Henry had learned to read Josie's behaviour and now he had the distinct impression that something was up.

It was a quiet evening at the end of November. Josie and Henry were the last in the sitting room. The fire in the oven was dying down and the red glow cast a warm hue over the room. Josie sat snuggled against Henry's chest with her feet on the armrest of the sofa, and Henry found this a good opportunity to speak about his misgivings.

"Josie, why do you keep pushing Firouze onto me?"

"Don't you like her, Darling?" she answered innocently.

"As a matter of fact, I do. But this is not about liking her. You're acting as if you want me to start something with her."

Josie was silent.

"Josie, what is this about?"

"I thought, well, you know, I was thinking that maybe you'd want to, you know, start something with her." It was rare that Josie stuttered.

"Jesus Christ! Josie, you know I would never cheat on you. What gave you this idea?"

His outburst startled her. "Henry, I know that. I trust you. But if I know about you and Firouze, it won't be cheating."

"Are you suggesting that I sleep with her? With your approval? Josie, I'm not a toy that you can lend to your girlfriends."

"No! It's not that."

"What else? Josie, I know Firouze is lonesome, but she has to find another man than me."

"No, Henry, you don't understand. It's, you know, I'm far along now and I can't, damn, I must stop having sex with you. Ellen is out of the game too. Somebody has to take care of your needs."

Henry was fairly floored. This was something that had not come to his mind at all.

"You want her ... to fill in for you?" he asked incredulously.

"I could trust her. I wouldn't be afraid of her trying to take you away from me," Josie said in a low voice.

"How could any woman take me away from you? You are carrying our child, Josie. We couldn't be closer than we are right now, could we?"

"But when you'll get horny, where will you go? I don't want you to go and find other women, like ... Max did." The last words were almost a whisper.

"Wait a second. You mean to say that you are afraid that I will go and see other women because you are 'out of the game'. Is that it? Is that what Maxwell did?"

"He said I was fat and ugly and he needed to be with women who didn't look like cows."

"So your precious first husband whored around while you were expecting the twins, and now you're afraid I might do the same? Jesus H. Christ, Josie! How long will it take for you to realise that Maxwell was a no-good, low-life son of a bitch and that whatever he did has no bearing on the way real men behave? You are my wife. I have sworn to forsake all others, haven't I? You already made me break that vow with Ellen. But I draw the line now. It's you and me, Josie. Ellen is a friend, a close friend, but she is not my second wife. I don't have a second wife and I don't want one. I want you. Period. And if we have to stop having sex because you are getting close to the birth of our child, I will still love you. Not in spite of you being pregnant, but because of it. Do you understand?"

Josie sobbed silently. "I'm a mess, aren't I. I'm sorry, Henry, I'm sorry. I just want the best for you."

He pulled her face up and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Josie, listen! You. Are. The best. For me! Understand? You are the best for me! It's you that I want. I don't want any other women to get my rocks off. Just you, me and our children. That's all I want. And yes, I want to take care of Ellen and our child. But that's it. Nobody else."

Josie nodded meekly. "Are you angry with me?"

Henry stopped himself before he could answer in the affirmative. He had just understood something that had eluded him so far.