Chapter 3

The next morning, Friday, I was up at 0530 hrs as usual. Having missed two days of PT, first from the rain and then Julie, I was ready for a good workout. I went down to the weight room and got started. About 0630, I gave it up and headed upstairs for a quick shower. Julie was sitting in the bed — crying.

"Where were you?" she moaned. "I woke up, you were gone, and I couldn't find you. I thought you had left me, like my real daddy did," and she hiccuped.

"Sweetie, Sweetie, I was just down in the weight room doing a little PT. I hadn't done any yesterday and was really ready for a good workout. I guess I should have told you. You've never really seen all of the house, have you? I need to give you the guided tour, but later. Right now, I need to shower and you need to get ready for school, young lady. Now, dry those pretty green eyes and give me a hug and a kiss."

Her face lite up, but as I got closer, it turned to a frown.

"A kiss maybe, but no hug. You're all wet and smelly."

"Oh, it's the sweat. OK, just a kiss for now and a hug after the shower."

After a quick shower and shave, I got dressed and went down to make breakfast. Julie came down a while later. She had on one of her new maternity dresses. The one with a little sign on it that said "Baby On Board". She looked so cute. I noticed she was also still wearing the perfume that I had given her last night. She heard me sniffing.

"Yes, I like it," she said. "It seems to fit me just fine." And as if an afterthought, "Oh, and I need to put this in the fridge too." Referring to the container of breast milk that she was carrying.

"Lord, girl, what are we going to do with all of it, if you keep producing like this?"

"Well, you could drink it or put it on your cereal. You seemed to definitely like it the other night," she said with a giggle.

"Maybe we should ask the doctor this afternoon. She might have an idea of someone who could use it," I replied. "Don't forget, I'll pick you up after school for your OB/GYN appointment." A frown crossed her face.

"Anything the matter?" I asked.

"No, I'm not real fond of doctors," she replied.

"I wasn't either," I answered, "until after that last fracas I was in. Then I got to know them only too well."

"Yes," she murmured, shyly, "I've seen the scars and the discoloration on various areas of your body. Will you tell me about it sometime, when you're ready?" she asked, softly.

"Yes, Sweetie. Sometime, when you are over the problems that you have now," I told her, then changed the subject.

"We need to eat. Breakfast is ready. What time do you have to be at school?" I asked.

"We need to be there by 8:15."

"OK, shouldn't be a problem. Is there a place to park?"

"Yes, there are visitor's parking places in the front."

We were ready to go by 0740 hrs, and it's normally a 15 minute drive, but not in the morning. It took longer. We got to the school at 0810 hrs. Luckily there was still a visitor's parking slot available. I pulled into it and got out. I went around the car, opened Julie's door, and helped her out. She could get down without her step, but couldn't get in without it. There were quite a few students milling around the outside of the school, I noticed.

"Where do we need to go," I asked.

"This way," and she led me to the front door, and started down the hall. The local security cop stopped me just inside the door.

"Do you have business here? No adults are allowed in the school," he said in his most officious voice.

"I'm this young lady's guardian and I brought her in to explain why she missed school the last few days," I answered. It was only a small lie, but was probably sufficient to get him off my back before I decided to deck him.

"You'll have to report to the office for that," he said. "It's just down the hall." I looked down the hall.

"Yes," I said, "just about where Julie is standing."

"Ah, yes," he answered. It was obvious that this boy was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and would never have made it in one of my companies.

We entered the office and were intercepted by the secretary/receptionist.

"Can I help you?" she asked, in a bored voice.

"Yes, I'm returning Julie to school after an absence, and would like to speak to her counselor."

"What's her complete name?" she asked in a whiny voice.

"Julie Adams," I replied.

"Just a minute. I'll have to pull her up on the computer." Pause. "Yes, Ms. Cranfield is her counselor. Just a minute, I'll buzz her." Shortly a young woman of about 30 came out of one of the offices. "Ms. Cranfield, Julie Adams is returning to school after an absence, and her father... ,"

"Guardian," I corrected.

"Guardian," she continued, giving me a dirty look, "wants to speak with you."

"Hello, Julie. Go right into the office, and have a seat, OK. And you are?" she asked.

"I'm Jim Thompson and I need to talk with you about Julie."

"I see. Come into the office, where we can have some privacy," she said. We retired to the office, and everyone got seated.

"Just what relation to Julie are you, Mr. Thompson? You're not her father. She told me that he left several years ago."

"Julie is staying at my house for now," I told her, and then related the whole story, leaving out the rape by her brother part for now and the sex and sleeping together, also.

"I see," she replied, "and you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart?" She gave me a questioning look.

"Ma'am, I was a soldier for 25 years: Airborne, Ranger, and Spec Warfare. I'm retired now, but some lessons you learn early and never forget. Taking care of your own is one of them. Julie was my neighbor, and a really nice person, also. I've talked with her quite a number of times on my daily walks, and really feel that I have gotten to know her. Plus you don't leave a pregnant 16 year old out in the rain on a freezing cold night, especially when all she has on is a very wet nightie."

My voice had been rising through the last part. Ms Cranfield got a startled look on her face.

"Sorry," I continued in a more subdued voice, "but I get passionate about some things, and tend to shout, but you really don't want to be around me when I speak in a very low voice."

"NO BODY LEFT BEHIND," I whispered, "NO BODY... EVER."

"So, here is what I think I need," I continued after a short pause and in a more normal voice, "I need to be put on as her point of contact for any problems. Her mother won't even talk to her, you know. Also she needs to get the bus at my house and to return there on the bus after school."

"That is a bit irregular," she said. "You're not her parent or legal guardian."

"I'm planning on taking care of that," I interrupted, "the guardian part that is."

"Really, Uncle Jim," Julie burst in.

"Really, Sweetie," I told her as her face lit up and I clasped her hand.

"Are you really her uncle?" Ms. Cranfield asked, puzzled. "That would make quite a difference, you know."

"No, Uncle Jim is just my Internet handle. Everyone calls me that since I retired. It used to be Top, and still is to a lot of old friends. I have an appointment with my lawyer today to see about the guardian thing though." Another small lie — I still needed to make the appointment, but I said that for the best of reasons.

"All right, I'll add you to the notification list for now, as you seem to be the only one taking care of Julie," she said. "The bus part won't be effective till Monday at the earliest though, as we'll need to notify the driver. You're just down the road from her mothers house. Is that correct?"

"Yes, just about a half mile," I answered "and Monday will be fine, as I have to take Julie to an OB/GYN appointment this afternoon."

"Was this a previously set up appointment?" she wanted to know.

"No, my friend George arranged it yesterday with an OB/GYN that he knows."

"That's really quick," she said, "usually it takes a week to 10 days to get an appointment. Your friend must be quite influential."

"George is a pharmacist and a retired Navy Chief. He knows the doctor — pretty well I gather - as he said that she was doing it as a personal favor."

"My, my," she replied. "Julie, I'll see that your records are brought up to date, and here is a hall pass and admittance slips to get you back into class. I'm very sorry to hear about your problems, and I hope this new arrangement will work out for you. Now go along, I don't want you to miss your homeroom or first class."

"Thank you, Ms. Cranfield," Julie said and left.

"Mr Thompson, I need to talk to you a little more." She waited till the door closed and Julie was out of range of our voices.

"Are you the father of Julie's baby?" she demanded, in a rather harsh voice.

"No, Ms. Cranfield. I'm not the father of her baby. In fact, she had never even been to my house before the other night, and I had never even touched her. Well other than shaking hands when we first met, till I had to dry her off the other night. And before you ask, I don't know who the father is — yet, (another small lie) but I'll find out eventually. But Julie trusts me, probably more than anyone else, and if she asks me not to divulge his name, I won't."

"I see," she said. "This loyalty thing goes pretty deep in you, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, real deep. Sometimes it's the only thing you have left when the chips are down, and it has really dropped in the pot."

"You're a very serious man, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I have too many dead friends not to be."

"I hope things work out for you and Julie, and thanks for bringing her back to school. She really is a bright girl and deserves the best." With that the interview was over, and I left.

After leaving the school, I headed back to the house. I picked up my cellphone and called my lawyer, Charles Westford, III. I got his secretary or receptionist.

"Can I speak to Mr Westford please?"

"Which Mr Westford?" was the reply.

"The Third," I replied.

"And whom may I say is calling?"

"This is Jim Thompson."

"Just one minute, sir."

"This is Charles," came a voice over the phone a bit later.

"Charley, this is Jim Thompson. I need to see you about a little matter."

"Jim, this isn't going to be as serious as the last time, is it?" Charlie asked in a joking manner.

"Charlie, it may be even more serious," I answered in my most serious tone.

"Jesus, boy, trouble really knows your name. Can you come by around noon?"

"Sure Charlie, that will give me time to get some things together."

"I'll see you then," he said and broke the connection.

On the way home, I stopped off and got some photo paper and ink for my ink jet printer. I went home and printed out all of the pictures of Julie's room, and then wrote a statement of what had happened up to this point to give Charlie and printed it out also.

By 1150 hrs, I was at his law firm's office building and went on in. I was greeted by their receptionist. The firm had several lawyers in addition to Charlie. I gave her my name. She told me to have a seat, that Mr Westford would be with me shortly.

A couple of minutes later, Charlie came out, and shook my hand. He looked pretty much like the last time I had seen him — 5'10" tall, about 160 lbs, brown/blond hair, only now in a business suite instead of a uniform. Charlie had been my lawyer at my Court Martial.