Chapter 6

Monday, Week Three

I was up early again on Monday. It would be a busy day. I was at the unit by 0515 hrs. I left to pick up Amber for school at the usual time, and was back by 0830 hrs, and worked in my office until I went to Post Housing at 0930 hrs The civilian there had all of my paperwork ready to be signed. He gave me a rather strange look when he handed me the keys to the house. I thanked him and left.

When I got to the house, Billy Ray's trucks were parked there, and his men were sitting on the lawn waiting. They didn't look like much, but were fantastic at painting and remodeling. Billy Ray didn't recognize me when I got out of the car.

"Billy Ray," I said, "thanks for coming."

"Jesus, Jim. You sure look different in that uniform," he said, as we shook hands.

"Still the same old me," I assured him. I opened the house. I hadn't been in there before. It looked pretty clean and empty.

"I want the same paint and decoration scheme as my other house. This is just smaller. You may need to make some changes," I said.

"It won't be a problem. I picked up all the paint and trim this morning. We should be done by tomorrow evening, unless this place has a lot of problems. It doesn't look like it though," he assured me.

"I will leave it in your capable hands, Billy Ray. Here is a key. Lock it up tonight. I'll be by later when I bring the Colonel's daughter home. I'll see you then." I returned to work.

I picked up Amber at the usual time, and drove her home. We didn't go in the new house, as Billy Ray's men were very busy. I told her I would be back after dinner, and we would look at it. I returned to Headquarters. Later, I went to dinner at the Club and talked to several other NCOs while I ate.

I arrived back at the Fisher house about 1945 hrs. The lights were out in my house, except for one in the back. When I knocked on the Colonel's door, Amber answered it.

"Hi," I said as I kissed her.

"Can we go next door?" she asked. She was practically jumping up and down with anticipation.

"Sure, let me find the right key." It was all of thirty feet or so to the other front door. We went across the grass. I opened the front door. The first thing, that we noticed, was the smell of fresh paint. Billy Ray had made a lot of progress. Most of the downstairs was done, and they had started on the upstairs. We looked around up there. I pointed out where her bedroom was to Amber, and where Noy's room was. She was anxious to meet her. We clung to each other for a while up there. No one came by to interrupt us.

"I will be so happy when we can be alone, Jim," Amber said and sighed.

"Yes, but remember that legally you are Colonel Fisher's ward and are only staying here because he allows it. Don't antagonize either him or his wife."

"I wouldn't do that. I'll just be glad when we can be alone, without other people watching us. I have noticed that everywhere we go, people watch us," she said.

"It's something you have to expect, Sweetie. They just see an old fart with a young girl and assume the worst. For all I know, maybe they're right."

"You aren't the worst, Jim. You're the best. Those bastards in the heating plant were the worst," she said as she began to cry again. I held her close and kissed her tears away. We held each other for a long time. We were finally interrupted by Joe Fisher coming to the front door and calling for her.

"Amber, are you in there?"

"Yes, Dad. We're upstairs. We'll be down in a second," she replied. We untangled and went down stairs.

"What do you think?" I asked him.

"I'll reserve judgment till I can see it in the light with furniture. The paint stinks."

"It always does, Dad," Amber said with a little giggle. We returned to the Fisher house. It was nearly 2100hrs. I didn't go inside.

"I guess I will be running along now. I will pick you up for school at the regular time," I told Amber, and then, "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Sergeant Major."

Tuesday, Week Three

I was up early again Tuesday morning. Billy Ray and his people were already at work when I pulled up to get Amber for school. I waved to him as she was getting in the car. I delivered her to school and returned to work. The Colonel was over at Post Headquarters. The General had the papers making him Amber's legal guardian, and both Colonels were there to sign them. My in basket was full when I got back. I dove in to it to try to catch up.

I picked up Amber as usual after school and drove back to the house to drop her off. Billy Ray and his people were doing their final cleanup. I went over to talk to him.

"We're just about done, Jim," he said. "I'll leave the fans run all night. That should get most of the smell out of the house. Two of my men will come by in the morning to pick them up." We shook hands. I gave him the check to pay for the work. I had included a bonus to the agreed upon price. When he saw it, he raised his eyebrows and looked sideways at me.

"Its a bonus for an emergency job," I said, and then handed him a second check.

"Use this to throw your men a party. I really appreciate their hard work," I told him.

"They always enjoy working for you, Jim," Billy Ray said. "They know that you appreciate them." We shook hands again. I went back to work to finish the day.

I finally got back to the house at 2045. Staying late at work and having a hurried dinner had left no time for changing clothes. Amber was eager to see the finished work in the house, so we went in. The fans made a racket but seemed to be doing a good job of removing the smell.

We went upstairs to see how it looked. As we moved on to the second floor, Amber flowed into my arms. We kissed for a long time. We finally came up for air.

"Hold me, Jim," she begged, "hold me tight. I need to feel you close to me. I know that soon we will be able to be together here, but I need you soo desperately. Hold me tight for now, so I can make it till then." I held her to me. Her head was on my chest, and her breathing had become ragged. After many long minutes, it smoothed out.

"Thank you, Jim," she told me, "I really needed that. I feel better now." We held each other a while longer, before deciding that we needed to get back to the Fisher house. The Colonel was there, when we came into the living room.

"How does it look?" he asked.

"It looks fine," Amber said. "I can't wait to see it with furniture."

"They are scheduled to deliver the furniture tomorrow. Which reminds me, sir, I probably should be here when they deliver the furniture," I said.

"Sure, Sergeant Major. Take tomorrow off and get settled. I'll take Amber to school tomorrow. I need to get her address and notification numbers changed, now that I am her legal guardian. You can pick her up after school though."

"Dad, I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow at 1530 hrs. Jim will need to take me to that as well."

"Is it for anything serious?" he asked.

"No. Doctor Mary wants to check on me every week through October. She is worried that I'll have another relapse."

"Yes, sir," I said when they were through. "Appreciate that. I'll take care of picking her up and getting her to her appointment." I gave Amber a small kiss and headed back to the SBEQ for the, hopefully, last night. I packed all my things before retiring.

Wednesday, Week Three

Wednesday dawned clear and sunny. I got to the house at 0745 hrs. Billy Ray's people were removing the fans. I talked to them for a few minutes, got the key to the house back, and then they were gone. They had another job to go to.

The moving van arrived at 0900. Noy was a few minutes behind them. She was upset.

"They no want let me in," she said in her perturbed little voice.

"I never thought of that, Noy. I will have to get you an ID card of some kind and get your car registered on Post." I put in a call to the Post Sergeant Major. The moving people had already started to unload. Noy was giving them directions in her own inimitable way. Things were getting done and by 1415 they were finished. I took Noy aside and told her what I needed to do.

"Noy, I have to pick up Amber at school and take her to an appointment. I won't be back till around 1730 hrs (5:30 PM). Since there isn't any food, unless you brought some, we'll all go out to dinner tonight."

"Yes, Jim. I finish everything in house. There much to do. I bring some food, but go out better for today," Noy assured me.

I picked Amber up at school and delivered her to her appointment. Then I went in search of the audiologist to get an appointment to have my hearing checked. It was shot, and I knew it. It was best to get it on my medical records though. I paid enough in taxes for them to be able to issue me hearing aids.

Interview at the Psychologist's Office

"Amber, I would like to ask you about what happened between you and Jim on Friday night," Doctor Mary began.

"Do you mean when we had sex?" Amber asked in a very quiet whisper.

"No, Dear. I fully expected you to have sex. That is not the part that interests me just now. We can talk about it later, if you like. No, I mean before that, when Jim was talking to the Fishers about his wife's death," she replied. Amber brightened up some at this. She didn't want to talk to Doctor Mary about having sex with Jim, not yet anyway.

"What do you want to know, ma'am?" Amber asked.

"Can you tell me what happened, and how you felt during that episode?" Mary asked.

"I was upstairs with Kathy. We were just fooling around. All of a sudden, I knew something was wrong. Something had happened to Jim. I didn't know what it was, but I could feel that he was different in my mind. You know, the place where you keep the people that are important to you. That you love. It was different, and that scared me."

"Just a minute, Dear," Mary interrupted, "you can feel them in your mind?"

"Yes, but just the people that are special to me." And then it dawned on her. "Everyone can do that," she said, hesitantly. "Can't they?" she asked as a sick feeling started in her stomach.

"No, Dear," Doctor Mary said, very gently, "no one that I know can do that. Have you been able to do that for very long?"

"I have always been able to do it. It's how I knew that my parents hated me and wanted to be rid of me," she said in a shaky voice, as the tears started.

"Please, Dear. Try not to cry. Just continue with your story for now. We can talk about your parents later," Mary told her.

"I knew something was wrong. I rushed down stairs to see what had happened. I don't remember what I said. I know I was screaming. I could see Jim in the living room, and the emotions hit me like a brick wall. I fell to the floor. I couldn't get up. I crawled over to him. He was soo sad. I couldn't stand it. I grabbed him some how, and we cried together for a time. I don't know how long."

Tears had been running down her cheeks the whole time, but she managed to continue.

"When I could talk again, I told him not to worry that I would not leave him like his wife had. Oh God, I could feel the hole it left in him. I knew that I could fill that place, if only he would let me. And I knew that he could fill the emptiness that was in me as well. We both need someone. We cried some more. Eventually, he took me on his lap and held me.

"That was when I knew he would let me fill the emptiness. Jim said things to the Fishers, but I wasn't listening. He was holding me. That was all that was important, all that mattered. I asked if he was all right, but I knew the answer already. I could feel that he was all right in my mind. He held me for a long while." Amber had to stop for a minute to wipe her face and blow her nose.

"What happened then?" Mary asked.

"The Colonel suggested that we stay the night. Mrs. Fisher insisted that I sleep upstairs with her, while the men slept downstairs. I just wanted Jim. I needed to feel him inside me, deep inside me. Then I needed to feel him holding me, but she was Very Insistent. After we went to bed, I cried a lot. Eventually, Mrs Fisher started to cry also. She got really bad. I'm not sure why. I went down to get her husband. I told him that she needed him.

"I stayed downstairs with Jim. I guess I raped him. I woke him by stroking him. Then I pulled him on top of me and just put him in me. Oh God, it felt soo good, soo right! We made love for a long time. I could tell when he was close to finishing and made myself hurry to meet him. We finished together. Oh God, it was marvelous. We lay there for a long time recovering. Then, I curled up on him, and we went to sleep for the rest of the night. I just felt soo good. I knew then that I could make him happy and fill that empty place in him," Amber finished.

"Dear," Mary said, "I don't think you raped him. When a teenage girl invites an older man into her there are very few who will refuse. Trust me on that." Then Mary asked, "Are there other people that you can feel in your mind?"

"Yes. There are the Fishers now, a few friends at school, the General, and ... and you, Doctor Mary. I can feel that you have doubts about what I have told you today," Amber told her.

"Well, Dear," Mary said, "it is quite a tale. Do you know what ESP is, Amber?"

"No, is it a new disease?"

"No, Dear, it is a condition of the mind where some (very few) people can feel or do things that other people consider impossible. It is not well understood. I think that what you have is some kind of ESP. I know of no other explanation for what you have told me. Now it's almost 1700 hrs. When you come in next week, we'll discuss this some more. In the meantime, I'll do some research on ESP. I may be able to tell you more then."

End Interview

I was waiting in the outer office when the Doctor and Amber came out. The Doctor smiled at me and bid me good afternoon. Then she turned to Amber, and reminded her of her next appointment.