She raised an eyebrow and dialed.

Sarah glanced at the clock during every cla.s.s she had. Rae had not called at all during the day, which made Sarah preoccupied and unorganized, something that rarely happened to her.

"Professor Connelly, are you all right?"

Sarah looked up to see several students standing by her desk. "Yes, why?"

"You were sighing."

"I was?" Sarah looked at the curious faces and laughed. "I'm fine, ladies and gentlemen. And no, I'm not going through some midlife crisis. As a matter of fact, I'm too old for midlife. So scram."

The students laughed and filtered out of the cla.s.sroom. Completely deflated, Sarah picked up her briefcase and headed back to her office where she sat, impatiently drumming her fingers on her desk. She leaned toward the phone. "Ring, will you?"

She heard a man's gruff cough and looked up. An older man in a marine uniform stood before her. His green uniform was covered with so many medals and red chevrons up and down his arm. Sarah didn't know where to look. She blinked a few times, feeling the need to stand and salute.

"May I help you?" she asked.

The man smiled slightly and walked in, taking off his cap. "You can if you're Sarah," he said firmly. "Sarah Connelly."

"Well, that's me. Please sit down."

He offered his hand. Well, Sarah thought it was a hand. It looked like a Virginia ham. It engulfed hers as he gave it a healthy pump. Sarah's poor arm jerked, then he let go. It was better than any adjustment her chiropractor gave her.

"I'm Sergeant Mike Walchek. We have a mutual friend," he said and sat in front of her. Sarah sat and immediately knew he was talking about Rae.

"Rae Jefferson," Sarah said, and he nodded. Then she had a horrible thought. Rae hadn't called all day. The government usually sent someone to deliver the telegram. G.o.d help her, her Irish imagination galloped out of control.

"Is she all right?" She leaned in, then shook her head. "G.o.d, don't tell me. I don't want to know. No, tell me, I want to know. Is she hurt? You can tell me."

Sergeant Walchek smiled and c.o.c.ked his head as she rambled. Feeling stupid, Sarah immediately stopped. She let out a nervous laugh while he continued to smile.

"Well, I haven't seen her yet. I'm a.s.suming she's fine." He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, let me rephrase that. She's alive, but she's not really living," he said profoundly.

Sarah sat back and looked at him. "Why are you here?"

He took a deep breath and looked at her. "To give you a little insight, maybe I can be of some help. I got a call in the wee small hours from Ensign Grainger, well, Detective Grainger now. She filled me in on the situation with Commander Jefferson. So I hopped on a plane from Camp Lejeune."

"You came all this way for Rae?" Sarah asked, completely intrigued.

He smiled again. "May I call you Sarah?" he asked, and Sarah nodded. "Well, Sarah, I would do just about anything for Commander Jefferson. She's one in a million, and I guess I took her under my wing. She's like family, and I take care of my family. Especially when they're in trouble."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "And she's in trouble?"

He nodded. "The worst kind-heart trouble."

All sorts of scenarios raced through her poor mind. Heart trouble. G.o.d, she is sick, she thought sadly and stupidly. "Can't she go to a specialist?"

He immediately stopped smiling and gave her an incredulous look. Sarah looked around the room, not understanding. "I mean, in this day and age, surely..."

Sergeant Walchek gave her a fatherly smile. Sarah immediately turned bright red. She felt the color rising and instantly needed air. She quickly stood and walked over and opened the window, taking in a whiff of oxygen. What an idiot, she thought.

She turned and chuckled nervously. "I'm usually quicker on the uptake, Sergeant Walchek. I find myself all turned around by your commander," she said honestly and sat.

He laughed quietly. "I know all about Rae's s.e.xual orientation. I'll tell you I don't understand it. And being from the old Corps, it's been hard for me to adjust to the gay situation. But I've seen too much, and when you're standing shoulder to shoulder with a guy and you trust him to watch your back, you really don't give a hairy rat's a.s.s what his s.e.xual orientation is." He smiled. "Ma'am." Sarah laughed as he continued. "All that aside, one thing I do understand is Rae, and that's all that matters. I just wanted to meet you before I saw Rae." He looked into her eyes.

"She obviously has told you very little or nothing at all." He shook his head. "Well, she'll have to tell you. She needs to get it out or it will destroy her. And you need to listen."

It almost sounded like a threat. Sarah tried to find some moisture in her mouth to swallow. "I already told her I would listen. It didn't go over well, as you might imagine," Sarah said dryly, remembering once again the angry encounter. "What happened to her?"

He looked at her for an instant and hesitated. For a moment, Sarah thought he would change his mind. "Syria, four years ago." He stopped and took another breath and stretched his neck, looking as though he'd like to loosen his tie. "Rae was a seasoned officer in Naval Intelligence. She was the smarts behind many operations. The navy trained her mind, I trained her body, and she was very good."

"GI Jane?"

Mike laughed heartily. "No, I love her, but a Navy SEAL she ain't. But you didn't hear that from me."

Sarah laughed along with him until he continued. "On this last situation, we needed a woman to go in. It was to be simple, fast, and quick. I can't go into the details, but it went wrong. A young Navy SEAL died, and Rae took a nice chunk of shrapnel. You may have noticed a little scar."

Sarah nodded and smiled at the understatement.

"Rae blames herself. Everybody had his position, except this youngster. Rae and I told the bra.s.s not to send him. No one listened. In any event, it went sour..." His voice trailed off for an instant. Then he took a deep breath.

"It was tragic, but it was life. Rae took it on her shoulders. I suppose I would have, too. Afterward, she became distant and emotionally detached. She got herself fixed up with the oddest women." He laughed as he remembered a few situations. He then looked over at Sarah, who was sporting a smug look. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. It was a long time ago."

He stood and put on his cap. Sarah was amazed at his size; he was all muscle and well over six feet tall. "I'd better go and check in with Rae. She's gonna be all p.i.s.s and vinegar when I tell her I met you first." He laughed, almost relishing the encounter.

Sarah stood and walked him to the door. "I'm glad you came, Sergeant Walchek. I appreciate the insight. I'd like to help her, too," she said, looking at the floor.

Sergeant Walchek took her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. "I like you. I can see what Rae likes. She needs someone like you. Don't let her give you any s.h.i.t, uh, grief," he corrected himself and blushed. Sarah laughed and reached up to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks," she said. He winked and walked out.

Sarah closed her door and walked over to the window. For the first time, she felt a part of Rae Jefferson's life.

And quite simply, she liked it.

Chapter 16.

Rae sat at her dining room table with papers strewn all over as she tried to sort out the employees of ComTele. She hadn't showered. She was in sweats, a T-shirt, and her robe. She was exhausted. It was only four in the afternoon, but it felt like midnight. Her eyes were stinging with fatigue as she glanced at her phone. She hadn't called Sarah all day. Her stomach did flip-flops at the very thought of her.

With that, her doorbell rang, and she grinned. She hopped over her briefcase and flew to the door.

Mike snapped off a salute. "Afternoon, ma'am. Got a cold one?"

Rae was dumbfounded. She started to cry, burying her face in her hands as she stood there. Mike pulled her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. "Let it go, Commander. It's time to let it go."

She sobbed uncontrollably, feeling foolish, but she couldn't stop it. Years of sad desolation just kept pouring out. Mike almost lifted her off her feet as he closed the door. They stood in her doorway for a moment or two longer before Rae pulled back and dried her eyes on her robe.

"f.u.c.k me." She sniffed as Mike chuckled. "I feel like a stupid female."

"You are a stupid female," he said gruffly and pushed her back. "Now what does a non-com have to do to get a drink in this house?"

Rae laughed and led him into the dining room. "Have a seat, Mike." She came back with two beers. "What in the world are you doing..." She stopped and looked at him. "Delia. I'm gonna kill her."

"She was right to call me. You should have," he said firmly. "I hear you've got a bit of a situation. A dead woman? Hmm." He frowned deeply and shook his head. "Rae, if they don't want you, you should just let them go."

Rae shot him a look, then burst into laughter. His irreverence was an odd but welcomed relief. She explained the predicament as he listened, drinking his beer.

"So you think she was b.u.mped off?" he asked incredulously.

"I think so. I just need some common threads." She shrugged and took a swig of beer. "Naval Intelligence taught me a great deal, but I'm out of my depth with homicide. I'm just going on instincts." She looked up to see Mike staring at his beer, almost avoiding looking at her. "Okay, Sergeant. What's up?"

He looked at her and smiled before he took a long drink. "I took the liberty of seeing your teacher before I came here."

Rae's eyes widened in horror. "You what?" she bellowed, and he winced. "What the h.e.l.l for? G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Mike," she continued and paced back and forth. She then turned to him, her eyes blazing. "What did you tell her? s.h.i.t. You have no right."

"I have every right. You've been wallowing in this c.r.a.p for four long years, blaming yourself for Higgins, blaming yourself for the mission. G.o.dd.a.m.n it, it wasn't your fault!" he bellowed back. "It was a tragic mistake. Tragic and f.u.c.ked-up. Now you've got a chance to turn yourself around. What are you prepared to do?"

Both of them were breathing heavily like two bulls. "Are you going to join the living or feel sorry for yourself for the rest of your sorry-a.s.s life and be alone?"

"I'm no good for anyone," Rae cried out helplessly.

"Well, there's a pretty teacher who disagrees with you," he said in a quieter voice. "What are you prepared to do?"

Rae leaned against the wall and jammed her hands in the pockets of her robe. "I don't trust my heart anymore," she said for the first time. "I've only known her for a few days, but I think I may be falling hard. And it scares me to death."

He smiled and walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Then as I said to you before, don't be a p.u.s.s.y, ma'am. Take that woman and make her your own."

Rae suddenly wrenched free from his strong grasp. "f.u.c.k. Make her my own. Are you nuts? What in the world would she want with me? Really? Look at me. Sarah Connelly is normal, for chrissakes. She's alive and happy. What could I possibly have to offer her?" she asked angrily as the tears sprang into her eyes. "G.o.dd.a.m.n it, I killed him," she cried helplessly as she beat on his chest.

Mike stood and took the blows. He gently grabbed her arms and held them. "Higgins was out of position. We were all ready to fire. You saw the gunman, you took aim, and you fired. You were right to fire. You had position. Higgins was told to stay down. You had no way of knowing."

Rae stared off in a trance. Neither of them noticed Sarah standing in the doorway. With the front door opened, she had heard the arguing from the porch. She walked in and heard it all.

"I saw, but I didn't want to shoot. Killing someone was not in my training. When I hesitated, Higgins..."

"Higgins was wrong. You know that. Your hesitating had nothing to do with his lack of experience."

Rae turned away from Mike and pounded her fist against the wall. Mike stopped her before she succeeded in putting her fist through it. "I killed that poor boy."

Sarah stood frozen, unable to move. That was when Mike caught a glimpse of her and shook his head. Sarah didn't know what to do, so she just stood there.

"Rae, you need to get this out. You need to talk about it with someone other than me," he said.

Rae turned and hugged him for dear life and sobbed. "I can't. I can't tell anyone."

"Yes, you can. Tell Sarah, she cares, and you know she'll listen."

"How can I expect someone to understand this when I don't?" She continued to sob.

Sarah turned and walked out of the house.

"I'm exhausted, Mike. And I'm sorry..."

They both heard the doorbell ring. Rae immediately pulled back and once again dried her eyes on the sleeve of her robe.

"G.o.d, now what?" she exclaimed, then put her hands on Mike's big shoulders. "Mike, I'm sorry. Give me a minute..."

She walked over and opened the door. Her heart couldn't take any more of these shocks. Sarah stood at the front door.

"You look like h.e.l.l," Sarah said. "I waited all day, so I thought I'd stop by and..." She stopped and looked at Mike.

"Well, Sergeant Walchek, we meet again," she said nicely.

Mike smiled fatherly. "Sarah," he said in manly fashion.

Rae was just staring at Sarah. "I...This is Sergeant...well, you know who he is. We were just. I don't know." She threw up her hands in defeat.

Sarah gave her an affectionate smile. She reached up and put a hand on her cheek. "Everything is fine," she said in a soft voice.

"Is it?" Rae couldn't ignore her heart as it pounded in her chest.

Mike put on his cap and smiled. "Well, I've got a plane to catch." He then walked over to Rae and hugged her fiercely. "And you have a life to get on with," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

Overcome with emotions, Rae tried desperately to stop the tears that welled in her eyes. She nodded and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Mike." Her voice was a mere whisper.

Tears sprang into his eyes as he grunted and rubbed his nose. "You'd better," he barked, then turned to Sarah. "Sarah, take care of her. G.o.d help you," he said emphatically and kissed Sarah on the cheek.

Then as quick as that, he was gone.

Rae stood there staring at the closed door. She turned back to Sarah, who smiled.

"You haven't slept at all, have you?" she asked, not waiting for an answer as she walked down the hall.

Curious to see what she was doing, Rae slowly followed her. She heard the water running in the bathtub and raised an eyebrow. Sarah came out drying her hands on a towel.

"Okay, a hot bath is what you need. Go on," she ordered.

"Sarah, I'm fine. You don't..." she started, and Sarah pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Shut up and soak your head," Sarah said firmly and closed the door.