Chapter
14
November
1999
Harm's
apartment
At
the knock on the door, Harm wiped his hands on the towel and went to
open.
« Nell !
I'm so happy to see you ! »
« You
too sailor ! »
They
hugged warmly.
« I'm
glad you came. »
« I
wasn't going to pass through Washington and not see you. »
« How
long are you here ? »
Nell
sat to the stool at the bar, and Harm opened his fridge.
« What
can I get you ? White wine, beer ? »
« A
glass of sparkling water will be fine. Thanks. I'm leaving the day
after tomorrow. »
« You're
not staying long ! »
« I've
already been here for a few days, visiting friends in Richmond. I
told you my grandfather was a Liaison Officer at NATO for the French
Army. He spent a year in the States, and made a friend, Colonel
Bruehl. I spent a summer with him and his family when I was a
teenager, and we've stayed in touch ever since. »
« Nice ! »
« Yeah. »
Nell
was playing with her drink, looking a bit distant. Harm set the timer
on his oven and sat down on a stool facing her.
« Nell ?
What's going on ? »
She
looked at Harm and took a deep breath.
« Harm...
Our stay in Dubrovnik... it had some consequences. »
« Consequences ? »
« Yeah...
I'm pregnant. »
Harm
opened his mouth, closed it, flabbergasted.
« You're
sure ? »
« Yes.
I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I was twelve hours late in taking my
pill, and the doctor told me it was enough. »
« Don't
blame yourself, Nell. It's equally my fault for not taking
precautions. What are you going to do about it ? »
« I'm
keeping the baby. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't. »
« And...
what about me ? »
« You
can choose the place you want in the baby's life. You can be a part
of it, visitation rights, or none at all if you prefer. »
Harm
looked at Nell's belly.
« No,
I'm not showing yet. »
She
took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Harm.
« This
is for you. »
Inside,
Harm found some pictures. He had no idea what he was looking at
until...
« Is
it... our baby ? »
« Yes. »
Nell smiled softly. « It doesn't look much like a baby yet, but
you can see its head and its body. It's about one inch long. »
Harm
had trouble breathing. His eyes were fixed on the photos.
« Am
I... am I going to be a father ? »
« Yes. »
His
eyes filled. He looked at Nell's belly again. She extanded her hand,
took his and placed it on her abdomen. He lifted his gaze and looked
into Nell's eyes.
« I
want to be in this baby's life. I want to be a father. »
« I
was hoping you'd say that. »
They
stayed silent for a while. The oven's timer rang and made them jump.
« Lasagna's
ready. »
Harm
hesitated. « Can you eat that ? Do you have a special
diet ? It's salmon and spinach. »
« It's
perfect. Don't worry. »
Harm
served them and they started to eat.
« It's
delicious ! »
« Thanks.
So, what now ? I assume you can't fly anymore. »
« No,
I've been grounded since I told my CO at the beginning of October.
I've been working at the control tower. »
« How
is it ? »
« Pretty
intense. But I enjoy it more than I thought I would. But God I miss
flying. »
« Yeah,
I know the feeling. You're planning on staying in France ? »
« I'm
considering my options. One of them is staying in France. »
Harm
paused, pondering his own options.
« I
wonder if they need American lawyers in France. »
« I'm
sorry, I wouldn't know. But one of my options is working for NATO in
Washington. I'm meeting someone tomorrow. »
« You
would consider moving here ? »
« You
were thinking about moving to France. I don't like American food,
except yours, I have the utmost contempt for your health insurance
system, but yes, I can move here. »
« About
health benefits... »
« If
I work for NATO, it'll be a French representative, so French
insurance kicks in. No worries about that. »
« Okay.
And what would you do for NATO ? »
« Liaison
officer. Could be interesting. But they don't send pregnant women
overseas, so I'd have to wait until my maternity leave is over. I'm
due on June 19th,
so that would be around the end of August, September if I can get an
extension. »
« You
wouldn't be coming back before that ? »
« I
haven't organized anything yet. I wanted to see you before starting
any plan. »
« I'm
with you all the way. I can get a temporary leave in June, so I'll be
here for the birth of our baby. Do... do you know yet if it's a boy
or a girl ? »
« No,
it's way too early to tell. »
« Have
you thought about names yet ? »
« No.
I want to wait until I'm three months along to start on that. »
« Why
wait ? »
« Well,
most miscarriages happen during the first three months, so... »
« Oh. »
« The
doctor said the heartbeat is strong, so that's a good sign. »
« Are
you... happy about it ? I mean, this is really unexpected. »
« At
first I was lost, and a bit mad, because I couldn't fly anymore. But
now... yeah, I'm happy. »
« Me
too. I haven't been in a relationship with a woman long enough to
envision children, and I was starting to wonder if I would ever be a
dad some day. Thank you, Nell. »
« For
what ? »
« For
keeping the baby, and telling me about it. »
« Harm,
I've known you for over nine years. We're good friends. I would never
have kept it from you. »
Harm
reached over the bar and took Nell's hand. « Thanks. »
They
smiled at each other.
*****
The
next day
NATO
office in Washington DC
Nell
entered the office stood at attention.
« Lieutenant-Colonel
Nell Marchand, reporting as ordered. »
« At
ease, Colonel. Have a seat. »
« Thank
you, mon Colonel. »
« So,
you'd like to work for NATO ? I have your resume here, and it's
quite impressive. Djibouti, Bosnia. And the letter of recommendation
General Roux wrote is very positive. But you don't want to fly
anymore ? »
« Unfortunately,
Sir, my desire to fly is not in question here. I'm grounded due to my
pregnancy. I can go back on flight status in about a year, but I'm
considering relocation in the States so I can be closer to the baby's
father. Working for NATO as a liaison officer would be a good
option. »
« What
do you know about what we do ? »
« About
the job itself, not much. But I've worked under NATO's flag, flown
with pilots from different nations, and I'm fluent in English. I'm
willing to study, have a training course to learn what needs to be
done. »
« And
when would you be available ? »
« Early
September. I'm due around June 19th,
so taking into consideration my maternity leave, not earlier than
August 28th. »
« So
it's very early yet. »
« Yes,
Sir. I'm in my tenth week. »
« So
you may be able to move in... let's say January ? »
« Technically,
yes, Sir. But I'm not sure I'd be allowed to. »
« Here
is my problem : my Air Force liaison is retiring on December
31st.
I need to replace him, but the two people that were selected can't
make it. You'd be a perfect candidate. Would you be okay to start in
January ? »
« I
don't see why not, sir. I just have to find a place to live. »
« Well,
since Lieutenant-Colonel Petit is returning to France, his apartment
is available. I'll see to it that you can move in as soon as he's
out. I'll give him your contact information. »
« Thank
you sir. »
« I'll
contact your CO and administration to deal with the paperwork. If
everything goes well, you'll be with us in a couple of months ! »
Their
final handshake was firm, and made Nell smile. This new chapter of
her life seemed to be more exciting than ever !
*****
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