Paul nodded. "I already told them that."
"Too bad you won't be allowed to serve on the court-martial."
Paul tried to think what to say next. Say anything. What would I say if we were just together like usual? Some joke, I guess. "I tried to pack it with members of the Michaelson' s wardroom, but I think they caught on to me."
Jen gave him a blank look, then smiled sardonically. "The lawyers? Of course they did. They all know you. I expect you're on a first-name basis with every lawyer on Franklin."
"Hardly."
Paul's father coughed. "Whistling past the graveyard, folks? It's a time-honored tradition in cases like this, but given the severity of the charges-"
Jen grimaced. "I'm sorry, sir. You're right. I'm under a lot of stress and I-"
"Have nothing to apologize for," Paul interjected.
"I can finish my own sentences, Paul Sinclair."
Paul looked at Jen, letting his surprise at her anger show, then nodded in agreement. It's not like she doesn't have every right to be tense. "Yes, you can."
Jen shook her head, her own gaze dropping. "I'm sorry, Paul. I… just started another sentence like that. But this is so hard. Commander Sinclair and, uh, Commander Sinclair, I've looked forward to this meeting, but like everything else in my life lately it hasn't gone as I expected. I'm very grateful for Paul's support. Oh, hell, I'm very grateful for Paul. No matter what happens."
Mrs. Sinclair eyed Jen. "What do you expect to happen?"
"Expect? I don't know what to expect, anymore. They've charged me with killing my shipmates! I couldn't ever do that, but the Navy's trying to prove I did do it. Now, I don't know what else to expect. Nothing makes sense."
"Surely you have witnesses-"
"My witnesses are dead, ma'am."
Mrs. Sinclair paused. "Paul says you've a great reputation."
Jen's smile seemed half-born of pain. "Oh, yes. A great reputation. That doesn't seem to have helped much."
Paul shook his head. "Jen's still in confinement because the government's arguing that she could sabotage Franklin like they say she did the Maury."
Paul's mother leaned close, looking directly into Jen's eyes. "But you're innocent."
Jen locked eyes with Paul's mother. "Yes, ma'am. I couldn't do what I've been charged with."
They held each other's gazes for a moment, then Paul's mother reached out and squeezed Jen's hand. "Yes. But I'm Julia, not 'ma'am.'"
A knock on the door and a master-at-arms appeared. "I'm afraid that's all the time you're permitted."
He wasn't supposed to touch her, but Paul leaned as close to Jen as he could without doing so. "I'm here. Always."
"Thanks," she whispered back. "God, why now?"
But the master-at-arms was coming forward, frowning, and Paul had to pull back without answering. Jen gave the petty officer a stern look, came to attention, pivoted on her heel, and marched out the door back toward her cell.
Paul and his parents walked back toward the temporary lodging area. His mother smiled brightly in a deliberately overdone display of cheeriness. "How about dinner?"
"Thanks, Mom, but I'm not all that hungry."
"You need something to eat."
"Mom-"
"That's an order, Lieutenant." She grinned. "I love being able to say that to you."
Paul led them to one of the private restaurants, having no desire to take his parents to Fogarty's where he had so many memories of him and Jen together. He picked at the food his mother insisted he order, trying to answer questions with replies longer than a word or two, while everyone avoided talking about Jen.
His mother finally sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Well, she seems like a fine enough person. Under the circumstances."
"You didn't exactly meet her at her best." Paul thought again of Jen, putting up a brave front even while she wore a uniform stripped of insignia and decoration. Would I have been able to carry myself as well she did under those circumstances? I bet she's imagined meeting my parents a thousand times, and the difference between those dreams and the reality must've been heartbreaking. But she didn't show it.
His mother gazed at Paul intently, as if reading his thoughts. "Your Jen is a very strong woman, isn't she?"
"Yes. That's just one of the things I love about her."
"And you're absolutely certain these charges are false?"
"Yes!"
Paul's father frowned. "They must have had good reasons for charging her. Those sort of charges aren't brought lightly."
His mother shook her head. "We don't know what motivated the charges."
"The Navy wouldn't-"
"Don't lecture me about the Navy, George! I spent just as many years in it as you did. As an institution, it's far from perfect. It can do some terrible things. And I know that's true even though I know there's a lot of good people in the Navy. I'm married to one and the mother of another."
"And the future mother-in-law of a third," Paul muttered. He looked up at the sudden silence. "I guess I said that out-loud."
His mother leaned forward with an exaggerated questioning expression. "You're engaged?"
"Not yet."
"I'm glad you haven't forgotten to mention that. Have you already asked her?"
"Yes."
"Then I assume she hasn't given you an answer?"
Paul felt as if he were being cross-examined by Commander Carr. "No. She wanted more time for us to get to know each other."
"That's nice. Otherwise you'd probably have gotten married and not brought it up until now."
"Mom-"
"I wanted to let you know we were coming. But not your father. Let's surprise Paul, he said."
Paul's father shrugged. "How was I supposed to know his girl would be in the brig? We weren't even sure what her last name was."
"That's true." His mother focused back on Paul. "Here you are getting ready to marry the girl and we hardly know a thing about her."
"I told you lots of things about Jen."
"Oh, yes. Let's see. She's a great officer. She's really nice looking. And she's a great officer."
"I've told you more than that. Haven't I?"
"Not really. You never mentioned that she's tough enough to put up a good front for us even though she's going through personal hell at the moment."
Paul let his sense of helplessness show. "She didn't do it. If I know anything at all, I know Jen couldn't have done what they're accusing her of."
"That's what the court-martial will decide, won't it?" his father remarked.
"I don't care what the court-martial decides! I already know!"
"Surely if she's as innocent as you say, she doesn't have to fear conviction."
Paul sighed and shook his head. "I wish I could be sure of that. But all the witnesses to what really happened on the Maury are dead. All the records and logs that might've explained the accident were destroyed. It may come down to Jen's word that she did nothing against the fact that something apparently inexplicable happened."
"Something she survived." Paul's father raised one palm to forestall another outburst from Paul. "I know. But that looks damming, right?" He glanced at Paul's mother. "Maybe David can help."
Paul frowned. David. My big brother the hot-shot civilian lawyer. Who somehow always manages to shove that fact in my face. But I shouldn't let my feelings about his attitude rule out David's helping Jen. Can he really help, though? "Does David know military law?"
His mother frowned in turn. "Not as far as I know. That could be a problem, couldn't it?"
"It could be. There's different rules, different procedures. Jen has a right to have David as her attorney if she wants him, but…"
"But it might not be all that smart." Paul's mother glanced at his father. "What do you think, Frank?"
"Oh, my opinion matters? Then, for what it's worth, I think Paul brought up a good point. Even though I suggested David, he'd be on unfamiliar ground. Plus he's one hundred percent civilian. You remember how you and I would've thought about a civilian lawyer back when we were on active duty."