AWLL 2 - Book 2 - Stephie

June 20, 1987, Milford, Ohio

"Edward Krajick, you're under arrest for murder!"

"What the fuck?" I said aloud.

"Sir, step away from him, please," the Sheriff said.

I looked at the Sheriff dumbfounded.

"Steve, come over here, now!" Pete barked in his 'Law Enforcement' voice.

I took a few steps away from Ed and towards Pete. The Deputy Sheriff put handcuffs on Ed and one of the Milford Police officers read him his Miranda rights.

"Ed, don't say a word," Karl said. "Officers, may I see your arrest warrant, please?"

"What business is it of yours, Commander?" the Deputy asked, seeing the rank insignia on Karl's white dress uniform.

"I'm an attorney with the Judge Advocate General Corps, admitted to the Federal District Court for Northern Illinois, as well as the Bar of the States of Illinois and Wisconsin."

"This is Ohio, Commander."

"True, but he is entitled to counsel, and I want to be able to advise his local attorney. May I see the warrant, please?"

The Deputy handed over two pieces of tri-folded paper to Karl, who unfolded them. He scanned them carefully and handed them back to the Deputy.

"It's all in order," he said. "Ed, you have to go with them, and they can search you and your car. Keep your mouth shut until you talk to a lawyer. That will probably be on Monday. One of us will talk to your parents and arrange it."

"I need to search your car, Mr. Krajick. Do you have the keys?"

"In my right front pocket," Ed answered nervously.

The Deputy reached in and took the keys, and then the Milford police officers patted Ed down. The Deputy went over to Ed's car, opened the trunk.

A moment later, he called out, "Found it!"

"OK. We'll call for an evidence technician and a tow truck," the Sheriff said.

"Oh, shit," I breathed. "Bethany!"

"Go tell her Steve," Pete said. "Mr. Adams, would you talk to Ed's parents?"

"Yes, of course," my dad said. "Sheriff, is he going to the county lockup or the village jail?"

"The county lockup, at least for now," the Sheriff answered.

I turned and quickly walked back into the building. Bethany and Nick were just about to cut the cake, and I didn't want to ruin that. Only the guys who were outside knew, so I felt I could wait. I saw my dad come in and pull Harry Krajick aside. Harry recoiled from the hushed conversation and hurried outside with my dad. After Bethany and Nick cut the cake, they stepped aside to let it be served, I went over to them and asked to talk to them privately.

"What's up?" Nick asked.

"Just come with me to the room you guys were in before," I said. "It's extremely important."

They followed me, and Bethany had a look that was a mix of curiosity and concern. We got to the room, and I closed the door. I didn't feel that I could mince words, so I just told them straight out.

"Bethany," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, "I don't know how to say this any way except bluntly -- the Sheriff just arrested your brother on a murder charge."

"What?!" she shrieked and collapsed against Nick.

"Steve?" Nick said, asking a thousand questions with that one word.

"All I know is they had a valid warrant. Karl looked at it and said that Ed had to go with the Sheriff. They're taking Ed to the county lockup. There's nothing you can do right now," I said.

"I need to see him!" Bethany wailed.

"Bethany, they've already taken him away," I said. "And I know this may be hard to hear, but you need to stay at your wedding party, AND you need to go on your honeymoon."

"No, I can't!" she protested frantically.

"Bethany, listen to me," I said gently but firmly. "You can't do anything for Ed right now. Neither can Nick. He needs an attorney here, in Ohio, licensed to practice here in Ohio. It'll take some time to sort it out. Please go on your honeymoon."

"Steve, let me talk to her, please," Nick said firmly.

In Nick's voice, I heard Jason telling me that Stephie was his girl. And now Bethany was Nick's.

"Of course," I said. "My dad talked to Bethany's parents. I'll be outside if you need me."

I left the room, closing the door behind me, and went back outside. I saw Harry and Nora getting into their car, and walked over to my dad.

"They're heading to the Clermont County Jail. I tried to talk them out of it, because they won't be able to see Ed at least until tomorrow, and probably not until he's arraigned. How is Bethany?"

"In shock. I left her with Nick in a private room. He's the one to take care of her now."

"Yes, he is," my dad agreed.

"I did encourage her to go on her honeymoon, but I'm afraid that she won't."

"That's up to her and Nick, Son. Let them work it out."

"Yes, Dad."

"Do you have ANY idea at all what this is about?"

I had speculation, but I didn't know for sure. Given what Stacey had said about Anthony, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd dragged Ed back in, and given what he'd asked me, it probably had involved a firearm. Don Joseph had reprimanded Ed for brandishing the gun and had kicked him out. That could have affected Ed in a way that might lead to something like this. But I didn't know. It could have been something else.

"No. I haven't talked to Ed in quite some time, and Stephanie hasn't seen him for a few months, at least. Maybe even over a year. She and Jorge have been dating fairly seriously, though there seems to be some issue between them right now. But Stephanie and Ed don't talk at all, as far as I'm aware."

"Well, all we can do now is wait to see what the police have on him. I was able to convince the Sheriff not to draw his service revolver, because I knew that Ed would come out here voluntarily with you."

"I'm glad we were outside. That would have been really ugly if they had gone inside and arrested him."

"That's what they were planning. It was lucky that I know the Sheriff."

"I'm going to go talk to my friends," I said.

"OK, Son. I'll see what I can find out on Monday from the Sheriff."

"Thanks, Dad."

I walked back over to where Pete, Karl, and the rest of the guys were standing.

"How's Bethany?" Kurt asked.

"In shock, I think," I replied. "I'm afraid that she won't want to go on her honeymoon."

"It's tough," Karl said. "If she stays, there really isn't anything she can do. If she goes, she's going to feel guilty that she didn't stay. Howard, you're Nick's best friend -- why don't you find Kathy Jaeger and see if the two of you can talk to Nick and Bethany?"

"Good idea," Howard said, turning to head back in.

"Does anyone have ANY clue what this is about?" Karl asked after Howard had left.

"Not me," I said. "I haven't talked to Ed since Thanksgiving of '85, and the last time I saw him was at my wedding, three weeks later. That may well have been the last time my sister saw him. Let me get her."

I went inside and found my sister.

"Where's Ed?" she asked.

"Come outside with me, Squirt," I said.

"What's up?" she asked, suddenly curious.

I grabbed her hand and led her outside to where the guys were standing. I was purposefully vague to see if I could draw anything out.

"Ed was arrested," I said. "Do you have any idea what he might have done?"

"Arrested?! For what? The last time I saw him was for a few minutes at your wedding. He was pretty upset about what happened at Thanksgiving, if you remember."

"I do," I nodded. "The Sheriff arrested him for murder."

"What?!" she shrieked. "Ed? Murder? No way!"

"Well, that's unanimous then," Lieutenant Park, whose first name I couldn't remember, said. "The kid is going to need a very good lawyer."

"I'll call my friend Ben van Hoek," I said. "It's early enough that he'll likely still be up."

I went inside and found the payphone, dropped a quarter into the slot, and dialed the van Hoeks' number.

"Hello?" Becky answered.

"Hi, Becky, it's Steve. May I speak to your dad? It's urgent."

"Sure. Where are you?"

"Milford, for Bethany's wedding. I'm sorry, but it was a quick trip, so I wasn't going to be able to see you. I do need to speak to your dad right away, please."

"One minute, I'll get him."

I heard her call her dad to the phone and a few seconds later, I heard an extension click onto the line.

"Steve? It's Ben. What's the problem?"

"My friend Ed, who is Bethany's brother, was arrested tonight and is being charged with murder. They took him to the Clermont County jail."

"Did you see the warrant? Who arrested him?"

"It was the Clermont County Sheriff and Milford Police. I didn't see the warrant, but my friend, Lieutenant Commander Schumacher, did. He's a Navy lawyer who's not licensed to practice in Ohio."

"Is he there? May I speak to him, please," Ben said.

"One sec," I replied.

I let the phone hang down, hoping nobody would hang it up, and hurried outside to get Karl. I explained what I needed, and he came back inside with me. I only heard his side of the conversation, but it did shed a little bit of light. The alleged murder had happened in Cincinnati earlier in June, and the warrant had been issued by Hamilton County. They'd called the Sheriff and the Milford Police to arrest Ed.

Karl handed me the phone.

"Steve," Ben said, "I'm not a criminal defense lawyer, and that's what your friend needs. Most likely, he'll be transferred to Hamilton County on Monday, and be arraigned on Tuesday morning. I have a friend who specializes in felony defense. I'll call him tonight. Who should I put him in touch with?"

I thought for a minute.

"My dad," I said. "He'll be able to talk to Harry and Nora Krajick, and he's friends with the Clermont County Sheriff, so he'll probably be able to find out when the transfer will happen and where Ed will go."

"OK. Does your dad still have your old number?"

"No, they have a new one. Do you have some paper?"

He did, and I gave him my parents' new number, thanked him, and hung up.

Karl and I walked back outside to find my dad.

"Dad, I talked to Ben van Hoek. He's going to call a friend of his who handles felony cases, and have him call you. I figured that was best, because I have no idea what Harry and Nora will do. I figured you might also be able to find out when Ed will be moved to Hamilton County, given that's who swore out the warrant."

"I'll do what I can," he said.

"Mr. Adams," Karl said. "The most important thing to find out is where Ed will be held so the attorney can get to him as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Commander," my dad said, suddenly sounding like the Chief Petty Officer that he had been.

"Did you serve?" Karl asked.

"World War II. Destroyers. I left the service as a CPO."

"Thank you, Chief Adams!"

"I hope you don't mind that I don't salute," my dad chuckled. "I'm not in uniform and I haven't saluted anyone in over forty years! And that's the first time I've been called 'Chief' in almost as long."

Karl nodded, "I knew Steve had to have come from a Navy family. It was the only thing that made sense."

We all went back inside, and it was clear that word was spreading, since nobody was dancing and everyone was standing in small groups speaking in hushed tones. I didn't see Bethany and Nick, so I assumed they were in their private room. I wanted to check, but it wasn't my place. Pete and Karl went to talk to Nick's parents, and I went to be with my wives.

"Steve, there's a rumor that Ed was arrested for murder!" Kara said.

"He was. I have no idea what's going on beyond that. Bethany's obviously upset, and her parents took off for Batavia."

"Is that where the Sheriff's jail is?" Jessica asked.

"And the courts. But the warrant was from Hamilton County, so they'll send him there at some point. Karl thinks it will be Monday morning. I called Becky's dad and asked if he could help. He's going to refer a criminal defense lawyer to the Krajicks."

"This is unbelievable!" Jennifer said. "Poor Bethany! What a way to ruin a wedding!"

"At least it happened outside, after the wedding was mostly over, and not in front of all the guests. We have my dad to thank for that. He had me come inside and ask Ed to come out. It's a good thing that my dad is friends with the Sheriff, because otherwise they'd have come in with guns drawn."

"What are Nick and Bethany going to do?" Elyse asked.

"I don't know. Howard and Kathy are in with them. I let Bethany and Nick know what happened, and then Karl suggested that it was best if Nick's best friend and Bethany's best female friend talked to them."

As if on cue, Kurt walked over to where we were sitting.

"Is the rumor true?" he asked.

"It is," I said. "Is your wife still in with Bethany and Nick?"

"Yes. Her mom has the baby. What a complete mess!"

"That's for sure," I said.

June 21, 1987, Colerain Township, Ohio

Joyce arrived at Donna Grossi's guest house just after we'd finished breakfast. She'd been at the wedding, but I couldn't ask her the question I needed to ask then. When she arrived at the house, I took her aside.

"Do you know if Ed has been involved with Anthony and Connie?" I asked.

"I try to stay out of that as much as possible," she said. "The less I know, the better. But Grandfather broke his relationship with Ed years ago."

"I'm aware of that. But a couple of weeks ago, I ran into someone who used to work for one of the houses. She told me that she ran away to Chicago because Anthony had tracked her down and tried to blackmail her back into working for him. I wonder if he tracked down Ed, too."

"It's possible," Joyce sighed. "And Ed was a hothead to start with, which is why Grandfather sidelined him and had Andreas take back the pistol."

"I can't imagine any other plausible scenario. If the victim had been Josh Benton, Bethany's rapist, then I might believe it, but he's been dead for a couple of years now, and was killed in prison. Of course, then it might be me, instead of Ed, who was sitting in jail right now."

"Ed's going to need a very good lawyer," Joyce said. "It'll be telling if one of Grandfather's lawyers shows up to defend Ed. That'll tell you everything you need to know."

"I called Ben van Hoek -- Becky's dad -- to get a referral. He was going to talk to one of his friends who handles this kind of thing. Ben does corporate and tax law."

"Here's the other question. Do you think Ed can hold «omertà»?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

"If he doesn't, and Antony IS involved, Ed will be dead. Anthony is just stupid enough to give an order like that himself, or to tell Ed it was OK to use the gun if he needed to. He doesn't understand the concept of buffers."

I chuckled, "The family had a lot of buffers!"

"Godfather 2" Joyce smirked.

"Of course," I said, then sighed. "If Ed tries to go the route of Frankie Five Angels, he's going to end up the same way."

"No. My brother-in-law would have him hit; he wouldn't wait for Ed to slit his wrists in the bathtub."

"I thought Cincinnati was all business!"

"It was until my grandfather made the only big mistake he ever made in his life -- handing the reins over to Anthony."

"Did he have a choice, really? It's like in the original Godfather, where things go really bad when hot-headed Sonny takes over. But Don Corleone didn't really have a choice at that point, with Michael hiding in Sicily and Fredo being, well, Fredo. Only after Sonny died could Michael return and become Don."

"But he was the most violent of all of them!"

"Yes, I'm not saying it's a perfect analogy. Just that Anthony is a hothead like Sonny. And became the heir-apparent because of circumstances. I certainly couldn't have been in charge. We both know that. And even though Cincinnati isn't quite the same as New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia, they weren't going to accept a female in charge."

"No, I suppose not," Joyce said. "But we're speculating. It's probably what happened, but we don't know."

"We'll just have to wait to find out. But, as much as I want to know, I don't think you should talk to your sister or brother-in-law about this."

"I agree," she said. "Let's go have coffee with your wives, sister, and Elyse. And I want to see that new baby!"

"How's Jake?" I asked.

"Good. I'll be flying down later in the week. I'm up here Mondays and Tuesdays, then fly down on Tuesday nights. I usually fly back on Sunday evening, but this week I came back yesterday morning because of Bethany's wedding. Jake had duty this weekend, so he couldn't fly up with me."

"At the risk of sounding like an Italian grandmother, what about kids?"

"Soon. We talked about it, and because there's always a risk of abnormal cells coming back in my cervix, we decided that we should have our kids in the next couple of years, just in case."

"Cool!" I said. "Now let's go find my family!"

June 22, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

My dad called me at the office early on Monday morning to let me know that the attorney had been in touch with the Krajicks and that Ed was being transferred to Hamilton County later in the day. His arraignment would most likely be on Tuesday morning, as we had speculated. My dad didn't have any further details, but he did say that he'd heard from Harry that Howard and Kathy had talked Bethany into going on her honeymoon, which made me happy. My dad promised to call if he heard any more details.

"Who was arrested?" Penny asked quietly.

"Ed Krajick. Bethany's little brother."

"Whoa! For what?"

"Murder. But I don't know any details beyond that."

"Holy crap! He's only twenty, right? The same age as your sister?"

"Yes. Remember, it's just an allegation now. We don't know any details at this point."

"Wait! Was he arrested at Bethany's wedding?"

"Yes, but fortunately, it was outside, in the parking lot, after the ceremony and dinner."

"But still!"

"I know," I said. "It's crazy."

That conversation was repeated several times over the course of the day. Dave and Julia had been at the wedding, but hadn't heard anything more than the rumor. Cindi and Chris hadn't made it to Cincinnati, but heard from Julia what had happened. Everyone wanted more information, but I didn't have any, and truth be told, I didn't know how much information I would receive.

At lunch, I went home and found Kathy and Kristin with Kara, Elyse, and my sons. I took Jesse for a walk, stopping by the office to pick up Charlie so that I could take Jesse to the park to see Francesca. Carol's divorce was complete, and she was taking evening classes at the local junior college. She seemed to be doing OK, and the kids seemed to have dealt OK with the separation, at least so far.

"How was the wedding?" Carol asked as we watched Jesse and Francesca play together.

"There was a bit of drama with Bethany's brother, but otherwise, everything was great."

"Oh?"

"Nothing that really affected the wedding, fortunately. Bethany and Nick are on their way to Tahiti at the moment."

"Must be nice! My honeymoon was five days at Niagara Falls. Where was yours?"

"Two weeks in Sweden," I said.

"I married the wrong guy, for sure! Tahiti? Sweden? Niagara Falls doesn't even compare. Not to mention my husband turned out to be a real cad."

"Things are still going OK otherwise?"

"Yes, they are. My goal is to finish my degree by the time Francesca starts first grade. I'm on track to do that. The house is fine, and the cad is paying the child support and alimony on time."

"Good to hear!" I said.

"The only thing missing is somebody to keep me warm at night," she sighed.

I wasn't going to touch that comment with a ten-foot pole. I just let the comment hang in the air and watched Jesse and Francesca walking around hand-in-hand. We sat quietly watching them until it was time for Charlie and me to head back to the office. We said 'goodbye' to Carol, dropped Jesse at home, and then went back to the office. Kaitlin had a message for me from my dad, so I went to my office and called him back.

"The Enquirer had a small blurb about Ed's arrest. The victim was supposedly a guy in his mid-30s. The article didn't say much more than that Ed had been arrested and was being arraigned. No possible motive or any other details."

"OK. All we can do is wait," I said. "Let me know if you hear anything."

"I will," he promised.

I hung up and went back to work.

June 25, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

We were just finishing dinner when my phone rang. I went to my office to answer it.

"Steve? This is Connie."

I suppressed a sigh. A shoe was about to drop. I just didn't know which one.

"What do you want?" I asked tersely.

"It's what you want. Your friend Ed is in trouble. We can help him."

"That's the LAST thing he needs," I said. "He has an attorney. A reputable one."

"Who said anything about an attorney? You help us, and we can help Ed."

"FUCK YOU!" I growled, holding down my voice so nobody else would hear, then slammed down the handset.

It really didn't matter what was going on. If Ed HAD done it, then he'd have to pay the price. If he hadn't, then his lawyer would have to win in court. A horrific thought struck me -- what if this was all a setup to get to me? I'd promised to kill Anthony if he did anything to Becky, and I'd threatened to tell Anthony about Connie and me if she didn't back off. Of course, I could still do that, but then Ed would be caught squarely in the crossfire.

I took a few deep breaths and then dialed the number that Joyce had given me for Jake's place in King's Bay.

"The other shoe dropped," I said when she answered the phone. "I just don't know for sure what it means."

"Anthony?"

"Connie, but I'm sure she was calling on his behalf. That means that they're involved somehow. Either Ed was working for them, or this is a setup."

"There's a third possibility. That they read the newspaper article, knew who he was from his past association, and decided to pretend that they can help to rope you back in."

"Either way, my response to them is still the same -- 'Fuck you!'."

"I think that's the only thing you can do, really. Ed is going to have to sink or swim on his own. I hope he has a good lawyer."

"I know Ben van Hoek well enough that he wouldn't have suggested anyone who wasn't at the top of their game. Ed's going to have to rely on his lawyer and the legal system. I do have a question -- was the person who was killed associated with any of the old businesses?"

"I don't know. It's not a name I know. He owned a small convenience store. He was killed in his shop late in the afternoon."

"What day?"

"A Tuesday afternoon. It was after Ohio State was out. I checked. That likely means that Ed was home, not in Columbus."

"That would have been an iron-clad alibi," I said. "I wish I knew what Anthony's game was."

"Just let it go, at least for now. When I get back home, I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks," I said.

I hung up and stayed at my desk, considering all the possible permutations from Ed having killed someone for his own personal reasons, to Ed being set up by Anthony to get to me, and a slew of other possible scenarios. I didn't have enough information to even narrow things down, and gave up in frustration after about ten minutes. I got up and went to find my wives, who were in the great room with Elyse watching the news.

"Anything happening in the world?" I asked.

"No," Elyse said. "CNN Headline News is on its usual 30-minute loop with nothing changing."

"Who was on the phone?" Kara asked.

"I was talking to Joyce," I said. "Did I tell you that she and Jake are going to have kids soon? She's concerned about her abnormal cervical cells coming back, and wants to have kids right away, just in case."

"She had an abnormal Pap smear?" Jessica asked.

"Yes, a few years ago. And cauterization. Once that was done, her Pap smears were clean."

"You don't know that story?" Elyse asked.

"Steve was involved, so of course there has to be a story," Jessica laughed. "No, I don't know it."

Elyse laughed and told Jessica about my agreement with Joyce, which led to Jessica laughing and shaking her head.

"So, he could have had kids with FIVE women?" Jessica asked.

"I don't see any meaningful difference between four and five," I said. "And if you noticed, every single one of those women is a professional, with a college degree, and with excellent job prospects. It's not like I'm fathering welfare babies!"

"True," she agreed. "You've surrounded yourself with intelligent, successful women. Have you ever had a girl who wasn't like that?"

"One, I guess. A girl who lived at the end of Overlook Drive. Her family was dirt poor. She was very, very smart, but just had a bad family situation. She got pregnant at fifteen, which made a mess of things for her."

"Not yours, though?"

"No. The guy was a complete jerk. She got pregnant while I was in Sweden. I actually helped her buy a car some time ago, but then we lost touch."

"That was a girl who Steve's sister thought might show up and upset the applecart at some point," Elyse said. "She and Steve really got along well, but circumstances just got in the way. He liked her son, too. Though not as much as his friend Anna's nephew."

"Anna? The blonde girl who shows up occasionally?"

"Yes," Elyse said. "That kid had Steve wrapped around his little finger."

"You mean like Jesse does?" Jessica laughed.

"Like Jesse wishes he did," Kara said. "Otherwise Matthew wouldn't be here!"

I chuckled, "Jesse does think he rules the roost, doesn't he?"

"Jennifer and Josie keep him in check, but he can be a real turkey!" Elyse said.

"Less than a year from now, we'll add another one!" Kara said with a smile.

"It's going to be crazy around here!"

June 26, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"Steve, can you meet with Dante Puccini next week?" Julia asked after the business development meeting.

"Sure. What's the situation?"

"He has a lot of interesting ideas, and it looks like a serious challenge for us. And he has the money to spend. I gave him a rough estimate of what it would cost, as well as the limitations of what we could do, and he didn't blink."

"Set it up," I said. "Just make sure Dave knows I'll be out for a few hours."

"He's coming along, too. Dante wants to meet the entire team."

"OK," I said. "Let me know."

Late in the afternoon, Dave came into my office.

"Think we could go someplace else for breakfast besides Lou Mitchell's?" he asked.

"Sure. We picked Lou's because it's a good place for the guys up north and all of us in Hyde Park. What did you have in mind?"

"A place in Bucktown on North Avenue called Bucktown Bistro. It's a bit further north and slightly west. It'll be cheaper than Lou Mitchell's and I think the food will be better."

"How did you find this place?"

"I met the owner, Alex Saunders, when I was having a cup of coffee with Jamie and Julia while we were talking about some contracts. He was super friendly and mentioned that he's trying to build breakfast clientele."

"Cool. I suppose we tell everyone tomorrow morning. Of course, a lot will depend on everyone liking the new place."

"OK. I'll raise it in the morning at breakfast. Did you have a few minutes to talk about our new programmers?"

"Sure. Penny, take a break, please."

"You are NO fun!" she grumped, but it was a put-on.

She got up and went out to the reception area to get a soft drink from the mini-fridge that Kaitlin and Kimmy kept stocked. Dave shut the door behind her and sat down.

"Is there a concern?" I asked.

"No. I just wanted to get your feedback."

"Well, you know my opinion of Penny, obviously. Tasha is still doing great, and she's back in the swing of things. The mentoring sessions I have with her have helped a lot. So far, Heather is doing good work. I don't spend too much time with Charlie, Terry, or Alonzo. I guess those are more up to you."

"The only thing I'd say at this point is that it might be good for you to spend some time with Alonzo. He has his 'book learning' if you will, and he's sharp, but he needs to pick up some of that hard-won knowledge that experienced programmers have. You and Penny are best suited to do that. Well, Tom, too, but he's up in Wisconsin."

"What if we have food brought in on Fridays and have a team lunch? Everyone could eat and we could address some technical topic -- not just programming. There's so much going on in the technology field that there's no way for everyone to read everything and keep up."

"That's a great idea. We can also use that time for our team meetings, and to brainstorm ideas for the projects we're working on. I'll check with Elyse on it, but I'm sure we can afford it."

"Make sure everyone is invited. The better educated our people are, the better off we are, and that includes Kimmy."

"Got it," Dave said.

When I arrived home, Kara was waiting.

"Jess called. She said that we're going out to dinner and a movie tonight."

"Said?" I chuckled. "She decided?"

"Yes. She said we're going to Connie's, and then going to see The Untouchables. And then you're taking us for ice cream."

"Did she have a bad day?" I asked.

"I think so. She sounded annoyed and cranky."

"Uh-oh," I said. "OK. Let me put my bag down. I'm guessing she'll be here in a couple of minutes. She'll want a shower before we go, too."

Jess came home a few minutes later and was indeed cranky and grumpy. She went up to take a shower and fifteen minutes later was back downstairs. We went out to my car and got in for the drive to Connie's.

"Going to tell us what happened?" I asked.

She sighed deeply, "I screwed up. I was taking a history and doing an exam and forgot to check for something important. I missed the diagnosis horribly. The Attending reamed me for it."

"But they caught it, right?" I asked.

"Yes, the Chief Resident checked my chart; saw that I'd missed checking a kid's ears for vesicles. Fortunately, he hadn't left the ER yet, and they got him back to treat him."

"You learn from your mistakes, Babe. That's why they double-check on you at this point."

"But I don't make mistakes!" she replied.

"Sure you do," I said. "All of us do. You're training so that you make fewer mistakes."

"But people die if I make mistakes!" she protested.

"I know. And it's going to happen, according to Doctor Barton. He said it's happened to him."

"I hate it!" she said, a tear running down her cheek.

I reached over and touched her arm.

"I love you, Babe," I said. "Do your best and learn as much as you can."