Psychic Hotline Saturday Afternoon I???m crazy. A total nutjob. I let Harriet convince me to go with her to this ???psychic?? lady, Miss Jupiter, to have her tarot cards done. Totally crazy. I tried to talk her out of it, but she said Bud had bought her a free session for her birthday, so she was doing it. Besides, she said. It???s just for fun. Whatever. ???Ma???am??? ???Mac, Harriet. We???re nowhere near the office. You can call me Mac.?? ???Sorry. We???re almost there. Bud says its just a little bit more down this road and on the left. A blue house with purple trim, sign out in front. Let me know if you see it, ok??? ???Ok.?? ???Is everything ok, Ma???am? I mean, Mac??? ???Yeah, Harriet, everything???s fine. I just have a weird feeling for some reason. Its probably nothing.?? ???Do you want to talk about it??? ???Not really.?? ???Ok. Well if you change your mind??¦Oh look! Miss Jupiter???s is right here!?? I look at the crazily colored house and read the sign in front. ???Palm Reading, Tea Leaves, Dream Interpretation, Tarot Cards?? We get out of Harriet???s van and proceed to the front door. I hesitantly ring the doorbell, and Miss Jupiter answers. She???s about 70 years old, with long dyed black hair, tons of makeup, a huge nose, false eyelashes, a long multicolored, flowing, layered muu muu type dress, and a huge mole on her chin. ???Come in, come in. You are here for tarot reading, no??? she asks me in a strange Transylvanian-type accent. ???Yes, uhh no, I mean SHE is here for a tarot reading, ??? I say, pointing to Harriet. ???Yes, of course. Please come in. I am Miss Jupiter??¦and you are Sarah and Harriet, no??? ???Uh..Yes. We are. How did you know??? I ask. I am starting to get creeped out. ???Miss Jupiter knows many things. Come girls, let us go into the reading room. Right through these doors.?? She leads us into a dimly lit room with several comfortable looking chairs surrounding a table. ???Please, girls, sit.?? She directs us to the chairs and we sit down. We sit and she begins to shuffle and deal Harriet???s cards. Miss Jupiter doesn???t talk much and neither do we. She seems to be concentrating intently. Finally, she completes the tarot layout and begins speaking. ???Harriet, this card indicates where you are now. As you can see, it shows that you have a happy life with a family and children. You lost two children, no? Once long ago and once not so long ago. Do not fear. They are angels above. Now, this next card represents you as you once were...?? I am captivated by this woman, Here she is with this stupid two-dollar pack of cards telling Harriet her life history. And she is absolutely correct about everything, including her overbearing mother. I???ve had what the Admiral has called ???ESP moments?? but nothing like this. This woman is like a walking encyclopedia on Harriet. Although I am amazed, I am also terrified. Can she see into me, too? Does she know my secrets? After she finishes telling Harriet that she is going to buy a house soon and have two more babies over the next 6 years, Harriet thanks her and we get up to go. Harriet walks out the door, and the psychic grabs my hand before I can follow. She walks up very close to me and points her skinny finger at me. ???You need to be careful. I see danger in your future. There is an evildoer in your midst. And there is a man, a tall man. Green eyes. I see the tall man, running to you, and you are running away. He says he loves you and you keep running. I also see an plane going down. I need to read your cards, Sarah. Please. I can tell you more if you let me do your cards. I beg you.?? She is standing so close to me, not touching me, yet holding me captive in some sort of bewitching gaze. No doubt about it. This Miss Jupiter lady has totally freaked me out. I break free of her spell and run out of her house to Harriet???s van. Psychic Hotline ??? Part 2 Saturday Evening I???m eating a peanut butter sandwich in my apartment, watching this new show, JAG. Its pretty funny, really., They just have no idea what its really like at the ???real?? JAG office. These people on the show are way too soap-opera like. All they need now is to put an ex-pilot character with an MIA dad on there like Harm, I theorize. Then it would be perfect! I thought they said it was going to be on Tuesday nights, though. Oh well. I swallow the last bite of sandwich, when I notice a pleading expression on my dog???s face. ???Come on, Jingo, I???ll make you one too.?? I get up to make the dog a sandwich when the phone rings. ???Mackenzie. Oh hello, Harriet. How is everything??? ???Fine, Ma???am. I mean Mac. I was wondering about you, though. You didn???t say two words on the way back from that psychic. Are you ok??? ???Yes, I???m fine, Harriet. Just worn out, really.?? ???She was amazing wasn???t she? She was right about everything! Even knew our names, and - what was she talking to you about when we were leaving? I saw her grab you, and - ??? I cut her off. ???Look Harriet, I???m sorry to be rude, but I???ve really got to go. I have to feed the dog and ??? ??? I trail off, not finishing what I was going to say. ???There???s someone at the door..?? I fib a little. ???Ok, well we can talk Monday, right??? ???Yeah, sure, Monday. Night, Harriet?? ???Bye?? Just when I had convinced my self that this woman was a total scam and I should ignore her, Harriet called and ruined that plan. Still, I put it out of my mind and make me and the dog each a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich As I sit back down to watch the rest of JAG, my thoughts drift back to Harm. Ever since we met in that silly flight class, he has been on my mind. In fact, he has been in my apartment every weekend for three months. This weekend, he went to visit his mom in California. He asked, hell, he begged me to go, but I had work obligations and couldn???t go.. Besides, I had promised Harriet I would go to that psychic. Boy, was that not a stupid idea? The words of the psychic come back to me, haunting me. ???You need to be careful. I see danger in your future. There is an evildoer in your midst. And there is a man, a tall man. Green eyes. I see the tall man, running to you, and you are running away. He says he loves you and you keep running. I also see a plane going down. ??? As I go over and over these words, trying not to think of them but losing the battle tremendously, the phone rings and nearly gives me a heart attack. I start breathing again and reach for the phone. ???Mackenzie?? ???Hey, sweetheart?? ???Harm! I am so glad you called? How is sunny California??? ???Great! I miss you though. Very much.?? ???I miss you too. Very much. So what have you guys been doing??? ???Just visiting, mostly. My mom took me down the road to where they shoot this TV show sometimes??¦You???ll never guess which one!?? ???You???re right, I won???t?? ???JAG! Have you ever seen it??? ???Yeah its pretty funny.?? ???Yeah, it is. What a soap opera!?? ???Yeah. The real office is nothing like that!?? ???Too funny, huh??? ???Yeah. Look, Harm,?? ???Yeah,?? ???Be careful.?? ???I will. You, too ok??? ???Ok. ???Sarah??? ???Yeah??? ???I love you.?? ???I love you, too. Harm.?? We hang up, and again the psychic???s words come back to me. An airplane going down? Had to be Mic, right? And the green eyed man, Harm? He loves me, right? The plane was Mic???s, I keep telling myself. Harm is safe. Harm is safe. I repeat this to myself as I prepare for bed. Still repeating this mantra, I get into bed and turn off the light. Just before I fall asleep, I think, ???Evildoer? Who in the hell is that??? Psychic Hotline ??? Part 3 Monday Afternoon I have just spent a miserable day in court, my feet are killing me, and now Harriet is in my office. ???Hello, Harriet.?? ???Hello, Ma???am. These files just came for you. I think they???re the files from the Striker case.?? ???Thanks, Harriet.?? ???Ma???am, are you ok? You???ve seemed kind of, well, upset since Saturday, and there???s something I wanted to tell you ??? ??? ???Harriet??? ???Yes, Ma???am??? ???Let???s not mention Saturday anymore, ok? That lady just creeped me out is all. Ok??? ???Ok, Ma???am, if you???re sure??¦?? ???I???m sure??¦?? ???Thanks, Harriet.. Oh, Harriet??? ???Yes?? ???Can you send over for an updated service record on Striker? The copy in this folder is going to be a couple of years old. This case was originally prosecuted in 1998. ?? ???I???ll get right on it.?? She leaves my office and I begin to go over the court records for Lt. Ed Striker. Originally accused of murdering his CO in 1998 and found innocent, he has just been charged with murdering his wife. The original case was prosecuted by Commander Raymond Barr and defended by me. He was found innocent due to lack of evidence, and now, he is requesting me to defend him on this latest charge. Never completely convinced of his quilt or innocence either way, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. He always claimed he was innocent, but with no verifiable alibi and tons of motive, it was a tough case. But he was found not guilty on all charges and allowed to continue in the Navy. The admiral left it up to me to decide I would defend him in this latest case, and I have not yet decided. I am beginning to wonder if maybe he really was guilty back in 1998 and I let him get away. Just as I make a mental note that I need to talk to Barr, my phone rings. ???Hey, Beautiful.?? ???Harm! Are you back in town already??? ???Yep, I???m back. You???re getting out of there soon, aren???t you??? ???Yeah, in about half an hour. Why??? ???Stop by my apartment and I???ll make some food. I???ve missed you terribly.?? ???Oh I???ve missed you too. I???ll be over around 1830, is that ok??? ???Perfect, see you then. Love you.?? ???Love you, too?? After we hang up, I can???t stop thinking about Harmon Rabb. That man is a fantasy come true. He is now working as a flight instructor, but I can???t help but hope he will give the law a try again. I have worked on convincing him to give it another try, but so far, no luck. I have also been worried about this stupid psychic but resolve to forget about it. I mean, really, tall man. Plane crash, danger, evildoer. Sounds like a TV show. Too crazy. I tell myself that I am going to Harm???s apartment tonight and everything is going to be fine. Just fine. Monday Evening ???So what are you fixing me??? I ask Harm as I nose around his kitchen. ???No fair peeking. You go sit on the couch and turn on the TV while I finish everything. I promise you???ll love it. Go on.?? He steers me towards the couch and I sit down. I grab the remote and turn in to Sci-Fi. ???There???s a Quantum Leap marathon on Sci Fi. You ever watch that show??? ???No, what in the heck is a Quantum Leap??? ???It???s a really cool show that, unfortunately, was cancelled quite a few years ago.?? I proceed to give him the details on Sam and Al and the failed experiment that led to Sam leaping around in the past. He laughs a little and brings me a glass of soda. ???Enjoy,?? he says. ???The food is almost done.?? I settle in to watch Sam and Al try to prevent their latest crisis, and eventually, Harm brings me my food. ???I figure we can eat while we watch TV, since you seem to be so involved in this show.?? ???That???s fine, what are you feeding me??? ???Chicken Stroganoff, mixed veggies and rolls?? ???Mmmm??¦. Hand it over flyboy.?? He hands me my plate and I begin devouring the dinner. It is excellent. As I am swallowing the last delicious bite, my cell phone rings. ???Mackenzie.?? ???Major, its Admiral Chegwidden. Where are you??? ???At a friend???s house, why? Is everything alright??? ???No, actually, it is not. I???m sorry this couldn???t wait until l tomorrow, Major, but we have a major problem. You???re client is holding Lt. Bud Roberts hostage at gunpoint in JAG headquarters. Security has been called in and the man is requesting to speak to you. ??? ???Gunpoint? I???m on my way.?? Turning to Harm, I speak. ???I???m sorry Harm. I have to go. There???s an emergency at JAG.?? ???Not without me, you???re not. What???s this about gunpoint??? We have no time to waste and I see no sense in arguing so I tell him I will explain on the way. Part 4 JAG HQ Bullpen 30 minutes later I arrive at JAG HQ, and after convincing the guards to let Harm in with me, we proceed upstairs. Striker is in the bullpen with Bud, who is tied to a chair. Surrounding them are several security personnel and a hostage negotiator, with whom Striker has refused to speak. The admiral has filled me in a bit on the situation. It seems that Striker escaped from custidy while in transport from emergency treatment for a dental problemn back to the brig. As luck would have it, he decided to come here to talk his his attorney. Me. Bud was the only one in the building at the time and Striker demanded to see me. When Bud told him to come back tomorrow, Striker starting flipping out nd pulled a gun. Not knowing what else to do, he tried to call my apartment. Getting no answer, he convinced Striker to allow him to call the Admiral in order to locate me. And here we all are. Striker has had his gun pointed at Bud, but he turns it on me when he sees me. ???Ma???am,?? he says. ???Lt. Striker. Please put the gun down so we can talk.?? He stops pointing it at me but does not release it. ???I can???t do that, ma???am.?? ???What do you need, Lt??? I ask. ???I am innocent of these charges, ma???am . I???m being set up, just like before.?? ???Well, that will be determined in court, Lt. I agreed to represent you before this stunt of yours. This is not going to look good to a jury.?? ???That???s why you need to get the charges totally dropped.?? ???That???s beyond my control, Lt. ??? We continue to debate for a few minutes. While we talk, a bee has entered the room from some unkown entry point and is buzzing around Bud???s nose. Completely tied up, he can???t swat the bee away. Harriet sees the bee, and yells ???Oh my gosh, he is allergic to bees!!?? Bud freaks out and starts screaming as well, afraid that the bee will sting him and send him into a deadly shock. This distracts Striker, who turns to swat the bee away. While Lt. Striker is distracted, I reach for his gun. He sees me make my move and reflexively fires the weapon. I feel it hit me before I hear the shot. It feels like a flaming arrow. I see Striker drop the gun in surprise, like he can???t believe he shot me. Harriet takes the opportunity to untie Bud, and as I sink into unconsciousness, I see Harm running towards me, yelling ???Noooo! Sarah!! I love you!! Don???t go!!?? My surroundings grow dim, but his voice never fades. I am suddenly surrounded by a white light. I can still hear Harm yelling and when I look down, I see the bullpen as if I was floating above it. Suddenly, its quite clear. The psychic was right. Harm running for me, me running away, the plane crash, and the evildoer. She was right about everything. I should have been more careful. Psychic Hotline Part 5 Bethesda Two days later I don???t know how I got here but I???m in a hospital bed. I have opened my eyes and Harm is sitting next to my bed holding my hand. ???Hi, sweetheart. ?? ???Hi?? ???Don???t try to talk yet. You???re throat is probably still sore from the tube. We were all worried about you, Sarah. Especially me. You gave me quite a scare with those ninja girl tactics of yours. Striker???s in custody by the way and he won???t get away this time.?? ???That???s good,?? I whisper. He???s right. My throat does hurt. He senses this and gives me a cup of cold water. I smile my thanks. ???No talking,?? he says. I nod and he continues. ???We thought we lost you.?? ???But Mr. Rabb, here, gave you CPR and brought you back.?? Admiral Chegwidden has just walked into my room and added his two cents. ???We all owe him a great deal for his fast response. Of course, after he brought you back, he also broke Mr. Striker???s nose and knocked out two teeth before I pulled him off.?? This also makes me smile a little as I imagine heroic Harm saving me and beating up the bad guy at the same time. ???Hello, ma???am?? Harriet has come to visit me also and I nod my greeting. ???Come on, Mr. Rabb. I want to talk to you some more about your Navy career.?? ???We???ll leave you two alone,?? says Harm. ???I???ll be right outside if you need me, Sarah. Harriet, don???t let her talk. She needs to rest.?? And then he kisses my forehead and is gone, taking the Admiral with him. ???He has been in here for two days. I don???t think he went for a bathroom break the whole time. He made the hospital bring him a cot. I can tell he loves you a great deal. Listen, I came to thank you for saving Bud and risking your life to do it. Thank you.?? ???Its ok.?? I whisper and sip more water. Whatever pain meds they have me on are wearing off and my chest is hurting like hell. The nurse comes in and brings me some pills. I swallow them with my water as Harriet continues. ???We will never forget what you did. If it hadn???t been for your boyfriend??¦he is your boyfriend isn???t he??? ???Yes, he is, Harriet. Amazing, isn???t he? ?? ???Sure seems to be, Ma???am.?? We laugh together for a few minutes. Then I whisper. ???Harriet, I know I???m not supposed to talk but I want you to listen. I need to go back to that psychic, Miss Jupiter. She stopped me..she knew some things??¦things she shouldn???t have known. I need to talk to her.?? ???Wow..that???s what I was trying to talk to you about the other day. I found out she is a total fake. Bud told her all of that stuff when he set up my appointment with her. He is so gullible, you know. Sweet but gullible. He probably told her some stuff about you, too, don???t you think? I mean, there???s no way she really could have just known all that stuff, right??? She has totally shocked me to my core. Bud told that lady all that stuff about Harriet. And he knew about Mic???s plane crash. But how could he have known about Harm??¦and the impending danger? I reply confusedly, feeling slightly numb and strange from the medication. ???Right, Harriet. Of course she???s a fake. There???s no way she could have known ??¦?? as I drift off to sleep.