Babes in the Woods

Posted on Tue 15th May, 2018 @ 8:49pm by Lieutenant Colonel Brooklyn Wellington

907 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Timeline: MD 11, 1155

"Beck, you got a baby shower invitation?" Helena asked.

"Yep." Beck kept working on the schedule for her crew rotations on AWACS duty on the Arrows.

"Well, are you going?"

Rebecca leaned back in her chair with a sigh, and pinned Helena with a patient look. "What is it you really want to know?"

Nordstrom laughed, "You know me too well."

"Both ways," Beck answered. "So what is it?"

"I haven't spent a lot of time around babies. I don't know what they need."

"Do I look like a Britannica World Book, Volume Ba-Be?" Rebecca replied. "I'm just getting a gift certificate. They can buy what they want, something useful, I'm sure."

Helena brightened. "Say that's a great idea! Wanna go together on that?"

The captain thought that over, "Yeah, okay. We can stop by that florist shop, what's it called? Love a Scent?"

"I don't think that's quite right, but we'll look it up. And why would we give a baby flowers?" her friend asked.

"Not the baby, wingnut. We get a plant for the parents, and stick a card in it with the gift certificate." Rebecca shook her head. "For a woman who is death in a fighter, you really don't know much about the real world, do you?"

The warrant officer shrugged in turn. "Why would I? Who has time for it? Hey, let's see if the colonel wants to go in with us, too."

"Can't hurt to ask. I suppose you want to do this now, in spite of the fact that there's work to do?" Beck said.

"No time like the present. Don't you always say that?"

"You must be thinking of some other boss," the captain answered, " but we might as well get it over with so I can get some work out of you. We can check in with the colonel on the way out."

It wasn't all that far to Colonel Wellington's office. Beck poked her head in the door. "Hey, O'Malley, is the Colonel in? We thought she might want to go baby gift shopping with us. Well, Helena did, but I told her the Colonel is probably way too busy for that. You're welcome to come, too. I hear those little pink invitations have been falling like confetti on all the women, so you must have one."

Rose smiled from behind her desk before standing. "Yes ma'am, I received one and the Colonel is in." She pressed the intercomm. "Colonel Wellington."

"What is it, Lieutenant?" came Wellington's voice.

"Captain Beck and Warrant Officer Nordstrom are here to see you, ma'am," O'Malley stated.

"Send them in," came the reply.

"Aye Ma'am." Rose closed the intercom. "The colonel is available, ma'am." Rose then sat back down.

"Don't forget, you can come with us," Helena whispered as Beck led the way past her into the Colonel's office.

In her office, Wellington finished a sip of her coffee as she waited for the two officers to enter. She wondered what the two women wanted.

"Good afternoon, Colonel," Rebecca came to attention in front of the desk, Helena just a step behind her and slightly to the side. "We've come with a request, Ma'am."

Wellington raised an eyebrow at the two women. "At ease. Have a seat," she gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. "What's the request?"

Both women sat, slightly to the front of the chairs. Taking the lead, as the higher rank, Beck said, "We have to go baby gift shopping. We were thinking about going together on a gift certificate, so the new parents can get what they need. What Helena," she nodded to her wingman, "and I know about babies wouldn't fill the smallest particle confinement cell. I could be wrong, but you might be the same. We're taking our lunch break to go to ... what was the name of that place again?" she asked Helena, looking over at her.

"Baby Steps sounded nice, I thought," Nordstrom replied.

Rebecca laughed, "It has baby in it, must be the right place." Turning back to the Colonel, she asked, "So you want in, or are you already covered?"

Wellington was silent for a moment as she thought the request over. With the Pirates, the Wing was hard pressed with man hours. Even she had taken a flight to ease the burden as much as she could. However, this would be a nice break for her and she could get to spend some time with her friend, Beck, which had been next to impossible lately. Wellington smiled, "Sure. Count me in."

"Alright! Let's jet, then," Rebecca said. "We told O'Malley she's invited, too. And you know if the pirates are out there right now, they will still be hanging around when we get back." As they stood up to leave, Beck waved Nordstrom ahead of her and hung back to speak to Wellington.

"If you're shorthanded, you know I can take a run. I'm happy to be where I am, and I don't want back in the fighter corps, but if you need help, just ask," she said softly.

"That's good of you to offer but I ... we're holding down the patrol times at the moment. But I'll be sure to keep you in mind," Wellington smiled. As they passed O'Malley, Wellington turned to her. "Come on, O'Malley. Take a lunch and join us."

"Aye ma'am." O'Malley smiled and jumped up from her seat and joined the group.

 

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