Overnight Therapy - Chapter Forty-One
Title: Overnight Therapy
Author: LSM71059
Fandom: Spooks
Characters: Lucas
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season Seven
Summary: Lucas North has someone to confide in and take care of him when the nightmares and bad flashbacks happen.
Disclaimer: All Spooks Characters are the intellectual property of the BBC.
The Inspiration for this story was taken from the song "South City Midnight Lady" by the Doobie Brothers
(Time Line for chapter: Just Prior to Episode 7.04)
Chapter Forty-One
Wanting nothing more than to get away from all the event preparation activity going on the main house, Joe Gianelli tried to make his escape through the French doors at the end of the ballroom. He’d almost succeeded when his wife, Lily Rose called to him, “I need you in your tuxedo and ready to meet guests no later than 6:00 p.m. And you better not be late, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Dearest,” he answered before ducking out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Joe loved his wife with all his heart, but her fundraisers were not one of her activities he relished taking part in.
As he made his way in his golf cart down to the guest house at the furthest end of the estate to hide out at his favourite retreat getaway, Joe let a sigh. He wished he could leave behind his hectic life. He was bone tired and it didn’t seem to abating. Perhaps it was time to give serious consideration to retiring and let the younger generation take over his empire.
Arriving on the doorstep, Joe let himself in to the house. It was Lori’s place. Long ago, she’d taken him up on the offer to let her stay there when she’d first come to work for him. From then on, he’d insisted she stay there when required to be in town and it had become her second home. Taking a quick look around the great room, he smiled broadly. He loved all the little touches she’d added over the years. They were as eclectic as she was. Walking over to the wall lined with bookcases filled to capacity, he ran his hands over the first edition classics mixed in with of all things paperback romance novels. It made him smile at the irony of it all but that exemplified who she was.
Stopping at the built in desk in the middle of the bookcases, he pulled out the big overstuffed leather Executive’s chair and took a seat. It was littered with all the files and drawings of the newest project he’d been working on. Today, it held no interest for him which was a first. Instead his attention was drawn to the framed photos lining the back of the desk. They were a timeline of Lori’s life starting with a photo of her in her mother’s arms surrounded by her father and two siblings, ending with a photo taken on her wedding day.
He ran his finger over the frame of the last photo remembering when it had been taken. It was of Stephen dipping Lori, giving her a passionate kiss as Eric & Alexander Baron, Mark Donovan, Stephen’s three brothers, their wives, Joe’s nephew Nicholas, Lily Rose & himself looking on laughing and smiling. He’d walked her down the aisle just moments before on that happy day to the one man he’d deemed worthy of Lori.
His reminiscence was interrupted by the cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out and checking the caller I.D. before answering, he frowned. When the Secretary of the Navy was calling him on Saturday, it couldn’t be anything good. Joe answered, “Hello, Mr. Secretary, how may I be of service?”
Launching straight in to the reason for his call, The Secretary said, “Joe, we have a developing situation which merits Commander Montgomery coming out of retirement and the utilization of her extraordinary set of skills. And due to her proximity, she is the logical choice to fly in the Seals team. A recovery is currently being staged and will be implemented within the next twelve to twenty-four hours. The subject of the recovery is Major Eric Baron. His aircraft went down over the Baltic Sea. His beacon is still active at this time. It is tracking on the Russian side Northwest of St. Petersburg on Kronschtadt Island. How soon can she mobilize? “
Inwardly groaning, Joe reached up and rubbed his left eyebrow as he listened to SecNav. This was one of the worst case scenarios for him. He had to be the one to not only inform Lori of Eric’s situation but also request she help with it. Plus, there was the fact that she was currently on loan to MI-5. Could this be any more of an International related incident? He answered, “As you aware of Mr. Secretary, Commander Montgomery has already come out of retirement for the Agency to take on an assignment at the request of Mark Donovan. She is currently on loan to the Brits’ MI-5 Division. Therefore should she consent to take on this mission, we will have to notify them. They would be an excellent resource to tap whether she participates or not.”
“I leave the coordination of securing her services in your capable hands. The story is going to hit the airwaves in the next few minutes. We have informed them he went down closer to the Swedish side of The Baltic and details will be forth coming as they develop. Report back to me as soon as she has made her decision,” The Secretary said then disconnected.
Joe closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes and muttered as he dialled his cell phone, “I should have retired yesterday,”
The phone rang twice before his former partner answered smarting off to him with a chuckle, “Hello Joe. Don’t be looking to me to give you an excuse to get out of tonight’s festivities. On pain of death, I was told I had to attend and be sure you did too. There’s no wrath I fear more than your Dear Lily Rose’s.”
“Donovan, listen up,” Joe said in his matter of life or death all business voice cutting Mark off.
“Listening,” Donovan responded full of trepidation. Joe didn’t use that voice unless it had something to do with one of his operatives.
Joe proceeded to give him the Intel as he knew it. He finished with, “I’ll call Lori. You call Harry Pearce. Because we both know there is no way she won’t go.”
“True, I’ll give him the broad stroke overview till it’s definite she is going,” Donovan responded knowing full well Lori would not turn down the assignment. “I’m on my way to your place. See you within the hour.”
“Glad you were in town and I didn’t have to stop to pick you up in D.C.” Joe said before disconnecting. Dreading having to inform Lori, he delayed it by calling his pilot to get the flight plan for England filed and calling his butler at his London place to have it ready for his arrival. Not being able to delay any further, he dialled her number.
Lori answered warmly, “Good evening, Joe.”
Hoping Lucas was with her so she wouldn’t have to receive the news alone, Joe G. said in a very grave tone, “Forgive the interruption of your weekend off, but I am calling with some rather distressing news. Are you alone?”
“No, Lucas is here with me. Do I need to be alone?” Lori asked. He heard the trepidation in her voice.
It was best to give it to straight and all at once. Joe said, “No, it is best someone is with you. It’s Eric. Intel says his plane was shot down on the wrong side of the Baltic Sea. The major news networks are reporting he was on the Swedish side. But that is not the case, it was the Russian side.”
Joe waited for the barrage of questions to start. He was about to tell her to breathe when he heard her deathly calm tone that made him wished he’d been able to deliver the news in person so he could wrap his arms around her. She asked in rapid fire succession, “When did he go down? Exactly where did he go down? What was he doing on the wrong side of the Baltic? What’s being done to recover him? Which Seals team is going after him? Who’s flying them? And where are they coming out of? Does his family know? Who contacted you?”
“Lori, slow down. I’ll answer all of your questions. I had a feeling knowing your aversion to watching the news you didn’t know. And I wanted to be the one tell you. Because of your proximity to the area and of course your track record, Mr. Secretary (the Secretary of the Navy) requested you be a part of the rescue. I told him I would contact you to check your availability but made no commitment one way or the other. Take a moment to decide. Don’t do it emotionally but rationally. It goes without saying the renovation project can be easily covered. However, you need to take into consideration your other endeavour and what the impact would be should you be gone till the rescue is completed,” Joe said in his calm reassuring voice. He knew she’d listen to reason and make an informed decision if the Intel came from him. He knew he wouldn’t have to wait long for her decision.
After a minute, Lori said, “I’m in, I’m all in. Give me two hours and I’ll be at the airbase.”
“Phone me on your drive there and I’ll bring you up to speed. And Lori, just do what you do best and it will turn out fine,” Joe said encouragingly before disconnecting. He quickly left Lori’s place and made his way back to the main house. Coming in the same doors he’d escaped by earlier, Joe went directly over to his wife. She took one look at him before asking, “What’s wrong?”
Joe ushered her over to the French doors and out on to the terrace. He said, “Eric Baron’s plane went down over the Baltic Sea. Lori is being asked to participate in the rescue........
And before he could finish, Lily Rose put her arms around his waist giving him a big hug saying, “And Mark and you on your way across the pond.”
Joe kissed the top of her head as he hugged her back. He said, “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Yes, but it’s always good to hear it. Now, give me a kiss goodbye and go see what you can do to take care of our girl,” Lily Rose responded. She cared for Lori almost as much as Joe did.
Giving his wife a lusty look and wriggling his eyebrows, Joe said, “I don’t have to leave right this moment. Mark is picking me up within the hour. Perhaps you could take a break from your party preparations and accompany me upstairs to help me pack.”
“I believe I can spare a few minutes for you,” Lily Rose said putting her hand on his cheek before taking his hand and leading him up to their bedroom suite. Ever since they had been together, which was going on forty years, it was tradition for them to make love before he left for business or a mission. Sometimes it was nothing more than quickie, other times they were able to take their time and enjoy each other thoroughly. This time it was the quickie.
Fully satiated, they lay in each other’s arms for a few precious moments before hitting the shower. As she soaped up his body, he kissed the top of her head saying, “I’ll make it up to you for missing the fundraiser.”
“My Darling, the only thing I ask is what I always do, that you come home in one piece,” Lily Rose said her voice filled with all the love she felt for Joe.
“I will do my best,” Joe responded.
---------------------------------
Donovan audibly sighed as he hung up the phone. Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Eric Baron who went down? If anything happened to him, Mark feared this would be the final straw to break Lori. Quickly repacking his bag and checking out of the hotel in the city to make the drive to Joe G.’s estate, he dialled Harry Pearce.
Attending Lord John Marbury’s birthday celebration, Harry discreetly pulled his vibrating mobile out of his pocket and checked the caller i.d. He exited from the ballroom in to a quiet alcove before answering on the third ring, “Donovan, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this evening. Is something amiss with Lucas? Have you heard from Ms. Smith?”
Hearing the sounds in the background and getting to straight the matter at hand, Donovan said, “Hello Harry, sorry to interrupt your Saturday evening. No, there is nothing amiss with Lucas that I am aware of, however we have a situation which we may need your assistance and requires Samantha Smith’s unique skill set. And therefore it will be necessary for us to pull her from you for a brief period of time. That is, if she consents to take on the assignment.”
Harry knew whatever it was couldn’t be good because Donovan did not ask for assistance very often and would not pull Ms. Smith without just cause. Besides, he owed him. He asked, “Care to enlighten me on the situation and how can we be of assistance?”
Donovan said, “One of our military aircraft has gone down over the Baltic Sea. I will be briefed in detail within the next hour. Due to her outstanding record when it comes to rescue ops and her proximity to the situation, SecNav has requested Samantha participate. I’ll keep you up to speed on all aspects as they develop.”
“I appreciate you keeping me in the loop, Donovan. I’ll send one of mine over to see if there is anything we can do assist Ms. Smith in the interim,” Harry volunteered.
Donovan responded, “Thank you Harry. You know if there was anyone else.......”
Harry didn’t let him finish, “I know, Donovan. Just see to it she comes back to us in an expedient manner. I will await your call then on further Intel.”
“Thanks, Harry,” Donovan said before disconnecting.
Harry made his way in to the study to find a television. Finding the remote, he flipped it on and turned it to the BBC. The news regarding the downed aircraft was breaking across the bottom of the screen. Lord Marbury came up behind him looking over his shoulder at the screen. He asked, “Any of our concern?”
“Possibly, will you give my regrets to Lady Marbury?” Harry said.
“Of course, if I can be of assistance....,” Lord Marbury said.
“Thank you and I bid you Good Evening,” Harry said shaking his hand and taking his leave. He waited till heading back to Thames House before ringing Lucas.
Answering on the second ring, Lucas said, “Hello Harry.”
“Hello, Lucas. Are you watching the news per chance?” Harry asked.
“No, should I be?” Lucas responded.
Getting straight to the point of his call Harry said, “I have just received a call from my counterpart over in the United States. It is all over the air waves that one of their Military planes has went down. Due to her past Naval background, our project liaison, Ms. Smith is being pressed in to service to help recover the pilot. We have been requested to join in the effort. Since you are her neighbour, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to go over and extend our offer of assistance in person,”
“Of course, I will be in touch after I’ve spoken to her Harry,” Lucas said then disconnected.
---------------------------------
Joe G. paced on the portico checking his watch for the third time. Where was Donovan? He should have been there by now. Thinking it was best to wait call SecNav till he arrived, Joe was unusually anxious. Finally the black Lincoln came in to view. Joe was down the stairs with his bag waiting at the end of the walk. As soon as the car came to a stop, he opened the door, threw his bag in the backseat and slid in growling, “Bout damn time, Donovan, where the hell you been?”
Donovan didn’t take offense and pulled back down the drive. He knew things were going to be tense at best. He asked already knowing in his gut the answer, “Did Lori accept?”
Joe just gave him a sideways glance not dignifying the question with an answer. He pulled out his cell phone putting it on speakerphone and dialled SecNav.
The Secretary answered dispensing with pleasantries, “SitRep,” which was short for situation report.
“The Commander has agreed to the assignment and is presently preparing to go. Donovan and I are on our way to the airfield to depart for London,” Joe reported.
“You might want to have Commander Montgomery hold up before she goes to the airfield. We won’t be having her depart immediately but most likely in the next forty-eight hours. State has not cleared the rescue yet. I want to have a video conference with her, State and MI-5 so we are all the same page,” The Secretary said.
“Give me half an hour to coordinate all the parties,” Joe answered,
“Make it fifteen,” The Secretary said before disconnecting.
Donovan put his foot on the accelerator to speed their progress to the airfield.
---------------------------------
Harry had just arrived on the Grid and was headed for his office when his mobile vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out and looking at the screen first, Harry answered, “Lucas, what can we do to assist?”
“At the moment Harry, not much, all she requested was a car to take her to the air base. I volunteered to personally drive her. She wants to leave in the next fifteen minutes,” Lucas said.
"I’ll have a car brought round to you directly and parked out front of your building,” Harry said.
“Thank you, Harry. If I don’t speak with you before then, I’ll be in touch once I’ve delivered her to the air base,” Lucas said.
Hearing the beep from call waiting in his ear, Harry said, “Very well, Lucas. I have another call coming in perhaps this will give us more information on the situation. I’ll ring back if there is any more Intel.”
"Until then, Harry,” Lucas said before disconnecting.
Harry clicked the send button on his mobile to pick up the second call. He said, “Harry Pearce.”
“Hello Harry, Ros here,” Ros said casually,
“Ros, I’m in the middle of something here. Let me call you back,” Harry said immediately disconnecting. He knew his Section Leader would not take kindly to be brushed off but it was unavoidable at the moment.
He made his way over to the case officers on duty to have them deliver a car to Lucas immediately. They nodded their agreement and left straight away. His phone went off once again just as he was about to call back Ros. Once again, he answered, “Harry Pearce.”
“It’s Donovan. We want to put you on a video conference call with SecNav and the State Department. That way they can be bring us all up to speed at the same time. Is that agreeable to you?” Donovan asked.
“Of Course, I’ll have my people stand by for transmission” Harry said and made his way to their video conference area to be patched in.