Terry's Birthday

"Hold still!"

"Sorry."

Terry looked down with disgust at the swollen, bruised ankle above the heel that was resting on Actor's bent knee. The con man was strapping it to give her support. She sent a disgusted look at her brother. Jump, the man said. So she jumped from the bumper of the supply truck, landed on a broken branch, twisted her ankle and went down. Casino and Chief grabbed her and dragged her into the underbrush just before the pursuing Wehrmacht vehicle with the mounted machine gun came into view. About that time, the driverless truck missed the curve ahead and ended with a fiery explosion at the bottom of a ravine.

Casino put her on his back piggyback fashion and carried her as they all fled through the woods trying to make it to the rendezvous point at the shore before the Krauts found them. Terry insisted she could walk and they were just as insistent she would slow them down. So she was passed unceremoniously between Casino, Craig and Actor, all the time listening to Casino complain that she needed to go on a diet. They made it to the pickup place just in time and now they were in the belly of another giant sardine can that smelled of diesel and bilge water. Terry looked around. Casino was sitting with his head on his folded arms on top of the metal table, sound asleep. Chief was sitting beside him, a stiff look on his face and white knuckled hands grasping the table. Goniff was on a seat across the way with his head in a bucket.

Garrison walked up and rested a hand on the Italian's shoulder. "You think it's broken?"

"No," replied the con man. "I believe the boot saved her. It is just badly sprained." He finished taping the wrap on and closed up the aid kit.

"Could you put my sock on please?" asked Terry. "My foot's cold."

"Good," smiled Actor. "The cold will keep the swelling down."

"Ac-torrrr," said Terry warningly.

He sent a quick smile up at the lieutenant as he retrieved and gently eased the sock onto the woman's foot. Craig caught the smile and tried to hide one of his own. He looked at his watch.

"Hey, Sis," he said cheerfully. "Happy Birthday."

Terry glared at him. "If I could reach something, I would throw it at you," she threatened.

"Now Teresa," picked up Actor, "you could have been sitting at home bored. Instead you took a short vacation to the south of France." Right at that point Goniff wretched.

Terry took a playful swing at Actor's head which he ducked easily. Craig chuckled.

"Yeah, you got to spend your birthday in a nice comfortable chair with a good book and a pipe in front of a warm fire. What do I get? I get hauled around like a sack of feed because Brother Dear couldn't pass up blowing an ammunitions factory on the way out."

"Cara," said Actor, standing and moving to sit down on the bench seat. "I would hazard to say you weigh a bit more than a sack of feed."

"Don't you start now," objected Terry. "You're the one gave me a half dozen chocolate éclairs."

Actor picked up her stocking foot and rested it on his leg.

Craig was happy to get back at his sister for all her teasing. "That's all right, Terr. As soon as your ankle's healed, I'll drag you around the perimeter trail. That'll wear some of it off."

"I am not fat!" exclaimed Terry indignantly.

"Naw, you're just a little plump," said a muffled voice. The owner of the voice never lifted his head from his arms.

"Casino!" She looked around at all the men.

"I didn't say nothin'," denied Chief.

Goniff wretched again. Garrison grinned broadly at his sister. Terry crossed her arms and turned sideways on the bench seat to get her leg more comfortably situated.

"I am just totally unappreciated," sniffed Terry.

Actor began rubbing her toes between the palms of his hands to warm them up. "You know we appreciate you, Little One," he said soothingly. He could not stifle a grin at the girl's brother.

Terry pulled a face. Actually, if her ankle didn't hurt so much, Actor's rubbing her toes would feel pretty darn good. She turned her head to her brother. "I want to know how you plan on getting me back out of this tin can."

"Same way we got you in it," replied Garrison. "On my shoulders."

"I hope we never go anywhere with this sub crew again," lamented the woman. "The indignity of it . . ."

"I could always throw you over my shoulder," said the muffled voice.

"Don't even try it," warned Terry. "I'll quit making pork chops for a year."

Actor continued to rub her toes. "So long as you make that chicken, Cara."

Craig looked at his second quizzically and said to Terry. "The man eats gourmet food and he likes our mother's chicken recipe." He shook his head.

"Your mother must indeed be a wonderful cook," said Actor. "I would like to meet her sometime."

The two Garrisons looked at the con man speculatively then back at each other. The same thought ran through their minds. Craig voiced it, "Yeah, she would."

"Of course she would," said Terry. "She loves Italians."

Actor looked between the two with a self-satisfied grin.

When they docked at the sub pen, Terry was of no mind to be carried up the ladder. She turned on Actor. "You said it isn't broken."

"I do not believe it is," he replied.

"Good," said Terry, "then I'm walking on it." She turned and started up the ladder, taking most of her weight on her arms and ascending one rung at a time.

Actor and Garrison remained below, watching her. "Stubborn," said Actor quietly. "Yup," replied Craig.

They took her to a hospital in Folkestone and had the ankle x-rayed for good measure. Actor was correct and it was not broken. Still the men tried to get her to allow them to carry her to the car. Used to being self-sufficient on the ranch, Terry was finding it difficult to play damsel in distress. The ride to the mansion was rather uncomfortable. Terry was placed sideways on the seat with her leg across Casino's legs and her foot on Goniff's knee.

When she got out of the car, she immediately set off with a hobbling, hopping gait for the steps.

"Oh, no you don't, Sister!" called Casino. Garrison turned sharply then watched in amusement as the safecracker ran up to Terry and scooped her up in his arms.

"Put me down!" demanded Terry.

"Yeah, when I get you inside, Lady," said Casino with a grin.

"I thought you said I was plump," she shot at him. She glared at him when his hand tightened its grip on her ribs.

"You're really a little too boney," he commented.

Terry looked at him with outrage. The four men at the foot of the stairs chuckled quietly so as not to turn her attention to them.

"She is going to hit him in a minute," remarked Actor.

"Maybe not," laughed Craig. "But she will eventually get even with him."

Terry was set down in the overstuffed chair next to the window. Her foot was placed on the ottoman. Goniff spread a blanket over her legs, while Actor made up an ice pack for her ankle. Chief came out of the kitchen a few minutes later and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. Terry thanked each of them politely for anything they did for her. She was not used to being waited on. Craig had been moving about, starting fires in all the fireplaces to try to take the chill off the big cold building. Terry caught his eye and looked up and down herself and then back at him. He laughed silently, shook his head and closed himself in his office. It amazed him that his tough convicts were mothering his sister. Maybe it was their way of paying her back for the times she took care of them.

That afternoon found Terry back in the chair, wrapped in a blanket, book in hand, with water and coffee on the table beside her. Craig came out of his office wearing his full uniform and carrying his briefcase. He paused and looked between the occupants of the two overstuffed chairs. They were almost identical.

"Hey, Sis," he called to Terry. "The only thing you're missing is a pipe."

Two pair of eyes looked over the tops of books at him. Green ones turned to meet hazel ones.

"Warden, I do draw the line at sharing my pipe," said the con man.

"Don't you have to be in London or something?" asked Terry.

Garrison looked at his watch. "Yeah, I better get going." His expression became a little more serious. "Terry, I'm sorry I'm not going to be here for half your birthday."

"That's all right," she assured him. "You won't be missing much. Besides, we celebrated it last week."

"When do you expect to return, Lieutenant?" asked the con man casually.

"Not until tomorrow morning," replied Garrison. "I've been told we don't have any missions for the next forty-eight hours."

"You may rest assured," said Actor, "we will take excellent care of Teresa in your absence."

"I have no concerns about that whatsoever, Actor," said Garrison.

Terry waited until he closed the door behind him and was halfway down the steps, before turning to the con man.

"Hey, Actor." He looked up. "Doves?"

"Of course."

That evening, they all met in the common room. Going out the window was unnecessary and not practical with Terry's injury. Actor was the last to appear and he was carrying a cane. With a flourish, he presented it to Terry. She studied it. The head was a silver lion's head and the shaft was made of highly polished zebrawood. It looked old.

"And what museum did you steal this out of?" asked Terry jokingly.

"I did not . . ." the con man started to retort indignantly, then he paused and thought about it. "I don't remember," he said. "It may have been one in Venice."

As he turned away, Terry stared at his back in surprise. She really thought she was just joking. "Great," she said. "I'm going to a pub with a slipper on one foot and a hot cane. I'm definitely not going to forget this birthday."

As she walked out the door, it was Actor this time who lifted her up in his arms and started down the steps. Terry looked into his insincerely grinning face.

"What is it with you guys?" asked Terry. "It's sprained. I can walk on it."

"We do not need for you to fall on the steps or twist it again on the cobblestones," said the Italian was patience.

"Too 'ard to explain to the Warden, " piped up Goniff.

Terry eventually found herself firmly ensconced in a chair at a table in the Doves, being fussed over by everybody, including Robbie the bartender. When Goniff told him it was her birthday on top of it, she was treated to a somewhat soggy chorus of Happy Birthday from all the patrons. What surprised her was the deep operatic baritone that was coming out of the Italian and harmonizing even better with the the other three of her guys than they had at the restaurant.

The young woman was careful not to get too intoxicated even though she was being plied with ale and Courvoisier. She had seen the others so sodden before she had to drive home. Of course she needn't have worried about Actor. She had seen him down fairly large amounts of cognac in the past and never show a sign of it affecting him. The same was true tonight.

They deposited Terry back into the common room late that night. The fire was stoked beside her. She watched all four men go upstairs. Actor insisted she wait until he had her room warmed up before he would bring her upstairs.

Terry contemplated the situation. She had always been independent and now all four of the men were trying to take care of her. Actor was the worst. He was practically hovering at times. A grin came to her face and she levered herself out of the chair and picked up the cane. The ankle still hurt, but she could bear weight on it. She took herself up the stairs, one step at a time, reaching the landing just as Actor was coming out of her room.

"Teresa," he admonished with a stern look.

"I am perfectly capable," she said steadily.

He shook his head. "Would you like some aspirin before bed?"

"No thank you," she replied. "I think it will calm down once I get it up."

"If you change your mind, call to me and I will bring you some."

"Thank you, Actor," said Terry with an appreciative smile.

The Italian went down the hall to his room.

Terry hobbled inside hers. There was a bright fire in her fireplace. When she turned to her bed, her nightgown had been laid out atop the quilt. She was surprised he had not turned the covers back too. The man was trying to spoil her. She undressed and put the gown on. Now she pulled back the covers and found out why he hadn't. There was a very prettily wrapped small package nestled between the two pillows. With a grin, she sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned the cane against the night table and picked up the package. Carefully, she unwrapped it. It was a silver oblong eight-sided box. She lifted the lid. The inside was lined with red velvet. A folded piece of paper was nestled there. Terry set the box on the bed and opened the paper. It revealed the scrolling handwriting of the Italian.

Buon Compleanno, Cara.

This is to hold diamond earrings or any small treasure you might have.

Con affetto,

Actor

Just as carefully, she folded the piece of paper up and placed it back in the box. The box was set on the night table. She thought a moment. Maybe he wouldn't be in bed yet.

"Actor?" she called. "Is it too late to take you up on that offer?"

"I will be right there, Teresa," he called back.

She slid under the covers and sat up against the pillows. In just a short time, her bedroom door opened to admit the con man, clad in his pants and an open shirt. He was carrying a glass of water and two pills in his other hand. He grinned at her.

"Still painful?"

"Some," she admitted. Terry moved her knees over and patted the top of bed next to her. "Sit with me for a second?"

Actor sat beside her and handed her the pills and water. Dutifully, she took the aspirin.

"Thank you for letting me bother you," Terry said. As he shook his head in denial of the bother, she continued. "And thank you, Caro, for the lovely jewelry box. But diamond earrings?"

He grinned at her, "Little One, at some time in every woman's life, she manages to acquire a pair of diamond earrings."

"I'll take your word for that," smiled Terry.

She motioned with her forefinger for him to come closer. He leaned forward. She reached up to guide his head down and kissed the near cheek. "Grazie, amico mio."

"Prego, Cara," he replied. "Go to sleep."

She scooted down in the bed and watched him get up and turn the light out. Actor left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Terry couldn't see him pause and look back at the door. He shook his head and a small smile graced his face before he went back down the hall.