AUTHOR: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960@AOL.com) 

RATING: R for sexual content

SUMMARY: The reason behind Jill's return to California.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hopefully in this chapter, I'll try to uncover the reasons for Jill's sudden return to California. Btw, I'm
not going to explain everything here. I've got that saved for the fight I have planned in Chapter Four.

CHAPTER THREE: Sometimes You've Got to Do What You've Gotta Do

It was a hot April day. Jill was sitting on her patio with her feet propped up on a table, studying. It seemed to be all she
did lately was work and study. Worrying about Mike had even taken a back seat to everything else. She'd returned to
L.A. four months before and, with the help of Trap, had managed to get back into school. Trap had managed to get into
UCLA and had returned to California shortly after Mike had left in September. Talking by mail and phone, he'd
continually begged Jill to come and stay with him. It had taken three months and one awful afternoon before Jill relented,
packing up all of hers' and Mike's belongings, renting a small U-Haul and driving to L.A. She had gotten a job in a
bowling alley and had stayed with Trap for several weeks before finally saving enough money to rent a small apartment
in Venice. She loved staying near the beach and she loved the artists' community. She'd enrolled in school in January,
taking courses to get her nurses' degree…something she'd started working on before Mike had left.

She'd written to Mike after getting settled, letting him know where she was. As was par for the course since his
departure, she'd received no reply. She knew he'd told her he didn't write, but his apparent disregard for her well-being
cut her like a knife. If he knew about the frequent visits to the emergency room in the middle of the night and the
sleeplessness, she knew he'd be worried.

She put her book down and thought about calling Trap. She knew that if she didn't check in soon the phone would be
ringing. He worried about her constantly. It made her feel good at first, but now it started grating on her nerves. Lately all
of his talk had been of her hiring a divorce attorney and sending the papers to Mike. She couldn't make him understand
that as angry as she was at Mike, she still loved him with all of her heart. She knew if he walked through the door right
now, she'd forgive him anything. She wore his Saint Christopher medal. She smiled, remembering how she found it on
their dresser the night he left. She had instantly slipped it around her neck, knowing that's why he'd left it and knowing
that wearing it would make her feel as if a part of him were with her.

She looked up as the phone beganto ring. She ran in and answered it on the fourth ring. "Hello?" She answered
breathlessly.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you weren't home," Trap's familiar voice came over the line.

"I was studying. What's going on?" She asked in a short voice.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get together and get something to eat," he wondered out loud.

"Trap, I've got a lot of studying to do. I've got a psych test coming up on Friday. Can I take a rain check?" She begged,
hoping he wouldn't decide to come over and help her study.

"Are you sure?" He asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you Saturday and we can get pizza," she offered.

"Okay, then. I'll see you Saturday. Good luck on your test," he told her as he hung up.

Trap hung up the phone with a sigh. It had been a long four months. While he'd promised Mike that he'd make sure Jill
was all right while he was gone, he hadn't exactly figured that she'd just show up in the middle of the night. He still didn't
know exactly what had happened to make Jill just up and leave the way she had, but he knew that it had to have been
something terrible. Trap had even called her uncle and asked him, only to discover that they didn't know any more than
Trap did.

The only thing Trap could do was offer her a place to stay and help finding a job. He was so angry with Mike that he
couldn't see straight. Jill had tried explaining that Mike didn't write letters. Trap gave up arguing when all Jill wanted to do
was defend her husband.

But as the months passed with still no word from Mike, Trap could see the tides ever so gradually starting to turn. The
frequent trips to the emergency room were a big convincing factor. Jill suffered from frequent panic attacks. She'd call
Trap, unable to catch her breath. The ER doctors told her that a lot of men were in Vietnam and she needed to learn to
relax. They prescribed Valium and sent her on her way, only to have the whole scenario repeat itself the next week.

He wasn't sure how much longer this could continue. He knew why she was suddenly reluctant to see him. Being busy
with school was only part of it. He knew she was tired of him constantly attacking Mike. What Jill failed to understand
was the attacks on Mike would stop if she'd just contact a divorce lawyer.

He was anxious to tell her about his new job. He'd read an ad in the L.A. Times for a handyman/groundskeeper. He'd
called the number and had arranged for an interview. The man who'd hired him had a house in the valley. He told Trap
that he kept an apartment in town and was only up at the valley house for an occasional weekend. The house sat on a
lake and the man owned several horses. The owner was particularly interested in Trap since he was working on a
degree in animal husbandry. He'd hired him to start immediately. All that was left for Trap to do was give notice on his
apartment and move out there. He was hoping he could talk Jill into going out there with him and giving up her hippie
lifestyle on the beach in Venice.

That Saturday night Trap picked Jill up at her apartment and they walked to a pizza place they frequented near the
beach. They sat down at their usual table and ordered. Several guys walked in and said hello to Jill as they walked by,
causing Trap to look at her.

"Who are those guys?" Trap demanded to know.

"Just some guys I know from the beach. One of them worked on the Beetle a couple of weeks ago. I told you," Jill
reminded him, taking a drink of her soda.

"So how long have you known 'these guys from the beach?'" Trap asked in a belligerent tone.

"Why? Are you jealous? They're friends, Trap. I'm not sleeping with them," she answered in a tight voice as she rolled
her eyes.

"So…still no word from Mr. Wonderful?" Trap asked, still seething.

"No, I still haven't heard from Mike and yes, I'm still writing to him," she informed him in a falsely patient voice, beginning
to regret their date.

"How did your test go?" He asked abruptly, deciding to change the subject.

"It went okay. Hey, did I tell you that I'm going to be working mornings three days a week at Memorial Hospital?" She
asked happily.

"That's great, but isn't it going to be hard to fit that in between working at the bowling alley and school?" He wanted to
know.

"Well, I already talked to Bobby and he's agreed to let me work evenings when I'm not at the hospital or at school. I'm
really excited about it. One of my instructors was the one who told me to go out there. She's a head nurse. So, what's
new with you?" She asked, taking a bite of her pizza.

"Well, I got a new job, too," he beamed.

"Where? At a veterinary clinic?"

"No, I was reading this ad in the paper about this guy who wants someone to live on his place and take care of things.

He has an apartment in town; so he wants someone to make sure the place doesn't get vandalized, stuff like that. It's a
nice place. It has its own lake and he even has horses," he added, hoping to impress her.

"Where's it at?" She asked curiously.

"In the valley…about 45 minutes south of town. Why don't you come out there with me?"

"No, thanks," she answered with a shake of her head. "What happened that night can never happen again. Besides, I
like it out here. It's quiet and the people are interesting. When do you start?"

"I told him the first of next month. I have to give notice on the apartment and a couple of weeks notice at the feed store. I
wish you'd change your mind," he reiterated.

"I won't." She sighed and took a sip of her soda. "So, are you dating anyone? No blonde with a name like 'Debbie' or
Tiffany?' I swear your girlfriends look like they come straight out of the Playboy mansion," Jill teased with a twinkle in her
eye.

"I'm between chicks at the moment. Let's get out of here," he announced abruptly, throwing some money on the table
and helping Jill to her feet.

"I can introduce you to some of my student nurse friends," Jill offered as they walked down the boardwalk.

"No, thanks. It sounds like I'm going to be too busy with this new job to date anybody, anyway," Trap declined, holding

her hand as they strolled. They stopped to watch some kids playing a game of pickup basketball. "I can't believe you
actually like living out here. I thought you gave up the hippie lifestyle when you met Mike."

"I haven't become a hippie," she reassured him with a chuckle. "The people out here aren't as uptight as what you find in
the city. Anyway, those guys you saw in the pizza parlor watch out for me. We're just friends, Trap. There's nothing else
going on."
 

"Yeah, I suppose you're still waiting for your husband to waltz through the front door," he spat out bitterly.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what I'm waiting for," Jill hissed back. "Look, we have this argument every time we see each other and I'm sick of it! I love my husband, Trap! There's nothing that you or anybody else can say to change that fact! Why don't you just go home!" She shouted at him as she turned and began walking toward her apartment.

"Jill, wait! I'm sorry," he panted as he ran after her.

"No, you're not," she whispered in a shaky voice as she stopped and turned to face him. "I thought Mike was your friend,
too. I don't see how you can stand there and stab him in the back like that."

"Mike WAS my friend, WAS being the operative word. He doesn't have to tell you what he does over there, but he could
at least let you know he's okay," he tried reasoning with her.

"I know he's okay," she whispered.

"How do you know that? Did you go to a fortuneteller?" He asked.

"When I moved out here and sent him my address, I sent him our new bank information. I know he's okay because he's
depositing money in the account," she explained.

"Wonderful! He can make sure you're taken care of financially, but he can't pick up a pen and write a few lines on a sheet of paper! Why can't you see what's wrong with this picture?" He seethed as they approached the apartment.

"There's nothing wrong with this picture except for the fact that you want me and you can't have me! You wouldn't have
me even if Mike were out of the picture, which he isn't!" She snapped in a cold voice. She marched past him and
unlocked her front door. "Goodnight, Trap!"

By Jill's calculations, Mike should've been home by early November. When November came and went with no word
from Mike that was when Jill really started becoming angry. She finally got desperate enough to break down and call his
parents after Christmas.

The phone rang three times before Mike's father picked it up. "Hello?"

"Mr. Danko, this is Jill. I was wondering if you'd heard from Michael," Jill wondered in a quavering voice.

"He was never one for writing letters. If he hasn't written to you, he probably has his reasons," Mr. Danko replied in a
cold voice.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to have bothered you," Jill said quickly, preparing to hang up. She knew she'd made a mistake
calling them.

"Jill?" Mr. Danko's voice sounded over the line.

"Yes?" She answered in a wary voice.

"Are you still in Alabama?" He asked.

"No, sir. I've been in California for just over a year now. If you hear from Michael, will you tell him to please call me? He
has my address and phone number," she said as she hung up.
 
 

Meanwhile, almost ten thousand miles away, Mike had come into his quarters after a long, hot day in the field. His mail
was lying on his desk. Picking it up, he was thrilled to find a letter from Jill. He was puzzled, however, when he spotted
the return address.

"What are you doing in California, Jill?" He mused out loud as he read the letter. She explained in the letter how Trap
had been accepted at UCLA and she made the decision to go out there herself shortly before Christmas. It didn't explain
the catalyst behind her decision and that's what had Mike worried. He knew Jill well enough to know that there had to be
a reason for her sudden decision. He thought about trying to call her, but it was almost impossible to get a free line and
the reception was horrible.

He missed her all of the time, but more than that, he worried about her. He did figure, however, that she was in better
hands being near Trap.

When he arrived home that November, he had every intention of reuniting with Jill. He was staying temporarily with his
parents, who didn't mention to him that Jill had called asking about him. His father was the one who saw the article in the
paper about the police academy, never dreaming in a million years that his son would take the exam and be accepted.
He was in the kitchen the day Mike received the letter telling him he'd been accepted into the upcoming class.

"Michael, I was thinking," his father ventured thoughtfully. "You're going to be in class all day five days a week for six and
a half months. You've said yourself that Jill seems to be all right. Maybe you should wait until you graduate from the
academy before you try to find her."

"Pop, Jill's my wife," Mike answered through gritted teeth, wishing his father would just drop the subject. I'd like for us to
be a family again," Mike argued with his father.

"I know she's your wife, son, but I'm just saying that it's difficult trying to attend classes, study and maintain a relationship,"
Mike's father explained patiently. "It's just something that bears thinking about."

Mike reluctantly agreed with his father. At the registration, there was a bulletin board showing available apartments for
rent. Mike figured the number one step to becoming reunited with Jill was moving out of his parent's house. He didn't
have a lot of stuff ..just his clothes and a few personal belongings. He hoped Jill still had everything else. While moving in
he became acquainted with his new neighbors and fellow cadets, Willie Gillis and Terry Webster.

They spent their spare time together studying and getting to know each other better. It was during one revealing
conversation with Terry that Mike disclosed the fact that he was married, which came as a shock to his new friend.

"So what are your plans?" Terry asked.

"Right now I want to finish the academy. After that, I'll go find my wife," Mike told him.

"I just hope she wants to see you," Terry replied thoughtfully.

"Oh, she'll see me. She finds me charming," Mike grinned.

After leaving Terry and Willie's apartment, Mike went home and looked up Trap's phone number. He knew Trap would
know where Jill was. Trap answered the phone on the second ring.

"Trap, this is Mike Danko. I was wondering if you could tell me how to find Jill," Mike rambled.

"Mike, are you back in L.A.?" Trap asked after nearly dropping the receiver in shock. "I thought Jill had given you her
new address."

"She did, but I don't know how to find her apartment," Mike explained.

"Well, I'm not really speaking to Jill at the moment. If you want to really find her, then I suggest you get a map of the area
and look up Venice. It's not a big place so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding her," Trap answered in a frosty
voice.

"Trap, what's going on?" Mike demanded.

"Mike, why didn't you write to her? She worried about you constantly," Trap accused.

"I'm not going to explain myself to you!" Mike shouted. "All I want to do is find my wife!"

"She works three evenings a week at the bowling alley near UCLA. You might have better luck finding her there," Trap
sighed.

"Thanks, Trap," Mike told him as he hung up.

It was another several weeks before Mike worked up the courage to go find Jill. She was shocked to see him, especially

in a police uniform. He told her about a party he had to attend and he really wanted her to attend with him. She finally
relented and gave him directions to the apartment.

The party reminded her of all of the parties she'd had to attend with him in Alabama. All of the men in one corner talking
shop, while their wives or girlfriends were stuck in another corner swapping recipes or talking about their kids. Jill had
hated it then and she hated it now.

Mike had promised her they wouldn't stay late, so they left with the others shortly after 9:30. Jill didn't want to go to his
apartment with him so they drove to an all-night diner, sat down and ordered coffee.

"Jill, I was really hoping you'd come back home with me. We need to be together," he stressed, stirring his coffee.

"You should've been back with me in November, Mike. I need time to think. We need to talk and work things out," she
answered quietly, not looking him in the eye.

"Babe, I love you," Mike told her as he reached over and took her hand in his.

"I love you, too, but I'm not ready to just move back in with you," she whispered, pulling her hand away.

"So, now what?" He asked nervously.

"Now we try to get back what we had," she smiled as she put her hand on his

He sighed unhappily. The last thing he wanted to do was date his wife again, but he realized that he was being left
without a choice. If he wanted her back, he was going to have to start all over again at square one.

"I guess I'll take you home and call you tomorrow night for a date," he smiled. "Can I at least kiss you goodnight?"

"Yeah, you can kiss me goodnight," she agreed with a small smile. "Please take me home now."

He nodded.

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