Father's Day - 51

Chegwidden, upset with his staff over their extravagant use of the budget, told Harm to bring "one case in budget" pointing out: a fire damaged carrier, an unauthorized Haiti trip, bullet riddled freighter and a lawsuit from the Bradenhurst corporation all on his watch. He assigned all three, H, Mac and Bud, to defend corporal Daryl Wetzl, a marine tank driver who "got lost" and ran over his COs tent during a maneuver. Wetzl claimed he was distracted buy worry over a custody hearing over his infant son, with his drug addicted wife. M got Dalton to help with the civil custody part pro bono. General Albanese, unyielding, said he "wouldn't reward a man for having a messed up life." H eventually got Albanese to agree to a change of venue to Paris Island which, under Cs new austerity program, would mean they had to travel many hours by car. Because of a "Quantum Leap" convention in town (requiring a cameo appearance of Donald Bellisario) H had to share the same room, actually the same bed, with B. Wetzl was being slammed in the press by lies and trumped up complaints from his, hooker-looking, wife Marie and Mark Toby, her advertising, Colombo-like, has-been lawyer. They claimed Wetzl was dangerous to her and the baby, was making up the charges of drug use to gain custody, and got a restraining order against Wetzl seeing the baby. Jill Wattington, an ethically deprived, journalist ambushed Wetzl outside of the court room with a flagrantly abusive interview about his wife-abuse. At dinner H admitted his "competitiveness" with Dalton and when M complimented him he said: "I've been working on myself, but don't tell anybody." M accused H of "avoiding" his client and H accused her of being to "motherly." The conversation was overheard by Wetzl who was eating with his MP escort nearby. Wetzl was raised by "grandma B" after the death of his parents and was almost excruciatingly polite.

At the breaking point, Wetzl drugged the MP and escaped. A reporter and photographer was waiting for an interview with Mrs. Wetzl when she and her baby drove up with a "low-life" in a convertible. She took the baby and left him in her apartment doorway then went around the corner for the interview. In the mean-time Wetzl was able to sneak in and carry his son Sean away but was recorded on the videotape. He escaped in a tank "to let the world know" and H had to "stand it down" by getting in front of it. H suggested flying in "grandma B," Beatrice Green, to defuse the situation (despite the cost). Awaiting arrival of Mrs. Green, and being pressed, Wetzl shot and exploded the TV van to Bs comment "this must be expensive." They were able to retrieve the baby and arrest Wetzl. H decided to help Dalton and find evidence. He reviewed the videotape and found that the man bringing Mrs. Wetzl home was a known drug dealer who signed a statement that he had been Mrs. Wetzl's supplier for 3 years. So grandma "B" got custody of Shaun while Wetzl bargained for 5 years confinement. She commented to H that with his tenacious support of Daryl, "you must know what it means to be a parent." H replied that "he knew what it means to be a son."