A Date With the Future

Chapter One

Jaime didn't know if she should think of Steve as a ghost, a guardian angel or simply a pest, but she knew two things for sure. The first was that, in some way she didn't understand, he was responsible for today - for Oscar not being able to keep their lunch date, and for her tire going flat (the spare, too!) at exactly the right time and place for Michael to come to her aid. She also knew that, as soon as she possibly could, she'd be returning to the cemetery where she and Steve were going to have a little chat.

At the moment, though, now was something she intended to savor.

"Chinese, Italian or American?" Michael asked. He would bring Jaime back with a new tire for her disabled car later, but right now they were on their way to lunch.

"Italian!" Jaime answered. She was a little surprised that, after three years with no contact at all, looking at Michael still made her heart race. They had come so close to really falling in love before Rudy had interfered (with good reason) and sent him away. They were no longer doctor and patient, though, and Jaime was suddenly feeling the warm glow of new possibilities.

"How long will you be in DC?" she asked.

Michael had to remind himself to watch the road - this woman beside him so totally mesmerized him. "At least 18 months," he told her, "and possibly longer, Rudy called me back for a new long-term research project." Michael, too, was awakening to a world of new possibilities.

Later that afternoon, while Jaime and Michael were returning to her car, full of starry-eyed optimism, Oscar returned to his office full of anger and indignation.

His boss, the Secretary, had accused Oscar of not sending Jaime back to work because he was sleeping with her. Oscar had been dumbfounded. The rumors that he was involved with Jaime had been drifting around for years, but today would've been their first actual date, and you don't sleep with someone over lunch. The whole thing was ludicrous!

Oscar had been given a choice: he could stay in his present position and keep Jaime in her present state of semi-retirement, but any non-work relationship with her would be out of the question. Or - he could choose to be with Jaime and take a forced early retirement, but Jaime would be immediately sent back to work on a regular, fully active basis. If it were merely a choice between his career and Jaime, there'd have been no contest. Her physical safety and well-being had been thrown into the equation, though, meaning Oscar's only real decision was how to explain it to Jaime.

"Michael, thank you so much for all your help," Jaime said, leaning against her newly re-tired car.

"I'm so glad I was in the right place at the right time." Michael was leaning on the car, too, and he turned toward Jaime and rested his hand on her shoulder, his fingertips running through her hair. "I'm sorry your day started out so rotten, but I enjoyed spending time with you."

"So did I."

Michael's hand moved from her shoulder to gently stroke her cheek. "I really missed you, Jaime."

Neither of them was ready to say goodbye. Jaime had an idea. "Hey, I'm on my way to pick Lizzie up from the sitter. How'd you like to come by my house in half an hour or so, and meet my daughter?"

"I would love to meet your daughter." He slipped his arms easily around Jaime's waist and kissed her so gently that it felt like butterfly wings brushing her lips. When he felt her arms returning the embrace, Michael kissed her again, still soft and tender, but it took their breath away. Jaime gave him the address and they agreed to meet in half an hour.

Thirty minutes later, on the dot, Michael knocked on Jaime's front door. He handed her a bouquet of flowers, and his other hand hid something behind his back. The baby toddled toward him as he and Jaime headed for the sofa, and instead of sitting down, Michael knelt on the floor to be closer to baby-eye-level.

"You must be Lizzie," he said, smiling. "This is for you." He produced the teddy bear he'd hidden behind his back and handed it to the child. Lizzie plunked down onto the floor, hugging the bear. She was completely enthralled.

Michael joined Jaime on the sofa, his arm rounding her waist as naturally as though it had always been there. "She's beautiful, Jaime; she looks just like you. How old is she now?"

"Eleven months."

Michael did the math in his head. "Steve never got to see her."

"No...I was seven and a half months along when Steve..." Her voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"It's ok. Yeah, it makes me really sad, but sometimes I feel so angry at him, too. I mean his choice caused this, did this to all three of us. But I know I shouldn't be angry, because he paid the highest price of all -"

"Jaime, you wouldn't be human if you weren't angry about this."

"It was pointed out to me that he's been gone for over a year now," Jaime said quietly, leaving out the part about it being Steve's own spirit that had told her. "Going on with life would be what Steve would've wanted. It would be honoring his memory, and - it's time."

"Whoever told you that was extremely wise."

Jaime smiled. "Yeah, he was."