Reconciliations
Part III~ Resolutions
Chapter 35
Journal Entry ~ January 17th~6:00am
The last three weeks have been tense around the Larabee 7. After the late Christmas present that Chambers or his hired help sent, all of us have been on alert for suspicious activity around the ranch. Travis agreed that the MCAT team should come back to work, however our priority has been to find Chambers and the RMR, and we have been centering the investigation out of Camp Larabee instead of our regular office. So far we have no leads on the whereabouts of Chambers or his group, and Raven is not having any more luck finding him than we are.
Tanner is still in protective custody so, he will have the time off he wanted without any question, and Orrin had some strong words for the U.S. Attorney's office. They wanted to put Vin and his family into seclusion, however Travis convinced them that Tanner was in the safest place possible here on the ranch. If we don't find Chambers soon though, I am afraid Vin might take matters into his own hands, and go after the maniac himself to give his family the peace they deserve once and for all. It helps that he is too concerned about Kelli at the moment to even consider it, but his patience is wearing thin. Dr. Weeks put Kel on fulltime bed rest for almost three weeks after the bomb incident, citing excessive stress and borderline anemia as the reasons. Her blood count is back up almost to normal and she had only a few days to go to make that critical three month mark so, Dr Weeks has taken her off total confinement, but will not even consider her returning to work. The problem now is that Kelli is allowed to get up and move around, and it is getting increasingly difficult to keep her restricted. Vin is with her constantly, while Raphael and Selina stay at the school all day with the kids, but the tension level in the Tanner household is growing.
I am still attending my NA meeting once a week. My goal is to reach the twelve month mark. I do not feel that I have to attend anymore because I am positive I have my problem under control, but found that I want to. New members are coming into our group, and it makes me feel good to know that my presence may help them reach their own objectives.It has been a year since Jack started me on this dark period of my life, and to know that I've risen above it is something that I savor. Even though I do not know what the future may hold for me, or what temptations it might bring along with it, I am confident in my ability to resist giving into them.
Linda and I talked to Ezra and he has agreed to represent us both in our divorce. We've made a decision to hold off making a big announcement to the family. I'm not certain that an announcement by Linda and I will be necessary with this bunch anyway. Word usually spreads fast enough from one person to another. Amazingly, Linda and I have been amicably communicating with one another more since we decided to divorce, than we ever did before, and I am beginning to think we might have a few peaceful months together waiting for Cody to be born. Gotta run, I still need to drop Grace off with Max, and pick up Nathan. It would not be good to be late for work when my temporary office is a five minute drive from my front door.
Tanner Home 6:30 am
"Kel, what are you doin'?" Vin asked as he watched his wife slide out of bed and move over to her dresser.
"I'm gettin' dressed, Tanner. I'm goin' into the kitchen to eat breakfast with our children before they go to school." Kelli replied, her voice holding a touch of annoyance in it. Everyone was treating her like she was some fragile piece of artwork that had to be monitored twenty-four-seven or it would break into a million little pieces and the unwanted attention was driving her nuts. Kelli knew that Vin, as well as everyone else, were only being protective because they cared about her, and they all wanted her and the babies to be okay; but she was beginning to feel smothered.
"We'll have breakfast with 'em, but then you are comin' back to bed afterwards." Vin had become obsessive about her well-being the moment he had learned that she was pregnant with the baby they both wanted so badly. She had expected that, but ever since the bomb delivery he had gone into full protective mode and seemed to feel the need to be with her all the time. He watched her movements the same as he had been for the last three weeks, making an effort to convince himself that she was alright. Tanner was also determined to share as much of the pregnancy experience as possible with his wife, and he even intended to take part in the delivery. He had read everything he could get his hands on about her condition, and talked to the doctor often. "Dr. Weeks may have said you can get up, but I plan to make sure you don't overdo."
"I'm not an invalid, damnit!" Kelli snapped; her feelings of being smothered rising quickly to the surface and spilling out" I'm perfectly capable of goin' into the kitchen and enjoyin' a meal with my children without fallin' apart or endangerin' our babies!"
"I know that Kel, but damnit, after all that has happened since you became pregnant, bein' a little cautious is not unreasonable." Tanner snapped back.
"A little cautious, Vin? I have been practically livin' in that bed. Between you, Dad, and Max I have not had the opportunity to do anythin' that could even remotely be called reckless!" Kelli huffed. "It's like havin' three mother hens instead of one."
Vin rolled off of the bed in one fluent movement and came to stand beside her. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, searching for the right words. "I know that bein' confined to bed has been hard on you, and the situation here is not ideal, but after everythin' that has gone on around here lately...it was the best thing that Dr. Weeks could have done short of puttin' you in the hospital. This pregnancy on its own is risky enough without havin' a man like Chambers sendin' bombs to our doorstep to add more stress."
"I know that…but…Hell, Vin, I worry about you, the kids… and what's gonna come next. As it is we have someone here babysittin' you twenty-four-seven and a houseful of people constantly. Although I love Rain, Terrell, and Nathan, I'm glad that their home will be ready for them to move into by next weekend. What's more, I won't put our life on hold because of that madman either. I want to enjoy the time we have waitin' for our babies, not hide out from the world, or spend the next six months confined to bed."
"I know." Vin sighed and pulled her into his arms. "Don't ask me not to be protective of you and the kids, Kelli. I can't do that...but I will try to ease up a bit and not make you feel as restricted."
Leaning into him Kelli sighed. "I'm not mad at you; I just don't like all of this. I want to get out of this house once in a while, and do somethin' besides goin' to the doctor's office. I love our family, and the team is great, but I want our home and our life back Vin. Maybe Chambers did what he wanted to do and left the country, if so we are goin' through all this worry for nothin'."
"He's still out there plannin' is next move, you can be certain of that." Tanner told her, an edge creeping into his voice. "I spent enough time with the man to know that he doesn't give up very easily. He's used to gettin' what he wants, and doesn't settle for anythin' less. Karl Chambers won't stop comin' 'til one of us is dead, and it ain't goin' to be me."
Kelli felt a cold chill travel down her spine, and mentally kicked herself for complaining about anything. Vin had enough to worry about without her carrying on. "It won't be you for sure. God did not give us Jason, Andi, and these two little miracles, to take you away from us. I'm sorry for being so bitchy, and I promise I won't overdo."
The Texan smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers. "You bitchy, I don't think so. You're a bit annoyed maybe, feisty as all get out, stubborn for sure, outspoken, and even argumentative on occasion, but never bitchy."
Kelli chuckled. "I'm not one to argue with Wise Eagle either." Leave it to Vin to know just what to say to ease a tense moment between them. "Come on, Max should have breakfast ready by now, and I want to enjoy it with Andi and Jason."
She finished brushing her hair, while Vin pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Together the two of them headed for the kitchen where the sounds of their older children's voices buoyed Kelli's spirits even more. Max had breakfast on the table and Jason, as well as Andi had already started to eat. Nathan sat with the children nursing a cup of coffee.
When Andi saw Kelli come into the kitchen behind Vin, she got down from her chair and ran to give her a hug. "Good morning, Mama." Kelli laughed and hugged her back.
"Mornin' Nate, Jason," She also hugged her son as Andi climbed back onto her chair.
"Mornin' Nate," Vin said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Where's Rain?"
"Still sleeping, but these two have been keeping me company." Nathan indicated Jason and Andi.
Vin kissed Andi on the forehead and ruffled Jason's hair. "They make pretty good company." He waited until Kelli sat down next to Andi and then he seated himself beside his son.
Jason eyed Kelli carefully and then turned to whisper, "Dad, should she be out of bed?"
Jackson choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken, since he had been fighting the urge to ask the same question himself, but under the warning look that Vin had sent him...he had decided otherwise.
"Mom is fine, Jason. Dr. Weeks said that it was okay for her to get out of bed as long as she doesn't do too much." Vin whispered back to him reassuringly.
"Okay." Jason replied, relieved to hear his dad's words. "Mornin' Mom."
Kelli sighed, and acknowledged Jason, pretending that she had not heard his question to Tanner. She supposed she had four mother hens, instead of three. "Max, breakfast looks great, and I can see that these two little imps are enjoyin' it.
"Thanks Missy. You make sure you eat all you can, we don't want those babies to be hungry." Max set a cup of hot herbal tea down for Kelli. "If you want more say so, I made plenty."
"I'll start with this, but be sure to save some for Chris, Walter, and Raphael. They should all be here soon, and Rain will be getting' up soon with Terrell." Kelli looked at the pile of food on her plate and knew she could not eat it all.
"No problem, I made enough to feed an army." Max laughed, "It seems that's what we have around here lately."
Talking ceased as everyone ate, and as soon as Jackson saw that Tanner was finished he posed a question to the Texan. "Uh, Vin, could I talk to you?"
"Sure, Nathan...what's on your mind?" Vin replied.
Jackson hesitated before answering. "In private, please?"
Tanner nodded. "We can use my office." The two men left the room together and moved through the house and into Vin's office. The Texan closed the door behind them, seated himself in one of the chairs and waited for the other man to say what was on his mind.
Nathan carefully considered the words he wanted to say to Vin. One by one he had talked to all of his other brothers, but the opportunity had never seemed to be there to talk to Tanner. He had done them all a great disservice when he had gotten caught up with his crusade of getting back in touch with his 'black roots'… especially with the Texan. Yet, none of them had ever used his mistakes against him or even mentioned them. Instead, they had been there when he had needed them all the most... when his car had been forced off the road, and when the members of the RMR had set fire to his home with him, Rain, and Terrell inside. Most of all, Vin had risked his life to go undercover to get the vital information needed for MCAT to put the members of the RMR behind bars, and intervened to help Rain, risking himself to do so. Now he and Vin, as well as their families were targeted by Chambers and his men.
"Spit it out, Nathan, before you choke on it." Vin's quiet voice broke through Jackson's thoughts.
"I don't know how to start." Jackson admitted, sitting down in the chair opposite the Texan and looking him in the eyes.
"Nate, there's never been a time when we haven't been able to talk things out with each other before; this instance shouldn't be any different."
"I was wrong, Vin. Wrong about so many things and it sticks in a man's gut to have to admit something like that." Nathan began. "I said such harsh things to you. Accused you of being a racist, something I never would have done if I had been thinking clearly."
Tanner waited, knowing that Jackson wasn't finished.
"When I saw Caleb...what had been done to him...it enraged me. It made me want to strike out against the people who had done it to him...Made me feel as if I had had it too easy, that I hadn't suffered nearly enough as my race had over the years and propelled me into joining the group I was in. I suddenly felt as if everything that I had done in my life, allowed my true self to be turned 'white'. I never realized what a load of bull I was convincing myself to believe, until the night of the fire, and the other brothers rescued me, Rain, and Terrell from certain death. Not once since the day I joined up with the lot of you for Team 7, have any of you ever treated me as if I was less than your equal. You all saw the man I am, and not the color of skin I have, and I am truly ashamed of how I acted toward all of the brothers, but especially you. "
Vin considered his words carefully. Nathan had been compelled to say what he had, although for the Texan it wasn't necessary. "Nate, you've seen all of us at our worst at one time or another. We've moaned, groaned, bitched, and complained when you did nothin' but try to help us when we've been injured. Yet, you never gave up on any one of us, and we could never give up on you. I reckon you're no different than the rest of us, ornery, imperfect, and stubborn. As far as I'm concerned there is nothin' for me to forgive…just forgive yourself."
Relief flooded through Nathan. He had been dreading this conversation with Vin, yet he had felt obligated to have it nevertheless to clear the air between his Texas brother and himself once and for all. "I can do that...now."
Standing up, Vin playfully slapped Nathan on the shoulder. "Chris should be here by now, and we need to go rescue my wife from all the well meanin' mother hens, namely Jason, her dad, and Max."
"Rain should be up with Terrell by now, so add her name to that list, too." Jackson said as he followed Tanner out of the office.
Raphael had picked Jason up for school, and Inez had invited Andi to come over to play with Maria. Walter took her over to the Wilmington's on his way out to the security office. Chris had dropped Grace off for the day, and then he and Nathan went on to Camp Larabee to meet the rest of the team, with the exception of Alex, who stayed behind to be Tanner's watchdog. It irritated Vin that Chris felt that he needed to leave a man at the house, but he understood the rules of protective custody and kept his mouth shut. Tanner left Alex to fend for himself with Adam, Grace, Terrell, Rain, and Max as he and Kelli slipped off to their bedroom. At least there Vin could feel a little freedom away from being watched by Sandoval, and Kelli would not have Rain or Max monitoring everything she did, besides the couple needed their alone time.
Camp Larabee ~2:00pm
The team had followed the last of the leads they had, and had come up with nothing. Chris had called a meeting for two, and they all knew that he had been on the phone for a while. Even a rookie could read the signs, their dead end on the investigation, added to the sounds of frustrated curses coming from the private room where Chris was talking did not bode well for MCAT. There was no conference room here, but Larabee gathered everyone together for a status report. Of course with Raphael, Selina, and Alex on assignment, and Kat as well as Greg at the main forensics lab with Bones, it was not a large group. That in itself was one of the topics that needed to be discussed. JD, Mallory and Pam were already seated in front of CASSIE II. Chris waited for Buck, Nathan, Ezra, Josiah, Mark, and Justin to sit somewhere.
Chris waited until the small group was seated comfortably. "I've been on the phone with Travis for the last hour and we have come to an agreement of sorts." He looked over the anxious faces of his MCAT family. "I know all of you feel the way I do about searching for Chambers, but…we have run out of leads. Intel suggests that the man has gone to ground with his private army, and possibly even changed his name. He could be anywhere, and truthfully it may take action on his part before we get fresh information."
"Are you saying we give up?" Buck narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "We know he still wants Vin and Nathan dead. Hell, the barrage of threatening letters he's been sending tells us that. We can't stop…"
"I never said we were quitting Buck, but we do have other obligations to consider too. We have run down all the info we have received, forensics has been over every scrap of paper, and we have come up with zilch. I have word that Ross has decided to take a job in the private sector and will not be coming back to MCAT, and at this time Paul is not inclined to commit himself either. Vin is on active status, but will be out until the federal prosecutors release him, and that is not going to be anytime soon. Kelli is on medical leave, and I have no idea when she may be returning. Bottom line we have a team to rebuild, and while we continue our investigation of the RMR, we need to also turn our attention to this Unit and its future."
"In other words, Travis is getting pressure to move on." Josiah stated the obvious.
"Something like that," Larabee sighed. "I don't care for it anymore than any of you do, but we have our orders. We are required to keep someone with Vin, as long as he is in protective custody, and we need an escort for the kids, but we will not be leaving two agents at the school all day. As of next Monday, we are back in our regular offices and we will be hiring as well as training new agents for the team. Nathan, given the circumstances you will have the option of staying with your family if you choose. I cannot in good conscience condone Rain returning to work yet, it is too damn dangerous. I will understand if you want to be with her and Terrell until we have some type of closure on the RMR. The ranch should be secure enough, but I cannot guarantee anything outside these gates."
"I will be working." Nathan answered firmly.
"Josiah and I have discussed something with Rain, Nathan, and Casey; we may have a solution for the kids." Mallory spoke up. "Suppose we pull Jason, Caleb, Sarah and Joanne out of school temporarily, with the Wilmington's and Tanner's permission of course. Then Rain and Casey could home school them using the computer and a hookup to their classes to keep them current with normal school work. That would eliminate the need for escorts to and from school and I know we would all feel better knowing that at least the children were not at risk should Chambers decide to target them."
"Hell, I know Inez and I would agree, and I'm sure Vin and Kelli would be relieved." Buck agreed. "It may not be ideal for the kids, but it is a solution I think we could all live with."
"I could setup enough computer terminals for them to use and Casey would love to help Rain. She wants to go back to school when this is all over, and it would give her an opportunity to see if she can be separated from Lilah and Daisy without worrying herself silly.' JD offered.
Larabee saw the benefits of freeing up two agents, securing the children, and then all he needed to worry about was Vin and Nathan. With Jackson at work he could keep and eye on him, and he would assign Raphael to the Tanners. "You okay with this Nathan?"
"Yes, our house will be ready this weekend, and I know Rain is anxious to be doing something positive. She could start Monday with the kids and I want to be back at work."
"I'll talk to Vin, As long as he and Kelli agree we go with it. Josiah, you and JD need to give me your recommendations for your respective profiling and communication teams, we'll complete them first, and then move to other areas. Buck, you, Ezra, and Nathan are fulltime on the Chambers investigation. Mark, Alex, Selina, and Justin will do physical background checks on all the applicants using the information JD's team comes up with. Unless something breaks on the RMR and frees Vin up, then we have to start searching for a weapons specialist, too."
"How long do we have, Chris?" Ezra questioned, he knew how bureaucracy worked. A new hot case had precedence over a cold one any day of the week. It was only a matter of time before MCAT was called into action.
Chris knew what he was asking, how long before the powers that be pulled them off Chambers. "I don't know, but we'll find the bastard even if we have to do it on our own time." Larabee stood up and gathered his notes. "We still have until Monday to get a break in this case, so let's dig in and see what we can come up with."
5:00pm
Nathan and Chris walked in the back door of the Tanner home and found Vin sitting at the dining room table helping Jason finish his homework. They knew Mallory had already been by to pick up Adam, but there was no sign of anyone else. It was so quiet that Larabee thought for a minute he might be in the wrong house.
"Okay Tanner, what did you do with everyone?"
"Blame your youngest daughter; she has everyone's full attention in the family room."
Curious, Chris headed out of the room to find Grace, and see what she was doing. Vin and Jason followed, not wanting to miss seeing Larabee's reaction when he saw what his daughter had learned. The closer they came to the family room, the louder the laughter and clapping became. Stopping in the doorway to watch, a broad grin crossed Chris's face as he saw what his youngest daughter was up to. Grace had learned to pull herself up to a standing position by holding on to the coffee table; she would stand, then sit, then stand again. Obviously she was proud of her accomplishment, and loved the attention she was getting from Kelli, Rain, Max, Andi, Terrell, and even Alex.
"Hi Dad. She's been doin' this for the last thirty minutes," Kelli smiled. "Seven and a half months and standin' alone, she'll be walkin' before you know it."
Max laughed, "Then you'll have fun trying to keep up with her."
Chris grinned, "You've got that right." Hearing her daddy's voice, Grace lost all interest in entertaining the others, and looked around to find her favorite person. Her father obliged her by picking her up, and was rewarded with his baby's sweet laughter.
Alex stood up. "Since you're here I suppose that means my day is over."
"Yep, you can leave. See you tomorrow." Chris answered without taking his eyes off of his baby daughter.
"Night Alex," Vin nodded to Sandoval as he walked passed.
"Good night, folks, I'll see myself out." Alex walked out of the room and toward the back door.
"Lord, I got so wrapped up in watching little Grace; I am behind schedule for dinner." Max shook her head. "If I'm not careful, these babies will have me so off my routine that it will take me a week to get straight." She headed for the kitchen.
"Jason, would you help Andi wash up for dinner, while I talk to your Mom and Dad?" Chris asked.
"Sure Uncle Chris, come on Andi, they want to talk adult so we need to find something to do." Jason took his sister's hand and disappeared out the door.
"That boy never ceases to amaze me with his perception." Nathan commented. "Are you sure he's only seven?"
"Last time we checked, but sometimes I wonder." Vin smiled as he sat down next to Kelli. "Okay Chris, it's just us, what's on your mind?"
"Bottom line, as of Monday MCAT moves back to the office. Mallory made a suggestion that I think is worth discussing. Until we get Chambers, we should pull the kids out of school. Rain and Casey have volunteered to home school them, and I think it will be better all around knowing they are all safe here on the ranch."
Vin listened, but what he was hearing was what Chris was not saying. "If it's for the short run, I don't see why we can't do that. What I wanna know is how long are we gonna have to find Chambers before Travis has to pull MCAT off the case completely?"
"That, I don't know, but I promise you that we will find him, even if we have to do it on our own time. He's gone to ground Vin, and there is no sign of where he is or even a rumor of what he might be up to next. The powers that be want MCAT back up, and operational. The federal prosecutors won't turn you loose yet, so it's up to the rest of us to find the sonofabitch. It might take some time, but he will end up either dead or rotting in jail."
Kelli could feel the tension radiating off Vin. The waiting was tough on all of them, but for him, being in protective custody was hell. He needed his freedom, and she was certain that if she were not pregnant, he would already have skipped out to look for Chambers himself. "I'll call the school tomorrow and make the arrangements for Jason. Rain can tell me what she needs from them, and we'll let Jason know that Friday is his last day there for a while. What about here? Is it absolutely necessary to have another agent in the house twenty four hours a day?"
Chris sighed, "I'm sorry, but we have to follow procedure or risk the Marshals taking over. Not only do we need someone here during the day, but when Nathan moves this weekend, you'll need to have an agent stay over at night. I planned on giving Raphael that assignment."
The Texan stated. "You do what you have to Chris, but… you only have two weeks. If you don't have Chambers either dead or in custody by then…I'll do what I have to. One way or another this is gonna end, and we're getting' our life back."
