While this is not my first story, it is my first attempt at writing CI. Let me know what you think, and if I should continue or retreat back to Third Watch!
Thanks to mybeta, for introducing me to CI...
Here we go!
"Detective Goren, your appointment is here," the receptionist's voice came over the intercom of the telephone.
The voice jarred Bobby Goren from his thoughts on the latest case on his desk. He looked over at his partner Alex Eames before answering the intercom. "Thank you, We'll be right there." His eyes were still on his partner's as he stood up.
"Still no clue?" Alex asked as they walked to the elevator.
"None," was his answer. "I have no idea who Vanessa Riley is."
"Well, I guess we will in about 30 seconds," Alex said as the door slid closed behind them.
Bobby did not answer but reached over and pressed the 'M' button. With a groan the elevator came to life and started to descend to the main floor.
"It will be fine," Alex said in a reassuring tone.
Bobby nodded. The door slid open and he waited until Alex exited before striding out and walking beside her. They made their way quietly over to the waiting room where they found a pretty young lady with long curly dark hair and warm brown eyes sitting in a chair with a decidedly nervous look on her face.
"Mrs. Riley?" Bobby asked as he stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Detective Goren?" She questioned as stood.
"This is Detective Eames," Bobby said as he shook the young lady's hand, before stepping back and letting Alex take her turn. "Shall we go to a room which is a little more quiet?"
Mrs. Riley looked down at the floor then met the tall detective's eyes and nodded. "That is probably a good idea".
The trio quietly moved down the hall to a small room, which held a couch, two armchairs and a table. Bobby held the door open for the ladies and then closed it behind them. He waited until the ladies were seated before he took the chair next to Alex.
"Can I offer you something to drink?" He asked.
"Nothing, thank you," Mrs. Riley said softly as she glanced down at her fingernails.
"Ali?" Bobby offered.
"No thank you," Alex said smiling over at him, then turned to the nervous looking young lady. "How can we help you Mrs. Riley?"
"Vanessa, please," She said looking up at the detectives. "I'm not really sure where to begin," she said as she shifted in her chair.
"The beginning always works for me," Alex said encouragingly.
Vanessa nodded then took a deep breath. "Detective Goren, when you were in high school did you go out with someone by the name of Kate Sinclair?"
Bobby blinked, but showed no sign of surprise. "Yes," he said slowly. "In my senior year, her junior, we dated."
"She was my birth mother," Vanessa said, as she reached into her pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. "There is a chance that you are my biological father. This is a copy of my birth certificate, and it lists you as my father. She was very young when she had me, and she has since passed on, so there is no way short of a blood test to determine…" She had looked down when she took the paper out of her pocket. She looked up at the shocked expressions on the two detective's faces. "I'm sorry," she said with a small smile, "I think that I had better slow down and start over."
"Bobby," Alex said softly. "Would you like me to get you something to drink?"
He shook his head at Alex, and then reached his hand out for the certificate, which he studied very carefully for a moment.
"Very easily," he said as he took note of the date. "You would have been born the spring after Kate and her parents moved to Montana. The timing is actually…" He looked at Alex. "Perfect."
"Kate?" Alex whispered under her breath as she watched Bobby.
He heard the whispered question and met her eyes. "No Ali, I chose Caitlin for a different reason."
"Caitlin?" Questioned Vanessa, her eyes growing large.
"Our daughter," Bobby said. "Forgive me, this is a bit of a surprise."
"I understand," Vanessa said. "I'm sorry for the shock. I mean, I have always known that I am adopted. When I found out how young my mother was, I wondered if my father knew about me. I guess he was never told. Detective, if you would like, I could come back tomorrow. You could have some time to take in what I have just told you."
"No," he said rubbing his hand over his face. "Tell me about yourself."
"I was born March 28, 1980 in Boise. I was adopted when I was 3 days old. My mom and dad are Angus and Marion Cawley who live in Spokane Washington. I had a great life. I had two older brothers who watched out for me and tormented me as brothers are supposed to. I got my degree in elementary education and my masters in special education. I met my husband Kendal at USC. We have two amazing little girls Alexandra Breanne is five and our youngest Kaitlyn Alexis is two. As I said, I always knew that I was adopted, but I never thought much of it growing up. I knew that my parents loved me so much that they wanted me to have the best life possible so they gave me to mom and dad. I always said that I would never search for my parents, until two weeks ago."
"What happened?" Alex asked looking at the pained expression on the young lady's face.
"Kaity," she hesitated slightly. " A year ago Kaity was diagnosed with leukemia. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She achieved remission after two months. Two weeks ago we discovered that she is out of remission, her best chance now is a bone marrow transplant. After her diagnosis I needed to try to find my birth parents and… I am hoping for a related bone marrow match. Lexie is not close enough to help her sister. My husband's brother has come close, but closer is better. My birth mother was killed in a car accident twenty-three ago, and she never had any more children. Her parents have also passed away. So…"
"Test me," Bobby said. "With luck I will be able to help. Our daughter, Caitlin Alexis, is the same age as your Kaity… that is too young…"
"Whatever it takes," Alex said firmly grasping Bobby's hand. "I'll go tell the captain that we are taking personal time. Mike and Carolyn can handle the load."
"Detective," Vanessa started but was interrupted.
"Bobby. Please call me Bobby," he said.
"I'm sorry," She said. "I know that this is a tremendous shock for you. I really appreciate…"
"Vanessa," he interrupted again. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I wish that Kate had told me that she was pregnant. I would have… I would have liked to have known. I would have agreed with her decision to put you up for adoption. We were both very young.
"You don't want a blood test to ensure that you are my father?" Vanessa asked.
"When I test to see if I can help your Kaitlyn we will find out then," He said certainly. "The facts all work, and they are indicating that I am."
"Do I…" she took a deep breath. "Do I have any other siblings?"
"No," Bobby said, then added with a tiny smile. "Well not that I know of anyway."
"Caitlin Alexis," the young lady smiled. "What are the chances? Tell me about yourself."
"Not much to tell," Bobby said shifting uncomfortably. "I grew up in New York. My father was not in the picture for the majority of my life. I have one brother who moved from the city as soon as he could. My mother suffers from a mental disorder and lives in an assisted living center. Not exactly what you wanted to hear from me I'm sure."
"Tell me about your family. You said that you and Detective Eames have a daughter…" Vanessa prompted.
"Ali and I were partnered after I had a series of failed partnerships with other detectives. When I first met her, I thought that she would be gone in a matter of days like the others. She proved me wrong. She stayed with me. We got married four years ago and she wanted to have children right away. I was always apprehensive about having children because of my mom, but Ali wanted a baby so badly. It was difficult for us, but with some medical interventions, we had our daughter Caitlin Alexis. She is an amazing baby… pardon me, big girl."
Vanessa laughed. "I understand, my Kaity is at that stage too."
"Do you," Bobby hesitated "Do you have a picture of your, your, your kids?"
She reached into her purse and found a small photo album, which she held out to Bobby. "Do you have a picture of your Caitlin?" she asked.
Bobby nodded and pulled out his wallet, then carefully extracted four small prints of his daughter and handed them over.
Vanessa looked down at the image of a tiny blonde girl with enormous brown eyes. This child looked almost exactly like her own little girl. She felt a small smile pull at the corner of her mouth. She had not only found her father, but he had a child the same age as her own baby, and with the same name.
Bobby opened the little album to reveal a picture of a smiling happy young family. Vanessa and her husband were standing with their arms around the other's waist while two little girls stood in front of them wearing white sun dresses and yellow hats. Lexie the older one looked just like her father. Tall and slender with dark red curls, 'a real beauty', Bobby thought. He shifted his gaze to the smaller of the two girls and his breath caught. Vanessa's Kaitlyn looked eerily like his own. She had straight blonde hair, a tiny nose, and huge brown eyes that sparkled with mischief.
The two were lost in the pictures when Alex reentered the room. She looked at her husband who was absorbed in the album. She went over to him and glanced down at a picture of a tiny girl sitting in a hospital bed with hat on her bald little head. The hat was huge; it was pink gingham with a green butterfly on the front. It covered her head down to her eyes. Her face was chubby from all the steroids but the grin was one that she saw daily on her own daughter.
"Caitlin is gorgeous," Vanessa said as she handed the pictures to Alex. "She looks so much like my Kaity it is almost frightening."
"Kaity is beautiful," Alex responded as she traced the picture with her finger. She looked up at Bobby, who, in his usual fashion, was committing every detail of the pictures to his memory. "Where did you want us to go to get the tests?"
As Vanessa filled Alex in on the hospital information, Bobby finished examining the pictures, handed the album back then sat down heavily on the couch, and ran his hands through his short hair. He did not know what to think. Within half an hour, he had learned that he not only had a daughter from his high school sweetheart, but he also had two granddaughters. One of the children was sick, and with luck, he would be able to help the child.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that it did not even register that Vanessa had left the room, and that Alex had sat down next to him and had started gently rubbing his back.
"Bobby?" Alex said softly, and waited for him to look over at her. "Hun, you accepted this all so readily. You didn't question a thing."
"Ali, she is my daughter," he said quietly. "I just know. She looks like Kate, but she also looks like my mom. Our daughters look like they could be twins, and I know that when you went up to talk to the captain, you ran her on the computers."
Alex felt her face turn pink. "I did," she admitted. "Do you want to hear what I found?"
He nodded and then sat back looking at Alex.
"She was born March 28, 1980 in Boise, and adopted to a couple in Washington State. She got her degrees at USC, married her husband Kendal six years ago and they have two daughters. She had one speeding ticket in 1997; her credit record is spotless. Her adoption file was closed until last week when it was opened to give her information on her birth parents. Bobby, she looks legit, but I for one want to see the blood tests before I…"
"She asked me about blood tests," Bobby said quietly. "Anything that we need to know will come to light when I go get tested for compatibility. "I know, Ali, I know that she is my daughter. I know it like I know Caity is mine."
"Come on, lets go get you something to eat, and spend the afternoon with Caity," Alex said as she pulled at Bobby's arms to get him to stand. We need to meet them at Children's at 4:00."
"Deakins?" He asked.
"As much time as we need. Apparently we have enough overtime stocked to retire today." She laughed lightly, hoping to get a smile from Bobby. She was rewarded with a tiny grin. "Let's go."
Bobby, Alex and Caity arrived at the hospital at 3:45. Alex went into the building with Caitlin to meet Vanessa and her husband in the lobby. She found them standing together looking out a window while nearby a little girl was sitting in a chair looking at a picture book.
"Hi," Alex called as she grasped Caity's hand a little more tightly and walked over to the young family. "Bobby is parking the car, he will be here in a few minutes."
"Hi Alex," Vanessa said turning to face them. "This is my husband Kendal, and my daughter Lexie."
"Ken," Vanessa's husband said extending his hand to Alex. "This must be Caitlin."
"I Taity," the tiny girl said holding out a hand.
"Hi, Caity," he smiled and knelt down to take her tiny hand in his. "You sure are pretty."
"Q," she said and was rewarded with a hug from her mother.
"Hello Alexandra," Alex said taking a step toward the older child who had put down her book and was watching the introductions. "My name is Alexandra too! My friends call me Alex."
"I like Lexie better," the little girl said warily.
"My daddy still calls me Lexie," Alex said. "My husband calls me Ali."
"I like that," Lexie said.
"Well, you can call me that if you would like," Alex said. "May I call you Lexie?"
The child thought about it for a few seconds then nodded. "Yes, that will be fine," she said.
Alex smiled then glanced toward the door in time to see Bobby enter the hospital. "Ah here he is."
Bobby quickly made his way over to the small group and introductions were made.
Alex felt a tug on her shirt. She looked down to see Lexie staring with big eyes up at Bobby.
"What do I call him?" She whispered to Alex.
"You can call him Bobby," she said kneeling down beside the child.
"Ok," the child said before she turned to Caity. "Hi, do you want to look at this story?"
Caity nodded and climbed up beside the older girl and looked at the book.
"I can't thank you enough for coming to get tested," Ken said to Bobby.
"I just hope that I can help," Bobby said as he reached behind him for Alex's hand. "Is, is there any way that I can meet Kaity?"
"Absolutely," Vanessa said as she turned from the two little girls. "Ken, will you…"
"Are you two hungry?" Ken asked Lexie and Caity. "I think they have ice cream in the cafeteria."
Caity looked over at her parents with big sparkling eyes. "Pwease?"
"Go ahead Caity," Bobby said softly. "You stay with Mr. Riley and Lexie."
"Hold Lexie's hand," Kendal said as he led the two girls away.
"I've got it," Bobby said quietly as he gripped Alex's hand tightly.
They quietly rode the elevator up to the third floor. The doors opened to reveal a pretty yellow and green hallway with animal footprints on the floor in various colours. They walked past the nurses' station and down the hall to a small isolation room. Vanessa and Alex scrubbed carefully, while Bobby stared through the window at a tiny figure in a metal crib.
"Your turn," Alex said as she dried her hands. "Bobby?"
He turned stumbled toward the sink, where he washed and then pulled on latex gloves.
"Al, Ali," He stammered.
"It's ok," she assured him, lets go meet our Granddaughter.
tbc?