The Ellis-Caffrey family faces an unexpected crisis as Neal struggles to find his way back to his family.
Forget me not
Chapter 1
4.11 years
It had been a mild winter in New York. Snow, followed by rain which melted snow banks only to have them covered by freezing rain that enveloped everything in a sheet of ice making walking and travel difficult and treacherous.
Hope's birthday was a few weeks away and that was a very big deal for a five-year-old. She now had school friends as well as her friends from the neighborhood and with a little insistent pleading, Sara and Neal had agreed to let her celebrate her birthday at City Treehouse, an indoor play space that held children's parties.
Neal was rushing around the house getting himself ready for his meeting at Finch and Johns, the insurance company with which he worked as a freelancer from time to time. They had been using his services more and more lately and had recently offered him a lucrative and exclusive contract as their art authenticator. Neal thought the time was right to commit to a more regular work schedule now that Hope was more self sufficient and he and Sara had decided that this new job fit in perfectly with their family's present lifestyle.
Sara was six months along in her second pregnancy and in a few weeks, she would be starting her maternity leave so the timing was perfect for Neal to be out of the house and contributing to the family's finances. He still got called in from time to time to work on cases at the White Collar unit but less frequently lately and he was feeling the need to fill his days in a productive way.
'Sara, where's my briefcase? I could have sworn I left it here in the family room' Neal was sounding flustered, a very unusual state for the ex-conman.
'I think Hope was playing office with it – check her room' she called from the bathroom as she finished getting ready for her workday at Sterling Bosch
'Hope!' Neal called from downstairs
'Yes' came the meek answer from Hope's bedroom. She knew she was busted.
'How many times do I have to tell you' Neal continued as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs 'if you're going to use my work things, you need to put them back where you got them!'
Hope appeared at the top of the stairs carrying said briefcase; she was wearing a skirt and blouse and she looked like a miniature business woman as she slowly plowed down the stairs pulling the giant briefcase behind her.
She placed it at Neal's feet and sensing her dad's unusual mood, she thought best to admit defeat.
'Sorry, Daddy' she said timidly
Neal let out a long sigh as he realized he might have spoken a bit too harshly and he ruffled Hope's hair as he picked up the briefcase to examine its contents.
'Did you touch any of the papers in here?' he asked as he looked everything over.
'No' came the answer 'Daddy, can I have a candy bar in my lunch?' she asked as she wandered over to get her lunch bag from the kitchen
'No, you may not' Neal responded 'Since when do you eat candy bars at lunch?'
'Rosalie always has candy bars in her lunch' she answered, pouting
'Well, that's Rosalie not you. If Rosalie decides to jump off –' Neal stopped thinking that analogy was just too old fashioned to cut it. 'Every parent does what they think is best for their child and Mommy and I get to decide what's best for you until you're old enough to decide for yourself'
Sara smiled as she got within earshot of the conversation. Neal was the best father she could ever imagine and she thanked her lucky stars for the umpteenth time that he was the kind of loving and caring dad he was.
'Hope, bus, now' she said in her no-nonsense way of parenting. Neal was definitely the sensitive, touchy-feely one and although Sara had discovered a maternal side of herself she had no idea existed, she was still the more direct, abrupt parent of the two.
Hope pulled on her boots and coat and grabbed her backpack as Neal opened the door for her. He looked down at his daughter who was obviously still disappointed at not getting a green light on the candy bar and he crouched down to face her as he pulled gently on her nose – his shorthand for 'I love you'
'I know, you love me' she said 'but a candy bar would be nice every once in a while'
Sara kissed her head and Hope started down the driveway towards the bus that was waiting right in front of the house
'Careful! It's icy' called out Neal as Hope steadied herself so she wouldn't slip
'I'll pick you up at five' Neal continued as he and Sara waved goodbye to their daughter
Neal closed the door and looked over at his wife. 'I hate it when I lose my temper with her' he said, shrugging
'Neal, she's fine. She's five years old and she's got you wrapped around her little finger. You have to say no sometimes' Sara said, touching his cheek.
'And how is our little boy today?' asked Neal, smiling as he rubbed his hand over Sara's belly.
'He is very active' she answered, putting her hand on top of Neal's as the baby kicked.
'I noticed you were up in the night, you okay to go to work?' he asked as he put his arms around his wife
'I'm fine, Neal. Stop fussing. I'm meeting with Mr. Bosch this morning so I can start preparing for my leave. Three more weeks and I'll be a stay-at-home mom again!'
Neal bent down to kiss Sara and despite her modest attempts to pull away, the kiss deepened and he moaned softly 'Sara, it's been almost a week, that's not like us' he said, purring and moving to her neck and behind her ear.
Sara pulled his face away and looked into his eyes 'It's been busy, sorry. Tonight, I promise – early night...'
Neal seemed satisfied with the answer and they prepared to leave the house with Neal parking the car at the White Plains 'park and ride' as they parted ways and took their respective trains to their jobs.
Neal's new position was practically a done deal but the senior partners were introducing him to the Board of Directors to have his employment rubber stamped. His background as a criminal always solicited more scrutiny than any other prospective employee but he was also the most competent person for the job and his clean record since the more than four years he'd been off-anklet was another point in his favor. Add a fantastic reference from the White Collar unit and from Sterling Bosch, where he had freelanced, and the deal was all but in the bag.
The meeting went according to plan and by 11:30, Neal was texting Sara to let her know the contract had been signed.
Neal: Texting from my new office – you'll like it
Sara: It better not be bigger than mine
Neal: You would make this about the size of my office...
Sara: Congratulations, sweetie. I'm proud of you!
Neal: How'd the meeting go with Mr. Bosch?
Sara: Good - last day is three weeks from Friday
Neal: I guess I'll have to get used to your cooking again – lol
Sara: Ha, suffer Caffrey!
Neal: Love you
Sara: xx
Neal looked around his new digs. He had never in his life had an office – his office where he did his job. He even had an assistant, a lovely woman named Joyce, who was poking her head in the door as he looked up.
'Mr. Caffrey, can I get you a cup of coffee?' she asked, as she stepped into the office
'Not unless you're getting one for yourself – and I would prefer you call me Neal, if that's okay with you' Neal said, smiling his Caffrey-eske smile
'Sure... Neal' said Joyce, smiling back. She was a tall woman, in her fifties, with blond hair tucked up in a bun and Neal had only just met her but he already liked her a lot.
The first day on the job was a busy one with Neal being introduced to his new colleagues and being briefed on office policies and procedures. He even had a first piece of art to look at, a painting which had been recovered following a police bust and as he examined the piece of art, he felt that rush he so loved and he knew that he had made the right decision in accepting the job.
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Hope looked over enviously at Rosalie's Three Musketeers candy bar.
'You're lucky, your mom lets you have a candy bar' she said, sadly
'Only when I stay at my daddy's house. He has a whole drawer of candy and he lets me have anything I want' replied Rosalie
'That's not fair' pouted Hope 'My daddy makes me eat quinoa and spinach'
'What's quinoa?' asked Rosalie, puzzled
'I don't know, but I eat it' said Hope
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Neal looked at the time; it was already four thirty and he had literally not seen the afternoon go by. It was his job to pick up Hope and he realized it would take him a good ten minutes just to walk to the train. Without a second thought, he gathered his documents and shoved them in his briefcase as he grabbed his coat and ran out, wishing Joyce a good night.
He stepped out into the cool afternoon and made an impulsive decision to grab a cab to Hope's school. It was drizzling again and ice was forming on the roads. He raised his arm and waited.
Sara was sitting in her office, reading reports as she noticed it was already five thirty; if she was going to make it home for dinner, she'd better get a move on. Her cell phone rang; no doubt Neal asking if she was on her way and she looked at the display: private number, it read. Who's calling her from a private number, she wondered.
'Hello' she said tentatively into her phone
'Mrs. Caffrey, it's Patricia from Ridgeway' said the woman on the other end
'Yes?' said Sara, suddenly worried 'Has something happened to my daughter?'
'No, no, she's fine. It's just that she hasn't been picked up yet and the after-school program closed fifteen minutes ago'
'My husband was supposed to pick her up' Sara said as she looked outside. Freezing rain was falling making a mess of the roads. 'Let me call him, he's probably held up because of the weather'
Sara hung up and immediately speed dialed Neal, expecting an answer but none came and it went straight to his voice mail. 'Neal' she said, at the prompt 'it's five thirty. Where are you?
Call me when you get my message. I'm going to head over to the school'
Sara called the school, informing them that she was on her way and asking them to give Neal a message to call her if he should arrive in the meantime. She could hear Hope in the background and she sounded upset. She hung up and ran out of her office.
Sara still hadn't heard anything by six fifteen when she finally arrived at the school.
'I am so sorry. I don't know what's happened with my husband' she said as Hope ran to her and hugged her tightly. This was really not like Neal and her worry increased as she prepared Hope to go home. Maybe, they'd just gotten their wires crossed, she thought, and Neal was at home making them a terrific home cooked meal.
They walked home but the house was dark and the car was not in the driveway. Sara unlocked the door and walked in, unsure what to do next.
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'Car crash!' the emergency room nurse called out loudly as she dispatched one of her colleagues to the emergency room door. 'ETA – two minutes. One dead at the scene and one male on his way in. Head injury and possible internal injuries and bone fractures'
TBC