Decisions
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris wakes up and turns off her alarm. David is sleeping soundly next to her. She is not ready to face the day, but she knows that the sooner she gets through the day, the sooner she can come home and lounge around. It is December 29, and she has the next 4 days off.
She and David had decided to go to a fancy dinner, and then come home and spend NYE alone. However, at the last minute, they ended up booking a trip that David won in the office pool. So now, they are spending the next 4 days in Jamaica. She gets off work at 4 today, and they are leaving for the airport at 7.
She quickly takes a shower, and gets ready for work. Instead of doing a workout, she uses that time to finish packing the essentials. Her plan is to be packed as much as possible before work, and if she can get away early, then she will.
She woke David up, and then does her hair. She quickly goes to make them breakfast, and sets a phone alarm to remind her to pack her straightener. Going on a trip was always fun for Chris, but stressed her out when it came time to pack and get ready for it.
She made them cinnamon banana oatmeal and fresh squeezed OJ. David told her he was planning on being home by 3, and she said she was leaving at 4 at the latest.
"I can't wait to be in Jamaica with you for the next few days".
"Me either, babe."
Chris cleaned up the dishes in a hurry, and put them in the dishwasher. She started it, and then she and David grabbed their things and headed to the car.
He helped her into the car with her stuff, and then kissed her goodbye.
"Have a good day, Lieutenant. I love you".
"Love you too, Counselor". She kissed him again, and then got in the car.
Vacation countdown: 7 hours, 59 minutes.
***Chris and Mary Beth's office***
Chris and Mary Beth were working on paperwork. Chris always liked to get as much paperwork done before a holiday as she could. When they worked the 14th, she had rotating off days, so it was sometimes easier to get her paperwork done before a holiday, but here at the DA's office, it was sometimes a little more stressful due to Feldberg's deadlines. She always made it work though, and she and Mary Beth made a great team.
"Today is Thursday. We get tomorrow off, and Monday off. I think I am going to use a sick day, and stay off till Tuesday".
"How are you going to get Feldberg to approve that?"
"I will just tell him that I have a checkup. Trust me, he won't ask any questions".
She filled out the form, and headed to put it in his box.
She went back to her office, and texted David.
"Honey, would you kill me if I asked you to change our return flights to Tuesday, and to also book us one more day at the resort? I love you…."
She put her phone on her desk and went back to the paperwork.
"No babe. I will take care of it, love you".
She smiled as she read the text. David was so good to her.
She and Mary Beth were able to completely close 38 cases, and file them. That left them with only 20 to follow up on after the new year.
Chris worked through lunch, so that she could leave earlier, and got her desk pretty clean. She was ready to walk out the door at 3:15.
"Have a great time. Tell David I said 'hi'. I can't wait to see the pictures!".
"Enjoy the time off, partner. Give Harvey and Alice a kiss for me".
Chris headed home to start her vacation.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris walked in the door at 3:35, and hurried to change clothes. She looked at their tickets, and saw that they would landing in Jamaica shortly after 1 a.m. So since she wanted to be comfy, she put on yoga pants, a ¾ sleeve shirt, and her teal and gray Nike's. She grabbed a light windbreaker and put it in her carry on. She also put in her books, and her emergency makeup kit.
She was ready to leave at 5, and David was finishing packing. She texted Bridgit and Lisa and told them what flights they were on. David finished packing soon, and loaded their bags on to a cart he had brought up from downstairs. Chris closed all the blinds in the apartment, and went on the balcony and secured all of the hot tub straps, and locked the cover on with the padlock. She double checked the latch on the door to the bathroom from the balcony, as well as the door to the balcony from Miranda's room.
David set the alarm before they left, and locked the door behind them. They took the elevator to the lobby, and the doorman hailed them a cab.
David and the cabbie loaded the bags and Chris took her carry on and got in the back. David joined her, and they were off.
He kissed her as they headed towards the airport.
***At the airport***
They made it through check in, and through security. They went towards their gate, and stopped to eat at the Mexican place in the concourse. Afterwards, they settled in at their gate, and David upgraded them to first class.
About 45 minutes before they were supposed to board, the gate agent announced they was a change to their itinerary. They were now going to be landing around 7 a.m, and instead of going through Atlanta, they were going through Chicago.
David went up to the gate and asked if they could still have first class. The agent told them yes, but that since they were changing aircrafts, it would be different. After they got to Chicago, they would be on a plane that had beds in pods in first class.
He told Chris and she was excited about the beds. Pretty soon it was time to board, so they got in line.
Chris was happy they got to sit together in first class. She loved traveling with David. They had a pretty short flight to Chicago, and she napped on David's shoulder for the last ½ of it.
In Chicago, they had a short layover, and then they boarded the next plane, to Jamaica. She and David got on the second plane, and found that they could actually both fit in one pod, when it was reclined. So David just moved to Chris' pod, and snuggled up with her. The stewardess gave them a disapproving look, but didn't make him move. They snuggled up, and Chris set her phone to airplane mode, and then set the alarm to go off just before they were going to land. She and David slept peacefully all night. They landed in Jamaica just before 7. Her alarm woke them around 6:30. Chris was thankful for a chance to get herself together before everyone on the airplane saw her.
She and David de-boarded the plane, and headed to baggage claim. There was a shuttle that was there to take them to the resort. Secrets Jamaica, here they come!
***At the resort***
The shuttle pulled up to the resort, and Chris and David got out. They checked into their room, and headed to the elevators.
Chris' jaw dropped when they walked in. The bed was huge, and there was a double mattress hammock on the balcony. They had a gorgeous ocean view room, and the bathroom was about as big as their bathroom at home.
She and David decided to order in breakfast, so they got out the room service menu, and ordered the deluxe breakfast for two. She quickly showered and changed into some capri yoga pants and a tank top, and flip flops. While they waited on breakfast, David tried to figure out the weather forecast on his phone.
"Today is a great beach day, babe. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, so we can probably sightsee then if you want".
"Sounds good to me. I want to soak up as much beach and pool time with you as I can".
They laid on the bed and turned the TV on, and David managed to find a channel playing US news. Pretty soon their breakfast arrived, and they set the table near the TV and ate. Chris devoured her Belgian waffles with fresh fruit and David devoured the steak and eggs with hashbrowns.
After breakfast, they changed into their suits and then headed down to the pool. David rented them a cabana for 2, and they got settled. They laid out for a few hours, and enjoyed some tropical drinks and snacks. The weather was gorgeous, and Chris was really getting a lot of sun. She had worn a sequined metallic teal string bikini. She was the most beautiful woman at the pool, especially in David's eyes.
They stayed there till almost 3, and then Chris went inside to take a nap, and David went to play 9 rounds of golf.
He woke her at 6 when he got back, and they showered and got ready for dinner. They chose a restaurant over the water, and had a very delicious meal of grilled seafood. Chris was stuffed after just ½ of it. They headed back to the room, and hung out on the hammock outside for a bit.
They were laying there staring at the stars, and Chris laid her head on David's shoulder.
"Honey, is there anything in life that you wanted to do, but you haven't done?"
"Not really. I wanted to make up with my siblings, but they are more interested in not having a close relationship. I wanted to get married and have kids, and I did that, sort of. I wanted to be the best lawyer I can be, and I feel like I have done that as well. So no babe, there isn't really anything I can think of that I wanted to do but haven't done. How about you?"
"I would love to be able to travel more. I would love to be able to spend all of my time each day with you. I think you and I just get so wrapped up in our daily lives and we need trips like this to recharge and relax".
"I agree babe. And there isn't anyone I would rather spend it with". He kissed her tenderly.
"I do wish that you and I had access to a time machine though".
David kind of chuckled at that. "Why babe?"
"Well, I would love to go back and hug my dad and visit with him one more time. I would also love to go back and meet your parents. There are a bunch of other things I would want to do too, like prevent my fellow officers from being killed, and I would do my younger years over and try to get along with my mom better, and I would meet my niece's sooner. But the main thing I would do, is I would say yes to your first proposal, and that way I could have loved you longer. Or, after my divorce from Jimmy, I would have looked you up and found you".
"Babe, that is incredibly sweet. And I would love to go through all of those things with you, but not the marriage to Jimmy part".
"Well I would hope you would skip that part. I don't know that I would skip that part entirely. In some ways, I feel like it was good for me, I learned from it, He and I had some very, very good times. And who's to say if you and I had married all those years ago that we would still be married? In that respect, I feel like our marriage happened exactly when it was supposed to, in the right timing. In other respects, I would treasure a chance to go back and say yes sooner, so I could love you longer".
They were enjoying the cool breeze out on the hammock, and they both drifted off to sleep for a little while. About an hour later, David woke Chris, and they headed to bed.
She put on a nightgown that she knew he liked, and they snuggled up in bed and went right to sleep.
***Day 2***
Chris and David woke up around 8:30, thanks to the blackout curtains in the room. Chris was so thankful she had remembered to pull them closed the night before, because the sunrise was at 5:50 a.m. They showered and changed and went to breakfast downstairs in the outdoor restaurant. It was New Year's Eve, and they inquired with the front desk after breakfast as to what the festivities would be.
"Well, tonight's dinner in the main room is formal, and then everyone is invited to the rooftop pool to enjoy fireworks and cocktails at 11. Fireworks will start at 12:05, and last approximately 10 minutes".
"Sounds great! Thank you!".
The girl at the front desk gave them a brochure. Chris looked it over and then realized that David didn't look too happy.
"What's wrong honey?"
"I didn't pack a tux".
"That's ok. This brochure says it's resort formal. Did you bring any button down shirts and Khaki's?"
"Yes, several".
"Well then you are fine".
"What did you bring?"
"I brought a strapless sheath dress that you haven't seen yet, and some gold strappy wedges".
"Bow chicka bow-bow".
They decided to take a shuttle into town and do some shopping and sightseeing. They were gone for about 5 hours, and hit up the 24 hour buffet when they got back. The line was pretty long though, so David suggested they put on their suits and go eat at the swim up bar.
"Sounds wonderful".
Chris put on her neon pink string bikini with black bottoms, and a pretty purple cover up, and her favorite beige flip flops. After David was ready, they headed to the pool with the swim-up bar, and David was able to snag them a double chair again. They ate at the swim up bar, and laid out some more. Chris was totally relaxed, and David was too. Vacations like this were great for them as a couple, but also individually as well.
They were laying there and David rolled over and realized Chris was burning- he woke her to put some more sunscreen on and then they decided to go inside and get ready for dinner. There was a show the resort was putting on that night, and they wanted to go to it.
Chris went in and showered and immediately realized she was really sunburned. She was getting dressed while David was in the shower, and as soon as he was done, he came in to the bedroom.
"Honey, please rub some of this aloe on my back and shoulders".
She had already caked tons of it on her face and arms and legs.
"Ok babe." She handed it to him and he rubbed it in as gingerly as he could. He rubbed it in 2 or 3 times and then handed the bottle back to her. She pulled the halter strap of her dress over her neck and made sure it was loose enough to be comfortable. She popped 3 Alleve, and downed a 12 oz. bottle of water. With any luck, she could get ahead of this sunburn a bit, and not be miserable all night.
David and Chris decided to go to the show first, and then eat later. They went downstairs and had a drink in the lobby for a little bit before they headed into the show. After the theater opened, they were able to go in and pick their seats. It was going to be a variety show of sorts. Chris was excited.
They enjoyed the show, and then headed to the restaurant for the all-night buffet. After eating a rather unhealthy meal of a burger and fries, they headed back to the room. David coated her in aloe again, and they headed to bed. David set the alarm for 1 hour, and they napped until it was time to watch the fireworks. An hour later, they woke up and Chris put on some black shorts and a purple strapless top, and some black wedges. David just put on shorts and a nice shirt, and they went up on the roof of the resort to watch the fireworks.
They got upstairs and the resort was handing out complimentary refreshments. Chris and David just grabbed waters and went and stood by the edge so they could see the fireworks when they started. The resort put on a very impressive display, and there was even a ball that was lit up that had been suspended from the top of a pole and they dropped it with a countdown. As soon as the clock struck midnight, David turned and kissed Chris. It was slow, tender and super romantic, and they kissed for the full minute.
"Happy New Year babe". He kissed her again.
"Happy New Year honey".
They went back to their room, holding hands the whole way.
David let them into their room. Chris started to put on some pajamas, and asked David to rub more aloe on her back and shoulders.
He put a hefty amount of aloe on her back and shoulders and kissed her neck as he rubbed it in.
"Babe, you aren't going to need that nightgown tonight…"
***Day 3***
They woke up and decided to try going to the nice restaurant for breakfast. It was supposed to rain most of the day, and since Chris was sunburned, they had decided to stay out of the sun as much as possible.
They were seated in the restaurant and started looking at the menu.
"Good choice babe". David couldn't decide between the build your own pancakes or the fruit and waffles. Chris had decided on a bowl of fresh fruit, and was going to have the strawberry banana waffles. David decided on blueberry pancakes.
Chris loved her fresh fruit bowl, especially the fresh mango and guava. David scarfed down his blueberry pancakes, and she really enjoyed her waffle as well.
They headed back to the room, and David decided to go play some golf before the rain came and Chris was going to read on the patio in the canopy hammock.
David had only been gone about 20 minutes when the rains came down. She heard him come back in a few minutes later. He hadn't even made it to the first hole.
"Sorry honey".
"It happens. I would rather spend time with you anyways". He crawled onto the hammock with her and wrapped his arms around her while she read. A few minutes later he dozed off, and she finished reading her book, and enjoyed the breeze from the wind and the rain.
She read for about an hour or so, and David napped. She got up to go get some water, and he woke up and joined her in the room.
"Wanna watch Netflix babe?" She nodded while she took a drink of water.
They climbed on the bed and he got it set up. She got the extra pillows out of the closet and off the couch so that they could lay against them.
For the next several hours, they binge-watched some of their favorite series, like Boston Legal, and Making of a Murderer. They weren't on opposite sides of that case, but Chris felt like an independent detective team should come in and re-investigate the case from top to bottom. David felt like everyone should be fired, but Chris didn't think that was necessary unless the investigation could prove wrongdoing. They ordered lunch from room service, and Chris went and opened the blinds. It was storming hard outside. She opened the window for some fresh air, but the wind was too strong.
After they finished their lunch, David rolled the cart into the hallway, and locked the door behind him. He and Chris settled back on to the bed to finish watching Netflix. David wrapped his arms around her and she turned and kissed him.
"I love days like this with you".
"Me too". They made love and fell asleep and slept till 6, and then went and had dinner at the resorts Island Grill. Tomorrow was their last day, and Chris wanted to spend it by the pool if possible.
David pulled the weather report up on his phone, and found that it was supposed to stop raining overnight but that the storms were going to get worse before they got better.
After they ate, they headed back to their room. As they passed through the lobby, they saw a sign that said that the show for that night had been canceled. Everyone was being advised to stay in their rooms or as close to the lobby as possible.
Chris and David went to their rooms, and Chris changed into her comfy yoga pants that she brought and a loose t-shirt. She took her wedges off and put on flip flops. David rubbed more aloe on her shoulders and back, and she took some more Alleve. David was running them a Jacuzzi bath when the power went out. It came back on a few minutes later, and then went out again almost immediately. Chris grabbed her phone and turned on the flashlight. David came out of the bathroom with his on too, and they soon heard a knock on the door. It was a resort employee, asking them to please secure their belongings and then come to the lobby. The hallways were lit up thanks to generators, but the rooms didn't have those.
"We are on our way".
David threw on some flip flops, and he and Chris both grabbed their phone chargers and phones and a book to read. Chris grabbed her purse, and they zipped their suitcases and put them in the bathroom, just in case water came in the room. They headed to the lobby. They found 2 seats on a loveseat, and the employees were handing out bottles of water. It was going to be a long night.
4 hours later, they were all still there. The employees weren't letting anyone go back to their rooms. The power was still out, and most everyone, including Chris and David, had fallen asleep where they were. Chris was able to find a plug that was working on the back of the TV on the wall next to them, so she was able to charge their phones. They had read for a little bit, but soon, David stretched out on the love seat, and Chris laid down with him and they slept there. It was 3:30 a.m. when the power came back on and the resort employees announced that everyone could go back to their rooms. Chris woke David, and then they sleepily went back to their rooms, and promptly changed clothes and fell into bed.
***Day 4***
They slept till 8:30, and then after they showered and dressed, they headed downstairs for the free breakfast buffet the resort was giving everyone as an apology for the power outage. They stuffed themselves, and then headed back to their rooms to change and go to the pool again.
Chris put on her green paisley bikini top, with black bottoms, and now that her sunburn was basically over with, she decided to use the highest sunscreen she could and lots of it. David loaded her up with it and then she rubbed some in for him on his back and shoulders, and they headed to the pool. The pool has a tanning ledge, where the water was like 2 inches and you can lay there and sun while you are still cooling off. Despite the storms from the night before, the water and the temperature were still warm. Chris laid there for a long bit, and David grabbed them seats right in front of it.
"You ready to get back home, honey?"
He shook his head. "Not really".
"Me either".
The waiter came around and they ordered some drinks. Chris ordered a virgin painkiller, and David ordered a Stella Artois.
A few hours later, they ordered lunch from the swim up bar, and sat there on water stools while they ate. Chris was enjoying her virgin drinks, because they were all fruit juice. David joined her in the pool some, and laid out some as well. Chris was getting nice and dark, as was David.
He pulled up the weather app on his phone.
"Babe, it's going to be snowing tomorrow night when we get home".
"Seems fitting. How much?"
"2 inches tomorrow, but towards the end of the week, we are supposed to get like 5 inches".
"we haven't gotten Miranda a lot lately, we need to get back on our schedule".
"Yeah, I am going to talk to Stephanie and see if we can get back to a regular schedule. I also want to talk to Jessica and see if we can tell the girls that they are cousins and see if we can take her daughter sometimes when we take Miranda".
David looked at his watch, and saw that it was 3 p.m.
"Babe, want to do something right now that we will never forget?"
"Maybe. What do you have in mind?"
"Let's do an Adventure excursion".
"Ok". She hopped out of the pool, and dried off. She brought her drink with her and they headed to their room. She quickly showered and changed into ripped jean shorts, Chacos, and a bright yellow racer back tank. David changed into shorts and a t-shirt and some Chacos also.
They headed to the lobby and picked their excursions. Due to the rough currents, the only ones available were zip lining or the helicopter tour. They picked zip-lining. The desk agent rang for a shuttle, and a few minutes later, they were on their way.
They arrived at the starting location, and got suited up and got their vests on. They went through the training, and then headed to the first one. About 2 hours later, they were at the top, and about to do the longest one. David had rented a go-pro, so that they could video themselves zip-lining. There were also cameras along the way that would take their pics, and they each had a button on their vest that would take pics too. Chris was nervous, but she did it, and flew into David's arms when she landed on the podium. They had one last zip-line to do to get to the bottom, and they did it quickly so they could get finished before the place closed. They spent about 10 minutes taking their gear off, and then another 10 minutes watching and uploading their pictures and videos, and then they went outside to wait for the shuttle.
She wrapped her arms around him, and looked at him. "This has been a great vacation babe. Thanks for coming with me".
He kissed her. "Always". The shuttle pulled up and they rode back to the resort.
They decided on the Japanese hibachi restaurant for dinner, but they had to change first. He put on some dark Khaki shorts, with a red button down short sleeved shirt, and some brown flip flops. She chose an ombre pink twisted halter top, and a denim skort, with her gold wedges. They headed to the restaurant, and were seated right away. They both ordered the steak and lobster, and afterwards, they both agreed it was one of the best meals they had ever had.
"what time do we have to leave tomorrow?"
"We need to be at the airport by 1. So we probably have to leave here by 11."
They stopped at the front desk on the way back to their room, and booked an airport shuttle.
They got back to their room, and sat on the patio watching the sun go down.
"I never want to leave this place".
"Me either, babe".
"I think I am finally ready to do it".
"Do what?"
"Retire".
"You? Retire? For real? No way." David thought she would never quit being a cop.
"I am serious, honey. If I retire, we can come here whenever. I have worked long enough that I will still get a nice pension from the state, and I can do whatever I want at home each day and we can just relax more".
"Babe, you love your job. Are you sure you are ready to give it up?"
"No, but I am seriously considering it".
"What about Mary Beth?"
"Well, she won't be happy. But we got through it before, and we will get through it again. Maybe, I could start my own detective agency, and she could come work for me".
"That's an idea. Then you could work when you wanted and you wouldn't have to take a job if you didn't feel like it".
Chris stared at the sunset for a little bit. She really wished she could ask her dad what to do. Times like this is when she missed him the most.
They went in and started packing before they headed to bed. Chris didn't want to leave at all. She was definitely a tropical girl at heart.
***The next morning***
Chris and David got up at 8, and showered and changed. She decided to wear Capri leggings and a long tunic, and put some longer leggings in her carry on. It was strange to be traveling out of a place that was 90 degrees into a place that was snowing. She had packed her fake uggs too, so she could put those on when she changed into her longer leggings.
She and David finished packing their suitcases, and then they went to have breakfast downstairs, and then afterwards, they were headed to the airport.
Before they left the resort, Christine bought several bottles of alkaline water, and put them in her suitcase. She had grown to love it, and wanted to keep using it since it was so healthy.
They headed to the airport, and 5 hours later, they were landing in Boston. They only had a 2 hour layover. They grabbed dinner, and then Chris changed into her warmer clothes. David put his sweatshirt on. He was regretting leaving his warmer coat at home.
They boarded the flight for New York, and Chris saw that she had a text from Mary Beth. "Hope you two had a great trip, Partner! See you tomorrow, if the snow doesn't keep us in".
Partner.
The word hit Chris like a punch in the gut.
She had some big decisions to make, and no matter what she decided, she had to talk it over with Mary Beth.
As the plane took off, she prayed to the saints for wisdom.
To be continued…..