LONG WAY HOME

This story takes place during season 2 immediately after "Blood Ties", in which Houston's father dies following heart surgery. These are not my characters, I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Chapter 1

He was gone. As Houston sat with CJ in the hallway outside his dad's hospital room, the reality of Bill Houston's death was a slap in the face. After he had flown his daddy to the hospital in the helicopter, waited through long hours of surgery, and saved him from certain death at the hands of a psychotic madman, Bill Houston had died while Matt sat on the edge of his bed holding his hand. Just like that – he was gone. Matt put his head in his hands and stared at his feet.

CJ put her arm around Houston and did her best to comfort him. They knew that the odds were against Bill recovering from the surgery, but it never really seemed possible that he wouldn't make it. She looked at her best friend and wanted so badly to stop the pain that he was feeling, but she knew that there was nothing that she could say or do that would make it all go away. All she could do was be there for him and try to make what he had to face as easy as possible. She rubbed his back and was thinking of what needed to be done: people needed to be notified and funeral arrangements needed to be made. Houston wasn't thinking of any of these things right now.

She looked at him again and all she could see was her boss, her best friend in the world, in the worst pain of his life. She would take care of him, just as he had taken care of her on innumerable occasions since they first met as children.

"Houston, we need to get you home. When was the last time you had anything to eat?"

"I don't know, CJ. I just - ….." Matt couldn't finish the sentence as he choked up once more with grief. I'm a grown man for God's sake! I don't want to cry in public, he thought to himself.

"Come on. I'll take you home and fix you some dinner. Then you need to get a good night's sleep."

"Okay" he replied. They got up from the bench and walked to the elevator. Houston punched the button and they boarded the car. On the ride down, he looked over at CJ.

"There are a lot of folks that I need to call. Uncle Roy… no, I won't be able to reach him. He and Aunt Flo are on an around-the-world sailboat trip. I have no idea where in the hell they are." He raised a hand and rubbed his temples.

"We'll sit down at the house and make a list, Houston. I'll help you. Don't worry, it'll be okay."

"I know you will CJ, and you know that I appreciate it. But I just can't believe that everything will ever be okay again." He reached for her hand and she gave his a squeeze.

Chapter 2

They rode to the beach house in silence. CJ took looked over at him once at a stoplight, and he was sound asleep. She touched his hair, those beautiful dark curls that drove the women wild. She had often hoped that he would feel the same way about her that she felt about him, but was too scared to say so to him. He was her best friend and she didn't want to lose that relationship with him.

She pulled into the parking space and took the key from the ignition. Matt was still asleep. She hated to wake him, but knew what he needed right now was a good meal and a good night's sleep in his own bed, not some hard chair in a hospital room.

"Matt, honey, wake up. We're home. Matt?" Houston opened his eyes and yawned, then rubbed them. "Sorry, CJ didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that."

"Well, believe it or not, you're not Superman. Everybody has to sleep sometime. Now let's get you inside and get some good food into you."

As CJ expertly flipped the grilled cheese sandwich on the griddle, Houston was finishing up his first shower in three days. As he dried off, he couldn't help but wince when he reached the cracked ribs that he had incurred while chasing the psychotic orderly who had attempted to kill his dad. It hurt to breathe, but he figured he just needed to get them wrapped with an elastic bandage to give them some support. His lower back as well as his head was throbbing, and his hands were bruised and cracked from the beating that he had given the orderly in the morgue. He pulled on his sweats and padded down stairs to the kitchen just as CJ put the grilled cheese sandwich and soup on a bed tray.

"What's with the tray?"

"I figured it would be easier for you to eat on the bed while using it. That is why it's called a bed tray, pal."

"I'm not going to be on the bed, CJ. I've got a lot of people to call."

"No, sir, what you've got to do is let me take care of you for a while. In case you haven't looked in the mirror lately..." He interrupted her with:

"C'mon, CJ, give me a..."

"What, a break, like those ribs of yours? No, you're going to get on that bed and eat, and then we'll work on making a list of people to call. In case you've forgotten, you DO have a phone in the bedroom."

He knew better than to argue with a lawyer, especially this lawyer when she had that tone of voice, her hand on her hip, and a glare in her eye that could make the most vicious lion in the world run in retreat.

"Okay, but …"

Once again she interrupted him with "The only butt we're dealing with here is yours – getting on the bed right now!"

He couldn't help but smile. Sheepishly, he turned and headed for the bedroom.

When the bowl of soup was empty and the sandwich gone, they made a list of everyone that needed to be called. As Houston reached for the phone, it rang. He answered to find Lt. Michael Hoyt on the other end of the line.

"Houston, I just heard. I'm so sorry. Your dad was a great guy. Is there anything I can do?"

"Thanks, Hoyt, I really appreciate it, but right now we're just trying to get everything organized and call everybody we need to call."

"Well, if you think of anything you need, just give me a call."

"Thanks, Hoyt. Bye."

"Ya know, CJ, I remember a time not too long ago when that man would have gladly had me locked up in jail and thrown away the key" Houston said, while hanging up the phone. "Guess we can cross him off the list of folks that need to be called."

Matt called Vince in Hawaii and told him the news. "Houston, I can't believe it, after everything you guys went through…. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, Vince. I just wanted to let you know. I know how busy y'all are, what with the restaurant and the boys."

"To hell with the restaurant, and my wife can take care of the boys. When's the funeral? I'd like to come."

"We don't have a time pinned down exactly. We'll have to work out the details with the funeral home in Texas. Daddy wanted to be buried right next to Mama…." Houston's voice trailed off, and Vince knew he was doing his best not to lose it.

"Well, I'm going to hop a flight out of here tomorrow. I'll catch up with you when I get there."

"Vince thanks a lot buddy. And make sure you tell Mama, or I'll never hear the end of it, okay?"

"Who are you kidding? Neither one of us would ever hear the end of it. Take care of yourself, buddy, I'll see you tomorrow. Good bye."

While Houston had been talking to Vince, CJ had made several other calls for him. She walked back into the room just as Houston hung up from talking to Vince.

"He is going to tell Mama, right, 'cause you know…"

"Yep, I made sure." Neither one could help but smile as they thought of Vince's mother, petite Rosa Novelli, who would skin all three of them alive if nobody had told her what was going on.

"Looks like we hit the end of the list. Now, you need to get some sleep. You're starting to look like Rocky Raccoon."

CJ walked over and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He took her hands and looked into her eyes.

"CJ, would it be too much trouble if you stayed here tonight? I just don't want to be alone."

"No problem, cowboy. I wasn't planning on leaving anyway. Somebody has to make sure you get some rest. I'm going to run downstairs and make sure everything is locked up."

After checking the front door and turning off the lights, CJ went to the spare room and found a pair of her sweats that stayed at Houston's house just in case. She quickly slipped into them and went to Houston's room to say good night. When she reached the door, he scooted over in the bed and pulled back the covers for her. She turned off the lamp and climbed into the bed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest. Within minutes his breathing had slowed and she knew he was asleep.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Houston awoke to the smells of bacon and coffee. He sat up on the side of the bed to try to clear the cobwebs from his brain and then he remembered: his dad was dead. CJ had spent the night and was now down in the kitchen cooking breakfast for both of them. Matt went to his closet and found a comfortable pair of jeans, a denim shirt, and his favorite pair of cowboy boots. He dressed quickly and made his way downstairs.

"Smells like Universal House of Waffles in here. Somebody sure has been working hard this morning."

He gave CJ a kiss on the cheek as he reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. As he took the first sip, it occurred to him that it sure was nice to have CJ there. It was something that he could easily get used to. But that will never happen, he thought to himself, I'm nowhere near good enough for her. And I'd hate to lose my best friend.

"Sit down and eat. I've talked to Pete, your dad's old friend that runs the funeral home near his house. He'll meet us at the airport when we land. I've already called the plane crew and they will have the plane ready and waiting for us whenever we get there. And the funeral home here will deliver your dad to the airport at 11am. I hope that's okay…" CJ started to say. Houston took her hand and kissed it and replied, "You're a miracle worker, CJ. Thanks for taking care of things."

"It's the least I can do for my best friend. Now let's get those ribs wrapped up."

Chapter 4

Vince and Mama Novelli got off the plane at 10 am LA time. As they made their way to the baggage claim, he heard his name being paged. Just then he spotted Houston and CJ walking over.

"Don't worry about answering the page Vince, it was us" said CJ as they neared him. He gave her a big hug, then turned to Houston and did the same. Houston winced slightly, and CJ explained. "He's got three cracked ribs on his left side, Vince." Just then Mama started in on them both. "You two give me hugs. Why haven't you been to see us, huh Mr. Private Eye and Ms. Lawyer? Look at both of you! You're nothing but skin and bones. I knew we shouldn't have moved to Honolulu! Neither of you know how to take care of yourselves." They both took the scolding from Mama. It was her usual speech. Houston started to laugh, then braced the ribs.

"I know you two just landed, but we'll be taking off about 11:15. We need to get over to the jet to meet the hearse." As they walked across the airport lobby, Mama took CJ by the arm and asked about all of their mutual friends as Vince and Houston walked together.

"Some things never change I guess" said Houston.

"No, Mama is always Mama no matter what" replied Vince.

At exactly 11:00 am, the hearse carrying Bill Houston's body pulled up next to Matt's jet. He stood and watched as the men carefully unloaded the casket and rolled it to the cargo hatch. Someone squeezed his hand and he knew without looking that it was CJ. What would I do without her he thought to himself as a tear escaped. He quickly wiped it away as his father was loaded onto the jet for his final trip home.

When the plane took off, there were seven passengers on board: Houston, CJ, Mama, Vince, Murray, Chris, and Too Mean Malone. After takeoff, everyone was sitting at the table on the luxury jet playing cards – except Houston. He had sat down in the front row of seats and almost immediately fallen asleep.

Mama leaned over to CJ and in a hushed voice asked her "Just who was this man that tried to kill Houston's father?" CJ then told her of the orderly who was an escaped mental patient who believed that he would gain power by killing powerful people, such as Bill Houston. She described all the events that led up to the big fight between Houston and the psycho in the hospital morgue.

"Lt. Hoyt told me that when he and the other officers caught up to Houston in the morgue, he was beating the guy's head against the wall repeatedly. Nobody can figure out how in the world he managed to do that. The guy is only an inch and a half taller than Houston, but he outweighs him by over a hundred pounds."

"Adrenalin can help you do all kinds of things that you never thought were possible" Vince told her. "It's too bad he didn't kill the guy in my opinion."

"Houston is one tough dude, no doubt" said Too Mean.

"I don't think you'll find any arguments from anyone here" said Murray.

Chapter 5

Just before the plane landed in Texas three hours later, CJ went over and woke Houston up. As he opened his eyes he looked around. CJ saw the look in his eyes go from questioning to crushed as he remembered where he was and why he was there.

"You okay?" she asked as he straightened up in the seat, grimacing as his cracked ribs objected to the sudden change.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How much longer till we get there?"

"About five minutes. Can I get you anything?" replied CJ.

"No, thanks. Is everybody doing okay?"

"Well other than a few crushed male egos, just fine. Mama needs to go to Vegas and play poker professionally" CJ said, letting out a small giggle and smile.

When the plane had landed CJ and Houston were met by Pete Balthrop, owner of Balthrop & Sons Funeral Home. "So sorry to hear about your daddy Houston" said Pete as he shook Matt's hand. "Thanks Mr. Balthrop. I appreciate everything y'all are doing for us."

"I know how hard this is for you, Houston, but we need to work out a few details. But only a very few. Your dad already had a lot of this planned with us, so all we really need to do is decide on flowers and what time the service will be held. It shouldn't take us more than half an hour."

CJ and Matt looked at each other and exchanged a smile. Together they said "Yellow roses." "Done" said Mr. Balthrop. "How about 2:00 Friday for the service?" said Matt. "Done" said Mr. Balthrop once again.

Chapter 6

As the limousine pulled up to Bill Houston's palatial home, Matt noticed that the staff was lined up waiting for them. He stepped out of the car and helped CJ and Mama out as Murray helped out Chris. They walked over to a petite Mexican lady who threw her arms around Houston and burst into tears. "Oh, Senor Matt!" was all she managed to get out before she dissolved into tears. Matt gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Madre Rosa it's so good to see you again." The little lady regained her composure after a long blow of her nose into a handkerchief. "Just look at you Senor Matt! You are too skinny! You never should have moved to Los Angeles. You don't know how to take care of yourself and there is no one there to feed you!" Houston exchanged a look with CJ and they both smiled. He moved down the line shaking hands and accepting condolences. Just then an old beat up Chevy truck rumbled up the drive. Houston walked over to it and met Bo and Lamar, his old ranch hands. They shook hands and told Houston how sorry they were to hear about his daddy passing. Everyone went into the house. Suitcases were taken upstairs to the bedrooms and everyone was shown to their own room.

Chapter 7

CJ looked around the house for Matt. He was nowhere to be found. As she passed the sliding doors in the den she caught a glimpse of him sitting on the white wooden fence of the pasture. Three horses were standing in front of him, each trying to get all of Houston's attention away from the other two.

"That's a familiar sight" said CJ as she walked down to the fence. Houston just nodded and looked down. "How many carrots have you fed them so far?" asked CJ. Matt just shrugged his shoulders and continued looking down. CJ put her hand on his back and could feel the sobs that were racking his body. He climbed down from the fence and put his arms around CJ as if he were a drowning man looking for something to keep him afloat. He let it all go then: all the pain and anger that he had been keeping bottled up since his father had died. After twenty minutes, he regained his composure and walked back over to the fence.

"Sorry, CJ. I didn't want to do that" he said quietly. She stepped over next to him and rubbed his back. "It all has to come out sometime, Matt. You can't keep it bottled up forever."

"Yeah, right. I'm a big strong man out here blubbering like a little baby" said Matt disgustedly.

"Oh, so what are you saying? That you're tougher than any other person on the face of the earth? That you don't feel pain like the rest of us? That it's not manly to show some emotion? Your dad died, Matt. If there was ever a reason to show some emotion this is it!"

He reached his arm around her waist and gave her a hug. "Now I just sound like an idiot I guess" he said as he gave her a little smile. "No, just a typical Texas cowboy" she said and hugged him back.

Meanwhile everyone else was standing in the den looking out the window. Mama said what everyone else was thinking: "They are like a pair of ostriches! They keep their heads stuck down in the sand and can't see that they belong together as man and wife! Aye yi yi!" Everyone chuckled in agreement.

Chapter 8

A little while later there was the sound of laughter flowing out of the kitchen. Both Mama Novelli and Madre Rosa were laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces. "And then Senor Matt looked at his father and said "But Daddy, I told the sheriff I was only going one way!" More laughter spilled from the kitchen. The two great cooks had struck up a friendship. Matt started toward the kitchen door, only to be met by Madre Rosa scolding him "Senor Matt, do NOT come in this kitchen! We are making a big surprise for you!" "Alright, alright! I was just looking for Mama."

He walked into the den where Too Mean, Murray, and Vince were looking at the wall full of trophies and photographs. Vince turned and looked at Houston and said "Is there any trophy out there that you DIDN'T win?" Too Mean and Murray just laughed. All four men then sat down. A few minutes Madre Rosa and Mama came to announce that dinner was ready. The men eagerly headed for the dining room followed by the girls who had just come downstairs.

When they walked into the room, everyone's mouth dropped in shock. There on the table was a veritable smorgasbord. Pizza, tamales, lasagna, tacos: all of Matt's favorite foods. The two cooks had outdone themselves. Matt walked over and gave both of them a hug and thanked them.

Later that night, as he was getting ready for bed, Matt looked at the pictures of himself and Bill that were hanging on the wall. Each one triggered a memory of good times. Matt thought to himself: And that's the way it should be. He may not have been my biological father, but he did everything that a good father should.

Chapter 9

The next day Matt and his friends went to the funeral home at ten am for the visitation. Cars were crowded into the parking lot. "Your daddy had a lot of friends" said CJ as she took his hand. He gave hers a squeeze and continued to hold on to it until they were met by Mr. Balthrop at the door. Matt turned it loose just long enough to shake hands with the funeral director, then took hold of it again as they moved into the viewing room. It was just the two of them, as Mr. Balthrop wanted to make sure that things were done to Matt's satisfaction. They walked slowly up the aisle to Bill's casket. It had a beautiful light oak finish. "Daddy had good taste" said Houston as they got nearer. Then he saw Bill. His face looked so relaxed and happy that Houston couldn't help but smile. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at CJ. "He's at rest CJ." They held each other and Matt once again cried. He didn't apologize this time, but asked CJ if she had a Kleenex. "Of course I do. A whole box. You know how I am."

After wiping his face and blowing his nose, they walked back out to the lobby. "You did a great job Mr. Balthrop" said Matt. "He looks like he's enjoying a good nap. Thanks so much."

"You're more than welcome, Houston. Your daddy was a good friend of mine. He'll be sorely missed."

As visitors paid their last respects to Bill Houston there was a lot of laughter as well as tears. Everyone had a story it seemed, about something Bill had said or done.

Two pm rolled around and the service started. Once again, CJ and Houston were hand in hand, all through the service. And Houston didn't hold back his tears, although now there were not nearly as many. All of the good thoughts and memories were keeping them at bay.

After the graveside service, the group made their way back to the limousine, Houston and CJ still hand in hand. Mama leaned over to Vince and said "So, do you think maybe the ostriches have pulled their heads from the sand?" Vince just smiled and said "We can hope so. I don't want to be first 99 year old best man."