A/N: Hi there! I told you my writer's crystal ball saw a family in the future. I've had this one in my queue as a follow-up to Family Anniversary.
And after how I challenged myself with my last story, it is very wonderful to fall back into my writer's comfort zone. I'm home and relaxed.
I give all of you my usual promise. This FF is completely written. You will get, FF demons withstanding, a chapter a day.
All CM characters are the rights of CBS, ABC Studios and Mark Gordon Productions. The OC's are all mine.
*Knightly bow*
Chapter 1
Cait smiled at Jack through the rear view mirror of her car. It was a Friday. Aaron was out on a case with the team, Matt was at college, and Mike was already gone for a night of gaming with friends at Gabe's house. She and Jack were going out to eat. "It's date night mom," Jack proudly said to her as they got in Cait's SUV. Cait broadly grinned. They had agreed to their "date" that morning over breakfast.
They pulled into the local McDonald's. Cait had given him the choice and this was his selection. As she opened the back door to let him out, he smiled in anticipation. He took Cait's out-stretched hand to safely cross to the building with the cars going into the drive through lanes and stepped onto the curb of the building.
Jack, still holding Cait's hand, reached ahead and pulled with all his might to get the outside door open for her. As Cait reached to help he stopped her. "Mom, it's our date night. And dad always opens the door for you." Cait smiled brightly, with love and pride.
However, it was the elderly couple coming out that smiled more at the exchange. Cait had noticed them come through the inner door to leave, with the husband opening it for his wife and then starting to push at the outside door as the same time that Jack was tugging at it. They had heard what Jack said to Cait. He smiled at Jack. "Son, always take care of a lady, and she will always take care of you." Jack beamed.
The woman looked at Cait and rubbed her arm. "Enjoy your date, my dear."
Cait smiled back. "I've been looking forward to it all day," she winked at her. The couple smiled broadly and moved to their car. Jack repeated the scene with the inner door, opening it for Cait.
They moved towards the counter, looking at the menu board to make their selections, while unzipping their jackets. The northern Virginia March air, with no snow on the ground, still had a bite to it. The first grader showed off his fourth grade level reading skills looking at the kid's menu.
Cait rubbed his neck. "See something you want?"
"I know what I want mom, but it's not enough for me. I'm hungry."
Cait shook her head with a smile, now raising another growing boy. She didn't mind. "You worked up an appetite opening the doors for me." He beamed at her. "Jack, what do you want?"
"Chicken Nuggets mom with fries and a soda. But mom, I want more than four. I told you. I'm hungry."
"OK, look at the big kids menu." He studied it for a while.
"Hey look mom," he said pointing, still holding her hand, "they have one with six nuggets and me…di…um," Jack said, sounding out the word like Cait had taught him, "with medium fries!" Every seven year old knows what fries are she thought. Cait smiled proudly and rubbed his shoulder. Jack looked at her. "Is that OK?"
She smiled at her son. "If that's what you want, we'll order it."
"Do you know what you want mom?"
"Yup, I do." Jack led her by the hand to the counter. A high school kid, Cait recognized as one of Mike's classmates, smiled at the two of them.
"Hi Mrs. Hotchner, welcome to McDonald's. What can I get for you and Jack this evening?"
"Hi Miguel," Cait smiled. She rubbed her youngest son's shoulder. "Jack, tell Miguel what you want."
Jack smiled. "Hi Miguel."
"Hi Jack; what do you want big guy?" Jack smiled and placed his order for the six piece adult Chick Nuggets meal with fries.
"What size soda do you want Jack?"
"A small," Cait interceded. She would give Jack some leeway, but not the country mile as her grandmother used to say.
"Mrs. Hotchner," Miguel asked.
Since it was Lent, McDonald's had a special on Filet-O-Fish sandwiches; two sandwiches, fries and a soda. They were Cait's simple guilt pleasure. "I'll take the Filet-O-Fish special with a small fry and a medium soda." Miguel punched in the order and Cait paid him in cash with a twenty.
As Miguel gave her the change, Cait quietly slipped Miguel two dollars as a tip. She knew the mixed ratio of the high school students the two older boys, had and were, attending. Miguel played lacrosse with Mike and Cait knew his parents were struggling.
Miguel broadly smiled his thanks. He sat their drink cups on the counter and they moved to fill them at the soda station, while their ordered was being processed by the staff. Jack looked at Cait. "You're cool mom," he whispered.
She simply rubbed his head with a large smile. "Thanks for noticing my date." Jack face erupted into his huge, big smile, now filled with even more permanent teeth. Cait inwardly felt a pang. She had another chance at a little boy in her life; one that loved mom's hugs and kisses. With snips and snails and puppy dog tails she thought. But it was vanishing just as quickly as it did for her with the older boys.
She helped Jack fill his soda cup with a Sierra Mist and put on the lid. She grabbed a straw for him. She would be dealing with one son tomorrow, on a Mountain Dew crash from his night with the guys. Cait didn't want to deal with two of them. In her cup, she added ice and then water.
Jack eyed her. "Mom, you're really into this no soda thing, aren't you?"
Cait smiled. "Yes, Jack, I am." As she was about to explain more, Miguel called out that their order was ready. Jack, carrying his soda, walked to the counter and sat his soda on the tray. "Hey my amigo Jack," Miguel said. "What dipping sauce do you want with you nuggets?"
Jack thought for a second. Cait smiled; he was truly Aaron's son. She could hear the wheels turning in his brain. "Ranch Miguel, and maybe….," Jack looked around. "Some BBQ too?"
Miguel put them on the tray. "Got ya covered Jack."
"Gracias Miguel," Jack smiled back, looking at Cait. "Mom aren't you going to put your drink on here as well?" as he pulled the tray off the counter.
Cait smiled, wanting to let him be the big guy. But the mom in her knew differently. She grabbed Jack's drink off the tray. "I've got these, you handle the rest."
"OK mom," Jack smiled. Cait winked at Miguel and they moved to the sitting area of the restaurant, with Jack picking the table. They took their coats off, hung them on the seat backs and sat down, with Cait looking Jack in the eye as she handed him his soda. They very privately said their thanks for the meal. Jack ran back to the soda area and got some ketchup for then and returned. He dived into his meal, looking at Cait's. "Mom, you can eat two sandwiches?"
She nodded. "Yup Jack, they're not that big. One wouldn't fill you up." He smiled as he shoved in some fries.
As Cait was opening her first sandwich, her cell phone rang in her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and smiled at the caller ID. "Its dad," she smiled at Jack, as she answered the call.
"Hi you," she smiled.
"Hi you back." He sounded relaxed, the comment almost playful. Cait knew what that meant. "I just wanted to let you know I'll be home tonight but it will be late. Don't shoot me coming in the bedroom door."
Cait smiled. "Thanks for the warning. Otherwise, all bets would be off. Sounds like a good ending there."
"Yeah, we found all the kids alive, thank god." The case was all over the news. A person had grabbed a group of five kids while they were touring a nature park in southern Illinois. The five of them had wondered away from the rest of their third grade class. Cait, when she first heard, steamed at the escort and the chaperones that hadn't kept a closer eye on all the kids.
"Aaron, what made them wonder away from the group?"
"They had noticed a mother fox bringing her kits out and they stopped to watch."
Cait, with Jack sitting across from her, worded her next question carefully. "Jack and I are out on a date night. The kids OK?"
Aaron read between the lines of Cait's question. "Yes, he didn't touch them. He's minimally mentally challenged. He just wanted kids to play with. We found them all playing Monopoly together." Cait marveled again at how a human's brain could work. That's why she found her chosen field so satisfying and rewarding, even with looking into their sick and twisted pathologies. "So what's up with date night?"
"I'll let you talk to Jack. I'm hungry and haven't had a bite yet. Jack is just about finished with his." She handed the phone to Jack.
Jack outlined their date together and the reasons why as Cait enjoyed her meal. "And then dad, when we get home, mom is going to make popcorn and then a fire downstairs and then we're gonna watch On Stranger Tides!" Cait smiled. Jack had got for Christmas the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD from Santa. It wouldn't be their first time watching it.
She heard Jack say, "OK dad, love you too. See you in the morning," and handed the phone back to Cait.
"Hi; what's the timetable?"
"We've got about four hours of work here with the locals," Aaron said. Cait glanced at her watch. Six o'clock here; five there. "And then we head to our hotel, get our luggage and drive an hour back to Carbondale to meet up with Chuck and Angie so we can head home. Then the two plus hour flight." The case had started in a part of the Shawnee National Forest in southwest Illinois.
"Aaron, I didn't hear something in that plan."
"Doc?"
"A hot, sit down dinner that you all need." She heard her husband processing the words. "Its Saturday tomorrow Aaron; you all can sleep in. Get some real food into your bodies."
"That's why I love you Doc."
Cait smiled. "Tell Dave if he wants to bunk in here for the night to text me. I'll have his bed ready. I'll fix breakfast in the morning."
"Cait, I don't think Dave will pass on that. Just do it." She said her good-byes and gave her phone to Jack so he could do the same one more time.
"See ya in the morning buddy," Aaron told Jack. Jack ended the call on Cait's phone and handed it to her. They finished their meals, deposited the garbage off the tray into the bin for it, placed the tray with the others and headed out the door. Cait once again took Jack's hand to guard him from the traffic coming into the drive through.
After they reached her vehicle, Jack opened her door. "After you my lady," he broadly smiled. It was a line from one of the movies they had watched together. "Mom, I can get in on my own and get buckled up."
Jack, while growing like a weed, still did not meet the national safety standards for sitting in the passenger side of the front seat. He would soon though Cait smiled. As she got in and got her seatbelt buckled, she closely watched in the rear view mirror that Jack was as well. No more booster seat for my son. He's growing up so fast.
As Cait backed her SUV out and then used the lane to by-pass the drive through lanes, she looked into her mirror once more at Jack and noticed him looking around. His demeanor told her immediately that something else was going through his head.
"Jack, do we need to talk?"
Jack thought before he answered. "This McDonald's is just like the one that mommy and I ate lunch at." Cait's stomach churned. She knew by the reports after Haley had been murdered by George Foyet, the two of them had stopped at a McDonald's to eat on their way to his trap.
Jack got really quiet. Yet, that didn't worry Cait. She knew he would share his thoughts. Their relationship was that solid. He looked in the rear view mirror at her. "Mom, promise me you won't go away like mommy."
That was the last thing Cait thought would come out of her youngest son's mouth. Oh hell; didn't expect that one. Think fast Doc.
As she concentrated on her driving, she looked quickly in the mirror. "Jack, I'm sorry our date brought up that bad memory." I hope that buys me time to think.
"Nawwwww, mom; you and dad 'plained it to me long time ago. That's a good memory. We had a great time. Mommy even let me play in the Playland." Chalk one up for dad and I Cait thought, still trying to give her son the answer he wanted to hear.
"Jack, things happen in life. Not all of us are going to live to be 92 like great-grandma. God gave her a boatload of gifts to live that long. And one of them was getting to love you." Jack smiled in the mirror at her. "Just know this Jack; I will do everything in my power, with dad helping me, to stay as safe as possible. But there are no guarantees in life Jack. Like I said, things can happen. We just have to trust God's safety that they don't."
"Guarantee mom?"
Keep thinking in overdrive mom. "Guarantees are a huge promise. It says it's all covered. But Jack, life isn't like that. You know how much I hurt about what happened to mommy." Jack bobbed his head in her mirror. "Jack, just know, we all have to try our best to stay safe. That's why dad does the job he does. After that, it's in God's hand. And he makes the final decision."
Jack thought for a second. "So mom; is that why we pray for each other every night?"
"Yes Jack, it is." Damn I'm gonna skate out of this easier than I thought.
"Including Uncle Dave?"
Cait smiled in the mirror. "Yes Jack, including Uncle Dave."
They happily chatted about things in general on the ride home. Cait pulled her SUV into the garage, pushed the button to get the door back down and got out as she watched Jack get out of the backseat unassisted. She knew her son better. He's a big boy mom. They made their way to the door going into the home. Jack pulled the screen door open. Cait unlocked the door and the deadbolt and opened it, entering in and quickly putting in the security code to the alarm system.
They were greeted by Beans and Mudg who had heard the garage door going up. Cait started to take her coat off and slip out of her sneakers.
Jack looked at her. "Happy dance mom; they're glad were home 'cause they gotta go." Cait smiled as Jack led the two dogs out to the back door of the garage to let them do their thing. Luvs was one thing. In a dog's world, depositing the remains of dinner was a higher priority.
Cait went downstairs and got a fire going in the home theatre area and came back up and went into the kitchen. Jack came in with the dogs, hung his coat up and took his shoes off.
"Set the alarm please Jack."
"OK mom." Cait heard it beep. The dogs raced into the kitchen to get their loving from Cait.
They went upstairs and Cait got Jack into the shower. He washed himself and then stepped back out of the water stream so Cait could wash his hair. He finished, got dried off and into his p.j.'s. Cait picked up the dirty clothes and started for downstairs, getting Jack into his room to get a pair of socks on. When she got downstairs, she tossed his dirty clothes into the laundry basket.
Cait got things rolling for the second part of date night; the popcorn. She looked at him as he came into the kitchen. "Mom, do I get to help?"
"You're on melted butter patrol," she smiled. "But Jack, grab the steps to get to the counter." He didn't need them in the bathroom off the kitchen any more. But he still used them in the laundry room to get water for the dogs.
They worked together and in minutes had a bowl of fresh, steaming popcorn. Cait grabbed the bowl and a bunch of paper towels while Jack took the steps back to the laundry room. They went downstairs, with the dogs following the delicious smell. Jack got the DVD player going and they settled on the couch together. Every once in a while, Cait or Jack would toss a piece of popcorn in the air for each of the dogs to catch.
As the two of them got into the movie, Mudg and Beans moved to take a snooze. Jack commented at his favorite parts with Cait just enjoying the one on one time with him, snuggling together with the fire going.
The movie finished as the fire was dying down. Cait got everything shut off downstairs and they all went back to the main level. Jack yawned as he climbed he steps. Cait got him going upstairs to get his teeth brushed while she did a quick clean up in the kitchen. Jack walked back in as she was putting the skillet back in its spot.
"Come on Jack, you can help me get Uncle Dave's bed made up." They went into the den and Jack noticed Cait wince as she pulled the bed from the couch.
"Mom, your hip hurting again?"
"Yeah, a bit. It'll be OK." They put the blanket and pillows from the closet on the bed and Cait laid out a comforter for Dave if he needed it. Jack yawned again.
"Big day at school?"
"Yeah," Jack replied. "We had gym today plus us guys played kick ball during recess." He looked at her. "Mom do I have to sleep upstairs by myself tonight?"
I've been expecting this one Cait smiled to herself. She eyed him. "OK, just this once."
"Yes," he said, running out of the den into Cait and Aaron's bedroom. As she walked towards it, Jack raced back out. "Gotta get my book." His feet pounded up the stairs. Cait just shook her head.
He came back in with the latest book they were reading together; Charlotte's Web. Cait got him into the bathroom and then under the covers. She laid on top of the bed. Jack snuggled next to her as she read some before Jack's eyes started to get sleepy.
Looking at him, she marked the page, set the book on her nightstand and got up, wincing a bit. She bent back over and got Jack tucked in with a kiss. "Good night Jack. I love you."
"Love you too, mom. Cait shut the bed stand lamp off and headed out, quietly pulling the door semi-shut.
After reading a bit herself, watching the early news, and letting the dogs out, Cait turned in. As she rolled to her left side, she felt the two dogs join them. Smiling, she drifted to sleep.
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A/N: Sierra Mist is a clear soda like 7-Up. It's part of the Pepsi brand. Mountain Dew is another Pepsi product that is loaded with caffeine. Kits are the term for baby foxes. Cait being extra careful with Jack crossing the drive through lanes is the mom in me from work. We get peeps in their vehicles flying through the area by the gas pumps. Someone is going to get run over. Since I always work the cash drawer closest to the door, I always remind the little ones to look both ways and hang onto mom or dad's hand. Kick ball is a baseball style game. Instead of throwing a ball, a larger ball is rolled to home plate and then kicked by the "batter".