7x5x15 - Book 1
By AJB
Chapter Three
"Well," Dr. Will began as he sat with Vin and Chris that Friday. "School starts on Monday. Do you have everything you need, Vin?"
Vin twirled the toy car in his fingers a few moments before nodding his shaggy head. "I guess," he said, eyeing every detail of the tiny, metal Mustang. Knowing that wasn't going to be an adequate answer based on the past experiences from the weekly meetings all summer, he released a resigned sigh and put the toy down on the circular table they shared and looked up. "I have a backpack 'n school supplies. New clothes." He glanced at Chris. "Dad wants me to get a haircut." He wrinkled his nose.
Dr. Will smiled. "Not too keen on that idea, huh?"
Vin shrugged and brushed the bangs from his eyes. "He says I look like a sheepdog."
Chris and the doctor chuckled and Chris leaned over to tuck the tawny wave behind Vin's ear. "Just the front, if you want. Maybe even up the rest?"
Vin nodded. "Okay."
"Are you happy with the way you look, Vin?"
The boy looked at the doctor. "Yeah, I guess. It's just that . . ." He squirmed in his seat as he searched for words to describe what he felt. "I don't know. I'm a little scared, I guess."
"You've been scared before in much worse situations. Do you feel safe?"
"Yes."
"Do you trust your dad?"
"Yes." He frowned at the audacity of that comment.
"So, let's try to pinpoint what scares you. Is it the school itself?"
Vin thought about the open amphitheater in the center of the school and the wide, green track and field area behind the buildings. "No. It's nice."
"Is it the school work?"
A vision of Ezra leaning over a book with him popped into Vin's head. The regular tutoring sessions over the summer that kept him on track for the upcoming year had been . . .fun. He smiled. "No. Uncle Ezra's been helpin' me."
"Tutoring, yes, you've told me about that. So, it's not the campus or the work - what about the people at the school?"
"I met my teacher, Mrs. Koske. She's really nice."
"Vin warmed to her right off the bat," Chris added with grin.
"And I saw Mrs. Richmond, my counselor." Vin paused, recalling the wash of warmth that came over him when he first met the woman after the orientation. Where Mrs. Koske was nice, she was teacher-like and down to business. Mrs. Richmond was much more - approachable. Softer.
"Will you see her much?"
Vin nodded. "Yeah. She's going to be in my home room, I guess, and pull me out of class sometimes."
Dr. Will looked to Chris.
"Because of the dyslexia. Vin's doing fine, but they want to make sure it doesn't become a problem again." He reached into his shirt pocket. "Here's her card. Her phone number's on the back if you feel the need to call."
"Ah, good." Dr. Will made a note and tucked the card away. "So, what about the students?"
Frowning in thought, Vin went over the faces he saw at the orientation. He remembered some of them from years ago, especially Freddy Chaney and Eli Joe Chavez, and although it made him a little nervous to think about them, he wasn't really scared and said as much. What rose in his mind that made his spine tingle was Mrs. Gaines feline face. He also remembered his dad's open smile at seeing her and decided at that moment that it must be some kind of silly jealousy. He wanted to think over that idea before telling Dr. Will, though. If she made his dad happy, then she had to be a good person.
"Well," Vin started, deciding to use his old nemeses as his excuse. "They were pretty mean to me."
"I know. I read about them in your journal at the time and we did talk about them. We can go over the tools I gave you to deal with them, if you want."
"No, I'll be okay." He smiled at Chris and got one in return.
"So, what we're left with is that old separation anxiety, huh?"
Vin ducked his head and toyed with the Mustang again. "Yeah, I guess." After a short silence, he looked up. "Are there tools for that, too?"
Chris chuckled and ruffled his hair while Dr. Will sat back with a smile. "Kind of, but we will start slow. No one can blame you for wanting your dad close, Vin. You have every reason to want that. There's nothing wrong or odd or weird about the need. It's completely normal. You understand that?"
"Yeah."
"At the same time, Chris has to go back to work and you have to go to school. Separation is natural, too."
"I know."
"With that in mind, we will take it slow. We'll start with school. That should take care of Monday through Friday, but there's the weekend. Your assignment for the next appointment is to come up with a list of some things to do on the weekends that you could do by yourself. Away from the ranch would be better."
"Like a sport or something?" Chris offered.
"Exactly. A sport would be a good way to work on independence skills and team building. You would be there, Chris, but watching from a distance and Vin would learn to work with an authority figure outside his family. It would be good for JD, too."
Vin sat up at the idea, the Mustang forgotten. His expression brightened.
"Does that sound like a good idea, Vin?"
"Sure, I guess. Yeah."
"Good. So, unless you have any other concerns to talk about . . ." He looked from Vin to Chris, who both shook their heads. "I'll see you in two weeks."
Father and son didn't speak as they headed to the truck, the easy comfort their particular brand of silence being the basic nature of their bond. Once Vin was secured and Chris pointed the truck toward home, Chris asked, "So, maybe you could see what sports the other kids at school play. I know there's football, basketball, lacrosse -"
"What's that?"
By the time they reached home, they'd reviewed every sport Chris knew and filed the information for further thought. The reason for the discussion wasn't so scary anymore.
"Who knows," Chris said as they pulled into the ranch driveway. "Maybe you'll be in the Olympics someday."
"The what?"
Chris glanced at his son with surprise. Reviewing Vin's history in his mind, he realized that his boy probably never had the opportunity to experience the global event. Other than cartoons, television and newspapers were never a big part of Vin's life. Chris spent the remainder of the day with Vin and JD, working around the ranch and explaining the Olympics. The two boys made a list of sports they wanted to try and Chris felt an incredible sense of peace listening to their plans. For the first time in his recent memory, his son was excited about the future.
Monday, school started for the boys and full time work started for Chris. He would miss these moments, but knew it was inevitable.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team spent their last leaderless Friday afternoon at the office and Buck let Chris' past with Ella slip out. He was busting at the seams to mention it earlier in the week but wisely decided to ask Chris about it first. Chris' only request was to do it when he wasn't in the office. He didn't want to be around during that revelation.
"Are you serious?" Nathan sounded skeptical. "This is a real woman?"
Buck chuffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Ella's real. I remember her from high school. I think everyone was surprised she and Chris never hooked up after high school."
"What happened?" Josiah asked.
Ezra leaned back in his desk chair and sipped a latte. "I would assume he met the future Mrs. Larabee," he offered.
The four of them were in the bullpen pretending to be interested in reports. Except for Ezra, of course, who looked to be taking full advantage of Chris' absence from the office. Buck continued, deciding to take Ezra's attitude and copied his restful repose. He interlaced his fingers behind his head as he spoke, clearly abandoning his work. "They were quite a pair. They went everywhere together. She was a cheerleader and he was the quarterback - God, it was the classical high school story."
"I take it she was pretty hot, then." Nathan quirked a grin as the others chuckled.
"Oh, yeah. Curvy in all the right places, big boobs, big hair, big smile." Buck waggled his eyebrows, and then said, "Big sexual appetite."
"Ah, youth," Josiah sighed.
"Yeah, Chris used to tell me some stories. Ella was a creative one, all right. They kept it up for three years. Something happened right after graduation. Not sure what it was, but I think it had to do with his acceptance to Annapolis. He didn't talk much about it. Then he met Sarah in his second year, and that was that."
"Huh." Everyone mulled over that information while Buck stared at the ceiling with a goofy smile.
"Is she married now?" Nathan asked.
"Not that I saw in my research," Ezra answered. They all looked at him with amazement. "You know I did research before they started school. After that Faraday/Griffin debacle, I felt it was necessary. I know Vin appreciated it."
"So she's single."
"Twice a widow, I believe. I did not delve into her personal life, gentlemen, just her qualifications to oversee the boys' education."
"Well, this ought to be interesting," Josiah said with a toothy, side-slung grin. "I wonder if that ember will flame again."
"I, for one, hope it lightens up our prickly leader," Ezra muttered.
Buck snatched a paper clip from his desk and flicked it at Ezra. "You're just hopin' he'll lighten up on your expense reports."
The others laughed as Ezra plucked the clip from his chest and arched it into the trash with a snap of his wrist.
The next two weeks were busy ones and passed quickly. In that time, Josiah Sanchez unexpectedly shined as a time accountant. Nathan jokingly coined the term when he compared the profiler's ability to construct and maintain Vin and JD's school and activity schedules to Ezra's numerous spreadsheets regarding investments and wagers. Josiah preferred the title "Activities Director". Ezra currently searched the web to see if his teammate's time could be written off as a charitable donation on his taxes.
"I do not desire monetary profit on my time with the boys," Josiah said calmly as he jotted notes with pen and paper then headed to the copier.
Nathan, who peered over Josiah's shoulder as he fed the copy machine, said, "You know, putting that stuff on the computer would probably make it easier to keep track of."
Josiah hit the copy button, then lifted the originals and tucked them between the pages of the equally worn, leather-bound Bible that always rested on his desktop. "I believe in a hands-on approach," he said with a satisfied smile, holding the book to his chest as he walked back to his desk.
"So what are the boys up to now so I can adjust Chris' first aid kit?" Nathan asked as the headed to his desk.
In the three weeks since the boys started school, Buck and Chris took Dr. Will's suggestion of a strict and consistent schedule to heart and ran themselves ragged until Josiah offered to take over the afternoon schedules. The benefit was three-fold: Chris' work schedule was consistent, Buck used the after school hours for one-on-one time with JD if he wanted, and Vin learned to deal with his separation from Chris.
"Vin's decided he wants to try Peso at the local horse shows," Josiah said. "Since he and JD are swimming together during the week, it will give Vin an opportunity to find friends in his own circle, like those boys on his after-school track team."
Nathan looked thoughtful then shook his head. "Between that and the occasional weekend swim or track meet, that takes up weekends."
"It surely does, but that's the point. To keep the boys occupied." The profiler grinned again. "Sounds like the typical soccer mom schedule."
The three men's chuckles cut short with the abrupt entry of their boss. "Don't EVER refer to me as a soccer mom," Chris growled, pausing at the copier along the route to his office. He plucked the sheets from the tray. "This the new program?"
"All there," Josiah replied. "The first horse show is this Saturday. I'll meet you at the show grounds."
Chris scanned the papers. "It's going to be a long day."
"I know. I thought you might like some relief since Buck's taking JD on a picnic trail ride that day. Maybe you could find something to do Saturday night?"
The light tone of Josiah's suggestion made Chris look up. His three teammates looked at him with curious expressions. He frowned. "Am I missing something?"
Ezra leaned back in his chair, elbows resting on the padded arms and his hands steepled at his chin. His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Apparently so."
"Well," Nathan started. When Chris shifted his focus to him, he nervously cleared his throat and shifted his feet. "Seems like there's . . . ah . . . well, you know. Dinner or something."
Josiah chuckled, drawing Chris' irritated glare. "Well, Chris, it's clear to all of us that there's something between you and Ella Gaines."
"So?"
"Well, she has been a great asset to the boys this year. And finding Mrs. Richmond for Vin was an over-the-top effort. Maybe she deserves a thank you?"
"That's none of your - "
"I think it's a great idea, Chris." Buck cradled a steaming coffee cup in hand that had "World's Greatest Dad" emblazoned on the side. He took a careful sip while regarding Chris with smiling eyes, completely unabashed as he leaned back in his chair with his feet on his desk.
Chris unconsciously adjusted his stance, falling automatically into the firing range posture with gun side turned away from the threat. He tucked the papers under his left elbow as his right hand drifted to his hip without thought.
"Come on, now, stud," Buck laughed, dropping his feet to the floor and standing. With his coffee cup in one hand, he stepped up and took Chris' elbow. "Don't get your hackles in a state." The rest of the team visibly relaxed as Buck propelled their boss to his office. Once inside, he let go and settled onto the well-worn couch arm and cradled his mug between his hands again.
Chris stalked to his desk and sat down, his posture stiff. "I don't know where they got that impression," he grumbled.
"Guilty," Buck replied. Chris shot him a glare. "Well, they asked."
"What did you tell them, exactly?"
"Well, that you dated her in high school and that you were very close." Strong willed in her own right, Ella managed to not only keep up with Chris, she kept him in line. She was Chris' energy outlet; The sex aspect of their relationship was full of passion. Without it, Buck surmised that Chris would probably have been expelled along the way for fighting. Yes, theirs had been a very powerful coupling.
During their time in Annapolis, Chris met Sarah and everything changed. Since Chris never returned home to Missouri, Ella disappeared from Chris' life. Buck wondered if, with their paths crossing again, that relationship could rekindle, especially since Ella hadn't lost any of her - assets. She was a beautiful woman and maintained her strong force of personality. She could still handle Chris.
Chris sat back, his shoulders softening as he thought. "She sure hasn't changed much, has she?"
"Nope."
A wry expression crossed Chris' face. "I suppose they've already checked her out."
"The very next day, stud."
"Quit calling me that."
"Come on now, don't be bashful. If I recall, Ella had no problem with that aspect of the Larabee personality." Buck laughed at Chris' pained expression. "I know you haven't read Ezra's full report, but she's been married twice, first to Bryan Lester and then to Robert Gaines, and ended up a widow both times. Lester died in a car crash and Gaines by a heart attack - he was about two decades older 'n her." He paused thoughtfully. "Had to wonder about her motives the second time because Lester left her quite well off. Gaines about doubled her wealth. She has no need to work, Chris, so you gotta admire that she does. Maybe that's why she doesn't put up with the parents' bullshit at the school."
That observation made Chris snort, his shoulders dropping with relaxation. A tiny grin cracked. "She doesn't suffer fools or 'Helicopter Parents'," he agreed. "That, I admire. I'd throttle 'em."
Buck raised his mug in a mock toast. "And that's why you are our fearless leader." He took a sip as they considered the conversation. "Did you know Ezra's been looking into getting teaching credentials? For tutoring?"
"No. Ezra never said anything and I'd bet he didn't tell you, either."
"Weeeell, I just happened to be lookin' over his shoulder while he was checkin' into it. Guess he finds the experience rewarding."
"And it would annoy the crap outta Maude."
"That, too." A stretch of thoughtful silence allowed Buck to rise and stretch before turning to leave. "Well?" he asked before walking out.
"Well, what?"
"You gonna ask her? Vin's going to be pretty tuckered out after the horse show and I'll be home with JD."
"You think I should?"
Buck rolled his eyes and chuffed.
"What I mean is, is that such a good idea? She's the Director of Vin's school. Won't that bother Vin? It's his first horse show. Or JD? Isn't it too soon?"
Buck's mustache twitched into a smile. "Well, looks like we got tonight's dinner conversation lined up, don't it?"
Chris leaned back with a fond grin. "Just make sure those jokers know this isn't their doing." He directed his chin to the bullpen.
Buck headed out. "Yeah. Good luck with that dream, boss."
TBC
