Chapter 3
"Surprise!" several loud voices shouted making Julie jump, startled and her heart pound in her chest. She was face to face with nearly everyone from work; Sara, Greg, Morgan, Hodges, Henry, Doc Robbins, David, Russell's wife Barbara, Nick and standing in the middle of the room grinning smugly at her, John.
She didn't care who was watching, she ran right to him, jumping in his arms making him catch her, the force of her hug knocking him back a few steps.
"You're here," she whispered, hugging him tight.
"Yes love," he whispered back "were you surprised?"
She nodded, unable to form a complete sentence to tell him how happy she was in this moment.
"But- I thought- D.C-"she stammered.
"The airport reopened," he said "they cleared the runways and I got the first flight as soon as I heard what Russell was planning."
Julie looked back at Russell who was smiling triumphantly at his victory at surprising her. She shook her head in disbelief but smiled, feeling loved. She no longer felt tired, but energized, happy to be surrounded by her friends who were really her family.
"This is so great," she said "I love you all so much, and you love me and let me be in your family."
"We wouldn't be a family without you Jules," Sara said.
"No matter what happens," Nick added "or where we end up, we will always be a family"
Julie smiled, so very grateful for all the support she had.
"Jules, if you're hungry we have food in the kitchen," Barbara said.
"I'm hungry," Hodges piped up.
They all piled into the kitchen were there was a buffet of food spread out onto the counters. They had gotten her favorite pizza along with vegetarian pizza for Sara, salad and other snacks. Feeling properly hungry for the first time all day, Julie piled as much food as she could onto a plate and sat at the large dining room table to indulge in it.
While they ate, they chatted away about random things; work, upcoming baseball games against the VICE team, a possible tennis tournament for next season. Julie sat with John, smiling continuously at how wonderful her life was right now. While cleaning up her plate in the kitchen, Julie turned and was face to face with Morgan.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked her casually.
But Morgan didn't answer. She was swaying back and forth, looking like she wanted to speak but couldn't.
"Are you o.k.?" Julie asked worriedly.
"Sort of," Morgan finally said "I just- I just want you to know, today was really hard for me, I mean it's nothing like what you went through, but when we found you in that trunk, I was so scared, I didn't want to lose you, you're like a sister to me and I'm just, really, really glad you're here."
She hurried forward and hugged Julie. She hugged back knowing how the coma had been just as stressful for Morgan as it had for her.
"I've always wanted a sister," Julie said smiling when she felt Morgan hug her tighter.
After lunch, they went outside to the patio to enjoy the nice warm weather Vegas was so graciously providing. Russell had a radio and speakers so they could play music. When Julie heard a song that she liked, she looked at John and asked "Dance with me, please?" He couldn't resist the pout and eager look she gave him so he let her take his hand and pull him over to a spot away from the tables where they started to sway back and forth slowly to the music.
"Guess what?" she whispered to him.
"What?" he played along.
"I'm really happy," she declared standing on her toes to reach his height so she could lean her forehead against his.
"I thought today was going to be miserable," she continued as they swayed "but it's not, I have an amazing life, wonderful friends, you- I'm really lucky and I'm reminded of that everyday."
"I know it's been rough," he said "but you've done amazing things in the last year, I'm so proud of you." And I know we still don't have all the answers to this Gig Harbor case, but we're still fighting, that's what matters."
She nodded in agreement, unsure what to say next. The music kept playing and they kept swaying. She loved to dance, to move so freely, especially after spending so much time confined to that hospital bed. She usually went out to dance clubs with Sara and Morgan and sometimes Hodges but there it was loud music that they danced to until they couldn't breathe. Here, with John, the music was slow and steady. His arms around her as they swayed, calmed her and made her feel safe. She didn't care who was watching as she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and thinking of all the things and people she was blessed with. No awful memories of last February 15th invaded her mind this time like they had so brutally in the MRI this morning. Instead she thought of all the fun she wanted to have with her new lease on life; she wanted to travel, visit places like New York, spend time on the beach somewhere, anywhere would do, she wanted to spend her days off with John, watching movies, or making a mess in the kitchen trying to cook meals together. As she thought of those moments, she longed to tell him something she had been meaning to say for months now but couldn't work up the nerve to do so. She lifted her head to tell him what she had to say but he caught her off guard with a kiss, then a whisper for only her to hear "I love you."
She looked at him, taken aback slightly but then, smiling at how in sync they were. After years of fearing any type of serious relationship, she didn't need the funny ache in her heart to tell her that this was right, this was real, and he was the best thing to happen to her in years. Grinning still, she tightened her arms around him and whispered back "I love you too" feeling happier than she ever thought possible.
A/N- I try my very best with my stories to make Julie and the entire team as happy as they can be. The way they deserve to be. This story follows the other few I have written, the first being last March when I had her survive the coma, followed by her recovery, the award story, the conference shooting and new threat from the Gig Harbor case (a work in progress for the spring that I hope to start soon) I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this or even glance at it. As a writer and Julie Finlay fan that means a lot to me that some people do care about her and her poor treatment in the finale.
