Chapter Four

CJ wasn't sure where she was when she woke up to the sound of the ocean and the canvas undulating in the breeze. The warm air brushing her cheek briefly reminded her of summers in Napa and brought a smile to her lips as she crossed from slumber to full consciousness. She rolled over and opened her eyes and the iguana like thing on her bed brought her crashing back to reality. She fell out of bed and scrambled to her feet as she tried unsuccessfully to shoo the creature from her sheets. Finally, reluctantly, she declared defeat and set about getting ready, moving around the room with one eye focused on the now dozing creature.

"Sleep well?" Donna asked, as CJ crossed the restaurant to join her twenty minutes later.

"Not really. What with the sea and the frogs? You?" And the thought of snakes slithering into her room, she didn't add.

Donna grinned back. "We weren't actually trying to sleep."

They had always shared too much information, every intrinsic detail confided while they had offices down the hall from each other, emails when they were apart. Sometimes it was a little too much.

"More than you wanted to know?" Donna asked, the grin widening.

"A little." CJ settled herself on the chair and helped herself to coffee. "Where is the sex machine?"

"Still in the shower."

"I never did understand why a man who looks that unkempt spends so much time getting ready."

"Just one of those inexplicable things," Donna commented dryly. "I told him we'd save him coffee and some food."

"What's that?" CJ pointed to what had to be the ugliest fruit she had ever seen.

"A Bongo fruit. He needs more roughage in his diet. Too much information, again?" Donna asked, her face contorting as she realised what she had said.

CJ nodded. "I can live without." She sipped her coffee and toyed with her fruit salad.

"You ok?" Donna leaned forward, her hand gently resting on top of her friend's. "We're gonna find him, CJ."

She gave her friend a small smile. "I keep telling myself that." And she did, over and over again to the point it was becoming her mantra. One way or another he was going home with them, she was just leaning towards the more animate option.

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CJ took the pilot's hand and allowed him to guide her into the boat. It rocked slightly and she grasped the side to steady herself.

"Are you going to be ok?"

She nodded mutely, her stomach doing somersaults.

"When we get out to sea, just hold on. We're gonna head out and inspect some of the smaller coves on the islands north of the main land. It's about a hour to get out there," the young man in uniform offered, his face relaying his concern.

She could think of nothing worse than an hour rocking about on a speedboat, but it was for Toby. And when she found him she'd make him pay.

She watched as Josh and Donna pulled out from the jetty and disappeared out of sight. Then she was moving and they were heading off in the same direction. CJ closed her eyes and silently mouthed a prayer that she wouldn't end up over the side.

"If you try and breathe ma'am."

CJ opened her eyes to find the officer sat before her, focused intently on her face.

"It won't be so bad once we get out to sea and then when we reach the coves we'll get out and explore beyond the beach." He didn't honestly expect to find anything but the missing man it seemed was important and they would, he was ensured, do everything they could to help locate him.

"Really?" she asked sceptically.

He smiled unconvincingly as they hit another wave and CJ closed her eyes again, her breathing more laboured than before.

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"Excuse me, Mrs Cregg."

CJ stopped walking and turned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

"There is a phone call for you."

"Ok. Where do I take it?" She asked, waiting for the gardener to reach her. "Did they say who it was?" She assumed it was Danny phoning to ask when she was coming home. She had phoned him yesterday afternoon after her first unsuccessful trip out on the boat and he'd been pretty pissed at her still. The latest day's trip out on the high seas had left her feeling less than contented. The last thing she really needed was him yelling at her but if it meant she got to talk to the baby then maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it.

"You can use the manager's office."

CJ fell into step with him. "Did they give a name?"

"No, Ma'am. Just said to say it was an old friend from home."

Her thoughts immediately turned to Leo and his code word for when a disaster was looming. She knew in an instant who it was.

The air conditioning was blowing out full belt when she entered the small office decorated in rich red wood and filled with books. It was comforting and strangely reminiscent of Toby's office many years before. It was also a relief to be somewhere cool and relaxing.

"Just press number one when you're ready."

CJ settled herself in the high backed seat and picked up the receiver. "Good afternoon, Mr President."

"Jed, Claudia Jean, please." He took a second to listen to her breathing, detecting a smile. "So are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Sir."

"And how is the search going?" Jed asked, pacing the porch of the farm house

"They're running out of beach to search." She brushed her hair from her face and sighed. "It's a big ocean and if he's down there. . ."

Jed chuckled lightly. "Geography never was your area of expertise. Now, Toby, he would have quoted the size and depth. You're not giving up on him, are you?"

"I just . . ." CJ faltered, not really sure what she was thinking. She'd only been searching for two days and already she was aware how difficult the situation was.

"Claudia Jean, you better than anyone knows Toby, you have the strangest relationship I have ever known. I have never known two people who love each other as much as you do but have never . . . Anyway what do I know. In your heart does it feel like he's gone?" he asked, his voice taking on a softer fatherly tone.

She shook her head. "No." She just wasn't sure love was enough to find him.

"Then don't give up hope." He squeezed Abbey's hand. "Abbey sends her love. And as I said to Josh, put whatever you need on the bill."

It suddenly became clearer to her then, how Josh was able to fly half way across the world and get them into a five star lodge. "Give my love to Abbey."

"CJ, when you pull his sorry arse out of wherever he's been for the last few days tell him it's time we went round and round."

"Yes, Sir." CJ said, her lips quirking back up into a smile.

"We love you. Take care."

CJ returned the phone to it's cradle and leaned back in the chair, feeling a little more hopeful, or if not hopeful, more determined, about the future.