Chapter 11

Jesse didn't have to work too hard to get Cody to go out to dinner with him. Cody knew of a few places that were off the beaten path where they could talk without having to raise their voices to be heard across the table. One was called 'Burger Bust' and was a few miles off campus. They were shown to a booth and Cody slid in one side while Jesse seated himself opposite from him.

An older plump waitress came over, put glasses of water in front of them, handed them menus and took their drink orders. Once she left, Cody took a sip of his water, his mouth going a little dry. "So how are things?" he asked, looking at his father. He wasn't afraid to start the conversation and figured it'd be easier to get the hard stuff out of the way first.

Jesse leaned into the corner of the booth, fiddling with a straw that still had its paper wrapper on it. "Not too bad. Just finished up a couple of big cases. Matt stayed to finish up on the final details so we could close on them. Business has been steady. Guess words gotten around that our success rate is higher than some."

Cody watched his dad grow quiet as the waitress came over and put the cups of coffee down between the two and left a pot on the table. Cody gave her his order, already knowing what he'd like and Jesse ordered the same. She gathered up the menus and headed back to the kitchen.

"Guess that's probably got Matt pretty happy I guess," he stated evenly, discussing this as if he were discussing the weather.

Jesse grunted slightly. "Speaking of your brother, he said to wish you an early Happy Birthday and that he'd see you around Christmas." He didn't answer Cody's question directly but he figured Cody could read into it what he wanted.

Cody fiddled with the handle to his coffee cup. "I sent him a card. He probably got it today or will get it tomorrow," he stated simply. Only six or seven years ago, birthdays were a big thing amongst the family. Now, it seemed to be a date that came and went and you just got a year older.

Jesse nodded but said nothing else for the moment. He watched his son sit quietly, running his finger around the rim of the coffee cup absentmindedly. "Cody…," he started then stopped. He wasn't sure of how to continue. Finally he asked, "How's school going?"

Cody had tensed a little, wondering what his dad was going to say. The way he'd said his name had made it sound like he might start some form of request for Cody to mend ways with his brother. But as Jesse hesitated, Cody waited. He finally asked a neutral question and Cody relaxed a little.

"I've managed to take enough classes in the past two and a half years that I'll be doing my internship with the Reno PD next semester and graduate in May," he said, feeling a little touch of pride with what he'd accomplished in only three years.

Jesse smiled, "That's great! How are things with the Rangers?"

Cody shrugged a little, "Frank's the same. Izzy's gotten engaged to a nurse over at the Barton Medical Center. We'd taken him in to get stitches about six months ago and she took care of him. He's been smitten ever since." He paused as he sipped his coffee, "Oh, and Robin's pregnant," he said with a wide smile.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Fantastic. Sounds like things are settling in for everyone some. How are you handling things with them? They still got you being the go-for?" he asked with a smile.

Cody nodded a little, "Yeah, but they were so busy this summer I ended up having to run a number of calls with either Frank or Izzy. Robin's recently been grounded to the radios since she's in her second trimester, so they've had me doing more around the station to free up time." He smiled that quiet, almost shy smile of his.

Jesse listened with interest, a little pang of pride at his youngest who had taken his life into his own hands and was doing something that made him happy. He grew quiet then. "Think you'd be willing to come spend the summer with us this year after you graduate? Would be good to have you around."

Cody tensed and was about to answer with something snappish when the waitress came over with their orders and set them down in front of the two men. Cody thanked her and she left to take care of two other people that had just walked in. He was grateful for the interruption since it gave him time to cool down and rethink his answer. He took several bites of his burger before he finally answered.

"I don't think it would be a good idea. Tryouts for the Rangers will be in June. The government is making it a lot harder to get in due to background checks and regulations. Not to mention Commander Tucker has made the training program quite challenging. Only 1 in 10 manages to make it out of training and to probie." He wasn't going to fool himself into thinking he'd make it. Likely he would but he wasn't willing to risk it by being cocky. Being a Ranger was something he wanted to do, not because he wanted to follow in Matt or his dad's footsteps, but because it was something he enjoyed doing.

Jesse sighed quietly. He'd been pretty sure he knew what Cody's answer would be but he had to at least try. "Cody…," he tried again, "You and Matt really need to work things out. Matt and I learned a hard lesson when you got hurt but some of the things you said …well yelled at Matt were a bit harsh, even for you. He's your brother. We're supposed to be a family…."

Cody had put down his burger and looked at his dad, his blue eyes meeting his dad's green ones. "I really don't want to discuss this or get a lecture. When I left it was because I had to, if nothing more than for my own sanity. Both of you ignored information I gave you on a number of occasions with different cases that caused complications in the end. The last time you two ignored me, I'm the one that got hurt."

Jesse listened to Cody, the guilt building up like a lead weight in his stomach. He'd been just as guilty as Matt for ignoring Cody when he'd come to them with bits and pieces of information. At the time, they'd not felt the information to be important. What did Cody know? He'd been raised in the mountains, away from everyone and everything. The city was big and crowded so how could he possibly know what to look for? Besides, he was just a 'kid'. Both Jesse and Matt had a number of years of being federal officers and training under their belts. They knew what they were doing…

Then it had all come crashing down that fall afternoon. It ended up with Cody in the hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his back and legs, a severe concussion and three broken ribs. If they'd have stopped to think about what he'd told them, things would have turned out much differently.

Jesse sighed softly, "I'm sorry Cody. I know Matt is too but he's embarrassed and feels guilty about all of it. But the way you left, what you said, hurt him pretty deep. He's still upset and angry about it."

Cody had lost his appetite completely, having only eaten a third of his burger. He pushed his plate away and looked at the man sitting across from him. "Dad, don't do this. Don't be the go-between for us. Just leave it alone. Sooner or later, we'll both come to terms with it. You've always said time heals old wounds and makes memories fade. So, just give us time."

Jesse paid for the mostly uneaten dinner and drove Cody back to campus. He fished some cash out of his wallet and gave it to Cody, "Treat yourself to something fun for your birthday. Maybe take Miss Bella out for a night on the town to celebrate," he said with a sad smile.

Cody nodded, not arguing about the money. He didn't need it but when he'd tried to refuse it in the previous two years, his dad would argue right back and it always ended up with Cody giving in and taking the cash. "Thanks," he said quietly, pushing the money into his pocket. "Tell Matt I love him and hope he takes the day off for his birthday. Tell him he needs to find himself a woman that will put up with him."

Jesse chuckled, "Yeah, I tell him that about once a week." He grew quiet then. Finally he looked up at his son, "Be safe. Say hi to the Rangers for me. We'll meet at the cabin around Christmas and plan a big meal. Maybe you can invite that pretty lady to stay for the holiday season."

He saw his son's face flush a little in the light of the street lamp. "We'll see. But yeah, I'll be there for Christmas break."

Jesse reached out and pulled his son into a hug. Once he let go of Cody, he climbed back into the car and drove off with a wave.

Cody watched him go, shoving the cash deeper into his pocket. His stomach was still in knots over their conversation at supper. He looked over at the clock tower in the middle of campus and saw that it was almost nine. He headed back to his room, hoping to work his courage up for what he was about to do.

Picking up the receiver of the phone, he dialed a number that he'd written down on a slip of paper that he'd tapped to the lamp on his desk. He swallowed nervously as the phone rang several times. He was beginning to wonder if anyone was home yet when a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?" came a feminine voice.

"Hey, it's Cody," he answered, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you again this evening?" asked Bella on the other end of the line, a light tone of teasing to her voice.

He swallowed again, "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Tahoe with me next weekend. My birthday's next Friday and I usually take the weekend off to go fishing, do a little camping, ride around the mountains, that sort of thing. Would…," he paused, wiping his sweaty palm on his jeans, "…you like to go with me? I mean, we could also work on our project and…," he said, unable to really think of anything else to say.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. When she spoke, he could 'hear' the smile on her face, "I'd love to go! But are you sure about this? I've never truly done much hiking and I'm so rusty when it comes to riding…." There was a sudden touch of uncertainty to her voice as if she suddenly remembered her disability and realized she'd be a burden to him.

"I'm sure. I want to show you my world," he said gently, hoping to put her at ease a little.

There was another pause, "All right. Just tell me next week what I need to pack." He could hear the suppressed excitement in her voice and it made him grin like a little kid.

"No problem. I'll see you in class tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"Of course," she said in a teasing tone, "Just be sure to bring my books. I doubt they'd do you any good unless you can read brail."

Cody chuckled and promised, then hung up the phone. His heart was racing a mile a minute and he felt his face flush with excitement. She'd said yes…

When Bella had answered the phone, the last person she thought it would be was Cody. When he spoke, she felt shivers go down her arms and spine. Damned she had it bad for him and she knew it.

What he asked her surprised her to silence for a moment as she collected herself. He was asking her to go with him to Tahoe, to go camping and hiking, fishing and horseback riding. Her heart had nearly stopped with excitement but then the doubt set it. She'd be a burden to him out there in the wild. Sure, she'd done camping and some hiking but usually in a group of people in tamed wilderness.

But those words, 'I want to show you my world' had sealed it for her and her heart began racing with excitement. By the time she'd hung up the phone, the tips of her ears were hot from the flush that had coursed through her. Even her cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling.

Then it struck her. His birthday was next Friday. She needed to find the perfect gift for him. What that was exactly she didn't know yet but she would think of something. She made her way to her bed and flopped down on it, thinking about him, what she knew about him and then started trying to figure out what to get him. These thoughts followed her into sleep as she pulled a blanket up over her from the foot of the bed.

TBC -