Chapter 11

Neal followed Sara all the way down the long narrow corridor which opened up into a large main room with several other smaller closed offices off to either side. As expected, no one was in the area at the moment and Neal made a split-second decision, grabbing Sara's arm and pulling her into the first available room, closing the door decisively behind them.

'Neal, this isn't the right...' she began as he gently pushed her up against the wall and placed a long lingering kiss on her lips, successfully shutting her up

'I've been wanting to do that for days' he whispered, his voice hoarse as his lips continued down her neck to her shoulder

'Neal, you've got to be kidding me' Sara said, breathless as she tried in vain to pull away. 'We live together, we sleep in the same bed and you want to do this... here?'

Without the slightest hesitation, Neal just continued with his ministrations, his hands and mouth working with lightning speed as he finally gave in to the urges which had been building for days – the sight of her, the smell of her, the feel of her, it was all too much to resist and he could tell by the way she was melting in his arms that she was more than willing to follow his lead. He'd managed to trap her body between the wall and his insistent hips and her legs started to crumple as she felt herself giving in to this unexpected and most wonderful ambush on all her senses. His usually bright blue eyes had morphed to a very unusual dark shade as his pupils totally dilated, exhilaration taking over his whole body. The sight of him so aroused and the feel of his body pressed against hers felt totally amazing and she had to admit that she'd had similar stirrings ever since she'd spotted him sitting there in that waiting room, adjusting his pants.

'Sara, you have no idea what you do to me, do you?' he murmured into her ear as he pushed her hair back to get better access to her neck. He began to move her dress down over her shoulders exposing that crook in her neck she so enjoyed him nipping at and he went to work, feeling her start to squirm beneath him.

'Someone could walk in anytime, Neal. I work here...' she moaned, sounding totally unconvinced. Although her concern that someone could interrupt them was genuine, it was by no means a plea for him to stop doing that amazing thing he was doing with his tongue in her ear.

He took his eyes away from her for a brief moment while he checked out their surroundings; he didn't want to be disturbed for the next few minutes and he surveyed the small storage room trying to ensure the privacy they would need for what they were about to do. A large metal cart holding various smaller pieces of art stood nearby – within the blink of an eye, Neal had moved it to ensure the door to the small room couldn't be open without a very loud ruckus. He then spotted a built-in wooden shelf, about three feet high and eighteen inches deep and he manoeuvred Sara over, continuing to kiss her neck and placing her decisively up onto its ledge, worming his way in between her legs, her dress riding up along her thighs as he positioned his body firmly against hers. He pulled back momentarily and gave her a lewd smile and she just pulled him back to her, her breathing suddenly ragged.

Neal knew in that instant that Sara trumped precious art any day of the week and he buried his head back into her neck to finish what he'd started.

WCWCWC

'Well thank you very much Ms Ellis. I appreciate your cooperation' Neal was saying as he shook her hand by the elevator, a small, sly smile on his lips

'You're most welcome, Mr. Caffrey. Come anytime' she responded, businesslike

Neal had just finished his inspection of the Jackson Pollock he was preparing to paint; it would most definitely be a challenge. Neal was partial to the Impressionists and he couldn't count the number of Renoirs, Monets and Cézannes he had reproduced over the years but Pollock's more abstract style was challenging and he felt slightly insecure as he thought of the task ahead. Oh, he'd do a good job and it would pass muster for most lovers of the artist but he had concerns about those few hard core admirers and he hoped his creation would be up to snuff.

He and Sara had spent a good hour examining the painting from all angles, Sara commenting on depth and perspective; she was quite an art connoisseur and Neal could count on her to bring out some of the more obscure elements of the painting. He'd taken several photographs, mostly details he was concerned about getting just right and he'd scrutinized the way the gloss enamel paint pooled on the surface in places, a trademark of the artist who was known for using gravity and the liquidity of his materials to create the desired effects. Now, all that was left was to pick up a variety of books describing the artist's technique as well as various photographs of the painting itself which would guide him through his deception. Neal was feeling keyed up and energized – mind you, it might have been because of the most excellent sex he had just shared with his wife – and his confidence soared; he knew he would find a way to pull this off.

He headed back to the office, stopping on the way at the local bookstore to pick up the required texts. He was feeling relaxed and was finally able to concentrate on getting some work done, something he'd been struggling with earlier in the day.

Peter called to confirm they'd be over for dinner and Hope called to say she'd been invited to a friend's and the afternoon passed in relative calm as Neal mentally prepared the dinner menu and perused his new book purchases.

By six thirty, the Caffrey-Burke foursome sat at the Caffrey's kitchen table as Neal served up lasagna and Caesar salad, Liam having elected to eat up in his room so he could get started on (or was that get rid of) his homework. Everyone's concern for Peter's wellbeing seemed to permeate the air and there was some inherent tension which Neal hoped to remedy by topping up everyone's glass of Chianti.

It wasn't lost on Elizabeth, who had killer observation skills, that Sara's glass was left empty.

'Why aren't you drinking?' she asked her friend as Sara looked furtively at Neal

'I saw that look' El continued 'and it cannot possibly mean what I think it means'

Peter looked on, totally clueless as the other three adults exchanged looks. This wasn't exactly how Sara and Neal had planned on breaking the news to their best friends but there was no point in holding back either. Elizabeth was like a dog with a bone; she was picking up weird vibes and Sara knew El wouldn't stop until she got to the bottom of things.

'Busted!' said Sara, looking slightly embarrassed

'Busted for what?' Peter asked still totally out of the loop

But before he could get an answer, Elizabeth was on her feet hugging Sara and laughing loudly as Neal looked over at his friend with a shy smile.

'Please, somebody...' Peter asked. As a white collar crime investigator, Peter Burke just couldn't be beat but as an observer of human nature, he was lucky he had Elizabeth and Neal to rely on.

'Sara's pregnant, Peter' Neal finally said, putting his friend out of his misery

'What? But I didn't know you were...' Peter began

'We weren't' answered Sara 'Let's just say life has a way of throwing curve balls when you least expect it'

'So, how far along are you?' asked Elizabeth, smiling and seemingly having forgotten at least temporarily about her woes

'About ten weeks' said Sara

'Ten weeks! And you didn't tell me?' asked El realizing it sounded a bit bitchy

'Well, it took me awhile to figure it out and then we sort of... had to get used to the idea ourselves' Sara answered

'And you have enough going on in your lives without us gushing about having a baby' Neal added looking at Peter

'There's always room for good news, buddy' Peter said as he gave Neal a firm tap on the shoulder 'Congratulations... both of you'

'So, look, enough about us. Tell us what's going on with you, Peter' Neal said

Peter shrugged. Truth be told he'd rather not discuss his situation at all but he knew that Neal's question came from a place of concern and he reluctantly put down his fork to speak.

'Well, they're going to run some more tests but the doctor says there's definitely some issue with my... prostate' Peter hesitated as he spoke. It seemed weird to be talking about this part of his anatomy although according to all his research, he was far from the only man struggling with the issue of an enlarged prostate gland. Neal held his look, not wanting Peter to feel embarrassed in the least – whether it was his foot or his prostate, Peter's body was under attack and Neal wanted to be there to support him.

'So when are these tests?' he asked

'Day after tomorrow' Peter answered

'You know the dressing on this salad is amazing, Neal' he continued without missing a beat.

It was obvious to everyone that the subject was now closed and that there was nothing more that could or needed to be said. Neal respected that and quickly followed Peter's lead.

'Yeah, it's a new dressing I tried – dried mustard and olive oil' he answered as he nodded and took a bite of his salad

The conversation turned to a variety of neutral topics including a large party Elizabeth was catering the following weekend and some long missing Rodin which had unexpectedly turned up at Sterling Bosch and everyone seemed to relax a little as the wine did its job. Just being together was enough for the foursome: Peter knew that Neal and Sara were there for him no matter what, Elizabeth could feel their support making her feel less alone and Neal and Sara were just happy to be there for their friends throughout this bumpy period – although they felt rather powerless to do anything but listen and be supportive.

Sara and Peter were instructed to go sit in the living room and relax over a cup of coffee while Neal and Elizabeth did the cleaning up. Now that Sara's condition was out in the open, Neal was free to dote more openly on her, something he loved to do throughout all of her pregnancies. Sara wasn't the type to let herself be coddled but she did enjoy watching Neal's eyes sparkle as he tended to her every need.

El carried the last of the dirty dishes to the counter where Neal was rinsing and placing them in the dishwasher. She wasn't usually at a loss for words but Neal noticed she'd grown quiet and it didn't take long for him to pick up on the glistening in her eyes as she briefly let her gaze settle on him.

'It's tough, huh?' Neal asked

El just nodded and his innocuous question seemed to trigger the emotions which she was fighting to keep just below the surface.

'Oh, Neal' she said as she began to cry 'I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him'

Neal put down the plate he was rinsing and turned towards her, opening up his arms for her to curl up in. She let him hold her for a brief instant then she took a step back and looked into his eyes.

'He's so...' she began as she searched for the right word

Neal just looked at her, knowing exactly how she felt. Sara had been exasperatingly stoic and stubborn when she'd first been diagnosed and at a time when he most wanted her to share her feelings with him, she'd chosen to keep him at arm's length before finally letting him in. Peter, like Sara, was not someone who dwelled on his feelings and he could well imagine that Elizabeth, with her need to nurture and take care of Peter, must be going out of her mind as she tried to break through Peter's shell.

'Stubborn?' he ventured.

Elizabeth shrugged as she sniffled.

'If I can give you one piece of advice...' Neal began, tentatively

Elizabeth nodded through her tears.

'Just be there, always ready but be patient. You have to give him the time he needs to process things. You and I, we wear our hearts on our sleeves, but Sara and Peter – they're very different creatures from us and if we push too hard, they'll just shut down completely'

Elizabeth looked at him attentively as he spoke. She knew he was right but she also knew how difficult it would be to heed that advice.

'And El, one more thing. You're not alone' he said finally with a sweet smile on his face

TBC

Taking a small break to go out of town for a few days. Don't give up on this story, it will resume as soon as I get back.