Chapter 21

Sara arrived at Sterling Bosch on Monday morning, preparing to take the two week leave of absence her bosses had grudgingly agreed to give her. She had important business to attend to before absconding, not the least of which was dealing with Joe Morley, once and for all. She wanted to meet with her team one last time before she disappeared for a fortnight and she was looking forward to bringing the intern down a peg, in front of her whole team. Sara wasn't usually vindictive and she always showed the members of her team the respect they deserved; but this guy had put her life and the life of her best investigator at risk, to say nothing of a poor, innocent baby, and she was relishing the opportunity to fire Joe Morley's ass in front of a captive audience.

She was on her way up to the 38th floor conference room when a soft knock was heard on her office door. She looked up to see Leroy Winston, standing there, his left arm in a sling.

'Leroy!' she said as she stood to greet him

'Ms Ellis, sorry to bother you' he said, quietly

'Don't be silly, come in' she said, making her way to where he stood and taking his good arm 'I'm so glad to see you. How are you feeling?'

'Lucky to be alive' he answered with a smile 'I wanted to apologize for the other night...'

'Apologize? For what? You did everything you could, Leroy. You sounded the alarm right away; I'm the one who's sorry – if it hadn't been for my request for you to stay late, you wouldn't have been hurt'

'No worries – I offered to stay and I'd do it all over again if I could' he said

'Well, I'm just relieved that you're okay and already back at work. Did Rose agree to this or are you here against her wishes?' she said, joking

'She told me she'd met you and...' he said, winking 'she said you were kind and beautiful and that she hoped you would keep your mitts off me!'

Sara laughed heartily. 'It's going to be tough but, tell her, I promise to try'

They walked out together, Leroy going back to his office and Sara riding the elevator up to the 38th floor. She stepped off and hesitated for a moment as she took the first few tentative steps. She hadn't been there since the week before and she walked by the entrance to the recovery room glancing nervously, nodding to the security guard on duty. She walked through the waiting area, staring at the spot where Neal had collapsed and she shook off the nervousness, walking into the conference room which had acted as a delivery room for Lydia Jordan that night.

The staff was assembled and everyone hushed as Sara took her place at the head of the table. These weekly meetings were meant as an opportunity to discuss upcoming recoveries, the past week's events and any upcoming issues staff might have concerns about. She noticed Joe Morley, looking tanned and relaxed, sitting between two of Sara's female investigators, obviously flirting and being his phony, smarmy self.

She called the meeting to order, asking if there were any additions to the agenda and proceeded with the first item which was a review of the events of the botched up theft. She assured everyone that Lydia and her daughter were doing well and she turned her attention to Joe Morley who was grinning from ear to ear, waiting for the praise he was about to get for helping out on the recovery.

'And of course, I want to mention Joe Morley's part in all this' she continued as everyone turned to look at the young man, smiling away, totally oblivious to what was about to happen

'Joe was instrumental in providing the thieves with very confidential information which enabled them to target Sterling Bosch in the first place' she said as his smile melted and a frown appeared on his face

'He single-handedly put Lydia and myself in danger and is responsible for the events that led to the shooting of our head of security, Leroy Winston' she continued

The attendees gasped as Sara spoke and there began to be some chattering here and there as everyone reacted to Sara's news. Joe Morley opened his mouth to speak but Sara didn't give him a chance.

'Needless to say, your services are no longer required at Sterling Bosch' she said as she stood and signaled for the security guard who had made his way to the door of the conference room.

'Please go with security. You have five minutes to pack up your personal belongings and leave the building. Criminal charges have been laid so please expect a visit from your local men in blue' she concluded as she waited for the man to leave

He scrambled to his feet, shell shocked as everyone jeered him and he made his way to the door where security was waiting to greet him. He left, as everyone applauded Sara who took the few seconds of spontaneous cheering to collect herself. Without missing a beat, and in her customary refined way, Sara took her seat and spoke.

'Now, for the next item on our agenda'

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Once she had carried out the firing, Sara felt liberated and she put in a most productive day at the office – a workday cut short as she left mid-afternoon to greet her sister who was arriving at JFK. She'd seen her at Christmas and Emily had stayed on throughout most of January but she was still excited to have her back so soon for another visit. They had been apart for so long – over 35 years – and it seemed unreal that they had finally been reunited; they had a lot to make up for. Sara thought of all the times she'd pushed Neal away when he'd suggested searching for her; she could have had so many more years with Emily if she hadn't been so stubborn.

She spotted her older sister coming towards her – very similar in looks to herself. Emily was five years her senior, a tad taller but she had the same slim build and coloring as Sara. They hugged warmly, thrilled to be reunited and made their way back to White Plains for dinner and a reunion with Emily's new extended family. She insisted on staying at a hotel despite Sara and Neal's urging that she stay with them; their place was pretty small to accommodate sleepover guests and the evening was spent discussing the events of the last few weeks.

Neal enjoyed his sister-in-law's company. She was cultured and well-read and could hold her own in any discussion on art and culture. She was also an accomplished artist herself and when they had finally met up just before the holidays, Neal and Sara had discovered that her style was very similar to her niece's and Neal had insisted they display some of her works alongside his and Hope's on the second floor of the gallery.

After dinner and a whole lot of chatter, Neal stood from the table and returned a few seconds later with a cheque in his hand.

'Your first commission' he said as he handed it over to Emily 'We sold two of your paintings already'

Emily smiled as she took the cheque from her brother-in-law and immediately turned to face her sister.

'Here's a donation for the gallery' she said as she handed it back

'Emily, no! You earned that' said Sara

'And I can do what I want with it' she said, taking Sara's hand and placing the cheque in it

'Thank you' Sara said, realizing it wasn't going to do any good to argue. If anything, Emily was even more pig-headed than her baby sister.

'So, tell me. How can I help?' Emily asked

'Well, I don't want Neal spending twelve hours a day at the gallery...' Sara began

'...although I am going back tomorrow...' Neal interrupted

'...for a few hours...' Sara continued

They were hilarious together, thought Emily, enjoying their now familiar banter. She envied them their easy repartee, their way of teasing each other and the obvious love and respect between them.

'So, what – manning the store, would that help?' she asked

'Yeah, I've taken a couple of weeks off and Neal and I are going to work together, hiring a couple of new people and Peter is going to get to work on the books which we've fallen behind on. If you could help man the place until we get all the pieces of the puzzle in place, that would be great'

'Whatever I can do to help' she said 'I'm yours for the week'

Neal looked at the Ellis sisters and smiled – they were so alike in that way, both 'take charge' kind of women who weren't afraid of anything. He was lucky to have Sara watching his back and he hoped she felt the same way about him.

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The rest of the week was a study in contrasts from the excitement of the week before. Neal started spending short periods of time at the gallery, barking orders at his underlings and keeping things organized. Peter got to work on the company's books, setting up the necessary tools to monitor their finances properly, Cameron worked whenever he wasn't in class and Emily was in and out as she picked up the slack at the gallery. Hope spent most of her free time at the store 'helping out' although, coincidentally, she always seemed to show up when Cam was on the roster.

On Tuesday night, Neal resumed teaching, noticing his energy returning, so glad to be back to his routine – this time he didn't have to run from the gallery to the university and he arrived in class calm and collected to greet his students. Wednesday night, Sara lifted the moratorium on bedroom activities and Neal fell asleep with a smile on his face. By the end of the week, Sara and Neal had hired two more of Neal's students to help out at the gallery, one of whom agreed to pick up Neal's Thursday night art appreciation classes. Except for Tuesday nights, the Caffreys agreed that Neal would be home for dinner every single night and Neal was committed to keeping his word.

Friday afternoon, Sara called her boss to let him know that she would return a week earlier than expected and she won brownie points for that; she had handled herself so well throughout the course of recent events that she was in their good books.

The week was also the big buildup to Hope's birthday party and Hope and Cam shopped together on Friday night to get all the necessary supplies for the shindig. After a long discussion about house rules, Neal and Sara had finally agreed to vacate the house until midnight, giving the kids some privacy. The issue of alcohol was thrashed out and the consensus was that none would be served although Hope knew some friends would bring their own; Cam agreed to act as bouncer and Neal was happy with that compromise, his trust in Cameron growing daily as the young man began to hang around the house more often.

Emily returned to Chicago on Saturday afternoon and Neal and Sara made their way home to get ready for their evening out. Coincidentally, Sam and Lydia had invited them over for dinner and Sara looked forward to seeing little Bea (as her mom had already nicknamed her) and how much she'd grown in the week since she'd last seen her.

'Mom?' said Hope as she stuck her head in her parents' bedroom

Sara turned to face her daughter. 'Hey, how are things going? Ready for the big party?'

'Yeah, Cam's just putting the drinks on ice' answered Hope

'Well...' said Sara, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and looking her in the eye '... I hope you have a wonderful time, honey. Daddy and I are really proud of you'

'Thanks Mom. And thanks for trusting me with this; I promise that the house will still be standing when you get home'

Sara laughed a little nervously.

'Well, Liam's over at Will's for the night so you're on your own. Call Daddy's cell if there's any problem and we'll come home early; otherwise, we'll be back by one o'clock'

'But Dad said midnight' Hope said, her blue eyes bright

Sara shrugged. 'Seems a bit early for kids your age; let me take care of your dad'

The women hugged, Sara feeling herself tear up and before it became obvious, she pulled away to collect herself 'Happy birthday, Hope!' she said

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'She is beautiful' cooed Neal as he gazed at the sleeping infant in his arms

Neal had always loved babies; he loved the way they melted, boneless, in his arms, the sweet smell of them and those little smiles that appeared unbidden as they slept peacefully, without a care in the world. The proud poppa looked on with a goofy grin and Neal remembered that feeling of not being able to stop smiling when Hope and Liam were this little.

'She's really a good sleeper' said Lydia 'She goes a good five hours between feedings'

Sara turned to face her friend, noting how calm and composed she looked; for a new mom, Lydia was doing great, especially considering the turbulent events that had led to her daughter's birth.

'Sam and I have something to ask you two' she added as she glanced nervously at her husband

'Ask away' Neal said, in a baby voice, his eyes still riveted on little Beatrice

'Well, we don't have any family here' continued Sam 'and you've been such good friends to us... we wondered if you would agree to be Beatrice's godparents'

The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment and Neal raised his eyes to look at Sara, noting the same look of joy and delight he was feeling.

'Wow! That is quite a privilege' said Neal

'... and a big responsibility' added Lydia 'If you need time to think about it...'

Neal and Sara continued looking at each other and both spoke simultaneously 'No!'

All four of them laughed at the spontaneity and intensity of their single word response.

'It would be an honor!' said Sara, her voice shaky as she touched the baby's hand lightly

'We're having the christening in a couple of weeks and just so you know, her christened name will be Beatrice Sara Jordan' added Sam

Sara let out a gasp which turned into a small sob and Neal put an arm around his wife to steady her. Sara fleetingly recalled how Elizabeth had reacted the very same way when she and Neal had announced to all that Hope would be carrying her name; the feeling was magical, that sense that you would be tied to this living breathing person for the rest of your life.

'Lydia, I can't...' she tried to finish but Neal picked up the slack: 'It's a wonderful honor, guys, thanks!'

The couples spent the rest of the evening talking about plans for the gallery, the wonderful 'baby and me' playgroup Lydia had enrolled in and sundry other topics, never running out of subject matter. Neal continued to glance at his phone from time to time, making sure he hadn't missed any calls or texts from Hope and shortly after eleven o'clock, it became obvious that the new parents needed to get to bed so they could face another day with their little one.

'Do you believe it, Neal? We're going to be godparents!' said Sara as they drove away

'Yeah, she is beautiful, isn't she?' he repeated; he'd been cooing at the baby all night

'You're such a sucker for newborns' Sara said, giving her husband a gentle shove

Neal shrugged, slightly embarrassed. He crossed the bridge towards home and was well on his way to their neighborhood when Sara finally spoke up.

'Let's stop somewhere for coffee before we go home' she said, casually

'What? But we told Hope we'd be home by midnight' said Neal

Sara just sat in awkward silence.

'What did you do?' Neal finally asked, realizing Sara wasn't being completely honest

'Well... I kind of told Hope we'd give them until one o'clock' she grudgingly admitted

'Sara! Why didn't you discuss it with me – or at least tell me' Neal said, miffed

'I'm sorry! It just kind of happened; we were talking and I just made an executive decision' she said, her voice growing smaller

'An executive decision?' Neal repeated, laughing 'Alright, coffee it is'

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By the time the Caffreys pulled into their driveway, the house was quiet and mostly dark. It was a few minutes past one and they were tired, Neal still not completely back to his old self, energy-wise. They walked up to the front door, hand in hand, still glowing at the news the Jordans had shared with them. They stepped into the house and followed the only light that was on, at the back of the house. The place was quiet, no one around and everything was just as they'd left it, furniture in its place, no obvious sign that a party had just ended.

They found Hope and Cameron on the couch in the family room, Hope's head against his chest, Cam's arm around her as she snoozed gently. Cameron looked up as they walked in, bringing his finger to his lips in a gentle request for quiet.

'I see our girl is all tuckered out' whispered Neal

'Yeah, everyone left shortly after midnight and she's been running around cleaning up and putting everything back' he murmured quietly

Hope continued to doze, letting out a most unfeminine snort and Cameron laughed softly. In that moment, Neal and Sara realized that they did not have exclusive rights to their daughter's heart – others would love her just as much as they did throughout her life and that sudden realization was surprisingly bittersweet.

La fin