Longing for Spring – 29
He opened the door anticipating the reunion with his wife - the real reunion. Call him selfish but he just wanted her face to light up like it usually did when she looked at him. That little gesture would symbolize everything was going to be just fine.
"We'll see you later, Houston," Johnny said as he gave Matt a pat on the back.
"Thanks, boys. Johnny, I'll be seeing you for dinner once in awhile and Jordan, don't be a stranger."
"I won't," he smiled as he and his brother left the room.
Matt turned towards CJ and just stood there, smiling at her, locking eyes with her before taking a seat next to her bed.
"Hey ya, CJ," he said, holding her hand.
"Hou," she managed to say, confirming his name, tears falling from her eyes.
He promptly caught some of those tears.
"You had me real worried there. Thought maybe you had forgotten me."
Forgotten him? No, that could never happen! He was a one-of-a-kind, the original broke-the-mold-when-they-made-him type of guy!
"Hou," she said again.
"It's okay, CJ. You don't have to say anything. Just rest, okay? I'll stay with you. I'm just so glad to see those eyes of yours again … and your smile."
Smile? Yes, she could do that, although the one side of her face didn't seem to want to cooperate as much as the other. She wanted to say more, to ask him questions about their marriage and ascertain the memories she had dancing around in her head. She looked for a way to communicate, a way to talk with him. She reached towards his hand and touched his wedding ring.
He watched her touch it and had an idea what she was trying to say.
"Yes, we're married… finally. It happened about seven months ago. We were engaged back in '85 – that's when you were unknowlingly pregnant with Jolie. Then the world fell apart. I suffered a concussion, met Elizabeth. You moved to San Francisco and married Gary, taking on the role of stepmom to the boys. Do you remember all that?"
She paused a moment, then nodded, then returned to staring at her hand. If she was married, then where were her rings, especially the diamond that survived almost as much as she in the last fourteen years ... the diamond she kept in a box hidden in a drawer during the years she was married to Gary? Where could it have gone?
"Oh, I'm sure Zoey has your ring in a safe place. The nurses gave her your stuff when you were brought in here."
Zoey? She had to think a moment and she must have wrinkled her face the right way since Matt read her mind again.
"You remember Zoey, right? My sister? She always seemed to be the one who took care of it. She rescued your ring from your home in San Francisco last year and gave it to me. I'm still surprised you kept it all those years."
She remembered and smiled.
"Do you remember anything about how you got hurt?"
She searched her fragmented memory and shook her head.
"You had a meeting at Jolie's school. She got into a fight. I was on a case with Zoey and you decided to take the matter into your own hands. Elizabeth was also there with her stepdaughter. Shots rang out just outside the office. Jolie and Emily subdued the attacker and saved the school. Unfortunately, though, not before you were wounded."
Frizz Face was still around? Drats! And she still remembered her? Double drats!
"You remember any of that?"
She shook her head.
"Well, that's probably for the best."
"Puh…puh … or… Jo. Poor Jo," she labored to say.
"Yeah, it's been tough for her, but ah she's strong … just like her mother. I've been doing everything I can to help her out, but she really needs you. She's pretty amazing, though, even begged me to let her take care of Matt Junior."
Matt Junior?
He approached his next question carefully.
"Do you remember being pregnant? Our son was born two weeks ago by C-section."
She searched her mind and drew a blank expression to match her memory.
"He's just outside with Jolie. I can bring him in here so you can have your first good look at him."
A mile from the cabin Matt could already tell she was feeling better by the way her shoulders relaxed and her smile crept back into her default expression. His place at Pinewood had that affect on her. She was country girl at heart, after all, even though she could navigate around the big city as well as any other urbanite.
They walked into the cabin and set down their bags, eyeing the shed out back containing the fishing poles.
"Last one to the creek with their gear is a loser."
She gave him a quick smirk then bolted like him towards the shed.
They arrived at the same time, fumbled with the lock and fought through a couple of spider webs before grabbing their respective fishing supplies and darting towards the creek. They ran as fast as they could, loudly giggling all the way like a couple of kids.
When the path narrowed and led between two trees, she edged in front of him, causing him to protest.
"Hey! Not fair!"
She laughed as she sprinted to the creek seconds before him.
"I won! I won!" she celebrated with a dance.
He set his supplies down and stared her down with his hands on his hips while she spun around.
"You're the loser! I'm the winner!"
He approached from behind and put his hands on her waist.
"Come here you," he innocently ordered, as she turned around and smiled at him.
She met his grasp by locking her hands around his neck, and there they remained for a moment until she broke the mood with her eyebrow arched.
"What?"
"Déjà vu. This brings back a lot of memories."
Yes it did.
They stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, wondering who, if anyone, was going to make the first move. Here they were, together, alone on a mountain with no distractions, no company. If they were going to venture down the romantic road again, this would be the prime opportunity. But, there were so many ramifications to ponder, so many consequences of their actions to consider. It wasn't as if they hadn't traveled it before, but they were a very successful team in the crime-solving industry now. Venturing into a physical relationship might ruin all that. Of course, it might also be a lot of fun and would definitely take her mind off her troubles...
He nervously removed his hands and scratched his brow.
"So, what's all this about you and Carl not speaking?"
Oh that, she thought. So much for romantic notions …
"You've been seeing each other for awhile now."
"Off and on about ten years."
"So …" he prompted as he reached for his pole and baited the hook.
"So … what?"
"Well, you seem good for each other. Thought by now you'd be heading down the aisle."
"Me too," she responded as she baited her hook.
"So what's keeping you?"
"Geography," she flatly replied, casting out her line. "Long distance relationships are pretty tough. I was planning on flying out to Chicago to see him a couple of weeks ago, but we got that case … and I had to cancel. He was really sore, didn't take it well. Accused me of being more committed to my work than to our relationship to which I responded by accusing him of being jealous … Well, it just went downhill from there."
"I see."
"What about you?"
"Same as you."
"You haven't dated anyone seriously since Linda, right?"
"Not unless you count frogs."
She smiled at his humor.
"No, I was thinking of that cheerleader… or that lifeguard … or that dancer at the club ..."
"Cute, CJ. They were all very nice, but … well, I guess I'm not ready yet."
She nodded sympathetically.
"It takes time. It's not easy losing someone you love, and you've had two people in your life that left too soon."
"Yeah, but you've had your share of loss too what with your dad dying when you were young, and there's Julia. By the way, how Julia's doing these days?"
"Last time I talked with her she sounded fine."
"She still in remission?"
She nodded. "Yes, I think so. She doesn't share a lot of details. Most of the time when we speak, we end up talking about men. I think she'd rather be concerned with other people's needs and feelings than her own."
He smiled at that just as he felt a tug on his line.
"Jo," she said, wanting to see her daughter again. She wanted to see the child who had been through so much this past year. As for this "Matt Junior" well ... she'd work on it.
"I'll be right back," he happily informed her as he opened the door to the hall.
As soon as she saw the door open, Jolie immediately shot up from her seat.
"What is it, Houston?"
"Your mom wants to see you. Here, I'll take Junior," he said as he transferred the baby to his arms. She walked in first and he followed, keeping a respectful distance.
"Mom," she cried as she bolted towards her bed, getting as close to her as she could, seeking the arms that would bring her the best comfort since this whole ordeal began.
"Jo. Poor Jo," she labored.
"It's okay, Mom. I'll be fine."
"Poor Jo," she commented again, failing to move past those words and onto others.
Matt stood back and admired the scene, taking in the special relationship they had. He hoped he'd have that bond someday with his son.
Speaking of which, Matt Junior let out a soft gurgle, turning the all the attention towards him.
Matt saw the way CJ studied the baby in his arms, curious as to how she'd react to seeing his face up close. Would she know him? Would she feel anything?
He glanced down at him and rocked him a little, shifting him in his arms slightly to appease him.
"Are your ready to meet our son, CJ?"
She processed that question carefully, anxious and afraid.
