Thirty seven
Myles and Sue joined joined their teammates in the conference room. As they ate they discussed the finer points of the pending case at hand, until Bobby realized something very critical.
"Hey guys." The team looked up. "I just realized all of this info is at least 2 months old. We have nothing concrete that is current."
Jack sat back as he rubbed his forehead, he pondered for a moment. "You're right. All we have is circumstantial evidence, nothing current to tie them all in at this moment in time."
Tara sat up a bit. "Guys, I know this might sound off the wall; but what if we get Dr. Bauman to try to get back involved with the others?"
"You might have something there." Myles said. Then he caught Jack's eye and motioned with his chin toward Sue. Their previous conversation had left him a bit more observant.
Jack glanced over at Sue, realizing she'd been reading and had not seen what they had been conversing about. He gently touched her arm.
Sue looked up. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"
Jack chuckled slightly, "You missed a lot, but that's okay." Sue furrowed her brow slightly, and he smiled at her. "Here's the question: since we have no absolute current concrete evidence to tie in the fraud activities right now. Do you think Dr. Bauman would help us, by contacting the other doctors and try to get involved again in their scam?"
Sue sat silent for a few moments. Jack could see her look of confusion, but just then his cell phone rang. As he was reaching for it, Sue began to answer; he held up his hand. "Hold that thought. Hudson here." As he listened, Jack's expression shifted to mirror Sue's.
After a few short moments he hung up his phone. Sue looked at him and signed, WHAT??
"That was Dan. He wants to meet with us in the lobby in 15 minutes." Jack said.
"Did he say what for?" Sue asked.
"Um no, he didn't. Guess we should go meet with him." Jack said, standing up.
Jack checked his watch, then glanced over at Sue. "While we have a minute to spare away from everyone else, I wanted to tell you how much I admire you."
Her brows furrowed as she smiled. "Admire me? Why? What have I done?"
Jack gently took hold of her hands, one in each of his, and raised them slightly. "You told me, not too long ago, that being humiliated stopped you from speaking with your hands. I admire your courage, to overcome such a fear. You confronted Dan, solving your issues with him. But, most of all, I've never seen such beauty and passion come from one person as I did from you this afternoon."
Sue could feel the beads of perspiration forming on her palms as Jack held them. Her mind raced to collect her thoughts. "In all honesty, I don't know if I would have been able to confront Dan without your support. So if anything, I owe you my gratitude for being such a dear friend with a sympathetic working ear to lean on." Her smile brightened. "And as far as today... I owe you thanks for that in a way, too."
"What do you mean?"
Her eyes warmed as she gazed at him, and her hands tightened in his. "You have been so completely without judgment toward me; that has helped me so much to not be afraid anymore of what feels natural for me. Our friendship has made me able to explore that side of myself again."
Jack started to answer until he saw the elevator doors begin to open. Sue questioned him with her gaze. "Dan's here. We can finish this little talk afterwards, alright?" She nodded in agreement and he turned to face the doctor. "So what was the urgency of this meeting, Dan?"
"I was approached again tonight by Harris. He wants me to return to their little shin-dig…"
"What was that last word?" Sue looked to Jack for an explanation.
"He said shin-dig."
"I don't get it." She still looked quite confused.
"Shin-dig. It's like a party." Jack explained.
Sue rolled her eyes slightly. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"
Jack grinned, trying to contain his laughter. "Okay, what else, Dan?"
The doctor looked uncomfortable. "Well, I told him I'd have to think about it."
"So then they are still active with this scam?" Sue asked.
Dan nodded. "Yes, as far as I can tell they are. Harris handed me a few new patients to check out if I was still interested." Dan handed Jack a slip of paper with a list of hand-written names on it.
Sue looked up at Jack. "This is what you needed?"
"Yes, this is exactly what we needed. Come on into the office Dan, I'll have Bobby take your statement."
Dan slightly rubbed his head, as he tried to calm his nerves some, "Sue, can I talk to you alone first – in private, please?"
Sue glanced to Jack, as he gestured, go for it.
"I'll meet you both in a few minutes in the office." Jack headed for the bullpen.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Dan?"
The doctor shuffled his feet against the tile floor. "The bust is going to go down tomorrow, isn't it?"
"More than likely, yes." Sue wondered if perhaps he was getting cold feet about testifying.
Dan sighed deeply. He seemed to be gearing his nerves up for something. "Then I guess this is the best time to say this…"
Sue smiled slightly. "Say what?"
"I don't want you to take this the wrong way. So please bear with me, while I explain, Okay?" When she nodded, he continued. "This afternoon, after you left, I was sitting in my office – I realized exactly how much I really missed out on, not taking the time to get to know you better when I had the chance."
Sue's fears subsided, and she took Dan's hand. "I think we all have regrets about certain times of our lives. The point is to learn from them and more on, remembering them so you don't repeat them."
Dan held out his other arm. "Do you mind?" He gestured for a hug.
Sue grinned. "Not at all."
Dan gave her a friendly, grateful hug. Then he pulled back a bit. "Can we try not to be such strangers? You know how time flies, and it will have been another 10 or so years before we talk again."
Sue smiled. "I'll try not to."