Chapter 24

They found the note pinned to their bedroom door when they finally returned from their night out at Bella Luna. Not on the kitchen table or stuck to the screen of Neal's laptop where the kids tended to leave messages for him but on their bloody bedroom door where it was impossible for them to miss it.

'Need to talk to you. Urgent! C' it read.

'Wonder what's up with Caitlin' Neal mused.

Despite the urgency of her message, when he peeked into his foster daughter's bedroom, he found her sound asleep with Raffie curled up beside her, both of them looking like they didn't have a care in the world.

'Well, whatever it is, it didn't keep her from nodding off' he commented as he joined his wife in their bedroom.

Sara sat on the edge of the bed, slipping off her shoes with a painful moan. Neal grinned. Why did women insist on wearing those horribly uncomfortable heels? Not that he didn't enjoy the sight of Sara's long lean legs in those things.

'Sore?' he asked as he joined her on the bed. She let herself fall back with a groan as he reached out and, unprompted, began massaging the insoles of her tired feet.

Sara's eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the feel of his strong, expert hands on her aching toes. He really did give the best foot rubs. It had been a wonderful evening but despite her intentions of capping off the night with a little hanky panky, she was totally done in. Gone was any notion of an anniversary romp in the sheets; all she wanted to do was curl up into a little ball and sleep uninterrupted for the next twelve hours.

'I don't remember the last time we danced the night away like that' she murmured, already half asleep. 'I am totally wiped.'

He let himself fall alongside her, turning towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist. 'You're not calling it a night, are you Repo?' he whined, tucking his face into the curve of her neck and nipping at her ear.

She groaned. 'Awww honey… rain check?'

He let out a disappointed groan of his own. 'I could do all the work…' he attempted with a playful pout. 'All you have to do is lie there and nod from time to time. Come to think of it, you don't even have to nod.'

She lifted her head to glare at him; the look on her face told him everything he needed to know.

'Fine' he said, resigned to the fact hot anniversary sex wasn't in his immediate future. 'Rain check.'

She ran her hand down his cheek and gave a couple of playful taps. 'Good husband' she murmured.

She forced herself to stand, turning away from him and Neal took the hint, reaching over to unzip her dress and watching as it pooled at her feet. He stared down at it wistfully and checked out her luscious curves. The dress looked even better on the floor. He snapped out of it, moving towards his dresser and pulling out some sleep pants.

'So how would you rate this one?' he asked. 'Out of the other twenty-one?'

Sara chuckled. 'Well, I can think of a couple of anniversaries that weren't quite as pleasant as this one.'

Neal began to undress. 'Such as?'

'Well, there was the year Hope fell down the stairs at the Burkes and we ended up leaving an amazing meal on the table at Babbo and finishing up the night in the emergency room.'

Neal grinned as he recalled that night almost twenty years earlier. 'Oh and what about the night I made you that almond torte and we came home and found Raffie snoring next to the empty plate on the floor.'

'Yeah, that's right up there with the best of them' she admitted with an amused grin.

'What about highlights?' Neal asked as he walked over to the closet to hang up her dress. 'Any favourites?'

Sara seemed to think for a moment as she continued to change into her sleep gear. 'There was the year we went back to Maine for our tenth anniversary. That was nice…remember?'

Neal rolled his eyes. 'Remember? How could I forget? It was nice… until you got involved in the neighbours' domestic problems and almost got yourself killed.'

'Hyperbolize much Caffrey?' Sara replied with a head shake. 'Then there was the year you got us those ballroom dance lessons, that was fun… oh and the year you got shot…' she added with a tinge of emotion. 'You were still struggling to get back on your feet and still you managed to surprise me by waltzing me around the dining room.'

Neal turned to face her, slipping his arms around her and letting them settle on her hips. 'Yeah… that was definitely a memorable year.'

Sara sighed loudly. 'Twenty-two years… twenty-two anniversaries, all of them special in their own way.'

He kissed her softly and she purred. 'They're all memorable babe… because we spent every single one of them together' he murmured.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. 'Do you think… maybe you could finish up with that foot massage?'

WCWCWC

The windshield wipers swept back and forth in a desperate attempt to keep up with the pounding rain. Inside the car, Caitlin sat in the passenger seat, gesticulating wildly as she recounted the tale of what had happened the night before.

'Slow down, slow down' Neal said as he squinted to see the road through the hazy windshield. 'You're not making any sense.'

She took a deep breath. 'Like I said, I wanted to keep an eye on this Logan guy so I abstained from… you know, partying.'

He frowned, disbelieving. 'You're telling me you went to a party and you didn't have anything to drink?'

'Why does that surprise you so much? Frankly Mr. C, partying isn't the only thing on my mind you know.'

He bit his tongue to keep from making a wisecrack as she carried on.

'Ginny has been going to his parties for weeks now but she wasn't there last night so I got suspicious. I wanted to see if he would try it on with some of the other girls.'

Neal nodded as he grimaced. It was really coming down out there.

'There were some really young girls there I'd never seen before. I'm not even sure they're in high school yet. As usual, he was all over them, bringing them drinks and pills and playing the cool host.'

'Nice guy' Neal muttered sarcastically under his breath.

'Yeah, well that's just it. He's a smooth operator. That's how he is with Ginny too.'

'Did you talk to Ginny? Find out why she wasn't at the party.'

'No, but her friend Hannah told me her moms grounded her for a week for lying to them about where she was.'

'Like I've always said, don't ever get on Diana's bad side' Neal said with an amused grin.

'I just… it doesn't feel right' she said, preparing to fess up the details of her little escapade. 'So, I decided to snoop around and see if I could find anything.'

'Snoop around?' Neal repeated, his spidey senses tingling.

'I went up to his room and I went through his stuff to see if I could find anything incriminating —'

'Caitlin!' Neal said, cutting her off.

'Relax, he was… down at the party. Well at least he was in the beginning.'

Neal glanced over at her suspiciously.

'The guy's a real player Mr. C. I'm telling you he's up to no good. I found some airline tickets in his dresser drawer' she added, dropping her voice as if confiding a secret.

'That's hardly enough to have him arrested. Maybe the guy's planning on taking a holiday.'

She dismissed his explanation with a wave of her hand. 'Then, I overheard him talking on the phone.'

'Overheard him?'

'He came up to his room and I dove under the bed so he wouldn't see me.'

'Caitlin!' Neal cried out for the second time.

'Hear me out!' she countered, turning to face him. 'I think he might have been talking to Ginny.'

'You think? Did he mention her by name?'

'Not exactly but he was telling whoever it was that the party wasn't the same without her and that she just needed to hang on for a few more days. What if he's planning on taking her away somewhere against her will?'

'Honey that's a stretch, isn't it?'

'Maybe, but I told you about that other girl from school who disappeared last year. What if this Logan guy is involved in some sort of sex trade.'

Neal sighed loudly. It all sounded a bit too far fetched. 'Don't you think you might be getting a little carried away?'

'That kind of stuff happens all the time. They get young girls hooked on pills and they groom them to work as sex workers. Then they move them to another city away from their family and friends, totally isolated and totally at their mercy. Sometimes, they even threaten them if they try to run away.'

Neal listened attentively. Of course these things happened in the big bad world. But right in their own backyard?

'Were you able to get a look at the airline tickets?'

'No' Caitlin said, sounding deflated. 'I was about to when he came in. Oh and after he got off the phone, he called somebody else and he said 'all systems were go'.

'Those were his exact words?'

'Yeah, something about how she, meaning Ginny, was eager to go and that he didn't anticipate any problems.'

'But you don't know for a fact that he was talking about Ginny.'

Caitlin shook her head. 'Not for sure but Mr. C… I can feel it my bones.'

Neal knew all about having a good gut detector; he'd counted on his own spidey senses for information countless times in the past. 'Then what happened?'

'Then one of the young girls from the party came into the room. She was high and they started making out on his bed. I couldn't get out of there fast enough so I snuck out and came home.'

Neal grew quiet. There were an awful lot of holes in Caitlin's theory. Too many holes to approach Diana and Christie with any certainty. And yet, if there was even a possibility Ginny might be in danger, he couldn't keep quiet about it.

Off in the distance, the sign for the Blue Skies Nursing Home appeared through the blurry windshield.

'Let me think about it' Neal said as he turned into the parking lot.

WCWCWC

It was a rare occasion when all the kids were home for dinner - even on a Sunday night. Between Hope and Cam closing up the gallery and Liam and Caitlin's active social lives, it was a miracle to get the whole clan sitting around the table, sharing a meal.

In the end, Linda had been too tired to come out to White Plains so Neal and Caitlin had stayed with her a little longer, helping her with dinner before heading back home. The rain had subsided somewhat, reduced to a drizzle and making the drive home a lot more pleasant. This time, Neal and Caitlin rode in relative silence, both mulling over the findings of Caitlin's impromptu detective work. A quick call to Sara, reminding her to stick the lasagna in the oven and a last minute stop to pick up some fresh bread and the twosome arrived home shortly after six o'clock. Hope and Cam were busy making a salad and Liam and Cody were setting the table when they walked in, jackets still damp from the earlier downpour.

'Did you remember to stop at the bakery?' Sara called out from the kitchen where she sat, sharing a glass of wine with Mozzie.

Neal held the baguette over his head in victory and made his way over to place a cursory peck on his wife's cheek.

'Where's your mom?' Sara asked, eyes searching behind him.

'She was too tired to come' Neal replied, sadness in his voice. 'Maybe next time…'

'That's too bad. I was going to make strawberry shortcake for dessert. It's her favourite.'

Neal's eyebrows rose in question. 'You were going to make strawberry shortcake?'

Sara gave him a dirty look. 'I mean… I was going to get you to make strawberry shortcake.'

He smiled and nodded; that sounded a lot more plausible. 'Hey Moz, you look nice. Is that a new jacket?'

Mozzie ran his hands nimbly down his lapels and grinned. 'It is. Fine Italian leather' he replied with a satisfied smirk.

Ever since their little escapade with the storage unit, the little man had been looking rather pleased with himself. Perhaps the odds and ends he'd managed to harvest had amounted to more than Neal had initially thought.

They ate in the dining room, the lively discussion covering countless topics including the new exhibit at the gallery, Mozzie's intended purchase of a new van, Liam's upcoming playoff game and the senior graduation which was just around the corner.

'Remember my grad?' Hope asked with a wink in Cam's direction. 'I was the only one there whose boyfriend was in university. All my friends were drooling.'

'Drooling?' Cam repeated with a scoff. 'I think you might be exaggerating there sweetie.'

'Oh, I know what I wanted to ask' Hope said, turning to face her mom. 'Are we all leaving from here on Tuesday morning to go to court? Or should we meet up there?'

Sara stared down at her plate, ignoring a pointed look from Neal. The silence wore on much longer than necessary.

'Mom?' Hope said. 'Did you hear what I said?'

Sara looked up, her eyes meeting her daughters' stare. 'I… I didn't think you were coming.'

Liam piped up between two bites of lasagna, speaking with his mouth full. 'Of course we're coming Mom. We're all coming.'

Sara swallowed and looked over at Neal, willing him to speak up. He was well aware of her apprehensions about the kids being at the hearing but he'd already expressed his opinion in no uncertain terms. It wasn't his place to say anything; this was about her and he needed to respect her point of view.

'I don't…' That was all Sara managed to get out before she felt tears stinging her eyes and her throat tightening in her chest.

She stopped suddenly and Neal felt his heart breaking for her. 'Your mom doesn't think it's a good idea for you to come' he finally said.

'What? Why not?' Liam cried out as Cody placed a hand on his arm.

'Mom, we want to be there' Hope added, her voice pained.

'Sara, you can't go through this alone' Caitlin added, sounding alarmed. 'We're a family. We need to stick together.'

Neal held his breath. Maybe the kids would manage to succeed where he had failed.

Suddenly, the three kids were on their feet, surrounding Sara as she began to cry softly. Embarrassed, she lifted her napkin to cover her face.

'We love you Mom' Liam said as everyone nodded in agreement.

'Don't shut us out Mom, we're not babies anymore' Hope added.

As the arguments piled up, it was as if Sara no longer had the energy to fight. There was something comforting about having all her loved ones around her, standing by her, giving her the strength she needed to get through what would be a difficult day.

'All right, all right' she said, feigning annoyance at all the attention. 'You can all come.'

WCWCWC

The sun came out after dinner and Neal suggested he and Hope take Raffie to the dog park. Ever since Sara had confided in him about the questions that still haunted their daughter, he'd been waiting for just the right time to get her alone. Father and daughter made small talk on the way to the park, settling in on a bench away from prying ears and unleashing Raffie so he could play with his buddies while they talked.

Hope could sense tension radiating off her dad. 'Mom talked to you, didn't she?'

Neal nodded. 'I wish you'd said something earlier. I had no idea you were struggling with this.'

'I… I didn't want to upset you by bringing it up.'

'Honey, you could never upset me. You're the one who suffered through the last two years. I guess I never realized the gaps in your memory were bothering you so much.'

Hope shrugged. 'It just… it feels like if I don't fill in the gaps, I'll always be left wondering.'

'I get it' her dad replied although he wasn't quite sure he did.

'I just hate the thought of putting you through the whole thing all over again.'

'It's okay' Neal said, feeling surprisingly strong. 'You know when I was going through therapy with Marion, we worked on something called desensitization where she had me reciting the events of that night over and over again until the words didn't… own me, I guess.'

'Did it help?'

'It did. I got to the point where I could actually talk about that night without totally falling apart.'

Hope examined his face. He looked relaxed, confident. Maybe it hadn't been a mistake to bring it up after all.

'Is there something in particular you want to know?' he asked.

She shrugged. 'I remember that Thursday like it was yesterday. I was still on a high from the night before and I came over to the house in the morning to show you and Mom my engagement ring.'

Neal smiled wistfully. 'I remember. You were on cloud nine.'

'Then Olivia came over and I told her how Cam had surprised me with dinner from Le Coprin and how he'd hidden the ring under the dome of a silver platter.'

She glanced up at her dad who was smiling at the memory. 'I made you two some chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Just like when you were little.'

Hope nodded. 'I remember going over to Uncle Peter and Aunt Elizabeth's that afternoon to show them my ring and how Uncle Peter teased Cam about taking good care of me.'

Neal listened, his eyes riveted on his daughter.

'Do you know I even remember what you made for dinner that night: it was taco night.' She spoke deliberately as if she was reliving an out of body experience, reciting the facts as if they'd happened to someone else.

'And then you and I drove out to the Bronx and I remember the weather was horrible. Ice pellets were sticking to the windshield and we talked about me going back to school and how I didn't want to leave Cam…'

'You were so happy, your eyes were sparkling…' Neal added with a sigh.

'That's when things start to get a little fuzzy. I remember parts of the class, that cute little boy who kept calling me Miss Caffrey, how you teased me when I started to wash out the paint pots.'

'I didn't want you messing up your new ring.'

She looked up at her dad, eyes wet. 'But I don't remember actually leaving the school…'

'The weather was horrible that night' Neal continued, picking up the narrative. 'It had slowed to a drizzle by the time we left but there were some icy patches on the street and sidewalk. You asked if I minded driving you all the way to Cam's place and I said something like 'Do you really think I'm going to let you take a cab all the way to Flushing?''

Hope's eyes brightened as if the recollection sparked a memory.

Neal continued. 'I stopped at the door to the school to set the alarm and you peeked over my shoulder. You noticed I was using your birthdate as the alarm code and I told you not to flatter yourself, that I changed it every couple of months.'

He stopped to look into her eyes. 'Which was a lie by the way… I never did change it after that night.'

Hope chuckled quietly but felt her throat tightening.

'I started out ahead of you' Neal continued, his gaze staring out at the dog park but seeing nothing. 'I'd parked right across the street and I wanted to unlock the car door so you wouldn't get wet…'

His voice grew quiet and despite the busy sounds all around them, it was as if they were alone in the world.

'I was still teasing you and you were laughing, that wonderful carefree laugh of yours. Then you walked under a street lamp and I noticed your face changing, your smile melting away… Your head was turned to your right as if you'd spotted something… I was still standing in the middle of the street and I started to turn to look in that direction but suddenly, you were there. Right next to me. Screaming at the top of your lungs. 'DAAAAD!'

Hope could feel her heart beating faster as he spoke.

'Before I could see what had you so spooked, you grabbed my coat lapels and you held on tight, pulling me towards you before pushing me away as hard as you could towards the other side of the street. I lost my balance and fell flat on my ass. You were still standing there in the middle of the street… The next thing I remember was the sound of a car engine getting louder and when I got my bearings, I looked up…'

He stopped suddenly. Hope appeared to be in some sort of trance. 'You okay sweet pea?' he asked, taking her hand in his.

She kept staring ahead but nodded vacantly, urging him to continue.

Neal's voice grew very quiet. 'We were both out of harm's way but then the car seemed to hit an icy patch and… I saw your feet lifting off the ground like you were flying through the air.'

Hope started to tremble and Neal settled his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in against his chest.

'I think that's enough for now' he murmured into her hair.

'No! No! Just… just give me a minute' she said as she buried her face in his shirt.

He felt her arms tighten around his waist, clutching at him as she shook, her breathing uneven.

'Honey, we don't have to do this right now' he whispered reassuringly.

'I need to, Daddy' she said, composing herself and finally pulling away to look at him. 'I've wondered for so long. I don't want to go on not knowing.'

To say he fully understood was an exaggeration but it was obvious this was important to his daughter and in the end that was all that mattered.

'What happened after that?' she asked, looking more self-possessed.

A tear had rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. She forced herself to smile.

'Then things start to get a little blurry for me too. What… haunted me for the longest time was the horrible sounds.'

'What do you mean?'

Neal swallowed hard, intent on staying composed for her. 'The sound of… your body against the grill of the car… then I saw you lying on the hood and… thrown against the windshield. It's… it still feels unreal, like a terrible nightmare.'

Hope nodded and fresh tears appeared, spilling out of her bright blue eyes onto her pink cheeks.

'After that, I just remember sitting in the middle of the street in the rain, holding you in my arms. Minutes, hours… it's… it's not clear. Just rocking you back and forth, back and forth, like I could somehow make it all better.'

'The car… it just drove away?'

Neal nodded. 'He backed up and you rolled off the hood and then he… he drove around you and sped up the street. After that, I just remember them… prying me off you. I didn't want to let you go… I couldn't bear letting you go.'

As if the spell was broken, he sat straighter on the bench and sighed loudly.

'The next thing I remember is sitting in the emergency room with Uncle Peter.'

'You called Uncle Peter? You didn't call Mom? Or Cam?'

'I just remember thinking… I can't do this to your mom. I can't tell her that our baby is broken in a million little pieces.'

Hope nodded, letting his words seep in. For her, the void had lasted weeks - weeks and weeks before she had opened her eyes on the world again. Her dad had had to live through the nightmare minute by minute.

'Cam was… he was devastated' Neal added.

'And he was angry at you.'

'He told you?'

'He felt horrible for the way he talked to you that night.'

Neal shook his head. 'I was already filled with shame, with guilt. How had I let this happen to my little girl when I was right there? There was nothing he could have said that would have made me feel any worse.'

Raffie appeared, wagging his tail and looking for a quick cuddle. Hope scratched his ears and he immediately ran out again to join his doggie friends.

Neal and Hope sat in silence, hands clasped, eyes straight ahead, seeing nothing but their shared memories.

TBC