Chapter 25

Father and daughter sat there for a long time. The sun had started to set when Neal finally looked over at Hope. She was still staring ahead vacantly, seemingly unaware of her surroundings as dog owners and their pets came and went.

'You okay?' Neal finally asked as he squeezed her hand.

She nodded. 'Yeah… thanks for doing this Dad.'

Neal shrugged it off; frankly, there were no limits to the lengths he was prepared to go to for his little girl.

'You know I still dream about it sometimes' Hope said, her voice quiet.

He frowned, lines appearing on his forehead. 'I figured as much.'

'Now that I know exactly what happened… maybe I'll be able to finally let it go. I realize now that my subconscious was remembering a lot of little details from that night.'

He turned to face her. 'I don't want to be the one to add to your ordeal by giving you all those… detailed visuals.'

Hope finally looked at him, her face oddly relaxed. There were dried tears on her cheeks but no fresh ones in her eyes.

'You're not Dad. I needed to know.'

She scrutinized his eyes. Now that he'd finished telling her what had happened that night, all those emotions he'd managed to keep in check seemed to be catching up to him. She laced her arms around his waist, tucking her face into his chest.

'I'm sorry you had to witness all that. It must have been horrible for you. Ironically, I can relate. I remember the night you were shot at the gallery… I was a total mess.'

'You saved my life that night' Neal replied with a faraway smile.

She sighed loudly. 'I was on total auto-pilot. If it hadn't been for that 911 operator talking me through it, I would have completely frozen up.'

'But you didn't' Neal reminded her. 'You kept me alive until the EMTs got there.'

She noticed the sadness in his eyes and felt the need to reassure him. More than anyone, she knew how powerless he must have felt watching her lying motionless on the street. She'd felt the same overwhelming sense of helplessness the night he'd fearlessly stepped in between her and a man brandishing a loaded gun and had ended up bleeding out on the floor of their beloved gallery.

'I don't know what I'd do without you Dad. You're always there for me' she replied, her voice quiet.

He shook his head. Following countless hours of therapy, he'd mostly made peace with the night of her accident. But he still had his moments, moments when he chastised himself for not having seen that car coming around the corner, for not having reacted fast enough to push his daughter out of harms way.

Sensing his doubts, she continued. 'When I was in the hospital all those months, I had no idea you were going through your own personal hell and yet you were there for me every single day, reading to me, singing to me, putting me through those horrible physio exercises' she added with a chuckle. 'I have vague recollections of hearing your calming voice while I was unconscious. You gave me the will to fight, to open my eyes and come back to the world.'

Now it was Neal's turn to wipe a tear which had escaped onto his cheek.

'My brave girl' he said, as he pulled her in for a warm hug.

Raffie was back, wondering to what he owed this extended playtime - not that he was complaining.

'You done playing buddy?' Hope asked.

Neal cleared his throat, chasing away the nostalgia. 'We should get home.'

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'It just seems… a little frivolous, that's all' Sara said into the phone from the privacy of her bedroom.

'What's frivolous?' replied Emily Ellis-Foster. 'I haven't visited in like three months and I've got all these air miles I need to use before they expire.'

'Right…' Sara replied, not believing a word.

'I want to be there. Will you let me?'

Sara sighed. She'd just given the kids the green light to come to court, how could she say no to her own sister. Besides, she couldn't deny how nice it would be to have some time with her.

After a moment of hesitation she spoke. 'Of course I'll let you.'

'Great! My flight leaves at noon tomorrow. I'll be there by dinner time.'

'Wait a minute, you've already booked your flight?'

Emily cleared her throat. 'I figured even if you didn't want me to come to court, I could be there… you know, for after.'

'And how long have you and Neal been plotting this behind my back?'

'Neal? What does Neal have to do with this?' Emily replied.

'You've definitely been hanging around him too long if you can deflect like that.'

Right on cue, Neal appeared in the doorway to their bedroom, not wanting to interrupt.

'Look, your co-conspirator just walked in. I gotta go' Sara said, motioning for him to come in.

'I'll call you and let you know when I've landed' Emily said before hanging up.

'Hey' Neal said, joining his wife on the bed. 'Was that Emily?'

'As if you didn't know' she replied with a feigned look of annoyance.

'Did you really think you could keep her away?'

'Like the two of you didn't plan all this behind my back.'

Neal looked genuinely offended. 'She's the one who called me' he said defensively. 'She wanted to know what I thought about her coming, if I thought you'd be okay with it.'

The look of annoyance seemed to melt as Sara shrugged, then smiled. 'She'll be here tomorrow.'

'That's good, right?' Neal said as his fingers lingered down her arm.

Her smile widened. 'It's very good.'

She picked up on a faraway look in her husband's eyes. 'How'd it go with Hope?'

He frowned, searching her eyes. 'How'd you know?'

'Seriously? So, how'd it go?'

'It was okay. She… she seemed genuinely relieved to hear some of the details. I think knowing is going to help give her some closure. Finally.'

Sara studied his face. She could see a myriad of emotions dancing in his eyes among them sadness, relief. 'And what about you?'

He looked up and pasted on a phoney smile. He tilted his head and shrugged in that self deprecating way of his. 'What about me?'

'Neal…'

He realized she wouldn't be easily fooled. 'It's never easy to talk about it but I managed to get through it without getting myself all worked up.'

She noticed his voice growing unsteady and suddenly he let out a loud, shaky exhale as he finally gave in to his emotions. Their eyes met and Sara silently opened her arms to him. He didn't fight it, gratefully letting himself slip into her embrace as she cradled him against her chest.

She held him like that for a few moments, feeling his body start to relax as the emotions finally seeped out. He'd been so intent on not upsetting his daughter that he'd willingly swallowed up his own feelings, keeping them all locked up until it was safe to let go. Now, in Sara's loving arms, it was safe to let himself feel all those conflicting emotions without the need to hold back.

She ran her hand through his hair as he lay there, arms wrapped tightly around her, feeling safe and cherished. He breathed deeply in and out and relaxed in the calm and comfort of her arms, his relief now complete.

'You did good Caffrey' she murmured.

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The drive back to Flushing was eerily quiet. Not in that unsettled, agitated way Cameron Armstrong had grown to know over the past two years but in a strangely relaxed way now that Hope had finally found some peace.

Overall, their seemingly unending two year journey back to each other had had more ups than downs. The first few months had been a total blur with Cam putting in as many hours as possible at the gallery while spending every evening and most nights in Hope's hospital room. In those first few weeks, every time he looked at her, he was tortured by the same old questions. Would she ever open her eyes, would he ever hear her voice, hold her in his arms again?

But the Caffreys and Burkes had banded together, taking turns so that Hope was never alone. Neal had been unfailing in his support for his daughter despite the fact he'd been battling demons of his own. He'd been at the hospital every morning at eight o'clock without exception, sending Cam home to get some shuteye before he headed over to the gallery to put in a full day. Despite Neal's urging that he take some time off, Cam had been adamant that staying busy was the way to go. Hope would come back to him and he needed to keep the gallery running smoothly for her and for their future.

Over those horrible weeks and months, he'd spent many nights over at the Caffrey house, hunkering down in Hope's room, surrounded by all her things, the soft scent of her perfume still discernable on the bed linens. Staying alone at his apartment where he and Hope had shared so much had become untenable and he'd appreciated the offer to stay with Neal and Sara, sharing meals with the family and feeling their support as they all struggled together to get through their shared ordeal.

After a while, she had awakened from her coma and he'd watched the woman he loved struggle to get back on her feet and fight to get her voice back, she who'd had a reputation as a chatterbox before the accident. He missed her constant chatter, the way her eyes lit up when she spoke, the speed with which words just rolled off her tongue. Even now, he was still getting used to the more tentative rhythm of her speech, the slight stutter as she struggled to express herself.

As of late, most disconcerting had been the nightmares, the nights when she woke up in a sweat, her heart thumping so hard in her chest, he swore he could almost hear it. Hopefully, now that she'd talked to her dad, the horrible dreams would disappear.

He glanced over to his right, noticing her body relaxed, her eyes clear.

'You all right?' he asked, reaching for her hand.

She smiled, a soft gentle smile. 'Yeah, I'm good. I'm just relieved Dad was able to tell me what happened without falling apart.'

'I told you, he's stronger than you think. Besides, knowing your dad, he would do just about anything for you.'

She sighed. 'I'm tired' she admitted.

WCWCWC

By late Sunday, Ginny could barely contain herself. Logan had been in touch to let her know their long awaited getaway was happening on Tuesday and he'd taken it on himself to instruct her on what she should pack for the trip. Their destination and the length of their trip was still a mystery, Logan playing it up as a special surprise for his very special girl. Ginny was happy to go along with it. She loved surprises.

There was a soft knock on her door and Olivia popped her head into her sister's room.

'Hey' Ginny called out, sitting up. 'What's up?'

'Mom asked me to give you this' Olivia said as she produced Ginny's cell phone.

Ginny nodded and took the phone from her sister's hand as Olivia settled on the bed beside her.

'I thought you'd be more excited. A whole week without your phone.'

Ginny forced herself to smile. 'I am' she lied.

Truth was she'd lost interest in keeping in touch with her friends. For now, the only thing that mattered was her precious connection with Logan and for that she didn't need the phone.

'The moms have been worried about you. You've been so quiet lately.'

For a moment, Ginny almost blurted everything out: how she was madly in love, how Logan was the only person in the world who mattered to her, how he was whisking her away on a romantic getaway. Her sister's next question caught her off guard.

'Is it that guy you were seeing? Is that why you're upset? Did you guys break up?' she asked, making herself comfortable on her sister's bed.

'No… no. I just miss him. I haven't seen him in a while.'

'What's his name?'

Ginny shrugged. 'It doesn't matter, you don't know him.'

'Tell me.'

'It's Logan' Ginny blurted out, her pulse racing. 'And he's gorgeous.'

'Guess what?' Olivia said with a shy smile. 'Nathan asked me out.'

She'd been fawning over the boy for months but had recently given up on him when he'd shown little interest in her.

'You're kidding!' Ginny said, genuinely pleased for her older sister. 'I thought you were over him.'

Olivia sat up squirming, unable to contain herself. 'I guess I was just kidding myself. The minute I stopped hanging on his every word, he decided to ask me out. He's taking me to a movie next weekend.'

'That's great' enthused Ginny.

She felt sudden unease at the thought of holding back on the details of her own whirlwind romance. The two sisters were close and had always confided in each other about their love lives and for a moment, Ginny felt like a complete fraud. Olivia was trustworthy and she would be more than happy to know that Ginny was in love and was being whisked away for a few days by the man of her dreams. Maybe she could even enlist Olivia's help in keeping her parents from totally losing their shit when they eventually found out she'd left town. Ginny studied her sister's animated face, biting her tongue as she weighed the risks of sharing her secret.

The mellow sound of Logan's voice played in her head, reminding her that he could get into trouble if Ginny said too much about their relationship - after all, he was older and not everyone would understand their special bond. He'd managed to convince her that what was happening between the two of them was sacred and shouldn't be shared with anyone, no matter who. Her resolve strengthened and she swallowed down her feelings, deciding to play in safe. In the end, he was worth all the secrecy and subterfuge. Soon they'd be together and no one would be able to keep them apart.

WCWCWC

The regular Sunday evening routine was humming right along in the Caffrey home when Neal decided to place one last late evening phone call. His earlier conversation with Caitlin had convinced him that whether the danger was real or imagined, Ginny seemed to have gotten herself in pretty deep with this Logan guy and he needed to find a way to share what he knew with the teen's mom. Diana Berrigan was a force to be reckoned with and not unlike his own wife, a very headstrong and determined woman. He wasn't kidding when he'd told Caitlin he never wanted to be on her bad side. He'd spent almost five years making sure not to incur the wrath of his co-worker who was known amongst her peers as 'badass Berrigan'.

'Neal? Hi! You're calling late' she said in greeting.

'Yeah… sorry about that. I didn't want to start the week without reaching out to you. It seems I haven't seen you in ages.'

'What are you talking about? We saw each other at Peter's barbecue and we had coffee not too long ago' she reminded him.

Neal reached for a ready answer. 'Yeah but we haven't had a good old fashioned gabfest in a while. How about lunch this week?'

He could well imagine her shrugging. 'Sure' she said with an amused laugh. 'Especially if you're treating.'

He didn't want to appear overeager but neither did he want to let things drag out longer than necessary. If Caitlin was right and Logan was planning on whisking Ginny away somewhere, there was no time to waste.

'My Monday just opened up' he fibbed, checking his schedule and noticing a meeting with one of his teachers at 11:30. He could always postpone in a pinch.

'Sorry' Diana replied as he heard her banging on her phone. 'I've got a meeting all day tomorrow with the higher ups from Washington.'

'Well, well, look at you. Finally part of the old boys network.'

She chuckled. 'Yeah, well I'd rather be having lunch with you than meet with a bunch of stuffed shirts but… how about Tuesday? I could do it then.'

Neal thought ahead to the stressful few days ahead for his wife. 'Sorry… Sara's court date is Tuesday.'

'Oh, I forgot all about that.'

Neal nodded. 'Yeah… it's been a long time coming.'

'How is she doing?'

'Let's just say she's going to be doing a lot better by Tuesday night.'

'Right, right. Well, tell her Christie and I are thinking of her. How about Wednesday… can you do Wednesday?' she asked.

Neal checked his schedule. Again, internal meetings he could easily move around if need be. 'Wednesday's great. I'll text you the name of this new restaurant near the Bureau. You'll love it.'

'Yeah, well make it expensive Caffrey' she added as they signed off.

Neal made his way upstairs where he found things uncharacteristically quiet. Liam was sitting up in bed tapping away on his computer, Caitlin's bedroom door was closed and Sara was busy tucking away the last load of laundry in their dresser drawers.

'Who was that you were talking to on the phone?' she asked as Neal came into the room and began to undress.

'Diana.'

'You going to tell her about Caitlin's suspicions?'

He gave her a shrug. 'As much as I dare without freaking her out.'

'Better safe than sorry, I suppose' Sara said as she tossed the empty laundry basket at the foot of the bed, waiting to be refilled.

'Well, I'll be the first to admit Caitlin can be a little over-dramatic but she's convinced something weird's going on. If Diana knew something that put Hope or Caitlin in potential danger, I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to tell us. The least I can do is give her a heads up.'

'Ginny won't be thrilled about you meddling in her life.'

Neal threw his dirty shirt in the laundry basket and glanced at his wife. 'I guess that's the price I have to pay to make sure nothing happens to her.'

Sara made her way over and wrapped her arms around Neal's neck, her hands disappearing into his thick head of hair. 'Thank you by the way.'

He settled his hands on her hips and gave her his best innocent Caffrey grin. 'For what?'

'For reaching out to Emily.'

Neal frowned. 'I told you… she reached out to —'

She cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. 'Whatever…' she said, not believing a word. 'It doesn't matter, I'm just glad she's coming.'

He smiled, unable to hide his smugness. 'Well, if you're happy, I'm happy.'

Sara's face grew dark and she let out a loud exhale. Her arms reached around his back as she tucked herself tightly against his solid body. Neal could feel her trembling slightly as he held her. His hands moved up to caress her hair, pulling her in closer.

'It's going to be all right babe' he whispered into her ear. 'I promise.'

Her voice faltered as she spoke. 'I know. I'm just… I want it to be over already.'

'It will be. Really soon' he murmured back.

He pulled away to look into her eyes, brushing away a stray strand of hair from her face. 'You are so much stronger than you realize Repo' he told her soberly.

She nodded tentatively. 'I just don't feel very strong right now.'

He brought his lips to her forehead and deposited a soft kiss. He felt her body start to quiver.

'Neal?'

'Yeah…'

'That rain check… from last night?'

'Yeah…'

She wagged her eyebrows provocatively and gave him a head nod towards the bed.

His face lit up as he lifted her up off the ground and fell on top of her onto the mattress. 'One rain check coming up.'

TBC