Chapter Six

Lynn looked up from the paperwork she was doing when she heard a disturbance down the hall. She overheard Lily say, "I don't know if you can see her now. Dr. Howerton may be busy."

"But she'll see me," a young man's voice said insistently.

"I don't know. Why don't you give me your name and I'll check with her...." Lily replied.

"No need, Lily. I'll see this young man," Lynn said, laughing. "Hello, son."

Mark went over and grabbed his mother up in a big bear hug. Lynn didn't blame Lily for not seeing the resemblance between herself and her son. Frankly, other than his mother's eyes, Mark was nearly identical to his father in bone structure and facial features. But there any likeness stopped. Mark had hair that fell below his shoulders that he kept pulled back in a pony tail. One ear had three piercings and there were tattoos on both arms. He wore baggy jeans, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Off all the things Mark may look like, an accounting major wasn't one of them. But he was. A Dean's List student, too.

"That's your son?" Lily questioned. Lynn could see the look of astonishment in the grief counselor's eyes.

"Yep. Last time I checked his birth certificate, he was mine," Lynn replied. "Come back to my office."

"Wait a minute, Mom," Mark replied. He held out a dozen yellow roses. "Happy birthday."

Lynn smiled. This was a nice way to ease into her birthday. Her son and her favorite flower – yellow roses. "Thanks, sweetie. Let me find something to put them in."

"I'll find you something," Lily said. "I'll bring it to your office."

Mark stayed three days, giving him and his mom time to catch up on his life and hers. He and Nigel instantly became friends. Lynn was grateful that Boston may give her son enough connections that he would come back frequently to visit. She introduced him to everyone, but for some reason was shy about letting him meet Garrett.

"So who's your boss?" Mark had asked, that afternoon after lunch with Jordan and Woody. She finally introduced the two of them when they returned to the morgue. Mark quickly sized the situation up. "He likes you, Mom."

"Garrett?"

"No, the Easter Bunny....of course, Garrett."

"I don't think so, Mark. We work together. He's my boss."

"And he's a man."

"So?'

Mark laughed. "Mom, have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"I haven't really noticed," said Lynn, trying to be prim and proper around her son.

"Better yet, have you noticed the way you look at him?"

"Mark!"

Her son had laughed at her again. "Mom...I'm going to tell you something you may not be ready to hear. You may have moved to Boston to start over, get some perspective, get away from your past. But I'd bet my last dollar that it will be Garrett that keeps you in Boston."

At the end of his stay, he came to say good bye to her at the morgue before his plane left. He had shook hands with Nigel and Bug, and hugged Jordan. Before he kissed his mom good bye, he stuck his head in Garrett's office. "Dr. Macy?"

"Hi, Mark, what can I do for you?"

"I dropped by to say good bye. Spring break is about over and I have to head back."

Garrett rose from his desk to shake hands with the young man. "Have a safe trip and don't be a stranger. I have a feeling your mom doesn't see you as much she wants to."

"I'll be back this summer for a couple of weeks. Take care of my mom, huh?"

"As much as she will let me."

"She's kind of stubborn about things like that. She's been on her own for a long time...just....keep an eye on her for me, please?"

"Will do. It will be my pleasure."

Mark eyed the chief ME. "You kind of like her, don't you?"

Garrett looked the young man in the face – the boy's eyes were identical to his mother's – blue, open...honest. "I'm not going to lie to you, Mark. I do. She's a wonderful woman."

"I think so, too, but she's my mom. Look, just be careful with her, okay? Does she know how you feel?"

"I don't think so."

"Can I give you some advice about her? She doesn't take hints very easily. You pretty much have to show her outright something or just tell her. And another thing...has she told you much about her past?"

"No...nothing personal, at least."

Mark paused for a moment. "She will...it will come up. When it happens, just let her talk, okay? Bye, Garrett. And thanks for everything." And with that the young man made his way to his mother's office to tell her good bye, leaving Garrett there to plan his next strategy with Lynn and wonder what on earth could have happened to her in North Carolina.

August. It was now August and Lynn had been in Boston a whole year – 365 days, 52 weeks. In some ways, it didn't seem that long. In other ways, it seemed longer. She had done really good work at the morgue. She had performed several UBRs. She had made friends. She was making a new life for herself.

Garrett had asked her, now that her year "probation" was up, if she was planning to stay or return to North Carolina. She had chuckled at him and said, "Stay, of course." To be honest she hadn't even thought of returning home.

And he had been relieved. In the past year, he had been out with her at least once every week. But they had never progressed passed the friendship stage. Except for an occasional kiss on the cheek or a quick peck on the lips, there had been little physical contact. And to his frustration, he knew as little about her personally has he did before she came. Asking Nigel to run a check was out of the question. He didn't want anyone knowing his feelings for the lady right now. He came close to calling Kathy Leland a couple of times, but didn't want to jeopardize the friendship between the two women. So he did what Mark told him to do...he just waited. But it was difficult. He had a new appreciation for Woody and his patience with Jordan. And he had told the young detective so one night at the Pogue while waiting on Lynn.

"How'd you do it for so long?" he questioned, "Wait for Jordan to come to you?"

Woody had looked over at Jordan, who was settling a man's tab at the register. The couple had come a long way in two years. A ring sparkled on Jordan's left hand. The wedding was set for the following July, on her mother's birthday. "Some things," he had answered, "are just worth waiting for. I learned not to push. As soon as I let Jordan come to me and let her set the pace of how quickly things moved and when she wanted me to know certain things, poof! The wall disappeared and well....you see where we are now. But it was hard. Especially when I knew how much I loved her and how much I had hurt her over that damned envelope incident."

Garrett nodded, listening intently. There was a wall between him and Lynn. She liked him, and he knew that. They respected each other personally and professionally. He knew she was divorced and that it had not been a good marriage. But he didn't know why... and was it her previous marriage that made her keep him at arm's length? He wished he would have asked Mark more when he was in Boston on his summer vacation. Garrett sighed. Time would tell....he was sure....he just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting. That last autopsy was a.....something," said Lynn, as she claimed the barstool next to Garrett.

"That's okay," Garrett said, gently hugging the woman. "Bug said it might get involved."

"It did. I need to ask Jordan....."

She was interrupted by the ringing of Garrett's cell phone.

"Macy," he said into the receiver. "Uh huh. She's with me. I'll tell her. We'll be there. I'll alert the rest of the staff." His face had blanched white.

"What is it, Garrett?"

"A school bus just went over the bridge in the bay."

This time it was Lynn's turn to go white. She felt like the floor was getting ready to swallow her. "They need me?" she questioned, weakly.

Garrett nodded. Noticing her paleness, he asked, "You up for it?"