Chapter 12: It's Only a Game

As Jack and Sue stood on their neighbors' porch, waiting for them to answer the door, Sue still felt very nervous. She knew there was no way Sam and Mary could tell she was wearing a wire, but it made her uneasy just the same. She was glad that at least she wasn't in this alone and that she had Jack by her side.

Jack gave her a smile of encouragement and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. Ready? he signed. She nodded but didn't have time to answer before the door opened, revealing the smiling faces of Sam and Mary.

"Hi! Come on in," Mary said, gesturing them inside. "We're really glad you could make it," she told them.

"Well, thanks for inviting us," Sue said, unbuttoning her coat. Jack's hands settled on her shoulders for a moment before he helped her slip out of her coat. It was starting to feel more ordinary, always having him so close, but it still caught her off guard at times. She just hoped that she was hiding it well. "What a nice home you have!" she exclaimed as she looked around.

The view from the entrance showed only a small piece of their home but from what she could see, it was well decorated and displayed many pieces of fine art. Sue had the fleeting thought that it was hard to believe this had once been home to two growing boys.

"Oh, thank you," Mary replied. "Sue, you look lovely tonight! I love that skirt."

Sue smiled modestly at the compliment. "Thank you," she answered, signing and speaking. Jack came up beside her and slipped his arm lightly around her waist. Her eyes met his for a brief moment, and she smiled at him. Forcing herself to relax and act natural, Sue put her hand over the one touching her waist, reminding herself that they would have to show some affection if they wanted to maintain the image of a happy couple.

"Well, dinner should be ready in about ten minutes; why don't we go sit down?" Mary said, leading the way into the dining room. She and Sam pointed out rooms along the way, giving them a mini-tour of the house.

Wow, Sue signed to Jack. He nodded at her. The house was very impressive and to Jack, it made them look even more guilty. People in this neighborhood were certainly well off but this was a bit much. Upon seeing their house, it was obvious they had money, and Jack had to wonder where that money came from. He certainly had his own strong suspicions.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" Sam asked as they walked into the dining room. Mary and I are going to have red wine but there's also some---"

"Red wine will be fine, thanks," Jack said quickly. He still had his arm around Sue, holding her close, and she looked over at him with a small frown after he'd spoken. Jack smiled at her, knowing she'd felt the vibrations of his voice. "Sorry. Red wine is okay, isn't it, honey?" Sue nodded.

"Wine would be great," she answered. Everyone sat down except Mary, who went to get the wine. While she was gone, Jack and Sam soon became embroiled in a discussion over which team was going to win the hockey game the following night. Sue chuckled as she watched each man cite the attributes of his favorite team and soon felt as though she was watching a game of Ping-Pong. She had her own opinions but decided it might be best to stay out of it this time. Jack seemed to be holding his own very nicely when it came to supporting their favorite team.

Sue felt a vibration on the table where she was resting her hand and looked over to see a glass of wine. Mary was standing next to her, shaking her head at the men. "More hockey talk?" she asked. She passed around the rest of the wine and sat down next to her husband.

"Not a fan?" Sue asked her.

"No. I watch as little of it as possible. You?"

"Sure, I like to watch…it's something Jack and I can do together," Sue said, noting an approving grin from both men. "You should go to a live game sometime, Mary. There's so much energy from the crowd; it's really different than just watching it on TV."

"Oh, maybe someday," Mary said, looking doubtful.

"Yeah, maybe if I bound and gagged her she'd go," Sam declared, earning a sharp look from his wife. "Sports aren't Mary's thing. She does like to shop, though," he offered, chuckling at her guilty smile.

"Don't worry Mary, Sue can relate to you on that one," Jack said with a grin.

"Well, at least I usually only shop the sale racks!" Sue protested, giving Jack a small glare. He put one of his hands over hers, giving her those puppy-dog eyes again.

"Sweetie, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm glad you have a vice. It's just an expensive one at times," he said with a laugh. Sue frowned at him, but her eyes were smiling. He heard a timer go off in the kitchen, and Mary stood up from the table.

"That was the roast," Mary said, motioning toward the kitchen.

Food is ready, Jack signed to Sue. She nodded.

"Do you need any help?" Sue asked Mary.

"No, thanks. Sam's going to help me out," Mary replied, glancing at her husband, who immediately rose to his feet.

"What can I say; I've got to earn my keep," he said cheerfully, following his wife out of the room. Jack and Sue smiled as they watched them leave. Jack continued to hold her hand, and Sue gave him a look of warning before gently pulling her hand away from his.

Be careful, she signed, her brown eyes serious.

Don't worry, he answered. I'm just acting like your husband until we get home. I promise. Sue nodded, smiling at the irony in his statement. You OK?

Yes. I was nervous before but I'm better now. In truth, her stomach was in knots, but it wasn't Sam and Mary who had caused those knots to form. Her thoughts kept drifting to life beyond this assignment and how potentially complicated things could get.

You're doing great. Just remember that I'm right here with you.

I'm glad, Sue answered. She saw Jack's eyes look at something behind her and turned to see Sam and Mary re-enter the room with the food.

"Oh, you two were using ASL; I thought it was rather quiet in here," Mary observed with a smile.

"It must nice to be able to communicate with each other that way," Sam commented. "Kind of like having your own language."

"Well, it is my language," Sue pointed out, doing her best not to sound defensive. "There are times I choose to use ASL instead of speaking, and I appreciate that the people close to me have taken the time to learn. I love spending time with friends and only using ASL--there's nothing else like it." Sam nodded distractedly as he took his seat, and Sue felt a wave of annoyance at him. Mary on the other hand, seemed genuinely interested.

"I'm still learning," Jack added. "I'm taking classes and of course Sue's teaching me new signs all the time. I know I've still got a lot to learn though."

"He's definitely getting there," Sue said, looking at Jack with admiration. What he'd said was the absolute truth and had nothing to do with their cover. While all of her co-workers were making an effort to learn signs, it was Lucy, Tara and Jack who had gone that extra step and started taking ASL classes. It wasn't something they had to do, since she could communicate without it, but it really showed her how much they cared and how open they were to learning more about deaf culture.

"Well, you've definitely got a great teacher," Mary declared. "I'd love it if you'd show me some signs sometime, Sue. I've always thought it would be a fun language to learn."

"I'd be happy to."

"Great!" Mary enthused.

"This looks amazing," Jack said, surveying the food in front of him.

"It does look amazing," Sue agreed. "Next time it's our turn to host dinner," she offered.

"Definitely. Sue's a great cook, too," Jack said, as he dished up his plate."

"You may appreciate her cooking now but believe me, you'll really appreciate it when that baby arrives, and she's too tired to cook every day." Sam told him. Mary laughed out loud but looked embarrassed by her husband's comment.

"That's how you remember it, huh?" Mary challenged her husband. Sue looked at Jack, not even bothering to observe Sam's response.

Chauvinist, she signed and then finger-spelled quickly. Jack managed to catch it though, and he grinned at her, nodding. He'd been kind of floored by Sam's comment and thought he'd been kidding at first but obviously he was serious.

"What did she say?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes and looking none too pleased at being left out.

"She just said that things will be very different when we have a baby," Jack replied, winking at Sue. "And she's right. I plan to be very hands-on."

"Oh, I was hands-on," Sam insisted, "I just used those hands to pass the boys over to Mary when it was time for a feeding or a diaper-change."

"My modern-minded husband," Mary said sarcastically. "It's true, he didn't change any diapers as long as I was around," she confirmed, sounding almost sad. "As the boys got older, he made up for it though. He was the one always shuttling them around from one sporting practice to the next. He never missed any of their games either."

"Don't worry, Honey," Jack said, after softly touching Sue on the shoulder to get her attention. "When our baby comes I'm going to change my share of poopy diapers," Jack assured her. Sue laughed at him. They were both having fun playing this game right now, and she didn't feel nervous anymore.

"I hope you don't live to regret those words," she retorted playfully.

The rest of dinner was quite pleasant; Mary and Sam talked about their sons, which led to Sue telling stories of what it was like to grow up with three older brothers and some of the trouble they used to get into.

She's a great storyteller, Jack thought to himself as he watched and listened with rapt attention. He could easily picture her as a mother, entertaining her kids with stories of their mischievous uncles. All of this talk of adopting a child was really making him wonder what it might be like to be a father one day. In his daydreams, the mother of his children always had the same face and blonde hair as the woman sitting next to him, talking animatedly. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her out of his head or out of his heart.

After everyone was finished eating, they moved into the living room. Sue's nervousness had completely disappeared as she sat down next to Jack on the couch. He draped his arm along the back of the couch behind her, and she moved slightly closer, so that she was snug against his side. He looked at her, fighting to keep the surprise off his face. She smiled sweetly at him, and Jack moved his arm lower, running his fingers through her hair.

Looking at his expression, it seemed like he was almost daring her to push his hand away. Sue didn't discourage his actions, just rolled her eyes at him. She quickly glanced at Sam and Mary to see if they'd witnessed her little exchange with Jack. Much to her relief, they were talking to each other and had taken no notice.

"I think you two will be glad to know that we've spoken with our friends at the agency," Sam told them.

"And?" Sue asked eagerly.

"They'd like to meet with you. They said you sound like perfect candidates." Jack squeezed Sue's shoulder, and they smiled at each other happily. Sam took a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Sue.

"Bundle of Joy Adoption Agency," she read aloud. Jack noticed the card was very plain with just the name of the agency in the center in bold, black lettering with a small graphic of a bundle-carrying stork just below it, and the name 'Jodie' in one corner.

"Is Jodie your friend's name?" Jack asked them, as Sue handed the card to him for closer inspection.

"Yes, that's Jodie," Mary confirmed. "She's in charge of interviewing prospective parents."

"No last name?" Jack asked. "Seems kind of odd for a business card," he said carefully. Sam and Mary glanced at each other quickly.

"It's for security purposes," Sam explained. "Things can get ugly when someone is turned down for an adoption."

"I understand," Jack replied with a nod. "Sorry, it's the lawyer side of me coming out. I like to have all the information before proceeding."

"No problem, Jack," Sam assured him.

"I'm sure that once you meet Jodie, she'll be able to answer all of your questions and put you right at ease," Mary added. "We told her all about you, and I doubt you'll have to wait very long to get things started."

"I don't want to get my hopes up," Sue said quietly. "After so much disappointment, I'm trying to prepare for the worst."

Jack touched her face to get her attention. "Don't think that way. I've got a good feeling about this, Sue." Sue managed a sad smile that was very convincing. It tugged at Jack's heart, in spite of the fact that he knew it wasn't real. He looked over at Sam and Mary who were watching sympathetically.

"We're not trying to give you false hope, Sue," Sam insisted. "We're just telling you what Jodie told us."

"Just give her a call and she says she'll fit you in as soon as possible," Mary said gently.

"Thanks, we really appreciate everything," Jack said. "We never imagined it would be so hard to have a family. We're ready to do almost anything to become parents."

"I think the folks at the agency will be able to help you out. It can be a bit expensive though," Sam warned.

"Money is no object," Jack insisted without hesitation. "We've already spent enough money on fertility treatments that didn't work; we're definitely willing to pay if it means we can adopt a baby."

Sue nodded tearfully. "I don't think I'll be able to relax until we actually sign adoption papers," she admitted. "We really do appreciate that you're trying to help us, though."

"It's our pleasure," Mary told her. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Sue. You're both young and healthy, with a very stable income. Plus, the fact that you have money is definitely one less obstacle to overcome."

"I feel bad for childless couples who don't have all of the options that we do. We're certainly going to take advantage of every option possible though," Jack said.

"Well, please let us know how your interview goes; we'll be eagerly awaiting your good news," Mary told them.

"If there's any good news, you'll be the first ones on our list---we're so grateful for your help," Sue said. She made eye contact with Jack, and he winked at her. She was doing a stellar job again; he was more than impressed.

Sam changed the subject then, and the couples chatted about various things. Unfortunately for Jack and Sue, the opportunity to subtly dig for more information on the agency didn't come up.

Jack's phone rang at one point, and it was Tara, telling him that all they'd been able to turn up on the agency so far was that they cover up any illegal doings very well. Sue looked questioningly at Jack and he finger-spelled T-A-R-A. She nodded at him, trying to appear casually disinterested at his answer.

"I'll do my best," Jack promised, glancing apologetically at Sam and Mary. "Look, now isn't a great time; can I call you back?" Sue watched him, wondering what Tara was telling him. "That was a client," he explained, when he'd hung up the phone. "He's one of those clients who seems to think I'm constantly at his beck and call."

"Do you get many of those?" Sam asked.

"Fortunately no," Jack answered. "I take enough paperwork home without having to field calls from clients too." Sam began telling them stories about some of his clients, who sometimes bothered him at home too.

Sue stifled a yawn and finally stopped following the conversation. It was boring her to tears and just wasn't worth her concentration anymore. Jack glanced at her, and then looked at his watch, noticing how late it was getting. Sue gave him a slight nod, and Jack realized it was probably pointless to stay any longer. At least for the moment, they weren't going to get any more information out of the Ryans. He was more than ready to escape and obviously Sue was, too. Jack sat back, politely nodding at Sam, and waited for an opening.