Chapter 18: Dangerous Territory
They'd been standing on Maura's porch for a few minutes, and there had been no response to the ringing of her doorbell. Jack looked at Sue, disappointment evident on his face. "I guess she's not home," Sue said with a shrug. "Should we leave a note on her door?" Jack shook his head.
"Maybe she just went for a walk. Her car's in the driveway so she can't be too far away," he reasoned.
"Well, we've got a very nice porch swing that we haven't put to use yet," Sue pointed out. "Maybe we should sit there and wait for her to come home."
"That's a good idea," Jack agreed a grin. "I can certainly think of more unpleasant ways to spend an afternoon." Sue smiled back at him and they left Maura's porch, heading for their own.
"Wait here, I'm going to go get us some iced tea," Sue told him. Jack nodded, settling down on the porch swing. Jack promised himself he'd remember this whenever he thought that his job was too difficult. Going undercover with Sue had to be one of the most pleasant assignments he'd ever had. His thoughts inevitably drifted to their lives beyond the case and he wondered if they could really have a future together or if it was just wishful thinking on his part.
Sue returned with their iced tea, handing him one and sitting down beside him. She let out a small sigh as she leaned back against the swing and Jack looked at her. You OK? he signed. She nodded, but Jack wasn't convinced. "What is it?" he asked her, leaning forward to eye her with concern.
"I'm just getting tired, Jack," she reassured him. "It's hard enough concentrating on lip-reading all day, and then add that to the fact that I'm spending half of my time pretending to be someone else. It's just getting to me," Sue admitted, but then quickly added, "I'm okay though," when she saw the concern remain on Jack's face.
"This case is really taking its toll, isn't it?" he asked sympathetically.
Sue nodded before taking a sip of her iced tea. "It's emotionally exhausting. I feel like my heart is breaking, thinking about the families who have lost their children, and thinking about couples who find themselves in the situation that we're only just pretending to be in."
"It definitely is heartbreaking," Jack agreed quietly, sitting back in the porch swing as he continued to watch Sue.
"I find myself wondering what I would do, if I were really in this situation," Sue said thoughtfully.
"I'm sure you'd do everything you could to have a child. If you didn't succeed then you'd probably look into adoption," Jack said, with the confidence of a friend who knew her well.
"Adoption isn't for everyone, Jack," Sue said pensively. "Just because I would want to adopt doesn't necessarily mean that my husband would be supportive of the idea. I actually have a friend who battled with infertility for years before she and her husband finally gave up. Unfortunately, he didn't want to adopt. The topic wasn't even up for discussion with him."
"That's very sad," Jack commented, shaking his head.
"It is sad," Sue agreed. "But everyone has their own feelings about adoption. He didn't want to raise someone else's child, whereas she just wanted a child to love."
"Are they still together?" Jack questioned.
"They are," Sue confirmed. "They love each other very much; they've just accepted the fact that they'll never have children."
"I know that I would be open to the idea of adoption. Just because a child isn't biologically mine doesn't mean I'm not the father," Jack stated simply.
"It's great that you feel that way," Sue said, smiling at him. "I agree with you, but not everyone does." They sat in silence for a few minutes, both looking out over the immaculately groomed front yard that they would call their own for only a short while longer.
"You want kids?" Jack asked suddenly, gently touching her arm. Sue looked at him thoughtfully.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Maybe someday, but most of the time I don't really think about it. This case has definitely made me imagine the possibilities more than I ever have, though. The idea of having a baby with someone I love is a very nice one." Sue's eyes met his and she blushed, looking down at her hands. "What about you?" Jack placed a hand on top of hers, and she looked at him again.
"Sure, someday I definitely want to be a husband and father. I don't want to be a bachelor forever," Jack told her, looking meaningfully into her eyes. Sue had the distinct feeling that they might be treading into dangerous territory and desperately searched her mind for something else they could talk about.
Jack reached over to gently caress her cheek, and Sue felt the now-familiar jolt of excitement in her belly in reaction to his touch. Any apprehension she had seemed to drift away when his fingers touched her cheek. He leaned in closer, and she bridged the short distance between them, softly brushing her lips against his. He saw a longing in her dark eyes when she pulled away from him, and he softly traced the outline of her jaw before pressing his lips against hers again, kissing her slowly and deeply. All of the tension they'd been holding in for the past few days was released as they kissed.
She shifted in his arms, and Jack heard the shattering of glass. Sue broke the kiss and looked down in embarrassment at the remains of her iced tea glass shattered on the floor of the porch. They both got off the swing, gingerly stepping over the broken glass.
"I'll go grab some towels, okay? And something to put the broken glass in," Jack told her gently. Sue nodded, irritated that she'd been so clumsy. Somehow while she'd been kissing him she must have forgotten about the iced tea she'd been holding in her lap. Sue knelt down on the floor and began carefully picking up the pieces of glass. I'm lucky I didn't get it all over me, she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt gentle vibrations shake the floor of the porch and was surprised that Jack had returned so quickly. She glanced up, her eyes meeting those of an unexpected visitor.
When Jack returned to the porch only minutes later, Sue was nowhere to be found. His heart stopped as his eyes rested on a few small droplets of blood on the floor of the porch. Panic set in as Jack dropped the container and towel he'd been carrying to reach for his cell phone.
Before he could start dialing, Jack heard the familiar sound of Sue's gentle laughter coming from nearby. Taking a deep breath he hastily turned off his phone and left the porch, following that wonderful sound.
"I'm sorry I startled you like that, Sue. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you," Jack heard Mary Ryan say. He breathed a sigh of relief when the two women came into view, standing next to Mary's car. Sue looked up at him sheepishly as he approached and he could see that she was holding a wad of tissues wrapped tightly around her right thumb.
"There you are," Jack said in relief. "I wondered where you'd wandered off to." He put his arm around her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before gently taking her hand in his to take a closer look at her injury. "You cut yourself?" he asked her with concern, and Sue nodded.
"I kind of surprised her while she was picking up the broken glass and she cut herself," Mary told him. "We came over here because I knew that I had some tissues in my car we could use to stop the bleeding."
"I'm not having the best afternoon, am I?" Sue said lightly, smiling at Jack. She had seen the look in his eyes when he'd first caught sight of her, and she felt bad for worrying him. "I guess I should stick to plastic cups from now on," she said with a laugh.
"That might be a good idea," Jack told her, still holding her hand gingerly. "So did you tell Mary about our meeting with Jodie?"
"No, she didn't!" Mary exclaimed. "And that was my reason for coming over in the first place. How did it go?" she asked enthusiastically.
"I think it went well," Sue answered, sharing a glance with Jack. "Jodie was very positive and said she'd let us know in a day or so."
"That's great. I'll be praying for you both," Mary told them.
"Thanks," Jack replied. "That means a lot."
"It really does," Sue agreed, staring intently into Jack's eyes for a moment before turning her gaze to the other woman. "Oh, by the way, I was wondering if you've seen Maura today?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Mary answered, shaking her head. "Why do you ask?"
"We rang her doorbell earlier to try and reach her, but there was no answer. Her car is still in the driveway though," Sue said worriedly.
"I wouldn't be concerned," Mary told them. "Her granddaughter often comes by and takes her out for the day. I'll check in with her later just to be sure, but I'll bet that's where she is," she said confidently. "Can I pass on a message for you?"
"No, thanks. We were just going to invite her over for dinner, but we can do it another time," Jack answered, looking at Sue's thumb again. "Sweetie we should go and wash this cut so it doesn't get infected."
"You're right," Sue told him, grimacing at the amount of blood that had seeped through the tissues. She turned to Mary as she gratefully said, "Thanks for the tissues."
"You're quite welcome, my dear," Mary replied, taking a peek at Sue's thumb. "I don't think it's serious enough to warrant stitches, but if it continues to bleed I'd have it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry." Jack and Sue both nodded at her advice. "See you both soon, I'm sure," Mary replied, before heading into her house.
"Jack, are you all right?" Sue asked him. "You look a little pale," she observed, as he gently tended to her cut. She'd told him she could do it, but he'd insisted, making her sit down on one of the kitchen chairs after they'd washed the cut in the sink.
"You scared me, Sue. I came back onto the porch and you were gone. Then I saw the blood…" Jack's voice trailed off and Sue reached up for a moment to touch the side of his face.
"I didn't think there was that much blood," Sue said gently, smiling up at him. She was touched by his concern.
"I guess after your run-in with that creep this morning, I'm a bit on edge. All I knew is that you were gone and there was blood. I jumped to the wrong conclusions," Jack said, doing his best to keep his expression neutral. He didn't want her to know how much the whole thing had really scared him.
"Well, don't worry about me. I'm okay," Sue assured him. Jack put some ointment on her cut and gently applied a small bandage.
"There, you're as good as new," he told her, patting her hand gently. Sue wanted desperately to pull him to her, to pick up where they'd left off when she'd broken her glass, but she held back. She watched silently as Jack went into the cupboard, grabbed a plastic cup and proceeded to fill it with iced tea from the pitcher in the fridge. He handed it to Sue with a sly grin. "I'm going to go and clean up the broken glass. Just be careful while I'm gone; don't get into any more trouble." Sue gave him a dirty look, but it quickly turned into a smile as his twinkling eyes met hers. "I'll be right back," he assured her.
As Jack left the kitchen, Levi padded by him, coming over to Sue for some attention. Sue stroked his furry head, wishing that he had been with her that morning at the agency. Levi had been given the morning off since his presence would have made it a lot more difficult to be inconspicuous. Sue thought back to her run-in with the creepy doctor and suddenly had an idea. Telling Levi to stay, she walked out onto the porch where Jack was just picking up the last of the broken glass. He looked up with a smile as she walked over to him.
"Hey, I was just thinking about Dr. Lee from the agency and I realized something," Sue told him excitedly.
"What is it?" Jack asked.
"At the time I was a little afraid and probably wasn't seeing things clearly. Thinking back now, I realize that his anger at finding me there practically vanished when he realized I was deaf," Sue explained, thoughtfully.
"So what are you thinking?" Jack asked curiously.
"The hallway I entered looked like part of a hospital. It's like I was in another building altogether. Dr. Lee said that it's where he examines the babies before they're adopted, but what if the babies who are kidnapped are actually taken right to the agency? Maybe that's where they hide them." Jack sat down on the porch swing, contemplating what Sue was telling him. She sat down beside him, watching him for a reaction.
"It's an interesting theory," Jack mused. "It could explain his odd behavior. He figured you had heard crying babies and were onto him, but when he found out you were deaf, he realized there was no reason to worry."
"Exactly!" Sue exclaimed. "I think we should go back. There must be an outside entrance and if there is, we'll find it. If there are babies there, you'll be able to hear them crying."
"I don't know," Jack said doubtfully, shaking his head. "It's pretty risky, Sue. Anyone who sees us there is going to recognize us and our cover would be blown." Sue sighed and bit her lip, deep in thought.
"I guess you're right. But there's got to be some way to find out what they're hiding in there," Sue said.
Jack looked at Sue, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept, and smiled softly. Well aware that Mary might be watching them, they had taken a walk around the block with Levi before ringing Maura's doorbell once again. The last thing they wanted was to arouse suspicion by appearing overly eager to speak with the elderly woman. When there was again no response, they'd taped a note to her door, asking her to give them a call so they could invite her for dinner sometime soon.
Once they got home, they'd sat side-by-side on the couch and made a phone call to the office. They'd had a small conference call with the rest of the team to discuss what their next move should be. Everyone had agreed that Jack and Sue showing up at the agency unannounced wouldn't work, and also ruled out anyone else from the team going in to investigate, since they wouldn't let just anyone through the door. They would have to wait for Jack and Sue's next appointment with Jodie before going back to the agency--assuming they got another appointment. In the meantime, they would go forward with Tara's undercover assignment as an expectant mother. A house would be set up and she would begin a communication with Mary Ryan the very next day. They had surveillance on all of the suspects in the case but so far there had been no suspicious behavior. If the Ryans or Jodie were indeed involved, they were hiding it well.
When it was all settled and they'd ended the call, Sue suggested they just relax for awhile and watch a movie. About ten minutes into it, however, her head had slipped down, coming to rest gently on his shoulder. Jack looked down at her, thinking that he'd never seen anything more beautiful than the way Sue looked right at that moment. She looked so peaceful and serene; strong feelings of admiration, protectiveness and love overwhelmed Jack. He reached over to brush a lock of hair off her face and let his hand remain there for a moment, feeling the softness of her skin. Across the room, the cordless phone began to ring. Jack gently eased Sue down so that she was lying on the couch and went to get the phone.
Sue opened her eyes slowly and saw Jack standing with his back to her, talking on the phone. Fighting the urge to close her eyes again, Sue sat up on the couch, stifling a yawn. Jack put the phone down and turned around, smiling when he saw she was awake. "Hey, sorry if I woke you," he said, coming to sit down next to her again. "I hated to disturb you, but I had to answer it," he said with a smile.
"No, it's okay. Who was it?" Sue asked sleepily.
"It was none other than Mary Ryan, inviting us over for a nightcap this evening," Jack replied.
Sue gave him a confused look. "Really? I wonder why she would do that?" she asked.
"She says they're eager to hear more details about our interview and that they'd love to have us over for a visit," Jack told her with a shrug.
"Well, I guess we can't pass up another opportunity to dig for information," Sue pointed out.
"No, not really," Jack agreed. "Oh, and she also told me that she's spoken to Maura and that she's at her granddaughter's house for a couple of days. She told me so that we wouldn't worry about her."
"Well, it's good to know she's okay," Sue said thoughtfully, wondering if that was really the truth.
"I told Mary we'd be over in a couple of hours. That gives us enough time to have some dinner. What do you feel like tonight?" Jack asked her. Sue let out a soft yet audible sigh.
"I'm honestly not hungry right now," she told Jack. "I think I'm just going to go lie down for awhile."
Jack placed a hand on her back: the soft movements of his fingers giving her gentle comfort. "Everything okay?" he asked in concern.
"I'm fine, really. I think I just need a little nap," Sue replied evenly. Jack looked at her doubtfully. "Why don't you come and wake me about half an hour before we've got to leave?" she suggested. "Maybe I'll be hungry by then."
No problem, Jack signed. Have a good rest. Sue smiled at him and got off the couch, heading for her bedroom. Jack got the distinct feeling that something was bothering her. It wasn't like Sue to have an afternoon nap, yet she acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. Telling himself not to make a mountain out of a molehill, Jack headed for the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner.