Chapter 22: All in Good Time

When Lucy, Sue and Levi entered the house, they found Bobby and Jack in the living room. "Here come the sheilas now," Bobby commented with a grin. "Jack's been getting a little antsy waiting for you," he informed Sue. Jack's eyes lit up with a smile as they walked into the room, but he looked as exhausted as Sue felt. Knowing that it would only cause a stir, she fought the urge to go and wrap her arms around him. She smiled back at Jack, who ignored Bobby, refusing to egg him on.

Lucy laughed at Jack and Sue's reactions to Bobby's comment. "You're incorrigible," she told him.

"Why, thank you, Lucy," Bobby replied, still chuckling.

"Sorry we're so late," Sue said. "We had some catching up to do," she added with a glance in Lucy's direction. "How's your headache?" she asked Jack.

"I'm hanging in there," he answered with a weak smile. Sue took a seat next to him on the couch, while Lucy sat down across from them on the loveseat. Bobby was next to her in an armchair, the grin on his face fading as he witnessed his friend's obvious discomfort.

"We actually just got off the phone with Myles," Bobby told the women. "He was filling us in on what they found out about the kidnapping ring."

"And?" Lucy said impatiently.

"Well, as with most scams like this, money was the main motivation for most of the key players," Bobby replied.

"Most of them?" Sue questioned him. Jack touched her hand for a moment to get her attention.

"While Jodie, Dr. Lee, and even Sam were in it for the money, it appears that for Mary it was more personal," Jack explained. "She came from a family of five children, all of whom were abused and neglected. In some twisted way, she seems to believe that she was helping those babies escape a childhood like the one she had to endure."

"That certainly is twisted," Sue agreed softly, feeling sad for what Mary had been through, but also feeling anger toward her for her part in the kidnappings. "Why didn't any of this information turn up when we ran a background check on her?" she asked, looking from Jack to Bobby.

"Simple," Bobby answered. "When we did the background check on Mary, it revealed her maiden name to be Mary Bailey. Her real name was actually Marianna Bruce. She ran away from home when she was seventeen years old, right after high-school graduation, and started over with a new identity."

"How did a runaway manage to start over and eventually become a nurse?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Mary is nothing if not smart. She's also very resourceful. She'd managed to save some money from an after school job, and used it to get an apartment, as well as a whole new identity," Jack replied. "Not legally of course," he added. "Then she met Sam, got married and they became your all-American couple." There was more than a hint of sarcasm in Jack's last statement.

"How did they get involved with the kidnappings?" Sue asked curiously.

"Well for them it started when they lived on the West Coast," Bobby answered. "Mary was working as a student nurse and met a family with six children. To make a long story short, this family was in pretty dire straits and, before leaving Oregon for D.C., Mary and Sam Ryan took off with their two youngest children. They got away with it too--until now, that is."

"Whoa," Lucy breathed. "I guess Maura's story did have some truth to it then. So, they actually admitted to kidnapping the boys?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, they didn't volunteer the information," Jack replied. "Maura woke up about an hour ago, and she gave a statement, telling everything she knew about the Ryans and the adoption of their sons."

"Thank God Maura's okay," Sue said with relief. "What did she say?"

"Apparently she and Mary have become quite close over the years, and Mary had confided that her children were adopted. It certainly wasn't common knowledge, but it wasn't until recently that Mary had become touchy when the subject of her sons' adoptions came up," Bobby said.

"I wonder why?" Sue asked thoughtfully.

"It might have something to do with the fact that Mary's involvement in the kidnapping scam was starting to spill over into her personal life," Jack told her. "We already knew that most of the victims of the kidnappings were either people she'd met while working in the hospital or at the soup kitchen. It turns out that the latest victim, Annie, just happens to be Maura's great-granddaughter," he revealed.

Sue looked at Jack in surprise. "That's about the last thing I expected you to say," she told him. "When did you find out about that?"

"Bobby told me on the way over here; I was pretty surprised too," Jack told her. "Anyhow, since Mary already suspected that you and I were up to something, she must have gotten really spooked when she saw Maura speaking with me the other night. She probably figured that if we found out that her boys were adopted, we might put two and two together."

"Maybe the stress of keeping the whole thing covered up was getting to her?" Bobby wondered aloud. "Maura said that lately Mary would snap at the drop of a hat, flying into a rage over the littlest things. Maura's hubby passed away last year, and she's been spending more and more time with her neighbors. These past few weeks, Mary's erratic behavior had begun to make Maura very nervous. She never knew what was going to set the woman off."

"When D and Myles confronted Mary with what Maura had revealed, she caved, confessing everything. Myles told us that she's quite a mess right now," Jack said.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Since Mary's family was poor while she was growing up, and she and her siblings were abused and neglected, she felt that it was her duty to 'rescue' children from large families so that what happened to her didn't happen to them?" Lucy said in disbelief. "But the others were in it just for the money?"

"Yup," Bobby confirmed. "And Sam pretty much did his wife's bidding. I'm fairly sure that getting a cut of the money from the illegal adoptions was an added incentive, as well."

"No doubt," Jack agreed. "And the doctor was recruited by Mary, who had some incriminating information on him, regarding the alleged abuse of one of his patients." Sue grimaced at the mention of the doctor. Lucy had already filled her in on the new information they'd discovered about Dr. Lee, and the thought of him sickened her even more than before, if that was possible. Seeing the look on her face, Jack touched her hand again, and this time he didn't let go. The action didn't go unnoticed by Lucy and Bobby, who exchanged a glance. "Since the doctor is obviously a man of questionable morals, he was apparently more than willing to go along with the plans, with or without blackmail," Jack added.

"It turns out that the brains behind the whole operation was Jodie. She was smart enough to set it all up, but dumb enough to believe that she wouldn't get caught," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"She was certainly no match for the Hudsons," Lucy declared with a grin. "None of them were."

"Amen to that," Bobby agreed.

"Hey, Bobby, did you find out the names of the other people involved? The ones who worked at the agency?" Jack asked suddenly.

"I did, but I can't remember them off the top of my head," Bobby answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if Ronna was one of them," Jack replied. Sue raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "She just seemed so genuine; it would be nice to know that at least one person wasn't a phony. She was the only other person we met at the agency," he explained hastily.

"No, Ronna wasn't involved," Bobby answered, grinning at his friends.

"Well, great," Sue declared sarcastically. "Maybe you should give her a call tomorrow, to offer your support?" she suggested, turning to Jack. He squeezed her hand, smiling weakly at her.

"That won't be necessary," Jack told her. Sue frowned at him, but Jack could tell that she was just playing with him. "I was just curious," he insisted innocently, and she smiled despite her best efforts.

"I think that's our cue to go," Lucy said, standing up and looking at Bobby expectantly.

"You're right Luce. We wouldn't want to interrupt a lover's quarrel," Bobby agreed, joining Lucy.

"Go on," Jack told him wit h a small grin. "Get outta here."

Sue looked at Bobby in time to see him laughing and wondered what the joke was. "What did he say?" she asked Jack. "I didn't catch it."

"Honestly, you probably don't want to know," Jack replied.

"I think I'll take your word for it," she agreed, eyeing Bobby suspiciously.

"Goodnight, you two," he told them. "I'm very glad you both made it out okay," he added, his face taking on a more serious expression.

"That's an understatement," Lucy said fervently. Sue got up to give her friends a hug, and Jack moved to stand, too, wincing as the pounding in his head increased.

"Whoa, Sparky," Bobby said, noticing the look of pain on his friend's face. Jack sat back down, and Sue and Lucy turned, both looking concerned to see him holding his head in his hands. "Just take it easy. I guess it might be time to take more painkillers," the Aussie suggested. Jack nodded and winced again.

Sue put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with worry in her dark eyes. "Tell me where the pills are and I'll get them while I'm showing Lucy and Bobby out," she told him.

"They're on the kitchen counter," Jack replied, sinking back onto the couch with his eyes closed against the pain in his head.

Sue nodded. "Okay. Don't move; I'll be right back," she ordered.

Jack opened his eyes and smiled feebly. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he assured her.

"Feel better, Jack," Lucy said sympathetically, patting him gently on the shoulder.

"Try and get some rest," Bobby told him, his usual mischievous grin absent as he waved goodbye to his friend.

"I'll be fine, guys," Jack insisted. "It'll take more than a bump on the head to finish me off," he said with a small laugh. Sue followed Lucy and Bobby out of the room, casting a worried glance over her shoulder, and Jack sighed, stretching out on the couch. With difficulty he managed to get comfortable without aggravating the tender lump on his head. Closing his eyes, he waited for Sue to return with his medicine.

Sue walked back into the room with Jack's medicine in one hand and a glass of water in the other. She smiled softly as she saw him stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed. It was a relief to know that the pain in his head wasn't intense enough to hinder his sleep. Setting the medicine and water on the table, she carefully sat down on the edge of the couch. Reaching over to gently brush her hand against the side of his face, she was startled when Jack suddenly opened his eyes and reached out to grasp her hand with his own.

Jack smiled up at her, matching the loving gaze he saw reflected back at him. "I thought you were asleep," she told him in a surprised tone.

"Almost," Jack admitted, "but I felt you sit down beside me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sue said apologetically. "Well, at least you can take your medicine now," she pointed out. Jack sat up a little so that he could take a sip of water to wash down the pills, and Sue put the glass back on the table. "How are you doing?" she asked sympathetically.

"Right now I'm doing pretty good," Jack answered, gazing into her eyes.

"I'm glad," Sue said, somewhat flustered by the look in his eyes. "I'll go and let you get some rest," she told him. She was about to get up when he took her hand, his brown eyes begging her to stay.

"Don't go," he implored her.

"You need to get some sleep, Jack," she insisted firmly, smiling back at him.

"I know, but if I were asleep, I wouldn't be able to do this," he said with a playful grin. Still holding her hand, he gently pulled her to him, kissing her firmly on the lips. He felt her stiffen for a brief moment, and then she relaxed in his embrace, giving herself over to the kiss. They kissed for what seemed like forever to Jack, yet at the same time, it was much too soon for him when she finally pulled away.

As much as she didn't want to, Sue had to end it when she did. With everything that had happened to them since that morning, she was certain that neither of them were thinking clearly right now. She leaned her head against his chest for a moment, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat.

When she looked up at him, her eyes were filled with tears. "What is it?" Jack asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Sue smiled happily at him, and shook her head slightly. "Nothing's wrong. It all feels very right. It's just been a very long, very strange day, and I think we need to get some rest before we deal with…this, with everything that's happened," she explained softly.

"I agree, it's been quite a day," Jack told her. "But haven't we been putting this off long enough? We need to talk."

"That's not exactly what we were doing just now, Jack," Sue pointed out with a chuckle.

"I know," Jack said. "But I've been wanting to kiss you ever since you and Lucy walked in the room," he told her, his eyes gazing intently into her own.

Sue blushed and looked down briefly before meeting his eyes again. "Well I'm certainly not complaining," she assured him. "But I think that for tonight, at least, we need to take a breather and just get some rest."

Jack was poised to argue, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes and knew that she was right. They both needed to sleep on it, literally. "Okay. But tomorrow, we're going to have a nice long talk," he told her.

"That's a deal," Sue agreed, grinning at him. "So, I know you were almost asleep when I came in, but wouldn't you rather sleep in your bed? I think you'll be more comfortable there."

"Yeah, as much as my head pounds when I stand up, I should probably move into the bedroom," Jack agreed. He slowly got off the couch and took the hand that Sue offered him.

"You're going to owe Levi some of his favorite dog biscuits by the time this night is over," Sue informed him as they walked to his room.

"Why is that?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, I need to check on you every few hours to make sure that you don't have any unusual symptoms," Sue explained. "So I'll be setting the alarm clock, and Levi will have to wake me up. Then I'll be coming in to wake you up."

Jack grinned at her, and they stopped at the doorway of his bedroom. "As tired as I am, I don't think I'm going to mind that one bit," he told her with a wink. Sue nodded and smiled knowingly at him. "I'll leave the lamp on by the bed so that you'll be able to see when you come in," he added.

"Okay. Sleep well, and I'll see you in a few hours," Sue promised, leaning over to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. Before she could turn to leave, Jack slid an arm around her waist and kissed her again. This kiss was much longer, and when it was over he pulled her into a hug.

"I hope you get some sleep tonight, too," he told her once they'd parted, and then looked at her thoughtfully. "So, dog biscuits for Levi, huh?" he asked. Sue nodded. "I'll have to think of a way to repay you for tonight," he told her.

Sue shook her head. "Just the fact that you're alive and well will be thanks enough for me," she insisted.

"I'll think of something," Jack said with certainty. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it, causing her to shiver slightly. If Jack noticed, he didn't let on. "See you in a few hours," he said, releasing her hand. Sue nodded and watched him walk into his room, closing the door behind him. She couldn't help but wonder what Jack had in mind, but she had no doubt that she would find out, all in good time.

Sue forced her eyes open as she felt Levi jump up onto the bed. He gently pawed her arm until she sat up, rubbing her burning eyes. Sleep had come very quickly, and she was not eager to abandon it. The day's events came tumbling into her consciousness along with all of the feelings that went with them. The love she'd felt for Jack in the basement, when they'd both thought they were going to die. The relief she'd felt when Bobby had come down the basement stairs. And later on, the comfort and safety she'd felt in Jack's arms. Sue knew that if she lay there thinking about it much longer, she was liable to fall right back to sleep. She reset the alarm clock so that it would go off again in a little over two hours and dragged herself out of bed, shivering as she traded the warm covers of her bed for the cool air of the bedroom. Putting on a robe over her thin pajamas, Sue walked into Jack's room, Levi at her heels.

True to his word, he'd turned on the small lamp beside his bed, and in the dim light, she could see him curled up on his side, sound asleep. She crept up to his bed and leaned over him, rubbing his shoulder. "Jack," she said gently. "It's time to wake up." He rolled over onto his back and yawned, but didn't open his eyes. "Jack," she repeated. "Wake up, or I'll have to sic Levi on you." His lips curved into a smile, and he opened his eyes slowly.

"You're a cruel woman," he told her, yawning again.

"I do what I have to," Sue informed him, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Pretty tired, and you?" Jack told her, causing her to frown at him. "I'm okay," he reassured her. "My head still hurts, but not as much as before."

"Good. I need to check your eyes, Jack, to make sure your pupils are normal. Can you move over so that you're closer the light?" Sue asked him. Jack obliged, and she stared into his eyes for a moment. Suddenly she realized he was staring back at her with an intensity she'd seen before, and she felt her cheeks go warm. She also realized how close together they were on the bed and quickly stood up, breaking eye contact as she did. "Well, your eyes look fine," she said hastily.

"And yours look beautiful," Jack replied.

"Thanks," she said shyly, shaking her head. "Jack…just get some more sleep, okay? I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Okay," Jack said, but Sue had already turned to leave the room. Levi looked up at him and whined, then followed Sue out the door. Jack grinned to himself as he thought of the way she'd looked just now, sitting next to him looking into his eyes. He'd loved her shy and slightly flustered reaction to his compliment. There were times he was sure that she was unaware of how beautiful she really was, and that was part of what attracted him to her. He certainly planned on telling her exactly how he felt about her over the next few days, if he could just figure out the right way to do it.