Chapter 7

Michelle awoke the next morning feeling tired, almost hung over. She had read Tony's letter more times than she could count and finally fell asleep with the bedroom light on and the letter in her hand. She got in the shower and let cool water pour over her face hoping to take the puffiness away. It was going to be a long day. She was happy that she had agreed to help Jack baby-sit; at least it gave her something to do tonight.

The day dragged by at CTU. She called Jack and told him to expect her around 6pm and found herself checking her watch five or six times an hour. The hands on the clock finally arrived at 5 o'clock and she packed up to go. As she walked to her car, she realized that she couldn't remember the last time she had left CTU in the daylight. It felt good, almost liberating.

The ride to Kim and Chase's house was slow at rush hour. Although it was probably only a 20 mile ride, the traffic made it an hour trip. Michelle fussed with the radio station and checked the time on the clock and despite moving at a snail's pace, she found herself smiling at the thought of spending the evening with Jack and Angela.

Jack was playing on the floor with Angela when the doorbell rang. Angela wriggled out of Jack's arms and ran toward the door.

"Grandpa, it's Aunt Chelle! It's Aunt Chelle!" she squealed.

"I know," he said as he got up and followed her to the door. "Hang on, kiddo. I've got to unlock the door."

Three and a half year old Angela was already hanging on the doorknob by the time Jack got to the door. Jack unlocked and opened the door and Angela flew into Michelle's arms.

"Hey, Munchkin!" Michelle said as she caught the little girl. "I haven't seen you in a while. You've gotten so big!"

"Grandpa says you came over to play with us," Angela told her.

Michelle smiled at Jack. "That's what I'm here for," Michelle replied. "What are we going to play?"

Angela took Michelle's hand and headed for to the family room. At the same time she began to detail her plans for the evening including the fact that Jack had promised to get pizza for dinner. Michelle nodded her head in amusement and agreed with the toddler as they walked.

Kim and Chase came into the family room all dressed and ready for their night in the city. Kim started talking to Michelle, but Chase interrupted.

"Honey, we've got to go. We're going to be late for our dinner reservation," he said.

"Oh, I didn't realize how late it was!" Kim said as she looked at her watch. "Daddy, thank you for watching Angela," she said as she kissed him. "You better keep a close eye on Dad and Angela, Michelle. They make a lot of mischief together."

Michelle laughed and said she would do her best as Kim and Chase walked out the door.

Once in the car, Chase looked at Kim and smiled. "So, Michelle is helping your Dad watch Angela?" he said laughing.

Kim laughed, too. "He told me this afternoon. He said Michelle didn't have plans so she was coming over to help him."

"Have either of them figured out that they're in love?"

"They're clueless, Chase! I'm not sure why. It's so obvious to the rest of us and they still don't get it."

"Well, if they're lucky, they'll figure it out tonight."

"If that's the case, I guess we better not come home early or we might catch them in a compromising position!" Kim said. They both laughed as they drove off.

Both Jack and Michelle found themselves having fun as they played with Angela and ate pizza. After dinner Angela wanted to watch a movie so Jack made a deal with her.

"Okay, Pumpkin, I'll give you a bath and then we'll watch a movie. When the movie is over, you get two stories and then you go to bed." Angela agreed to the deal as long as the movie included a snack.

"She's three and she negotiates like a defense attorney!" Jack whispered to Michelle as he carried Angela to the bathroom.

Michelle got the snack together and put the movie in the DVD player while Jack gave Angela a bath. The two emerged from the bathroom a half hour later. Michelle took one look at them and began laughing uncontrollably.

"Who took a bath?" she asked. Angela was dressed in pajamas, her freshly washed hair neatly combed. Jack, on the other hand, looked like he had just been pulled from a swimming pool. His hair was partially wet and standing straight up. His shirt was all wet down the left side and his jeans had large wet spots on them. He had taken his shoes and socks off and was walking in his bare feet. "Is there any damage in the bathroom?" she asked only half joking.

"It's a little wet," he said sheepishly.

"Why don't you go put on some dry clothes? Angela and I will clean up the bathroom. Then we can all watch the movie."

Jack handed Angela over to Michelle with a smile. Angela and Michelle returned to the family room first and had settled in on the sofa to watch the movie when Jack came back.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked as if he was really interested in "The Little Mermaid."

"No, it just started," Michelle answered. "Sit down and watch."

Jack grabbed a handful of pretzels and the beer that Michelle put out for him and sat on a nearby chair.

"No, Grandpa!" Angela exclaimed. "You have to sit over here with us. When I watch a movie with Mommy and Daddy, we all sit on the sofa."

"I'm sorry, I'll move over there," Jack said as he sat on the sofa. "Is that better?"

"Yes," Angela said as she cuddled up on his lap, "but Daddy does this." She took Jack's arm and put it over Michelle's shoulders. "Now you need to move over a little, Aunt Chelle."

Michelle smiled as she scooted over closer to Jack. "Am I in the right spot?"

"That's it!" Angela said happily.

The movie ended and Jack and Michelle each read Angela a story. She finally brushed her teeth and they tucked her into bed. Jack was giving her one last drink of water and a final goodnight kiss. "Grandpa," Angela said, "I had fun tonight. Can you and Aunt Chelle baby-sit again sometime?"

"I'll have to talk to Aunt Chelle about that. Check with me in the morning."

Jack turned on the nightlight and left the room. Michelle was straightening up the family room and putting dishes in the dishwasher.

"I think she might be down for the night," Jack said with a smile. "Do you have to go right now or would you like a glass of wine?"

"Wine would be great. I'm not in any real hurry to get home to an empty house."

Jack opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. Michelle sat back down on the sofa in the same spot where she sat to watch the movie. Jack thought about sitting down next to her. He liked being close to her. He wasn't sure what it was, but he liked the warmth. At first he thought that he just missed Audrey, but this was different. This wasn't the same feeling that he got when he was with Audrey. He wasn't sure what stopped him, but he suddenly decided that it would be better if he sat in the chair he had chosen earlier.

Michelle watched Jack anxiously as he sat down in the chair. She mentally breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that he was going to sit on the sofa next to her. Well, part of her was afraid. The other part wished that he would. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the feeling. Jack was a good friend, probably her best friend, and nothing more. But the way they were sitting earlier, so close together on the sofa, was nice. It felt good. Jack's body was warm, so noticeably warm that she found herself feeling flushed. She knew at times that he was looking at her. Once or twice she looked back and smiled but the other times she simply feigned interest in the movie and continued to watch the television screen.

Now they sat a few feet apart and were enveloped by an awkward silence.

"Angela's a wonderful child," Michelle finally said breaking the silence. "Kim and Chase are doing a great job raising her. You must be proud of them."

Jack nodded. He was grateful for something to talk about. "Kim didn't get her child rearing skills from me, that's for sure. But you're right, they're doing a marvelous job and with no help from Angela's mother."

"Does she ever come by to see Angela?"

"No, Chase had a lawyer contact her a couple of months ago. She's giving up all custody of Angela. Kim is in the process of adopting her."

"That's wonderful for Angela. But I don't understand how her mother could possibly abandon her. She's such a joy. I'd love to have a beautiful, healthy child like Angela and that woman just up and abandons her." Michelle shook her head. "I don't understand it."

Jack shrugged, "Me either. She's precious. I adore her." He finished his wine and picked up the bottle to refill it. "More?" he asked Michelle.

"No, I have to drive home, but help yourself. You just have to make it safely upstairs," she said with a smile.

They sat in awkward silence again for a few minutes when Michelle finally made a big deal of looking at her watch and acting surprised at how late it was. "I really have to go," she said. "This is going to sound crazy, Jack, but I had a great time tonight."

"I'm glad you did. Angela did, too. She wants us to baby-sit again sometime."

"I'd love to. I'm sure we'll be in touch," she said knowing full well that they never went more than a few days without a phone call or an email. "Let me know when you'll be in LA again and we'll plan on it."

"I'll be back in a few weeks when the baby is born. Maybe we can do it then. I'm sure Kim and Chase would appreciate the help."

"Good, I'll plan to see you then," she said as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Have a good trip back to D.C." They hugged gently and Jack watched Michelle walk to her car. He continued to watch as she drove down the street until her taillights were no longer visible from his vantage point.

Three weeks later, Jack was back in Washington taking his early morning run in the park when his phone rang. It was barely daylight and his watch said 5:40am. Calls at this hour tended to be bad, but Jack was expecting, praying for this one to be good. He stopped running and took the phone from the holder that he had clipped to the waistband of his running shorts.

"Daddy," said the happy voice on the other end. "Congratulations, you have a grandson!"

"A boy! It's a boy? Is he alright? Are you alright?" Even without answers he knew that everything was fine. Kim's happy voice told him all he needed to know.

"We're both fine. Chase is holding him right now. He's beautiful, Dad."

"He looks like you, Jack," Chase said loudly enough for Jack to hear.

"Tell Chase that I'm sorry," Jack laughed in return. "How big is he? When was he born?"

Kim gave Jack all of the details as he walked leisurely back to his house. He didn't need to finish running this morning. He was on such an adrenaline high that he didn't need the endorphins produced by running to get him ready for the day.

"We've been pretty busy at work this week, but I should be able to get to LA this weekend. I can't wait to see him. I love you, Sweetheart," Jack told her. The smile on his face was so big he felt like the Cheshire Cat but he suddenly felt it fade a bit. He felt tears welling in his eyes and his voice cracked. "You're Mom would be so happy right now. Somewhere, Honey, she's watching you and smiling. That little guy has got a special guardian angel watching him. You know that don't you?"

"Oh, Daddy, I wish she could be here. I need her so much right now."

"Me, too, Baby. I'll see you soon." Jack wiped away tears as he took out his key and opened the front door of his Georgetown brownstone.

Jack arranged to fly into LA on the first flight he could get Saturday morning. He called Michelle and asked her to pick him up at the airport. She was happy to do it. He spent the rest of the week trying to focus on his work with little success. It seemed like every few minutes his mind would wander to Kim and his new grandson, Jacob. Chase had emailed pictures and every time Jack sat down to use his computer, he pulled the pictures up to look at them again. He found himself just staring at them trying to take in the miracle of it all. His heart was filled with love for this baby that he hadn't even met.

One picture seemed to draw his attention more than the others. Michelle had stopped by the hospital to visit and Chase took a picture of her sitting next to Kim and holding Jacob. Jack looked at the picture again and again and at some point realized that it wasn't the baby or Kim that he was looking at. He was looking at Michelle. He was looking at how her hair cascaded over her shoulders. He was looking at the soft curve of her face as she smiled at the camera. He noticed how the light glinted off of her eyes. It suddenly struck him how really beautiful she was. Of course he knew that she was beautiful. He had known her for years and a man would have to be dead not to notice her good looks and attractive figure. But for almost as long as he had known her, she had belonged to someone else. Soon after he first met her she started dating Tony and a year later, they married. He had never really looked at her as a woman before.

Michelle sat in her office at CTU feeling as distracted as Jack. She was staring at her calendar; counting the days until Saturday. For once she found herself looking forward to the upcoming weekend. That was unusual. She usually dreaded weekends. During the week she could bury herself in work, but weekends were long and quiet and boring and she had come to hate them. She never looked forward to the weekend any more. Not like she did when she and Tony were together. Back then weekends were special. It was their time to sleep in and relax or go to the beach or play some tennis or do whatever they pleased. Weekends were wonderful with Tony.

She wasn't sure why she was so excited about this weekend. She wasn't doing anything special. Saturday afternoon she would pick Jack up at the airport and take him to Kim's house. He hadn't asked her, but she was going to offer to take him back to the airport on Sunday night. What was so special about that? Why was seeing Jack so important to her? He wasn't coming to LA to see her. He was coming to see his new grandson. She probably wouldn't spend any real time with him, other than the time they were in the car together yet somehow the thought of just being with Jack for that little bit of time made her happy.

She had noticed a change in herself lately. Whenever the phone rang, she looked at the caller ID expectantly hoping that it was Jack. When she got on her computer, she immediately checked her email to see if he had sent any messages. Calls and emails from Jack gave her a fluttery feeling that she couldn't explain. At the same time, she was also a little concerned about her feelings for Jack. He was a good friend and he had been there for her whenever she needed him. She had been careful not to become too dependent on him. Now she was beginning to worry that she was becoming too attached. Jack had moved on to a life 3000 miles away. He left his old life behind for a lot of reasons. Michelle reminded herself that she was part of his old life; the part he was trying to forget. If she got too attached, she was just going to get hurt. She wasn't part of his new life. She needed to keep it all in perspective; she could care about Jack, but she couldn't let herself fall in love with him.

Saturday afternoon Michelle strolled along the airport concourse waiting for Jack's plant to arrive. She had checked the flight status twice before leaving home and knew that his flight was scheduled to land on time, but she got to the airport a half hour early just in case. Now she was stuck waiting. Oh well, there were lots of nice shops to browse so she could easily kill the time.

One of the first shops she found was a tobacconist's store. She inhaled deeply as she neared the shop, enjoying the smell of fine tobacco. Tony occasionally smoked a good cigar out on their patio on a cool evening. If she closed her eyes she could still see him there. The image faded quickly. Recently she found that her memories of Tony, although still clear as a bell, didn't haunt her the way they had in the past. She remembered him lovingly but memories seemed to be shorter, less poignant. As she inhaled the fragrance of the tobacco, her thoughts of Tony were replaced by ones of Jack. She decided that since he was a new grandfather, he needed a congratulatory cigar. The shopkeeper helped her with her selection and placed it in a thin, metal tube tied with a blue ribbon. She slipped her purchase into her purse and left the shop. A quick glance at the arrivals monitor told her that Jack's plane had just landed.

Michelle set off find a spot where she would have a good view of the arriving passengers. Her heart seemed to be pounding at breakneck speed and she wasn't sure why. I have to stop feeling this way, she told herself. She took some deep breaths and tried to get control of her emotions. She spotted Jack in the crowd and called his name. Jack was not someone given to big smiles, but as he looked up, he gave her a bright smile. He worked his way out of the crowd of passengers to get to Michelle. As he reached her, he hugged her tightly and hissed her cheek.

"How was your flight?" Michelle asked him.

"Long and boring and the food sucked. Let's go get some lunch," Jack suggested.

"You're here to see your grandson, not get lunch with me," Michelle reminded him.

"Jacob's not going anywhere. I'm starved and you did me a huge favor by picking me up so I didn't have to go through all the bother of renting a car. The least I can do is take you to lunch. Have you eaten yet?"

"Actually, I haven't. I'd love some lunch."

"Good, how about Travis' on the water? I love that place. It's on the way to Chase and Kim's house."

"Sounds wonderful," Michelle replied.

The outdoor café that Jack had chosen was perfect and lunch was delicious. Michelle waited until dessert to present Jack with the cigar she bought him. He closed his eyes and smiled as he ran it under his nose.

"This is wonderful, Michelle. Thank you," he said sincerely as he kissed her cheek. He slipped the cigar into the inside pocket of his jacket. "I'm saving this until this evening. I'll pour a glass of brandy and take it out onto Kim's porch."

Jack paid the bill and the two got up to leave. They crossed the wide brick patio and had to descend several steep steps to get down to street level. Jack went first and then reached back to take Michelle's hand and help her down the steps. As she reached the bottom step, she expected him to let go of her hand but noticed that he continued to hold it for a few more seconds than was actually necessary. She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were fixed on her. Jack let go of her hand and the two walked the half block to the car. As they got into the car Michelle wondered if she had just imagined that Jack was holding her hand and staring at her or if it really happened. She knew that she was probably making something out of nothing, but at the moment her stomach was doing back flips.

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