After Marty, Patrick and the children left, Lucy turned to her husband, "You look so tired, why don't you lay back on the sofa and rest while I clean up these dishes and see what we can throw together for supper later?" She kissed him gently on the lips and pushed him backwards so that he'd rest.
"Aye, that sounds like heaven, love. But, hand me the wee lass to hold for a bit while you finish up," Ian answered her.
Lucy picked up Caroline from her crib and put her in her father's arms. She snuggled against his shoulder, already one of her favorite places to sleep. Ian relaxed and closed his eyes while Lucy gathered up the remnants of his meal. When she took the tray into the kitchen, she found a note from Marty, "There's a pot of stew in the refrigerator, all you have to do is warm it up. Enjoy your time together. We love you both." Lucy smiled to herself as she spent a few more minutes cleaning up—giving Ian and Caroline a little time together before it was her turn.
When Lucy returned to the living room, she stood for a few minutes relishing the sight of father and daughter sleeping quietly. Caroline had her fingers in her mouth and was sucking on them gently in her sleep, while Ian had a hand on her back. He looked so gaunt—his skin was pale and there were shadows underneath his eyes. She had no idea that someone could lose so much weight in such a short space of time. But he was still her Ian, the love of her life. In spite of her concern, she was feeling an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude that he was home safe where he belonged. She picked up a throw blanket to put over them while they slept.
As she pulled it up over Caroline's back, Ian's free hand reached out and took hers. He brought it to his lips and kissed it before saying, "Lucy…sweet Lucy…it's so good to be home where I belong…"
Lucy got down on her knees and laid her head on his chest, "I was afraid we'd never find you…"
"I dreamed of you every night…it was so real…I kept hoping that it was…real, I mean…"
"It was…I was there, too…I lived for the nights when we could be together… somewhere…it was the only thing that kept me going…"
"Aye, I knew you'd be trying to find me…I just had to hang on…but…" Ian said as a tear slid down his cheek, "…it was so hard…"
Lucy lifted her head and kissed him, softly and tenderly at first, but with rising passion at his response. She broke away and said, "Maybe we need to put Caroline down for her nap. Why don't we go upstairs so that I can take better care of you." With that she picked up the baby and waited while Ian stood up and they walked upstairs together, hand in hand.
After Lucy had put the baby down, she asked Ian to sit on the bed, "I'm going to take care of you…please, let me take care of you…"
Ian just smiled and nodded his eyes aglow with love. Lucy first pulled his shirt off, over his head. She gasped when she saw the bruises on his body, "I thought you said they didn't beat you."
"They didn't…but the work was hard and the others…everyone was miserable… for some there was a lot of fun in hurting people. Things would just get shoved right into you, or you'd get tripped and land on somethin'…"
Lucy gently pushed Ian back on the bed. She got on her knees next to him and gently kissed each bruise on his chest, along his ribs, and down his stomach. Her long hair gently caressed his skin, and he groaned at the sensation. When he felt her tears on his skin, he pulled her up so that he could kiss her, exploring her mouth with his tongue. After a few minutes she pulled away, and went back to undressing him, but he put his hands over hers, "I…I don't know if I can stand this…Lucy…"
"Shh, shh, shh. I'm here and I love you. Please…let me take care of you… please…"
He relaxed at her words and she finished undressing him. He reached out to pull her to him, but she took his hands and pulled him up to kiss her.
"You said you had more prison to wash off…can I help?" she said after a lingering kiss.
"You can do anything you want, love."
She led him into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Once the water was warm enough, she encouraged him in. He looked at her with a question in his eyes, as she was standing there fully dressed. She just smiled and pushed him into the shower, "Wash it off—I'm right here—I'm not going anywhere."
Ian grabbed a bar of soap and started trying to scrub the prison away until Lucy touched his hand and pulled the soap from it. She was standing in the shower behind him, her clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor. She lathered up her hands and started washing him—first his face, then his chest and back, then his legs. Ian groaned in desire and reached down to pull her up to him, "…not yet…love…"
Lucy just shook her head, "This is about you, my darling man. I'm taking care of you for a change…just let me love you…let me give you pleasure…"
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her savagely, using his tongue to penetrate her mouth, and met her tongue in response. He caressed her body and she moaned deep in her throat in response. They loved each other, relishing each moment, knowing that they would fight to stay together forever. They clung together with the water beating against them, reluctant to break the connection—standing there until the water turned cool, and then stepping out and drying each other.
Ian looked at Lucy, "I am so lucky to have you…what have I ever done to deserve this? You're in my heart, my mind, my soul…when I'm away from you I'm only half alive."
"I know exactly what you mean. If I ever lost you…I'd find a way to go on—for the children, but I would lose my life. It was so lonely without you…we had a houseful of family and friends…and I was so alone…"
Ian pulled Lucy into his arms once again, "We're together now…and we'll figure out what happened…they'll never separate us again."
Lucy looked up at him and kissed him deeply, "Let's go to bed. We can sleep for a little while before Caroline wakes up. Then we need to talk…and…I'll fill you in…on what we think happened."
She led him to the bed, and they lay down in each other's arms—sated and content just to be together—it was only a few moments before they were sound asleep.
As predicted, Caroline woke her parents from their slumber. Ian padded naked over to the bassinette and carried his daughter to her mother's waiting arms. He piled some pillows to make a backrest for Lucy to relax and feed the baby—while he draped an arm around her and laid his head on her he shoulder to watch.
"I've missed these quiet moments, love," Ian sighed.
"Me, too. I love taking care of our baby…but we missed having you here. Do all men take such pleasure in these simple ordinary things? Or is it just you?" Lucy asked him.
"I don't know…I've never asked. I just know that it's been a long and hard road to get to simple and ordinary—I plan on savoring every single moment," he told her as he caressed his baby's soft head.
"What about you? Are you hungry again?" Lucy asked him. "We have some of Marty's stew in the fridge, all we have to do is heat it up. And…and we … we need to talk."
"Is somethin' the matter, love? You sound upset," Ian answered, lifting his head from her shoulder.
"No… it's just that…. Well, we haven't been totally honest with each other… and that's why this awful thing happened. We need… we need to get rid of all these little white lies…"
"Lies… no, there's no lies…" Ian answered her in bewilderment.
"When you withhold the truth, it can be just like a lie… it seems that we've been spending too much time trying to protect each other… and it hurts us…" Lucy tried to explain. "Do you remember… once I told you that you see into my very soul?"
"Aye, I remember it well. And you see into mine," he replied.
"But, Ian… when we have secrets… lies from each other… it makes it harder to … see …" She trailed off, not having the words to explain. "You kept things from me… and I did from you. That isn't going to work for us… Marty says we need to stop protecting each other—and just love each other more."
"I always knew that my brother married an intelligentwoman," Ian replied thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we'll have to hash it out…and learn from our mistakes. Just know this, Lucy, I couldn't love you more if I tried."
Lucy sighed and relaxed against his arm, "I know just how you feel."
A little while later, they sat at the kitchen table eating supper, and Lucy had filled Ian in on the events that led to his arrest—and to his release. Ian was stunned at the sequence of events that had led them to that spot…and how easily it could have been turned around if they had just been open with each other.
"All I ever want to do is protect you and the wee ones. I can't stand the thought of you being hurt or sad or angry," Ian said simply. "I just need to take care of my family—I created the problem with the INS, so I needed to deal with it. You have too much responsibility already—between your businesses and the children and a home… and a very demanding husband."
"You still don't get it, do you? We're partners… what affects you affects me… that's what all this is about. But I've kept secrets, too, so I'm as much to blame as you in this mess."
"Okay…out with it…what terrible secrets are you keepin' from me. It appears that you've found out all of mine…" Ian said, half serious and half playful.
"I… I sold the cosmetics company. Other than my investments—the only business that I have right now is my partnership with Alison, and that's really her company. I just want to be mommy for a while—and it's not fair to the people who work for my company if I'm not interested in running it." Lucy answered, chewing on her lower lip.
"So… you sold your company. Did you do it for me? Did I ever ask you to do it? Or did you do it because it was what YOU wanted? As long as you know that I would never ask you to give up anything you care about… why couldn't you tell me about it?"
"I honestly don't know how you feel about… about my money. We've never talked about it… and I… I… didn't want to make you uncomfortable…" Lucy stammered.
"I know you have money, I've always known it. In fact, I've wheedled some out of you on occasion for one of my pet projects, haven't I? Why would your money matter to me now?" Ian asked her in surprise.
"Well… you wouldn't be the first man who had trouble dealing with his wife's money… you know, all that provider and breadwinner stuff that gets drummed into you as children…" Lucy said softly.
"I'd like to think I'm a little more enlightened than that, Lucy," Ian said. "It really doesn't matter to me… now, don't get me wrong, I like what it can buy… and you have made us a wonderful home here… but it's just not important enough to get between us… I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that it might…"
"No. You never made me feel like it mattered, it's… just… well, to just about anyone else it would. It's hard to believe that it really doesn't matter to you…and I guess I let myself … oh, you know," Lucy answered. Ian leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
"Yes, and now you know. No more talk about money, okay?"
"No…it's not okay…because there's just one more teensy weensy little thing you need to know." Lucy said to him.
"What is it now? Because if you've bought another house I'm tellin' you right now that I'm not movin' again!" he answered with a laugh.
"No… this is our home. But do you remember those agents asking you about a big trust fund?" she asked him and Ian nodded to her in reply.
"Well… you do have a trust with lots and lots of money in it… in your name…"
"And just how much is lots and lots? Limm said it was in the millions! Lucy—what did you do?"
"I had very good motives… and it was supposed to be your Christmas present… and I really was going to tell you… but I wanted it to be…you know, complete, before I told you…so you couldn't say no."
"Lucy! Just tell me already! The suspense is killin' me!"
"Okay…okay. All the money I got from selling the company… I don't need it—WE don't need it…"
"…so you decided that I needed to have me own money, so that I could feel like a man!" Ian said sarcastically.
"NO! That's not it at all! I promise, I'd never do that to you…"
"I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean it…"
"…I know, and I deserved it," Lucy replied kissing him again. "No… okay let's start at the beginning…"
"… in my experience that's always the best place to start…"
"You know that Serena has a trust fund from her mother—and Christina has one from Julie… from when she died…"
"Yeah, so what does this have to do with your sellin' the company?"
"I'm getting there. I realized that Danny and Caroline… they don't have anything… except us, of course. But what if money comes between them when they're older…"
"Okay—but I'm still not sure where you're goin' with this…"
"I had all the money set up in a trust for them… Serena and Christina certainly don't need it… and our children deserve the same thing my daughters do…"
"That's a wonderful idea… I'm glad you thought of it…but that still doesn't explain…"
"I put the trust in your name… you're the trustee… just like… just like Scott is trustee for my girls… I wanted… I wanted to give you… their security… as my present… to… you…"
Ian reached out to Lucy and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, "Oh, Lucy, what a beautiful heart you have. Why would you believe that I would be upset about that? You are taking care of our children… and you want to show me how much you trust me? I know what you're tryin' to do…and I love you for it!"
"Oh, Ian… you mean… you don't mind?"
"Of course, I don't mind. If that's how you want it, and it's for the wee ones, why would I mind?"
"There's something else… something I want to tell you before you read the trust paperwork."
"I'm sure it's nothin' I can't handle, love," Ian whispered in her ear.
"The trust is set up for Danny, Caroline and any other children we might have together. Ian—I want another baby, Ian. I waited so long to have Caroline…I want to have another child with you…and I know that… that you… don't…"
"That I don't what? Do you think that I don't want another babe with you? Are you daft, woman? Of course I want more children! Whatever made you think that I don't want any more children?"
"Well… you're always talking about all the kids… like it's too many already… and when Dr. Neuman said we could… well we started using protection… and we never…"
"Lucy Thornhart, sometimes you just want to find trouble where there isn't any! I love the children—yours, mine and ours. I always wanted a houseful of kids… just like you do. If we are lucky enough to have more children together, I will feel so very blessed. But it's too soon after Caroline—your body needs time to recover. I just want you to be healthy, and us to enjoy our wee one, before we have another. This isn't a race, we don't have to have them one on top of each other, you know."
"Oh, Ian, I'm so sorry…"
"I guess you're right… we have been keepin' too many secrets… I'm sorry that I worried you, love. Now I guess that I better come clean myself. Ever since you kicked me out of the hospital… when Caroline was born… I've been afraid to tell you how I feel sometimes. You do too much… you take care of everyone but yourself… I need to know that you're going to take care of yourself, too… I can't lose you…"
"Oh, Ian. I know I overdo it sometimes… and I do need reminding when I get in over my head… please don't stop doing that… and I'm sorry about the hospital… but that doesn't mean that you should bite your tongue…"
Ian pulled her close in his arms and kissed her long and lingeringly. They didn't need any words… and they had learned what happened to them when they weren't honest with each other. It would be hard to break the habits they had created… but together they would help each other, because their love would show them the way.
Lucy pulled back, "Oh, I almost forgot. Patrick gave us a present. He said to open it together after we talked." She went over to the counter and brought back a small thin box tied with a gold ribbon. She sat back in Ian's lap to open it. After she opened the box and pulled out a picture, Ian gave a shout of laughter.
"Well, that certainly does my heart good. I'm glad to see that justice is being done…"
"… and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving fellow." Lucy giggled.
The picture they were both admiring was a Polaroid, probably snapped by one of Victor's cronies, of former INS Agent Limm being escorted to a police vehicle—wearing an orange jumpsuit and manacled at both the wrists and ankles.