Chapter 11

They continued driving in a vaguely northward direction. They'd had to drive west a bit to get back to their route after the detour to Fort Stark, but in general, they were headed north. Tim was fine with driving on the smaller Highway 1 (and the occasional times when 1A appeared). In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that they did need to make better time when they were headed back down south, he would have been happy to have this be the main route both directions.

They stopped and got some lunch and then continued on their way. They'd been going for about an hour when Tim's phone started ringing. He pulled it out and handed it to Tony.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Delilah."

"Oh, no!" Tim said, feeling terrible.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Answer it," Tim said. "I'll pull over."

He looked for the closest place where he could just pull over to the side.

"Hey, Delilah. It's Tony. Tim seems to think he's in trouble. What's up?" Tony said.

"Tony, don't make things worse," Tim said.

He saw a brightly painted rock and then a wider shoulder just beyond it. He pulled over, put the car in park and tried to grab his phone back from Tony.

"Oh, I see. Well, you know Tim. He gets into his focused mode and the rest of the world may as well not exist," Tony said, grinning as he fended Tim off.

"Tony, give me my phone back!" Tim said.

"You gave it to me, Probie."

"Tony..."

Tim stopped fighting and sat there, trying not to get pulled into something that would infuriate him. It amazed him that, after all the years he'd known Tony and the years he'd considered Tony a close friend, that he still hadn't figured out how to manage when Tony got like this. Maybe this really was what it was like having an older brother. Infuriating and supportive at the same time.

"Tony," he said, striving for calm, "please, give me my phone."

Tony smiled and Tim knew Tony could see just what he was trying to do.

"Well, since you said please." He handed Tim his phone and then added in a low voice, "She's not mad at you, Tim."

Tim smiled a little as he took his phone back.

"I'm sorry, Delilah. I completely forgot."

"Luckily for you, my parents called," Delilah said, sounding more amused than upset.

"I really did mean to call when we dropped off Tommy."

"Tim, it's fine. My parents called because they thought that you might have forgotten. Mom said that you were a little nervous about leaving Tommy with them."

Tim felt his face redden slightly.

"I wasn't nervous."

Delilah just laughed. "Anyway, are you having fun?"

"Yes. We're just about to Portland, Maine."

"You're making good time, then. Will you be back early?"

"Probably not. We're planning on spending the whole day at Acadia tomorrow and then come back down the next night. We should be right on schedule."

"You say that, but I won't plan on it. Do give me a call when you get up there, okay?"

"I will. I promise."

"Good."

"How are the girls doing?"

"They're wondering where everyone has gone."

"Does that mean the house is quiet?" Tim asked, grinning.

"Are you kidding? If I hadn't made sure they had to stay out of Tommy's room, I'll bet they would have started playing the drum. Make sure you remind Tony that he is, under no circumstances, allowed to give any other musical instruments to our children."

"I will. Love you."

"I love you. Have fun. Bye."

"Bye."

Tim hung up and put his phone away.

"Delilah said that..." he began.

"I'm not allowed to give any musical instruments," Tony said. "She tells me every time she sees me. I haven't forgotten."

"Are you listening is the bigger question," Tim said.

Tony winked. "I make no guarantees."

Tim put the car back in gear and pulled onto the road.

"Okay, here's something we need to do, Tim."

"What?"

"We need to go to a lighthouse," Tony said. "There are tons of them all along here, so we need to go to at least one. A real lighthouse, not like those little replicas we saw in Arizona."

"Well, since those were replicas of the ones over here, I think we can see the real ones. At least one."

"Good."

"So..."

"So what?" Tony asked.

"Buttons."

"Huh?"

"Sew buttons," Tim said.

Tony looked up and Tim grinned. He was in a punny mood. He didn't know why, but he was genuinely enjoying the chance to make these lame quips.

"Oh, man, Tim. That's awful!" Tony said, groaning. "Seriously. So what?"

"So is there a lighthouse nearby?"

"Oh. Let me look."

Unlike Tim, Tony pulled out his phone and did a quick search.

"Ah-hah! There is! The Portland Head Light." Tony kept reading. "Oh, but they don't let you go inside the lighthouse. That stinks. There's a museum and it's described as the most beautiful lighthouse around. ...oh, and they have a gift shop! Okay. That makes it all better."

"Because you can spend your money on tourist stuff?"

"Exactly. Just keep going on this road. There's going to be a turnoff to Fort Williams Park. That's where the lighthouse is."

Tim nodded and kept driving. It was only a couple of miles before they got to the turn. Tim took it and they were driving on a road through a large park. There were plenty of people around since it was a nice early summer day, but that was all right. They could share the space with people...sometimes.

And they lucked out when they got to the lighthouse itself. The lot wasn't all that large, but someone was pulling out of a space just as they got there. Tim quickly took the spot.

"Whew. I was wondering if we'd have to walk all the way across the park to get here," Tim said.

"Walking's good for you, Probie. I'll bet you don't get enough exercise."

"With three kids under the age of ten? Dream on...or better yet, let me dream on," Tim said.

"Not sleeping is not the same as exercising."

"Maybe not, but if you want to spend a day running after them, feel free and then you can tell me that I don't get enough exercise."

"I don't need to chase yours. I've got my own kids," Tony said.

Tim heard something in Tony's voice that gave him pause. It wasn't the same thing as before, though. He just wasn't sure what it was. As they started to walk toward the lighthouse, Tim stopped.

"Tony, does that bother you?" he asked.

Tony smiled. "No. It's what I always planned on doing, you know."

"Yeah, but you seem... not upset by it but... I don't know. Something."

"I'm not upset," Tony said. "Let's walk over here to get a good shot."

"Hey. Tony. Wait a second. That was clumsy, even for you. What's going on?"

Tony stopped and looked at him. Tim could see that he was deciding whether or not to explain himself. Then, he sighed.

"I finally had to tell Jo that we needed to slow down with the foster kids. You know her, Tim. She wants to save the world, and she wants to do her part as much as she can."

"And you don't?"

"I do, but I think our part is a lot smaller than she does. I think she's disappointed because I told her that we needed to stop getting foster kids for a while, and just focus on the ones we've already got."

"I don't see anything wrong with that. Did she?"

"Not really, but I don't think she realized I was a little less enthusiastic. It's not that I don't love Grace and Daniel. I wouldn't give them up for the world, and I agree with her that we need to try to get their brother if we can just so that they can all be together. ...but..."

Tim nodded sympathetically. "But that's just one more kid all at once. And doesn't Ivan have some disabilities?"

"Yeah. We think his mom was on drugs or something while she was pregnant. He has really bad eyesight and some coordination issues. He's also kind of low cognitively. But he's a sweet kid."

"Just hard."

"Yeah."

"Did Jo agree?"

Tony nodded. "She agreed, but I don't think she's really happy about agreeing."

"She didn't seem all that upset with you when we left."

"She's not upset. Disappointed, though."

Tim shook his head. "No, Tony. It's your family, too, not just hers. Jo knows that. Even if she had to take time to think it over and wrap her head around the change, I think she'll see that you're right."

Then, to Tim's surprise, Tony looked a little relieved.

"You think I'm right?"

"Yeah, I do. I would never have said something if you hadn't, but it's like I said before. You're doing something I don't think I could do. I can tell you love them and I think they love you, too, but that's a hard thing you've taken on. There's no reason to keep adding to it until you can't handle it anymore. Especially now that you have Sam, too. That's a baby in addition to foster kids. I think you should let yourself feel a little more at ease with it before you jump into a deeper pond. Make sure you can swim, first."

Tony gave a half-smile and then nudged Tim slightly.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Not that I think she'd listen to me, but if you want, I'd even say that to Jo."

"No," Tony said, shaking his head. "No, we're working through it. Honestly, I'd been wanting to say something to her for a long time, ever since we found out she was pregnant with Sam. I just kept chickening out."

"You'll get there. Tony, I can tell just by what I saw with Daniel and Grace that you're a good dad for them."

"Thanks." Then, Tony took a deep breath and obviously set it all aside. "Okay. Enough of that. Let's get some pictures of the lighthouse."

"All right."

They walked over to the lighthouse and the view was spectacular. The lighthouse was set right on the edge of an outcropping of rocks, overlooking the ocean (of course). It was the quintessential lighthouse, and Tim could easily imagine the lamp shining out in the darkness with stormy waves pounding on the shore.

"Wow," he said, softly. "I wish we could have got here at night to see it doing what it's supposed to do."

"I'd say we could stay, but I think that'd be asking for trouble as far as getting to Acadia," Tony said.

"Oh, I know," Tim said. "When I think of lighthouses, this is basically exactly what I think of."

Tony nodded. "Well, let's get some pictures here and then, it looks like we can get some from further away with the rocks. These rocks almost look like petrified wood."

"Yeah," Tim said. "I wonder what kind of rock it is. It would have to be harder than petrified wood to withstand the waves, though. Some kind of igneous or metamorphic rock, I'd guess. Sedimentary would be too soft to last."

"Thus quoth the science nerd," Tony said.

Tim grinned. "Nevermore?"

Tony laughed. "Come on, McPoe. Pose!"

"That's a new one."

"Just for you."

"Yeah, thanks."

Tim stood with his arms stretched out over his head, gesturing toward the lighthouse. Then, Tony took his turn posing...well, he lay down on the grass and acted like he was napping while Tim took his picture. Then, they walked a little ways to the north, along a path that followed the coastline. There was an overlook and they took more pictures there. Then, they walked back to the lighthouse and to the south of it where there was another overlook and they took more pictures.

Then, Tim looked out toward the ocean, that unending horizon. For some reason, it grabbed his attention and he just stared out at it. Every so often, he could see the rolling waves, but it still looked so flat.

Then, he jumped as a hand waved in front of his face.

"Earth to Tim! You in there?"

Tim looked away from the water and at Tony.

"Yeah. Sorry. Did I zone out?"

"Yep. I was saying that we need to check out the gift shop."

"Yeah, okay."

"You all right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. I was just..." Tim looked out at the ocean once more. "It's a really different ocean from the Pacific. At least it is up here. It's...more wild and it feels... bigger, even though I know the Pacific is way bigger."

"No, I get it," Tony said. "It's different up here in the north. I guess that Oregon and Washington might be kind of like this."

"Maybe. Anyway, the gift shop?"

"Yes."

They walked back to the lighthouse once more and into the museum and gift shop. They paid the two bucks for the museum and looked around a little, enjoying the old equipment and some of the photographs. Then, Tony really wanted the gift shop, so they went in there. They looked around for a while (almost as long as in the museum), and then got down to business.

"Oh, look. A boat model. I'm getting this for Daniel. He loves putting these things together," Tony said. He also picked out a puzzle of the lighthouse for Grace.

"Grace likes puzzles? You should have her do some with Jimmy and Breena."

"Maybe I should. I hadn't thought of that," Tony said. "Actually, I don't know how much she really likes puzzles. It's one of the few things she would admit to wanting at Christmas, so I'm working with what I've got."

"Well, I think we need hats or t-shirts, too."

"Hey, a Coast Guard hat! Perfect for you McSeasick."

"Yes. Perfect. Something I could never wear honestly."

"Exactly," Tony said, putting the hat on Tim's head.

They kept looking around. They got a bunch of t-shirts with various iterations of the Portland Head Light on them. Then, Tim picked out a book that was mostly pictures of the lighthouse over time.

"Who's that for?" Tony asked.

"Sarah. She loves this kind of stuff. She's just about the only person I dare buy books for. ...well, besides my kids."

"Not the same kinds of books."

"No, not quite."

They did their part in supporting the Portland Head Light in buying a bunch of souvenirs. Then, they left the shop and headed for the car.

"I can keep driving," Tim said. "It hasn't been very long yet."

"No, I'll drive. You can keep on the lookout for other cool stuff to see as we keep driving up the coast."

"Okay."

They hopped in the car and continued on their way.

"Oh, and I don't care where we eat tonight, but we're getting lobster at least once while we're in Maine."

"That's kind of expensive," Tim said.

"Just once, Probie. We have to! That's what Maine is known for!"

"Okay, okay," Tim said. "Maybe not tonight though. Maybe we should save it for tomorrow night. Celebration of the great day at Acadia."

"Don't jinx us, McGee," Tony said.

"I hope I don't, but honestly, since we're not sure when and where we'll be stopping, I'd rather wait until tomorrow."

"Okay, but we're not leaving Maine without eating lobster. Got it?"

"Got it."

Tim looked at the map for a while longer and as they continued their drive. They would stop every so often just to get some nice pictures of the coast, but often, their route had them driving through forest rather than directly on the coast. That was all right. It was a relaxing drive, too. Not too much traffic and it was quiet. They talked about nothing in particular, but Tim still felt like there was something else Tony wasn't talking about. The kids had been something, but Tim was sure there was something else. Still, Tony had always talked about things when he was ready, and so Tim didn't worry too much about trying to get it out of him. He'd say it eventually.

After a drive of quick stops all along the way, it was evening by the time they got close to Bar Harbor.

"Okay, we need a hotel," Tim said. "Do you want to stay in Bar Harbor? That's closest to the entrance to Acadia."

"Can we?"

"Lots of choices," Tim said, looking at his phone. "Some are full up already."

"Okay. Well, I think if we can get in one in Bar Harbor, we should. Why make ourselves have to drive more than we would if we were just there?"

"Fine by me. How expensive?"

The last two road trips had ended with very expensive hotels, and Tim really wasn't sure he wanted that, but he'd see what Tony said.

"Let's not go too crazy this time. Something nice, preferably with a view of something ocean-y."

"Ocean-y?" Tim repeated.

"Yep. That's exactly what I said. But let's not shoot for the stars."

"Are you really saying that we should be practical?" Tim asked in mock amazement.

"I've got three kids, too, you know," Tony said. "I can be responsible on rare occasions. And don't be too practical. No Best Western or Motel 6, okay?"

"Okay."

Tim looked at his phone for a bit longer.

"Here's one. Two queen beds, private terrace. About $250 per night. Breakfast included."

"Hotel?"

"Inn, apparently locally run."

"Good reviews?"

"Yep. Nearly five-star."

"Okay. That works for me. Get it for both nights."

Tim nodded a book a room for the two nights they'd be staying.

"Now, get us there."

"Well, we're not to Bar Harbor yet, and that's where it is," Tim said. "So go to Bar Harbor."

It took another ten minutes to get to Bar Harbor. Then, Tim gave the directions to the inn. They parked, grabbed their stuff, and headed into the inn and to their room. The room was the basic setup of a typical hotel room, but it was a little more upscale without feeling fussy.

They dropped off their stuff, got some food to eat. Both of them called home to report their safe arrivals.

Then, after a long day, they both were tired and went to sleep.