Chapter Nine: Full Circle
Cait put the report down on the table. It had been three weeks since the day String watched his brother die. Michael had just delivered the final report on the investagation. Zeus was charged with the attempted theft of Airwolf although it was kept out of the news. At least this time String knew his brothers fate. Cait wished they would have recovered St. Johns body. It could have given String some kind of closure. She was worried about him. He had not left the cabin since the night she and Dom brought him home. She had sat up the rest of the night holding him as he cried. Now she was lucky to get food down him. He was at least talking some now. She knew he was trying to be there for her. Walking into the kitchen area she pulled out some fish from the freezer to start dinner. She had asked Dom to join them. It was time to bring some normalcy back to their lives. As she was putting the fish into the oven she heard String desend the stairs from the loft. He looked bad, he had lost weight and his eyes were void of life but at least he was coming down to join her. He walked behind her pulling her to him as he kissed the top of her head. She turned in his arms to face him.
"I've missed you" he said as he locked on to her eyes with his. " I'm sorry I haven't been here for you." Cait pulled him in as she reached up to gently kiss his lips. String responded with a grin. Cait gave him a questioning look. "Why the grin?" She asked. String kissed her again only it was not as gentle as her kiss. When he finally released her lips he answered her question. " I'm not so fragile that you need to kiss me like I'll break Cait." Cait cast her eyes down as her checks blushed red. He was right. She had been treating him with caution like how you treat a stray dog when you think he might bolt if you make a sudden move. " I wanted to give you your space to deal with your grief. " He smiled as he pushed the hair out of her eyes that had fallen there. " All I need right now is you. I need to feel you, hear you breathe and hold you close. " Cait placed her hands on his chest. " You know I'm not going anywhere don't you?" String hesitated before answering her. Before he could he looked to the door hearing Dom's chopper land. " I didn't know Dom was coming" Cait opened the refrigerator taking out fixings for a salad closing the door with her hip. " It's time we all get back to living life String. I thought having Dom here would help do that. Besides we need to get back to work. Dom has a lot of jobs lined up but only if you feel up to it." String gave her a nod as he went to the door to greet Dom.
Dom felt awkward sitting at the table. He hadn't been able to grieve over St. Johns death. He had been more concerned for String and keeping the business going. String watched him as he looked over his wine glass. He suddenly felt guilty. Cait had spent all her time taking care of him, that left no one for Dom. He had to face Sinj's death on his own. Thinking about it he realized that no one was there for Dom the first time they lost him.
"Good dinner Cait" Dom said as he raised his glass to her. "Thanks Dom, I know you prefer steak but we are a little low on food. I need to get to the store and soon." Dom had a twinge of guilt himself. He should have been checking on his kids more. Cait picked up immediately on his thoughts. " Oh no you don't Dominic Santini. You have done more then your fair share. We have had plenty to eat. I know you have big shoulders but we can take care of ourselves. Besides you have been holding down the fort at the hanger." Dom was uncomfortable with the attention. String placed his fork in his plate. " If I haven't told you thank you for being there for me Dom I'm sorry for that. You and Cait are all I have and I don't take that for granted. " There was a long silence at the table. Cait rose with her plate. " I made rice pudding for desert."
Dom had gone home. Cait was putting the last of the dishes away. String was out on the porch. She dried her hands on the dish towel and headed outside to check on him. He was watching the moon as the clouds moved over it giving him a different view as they moved along. " Hey." she said as she settled at his side. He moved to put his arm around her. "String, I know where your head is right now." He didn't take his eyes off the moon. " You know me that well?" It was time to break the silence. Before Cait he would have kept his pain to himself. They had come to far in their relationship for him to take up his old habits. " I should have stopped the mission. " Cait started to respond but he placed his finger on her lips. " Cait we both know I seconded guessed myself that day. The odds were against us and I ignored my gut feelings." Cait didn't know what to say. He was right. If she was honest with herself she had been thinking the same thing. He let go of her sensing what she was thinking. She took hold of his hand. "String why didn't you turn back?" His face was showing every trace of guilt he was feeling. " I always looked up to Sinj even when we were kids. He seemed to always make the right decision. While I was the reckless one he was the one that thought things through. I guess I was still relying on his good judgement. I also thought ..." His voice trailed off. Cait finished the sentence for him. " You also thought you had suffered enough pain in your life and that maybe God would give you a break." String smiled at her. "Yeah, something like that." Her pulled her toward the door leading her upstairs to the bed they shared. When they reached the top of the stairs he kissed her like he always did before he made love to her. " I want you tonight Cait, I don't want to think or feel anything but you."
Cait was sitting at the desk trying to sort out the mess Dom had made of the scedual. She looked up at the clock. Dom and String should be done by now at the studio. It was the first job Sting had been on since they returned. The night Dom came to dinner they had talked. For the first time since St. John's death she had started seeing a difference in String and it was a positive one. By no means was he over his grief but it was a start. She turned off her laptop. They would be at least another hour before returning. She decided this would be a good time to get some shopping done.
Cait left the store carrying the two full sacks of food. It was late and the parking lot was deserted. She made it to her car just as a wave of nausea came over her. She managed to get the car door open and sat the bags in the car. As she turned to open the driver side door the parking lot began to spin. The last thing she remembered was strong arms caught her before she hit the ground.
Cait slowly opened her eyes as she reached up to feel a cold cloth on her forehead. She was lying back in the front seat of her car on the passenger side. She was vaguely aware that someone was in the drivers seat. He reached over to remove the cloth from her head. "Does he know?" She blinked her eyes trying to focus. "Does who know what?" She sat up and turned to look at the stranger that had helped her. He reached over to put her seat upright. " String, does he know he's going to be a dad?" Cait didn't need to see who it was. She heard of women having fainting spells when they were pregnant but not hallucinations. " No it can't be. You're dead. I saw the helicopter you were in go down." She could only stare at the man beside her. Maybe someone had drugged her. St. John dabbed her head with the cloth. " No Cait you're not hallucinating. It really is me." She was confused at first, then overjoyed. Then anger set in. She raised up to strike him but felt sick again and laid back in the seat . "Cait take it easy. You need to calm down and let this pass." She did not move or open her eyes. "Why St. John? Why would you do this to him again?" Then the realization hit her and she quickly sat up. "The mission, you planned this whole thing to fake your death. He trusted you." St. John looked out his window. Would she belive him if he did tell her the truth. He had to try. He came this far already. "Cait, I know you have no reason to believe me but what happened to me was not part of the plan. I really did go meet Zeus to bring him down." "Then how where you able to fake the crash?" He looked sincere as he told her the truth. "Cait everything that happened that day was not planned. When Zeus walked toward Airwolf my only thought was to lead him away and get out of there. I flew as low to the ground as I could and when I came to an area that was thick with trees I jumped. I made it within seconds of the missile hitting." Cait was having a hard time believing him. " Then why didn't you show yourself. We were there for hours. String was grief stricken." Hearing this caused a tightness in his chest. " When I hit the ground I was knocked unconscious. I came to the next day. I still had my phone on me. The first person I thought to call was my superior officer from my special ops group. I knew he could get a fix on my phone. After I made the call I passed out again. I woke up a week later at an army base hospital."
Cait belived him but she still had questions. "Then why not let String know sooner? And why now, and more importantly why come to me?" She was a tough one. He loved that about her. When it came to String she was protective. He imagined she would be the same way with the baby. "My SO wants me back. He thought this would be the best way for everyone to think I was dead. They can easily reinvent me." Cait felt the anger build inside her. " You don't think I will keep your secret do you?" Sinj held up his hands as if he were surendering. "Cait I'm here because I can't let String think I'm dead. I had no intentions of leaving him like that. I couldn't do that to him again. As soon as I was well enough I slipped away. I didn't know how to approach him and I thought it would be easier coming from you. If I had known you were pregnant I wouldn't have." Cait was trying to process all that he had told her when her phone rang. She looked to Sinj. "It's String isn't it?" Cait nodded yes and answered.
"Cait , are you all right and where the hell are you?" She could hear the panic in his voice. "I'm at the store. I lost track of time. I didn't mean to worry you. I will be there in fifteen minutes. I love you too." As she hung up she glanced over at Sinj. " I don't know how to tell him." Sinj smiled. "About the baby or me?"
She replied "Both"
