Chapter 41 - Reunions

"Would you like to have this conversation someplace less official?" Rachael asked.

Lee nodded.

"Come on. I'll show you my new digs. Don't expect much. I just got here last week."

"I guess I can overlook you not calling me in that time."

"I did. You were at sea."

"You could have left a message."

"You want to catch up this way? What I didn't do?"

"Sorry, I'm worn a little thin."

"I'll say. What say we pick up some food on the way?"

"White pizza?"

"I don't know where to find one in L.A. yet."

Lee smiled. "I do."

They took the pie back to a minimally furnished apartment in West Hollywood. "Hola, Carolina, estoy aqui!"

A woman came out of hallway and spoke rapid fire Spanish to Rachael before leaving. "Come on, Lee, come see him."

Lee looked at the baby sleeping the in crib. "He's beautiful. What's his name?"

"Roberto Roger Lee MacAdam Johnson."

"I'm only third in the list?"

"Hey, I'm fourth and you're the only one in the list I ever slept with."

"Distinction enough, I suppose." Lee leaned down to kiss Rachael's head.

"Let's take this out of here, so we don't wake him. Carolina just got him down a few minutes ago."

It was only a few minutes until Lee and Rachael were down too, on her bed. Lee went to reach for his wallet before they continued.

"I don't mind, Lee, but I'm clean. After Kuwait, well, I was tested a few times. There's only been you since."

"That whole history about you and Johnson that you gave me the day you disappeared, it was bull, just a set up for your leaving, right?"

"Yes. Johnson was keeping tabs on Saul's investigations. He knew I was about to be exonerated. I had orders to pull out after it happened and orders what to tell you. It was in all our best interests."

"You mean considering that Johnson was basically blackmailing all of us?"

"He suffered more than his share, Lee. You're a big enough man to forgive him."

Lee nodded. "I suppose, but I've got some crewmen who bore my grumpiness for a few weeks after you disappeared who might not be so generous." Lee set his wallet aside and resumed kissing Rachael before moving on to other things. Afterwards, he fell asleep.

Lee awoke slightly disoriented until he processed the sounds of a baby gurgling outside the room. Lee pulled on his pants and his undershirt before he headed out to the living room. He watched Rachael and the baby from the hallway. A smile erupted on Lee's face. "This is good. Care to introduce us now that we're both awake?"

"Certainly! Roberto, this is your Uncle Lee. From him you can learn to be a fine, upstanding gentleman. You can trust him with your life."

"Roberto, it is my pleasure to meet you. I can only hope to live up to your mother's description should you allow me to be a part of your life."

"You know he doesn't get any of this, Lee?"

"I know. It's just our way of having that uncomfortable discussion that neither of us really wants to have."

"I don't have any expectations of you, Lee. You should know that. I mean, I would like for Roberto to have some strong male role models in his life, like Roger and Saul, and you, if you're game."

"It would be my pleasure. About us, however, would you consider that maybe I want you to have some expectations? That maybe I might want you to?"

"What kind of expectations?"

"Regular calls, visits, dates?"

"You can't do that, I know."

"I can try at least, that is if you're willing to work with me some."

"I might call this many things, Lee, but work, no."

"I mean I can see something more down the line potentially. We can play it by ear, but I could see you as part of my other extended family."

"Then you should know your Admiral Nelson was checking me out the last time we met."

"That's how you know he's a genius. This job, how important is it to you?"

"Very. How many civilian jobs do you think call for my talents? The pay is decent too."

"Johnson didn't leave his money to you?"

"I didn't marry Johnson for the money. We kind of blew through most of what he had by the end, between the trip around the world and the private hospitals."

"He didn't deserve you."

"Yeah, like I came without baggage!"

"He used and manipulated you, just like the rest of us."

"Welcome to the world of intelligence. It didn't bother me like it bothers you. I'm not wired that rigidly. Maybe that's why you could only be a part-timer."

"Maybe. I need time to get over my anger between assignments."

"Johnson wasn't a bad man, Lee. He had his reasons. I didn't like them all, but I respected his judgment. He was like a father to me from the day I came on board. We had a special connection."

"You knew he was gay from the beginning, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"My father was. I recognized the tells, the covers."

"Your father is dead, isn't he?"

"Long ago. He couldn't stand living a lie anymore and wanted out of the marriage. My mother tried desperately to hold on to the charade. She threatened to ruin him if he left. His suicide didn't leave much room for that. I hated her for years for pushing him to it. I almost skipped her funeral."

"Did she know when they married?"

"Yes, but she convinced herself that she could change him. He warned her. He gave her everything they'd bargained for, but it wasn't enough for her."

"Sounds a little reminiscent of things attributed to Melanie."

"No need for me to further blaspheme the dead, Lee. Her parents didn't deserve what happened."

"Nor did she."

"I concede already. You're right."

"I didn't expect you to be so malleable to my will. Maybe we could find you a job closer to Santa Barbara?"

"Nice try, but no."

"It's going to make it harder for us."

"We'll figure out if it's worth it soon enough. Hey, do you know how to change a diaper?" Rachael didn't wait for a response, but thrust Roberto into Lee's arms.

"That could be one advantage of being at sea!" Lee said as he went off into the nursery to do the deed. Afterward, Lee helped feed Roberto, played with him and tried to put him down for a nap. The last part didn't go so well.

"I'm still practicing this part, too," Rachael admitted. "He likes singing and rocking until he's out, but when you put him in the crib he often startles awake."

"I suppose letting him cry it out is not acceptable?"

"Could you?"

"No." Lee rocked him a while longer, humming, and then set him down so gently that he never noticed the transition.

"You're hired."

"Let's discuss my salary."

"All the pizza you can eat."

"That's not enough. Sweeten the pot." Lee's lips showed how he wanted that to happen. Rachael was happy enough to comply.