They arrived at the hospital, parked and met ahead of the front door. They came in and walked to the room.
"You know the number of the room ?"
"Yes, I have been told on the phone. It is the room 92." she answered.
They went up and when they were almost in front of the door, Jack slowed down.
"What are you doing ?" she said seeing he was hesitant.
"You should go alone first."
"Why ?"
"I'm sure you have a lot to say to him and so does he. I don't need to be there for that."
After a moment of hesitation she said "Okay, as you wish." And she gripped his hand.
"Go." he answered with a smile. Then she walked to the door.
"Hi, Greg." she said to the guard.
"Hello, Audrey. Come in." he answered.
She slowly opened the door and saw her father lying on the bed. She walked slowly to not to awake him.
"Hi, sweetheart." Heller said as he was opening his eyes.
"I thought you were asleep. How are you ?"
"A little tired, but I'm fine."
"Oh God, I thought I would never see you again." she said as she was approaching her father and starting to shed tears.
"I'm sorry to have made you believe that."
"But... how did you..." she started asking to understand what happened.
"Armored windows. It prevented the water to come into the car."
"Oh Dad..." she hugged him crying of joy.
They stayed together a moment, probably about fifteen minutes.
"You 're alone ? How is Jack ?" he asked.
"He's here. He came with me. He's waiting outside."
" Why didn't he come in ?"
"He wanted to let us alone first. I'll get him."
She got up and went to open the door.
"Jack." she whispered in the aisle. He raised his head. "Come in" she continued and he followed her inside.
"Sir." Jack said to the Secretary of Defense and former boss but also, in a sense, to his father-in-law.
"Jack."
"How are you doing, Sir ?"
"I'm fine, thank you. What about you ? Hard day, wasn't it ?"
"Yes, it was !" They both sat down on a chair. Audrey was near her father, holding his hand. Jack sat at the bottom of the bed.
"But now it's over. I overhead they have decided to make a deal with Logan ?" Heller said.
"Yes, he has given his resignation and they will bring him in justice but not in front of the country."
"I'm sorry about what I did the other day, Jack."
"It's alright, Sir. You had your idea and I had mine. We both thought that our idea was the best one. We did what we thought being necessary."
And after a moment Heller started talking about something else.
"I'm just thinking about something. You never really told me about that. I mean… your relationship with my daughter."
"Dad..."
"What ?" Heller exclaimed.
"In fact,…" Jack started "…I wanted to speak with you about that the day I had to disappear. But apparently you learnt of it yourself."
"Yes. I understood when you saved us the morning." He stopped and continued after a moment in the same calm tune than he had started. "Audrey, I would like to talk with Jack for a moment, please."
"Okay, I will be outside," she answered looking at him and then at Jack. She got out of the room closing the door behind her.
Jack was wondering why he made her leave, for what potential reasons.
"Do you love her ?" Heller asked. Jack, who was looking somewhere else, suddenly turned to Heller. How could he ask the question ?
"Yes, of course I do."
"Then don't put her in danger, Jack." Now he started to understand what he was getting at.
"I know what you are thinking, Sir. It is not going to happen. I am not going to make this mistake twice," he answered looking at Heller in his eyes to get through to him.
"I hope so and I trust you. So what are you gonna do now?"
"I... I don't know yet. I have to put a lot of things in order."
"Jack. You are a good man. Just do the right choices and everything will be alright," he said as a father would.
"I'm... I'm a little lost and worried."
"About what ?"
"To start something new… again. To change."
"You have a second chance. Take it. That doesn't happen to everybody."
"I promise I will try to do my best, Sir."
"I'm sure of that," he said with a smile. "Now take the advantage that she has a day off to spend it with her. Because, tomorrow, as soon as I will be out of this damn room..."Jack laughed hearing his former boss talking like this. "... she will have to get back to work," Heller continued.
"At your command, Sir," he answers smiling and miming the military gesture.
"Have a nice day, take care of her."
"I will." He went to the door, opened it and called Audrey.
She came back to say goodbye to her father.
When they were getting out of the room, Jack turned around and Heller winked at him. Jack smiled and closed the door behind him.
They went back to the hotel, each one in their respective car because they still had their own.
They parked at the hotel parking.
"What do you want to do this afternoon ?" Jack asked putting his hand on her hip and kissing her on the head.
"There is a park not far from here. Do you remember ? We could take a walk."
"As we did when we had an hour off when we worked for the DoD ?"
"Yes." she answered with a smile seeing that he didn't forget.
"Let's go."
They walked slowly, one against the other during a long moment.
"Do you want to sit down ?" he asked when he saw a bench.
They sat down, Audrey in Jack's arms. He ran his fingers in her hair as she was reporting some memories.
"You remember what happened the first time we came here ?" she said, laughing. Jack thought a moment and answered.
"Yeah ! With the dog ?"
"Yes ! Well... you weren't very happy but..."
"Yeah, but that seemed to be funny for you !"
"I wasn't the one who receive dirt on my shoes... I wasn't going to cry !"
"I was so shirty after that."
"Yeah ! You shouted after everyone at work. I'm sure you don't want to have one, right ?"
"No, not at all !"
"Well, you prefer your gun."
"My real comrade, yes !"
"You don't have to walk it or pick his dirt up." They start laughing, remembering some other adventures.
An old woman who was passing by smiled when she saw them just like two teenagers spending time together. Jack and Audrey saw her. They gave her a nod of the head with a smile. The old woman returned it and walked away.
They looked at each other and smiled. No, apparently they can't stay undisturbed, because Jack's cellphone rang again.
"Again ?" she exclaimed.
"I'm sorry." he said with a smile to be forgiven and picked up. "Yes ?"
"Jack ? Hello it's... it's Judy." she said with a trembling voice.
"Judy. I'm so sorry." He got up slowly giving a look at Audrey to make her understand that he had to take this call.
"I wanted to call you earlier but I couldn't. Plus, I didn't want to bother you." he continued.
"It's okay."
"How are you holding up ?"
"It's hard..." she said softly. "I just wanted to tell you that his funeral as well as Michelle's will take place tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at the Church in Jamboree Rd."
"I'll be there."
Audrey who was still sat on the bench tried to understand but she didn't.
"I found out that you were alive. I was glad to hear that."
"Thank you. You know that if you need something, whatever it is, I'm here; don't hesitate. You can count on me, alright ?"
"Thank you. I... I won't bother you any longer. I see you tomorrow ?"
"You don't bother me, you know that. Yes, I see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye." They hung up and Jack stood there for a moment playing with his phone in his hand.
"You're alright ?" Audrey asked.
He turned around to sit down near her. "Yes. I'm sorry. It was Judy, Tony's mother."
"Oh..." she said softly.
They stayed silent a moment Jack eventually said :
"Do you think it's gonna work ?"
"What ?" she asked not seeing what he was talking about. He looked at her and explained.
"If we live together."
She smiled realizing that Jack seemed to be uneasy about the idea.
"Don't worry. If you are not ready we can wait."
"No! I'm not hesitant, I want it."
They kissed but Audrey came to her senses and stopped.
"What's up ?" he asked softly.
"We're gonna be late."
"Late for what ?" he asked.
"Little surprise," she said smiling again.
"I don't know where we're going but I hope it's worth it to stop this", he told her joking.
"Okay, I can take it off to you."
"Wah... I have never realized how hard it must be being blind !"
"Yes, it seems to be very hard for you. If already with a ribbon you lost all your senses..."
"Where are we ?"
"I hope you're hungry."
"What ?"
They got out of the car and Jack saw a restaurant, apparently a very romantic one.
"What's that ? I should be the one who invites you tonight."
"Shhh..." she said laughing. "Just enjoy this evening. But there is only one condition : turn off your cellphone."
"Okay, I think I can do that."
They entered.
"Good evening" They both said.
"Good evening ! Do you have a reservation ?"
"Yes, the reservation is booked under Heller."
"Sure, I remember now. If you want to follow me..."
Jack was a bit embarrassed.
"It's here. Take a seat. I bring you the carte."
"Thank you."
The waiter came back a few moments later with it and they ordered. For once, they stayed just together : no phone, no one else, a real diner, head-to-head.
For the dessert, a waiter came with a cake where it was written "Happy anniversary !".
"Thank you," Audrey said to the waiter.
"What is that ? They made a mistake or... what are you celebrating ?" Jack asked worried about knowing what he had apparently forgotten.
"It's not a mistake," she said laughing seeing Jack's face… worried to death.
"It's not funny !" he said trying to be serious but laughing in his turn."I don't understand..."
Audrey leaned forward on and said softly : "Today, and especially tonight..." she tried to say but she couldn't continue because she couldn't prevent herself to burst into laughter seeing Jack completely lost.
"What ?"
"... that will make two years that we are officially, if I can say, together."
"Oh my God. I didn't know. I'm so sorry !"
"You don't have to," she said taking his hand and wiping her tears of joy.
"I'm so ashamed !"
"You didn't have to count. Don't be ashamed. It's just... I had the time to count during the year that you weren't there and I realized that it's been two years already."
"Surprising, isn't it ?"
They ate this cake and she paid.
As they were walking to the car Jack said "Thank you. It was a great dinner, at last together, undisturbed."
"It is a good way to start again, don't you think ?"
Then, they smiled and kissed.
Jack parked the car, they got out and walked to the seaside.
"When did you swim for the last time ?" she asked running to the sea.
"Don't ! It must be cold !"
Finally, she stopped in front of it and dipped her feet into the water.
"Beautiful sunset !" she exclaimed like a little girl.
He came behind her taking her in his arms and cradled her.
"It is." He kissed her in the neck and they stood there for a moment before sitting down on the sand.
"Can I ask you a question ?"
"Sure, what do you want to know ?" she answered.
"How is your father usually with... I don't know... the other people, younger than him ?"
"Depends. Why ?"
"Well... when we had the discussion at the hospital and that you were out, that... that was as if it would have been my own father who talked to me. It reminded me of a discussion I had with my father when I was a boy."
"You have been a little boy ? Impossible !" she said laughing.
"Yes, I have been !"
"In answer to your question, usually he doesn't give that impression. That means he likes you, pretty good news !"
"Yeah..."
"By the way, how were you when you were a little boy ?" she asked.
"Shy ! I didn't talk much."
"Kim told me that your father past away when you were 17."
"When did she told you that ?"
"This morning."
"Yes, it's true. I have never talked about that, it's not very interesting."
"She also said that your mother is still alive."
Jack was silent and started to play with the sand as to show that he was not comfortable with this topic.
"Yeah..." he simply said raising his head and looking at the horizon.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring back bad memories."
"No, it's okay. She is still alive but I have not visited her for a long time."
Audrey was surprised that, for once, he opened up to her so easily. So, she let him speak.
"My father died in a car accident. He had a heart condition. My mother and he argued so she refused to drive him at a friend's house. A stupid quarrel. He had an attack on the way."
"I'm so sorry." she said softly.
"I held her responsible for a long time because if she had been the one driving... then I forgave her, not fully but I started."
"I'm sorry but... if you started to forgive her, why don't you visit her anymore ? I don't understand."
Once again he stayed quiet a moment before going on.
"She never really accepted Teri. I have never known why. She has never explained herself to me. And as she didn't want her at home, I didn't go to. So we broke off all ties." Jack was talking as he was still playing with the sand. He seemed to be nervous, it was clear that all of this remembered him bad and hard moments. "She wasn't even present at her funeral."
"I don't know what to say."
"There is nothing to say, Audrey." he said, looking at her.
She started rubbing her arms.
"Are you cold ?" he asked seeing than she seemed to shiver.
"A little, yes."
He took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders to cover her back.
"Thank you."
"We should go home, you work tomorrow and it's getting late.