Chapter 64

Thursday, August 6, 1987- Morning

Julie took a break from her work at the hospital mid Thursday morning, returning to her motel room to call Donovan. The phone rang often enough that Julie expected the answering machine to pick up. Sean answered on the sixth ring.

"Hello," he said.

"Sean, it's Julie. Is your father there?"

Sean didn't respond to her. Instead, Julie heard the phone smack against something.

"Dad!" Sean screamed in the background.

Shaking her head, Julie smiled. See what you'd have to put up with if you'd married his father?

She waited at least a minute before Donovan picked up.

"Hello?"

The line clicked and Julie guessed Donovan picked up his bedroom phone instead of the living room one; Sean hung up.

"Hi stranger." She sat on the Queen Anne styled settee, cradling the phone to her ear.

"Boy, you sure do know how to make people worry," Donovan remarked.

"I waited for you to call me last Monday, to see if you wanted me to help you with Sean."

"Sure, what else did you think I'd want?" He chuckled.

She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or teasing her.

"Were you hoping for anything else?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"That's kind of hard to determine since I won't see you again 'til… when?"

"Do you really want to see me?" she asked.

"Hmm, I guess you'll just have to wonder 'til you get back in town. You should come home for the weekend."

"Maybe you and Sean should come here for a weekend," she suggested.

"That won't work on two accounts. Point A, I can't afford it. Point B, I don't think you'd be so interested in having Sean around."

"Is he doing okay?"

"Fine," he said. "When are you coming home?"

"Would that be my apartment or your house?"

His silence mad her smile.

"Steve and I need to wrap up the project here, and then I'll be home," she said. "You want me to call you as soon as I get there so I can come over and tutor Sean?"

"No, I want you to call me as soon as you get here so we can talk."

"What's wrong with the phone?"

"We'll have dinner," he continued.

"At your place or that smelly pub?"

"Just get your butt home."

Julie giggled. "Or what?"

"Dunno, I'll think of something."

"You sure you don't want to talk before I get there?"

"The only thing I want to hear from your lips is that you're coming home."

Not I love you?

She swallowed. "I miss you, Mike."

"I miss you too."

Close enough… She smiled.