Jeannie put the cup of coffee on the table in front of Maggie and sat back down on the other end of the sofa. Steve glanced at her with a brief, grateful smile then his eyes slid back to the older woman, whose own gaze hadn't strayed from her study of the hem on her sleeve, it seemed. The silence in the room was taking on a life of its own.
Deciding to try a different tack, Steve reached down the side of the chair he was in and lifted the lever, elevating the footrest. "This is really nice," he said with a smile, squirming into a more comfortable position. "Mike's gonna love this."
At the mention of her fiancee's name, Maggie head came up, scowling. But when she met Steve's eyes, her own softened as she realized what he was doing. "I'm sorry, I know we're supposed to be talking about this, but I just… I just can't," she said sadly, shaking her head.
Jeannie had glanced at the clock in the kitchen when she was in there, and she knew the sun would be coming up soon. Nobody had gotten, or would get, any sleep that night, she realized, and she also knew a decision had to be made before the three of them made their way to the hospital later that morning. A decision that was Maggie's and Maggie's alone.
Steve slowly lowered the chair. He leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his folded hands. After several seconds, he began slowly, "You need some time to yourself, Maggie, but before you do, I just want to say something, and you can take it for what it's worth…" He paused, and when he began again, he was looking down. "Mike has been the most important person in my life for a very long time and I can't imagine my life without him in it in some way. But that also means that his life, his happiness and his future, are all incredibly important to me as well.
"What he's facing, a long recovery and especially the loss of his career, though he's not showing it right now, it's going to tear him apart. The one light in his life at the moment is you." He looked up and met her eyes evenly. "I know he adores you and how much he wants to marry you. You're his lifeline right now." She whimpered and brought a hand up to cover her mouth.
"Maggie, if you're honest with him about all this, he will understand. He is one of the most altruistic people I have ever met. He'll go along with whatever you decide, whatever he thinks is best for you." He leaned forward and took one of her hands in his. "But whatever the two of you decide, I know it will be what's best for you both. And if that means you'll be together in another part of the country, I can live with that. I'll miss the hell out of him, but at least I'll know he's alive and he's happy and he's with the woman he loves." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Biting her bottom lip and fighting back tears, Maggie tried smiling at him, only partially succeeding. Curled up at the other end of the sofa, Jeannie was wiping tears from her cheeks. They looked at her when she sniffled.
She smiled encouragingly through her tears. "He's my dad, and I love him with all my heart, but he deserves his own life and his own happiness. And I don't think he could find anyone that deserves him more than you do, Maggie, I truly don't. He comes to life when you're around, like he used to do with my mom… Whatever you decide, you have my blessing as well." She crawled across the couch and slid her arm around Maggie's shoulders, pulling her close.
Maggie leaned her head against Jeannie's as Steve continued to hold her hand. They sat like that for several long minutes before Maggie could speak. "Thank you," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I never meant to do this to him, you have to know that…"
Steve squeezed her hand. "This isn't your fault, or his. But it's our new reality, and we might as well come to grips with it as best we all can." He glanced up at Jeannie and took a deep breath, looking at them both with resigned concern. "Listen, ah, we only have a couple of hours until we have to go to the hospital, so why don't we try to get some rest. Come on, ladies, I'll escort you both upstairs."
As Maggie began to stand, she looked back at the sofa. "You're gonna sleep on –"
Steve cut her off with a sharp snort. "You would not believe how many nights I've spent on this couch," he said with a laugh. "It was like my second home."
Outside Mike's bedroom door, Maggie turned to Steve, her brow furrowed and tears beading on her eyelashes. "How could I have allowed this to happen, Steve? How could I have been so stupid?" He knew she didn't require an answer. "I've got myself a horrible little Hobson's Choice now, haven't I?" she said quietly. "If I stay, I could get him killed; and if I leave, I could kill him."
# # # # #
Steve pulled aside the edge of living room curtain and looked down onto the dark street. A black sedan sat in front of the house. He smiled grimly as he let the curtain fall back and he crossed to the sofa, two pillows and a blanket in his hands.
He made the bed then lay down and turned off the lamp. He stared at the ceiling in the blackness, knowing sleep wouldn't come but grateful for the chance to marshal his own thoughts.
He had to admit he was very worried about Mike, about what was facing him in a couple of hours. He knew his former partner was still in precarious health, even though he was being sent home, and Maggie's words had disturbed him more than he cared to admit. Was Mike strong enough, physically and emotionally, to be able to let her leave, knowing that her life was in the balance? Or would he let her go, then descend into a tailspin from which he couldn't recover?
He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. When that didn't work, he settled for lying very still and allowing the warm tears to trickle from the corners of his eyes undisturbed.
# # # # #
With three of large paper bags in hand, Steve, Jeannie and Maggie exited the elevator on the fourth floor and started down the corridor, an FBI agent following discreetly behind.
"So remember what we agreed, all right? This has got to be between Maggie and Mike." Steve glanced at Jeannie and she nodded. "And we let Mike call the shots. If he wants to be alone with Maggie, so be it. We have to respect his wishes in all this, no matter how we feel about it, right?"
Jeannie nodded again and Maggie looked at them both with gratitude. She took a deep breath. "He's gonna know as soon as I walk in there," she said anxiously. "I'm a lousy actress when it comes to things like this. He's gonna know."
Steve nodded. "He doesn't miss much. He'll catch on pretty quick, I'm sure. And if that happens, then we don't try to underplay it – we tell him. Agreed?"
The two women nodded as they stopped before the door and the older woman took a deep shuddering breath. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, then opened her eyes wide and broke into a broad smile. She pushed the door open.
Mike, in his blue pajamas and burgundy robe, was sitting in the armchair and he grinned lovingly when the door opened. "There's my girl. I was wondering when you were gonna get here," he said happily as Maggie led the way into the room.
She crossed to him and bent to give him a kiss, then put the paper bag she was holding on the bed. She leaned over him again, put both hands on the sides of his face, and gave him another kiss.
"I'm liking this morning already," Mike said with a chuckle as she stepped back to the bed and opened the paper bag.
Grinning and laughing, Jeannie bent over her father and gave him a peck on the cheek as she put her bag on the overbed table. Steve went straight to the sidetable to put his bag down. "How are you feeling this morning? You look great."
"I feel pretty good," Mike said with a smile as he watched Maggie take the coffees out of the paper bag on the bed. "It sure will be good to be back in my own house."
He caught the stricken look that briefly flashed across Maggie's face as she turned to him with a cardboard cup of coffee in her hand. He took it, his smile wavering, worry suddenly furrowing his brow. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
She smiled at him. "Why do you ask?" she said evasively, and peripherally he could see both Steve and his daughter freeze for a split second.
Mike sat back slightly, his eyes snapping from one to the other. "Okay," he began quietly, "one of you is going to tell me what's going on."
Maggie's gaze shot guiltily to Steve. She straightened up, looked at Mike sadly, then reached out to pull a chair up beside the armchair. She sat as close as she could, took the coffee cup from him and put it on the floor, then took both his hands in hers and leaned towards him.
"Something's happened, Michael," she began softly, staring into his worried blue eyes, "and you and I have to make a decision in the next few hours that is going to affect the rest of our lives. It literally is a matter of life and death."