For 'Burnie'...
He didn't want to let her go.
Jeannie had wrapped her arms around her father and there they stood, on the porch, locked in each other's embrace, unwilling to break the bond.
They had all shared an amazing week, of love and laughter, food and drink, raucous bonfires on the beach and quiet conversation. They had caught up on each other's lives and swapped stories of their lives apart.
And now it was all over, and the reality of their separation was once more being felt.
Steve and Jeannie were going to the airport together, but taking separate flights at separate times. They had agreed it was best to leave simultaneously, to spare Mike the torture of having to go through two agonizing goodbyes.
Steve was standing beside the rental car with Maggie, watching father and daughter on the porch. She reached out and wrapped her hands around his arm and he put a comforting hand over hers.
He and Mike had taken another of their long walks on the beach that morning and said their goodbyes, neither knowing when they would see each other again. The ache in his heart was almost more physical than emotional now, and he knew he had to get Jeannie out of there before it became just too damn hard to walk away from this most vulnerable man.
But he stood where he was. And they watched.
Eventually, his eyes moist but not quite crying, Mike pulled back and put his hands on his daughters upper arms. He smiled that warm and loving Mike Stone smile, and through her tears she smiled back. Then he put his arm around her shoulders, turned her and they started towards the car.
Maggie backed away from Steve, who opened the passenger side door as Jeannie approached. Without looking back, she got into the car and he closed the door, then turned to his old partner.
They both took deep breaths as they stared at each other, smiling, then Steve threw his arms around the older man once more, grateful to feel the strong arms encircle his chest and squeeze. "If you need to talk, call me," he whispered into Mike's ear. He felt Mike nod, both of them knowing exactly the implications of that statement.
Releasing the younger man, Mike took a step back and reached for Maggie, who stepped to his side and took his hand. With a final nod, Steve circled the car, got behind the wheel and then they were gone.
# # # # #
Wrapped in her bulky burgundy cardigan, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, Maggie leaned against a post on their porch, staring towards the berm in the fading light. Mike was still sitting in the sand, facing the water, Autumn at his side.
He had been there since Steve and Jeannie had driven away.
She chewed on her lower lip, fighting back the tears, wanting so desperately to go to him but knowing he still needed time. She had seen him do this before, of course, but somehow this was different. This time the hurt was deeper.
With a heartbroken sigh, she turned and went back into the house.
# # # # #
He heard her before she got to him, the familiar cadence of her footfalls as she crossed the road and started up the berm towards him. In spite of everything, he smiled to himself, grateful for her concern, in awe of her understanding.
He smelled the welcoming aroma of the coffee as she sat beside him, doing her best to do so without touching him, and with both hands full. He didn't look at her but he could feel her eyes studying his profile, trying to gauge his mood. Peripherally, he could see her smile slightly, almost relaxing, and she leaned towards him, silently holding out one of the coffee mugs.
He turned to her and smiled back, taking the mug. He took a sip then wrapped both hands around it, appreciating the warmth. He looked back at the water. She leaned into him, taking a sip of her own coffee.
When the mugs were empty, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. They sat that way for a very long time.
Eventually, the last vestiges of sunlight now completely gone, the black sky alive with millions of tiny stars, she got to her feet and looked down at him. After several seconds, he looked up and she held out her right hand. He stared at her, unmoving, then, smiling slightly, reached up and took her hand, standing stiffly. Autumn, who had lain by his side the entire evening, struggled to her feet and slowly followed them back to the house.
# # # # #
She awoke with a start, surprised to see the first rays of sunlight beginning to brighten the closed curtains. She reached out to touch his arm, as she always did, only slightly surprised to find his side of the bed empty. It was not unusual for him to rise before her, to be downstairs making breakfast or reading the morning paper, puttering away quietly, allowing her to sleep in.
Still unsure what had woken her, she sat up slightly and glanced at the clock/radio. 6:25 am. The early morning air was chilly and she almost gave in to the desire to sink back under the warmth of the duvet. But something was telling her all was not right and, with a knot of fear and trepidation in the pit of her stomach, she climbed from the comforting bed and donned her dressing gown and slippers.
She stepped off the bottom stair and moved towards the kitchen, growing even more apprehensive at the smothering silence. It had been almost two weeks since Jeannie and Steve had left and in that time Mike had remained quieter than normal, the enormity of his loss seeming to weigh on him more and more. She could only hope that he wasn't starting to resent her and second guess his decision to trade his old life for this new one.
As she approached the kitchen, her heart began to pound. She was used to the quietly soothing sounds of Mike talking to Autumn as he went about his morning 'chores', as he liked to called them. But today there was just an ominous hush.
She moved into the kitchen doorway and stopped, catching her breath. Mike, in his dressing gown and slippers, was sitting on the floor, his back to the fridge, his legs outstretched. Autumn was lying on the floor beside him, her head on his right thigh, and he was stroking her neck and shoulders in an oh-so-familiar action.
But something about the loving gesture seemed unnatural, and Maggie stared at Autumn's eyes, waiting for her to blink. Realizing what was going on, Maggie looked at her husband, who was staring straight ahead, continuing to caress the soft golden fur. Eventually, he blinked and turned to look at her, his eyes brimming.
Their stares locked for several seconds, neither moving, and then his face began to crumble, his body began to shake and he dropped his head, tears spilling from his eyes and splashing onto his robe and the dead dog's head.
With a heartbreaking whimper, Maggie dropped to her knees beside her husband and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head to her chest and stroking the side of his face, her own tears falling on his hair as she held him and rocked him. His sobs filled the room, as he struggled to breathe, finally letting all the pent-up grief and anger flood out.
# # # # #
He was sitting at the kitchen table, both hands wrapped around a cup of fresh coffee, staring into space. She crossed to him from the counter, pulled his head into her stomach and kissed his hair, stroking his cheek, feeling the early morning stubble. He reached up and slipped an arm around her back, holding her tightly.
Smiling, she pulled the other chair close to him and sat, leaning over the table, placing both her own hands around her mug. They had remained in each other's arms on the kitchen floor for almost an hour, as he gave in to the waves of sorrow that washed over him again and again, until she was satisfied that he was drained of everything he had been holding inside.
Depleted and numb, they had wrapped Autumn's lifeless body in her favourite blanket and Mike had carried her into the small backyard. Maggie insisted that her husband have some breakfast before they began the onerous task of burying their beloved companion.
Mike finally looked up to meet her eyes and he smiled slightly. He laid a gentle hand on her forearm. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"For what?"
He took a deep breath, staring into her soft brown eyes. "For loving me as much as you do," he said simply, and she knew he was aware of everything she had been doing to help him these last few months.
She covered his hand with hers and smiled at him warmly. "You're welcome," she said and chuckled slightly, rewarded when he chuckled back at her.
"How did you know?" he asked almost inaudibly.
She shrugged. "Well, I didn't really know. I suppose you could call it an educated guess." She paused. "Bear, you've had to give up so much more than I have for this relationship. It hasn't been fair for you. And I know how much and how deeply you love, and I'm not just talking about the people in your life. That's what makes you so special." She squeezed his hand.
"I adore you, Mike, and I want you to be happy. And I want you to be sure that you made the right decision in all this. I want to be sure that a few months or a few years down the road, you don't start to resent me for making you give up everything that you hold so dear."
As she talked, his look turned from unabashed love to one of genuine concern. "You didn't make me do anything," he said, worry in his voice. "Don't you ever think that. What I did, I did because I love you and I believe in us, in the life we can make together."
She smiled thankfully; these were the words she wanted to hear.
Buoyed by her smile, he mirrored the look. "I knew saying goodbye to my old life was going to be hard…very hard. I'm not naïve… And I also knew I was going to have to face it at some point. And that's something I was fighting, I know." He snorted with an amused sadness and looked down, tears building in his eyes once more. "I'm gonna miss her so very much. But she sure knew how to do her job, didn't she?" he smiled and looked back up at his wife.
Maggie lips began to tremble and despite the tears coursing down her cheeks, she smiled as well. "She sure did." She patted his hand. "Let's go show her how much we loved her, okay?"
His face wet with tears, Mike smiled and nodded.
# # # # #
Steve walked into his office, taking off his jacket and slipping it over the back of his chair. The sunlight was streaming through his office window on the crisp late January morning as he glanced at his day planner, checking his calendar.
He was about to pick up his briefcase and head out the door when a manila envelope, tucked under one end of the blotter, caught his attention. In plain block letters on the front were the words 'Professor Steven Keller'. He didn't recognize the handwriting.
Opening the top desk drawer and taking out a letter opener, Steve slit open the top of the manila envelope and slid out the slightly smaller white envelope inside. On it, in blue ballpoint ink, was one name - 'Steve'. Now that handwriting he did recognize, and it brought a smile to his face.
He slit the top of that envelope as well, squeezed it to pop it open and withdrew a photo and a folded piece of white paper. Smiling, he looked at the photo first, and chuckled. There, grinning at the camera, sitting on the grass in front of their house, was Mike, Maggie, and a brand-new Golden Retriever puppy, trying to squirm out of Mike's grasp, it seemed.
Steve flipped the photo over. In Mike's handwriting on the back, it read 'Meet the new addition to our family – Buddy Boy!'
Laughing out loud now, Steve tossed the photo on the desk and opened the note. As he read, his laughter died away and his smile disappeared. He slumped into the chair when he finished, letting the note dangle in his hand. He sat perfectly still for several long seconds, then lifted the paper and read it again.
'I think I have an offer you might not be able to refuse. Any chance of you taking some time off to come back here and help your old partner work on a cold case that's stumped the local PD here for the last 20 years? If you're interested, let me know. Mike'