Chapter 10: Life Altering Event
In the months to come Cody and Lizzie's relationship kept growing, they were getting more and more serious. When Cody would talk to Matt and Robin on the phone, they could tell that he was totally smitten with her.
"Cody, I am sorry to tell you we must cancel our trip in November. Izzie broke his arm, and I need to stay and cover his shifts." Matt said. "We were so hoping to finally meet Lizzie."
"I have a long weekend at Thanksgiving, I could see if I could take a few more days off and come for a visit." Cody said.
"Cody, that would be great. Do you think Lizzie could come as well? We would love to meet her," Robin asked.
"I will ask her. She is off too. I know she was going to go home, but her parents are going on a cruise and her siblings are going to their in-laws. I would love for her to see Tahoe and meet you all. I can't wait to see you, it has been too long. I miss Kelly terribly and can't wait to hold her again."
"I will call mom and dad to see if either one of them is able to come and visit at Thanksgiving. I know they would not want to come at the same time." Matt said.
"Sounds good Matt. I have not seen either one for a while," Cody said.
After they hung up. Matt said, "I think Cody is in love. The way he talks about her, I think she might be the one."
"I pray that she is. It would be so great if Cody found his future wife. Maybe Kelly can get a baby cousin soon and he would move back home." Robin said.
"I am sure Cody would rather see dad, so I will call him tonight." Matt said. Baby starts crying.
"I will go get her, but she probably heard your voice," Robin said. "She is a daddy's girl and all."
Matt got on his phone and called his father, but as of normal he had to leave a message. "Dad this is Matt. I was talking to Cody today and he is coming home for Thanksgiving. Wondering if you would be free to come. Cody is hoping to bring his girlfriend home with him. Give me a call back as soon as you can. If you cannot make it. I will call mom and see if she is free to come."
A few days had passed, and Matt had not heard from Jesse at all. He tried to call his dad again but had no luck. A few more days had passed, and Matt still did not hear from Jesse. Cody and Lizzie both had gotten some extra time off and would be coming for a long weekend at Thanksgiving. They booked their flights and were ready to come.
A few days later Robin and Matt were sitting on the floor working with Kelly as she is just starting to walk. "Come here baby girl. Come to daddy, come on you can do it." Kelly with a great big smile on her face as she laughed and giggled all the way to Matt's awaiting arms. "That's my big girl." Matt kissed his little girl as he lifted her up over his head. The phone rings.
Robin went over to answer the phone, "Hello," there is silence as Robin is listening to the caller on the other end. "He is right here." Robin hands Matt the phone. "It's a hospital in San Francisco."
Robin grabs the baby as Matt talks to the hospital. "Yes, I am Matt his son."
"This is Doctor Hanson; your father was brought into the hospital today with multiple gunshot wounds. He survived the surgery to remove the bullets, but it was touch and go for a while, but he has stabilized. We would like it if you could come to San Francisco to see about next steps."
Matt had a very worried look on his face, "Has my dad woken up yet?"
Doctor Hanson answered, "Not yet, but we suspect he will in the next few hours."
"Thank you, I will take the first flight out," Matt said. "Bye." Matt hung up the phone.
"Matt what is it?" Robin asked concerning.
"My dad was shot multiple times. He was brought into the hospital. He had surgery to remove the bullets and is now in the ICU. Robin, I need to pack and head out to San Francisco."
"I will call and make your flight reservation. You go and pack. Do you want me to call Cody?"
"It is late enough, why don't we wait until I get there and get an update from the doctor. I do not want to worry Cody any more than needed."
Robin got Matt's flight and she drove him to the airport. "If you want me to come, Kelly and I will join you right away." Robin pulls the car up to the airport, "Matt, I love you. Your dad will be okay. He is tough."
"Robin, I love you and Kelly very much."
"Call me when you get there." Robin said and Matt kissed her. "Say bye, bye to daddy." Kelly gave a little baby cooing. Matt gave his baby girl a kiss goodbye.
Matt arrives at the hospital in the late evening hours. "I am here to see a patient in the ICU, Jesse Hawkes."
"What is your relationship to the patient?" The receptionist asked.
"I am his son, Matt Hawkes."
"Here is your badge. He is in the ICU unit in the West Wing on the fourth floor. There is a note that he is under police guard, so you will need to show some id when you get up there. And the police may have some questions for you."
"Thank you," Matt put the badge on and made his way up to the ICU department. There were some officers waiting to talk to him.
"Matt," Detective Pierce said. "Sorry to see you under these circumstances."
"How is he doing?" Matt asked.
"He is stable but has not woken up yet. Matt, do you know what your dad was working on?" Detective Pierce asked.
"No, I have not talked to him in a while. I had been trying to reach him to see if he be able to join us for Thanksgiving since my brother will be home for the holidays. But I never heard from him."
"Would he have talked to your brother?" Detective Pierce asked.
"I doubt it. I do not think they talk much since my brother decided not to join him bounty hunting and he went off on his own."
Few days earlier Jesse Hawkes is walking down a dark street of San Francisco searching for a bail jumper. This was possibly the most dangerous bounty Jesse has ever been after. Somehow this man got out of jail, but probably should have been denied bail. He was a repeat offender and easily could have left the country.
Jesse is in the Tenderloin section of San Francisco. It is the most dangerous area of the city. Jesse walks into a dark and seedy bar. There are only a few patrons in the bar. Jesse walks up to the bartender and he lays a fifty-dollar bill down with a picture. "Have you seen this man in here?"
Bartender barely looks at the picture, "Nope."
"Take a second look," Jesse holds up the picture and puts it in the bartender's face.
"Nope, never seen him." the bartender said.
"You mean to tell me you have never seen the face of the man who signs your paycheck. The man who up until few months ago ran this bar. Take another look."
"I told you. I have not seen him. Now we have the right to refuse service and we are refusing yours." The bartender slides the fifty back towards Jesse, then he looks up at a man who is most likely the bouncer.
Jesse just stood there and slowly picked up the fifty-dollar bill. The bouncer says in a deep voice, "The man said leave."
Jesse walked out of the bar knowing the men were lying to him. They were either too afraid to come forward or they were protecting their boss. Jesse figured the bar was the key. So, he staked out the place. His hunch paid off. He spotted Fredrick Roman leaving the bar. He followed Fredirick to Golden Gate Park, where he was meeting someone. It was someone Jesse knew. It was dark. Jesse stumbled across a couple about to have sex behind the bushes. The man ran out which alerted Fredrick and his contact of Jesse's presents. Jesse told the woman to run and not to look back whatever she did. Jesse was shot down. He was in so much pain he lost consciousness. The men left him for dead.
Back at the hospital. Matt was in Jesse's room getting an update on Jesse's condition from Doctor Hanson. "Thank you for making the trip out. We feel he has stabilized enough that we will be moving him out of the ICU. He has not woken up yet, but we are hopeful he will soon."
"Do you know if he will have any long term affects from his injuries?" Matt asked.
"It will be a long recovery. There may be some long-term effects from the bullet wound. His right leg may give him some trouble from time to time. And he may develop a limp. This is all speculation at the moment. We won't know until he wakes up and gets moving again. But in any case, he should probably retire from bounty hunting or at least doing it alone."
"Thanks doc." Matt said. Matt walked back into his dad's room and sat by his side. "Dad it is time to wake up. I want to give Robin and your granddaughter the good news. And I do not want to worry Cody any more than I need to. Speaking of Toad, he is coming home for Thanksgiving. It would be good if we could have the whole family together again. Cody's girlfriend will be joining him too. I know he really wants us to meet her."
Matt left the room to talk to Robin he was giving her the update. Robin responded back, "Have you told Cody yet? "
"No, I keep hoping he wakes up and I have better news for him," Matt said.
"Matt, you need to call him. The sooner the better," Robin said.
"I know, I will call Cody next. Give Kelly lots of hugs and kisses for me. I miss you both." there is a pause. "I love you both, bye" Matt hung up the phone.
He went back into Jesse's room and there was no change. Matt took a deep breath and started to dial his brother's number.
"Hello," Cody said.
"Hi Cody," Matt said.
"You have not changed your mind about Thanksgiving?" Cody asked.
"Of course not, I don't think Kelly would forgive us for keeping her favorite uncle from her. I am calling about dad," Matt paused. "I am in San Francisco with dad."
"Is everything okay?" Cody said with some worry.
"Dad is in the hospital. I don't know what happened, but dad was shot 3 times. Twice on his right leg and once in his side. He was found by a jogger in Golden Gate Park. He is in stable condition at the moment, but he still unconscious."
"Is he going to be, okay?" Cody asked.
"Once he wakes up, they will have a better idea," Matt said.
"Matt, I will try to get there as soon as I square somethings away here." Cody said.
"Just call me on my cell and let me know your plans," Matt said.
"Is Robin with you?" Cody asked.
"No, I had her stay in Tahoe, the rangers were already shorthanded. I have her monitoring the radio so if you can't get hold of me, she will be at the station during the day and home at night." Matt said.
"Okay, I will try to get there as soon as possible." Cody hung up the phone and went right to Jerry's office.
"Hey boss, I have a family emergency. I need to go," Cody was a bit frazzled.
"Cody, slow down a bit. What is wrong?" Jerry asked.
"My dad is in the hospital. He has been shot three times. My brother said he is stable, but still unconscious." Cody said.
"Where is he at?" Jerry asked.
"He is in a hospital in San Francisco. Sorry my head is spinning," Cody said.
Jerry put his hands on Cody's shoulder, "Take a deep breath, it is going to be okay." Cody takes a deep breath. "Now let's check the flights from Bozeman to San Francisco."
Jerry got Cody to calm down and he called his travel agent. "Joe, this is Jerry Milham. I have a friend here at the park who needs assistance in getting a flight from Bozeman to San Francisco. Just one way ticket. He does not know when he will return. His father is in the hospital with gunshot wound." There was silence on the phone. Jerry asked Cody a question. "Is your dad a veteran?"
"Yes, he was a Marine." Cody said.
"Did he serve in Vietnam?" Jerry asked.
Cody shook his head yes.
"Yes, he was a Marine in Vietnam." Jerry said. There was more silence. "Perfect, I will hand the phone over to Cody and he can give you all his information." Jerry held his hand to the phone. "He got you a very good price on the ticket."
"Thank you, Jerry," Cody said. Once Cody was done giving his information, he hung up the phone.
"Okay, you have a few hours before you must leave. I want you to go home and pack your bag. Find Lizzie and let her know what is going on. If you don't find a ride to the airport, let me know and I can take you. I will call HR and let them know you are going on Family Medical Leave. Check in with me in case there is anything I need from you. And call if you need anything. Here is my card. Keep me informed on what is going on and when you think you will return."
"Thank you, Jerry," Cody said.
"Just remember to take a deep breath, slow down." Jerry said.
Cody started driving to his apartment. He was trying to remember where Lizzie was scheduled to work. He wanted to see her badly. He did not want to leave without seeing her. He spotted her truck at the Mammoth Hot Springs Nature Center. He was hoping she was there and not off somewhere. Cody ran into the ranger office.
"Jenny, is Lizzie here?" Cody asked.
"She is at the theater finishing a ranger show, she is in Theater B", Jenny said.
"Thank you," Cody ran over to Theater B.
Lizzie was just wrapping up her talk. Cody was just out of the theater stressing out and pacing back and forth. Lizzie spotted him and wrapped things up a little faster. She asked her fellow ranger to handle the questions. Her boyfriend was outside, and she could tell something was wrong. She walked out fast to Cody and took him to the side.
"Cody what is wrong?" Cody's eyes were swelling up, she knew something serious was going on. "Let's go over here, where we can have a little more privacy." She escorted Cody over to an empty theater. Once they got into the room, she hugged him, and he started to cry. "Honey what is wrong?
"My dad is in the hospital. He was shot three times. Matt said he is in stable condition but has not woken up yet. I don't want to lose my dad." Cody was crying.
"Oh Cody. I am so sorry," Lizzie tried to console Cody. "Is he in San Francisco."
"Yes, Matt is already there," Cody said. "Jerry is putting me on Family Leave, and he helped me get a flight from Bozeman to San Francisco. It leaves in four hours."
"Okay, we have an hour before we need to leave for the airport. Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, once I know more about what is going on and how he is doing. Maybe you can still join us for Thanksgiving."
"That is good idea, I have my tickets to Tahoe, and it goes thru San Francisco. So, I can always change it if you are still there."
"Thank you," Cody hugged and kissed Lizzie.
"Cody, why don't you go back to your apartment and pack. I will get out of here as soon as I can. Then we will head to the airport and get your ticket and get you checked in. I will stay with you until your flight takes off. It will be okay."
Cody when back to his apartment to pack, he also had a chance to call Matt and let him know when he will arrive in San Francisco. Lizzie was about twenty minutes behind Cody. They arrived at the airport and Lizzie went with Cody to the gate. She got him to eat something while they waited for his flight. When it was about time to board the flight, Cody and Lizzie said their goodbyes.
"Lizzie, I am going to miss you," Cody said.
"I will miss you too. Keep me up to date and I will see you in a couple of weeks." Lizzie said and she went in and hugged and kissed Cody.
Cody said in her ear, "Lizzie, I love you."
"I love you too," Lizzie closed her eyes and tears went down her cheeks.
Cody got on the plane and Lizzie stayed at the gate and watched the plane go up in the air.
Lizzie said to herself, "He loves me." She had a happy but worried look on her face.
Cody arrived at the hospital and went right to Jesse's room. "Matt."
"Cody, so good to see you," Matt got up and hugged his brother.
"Who would have thought we be back here again." Cody said.
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
"This is the same hospital you were in," Cody said.
"Oh… I had not thought about that," Matt said.
"How is he doing?" Cody asked.
"Same as before," Matt said.
"Does the doctors have any idea why he is not waking up?" Cody asked.
"No, but they should be around again shortly," Matt said. "Maybe try talking to him."
Matt went and sat down on a chair. Cody sat down on the chair next to Jesse.
"Dad, it is Cody, can you please wake up. Dad, I have not seen you in quite a while and I have so much I want to tell you. Please Dad." Cody reached out his hand and placed it on Jesse's hand.
A couple of hours went by and still no change. The doctors came in to examine Jesse and reported the same. Matt looked exhausted.
"Matt, why don't you go back to dad's place and get some sleep, you look exhausted. I can sit with him for now." Cody said.
"Maybe we can grab some dinner later. Some good hospital cafeteria food?" Matt asked.
"Maybe you can pick up some of that Chinese food we used to always get. No good Chinese in Yellowstone." Cody said.
"Good idea, I will get some sweet and sour soup for dad too," Matt joked.
"But he does not…." Cody was pausing as he was getting the joke. "Maybe we can feed it to him through his I.V.. He cannot stop us if he does not wake up."
A very groggy voice said, "Don't…. you…. dare." Jesse was awake, but still out of it.
"Dad, you are awake," Cody said. Matt came up to Jesse's side.
"We can skip the soup as long as you stay with us," Matt joked. "Let me call the nurse."
"No…wait… minute," Jesse said. "You… need… find… Jen. She… in… trouble."
"Dad, who is Jen?" Cody asked. Cody looked up at Matt and shrugged his shoulders.
"Find… Jen," Jesse said.
"Jen Jacobs? Aaron's Granddaughter?" Matt asked.
"Yes…. she…. in… trouble. Need… find… her," Jesse said, trying to get out of bed.
"Dad, you need take it easy and clear your head. The doctor and nurses need to look you over. Then we can talk about Jen. She does not need you falling out of bed and getting yourself hurt before we can help her." Cody said.
"Your right," Jesse said.
Matt called the nurses to let them know that Jesse was awake. The doctors and nurses examine Jesse. While they were looking him over. Matt got on his phone to see if Robin knew anything about Jen that he did not know.
"Hi Honey, dad is awake," Matt said.
"What did the doctor say?" Robin asked.
"They are with him now. One of the first things he said was to find Jen. We got him to clarify he was referring to Jen Jacobs and that she was in trouble. Do you have any idea where she might be?"
"I can try the number she gave me before, but it was a few years ago. I will call the trustees of her parents' estate and see if they have any contact information for her. Matt I am really worried about her." Robin said.
"I am too," Matt said.
"I will let you know what I find out. Keep me posted from your end."
"I will, I love you and Kelly so much and miss you both," Matt said.
"I love you too. Kelly is missing her dad. She crawls and walks around, looking for you, saying daddy, daddy," Robin said.
"Oh… I am missing that. When my dad is in good enough shape, I am going to try to get him to come back to Tahoe with me," Matt said.
"I think that is a great idea," Robin said.
"I got to go, looks like the doctor is done," Matt hung up and went back into the room.
"Jesse is much improved, but he needs to take it easy for a while and let the wounds heal. We don't want to rip any stitches out." The doctor says before he leaves the room.
"So, dad, are you thinking any clearer now?" Cody asked.
"Yeah," Jesse said.
"So, do you know who shot you? Cody asked.
"Yes, but need to know Jen safe first," Jesse said.
"Dad, what does Jen have to do with this?" Matt asked.
"I was following a bail jumper, Fredrick Roman. I followed him into Golden Gate Park. When I stumbled on Jen and some guy in the park just about too, you know, have sex. I dragged her out of there. The guy ran off and I think in the process alerted Roman and Detective Buckingham with SFPD. Both Jen and I got a good look at them, but they got a good look at us too. She is in danger. I told her to run and not to stop no matter what she saw. She listened. I don't know if they tracked her down or if they have any idea who she is. It is not safe for her to stay here. She needs to leave San Francisco and get as far from here as possible."
"Robin is trying to see if she can track her down. Find out if the lawyer from Aaron's estate or the trustees from her parents' estate would have any idea where she might be." Matt said.
"The lawyer won't be able to help, she cut off all contact with him. The lawyer said she was not happy about the terms of the will. She made some comments and stormed out. That girl was out of control and getting herself in more and more trouble. Looks like she has not changed at bit. She still sleeping around, mixed up with drugs and alcohol and who knows what else."
"Jen, I can't imagine," Cody said.
"I know she was troubled before she left for school and was not much of the innocent child you are thinking. She was having a relationship with Marco and it really messed her up. Do you have any idea where she is now?" Matt asked.
"I don't know. I just saw her in the park. I am guessing she is on the street somewhere prostituting herself out." Jesse said.
Robin had some luck with the Trustees. So, Matt and Cody tracked Jennifer down. They followed her from her job to the dorms.
"Matt why don't you talk to her, I will keep a look out," Cody said.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk to her?" Matt said.
"No, it has been a long time since I have seen her. Maybe best if just one of us confronts her and if there are people after her, I want to make sure we still have our guard up." Cody said.
Cody stayed behind and was on the lookout.
"Jen," Matt said as he walked up to Jennifer.
"Matt, what are you doing here?" Jennifer asked.
"My dad was shot a few days ago. He said he saw you right before he got shot. He stumbled on you and some guy in the bushes about to have sex. He said you saw the men that shot him, and he was afraid they would come after you as well," Matt said.
"Last time I saw your dad was at your wedding." Jennifer said.
"My dad thought you were drunk or high. Maybe you don't remember," Matt said.
"What does your dad have against me?" Tears welled up in Jennifer's eyes.
"Jen, I know when you left Tahoe you were not a saint. You were sleeping around, drinking, drugs, stealing. Shall I go on."
"Matt, I have been trying to get my life back in order. All I do is study and work. My grandpa and your dad left me with nothing. Your dad convinced by Grandpa to take everything from me. My trust from my parents' estate pays enough for my tuition, room and board. After that I have nothing. Once I graduate, I will be on the street unless I save enough for an apartment. I study and work and that is all I have time for. I don't date, I don't have many friends. I am less than year from graduating and your dad is trying to take that from me."
"Jen, he swears he saw you."
"When was this?" Jennfer asked.
"Three nights ago."
"Three nights ago, I was in my Economics class from seven to ten pm. I had a midterm exam. Then I went to my job at a hotel where I am a laundress and work from eleven pm, until seven am. I can get maybe a couple hours of sleep a night. You can check with my professor and with my employer if you don't believe me."
"I believe you, maybe if you talk to him. You can straighten things out."
"Sorry, Matt. I need to concentrate on school and not ease the conscious of a man who is trying to control me. Just like my Grandpa did."
"Come back to Tahoe for Thanksgiving. Robin and I will pay your way," Matt said.
"Is your dad going to be there?"
"I hope so. Cody will be there with his new girlfriend too."
"Sorry Matt, I don't want anything to do with your dad. I don't plan to ever go back to Tahoe," Jennifer took a deep breath. "Matt, I think this should be goodbye."
Matt could see that Jennifer was deeply hurt.
"Jen if you ever change your mind or if you ever get to the point where you need help. Please, contact Robin and I. You will always have a home with us."
"Matt, thank you, but this needs to be goodbye." Jennifer gave Matt a hug and then walked away with tears in her eyes. He could tell she was hurt and was crying.
Matt returned to the hospital. Jesse was concerned, "Did you find her? Did you get her to leave?"
"Dad, I saw her. She said she was in class at the time and then she went to her job where she worked until seven am." Matt paused for a moment. "Dad, she mentioned that Aaron made adjustments to his will, and it was your idea. That she inherited nothing from her grandfather."
"Not exactly, she owns the lodge. She can go back to it at any time and start the fishing business up again. Aaron's estate is paying the property taxes. She won't be homeless like she claims. But the direction she was going she will end up on the street someday. Probably strung out or something."
"Dad, you left her with nothing. Her parents trust will pay for her schooling, room and board. Then nothing until she is thirty. I saw someone who is too tired for her age. Between school and work she is going to burn herself out. What is she going to do when she graduates. She will have nothing, and she is all alone." Matt said.
"She is choosing to be alone. And she has a home at the lodge. If she works hard, stays out of trouble she will be fine."
"Dad, did you really do this to her?" Cody asked.
"Yes, and it is the best thing for her. She needed a wake-up call. Aaron was going to leave her nothing. I had to talk him into this. But now she needs to leave San Francisco before they find her." Jesse said.
Detective Pierce knocks on the door before coming into the room and gives the Hawkes men some disturbing news. "Mr. Hawkes, you had mentioned that you saw a young man and women in the park right before you were shot. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Jesse said.
"Would you be able to identify the two if you saw them again?"
"Yes," Jesse said.
"The bodies of a young female and male in their early twenties were found in the park early this morning." The detective handed Jesse the photos.
Jesse looked them over, "That is them. Matt, look at the women in the photo."
"I see it," Matt said.
"What do you see?" the detective asked.
"The women in the photo looks like old family friend. Very similar characteristics. I talked to her this morning, and she swore it was not her in the park." Matt said.
"I guess I had been thinking about her and everything happened so fast. I just thought it was her," Jesse said.
"Well, I guess that takes care of the possible witnesses. We have not been able to locate Detective Buckingham and Fredrick Roman yet. So, we will keep the guards on the door. Have a good day gentleman." The detective left the room.
"Can you get in contact with Jen, so I can apologize to her," Jesse said.
"Dad, I don't think that is a good idea. She was upset when I talked to her. She said this needed to be goodbye." Matt said sadly. "When I walked away, I could tell she was crying. So, I think it is for the best we leave her alone and let her move on with her life."
"Matt… do you think that is for the best?" Cody said.
"Yes, I hate to say it. She was a good kid at one point, but dad is right. She did need good kick in the pants and a wakeup call."
After a week. Jesse was healing and he was getting stronger. He was ready to leave the hospital. The police found detective Buckingham dead.
"I don't want to leave this hospital and have to worry about looking over my shoulder for this guy. I don't want to worry about him going after our family," Jesse said.
"Dad, what are you thinking?" Cody asked.
"I think we need to find a way to draw him out. Make him think I am alone and he can come after me," Jesse said.
"Use yourself as bait?" Matt asked.
"Exactly," Jesse said.
The Hawkes men formulated a plan and went into action. Cody was outside on the patio area when Jesse and Matt came over to him. "Cody, we are not done talking yet."
"Dad, I had said everything I needed to say. I am going back home," Cody said. Cody got up and waved his hand bye.
"Cody, get back here!" Jesse shouted. Cody kept walking away.
"Dad, I will go talk to him," Matt left Jesse's side and went after Cody.
Fredrick was watching from a distance. He made his way towards Jesse with a gun. "Hawkes, you have met your match," Fredrick said.
"No, I think you met yours," Jesse said.
Cody came running out of the bushes, tackling Fredrick down and knocking the gun out of his hand. Cody got him in a head lock and he could not get away. Matt came and grabbed Fredrick's gun. Cody kept him down until the police officers came and arrested Fredrick.
"Son, any chance you like to get into the bounty hunting business with your old man," Jesse said.
"I hope you are kidding me," Cody said. "Thanks, but no thanks. I will keep my day job."
"Boy could be like the good old days again," Jesse said.
"Yeah, I think Robin would divorce me if I would even think about it," Matt said.
"Does not hurt to ask," Jesse said. Matt looked at Cody and Cody nodded back.
"Dad. Cody and I were talking. We think it is time for you to hang up bounty hunting. We think you should go home to Tahoe. Be close to your granddaughter." Matt said.
"I have a few good years left," Jesse said.
"Dad, it is time to go home." Cody said. "Be retired and enjoy your time as a grandfather."
"Cody, are you going to come back?" Jesse said.
"Someday, I just started seeing someone and I want to see how it goes before moving back to Tahoe. She is a terrific woman, and I can't wait for you all to meet her at Thanksgiving."
"You're dating someone?" Jesse said sarcastically.
"Yeah, for several months now," Cody said.
By the time Jesse got out of the hospital he finally agreed to move back to Tahoe. One day while they packed Jesse's place, Cody stepped away for a bit and went back to the dorms where Jennifer lived. He watched her from a distance as she returned home after finishing work. The security guard at the desk handed Jennifer an envelope. In it was one thousand dollars in cash and a note. The note read, "I believe you. I will always stand by your side. I know you can do anything you set your mind to. I hope this helps ease some of the burdens you will be facing in the near future. Yours always C." Jennifer held the letter up to her chest, she closed her eyes and just smiled. She had tears of joy streaming down her face. She looked around the room and did not see Cody, but he saw her and was happy to see the smile on her face.
Matt and Cody got Jesse's things packed up in Jesse's truck. The three men got into Jesse's truck as they took a road trip to Tahoe and left San Francisco.