Chapter 39
“How long
is the concert supposed to last?”
“I
imagine until dark but we don’t have to stay that late,” McCoy answered as he
headed to the kitchen with Morgan’s empty plate and his own. “I thought we
might leave somewhere around five so we get a head start on the traffic.”
“If you
can think of something fairly quick and easy, I’ll make dinner for us
afterwards,” she offered, following with the remaining dishes.
“Hmm…” he
contemplated momentarily while stacking the plates in the sink. “What about a
chef’s salad? That’s easy.”
“All
right,” she nodded. “Tell me what you’d like on it and I’ll pick up everything
in the morning since I have to go to the market anyway.”
“Let’s
see … some roast beef,
“I didn’t
hear you mention anything green in there,” she pointed out with a smile after
placing a pan of left-over lasagna in the refrigerator. “Yours sounds like it’s
going to be more meat than salad. Do you have some paper? If I don’t make a
list I’ll forget.”
“There
should be some beside the phone,” he said, motioning toward the bar.
After
searching briefly through a stack of TV guides and newspaper clippings she
announced, “I don’t see any here.”
“Look in
the desk then, top drawer on the right.”
As Morgan
made her way across the room, she said over her shoulder, “I’ll make some bread
sticks in the morning to go with our salads.”
“Mmm.
Sounds good,” he noted as he began rinsing silverware. Dropping it abruptly
with a loud clang, he started from the kitchen when he suddenly realized what else Morgan
would find when she opened his desk drawer. “Wait – I don’t think you’ll
find any paper in there…” he began.
When he
came to stop beside her, Morgan had a notepad in one hand and was in the
process of picking up a stack of photos with the other. “I found some,” she
responded absent-mindedly, her eyes glued to the top photo.
Although
his first reaction was to snatch the photos away from her, McCoy instead
stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and felt instantly miserable.
“Is this
Claire?” she asked softly without looking up.
“Yes, it
is,” he answered. “Look, I’m sorry. I should’ve put those away a long time ago…”
He let
the sentence trail off as she began to slowly study each snapshot in turn.
After
what seemed like an agonizingly long silence, Morgan finally acknowledged, “She
was beautiful. When were these taken?”
“A few
weeks before the accident,” he replied quietly. “She had been through a rough
case. A mentally ill man she had pleaded out on a minor charge a year and a half earlier
attacked several people with a sword, killing three and seriously wounded
another. Claire blamed herself for letting him off the first time with only
probation and a fine. Once it was all over, I took her out to
After
having gone through them all, she came back to a photo of the both of them
together, entwined in each other’s arms. “You looked really happy. You must
have loved her very much.”
He
swallowed hard before admitting, “I did.” Reaching out, he gently took the
pictures from her. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have the same feelings for
someone else. It in no way diminishes what I feel for you.”
Turning
away she replied, “No, but dying made her the ultimate ‘one that got away,’
Jack. In an instant all the might-have-been’s were lost forever. No one will
ever be able to live up to that memory or take her place in your heart.”
He
followed her to the coffee table where she had stopped to take a drink of her
tea. After she set the glass down he took her by the shoulders and carefully
turned her around to face him, regarding her intently. “Does that mean you
doubt my feelings for you? Do you not believe I’m capable of loving you as
much?”
“I don’t
doubt you or what you feel for me. But it’s different – it will always be
different. And that’s fine. I understand the reasons why. I have no desire to
take her place and try to erase her memory or what you felt for her. She will
always be an important part of you and your past.” Shaking her head she asked,
“How can I complain about that when I love the person you are today, and you
are that person partly because of her?”
Relief
flooded through him and he drew her to him, resting his chin on the top of her
head. “Is it any wonder why I fell in love with you?” he queried softly. A slow
smile came to him and he leaned back slightly, so that he could see her face.
“I have to tell you though, Claire definitely wouldn’t have been so
understanding had she found a picture
of some other woman in my desk drawer. There most certainly would’ve been hell
to pay.”
Returning
the smile Morgan admitted, “Well, I can’t say I would’ve been quite so
understanding had I found a whole cache of photos of old girlfriends in there.
But, considering the circumstances, I can forgive you for this one.”
Brushing
her cheek with his fingers he said, “Still, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left
them in there.”
“Why not?
They’re from a very important part of your life. You shouldn’t have to hide
them on my account.”
He slipped
his fingers into her hair and said, “Well, in a few weeks they’re going to be
replaced by pictures of you and me, taken on the day you become Mrs. Jack
McCoy.”
Almost
under her breath Morgan repeated, “Mrs. Jack McCoy.” A smile lit her
face. “I like the way that sounds.”
Bending
slightly, he tightened his arms around her. “Get used to it. It’s going to be
with you for the rest of your life,” he promised, just before covering her lips
with his own.
***McCoy eased his bike between the
well-manicured shrubs and winding paths, following a route he was all too
familiar with. The motorcycle hummed almost soundlessly until he pulled to the
side of the road and switched off the motor. Standing up, he pushed the
kickstand into place and got off, then unbuckled his helmet and left it
dangling from the handlebar. Taking a bouquet of assorted flowers wrapped in
tissue paper out of the side compartment, he started across the closely-shorn
grass.
He walked
several yards before coming to a stop and dropping to one knee. Reaching down,
he quickly brushed shriveled grass clippings from the marble marker set into
the ground before him. He then placed the flowers in the vase permanently
attached to it and leaned back to survey them. After adjusting them slightly so
that they were more evenly spread out, he sat back on his heel and contemplated
quietly. A moment later he smiled and said, “You would’ve liked her. I wish
you could’ve met. I can see the two of you as friends.” Adjusting the flowers
once more he continued, “She makes me happy. I wasn’t counting on that ever
happening again.” He paused and shrugged slightly. “I hope you’ll give us your
blessing.” After growing quiet again, he sighed deeply and added, “I still miss
you.”
He sat
silently for several minutes more, then got up and turned to walk away.
***After closing the door to his office McCoy
settled into his chair and picked up the telephone receiver. Once he had
dialed he waited briefly, then said, “Hello, Melissa. Is Calea in?”
“Yes, she
is Jack. Hold on a sec and I’ll put you through,” the receptionist responded.
He waited
a moment more, then a soft voice said into his ear, “Good morning. How are
you?”
“I’m
great,” he replied with a smile, amused at the slight formality in her voice.
“And you?”
He heard
the sound of her office door closing in the background as she answered, “I’m
fine.”
“I miss
you,” he admitted softly.
He could
hear the smile in her voice as she said, “I miss you, too.”
“How is
your day going?”
“Hectic.
It seems that a certain new ring I’m wearing has created quite a stir around
here. It’s been a little overwhelming. Between my staff and the couple of
clients who have been through my office this morning, I haven’t accomplished
much. All anyone wants to talk about is our upcoming plans.”
“And how
are you feeling about those plans this morning? Haven’t changed your mind yet,
have you?” he asked teasingly.
“Not on
your life,” she declared. “And you? Any second thoughts?”
“Only
about the date. I wish we hadn’t put it off so long. Twenty-five days seems
like an eternity at the moment.”
“It will
fly by once you start your trial tomorrow. Has anyone in your office found out
yet?”
“Not a
soul,” he maintained. “But it hasn’t been easy to keep it to myself. Twice this
morning Serena has asked me what’s going on. According to her I have a ‘goofy’
smile plastered on my face. I even had a difficult time appearing properly
stern for a plea agreement meeting earlier. If this keeps up, my reputation as
a hard-ass is going to be shot to hell.”
Morgan
giggled into the phone. “I can see where that could be a problem for you. But
don’t worry. I’ll tell Abbie tonight and then you’ll be able to explain the
reason for your ‘goofy’ smile.”
“I spoke
to Judge Rivera a few minutes ago. He asked that I pass on his congratulations in
regards to our news. And he was absolutely delighted that we wanted him to
perform the ceremony. He said he’s going to clear his calendar for that entire
afternoon. He’d also like to meet with both of us together, if possible, to
discuss the details. Do you think you could come to the courthouse sometime
later in the week and have a quick lunch with me? Then we could meet with him
afterwards.”
“I can
probably arrange that,” she agreed. “How does Thursday sound?”
“Thursday
sounds perfect. I’ll call and let him know.”
***Morgan stretched languidly as she watched
Carmichael park her car and get out of it. As the other woman neared she
noted, “You’re late. I was beginning to think you had changed your mind.”
“Sorry,”
Carmichael offered as she started with Morgan toward the small park. “I was on
my way out the door when the phone rang. By the time I finished with the call
I knew you had already left your office or I would’ve let you know.”
“That’s
all right. I was a little late myself, to be honest,” Morgan admitted. “I had a
client drop by without an appointment and then traffic was unusually heavy this
evening.”
“I heard
on the radio driving over that an accident had knocked out the traffic lights
not far from here,” Carmichael informed her, placing her water bottle on the
lowest branch of their favorite tree. “That probably had something to do with
it.”
“I
thought there must’ve been an accident somewhere.” When Morgan reached up to
place her water bottle beside the other, she heard Carmichael suck in a quick
breath and her hand shot out to grab Morgan by the wrist.
Carmichael’s mouth dropped open, registering her surprise as she stared
at the ring. Then, throwing her arms around Morgan, she hugged her exuberantly.
“I can’t believe it! He finally did it!”
Morgan
laughed at her reaction. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to
notice.”
“Well you
could’ve just told me!” she pointed out. “When did he propose?”
“Friday
night.”
Giving
her a look of mock indignation Carmichael complained, “He proposed three whole
days ago and you didn’t even bother to call and tell me?”
With a
shrug Morgan replied, “I wanted to surprise you. And besides, I needed a
little time to get used to the idea myself first.”
Taking
her by the elbow and steering her toward their paths Carmichael said
excitedly, “I want to hear every detail! How did he do it? Was it romantic?”
“It was,”
Morgan nodded. As the two began walking slowly around the park she explained,
“He had planned to take me out to eat and then to the Arboretum, but I
surprised him by having a candlelit dinner prepared when he got to my place, to sort of make up for all I put him through when we were in Texas.
After we ate we went for a walk in the park across the street. He told me
how much he had enjoyed dinner, but that he disliked having to part company at
the end of our evenings together. I agreed that was a drawback and he suggested
maybe one of us should move in with the other in order to solve the problem. I
thought he was talking about just living together, but then he gave me the
ring.”
“How did
he give it to you?”
Morgan
smiled and explained, “He has this little thing he does. Whenever we go for a
walk together and it’s cold, he holds my hand and puts both of ours into his coat pocket to keep them warm. He had the ring in
the very bottom of his pocket, and as he was talking he put it into my hand. I
didn’t know what it was until I pulled my hand from his pocket and he opened
the box for me.”
“Were you
surprised?”
“Are you
kidding? You could’ve knocked me over with a feather!”
Carmichael gave her a look of skepticism. “You had to have seen it
coming. The two of you have been practically inseparable for over a year
now.”
“I
suppose, in the back of my mind, I’ve allowed myself to think about ‘what if’ a
time or two,” Morgan admitted. “But I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on it. I
know these things don’t always last. I mean, he could just as easily have
gotten fed up and walked away.”
Shaking
her head in amusement Carmichael claimed, “You don’t know anything. Jack has
been crazy about you from pretty much the first time he met you after Peter
Fairchild was arrested. When he came back saying something about ‘beautiful
blue eyes,’ I knew something was going on with him. In the time you’ve known
each other, you’ve managed to make him furious, exasperated, confused, crazy, and
worried sick. And still he stuck around. It was obvious that he cared.”
Morgan
walked quietly for a moment before saying, “I had no idea he felt that way for
so long.”
“Well I
certainly dropped you enough hints!” Carmichael declared. “I thought you were
never going to come around.”
“Well…
actually… there was an attraction on my part from the very first too,” Morgan
reluctantly confessed. “I just wouldn't admit it to myself because I really didn’t want it to be true. The risks of getting involved with
someone again after everything that happened seemed so overwhelming. I told myself I didn’t need that kind of stress in my life. So I tried staying away from him, even staying angry
at him. But thanks to his giant ego, he just wouldn’t take the hint.” At
Carmichael’s giggle she turned to give her a bright smile. “But it was kind of
like a moth being drawn to a flame. Although there was a very real possibility
of getting burned to a crisp, in the end I simply couldn’t resist him.”
“Well I,
for one, am glad you finally saw the light, as it were. I’ve told you all along
that Jack’s a good guy. I can’t think of two people who deserve each other
more.”
“Thank
you,” Morgan acknowledged. Then with a slight frown she amended, “…I think.
You’ve also told me a lot of other, not so flattering things about Jack. I hope you meant that as a compliment.”
Letting
out a laugh, Carmichael put her arm around Morgan’s shoulders. “I did.”
Morgan came
to a stop and turned to face her. “Jack and I want the wedding to be small and
intimate so we aren’t inviting any other friends and family. But we both agreed
that we want you there, Abbie. It’s on a Friday, 25 days from today. Will you
come?”
Carmichael’s
face registered her pleasant surprise. Shaking her head slowly she replied
softly, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
***“You dog!” a raspy voice declared into his
ear.
“Pardon
me?” McCoy queried innocently, knowing full well the identity of his caller.
“Why
didn’t you tell me?” Carmichael demanded. “You didn’t even give me a hint!”
“Oddly
enough, I thought Calea should be the first to know,” he pointed out with
amusement.
“Like I
can’t keep a secret? Who’s the one that coached you on what to say and do so
you wouldn’t screw the whole thing up?”
‘Well… I
suppose you do have a point there,” he grudgingly conceded. “Did Calea tell you
we want you to be at the ceremony?”
“Yes, she
did,” Carmichael acquiesced slightly more amenably.
“That
should’ve made you feel a little better, considering we’re not inviting anyone
else.”
He could
hear the smile in Carmichael’s voice as she admitted, “I suppose it did. But
that still doesn’t get you completely out of the dog house.”
“And just
what will it take to get back on your good side?” he asked teasingly. “I
certainly don’t want any hard feelings hanging over my head. You might decide
to stick pins in a little Jack doll to get even.”
“Oh, I
don’t know if I would go that far. But, then again, you never know,” she
suggested ominously.
“How
about if I take you to lunch sometime this week? Would that smooth some of your
ruffled feathers?”
“It would
be a good start,” she agreed. “Where and when?”
“I start
a trial tomorrow so it will have to be somewhere near the courthouse. Thursday
Calea and I are meeting with Judge Rivera, but any other day will be fine.”
“Then
let’s make it Friday. I want to hear all about your plans.”
***“Did she cry when you gave her the ring?”
“There
were a few tears,” McCoy admitted. “I think she was more surprised than
anything.”
“She told
me she didn’t see it coming,” Carmichael nodded, laying her fork down and
reaching for her napkin. “Now that she’s going to be part of the family, when
are you going to introduce her to your daughter?”
“Rebecca is
coming for a visit this summer as soon as she’s out of school,” he answered.
With a smile, he added, “When I called and broke the news to her, she said she
was glad I won’t be alone anymore.”
“Well
she isn’t exactly a child. I’m sure all she wants is for you to be happy.”
Placing her napkin back in her lap she asked, “Where are you going for your
honeymoon?”
“A friend
of mine has offered to let me borrow his cabin in the Pocono’s and I think I’m
going to take him up on it. I haven’t told Calea yet. I want it to be a
surprise, so no spilling the beans,” McCoy warned.
“Your
secret is safe with me,” she assured him with a smile. “Why aren’t you going
somewhere warm, though? There’s still snow in the mountains. I was sure you
were going to tell me you were heading somewhere tropical.”
“That
would’ve been nice,” he agreed after finishing a bite of his baked potato, “but
the timing is off. It looks like I’m going to trial on another case almost
immediately after the one I start the Monday
I return. And Calea doesn’t
want to take too much time off right now either. She has to review the contract
for a buy-out that involves one of her clients. We’ll plan a longer trip later
on, maybe this summer.”
“Have you
decided where you’re going to live?”
“Calea
offered to move in with me or help look for a new place, but I told her I would
prefer moving in with her,” he answered.
“That
makes sense. I mean, your apartment isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but I can see
why you’d rather live in hers. It’s one-of-a-kind. You’d never be able to
replace it.”
“I agree.
And it doesn’t make sense to try. It has plenty of room to add what little I
want to take from mine. She was concerned that I would feel it was still her
place but I’m actually quite comfortable there. It isn’t going to be a
problem.”
“Living
with someone again is going to be a big enough adjustment for the two of you
without adding a major move to it,” she pointed out, taking a sip of her soda. “Are
you going to move in before or after you’re married?”
“After,”
he responded. “I won’t have time before. Judge Pongracic came down with
the flu and postponed our current trial a few days, so now I’m just hoping I can wrap it up
before the wedding. And since the next trial is coming on the heels of this
one, I’ve used the postponement to prepare for it. I’d like to have enough
done that I can take off a full week, to give us some time to get away for a
few days and then to move my stuff over. But it’s going to be close. You know
how swamped we get sometimes.”
“Don’t
remind me,” she admonished, rolling her eyes. “Not that it’s much better where
I am now, but I don’t miss that kind of stress.”
“Have you
spoken with Calea about the wedding? She said she was going to ask you to help
her decide on a dress.”
“She
has,” Carmichael nodded. “We’re going to look around a little tomorrow
afternoon once we finish with the volunteer work. She told me what she wants
and I have a couple of places in mind. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble
finding something.”
“Well
there are only twenty-one shopping days left,” he reminded her with a grin.
“You don’t want to cut it too close.”
“Like we
would need even a fraction of that. You know how simple Calea likes to keep
things.”
“Yes, I
do,” he agreed, focusing on the ice in his glass as he swirled it around. “It’s
one of the things that drew me to her in the first place. She’s the most
unpretentious person I know.”
Taking
note of the far-away look on his face she pointed out, “And, of course,
there are the beautiful blue eyes.”
He looked
up and gave her a bright smile. “Or green, depending on the day.”
Carmichael shook her head wistfully. “You look happier than I’ve ever
seen you, Jack. This is so good for you. Your daughter is right – you’ve been
alone too long.”
“I know,”
he agreed. “Sometimes it seems almost too good to be true, to find someone
again, especially at my age. It wasn’t something I expected. And, you know, I
have you to thank for a lot of it,” he insisted, reaching over to briefly place
his hand on her arm. “You’ve been behind us from the very start. I want you to
know how much that’s meant to me.”
Giving
him an affectionate smile she replied, “Seeing two of my best friends end up
happily together is all the thanks I need.”
Leaning toward him, she added with a teasing twinkle in her deep brown
eyes, “Just don’t screw this up.”