by Lee Perry
“No, probably not, and she hardly matters anyway; thanks to the good doctor preserving and copying Rossi’s entire mainframe.”
Jordan smiled, her heart swelling with love and pride at Catherine’s bravery, “Yep, thanks to her none of them will ever see the light of day again unless they’re standing in the prison exercise yard.” All of them, she thought, except Gallo and Del Torro… Still unclaimed by family members, Fred Gallo and Joey Del Torro’s bodies lay unwanted in the bureau’s morgue.
“Was ballistics able to match guns at his residence or warehouse?”
“No…” Stewart shook his head, “he probably dumped them at sea. We found a boat he kept at Long Neck…” He shrugged, “We found two hundred and sixteen guns total in his compound, only a third of those were assault rifles, and of the four dozen AR-15’s in his warehouse, none matched. Doesn’t matter, they killed our guys and took Sparrow and the kid…”
“Cameron.”
“Cameron…” he amended, “we don’t have to hold up the guns in court, we have enough to hang ‘em.”
“Okay…” she nodded, solemn.
“So,” he gestured, “what’s next? Cuz’ you still don’t look that great.”
She gave him a look, “Thanks…”
“You know what I mean…”
She shifted stiffly in her seat; even though she kept her profile turned to Del Torro, six bullets fired from the two fully automatic pistols he shot at her in the hallway struck her ribs, breaking several and caused deep, severe bruising when they thumped inside the nylon liner and skidded along the protective Kevlar. Painful as those injuries were, Jordan had the Kevlar to thank again for holding the multiple fractures in place as she drove frantically to the warehouse and ran up the stairs.
At first, she had believed Alex Sparrow would surrender, but watching and listening to her escalate, Jordan had readied herself to shoot since Catherine stood at a right angle to her and Alex, placing her safely out of their range of fire. When Alex pulled the trigger, Jordan did too and they fired nearly simultaneously, Alex died instantly from a gunshot wound to the chest, and the large caliber bullet fired from Alex’s weapon struck Jordan in front of her left shoulder and traveled five inches through the large muscle group before lodging under her collarbone.
“Well,” she sighed, “it is exhausting lying around in bed all day.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be wearing a sling?”
“Probably.”
Stewart stopped teasing and his expression turned serious, “You know,” he said quietly, “you’re lucky you didn’t die from massive internal bleeding from those hollow points… those TEC-9’s were fully automatic…”
“They thumped really hard.” she agreed, “I had no idea breathing could be so painful when you break that many ribs.”
Stewart only nodded; remembering how heavily medicated the doctor kept her during the first few days of her hospital stay.
Jordan’s memory of her weeks in the hospital were blurry in the beginning; she was in so much pain from the gunshot wound and breathing within the multiple fractures that her memories only began to clear when the pain medication was gradually reduced. Her first clear recollection was of lying in her hospital bed and feeling Catherine’s hand holding hers, then seeing her face, and then sobbing like a child when she heard her voice for the first time.
“You know it’s gonna’ be awhile before you’re cleared for duty again.”
“I know.”
“Plans?”
Jordan grinned, “We’re going on a little vacation.”
“Why little?” He frowned, “You know you have like a gazillion vacation and sick hours piled up.”
She shrugged unconsciously and winced, grunting in pain, “Shit… I hate it when I forget that...” she hissed, wincing again when she got up from the chair, “I know Stewart, and I may have to go through a lot of them until I can get back to where I was before all this.”
“Hey,” he opened a drawer on his desk, “I need to give this back to you.” He stood, holding out her weapon and paddle holster, “Cleaned and reloaded it myself.”
“Thanks…” Jordan was sincere, “I appreciate it, Stewart.” Her lips pressed determinedly into a thin line as she forced her left hand to hold her waistband and her right slid the paddle holster onto it.
“Feel better now?”
“I do… actually.” She adjusted the holster slightly and turned to the door.
“Look, I’m just saying,” Stewart held up a hand to stop her, “when you come back, we could put you in charge of a subdivision that acts like a liaison between our department and Bea’s…” His brow arched expressively, “Huh? You and a certain brilliant computer-contractor I’m thinking of could work these kinds of cases exclusively...”
“Yeah,” she said placatingly and headed for the door, “okay, we’ll talk about it…”
“Bea thinks it’s a brilliant idea…”
“Okay Stewart…”
“Hey!” He pointed a stern finger at her as she left, “You know that kind of thing works!”
She headed for the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor, a smile touching her lips as she waited.
Catherine watched the main cafeteria door while Cameron sat on her lap, playing with his toy dinosaurs on the table. She and Cameron spent the weeks since her visit to Alex’s warehouse in the hospital with Jordan under a special federal protective detail, although it was hardly necessary. Jordan’s supervisor explained it was more a matter of pride and honor than a question of potential danger, and she was grateful when Jordan’s surgeon deemed her recovered enough to be moved to a recovery facility with a more homelike environment that afforded the trio more privacy. I hope we can sleep in the same bed tonight… Jordan insisted she was fit enough to not only share her bed, but that she was also able to endure a flight to a sunny resort somewhere, and Catherine worried she was leaving supportive medical care too soon. It’ll be okay… she assured herself silently, and when Cameron craned his neck to look up at her, she placed a kiss on his forehead and he returned to playing with his toys. She certainly got physical therapy having Cam jump in her hospital bed every morning… Her smile was wistful; I think she was surprised when he remembered her.
An agent drove her on the few occasions she did leave the hospital to buy clothes for Cameron and when she asked to go to Jordan’s apartment to get some clothes from the box she left in Jordan’s care. She also brought clothes for Jordan, packing mostly casual wear, although she did bring one of her black suits, knowing she would need to stop by the bureau at least once before they left. A wistful smile touched her lips and she swallowed past the lump that formed stubbornly in her throat, remembering how the agent made sure he had a child’s car seat strapped in the back for each trip, and how he took care to seatbelt in Cameron’s original love worn glowworm and Chelsea’s teddy bear in the seat next to him.
After the cafeteria lunch, the protective detail would give them one last escort to a five-star hotel near LaGuardia where Catherine made reservations; One night there should give her time to rest up before we get on the plane. She felt Cameron squirm on her lap and they both wore big smiles when they looked up at the cafeteria entrance and he chortled,
“Jordan!”
Baja California
Cameron wanted to get down and they decided to dismount and walk their horses while he ran in and out of the water lapping on the shore. Smiling, she turned her face into the sun, feeling the exquisite contrast of its warmth and the cool breeze on her face. When she opened her eyes again she chuckled softly, seeing Cameron with his hands raised high and kicking his bare feet in the water. She couldn’t believe the beauty of the place; the sand beneath their feet was white and soft, and a cloudless pale blue sky hung over an azure and turquoise blue sea. Breathtaking… she sighed.
She tilted her head to one side and pulled her phone from the pocket of her light windbreaker. Her steed was sweetly tempered and he ambled alon
g behind her, content to walk along the beach behind his experienced rider. She looped the closed reins over her hand and when she stopped to take a picture, he did too, standing calmly behind her. She framed the profile of Jordan and the horse she led with Cameron playing in the water in the background and clicked the shutter function on her phone,
“Oh my god…” she whispered, “spectacular...” Jordan turned to look at her and she took another picture, “Ah…” she grinned, murmuring, “another keeper.” Catherine had damaged her vocal cords screaming when Jordan when shot, and while Jordan healed from her injuries Catherine’s otolaryngologist prescribed gentle vocal exercises and cautioned her to keep her voice to a murmur until he could examine her again when they returned.
“I’m surprised your memory card hasn’t melted…” Jordan teased, waiting for her to catch up.
“Not yet.” Catherine slipped the phone back in her pocket. When she caught up Jordan dipped her head to plant a quick kiss on upturned lips. “Mmm…” she hummed appreciatively and they continued down the beach. “Ready to go back yet?”
“You mean to the barn?”
“No, I meant New York.”
“No,” Jordan smiled, “not yet. How about you?”
“I could stay here a while longer…”
“It’s a deal, then.” She grinned happily, “This has been,” she said emphatically, “hands down the best resort we’ve stayed at yet.”
“Agreed.” Catherine snorted softly, “but I think you’re only saying that because of their stables.”
“True…” Jordan nodded, “I can’t help it though, having you teach me how to ride is a childhood dream come true…” She gave her a shy smile, “Thank you.” She bent to place another quick kiss on her lips.
“Mmm-hmm, but you’ll eventually go back to the bureau, won’t you?”
“Well,” she sighed, “I have to if I want my pension.”
“But you won’t go back till your ready…”
“I am…” she assured her, “I’m ready. I’m just not in a hurry to go back when I still have so much sick and vacation time accrued.” She stretched and rotated her shoulder, wincing and frowning at the residual pain and stiffness. “I can’t believe it’s taking so long to get back in shape.” She looked out at the endless sea and shrugged one-sidedly, “I feel like I don’t have the strength or stamina I used to…”
Catherine looked concerned but she still gave her a playful nudge, “You do for some things…” she wagged her brows suggestively.
Jordan snorted, coloring slightly, “Oh good… so you noticed.” She grinned, “If I stick with that workout I should be back at a hundred percent in no time.”
A long minute passed and Catherine cleared her throat before asking, “So, could you work and handle a home life too?”
Jordan stopped and turned to her, “Oh, yes.”
“And would you mind commuting?” She smiled and standing on tiptoe, placed a kiss on her lips, “You did say your apartment was the size of a large closet.”
Jordan’s brows arched, “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
“I am, I love you, Jordan, Cam loves you too…”
She pulled her in for another kiss, “I love you and Cam very very much, Doctor Bernard…” Her grin was enormous, “it’s more than I could have ever hoped for.” Hand in hand, they walked their horses down the beach, watching as Cameron ran in and out the waves lapping on shore. “We’re gonna have to buy a house.”
She could hear the smile in Catherine’s voice, “I know.”
“Will it have a barn?”
“I don’t know…” her tone was playful, “maybe.”
They walked on, listening to the waves, horse hooves on sand and Cameron’s laughter and Jordan felt her heart swell in happiness. She squeezed the smaller hand in hers, and when she looked into Catherine’s upturned face her eyes suddenly brimmed.
Catherine’s brow knit in concern, “What?”
“I hope,” she sniffed and drew a shaky breath, “I just hope not one day goes by that I forget to give thanks again to your genius for disguising your programs to look like it was Alex that copied the Rossi mainframe and sent all that data to the FBI.”
Catherine snorted, “I really hadn’t thought that far ahead, Jordan.”
“But because you did you’ll never have to testify…” Jordan breathed a sigh of relief, as she did every time she thought about Rossi living the rest of his life behind bars and she gave the hand another squeeze, “I’m so thankful for that…” She nodded; grateful something Catherine hadn’t even thought of consciously could make such impact on their lives and future together.
“And yet,” she tugged on the hand, “for all my genius, I thought Alex would bring one or two of Rossi’s soldiers with her… It never occurred to me your teams wouldn’t have to drive up that long driveway, I thought I was going to provoke her to come to the warehouse with at least a couple of them in tow and lessen the danger for you…” She snorted, “I’m pretty sure that pulls me out of the genius category, I never would have guessed she’d come alone.”
“Thank god she did,” Jordan’s expression was at once grateful and frightened, “If any of them had come with her…” and killed you, she added silently. “Or if they’d seen you and been arrested in the warehouse instead of the compound...” She drew a deep breath, the thought of all the horrific alternate outcomes that could have happened still made her heart beat fearfully, “If we survived we’d have been in Witness Protection for the rest of our lives…”
“We…” Catherine muttered, smiling and squeezing the hand again. She turned to look up at her, craning her neck, “You would have left the FBI and joined us in the program?”
Jordan’s eyes were a deep shade of blue, “Choose between you and Cam and the FBI?” She looked surprised, “Easy, I choose you and Cam, every time.”
Catherine pulled on the hand, stepping closer until she could press her face and shoulder against Jordan’s chest, “I love you, Special Agent Hawkins…” When she leaned back to look again into oceanic blue Jordan’s smile was sublime,
“And I love you, Doctor Catherine Hope Bernard.”
She chortled softly, “That’s my name, feel free to wear it out.” She walked on, inhaling deeply, “Choices… Alex made her choice, again and again, every day… every time…”
A long moment stretched between them until Jordan finally spoke, “You know, at one point Stewart said Bea just lost it when she got a look at how you write code… she said it’s a thing of beauty as it’s simple yet mind-bendingly complex…” Catherine shrugged, watching Cameron and she continued, “For someone like her it was easy to recognize your work and then identify what she called the clunky alterations Alex made… Although she guessed Alex and Rossi could have gone undetected for a long time.” She sighed, “Apparently Alex did well enough adapting your code for their operation…” Her voice faded when she felt the slight tremble in the hand she held, “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t apologize…” Her lips trembled, “Thinking of her just reminds me how close she came to…” Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat, “to killing you, Jordan.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “it was such a nightmare… and then finally reunited with your son… in a hospital of all places.”
“No,” she gave the hand a tug, “the hospital was where you were, I didn’t want Cam and I to be anywhere else.”
She had clutched Jordan’s shoulder in both hands, terrified by the rush of blood that poured between her fingers and she screamed raggedly for help until the ashen-faced cop ran into the loft, gun drawn. Visibly shaking, he saw the FBI logo on Jordan’s Kevlar vest and lowering his weapon, yelled into his radio for backup and paramedics. She had ridden with her in the ambulance, watching helplessly as paramedics worked to stop the bleeding and monitor Jordan’s breathing. She was clearly in shock when they arrived at the hospital and a nurse led her firmly into a bathroom and helped her clean
Jordan’s blood from her hands and face. She then allowed herself to be taken to a private Family Room, sitting numbly until Stewart brought Cameron to her.
“I’m just grateful Stewart let us stay in the room next door.”
Jordan snorted, “Given the protective detail he provided, we would have had the room anyway.” She understood Stewart needed to let the head of protective details post phalanxes of agents to watch over them; capturing the Rossi Outfit with no agent casualties, save for her and the agent shot in the leg at the house, catapulted the entire bureau into a state of raucous jubilation. She knew from the director down, Stewart needed to let everyone in the bureau celebrate in the capture of the murderers who had slain five of their own, and that included protecting and watching over the two women responsible for locating the Rossi crime family and preserving the evidence that would put them away forever.
“He was wonderful…” Catherine gripped the hand, “he asked how I was doing, and he just knew…”
As a matter of policy, Stewart sent a bureau counselor, experienced in treating post-traumatic stress disorder to the hospital to treat Catherine. As the chaos of being transported to the hospital with Jordan and the joyous reunion with her son began to ease, Catherine had managed to eat dinner with him and watch TV, cuddling him in her lap. Once Jordan had come out of surgery and was settled in a private area of the ICU, the nurses and protective agents set up the room next door for her and Cameron and she had lain awake all night. With her sleeping son wrapped in her arms, the confrontation with Alex in the warehouse ran in a continual traumatic loop on her mind’s eye; the hideous scene began with the deafening twin gunshot blasts, and Catherine would jerk violently, hearing herself scream raggedly when she saw Jordan fall. She would watch her hands rip open the Velcro closures on Jordan’s vest and clutch at the blood that poured from the wound while the echo of her ragged breath and pounding heart became the only sounds she could hear. In terrifying slow motion, her head would turn to look at Alex and her open, vacant eyes, and as time slowed to a standstill, she’d hear the twin gunshot blasts again, her body would jerk violently, and the scene would replay in her head, over and over…