by Lee Perry
“He’s been in the field long enough to know PTSD would have been a given.” Jordan pulled her close and draped her arm around the petite shoulders.
“Well, she was very good at her job, and talking to her made all the difference in the world,” Catherine nodded, “everyone did.” Her whispery murmur dropped even further as she remembered how flowers for her and Jordan and toys for Cameron flooded the hospital. “I was able to sleep the next night…”
“I would think exhaustion gets some credit for that too…” Jordan shook her head, “I’m so sorry for the awful memories you have of that day.”
“Yes…” she conceded solemnly, “I will always remember seeing you fall… I’ll always remember seeing Alex’s eyes…” She drew a deep breath, “And I’ll never forget how I felt when Cameron saw me…” The soft voice wavered and Catherine’s eyes brimmed with tears, “and I saw him and he was safe…” She pressed her trembling lips together and cleared her throat, “And I’ll always have you to thank for that, Jordan…” she rasped, “Always.”
They walked for a long minute in silence before Jordan ventured, “Are you still okay with not attending her funeral?”
“Yes.” Her reply held no hesitation, “Looking back, I said my goodbye to Alex in that warehouse…” She fell silent a moment then added, “You know, I always felt bad for her parents …” she shrugged, “but when Stewart said Norm and Marion never asked about Cameron, I knew…”
“Yes, but,” Jordan said softly, “they knew he had no biological connection to them; you’re his biological parent, they probably figured…”
“Probably nothing, they never even asked, Jordan…” she shook her head in exasperation, “Not even to ask if he had been found with Alex, and if he had, if he was alright. He was never referenced in the TV news stories, so they didn’t know you rescued him… and they never asked.” She sniffed and sighed tiredly, “Not once…” She shrugged one-sidedly, “Her parents believe I’m dead anyway, if they make some sort of inquiry down the road, well…” She sniffed again, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Jordan gave the hand a squeeze, “Yes,” she assured her, “we will.” They walked on, the silence between them companionable until she ventured, “You know you can have all the contract work you want at the FBI.”
“Oh, I know,” she snorted, grateful for the change in subject, “Stewart made that abundantly clear, but I’ll only work on special projects and teach as long as you come home to me at the end of the day.”
“I think he’ll do whatever it takes to get you on board… and since he blabbed his big idea to Bea she’s on board too.”
“What big idea?”
“He wants me to head up my own sub-division, working with you as an FBI contractor-consultant.”
“Oh my…” Catherine suppressed the urge to chuckle, unsure what to think, “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Wow…” She turned to look up at her, “would you want me as your partner?”
Jordan looked confused, “At work?”
“Yes.”
“Definitely, but only if you stay in the office.” Her expression was at once stern, sincere and loving, “and absolutely no field work…” She added, “Ever.”
“Agreed.” Catherine tilted her head to one side, “And… you’re still okay with the idea of us being partners otherwise?”
Jordan stopped, forcing Catherine and the horses to stop too, “I love you, Catherine, and I’d like to marry you one day… but I don’t know how you feel about the institution of marriage anymore.”
“I asked you once if a marriage can last forever…” she smiled, “do you remember?”
Jordan’s head tilted to one side, “I remember that day at the lighthouse very well.”
“You never answered my question... instead you asked if love can last forever…”
She nodded, “I did…”
“Well, I’ve given it a lot of thought… and I realize there is no other conclusion.” She held out her other hand and Jordan took it, happily; “Love is the only thing that’s really real…” She pulled her closer, “and now that I’ve found it again, I know I don’t want to give up on the institution of marriage… as long as I’m married to you...”
Jordan heaved a huge sigh, “Oh, thank god…” she rolled her eyes playfully and pulled her in for a kiss. Their eyes closed pleasurably as the caress deepened and suddenly both snorted in amusement; pulling apart, they looked down to see Cameron tugging on their jeans,
“Tired now…” he signed and spoke simultaneously, “Jordan up!” He raised his arms expectantly.
“Okay,” Catherine signed and spoke, turning to drape the reins over her horse’s head as she walked to the chestnut’s side and fitting her booted foot into the stirrup, swung herself up nimbly into the English saddle.
“Getting hungry for lunch?” Jordan asked, picking him up and parking him on her hip.
“Lunch!” Cameron laughed, signing eat with his hand.
“Okay,” she grinned and grunting softly, handed him up to Catherine who seated him in front of her on the saddle. “I’m still getting used to your not signing to me anymore.” Jordan turned and draping her reins over her mount’s head, swung with surprising ease into the saddle.
Catherine wrapped an arm securely around her son, “You’re pretty good at that now, you know.”
“Ah…” she smiled indulgently, “Are you making a suggestive joke about mounting?”
“Yes…” Catherine snorted as they turned their horses on the soft sand and began the walk back, “I guess I am, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that your horsemanship has really grown in the weeks we’ve been here.”
“Why, thank you, Doctor Bernard,” she smiled but her voice was sincere, “Coming from you, that’s a real compliment.”
“And since it’s on my mind, while the last thing I would ever want to do is squash a childhood dream; I would like to make it clear that I absolutely forbid you to fight crime from horseback…”
“Deal,” she chuckled, “I prefer to chase criminals from cars anyway.”
A seagull flew overhead and Cameron pointed, signing and saying, “Look! Bird!”
“That’s right,” Catherine spoke, forming the signs in front of him, “Bird.”
“So…” Jordan nudged her horse closer to Catherine’s, “why are you still teaching him sign now that you can speak again?”
“Because it’s the language you taught me…” Her smile was thoughtful, “When Stewart brought Cam to the hospital,” her chin quivered and she turned shining, suddenly brimming eyes to her, “when he saw me, he signed mama…”
Cameron turned in the circle of her arm, “Mama…” he said, tapping his thumb by his mouth and wagging his tiny fingers.
Catherine chuckled low, giving him a squeeze and signed back while she spoke, “That’s right!” Her lips trembled but her smile was radiant, “You gave me a voice when I had none, Jordan, and if there’s one thing I truly understand, it’s how powerful you are when you have a voice.”
“Okay, well,” Jordan said softly, “that’s good cuz’ I love hearing the sound of yours.”
“I just wish it didn’t go all raspy and hoarse at the end of the day.”
“It’s always back by morning,” she assured her, “I imagine the vocal cords will strengthen over time.”
Their horses walked on and when she held out her hand, Catherine took it, “You know, when I heard your speaking voice for the first time…” She blinked back sudden tears, determined not to weep like she did in her hospital bed when Catherine spoke to her, “I thought I’d never heard anything more beautiful.”
Catherine squeezed her hand, “Then just wait till Christmas… I have been known to belt out a rousing Jingle Bells.”
Jordan snickered in delight, “I can’t wait.”
Cameron turned again and signed emphatically, his voice plaintive, “Lunch? Jordan, Lunch?”
“Oka
y,” she chuckled and signed back when she said, “Ready?”
“Ready!” he shouted, signing exaggeratedly.
Laughing, Catherine tightened her arm securely around him and re-gripped the reins. Following Jordan’s lead, they urged the horses into a trot and then into an easy gallop down the beach.