The phone program on Julia's computer started ringing. Julia saw it was someone she needed to talk to and took the call.
"Julia Summers."
"Julia, it's Dad."
Jacob had gotten used to Julia calling him "Dad", though she still slipped up and called him Morbus. He hadn't been "Morbus" since the Occupation ended.
"What do you have for me, Dad?" Julia asked.
"I'm still in Wyoming," Jacob said, "and I've been asking around about this John Christofferson guy you wanted me to look into. Seems that he's been there quite some time, he's known in the community, has a ranch in a very remote part of the county, and has a prize winning bull called 'Sarge'. No known associates, no family, no lady friend to keep him warm."
"I don't know, Dad," Julia said, thinking. "Seems kind of odd that he doesn't hang out with anyone in town. It is good that he's known in town and has a good reputation. Anything on his DOB?"
"Just what you told me, Julia," Jacob said; "December 30, 1968. That makes him sixty-four. Sixty-five in December."
Add six, Julia thought, and he's seventy; seventy-one in December.
"Does this guy have photographs, Dad?" she asked.
"There was one in the local paper, but I can't tell anything from it," Jacob said. "I'll picture-fax it to you."
"Okay, Dad," Julia said. "Come on home, spend some time with the grandkids."
"I can't this time, Julia," Jacob said. "I have appointments to keep."
"Still dealing with the arthritis?"
"Arthritis, joint damage, muscle damage, hearing loss," Jacob said; "I'm truly surprised I'm still alive after everything I've been through."
"How are you holding up emotionally?"
"The same, Julia," Jacob said. "I have my moments."
"I know how you're feeling," said Julia; "I have my moments, too. It's not fun."
"I liked Ryan, you know."
"I know, Dad," Julia said; "I know." She tried not to let the tears fall, though Jacob could hear it in her voice.
"Sorry," Jacob said. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm okay, really," Julia said, composing herself. "Just one of my moments, you know."
Just then the picture that Jacob has sent her arrived on the picture-fax machine. Julia picked it up and looked at it, and Christofferson did look a little like Jack, but couldn't really tell.
"I got the picture-fax, Dad," said Julia; "But I can't really tell if he's who I'm looking for."
"This guy," said Jacob; "isn't a New Army person in hiding, is it? Someone you'll need to see in order to determine if he is who he says he is."
"If he relocated as a result of the Hit-n-Run team that Vince led during the Occupation, then I can't bring him in," Julia said. "The government is well aware of the Hit-n-Run team's efforts to help former Illegals turn. We have orders to leave them alone."
"I see," Jacob replied. "But you're going to check into it anyway?"
"I probably will," Julia said. "I have a master list of all those who turned during the Occupation. Real names, assumed names, current locations. A whole freakin' database to check. Christofferson isn't on that list. I don't know if that is because he wanted it that way, or his original persona is deceased, or what. That's why I'm going to probably end up going to God forsaken Wyoming to see this guy. I better do it soon, because CIA wants to see me in Washington in two weeks."
"CIA?" asked Jacob; "What the hell for?"
Julia sighed. "Dad, your guess is as good as mine."
Christofferson was still thinking about what WhiteHorse told him out in town about the man who was inquiring about him.
I wonder what they wanted to know, he thought. I hope it's not about Jack Coltrane, because I will deny that until the end of time.
His old life. The one Julia had been part of for a little over three months. It was because of her that he even had this new life in Wyoming.
She was never very far from his thoughts. Neither was the little girl he saw at the cemetery that day shortly before Christmas nearly eight years before. He wondered how they were doing, if there were other children, if Julia still kept up her weapons skills.
Then he ran across Ryan Summers' obituary and some of those questions were answered.
Christofferson dug the printout of it out of his files and read it...
SUMMERS, RYAN LAWRENCE, 35, of Chicago, died suddenly on February 11, 2031.
Mr. Summers was born on February 2, 1996 in Riley, Minnesota. He attended the Academically Gifted Students Program on the former Chicagoland compound; and Riverwood University, majoring in Computer Programming, Troubleshooting, and Mainframe work. He was the owner and CEO of Summers Technological Services in Belvidere.
He was active with community endevours such as the Boy Scouts, Girl-Tech, and the Red Cross, Chicagoland area chapter.
Mr. Summers is survived by his wife of thirteen years, the former Julia Terranova; three daughters- Mirielle, Jameson, and Rachel; and a son, Zachary, all of the home. He his also survived by family and many close friends. He was predeceased by his father, Bryan Lawrence Summers; his mother, Regina "Rusty" Grimes Summers; and a cousin, Jessica Ann Smith.
A Funeral Mass will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Chicago, with interrment St. Mark's Cemetery, in Riley, Minnesota.
In lieu of flowers, family, friends, and others are asked to make donations to the charity of their choice in Ryan's name.
Christofferson put the printout away. Such a young life cut short, he thought. I wish I could have been there to put Julia's heart at ease, like she did for me.
He shook his head. Stop it, Jack, he admonished himself; you're twice her age now! Let her live her life, dammit!
He thought he should more concerned about whether his true identity was about to be uncovered than whether Julia knows he's alive. Being outed as a former New Army officer, and therefore subject to arrest scared him more than he cared to admit, even to himself.
"All three have been invited to visit on the 17th of next month," the Commander said as the General brought the meeting to order.
"They've all accepted the invitation?" asked the General.
"Yes, they have, believe it or not," said the Commander.
"Good. Since they'll all be here at the same time and place, we can discuss our plans and where they fit in them," the General said. "It won't even involve recalling Lt. San Marco to active duty."
"That's good," the Air Force Captain said. "That would be a sure way to get him, and probably the others, to say no to the assignments we have for them."
"And we want them to say yes," the General said.
Niki sat in shock as the doctor gave her the news from the results of her blood tests.
"All indications at this time are pointing to leukemia, Niki."
"Cancer?!" she gasped. "Is that why I had the miscarriage?"
"It could be part of the reason," the doctor said; "But you'll need further testing to see if it's leukemia or something we can treat with antibiotics."
"How soon could I be tested again?" asked Niki.
"I'll set up an appointment with an oncologist, and they'll do the testing," the doctor said. "Maybe a week to ten days."
Niki just sat there, trying to digest everything she'd been told. She was afraid to stand up, afraid she wouldn't be able to walk out of the doctor's office under her own power.
But get up and walk out to her car she did. Once inside, she put her head into her hands and cried.
I don't want to die, she thought. I have so much to live for.
She got out her phone and called her parents. Her father answered the phone.
"Daddy, can I come over?" she asked. "I need to talk to you and Mom."
"Sure sweetheart," David said; "You don't need to call and ask permission."
"I know, but I didn't want to just drop in either and you guys not be home," Niki said.
"Mom took Sam and John to football camp, and she'll be back any time," David said; "Just come on over here and we'll talk, okay?"
"Okay, Dad," Niki said. "I'll be there in about half an hour."
"See you then," David said.
Niki ended the call, put the phone away, and cried her eyes out. She didn't want to be an emotional mess when she told her parents what she learned, and how she found out about it.
Life at Julia's house went on as usual. She had just sent Zachary and Rachel to camp for ten days along with their cousin Aaliyah Donovan, so she had Jaime and Miri still at home. Jaime was babysitting for a neighbor, and Miri was looking over college applications in her bedroom. Julia was rearranging the chore chart when Miri walked into the kitchen.
"Mom, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked.
"Yeah, Miri," Julia said, "what's up?"
"I've been thinking about what you said around my birthday last year that you think you found my biological father, that he didn't die like everyone thought," Miri said.
"What about that, Miri?" asked Julia, wondering if Miri wanted to meet Jack, if the man in Wyoming turned out to be him.
"I was thinking about medical stuff, like if there are things I should be aware of health wise," said Miri.
"What brought that on?"
"I learned in a health class that certain medical disorders are hereditary," Miri said; "And I only know the ones from your side of the family."
"I know, Miri, and it sucks that you have that blank spot in your medical history," Julia said. "I can't promise anything, but I can see if I can get a copy of Jack's medical history, because you definitely have to know something about it."
"How would you justify it, Mom?" Miri asked.
"I have no idea," Julia said. "That's something I'd have to think about. But if the government thinks he's dead, and has been dead a while, I might be able to get them through other channels. But that's something I'll have to look into."
"You can do that?" asked Miri, surprised.
"It might be unethical, that's why I have to look into it," Julia said. "After all, Dad's name is on your birth certificate." Julia paused, then asked Miri,
"You don't think you have anything serious, do you?"
"No, Mom," said Miri, laughing. "But a lot of these college applications have medical forms attached, and I want to be able to put something down. I suppose I could put down Dad's medical history if need be, but I'd rather tell the truth."
"For now, just put down the stuff you know about Dad," Julia said. "If I can get a hold of Jack's medical records, and that's a big if, we can amend your forms if necessary. Go up to my office and make copies of the blank forms, just in case we need to change anything."
"I know this is hard for you, Mom," Miri said. "But I'm glad you and Dad told me about Jack when I was young."
"I didn't want you to find out on your own, then wonder why we didn't tell you," Julia said.
"Mom, what if you found that Jack is still alive, what would you do?" asked Miri.
Julia sighed and looked at her oldest daughter. Miri resembled the Terranova side of her family strongly, but Julia also saw a slight resemblance to Jack, especially in the eyes. Right now, those eyes looked at her mother, waiting for an answer to her question.
"Miri, I really don't know what I would do," Julia said. "If he is still alive, he'd be living under another name, in another town, state or even another country. His wife was from Canada, it's possible he could be there. If he were still alive, that is. I may have found evidence that he is, but without checking on it, I really don't know. I'm not sure I want to know."
"Why is that?"
"Maybe it's best to leave things as they are," Julia said.
"But if you found him, wouldn't you be tempted to contact him?" asked Miri.
"I can't really answer that," Julia said. "Because I don't know."
II
Julia later was in her home office when a call came in from her supervisor in Washington.
"Julia," Blake Peters began, "the list you sent me this morning was great! These are people who simply disappeared after the Occupation and didn't submit to an interrogation as they were advised. We can pick some of these people up in the next 24-48 hours."
"Did you see the back pages where I listed the ones who are deceased, and the ones who were assisted by the Hit-n-Run team that was headed by Vince Cooper?" asked Julia.
"We can't pick up those who chose to turn to the Resistance with Cooper's help," Peters said.
"I know that, and you know that," Julia said, "but some of your agents don't know it. Several Hit-n-Run individuals have been harassed by overzealous agents, and two have committed suicide because of it. That's why there is a separate listing for them. That list is for your eyes only."
"Several of those agents have been fired, Julia," Peters said. "And I put the others on notice. And they all know who you are."
"My reputation precedes me yet again," Julia sighed. "I haven't had to use those skills in fifteen years, Blake. I still train with weapons, and have taught my children, but I put the 'SpineSplitter' behind me long ago."
"You are still known to some of these young kids as a hero of the Resistance," Peters said. "The Disturbed Ones top assassin. Your reputation is well earned, Julia. You should be proud."
"I'm proud of my service to the Disturbed Ones, Blake," Julia said. "But I'm plain old Julia Summers, single mom of four now. Hardly a hero."
Peters laughed; "Think what you want, Julia. But history doesn't lie."
"Whatever," Julia said; "Blake, I'm going to check out a couple of people myself next week. They are not on the list I sent you. I thought of a couple of people who should have been on the Hit-n-Run list, but aren't. I think I've found them, and am going to do field visits to assure them that there will be no government officials visiting them."
"I'll set up your stipend for the trip," Peters said; "When are you leaving?"
"Monday," Julia said. "That's when my sister can be here to watch the kids. I'm not leaving my fifteen year old in charge alone."
"I know that it's hard for you to do field visits, Julia," Peters said; "Your sister has been a great help to you. Maybe I should pay her, too."
"She's a student, and I'm sure she'd appreciate it," Julia said; "but I have it covered, thanks."
"Okay, Julia," Peters said; "I'll have your money situation set up by Saturday."
"Thanks, Blake."
Julia ended the call, but her mind was not on her just-ended conversation with her boss. It was on Miri's question about if she found Jack, would she be tempted to contact him.
John Christofferson was one of the people she was paying a visit to.
Niki arrived at her parents house about forty minutes after she spoke to her father. David only had to look at his oldest daughter and knew something was wrong.
"Mom here?" asked Niki. "I kinda need to talk to both of you."
"Mom just called me," David said; "She stuck in traffic on I-35 and will get here as soon as she can. You look like hell, Niki. What's wrong?"
"It's been a rough couple of weeks, Dad," Niki said. "Drake and I went to San Antonio to visit some friends, and I ended up in the hospital."
"The hospital, Niki? Why?"
"This is why I wanted Mom here too," Niki said.
"What's wrong, Niki?" asked David; "Just tell me, and we'll tell Mom when she gets here."
"Dad..." Niki began, feeling nervous to the point of nausea; "I was pregnant and I had a miscarriage in San Antonio."
David knew that Niki had been sleeping with Drake, so news of her pregnancy didn't come as a big shock. The fact that she had a miscarriage did.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," David said; "I know it's hard to talk about, especially to guys like me. How did Drake take it?"
"Better than I did," Niki said. "He was the reassuring one, telling me it's not my fault, that we'd try again, that he still loved me no matter what. He never left my side, Dad. Most guys would have run."
"Sadly that's true," David said; "Then they'd blame the girl for it. That's just chickenshit as far as I'm concerned."
"The pregnancy was going smoothly until that point," Niki said; "When we got home, I saw my own doctor, and she was concerned that I had a high white blood cell count."
"That could indicate an infection," David said. "How far along were you?"
"Four months."
"And you were planning to tell me and your Mom about this when...?"
"When we got back from San Antonio," Niki said. "We had this grand plan to take you to dinner and tell you both to be expecting another grandchild."
"What happened with the high blood cell count?"
"My doctor ordered a complete blood workup for me, and I got the results today," Niki said, trying not to think about the other tests she was going to have.
"And those results were?" asked David.
He saw that Niki was visibly afraid to say anything. God, he thought, don't let anything bad be wrong with my little girl.
"That I might have leukemia, and that she wanted to send me for more tests with an oncologist," Niki said, the tears running down her face. "Dad, I'm scared. What if I really am that sick?"
"First," David said; "let's find out if there's anything to worry about. Then we can plan a course of action. You know Mom and I have your back. And I'm sure your sisters and brothers do too."
"Don't tell Julia and Kimber, Dad," said Niki; "Please?"
"There may be nothing to tell, Niki," David said. "Let's not assume the worst. We'll just tell Mom for right now. Does Drake know about this latest development?"
"He had to work as a TA for three summer classes this morning, so I haven't had a chance to tell him," Niki said.
"Call him and invite him over and we'll tell him and your mother at the same time...provided that I-35 isn't backed up anymore and she's on her way home," David said.
"Okay, Dad," Niki said. "You know I love you, right?"
David took his daughter's hand; "I've known for nineteen years. Ever since I held you and your sister for the first time."
Julia had sent letters to the addresses that she had on file for the two field visits she had to make. By this time, she thought, they must have received them and know I'm coming.
Because Julia's name was so well known, it had been suggested that she use another name when contacting those scheduled for field visits. The name Julia chose was "Julie WhiteFeather"; the same name she used to make the appointment at Carl Parks' law firm on the day she killed him fifteen years before.
The following Monday, she would be headed to Riverton, Wyoming, to visit John Christofferson. Julia honestly didn't know what she would do if he turned out to be Jack Coltrane's alter ego.
I guess we could talk about...Julia thought, and came up completely blank.
She pulled open a drawer in her desk, accessed a secret compartment, and removed an envelope.
Opening the envelope, she removed a photograph from a group of photographs inside.
Julia remembered when the picture was taken. It was about two weeks before her "escape" from the Great Lakes Prison, and she and Jack had snuck off to a lake resort he knew about.
When it was safe, Jack told Julia she could come out of hiding.
"Where are we, Jack?" she asked him.
"On our way to a place I know about in Wisconsin," Jack said. "Some place where we can be ourselves, relax, go fishing, have fun."
"How are you going to explain my being gone?" asked Julia.
"Karly is watching the house and she's going to be carrying your monitoring cuff around with her," Jack said. "Just in case the people who are in charge in my absence decide to check on your whereabouts, they'll see that you're still in the house."
"That's a sneaky plan, Jack," Julia said. "What if they want to check the house and talk to me?"
"They don't have permission to check the house, Julia," Jack said. "Especially if I am not there. They understand you're a prisoner, and that my home is your cell."
"And wearing the cuff tells them where I am," Julia said; "or where they think I am."
"Karly's daughter is going to have a ball in that house," Jack said, turning off the main highway to a county road. "I don't even care if she pulls all the books off the shelves that she can reach. Her mother will straighten everything up before we return."
"You're breaking a law by taking me off the prison grounds, aren't you?" asked Julia.
"Yes, Julia, I am, but I don't give a fuck anymore," Jack said. "You need this time away just as much as I do." He took her hand in his. Julia looked at him. She felt reassured that he would protect her, even out here. She liked being with him. But, she longed to return home to Ryan, too.
Julia was floored by the beauty of the area surrounding the lake. Too bad they were only going to be there for four days.
She took a lot of pictures, which she would download to Jack's home computer, then print out.
Some of the pictures were of the two of them, or Julia would take pictures of Jack as he was doing something, like teaching her to bait her fishing hook. He took pictures of her, too. His favorite was of Julia sitting on the deck of the little house he had rented, smiling for the camera, her short hair flying everywhere with the wind that day.
The trip ended way too soon for either of their liking, because it meant that they had to go back to the prison and pretend she was his prisoner. It was a role Jack hated, and said as much.
She was about to fall asleep in the backseat of Jack's truck when he heard him say,
"Julia... I don't know if I can let you go. You've stolen my heart, eased my mind, changed my life. I wish you could stay with me forever, but that wouldn't be fair. You're not mine to have. If things could be different, if I were younger... I wish I could tell you that I love you with everything I have..."
Just as she surrendered to sleep, she mumbled, "I love you, too, Jack..."
Julia stared at the picture, tears streaming down her face.
"I miss you so much, Jack..."
She put the picture back in the envelope with the others, and returned them to the secret compartment in the drawer. Julia closed the drawer.
She then picked up the form with John Christofferson's name on it and looked at it. "God," she said aloud; "please let this be Jack."
With his Wednesday bundle, Christofferson got a letter from the Department of Homeland Security. He felt uncharacteristically nervous about the letter that was inside. He knew that finding former supporters of the Occupation's government fell under the Homeland Security's umbrella, so he wondered what DHS wanted with him.
He opened it and read the letter:
Dear John Christofferson:
Your name came up in a random search by the Department of Homeland Security as a client of the Disturbed Ones Hidden in Plain Sight Team (aka the Hit-n-Run Squad). This letter is to inform you that a Department agent will be making a field visit to your area to assure you that you have done nothing wrong and that no further contact from this Department will be needed after our field agent makes their visit. The field agent will be in your area on Monday, June 26, 2034. He or she may ask to visit your home, or you can meet in a neutral location. The agent will contact you prior to their visit as to which you prefer.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Kind Regards,
Julie WhiteFeather,
Senior Field Representative, Department of Homeland Security
Christofferson folded up the letter and replaced it back in the envelope.
I don't care if someone comes out to the house, Christofferson thought; I have nothing to hide if they already know that I'm one of those who thought better of where he was and "disappeared".
The woman who signed the letter had a similar name to the woman Christofferson always thought about with fondness.
Ahh, my sweet, brave Julia, he thought; How I wish it were you coming to see me instead of this Julie WhiteFeather.
He shook his head and got back into his truck. He didn't feel like lunch at The Depot today.
III
Drake Campbell arrived about twenty minutes after Niki called him to invite him over to her parents house.
House didn't even begin to describe the mansion that David and Jordan Draiman lived in. The place was huge, sat on miles of land, and had access to the lake. Drake couldn't believe that Niki actually grew up there.
He was greeted at the door by David, who shook his hand and had a welcoming smile on his face. Drake was glad that Niki's parents liked him. Maybe Draiman sees some of himself in me, Drake often thought.
He saw Niki sitting in the living room. She looked like she had been crying, and Drake wondered what Niki found out at the doctor's that morning.
"Niki," he said as he sat next to her; "you've been crying. What's wrong?"
But Niki could do is cry. Niki didn't cry easily, and Drake knew that Niki had been given bad news. Please, God, he thought, don't take my Niki from me.
"It's bad, isn't it, baby?"
Niki shook her head. Yes.
"We can get through this, Niki," Drake said; "Whatever it is, we can get through it together."
Drake took Niki into his arms and held her. Meanwhile, David went out into the driveway that led to the garage at the back of the property when he heard Jordan's car drive through the gate.
"Hey, you finally made it," David said as Jordan got out of the car.
"Yeah," Jordan said; "I thought if I sat out there any longer, I'd have to send out change of address cards!"
"What was the hold up? Construction?" asked David.
"Construction, a nine car pile up, two closed offramps," Jordan said; "And people in Texas just plain can't drive!"
"Still, I'm glad you took the boys to football camp and not me," David said. "If I had gotten stuck out in that traffic jam, I might have had to hurt someone."
"Oh, stop David!" Jordan said, laughing; "You'd have done no such thing!" She paused, then,
"Your text said that Niki got some bad news. What was that about?"
"I want her to tell you that," David said. "It's bad, she's scared, and I think she needs to talk to you in private at some point."
"And Drake is here, too, I see," Jordan said. "His car's out front. Is Niki's news that bad, David?"
"If I say anymore, I might be giving it all away," David said; "but the girl is clearly scared out of her wits."
"We can't fix everything for her, David," Jordan said.
"Jord, I don't think this is anything that we can fix."
Jordan got David's point.
Jasmine's training as a nurse helped her immensely in med school. She was a resident now and was getting ready to make rounds.
She pretty much knew what she wanted to be a general practitioner. Working with all patients when she was still in nursing had made up her mind that being a GP was what she wanted to do.
It wasn't the initials "M.D." after her name that she really strived for, but the opportunity to advance the skills she learned as a nurse. She often knew what patients needed before the doctors did, and she wanted to be able to do that herself instead of waiting for a doctor to show up.
Jasmine wasn't getting any younger either. She was forty, and she wanted that milestone to count for something. Being a nurse and a mom was good, but the opportunity presented itself to allow her to go to med school, so she grabbed it. She had gotten glowing recommendations from doctors and nurses she had worked with, and felt prepared for the challenge.
And a challenge it was, too. She managed to keep up with the younger students, and had mentored a few of them. Doing rounds, taking classes, and practicing what she was learning in a real hospital setting. It was almost like what she had been doing as a nurse since she was twenty one years old. She completed med school in two years.
Having her family behind her was incredible; Jeremiah was her main cheerleader and confidante when her spirits flagged. The kids adjusted to their mother's crazy schedule well, and knew that their father was always there for them. She was a resident now: Jasmine Donovan, MD.
And soon, the lives of her and her family were going to change in a whole other way. It wasn't going to be one she particularly liked, either.
Niki told her story again to Drake and her mother about possibly having cancer. Jordan sat there, listening to her oldest daughter tell about her miscarriage, the blood workup, the results she had gotten that morning, and tried not to be sick to her stomach.
"Mom, you're as white as a ghost," Niki said, noticing her mother was pale. "You okay?"
"Honestly Niki, no," Jordan said; "I'm not."
"It's going to be okay, Jord," David said. "Let the girl find out if there's anything to worry about before you get all worked up."
"I know, but right now, I'm trying not to freak out."
"Mom, don't freak out," Niki said; "that's my job."
"Your dad is right though," Drake said; "There may be nothing to worry about. We have to take it one day at a time. Let's find out if it is cancer, then make plans about what to do about it."
"Why don't you two stay for lunch, and we'll talk about how we're going to deal with this," Jordan said. "Or we can just talk about the weather, just to get our mind off the subject at hand."
"Great idea, Jord," David said; "How about it, you guys? Lunch?"
"Sure," Niki said. "Drake, can you stay or do you have to get back to campus?"
"What I have at my little office on campus can wait til after lunch, I'm sure," said Drake.
"Hey Nik, what're you doing?" Julia asked Nik on the phone.
"Notta lotta, sis," Nik said. "Waiting for the next 'emergency' to occur. What do you need?"
"It's about this CIA thing we're going to on the 17th," Julia said. "How much you want to bet that they'll want to use our weapons skills against someone?"
"I'd say odds are pretty even for that, Jules," Nik said. "But I'm not travelling out of the country. I'll refuse the job, if that's what it is, if it requires me to travel out of the country. Pete's still in the back brace, and I'm not going anywhere that I can't get back to him quickly should the need arise."
"How's he doing with physical therapy?" Julia asked.
"Very well, but his back muscles are still weak," said Nik; "They're working on them. I'd rather go through that a million times to not have Pete go through it once. I thought I was tough, then I saw him after his accident and was all kinds of scared, pissed off, ready to kill someone."
"The driver still hasn't been found?"
"They found the car, but not the asswipe who was driving it," Nik said. "It was a stolen car, so we may never know who it was who was evil enough to purposely try to run down a fifteen year old on a bike."
"The bastard better hope the police find him before you do," Julia said. "You have a major axe to grind."
"I think Matt might be more pissed off than I am," Nik said. "But fortunately, he's in Virginia going to school. And besides, we all have Peter and Kiera watching over all of us. My boy is pretty tough, Jules, just like the man I named him after."
"Amen," Julia said. "Nik, I don't mean to change the subject, but I'm leaving Monday on a field mission for work. Kimber's going to be here to take care of the house and supervise Miri and Jaime. Could you pop in Monday evening just to make sure things are going okay?"
"Sure I can do that," Nik said; "They might even be glad to see me. When do you expect to be home? Before DC I hope."
"I have two people to talk to, so I'm looking at Thursday or Friday," Julia said. "DC is two weeks after that."
"I liked that they screwed up and told us initially that it was June 17th, when it was after that we got the letters," Nik said.
"Your government at work," Julia sighed; "At least my part of the government works smoothly more than half the time!"
On Sunday evening, Julia sat her sister and her two oldest daughters down in the living room and explained about her business trip and what she expected from Miri and Jaime while she was away.
"You're only going to be gone til Thursday or Friday, right?" Jaime asked. "So you're not going to be gone two weeks like you were that time?"
"If you're talking about that training session I had to do in Washington a couple years ago, then no. I'll be home before the week's out," Julia said. "I'm just going to Wyoming and Montana to speak with people in connection with my job. The reason I said Thursday or Friday is so that if there are any problems, I'll have the time to make adjustments."
"Do you want the same schedule followed as if you were here, Jules?" asked Kimber.
"Yes, Kimber, nothing changes with that," Julia said. "Just remember we have phone restrictions half hour before meals until half hour after meals. The girls know this, and hopefully have told their friends."
"My friends know," Miri said. "Jaime's friends can't seem to tell time."
"I've noticed that," Julia said; "Jaime, do I need to remind you again about that rule?"
"No, Mom," Jaime said. "I'll just turn my phone off."
"Good," Julia said. "Uncle Nik might come by Monday evening to check on things, so if there's anything we need here, let him know."
"Yes, Mom," Miri and Jaime said together.
"I'm leaving early in the morning, so I won't be here when you girls get up," Julia said. "You're responsible for your own breakfasts and cleaning up the kitchen. Don't make Aunt Kimber have to call me, okay? Because I won't be a happy Mom if that happens."
After the meeting, Julia found herself alone in the living room. When did my girls get to be so adult like? she asked herself; I wonder if Mom thought the same things about me when I was Miri and Jaime's ages?
Oh, wait, Julia thought, she did, I'm sure. It's not every mother who has the "SpineSplitter" for a daughter. God, I must have been a pain in my mother's ass!
Hardly, Julia thought she heard behind her.
God, You know I hate it when You do that! Don't You think that living without Ryan is hard enough without hearing his voice? Do You want people to think I'm crazy? Occasionally, Julia let her guard down enough to think she heard Ryan's voice.
Julia got up and went upstairs to her office. She turned on the light and caught the cat sleeping on the closed laptop computer.
"Come on, Lady Marmalade," she said to the big orange cat as she picked her up off the computer and put her down on the floor; "you know you aren't supposed to sleep on the computer, silly thing."
All Julia got in response was "Meow."
Julia sat heavily in the office chair. Tomorrow, she was going to visit a man who may or may not be her oldest daughter's biological father. On one level, she hoped it wasn't Jack after all; on another, she hoped that this John Christofferson was Jack Coltrane's new identity. She had a million questions to ask him, starting with, "How come you didn't tell me your real plan about how you were going to disappear sixteen years ago?"
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