The Fourth Life: Chapter 3

"Well, we're here."  Blair said, walking into the office before him, with LIttle Ray in his carrier.  He watched the back of her swing away from him as she walked.  She was wearing a gray suit with purple accents.  He, in the same color scheme, and yes, she planned it, work gray slacks and vest, with a purple striped shirt with french cuffs.  


Looking around, he felt blessed to be back.  Never knowing if he would see The Sun offices again, he got an emotional charge from setting foot back there.  She was all about business; seeing to Ramon's messages for Todd that had piled up, going through emails.  He was at the windows, staring out, remembering other times he had done the same over the years.  His mind rested on an image of her, in a short black and white dress, with the back open, her hair upswept, and him, behind her in a gray Armani suit with vest.  It was comforting to have something, like memories of them, that outlasted most other things in his life.  Having been almost twenty years since he first laid eyes on her, she had become his constant.  It was hard to be anywhere where she was not.


He was not afraid of death anymore; he had been as close as possible and "died" a total of three times in Ireland.  Once, in 1995, when he was shot in the back and nursed back to life by a fisherman, Aman, and his wife, Lily.  And twice more, just two weeks before, in the ambulance on the way to Beaumont hospital, and in the Beaumont Hospital Emergency Room, with Blair lying in the bed, next to him.  His own death was not something that frightened him as much as leaving them.  This brought him to his greatest prevailing fear.  Losing Blair, permanently.  Her death, he knew, would be the final destruction of him.  And somehow, Carlo Hesser had never quite figured that out.  At least, not enough to make her the ultimate target.  He glanced back over at her, busy at the desk, her hair tucked behind one ear, their baby in the carrier at her feet.  He said, "You're all I need, you know that?"


"Aww, that's sweet.  You're all I need, too.  And a lovely young woman, who's all grown up, and few little boys here and there.  So, are we going to get started?"  She sauntered over to him, and taking her place in front of him by the windows, he slipped his arms around her waist, again, reliving the moments when they first realized they worked together exceptionally well.  He nuzzled her ear, and held her against him.  "It's beautiful, isn't it?"  She said, as they overlooked the city.  They could see the penthouse from the window.


"Yeah, it's beautiful."


She paused.  "Are you okay, Todd?"


"Yeah, I'm fine.  Perfect."


"Then, let's get started.  I can't wait to write the expose on Carlo Hesser."  She rubbed her hands together like a greedy miser.  "It's going to be so much fun, just like the old days!"


He let out an appreciative laugh.  "You're too much, Mrs. Manning."  He took charge again, and headed for his desk, pulling a chair up near it for her to sit in.  She did, and crossed her long legs, showing a petite ankle and too-high shoes.  "How do you walk in those things?"


"Takes practice.  Okay, what's first?"


"First, we're hiring Timothy Broderick full-time."


"I like the sound of that, we're."


"Did you know he holds a degree in law?  You never know when you might need that.  Second, we're calling Devon to come back and provide security."


"I heard he's doing well recovering.  He risked his life for us."


"He's been well compensated, and he's going to be Head of Security here."


"What about Shaun?"


"He's been deputized by John McBain.  Helping with the Hesser and The Men of 21 Case.  Rounding up those losers."


"Hmm, sounds like an interesting job for Shaun.  Maybe he'll go to the  Police Academy after this."


"Maybe, you never know."


"So, where do we start?"


"At the beginning.  We write about Ireland, part one."


***


Jack held his cell phone to his ear, and rounded the corner outside the school.  "Ditching.  You?  Can you get it?"  he said.  He hung up a short time later, and put his phone away.  Then, he heard a voice behind him.  


"Get what?"  Shaun said.


"What do you do, follow me around?"


"When I'm not helping out the LPD I am.  I had a feeling you were going to be doing something you shouldn't be, soon."


"Why?  Why can't you just leave me alone and let me do what I gotta do?"


"Because, Jack, you're my responsibility, at least partially."


"Whatever."


"No, it's not whatever.  Get in the car."


"What?"


"Do what I say, or I'll embarrass you and carry you over there."  Jack reluctantly headed to Shaun's car, and got into the front seat.  Belting himself, he decided the best revenge would be refusing to talk.  "And now you're going to go silent on me, but that's all right, because I have more to say."


He didn't respond.  This oughta get Shaun pissed, real fast.


"First, you were trying to score some booze.  I'm not stupid."


Jack shot him a sideways glance, and thought, "How does he know that?"  He had been.  But it wasn't working.  Even though he had just turned sixteen, his sources of alcohol were drying up as he spoke; his parents and Viki both had taken all of it out of their homes.


Shaun continued.  "I know because I know.  You're scared and you don't know what to do.  Something is eating at you, and I am pretty sure I know what it is."


Jack said nothing.  He wouldn't give Shaun the satisfaction of answering.


"You can't get over what happened to your father.  It bothers you, night and day.  You can't get away from it."


Jack squirmed.


"You can't believe another human being could be so evil.  It shakes your view of the world.  It earthquakes out all the ipods and music and concerts and girls.  It creeps into your mind when you're studying, or trying to sleep, or even eating a meal."


Jack turned to the window, and rested his head on the glass, saying nothing.


"You're even bothered by it in dreams.  It makes you unable to sleep.  You question the why of it, and then, sometimes, you wonder if he deserved it because of the bad things he's done."


Nothing from Jack, but his eyes were burning.


"Then, you start wondering what will happen to you for the bad things you've done."


"Shut up, okay!  Just shut up!"


"No, I won't.  Because it's happening to me.  Just this way."


Jack looked at Shaun with an expression of complete awe.  "What?"


"I can't sleep, eat, do anything without images of what that man went through coming into my head.  You're lucky, you can't put a face on Leona.  It only makes it worse.  I see him in my dreams.  Last night, I dreamed he came after Destiny."


Jack swallowed.  "Why would you be dreaming of that?"


"I saw him.  I know what he was like.  Your father endured things I don't want to think about.  Makes me sick.  I've never been happy for human suffering, but I was glad when I saw that your father had killed the sonofabitch.  He had one good arm.  One.  He was bleeding out, he was scarred, tired, dehydrated, pretty much dying.  And he still took him out.  You know what they call that?"


"Badass."  Jack said.


"That's right.  But, he's a badass father too, since he got back, right?  If he knew what you were doing right now, what would he do?  Think about it.  He's a badass husband.  Your mother can't live without him.  He's a badass publisher, financier, friend.  But he's still a human being, a man."


Jack's tears were spilling over, and he said, "He screams.  At night."  He wiped his eyes on his sleeve.


"I would, too.  Just because you're a badass doesn't mean you can't feel and hurt and cry."


Jack sighed raggedly.  "Where are we going?"


"To see him.  We're stopping by The Sun, so you can see him.  See that he's all right.  Then, I am bringing you to Ray Martino's.  You are suffering from PTSD, young man."


"Me?  Nothing happened to me.  That's Dad."


"Something did happen to you.  You almost lost your father to a violent death.  This creep Michael Leona invaded your house, broke your safety into a million pieces.  He almost killed your mother, and almost took your baby brother.  And nothing happened to you?"


"I guess," he said, secretly grateful that Shaun was taking him to see his father.


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