Hope from the Ocean: 14

Todd, having landed the copter on the roof of The Manning Building, crossed the street toward Llanview Center, and heading toward the penthouse on foot, he made the extra distance between there and The Winfield's apartment in record time.  

Spotting Jack and Jenna outside on the sidewalk, he jogged lightly toward them, and rubbed his hands together for warmth as he came to a stop.  "Hey, kids.  Come on, the copter's on the roof back there."

All three of them walked together, Todd behind the two of them a bit, and he thought to ask, "Jenna, this is okay with Lynnette?"

"Yes.  She says it's okay.  I just have to be home by ten."

"All right, no problem.  The copter has plenty of fuel."  Light snow had finally stopped falling.  It seemed as though it had been falling for days on and off.  The copter could dare the snow unless it was at blizzard strength, but Todd was glad that it had tapered off.  It would make visibility easier later.

They boarded, and Todd strapped both kids in.  He said, "Are you scared, Jenna?  Ever done this before?"

"I've never ridden in a copter before, but I am not scared.  I am not afraid of heights.  I think it will be fun."

He climbed into the copter and started the engine.  He could see Jenna's face in the rear view mirror, and she was smiling.  Jack reached across and took her hand.

***

"Dr. Martino, this is Sister Rebecca Katherine Broderick calling."

"Hello, Sister.  Nice to hear your voice."

"And yours.  I've called to let ya know I've made a decision about our recent talk."

"Yes, Sister.  I'm hoping you've agreed to become part of Mountainview's staff?"

"In fact, I have.  I've thought it over, and I believe I can do a great deal of good if I take ya up on your offer."

Ray was pleased, and smirked to himself, before saying, "I'm glad to hear that, Sister.  The program begins in Spring."

"Yes, I remember.  I am hoping I will do well at it."

"I am certain you will.  Thank you for calling to let me know."

She looked heavenward, and said, "Lord, I hope to do Y'ar will."

Ray took out his cell phone, and dialing, waited until he received a voice on the other end.  "She's agreed.  Looks like it's going to work out.  Just wanted to let you know."

***

"Jenna, welcome to our home.  So good to see you."  Blair greeted her.

"Mrs. Manning, it's good to see you, too."  

Blair, instinctively, held her arms slightly open, and hugged the young girl to her.  Jenna readily accepted the embrace, and, in the midst of it, broke down in her arms.  "It's all right, sweetheart," Blair said, "it's okay.  I understand."

Jack made himself scarce, after Todd put a hand on his shoulder and signaled him to leave the room with him.  They went into the kitchen and out the back door together, Jack heading to the gazebo and sitting down.  Amid the whiteness of the forest-covered mountain, Jack said, "Why did she cry like that?"  He felt that somewhere inside him, he might know, but he wasn't sure.  A lump was still in his throat from seeing her fall apart.

Todd, hands buried in his black wool coat, sat beside Jack.  "She's missing her mother, Jack.  Blair's . . . I mean, your mom is just the strongest representation of a mother there can be right now, pregnant, mother to you, to Ray and Sam.  My guess is she just missed her Mom, and seeing yours just brought all that up."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She will.  It's grief.  It takes time."

"I can't . . . imagine losing Mom, Dad."

"I know.  You and me both."  Todd placed an arm on the back of the bench, behind Jack, and looked out into the yard.  "Luckily, we won't have to do that any time soon."

It was silent for a few moments.  "When Mom was shot, in the courthouse, were you scared?"

"Of course.  I thought she was leaving me.  She, looked up to the skylight, and she said 'there's God coming down' and I thought she was leaving me."  Jack noticed his father's voice change.  It was not steady.  It had a slight waver in it, and Todd cleared his throat.  He continued, "It was the most scared I ever was in my life."

Jack, knowing how much his father had been through, thought about the impact of his father's words.  "She's okay, though, now."

"Yeah, she is.  She's here.  I think that's why we should appreciate the time we do have.  Jenna can't get any of that back."

"What would have happened if Mom died, Dad?"

Todd gulped, and thought for a moment, and then just continued to accept the silence.  He couldn't begin to explain that Blair's death could only mean the end of him.  There was no way to answer his son, so instead, he just stared off into the yard, and put his hand lightly on Jack's shoulder.   

"I did that to someone else."  Jack finally said, breaking the silence.

Todd turned to his son and just waited.  

Jack went on.  "I took someone's mother," he turned toward his father, and his eyes stung.  "I took Shane's mother from him, Dad."

Todd didn't speak.  He had the knowledge that Jack's words were the most important thing at that moment, and he nodded.  Jack looked into his father's face, as if searching for answers.  "Why did she have to die?  I didn't ever think . . . it never should have gone that way, Dad.  I've done to Shane what was done to Jenna, what almost happened to me.  What almost happened to you."

Watching his son make the connections between all of the events of the last few years was painful but brought him pride at the same time.  He moved his hand to the back of Jack's neck, and simply said, "Things we do don't always make us who we are, Jack.  Sometimes, they're there so we can find out."

Jack, struggling to maintain his composure, shook his head in agreement, but the tears spilled over, and Todd brought his son's head over his shoulder and held him.

***

Jenna finally pulled away from Blair's embrace, and wiping her tears, said, "I'm . . . I'm sorry."

"No, no.  There's nothing to be sorry for.  You miss your mother.  I know sort of how you feel.  I was separated from my mother most of my life.  When I was your age, I had a terrible time of it."

Jenna sniffled.  "I didn't get a chance . . . well, to say everything."

"It doesn't matter.  I'm a mom, I can tell you that if it's in your heart, she knows."

"Do you really believe that?"  the girl said, hope brimming in her eyes.

"Yes, I do."

"I just wish . . . she didn't die.  Not like that.  Even if she didn't want to be with us, just not like that."

Blair swallowed, and pushed the girl's hair behind her ear.  "You mustn't think about that."

"It hurts so much," Jenna said, starting to break again.  

Blair comforted her, placing an arm around her shoulders.  "Come on, now.  I know it's hard.  But you have to know we're here for you.  I realize that your sister has other things to deal with.  Maybe she can't give you everything you need right now."

"She can't.  It's not her fault.  She just . . . can't feel much anymore."

Blair, knowing what the girl meant, said, "It's probably that she does and can't let herself.  She's been through a lot."

Jenna looked up to Blair's face, and said, "You know so much."

"Not really.  I'm just older than you are."

The girl laughed softly.  At the glass sliding doors, Blair heard quiet rapping. She turned, and her husband was pushing his face against the glass, becoming almost pig-nosed.  

She went to the door, hands on hips, and tapped her foot, as if waiting.  Jenna couldn't help but laugh.  Jack, behind Todd, picked up some snow, and making a snowball, pegged his father off the back of his head.  Todd, feigning injury, pretended to stumble around and be dizzy, while Blair opened the door.  "Will you get in here?"

Todd pushed Jack playfully through the doors, and came in after him.  "Don't think I won't get you back."

"You always say that."

"Well, what shall we have for dinner?"  Blair asked, looking from person to person.

Todd said, "Are you cooking?"

She elbowed him, "Okay, none of that."

Jack said, "I want pizza."

"That's every day,"  Todd said.

"I like pizza," Jenna added.  

She's siding with him.  In front of his parents.  She's got it bad for him.  "Me, too, what about you, Blair?"  Todd said.

"It's okay with me.  Do we have any?"

Todd went to the freezer, and said, "What do you know?  There's one really big one in here.  Not really enough for everyone with Jack and I around."

"I can make a salad," Blair said, "and that should be plenty."

The plan was set for the evening, and Todd and Blair puttered in the kitchen, while Jack took Jenna into the family room, and started a fire. 

Jenna went back into the foyer to grab her sweater, and peeked into the kitchen, where she caught Todd and Blair, holding each others' arms at the elbows, and smiling into each others' faces, while he brushed her hair back from her face with his index finger.  She smiled, and felt embarrassed that she intruded, even though they never noticed her.  She couldn't look away from the way they looked at each other, as if there was no one else in the world. 

When she returned to the family room, Jack showed her pictures of himself as a child.  There were several albums of photos from the past, including the one Blair had made for Todd when he had come back, and she started thumbing through them.  She picked up an older one, and said, "Who's this, Jack, with your mother?"

He stopped, and sucked in some air quickly.  "That's . . . his name is Zeus.  He . . . was my father, as a kid.  He . . . impersonated my father.  Convinced my mother and my sister that he was my father, coming back to them with a new face."  

"My God.  Your father was . . . gone?  Or he disappeared?"

"Yeah.  He was kidnapped . . . and . . ."

"What, Jack?  If it's too hard, don't think about it," Jenna said.

"He went through a lot.  That's all,"  he said.

"I'm sorry," she said, closing the album and handing it back to him.

"Hey, it's the past, my past, and whatever it is, it is.  No use hiding it."

She moved closer to him on the couch, and put her head back down on his shoulder.  She said, "I'm sorry for anything painful that you had."

"I'm sorry for yours, too."

She got very quiet, and both of them stared into the fireplace.

***

"Well, this was nice, Jenna.  We're glad you could make it,"  Todd said, helping her up into the cab of the copter.  Jack got in the other side, and buckled himself in.  Todd checked all of their belts and then fastened himself into the pilot seat.  As they lifted off the helipad, the snow started to fall again, in small, soft flakes.  "All right, we're going."

Jack took Jenna's hand across the seats, and she entwined her fingers in his.  He said, "Did you like visiting?"

"Yes.  I love your family, and your house is so beautiful."

"Yeah, they're cool."

"Yeah.  Your father and your mother, they . . . love each other so much."

"Everyone notices."

"It's like they just met.  Or just fell in love."

"Everyone says that."

"They're beautiful to see."

"I know.  I get jealous sometimes, you know, that I don't have something like that in my life."

"I almost felt the same thing earlier, when I was watching them.  I felt strange, like I shouldn't be watching, but at the same time, I felt some kind of . . . longing, like it was something I'd reach for, you know?"

He looked at her for a moment without speaking.  How is she inside my head?  "Yeah, I know."

Todd was in his own world, cautiously directing the copter through the storm, focused on getting his son and his new girlfriend to town safely.  When Todd thought about it, he realized this was Jack's first girlfriend, not just new, and he smirked to himself, avoiding visually eavesdropping on them in the rearview.  

The snow was not heavy, and made a beautiful appearance over the city as they approached.  Instead of pitch darkness, there were lights below them, and with the lightly falling snow, the air almost sparkled at times.

"OMG, it's so beautiful!"  Jenna said, and her eyes filled with tears.  "Some of the sky is glittering!"

"It is beautiful, but I can think of something else prettier."  Jack dared to say.  She turned back to Jack and smiled.

Before he knew what was happening, Jack reached up and moved her hair behind her ear, and their eyes met each others' and lingered.  This is it, Jack Manning.  What are you going to do?  He leaned toward her, and he saw her eyes go to his lips, and knew it was safe to move closer.  Slightly craning his neck, with his hand still on the side of her face, he gently took her top lip in his and kissed her.  

Let this be forever.

Todd, who had just landed the copter on the roof of The Manning Building caught a glimpse of the final events in the rearview as he was about to announce their location.  Instead, he got out of the copter and went to the door, waiting.  Lip action.  That's my son.

Jack and Jenna broke free of the kiss, and he drew his hand down her hair, and played a little with the tips.  Then he said, "Was that okay?"

"It was more than okay, Jack," she smiled.

Todd waited until he could hear talking, and then opened the side door.  "Well, we're here, kids.  Come on, get out, we have a little walk to the apartment."

"Dad, is it okay if I walk Jenna back?  It's only 9:45?"

Todd smirked.  "Sure.  Why not.  I'll run down to The Sun office and work.  You'll be back by around what, 10:15?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you back here then, okay Dad?"

"Sure.  I'll be here, just be careful."

He watched as his son walked, hand in hand with Jenna, to the door to The Manning Building, and he followed, keeping a decent distance.  They went into the elevator, and Todd went into the penthouse office that housed The Sun.  Going directly to his desk, he threw his keys on the top, and went to his chair, quickly booting up the computer.  He began to work on a story that he planned for two days from then, the opening of The Diamond Gallery, as a way to bring more visitors to the new venue and support his mother and Jenna.  

As he worked, he became distracted by the thought of the small photo of Patrick Thornhart, and instead, began a new page layout.  He spoke aloud, "The least I can do is do a front page on him.  More attention might help.  And see John in the morning.  Gotta remember to do that first thing tomorrow."

For the next half hour, he continued to work, creating the page, design, grabbing the most recent photo he could find, and brainstorming the headline until it fit the way he wanted.  "McPoet Missing" was staring at him from the screen.  He wasn't sure why he had written that; Patrick had become much more than McPoet to him over the last few years.  He quickly backspaced and wrote, "A Hidden Hero" and left it.

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