| Harmful Intent Chapter 32 |
| ** "Rachel, it appears as if you've got a letter from Vincent." Nash waved the envelope in the air and smiled. Even in prison, Vincent Cardell was smitten with Rachel. The warden had forwarded her letter from Vincent to Nash. "You're kidding?" Vincent was the last person Rachel wanted to hear from, she had more important things to worry about. "Now, before you go and burn this, remember --- it can be used as evidence." Nash handed Rachel the envelope and chuckled, "be sure to tell your fiance I send my love." Rachel took the envelope and headed slowly down the stairs towards her own desk. She sat down and began to read. Dearest Rachel, You have no idea how miserable and alone I feel without you. It seems as if my life has reached an ultimate low and I serve no purpose except to make it through another day. Not seeing you or my children has inflicted a pain upon my heart like no other, a peristent ache. Each day I hope to hear from you, but for your safety, it's best that we maintain a respectable distance. I can only hope that my letter finds you well. I have minimal contact with my mother, at best, so if you could check on her every once and again... I'd greatly appreciate the gesture. I'm doing all that is in my power to get out of the mess I've put myself into, I can only hope you'll be there when I am freed. I know I shouldn't ask you to wait, but feel that our love is one worth waiting for. Currently, I'm hoping to rid the path of all obstacles that might keep us apart. I wish I could tell you more about my plans, but feel it is best that you don't know right away to ensure that we can one day be as a family. Be well. All my love, Vincent "You look a little green around the gills?" Harvey could see the disgust in Rachel's face as she folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. "I think I'm going to be sick." Rachel smiled, relieved that Vincent couldn't do anything to her from behind bars. "What was that anyways?" Harvey was curious about the letter, Rachel's reaction only piqued his interest. "A letter from Vincent Cardell, telling me of his undying love and his hopes of us being a family with his children." Rachel had to hand it to him, Vincent did have a way with words. If she didn't know so much about him, she might fall for his ploy. "I guess he hasn't made it to the psych ward yet, huh?" Harvey worried, the man was behind bars but who knew what he was capable of with all of his connections. "Apparently not, but rumour has it he's going to plead insanity for the murder charges." Rachel had heard about his paln from Nash and Joe, she hoped his scheme wouldn't work. She was already dreading facing him in court, but outside of restricted confines would be even worse. "When is court?" Harvey was sure she mentioned the date earlier, but he had lot on his mind. "Next week." The next week was certain to take it's toll on Rachel, Bill and Cecilia were leaving and she had to testify against Vincent Cardell. "Did you want me to go?" Harvey intended to go with her as long as she wanted him there. He wanted to be there, just to know she was safe. "I'd love it if you were there." Rachel knew his presence would make her testimony all the more difficult, but he'd be there to take her in his arms when all was said and done. Harvey leaned across her desk to steal a quick kiss. "I'll see you tonight." Harvey grinned and walked back towards his own desk, he had enough work to keep him occupied until it was time to go. ** "Can I go to Mommy's tonight?" Lili loved spending time with her mother and Harvey. Harvey was the complete opposite of Bill, a welcome change of pace. "If you'd like to, I guess it would be okay." Bill didn't want to cut Rachel short of any visits with Lili before they left for Boston. "We're gonna finish my room." Lili was excited about her new room at Rachel's house, something a little less grown up. "Really?" Bill was pleasantly surprised by the active interest Rachel was taking in her daughter. Bill's cell phone began to ring. "I'll be right back." "William, it's me." Louis knew Bill would identify the caller if he said William instead of Bill. "Any news?" Bill knew exactly why Louis was calling, it was about the investigator. "Nothing yet, but Kat usually doesn't surface till the job is done." He knew Bill was ready to get the paperwork started, Louis couldn't help but worry. "So why the call?" Bill generally preferred to talk to Bill when Lili wasn't around. "I wanted to know when you needed the custody papers done by?" Louis wanted to make sure everything was ready when the time came. "The sooner, the better. Talk to you tomarrow." Bill turned off the power and returned the phone to his pocket, walking back into the living room. "Let's get you dinner before you go to Mom's?" ** "I'd be afraid, Harvey's cooking." Rachel glanced into the kitchen momentarily, smiling as she saw Harvey checking the oven. "Is it gross?" Lili made one of her custom faces, "I already ate." "I think I did to." Rachel acted like she was intently reviewing some papers when Harvey walked in. "Looks like the chicken is a flambe tonight." Harvey didn't like accepting defeat from an oven, he wasn't really in the mood for poultry anyways. "Anyone else up for pizza?" "If we order in, I have to add another coat of paint as soon as I finish alphabetizing Julian's crimes and misdemeanors." Rachel promised Lili they'd finish her room before she left, and Harvey was there every night to help. "Lili and I will go retrieve the the pizza and a movie so Inspector Martha Stewart can do her work." Harvey grinned, knowing Rachel would loathe the title. ** "Too much work and no play makes Rachel McCabe a boring wife." Harvey grinned mischeviously at Rachel while following her into the kitchen after the finished their painting for the evening. "Really, what do you suggest I about that?" Rachel stopped at the freezer, handing Harvey the paint can and brush so she could retrieve the ice cream. Rachel brought the ice cream over to the counter and took a spoon from the drawer below. "I could think of a few things." Harvey set the file down on the counter and removed the coveted ice cream from Rachel's hand, pulling Rachel closer towards him. She knew immediately where they where headed, and for the time being, they were safe. Harvey found her lips with his own, and all their reservations were gone. Things heated up quickly, as clothing was slowly removed and tossed aimlessly onto the floor around them. Rachel felt the urge to interrupt and pulled away, being in the kitchen was far too risky for a mother of an inquisitive five-year old. Harvey grinned, "what's wrong? Got something against countertops?" "After last Friday night, no..." Harvey's mind flashed back to their kitchen encounter the after she told him about Bill. Rachel smiled in return, "I don't have anything against countertops, desks or showers," Rachel watched as Harvey's eyes lit up with her suggestions, "but let's go upstairs, there's a little more privacy." Rachel took his hand and led him through the living room. Harvey stopped just before the stairs, "are you sure? I was just kidding about the boring part, if this is too soon with her here...I completely understand." Harvey didn't want to rush her, he knew how she felt about the subject from when Jerry was staying with them. "We don't have to go..." Rachel suddenly wasn't sure of what Harvey wanted to do, maybe she read him wrong,"if that's not what you wanted." "Oh, I want to but...she's asleep?" Harvey didn't want any incidents with Lili, remembering Rachel's mortification when Jerry caught them making out on his couch. Harvey was surprised by Rachel's offer, since he had gone back home the other nights before anything could come up between them. "Since nine." Rachel had gone upstairs to check before things got too serious between the two of them downstairs. "Let's go." They both made a mad dash up the stairs and headed towards her bedroom, fumbling to quickly open the door. ** "You think she likes me?" What Lili thought of him was important, her opinion mattered. Harvey laid across the bed next to Rachel, his head resting on her pillow later that evening. "She hasn't complained yet." Rachel knew Lili well enough by this point to know her daughter would've said something about Harvey if she felt differently. "And if Lili didn't like me?" Harvey worried what would happen if he and Lili didn't get along. Rachel was perfect for Jerry, but there wasn't any guarantee it would work out as nicely for Harvey. "I don't believe there is any reason why she wouldn't." Rachel initially couldn't understand why Harvey was being so hard on himself, but knew she was the same way about Jerry. Rachel turned to kiss him, as a sign of assurance. As Harvey pulled her in closer towards him, they heard a light knock on the door. "Mommy?" Lili waited outside of Rachel's closed door after knocking, another bad dream kept her from sleeping. This was now nearly a nightly occurence. Harvey spaced himself from Rachel on the bed, not knowing if Lili would come in or not. "Lucky." Harvey looked over to Rachel, it was better that they had come upstairs after all. "Extremely." Rachel gently touched Harvey's face and kissed him, "I'm going to see what she needs." "You want me to go?" This was his first overnight visit with Lili there, he didn't want to overwhelm her with his presence in Rachel's life. "You're more than welcome to stay." Rachel leaned in close to steal another kiss before walking towards the bedroom door. She knew Lili probably had another bad dream and she'd end up spending the night in her room. ** "Kat? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Louis looked at his alarm clock, it was five before midnight. Only Kat would call at this hour. "Good morning to you, my favorite socially inept lawyer." Kat loved doing private investigations for Louis, he was a pleasure to work with and the money was good. "I'm not exactly on Bill's payroll this time of night, call me first thing tomarrow." It wasn't about getting paid, Louis was tired and had a busy day ahead of him. "Sorry, can't. Gotta go take my kid for his license tomarrow." Kat was anxious to tell Louis of her findings, the information couldn't wait. "If he drives like you, I'll say a prayer." Louis chuckled, Kat was the stereotypical city driver. "From you, that's a compliment. You make old women look like Indy 500 drivers." Kat greatly enjoyed Louis' sense of humour, in a lot of ways, he reminded her of her old friend Nash Bridges. She knew Rachel worked for him, but since she was looking into Rachel's past, she didn't cross paths with Nash again. "Since you're not going to hang up, at least tell me what you found." Louis knew Kat's findings would be worth his loss of sleep. "She checks out, I mean --- she seems to be a fine category for second chance motherhood." Everything was reassuring, to some extent. Rachel was no worse off than many of the women she had filing through family services on a daily basis. "Are you Kat the investigator or Kat the social worker?" Louis knew she could analyze character better than anyone, eighteen years of social work had done her good. Kat smiled and in a very seductive tone whispered, "I'll be whatever you want me to be." Louis laughed, "let's not go there. What else?" "She's dating an old friend of mine, Harvey Leek. Great guy, your classic Deadhead with a heart of gold." One of Kat's biggest regrets was losing contact with Harvey after he married Bonnie. "Charming, is there more?" Louis knew there had to be something that stuck out, things had gone too well with Rachel. "Her only flaw, and believe me, I did question telling you this was, that she was in therapy for about a year and a half." Kat knew Louis would want to know, but at least Rachel had sought therapy after what happened. "Like psychward?" Louis never anticipated anything like this, Bill always made Rachel sound so together. "No, like a psychiatrist or a psychologist, you idiot. Hey, better that she got help than went over the edge." Kat honestly didn't know how Rachel made it from day to day without a break down. She knew the feeling all too well. "For what?" Louis had to rule out any relapses as being a threat, not to mention, what he'd tell Bill. "Her fiance Ben was killed in a botched robbery in 1999 and her partner at Bayside not even a year after." Rachel McCabe definitely had her share of trauma, Kat hoped she wouldn't jeapordize Rachel's situation with Bill with what she was telling Louis. "Wow. I had no idea." Louis never would've guessed what Rachel had been through, she definitely had preservence. "She has another child, long story, that lives with the stepmother." Kat had done some in depth digging on Rachel, proving to be well worth the effort for the information provided. "Older or younger?" Louis hadn't heard about Rachel having another child, he was intrigued. "Younger, I don't have any more details than that. Night, Lou." Kat hung up the phone, it was time for Louis to get some sleep. "Kat, wait..." Louis chuckled after hearing the dial tone, only Kat would leave him hanging. ** "You stay here ands get ready, I'll drop Lili off." Harvey leaned against the steamy shower door and kissed Rachel. They were running a little behind that morning and Harvey had to wake her up for work. "I owe you." Rachel quickly stole another kiss and closed the shower door. This would give Rachel the opportunity she needed to call Anna. "Wait till I come to collect." Harvey stopped by the mirror a moment to arrange his beret and left the bathroom. He loved being with Rachel and Lili, they helped to fill the void when Jerry wasn't around. ** "Mail call." Joe had already been to the City Hall that morning, trying to keep one step ahead of Montevideo. "Something from Vincent I presume?" Nash guessed if the letter was from City Hall, it most likely was routed from Vincent. "For Rachel?" "And there's one for us." Joe waited a minute to clarify himself, "actually, it's addressed to you and Harvey." "Really, let's have a look." Nash snatched the letter from Joe's hands and ripped the envelope open. Captain Bridges and Inspector Leek, It would be to your highest advantage if you maintained a reasonable distance from my lady love, who shall remain unnamed. I've tried to play fair, but obviously you two have taken the upper hand. I've got alliances all over, be careful where you step. "I'd say that's a threat." Joe looked at the letter again, "I wonder what he said to her." "It's probably another pledge of his undying love. He really doesn't know how to take no for an answer." Nash wondered how Vincent didn't know by now the truth about Rachel. He'd certainly find out in court. "When it comes to her, you can't either." Joe grinned sheepishly while Nash scowled, in complete denial. "You're walking a fine line, Bubba." Nah knew Joe was right about his interest in Rachel. Bust, Rachel was taken and that's all that mattered. ** "Would you like it if we went down to Monterrey next weekend?" Harvey hadn't spoken with Rachel about the idea yet, but he was sure she'd appreciate the outing. He assumed Rachel would have Lili for the weekend, Bill had been quite generous with her visitation lately. Harvey glanced into the backseat of the Crusier, Lili was barely awake. "I won't be here." Lili would've loved to spend the weekend with Harvey and her mom, but she knew that she had to leave with Bill for Boston. "Why not?" Harvey didn't recall Rachel mentioning Lili going out of town. He hoped nothing serious happened as a result of Rachel turning Bill down. "Daddy and I are going to Boston." Lili didn't want to leave, but she knew they had to. Bill promised her she'd still see Rachel frequently. "Oh." Harvey wondered if Rachel knew about this trip or not, surely she would've mentioned it. "We can go when you get back." "That might be a long time." Bill hadn't made Lili any guarantees about how long they'd be in Boston, just that she'd be cared for no matter what. Harvey pulled into Bill's driveway, wondering exactly what was going on. ** Rachel glanced quickly at her watch before she began to dial, happy that Harvey was still running a little late. Rachel waited impatiently as the phone began to ring, hoping she'd pick up. "Hello?" Anna recognized the number from the caller ID and hoped it was Harvey calling to tell her he was wrong. "Anna, it's Rachel." Rachel could tell from Anna's sigh she wasn't thrilled to receive the call. "Oh, it's you." Anna knew she must want something. "If this is about your face, I already apologized." Anna didn't regret what she did, Rachel had no right to be with Harvey or her son. "Actually, it's about Jerry." Rachel wanted to surprise Harvey by having him visit, work had prevented them from taking a trip up to Seattle. "What about Jerry?" Anna knew Rachel was a risk, she'd probably tell Harvey to seek full custody. "I was wondering if he could come to San Francisco next week." Rachel wanted him in town for a few days, long enough to meet with Lili before she left and get some quality time with his dad. "I don't have the money to send him." Anna could afford the trip if she wanted to, but she didn't want Jerry around Rachel. "I'd take care of the costs." Money wasn't the issue, it was about Harvey getting to see his son. She knew Anna could be bought, at least for the time being. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want Jerry?" Anna knew there had to be some motive behind Rachel's request. "I wanted to surprise Harvey with a visit from his son." That was it, she had no other motive. Harvey missed Jerry and he had every right to be with him. "I know you better than that. What did you do that you need to get out of?" Anna suspected Rachel was trying to buy her way back into Harvey's good graces. "Name your price, Anna." Rachel knew for the right amount, she could get Jerry without a problem. "Five-hundred." It would cover Jerry's flight and some lingering personal expenses that she needed to take care of. Rachel was naive enough to make the offer, Anna would gladly take her for what she could. "That's a little exhorbident, saying that flights from Seattle are under two-hundred round trip." Rachel had checked out the prices earlier online. Anna needed the money for something else. "You offered, take it or leave it." Anna wasn't going to budge, she needed to make rent and she owed someone else money. She had a plan to accquire the money, one good night on the street and she'd be debt free. For now, Rachel's offer was a bit more safe than offering her body. "I'll give you three-fifty..." Rachel knew Anna would argue, but the ball was in Rachel's court. She happened to find out about Anna being on the streets again. "Make it four-fifty or no deal." Anne needed at least two hundred and fifty to get the guy off her. There was no telling what he'd do if she didn't pay. "I'll give you four and I'll make sure that your current job status doesn't come up over dinner, okay?" Rachel knew Anna was in a bind, but she was probably responsible for putting herself there. ** "Marco, this is Julian..." Julian had the perfect set-up in mind, all he had to do was get the boss' approval. "If it ain't good, I don't wanna hear it. The boss is getting restless, you know." Vincent was becoming impatient with Julian's actions and letting Marco take the fall. "You'll want to hear this." Julian had overheard a prime piece of information that could get him some serious cash. He wasn't sure if it was true or not, but that wasn't his concern. "I think she's pregnant." "Who?" Marco wasn't following Julian's lead. "Vincent's girl?" "Who else?" Julian thought his announcement would be clear enough, "and I got a plan." "How do you know she's pregnant? Is it his?" Marco knew Vincent would be thrilled if the child was his, Andrew or Inspector Leek's place in her life was highly irrelevent. "I just know. Who else's would it be?" Julian was short on time, he wanted to discuss the plan and move on. "You wanna hear my plan or not?" "Yeah, let's hear it..." Marco knew he'd have all hell to pay if anything went wrong with Julian's plan. It was his responsibility to make sure Vincent's wishes were carried out while he was away. ** "What are you going to do about Rachel, Bill?" Louis wondered if Bill had made any definite decisions since she turned down his offer. He knew they had to move quickly. "She's in love, and Lili thinks the world of this man Harvey, I think I should leave things as they are." Bill really didn't want to keep Lili from Rachel, but he wanted to spend what could be his last months alive with his little girl. "Leave things as they are for now you mean?" Louis knew what Bill had planned for when things got worse, it would only be a matter of time before Rachel found out. "Yes, for now. I don't know if this would've been any easier on Rachel or myself had I done this right after Mary died." Bill had thought, at the time, that it would be best to wait before finding Rachel. Lili needed a chance to mother before he'd even attempt to fill the void. "I don't think it would've been. I talked to Kat Bauer today, the investigator." Louis had recommended Bill hire an investigator to make sure everything was legitamate with Rachel before he signed any papers. Bill was against the idea, but agreed to further protect his daughter. "And?" Bill didn't imagine there'd be anything suspicious with Rachel, or her past. "Kat did her digging, a very thorough job. Rachel seems pretty stable, everything checks out." Louis had assumed this would be the case, but you can never be too sure.What happened in Rachel's life wasn't her fault, and it shouldn't be held against her. If she wanted Bill to know about Ryan and Connie or Ben, she could tell him herself. "What about Lili's biological father, anything come up?" Bill didn't know if Rachel planned on introducing him to Lili or not. She defintitely needed a male influence in her life. "Unfortunately, he's still out of the country. But, Kat did mention she knew Harvey from a while back and he was a good guy." Louis had worked with Kat before, her work was always beyond extraordinary. "You think Lili will be okay?" Bill didn't like to think about leaving his daughter, but he knew it was imminent. "I think she'll be fine." Though at first he disagreed, now Louis was quite pleased Bill decided to find Rachel again. she worked out much better than he anticipated she would. ** "Let's go for a walk." Harvey took Rachel's hand into his own as they stepped outside of the SIU. He had to ask her about Boston, a guilty feeling had been nagging at his conscience since he dropped Lili off. Harvey squeezed her hand harder as they approached the far end of the barge. "I had a nice talk with Lili this morning." "Really?" Rachel was surprised that Lili accepted Harvey as soon as she did, she worried might be a little shy. "What's this I hear about Boston?" Harvey had to know the truth, if she didn't tell him, Bill would. "It's nothing." Rachel wondered how he found out, she certainly didn't tell him. Rachel wanted to avoid an explanation at all costs, she didn't want to compare him to Ben. "Rache, what's going on?" Harvey turned to face her, something was up and he didn't like it. There had to be a reason behind her secrecy. "It's over and done, don't worry about it." Rachel didn't want to discuss Boston with Harvey, she knew he'd want her to change her mind. She wasn't going to do it, not this time. "What is?" Harvey didn't intend to sound naive, but he definitely didn'y want to be left in the dark. He felt he had a right to know what was going on, especially with his own wife. Harvey's tone told Rachel he wasn't going to budge, he wanted an answer and she should respect him enough to give him one. "Boston, Bill is moving to Boston." "And you failed to mention this why?" Harvey couldn't believe she didn't tell him Bill was moving, the question was why was he moving. "Because I'm not going." Rachel didn't want to involve him more in her personal mess than she had to, he was already so good to her. "I assume he's taking her with?" Harvey guessed that Lili was going to be with Bill for a while after what she had said in the car. "He has custody." Rachel new, married or not, she was not in a position to ask Bill for custody of Lili. She was lucky to see her as often as she did. "What about you?" Harvey didn't believe there was a fair option for Rachel in the current custody agreement. He wanted to suggest a lawyer, but knew Rachel would refuse. "I'll get to see her once a month, alternating holidays and over the summer." Rachel knew it wasn't often, but at least she got to see her. She had waited too long to find someone like Ben again and then give up when things got difficult. "Are you okay with this?" Harvey didn't want to believe she'd settle for mimimum visitation after being away from Lili so long. He knew his own situation with Jerry was miserable at best. "I guess I have to be." For Rachel, there was no other solution, she had to give her marriage to Harvey a fighting chance. If she put that type of effort into her relationship with Ben, he might still be around. Rachel loved Ben without question, but love wasn't enough at the time. "This is because of me?" Harvey knew he wouldn't like her response, but he had to ask. There was no other reason she'd consider giving up time with her daughter. "Harvey, I can't exactly ask you to wait." Plain and simple, Rachel didn't feel she was worth it. If she was naive enough to leave him, he deserved better. She asked Ben to wait, and he was gone much too soon. "And I can't let you give up your kid to be with me." Harvey knew there was no point in arguing, Rachel had made up her mind. He wished she could see things from his stand point. "I'm still going to see her." Rachel thought every moment she had with Harvey was worth the sacrifice. Men like him didn't usually come around twice in a lifetime. First it was Ben, now Harvey. Rachel stepped in closer and reached for his arm, but he pulled away. "It's not the same, Rache, don't you see the hell I go through with Jerry?" He didn't want Rachel to know the kind of pain that came with the custodial parent tug-of-war. Harvey had been on the losing team far too long. He searched her face for some reprive, "why wouldn't you ask me to wait?" "It's not fair to anyone, especially you." Rachel felt as if she had been completely neglecting Harvey since Lili came back into her life. She knew she had to prioritize, but she couldn't give up on love along the way. Had she gotten her priorities straight before, she wouldn't be in this terrible position. "That's not fair? Neither is you giving up your child." Harvey didn't think he was worth giving up her child for, he was willing to put their marriage on hold to prove his point. "We both did." Rachel found her situation to be identical to Harvey's; if they were involved with their child's other parent, they'd see that child all the time. But, since they are involved, they both lose out on time with their kids. "You're being given a chance I never was with Jerry, if it's a matter if months or even a year..." Harvey gently lifted her chin, "I'd be a fool not to wait." He took her face into his hands and kissed her, not caring who was around to see. Rachel looked into Harvey's eyes, on the verge of tears. She didn't know what to say. Rachel knew he was a wonderful man, but she never expected an offer like this. "Do you mean that?" "Of course I do." Harvey saw someone coming down the stairs outside and pulled Rachel in closer towards him. Leaning to whisper in her ear, "granted, I'd want to take advantage of every single moment we had together and I'd be unable to keep my hands off you, but..." he paused long enough to kiss her, "it would be worth it to see you happy." "As good as that sounds, I don't know that I can leave." Rachel would be forced to give up a lot no matter what she did. Either way, her life would drastically change. "Rache, we have the rest of our lives to be together... we only have one shot with our kids." Harvey knew they'd be able to stand the distance from eachother, but he knew from experience with Jerry that you could never make up for lost time with kids. "I love my daughter, Harvey, I do... but I don't have it in me to walk away from my life again and hope the pieces fall back accordingly." Rachel knew, if she left, everything would be different. "I'll put you on the plane myself if I have to." As much as Harvey wanted her to stay, he wanted her to go. She had been given a second chance with her daughter and he hoped she'd take advantage of every moment. "Nothing's going to change." "You don't know that..." There were so many reason for her to stay; Harvey, her job, RJ... but her daughter was her reason to go, Rachel couldn't begin to compare the magnitude of each loss. ** |
 |
 |