| Heartaches & Heartbreaks Chapter 24 |
| Casey slipped into the darkened apartment and made her way up the stairs to the bedroom. She turned off the alarm clock and quietly closed the bedroom door on her way out. For the past two days Harvey had seemed distracted and withdrawn. He barely touched his meals and instead of sleeping, he would toss and turn for hours. Casey wanted to help but he declined her offer without explanation. She was worried but didn’t press him for information. He would talk to her when he was ready. Until then, maybe an extra half hour of sleep and a hot breakfast would start his day out on a good note. Besides, she was planning something special for tonight. She had spent a great deal of time during her recuperation thinking about her life and her future as a police officer. After spending time with Jerry during the past week, she realized that her dreams for the future had changed. Tonight she hoped to make one of those dreams come true. * Nash, Joe and Harvey huddled around the bar in Nash’s apartment drinking coffee. The main topic of conversation was protecting family members from McNair’s threats. Joe was talking about the phone conversation that he had the previous night. “My Dad has talked Inger into bringing Lucia to New Mexico for a visit. He kinda played up the “lonely widower grandfather” image and Inger just melted.” Joe took a sip of coffee before continuing. “He knows about the threats but he didn’t ask for details. Can you believe that? My nose for crime, ex-Sheriff father didn’t bombard me with questions. Unbelievable man.” Nash acknowledged him with a nod. “I haven’t mentioned this to anyone yet but Cassidy has decided to take a leave of absence from the force. She’s confused and needs some time to clear her head. She and Nick will be leaving for Paris in a few days to visit Lisa.” Nash averted his eyes to hide the pain that he was feeling. “I think that Cass realizes it’s only a matter of time before the Alzheimer’s takes her granddad away from her. She wants to relish the time that they have left.” Joe placed a comforting hand on Nash’s shoulder and then turned to Harvey. “What about you, Harv? What are you going to do about Jerry?” “Vincent and Maria Cortez have invited Anna and Jerry to stay with them while Anna takes the cancer treatments. I hate to be separated from Jerry but knowing that he’s surrounded by a family of cops is a comforting thought.” Harvey poured another cup of coffee and sat down next to Joe at the bar. “Did you guys know that Maria Cortez is a retired nurse? She called Anna and explained that with her medical experience, she could help Anna cope with the side affects from the treatments.” “Speaking of Cortez family members, what about Casey?” Nash inquired. “Have you told her about McNair?” A touch of sadness could be heard in Harvey’s voice when he answered. “No, she doesn’t know yet. The truth is, I’m not sure what to do about Casey.” “You’ll figure it out, Harv. You always do.” Nash replied. “Joe, I was thinking about the suggestion that you made about bringing in extra help on this case. After giving it a lot of consideration, I have decided that there are two people that I trust…” The sound of the elevator door opening interrupted the conversation and they looked up to see Ronnie Russell and Antwon Babcock enter the room. Nash placed two cups of coffee on the bar and motioned for them to sit down. “Gentlemen, glad you could make it. Have a seat. We’ve got a little story to tell you.” * The late afternoon hours found the SIU bustling with activity. Between a drug bust and a bank robbery, there wasn’t one officer available to take on a new case. Antwon and Harvey agreed to set up the surveillance truck for a stake out scheduled on the second shift. It sounded harmless enough plus it was better than spending the rest of the shift filling out reports. It only took a few minutes to set the equipment up and afterwards; they kicked back in the uncomfortable folding chairs to wait. While Antwon made a run for coffee, Harvey checked his voice mail for messages. The sound of Casey’s voice brought a smile to his lips. “Mr. Leek, this is your girlfriend. This is an invitation to join me tonight for a romantic dinner, maybe a moonlight stroll through the park, and then…well, use your imagination. Interested? Well then, meet me at the Ana Mandara at 6:30…SHARP! Oh yeah, one more thing…I love you.” * Casey arrived at Ana Mandara a few minutes early and was shown to the cozy, secluded table that she had requested. The glow from a single candle and the red and white entwined roses that lay on the table added to the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant. Everything was perfect! This was going to be a night to remember. * “It’s seven o’clock. What time were they supposed to relive us?” Antwon was beginning to get antsy waiting for the second shift officers to arrive. “They’ll be here soon. Ronnie said that everyone was running behind schedule.” Harvey answered quickly and continued to read from the medical book that he had found at the library. He had become so engrossed with reading that he lost all track of time. Antwon stood up to stretch and hit his head against the roof of the truck. “Whoever decided to use these small vans for surveillance vehicles must have been a very short person!” Harvey chuckled when Twon muttered an obscenity. “Patience my friend. Someone will be here to relive us soon. They wouldn’t forget that we’re here.” The two men shared a questioning look while simultaneously asking, “Would they?” * “7:50. I can’t believe that he’s this late.” Casey thought to herself while keeping an anxious watch on the front door. “Would you care to order now, Ma’am?” The waiter had asked the same question four times since her arrival. “Could you give me ten more minutes, please? I’m sure that my date will be here soon.” “Yes Ma’am, I’ll check back.” A feeling of sadness swept over her as she looked around the room. Couples were huddled together sharing candlelight dinners while others held each other close on the dance floor. The building was overflowing with romance and she was sitting alone with only her thoughts for company. “Harvey, where are you?” Soft lips brushed against her cheek and a familiar voice whispered, “May I join you?” “You’re late!” “And you’re gorgeous.” Casey laughed and shook her head. “Alright, you’re forgiven.” Harvey sat down next to her and looked lovingly into her eyes. “Trust me, I’ll make it up to you.” * The pain was unbearable and she begged for relief. He was at her side, holding a cool cloth to her forehead and holding her hand. “I know you’re hurting, baby. Just hang in there a little bit longer.” He repeatedly assured her that everything was going to be fine but the pain was growing more intense and she was much to tired to fight it. She felt herself scream and then suddenly, silence filled the room. She held her breath for what seemed like an eternity until the sounds of a small cry echoed through the room. “Congratulations Mr. And Mrs. Leek…you have a daughter! * Casey awoke with a start and sat up in the bed. “Honey, are you alright?” She took a deep breath and lay back down. “Yes, I’m fine. That dream seemed so real.” “Wanna tell me about it?” Harvey turned onto his side and put his arm around her. “Nope. You’ll laugh at me.” “I won’t laugh.” He promised as he closed his eyes and snuggled closer to her. “I dreamed that I was giving birth to our baby.” Harvey was suddenly wide-awake and he propped up on his arm. “You dreamed that we had a baby? Boy or girl? What was its name? Tell me about it?” Casey turned to face him and noted the excited look on his face. “It was a little girl. She had lots of dark curly hair and your blue eyes. As for her name, well…her name was Garcia.” “NO WAY! So we have a boy named Jerry and a girl named Garcia.” Harvey laughed as he fell back against the pillow. “Baby, I may be a hopeless Deadhead but I’m not naming my daughter Garcia.” “So much for not laughing. Thanks a lot.” Casey couldn’t help but laugh with him. It WAS a rather strange dream. “Garcia…that’s priceless!” Harvey continued to laugh as he reached for the light switch. “Woman, you are definitely sleep deprived.” As they lay in the dark, Casey continued to think about the dream and about the future. The timing was perfect. It was now or never. If she didn’t do it now, she might lose her courage. Rolling on top of Harvey, she reached for the lamp on the bedside table and switched it on. Harvey squinted when the light hit his eyes. “You don’t want me to get any sleep tonight, do you?” Casey pulled herself to her knees as she continued to work up her courage. “We need to talk.” “Now?” Harvey pulled himself up in the bed and propped a pillow behind his head. “Okay, I’m listening.” Casey thought for a moment and then cradled his face with her hands. “God I love you.” “And I love you.” Harvey eyed her suspiciously. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” Without a word, she reached into the nightstand drawer, took out a small box and placed it in his hand. Inside was a simple gold band with a dark blue stone. The inscription read “forever”. Harvey saw the tears glistening in Casey’s eyes as began to explain the meaning of the ring. “My Mother…my birth Mother…bought this ring for my Father on their first anniversary. This ring is very special to me and that’s why I want you to have it. You are my one true love.” She reached for his right hand and slipped the ring on his finger. Their eyes met and she gave him a coy smile. “Harvey Nathaniel Leek, will be marry me?” He could see the love that she felt for him in her eyes. He could hear it in her voice and feel it in her touch. So why did he feel as though he had just collided with a brick wall. He should be happy so why did the question upset him? “No. Casey, I can’t marry you.” “Are you serious?” Where had that harsh tone in his voice come from? Was he angry because she had proposed? “What happened? We’ve been discussing marriage for months.” “I…I just don’t want to get married. I changed my mind.” Casey stared at him in disbelief. “So, you’re telling me that we made love tonight even though your feelings for me have changed. Harvey, that’s insulting.” “I didn’t say that my feelings had changed.” Harvey lay back on the pillow and roughly scratched his head. He was finding it hard to control his emotions. “Casey, my life is really complicated right now. I don’t think that I’m ready to make such a serious commitment.” “Let me understand this. We’ve gone through hell and back to be together and now you don’t want to be together because life is complicated. Sorry Harv, I’m not buying it.” Harvey closed his eyes against a rush of emotion. He clenched his fists as he fought to remain calm but the dammed up feelings of anger and frustration burst through. “I DON’T WANT TO MARRY YOU. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?” With that said, he turned out the light and moved away from her. Casey sat frozen for a moment as she absorbed the words that he had said. The pain from the stabbing was nothing compared to the pain that she was feeling now. She lay down and tried to fight the tears. “I didn’t know that my proposal would upset you, Harvey. I’m sorry.” Harvey lay on the other side of the bed thinking about what had just happened. He tried to sleep but Casey’s sad eyes haunted him. He knew that he had hurt her deeply. Turning over, he touched her shoulder. “Baby, I’m sorry that I lost my temper. My life is just so crazy right now. This isn’t the best time to be discussing marriage.” Casey wiped away a stray tear and swallowed hard. “No problem. Let’s get some sleep.” “So, we’re okay? You forgive me?” “Don’t worry about it, Harvey. Goodnight.” Harvey lay in the dark thinking about the argument. Maybe tomorrow she would give him a chance to explain. He glanced over at Casey who had turned away from him. He couldn’t see the tears that were falling. |
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