| Time Don't Run Out Chapter 25 |
| Harvey awoke slowly. The alarm continued to blare before a hand finally snaked its way from beneath the blankets to turn it off. He rolled onto his back and draped his arm over his eyes to block out the annoying sunlight. He thought about the busy day that lay ahead and groaned. Only fours hours of sleep and a Friday the 13th too boot; this should prove to be an interesting day! Harvey yawned and stretched his arms above his head as he reluctantly opened his eyes. He focused on the ring that hugged the index finger on his right hand. He had forgotten to take it off last night. Harvey rubbed his fingers across the smooth blue stone and decided that now was as good a time as any to explain things. “Baby, we need to talk.” Harvey reached for Casey but found the bed empty. He called her name but received no reply. “She probably took King out for a walk,” he thought and slipped into his robe and made his way downstairs. The kitchen light was off, no coffee had been made and King was lying on his bed, still asleep. “Damn!” He swore under his breath as he picked up the telephone and punched in the numbers. * Casey left Harvey’s apartment before 5am and drove around the city for a while before ending up at the park. She needed to do something to shake off this depressing feeling and an early morning run seemed like a good idea. The sun was just beginning to come up as she ran along the water’s edge. The park was peaceful and empty except for the few joggers and walkers who smiled and said good morning in passing. She ran until her sides hurt. The more she thought about last night’s fight, the faster she ran. She slowed to a walk in an attempt to catch her breath but when the tears began to sting her eyes, she turned and ran back towards the car. Casey pushed her body as far as it could go before finally collapsing on a park bench. She opened a bottle of water and took a long drink before pouring the rest over her head. It was no use; nothing could stop the tears that slid down her cheeks. Try as she may, she couldn’t get the words that Harvey had said out of her mind. They had cut straight to her soul. “How could I have been such a blind fool?” She wondered as she stretched out on the wooden bench. She felt so foolish and embarrassed about the marriage proposal. And why did she tell him about that stupid dream! When the tears threatened to fall harder, she got up and started back to the car. She lobbed the bottle of water at a trashcan and wiped her eyes before slipping on a pair of sunglasses. Casey resolved to pull herself together before seeing Dr. Roberts later this morning. The plan was simply, she would get the medical release and then reserve a seat on the first flight to Amarillo. It was time to leave San Francisco and the heartaches behind. * Harvey nervously tapped a pencil against his coffee mug while waiting for Casey to answer the telephone. He sighed when the answering machine picked up and proceeded to leave another message. “Casey, please call me as soon as possible.” Antwon watched from his desk as Harvey slammed the receiver down. “She’s still not answering?” “No and I’ve been trying to reach her since early this morning. I stopped by her apartment on the way in to work but she wasn’t there. The Tanners haven’t seen her either. I don’t know where she could be.” Antwon sat down on the edge of Harvey’s desk and picked up the desk calendar. “She has a doctor’s appointment today.” Harvey grabbed the calendar from Twon’s hands and read aloud the reminder that he made for himself. “September 13th, 9am. Casey’s appt. with Dr. Roberts. Aw man, I completely forgot that was today.” Antwon checked his watch. “Maybe she’s still there. I could drive you over to check?” Harvey bolted from his chair and slapped his partner on the back. “Good idea, Buddy. Let’s go.” * Casey left Dr. Roberts office and walked slowly down the hospital corridor. She stopped outside of the room where she had spent the night after being stabbed. The details of that night were still fuzzy but she clearly recalled waking to find that Harvey had stayed with her. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to block out the memory. Now was not the time to reflect on the past few months with Harvey. There was much to do before catching the 5am flight to Amarillo tomorrow morning. * Antwon pulled the SUV out of the hospital parking lot and merged with the traffic to cross the bridge. They had missed her by an hour. According to Dr. Roberts, Casey had mentioned having a few loose ends to tie up but didn’t say where she would be going. Harvey was beginning to lose his patience. She wasn’t returning his messages or answering her cell phone. He was tired and frustrated plus he had this nagging feeling that something was wrong. “Come on, Harv. Think.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Where would you go, Casey?” “What about your apartment?” “It’s worth a try, man. Go.” * This was going to be harder than she thought. Casey stopped by Harvey’s apartment to pick up the few things that she had left. She hadn’t realized how comfortable she felt here. Seeing her possessions scattered throughout the apartment made it feel like home. But this wasn’t her home; it was Harvey’s. She reached for the switch to turn out the light when she left the room. She blocked out the memory of special times spent in this room with Harvey. She couldn’t think about that, not now. King whined as he followed her to the front door. “I know how you feel, boy,” Casey told him as she kneeled down to give him a final hug. “Take care of Harvey for me, King.” She opened the door and kept her eyes on the dog to make sure that he didn’t try to follow her out. “Going somewhere?” The sound of Harvey’s voice startled her and she slapped a hand to her chest. “Harvey, you scared the life out of me.” “What’s with the bag?” “It’s just a few of my things.” Casey took the note from her purse and handed it to him. “Dr. Roberts released me today.” She hesitated for a moment before announcing, “I’ve decided to go home tomorrow, Harvey.” “So this is it then.” It was a statement rather than a question. “Harvey, let’s not fight about this, alright?” “Were you even going to tell me that you were leaving, Casey?” He demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What were you going to do? Run away and forget about me…forget about us? Can you really give up on this relationship without a fight?” His voice lowered and he shook his head in disbelief. “Funny, I never figured you for a coward.” “I am not…” Casey bowed her head and swallowed hard as she fought to remain calm. “You couldn’t resist pushing that knife a little further through my heart, could you?” She tried to step around him but he blocked her. “Harvey, please don’t do this.” He stepped down from the porch to the top step and placed his hands on his hips. “You’re not going anywhere until we talk.” “Get out of my way, Harvey!” “NO!” It seemed like an eternity that they stared at each other, each refusing to back down. Finally, Harvey reluctantly stepped aside and motioned for her to pass. “You can’t run away from your problems, you know.” He stood on the steps shaking his head as he watched her run down the sidewalk. “You’re not getting your way this time,” he thought and got into motion, taking the steps by twos as he rushed to catch up with her. “Casey, wait.” Antwon sat in his car reading a newspaper and listening to the radio while he waited for Harvey. He glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw Casey crossing the street with Harvey following a short distance behind. It was apparent that things had not worked out. The sound of an engine roaring to life caught his attention and he turned the radio off. Something about the revving engine made him feel uneasy and he got out of the car to have a look around. “Casey, wait.” Antwon reached for his gun as he ran towards the intersection. “Casey, get out of the street!” He caught Harvey’s attention and motioned towards the black sports car that had peeled away from the curb and accelerated with a roar as it headed straight for Casey. The sound of squealing tires caused Casey to swing around in time to see the car bearing down on her. She froze for an instant in sheer surprise and the car continued to accelerate towards her. It was only a few feet shy of hitting her when Harvey tackled her and knocked her out of the way. They felt the heated rush of air as the car screamed by. Harvey quickly pulled himself to his knees and instructed Casey to stay down. His gaze was intent as he aimed the gun in the direction of the car and prepared to fire. He saw that Antwon had gotten off a shot and hit the rear tire causing the driver to lose control and crash into a parked car. The driver was slowly pulling himself out of the car when Antwon reached him. Several squad cars had arrived on the scene to offer assistance. “They got him.” Harvey tucked the gun into the holster and held out his hand to Casey. “Are you alright?” “I think so. What about you?” “I’m fine. What about your shoulder?” He asked touching it gingerly. “You came down on it pretty hard.” “It’ll leave a mark but…” Casey pulled herself to her knees. The adrenaline rush kicked in as the reality of the situation sank in. “I could have been killed. Harvey, you saved my life!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with such intensity, he felt a tingling from his head to his toes. The kiss caught Harvey off-guard and he pulled away from her. “Casey, wait a minute.” He sat down on the ground and reached to take her hand. “What was that?” “I don’t know.” She breathlessly replied. She was as surprised by her reaction as he was. “Let’s take a minute and calm down before…” All logical thoughts seemed to vanish when Harvey saw the emotion shining in her eyes. “Aw, to hell with it.” He murmured and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms as they shared another intense kiss. Two hearts beat wildly and breathing was almost impossible. Clearly what little self-control that either of them possessed had hit the skids. Antwon had turned the suspect over to the other officers and instructed them to take him to the SIU for booking. He watched as they drove off and then came back to find Casey and Harvey. When he saw them, he shoved his hands in his back pockets and smiled as he slowly approached the mustang. “You two might want to consider getting a room.” The haze of frenzied passion was shattered by the sound of approaching footsteps. Casey’s eyes snapped open wide when she heard Antwon’s voice and she brought her hands to Harvey’s shoulders to push away. Harvey seemed oblivious and tightened his embrace tempting Casey to sink back into the sensation. The fact that he was a dynamite kisser made it difficult to stop but she fisted her hands and shoved away from him. She didn’t trust her rubbery legs enough to stand so she scrambled off of Harvey’s lap and sat on the ground next to him. “Until this moment, I never thought of danger as an aphrodisiac. Guess I should change my way of thinking, huh?” Harvey quipped after regaining control of his breathing. Casey giggled nervously and covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment. How unprofessional could two cops act? “I need to talk to Twon about what happened. I’ll be right back.” Harvey slowly pulled himself to his feet. He still felt a little lightheaded and staggered a bit when he tried to walk causing Antwon to laugh. As Harvey approached his partner, he could hear the snickering. Pointing a finger at Twon, he warned, “Not one word about this to anyone.” Casey leaned her head back against the bumper of the car and closed her eyes. “Way to go, Casey!” She silently scolded herself. “This is NOT the way to distance yourself emotionally from the man.” She winced when she touched her still tender lips. “I can’t believe we did that! Going at each other like that…in public…IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! Harvey kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We need to go to the SIU to file the report. I’ll drive.” He helped her up and placed the bag in the trunk before opening the car door for her. His eyes blazed with intensity as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Casey, I don’t think that this was an accident. I think that it’s related to a case that we are working. There are a few things that you need to know about a man named Roy McNair.” * Ronnie brought the suspect in from the holding cell and seated him at the conference table. Nash and Joe were seated across from him while Antwon, Harvey and Casey stood nearby glaring at the man. Nash began reading from man’s file. “Let’s see what we have here. Bernard Raines…robbery, assault with a deadly weapon…this is your third strike, bubba. Looks like you’ll be vacationing this year at the beautiful San Q resort. That is, of course, unless you help us out by giving us the name of the guy who hired you. Bernard gave Nash a smug look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. That chick just happened to be in the way, that’s all.” “Is that so?” Nash replied and leaned back in the chair. “Let me clarify something for you, Bernie. “That Chick” is a cop and we don’t take to kindly to people who threaten the life of a fellow officer. You see that guy standing over there?” Nash leaned closer to Bernard and pointed to Harvey. “You tried to run down his lady so he’s REALLY pissed off at you.” Now, the way I see it, you have two choices. You can co-operate with us and give up your boss or we can leave you alone with him for a few minutes.” Harvey casually strolled to the table and slipped an arm around the man’s shoulder. “What’dya say, Bernie? Feel like taking a nice cold dip in the bay this afternoon? Let’s see, the water temperature is about 55 degrees and taking into consideration that you’re wearing handcuffs, you shouldn’t have to tread water for more than…oh, a couple of minutes at the most. After that…well, we won’t get into the gory details of hypothermia and drowning.” “You wouldn’t do that.” Harvey gave Bernard a sinister smile and the man turned to question Nash. “There’s no way you would stand by and let him do that.” Nash shrugged his shoulders and propped his head against his hand. “Once I leave this area, bubba, what happens between the two of you is none of my business. Of course, you can still save your butt by helping us. Who hired you, Bernard?” The man tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before cracking under the pressure. “The guy’s name is Tad Jinx. He contacted me a few days ago and said that he had a gig for me. I was to follow this chi…uh, woman, around and when the opportunity presented itself, I was to take her out. That’s all I know, honest.” “Tad Jinx.” Nash repeated the name and shared a look with Harvey. Another name recognized as an associate of Roy McNair. “Alright Bernie, you can forget about that swim today.” Nash gestured for Ronnie to approach. “Take Mr. Raines back to his cell until he can be transferred downtown.” Casey continued to stare at Raines as Ronnie led him away. She would have liked nothing more than to say something to him but she remained silent. This was one for the SIU gang to handle. “Nash, I’m running late for an appointment so if there’s nothing else, I should be leaving.” Nash gestured with his hand for her to leave. “Go, we can handle things from here. Thanks for coming in.” “I’ll walk you down.” Harvey took her arm to guide her down the stairs. “No, that’s not necessary, Harvey. Thanks anyway.” Her eyes remained on Harvey as she spoke to Joe, Antwon and Nash. “It’s been a pleasure, guys.” She forced a smile and only Harvey heard the whispered “goodbye”. * “McNair again.” Nash stood at the window at the SIU as the Inspectors continued the meeting. “He’s making sure that we get his message loud and clear, gentlemen. Joe, when do Inger and Lucia leave?” “Tomorrow afternoon. My Dad’s picking them up at the airport and he’ll be checking in with me every other day.” “Good. I know your Dad will take good care of them.” Nash turned back from the window and joined the men at the table. “Harvey, does Casey know about McNair?” “Yeah, she knows but it doesn’t really matter now. She’s going home tomorrow.” Harvey noted the surprised look on his co-worker’s faces and quickly added. “She asked me to marry her and I said no.” “How could you do that, Harv?” Antwon stared at him in disbelief. “There’s no doubt that the two of you belong together.” “It’s complicated, man. Dealing with this McNair thing and Anna illness. It’s just not a good time to be thinking of marriage.” “On the contrary, Harv.” Nash said quickly. “This may be the perfect time for a wedding.” * Anna smiled when opened the door and found Harvey standing on the porch. “Hi, come on in. Jerry’s not quite ready. He’s still in his room trying to figure out which toys to take to Chicago.” “It’s alright, there’s no rush.” Harvey shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered into the room. Anna noticed right away that something was wrong. “So what’s got you so down?” “Nothing. Why do you ask?” “That frown on your face kinda gives you away.” Anna laughed and motioned for him to sit down. “Talk to me, Harvey.” For the first time since their relationship ended, Harvey opened up to Anna about his problems. Without going into details, he spoke of problems at work, fears for her health and then he told her about Casey’s proposal. “Harvey, put aside all the problems for a minute. If there were no obstacles in the way, would you want to marry her? “Absolutely.” “This is the woman that you will love forever and ever, amen?” . Harvey gave a good natured chuckle at her lighthearted question. “There’s no doubt in my mind about that, Anna. I love her dearly.” “Well, my friend, don’t you think that you should be telling her that?” “Anna, it’s not that simply.” “No, it’s not. Nothing about relationships is simply…you and I are living proof of that. But if you are certain that she is the love of your life, then wrap your arms around her and don’t let go.” Anna placed her hand over Harvey’s. “Jerry adores Casey and I know that she would love him as though he were her own child. That’s a comforting thought especially now.” “I appreciate the encouraging words, Anna but it’s too late. She’s leaving tomorrow morning.” Anna took his hand and pulled him to his feet. “It’s never to late, Harvey Leek. Go over there and tell her how you feel. Maybe you should consider taking a ‘little’ backup with you.” * It was nine o’clock before Casey finished packing and cleaning the apartment. She was about to kick back on the couch with a glass of wine and a magazine when the doorbell rang. “HI CASEY!” She looked down to see Jerry’s sweet cherub face smiling up at her. She dropped to her knees and he ran into her outstretched arms for a hug. Harvey stepped from the shadows and watched as his son worked his magic. Jerry was a little charmer, no doubt. “Sorry to drop by unannounced but Jer wanted to see you.” “I don’t mind.” “Come on Casey.” Jerry took her hand and pulled her into the living room. “Me and Daddy have to talk to you.” Casey looked puzzled and Harvey guided her to the couch. “You might want to sit down for this.” Casey shrugged her shoulders and they sat down on the couch. Jerry sat in Harvey’s lap and listened as his Dad spoke. “Jer and I had a man to man talk tonight. We decided that letting you go back to Amarillo would be a terrible mistake.” “Yeah, I like it when you sing a song with me.” Jerry looked up at Harvey and laughed. “Daddy don’t sing good.” “Why, thank you son.” Harvey mussed Jerry’s hair as the little boy continued to laugh. Casey laughed at their antics and then asked, “What are you guys talking about?” Harvey reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a box. He handed it to Jerry and then whispered something to him. “Hold out your hand, Casey.” Jerry opened the box and placed it in the palm of her hand. Casey was speechless as she stared at the sparkling diamond ring nestled securely in black velvet. It was the most beautiful ring that she had ever seen. Everything about it was perfect from the size to the cut. It was also unique because of the three tiny colored stones that were embedded into the band on either side of the diamond. Two sapphires and one emerald…the birthstones for Harvey, Casey and Jerry. She was also touched to see the word, “Forever” engraved inside the band. “When the time comes, more birthstones can be added to the band.” Harvey sat Jerry on the couch next to Casey and then took her hands in his. “I lied to you. I said that I didn’t want to marry you and that’s just not true. I want to spend the next 60 or 70 years waking up with you in the morning and falling asleep at night with you by my side. I want to be an old married couple, sitting in rocking chairs and listening to Dead tunes while watching the sunset each evening. I want to have enough kids to start our own baseball team. I…I’m running out of ideas here so do you get the picture?” Harvey looked at Jerry and winked before kneeling in front of Casey. “Harvey, you don’t have to do that.” “I want to do this the traditional, romantic way. My son is taking notes for future use.” He took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. “I love you so much! Will you marry me?” Casey had to remind herself to breath. After last night’s fiasco, this was the last thing that she had expected to happen. Still, she was hesitant with her answer. There were so many obstacles still threatening their happiness together. Could they really have the fairy tale ending and live happily ever after? “Will you marry us, Casey?” Jerry’s voice snapped her back to reality and she realized that he had kneeled down next to Harvey. Tears filled her eyes and she smiled at the two most important men in her life. “YES!!” * |
 |
 |