| The Missing You Blues Chapter 26 |
| Friday the 13th had been lucky after all. Following Harvey and Jerry’s proposal, the little family-to-be celebrated with pizza and sodas at a neighborhood pizzeria. Jerry fell asleep during the ride back to Casey’s apartment and they tucked him into bed before settling in for a long talk. Harvey explained about Anna’s illness and the Cortez’s generous offer to help her during the Chicago trip. He went into more detail about the McNair case but Casey’s intuition told her that there was more to know about this investigation. Together they decided that Casey should return to Amarillo as planned. She could testify at the Gonzales trial, make arrangements to have her things shipped to San Francisco and make the final decision about her future as a police officer. The last decision that was made before Casey boarded the plane on Saturday morning was the wedding date. October 18th in San Francisco. It had taken all night to put together a “to do” list but by 5am, a tired Casey and Harvey had planned their ideal wedding and were reluctantly saying goodbye to each other for five weeks. A still sleepy Jerry gave Casey a quick hug before snuggling against his Dad’s chest and closing his eyes again. When final boarding call was made, the couple parted with a kiss and a misty-eyed ‘I love you’. Harvey stood at the window and watched until the plane disappeared into the sky before carrying Jerry to the car. The plan for the day was to get some sleep before tackling the wedding list. First on the list was finding and reserving a place to hold the ceremony and he knew the ideal place. * Two weeks passed slowly and routine set in. Casey returned to work on a part-time basis, attended support group meetings for victims of violent crimes and tried to plan a wedding via fax machines and emails. She had also managed to come down with a miserable case of the flu. The morning of the Gonzales trial, she woke up extremely sick and wasn’t sure if she could make it to the courthouse in time. Still she persevered and took the stand to testify. Casey was determined to see Hector Gonzales locked behind bars for the rest of his life. Thursday morning started out busy for the homicide inspectors but by mid-afternoon the action had slowed down. Casey took an early lunch break and returned a couple of hours later carrying two garment bags. She hung them on the filing cabinet next to her desk and sat down at the computer to finish up a stack of reports. Sighing, she sank down in the chair and closed her eyes. “You’re not feeling well, are you?” Stephanie spoke in a hushed tone as she approached the desk. Curious co-workers lived for the chance to spread rumors. “Will you please quit stalling and go see a doctor. I know that you think it’s just the flu but I would prefer to hear that from a professional.” “We ARE professionals, Steph.” Casey smiled up at Stephanie who simply rolled her eyes. “Ok, I’ll make an appointment. Now will you please get off of my back about it?” Stephanie picked up the telephone receiver and handed it to Casey. “I’ll get off of your back if you make the appointment now. Do I need to dial the number for you?” “You’re such a Pushy Woman! How does Antwon put up with you?” Stephanie laughed at the comment and stood to return to her desk. “Didn’t you know? That’s what he likes most about me.” “Oh, by the way. I picked up our dresses while I was out. Helen assured me that Christine and Cassidy’s dresses would be shipped to them today.” Stephanie picked up the garment bag and unzipped it to examine her dress. “I love this color. It’s still hard to believe that we decided on this dress so quickly. That’s one less thing for you to worry about.” While shopping with Casey in a bridal boutique, Stephanie had found the wine colored chiffon sheath. It was elegant but simple with an empire waist, scooped neckline and sheer long sleeves. The bridal consultant, Helen, took a photo of the dress and Stephanie emailed a copy to Cassidy and Christine. The decision to use this dress was unanimous. “How many gowns did I try on before Helen brought this one out? I think it was about eight…” The aroma of freshly popped popcorn drifted in from the break room and sent Casey running for the bathroom. Stephanie followed a few minutes later and found her leaning against one of the stall doors. “If I ever find out who gave me this bug, I just might shoot them.” She sat down on a folding chair and leaned back so that the chair was balanced on two legs. She closed her eyes and accepted the cool, wet cloth that Stephanie handed to her. “You don’t look good.” “Thanks for the compliment.” Casey braced the chair against the wall before draping the cloth over her face. She couldn’t remember having ever felt this sick. “Could you be pregnant?” “WHAT?” The shocking question caused Casey to lose her balance on the chair. “What makes you think I’m pregnant?” “You have been sick for over a week now and the symptoms seemed to fit. The mere mention of food sends your running for the nearest bathroom and you look so tired.” “Alright, you figured it out but don’t be upset. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. I went by the doctor’s office this morning and took a test. We should know something soon.” “But, you and Harvey took precautions so how…” Stephanie didn’t finish the question because Casey wasn’t listening. The look in her eyes was distant, as if she were lost in thought. “Casey, you DID take precautions, right?” Snapped from her thoughts, Casey waved her hand as if to dismiss the question. “Oh yeah. Of course we did.” She hesitated a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. “We may have forgotten once…or twice.” “I don’t believe you!” Stephanie gave a nervous laugh and dropped down on the chair next to Casey. “What are you going to do?” “Wait for the test results, I guess.” Casey sighed deeply and covered her face with the cloth. “Stephanie, you have no idea how much I want the test results to be positive.” * “The one my heart and soul confided in. The one I felt the safest with. The one who knew just what to do to make me laugh again. Let the sun shine in. I miss my friend.” “Damn songs should have warning labels.” Lifting the mug of beer, Harvey took a big gulp and propped up on his arm. While waiting for Nash to arrive at CJ’s, Harvey talked with Chuck Tanner, drank a beer and became more depressed with each new song that played on the jukebox. What was it about a sad country song that tugged at the heartstrings and made him relate to the words? Chuck smiled sympathetically at his new friend. He knew the feeling of being separated from a loved one. “When’s Casey coming back, Harv?” “Two weeks, three days and seven hours.” He sighed and ordered another beer. “Casey has about three months of vacation time accumulated. She’s going to use that time to settle in here after we’re married and make a decision about her job.” “Think she’ll transfer to the SFPD?” “That’s a possibility. Ron Jameson has offered her a position at the North Beach Division.” “Sounds like a good offer.” Chuck noticed that Nash Bridges had arrived and motioned for him to join them at the bar. “Sorry I’m late. Joe and I got hung up on a call.” He sat down on the stool next to Harvey and ordered a drink. “I got your message, Harv. What did you want to talk to me about?” “It’s about the wedding, Nash.” “The wedding? Is there a problem?” “No, no problem. All the plans are falling into place just fine thanks to Pepe and Inger.” Harvey waited for Chuck to give Nash his drink and walk away before continuing. “What I wanted to ask you was…would you be my best man.” Nash was both surprised and touched by Harvey’s request. Smiling, he set his drink down and reached to shake Harvey’s hand. “I’d be honored, Harv. Thanks.” * When Casey walked into the office on Friday morning, Stephanie could tell that something was wrong. There were no pleasantries exchanged with co-workers. She simply sat down at her desk and immediately began working. When her mood did not improve, Stephanie insisted that they go out for lunch. No words were spoken as they walked to the car and the silence remained as they pulled out of the parking lot. It was Casey’s shaky voice that eventually broke the nervous tension. “It was a stomach flu.” She lowered her eyes to hide the disappointment. “I’m not pregnant.” “I’m sorry, hon.” Stephanie laid her hand on Casey’s shoulder. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, I’ll be alright.” Casey wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. “Wanna know what I did last night? Rehearsed ways to tell Harvey that we were having a baby.” She glanced over a Stephanie and laughed. “It’s silly, I know.” “You were hoping to have a child with the man that you love. Nothing silly about that, my friend.” Casey lay her head against the window and wiped away another tear. “I really need to talk to Harvey.” Stephanie glanced over at Casey and gave her a wicked smile. “So pick up the phone, dial eleven numbers, wait for him to answer and then, using your sexiest voice say, ‘Hey baby. I miss you, I love you and I would really like to jump your bones.” Casey tried in vain to stifle her laughter but it was impossible. Especially when she imagined the reaction Harvey would have to such a call. Knowing him, he would be both shocked and excited. “With my luck, Harvey would be out of the office and I would be initiating phone sex with Joe or Nash.” “It was just a thought.” Stephanie was proud of herself. She had made her friend smile again. * Casey found the door to her apartment ajar when she returned home that night. She could make out a slight flickering of light coming from the living room. Unsnapping the strap on the holster, she took out the pistol as she pushed the door open and slowly entered the darkened hallway. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she slowly moved along the wall until she reached the entrance to the living room. Peering into the room, she saw her small dining table beautifully set with her grandmother’s best china and crystal. For a centerpiece, a small floral basket was placed between two burning candles. When the silhouette of a man sudden appeared near the kitchen, she quickly turned the pistol in that direction. “Police. Freeze. Put your hands on your head and slowly move this way.” The man did as instructed and Casey reached to turn on the lights. “HARVEY! What are you doing here?” “Being arrested.” He replied with good-natured chuckle. “You scared the hell out of me.” She slipped the pistol back into the holster and placed it in the drawer of the hall table. “You can put your hands down now.” Harvey began to move towards her as he explained his unannounced appearance in Amarillo. “Stephanie called this morning and said that you needed me. I took the first flight I could find. What’s wrong, baby?” Casey slipped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest. “We can talk about it later. Right now, I just want to hold you.” Over a dinner of homemade hamburgers and fries, Casey told him about the results of the pregnancy test. Harvey was disappointed but assured her that a baby was in their future. It was just a matter of time. The rest of the evening was spent sharing an oversized easy chair and relaxing with a glass of wine while discussing family, work and wedding plans. Both agreed that they would be lost without the help of Pepe and Inger. “How long can you stay?” “Until Sunday.” Harvey set his glass on the table and slipped his arm around her. “You know, we have a lot to do this weekend. We need to make some final wedding plans and we haven’t even discussed the honeymoon yet?” “Do we have to talk about this now?” Casey gave him a shy smile as she began to unbutton his colorful Hawaiian shirt. After thinking it over for a moment, he shrugged one shoulder and replied, “It can wait.” |
 |
 |