| Call Me Daddy
© Xeen PART 10 As soon as he saw her running away from the cottage, Jack jumped over the fence to follow her. Patience had never been his strong suit and he was eager to get his answers. Backing up Lynley meant no free reins on the investigation from the beginning and it had taken its toll on his nerves. In fact, he had to admit he had been anticipating a terrible end to a worst-case scenario for the last few hours. He was not ready to let her vanish from his sight again. Running behind her at a distance, he watched her stagger and fall away. His heart leaped in his chest for fear of a last minute lethal accident. Lynley on his incredible horse, Lynley kissing her hands, Havers turning into an instant shrew and punching him out, that’s something the guys from the 13th precinct will never believe even if he could back up his story with a video and he didn’t have one. That was a scene he hardly pictured himself. Well at last Barb seemed very much alive but why on hell would she hit her beloved boss? It was only a kiss for Pete’s sake! They were back to the cottage, Tommy’s horse tied to the front gate happily chewing on honeysuckle and Jack was coping with an extra-corporeal experience as a Jane Austen character. The Penhaligons were demonstrating nothing out of the ordinary. The Earl of Asherton was having tea in their living room still they were not impressed. How English, Jack Buchanan thought. Lynley was his usual considerate and poised self. To his credit, Jack had to concede that he was quite magnificent despite his evident yearning to cut their little reunion short. Jack began to cool down. He was in no hurry to return to Howenstow now that Barb was safe and facing him across the coffee table. Jory had filled some blanks for them and he would give a full statement at the police station later on. Morveren was cheerful and appeared very protective of Havers. Dr Morrow had been given them quite willingly a complete medical update on Havers’ case right in front of her and she had not even began to protest his lack of tact. Jack was having a great time watching him go from red to purple and stutter every single phrase. It was a pity really, because the young physician seemed quite articulate and capable but he obviously had a huge crush on Barbara and a bad case of weak knees when confronted to aristocracy. Jack was worried about his friend though. The poor girl was a mere shadow of her former self, unable to adjust properly to the present situation. Managing her memory loss was giving her a hard time, not to mention the awkward position the discovery of the wrong name she’d chosen for herself was putting her in. She clearly had no idea that Helen had died, and a terrible death at that. Her eyes were wandering off from the doctor to Lynley and back. She looked puzzled and distressed as lots of things were beginning to add up. He took another biscuit and engrossed himself into the vision of Barbara gone deep inside her shell, not a usual sight when she was around her former partner. Lynley eventually stood up. With the promise of seeing them again soon, Morveren finally let Barb get into the car. At the last minute, she went back to her house to fetch a brown bag. “They are clean but I haven’t had time to mend them,” she said waving them away. Jack honked and rapidly left the cottage behind. “You’re ok?” he asked gently, with a quick glance to Havers, huddled on the seat next to him, clutching the brown bag for dear life. She simply nodded. “Lynley is cutting through the woods. He’ll meet us at Howenstow. He rang Denton to have a bath ready for you the minute we arrive.” She stared blankly in front of her and started sobbing. -o- It took Jack a few days to admit that something was really wrong with her head. He was slowly realizing that Barbara was not going to get her memory back right away, if ever. Always being the optimist, he thought that being together with the both of them again would trigger an immediate response and prompt her memory back. Simply they were not heroes from a book or a television show. Nothing of the sort happened. The doctor had no clue whatsoever of the when or the why claiming they just had to wait. Lynley tended to agree with the good doctor but Jack was not convinced. He suspected that he wanted to keep her in Howenstow as much for the quiet of the place as for the chance to defend his case before Havers in the short run. Buchanan was a trust your guts and nothing could go wrong kind of man. He foolishly expected Barbara to behave as he would have. He had given some thoughts into her reaction when they found her near the cottage. Obviously, her emotional response to his Lordship amorous conduct did not make sense given she had been attracted to Lynley for ages. To follow her instinct would have meant to go for it and kiss the man! On the contrary, acting upon her feelings, she rejected him, trusting remnants of her former experience. He bet she did not know what to do, kiss him or knock him out and went for the latter using reason instead of following her heart. Even with her Swiss cheese memory, he knew that Barbara had the backbone of a detective. She was no fool, with or without her memory, she would soon do the math. Putting bits and pieces together, she had already found out about Lynley’s career going down the drain in the aftermath of Helen’s death, about her training in New York and their friendship. He suspected that she knew more. -o- Jack saw Vic Morrow to the door and considered carefully the idea of going back inside and talking to Barbara. With each doctor’s visit, she was shrinking more and more back inside her shell building herself a thicker protective armour. He could see that she was aware of a lot more than she cared to admit and he was hurt she did not confide in him as she always had in the past. He knew that something was not clicking between them for some reason. He was still hesitating when she ran past him without slowing down or acknowledging his presence. She was heading to the stables and he followed her on a mere whim. He had given her enough space for the past days, it was time to embrace the real issue and find a way to get to her. She stopped briefly in front of the doors with a glance around and disappeared inside. He had no idea that Barbara Havers was a horse lover. That was a whole new concept. He blinked, trying to adapt his sight to the sudden darkness, and walked carefully inside the barn. Apart from a small black and white half pony, only Lynley’s horse was there. He ventured further. Not that he disliked horses but he was not a big fan either. Barb’s sobbing made him walk faster and he found her clenching fiercely the mane of Lynley’s horse and whispering to his ear. “Ok girl, time for a little chat, you and me. There’s something you’re not telling me and I want to know what it is and I want to know right now,” he said firmly. She literally fell into his arms. “Calm down, here, easy, sssh…,” he whispered, trying to soothe her, gently stroking her hair. Her tears finally receding, she moved away from him and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “You ok? You want to talk?” She nodded and took his hand silently, guiding him to the back of the stables. Soon they were outside in the meadow and she began to run again. “Come, I can’t stay here, I can’t, please help me,” she said. They left the barn and mansion behind and headed towards the river. “How did you know I was leaving?” “Jack,” she said, “I don’t remember everything, but you did tell me you were in Scotland Yard for a training gig. You’ve got to get back to London sooner or later and it’s been a week already.” “You’re right. In fact, I was supposed to be back two days ago but Lynley pulled some strings and you know the drill… But I never intended to conceal it from you.” “Don’t stay here because of me Jack. I have to be on my own to sort out that mess and I cannot go back to my flat just yet. Still I have no idea what I’m doing here with Tom… Lynley. Sometimes I remember things that cannot be. You know it’s like I can’t trust my memories. It feels wrong to stay here in Howenstow with him though, it’s too painful. I can’t stop wandering whether he’s having ulterior motives or if I’m only imagining the whole thing.” “Tommy is very fond of you, you know. And I suspect that it’s not only out of friendship.” She did not answer and simply put her hand in the river and splashed some water around. He picked up a flat stone and threw it swiftly. It bounced thrice. “Third is the charm,” she whispered. “Come, it’s getting cold here, let’s get back to the mansion; I’ll talk to Lynley before I leave Howenstow. If you want to go back to London, he can’t stop you, you know that don’t you? And don’t forget I live at your place, I too can take care of you.” “Yes, yes,” she smiled, tears welling up again. “Ok. Let’s go then.” He took her by the arm and led her back to the house. She leaned on him and thanked him softly. “You’re welcome dear. That’s why friends are for.” And with that, he placed a peck on her cheek. They headed back slowly, under the scrutiny of a man with dark hair on his grey horse. -o- He rang off and went for a cool beer in the fridge. He was still out of place in Barbara’s small apartment. He could not help thinking that he had failed her, leaving her behind in Howenstow. Now she was telling him that Lynley’s mother had planned an early return to the estate and she seemed to totally freak out. Well, he had been gone only five days and could probably fly back for the week end, he thought. He opened a fried rice and sesame chicken takeout and began eating directly from the cardboard box. Absently, he took a bite at an egg roll and licked his fingers, his eyes never leaving the page he was reading. Slowly he was turning the pages of the file he had brought back to Havers’, examining thoroughly the photographs and comparing them to the forensic report. Soon engulfed in his work, he let Barbara’s anguished call for help linger to the back of his mind. TBC |
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