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Kacie looked up at Peter and, when their eyes met, hers instantly filled with tears she was unable to blink away.
He pulled her head against his chest and whispered hoarsely, "Honey, you promised you wouldn't cry. You know I can't stand it."
"I'm sorry. I'm...just...missing you...already."
Rubbing his cheek against her hair, he said soothingly, "It'll only be a couple of days, Sweetheart. You'll be home before we know it." He rubbed his hand over her belly. "You sure you're feeling all right? You've got your records with you and everything?"
She answered in a wobbly voice, "I've got everything Dr. Albin said I should take with me. He even gave me the name and number of a friend of his who's an OB in Denver, in case of an emergency."
Peter involuntarily stiffened in alarm. "I don't even want to think about an emergency." He kissed her lips. "You're absolutely sure he said it was OK for you to travel, right?"
"You know I never would have agreed to go if he hadn't said it was all right."
"You've got your vitamins, and the teas that Pop has made for you? You've got everything you need?"
"No."
"What did you forget? Maybe I could have Paul swing by our place and --"
"I need you." She buried her face against his neck and clung to him.
"Oh, Honey..."
Peter was interrupted by a dispassionate voice over the loudspeaker as it announced, "Welcome to United Airlines flight number 3257. We will begin boarding in a few minutes. We will be boarding by row number, so please remain seated in the boarding area until your row number has been called. Anyone with small children or needing assistance in boarding may proceed to the gate. First class passengers and Premiere members may board at any time."
Peter tried to speak, but his voice refused to cooperate. Clearing his throat and swallowing hard, he rasped out, "That's your flight, Sweetheart. Come on. I'll walk you to your gate."
He helped her to her feet, keeping one arm around her shoulders as he slung her carry-on bag over his other arm.
Mike O'Brien had moved on ahead and was waiting off to one side of the attendant checking boarding passes. His face was haggard, and he looked old and tired and miserable. When Peter and Kacie reached his side, he was unable to meet their eyes. "I'll be going on board now, to leave you some privacy for your good-byes," he mumbled and began to turn away.
"Oh, no, you don't," Peter said with a catch in his throat. "You're going to wait right here and personally escort my best girl onto the plane."
Startled, O'Brien looked up. "I-I didn't think you'd want me to..."
"I want you to do what you've always done: take the very best care you know how of the most special woman in the world."
The elder man clenched his jaw grimly before replying, "Faith, man, don't be speaking kindly to this old fool who has turned your world upside down. Curse at me, strike at me, or cut me with the edge of your tongue; it's no more than I deserve. But your kindness is more than I can bear."
Kacie reached up her hand and traced the planes of Peter's face with tender fingertips, memorizing every feature. "He can't help being kind, Uncle Mike. Underneath all the temper and bluster is a most wondrously gentle man, the man who has stolen my heart away for all time."
Peter blinked rapidly, willing the moisture gathering in his eyes to disappear. He kissed her quickly, hugging her to his breast and whispering in her ear, "Just remember that I love you. You take good care of you and Baby."
She kissed his neck, then slid her hands through his hair and pulled his head to hers, her kisses hungry and demanding.
"We are ready to begin boarding of United Airlines flight number 3257. At this time we will board all first class passengers and Premiere members. All other passengers, please remain seated until your row is called."
Peter kissed Kacie one last time and handed her over to O'Brien, who took her arm in his. Chin quivering, Peter warned, "You take good care of her. If she chips a nail or strains so much as an eyelash while she's away from me, so help me, I'll break your neck."
"Peter, my boy, if anything should happen to her while she's with me, you won't have to." The expression on O'Brien's face was one of absolute seriousness. "On my sainted mother's grave, I swear to you I'll bring her back to you safe and sound."
The attendant at the gate cleared her throat meaningfully, and Kacie reluctantly let herself be led away. As she and O'Brien started down the jetway, Peter forced himself to turn and walk away. {If I watch this for one more second, I'm going to grab her and never let her go.}
When he reached the Stealth and unlocked the door, he looked up to see a plane climbing into the sky from behind the terminal. {That's them.} Shaken, he knew with an absolute certainty he was sensing his child's presence on the giant bird. {That's my world flying away.} He strained his eyes to follow the plane until it was completely out of sight, then stepped into his car and slumped into the seat. Leaning back his head against the headrest he closed his eyes. {Bring them home. Just bring them home safe to me.}
"I have some good news for you, Detective."
He slumped back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "What's good news? There hasn't been much good associated with the name Caine lately."
"The commissioner informed me that there will be no more IA investigations disrupting my department or your career."
Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What happened? They run out of charges? Surely there's one or two lying around I haven't been accused of yet."
"The commissioner had a meeting with Ms. Wright and told her in no uncertain terms that any more frivolous accusations on her part would be construed as harassment, and that the department would press charges."
She watched as Peter picked up a pencil and doodled in the margins of his desk calendar. "He suggested to her that you were in a position to file a defamation of character suit against her."
"Umm." A paper clip became a straight wire in his restless fingers.
"He also said to tell you that, as of this moment, you are no longer on administrative suspension, and that you are to go back to your regular duties."
Peter drummed his fingers on the top of the stack of files before him. "Fine."
Folding her arms across her chest, she frowned and arched an eyebrow at him. "I thought you'd be pleased, Detective. That I would at least get a 'thank-you, Captain Simms, for sticking by me the way you did'."
The corners of Peter's mouth twitched, but the smile failed to materialize. "I'm sorry, Captain. Of course I appreciate all you've done for me. And I'm glad that I can finally get back to real police work again." He met her questioning gaze directly, his hazel eyes dark with misery. "I-I took Kacie to the airport this morning. She's on her way to Denver with Mike O'Brien."
"She left you?" Simms was clearly shocked.
"No! Hell, no!"
All heads swiveled in their direction, and Peter struggled to control his emotions. "Could we talk about this in private?"
Simms gestured toward her door and preceded Peter inside. Closing the door behind them, she dropped and closed the shades before sitting behind her desk and waiting expectantly.
Peter dropped into a chair and grinned in spite of himself. "Aren't you going to miss our morning conferences, Captain?"
Simms's eyes twinkled, but she kept the smile from her face. "Actually, no, Detective. I think that I will be able to start my mornings quite nicely without meeting you every day. Now, you were saying..."
"Kacie had to go back to Denver with Mike. Getting the conservatorship reversed is going to take some time. They need affidavits from two doctors at Rivendale, have to go before the same judge that gave control to Mike, just a lot of legal hoops to jump through."
"Will that take long?"
"We're hoping only a few days. The judge is completely booked with cases, but if he's able to squeeze in Kacie's request, he's going to. The procedure isn't supposed to take long once they actually get to court."
"How did things get so mixed up? Shouldn't this have been a routine case?"
"Murphy's Law to the nth degree. The lawyer that started to draw up the papers died, and the partner that took over 'forgot' to put in the clause stating that legal control would revert after she completed treatment. Nobody thought to look any deeper into anything, and there you have it." His smile faded and his expression drooped forlornly.
"Caine, why don't you get out of here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, go fight crime someplace. Go...talk to some snitches, break up a convenience story robbery, pick up a jaywalker...do something besides mope around my office."
"I'm not moping!"
She rolled her eyes at him.
He grinned sheepishly. "OK, you're right. I've been moping. I'll try to do better."
"Out."
"Don't you want me to --"
"Out!"
He bounced to his feet and headed for the door. "Thank you, Captain." He opened the door and stopped before walking through. "You don't happen to have any stakeouts for me the next few nights, do you?"
"Am I hearing you correctly, Detective? You are volunteering for NIGHT stakeout duty?"
He shrugged. "No reason to be home at night for the next few days. Might as well be out catching bad guys."
"I'll see what I can do. Now out with you! And leave the door open."
He saluted smartly and ducked out the doorway. Simms watched him saunter through the squad room and disappear down the stairs. "Could it be that things will get back to normal now?" she mused briefly, then laughed at herself. "What am I saying? Peter Caine still works here."