Long Ride (Riding with Honor) (15 page)

After their breathing returned to normal he pulled away from her and then lowered her to her feet.  Then he kissed her several times before asking
, “Are we staying here tonight?”

“I want to go home… with you
,” she said before her mind caught up to her mouth.  Oh God! 
She just said that out loud!

He smiled at her and
went into the bathroom.  She made her way up the stairs noticing the hole in the drywall at the base of the steps made by the bullet that had wounded Greg.  This night could have ended so differently. 

No longer would being held against a wall have the same meaning for her. 
Dickie had effectively replaced a bad memory with one that was equally bad, but for different reasons.  She couldn’t hold back the smile that crossed her mouth as the new memory replayed over in her mind.

After freshening up and getting dressed she put a few things into her carry-on bag and headed back downstairs.  She blushed as she made her way into the living room and found him lounged back on the couch.  The clothes he had stripped off of her were lying across his lap except for her panties which he was playing with.  He met her gaze and a devilish grin and a wink were followed by
, “Can I keep these?”

Was he serious?
  She looked away from him but could still feel his eyes burning her where they caressed. 

“Becca…” h
e whispered and the slight sound made her blood warm and her body respond as well.  When she finally met his gaze again he said, “If I can’t keep them… then can I keep you instead?”

“There is so much I need to tell you but know that I love you and I can’t thank you enough for not just stepping in and saving me, though I know you could have with no problem
.  It’s been so long since I’ve felt truly safe inside my own skin… thank you,” she finished.

Picking up her clothes
, he approached her and handed them to her.  Then that grin he was so good at appeared and he said, “You can thank me later when we get home.”

For the first time she understood Lilly’s willingness to give up her upper class lifestyle to live with Bobby in a tiny house in a rough area of town.  What would she give up to be able to stay with Dickie?  How much did
she want from the devastatingly handsome man? 
Everything
.

After putting her clothes in the laundry room and locking up the house they
walked to Dickie’s car.  They rode together in silence and just like before he reached down and took her hand in his.  It was comforting to feel his larger fingers wrapped around her smaller ones.  As he pulled into his driveway she was again hit with the feeling of coming home.

After picking up her bag he headed around the car to open her door
.  Taking her by the hand he pulled her along with him into the house.  He barely took time to drop the bag on the couch before locking the door.   

Turning to her he pulled her into his arms
.  Suddenly his mouth crashed down on hers and soon enough they were stumbling toward his room, unable and unwilling to break the passionate kiss.

The next morning s
he was startled awake by him rubbing his mustache and mouth along her back and shoulders.  Opening her eyes she realized it was light outside.  Rolling onto her back to face him she was met with a smile.  How was it possible for him to look so good in the mornings?

His cell phone rang loudly startling them both and at his grimace she laughed
, “Haven’t you had enough of me yet?”

“Never.  I’m a greedy bastard and don’t think I’ll ever get enough
,” he said and then kissed her.  Rolling over he grabbed his cell phone off the night stand and pushed a button while sitting up.  “Hey Carla… how is he?” he answered.

She sat up as well and met his gaze.  After a brief pause he said
, “That’s great… she’ll be happy to hear that.  Let us get cleaned up and we’ll head that way.”

An hour later they were
driving to the hospital when she realized she still hadn’t told him about Chuck.  Glancing over at him she wondered if this was the time.  How would he take it?  He deserved to know and continuing to keep it from him now that the drama in
her
life had settled down was wrong.

“What is it
, darlin’?  You can tell me anything… anytime… and never have to worry about how I will react,” he said.

“Oh
, I don’t know about that…” she said quietly, looking out the passenger window.

“He’s my son, isn’t he?” h
e asked.  Upon seeing her look of shock he said, “After you brought up the possibility of it… I couldn’t help but notice all the similarities between us.  Hell, he even walks like me.”

She continued to stare at him for a minute and then said
, “Yes… he’s your son and as worried as I was about your reaction… I am even more worried about his reaction.”

“Me too
,” he replied. “Me too.”

After they parked and made it into the hospital
they went straight up to Greg’s room.  She was surprised to see Carla Johnson standing at her brother’s bedside.  Carla was holding Greg’s cell phone away from him with a stern look on her face.

“It can wait… you’ve given your statement to the police and called your boss… now it’s time to rest
,” Carla said.

Her brother smiled at Carla who blushed and looked away from him.  She had known her brother was interested in Carla… he had told her. 

She had thought the woman was oblivious to his charms as she never indicated anything other than indifference when he was around.  After Greg stared at Carla’s flushed cheeks for a minute he finally said, “Hey, sis.”

Carla jumped and then moved away from Greg’s bedside, placing the cell phone just out of his reach
.  Then she took a seat in a chair in the corner.

“How are you feeling?”
she asked as Dickie pulled over a chair for her so she could sit next to his bedside.  Seeing her cell phone she had put in the first aid kit, she picked it up and checked that she hadn’t missed any calls.

“My shoulder is a little more busted up than they first thought.  I’m going to need quite a bit of physical therapy before I can go back to work.  Of course the bastard had to hit my shooting arm so until I get a release from the
doctor I’m not fit for duty,” Greg huffed.

She didn’t miss how Carla turned her face away from him at the comment and stared out the blinds. 

Awkward silence filled the room until Dickie said, “I think I’m going to go find some more coffee and see if I can call someone to fix that broken window for you.”

She gave him a look of discomfort at being left alone with the tension between her brother and Carla but said
, “Okay.”

“Why don’t you talk to Carla a little about what we talked about on the way here… see what she thinks
,” Dickie suggested. “Perhaps she will have some insight into the best way to go about explaining all this to him.”

Carla’s head came back around and she gave a questioning look first to Dickie and then to her but waited patiently.  Dickie
walked out of the room, leaving them alone. 

“Is everything ok
ay, sis?  I should be released in a day or two but I won’t be able to travel back home for a while, so anything I can do to help you out…” Greg said with concern.

“I’m afraid this isn’t something you can help with but Dickie and I are hoping that Carla can
,” she replied.

“I will do my best to help with whatever it is…” Carla offered.

Taking a deep breath, she looked Carla in the eye and said, “I’ve been digging into Chuck’s background a little bit in an effort to find any living relatives.”

“Yes, he told me.  Were you able to find his parents or a living relative?” Carla asked with concern.

“His mother passed away not even a year after he was born but I was able to find his father,” she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I had a DNA test conducted to verify my suspicions.  It turns out that Richard… um… Dickie is his father,” she finished.

“What?”
Carla asked in shock. “How is that possible?”

“He was seeing Chuck’s mother
off and on while he was in the Navy but she passed away before telling him about Chuck,” she replied.

“I don’t understand…” Carla said as her concern brought a shimmer of tears to her eyes.

She explained as best she could about Dickie’s relationship with Chuck’s mother and how he hadn’t known about Chuck.  After she finished her explanation she sat back and looked at Carla.  Carla had grown especially close to Chuck… acting as more of a mother to him than a future mother-in-law.

“Oh God… this will devastate Chuck.  I’m not sure how he will take
it when Dickie tells him,” Carla said.

“What’s up?  What did my man do that I’m going to be all devastated about?” Chuck asked
, stepping into the room holding a bag and a cup of coffee in his hands.  He approached Carla and held the bag and the coffee out to her and said, “Brought you some breakfast, hot stuff… the boys are fed and dressed and on their way to Nathan’s house so Meredith will be here shortly.”

After handing Carla the bag and the coffee he approached
Becca and knelt down beside her chair and said, “I’m so glad you are okay… when Dickie called last night and told me what happened… wow!”

He patted her hand and then looked at Greg and said
, “Sure am glad he didn’t take your ass out man… this whole thing gave me a great idea for a paint job though so if you’re interested in a custom ride… I can hook you up on the paint at least once you’re healed.” 

Greg eyed her and then looking at Chuck said
, “Actually that was part of why I came down here… I was going to talk to Bobby about designing a bike for me… been saving but I’m not a rich man.”

“I think we can work out something… what did you have in mind?” Bobby asked from the doorway.

Looking over she watched Bobby, Lilly and Tommy enter the room.  She felt herself tearing up that they had all taken the time to visit her brother who they didn’t really know that well. 

They were here for her because they were her friends.  Lilly walked over
, leaned down and gave her a hug while saying, “That’s from Dana… she’s at home with the kids but wanted you to know she’s thinking about you.”

The guys were busy talking about ideas for Greg’s bike when Dickie came back into the room.  She watched Chuck glance hesitantly at Dickie as he did the same thing right back. 

Chuck appeared distracted with talk of a custom bike for Greg and didn’t say anything. 
Thank God!
  Dickie gave her a questioning look and standing up she motioned to the chair, “Here Lilly… have a seat.”

Approaching where Dickie stood
, she caught his gaze and shook her head slightly to indicate that Chuck did not know anything.

“So what is going on
, Becca?”  Chuck asked.  When he got no response from her, he said “Carla?” looking between them both.

Damn it… the young man didn’t miss a thing.  Turning around she caught the worried look Carla shot her.  The sooner she told him the better… she didn’t want him to feel betrayed by her for not telling him immediately. 

Putting off the discussion much longer might possibly make him feel that way.  However, with everyone present it would have to wait.

“I have something to discuss with you in private, Chuck… but not now… maybe later today
,” she said finally.

“I told you before
, Becca… I don’t care if they know my business,” Chuck replied.

“This is different
, Chuck…” Carla said as the talk in the room died down and all eyes focused on Chuck.

Chuck looked thoughtful for a moment and then he caught her gaze and held it for a minute.  Knowing what she did, she also couldn’t help but notice the similarities between him and Dickie.  They had the same eyes… same grin… same build… same walk. 

“You found my parents didn’t you…” Chuck said softly.  When she didn’t reply he looked to Carla and said, “That’s it… isn’t it, Carla.  She found my biological parents didn’t she?”

The silence in the room was deafening.  Carla looked at her and her expression was one of resignation.  It looked like the day of reckoning
would
be today… right now, at least for some of it.

“Yes
, Chuck… I did,” she began. “I’m sorry to have to tell you but your biological mother died before you were even a year old.  That’s why you ended up in the foster care system.”

“What about my biological father… did you find him?” Chuck asked hesitantly.

Glancing at Dickie who looked positively inundated with anxiety she said
, “Yes… I found him.”

“Who is he?” Chuck asked
, glancing at Dickie as though needing support for what he was about to hear.

“I met your mother while I was in the Navy… she was a sweet girl and I fell in love with her.  We spent the holidays together the year after we first met and then I got shipped back out.  Almost a whole year passed without hearing from her and then I heard she had died.  I didn’t know she’d given birth… that she’d had my child
,” Dickie said quietly.

She heard the collective gasp but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Chuck’s face.  She watched Carla approach him and lay her hand on his arm.  A whole stream of emotions crossed his face but he remained silent for once. 

She hadn’t missed that Dickie purposefully left out the fact that Chuck’s mother had been unfaithful to him.  He had been respectful in a way that she should have expected from him.

“If I had known I would never have left you there…” Dickie tried to explain.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Chuck interrupted in disbelief.

“The DNA test results are in… he
is
for sure your father,” Becca said hesitantly.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Bobby, Lilly and Tommy staring at Chuck and Dickie with their mouths hanging open in shock.

“No… I mean… you would have kept me?” Chuck asked Dickie. “I mean look at me, man… I have sufficiently fucked up my life… you would have wanted
me
as your kid?”

The two men stared at each other for a minute and then Dickie said
, “Hell yea, if you were as fucked up as you think you are… I would have turned you in that night.  You’re a good man despite me… what man wouldn’t want you for a son?”

Again the two stared at each other for a few minutes while the silence filled the room like a heavy perfume.  She could swear she
saw tears shining in Dickie’s eyes as well as Chuck’s.  Unshed tears burned behind her eyes as well.

“Umm… this is a lot to take and I can’t….” Chuck said
, looking away from Dickie.  Then unable to finish he just walked out of the room.

In the hallway he must have run into Meredith because she could be heard saying
, “What’s wrong… Chuck… talk to me!  Wait, where are you going?”

“I can’t… I just need to… paint first then I’ll talk
,” Chuck replied from further down the hall.

Soon enough Meredith entered the room and nearly yelled
, “What did you guys do to him?”

Carla approached and grabbed her by the shoulders and said
, “Dickie is Chuck’s biological father… he just found out about it.”

“What?” Meredith
whispered and after a long pause said, “Shit!  I should have been here… God, I have to go find him!” she cried trying to pull away from Carla.

Tommy stepped forward and touched Meredith’s shoulder and said
, “Give him a little bit to handle his shit… trust me.  He’ll be okay. I swear it.  He just needs to soak it in… he doesn’t do emotion very well.  I completely get that so just trust me and give him some space… he’ll come back.”

Meredith looked at Dickie with tears shining in her eyes and said
, “He told me he was afraid that if Becca did find his parents… they would take one look at him and be so disappointed… that they
still
wouldn’t want him.”

The young woman choked out a sob and Dickie approached her and said
, “I didn’t know… I swear I didn’t, sweetness, but he is a far cry from a disappointment.”

Carla gasped as Meredith threw her arms around Dickie’s neck and pressed her face to his chest and sobbed. 

Looking over, Becca noticed Lilly was crying while Bobby frowned at her with a worried look.  Carla was also sniffing.  A giggle escaped her when she caught a glimpse of her brother… sound asleep.

She could feel several sets of eyes on her but then
the others also snickered one by one as they followed her stare. 

Lilly passed out tissues to Carla, Meredith and
Becca.  After wiping her eyes Carla said, “Perhaps we should take this back to my house… it’s the closest and quite possibly where Chuck is now.  They won’t be releasing Greg today so I’ll come back tonight and stay with him.  He should sleep for a while so I can sneak home and get a shower and eat some lunch before I need to come back.”

Meredith finished wiping her tears and said
, “Sorry… I didn’t mean to make everyone cry but I just love him so much and I hate it when he hurts.  I know painting comforts him but I still worry.  He’s probably at his apartment… not at the house.”

“If he’s not at the house… I’ll send Dana over to check on him after bit
,” Tommy offered.

“Bobby and I can keep the boys overnight if you need us to
,” Lilly offered, looking between Meredith and Carla.

There was so much going on it was hard to keep up but Carla’s sudden possessiveness where her brother was concerned garnered a smile she had to hide behind her hand. 

Her brother needed a real woman to look after him not the badge bunnies that were always chasing him around.  She would secretly keep her fingers crossed for them both.

Upon arriving at the Johnson’s house
they found that Chuck was in fact not there, just as Meredith had predicted.  Tommy made his excuses, promising to send Dana over to Chuck’s apartment to check on him.  Dana and Chuck were unusually close, almost like siblings. 

Lilly had told her once that Dana understood Chuck on his level and had a special knack for pulling him out of himself.  Somehow seeing how well Dana cared for Tommy’s daughters
put Chuck at ease and he often shared things with her that he wouldn’t with anyone else… even Meredith.

“Thank you
, Tommy… can you have Dana call me as soon as she leaves his apartment… please?” Meredith said.

“Sure… but try not to worry.  He’ll be fine once he paints it out
,” Tommy said and headed out the door.

Carla excused herself to get a shower and Meredith offered them tea as they piled into the kitchen and sat down around the table. 

She helped Meredith pour drinks while Dickie explained the story to Lilly and Bobby… again leaving out the part about Amber Reynolds being unfaithful to him.  He also never mentioned being a SEAL or specifics about his time in the Navy and fortunately for him, they didn’t ask.

Touching her sleeve, Meredith handed
Becca a glass of tea as well and whispered, “There is more to the story, I can tell, but truthfully I don’t want to know and I would venture to say telling Chuck wouldn’t help anything either.”

After Dickie told them the story, silence settled in until Bobby looked at
Becca and said, “I may have found some help for the shop but I don’t actually want to hire the guy.  My sister-in-law Sherri, would likely kill me if I actually hired him since it’s her ex-husband.  Tommy and I went to high school with him and he worked at the shop once before.  I wondered if I could let him work out of the shop on commission… toss him the jobs we can’t get to or pay him for specific jobs.  Something like a subcontractor?”

“I’m guessing you want some type of contract for him that says anything he builds falls under your company an
d its copyright and patents?” she asked him.  “Meaning it becomes the property of the shop… if he leaves… he doesn’t take the work with him.”

Bobby smiled at her and said
, “You are one smart woman.”

“I’m sorry to hear that since I had hoped that all these things you’ve been doing for them was the start of you taking responsibility for all of them”

Edna’s words were beginning to float through her mind like a broken record. 

“I’ll see what I can do
,” she replied.

“Just whenever… no rush
,” Bobby said.

They sat around talking for some time during which Carla came in
, having showered and changed, and fixed a sandwich.  Carla sat listening to them talk while eating but as soon as she’d finished she said, “I should get back to the hospital… he should be waking up soon.”

“I can stay with him
, Carla.  You don’t need to do that…” Becca said.

“I don’t mind at all.  You should rest… you had quite an ordeal yesterday.  My father is keeping the boys overnight since it’s the weekend so I can sit with him.  Besides he asked me to help him out until he’s recovered enough to return to New York and I agreed since I’m back to working only part time
again,” Carla replied gathering her purse.

No sooner had Carla pulled out of the driveway
than Meredith’s cell phone rang.  Pulling it out of her purse she quickly pushed a button and said, “Oh, baby… are you ok?”

The talking died down as though no one cared that they were listening in on someone else’s private conversation.  Normally she would make an effort not to listen in but much like everyone there she was worried about Chuck’s reaction to the news. 

“It’s ok… you just scared me, Charlie…” Meredith said after a few moments of silence.