"No. No one but Dean and I know you're here. Well, and Emma, but that's just because she's covering for us. And you know she'd never tell."
Robbie blushed. The anger seemed to wash out of him, his back going straighter and with more power and confidence in his stride. He wasn't going home to meet the firing squad anymore.
"Robert Saunders. I just need you to sign here and you'll be free to go," the sheriff said, catching Robbie's attention. Robbie quickly picked up a pen and started signing the papers laid out on the desk as Dean pointed to the various places that needed a signature.
I looked over at the sheriff, seeing his name tape again. The hair was the right shade of blonde, and the eyes seemed familiar. It was when he smiled at me that I knew it was Matt. The smile was exactly the same.
"Yes, Rachel, I'm that Matt Grinswald," he said with a laugh. I felt my cheeks redden at being caught.
"I didn't think you recognized me. It's been a long time." I leaned up against the desk, feeling very young with Dean and Matt both standing there.
"I wouldn't have if Dean hadn't said your name. You look the same—I just never thought I'd see any of you girls again. How is Jenny?" he asked. His pitch raised on Jenny's name and I wondered if he missed her as much as Dean and I had missed one another.
"She's doing well. She ended up marrying her high school sweetheart, but it didn't work out. They got divorced about two years ago, but she's got three amazing kids that I get to play "aunt" too. I'll tell her you said hi next time I see her," I said with a smile. Matt beamed.
"Please do. I'd love to buy her a drink sometime." The big sheriff picked up Robbie's finished paperwork and flipped through it. "Everything looks in order. Out you go, Robbie. I don't want to see you in here again, understand?"
"Yes, sir. I'll only be in here to be the bail-er, not the bail-ee," Robbie said with a small grin. The sheriff cracked a smile and nodded.
"Thanks, Grinswald. Beers on Thursday?" Dean asked as Robbie opened the main door.
A loud, "Of course!" followed us out of the station as Grinswald clapped Dean on the back. Robbie and I settled into the car, Robbie taking the backseat, and it was only a moment before Dean joined us.
"I didn't know Matt was so close nearby," I said as I started the car. The engine purred as we headed back down the highway.
"Yeah, he was transferred up here last fall. It's nice to have one of the guys close by." Dean looked out the window and I knew he was thinking about Frontera. I wished he could have made it too. "What ever happened to Jenny and Kimberly? You said Jenny got a divorce?"
I nodded, smiling at him. This wasn't something we had ever talked about since we started working together, and it felt nice. "Jenny lives in Jersey with her kids now. Kimberly is in LA. She works in the movies and does some of her own painting on the side."
"Are they happy?" Dean asked quietly. I could feel his eyes on me, their blue drawing me to them.
"Relatively." It was a complicated answer. They all were happy for the most part, though.
Dean nodded and crossed his legs again, staring out the window at the oncoming evening. The sun was just beginning to creep into the horizon, hints of starlight starting to peek through the silver clouds. I watched the road, the black asphalt flying beneath our wheels as we sped back to our real lives, but all I wanted was to find that rainstorm world so I could be alone with Dean again.
Chapter 24
Present Day
Robbie passed me as I walked down the hallway toward Daniel's room. His eyes were still rimmed with red, and his lips were pursed together as he walked the ornate carpet, his mind lost in thought. I don't think he even saw me as he paced back and forth down the long hallway. I wasn't sure he had even been in to see his father since we had brought him home, but at least he was in the house.
I knocked softly before entering the large room that had become Daniel's infirmary. A large hospital bed took up the center of the room, an oxygen tank and an IV pole tucked carefully beside them. Bianca sat in a large easy chair in the corner, her feet tucked up under her as she typed on her laptop. I could hear soft classical music, playing softly in the background. Know Daniel, it was probably Mozart.
Daniel sat propped up in the bed, pillows and blankets tucked tightly around him. His pale face was so gaunt that his eyes seemed to sink into his paper thin skin. I remembered the healthy father whom had welcomed me into the Saunders' household. Where thick brown hair had once fallen into his eyes with a roguish flare, white wisps hung flat against his head. He smiled as I entered, his lips thin and pale.
"How you doing, old man?" I asked, sitting next to the large bed. Daniel looked perturbed, but his eyes were twinkling.
"I was going to go dancing, but Bianca says her feet hurt," he answered. Bianca snorted from her chair, a smile crossing her face. They had loved to dance.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to get her new shoes for tomorrow night." I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. I could feel the bones through his parchment-like skin.
"Robert came to see me today. I mean, Robbie. He hates it when I call him Robert," Daniel said, a smile forming on his lips. He had a fascination with the Kennedys, and had always thought his children would grow up to do great things like their namesakes. "I had him tell me all about his last race. I'm sad I didn't get to see it. It sounded like a marvelous race. He said won, but it was close the whole time. He says he has another one coming up in two weeks."
But Daniel won't get to see it. The words hung unspoken in the air like acrid smoke. It was an offhand comment, but we all knew he would never see his son race again. The silence was thick and uncomfortable. Daniel cleared his throat and adjusted the oxygen tube to his nose, trying to break the sudden tension.
"So, Rachel, what are you doing this evening? Going dancing, I hope?" Daniel changed the topic. I knew he wanted everyone to be happy. He had accepted his death, and was going gracefully. It was the rest of us that were having a hard time.
"Jack's given me the night off,