His Daddy's Car

"I assumed after the conference call today that we would be having further discussions about my future," said Kirby, "but they can wait until tomorrow morning. As far as the threats to the Harpers are concerned, I believe I already have the latest after talking further with Jessica Rogers. With Ivankov and Ginzburg off the table, the U.S. Attorney's office has dropped all charges and the legal cases against them are closed. Since no testimony will be required from Mr. Harper, he is no longer a threat to what remains of the organization and most of them have already started to flee on their own out of fear from the Suka. Apparently several of their colleagues have started turning up around the country in a condition that no one else wants to experience."

"That was my assessment as well, but as always, I value your opinion. I've been meaning to ask you if you ever thought about learning how to fly," Bobby said. "Patty and JR want to start taking lessons and if you're interested, maybe I can get us a group rate."

Kirby was surprised, but then realized that's what Bobby was hoping for, "I always questioned the value of having a pilot's license without being able to afford a plane."

"We'll discuss it more tomorrow, but taking the cost out of the equation, give it some thought," said Bobby. "When are you planning on shutting down some of your defenses?"

"I was going to keep Gail and her team on until at least the end of the week, but the RV and most of the house detail are heading out now," Kirby told him.

"Okay," said Bobby. "If I don't talk to you beforehand, I'll see you in the morning. Bye."

Bobby next called Jason on his cell phone.

Jason answered on the second ring, "Reid."

"Hey Jason, it's Bobby. Got a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I just wanted to check in with you to see if you saw the AG's press conference this morning," Bobby said.

"Yeah," Jason said. "I watched it in the squad room. It left us locals with more questions than answers."

"I imagine it did," said Bobby, "which is one of the reasons for my call. I want you to consider joining my team on a permanent basis. I think I have Kirby locked in, and Acosta is a definite. Among other things, we could really use your help to interface with local authorities and help maintain the level of cooperation that the President is expecting. I am going to be meeting with Kirby at Lackland tomorrow morning, and I'd like you to join us if you can."

Jason didn't hesitate, "I liked being in the game Bobby, and I wouldn't mind staying in under the right circumstances. What time were you thinking of tomorrow?"

Around 10 a.m. is what I was going to setup with Kirby," said Bobby. Does that work for you?"

"I'll make it work," said Jason.

"Good, and Jason I don't know if Patty has mentioned anything to Francis yet, but we wanted to invite you, her, and Joey to fly up to Fort Worth with us Wednesday afternoon to take in the game between the Rangers and the Angels. I have a private jet reserved at Stinson, so if you can meet us there around 3:30 p.m., we could fly up, take care of a small errand that Patty and I have to run and have dinner before heading to the game. By the way, have you ever considered getting your pilot's license?"

Jason laughed, "Yes to the game, no to the pilot's license. I can barely keep my driver's license, if you know what I mean."

Bobby laughed for a full minute before he was able to respond, "Fair enough. What time do you expect to be home?"

"Now that baseball practices are over, I need to make up to the guys who had been covering for me, so I'll probably be late," Jason admitted.

"No problem," said Bobby. "I just think that Joey will be anxious to see you when you get home."

"Why's that," asked Jason.

"I got him a present that I'm sure he'll want to share with you,' said Bobby with a grin. "Bye Jason."

Bobby looked at his watch. It was almost 3 p.m. He called Patty.

"I could get used to this," she said as she answered.

"I feel the same way," Bobby said. "Have the lawyers shown up yet?"

"Not yet, but we expect them any minute. Are you on your way home?"

"I have a couple of stops to make but I should be there between 4 and 4:30. Do you need me to pick up anything?" he asked.

"No," Patty said, "I stopped at HEB and picked up everything that I needed to make the casserole, so unless there's anything particular that you want, we should be all set."

"What time will JR be home," he asked.

"Francis is picking him and Joey up from school and taking them to her house so they can swim. I told her I would call her when we were done with the lawyers."

"I could stop by on the way home and pick him up," said Bobby. "I have a present for him and Joey anyway, so I could give them at the same time. By the way, Kelly called and the rings should be ready tomorrow. I already mentioned the game on Wednesday to Jason and he said they were in."

"Efficiency is not a super power buster," she giggled. "Are you still my favorite 'commando'?"

"I am still going 'commando', but I would never presume to be your favorite," he teased.

Patty sighed, "Then I guess I'll just have to remove any doubt from your mind as to who my favorite is monsieur."

"I can't wait," said Bobby. "I love you PattyKat."

"I love you too Bobby. Hurry home to me."

Two quick stops and forty miles later, Bobby pulled up in front of Francis and Jason's house. He grabbed the presents he had for the boys and walked towards the house. He heard the boys in the backyard, so he bypassed the front door and went around the house to the deck. JR and Joey were in the pool with Francis sitting in a chair on the deck watching them.

"Hey Franc," said Bobby as he bent down to hug his sister.

Francis kissed his cheek and said, "Hi Bobby. Jason is going to be late tonight. He's trying to get caught up at work."

Bobby took the chair beside her and said, "I know, I spoke with him earlier. Did he mention the plans for Wednesday?"

Francis beamed at him, "Yes he did, and Joey is almost as excited as I am. I haven't been to an Angel's game in years and this will be Joey's first."

Bobby grinned at his sister, "What Jason didn't tell you, because I didn't tell him, is that I have already promised Patty and JR dinner at In-N-Out Burger before the game."

Francis squealed so loud that the boys turned to look at her from the pool, "You're kidding me! There's an In-N-Out Burger in Texas, and we can go there before the game?"

"If you don't believe me, ask JR. He had his first Double-Double with cheese for lunch on Sunday," said Bobby.

Francis hugged him and said, "If you weren't my brother, I would divorce Jason and marry you. I can't wait. Jason and Joey have both had In-N-Out before when we go to visit mom and dad, but I know they'll be just as thrilled."

Bobby opened the bag he was carrying, "I hope you and Jason don't mind, but I got Joey a book today. I got one for JR and thought they should each have their own copy." He handed one of the books to Francis for her inspection.

"The Dangerous Book for Boys," she read the cover. "It sure sounds ominous. What's it about?"

"It's kind of an instruction manual on being a boy," said Bobby. "When they got so excited about building a tree house, it made me think that there are probably a lot of other projects that they would enjoy, and I had heard that this book is great for expanding a boy's experiences while growing up."

Francis was browsing the table of contents, "This does look like fun. Now all I have to do is keep it out of Jason's hands."

Bobby laughed, "Well I'm looking forward to a lot of father-son bonding through this book, and I'll bet Jason would feel the same way. How much longer are the boys going to be in the pool?"

"It's about time for them to get out," she said. Would you mind walking out and telling them?"

"It would be my pleasure," he said as he stood and started towards the pool.

As he approached the boys they were both sitting on the steps watching a bug on the surface of the water. "Hi guys," he said. "If you get out of the pool now I'll make it worth your while."

Joey and JR said, "Okay" in unison and climbed out of the water. They grabbed their towels and followed Bobby back to the deck.

"I'm impressed," Francis said as Bobby returned to his seat. "Not a single argument from them."

Bobby grinned and spoke to the boys, "If you get your hands good and dry, I'll give you each the book I bought for you today."

"I'm ready," said Joey with water still dripping off his head onto his body.

Francis laughed at her son, "Your hands won't stay dry with everything on your body above them dripping. Dry your hair, face and upper body first."

JR saw his dad looking at him with a raised eyebrow and proceeded to follow Francis' directions on his own. When the boys were no longer dripping, Bobby handed each of them one of the books.

"This is cool," said Joey. "Trevor has this book and talks about it all the time. Right JR?"

JR agreed, "Right. He's always talking about the really cool and fun stuff he found to do in the book. Look Joey, there's a section on building a tree house."

The two boys took their books to the table and sat down to start going through them together.

"Are Patty and her parents still meeting with the lawyers," asked Francis.

"I would assume so," said Bobby.

"What aren't you there with them?"

Bobby thought of his response for a minute and then said, "I thought it was important for the Harpers to regain some control over their own lives. The lawyers I sent will help them, but I believe Patty and her parents will be prouder and more confident in their futures if they made certain decisions on their own. I wouldn't mind listening, but if I was there, I'm pretty sure that they would all be deferring a lot of the choices to me, and that's not what they need."

Francis nodded, "You do tend to become the rock upon which everyone depends on for security. I think you're right in leaving them to deal with the lawyers on their own. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," said Bobby. "I guess some of your common sense wore off and onto me somewhere along the way. Although, you may not think so after tomorrow."

"Why?" Francis asked. "What's happening tomorrow?"

Bobby glanced over at the boys and then continued, "I'm going to recruit Jason to come to work for me full time. He'll be safer, earn a lot more money, and be doing very important work, but I'm not sure if he'll be happy not being a cop. What do you think?"

Francis looked contemplative. She was facing the pool when she answered, "With Jason, it has never been about the job, but about what he was able to accomplish. If he is convinced that working for you will benefit others, especially on a larger and more permanent scale, he won't have any regrets about not being a cop. Now, how much is 'a lot more money'?"

Laughing Bobby said, "Let's just say that it would probably be possible for you to quit work and home school Joey if you wanted to. Patty has already decided that is what she wants to do with JR."

"I don't know if I would want to quit work, but the idea of home schooling Joey does have merits that I'll need to consider. It would be nice to be able to pay off the mortgage sooner," she said.

Bobby whispered to her, "Don't tell Jason because you'll spoil my whole recruitment pitch if you do, but I planned to entice him by offering a signing bonus that would pay your mortgage off entirely."

While Francis was staring at him in stunned silence, Bobby's cell phone rang.

"Hello PattyKat," he answered.

"Hi Bobby, are you almost home," she asked.

"I just got JR out of the pool at Franc's house and was sitting here talking to her while the boys dried off. Have the lawyers left?"

"They just drove away. I'm going to put the casserole into the oven so we'll be ready to eat in about forty-five minutes. If you want, we can fill you in before dinner," Patty offered.

"Sounds good," said Bobby. "JR and I will be there in a few minutes."

"Good," Patty said. "I miss the men in my life." Then she ended the call.

Turning back to Francis, "JR and I are being summoned. Thanks for picking him up from school and watching him for us, Franc."

Bobby rose to stand. Francis took his hand and pulled him down into another hug.

"Thanks for being my brother Bobby."

Bobby kissed her cheek, "The pleasure has always been mine Franc. Come on JR, get your stuff so we can get home for dinner."

Bobby helped JR gather his backpack and clothes so that he could carry his book out to the truck. Bobby helped JR get settled into the front seat of the truck.

"Shotgun?" asked JR.

Bobby grinned, "In the truck, your mom hasn't staked an exclusive claim to that seat, so when she's not here, it's all yours."

JR seemed to sit up straighter as he said, "Cool."

When Bobby and JR entered the house through the side door, Patty was on the phone in the kitchen with her eyes wide, just listening. Bobby sent JR up to his room to change out of his swimsuit, kissed Patty on her forehead, and then went back out to the truck to get his duffle bag and his other packages. Setting the duffle bag on the floor and champagne on the counter, he handed the bouquet of roses to Patty.

Patty gasped at the sight of the roses and said into the phone, "I'm sorry Franc, you'll need to continue your lecture later. I have a man here that I need to pay immediate and significant attention too." Without waiting for a response, she hung up the phone and threw her arms around Bobby's neck.

"What was Francis lecturing you about?" he asked with a grin.

Brushing her lips against his Patty replied, "Oh she's trying to set me up with her brother. She keeps raving about how wonderful he is and how he and I are perfect for each other. I have to tell you, she makes him sound pretty good and she may be starting to wear down my resistance..."

Bobby laughed, "I probably wouldn't stand a chance against the guy."

Waving the roses under his nose she replied, "Don't count yourself short buster. I've seen how you can handle yourself in all kinds of tough situations." She rubbed him through the front of his jeans. "So what's with the flowers and champagne?" she asked.

"The flowers are for you -- just because, and the champagne is to celebrate you and your parents' return to a normal life," he told her. "Are you all ready to tell me how the meeting with the lawyers went?"

"I think my parents are in the great room," Patty said. "Do you think we should include JR?"

Bobby took the flowers from her hand, "Do you have a vase to put these in?"

Patty went to a cupboard and took out a vase. She took the roses back from Bobby and as she put them in the vase and filled it with water from the sink she said, "Now answer my question. Do you think we should include JR?"

"You know more about what was said and what you will want to share, so I trust your judgment on whether or not you think JR will be comfortable with what's discussed." Bobby continued, "However, if you want my opinion, then I think he should be offered the opportunity to listen and ask questions."

Placing the vase of roses onto the kitchen island Patty said, "Me too. Let's go round everybody up."

Patty and Bobby held hands as they went upstairs to the great room, where they found JR excitedly showing his grandparents the book his dad had given him. JR smiled at his mom and said, "You should see this too mom. Dad got both Joey and me the coolest book ever."

"Can we look at it together after dinner?" she asked JR. "Right now your grandparents and I would like to tell you and your dad about our meeting with the lawyers."

JR set the book aside and gave his mom his full attention as he said, "Sure mom."

Patty and Bobby took seats next to each other on a couch. She then began, "We had a discussion as a group concerning us all leaving the witness protection program and re-establishing our old identities. Mr. Clements from the Department of Homeland Security had already begun making arrangements for all of Katie Freeman's records to be seamlessly integrated into Patty Harper's, including all vital records, merging my Social Security file into the single original record, and once this is done, Katie Freeman will cease to exist according to Mr. Clement."

Patty kissed Bobby on the cheek and continued, "He expects the conversion to be completed by the end of the week, and I assume that your influence is what had things already in progress and being fast-tracked, so thank you. The same process for my parents has not started yet because Mr. Clements wasn't sure if they wanted to keep their current identities or go back to their original ones. Mom and dad why don't you fill Bobby and JR in on what you decided."

Patty's parents looked at each other before her father spoke, "It was really pretty simple for us once we knew what Patty had decided. If Katie Freeman didn't exist anymore, then her parents shouldn't either. It just seemed like a much cleaner solution to re-establish our prior identities as the Harper family as a group. Mr. Clement said that our records were not as complex as Patty's because we hadn't worked, had any more children, or done anything to generate any documented records beyond those created when we entered the program. Transferring driver's license and merging Social Security records seem to be about the extent of things. We lost our house when the mortgage was defaulted on but Mr. Clements said the credit reports will be amended to correct the negative marks. All investments we had prior to disappearing are still under the name 'Harper', so once we have our identity re-established, we can assume control over those without any problem."

"Speaking of property," Patty said, "You were right about this house Bobby. The Marshals definitely want to retain ownership of it, but they have no immediate need for us to vacate it and will cover all relocation expenses once we decide where we all want to move to. Mom and dad seemed interested in returning to California. Is that still the way you're leaning?"

Her mom spoke this time, "We are going to begin contacting old friends to see who still lives where, but even with few acquaintances left out there, I think we would both like to get closer to the coast." She looked to her husband and said, "Isn't that right?"

"As Patty said, that's the way we're leaning, but our final decision will probably also be influenced by where all of you decide to live and how often we would get to see you," her father said.

Bobby spoke for the first time, "You may want to give some consideration to dual residences and sharing your time between them. For example, you could buy a condo in Orange County and live in it during the summer, and then buy another condo or townhouse wherever Patty, JR and I live and stay there during the winter. Or vise-versa."

Patty's father replied, "I don't know if we could afford two properties, especially with the prices in Orange County being what they are. It's something to look into though."

"I might have a solution for one of your condos," said Bobby. Looking at Patty he said, "Do you remember my sister Terri's condo in Irvine?"

"Like it was yesterday," Patty said.

"Well," continued Bobby, "They tried renting it for a while when they moved to Pennsylvania and didn't like the hassle of managing it from a distance, so I bought it from them a couple of years ago. I've just been holding it as an investment and not renting it because I didn't want the wear and tear that having tenants could bring. Patty and I would be happy to deed that condo to you, knowing that it would revert back to her or JR when you no longer need it. I'll get some pictures and details on the unit as well as the community where it is located so that you can take a look."