The Life Endeavor Part 3
No one spoke as they returned to CTU each man lost in his own thoughts and pain. Josh dreaded having to face his stepmother. Witnessing the anguish in her face. At least his sweet Clare was there maybe she could make sense of his shattered world. When they arrived he didn’t follow his father’s body down to Medical. There was nothing he could do for his father now. He needed his beloved wife.
Her only thought was to find Josh and comfort him. He was like his father therefore later he would have to be strong for his sister and stepmother. But now he could seek comfort from her. They met in the corridor that would have lead to the main floor. At the very sight of her he sighed with relief. She said nothing but simply opened her arms in which he gladly walked into. He was engulfed in warm understanding and her favorite perfume. He felt better already.
“I can’t believe he’s gone.” He murmured into her ear, sounding like a little lost boy.
“I know. Me either. You okay?”
“I think so.” He assured her. “How is she?”
She sighed sadly. “Not doing well, not doing well at all.” Still entangled he began to stroll towards the main area.
“How are you?”
She stopped, perturbed. “Stop, Josh. Don’t worry about me.” She replied pointedly.
“Of course I worry about you. You’re my wife. I love you.”
“Josh?” He froze.
“Kim.” He sighed.
“I called her.” Clarissa explained softly. He nodded, grateful.
All the way over Kim had hoped that she had been dreaming. But seeing their father’s blood covering her brother’s shirt she knew it was all too real. Tears sprang to her blue eyes. Her brother lammed to gather her petite form in his strong arms. “No, it can’t be. He wouldn’t leave me again.” She whimpered into his broad chest.
She grabbed onto his shirt as for dear life. “He told me to tell you that he is proud of the woman you’ve become.” He recounted through his tears. “He loved you, Kim.”
Years ago she would have doubted. “I know, Josh.” She said through her own tears. “At least Dad is at peace finally.”
Josh was glad that their father was at repose. Because he would not rest until his father’s killer was brought to justice. “Go find Chase.” He urged his sister kindly. “Dad’s death hit him hard I think.” His older sister nodded sadly.
“I love you, little bro. You too, Clare.” She left dejectedly to find her husband to seek the comfort only he could offer. To provide him the solace he would never ask for but needed.
“Thank you, Clare. It had to be hard for you.”
She nodded. “But not as hard as telling Chloe.”
“You told...”
until now. Now she wasn’t too sure he was ready for another relationship. He just got out of two years of torture; he needed a breather. And he just inherited a broken teenage boy. Jack could help but smirk as Chloe flushed at some private thoughts. He hoped had something to do with what he had said earlier. He knew that a lot of people hold that his anger today toward the Cheng was grounded in his love for Audrey. But it really was misdirected anger against himself. She loved him; he should have protected her better. That he returned to his life with hopes of renewing a relationship with James Heller’s daughter, but between visits from his persecutor he realized that he and she wanted different things out of life. That in spite of what Audrey believed they weren’t right for each other. But telling her a little white lie...it wasn’t a lie, not really. He just didn’t love her the way she loved him. She needed to escape the harshness of the world she worked in but Jack knew that there was no absconding from the world of terrorism. He was always on alert. It was always like that, but Teri’s death had changed him. She hungered for a quiet suburban existence. All he wanted to know he had done everything in his power to defeat his enemy. Then he could find the time to rest! Only for the sake of young Josh did he move into Graem and Marilyn’s home, after the day his nephew had he needed as much as normalcy as he could get back. And a part of that was staying for the time being at the home he grew up in. Or he would have checked into a motel near CTU. That’s all he needed. A bathroom and a bed. In spite of the fact that this job stripped everything he loved from him, he was good at it...damn good at it! Too good to walk away from it. And if he did for her sake he didn’t think he could live with the lives he could have saved on his conscience. He owed it to Kim’s children to give them a safer world than he had offered their beautiful mother. That’s who he did it for.
“Stop!” She broke through his thoughts.
“What?”
“Putting us above yourself. You do deserve some ‘me’ time, Jack.”
He chuckled. “‘Me’ time?” He inquired biting back a laugh. Chloe was the last person he ever thought would school him on ‘me time’.
“Yeah, Jack. It’s suppose to be good for you.” She persisted.
“Ah-uh.”
“Jack.” She whined. He chortled again. “Spend some time with Josh. The kid seemed to be lost.” That was an understatement. But it was quintessential Chloe, how he missed her straightforwardness. Her refreshing form of caring.
“Kim called.”
She blinked, astonished but glad for Jack. “Everything ok?” She asked, worried.
“Yeah, she’s fine.” He assured her. “It seems that CTU has a leak.”
“What?” She asked stunned.
“She knew about Dad and...Graem.”
“But not Marilyn...I’m sorry, by the way. I gathered from her that you two were...close at one time.”
“We were. Wait...what do you mean you ‘gathered from her’?”
“Nothing. She was worried about you when you stormed the Russian Consulate.” She rolled her eyes dramatically at him. “She kept asking for updates. I might be socially inept but even I know that means she was in love with you.” Not that she could blame Marilyn. She hid a smile when Jack blushed.
“You’re not socially inept, Chloe.” He birred
“Yes, I am, Jack.”
“No, not really. Not with me.” It was Chloe’s turn to redden. “Marilyn and I had a relationship during college. I joined the Army...”
“And she eventually married your brother.” He nodded. She did however wonder why Marilyn was his brother’s wife and not his own. Given a chance Chloe would follow Jack to the ends of the earth without question.
Not that Jack had any regrets with the way his life turned out she knew that. He loved Teri and Kim. But did she fight to be with him? Or let Jack walk away? Then feel a pang of jealousy whenever there was an occasional family gathering? Seeing Jack happy with another woman. She knew how that felt, not good. “That had to be awkward.”
“I guess it was for her. But I was so wrapped up in Teri I didn’t notice. Maybe that was wrong of me.”
She frowned. “To be madly in love with your wife?”
“For not seeing conscience of the consequences of my behavior.” He corrected.
“Jack, that’s a really bad habit you have, you know. Worrying about how your every freaking move affects other people. Worry about yourself for once. If it bothered her to see you happy then she never really deserved you.” She colored as she realized what she had said. “Did it bother you to see her with another man?”
“No, not really.” He paused. “More surprised by her final choice is all. You think I’m a control freak. My brother was far worse.”
“You forget I met your father. Plotting against one’s country and son is ALL about control.”
Touché, Jack hadn’t thought of that. “Good point.”
“Jack, what your father and brother did, does not reflect badly on you. Yes, you are a control freak but even you could prevented this.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel better I’m simply stating a fact.”
“Thank you anyways.” He said with a grin.
She relented. “You’re welcome.” She sneered.