Lead Me Home, Numb3rs, Part 29/84
Don't own; don't sue.
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Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Colby pulled through the wrought iron gate leading to the Morris Hill Cemetery. For some unknown reason, he felt... nervous. He'd only been to this cemetery a few times, mostly to visit Henry Quinn's grave. But that didn't explain the knot wedged in his stomach.
The SUV edged its way along the snow covered lanes. They'd been plowed but a light dusting had fallen overnight and no one had been by yet to brush it away.
Following the directions his mother had given him, Colby was soon pulling up to the stone that marked the Colby family plot. There were no other cars in the cemetery so he parked in the middle of the lane. He didn't want to get off the road and get stuck in the snow.
When he exited the vehicle, an unusual sensation washed over him. There was a reverence about this place. It slowed his steps and hushed his breathing. The cracking of ice crystals in the trees could be heard in the silence.
It was peaceful.
But Colby still felt that queasy lump in his stomach.
It only took him a few moments to find Zach's grave. He swept the snow off the marker with quick strokes of his gloved hands. He smiled at the beautifully simple design on the dual stone. It was just waiting for Beth to join him.
"Um..." Colby reached down to scoop the snow out of the thicker letters that spelled out his name.
"Hey, Zach, it's me. Uh, Colby. Not that you don't know that, but... uh... sorry, I haven't done this much." Colby sighed and shook his head. "I've never really had to do this. I mean I've only really ever gone to see Henry Quinn and well, I didn't really know him, so I always kinda tried to tell him about myself. And Dad- well, Dad I feel is on the farm and sometimes with me and all that, so it's never a formal thing, you know, when I talk with him; it's a communion of souls, if that makes sense. But you..."
Colby squatted down and ran his hand over his godfather's name. "I want to believe that you died believing in me, but I- I'm afraid that you didn't. That you thought the worst of me and... I know that you've seen everything that happened and that you know I wasn't a traitor but I can't bear that thought that you were disappointed and ashamed of me, if only for a moment."
Colby squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to stop his rambling and the threat of tears. "I, uh, didn't think I'd miss you so much. It's been years since we've seen each other but the fact that I won't see you again... It's like losing Dad all over again and we both know I never really got over that."
Clearing his throat, Colby set his flowers against the granite stone. "I love you. I hope that, wherever you are, I've made you proud.
"May your soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
As he got back behind the wheel of his rental, Colby didn't even try to convince himself that the mistiness of his eyes was from the change from the cold outside to the warmth of the vehicle.
~3~
His emotions were back in check by the time he arrived at the senior housing facility where Elizabeth Colby lived. After checking in at the front desk, it was a quick elevator ride up to her fifth floor apartment.
"Come in," answered his knock.
Colby opened the door and slipped into the small hallway. "Beth?"
"Colby!" He smiled at the excitement in the gentle voice. It was same as always. Both Zach and Beth had always expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for seeing him.
His smiled faded a bit as he came into the living room to see Beth all ready had company. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
Beth was seated in an arm chair and another woman Colby had never met was seated on the couch. Neither woman looked particularly happy with each other, telling by the amount of space separating them.
"Oh, oh, no. Colby, this is Zach's second cousin's daughter Leah."
"Hello." Colby put his hand out to shake hers but she just crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I didn't know you had any family."
"Leah is our last living relative."
Colby nodded and smiled. His was a large extended family and even though they weren't particularly close, he couldn't imagine only have one living relative. "It's nice that you could come visit at Christmas."
"Yeah." Leah's tone was more annoyed than anything.
Colby looked back and forth between the women. "I can come back after lunch if you ladies would like some time alone."
"No. No, Colby stay. Leah and I were mostly done."
"Oh, well, I could run get coffees or something for a few minutes," Colby said definitely feeling like he was interrupting a serious conversation.
"No need," Leah announced as she rose. "I think we're done here."
"O-okay." Colby was reminded of lawyers walking clients out of interrogation rooms with that smirking, high-and-mighty attitude.
"Well, Leah, it was nice to see you. You'll understand if I don't see you out?"
"Yeah. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
"It was nice meeting you, Leah." Colby tried again to shake her hand.
The woman just grunted and strode from the apartment.
"Well, she's just a ray of sunshine," he commented as he turned back to Beth.
"Yes, well, she is Zach's relative not mine," Beth said with a chuckle as she rose to truly greet him. She gave him a huge hug and a quick kiss on his cheek.
"You look great, Beth."
"Oh, it's been too long since this old lady got compliments from a gorgeous young thing."
Colby laughed and gave Beth another hug.
Laughing as well, his godmother pulled him over to sit with her on the couch. "Enough of that, young man. Sit, sit. We have so much to talk about."
"We do?"
"Of course, we do. It's been years since you've been to see me."
Colby nodded. "But I've kept you up-to-date."
"Yes, yes, but it's so much better to hear things in person. So you must tell me everything."
Laughing, he nodded and started. "So, L.A. is beautiful..."
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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20
Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Colby pulled through the wrought iron gate leading to the Morris Hill Cemetery. For some unknown reason, he felt... nervous. He'd only been to this cemetery a few times, mostly to visit Henry Quinn's grave. But that didn't explain the knot wedged in his stomach.
The SUV edged its way along the snow covered lanes. They'd been plowed but a light dusting had fallen overnight and no one had been by yet to brush it away.
Following the directions his mother had given him, Colby was soon pulling up to the stone that marked the Colby family plot. There were no other cars in the cemetery so he parked in the middle of the lane. He didn't want to get off the road and get stuck in the snow.
When he exited the vehicle, an unusual sensation washed over him. There was a reverence about this place. It slowed his steps and hushed his breathing. The cracking of ice crystals in the trees could be heard in the silence.
It was peaceful.
But Colby still felt that queasy lump in his stomach.
It only took him a few moments to find Zach's grave. He swept the snow off the marker with quick strokes of his gloved hands. He smiled at the beautifully simple design on the dual stone. It was just waiting for Beth to join him.
"Um..." Colby reached down to scoop the snow out of the thicker letters that spelled out his name.
"Hey, Zach, it's me. Uh, Colby. Not that you don't know that, but... uh... sorry, I haven't done this much." Colby sighed and shook his head. "I've never really had to do this. I mean I've only really ever gone to see Henry Quinn and well, I didn't really know him, so I always kinda tried to tell him about myself. And Dad- well, Dad I feel is on the farm and sometimes with me and all that, so it's never a formal thing, you know, when I talk with him; it's a communion of souls, if that makes sense. But you..."
Colby squatted down and ran his hand over his godfather's name. "I want to believe that you died believing in me, but I- I'm afraid that you didn't. That you thought the worst of me and... I know that you've seen everything that happened and that you know I wasn't a traitor but I can't bear that thought that you were disappointed and ashamed of me, if only for a moment."
Colby squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to stop his rambling and the threat of tears. "I, uh, didn't think I'd miss you so much. It's been years since we've seen each other but the fact that I won't see you again... It's like losing Dad all over again and we both know I never really got over that."
Clearing his throat, Colby set his flowers against the granite stone. "I love you. I hope that, wherever you are, I've made you proud.
"May your soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
As he got back behind the wheel of his rental, Colby didn't even try to convince himself that the mistiness of his eyes was from the change from the cold outside to the warmth of the vehicle.
~3~
His emotions were back in check by the time he arrived at the senior housing facility where Elizabeth Colby lived. After checking in at the front desk, it was a quick elevator ride up to her fifth floor apartment.
"Come in," answered his knock.
Colby opened the door and slipped into the small hallway. "Beth?"
"Colby!" He smiled at the excitement in the gentle voice. It was same as always. Both Zach and Beth had always expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for seeing him.
His smiled faded a bit as he came into the living room to see Beth all ready had company. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
Beth was seated in an arm chair and another woman Colby had never met was seated on the couch. Neither woman looked particularly happy with each other, telling by the amount of space separating them.
"Oh, oh, no. Colby, this is Zach's second cousin's daughter Leah."
"Hello." Colby put his hand out to shake hers but she just crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I didn't know you had any family."
"Leah is our last living relative."
Colby nodded and smiled. His was a large extended family and even though they weren't particularly close, he couldn't imagine only have one living relative. "It's nice that you could come visit at Christmas."
"Yeah." Leah's tone was more annoyed than anything.
Colby looked back and forth between the women. "I can come back after lunch if you ladies would like some time alone."
"No. No, Colby stay. Leah and I were mostly done."
"Oh, well, I could run get coffees or something for a few minutes," Colby said definitely feeling like he was interrupting a serious conversation.
"No need," Leah announced as she rose. "I think we're done here."
"O-okay." Colby was reminded of lawyers walking clients out of interrogation rooms with that smirking, high-and-mighty attitude.
"Well, Leah, it was nice to see you. You'll understand if I don't see you out?"
"Yeah. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
"It was nice meeting you, Leah." Colby tried again to shake her hand.
The woman just grunted and strode from the apartment.
"Well, she's just a ray of sunshine," he commented as he turned back to Beth.
"Yes, well, she is Zach's relative not mine," Beth said with a chuckle as she rose to truly greet him. She gave him a huge hug and a quick kiss on his cheek.
"You look great, Beth."
"Oh, it's been too long since this old lady got compliments from a gorgeous young thing."
Colby laughed and gave Beth another hug.
Laughing as well, his godmother pulled him over to sit with her on the couch. "Enough of that, young man. Sit, sit. We have so much to talk about."
"We do?"
"Of course, we do. It's been years since you've been to see me."
Colby nodded. "But I've kept you up-to-date."
"Yes, yes, but it's so much better to hear things in person. So you must tell me everything."
Laughing, he nodded and started. "So, L.A. is beautiful..."
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