Treading (Jordan Knight/NKOTB Fanfic)

Thirty-Eight

-JORDAN-

"So like Mom and Dad said, they're going to be spending the weekend at the Gages'. Rev. and Mrs. Gage are old friends and they oversee the sister church a couple of hours away. They've gone there a million times before, but cell phone reception can be spotty sometimes so don't freak out if you can't reach them. If you need someone for an emergency, call Matt and Christy or me. I'll be in interviews all day, but Alana and Lettie will be at the hotel if you can't get a hold of me—" Caleb rifled through his medical bag while he spoke a million words per minute.

I chuckled and cradled Angel in my chest and scratched behind her ears, "We'll be just fine, Caleb. Your parents went over everything with me and I think I know this town pretty well by now."

"You're sure?" He glanced towards the staircase where Sera's closed bedroom door was visible at the top and I nodded. "I know you guys are making progress with her memories, but you're not all the way there yet. I—"

"We're getting there," I said quickly. "We're getting there one day at a time. That's all anybody could hope for, I think."

"Yeah, I suppose. I just," Caleb sighed. "I guess I feel like some of this is on me. I always looked after her growing up and then one day I left her on her own and here we are. If I'd been here, I don't think she'd ever have ended up with Travis."

"You're here for her now, that's what counts. It's like you and my mom told me the night of the incident, all we can do is move forward from here. So, go. Explore San Francisco. Find out about these job offers. UCSF and Stanford would be crazy not to hire you. Sera and I will be just fine here. Dr. Parker suggested that we spend a little more alone time anyway. This weekend will be perfect for that. Plus, my mom's at Jon's. They're there too if we need them."

Caleb breathed out and nodded before scooping up his bag and suitcase, "Alright, well if anything happens, let me know. I mean it, Jordan. Call me."

"I promise I'll call if it comes to it," I agreed and patted him on the shoulder as we headed outside to his running car where his girlfriend and daughter were waiting on him. "Try to clear your head and enjoy getting out of the house if you can. I know that's what I'm going to try to do. Get Sera out of here a bit. We've all been cooped up in the house for too long."

"Don't overdo it, okay? You're still a patient too, you know," Caleb questioned as his eyes that were so similar to his sister's widened slightly and glanced downwards at my leg.

"It's fine, Caleb, really. I went for a jog yesterday and I'm pretty much good as new. You've got gifted hands."

He sighed, "My hands were shaking the whole time."

"Nobody else noticed."

Caleb gave a half-smile. "I just hope this whole thing blows over soon. I want my little sister to be okay. This isn't how she's supposed to spend her pregnancy. She's supposed to be making happy memories, not trying to regain old ones. Travis deserves the worst kind of penalty, but I don't want you going down for giving it to him. My sister and nephew need you."

"I need them too," I said as we stepped out onto the porch and I spotted Matt's cop car parked in the driveway next door. "Besides, I'm off the cops' radar. They saw the contents of the box."

"You really believe that?" Caleb arched an eyebrow. "I know Matt believes that the justice system is reliable—but I'm not so sure about that. The Brooks have a lot of pull around here and you don't have a lawyer. You might want to rethink that, Jordan."

"If I hire a lawyer, it'll make me look guilty. Besides, as things stand, it's cut and dry—Travis would have no reason to have a box of our stuff unless he did the crime. They'll figure that out soon enough and put that son of a bitch away for good just like we planned."