Jack's Rebirth Pt. 02

But to be honest, it is a thankless job-understaffed, underpaid, and underappreciated. Still, it is what it is.

Mrs. Gladys Moore was Gloria's case worker. She was an older woman and had not had a good day in a long time. She was not a happy camper, being interrupted on a busy day.

"What do you want, detective? I'm busy."

"I understand, Mrs. Moore. I just wanted to touch base with you about Gloria's situation".

"What about it? She is on thin ice, and she better be keeping her nose clean", she said, pointedly staring at Gloria. Gloria bristled and was about to fire back when I took her arm and led her to sit down.

"Yes, well, she is in protective custody and she will be changing jobs to protect her and her children. It seems that Mr. Rafael Santos is back in town and is looking to harm her. She has been threatened already and we are taking steps to safeguard her and her family. We would appreciate anything you and the agency can do to help them. Oh, and here is her lawyer's card. She is seeking to have her conviction overturned and expunged. She is also changing jobs to safeguard her location and identity. We will keep you informed. Any questions, Ma'am??", I pleasantly asked her as I stared right into her soul. The intent was clear. She had no room to maneuver and had to do what I said.

She was irked. There wasn't much she could do about anything. She fixed me with a withering stare.

"Is there anything else, DETECTIVE STONE?? ACTUALLY, I THINK YOU'VE DONE MORE THAN ENOUGH!!". I smiled at her.

"No, that's about it. Thank you for your help. Oh, yes, if you to contact Ms. Ortiz, please do so through her lawyer. You won't know her whereabouts anyway". I smirked just a little as I extended my arm to Gloria, assisted her to rise, and we left, leaving Mrs. Moore doing a slow meltdown. The 'Dragon Lady' was not happy.

Love it. Just love it.

Gloria looked on in awe as we left to the parking lot. I think she wet her pants, she was so excited. But I don't know. As we got to the Bronco, my cell phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, Daniel, how's it going?........l

"He did, did he?...... No that's great. We'll swing by later.

"No, we're doing fine. Two down, one to go. I think Mrs. Moore may have a stroke in a little bit, but tough shit...... I don't like her, either.

"Yeah, I'll tell her. And again, thanks.' Bye".

We got into the truck.

"Who was thank?", said Gloria.

"Your attorney. Dan sent one of his investigators by with a notice to sue for unlawful termination. He also mentioned that they would be in touch with the INS and the IRS about 'shady' business practices. Your former boss suddenly came up with your last paycheck, your W-2, and a check for severance pay, saying they had 'made a mistake, no hard feeling, o.k.??'". He told him they would be in touch.

'Let him stew for a while'.

Her eyes were huge and she launched herself at me, crushing her body against me and plastering my mouth with our first kiss. And WHAT a KISS!!. I immediately wrapped her in my arms and kissed her back, almost forgetting that I wanted something.

Then she got a hold of herself and moved back to her seat, blushing, and breathing hard, eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I so terribly embarrassed".

I deadpanned. "I'm not. Want to do it again??", I asked with an innocent look on my face, hoping she would.

She blushed even father. Then she looked at me and exploded into laughter. She leaned over and kissed me square on the lips.

"Maybe later", she demurred with a sexy grin.

We left for the County Seat building, to talk to the Social Services lady.

We pulled up, got out, and went in to find Ms. Laurie Malloy. Ms. Malloy was the opposite of the 'Dragon Lady'. She was about 24 years old like she had just gotten out of college. Actually, about 1 year earlier. She was new to the job and Gloria was one of her first cases.

We walked in and she rose, grinning and bubbling over.

'That will pass', I thought.

"Hello, Gloria, I remember you. What can I do for you?". She was studying me with a predatory look. Gloria bowed up and said, "Laurie, this is Detective Jack Stone Stone, Conroe P/D. We are here to talk to you......."

I broke in to prevent bloodshed.

"We are here to talk to you about Gloria's status in regard to her being a single mother and an ex-convict. She is under protective custody due to threats to her life and her children's safety. She has quit her job, moved to a safe house, and is 'disappearing' for the foreseeable future.

"We are here to ensure that no one will be able to track her location until this is resolved." He handed her Daniel's business card. "This is her lawyers information. On the back is her civil lawyer. Mr. Williams is her criminal attorney. We are trying to get her conviction overturned and expunged. Meanwhile, she will continue to make her court ordered parole meetings. Any questions?".

All this time she was looking back and forth between Gloria and myself.

"Let me see if I can find your file, Ms. Ortiz". She rummaged through the pile of files on her desk, all the while looking at us. Her expression changed from lustful gazes to curious stares. Meanwhile, Gloria slowly simmered down. She was staring at Laurie like she was looking for an excuse to scratch her eyes out.

'My, my', I thought, 'This is interesting. She almost looks like she's jealous.'

Finally: "Oh, here we are. Yes, I can see why you are concerned, detective. I am glad you have a good lawyer involved. I can hold any inquiries till I hear from him."

She looked up at us.

"Don't worry about anything". We got up to leave and as we opened her door, she said, "Good luck..... and congratulations to both of you". She added this with a huge grin.

I was floored. Gloria had a triumphant look on her face as we exited the building.

We got to the parking lot and walked, hand in hand to the Bronco. As we got in and as I started my truck up, my cell phone rang. Gloria finished buckling up and I answered it.

"This is Jack."

"Jack, it's Clint Wasser. I got some good news and some not so good news. Is your 'friend' there?".

Does everyone know about us, except us?? I hit speaker, and said, "Yeah, Sarge, Gloria is right here". "Put it on speaker". "O.K., you're on speaker phone. Whatta ya got?".

"Well, her ex-husband was in the exercise yard up in Joliett and somebody stuck a shiv in his gut. To make a long story short, 'He Dead'. They nailed two guys and sweated them and they gave up Santos on ordering the hit. He is trying to re-take the gang he was in. They intimate that there is some big score coming, and Watson has some ties with some legit company to front it. They're still working on them and they reached out to touch base with us for any intel.

"The bad news is we got squat. Santos is still missing and it's quiet as to who he's into it with or what they are doing."

"I understand, Clint. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks for the heads up." I hung up and turned to Gloria. She was ash faced and tight-lipped. But then she quivered and looked at me.

"I can't say as I'm upset. He was Micheal's father, but Micheal had no knowledge of his identity or his whereabouts."

"What do you want to do? Do you want to tell him?".

She hesitated, then shook her head.

"No, he's too young and wouldn't understand all the facts. About us, my marriage, or his death. I need to find someone to fill his life and give him a model to look up to." She turned to me. "Any suggestions?".

I smiled and shrugged.

"We could ask your daughter. She seems to have an idea."

She cringed.

"Do you want to talk about it, Gloria? Obviously, someone has talked about it, to someone". Then I took a shot.

"What have you and my mother talked about? I'm just curious. I don't know WHY I'm curious. Could it be that it concerns me??".

She started to tear up.

"Look, don't cry. Just talk to me. Tell me. What do you want to know?". I shut off the truck and turned to face her.

She took a deep breath and started.

"When we were putting the children to bed, I asked your mother if she had talked to you about me. She said she hadn't had a chance. Why? I asked her if she knew of your thoughts about parentage. Do you want kids? How many? Would you make a good father?

"Your mother said that all three of her sons would make excellent fathers, in her opinion. Of course, she was your mother, so she was biased. But of all of them, only one was ready to become a dad.

Then she looked me square in the eye and said, 'But I think he's already decided who he wants to ask to be the mother of his children'. She held my gaze and winked. I cried and she grabbed me and hugged me.

"That's when the little stinker let us know she was still awake.

"Is Jack gonna be our daddy? I love Jack, and I need a daddy. I think he would be a great daddy. Can he, mommy? Please??".

By now, she was crying again. Full-on crying. I reached across and held her and she buried her face in my chest. Crap, now my shirt was soaking wet!!

But I wouldn't let her go.

Finally, I pulled her away and kissed her on the lips, then on her forehead.

"Let's go get your money".

She wiped her eyes, and her face and blew her cute little nose, as I started the truck again and we left for the lawyers' office. By the time we got there, she had composed herself and was thinking. I could almost hear the wheels turning. Well, at least she wasn't mad at me, or fuming.

We pulled into the parking lot and got out. Holding hands like it was a natural thing, we went inside and were met by Mrs. Swanson. She smiled at us and told us to go right on back. We went to Daniel's office and knocked and he told us 'Come', and we entered to grins and handshakes.

"Guys, I'm glad you're here. We have a few surprises for you". With that, he handed Gloria an envelope with checks and her W-2 form.

"Don't lose the W-2, Okay? You're going to need that to file your taxes next year. I also talked to the ADA about the charges, and she thinks we can make a deal. We're scheduled to go before Judge Morrison next Friday if we can work something out. All the paperwork is ready,; we just need a few signatures". With that, Evie came in and shook hands, and hugged Gloria.

"Miss Ortiz, I need you to come with me for a few minutes to talk".

Uhh, Ohh.

"We'll leave the boys alone to get into trouble by themselves. Think you two can behave yourselves?".

"Yes, dear,", said Daniel. With a bewildered look on her face, Gloria got up and followed Evie.

I was not bewildered; I was worried. But Daniel told me don't sweat it. Just 'girl talk'.

Then he started.

"What's going on with Gloria? Where are you two? Is it serious? It sure looks like it, and you aren't some Casanova to trifle with her affections, Jack. You're too nice a guy. And she is nuts about you. You may not see it, but everybody else does. So have you said anything to her yet?".

Wait a minute, I'm supposed to be a police detective. And it appears I'm the only one in the dark.

"We just broached the subject this afternoon. She was kind of on top of it. Me, not so much. But I'm catching up quickly".

"Uhh, HUH," my brother-in-law said.

"Listen, Jack, when you got married to Lauren, your sister, me, your brothers and even your folks had grave misgivings about it. We thought she was spoiled, narcissistic, and untrustworthy. She flirted with everything and everyone. But you didn't see it. You were in love. So we kept quiet and didn't say anything. Big mistake on our part. Not this time".

"WHY? What's wrong with Gloria? She's cute, a good mother, feisty, strong-willed, and she appears to be as honest as the day is long".

"That's exactly right. She is the exact opposite of your first wife. You should have met her the first time. Instead, you made a mistake. We aren't going to let you make this mistake the opposite way and lose her. Understand?".

He did. His brother-in-law was right.

"So what do I do? I think I like her a lot. Hell, she's the best thing that has happened to me in over a year. I may even love her. But I'm having trouble getting close to her. I want to, but she is so withdrawn at times that it's fucking hard".

Daniel looked at the guy he considered a little brother. He saw the turmoil and agony in his soul. But it was tough love time.

"Jack, I believe if your brothers and your dad were here, they would tell you the same thing I'm going to tell you. You've got to put yourself out there. You've GOT to talk to her and tell her in no uncertain terms how you feel and what you want. You're always saying she keeps saying she doesn't know what it is you want. Tell Her, for God's sake!! The ball is in your court, as they say".

Just then, the girls came back in. Evie has a huge grin on her face and looked very proud of herself.

Gloria, on the other hand, had only one expression-STUNNED! You know those pictures, sort of like anime, of the children with the cute faces and the eyes twice as big as their heads?? That was her. Her mouth was opened slightly and she was breathing deeply. Evie led her to the other-facing chair and helped her to sit down, next to me. Then she went and sat in the paralegal's seat on Daniel's right side, crossing her ankles very primly, and grinned even wider. Daniel took it all in and smirked.

"Well, how did it go?". He was talking to Evie, but she just shook her head and gestured to Gloria. So he turned to Gloria and, in his best lawyer tone, said, "Ms. Ortiz? Is everything satisfactory??".

"Yeah,' I thought, 'Is everything satisfactory?? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??'.

Gloria shook herself, turned, and seemed to notice everyone for the first time. Then she looked at me and smiled that smile. The one I hadn't gotten all that much, but hope to get a whole lot more. I've heard it referred to as 'a woman's best smile'.

She finally took a breath and said, "I've got a job", in a voice so low I barely heard her. But that's okay because she repeated herself about four decibels louder- "I'VE GOT A JOB!!". She launched herself at me and hugged me and smothered me in kisses.

O.K., I guess she likes me a little bit. Or maybe I'm just the closest person.

A job! My attractive young friend has a job. She was babbling and running her words together and I couldn't understand a thing. Evie laughed and told her 'slow down, sweetheart'.

Then Evie took over.

"Gloria was offered a job as a junior office assistant. Typing, filing, and running errands, to and from the courthouse for document filing, and miscellaneous about town. She had taken a typing/keyboarding course in high school and did quite well. She is also bi-lingual, a definite plus. She is personable and according to her work history, punctual". Evie snickered and said she managed to get her former employer to give her a good recommendation.

"In return, we told him that no government agencies had interest in his business. Small leverage".

"And I will make $14.50 an hour to start, 40 hours a week," she beamed.

I grinned. "That's wonderful, sweetheart. I'm very proud of you". She returned the grin and grabbed my hand and kissed my fingers.

Evie continued, "She starts bright and early Monday morning. We talked to mom and she will take her shopping for some suitable attire for the office tomorrow, after you get your sorry-ass back to work. Now, go get your children and take a little downtime. You've earned it".

We were dumbfounded. There is no other way to describe it. We rose and thanked my sister and brother-in-law. Thank we left.

When we got in the truck (I held the door for my lady, like any gentleman should.) I sat and took a deep breath. There needs to be a conversation. But as I turned to Gloria, the need evaporated. She launched herself at me. She was almost completely over the full console, partially straddling my lap and inhaling my mouth and tongue while mauling my upper body.

I couldn't help myself (alright, I didn't try very hard) and soon we were both attacking each other. Then she broke contact and breathlessly said, "And do you know what was even better??".

"NO, but I have a hunch you're gonna tell me".

"You called me SWEETHEART!!. You never called me sweetheart before".

She renewed her assault and finally wound down, snuggling into my lap and breathing heavily.

"I love you, Jonathan Stone. I will spend the rest of my life reminding you just how much. I will never treat you the way the bitch did, and we will never speak of her again. Understood?? You are mine from this day forward".

I studied her face. "Not so fast".

Her face went from ecstatic joy to utter horror in point 3 nanoseconds. The happiness left her in an instant. Maybe I went too far, but I had to make this clear from the beginning. We were equal partners in this. I felt the same way about her and she needed to know this. So, at least I had her attention. Besides, I had seen her fire and brimstone act before, and it had been directed at me. I had this.

(Oh, silly boy. It's been nice knowing you.)

I looked her square in the eye as I could see her drawing away from me, emotionally. She was still ensconced on my lap and holding me tightly. But we were at an impasse.

I started. "Gloria, you are a force of nature. A woman to be reckoned with. I have been trying to figure out what you meant to me. Then it dawned on me. You are my end. My be all and end all. You complete me. You shore me up, and you 'fixed' me. You just didn't know it. I didn't know it. But I wasn't sure about you, from a loving standpoint. Then I realized that I have loved you from the minute you yelled at me in the supermarket. I was just too blind to see it. We can thank you know who for that. What I am trying to say, is, ..... 'Gloria Maria Sanchez Ortiz, will you do the honor of marrying me and become my wife?' I will love you and cherish you forever more and....." I never got any farther and was really proud of what I had composed, on the spur of the moment, to say to her, but she proceeded to beat me with her little fists and devour my tonsils and tongue again. After a few moments, she broke, breathing hard.

"YOU BASTARD!! You scared the living day lights out of me. I thought you were gonna dump me, or say we should just be friends. DON'T YOU EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!! UNDERSTAND??".

I stared at her. "Yes, dear. So is that a yes??".

She fixed me with the dumb shit look. If you're married, you know the one. Then she went back to trying my virtue and trying to take out my spleen, liver, and various internal organs-through my throat.

Finally, she came up for air.

"O.K, some ground rules. Because you were so mean to me, we will not sleep together till our wedding night. I will have a nice, small wedding, in the church, and we will honeymoon in Bermuda. I've always wanted to go to Bermuda. And I want at least two more children, yours. Is that understood?".

I figured I would push this a little further.

"Yes, dear. You still haven't said yes or no".

Again, the dumb shit look. Then the lip lock maneuver again. When she broke it again she smiled at me. Again, her best smile.

"Yes, sweetheart. With all my heart, yes. A thousand times, yes. How's that?".

"I guess so", I grinned.

"Thank you", she purred and resumed her assault on my virtue. She was making this awfully hard (Pun intended) and I finally managed to extricate myself from her embrace and start the truck. We left to get her kids (not ours, yet). We discussed engagement rings, but I told her I had a few things to iron out first.

Epilogue

As they left, a svelte exotic vixen strode across the lobby of the Double Tree Hotel at the Intercontinental Airport, just outside of Houston and approx. 35 miles south of Conroe, Texas. She smiled to herself as she approached the dining room. She was looking forward to a night of debauchery and sexual excess. As she inspected the potential 'victims' for the coming night's festivities, she thought to herself, 'There you go, Jonathon, you're falling in love'. Karma smiled and blew a kiss to a young man at the bar. 'Maybe', she thought.