Taking Aim

That's because he wasn't being patronizing. He just knew things his son couldn't yet know. Yes, it was a noble idea, but it would effectively change his life, and not necessarily in a good way for someone that age.

Will, Sr., and his wife, Janice, weren't looking forward to raising another child, but this was their duty, and by God, they were going to do it to the best of their ability. Brandon would come to his senses once he realized how impossible this was with the understanding he would be welcome to visit and spend as much time with Isabella as he liked, but only when he wasn't competing.

So, no, he simply couldn't let his son do that to himself no matter how noble an idea it might be.

Brandon was on the phone making numerous calls and made two trips to two different government buildings before he finally found his niece, and then he'd had to prove his relationship to Isabella before being granted a thirty-minute, supervised visit with her.

When they brought her into the room where he was waiting, it was all he could do not to cry as she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck and started crying herself. Her little eyes were puffy and swollen from having cried most of the time since being brought there, according to the social worker in charge of her case.

"I...want...my...Mommy, Uncle Brandon!" the little girl choked out one word at a time.

"I know, sweetie," he told her as he held her close. "But I'm here now, okay?"

"Where's my mommy and my daddy?" she asked without having heard his comment.

He gently pulled her arms off of his shoulders and set her on his lap. He took her little hands in hers then said, "Well, your mom and dad are..."

He looked at the heavyset social worker then back at his niece and said, "In heaven."

Not understanding, she asked, "You mean like a anjull?"

"Yes. Well, kind of, sweetie. Yes, like...an angel."

"So can they come and get me and take me to our house now?" she asked, her eyes still full of tears.

Brandon gently put a hand on her little red cheek then said, "No. I'm sorry, sweetie. They can't come and take you home. But...I will. I promise."

"Then can you take me to go see them?" she asked as sweetly and hopefully as her ragged breath would allow.

Brandon exhaled slowly, drew another breath then said, "Not right away, honey."

"Soon?" she asked as her little brain tried to find some way to reunite herself with her parents.

"We'll see," was all he could think to say.

In fact, he had very little else to say for the remaining 25 minutes, so he sat there just holding her and rocking her back and forth as her tiny body shuddered as she sobbed off and on before finally falling asleep just before their time was up.

Handing her to the social worker was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he vowed it wouldn't be for long.

"You can come back tomorrow for another visit," the woman said quietly as she took Isabella from him.

"I will. And I'll bring my parents with me," he told her.

"If they have the appropriate documentation with them, we can allow her to attend the memorial service for her parents," the woman replied. "But I will have to go with her until a judge awards them custody."

It was all so cold and impersonal, and that caused Brandon almost as much hurt as having to give his niece back to her. He couldn't help but think, for the first time in his life, what it was like for every child in any state system, waiting to be adopted and loved; or how many had given up hope over the years knowing they were considered 'too old' and would never have a real family.

For the first time since he was maybe eight or nine, Brandon cried once the woman left with his niece who was, mercifully, fast asleep. It didn't last long, but between being jet lagged and the grief for his older brother and his sister-in-law along with his concerns for Isabella, it was too much to hold in. Thankfully, he was by himself, all alone in that small, uninviting room, and able to let it all out for a minute or so.

He took several deep breaths as he dried his eyes. He glanced at his watch and saw it was only noon, but he felt like he'd been up for days as he headed to the parking lot unable to get the image of Isabella's tear-stained face out of his mind.

He tried laying down when he got 'home' but still couldn't sleep. At two o'clock he headed for Sea-Tac airport and waited for his parents to get in.

Their flight was 30 minutes late arriving, but the first thing they wanted to do after hugging their son and picking up their bags was to go see their granddaughter.

Brandon's father had all of the documentation necessary for them to be able to spend up to four hours a day with their grandchild, and to take her to the memorial service for her parents—with supervision. After presenting it, they went to the same room where Brandon had visited earlier and waited.

"Grandpa!" Isabella called out as soon as she saw him.

The social worker set her down and the little girl ran to him. He scooped her up and spun her around as he kissed her on the cheek several times before handing her to his wife who somehow managed not to cry.

"I am so glad to see you, Isabella!" her grandma said as she held her.

"Grandma? Can you take me to heaven? Uncle Brandon doesn't know the way," she informed the older woman very matter of factly.

Her husband saw his wife finally tear up as she looked at her husband with a 'what can I possibly say' kind of look. Will knew the answer so he just reached over and took his granddaughter back.

"Come here, sweet pea!" he said as they both pretended she hadn't asked a question, knowing there was no answer that could possibly satisfy a four-year old girl too young to understand the permanency of death.

Once their time was up, Brandon and his father headed to the courthouse just before it closed to inquire about the requirements to adopt Isabella while Janice went back to the house. The woman they spoke to advised them to get an attorney who could then petition the court for a custody hearing and then go from there.

By noon the following day, they'd hired a lawyer who specialized in that area. After paying his upfront fee, he assured them he'd take care of things and keep them informed at every step of the way.

After another long visit with Isabella and during dinner that evening, Brandon's father brought up the issue of adopting Isabella. He did his best to gently persuade his son to 'do the right thing' and let him and Brandon's mother adopt their granddaughter. Will, Sr., made every possible argument he could think of as his wife chimed him, pleading with her son to be reasonable.

"No. I want to do this," he told them adamantly for the fourth time. "You two deserve your time as empty nesters, and I love Isabella just as much as you do. And as you told me, you guys can visit and help out as much as you like."

After telling their son that the empty nest thing was no reason for him to take on that kind of responsibility, all to no avail, they tabled any final decision after agreeing to sleep it again for a few more days. But Brandon already knew that nothing on earth would stop him from raising his brother's child. No, he didn't have a wife, but plenty of single parents did great jobs raising children, and this was just more incentive for him to really start looking for someone to love who'd also love this precious little girl.

He had no idea who that might eventually be, but he was now absolutely certain she wouldn't be anything like Becky or any of the other mindless bimbos he'd bedded over the years. And it was with that thought that he finally fell laid down in the wee hours of the morning.

The last time he'd been to Seattle, it had been been in mid-November. It was now nearly the end of May, and although there were a lot of white, puffy clouds in the sky, it was nothing like the dull, gray, leaden skies he'd seen day after day during his previous visit.

Unable to sleep, he was back up at 4am, and after a cup of coffee and trying to watch the news, he went out for a long walk around 4:30. He got back right at six o'clock, and to his very pleasant surprise, he saw Jaycee step out of her house.

She looked at him for a moment then smiled once she made out his face in dim light of the street lamp.

"Brandon? Is that you?" she asked as she walked toward him.

"Yes. Yes, it is," he said as he held out his arms to embrace her.

"I thought you were Will and was just going to say hello. I haven't seen him or Donna for a few days and was surprised to see him out so early."

It was obvious she hadn't heard so Brandon let go of her then said, "My parents are here, too, and I'm afraid I have some very bad news."

As he explained, Jaycee's hand covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

"Oh, my God," she said quietly as Brandon let her know what happened.

"But Isabella is okay? She wasn't hurt?" Jaycee asked.

"No. She's fine. Physically, anyway. She's just too young to understand, you know?"

"Oh, that poor thing!" she said before instinctively throwing her arms around Brandon again and telling him how very sorry she was for him.

"Thank you, Jaycee," he told her. "I'm just glad my parents are here, you know?"

"What can I do?" she asked as she lowered her arms.

"Well, if you're headed to work, you should get going. But perhaps we could talk later this evening if you'd like. At Will and Donna's place," Brandon suggested to avoid another confrontation with her husband.

"Oh, absolutely. Yes. Without doubt. What time would be best?" she asked with genuine concern.

"We're all out of kilter from the time changes, with me be completely out of whack."

He mentioned having been in Australia when he heard the news, but didn't say anything about darts let alone having won.

"Well, I...I live alone now, so you'd be welcome to come to my place if that's better," she offered.

"Oh. I...I didn't know that," he said.

Before he could politely ask any questions, Jaycee cut him off.

"I am headed to work, and I really need this job and can't afford to be late, but I'm really glad you told me, and again, I am so, so sorry, Brandon. And please give my condolences to your parents, would you?"

"Yes. Of course," he said.

"All right. Well, I do have to run, but please do stop by tonight, okay? Anytime."

"I will. And thank you, Jaycee."

"Oh, of course. I just feel sick about all this, and especially for that sweet little girl!" she said as she got ready to get in her car.

Brandon waved as she backed out, and only then did it really register that she mentioned living alone. In spite of all the grief and sadness, he was still able to feel happy for her even without knowing the details of how this change had come to pass.

By the time his parents were up and around, Brandon had forced himself to eat breakfast along with another cup of coffee, and he offered to make them something. They accepted and he whipped up some pancakes feeling a twinge of guilt about using anything he needed knowing who'd bought it and how it got there.

The mood was quiet but not quite somber as they ate until the funeral came up. Just the thought of it caused Janice to excuse herself as she felt another round of tears coming on. Once she left, Brandon asked his father how she was really doing.

"Surprisingly well, considering," he told her. "I swear I'd be lost without her."

He then asked his dad who deflected and said to his son, "Tell me how you're doing."

"You may not know the movie Dazed and Confused, but that's how I feel and not because of being stoned like like the slackers in the movie."

"I've heard of it," his dad said as he tried to laugh. "And I understand. That's a pretty good description of what this is like."

"I uh, I ran into Jaycee this morning," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh, right. The neighbor lady. How is she?"

"She was pretty upset when I told her why I was back, and she said to tell you how sorry she is."

"That's very considerate of her," his dad said.

His mom came back in and asked, "Who's that?"

"Jaycee. The woman next door," her husband said.

"Oh, right. The very pretty blonde. The one who's husband gets physi..."

Janice stopped talking and instead asked what she'd missed.

"Brandon said she sends her condolences. That's all, honey."

"She told me she's living alone now," Brandon told them both.

Janice raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, from what Will and Donna told me, that's probably for the best. I could never put up with any of the things they told me he did to her."

Brandon had a pretty good idea what his mother meant but didn't say a word.

They had a 10 o'clock meeting with their attorney then planned to go visit Isabella and after that visit with Donna's parents to make sure everything was ready for the memorial service.

The good news was Isabella was cleared to go to the funeral, if that could be called 'good' news, and their lawyer informed them a judge would see them the day after the service. He told them that if all went well, she could be released into their temporary custody that very day.

Giving her to Brandon, however, was a different matter. That was possible, but the judge would need to interview him in some detail before he'd even consider awarding temporary custody to him. And it would require both grandparents giving their consent.

All in all, it sounded like Isabella would be leaving state care one way or the other after the hearing. The only unresolved issue would be who would get temporary custody, and everyone could live with that as long as their little girl was with family.

After a long day of coming and going they got home around 6pm, and Brandon noticed Jaycee's car was back in the driveway next door.

"Jaycee asked me stop by to talk so if you don't mind I'm gonna head straight over there and then I'll be back a little later," Brandon said as they pulled into the driveway.

"Oh, sure. And please tell her 'hello' for us," his dad asked.

Brandon assured him he would then got out and walked next door and rang the bell.

Jaycee opened it and smiled briefly then got more serious because of the reason Brandon was even there.

"Hi, Brandon. Please come in," she said almost formally.

The difference in the house wasn't amazing, but it was very obvious she'd cleaned everything up and it looked much nicer as he stepped inside and thanked her.

"Can I get you anything? Have you had dinner?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he told her. "We've been out most of the day and ate lunch 'on the road' and I'm just not hungry again yet."

"Some wine maybe?" she suggested.

"Um...sure. If you're having a glass."

She poured one for both of them then asked about Isabella. Brandon explained everything the attorney had said then let her know the memorial service was the following day.

"I would love to be there, but, well, my boss isn't exactly understanding about such things. If it isn't immediate family, then there's just no way he'd even consider letting me."

"No, I completely understand, Jaycee," Brandon told her.

"He's...he's a little too much like my soon-to-be ex-husband for my liking, but as I said, I really need this job."

"Please don't apologize, and I promise I won't ask about your almost ex-husband. I'll just say I found my one and only experience with him a bit...unsettling."

"Yes, I felt so bad for you. You were kind enough to help me with the groceries, and my husband talked to you like you were some kind of unwelcome intruder."

"That's no big deal. As long as you're okay, then I'm happy."

He saw the expression on her face and could see there was a lot of pain being masked.

"My entire life with him was...unsettling," she offered without prompting. "It was actually pretty nice in the beginning then started going downhill when his occasional drinking became a daily thing. That led to him being fired and that, in turn, caused him to drink even more. The last year or so was really unbearable."

Jaycee forced a bit of a smile then said, "I wanted to let you know, you were my inspiration for making him move out."

"What? Me?" Brandon asked having no idea what she meant.

"Yes. Seeing you at the tournament working so hard to pursue a dream was inspiring to me. And I realized I didn't have a dream beyond surviving each day."

He waited to see if she had more to say and in a moment he found out she did.

She looked at him, smiled almost sheepishly then said, "It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I think I might have had a kind of..."

Jaycee broke eye contact before finishing her thought.

"A kind of...crush on you."

She immediately said, "I know that's crazy, and I know it has to be almost...icky...to think about a woman my age thinking something like that, but..."

"Hey, hold on there," Brandon said, interrupting her. "I not only don't feel that way—at all—I'm actually very flattered."

"Really?" she asked just as sheepishly.

"Well, yeah. I mean, look at you. You're beautiful. And...sweet."

Jaycee smiled and thanked him.

Brandon, however, felt ridiculous for having used the word 'sweet' which implied he thought she'd said something nice, but not something he'd really enjoyed hearing, which he had. Very much so, in fact. 'Sweet' was just too...impersonal.

With so much else going on, he thought twice before explaining himself then out of nowhere his brain switched gears, and he blurted out, "I think I may have kind of felt the same way about you."

"Wait. You...you what?" she asked as she kind of shook her head as though she hadn't really heard him.

"I...I think I may have had a kind of crush on you, too."

"That's ridiculous!" she said in a way that told him she really meant that.

"Why is that so ridiculous?" Brandon asked, now not quite sure if he understood.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied. "I'm fort...I'm a lot older than you, and you're not only very young, you're very handsome. So it makes no sense for you to feel that way. About me."

"And yet I did," he told her. "And..."

Jaycee raised her eyebrows in anticipation of something more.

"And I..I guess I still kind of do," he told her. "Have a crush on you."

She smiled then told him, "That is so sweet of you to say!"

There was that word again. The 'how nice but forget it' word he'd just used.

"It isn't sweet," he heard himself say wondering how those words came out.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Jaycee replied as though she needed to apologize for something.

"No. It's not that," Brandon said. "What I mean is I wasn't being...sweet. I was being honest. And sincere."

"I...I don't know what to say," she told him.

Inside, she felt some kind of 'flutter' that surprised her while Brandon assumed she was letting him know his comment was now way beyond any good-natured teasing and highly inappropriate.

Were he not so all-consumed with Isabella and the memorial service and legal issues, he'd have said something like, "Say 'yes' to me asking you out," in response to her last comment.

Instead he told her, "I should get back..."

'Home' didn't sound quite right so he said, "Next door."

"Oh, sure. I'm sorry for keeping you so long," Jaycee told him apologetically.

"No, I enjoyed talking with you. Very much," Brandon assured her. "I just need to make sure everything's okay with my folks."

That sounded even worse than his 'sweet' comment. His parents didn't need their son to take care of them or even check up on them. It was just the first thing that came out of his mouth—like several other things he hadn't wanted to say but said anyway.

"I enjoyed it, too. I'm really sorry you're here under these circumstances, Brandon, but I am glad to see you again."

He smiled the best he could then said, "Yes. Same here."