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FF Short Story: A Simple Man   This is a sequel to my earlier short story "Mending Fences". It continues the reading of Bo's journal, only this time Nora finds it and picks up were Gabrielle left off. ************** Nora sat on the bed looking at the room in disarray. "God...do I have my work cut out for me!" With that, she began to pick up the shirts, socks, books and assorted toys.   The bedroom door opened, "Hey beautiful"   Nora turned around, "Hey handsome." She looked exasperated already.   "You sure you don't want to go with us?" Bo asked as he took her in his arms.   "No...you and the boys have a great time." she smiled as she kissed him, "It'll give me a great chance for a little spring cleaning." She looked around the room, "who'd have thought two little boys could tear apart a room so quickly?"   "Well, Matthew enjoyed his sleepover,"   "Yeah...and he'll enjoy the fishing trip too. What time do you have to meet Greg?"   "He and Stevie are ready now...you SURE you don't want to come?" Bo kissed her forehead.   "No...this is strictly a father/son get away."   "Me and my son...it's still such a rush for me...I mean...the past six months have been a dream. I have my son, my beautiful wife, this great house..."   "This messy great house" Nora added as she hugged Bo tightly, "You better get going." patting him on the back to urge him along.   "You're right...the sooner I go, the sooner I get to come back to you" He kissed her deeply, "God I love you Red!"   "I know...I love you too." She smiled.   "I am so happy!" Bo yelled back as he headed down the stairs.   "I know" Nora answered quietly, "me too."   It took a little over an hour to get Matthew's room straightened. After a light lunch, Nora decided to tackle hers and Bo's room. There were still so many boxes in the closet they kept putting off going through.   Nora walked into the closet and unstacked the boxes. She opened the one that had been on the bottom of the stack marked 'Bo's' "This looks like a good one to start with." She carefully removed the assorted pictures and plaques. Pictures of Matthew that Nora had given him over the years, hand made pictures Matt had given Bo. Nora soon got to the bottom of the box. She saw something that looked to be a picture frame wrapped in a pillow case. She took it out and unwrapped it.   "Bo...a journal?" she looked at the book.   She flipped through the pages. Older entries. She scanned through them, he had obviously started the journal after it was first known Matthew was Sam's. Nora read the words neatly written. Tears flooded her eyes as she read her husband's powerful words. "Oh Bo..."   She settled onto the bed and continued to read.   Red...how can I help you? All the proof in the world that you were acting in self defense against McIver doesn't seem to help you. If I could just take you away from it all. Take you to a place where you and I could be alone, were we could reconnect. Red, I swore to live my life in the shadows, but watching you fall apart, beating yourself to a pulp, it's killing me. I want to hold you, I want you to know it's going to be alright, that I am here for you, but you want nothing to do with me. I know I promised to stay out of your affairs, but I cannot live like this. I need you Red, how I wish you needed me.   Nora closed the book momentarily, to allow the words to sink in, "Bo...why didn't you come to me? If you would have told me these things..maybe...just maybe we wouldn't have wasted so much time."   She opened the book and began to read again.   How stupid can my own father be?? How stupid? It's a wonder Clint and I made it too adulthood with the great Asa Buchanan as a father! Trying to frame Max and Gabrielle for his murder, all the while hiding out. Nora would have seen right through this. Nora. Saw you today Red. How I wanted to go to you and tell you this whole ridiculous business! We coulda had a laugh over a buger! Once I realized what that crazy old man was up to, I wanted to share it with you. I find myself at this crossroads constantly, but then I see you with Matthew and Sam, so happy, and I snap back to what I have.   Well, this whole business with Gabrielle, its going to burn the old man good. Me and his "ex" shackin up. There's nothing to it though, I swear to you Red, it's you I want to be with, but reality sneaks up and reminds me there is no chance. I love you Red.   Oh Red...I see your pain. I swear to you, Lindsay will pay for this. She will pay for Sam's murder. She will pay for what she did to you and to Matthew. Matthew. A boy without a father, and me, a father without a son, I am so sorry Red.   My love, I am tormented having to watch you in such pain. I am so sorry you had to suffer at the hands of yet another McIver. Never again. Never again will anyone hurt you. I don't care if Gabrielle approves or not, I am making it my personal quest to make sure you and Matthew never hurt again. I swear that to you.   MATTHEW IS MY SON!!! MATTHEW IS MY SON!!! Something I knew in my heart forever!! That incredible little boy is mine and yours Red!! He is the baby we so desperately wanted!! My heart feels it could explode! How I wanted you to stay today! I wanted to hold you and celebrate! Our son!! I can never forgive Gabrielle for trying to keep this from me! You and I...we are reconnected! We have a son!! I am making a solemn promise to be everything that little boy ever needs. I will take care of him, love him, watch him grow and smile with pride that I have a son with the love of my life! Oh Red...how I want to tell you what is in my heart! I love you Red!! I love you so much! I would do anything to be able to tell you this!   The tears were streaming from Nora's eyes as her heart felt every emotion Bo had pain stakingly penned over the months and years. From extreme saddness, to guilt and despair to the opposite end of the spectrum, hope and happiness. All written with the underlying message of undying love. "I love you so much Bo."   Before Nora knew it, she had past four hours reading the journal. She finished the closet, all the while, her eyes catching ag limpse of the journal placed on Bo's pillow.   Before long, she finished the boxes and found herself too exausted to go any further. She took a long hot bath and settled in for the night. She tossed and turned, always keeping an eye on the book next to her.   "Oh for heaven's sake!" she sat up, flicked on the light and opened the book, "Nora, you are terrible..." she reminded herself as she began to read.   This is crazy Buchanan! You just spent a great day with them and when you get the incredible chance, the very chance to seize the moment and tell Nora how you feel and what the hell do you do? You sweat, you panic and tell her it was fun? Fun? You jerk! It was there, at my fingertips! She looked so ready, so beautiful, she knew you wanted to tell her and you said it was fun! Stupid! Stupid! And so it continues...   Nora smiled. She knew just what he was writing about. The baseball game. It was true, she was just as ready and wanting to tell him that she loved him and she just stood there. "Jeez...could two people on the same page of the book be any further off the mark?" she laughed and opened the journal again.   I can't believe it! I haven't felt this great since I read that letter from Sam! She loves me! She actually said she loved me still! Can this be real? Can we actually have a second chance? I am going to do everything in my power to prove to her that she is my life, my heart, my soul! God I have waited so long to hear those words from her again and all the time apart seems to have been ages ago! Those four words "I love you Bo" I can die a happy man! (Don't hold me to that Big Guy....I am no were near ready to leave this wonderful planet!) Can I make it til the morning? I want to call you now Red! I want to say it again and again and again! I love you! Letting you go this evening was so difficult! Soon I will never have to let you go again! Soon we will be together every night and I can wake up to those beautiful loving eyes every morning!   I love you Nora Buchanan and I will never stop saying it   Nora looked at the clock, "One thirty..." she picked up the phone, "oh well" she dialed.   "Buchanan" the familiar voice grogily answered.   "Hey" she said quietly, "how's it going mountain man?"   "It's one thirty, Red" Bo reminded her.   "I know" she smiled.   "What's wrong?"   "Nothing...I miss you guys...how's Matt doing?"   Bo rolled over in bed and rubbed his eyes, "he is stuffed to the gills with smores and sleeping soundly in the yard"   "They did pitch the tent?"   "Yup...he and Stevie couldn't wait...hey" he said.   "Hey"   "I really wish you were here..." he whispered.   "I kinda wish I was there too" she ran her hand over the cover of the journal.   "I'd wrap my arms around you and kiss you"   "Really?" she questioned slyly, "just kiss me?"   "Oh no..." he smiled, "I'd kiss you after I made passionate love to you for the last three hours"   "What about Greg?"   "I don't want to kiss him" Bo replied.   "I should hope not...I mean...how could we make love for three hours with Greg there?"   "I'd ask you to walk with me out in the moonlight, I'd find a cozy place in the woods and throw down the blanket, spread out the sleeping bag and invite you to join me...then I would make love to you..."   "I want you..."   "You know...this is not fair..." he said.   "What's not fair?"   "You call me at one thrity, you sound so incredibly sexy, I miss you terribly, and then you tell me you want me...and I can't do anything but lay here, alone...thinking of you..."   "What are you thinking?"   "Trying to picture what you're wearing...imagining you smell like that very intoxicating scent of herbal shampoo and that lotion that gets me so turned on..."   "Well...I could help you...I'm wearing your tee shirt...and my hair is damp..." she could hear a quiet groan on the other end of the receiver, "and I just finished putting on lotion."   "You're killing me Red..."   "Bo..."   "Yeah..."   "I love you."   "I love you too...and I cannot wait til tomorrow night..."   "Me either...sleep now, you're not going to get to tomorrow night" she informed him.   "I'm not counting on it." he paused, "thanks for calling...I miss you."   "I miss you too...night"   "Night Red."   She hung up the phone and looked at the journal, "Not too many pages left..." She flipped the book to the final pages.   I'm going to ask you to marry me Red...whether you say yes or not...whether you say yes...of course you're going to say yes...   I said yes! She asked me to marry her! How perfect was it? Red...you never cease to amaze me! Filling my office with balloons...having Matt give me this incredible simple note 'Marry Us?' "Us"...we are a family...you and me and Matt...me dream has finally come true. I can't believe all the hurdles, all the obstacles...all the mistakes...all just vanished...with two simple words... We have a wedding to plan! ********* Nora woke the next morning with the journal on her chest, "Must have fallen asleep..." she sat up and stretched, "better put this back." she looked at the book, "Oh hell...I have to finish it"   She turned to the end of the book.   I can't believe I am at the end of this book. As I look back over the earlier entries, I cannot believe how my life has chnaged. What started out as an exercise in overcoming the worst mistake of my life has become a learning experience that has made me appreciate everything I have been given, has taught me to never take anything for granted. Once upon a time, I thought I'd never smile again, that my heart would remain frozen in time, grieving for a love that I foolishly threw away. It has come full circle. And I am eternaly grateful. Thank you, for prayers answered and new life breathed back into this simple man.   Nora closed the book and closed her eyes, "Nothing about you is simple Bo Buchanan, nothing." she sighed, "And for that, I am grateful." she smiled as she carefully wrapped the book and returned it to the box in the closet. ********   "MOM!!! We're home!!!" Matthew bounded into the house with more energy than he had when he left. Nora smiled as she hugged her son, "Boy did I miss you!"   "I brought you a present!" he carefully dug into his backpack and removed a small wrapped object, "It's a pine cone!" he presented it to her, his face beaming.   "Its lovely!"   "Stevie's Dad said if we put it in water, it will close up and then if we dry it, it will open all over again!" Matthew took the pine cone back, "I'm gonna go soak it!" he ran off to the kitchen.   Nora looked at Bo, who was standing in the door way, looking very tired. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, "You look exhausted" she traced her finger around his lips.   "Well...seeing that I was up til past three..." he smiled.   "Couldn't sleep?"   "You tell me..." he kissed her.   "I couldn't either...just couldn't get comfortable without you..."   "I know the feeling..." he kissed her again, "I better go unpack the car before I end up doing something that could preoccupy me for quite a long time."   "Oh...I like your thinking..." she ran her fingers through his hair.   "Tonight" he kissed her again, leaving an impression of what the night would bring, "...help me with the car?"   "If I must..." she watched as he walked out of the house, "nothing at all simple about you Bo...nothing at all." she smiled as she followed him out to the car.   The End.