The Promise of Christmas Future Read online

  "Maybe she knew you'd sue for custody if you did find out what she does," Blair pointed out.

  "She knew enough about your whereabouts to find you in Seattle." Jim reached over to rub Sam's shoulder. "Has Ian mentioned any place he's been?"

  "No. He said 'Mommy said to go to sleep, and I'll meet Daddy when I wake up, just like magic'." Sam sighed. "I didn't know what to do. Ian said he was hungry, so we went down to the vending machines to buy some crackers when some men started following us. I ditched them around the pool area. That's when I decided I should leave for Cascade early. Having them wave guns at us in the parking lot just reinforced it."

  Jim pondered for a moment. "He's mentioned 'Nana' a few times. What about Roxie's mother?"

  Sam shook his head. "Roxie's mom died when she was a teenager. I don't think she had any other family. Though he does keep asking for Nana."

  "'Nana' is Spanish for nurse or nanny," Blair pointed out. "It actually comes from the Aztec word 'Nantzin' which means 'mother'. Only a little kid can't say 'Nantzin' so it was changed to 'Nana'. In fact, that's where we get the word 'nanny' -- the Spanish picked it up from their Aztec servants who cared for their children."

  "Meaning?" Sam asked, his patience worn thin from fatigue.

  "Meaning that perhaps Roxie picked up a nanny in South America somewhere. It would explain why Ian knows some Spanish. Maybe if we could find Ian's 'Nana', we could get some answers."

  "Kinda hard to put out an APB on 'Nana'," Jim pointed out dryly.

  "Still it's a lead," Blair fired back.

  Then Jim raised a hand, his head tilted. Recognizing the sign, Blair and Sam paused as the sentinel listened. Then Jim smiled. "Seems Mac got another ride." Before either brother could form a question, Jim walked over and unlocked the door. "Hi Mac, Dalton."

  MacGyver and his pilot friend, Jack Dalton, walked into the loft. Mac smiled when he spotted Blair and Sam in the kitchen. "Hi, boys. Hope you don't mind I brought along a guest." Before Blair could greet Jack, Mac's eyes narrowed when he spotted the lump of the bandage beneath Sam's sleeve. "What happened to you?"

  "Daddy, can I play yet?"

  MacGyver stared first at the blond toddler then back at Blair. "Daddy?"

  Everything suddenly became too much for Sam. "Yes, he called me 'Daddy'. It's not like finding out about kids after the fact's never happened in THIS family before." Sam stormed out of the kitchen and onto the balcony.

  There was a moment of silence within the loft. Then Blair cracked, "I think he's out of shock now."

  Mac asked bleakly, "What just happened?"

  Blair clasped his father's shoulders. "I need to catch you up. And don't think I didn't notice you were looking at me first..."

  MacGyver pulled the balcony door open and stepped out into the cold, fresh air. His son was standing with his back resting against the bricks, staring out over the city. The strained face and the darkly circled eyes spoke volumes of how difficult the past day had been. Mac quietly walked over and leaned on a patch of brick next to Sam. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Can we start again?"

  "Sorry, Dad." Sam ran a hand over his face. "Didn't mean to take it out on you."

  "That's okay. I'm tough enough to take it." Mac waited.

  Finally, Sam started to speak. "I just don't know if I can handle this. I mean, I thought if nothing else, Roxie cared about me. I always thought we connected, you know? It hurts to think she'd drop this kind of bombshell on me and not have the guts to look me in the eye and explain. But then, I never thought she was murdering for a living, either. I feel so stupid, and now it's affecting someone else. I mean, I've always promised myself I wouldn't leave some kid out there to grow up without a father." Sam paused.

  "Like you had to," Mac asked softly.

  Sam continued to stare out on the city. "Yeah. Not that I blame you -- you didn't know. And I truly feel that if you had been taking care of me, there are a lot of people out there who wouldn't be out there anymore. You've done a lot of good, Dad."

  "Still made it hard on you."

  Sam shrugged. "Sometimes, especially after mom died. But I've done just what I promised myself I wouldn't do. There's a sweet little boy inside who hasn't had a father for the first two years of his life.

  "I mean, I just look into that trusting face and it hits me that Ian's depending on me. That it's up to me alone to make sure he's safe and clothed and fed, and that he learns what's right and what's wrong. Obviously, Roxie's pretty shaky on that last one. And the responsibility scares me, Dad. I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Yet I can't just hunt Roxie up and return him like a forgotten sweater. He deserves better than that. He deserves to be able to depend on his Daddy.

  "But I also have another great responsibility. I need to be there for Cory. He's depending on me to ground him and his senses. God, Dad, did you know that he was zoning for HOURS before we met? I don't even want to think what could have happened to him in that state. And I can only wonder if those lost hours did some damage that now results in his bad headaches. Hell, I was worried about him going back to D.C. on his own. And we have all these responsibilities that take us all over the world, trying to make our country safer for kids like Ian. But what am I going to do with Ian when Cory and I have to go somewhere? What we do can be dangerous, so I can't take him with me. Nor can I tell Cory he's just going to have to take care of himself while I stay with Ian -- he deserves a guide. What am I going to do?"

  Mac gently squeezed Sam's good arm. "You know what your problem is? You're not looking at all your options."

  "I'm not seeing any good options here, Dad."

  "How about the one standing right next to you?"

  Sam turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

  Mac squeezed his arm again. "Harry helped my mom raise me after my dad died. Now it's my turn to help you."

  "Dad, I can't ask you to do that. You have your own life, too."

  "And what better way to live it than to help raise my grandson? I didn't get the chance to watch you or Blair grow up. Let me be a part of Ian's childhood. Together, we can do this. There's certainly enough room at the firehouse for him, though we're going to have to put up a higher barrier around the pole and do some toddler-proofing. Phoenix has a great daycare center, and if we need to, we can see about hiring a nanny. Besides, Nikki keeps saying it's time I started slowing down a bit. We just have to coordinate our schedules. I'm also willing to bet Cory'll help, too."

  Sam simply stared at his father. "You're willing to do all that?"

  "You're my family. Of course I am." Mac pulled his son into a warm hug.

  Face buried in his father's neck, Sam mumbled, "Thanks, Dad."

  MacGyver smiled. "You're welcome."

  As they reentered the loft, a high-pitched "Weeeee!" reached their ears. Puzzled, Mac followed Sam to where the blond toddler gleefully declared, "Do again, Unca Bear!"

  "Is there any more under there?" Blair asked as he took the two slim cases. The boy nodded eagerly. "Okay, let's get them."

  Ian chuckled as he dropped to his belly. Sam lifted an eyebrow at Jim and Jack. Jack was sitting in the armchair with a beer as Jim fixed the broken shelf. "Ian's getting the CDs that slid under the couch," Jack explained.

  "Figured since he scattered them, he might as well help pick up," Jim added.

  The giggling voice called out from under the couch, "Got 'em!"

  "Here we go!" Blair answered as he grabbed the small feet sticking out. He slid the boy out along the smooth wood floor on his belly as the high voice squealed 'weeeee!' again.

  Standing up, Ian spotted Sam. "Look, Daddy! I'm 'elping!" He raised the CD cases for his father to see.

  "He's helping a lot," Blair added proudly, tousling the curls.

  "Good boy," Sam praised him, dropping to one knee. "Come over here a minute, Buddy."

  Mac felt his heart twist as the boy picked up a teddy bear and ran to Sam. Harry had always called him 'Bud'. Feeling as if his life had come full cir
cle, the older man knelt next to Sam as his son wrapped his good arm around the toddler. "Ian, I want you to meet somebody." Ian looked up to Mac shyly, his finger finding its way to his mouth. "This is your Grandpa MacGyver."

  Ian tilted his head to the side. "Gampa my eye?"

  Mac gave him a warm smile. "You can call me Grandpa Mac."

  "Gampa Mac?"

  "Grandpa Mac is going to help me take care of you," Sam explained.

  Brown eyes grew huge. "Weally?"

  "Really," Mac answered.

  Ian shoved his teddy bear in front of him. "This is Tubby."

  "Hi, Tubby," Mac greeted, shaking a furry paw.

  Studying the tall man, Ian asked, "Do you tell stories?"

  "Sure I do." Mac held out his hands. "Would you like to hear some stories?" Ian nodded and climbed into his grandpa's arms.

  3:45 pm, Mountain Standard Time, Denver International Airport, Denver, CO

  Cory turned sideways to avoid the three teenaged boys darting down the concourse in the opposite direction. He hated plane travel during the Christmas holidays, even before his senses heightened. Now the crowd and the accompanying noise and smells threatened to overwhelm the sentinel. Only by concentrating on the fact that his guide needed him kept Cory from succumbing to the pressure around him.

  When he reached the boarding area for the flight to Cascade, he checked the display. Estimating that he had about ten minutes before finding out if he had a seat, Cory leaned against a pillar and closed his eyes a moment. With the holiday rush, he was having to travel on standby. The only reason he was even on the list was that one of the managers of Denver International Airport had recognized him when he had exited the plane from D.C. Apparently, the woman had been impressed with the consulting work Sam and he had done for DIA. When she heard that Sam was in trouble in Washington state, she pulled a couple of strings. Now he could allow his thoughts to drift.

  Sam was a father. His messy, laid-back, junk food junkie partner was a father. It was enough to boggle the mind.

  Someone had shot at Sam. Sam and his son had nearly died last night. If Jim and Blair hadn't have reached them in time, he would have lost his guide. The very thought scared Cory to the core. Life without Sam in it now was unimaginable. His pragmatic presence grounded him in so many ways since they'd met. Both Sam and his father had been his lifeline the past few months.

  Now there was a new person in the mix. A small smile creased Cory's face. He loved kids. Between his younger siblings and the teaching he did at the dojo, he probably had more experience with young ones than Sam had. He was looking forward to meeting the little boy.

  Upon hearing his name announced from the desk, Cory stood up and joined the other lucky standbys to get his boarding pass. He then walked to the gate. A few minutes later, he sat in the aisle seat and tucked his laptop under the seat in front of him for takeoff. He grabbed a map and his Martial Arts Today magazine to examine during the flight.

  The strong scent of sage waffered over him. "Excuse me." Cory looked up to see a woman smile at him. "I have the seat by the window."

  Cory politely stood up. Seeing her huge bag, he helped her place it in the overhead bin, then allowed the slim redhead to pass him to her seat. From the few small wrinkles, he gauged her age to be over forty-five, though he suspected she might be older than she looked. As she sat down, she gushed, "I am so glad to have made this flight. I didn't plan on going to Cascade until the last minute."

  "Me, neither," Cory replied as he buckled his seat belt. He opened the map.

  The woman leaned over to look at the folded paper. "Your first time to Cascade?"

  "Yes. I had planned to spend Christmas in D.C., but something unexpected popped up." Like having your partner and best friend get shot at.

  The woman nodded her head. "I hear that. Nothing like having the unexpected pop up when everyone else is trying to get someplace else. But then, I don't think I could have anticipated this. My son's half brother by his father suddenly found out he has a son." She laughed lightly, a musical tone that soothed Cory's mind. "Just the thought of Blair, his brother, and his partner having to deal with a toddler told me I should pay them a visit, holidays or no. They're all bachelors, you see. Blair didn't even know what to feed the little tyke."

  Cory was nodding along until everything she had said finally caught up in his head. "Wait a minute, Blair Sandburg?"

  The redhead gave him a huge smile. "Why, yes. Do you know my son?"

  Cory returned the smile. He had heard about Blair's mother. "I've met him. Sam's a good friend of mine."

  Clasping her hands together, she exclaimed, "What wonderful karma! You're going to meet Sam's new little boy, too?"

  Figuring that came pretty close, Cory nodded. He held out his hand. "Cory Buchanan."

  "Naomi Sandburg. You can put away that map, by the way. I can get us to Jim's place."

  Cory smiled as he tucked the map away. He had a feeling this was going to be an interesting flight.

  Ellison's loft

  Jim watched as Blair showed Ian how to stay within the lines of the coloring book with a marker. The pair were sprawled across the rug in front of the fireplace, the book filled with line drawings of teddy bears between them. Personally, he thought his partner was being a little optimistic that the small boy could learn the skill at such a young age. Then again, considering the brain power within the MacGyver family, perhaps he could. Noting that Sam's shower had shut off, Jim visually checked on Mac, who was using his cell phone on the balcony.

  Jack joined him by the counter, two beers in his hand. He handed one to Jim. "Quite a turn of events we have."

  "That's putting it mildly."

  "Yeah, I remember Sam telling me about Roxie and Mexico." Jack paused to take a drink from the bottle. "That little gal broke his heart."

  Jim turned to him. "He told you? He didn't say a word to Blair or Mac."

  Jack shrugged. "It was just after Blair's little swim with the fishes. Sam didn't want to burden them with it on top of all that was going on. He's too much like his dad that way. But we had a little down time there in Wyoming when he was still hurting, so he spilled it to me. I've played Father Confessor before when he didn't want to worry Mac." After watching Ian rub the marker in the book, he asked, "Are we sure the boy's Sam's?"

  "As sure as we can be without a blood test." Jim took a sip from the bottle. "Sam's listed as the father on the birth certificate."

  "Well, that's something," Jack commented.

  "Yeah." Jim took another drink instead of mentioning the sentinel evidence.

  The balcony door opened. Mac stepped inside, rubbing his arms absently.

  Blair glanced up. "Raining yet?"

  "No, but it looks like it will soon."

  "Gampa, look!"

  Mac looked down at the picture, nodding. "That's looking good, Ian."

  Proud of himself, Ian's head dipped back down to the floor. MacGyver walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of green tea.

  "Catch Nikki?" Jack asked.

  "Yeah, and she's going to contact the lawyers to see what we need to do about custody." Mac glanced at his grandson worriedly. "I want to make sure we're ready in case Roxie decides it's 'her turn' again."

  Jim clenched his jaw. He had seen the results of too many custody battles gone wrong not to be concerned. "I'll have Taggart send you copies of his investigation. Roxie's chosen profession should count against her."

  "As long as she doesn't decide to use her skills on Sam." Mac was still frowning as he drank from the bottle.

  "What did Pete have to say?" Jack asked.

  "He'll arrange for the blood test." Mac punched his old friend's arm. "And that we're going to have a fun Christmas. We'll need to do some more shopping before the big day. I don't want Sam out in the crowds if we can help it."

  "I'm always up for spending your money, Mac," Jack chuckled.

  Mac noticed Jim's head tilt in his listening stance. He wasn't sur
prised when Jim walked to the door.

  "Hi, Jim," Joel Taggart greeted him, entering the door. He spied MacGyver and Jack in the kitchen. "Hi, Mac, Jack."

  "Hi, Joel." Mac walked over to shake his hand.

  Joel glanced into the living area, spotting Blair and the toddler. "How's it going?"

  "As well as can be expected," Jim replied.

  "Well, heads up. The suits have caught wind of it and are on their way over."

  Blair's head raised from the coloring book, frowning. Ian, catching the tension, sat up and put his finger in his mouth.

  "CIA, FBI, Interpol, or DXS?" Jim asked lightly, noticing they had caught the boy's attention.

  "Not sure, but somebody's excited."

  "Now? On a Sunday?" Jack asked.

  Joel shrugged. "Apparently, they've been trying to track down the Deadly Rose for years." Frowning, Mac pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

  Sam exited the bathroom, still towel drying his hair with one hand. Realizing it was too quiet, he looked up to see the serious faces. "What's up now?"

  "A rep from the Alphabet soup's on its way," Blair replied. He reached over to tousle Ian's curls. "Hey, Buddy, I think it's about nap time."

  "Don't wanna nap."

  "Still time for one," Sam countered, walking towards the boy with the intent of leading him to Blair's bedroom.

  "One thing first, if you don't mind, Sam." Joel shifted a bag he was holding. "I talked with my pastor, and there was an extra kid's coat left over from the Christmas baskets this year. Thought I'd see if Ian could wear it."

  Overwhelmed, Sam stared at him. "A coat?"

  "Told the pastor about your car blowing up. If you're spending any time in Cascade at all, the little fella's going to need one."

  Eyes huge, Sam replied, "Thank you."

  Two hours later, outside Ellison's loft

  Cory paid the cab driver as Naomi stepped out. Then he flipped the hood of his jacket over his head for protection against the cold rain. Glancing around, he noted that the building was on a rise facing the harbor. Jim must have a fantastic view. As he escorted Blair's mother to the doors, he eased the control of his hearing, searching for the voices of Sam and his family.