Chapter 61

By the time I gotten all the details for the money to be wired, caught a cab, and arrived back at The Plaza, I had thought through the things Doctor Abrams shared and his confidence that he could help Jennifer. The whole idea of helping save that child gave me a sense of accomplishment like I'd never felt before.

Maybe I was deluding myself by thinking God used my death and transfer into Brian's body to save Jennifer, but it gave me comfort and hope. Those were two things in short supply in my life.

Until I had my epiphany the night before, I hadn't realized how "stealing" Brian's body had eaten at me. I now found peace with the explanation that unless these things occurred exactly as they had, Jennifer would have died an early death. That made enough sense and appealed to my romantic nature - even if it was only a "designer explanation," made only for me, as Doctor Abrams would say.

Mr. and Mrs. Bell were watching TV in the living room when I returned. They immediately turned it off and asked if I had any news about Jennifer. Colleen came in to hear the news. It was a fun ten minutes as I described Doctor Abrams and his peculiar manner of speaking, his revelations about Jennifer's health, and how I'd responded.

When I finished, they had lots of questions, and I gave Mr. Bell the information I'd written down about the cost and where to have Josephine wire the funds. He pulled out his cell phone and texted the instructions, then called and walked her through them to be certain.

Mrs. Bell couldn't wait any longer. I could tell she was bursting to ask me something, and I suspected it was all about Colleen and me. She hovered around for a little while, then went for my juggler. "Brian, what were you, Rebecca, and Colleen up to the last two nights? I know she's grown up and independent, but I am still her mother, and I worry about you both."

Mr. Bell spoke before I could answer. "Millie, you leave Brian alone about his relationships. He is the finest young man I've ever met, and I dare say that our daughter, who you raised to respect decency and integrity, sees it too. If they are drawn to each other, then that's just fine, but you leave it be. I mean it."

He looked at me with such pride and said, "I don't know what the two of you, well, all three of you for that matter, are thinking. But I do know that my daughter has been terribly unhappy since you left on your boat trip and perked right up when she saw you again.

"As a father, the thing I want most is for my girl to be happy and safe. Well, I know you won't hurt her, because you're not wired for it, and if you make each other happy, then I am happy along with you.

"Millie is too. She doesn't know it fully - yet. She will." He smiled at Mrs. Bell, winked at me, and turned to address Colleen, who stood there looking shocked. "Colleen, you are truly my daughter. You love the same things about Brian that I love, so it is no surprise that you could find love with Brian.

"I'm going to tell you both a secret. Millie was fifteen when I asked her to marry me, and we – let's say – got a little head start on our wedding night." Mrs. Bell tuned bright red and tried to stop him from continuing, but he was on a roll. "We had to be circumspect about our relationship, but I never doubted for a second that she was the one I would spend the rest of my life loving.

"If you two find that, then your lives will be filled with the kind of joy we've shared since ... That afternoon, a nineteen year old lothario took advantage of a fifteen year old girl, pure as the wind driven snow, in her parent's basement on a lumpy old couch." They looked at each other like they couldn't wait to find that old couch and see if it would just as good today.

"Just be good to each other, and be careful about how you behave outside, where people could take things the wrong way. Colleen has a lot to lose if people start to make ugly accusations about her behavior. I love you both, and as long as you respect each other, I'm happy for you." They hugged like daddies and daughters. It was beautiful, and Mrs. Bell stood and joined the hug, whispering something softly into Colleen's ear that made her start to cry.

Mr. Bell extricated himself and clapped me on the shoulder, saying, "So what's the plan, son? Are we done here? Is it time to call back the jet people and go home? Because, I have to tell you, I thought it was cold in Branson, but this is insane. I can't wait to get home and warm up."

Everything was good. We had our relationship out in the open, even if we hadn't defined it yet, and Colleen's parents were fine with us being intimate. There was nothing to hide, and no reason to sneak, but having Mr. and Mrs. Bell's blessing felt awfully good.

"I'll call and get your jet arranged and let you know the details. I'm going to hang around for a little while and see how Jennifer's tests all come out. Mr. Bell, I don't have a passport. Everything of ours was destroyed when the cabin was burned down. How do I get one without a birth certificate?" It occurred to me that I couldn't be with her without a passport.

Mr. Bell thought for a moment, then opened his phone and speed dialed a number. When his call was answered he said, "Hello. This is Jim Bell, please connect me with Judge Jones' office, please ... Thank you."

"Julie, this is Jim Bell, Judge Jones asked me to call him directly if his office could help us with anything that popped up after things quieted down. Is the judge in today, and can he call me back at his leisure, please?

"Sorry? You said ... Yes. I'll be happy to hold. Thank you.

"Judge? This is Jim Bell. Yes. And how are you, sir? ... That's good to hear ... Yes I do. Brian needs a passport to see a doctor in Sweden, but everything he owned was burned when those people attacked us in Branson. How do we go about getting him re-documented and a passport?

"No sir. He is in New York seeing a specialist and staying at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

"Yes. I will tell him that ... Yes ... Ok ... Got it ... Yes sir. I will be waiting to hear from your clerk. Thank you very much...

"Bye, now. Have a great Holiday."

He turned to me and said, "Judge Jones says he will sign an order for passport control to issue documents by end of business, today. They will be delivered to the federal court, then messengered here to the hotel. You will have a passport and replacement documents in your hands by tomorrow afternoon.