Once You'Ve Touched the Heart

by Iris Bolling

  “Any way I could get some of your attention?” James asked.

  “That could be arranged,” she answered, smiling. “Where are you?”

  “Heading to your place.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” she said, then hung up the phone. Martha stopped cooking and was watching her daughter. Ashley looked up. “What?”

  “That’s a very distinguished gentleman you are seeing.”

  Ashley blushed. “Yes, he is.”

  “Do you know what you are doing?”

  Ashley sat on the stool. She exhaled. “I don’t know, Mama, but I’m in too deep, now, to care.”

  “You are never in that deep. What are you expecting from this relationship, Ashley?”

  “I don’t expect anything, Mama.”

  “Why, is he married?”

  “No, he’s divorced.”

  “Does he have a family?”

  Nodding, Ashley answered, “A son, James Jr.”

  “Ashley, you are a young woman, he’s an older man. Are you sure you two want the same thing?”

  “I don’t know, Mama, we haven’t really talked about it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to rock the boat, you know what I mean?” Ashley replied.

  Martha sat down beside her daughter. “I saw his concern for you at the hospital, Ashley. Don’t sell yourself short here. I don’t think asking an important question is considered rocking the boat. You might be surprised by the answer.” Tracy walked down the steps hearing part of the conversation. She sat beside Ashley and waited.

  “Okay, go ahead; what do you have to say?” Ashley asked Tracy.

  Smiling, and shoving Ashley with her shoulder, Tracy answered, “I thought you would never ask. I think despite himself, James has fallen in love with you. He is probably gun shy from the first marriage, which did not go well. But I think you two can work through that.” They sat there for a moment in silence. “Can James really, you know, do the do?” Tracy asked grinning at Ashley.

  “Yes, he really can,” Ashley answered, laughing at the question.

  “I was just wondering. I mean James is a little older than us; can he hang all night?”

  “Oh, honey, age doesn’t matter with sex,” Martha bragged. “My James was still going strong and I do mean strong until the day he died.”

  “Mama!” Ashley squealed, “You and daddy? Oh, that is so nasty.”

  “What’s so nasty about it? How do you think you got here?”

  The doorbell rang. “Saved by the bell.” Tracy laughed as she went to the door.

  ♥

  Pastor Smith came by to visit with JD. The two discussed his future with Tracy. Pastor Smith suggested JD take this time to talk with Tracy about her family. It would be beneficial to know more about her family, but could be detrimental if he did not. If he had any intention of going into politics, her background would be looked into. Better to do it now than later.

  That night as they lay in bed talking, JD asked Tracy about her family. He could feel her body tense at the question as she became apprehensive and edgy. “Tell me about your family,” he said.

  “What do you want to know about them?” Tracy asked.

  “Anything you want to tell me,” he replied. She hesitated, so he pulled her closer. “Whatever you tell me will not change my feelings for you. I know the person you are, now, and I love everything about that person.” He kissed her forehead. “I just want to know how you became Tracy.” JD rubbed her temple as her head rested against his chest.

  Tracy exhaled. “I have a mother who doesn’t like me very much; a sister who I believe loves me; a brother who’s in prison, which you know about; and a sister who died when I was very young.”

  “What about your dad?”

  She sat up. “Why are you asking me all these questions about my family?”

  He pulled her back down to him, waited until she settled down, then said, “Because I love you and I need to know you trust me enough to tell me about your family. Besides, I need to know about my 12 children’s grandmother and aunt, don’t you think?” he said.

  She smiled. “Five children.”

  “Okay, nine, a baseball team; now you can’t argue with that,” he said as he kissed her.

  “Okay, I’ll have five, you have number six, and then I’ll have seven, eight and nine.”

  “Hmm, I will tentatively agree to that, but when the time comes for me to have number six I may need to renegotiate.” Tracy laughed. JD waited.

  “My dad used to drink a lot. When he did he always got loud and would argue with my mom. One day, something happened with my sister Joan, and she died. That’s when Turk left and Valerie was sent to live with my aunt, leaving me, my mom and my dad, whenever he came home.”

  JD held her a little closer; he had questions, but did not want her to stop talking so he remained silent and listened.

  “My dad came home angry one day.” She shifted her weight as if preparing for a major blow. “He was arguing with my mom. His voice was so loud, almost booming. He and my mom were still yelling when he came into the room and grabbed me.” JD could feel Tracy’s body trembling as if she was reliving the moment. He rubbed her head as she continued. “My mom was fighting him, saying don’t do this again. She hit him from behind, he hit her back and she fell backwards out of the room. He went to her. She sat up and yelled, ‘Close the door, Tracy, and lock it!’ I didn’t know what was going on, so I ran to my mom. My dad grabbed me, yelled and threw me back into the room.” Tracy hesitated as tears ran down her face. JD’s heart was breaking from her hurt. “The next thing I remember was hearing Turk and another man’s voice in the other room. Turk came in the room and took me over to the neighbor’s apartment. When I came back home, my mom was different. She wouldn’t talk to me and barely looked at me. The older I got the worse home became. She would always yell at me for no particular reason. She let me know that I ruined her life because my dad went away. It was like that until the day I left for college.”

  They lay there in silence for a moment. Her tears were dropping against his chest. He knew it was a difficult thing for her. “How old were you when this happened?” he asked in a comforting voice.

  “Hmm, about eight, I guess.”

  “Do you all have the same father?”

  “No,” she replied.

  “Do you remember who the man was with Turk?” She shook her head no. “Have you spoken to your mom or sister since you left home?” She shook her head again, no. “You were so young,” JD said, “who raised you?”

  She exhaled again. “Books, mostly. I would go to the library at school and take out books; sometimes 10 at a time. After dinner, I would go in my room and just read. When I was 10, we moved into this house Turk had found. Our next door neighbor would look out for me whenever my mom wasn’t home, which was a lot. But I mostly stayed to myself.”

  JD understood things with her a little better now. Her reaction to Turk was so strong because he was her protector, the only one who showed her any love; actually, Turk showed her more love than she even realized. Carolyn talked about Tracy not having any social grace or guidance. Now he knew why. No one was around to teach her the proper decorum in certain situations. JD made a decision not to ask her about this again. When she was ready to tell him more he would listen, but not until she was ready. He kissed her, laid back and pulled her to him.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  Tracy lay there thinking about those days as JD’s breathing became shallow. He had fallen asleep. She eventually fell asleep thinking it might be time to contact her mother.

  The next week, JD went back into the office, only working half days. The first thing on the agenda was rescheduling a court date for Juan Cortez. JD wanted to convict him on manslaughter charges along with his friends, but for now he had to settle for the tax evasion case. He asked Mrs. Langston if she would be his private secretary after the case was done and he became DA. She accepted. He asked her to
keep their conversation confidential until Gavin made his announcement at the news conference. She agreed. JD then spoke with Calvin about taking over his position as lead prosecutor; he accepted. JD had one more thing on his agenda before he left for the day.

  “Brian,” JD said into the phone, “will you be at the house tonight?”

  “Yeah, I was planning on staying over. Why, what’s up?” he asked.

  “I need a favor. Could you meet me at Maxi’s in about 30 minutes?”

  “All right, man. You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m straight.”

  JD walked into Maxi’s. It was as if he had been gone for years and people were seeing him again for the first time. Everyone in the place came up to speak and shake his hand. They each wanted him to know they were glad he was doing well since the shooting. A few of the “street guys” offered to retaliate. “You know, we can take out the whole gang and be done with it,” one offered. JD thanked them and said, “No, man, I got this one.” Maxine actually came out of her office, which she rarely did. She looked him up and down, making sure there was no permanent damage on her childhood friend. JD assured Maxine he was fine, and when she asked about Tracy, he smiled and told her she would be invited to the wedding.

  Brian arrived a few minutes later as JD requested. They sat in a booth and JD asked him to locate Tracy’s family. He wanted to know if the door might be open for Tracy to reconnect with her family.

  “How soon do you want it?”

  “Yesterday,” JD replied.

  “Do I have time for a drink?” Brian asked.

  A hand hit him on the head. “It’s too early in the day to be drinking,” Ashley said. She leaned over and kissed JD on the cheek, then sat beside him.

  “Oh, look at this, he gets kisses and I get hits; oh, that’s going to stop.” Brian smirked.

  “Thanks, Brian,” JD said as Brian got up to leave.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Brian replied.

  “See you, Brian,” Ashley said.

  Ashley put her hand through JD’s arm and put her head on his shoulder. “I need some advice.”

  JD looked at her; he knew this had to do with James before Ashley started. JD still was not sure about him. After all, it was not that long ago James was smiling at Tracy. “What’s up?” JD asked.

  Ashley hesitated. “About James.” She put her elbow on the table, laid her head in her hand, then looked up at JD. “We are not officially together, together, but I’m in love with him. I don’t know how he feels about me.”

  JD didn’t say anything; he listened. It wasn’t often these days that Ashley would come to him about her male friends. Before she went away to college, Ashley would share everything about boys with JD. At times it was too much for him to handle. Her talking about sex was not a conversation he looked forward to. But here she was looking to him for advice. JD had missed that.

  Ashley continued, “Mama said I should ask where things are going, but I have this feeling if I ask that question I may not like the answer.”

  JD didn’t know the story with James and Ashley, but Tracy mentioned the two together quite often. James appeared to be a very reserved man, not one to show emotions openly. He was a hard man to read, but JD did not take him for a player, by any means. He seemed to be the type to let only a few select people in to his inner circle. He wasn’t sure if Ashley was one of the chosen. JD kept the thought. “You don’t think he feels the same way about you?”

  She hunched her shoulders, which made JD smile. That was her trademark when she was confused. “I don’t know. Sometimes he makes me feel as if I am the only person in the world. But sometimes it seems as though he keeps a certain part of him shielded from me.”

  JD put his arms around her. “Why don’t you give it some time? It hasn’t been that long for you two. Be patient. If he is still around after a couple of months and you are still wondering, then,” he hesitated, “you might want to let him go.”

  Ashley looked up at him with sad eyes; he knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. JD kissed her forehead. “Sometimes feelings are not as easy for men to express as for women, especially if he’s been burnt before. Don’t rush him; just enjoy the time you two are together.” In an attempt to make her feel better, JD said, “I haven’t taken you shopping in a while. Let’s take a ride.”

  Ashley jumped up. “You paying?”

  JD smiled. “Sure, why not.”

  “Do you have your credit cards on you?”

  JD raised an eyebrow as they were walking out the door. “Cards?”

  ♥

  Juan Cortez was still being held without bond. He got word that a new trial date had been set and Harrison was still directly handling his case. “What in the hell is it going to take to get this bitch off my back?” Juan asked his attorney.

  “JD Harrison is not an easy man to shake. The simple fact is he does not ask for a trial date until he knows for certain that he has a conviction,” she replied.

  “You better find a way for this to go away or I will find a way for Harrison to go away.”

  “I’m not sure,” she said, “but I believe you tried that and it did not work. But either way I don’t want to know about it.”

  “Get to Hector,” Juan ordered. “Tell him to go to the reserve plan; he will know what to do.”

  “I’m not going to tell him that,” she said. “Anything you need Hector to know put it in writing, seal it and I will give him the note. In the meantime, I will file a motion to have Harrison removed from the case. It will not be granted, but at least it may give us grounds for appeal if you are convicted. I will strongly recommend that you make no further attempts to delay this trial by physical harm to Harrison.”

  Chapter 26

  The news conference went just as Carolyn had planned. Making the two announcements simultaneously ensured JD being there with Gavin as he announced his candidacy for governor. The public would think JD was a supporter, whether he was or not. “Perception is the key,” Carolyn said to Gavin.

  The room was packed with dignitaries from the Democratic Party and all of Gavin’s supporters. News reporters and television crews were there, including Victoria. All but a few from the DA’s office were present and accounted for. There was a certain air of excitement in the room. “Senator Roth.” JD extended his hand.

  “JD,” the senator greeted him as he shook his hand, “it’s good to see you, my boy. How have you been?”

  “I’m doing fine, sir, thank you for asking.”

  “Mrs. Harrison, it is wonderful to see you today.” Senator Roth smiled.

  “Thank you, Senator, it has been a while.”

  “Good morning, Tracy,” the senator greeted.

  “Good morning,” she replied, surprised he remembered her name. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you, too. I don’t think you are going to have any issues with Carolyn today,” he said. “She is in her element here; in total control.”

  “Everyone is scared to death of her?” JD asked.

  “You know it.”

  “Yes, that’s when she works the best,” JD replied.

  The senator looked at JD and said, “That should be you up there, son.”

  JD looked at him with a questioning glance, as did Tracy. “Oh, I don’t mean with Carolyn,” the senator explained. “You should be the one making this announcement today.”

  “That’s good of you to say, Senator, but I have enough on my plate right now,” JD smiled, squeezing Tracy’s hand.

  “Well, whenever you are ready, son, you’ll have my backing all the way,” the Senator said, patting JD on the back.

  Carolyn walked up. “Good morning, one and all,” she said. “Daddy, we are going to need you on stage; you too, JD.”

  Brian and JD’s security detail walked up. “Mr. Harrison, this way please,” one man said.

  JD kissed Tracy on the forehead. “I’ll see you when this is over.”

  Calvin, Jackie, Mrs. Langs
ton, Magna and Dan came over as JD, Carolyn and the Senator were leaving. Tracy hugged Calvin and Carolyn spotted the ring. She stopped walking and looked at JD with a frown. “So you decided to ruin your future anyway?” Carolyn said angrily.

  JD looked at her. “What are you talking about, Carolyn?”

  “That ring on Tracy’s finger.”

  The Senator grabbed Carolyn’s upper arm. “You are about to announce your engagement to the next governor of this state,” he said bitterly. “Let it go.”

  She pulled her arm away, put on a smile and stepped onto the stage. They took their seats and the news conference began.

  After all the formal introductions had been made, Gavin made the announcement he was stepping down as district attorney. “The good news is that I will be leaving you in very capable hands. J.D. Harrison—” He could not finish the statement. The crowd began to clap and cheer as if they had just won the lottery. Gavin stepped back and looked at JD. JD held his head down and smiled; it was a humbling experience for him.

  Mrs. Harrison said to Tracy, “His dad would be so proud of him.” She stood and started clapping with the crowd. Everyone else that was supposed to remain neutral stood as well and began to clap. Gavin hushed the crowd.

  After everyone settled back down, Gavin looked over at JD. “You are not planning on running for governor, are you?” The crowed cheered and laughed at the same time. JD smiled.

  Gavin continued. “As I was saying, JD Harrison will be assuming the position of district attorney for the remaining two years of my term. It is the good people of the district attorney’s office, such as JD, who afforded me the opportunity to step away from my position. I would like to serve the good citizens of the great Commonwealth of Virginia at a higher level. With your help and your blessing, I humbly submit my name as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

  The crowd applauded and cheered the announcement. The applause went on for a few minutes non-stop. Cameras started flashing. Television cameras moved in for a close-up.