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Framework Episode 21 written by Shari
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| Disclaimer: The
characters in the following fan fiction do not belong to me. They belong to CBS and Viacom
and other powers that be. I am only using them for the purpose ofwriting this story. No
money is being made from this writing it is for entertainment purposes only. And now on
with the show...
Mark sat down at the dining room table at the beach house, looking like he had aged ten years in the last two nightmarish days. His mind continued to replay the events of the past two days over and over. The case files covered every available surface and he had been sitting pouring over them non-stop, hoping to find a lead. Slumping in exhaustion, he thought back to how everything fell apart such a short time ago... ----- Two days earlier... The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," yelled Steve to his Dad, rushing up the stairs toward the door. "Lieutenant Sloan," the officer at the door said. "Yes, what can I do for you?" Steve answered, dreading but anticipating he was about to lose yet another day off due to police business. "Sir, I need to ask you to turn around and place your hands on the wall," the officer said, almost apologetically. "What are you talking about?" Steve questioned, more confused than angry at this point. "What's going on?" Mark questioned, coming down the steps toward the door. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay back, Sir," the young officer stated, clearly uncomfortable with this assigned duty. Turning his attention back to Steve, "Don't make it any harder on yourself than it has to be," he said, pulling out his handcuffs. With barely controlled fury now, Steve said, "I am not going anywhere until you tell me what this about." The officer sighed, having drawn the short straw for this duty at the precinct, knowing it was not going to be easy. Making his move, he slammed Steve up against the wall, and slapped the cuffs on, "You're under arrest for the murder of Carl Jenkins." "Who the hell is Carl Jenkins?" Steve and Mark shouted in unison. Ignoring his questions, the officer began reciting, "You have the right to remain silent..." as he hauled Steve out to the waiting police car. Mark yelled, "Don't worry, Steve. This is a mistake. I'll follow you down and we'll get this straightened out," before turning to rush to lock up before following the police vehicle to the station. ----- Back at the beach house... "Mark. Mark." Jesse stated louder, shaking
Mark's shoulder as he approached the table. "I figured that out," he said with a small smile, "especially after you didn't answer the doorbell, hear me knocking on the door or hear me yelling before coming in," placing a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, having nothing more to offer him in the way of comfort. "Have you found out anything about this Jenkins?" Mark questioned. "Nothing other than what we already know," Jesse said with a discouraged sigh. "Jenkins apparently called Captain Newman the night before he died and said he had some information on a crooked cop and implicated Steve," Jesse finished. "Then you know the rest, Jenkins turned up dead by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head the next night." "Yeah," Mark said, knocking the files to the floor, saying softly, "I know the rest..." he said as his mind wandered back to the courtroom scene yesterday. ----- One day earlier... "Request for bail...denied." The Judge intoned, with a bang of his gavel, turning and walking out, completely oblivious to the uproar his pronouncement caused among the defense attorney and spectators. Steve turned with a look of disbelief first toward his attorney, then toward his father and assembled friends, knowing what he would be facing upon his return to the county jail and that his special solitary cell was no longer going to be offered to him. Amanda stared at him, horrified beyond belief, knowing that the refusal of bail was in large part because of her preliminary testimony that it was a bullet from Steve's gun that killed Jenkins. She also knew that it was that testimony that was possibly signing a death sentence for her friend if he was to return to the jail with the general inmate population. Pinning her hopes on and expecting that he would have gotten bail so that they could figure out a way out of this mess, she sank to the floor in a faint - events unknown to the others of the past few days catching up with her. Steve saw her start to fall before the others and lunged to try to catch her, before being tackled by the assembled officers, cuffed, shackled and hauled away. ----- "Mark. Mark," Jesse said louder, attempting to gain his attention again, "You need to rest. You are not going to be any help to Steve in this condition," he said gently leading him over to the sofa. "I can't rest," Mark mumbled, "I won't rest," he said louder, "not until Steve is back home," Mark finished in a deafening shout. Understanding that Mark's anger was not directed at him, Jesse continued softly, "I know, me neither. Everyone is doing everything possible. No one who knows Steve believes he is capable of this. Cheryl and Steve's buddies at the precinct are all out touching bases with all their contacts to see what they can turn up," Jesse finished as he went into the kitchen to pour Mark a cup of coffee. "By the way, I brought the ballistics report with me that you asked for," Jesse supplied as he returned to the room. "Thanks...for everything," Mark said with a grateful look not only for the coffee but also for the support of his friend, turning from the window just as the sun rose over the horizon. "Speaking of reports," Mark said, flipping through the ballistic report, which clearly read that it was a bullet from Steve's gun unfortunately, "where is the autopsy report from Amanda?" "I don't know. I haven't been able to reach Amanda and the defense attorney hasn't received it yet," Jesse said. Frowning, Mark mused, "That doesn't make sense. Amanda is always right on top of these things and especially in a case like this...why wouldn't she have a copy already in the defense attorney's hands, if not have a copy for us by now." "I don't know. She didn't show up for work today...or I guess I should say yesterday," as he glanced out the window. "I guess she was still shook up from what happened in the courtroom," Jesse commented distractedly, looking through the rest of the paperwork, concentrating on trying to find out how to help his friend. "That's another thing that doesn't make sense," Mark continued, beginning to sense something else was going on, "we've been in some pretty tight spots before and have you ever known Amanda to fall apart under pressure?" he questioned. Gaining Jesse's full attention now, Jesse said, "Yeah, you're right. But, then again I know how I'd feel if it was me having to testify against Steve," Jesse said in her defense, throwing the papers down with a wide yawn, as he headed back into the kitchen for another caffeine boost. "I don't know," Mark began to argue, just as the doorbell rang. ----- From the courtroom, Steve was returned to the jail, after changing back into the jail-issue orange jumpsuit. Cheryl walked as far as she was allowed with him, "Steve, we'll find out who's behind this. Don't worry," she said, although she could not quite hide the worried look in her own eyes. Smiling weakly, Steve looked over at her, "I just hope it's soon..." his voice trailed off, thinking of all the criminals he was helping to put away that were still housed at the county jail, either awaiting sentencing or trial. "Detective," the jail officer prompted, moving him along. "Don't worry," she repeated softly, trying to convince herself, as the door closed behind him. Straightening her shoulders and clenching her jaw in determination, everyone moved out of her way as she marched out of the jail - determined to find the person or persons behind this. ----- At the end of his second day of incarceration, Steve lay on the top bunk of the cell he shared with three other inmates, frustrated over the fact that there was nothing he could do to help himself. The sound of the guard's footsteps echoed as he made a final pass through before lights out. Stopping at Steve's cell, he looked in with satisfaction to see his old supervisor on the other side of the bars, "Enjoying yourself, Sloan," he gloated. "Oh great," Steve groaned to himself, recognizing a former detective he had a hand in busting back to a jail officer, deservedly so. "Not exactly like home, Rivers," Steve said, staring him down. "Well now, we'll have to see what we can do about that, right boys?" he said addressing the other inmates occupying Steve's cell, laughing as he walked away. Within minutes, the lights flickered and then went dark as 'lights out' was enforced. Closing his eyes, he was glad that this second day was finally over. He not only had a few new bruises to show as a result of 'trips' caused by fellow prisoners but also some from a few unfriendly guards who believed he had 'turned' criminal. But being an extremely private person, the lack of privacy and space was actually wearing him down more than anything else. "Guys, I hope you've found something out...I
could really use some help here," he said to himself, staring into the darkness,
willing himself to stay awake until he was sure his cellmates were asleep. Unfortunately,
exhaustion soon won out. ----- Back at the beach house... Shifting his weight, the young officer sighed loudly, muttering to the city attorney standing beside him, "I don't think we should be doing this right now. Captain Newman said he would come out and break the news to Dr. Sloan himself," he continued arguing with the single-minded, overbearing attorney, just as he had been doing ever since he was called to accompany him. The attorney fixed him with an icy stare, "Captain Newman is not going to be responsible to this man's family for potential damages...the city is. And it's my job to provide damage control," he finished with an arrogant glance. "This 'man' has a name," the officer said, glaring back at the obnoxious attorney, "Steve Sloan. Remember it," he said staring him down. "Whatever," he said unfeelingly, not in the least bit intimidated. "Let's just get this over with. I have an important meeting in an hour," he said reaching past the officer and pushing the doorbell. ----- Having heard the doorbell ring, Jesse yelled from the kitchen area where he was preparing breakfast in the hope of convincing Mark to eat something, "Do you want me to get that?" "I got it," Mark yelled back, concerned and wondering who would be coming over at this early hour. A few minutes passed as Jesse put the finishing touches on breakfast. "Hey, Mark, food's ready," he yelled out again. Not receiving an answer, he went toward the front door to see what was keeping him. Rounding the corner, he heard the news being bluntly delivered. Later he would not remember if he actually ever touched any steps as he rushed down to his friend. Still grasping papers that had been shoved at him by
the attorney, Mark was leaning against the wall which was the only way that he managed to
remain standing, tears coursing down his ashen face. The attorney continued talking, oblivious to the fact that nothing further registered with Mark as his initial words continued to echo over and over in his mind, "There was an 'accident' at the jail. Your son is dead...." Like a broken record, the phrase continued repeating, drowning out any other sounds, "Your son is dead...Your son is dead...." Dropping to his knees, Mark gave up the fight to remain standing. Through clenched teeth, Jesse angrily ordered both men, "Get out." Seeing the look on Jesse's face, the attorney stopped mid-sentence as it finally dawned on him that perhaps now was not the best time to go into further details. Snapping his mouth closed, he made a hasty retreat. Jesse then sank to the floor beside Mark, wrapping his arms around him, almost rocking him gently as silent tears fell down both men's faces, completely oblivious to the ringing telephone. ----- Hanging up the phone, Cheryl turned back toward Captain Newman and Amanda. "No answer," she said, slamming down the phone. "We need to bring Mark and Jesse in on this," she finished, worried that they would suffer needlessly. Continuing to argue with her, Capt. Newman said, "I'm just not sure we should take the chance right now and we only have a limited amount of time before this is all going to fall apart. I've bought us some time by ordering that no one is to report this to Dr. Sloan until I do. At most, I figure we've got a couple hours," he finished glancing out the window as the sun just began to rise. "If we can't get this sorted out and soon, we're all going to be in trouble over this," he finished, looking over toward Amanda as she hovered over Steve in the makeshift hospital room in the converted cheap motel room. Captain Newman watched as she tended to Steve, worried because he continued to remain unconscious. Looking up, she caught his glance, "He needs to be in a hospital. There could be internal bleeding..." trailing off, realizing that in large part she was responsible for this. Sinking to sit on the edge of the bed, "This is all my fault," she moaned, almost to herself. Cheryl moved over toward her, "No, it's not. I'm not sure what I would have done in your position either," she said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Feeling Amanda nearly shaking with exhaustion, she realized the incredible strain she had been under for days as she tried to deal with her own personal hell, alone. Captain Newman moved forward, "Amanda, do you
feel up to going over this again?" he questioned. Rushing to reassure her, Captain Newman placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, I thought you heard me tell Cheryl when you were working on Steve. I had your phone forwarded here so you wouldn't miss it." Sinking down into a chair, she smiled a weak but grateful smile at him. Cheryl pressed a cup of tea into her hands, before crossing to check on Steve, leaving Amanda to answer the Captain's questions. "Okay, Amanda, Cheryl filled me in on what you told her last night but why don't you start at the beginning," he said, ready to get down to the business at hand. Sighing, relieved to finally be able to share her burden, Amanda began reliving the horrific events of the past few days... ----- Two days earlier... Rushing home at the end of her shift, Amanda entered the apartment, calling out to the babysitter that was filling in while Mrs. Rogers visited her daughter and new grandson. "Carrie, I'm sorry I'm late. Thanks for staying," she said hurrying into the kitchen. Puzzled, she realized no one was in the kitchen. Listening, her puzzlement quickly turned to concern as it registered that she did not hear any of the normal sounds that normally met her at the end of the day. By now, she was expecting to be practically run over by CJ and Dion as they welcomed her home. Running frantically through the rooms, fear gripped her as she realized something was not right. She ran to call Steve, grabbing the phone just as it began to ring. "It seems I have something that belongs to you," the man's voice said, laughing softly, "Wait, let me say 'two somethings' that belong to you." ----- Seeing Amanda become visibly upset as she recounted the kidnapping of her sons, Cheryl walked over and placed a comforting hand on her arm as Amanda finished telling how the kidnapper had convinced her babysitter that he was a family friend and had ultimately taken CJ and Dion. "He told me that he had a 'little favor' he needed and then I would see them again," swallowing her tears as she began again. "The next day I found an envelope on my desk with a bullet in it with instructions to say that it was the bullet I pulled from Jenkins' body." Her anguished gaze locked with Cheryl's, "I didn't know that it was a bullet from Steve's gun at the time. I didn't know what to do...," her voice trailed off as she again relived the chain of events that she set into motion by going along with the kidnapper's demands, leading to her best friend fighting for his life and would lead to two other friends suffering unimaginable pain if they found out what had occurred at the jail. "Once I realized Steve was the target and his bail was denied, that is when I took the chance of contacting Cheryl," tears falling freely as she realized that she may have been too late to help Steve. Her voice trailed off as she remembered the frantic call back from Cheryl just a short time later telling her to respond to the jail in her capacity as Medical Examiner. She visibly shuddered as she relived the brief moment of terror upon her arrival when she didn't initially feel Steve's pulse because it was so faint. Fortunately, this fact aided them in getting Steve declared 'dead', moved to the morgue and ultimately spirited away to this room with the aid of Captain Newman. Trembling more as the events of the night rushed through, her mind at a rapid pace, she tried to fight back her fear not only for Steve but also for her sons. Realizing that if the kidnapper caught on and found out she had sought help, she may never see them again. Squeezing her shoulder gently, "CJ and Dion will be fine. We'll get them back home," Cheryl stated with steely determination to find out whoever was responsible for putting her friends through this, knowing they would regret it if she ever caught them. Captain Newman stared thoughtfully at the notes he had been taking as Amanda recounted the events. "Well...it looks like we may have a starting point after all. The only way someone could have gotten a spent bullet from Steve's gun was from the evidence locker," he said with a grim smile of satisfaction. This satisfaction came from not only knowing that a new video surveillance system had been installed in the evidence room just last month but also knowing that it wasn't common knowledge among most of the precinct as of yet. "Which means whoever this is..." Cheryl started to say. "Is either one of us or has help on the inside," Captain Newman finished with a sick feeling in his stomach. Grabbing his jacket, he headed for the door, just as the phone rang. Cheryl rushed for the headphones, motioning for Amanda to grab it as Captain Newman initiated the trace. "Hello," Amanda said quietly, fear nearly
choking her. "You bastard," Amanda whispered. "Tsk...tsk...such harsh language from such a pretty lady," the man laughed, enjoying toying with her emotions. Reining in her anger, Amanda saw Cheryl motioning to
her to keep him talking as they narrowed down a location, "You got what you
wanted...where are my boys?" she demanded. "Got a location," Captain Newman announced as he rushed out the door. "I'm coming," Amanda said, rushing after him. Cheryl gently pushed her back, "No, Amanda. We'll bring your boys home, I promise. You need to stay with Steve," she finished, before turning to head out, knowing that this was going to end now...one way or another. ----- Restlessly pacing around the room following their departure, Amanda finally sat down at the edge of the bed, the doctor in her taking automatically as she checked Steve's vitals. Frowning, she realized Steve's breathing was becoming more labored even though he was being assisted by the oxygen she had 'borrowed' from the hospital along with some other vital equipment. "Steve...I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," she whispered brokenly, as she slid to the floor, laying her head down on the bed alongside him, allowing her tears to flow freely. Struggling against the pain caused by any movement, Steve moved his hand, laying it gently on her head, hoarsely whispering, "Not your fault," he began, pausing to gather more strength and fighting back the waves of pain that washed over him. "Steve," Amanda cried, smiling through her tears, "Shh...don't talk," she admonished him, seeing the lines of pain deepen on his face. Shaking his head slightly, "No. Listen to
me," he whispered, trying again to make her understand, "I heard. You did what
you had to..." swallowing against the pain in his throat. Reaching up, he wiped the
tears gently from her face, willing her to believe him, A sense of peace came over her for the first time in days as she drew strength from her friend, who sought to comfort her even in the midst of everything he was dealing with. Smiling through her tears, she reached over and gently hugged him, careful not to jar him too much. Assuming 'doctor mode' once again, she pulled back and began to assess his condition again now that he was awake. Trying to push her away and push himself up, Steve groaned in pain, "Amanda, you need to get a message to my Dad," he said allowing her to help him ease back down. Struggling to continue, "He might find out...need to talk to him." "I will get a message to them. Right now," she said determinedly, putting all her faith in Cheryl and Captain Newman that they would bring her sons back to her safely. ----- Jesse and Mark lost track of time as they sat on the floor, unable to comprehend what they had been told. Hearing the ringing phone, neither could summon the energy necessary to move toward answering it. ----- Amanda hung up the phone, chewing on her lip in worry, as she did not get an answer. "Amanda," Steve croaked, barely above a whisper. "I need to go home," he said trying to sit up, unable to conceal a gasp of pain as new waves of agony washed over him with the movement. Rushing to his side, "Steve, you need to stay still." Not wanting to alarm him but needing him to cooperate, "Listen, Steve, you may have some internal bleeding and at the very least you've definitely got some broken ribs." Sighing in frustration at her inability to help any of her friends or her sons, she continued, "And right now the last thing we need is for you to move around and cause a lung to be punctured." She mentally added 'or something worse', the doctor in her knowing the possible internal injuries that could be involved. Trying to soften her words, she gently brushed his
hair back from his forehead, which was beaded with sweat as he tried to fight through the
pain. Continuing, she finished Grimacing, Steve whispered, "I think I'll pass on that," he said smiling weakly. Struggling for air, "Amanda, it's getting harder to breathe," he gasped out, before slipping mercifully into unconsciousness. Unable to bear the thought that Steve may actually be slipping away and knowing Mark would never forgive her, Amanda again grabbed the phone. ----- The shrill ring of the telephone again interrupted the dead silence of the beach house. Jesse sat on the sofa, glancing out the window at Mark, trying to summon the strength to answer the phone. Knowing he needed to put aside his own grief and help his friend, Jesse sighed, reaching for the phone, just now realizing that they had not contacted Amanda to let her know what had occurred. Mark did not react to the ringing of the telephone as he stood leaning against the balcony of the deck with his gaze focused on the empty landscape, alone in a dark empty void as he tried to come to terms with his son's death. Keeping a watchful eye on Mark, Jesse quietly answered the phone, "Sloan residence." "Jesse," he heard Amanda's frantic voice on the other end of the line, "I need your help..." she began. He interrupted her, "Amanda, wait, I need you
to listen to me. Something's happened." He swallowed, his voice choked with tears, he
whispered, "Steve's dead." Stunned, not daring to believe but wanting desperately to, Jesse stammered, "Wha...What did you say?" "Steve's alive. Jesse? Jesse? Did you hear me?" she repeated again, hearing nothing but the clunk of the phone as it swung down and hit against something. Seeing Steve's eyes open again and focused on her, she smiled at him, "Well, he either fainted or he went to get your Dad." ----- Jesse rushed out onto the balcony and grabbed Mark's arm, laughing and crying at the same time, "Mark. Steve's alive." Seeing Mark's uncomprehending look, Jesse repeated, "He's alive," laughing and hugging him. "He's alive." As it dawned on him what Jesse was saying, a glimmer of hope shown through the tears in Mark's eyes, "How do you know? What happened? Where is he?" Realizing he had left Amanda hanging on the phone, "Oh man, Mark, I don't know. I didn't ask. Amanda is who was on the phone and as soon as she said he was alive, I rushed out to tell you," he said as they both nearly broke down the doorway as they ran into each other in their haste to run back to the phone. "Amanda, Amanda," Mark grabbed the phone. "Steve's alive? How? Where is he? What happened?" he continued, his voice cracking slightly as he dared to hope that this was not some bizarre twist in the nightmare his life had become. "Listen, Mark, I'll fill you in at the hospital. I'll meet you there. I'm going to call for an ambulance for Steve." "An ambulance?" Mark shouted, interrupting her. "What's wrong?" "Mark, I promise I'll tell you everything at the hospital," she hastened to assure him, but not wanting to promise him that Steve would be fine when right now she wasn't too sure herself. "I need to call an ambul..." she started again, before she felt Steve's hand grasp her arm. "No." Steve said firmly and clearly, although in a voice barely above a whisper as his throat burned from dryness and his efforts to communicate once again triggered a coughing fit. "Amanda, is that Steve?" Mark questioned as he heard the coughing in the background. Bringing his coughing under control quickly and holding his injured side, "Let me talk to Dad," Steve began again in a scarcely audible voice. "Steve, we need to get you to a hospital
now," Amanda began to argue with him, ignoring Mark's questions as she attempted to
divide her attention between dealing simultaneously with two stubborn Sloan men. "No." Amanda said firmly. "I've let whoever this is rule my life for two days and watched him hurt the people I care most about," she said, brushing his hair back from his forehead, frowning at the slightly warm feeling. "This stops now. You're going to the hospital." Turning back to the phone, "Mark..." she began again. Satisfied simply in the knowledge that Steve was alive...for now, "I heard enough, Amanda. You can fill me in later. Jesse and I will meet you at the hospital," Mark finished as he threw the phone down and rushed out the door, followed closely by Jesse. Hanging up, Amanda quickly dialed 911 and requested an ambulance. Knowing he had lost the battle to remain out of the hospital until they knew the boys were safe and knowing what it might cost her ultimately if something went wrong, Steve grabbed Amanda's shaking hand, simply holding it to offer what little comfort he could. Holding her hand was all he could do, as it had become too difficult to contemplate talking as he struggled to draw air in to his oxygen starved body. Finally, the world grayed out around him and he lapsed back into unconsciousness. "Steve, Steve," Amanda grabbed his hand, taking his pulse, noting the increase in swelling around his windpipe as he struggled to move air, "Damn, where is that ambulance," she shouted, tears of frustration running down her face. Hearing a knock at the door, Amanda lunged for it to let the paramedics in. "Mom, Mom," CJ and Dion yelled as they ran into Amanda's stunned arms. Cheryl stood in the doorway, her eyes suspiciously bright with unshed tears, as she watched the boys reunited with their Mom. "Oh my gosh! Are you guys okay? You're not hurt, are you? Dion, what happened to your face?" she rambled on and on, planting kisses on each boy in between each question as she methodically began running her hands over the boys, checking for injuries. Each boy excitedly recounted the details to their Mom of their kidnapping and exciting rescue by the SWAT team. "But that doesn't tell me what happened to your face, honey," Amanda prompted as the boys continued to regale her with their 'adventure', although she was thankful that the boys had apparently been treated somewhat well during their confinement. Dion shrugged, slightly embarrassed. CJ pointed at Dion, "Dion's a real hero, Mom," as a hint of hero worship shown in his eyes for his brother. "That man wanted us to go with him and we wouldn't go. You know Mom because you always told us not to go with strangers and besides he didn't know our secret password," CJ rambled on. "Besides, that cop at school told us..." "CJ...Dion's face." Amanda smiled, prompting him to get back on track. "Oh, yeah. The man grabbed me by the hair and pulled my arm behind my back. And it really hurt," he added. "So Dion bit him to make him let me go and the man hit him," he finished simply. Adding with a look of pride at his brother, "But he let me go and he didn't do that again." Saying a silent prayer of gratitude, Amanda reached over and brought both boys in for a hug, placing a gentle kiss on Dion's bruised cheek. Cheryl swallowed her tears and averted her gaze to give them some privacy. She glanced in concern toward her partner, noting the pallor of his skin, as he appeared to struggle for each breath before she noticed the startling blue of his half-open eyes as he watched the tender scene with a gentle smile. As he relaxed, knowing the boys were safe, one lone tear escaped as his eyes closed. Amanda gratefully relinquished her duties as a doctor as paramedics stormed into the room scarcely a minute later, assuming Steve's care and immediately readying him for transport. "Is it really over?" Amanda questioned Cheryl as she watched the ambulance pulling away, her arms tightly wrapped each boy, unable to lose physical contact with them. "Yes. It's over." Cheryl stated gently ushering mother and sons to the waiting car to follow the ambulance to the hospital. ----- Rushing into the hospital, Mark and Jesse frantically sought through the trauma unit, looking for Steve. Grabbing a nurse passing by, "Mary, paramedics were bringing Steve in," Mark said urgently, "Do you know their ETA?" As if in answer, paramedics came rushing through the emergency room doors. He looks awful, Mark thought to himself as he moved in unison with the paramedics, reaching out and gently touching Steve's arm, trying to follow behind the paramedics and Jesse into the treatment room. "Mark, I'll do everything I can for him. You need to wait out here," he said looking for help from Amanda who had just arrived with Cheryl. "Jesse, I can't just sit by and do nothing," Mark began to argue. Amanda came up, placing an arm around Mark's
shoulders, motioning for Jesse to go on as she stayed with Mark to convince him to wait. ----- A short time later, taking advantage of the brief respite after the X-ray portable unit arrived and knowing that Steve's condition was finally stable, Jesse stepped out of the treatment room, rubbing a tired hand across his sweat-covered forehead. He stopped short as he saw Mark sitting in a chair across the hall, head down in his hands as he prayed and waited for news. "I tried to get him to the lounge," Amanda said, coming up beside Jesse and putting a comforting arm around his shoulders, knowing how difficult it must have been for him to put his own feelings for his friend aside in order to treat him. "Mark wouldn't budge. How's Steve doing?" Smiling optimistically at Amanda, Jesse crossed to Mark, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Mark," Jesse began. Mark jumped, startled from his desperate thoughts as he fervently prayed for the life of his son. Grabbing Jesse's arm, Mark leapt to his feet, "Jesse, how is he? Can I see him? Is he going to be okay?" Mark questioned rapidly. Pushing him back gently down into the chair, Jesse sat down tiredly in the chair next to him and grinned at his friend, "He's still unconscious but I think he's going to be fine." Putting up a hand to delay what he knew Mark's next repeated question would be, "And, yes, you can see him after X-ray is done and before we take him to surgery." "Surgery?" all three questioned simultaneously. Continuing to fill them in on his status, "It's pretty obvious he had a blow or a tremendous amount of pressure placed against his throat. I thought we were going to have to put in a trach for a little bit, but we were able to get the swelling in his throat under control and him intubated. He's got a collapsed lung, some broken ribs, a fracture in his right arm and possible spleen laceration so we're going to take him up to surgery to deal with that. But his vitals are stable right now," he hastened to assure all of them. Amanda reached over and hugged Mark. He laughed, turning to hug Jesse and Cheryl as well, only finally letting go as he saw the X-ray technicians leaving Steve's room, and knowing he could now go and see his son for himself. Watching Mark rush back into the room, Amanda put her arms around her sons and drew them close to her. Glad that her nightmare was finally over, tears of relief streamed down her face. Knowing that Steve's problems may not be completely over and needing to check in with Captain Newman, Cheryl, reached over, placed a gentle hand on Amanda's shoulder and glanced over at Jesse, "Are you guys going to be okay? I need to go back to the station to tie up some loose ends and...," hesitating slightly at their questioning gazes, "then I'll fill you all in when I get back on the details," she finished as she turned and rushed out, ready to make sure this ended once and for all. Jesse looked at Amanda for some answers to his questions, almost ready to press the issue, before being summoned by the nurse back into the room. He was content to leave it for now, as he had more important issues to focus on. He wiped the tears away from his face with the back of his hand, not ashamed of them as he sent his own grateful prayers skyward, before heading back into the room to begin preparations to take Steve to surgery. ----- After nearly three hours of pacing and waiting, Mark heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the gurney carrying his son disappear through the swinging doors leading into the recovery room following surgery. Mark rubbed an exhausted hand over his face before turning around and fixing a stern glare on the two ladies standing behind him, "I think it's about time you filled me in on exactly what happened here today," he said. "Come on, Mark," Amanda said leading him toward the surgical waiting room where CJ and Dion were curled up asleep in the chairs already. "You might as well sit down before you fall down. Besides," glancing at Cheryl who had just arrived back at the hospital, "it's a long story and I'm not even sure of the entire story myself." Sitting down and taking a cup of coffee pressed into her hands by Cheryl, Amanda proceeded to fill him in on the facts leading up to Steve being declared dead and in the hotel room. "Then..." she said glancing at Cheryl for her to take over. "We tracked the suspect to a specific location and after a brief situation," she said, intentionally leaving out details that still made her shudder as she thought how close Amanda came to losing both boys, "we were able to get him to surrender. Captain Newman obtained copies of the videotape from the evidence locker and we caught his accomplice, Officer Tom Rivers, red-handed. He apparently held a grudge against Steve for getting him busted from detective. Once he realized he was caught, he was more than willing to turn state's evidence against his partner. Mark nodded, "I remember that man. Steve struggled with that for a long time. But that doesn't explain who else would hate Steve this much to see him framed for murder and be smart enough to carry it off." "One name," Cheryl stated with distaste, "Gault." "Gault!" Amanda and Mark exclaimed together. "I thought he was locked up for good after the last time." "He is." Cheryl agreed, "But his brother, Joey, wasn't. Until now," she added with some sense of satisfaction. "Eddie apparently convinced his brother to go along with this as it appears he never did give up on his plan to get Steve behind bars. So not only do we have Joey in custody, we've also got more charges to file against Eddie as well." Shaking his head, Mark released a pent up breath, "I can't believe this." Almost under his breath, he whispered, "I almost wish now that I didn't stop Steve when..." before stopping himself. Understanding fully, Amanda placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, almost ashamed to admit that she had immediately felt somewhat the same way herself. ----- Mark, Jesse, and Amanda sat beside Steve's hospital bed, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Mark turned as Cheryl entered the room. Keeping her voice low, Cheryl approached the bed.
"How's he doing?" Cheryl sank down with a weary sigh into another bedside chair, "Thank goodness." Amanda crossed the room, speaking softly to Cheryl, "By the way, you're not going to get into any trouble for the stunt we pulled taking Steve out of the jail, are you?" "Don't you mean, are 'we' going to get in trouble?" Cheryl said with a small grin. Amanda straightened her shoulders, "I don't care if I do get in trouble, it was worth it," she said. "You're right," Cheryl agreed, "I'd do exactly the same thing again. I got slapped with a 30 day suspension for procedural violations but since it will be at least that long until Steve's ready to come back, I can live with that," she finished with a smile. Mark listened to their quiet talk as he sat next to his son's bed, refusing to leave until he had regained consciousness. Hearing a slight moan, he immediately turned his attention to Steve, who looked up at him with a confused gaze as he tried to figure out where he was. Struggling to talk, Steve gagged against the tube in his throat. "Don't talk," Mark cautioned him gently. "We need to leave the tube in place for at least another day to give your throat and lungs a chance to rest," Jesse said, placing a comforting hand briefly on Steve's shoulder before he automatically started taking his vitals now that he was awake. Moving his head frantically back and forth as he tried to communicate with his Dad, Steve motioned with his hand for a pencil. Cheryl pushed her notebook and pen into Mark's hands who immediately positioned them so Steve could write. Desperately needing to know that he hadn't imagined it, he focused all his energy on the simple action of writing, finally managing to write "boys ok?" Mark read the note out loud. With unshed tears in her eyes and amazed at the depth of compassion in this quiet man, Amanda stepped up to the bed, placing a gentle kiss on Steve's forehead, "The boys are just fine. It's you we've been worried about." Relaxing only slightly, he tried to keep his eyes open as he motioned for the notebook back, "back...jail?" Handing the notebook back to his Dad, he focused on the ceiling, his jaw tightening as he steeled himself for what he was about to hear and not wanting to his Dad or friends to see how afraid he was of the answer. His eyes suspiciously bright, "No." Mark said firmly. "You're coming home." Blinking rapidly, Steve glanced quickly at his Dad's smiling face, unable to believe what he just heard. Then he slowly looked around at his friends' faces gathered around his bed as they all nodded to reassure him it was true. Finally, his eyes came back to rest on his Dad's face. A smile lit up Steve's eyes, as he finally comprehended that it was over. Reaching up, he grabbed his Dad's hand, before closing his eyes and drifting off into a much-needed healing sleep. The End. home | vs home | season one | season two | season three | join dmvs | e-mail us | guestbook |
