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A Shocking Birthday Episode 4 written by Janet
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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...
Steve stood at the top of the stairs leading to the front door, sourly observing his reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall there. He looked, or so he thought, like a great big, overstuffed penguin. He pulled at the beautifully sculptured bow tie which topped off the smooth, white silk shirt that Amanda had bought him for his birthday. All he knew about the coming evening was that he, Mark, Jesse and Amanda were going out somewhere that necessitated his being crammed into the straight-jacket that he was now wearing. Perhaps that was part of the problem, he mused. The fact that he didn't know what was going on, wasn't in control of events. Perhaps that's why he was feeling out of sorts. He caught sight of his reflection again and saw himself grin. Nah! It wasn't that at all! He just hated getting dressed up like a penguin. Having to wear a suit for court appearances was just about bearable, but this. Steve was more a jeans and shirt kind of guy, sleeves rolled up to show his well sculpted biceps, getting stuck into the latest case. Fortunately for Steve's peace of mind and the bow ties continued neatness, Mark appeared from his bedroom. On seeing Steve he stopped and beamed, "My, don't we look handsome!" "You do," Steve grumbled, "I just look like a penguin that's lost it's way." "Lost it's way?" Mark was puzzled, "from where?" "Mary Poppins," replied Steve, doing a passable imitation of the dance shared by the cartoon penguins and Bert, the chimney sweep. Grinning, Mark joined in and for a few seconds father and son were reflected in the mirror dancing side by side. It was the doorbell that brought their dancing-duet to a halt. Walking down the stairs Mark opened the door to find Jesse waiting there, with a large grin on his face. "Did I just see Steve dancing?" he chuckled. "You did," Mark replied, continuing in a soft undervoice," but if you want to live past the top step, I'd forget it." "Forget what?" Jesse quipped on the way past. Still speaking quietly Mark asked, "Is everything sorted at the restaurant?" "Yep. Amanda has gone straight to the restaurant just to double check though." Raising his voice Mark called, "Come on Steve, time to go." "I'm coming," said Steve, slowly coming down the stairs to meet them, "Let's get this over with." As the three men walked down the outside steps to his waiting car Mark muttered, " Wherever did you learn to be so gracious son?" ************** Amanda, dressed in a figure hugging bright red dress complete with matching high heels entered the restaurant. Glancing round at the foyer she was pleased to note that all their requests had been followed. Mark wanted Steve to think that it was just the four of them and to be totally surprised when they opened the inner doors to reveal his friends and colleagues. Mark knew exactly how Steve felt about parties, particularly surprise ones and normally he wouldn't have done anything like this. However, both he and Steve had been through so much recently that he wanted to show Steve just how much he loved and appreciated him. Her heels clicking on the marbled floor of the foyer, Amanda pushed open the doors that led into the restaurant itself and stopped in her tracks. Matt Jensen, the owner and very old friend of Mark's had pulled out all the stops. The whole room was filled with balloons, streamers and decorations. As Amanda stood surveying the scene a door on the far side of the room opened and a man wearing khaki trousers and a shirt to match emerged. He had a chamois leather trailing from one pocket and he carried the most enormous bunch of keys Amanda had seen in her life and a badge on his breast pocket, proclaiming his name to be Derek Jacobs. As he walked across the room his eyes, too , were drawn to the decorations. On reaching Amanda he stopped and gestured to them saying, "Must be popular." "Who?" Amanda said. "Whoever this party is for." Amanda's face lit up, "Yes he is and he thoroughly deserves to be. Steve Sloan is one of the nicest, most genuine guys I have ever met in my life." "Steve Sloan?" queried Derek, "Isn't he the cop that was shot by someone from the Ganza organisation?" "Yes he is. How did you know?" "I may be only a lowly janitor," he snapped, two spots of angry colour in his cheeks, "but I do read the papers." Amanda made haste to apologise, "I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that not many people take notice of the names of police officers involved in cases." "I'm sorry too," Derek apologised, " It's just that most people assume that because I'm a janitor I'm stupid. I had a college education and could have played pro-football if I hadn't taken a bad hit to my knee, senior year." "I'm sorry to hear that," sympathised Amanda. Just then the outer door opened and she turned to see who it was. Cheryl Banks and Jim Newman stood there framed in the opening. Cheryl wore a long green dress with a cream knitted shawl draped negligently off her shoulders. Jim Newman, however, looked about as comfortable in his dinner jacket as Amanda guessed Steve would be feeling. "Cheryl! Jim! It's good to see you.," she said, "Steve will be thrilled that you came." Cheryl raised a slim eyebrow towards the ceiling. "Once he gets over the shock anyway," amended Amanda. Slowly the restaurant began to fill and Amanda kept her position by the door so that when Steve arrived she could make sure he didn't go in before they were ready. Chatting to a mutual friend from the hospital when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Mark's car draw up outside and she excused herself and went outside. ************* Bringing his car to a halt Mark switched the engine off and pulled on the handbrake. Jesse leapt out of the car and, before Steve could undo his seatbelt, Mark leant across and whispered to him, "At least try to look like you are having a good time. Amanda and Jesse have been looking forward to this all week." Plastering a travesty of a smile on his face Steve said, "Okay?" "That'll fool 'em," Mark responded dryly. As he turned to face Amanda, Mark lifted one eyebrow questioningly at Amanda who replied with an imperctible nod. "Come on. I'm hungry, let's go in," piped up Jesse and even Steve joined in the laughter as he, too, got out of the car and made his way into the restaurant. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" For an instant Steve tensed. In the back of his mind Steve had wondered if his dad had been planning a party, but he had dismissed the thought pretty quickly. Seeing his sons' shoulders tense Mark leant forward to whisper in his ear, "Chin up." On hearing his dads words Steve relaxed. The people closest to him had gone to a lot of trouble for him simply because they cared and there was no way he wanted to upset them. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the room and began to greet his guests. From that moment the success of the evening was assured. Behind him Mark, Jesse and Amanda exchanged very relived glances. Despite their outward confidence in their plans, none of them had been totally convinced about how Steve would react. *********** Steve sat back in his chair and, discreetly, tried to stretch the waistband of his trousers a little. That meal had been superb! Steve was more of a food-on-the-run kind of guy. Burgers, hot dogs, ribs - that sort of thing. However, despite his fathers well voiced views on his sons gastronomic tastes, Steve was well able to appreciate the finer end of the culinary spectrum. He looked across at his father and smiled. " Enjoy the meal Steve?" Mark asked, cutting across the babble of conversation that ebbed and flowed around them. " I sure did but my trousers seem to have shrunk," Steve laughed. "I know the feeling," Mark replied. At that moment Matt Johnson came across to stand behind Steve placing a hand on one shoulder. "So Steve, having a good time?" he asked. Looking up Steve replied, "I am Matt, thanks. This place looks fantastic and the food was delicious." As Matt and Steve were talking Mark quietly stood and walked towards a small dais situated in the far corner of the restaurant. The rooms main lights dimmed and at the same time a spotlight illuminated the dais. Everyone stopped talking and gradually the room fell silent. Steve, seeing his father standing behind the microphone, groaned inwardly. If there was something he hated more than surprise parties it was speeches, especially if they were about him. He observed his father in silence. Looking back across the room at his son Mark saw the apprehensive look on his face and flashed a quick smile in his direction. "Friends," he began, "I won't make this a long speech........." Muted cheers could be heard from the direction of where Jesse and Amanda sat. "Thank you fans," Mark laughed, " I just wanted to say a few words on the occasion of Steve's birthday. You all know how traumatic the last few months have been and, for a while, it was touch and go whether either of us would see this birthday - although for very different reasons. I think everyone in this room, including Steve, knows how I feel about him but I very rarely put it into words and tonight I would like to." Stopping for a second to gather himself, Mark turned and looked Steve squarely in the eyes and continued, " You are my son and for that reason alone I love you, but it goes much deeper than that. You are an exceptional police officer, well respected by your colleagues and as a businessman you are doing well. Over and above all that, however, you are an extraordinary person. Kind, thoughtful, generous and totally honest. I am proud to say that you are my son but, more than that, I am proud to call you my friend." By the time the applause had died down Steve had joined his father on the dais and, to the joy of their assembled friends, enveloped his father in an enormous bear hug. Releasing himself from his sons embrace Mark stepped back and indicated that Steve should say something.. With a look of humorous resignation on his face Steve stepped up to the mike. The height of the microphone was a little too low for Steve and he reached out to adjust it upwards. As his hands touched the stand a spark flashed out from the point of contact, followed by a puff of smoke. Steve's eyes rolled up in his head, his knees buckled underneath him and he collapsed in a well dressed heap onto the floor. If someone had entered through the restaurant door at that moment they would have been forgiven for thinking that they had walked into a tableau. Everyone in the room seemed to have been frozen in time, all in different attitudes. Only one thing linked them, all heads were turned in the direction of the prone figure on the floor and all wore matching expressions of horror. Mark was the first to move as he dropped to his knees next to his son, his fingers reaching for the pulse point in Steve's neck after first making sure that Steve was not touching any part of the microphone. His head also dipped downwards towards Steve's mouth to listen for breathing. Almost immediately his head snapped back up as he called out, "He's not breathing and there's no pulse. Jesse, over here quickly I need your help. Someone call 911!" At the sound of Mark's voice Jesse was jerked out of his momentary immobility and rushed to the dais to began the process that, he hoped, would bring Steve back to life. Amanda had dashed out to the foyer to summon the paramedics and decided to stay on the sidewalk to guide them when they arrived. She would not find out until much later that Mark and Jesse were battling throughout the whole of that time to bring Steve back. At last, in the distance, Amanda heard the wail of the siren as it reached her position. The ambulance came to a halt outside the restaurant and two men leapt out. "What do we have?", they asked, recognising Amanda at once. "Electrocution. Victim has no pulse and is not breathing. CPR is being performed." "Get the defibrillator Will," called one paramedic to the other, "It seems like we'll need it." They grabbed their equipment and hurried into the building closely followed by Amanda. The scene that greeted them was one that was very familiar to the two, extremely experienced paramedics. Some people were still sitting at their tables cradling drinks, whilst others were standing in groups dotted around the room chatting quietly to themselves. Cheryl Banks and Jim Newman were standing off to the side of everything, discussing situation and already analysing what had happened. The two paramedics reached the far side of the room and knelt down next to the two doctors who, by this time, were red with exertion and perspiring freely. "Dr. Sloan?" Will asked questioningly. "We've been doing CPR for 5 minutes and so far nothing," replied Jesse when Mark remained silent, "We need to shock him." As Jesse spoke Will reached across and switched the defibrillator on and handed the prepared paddles to Jesse, all the while keeping an eye on the readout. "Ready." "Clear" snapped Jesse, resting the paddles on Steve's bare chest. The shock that ran through Steve caused his body to arch off of the floor. Removing the paddles Jesse looked at Mark who places two fingers against Steve's neck searching desperately for a pulse. He shook his head. Jesse looked at Will, who nodded. Again Jesse placed the paddles against his friends chest which arched in response to the volts coursing through his body. Hardly waiting for the paddles to be withdrawn Mark dived in. "I've got a pulse,"he said with relief, "It's faint and a little erratic, but it's there." The relief in the room that greeted this announcement was palpable as everyone let out the breath that, collectively, they had been holding. Mark, Jesse and the two paramedics worked quickly and efficiently to stabilise Steve for transfer to Community General. In a very short space of time Mark was in the ambulance on his way with Steve, whilst Jesse and Amanda followed closely behind in Mark's car. As the door closed behind them Cheryl looked at her Captain and said, "We need to get the wiring on that sound system checked out." His eyes seemingly stuck on the door through which Steve had recently been carried, Jim Newman said, "I think you are right Cheryl. Get on it, will you?" "I'll get on it right away,"Cheryl promised and walked off, her dress swishing against her legs as she moved. Exiting the restaurant and emerging into the foyer, Cheryl searched for the janitor, Derek Jacobs. She eventually found him cleaning out the toilets. "Mr.Jacobs?" she asked. "Yeah?" he replied, continuing with his rhythmic scrubbing, a fact that irritated Cheryl greatly. She leant forward and snatched the brush out of his hand. Derek Jacobs, bereft of scrubbing brush, sat back on his haunches and looked up at Cheryl with a look that was a mixture of defiance and anxiety. It was a look that had Cheryl's antennae twitching like mad. What reason would the janitor, a perfect stranger to Steve and Mark, have to look so all-fired guilty, she wondered? "Can you tell me who set up the microphone and speaker system this evening?" she asked. " I did. Why?" Cheryl was incredulous. "Have you had your head down that toilet all evening?" she snapped, "A man has been electrocuted here tonight and is now on his way to the hospital in a serious condition." "I know,"Jacobs replied, "but as there was nothing I could do to help, I kept out of the way." By this time Cheryl was convinced that there was something not quite right about this situation and made a decision. Stepping outside she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "This is Detective Banks. I am at Fiorentinos Restaurant on Sunset and I want a CSU team here asap. We have had an electrocution and I want the sound system checked out." As Cheryl put her phone away Jim Newman entered the foyer. "What's going on Cheryl?" he asked. Cheryl described her encounter with Derek Jacobs and the odd vibes she was getting from his and the action she had taken. "Sloan's intuition must be rubbing off on you," he quipped gently. "He's a good cop sir," Cheryl replied quietly, the shock of the evenings events taking it's toll on her. Placing a reassuring hand on he shoulder Jim Newman said, "Wait for the CSU to arrive, explain what you want and then get off home. Be in my office at 8am and we'll review everything then." ***************** Of all the ambulance rides that Mark and Steve had shared over the years this one felt the longest. Or maybe, he thought to himself, he was getting old and less able to deal with these situations. He let his eyes wander along the wires, attached to Steve's chest, to the machine that they entered and listened to the reassuring beeps that emanated from it. He watched the numbers on the readout and to his relief, saw that they were beginning to stabilise. Sitting back and resting against the blackened window of the ambulance he tried to make sense of what had gone on that evening. After a few minutes he gave up, all he could think about was Steve and getting him to the hospital. He became aware that the ambulance had stopped and the back doors were opening. Looking up, he saw Amanda and Jesse standing there with the same concerned expressions on their faces as had been there when the doors closed on him outside the restaurant. "Is he okay?" Amanda asked. "His heart rate is stabilising, but I still want him on a heart monitor and oxygen," Mark paused for a second before continuing, "I also want him to have a CT scan." "You're not worried about brain damage are you?" Jesse queried. "It took us a long while to get his heart
started again," Mark was thoughtful, "I'm not taking any chances." ********************* The next morning, as requested, Cheryl was ready and waiting in the squad room when Jim Newman arrived at a couple of minutes before 8am. Seeing Cheryl, he raised his eyebrows in a silent question. "I spoke to Jesse before I left home," she answered, correctly interpreting the question, "Steve has stabilised but is still unconscious. He's in ICU and they have scheduled a CAT scan for later today." Taking a deep breath, hoping against hope that his best detective was going to pull through this latest medical crisis in his life, Jim Newman switched from friend to police officer and said, "Okay, so what have you got from CSU?" "They checked out to the microphone and the rest of the sound system last night. There is no doubt that it has been tampered with. It had been rigged, in a very basic way, to send a shock through whoever touched to microphone. According to the CSU it looked like it was done very quickly, almost like a spur of the moment thing." "So we are looking at attempted murder then?" Newman said. "We are, but we have no idea as to the intended victim. It could have been either Steve or Mark. It was only by luck that Mark didn't need to adjust the height of the microphone." "Anything further about the janitor, Derek Jacobs?" Newman asked. "I was about to get onto that," Cheryl
replied. Sitting down at her desk Cheryl switched on her computer and set to work. A couple of hours later she leant back and wearily rubbed her neck in an attempt to ease the tension that had gathered there. Getting up from the screen Cheryl walked across to her superior's office and knocked. Looking up on hearing the knock, Newman waved Cheryl in. "What have you got?" "Nothing." Cheryl was succinct. "What do you mean?" Newman snapped. "I mean nothing sir,"Cheryl was just as frustrated as her captain and it showed in her voice, " I've checked out Jacobs. He has no record, not even a parking violation. He's had a number of jobs over the years, but each of them ended for perfectly valid reasons. I've even checked out his educational record. Nothing. Straight A student, he was heading for a career in pro-football until a bad injury in his senior year killed that dream stone dead." "Do you think you could have been wrong last night?"Newman asked, "We were all in shock over what happened and your 'antennae' could have been a little out of whack." "No sir,I'm not mistaken," Cheryl was confident, "and if you'd been in there with me you would have caught the same vibes that I did." "Okay," Newman held up his hands in mock defeat, "so where are you going now?" "If it's alright with you sir,I thought I'd go over to the hospital and check on Steve." Knowing that, whatever answer he gave, Cheryl would
go there anyway, Newman agreed and grinned as he watched her leave the squad room almost
at a run. Cheryl exited the elevator just as Jesse came out of the ICU room that was occupied by Steve. He saw Cheryl and, knowing that she would have been as worried as the rest of them, walked quickly across to her. "How is he Jesse?" she asked, her anxiety for her partner and friend evident in her voice. "He's stable Cheryl. His heart rate and BP are back to normal. He came round during the night and went straight back to sleep." "Have you had the results of the CAT scan yet?" Cheryl asked the second most important question on her mind. "We're going to do that later today although I honestly don't think we have anything to worry about. He seems to be responding to outside stimuli." Jesse replied with a grin. "Like what?" Cheryl was intrigued. "One of the orderlies was carrying a tray of plates and dropped it outside Steve's door. Steve jumped and opened his eyes, but luckily went straight back to sleep." Cheryl was relieved for she, like the others, had been very concerned about the possibility of brain damage. She looked over Jesse's shoulder and through the large window that dominated the corridor side of all ICU rooms and said, "Where's Mark?" Jesse grinned again for, like Cheryl, he was aware of Mark's propensity for sticking like glue to Steve when he was in hospital. "We managed to persuade him to go home for a shower and a change of clothes. Amanda has driven him there and she'll bring him back a little later." "Is it okay if I sit with Steve for a while?" Cheryl asked, looking at her watch, "I'm due a break." "No problem," Jesse replied, "I'll organise a cup of coffee for you." "Thanks Jesse," Cheryl answered, moving
towards Steve's room. Cheryl had finished her coffee and was preparing to go back to work when Mark arrived about thirty minutes later. He smiled as he saw her sitting there for he knew how fond Cheryl was of Steve. It was a fondness that, given any sign of encouragement by either party, could easily lead to so much more. "Good morning Cheryl," he said, "How are you this morning?" "I think that is question best asked of you," she replied. "Oh I'm okay," Mark replied, dismissing her concerns, "Have you found out what caused the short circuit?" "CSU looked at the sound system last night and found that it had been tampered with," Cheryl replied. "Who would want to do anything like that?" Mark was incredulous. "I strongly suspect that the janitor is involved but I can't find any sort of connection." "Tell me about him," Mark prompted, sitting down in one of the chairs. Sitting back down Cheryl began, "He has no convictions, not even a parking ticket. He's had a variety of jobs, but his record at each of them is clean." "He certainly doesn't sound like a classic suspect Cheryl. What made you suspect him?" Mark queried. "It was his attitude last night when I was talking to him Mark," she replied, "I've questioned hundreds of suspects over the years and his whole demeanour just screamed guilt at me." "What is his name?" Mark asked. "Derek Jacobs." Cheryl noticed a frown crease Marks forehead and continued, "Does the name mean anything to you?" "Somewhere in the back of my mind that name
rings a bell but for the life of me I "Apparently he was an excellent footballer and was all set for a career in the pros, but a bad injury put paid to that." "What happened?" Mark was curious. "He took a bad hit to his knee in his senior year which ended his hopes for a pro career," Cheryl replied. "Where did he go to school?" "It was local college," Cheryl replied, "Newton." On hearing the name Marks head snapped round from where he had been watching Steve sleep. Mark exclaimed,"Newton! That's where Steve went." A slow smile spread across Cheryl's tired features as she said, "Thank you Mark. You have just given me the link that I lacked and, possibly, a motive. I'm off to do a bit more checking. I'll let you know how I get on." Almost before she had finished speaking Cheryl had left the room and Mark watched her stride purposefully along the corridor and disappear into the elevator. The doors closed behind her and Mark turned his attention, once more, to his son who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. As he watched, Steve's nose twitched and he brought his left hand up to scratch it. His eyes flickered open and saw Mark standing over him. "Dad?" he asked, struggling to sit up, "What the heck happened?" "Don't try to sit up," Mark answered, gently pushing Steve's shoulders back down onto his pillows, "you've had an electric shock." "The last thing I remember is reaching out for the microphone and then, nothing." Steve said. "The wiring on the microphone was sabotaged," Mark told him, "and when you touched it you were electrocuted." "Sabotaged?" Steve was finding the information hard to take in, "Who would have done that?" "Cheryl thinks that the janitor at the restaurant is involved," Mark began, " Do you remember someone called Derek Jacobs at college, a football player like you?" "It doesn't ring a bell dad but then my brain isn't exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment," Steve replied frowning. Bringing his free hand up, he rubbed his chest and continued, " Dad, my chest feels like I went five rounds with a heavyweight. What happened?" "When you were electrocuted your heart stopped. Jesse and I had to do CPR to keep you going until the paramedics arrived and then we had to shock you." "Beats me" Steve muttered then, knowing exactly what it would have cost his dad, and Jesse for that matter, to have had to do that Steve asked gently, "Are you okay?" Giving his son a rather watered down version of his usual sunny smile Mark asserted, "I'm fine son. I'd have been a darn sight worse if it hadn't worked." "And Jesse?" Steve persisted. "What about me?" came a voice from the doorway. "I was just bringing Steve up to speed about last night and..................,"Mark began. "I was asking how you were," Steve concluded the sentence. "Well as a floor show, it could use a bit of work," quipped Jesse, but on seeing his friends face he continued a little more seriously, "I'm okay Steve." His brain working better by the minute, Steve said thoughtfully, "Derek Jacobs. I remember him now. We were playing a practice game in our senior year. It was to choose the team for a major game and coach told us to play it for real. Derek and I were on opposite teams. He got the ball and made his run. I intercepted him and he fell badly. It crushed his knee and ruined his chances of a football scholarship at university." Not having heard the earlier part of the discussion Jesse asked, "Who is Derek Jacobs?" "The janitor at the restaurant," Mark replied, "Cheryl thinks that it was he who sabotaged the microphone." "Holy cow!" Jesse exclaimed, before reverting to doctor mode and saying, "OK Steve. I think that we can take you down for that CAT scan now." Steve argued, as Jesse knew he would, but it was to
no avail and in no time he was being wheeled out of his room. Cheryl, meanwhile, had come up with much the same information that Steve had given to Mark, which only served to confirm her suspicions of the previous evening. She decided to go and talk to Jacobs again. Pulling up outside the restaurant Cheryl turned the engine off , locked her car and entered the building. The first person she encountered was Matt Johnson, the owner, who asked, "How is Steve, Cheryl?" "He's going to be okay Matt," she replied. "That's good to hear," he answered, "What can I do for you this morning?" "I need to talk to Derek Jacobs," Cheryl answered. "He's in the restaurant clearing up, your crime scene people said that it was okay," Matt began, "Why is something the matter?" "I just need to speak to him," Cheryl
responded, making her way to the door leading into the As Cheryl stepped through the door her eyes were immediately drawn to a figure on the far side of the room. He was so intent on clearing up a spill from the night before that, at first, he didn't notice Cheryl's entrance. For a few seconds he continued to scrub until, gradually, he became aware that someone else was in the room. His whole body took on a stillness as his ears strained to hear the next sound. "Mr. Jacobs," Cheryl spoke. On hearing the tone of Cheryl's voice his shoulders drooped in defeat. He dropped the cloth he was using back into the bucket and turned to face the waiting police officer. The look of resignation on his face caused Cheryl to say, "Why did you do it?" For a while Derek Jacobs stood in silence, seemingly lost in the past. "It was Steve Sloan who caused my injury." He began, " I thought that I had got over it and was getting on with my life. But when I saw him last night, still looking so good, successful and obviously loved by everyone around him something inside me snapped. I just wanted to hurt him, I didn't mean it to go this far. Is he going to be okay?" "Yes," snapped Cheryl, moving across the
room to place a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. She then led him out of the
restaurant to her car, reading him his rights as they went. "Steve, you can go home tomorrow," Jesse said, a few days later, "providing that your obs stay stable for the next 24 hours." "Jesse, I am FINE!" Steve insisted, "I have been stuck in here for the last four days and I am slowly going NUTS!" "Slowly?" queried Jesse humorously. Luckily for Jesse the door to Steve's room opened to reveal Mark, closely followed by Jim Newman. Mark grinned at the familiar sound of his son whining about being in hospital. "Will you stop picking on Jesse Steve?" he chuckled, "He's only doing his job." "Lieutenant, the more you grumble the longer it will be before I allow you back on duty," commented Jim Newman, who thought it was a good idea to put in his two cents worth. Holding his hands up in mock defeat Steve grinned, "Okay, okay I give up. Tomorrow it is." "Do you want to hear about Derek Jacobs?" Jim Newman continued. "Yes please," Steve, Mark and Jesse responded in unison. "He's admitted to sabotaging the sound system but insists that it was a spur of the moment thing." Newman began, " For what it's worth Steve, I believe him." "I would agree with you," Steve replied, " from what I remember of Derek from college, he was a good person." "Well he's been charged and will appear in court soon." "I don't want him to go to prison," Steve interjected." "Steve, he tried to kill you!" Jesse exclaimed. "Not kill, just hurt me," Steve replied, "It was just both our bad luck that it had the outcome that it did." "No Steve, not just bad luck," interjected Mark. Everyone in the room turned to look him. "What do you mean dad?" Steve asked. "I took your clothes home the other day and as I was putting your shoes away I noticed something on the sole of one of them. Somehow or other you had picked up a stray tack and it was because of this that stopped the electricity exiting your body the other night. It turned what would have been a minor shock into a major one." "Wow!" Jesse's one syllable exclamation summed up everyone's feelings. "I still don't want him to go to prison," reiterated Steve. Newman was impressed and said, "You know Steve, you get more like your dad every day."/ "I know," Steve replied, "Shocking isn't it?" The laughter that followed this statement echoed down the corridor. THE END home | vs home | season one | season two | season three | join dmvs | e-mail us | guestbook |
