STORY: Adjustments, part 3 of ? (It's a long one LOL) FANDOM: Remember WENN AUTHOR: Michele Savage (1998) RATING: NC-17, M/F, hurt/comfort SUMMARY: After Hilary is brutally attacked and left for dead, she and Jeff have some healing to do. SETTING: 1942, Pittsburgh FEEDBACK: Would be muchly appreciated. :-) ARCHIVE: Hetsketeers. (anywhere else, let me know before archiving please.), Sockii, this can be archived at Rest Is Silence too. :-) DISCLAIMER: Remember WENN and its characters are copyright Rupert Holmes, Howard Meltzer and AMC. No infringement is intended. The story is mine as are any original characters. Jeff sat with his tray of food and tried to eat. He couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. He couldn't even touch her. There were so many things that they both were going to have to re-adjust. He hoped not for long. They couldn't go the rest of their lives without touching. The physical contact in their marriage was just as important as the emotional contact. He only hoped that both of those things weren't irreparably damaged. Suddenly his appetite was completely gone. He lay his head against his hands and tried desperately to quell the overwhelming sense that their relationship had died the previous night. "Excuse me, Mr. Singer?" Jeff nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt the hand on his shoulder. "What!" He looked up quickly and saw an older police officer standing over him. "Oh. I'm sorry." He said wiping evidence of his tears from his face with the cloth napkin. "No, I shouldn't have just barged in on you like that. I apologize." The officer joined him at the table, "I'm Jim Clarkson, the leading officer on this investigation. The nurses upstairs told me I could find you here." "Have you found him yet?" Jeff asked. "No. We went over the scene today with a fine toothed comb. We found the knife, remnants of clothes," he stopped talking when he saw the man sitting opposite him react, "I'm sorry. If you'd like we can do this some other time." "No." Jeff said quickly. "I want him caught and I want him hanged." He angrily admitted, then apologized. "Don't apologize. If that was my Sheila in the bed yours is in, I'd be out for blood too." Officer Clarkson admitted. "Do you think your wife could describe her attacker?" "I don't know. I really haven't had a chance to speak with her about that. I've been hesitant to bring it up." Jeff answered honestly. "Would you mind if I talked to her?" "Only if you don't pressure her." Jeff agreed with conditions. "The minute she starts getting upset, stop." "Would you rather I had a female officer talk to her?" He offered. "Go ahead and talk to her since you're here. But if she gets too upset, yes I would." Jeff said. "Oh, and I'm going to be there when you talk to her so don't even bother trying to get rid of me." "I understand." The officer stood and waited until Jeff threw away his uneaten food and followed him upstairs. When the two men walked into the room, Hilary was alone and staring out the open curtains. Jeff could hear that Rosie had turned on the radio that sat on the table behind the flowers. Calico Jones was currently being broadcast. Hilary wiped her eyes and put on her best 'facing the public' mask. "Did you have a nice supper, Jeffrey?" Her forced smile faded slightly when she saw the uniformed officer walk into her sight behind Jeff. "Darling, this is Jim Clarkson. If you feel up to it, he'd like to ask you a few questions." Jeff explained, taking her hand. The gentle looking man smiled as he spoke. "It shouldn't take too long, Mrs. Singer." Hilary shifted uncomfortably, then grimaced when her shoulder reminded her that had been a bad idea. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to force back the tears of frustration. She didn't want either of the two men to see her cry. Dammit, she was Hilary Booth, not some whining girl. "Hilary, are you all right?" Jeff asked, concerned. "I'm fine!" she snapped. She immediately regretted her tone of voice. He was only trying to be help. "I'm sorry, darling." She apologized and squeezed his hand lightly. "What kind of questions do you need to ask?" she addressed the officer, who'd pulled a chair closer and sat. "We are trying to locate the man who attacked you." He started gently, "The sooner we put together the puzzle, the faster we can try to prosecute." "Try to prosecute?" Hilary asked sharply. "He nearly to killed me! He-" she hesitated, "he assaulted me. A man like that should not be walking the streets!" She closed her eyes as her upper body protested painfully at her agitated words. "Hilary darling, try to calm down." Jeff urged softly. She drew a breath and calmed herself. "I'm all right." She looked at the officer, "Please go on with your questions." "I might have to be blunt." He warned, "If you feel uncomfortable at anytime, stop me okay?" "All right." She responded. "Let's start at the beginning. Do you know what time you left O'Malley's?" The officer asked, opening a notebook to write down her answers. "I don't know." She glanced toward Jeff, "We argued, I stormed out. I didn't look at the clock." Jim turned to Jeff, "What did you do after she left?" "I walked to the bar and ordered a beer." Jeff explained. "Usually I follow her out and catch up to her as she's walking, but that night . . . I didn't." "Do you normally walk home from O'Malley's?" Jim asked. "We only live two blocks away. Neither of us drive and it's useless to call a cab for two blocks." Jeff explained. "That makes sense." Jim said as he wrote down the information. "I take it then, you are regulars there?" "Yes." Hilary answered, "In fact, the owners are close friends." "Did either of you see anyone out of the ordinary that night?" "I don't recall." Hilary said, "We were sitting at the corner table we usually occupy. It's more private." "Did you see anyone follow her out when she left?" Jim addressed Jeff again. Jeff went over the memory of her leaving that night, "No. I just went to the bar, ordered the beer, and talked to Joe for a second before he turned to another customer. A friend of mine, Ron Gantry, came in. I do remember that because I asked him to sit with me at the table." "Yes, I talked with Mr. Gantry last night." Jim turned to Hilary. "These are the harder questions. Just take it slow, okay?" She slightly nodded, "Okay." "What did you do when you left?" "As usual when Jeff and I argue, my first instinct is to storm off, which is exactly what I did." She recalled, "As soon as I got outside the somewhat chilly breeze calmed me a bit and I paced for a moment trying to decide whether or not to go back in and apologize." "Did you see anyone leave? "People left, people arrived. I remember when Ronny got there. He laughed when he saw me and asked if Jeff and I had had another fight. I basically told him to go to hell and that's when I started for home." "What happened next?" "I walked past the alley and someone grabbed me from behind." She stopped and pulled her hand away from Jeff's to wipe a tear she felt dripping down her temple. "I fell and it was dark, I couldn't see. Someone jumped onto me and forced me to the ground. He was drunk. Very drunk, I could smell his breath as soon as he got near me." As she spoke, Hilary gave up trying to stop the tears. Jeff wiped her tears away with his hand as they fell. She leaned her head closer, his touch comforting. "He . . . his hands were all over me. I tried to fight him off and yell for help, but he punched me in the stomach. That's when he put the knife-" She stopped, and closed her eyes tightly. She put her hand over her face and began to lightly sob, "I can't - everything after that is a painful blur." Jeff turned to the officer, "I think that's enough." "I understand. I've got a lot to go on here." Jim said as he stood, "If you remember anything else about who was at the pub last night, here is my phone number." He handed Jeff the piece of paper he'd written the number on. "I'll see myself out." "I want this pain to go away." Hilary cried softly. "It's so frustrating!" she said angrily hitting the mattress with her fist. As soon as her hand connected pain rippled across her chest. "Ow . . ." she put her hand on her chest. "Dammit." "Is there something I can do to make you more comfortable, sweetheart?" Jeff asked. She looked at him and smiled softly through her tears, "No pumpkin, I just need to have some patience." "That would be asking for a miracle." He kissed her hand and smiled when she did. "You've had a busy day with visitors, why don't you try and get some sleep." Jeff suggested. "I think I like that idea." She said. "You'll be here?" "I'm not leaving this hospital without you." He kissed her softly on the cheek. "I've got a cot right next to your bed, I think I'll lay down and try to sleep as well." He started to walk away when she stopped him, "Pumpkin!" He turned, "What darling?" "I love you," she said through fresh tears. He walked back to her and bent to tenderly kiss her lips, "I love you too, Hilary." To be Continued... Biz Bizarra@infinet.com