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Dietz held the telephone receiver to his ear and mentally counted off the rings. He was up to 15 now and it was becoming very clear that he was not going to get in touch with Pilar at her house.
He continued to stare at the television screen where the news report was still being given. Graphic images of the train wreck were flashed across the screen all throughout the broadcast.
Ordinarily, Dietz wouldn't have been so enthralled by an unfortunate accident such as this one. Sadly, accidents like this did happen and he had worked for the Santos family for enough years to realize that not all of them were merely "accidental". He had become most interested in the news flash when he had heard the name of the victim being given. He watched the screen totally engrossed at the images unfolding before his very eyes.
He had been switching channels on the television intent on catching the latest sports scores and racing results when the image of the train and mangled car had caught his attention.
Hearing that the name of the victim of this violent collision was one of Springfield's finest, David Grant had stopped Dietz dead in his preverbal tracks. Surely he had heard the name wrong.
The second time he heard the name given, he felt more certain that he had heard it correctly but the third time when they flashed a recent photograph of David Grant on the top of the screen while announcing his name again, Dietz knew for certain it was he.
Did Pilar know yet? He had tried to call her at the Santos home (something she insisted he never do) after his attempts to reach her on her cell phone proved futile, and he hadn't been able to reach her there either.
Where could she be? Was she at the hospital? Highly doubtful, Dietz thought. Danny could use her help right now and that was precisely the reason she would stay away. She was bound and determined to see Danny suffer although Dietz had never been able to figure out why.
He got that unfamiliar ache in his gut again as he thought about how he had known about all of Pilar's evil doings and how he had kept them to himself so he could use them against Pilar to get her to do the things he wanted. He was willing to accept his part in what he had been doing the past few months, and he decided that once Danny was well enough, he would tell him the truth and ask forgiveness. He would then go to Frank Cooper and confess his part in Gino Cartelli's hanging.
He had to admit, although these new feelings of remorse were foreign to him, he found that he felt better about himself already. He could put a stop to Pilar Santos's reign of terror over her brother and his wife once and for all.
But first, he had to find out where she was. He needed to see if she had managed to get that godforsaken book back. If she didn't have it, then the odds were that David had had it in his possession when he had met his untimely demise and the book now would be in the hands of the Springfield police department and it would just be a matter of time before they came looking for him. He would cooperate if and when they connected him to that book but for now, he was going out to try and retrieve that book.
He went into his small bathroom and wet a washcloth and brought it across this forehead. He was suddenly feeling very strange. Beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead and upper lip. He brought the cool cloth to his face and was able to calm his anxiety that this strange episode was beginning to bring on. He would need to rest soon. As soon as he came back, he would lie down and he felt sure he would feel better, but first he had to find out where Pilar was.
Michelle woke up with a strange feeling that she was no longer alone in her hospital room. The feel of a hand in hers confirmed her suspicions and she realized Susan must have come back to sit with her again. She was such a good friend to first Danny and now her. They would never be able to repay her for her kindness. It was just as if she were an angel sent from God himself to watch over her and Danny during this time of recuperation for both of them.
Danny. Was he out of the operating room yet? What time was it? She cursed the exhaustion that had overtaken her earlier. She had wanted to stay awake so she could receive word on Danny's condition. Susan would know what was going on with Danny and she turned her head to face Susan and ask her for the information on Danny.
Her heart leapt when she saw that it was not Susan at all holding her hand but Danny. How long had he been here? How did he get here? He was lying in a bed identical to hers and it was pushed up against the one she was lying in. Someone had to have pushed them together for him to be this close to her.
She didn't know how long she had slept since she didn't have a watch on nor was there a clock on her wall but it had to have been hours. The last word she had on Danny's condition was that he was still in surgery and she knew he would have to spend at least an hour in recovery, so based on that time table, she deduced that she had been asleep at least three hours.
She looked out of the window and was able to see the darkness outside through the slit where the curtains separated. It was nighttime but she didn't know how late it was. Had Susan gotten off her shift yet?
The answers to those questions would have to remain unanswered once she saw Danny begin to stir. What would he think when he saw her for the first time? He would be upset at the condition of her face and jaw and she would have no way to reassure him since she couldn't speak.
She searched for the call button and pushed it and was relieved to hear Susan's voice come over the intercom telling her that she was on her way.
She arrived in less than a minute and was very happy to see Danny beginning to wake up again. She saw that Michelle was worried and she walked to Danny's side and began to take his vital signs.
The pumping of the blood pressure armband brought a low mutter from Danny and Susan laughed as she recognized the colorful word he was using.
"Alright now Danny" she teased. "You should watch your mouth in polite company."
"Hurry up and get that thing off me" he said groggily and Susan chuckled not even attempting to hide her amusement. Danny was going to be fine. Only Danny would be cursing the inconvenience of a blood pressure monitor after he had just gone through a major operation where his heart had stopped.
Danny turned his head in Michelle's direction. He was unable to move his body at all and it was not only due to the remnants of the anesthesia he had been given. His body was rendered immobile by the pins that they had placed in his hip.
He was very visibly shaken when he saw her face. The blackened eyes made him shiver and the large white bandage across her nose gave evidence to the fact that it had been broken in the impact.
She had to have hit the steering wheel with her face. Oh dear God, his precious Michelle had hit her head on the hard object. Did she have a head injury? Was she going to be okay?
"Michelle" he said. "Baby, what happened? Are you okay?" he said and grew frustrated when she didn't answer. "Susan, why isn't she answering me?" he shouted.
"Calm down Danny" Susan said. " She isn't answering you because she can't talk right now," she said and Danny looked at Michelle who answered him by nodding her head.
"Why can't she talk?" he asked with a broken voice. "Damn it Susan. Tell me why she can't talk".
Susan took the hand that wasn't holding onto Michelle's and stroked it gently. "Danny, you need to calm down. You aren't going to do either one of you any good it you end up popping your stitches open. Calm down and I will tell you what happened," she said.
Danny breathed in deeply and appeared to calm down a bit. The machine that was monitoring his heart rate returned to its normal beeping rhythm and Susan began to tell him of Michelle's injuries and subsequent inability to communicate verbally.
Danny watched Michelle the entire time Susan was explaining her injuries to her. He never broke eye contact the entire time he was being briefed on the reason Michelle wouldn't be able to communicate vocally with him.
He didn't care. As long as she was alive, then they could get through anything. He knew the road was going to be long and hard but as long as they were together, they would make it.
She looked scared. She looked as scared as he felt. He had to reassure her that things would be all right.
"Its okay baby" Danny said. "You are going to be fine. We will get through this together," he said while stroking the hand that he held.
Michelle was getting restless and attempted several times to disengage her hand from his. "What is it Michelle?" he asked. Something was wrong. She wouldn't have pulled away from him unless something was amiss.
She motioned for Susan to get her pad and pen and took it from her once Susan handed it to her. She didn't have the strength to write many words and it took all the energy she possessed to write down the two words that she needed to tell him.
Danny asked Susan to read what Michelle had written on the paper. He was confused to hear the words " Pilar" and "money". What did Michelle mean by that? Did Pilar need some money?
He asked Michelle if that was what she meant and he could see her frustration in not being able to communicate to him what she needed to tell him. Her agitation became so intense that Susan had to threaten to give her some medication to calm her down.
Michelle had never felt so hopeless in all her life. She had to tell Danny what she had found out about Pilar but it was obvious that now was not the time. She would just spend the time she could while she was awake just looking at Danny. If that were all she would ever be able to do for the rest of her life, it would be enough.
She would not expend her energy trying to tell Danny about Pilar right now. She would sit here and hold his hand and look at him but if Pilar Santos thought she had heard the last of Michelle, then she was sadly mistaken. She was sadly mistaken indeed.
Bill Lewis pulled his car into the driveway of the Reardon home. He didn't get out of the car right away. He laid his head on the back of the headrest and closed his eyes and recalled the events earlier this evening.
He had driven around the city for hours after seeing Pilar's name in that book. He hadn't been looking for Pilar as much as he had been trying to clear his head.
Nothing had surprised him more in his life than when he read her name in that book and made the connection that she had been using drugs. How long had she been using? How far gone was she?
He had sensed something different about her earlier but he had just chalked it up to the fact that people changed. They had been separated for three long years and he had changed too. He had been bitter after their break up too. He had turned to Karen and she had turned to drugs.
He was so confused. He had no idea what he was going to do. He would talk to his mother and maybe she could help shed some light on this difficult situation. He would also call Karen and tell her he would be detained here in Springfield a little bit longer. One way or the other, Bill was going to find Pilar and try and understand what had happened to the girl he had once loved more than his own life and try to make her believe that he would not desert her in her time of need.
He locked the incriminating papers up in the glove compartment of the rental car and strolled up the walkway to the front door where he was greeted warmly by his family. He returned the hugs and kisses and tried to answer all of their questions that were being blurted out to him at once, but he had only one thing on his mind. Where was Pilar??