"It's like a storm that cuts a path. That breaks your will. It feels like that. You think you're lost. But you're not lost on your own. You're not alone. I will stand by you. I will help you through. When you've done all you can do and you can't cope. I will dry your eyes. I will fight your fight. I will hold you tight and I won't let go." Rascall Flatts- I Won't Let Go
Present Day
Dante Falconeri had seen his fair share of life-threatening injuries since he'd arrived in Port Charles nearly three years earlier. He knew the excruciating pain that resulted from an impact with a car, had seen his life flash before his eyes, as he'd been hit with a bullet not once, not twice, but more times than he cared to admit. Three times those bullets had ripped through his body. The first a mere flesh wound, the next two spilling his blood upon the ground.
As a cop, he knew it came with the job.
The scars on his chest served as a reminder of his brush with death. The pain overshadowed by the adrenaline rush he got as he looked over a police file, or arrived at a crime scene.
Bullet wounds. Blood. They were no stranger to the Falconeri's.
Hell, nor to the Corrinthos family.
Dante was a cop. His father was a mobster.
But, his wife-
He felt more agony at this moment….. more pain…then all of those injuries combined.
The image before him caused a paralyzing fear to grip him, sweat to bead upon his brow and the hand gripping his 9mm to shake. His heart pounded within his chest. Shock and anger increasing with every second.
Yes, as a cop, he expected this.
But, as a husband-
It was his worst nightmare.
"If you do this," Lulu warned, summoning every last bit of strength in her body to enforce her words," and grimacing, as she turned toward her assailant, "He won't forgive you."
Her assailant didn't respond. Eyes trained on the alley surrounding them.
"You think I'm looking for forgiveness? From him?" her assailant asked, crouching over Lulu, "This is your fault. You know that, don't you?" Lulu heard, a hand brushing against her head.
Lulu groaned, feeling the slight press of her assailant's hand against her arm, waiting for the inevitable pain that would send her into unconsciousness. What was mere seconds, felt like minutes, as Lulu felt her arm released and slowly turned her head toward the motion that made her assailant pause; rushing footsteps echoing down the alley.
"PCPD, drop it," she heard from a few feet away, a shadowy figure lunging from the darkness and revealing himself. Lulu cried out- recognizing her husband's voice, his image a welcome relief.
"You're no fun, Dante. This party was just getting started," her assailant smiled, a grin spreading upon the face.
"Baby, are you ok?" Dante responded, blinking, as if the very action would make Lulu's assailant disappear.
Lulu nodded her head up and down, her eyes darting to her attacker and back to Dante, as her assailant pressed the gun against her.
"Lulu here," her assailant told him, with a thick accent, pointing the gun in Dante's direction and cocking it, "Turns out trading her fashion in for a box of files wasn't such a bad idea after-all."
"A few days," the assailant told Dante, looking in Lulu's direction, "That's gotta be a record. You should've filed paperwork for the PCPD months ago," the assailant grinned, smiling at Lulu, "Sonny would be out of our lives."
We don't have to do this," Dante told her assailant, in a calm voice, keeping an eye on Lulu, as she slowly sat up, holding her arm.
"We can get you help," Dante informed, moving closer, keeping his fear at bay, as he sent a warning look to his wife.
No, he responded with his eyes.
Lulu's eyes answered with a definitive-yes- getting ready to move.
"Help? Oh, Shadybrooke? We'll Pass," her assailant laughed, turning, as Lulu lunged.
Dante leapt into action, his only thought protecting his wife, as Lulu knocked her attacker to the ground, struggling to get the gun.
Gunfire exploded.
In the end: Dante grasped his gun with shaking hands, it's neck pointed at the ground, as he stared in horror at the prone body- blood starting to flow from beneath. His gun dropped to the ground. Not a single bullet fired.
The other on the ground sat in shock, a smoking gun nearby, tears falling, as steadfast, as the red stain that was slowly spreading upon her shoulder.
The third stood, smoking gun pointed at the ground, not sure which bullet aimed true.
A Few Hours Earlier
"Hey, Lulu- here is the last of it. Sorry, to keep you so late," the officer told her, handing her a manila folder marked "Case Closed."
"Thanks, Tommie," Lulu answered reaching for the file and looking down at the case name, "Vaughn Stripper Attacks, "They're closing the case?"
"Commish thinks it's airtight, but your husband-"
"Dante doesn't believe anything until every "t" is crossed and every "i" dotted," Lulu told the officer, a perplexed look upon her face, as she opened the file and glanced at the perp's confession.
Suspect: Dr. Ewen Keenan, Resident Psychiatrist at General Hospital
"Dr. Keenan?" Lulu questioned, looking back up at the officer, "Are they sure?"
"Doc tried to kill himself. Can you believe it?" the officer said to her, lowering his voice, "Probably shouldn't tell you this, but they found a note. Full confession. Unbelievable, huh?" the officer continued pointing to the file, "He's supposed to help people. Here he is beating women."
"Allegedly," Lulu reminded the officer, staring at the notes in the file. Something didn't quite add up. What was Dr. Keenan's motive?
"He confessed, Lulu. Don't get more guilty than that. The guys are meeting at Jakes later if you and Falconeri want to meet up. Say 9pm."
"Sounds like fun. I'll let Dante know," Lulu answered, her nose glued to the contents of the file.
"You spend as much time going over those files as your husband. You might want to consider the academy," the officer laughed, shaking his head, as he turned to walk away.
"Somehow I don't think Dante would be as open to that," Lulu commented under her breath, staring at the file. Dr. Keenan?
She still couldn't fathom it.
Lulu had met him only a few times. He seemed nice, but in the last few years, Lulu had learned not to judge a book by its cover. Looks could be deceiving.
She had learned a lot from her husband , watching him, listening. His cop skills and her Spencer instincts-they made the perfect team.
Now, she just had to convince him that they had the wrong perp.
If Dante knew that she had spent the last few hours looking at the PCPD's duty log, trying to find a correlation between the nights the strippers were beaten and the nights officers were off duty-well, he wouldn't exactly be pleased. The information she found put a knot in her gut, one that was growing with every piece of evidence that pointed in her perp's direction.
It set her mind reeling.
Several minutes later, Lulu Falconeri placed the last file inside the box and placed the lid atop it, then lifted it and set it upon a nearby shelf. Reaching for last year's couture bag, she glanced one more time at the file upon the desk, before hiding it within the confines of the purse. Gone were the days of the latest fashion, handbags and jewelry-she lived on a cop's salary now and added to her filing clerk check it didn't amount to much. Lulu was beginning to think they should have taken Sonny's check- life would be easier.
Closing the bag, she placed it over her shoulder, leaving the evidence room and locking it securely behind her.
A big, bold sign was next to the door.
NO PERSONNEL CAN REMOVE EVIDENCE WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORITY'S APPROVAL
VIOLATION OF THIS PROCEDURE WILL LEAD TO PROSECUTION
SECURITY CAMERAS ON PREMISES
Gripping her bag more securely upon her shoulder, Lulu Falconeri continued down the hallway, expecting alarms to go off and detectives to come running, but everyone just nodded in her direction wishing her a good night. She was a cop's wife. No one suspected. Not one officer.
She wasn't removing evidence, she was simply borrowing it and she was married to a detective, so that eliminated the need for approval. All of these thoughts went through her head, as she clutched her bag tighter, thinking of all of the detailed reports taken at the scenes within, the notes from the interviews with the strippers and the photographs taken showing the bruised and battered faces of the women. Yes, if she was busted right this second, she would have a lot of explaining to do. But, since the security cameras weren't working- and the evidence room had seen more action than the supply closet at GH without reprimanding- Lulu wasn't too worried at the moment.
As she stepped outside the precinct, Lulu Falconeri glanced at the folder inside her bag, tucking the purse tighter. She had gone over the file at least a hundred times, knew the photographs by name, could recite the interviews by heart- but, in her gut something was off. Her instincts shouting that they had the wrong guy. The perp she suspected –well it scared the crap out of her.
"Hey, Lu-" Ronnie acknowledged, walking toward the precinct doors, as she was exiting, "Didn't expect to see you here so late."
"Don't you have tonight off?" Lulu responded, clutching her purse closer.
"What are you my keeper now?" Ronnie Dimestico joked, nervously, reaching for the strap of her bag, as it started to slip off of her shoulder, "I have to sign off on some file."
"I got it," Lulu told him, brushing his gesture aside and moving a few steps backward, "File?"
What if the attacker was Ronnie? According to the duty log he was off-duty the days the strippers were being attacked. He was the perfect candidate. The fact that he was a cop- Dante would never suspect.
"Burglary case. Yo, what's got you all jumpy?"
"I don't know what you mean," Lulu answered, pushing past him, as he reached out and gripped her arm, stopping her.
"You seem off. That's all," Ronnie responded, his tone firm, as his eyes scanned her face, searching for a reason for her reaction.
"I'm fine," Lulu informed him, pulling her arm from his grasp and rubbing it where his hand had held tightly.
"if you're sure. The boys are going to be at Jake's. Thinking of heading over there soon. You going?"
"Everything has been so crazy lately-Dante and I just want a night in."
"Stay in? Tonight is about celebrating. It's not every day the PCPD gets a signed confession, Lulu. You tell Dante first beer's on me. The rest on him," Ronnie laughed, a smile spreading across his face, "Hey, let me walk you to your car."
"I didn't drive," Lulu answered, looking toward the precinct doors, 'Don't you have some file to get?"
"Oh, that," Ronnie responded, "it can wait."
Lulu heard her phone from within her bag, shuffling the contents aside, as she pulled it out.
Ronnie's eyes were fixed on her bag and the file within, his eyes widening with curiosity.
What was Lulu up to?
"Dante, honey, where are you?" Lulu asked, turning her back on Ronnie and stepping a few feet away.
"Dinner sounds wonderful. I'll see you in a few," Lulu gushed, "I love you."
"Aw, newlyweds," Ronnie grinned, "So, you need me to walk you anywhere?"
"Dante's meeting me. I'll just wait inside," Lulu answered, jumping as Ronnie reached for the door, opening it.
"I'll wait with you," Ronnie informed her, following her inside, more curious than ever on the contents of that file.
"Baby, you want to tell me what's going on?" Dante asked hours later, after the last dish had been washed, cleaned and put away.
They had outgrown their loft after a few months of marriage and had found an apartment closer to the their jobs, within near walking distance. It had a separate bedroom a full-size shower and a decent sized kitchen that held almost all of his cooking supplies. They had fallen in love with it on the spot.
"Why do you think –"
"Your lips are pouted," Dante commented, sitting beside her on his favorite brown couch. The one thing Lulu had let him keep, "Incredibly sexy? Hell, yes, but baby, you do that when something is bothering you. Wanna tell me?"
Dante moved to the edge of the couch, leaning back against the arm, wrapping his arms around his wife, as she lay her head upon his chest. He stroked her arm, up and down, waiting for her to tell him what was on her mind.
"How well do you know, Ronnie Dimestico?" Lulu asked, her head tilting upward, her eyes locked on his.
"We go way back. He's practically a brother to me. Why?" Dante responded, continuing to caress her skin, "Did he say something? Want me to beat him up?" Dante grinned, the smile dropping from his face, as he saw Lulu's fear.
"Lulu, if Ronnie is giving you a hard time about the files-"
"No, nothing like that," Lulu answered, kissing Dante softly on the lips, "It's probably nothing."
"Baby, you know you can tell me anything. No matter what," Dante assured her, as Lulu smiled, hugging her body tightly to his, "Anything at all. You are my wife."
"It's just something I'm working on," Lulu admitted, fidgeting in his arms.
"Working on?" Dante replied, sitting up straighter and turning so that Lulu lay beneath him. He scooted backward, pulling off first one boot and then the other, tossing them to the floor.
"A case," Lulu whispered, as Dante straddled her, placing kisses alongside her throat, as his hands made quick work with the buttons of her blouse.
"Mrs. Hamilton's missing cat?" Dante laughed, as Lulu slugged him in the chest, emitting a groan from him.
"Hey," he voiced, sitting up and spreading her blouse open. He paused for a moment , taking in the sight before him, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, as he looked at his wife.
"That's not funny. That poor cat was kidnapped," Lulu reminded him, her tone fierce.
"Catnapped," Dante laughed, as Lulu slugged him once again.
His hands played with the straps of her bra, moving lower, cupping her breasts.
"Beautiful. So freaking beautiful," Dante told her-all humor aside, as a look of desire appeared upon his face.
"Bed, or shower," Lulu inquired, her hands clutching his hair, as Dante's head dipped between her breasts, his lips tormenting her.
"Both," Dante grinned, jumping from the couch and lifting Lulu into his arms. He reached for his handcuffs, as he carried her toward the bedroom, tossing them on the bed and then heading toward the shower.
Minutes later, Lulu found herself pressed against the tiled wall, Dante's hand splayed against her breast, molding it, while the other slowly moved lower, teasing her with feathery touches. She squirmed, each touch tormenting, setting off a charge in her that threatened to explode. He spread her legs, moving between them, his erection pressed against her, a heavy staff resting against her. His fingers found her warm center first, darting inside, testing her readiness, stroking and rubbing until her body bucked beneath him, his lips taking one nipple between his teeth and sucking, as she broke apart, her hips pressing against his fingers. She cried out, her bottom coming off of the wall, as he replaced his fingers with his member, and thrust home, lifting her several inches upward, her bottom sliding up and down against the tile with each forceful movement. Dante used one hand to lift her higher on his hips, tilting her pelvis upward and sending him deeper. Lulu's breathing became ragged, her hands gripping his ass, as he continued to pound into her, his groans increasing with every thrust, as she struggled beneath him, moving her body until he hit her g-spot, then holding on tightly. A few thrusts later, she came, loudly, tears streaming down face, as her chest rose and fell, her legs feeling like jelly, spent, wrapped around him. His lips pressed against hers, as he rested his head upon her shoulder and gripped her, plunging deep. One. Twice. Shouting, as his own release spilled within her. Gently, his hand caressed her bottom, lowering her feet to the shower floor and holding her steady, pressed against the tiled wall, still deep within her.
"I want a baby," Lulu whispered, so low, he barely heard her, his eyes smoky with the afterglow of sex. "Your baby," she said softly, closing her eyes, as he nuzzled her neck, his lips brushing her skin, his staff twitching within her.
They stayed like that for several minutes, silent, her words seeming to echo off the wall, waiting for the sound of their breathing to return to normal, waiting for his response to her request, their hands gentle upon each other's skin, as the feel of the streaming water cooled upon their bodies.
Without a word, he carried her from the shower, setting her upon her feet, while he dried her briskly with a towel.
"Dante," Lulu said louder, her hands firm upon his shoulder, "Don't you-"
His lips pressed upon her abdomen, his eyes drifting up to hers, an odd sparkle within them, a sheen of tears, as he lifted her once more into his arms and carried her toward the bed.
He slid effortlessly inside her, their movements rocking the bed beneath them, as he held her gently, his eyes locked with hers, "A baby? You're sure?"
"Yes," Lulu responded, losing all train of thought, as he gripped her hands above her head, and continued to move within her, their motions slow and steady, increasing like the ebb of waves upon the sand, sure and steady, each slap against the sand, sending them closer to the edge.
"Your baby, "Dante smiled moments later, after they'd come unglued, their bodies entangled, hearts beating within their chest. He turned toward her, a quizzical expression on his face, "Are you?"
"Not yet," Lulu whispered softly, her voice muffled within his chest, as she placed a kiss upon the dark curls, smiling.
He ran his hand through her hair, closing his eyes, as she licked, hardening his nipples, then moved lower.
"Our baby," he mumbled, groaning, as she straddled him, her touch causing him to gasp, clutching the wooden posts of their bed, as she lowered her head, her blond hair a curtained veil upon his thighs.
Hours later, Lulu carefully pulled her arm from beneath Dante's, the clang of metal handcuffs hitting the floor. She turned to Dante, worried the sound had awakened him, but he lay sleeping still. Keeping her movements slow, she began to slid from atop him, grinning, as his hand found her bottom, caressing it in his sleep. Gently, she lifted it from her backside, extracting her legs from between his and trying to stifle a giggle, as a frown appeared upon his face. Eyes still closed, he reached for her side finding her pillow and pressing it against his nose, a smile upon his face, as he inhaled, turning onto his side.
Lulu rose from the bed, walked over to the dresser and quietly opened the top drawer, bypassing her sexy lingerie and reaching for Dante's sweatpants. Pulling them over her hips, she slid the drawer closed, opening the second to grab her favorite white tee shirt, sliding it over her head. She turned toward Dante, her heart swelling, as she looked upon the man on the bed, his back to her, pillow cradled in his arms, his body sprawled upon a small section of the King-sized bed, as he continued to sleep.
Her smile fell from her lips, as she thought about the file in the other room, her theory and the affect it would have on Dante.
She hoped she was wrong.
Lulu sat upon the couch, a mug of hot chocolate in her hand, sipping the sweet concoction, as she scanned the top page once again, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Photo #3- Daisy O'Day.
23 years of age. Single. The dark-haired petite dancer had been walking home from Vaughn's on the early morning of March 12th. 2:32am. She was attacked from behind. Blunt force to the back of her head. Her face beaten, her body covered in bruises. The last thing the woman remembered was the sound of footsteps, then voices.
Lulu turned the page over, glancing at the next photo.
Photo #5- Jessie James.
26 years of age. Separated. The blond, buxom dancer was attacked in an alley on the night of March 18th. 11:48pm. Blunt force trauma to the head. Face beaten.
Her body had far less bruises than the other girl, Lulu noticed, the bruises centered on the upper torso.
"Was the attacker interrupted?" Lulu noted aloud, as she peered down at the dancer's recounting, taking into consideration the sound of women's voices the dancer had heard arguing just before her attack.
"Only one way to find out," Lulu said out loud, placing her pen against her lips and tapping the stem with her finger, thinking. She jumped from the couch, knocking the file on the floor and scattering its pages. She quickly reached for the pages on the floor, tossing them back into the file, before slipping into a pair of tennis shoes and grabbing her coat. She ducked out of the apartment, silently locking the door behind her, and headed to Vaughn's.
"Hey, Pops," Johnny yelled to the bald man up front, manhandling his newest dancer, Tangie Reece, who was pole-dancing at the edge of the stage, "Keep your hands off my girls, or-"
"Or what?" the bald man said, rising to his feet, his belly nearly bursting from his buttoned-down shirt.
"Or, I'll introduce you to Eddie," Johnny warned the man, pointing in the direction of the far corner where an overly large, muscled man stood, arms crossed, a stoic expression upon his face.
"You haven't changed," Lulu grinned, as she stepped inside Vaughn's, placing her purse on a nearby table and shedding her coat alongside it.
Johnny's eyes took in her white tee-shirt and baggy sweatpants, drawing upward toward her hair pulled back in a ponytail, "You forget to pick up your dry cleaning?"
"No," Lulu responded, shaking her head, as Johnny grinned, "What's with the outfit?'
"I need a favor," Lulu asked, rolling her eyes, as Johnny stepped back a few feet, shaking his head negatively, pointing toward the bar and motioning . The waitress walked over to them, handed Johnny a bourbon, as he picked up the beer for Lulu.
She shook her head no and took a seat at the nearest table.
"The last favor you asked from me," Johnny responded, sitting down beside her, "Gave me a black eye and nearly landed me in jail."
"Dante told you that was an accident," Lulu answered, defending her husband.
"An accident? Was that before he swung at me? Or, after when he cuffed me and threw me in the back of his squad car?"
"Dante's protective," Lulu commented, grinning, as Johnny shook his head.
"I don't want anything to do with whatever you have cooked up in that head of yours, Lulu," Johnny told her, downing the bourbon and rising to his feet.
"I just want to talk to the dancers," Lulu told him, nearly begging, "Please. I won't be more than a few minutes."
"I thought they caught the guy," Johnny answered, worried, resting his hand atop the chair across from Lulu, "Am I wrong?"
"No. They have someone," Lulu informed him, playing with the sugar packets on the table, "I just don't think-"
"No way!" Johnny exclaimed, stepping away from the table and turning his back on Lulu, "If it's not….Lulu, leave it alone."
"I'll be careful. Just give me a few minutes. That's it, Johnny. You won't even know that I'm here," Lulu pleaded, standing.
"You have ten minutes, Lulu. Ten. If I catch one glimpse of Dante- "
"He doesn't even know I'm here," Lulu admitted, feeling guilty for sneaking out on Dante and working on a case that she knew he'd be worried about.
"Great," Johnny replied, pulling out his phone and checking his directory.
'What are you doing?" Lulu asked, puzzled.
"Making sure I have my plastic surgeon on standby," Johnny grimaced, thinking of Dante barreling through Vaughn's at the thought that Lulu was in danger, "I like my face, Lulu."
"What the hell was she doing here?" the patron wondered, hiding near the back of the club, blending in.
"What's up with the blond?"
"She was here with that yummy detective a few weeks back," the dark-haired, Hispanic girl, Carmela stated, "His wife," she continued, forlornly.
"I know who she is," the patron enunciated, perturbed, "What's she doing here? Didn't they repor t something on the news about finding the guy that was doing it?"
"I heard it was some Doc at the hospital," Carmela commented, as another dancer nodded her head, "I heard that too. Some shrink. He tried to kill himself."
"Tried?" the patron interjected, looking upset, "The Doc's alive?"
"Barely. The man's in ICU," Lillie Rose told them, shaking her head, "He was my best customer."
Lulu Falconeri sat nervously, a bottle of water in front of her, as she watched Johnny slip in the back, waiting.
She watched the girls on stage, their bodies pulsating to the music, sliding up and down the poles, the audience mesmerized. Men with bills in their hands, a few with women sitting beside them watching. Lulu glanced at a section toward the back, recognizing a few guys from Dante's precinct.
"Shit," she muttered, catching sight of Ronnie Dimestico.
He nodded in her direction, an odd expression on his face, as he spied Johnny walking back toward her.
"Daisy isn't on-duty until tomorrow night, but she'll meet you upstairs at Kelly's. Tomorrow. Around 11:30am," Johnny informed Lulu, reaching for her coat and placing it about her shoulders.
"I'll walk you out," he said, as Lulu glanced over where she had seen Ronnie a few moments earlier. Gone. Where could he be?
Nervously, she let Johnny lead her from the club, bumping into a dancer at the door, "Sorry," Lulu exclaimed, as the girl brushed against her, shoving something into the palm of her hand, and muttering under her breath, "Watch yourself, next time."
Lulu waited until Johnny had walked her to the pier, pretending to stop into Kelly's and pick up some of Mike's famous cinnamon rolls, before darting further up the pier.
She glanced down at the business card in her hand. Dr. Ewan Keenan's card.
A message was scribbled on the back, written with bright red lipstick.
Innocent.
She tucked the card into her coat pocket and headed toward the hospital.
Dante Falconeri rolled over, expecting to feel the welcome warmth of his wife beside him. His hands felt nothing, but disheveled sheets and her pillow at the opposite end of the bed.
Rubbing his eyes, he rose from the bed, walking toward the living room, naked as the day he was born.
"Hey, if you're making coffee-"
The room was empty.
Dante walked back toward the bathroom, but it too was empty. His puzzled look soon turned to worry, as he moved toward their dresser, reached for a pair of boxer briefs, pulling them on, followed by his jeans. He grabbed a light blue shirt from the drawer above the jeans, tossing it over his head and grabbing his shoes.
He walked toward the couch, sitting down upon it, and setting his shoes on the floor at his feet.
Where the hell could she have gone?
He reached for one of his shoes, spying the edge of a piece of paper peeking from underneath the couch.
It was Dr. Keenan's confession.
"Dammit, Lulu," Dante exclaimed to an empty apartment, pulling on his shoes and reaching for his brown leather jacket.
He grabbed his phone from the coffee table, dialing her number and getting her voicemail.
"Baby, I love you, but you are in so much trouble right now. Call me," Dante ordered, his voice stern.
He glanced through his contacts placed call list, searching for the number he'd called when he'd interviewed the strippers.
"Vaughn's," Johnny answered, as Dante held the phone to his ear, locking the apartment door with his other hand.
"Lulu there?"
"Just missed her," Johnny told Dante, sorting through the night's receipts, "Look, she wanted to talk with the dancers, but I got her to leave it alone. I walked her to Kelly's. She isn't home yet?"
"No, she isn't, Johnny," Dante responded, irritated that his wife went to Vaughn's ,
"Nevermind. I think I know where she went," Dante answered hanging up on Johnny .
Ever since they caught the guy that was beating the girls, Dante had expected this uneasy feeling of his to disappear, a huge relief to overcome him. But, it hadn't. His gut was telling him Dr. Keenan wasn't the one. Which meant Lulu might be walking into something she couldn't get herself out of and that left a knot in Dante's stomach. One that was growing by the second.
Lulu Falconeri slipped past the nurse's desk, peaking at one of the charts and locating Dr. Keenan's room. Cautiously, she glanced about her, keeping an eye out for Epiphany. Dr. Keenan had been released from ICU a few hours earlier, his condition now stable. The hospital staff had moved him to a room down the hall, but it was past visiting hours and Lulu had no desire to run into Epiphany and explain what she was doing here. Using the tool kit her father had given her on her sixth birthday, Lulu jimmied the lock of Dr. Keenan's office, her eyes darting left to right, listening for the click of the lock. She heard it disengage, slipping inside, just as an orderly rounded the corner, his face buried in a chart. Releasing a sigh of relief, Lulu searched the doctor's desk looking for something, anything that would substantiate her fear that Ronnie was the beater.
She spied the file cabinet near the wall, using her kit once again to work the lock. A few minutes later, she had the drawer open, his patient's files at her disposal.
Rifling through the files, Lulu recognized a few of the names, pulling them from the cabinet.
"There's your motive," Lulu told herself, glimpsing a file for Dimestico within. Her eyes grew larger, as she recognized additional names on the files.
Some of the strippers were his patients.
Hearing footsteps down the hall, she grabbed a handful of the files stuffing them in her large tote and quietly closing the drawer.
She hoped something within these files would substantiate her claim. It had to be him. Everything made sense. She just had to show Dante the file.
She opened the door slowly, stepped outside the room, closing it quietly behind her. She had only moved a few feet away when she heard her name.
"Lulu? I'm surprised to find you here so late," Kate Howard acknowledged, smoothing her hands over her red and white printed skirt, the fit snug upon her body, "Is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine. Sonny isn't-"
"Shot? Not today," Kate answered, reaching for a tube of bright red lipstick and applying it, "I'm waiting on a prescription to be filled. You?"
"Just leaving," Lulu answered, peering down at Kate's red pumps.
"New designer?" Lulu asked, curiously.
"Yes, hot off the racks," Kate laughed, securing her unbound hair into a tight twist at the back of her head, "I love my designers."
"I know," Lulu answered, a bit shocked, as Kate Howard walked away. Since when did Kate start wearing off the rack discounted couture. Those shoes were so last year.
Shaking her head, Lulu tucked the files tighter against her, and hurried down the hall, her steady focus blocking the sound of footsteps that followed.
She couldn't believe it. Ronnie was a patient of Dr. Keenan. Could he have had access to the dancer's files? Why would he have beaten the girls? She needed to get home and take a closer look at those files.
Exiting the hospital doors, Lulu rounded the corner, finding herself a few minutes later on the pier. She sat uoon the bench that faced the water and looked down at Dimestico's file.
She opened it to the first page, scanning the doctor's recent notes- scribbled words here and there.
Ronnie Dimestico. Age 41
Italian. Native of Brooklyn. One wife. Two boys and a girl.
Funny, Lulu thought looking up from the page- in all the months she'd known Ronnie, not once did she even consider that he had a family. He never mentioned them. She'd never seen them. She glanced back at Dr. Keenan's notes and continued reading the file.
Lying.
No trauma.
Why's he really here?
Dr. Keenan had his doubts about Ronnie too, Lulu thought, closing the file and standing. She needed to get this to Dante. Somehow, she had to figure out a way to tell him that the man he thought of as a brother was the very perp Dante had been searching for in this case.
Her eyes grew moist. The welling tears clouding her vision. It pained her that she had to share this. She wiped her eyes and tucked the file within her bag.
She had walked a few feet when she heard the footsteps, a clicking sound. She turned, the blow to the side of her head, knocked her to the ground a few feet away, causing her to drop her purse. Her whole face felt numb, her ears catching the sound of paper.
The files.
She turned her head, her cheek burning from the blow to her face. A few feet away lay her purse the files pulled out.
Her attacker gone.
Lulu crawled toward where her purse lay, stuffing the files back inside, slowly rising to her feet.
Her head hurt something fierce and she felt lightheaded.
She sat on the nearby bench to get her bearings, setting her purse beside her and holding her head in her hands.
"Lulu? Baby I have been searching all over for you," she heard, before he sat down beside her. She could hear the concern in his voice..
"Dante, I-" she started to say, lifting her head and looking toward him. His concern turning to anger.
"Lulu, what happened to your face?" Dante asked, his hand cradling the side of her head. His thumb brushing the bruise that was already beginning. Lulu flinched.
"I'll explain everything. Take me home," Lulu asked, as Dante gently helped her to her feet, wrapping his arm around her for support.
"We should go to the hospital, Lulu," Dante told her, holding her close.
"No. Just take me home," Lulu repeated, resting her head against his shoulder, "Please."
Ten minutes later, Lulu was propped against the arm of the couch, a pillow beneath her head and a blanket tucked around her. Dante kneeled in front of her, holding a frozen bag of peas and placing it gently against her cheek.
"Ow," Lulu cried out, as the press of the ice caused a shot of pain from her cheek.
She placed her hand over Dante's, holding the ice in place, watching his emotions. Concern. Fear. Anger. He kissed her on the top of her head, before rising to his feet, and moving beside her, placing her head against his chest. He gently stroked her back, his touch reassuring.
"You want to tell me who hit you?" Dante inquired, his voice calm. Too calm, as he glanced at the files that lay upon the coffee table.
"You going to arrest me?" Lulu smiled, the action causing an ache and a pained expression on her face.
"Stealing police files, Lulu?"
"Borrowing," Lulu replied, trying to grin.
"Does it hurt?" he said softly, a pained expression on his own face, as he peered down at her.
"A little," Lulu responded.
"Jesus, Lulu, we're supposed to be a team, right?" Dante reminded her, his fear turning to anger, "We talk to each other. We share our problems. Why didn't you tell-"
"I didn't know how," Lulu admitted, tears streaming down her face.
"Baby, talk to me," Dante pleaded, his fear growing, as Lulu looked even more scared.
"I've been looking into the stripper case," Lulu admitted, waiting for Dante to be angry.
"I know. I called Vaughn's," Dante informed her, catching the look of guilt on her face, "We'll talk about you going there alone, later," Dante continued, mad.
"I don't think Dr. Keenan did this," Lulu told her husband, glancing at the files on the table, "I've gone over and over the reports, Dante-"
"You're supposed to file them, not solve them, Lulu. And how exactly did you get these patient files?" Dante interrupted, stroking her blond hair, "Do you have any idea how I would feel if something-"
"I know. I'm sorry," Lulu told him, sitting up and tossing the bag of peas to the floor, "I was at the hospital, ran into Kate-
"Why didn't you call me? I would have met you with the doctor's office."
"I was in an office," Lulu admitted, glancing back at the patient files, a guilty look on her face.
"You broke into Dr. Keenan's office?" Dante said, raising his voice.
"I think I know who beat those girls, Dante. I think it's the same person who hit me tonight."
"Who?" Dante asked, dropping down beside her, his heart pounding in his chest. Being married to a Spencer was a constant challenge.
"I think it's your friend, Ronnie," Lulu whispered, her voice breaking, as she told him.
A look of disbelief came over Dante's face. His eyes grew larger and his face reddened with anger.
"I know it's hard to believe," Lulu told him, as he rose to his feet and she directed his gaze to the files on the table, "But, it all makes sense, Dante. He was Dr. Keenan's patient. He knew those girls. Tonight, at Vaughn's- I saw him, Dante-"
"Did he hit you?" Dante asked, angry.
"I don't know. I think so. It happened so fast," Lulu told him, sharing the events that led up to that moment.
Lulu reached for the files, sifting through them, "It should be here. I know I saw it," Lulu assured him.
"I should have been there, Lulu," Dante replied, crouching before her, his eyes welling with tears, as he took the files from her, tossing them to the table.
He glanced at the darkening bruise, "What if something worse-"
"I'm ok, Dante," Lulu reassured him, as he kissed her softly on the lips, "I am."
"You sure?" Dante asked, concerned for her health.
"I've got you, don't I?" Lulu responded, as he tucked the blanket around her.
"Go to sleep," Dante told her, kissing her again.
"You'll be here when I wake up," Lulu inquired, waiting for his promise, "We'll approach him together?"
"I need to take care of something first," Dante told her, gently stroking her forehead, as Lulu's eyes closed, "I won't be long."
"Hey, Tommie," Dante said into his phone, a few minutes later, whispering, "Jakes? Sorry, I missed it. I need a favor," Dante asked.
Dante took a seat on the opposite side of the couch, placing her legs over his -watching her in her sleep.
She looked so peaceful. He was anything but.
His pal? The man he had grown up with? None of this made any sense to him. He reached for his keys, picked up his cell phone- Lulu was asleep- he'd be back before she even awakened.
He hated to break a promise.
The bond between a husband and a wife was sacred.
The love he felt for her powerful. Consuming. Unconditional.
And Ronnie….well, he knew that.
His phone vibrated and Dante looked down seeing the notification for a new text.
I'll be right over.
I owe you one, Dante texted back.
Lulu Falconeri awakened in the early hours of the morning, her cheek throbbing.
The apartment was quiet.
Dante must have went to pick something up to eat, she thought, sitting up straighter, her thoughts shifting toward the files.
She should feel relieved. She solved the case. Ronnie Dimestico was in front of them all this time. He had motive. He had means. He frequented the club, placing him within distance of the crime scenes.
All of this pointed to him as the obvious suspect. So, why was that nagging feeling hitting her in the back of the head.
She reached for the files O'Day. Reece. Dimestico. James and Luca. Lulu could have sworn their were six files when she grabbed them from Dr. Keenan's office, pushing the thought aside, as she opened Ronnie's file, scanning the information inside once more.
Wife. Two sons. A daughter.
Ronnie's wife was listed as Angela. His two sons: Ron Jr. and Marco. Twins. Both 11. The daughter's name wasn't listed. She was older. 23.
A letter from his wife's attorney was inside. Divorce papers. Irreconcilable Differences.
Lulu closed the file, shaking her head, the feeling that something was off still hitting her.
There wasn't anything in the file that pointed to Ronnie Dimestico as an abuser. His wife was divorcing him because of the job. So, what would make a man turn on someone like that? What kind of human being beat a woman and left her for dead?
Lulu opened the file for Luca, the familiar picture of Carmela inside. She was a young Italian girl. Early twenties. Two brothers. Twins.
"Oh God," Lulu thought aloud, dropping the file on the table and rising to her feet, "Carmela is Ronnie's daughter."
Ronnie Dimestico stood outside the door, clenching his fist, as he peered at the man inside, tubes attached to his body.
Anger welled inside him, hate for the man who lay upon that bed.
Two years. Two long years, Ronnie had been looking. Secretly.
The last place he expected to find her was at Vaughn's. It had taken everything inside him not to beat Johnny to a pulp when he'd found her, face beaten, left in an alley, like she was nothing but discarded trash.
She'd begged him not to say anything- to keep quiet. She had a new name. No one knew she was the daughter of a cop.
She was even dating someone.
If he interfered, she'd said she would run.
So, Ronnie had kept quiet. He'd watched and listened. That was how he had discovered who she was seeing, had set a plan in motion to expose him for the lying, two-timing piece of filth that he was.
He made it his mission that night to draw him out, reveal who he really was to Carmela. Dr Keenan was seeing someone else. He was cheating on Carmela. Ronnie could prove it. He'd seen them together.
He was going to confront him the night he was arrested. The bastard wasn't only cheating on his daughter, but was the attacker.
Ronnie had decided right then and there, that he would make sure this was an airtight case. That the good doc never saw the outside of a cell again- well, that was something that Ronnie Dimestico had every intention of ensuring.
"I'm sorry, but visiting hours started yet, officer," the nurse told Ronnie, as his hand reached for the doorknob, starting to turn it.
"Wouldn't want to break any laws, would we?" Ronnie chuckled, releasing the nob and stepping away from the door, 'It'll wait til later today."
"I'll walk you toward the elevator," the nurse said, leaning in close, "Is it true he beat all of those women?" she asked, a worried expression on her face.
"Yes, it looks that way," Ronnie answered, patting her shoulder, "but, don't you worry. He's not going anywhere."
"I saw to that personally," Ronnie mumbled under his breath, as the elevator doors closed.
Gripping his jacket tightly, he stepped out into the night air and headed toward the precinct.
Dante Falconeri paced back and forth on the pier, the same spot that he had conversations with his pal, Ronnie the first time he'd arrived in Port Charles, discussing the case in the Laundromat and here on the docks. Back then he was consumed with his hatred for Sonny, wanted nothing more than to see him behind bars- but, then everything had changed when he'd met Lulu. His priorities changed. In the beginning, she made him see that not everything was black and white. That a man could be labeled a bad person, but still be good. She'd allowed Dante to see what he already had known that Sonny wasn't the awful mobster that everyone had said he was, that he had a heart, that he held his family above all others. When he'd learned that Sonny was his father, it was Lulu's strength that helped him through. It was her love that stayed with him, refusing to let go, even when he'd done the unfathomable. Falling in love with her was the most incredible thing he'd done in his life, and the scariest. She was stubborn. She was tenacious. He had spent many restless nights worried over how he would protect her. He still did. Lulu was impulsive. She jumped into the fire, before thinking about the resulting burns.
It scared the hell out of him.
The thought of her alone at Vaughn's- the bruise on her face-he had sworn to protect her.
For most of the night he had walked back and forth on this pier, his anger consuming him. He couldn't bare the thought of his wife in pain and the knowledge that someone he knew-someone that he thought of as a brother-
Dante's face displayed anger, as he headed toward the PCPD, his hand clenched in a fist, as he moved faster toward his target.
She was his family. His wife. The mother of his soon-to-be children.
All of these thoughts raced through his mind, as he nearly ran to the precinct in search of his good pal, Dimestico.
Lulu paced back and forth in the apartment, her cellphone to her ear, Dante's voicemail repeating for the third time.
"Dante, it's Lulu," she said, worried, "Please call me when you get this. I think I was wrong."
She glanced down at the files, trying to remember who the missing one belonged to. Her mind going over and over all of the details, the information that she had collected.
"Dr. Keenan is connected somehow," Lulu said aloud, tapping her finger on her bottom lip, "But, how?"
She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, deciding to confront the doc, himself. She would need answers if she was going to convince everyone that her theory about Ronnie was wrong, that the attacker was still out there.
She arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, took the elevator to the tenth floor and slipped past the nurse's station. The lock disengaged quickly, and Lulu stepped inside Dr. Keenan's office, closing the door behind her.
"It's got to be here," Lulu said aloud, searching the office for anything that would provide a connection to the attacker and Dr. Keenan.
On his desk was his monitor, a framed photograph of his dog, and a blank pad and pen. If nothing, he was meticulous, Lulu thought with disgust, recalling her own desk at the PCPD stacked with half-hazard files. She stared at the framed photograph, the engraved name at the bottom, of his dog, Freud. One edge seemed off and she reached for it, peeling it back with her fingernail. Her eyes widened, as she caught sight of the photograph beneath- the familiar woman staring back at her.
"Kate?" Lulu whispered, wondering how Sonny would feel if he knew another man had a picture of his girlfriend on his desk.
Why did Dr. Keenan have a picture of Kate Howard?
Puzzled, she reached around his desk, opening drawers and sifting through the files. She pushed the chair aside and reached beneath his desk.
"Yes," Lulu exclaimed, as she felt the envelope attached to the bottom of the desk, "Let's see what you're hiding, Dr. Keenan."
"What are you doing back here?" Ronnie asked Dante, as he stepped through the double doors and walked toward his desk. Dante picked up a file from the top, looked at the label affixed and tossed it back upon the desk.
"You looking for something?" Ronnie inquired, rising from his seat.
"Did you see Lulu last night?" Dante questioned, watching the look of surprise on Ronnie's face, the way the pupil of his eyes grew larger, as he answered.
"No. Not since early yesterday," Ronnie informed him, averting Dante's eyes.
"We go back years, Ronnie. I know when you are lying to me," Dante said, firmly, "What do you know about what happened to Lulu on the pier?"
"Lulu?" Ronnie questioned, as Dante threw him up against the wall.
"Yes, Lulu. My wife," Dante demanded, pinning his partner against the wall, "You hit her."
"Hey Pal, I never touched her," Ronnie answered, squirming beneath Dante's hold, "I swear."
"I don't believe you, Ronnie," Dante told him, releasing him.
"Look, buddy, I'm gonna forgive you this time," Ronnie informed him, adjusting his shirt and noticing the tear in one pocket, "Shit. But, only because we go way back."
"Someone attacked Lulu on the pier," Dante shared, his face red with anger, "put his hands on her face. You telling me it isn't you, Ronnie."
"Yes, I am, pal," Ronnie replied, his anger rising, "And last time I checked the stripper beater was lying in a hospital bed at GH. You keeping something from me?"
"Alleged attacker," Dante answered, "Now, that I think about it. You were pressed from the beginning to pin everything on the doc. You were at the scenes. You interviewed the witnesses."
"That's my job, pal," Ronnie fired back, "Or, did you forget that since becoming so close with Daddy? You are getting soft, Dante. A few years ago, you wouldn't even question my motives. You trusted me, pal."
"Well, a lot has changed," Dante told Ronnie, his face contorted with anger, "Lulu thinks you are the attacker."
"Me?" Ronnie chuckled, running his hand through his dark, greased hair, "And you believe her, pal?"
"Everything points to you, Ronnie. Lulu found a file with your name on it. Why wouldn't you tell us you were seeing Dr. Keenan?"
"I wasn't seeing Dr. Keenan," Ronnie responded, sitting down in a nearby chair, "I was pretending to be 'you know'," Ronnie told him, using his finger in a circular motion, "so I could get inside information."
Dante looked on in disbelief, his face telling Ronnie that he didn't believe him.
"You've known me since grade school, Dante. I would never beat up a woman. I can prove it," Ronnie told his partner, rising to his feet, "That victim, Carmela."
"Ms. Luca? What about her?" Dante asked.
"She's my daughter, Dante. I want to get this son of a bitch more than you know. Bastard is no good for her. I'm telling you, Dante, the piece of garbage beat her and if he wasn't lying in that hospital bed, I would have put him there myself."
"I believe her, Ronnie. Maybe not about you, now, but Lulu's got good instincts. My gut is telling me she is on to something. What if she's right? What if it's not Dr. Keenan?"
"Then, pal, you're wife just opened up a whole new can of worms. If it's not Dr. Keenan and I know for a fact it's not me," Ronnie emphasized, looking at Dante, "Who the hell is it?"
"We need to go over the files again," Dante told Ronnie, heading toward the door.
"Hey,where you going? The files are in the evidence room," Ronnie answered, as Dante ran his hand through his hair, "Actually, they're back at our place. I'll explain later."
"Sonny is rubbing off on the both of you. Before you know it your kids are going to be working for him. One big fat mobster family," Ronnie replied, shaking his head, as he followed Dante out the door.
Lulu Falconeri walked into the MetroCourt and stepped into the elevator. She placed her key in the hole next to the label for Crimson's offices, bypassing security, and waited for the elevator to close.
She couldn't believe she'd never seen it. The odd behavior. The clothes. How had she not put it together? Lulu thought, staring down at the brown envelope that had been taped to the underside of Dr. Keenan's desk.
Inside were pages upon pages of notes, detailed accounts of conversations with Kate Howard. Dr. Keenan's diagnosis. DID.
Lulu placed the file on Kate Howard's desk, sitting behind it and going through the computer files.
There must be two hundred emails unread. That alone, was out of character for Kate. She was the most organized person that Lulu knew. She opened the top drawer, sorting through invoices, waybills and past due notices, her eyes glimpsing a photograph of Sonny and Kate.
It was disturbing.
Sonny's face scratched, his photo marked with an X.
But, it was Kate's photo that was the most startling, her eyes gouged, her mouth painted scarlet with lipstick.
"You find something interesting?" Connie Falconeri asked, closing the door behind her, a grin across her face, "What? Cat your tongue?"
Lulu sat behind the desk, not really believing it, until the woman who used to be her boss, stood before her a Cheshire grin on her face.
"If you take a picture, it'll last longer," Connie continued, walking toward the desk, and spotting the photograph, "Not my best work."
"I don't understand, Kate?"
"Well, that's your first problem," she answered, waving her hands in front of her face and laughing, "HELLO! Kate's not home. It's Connie."
"But, Kate is Connie," Lulu said aloud, completely stunned by the woman in front of her.
"Kate Howard is a figment of our imagination. A fake," Connie Falconeri told Lulu, sitting on the corner of the desk and filing her nails, "Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to have this voice in your head that won't shut up. Yadda Yadda Yadda. Sonny this and Sonny that," Connie went on, as Lulu tried to take it all in, "She won't give it up. So, I had to take control."
"You? Connie?" Lulu said, rising from her chair and circling around the desk, closer to the door, "Where's Kate?"
"Who the hell cares?" Connie shared, grinning, "Connie's the original. Me! I'm fun!" she told Lulu, glancing at her shoes, "What do you think about my shoes? Like? I got them from some guy down on the corner. $50."
"You're dating Dr. Keenan?" Lulu asked, still trying to figure out where he fit in, "You tried to kill him, didn't you?"
"Blondie, I ain't dating nobody. I like a buffet," Connie replied, "But, that schmuck, actually thought he could pull one over on me. Admitting Kate," Connie continued, "She started remembering bits and pieces of the attacks. Starting chirping her mouth to the Doc. He was going to ruin everything. I wasn't about to let that happen."
"So, you shot him?" Lulu asked, stunned, "watching the look of glee on Connie's face, "I ain't admitting to nothing."
"But, I hear the Good Doc never saw it coming," Connie laughed, "Brillliant, I tell ya. Simply brilliant."
"Why did you attack the dancers?"
"Why? Why does there have to be a reason?" Connie stated, pacing the room, staring at the ceiling and shaking her head, "Johnny. He turned me down. For that good for nothing, blond from a bottle, harpie. That's why. One simple thing I asked, sleep with me. But, he couldn't do it. Could you imagine the look on Sonny's face when he caught us in bed. It would have killed, Kate," Connie laughed, " dancers. They were just amusement. I like to shock her."
"You hate her," Lulu commented, as a grimace passed over Connie's face.
"Her tacky clothes. The way she pulls my hair atop my head. Those ugly shoes. Yeah, I guess hate is the right word," Connie replied, "She's weak. She let's Sonny walk all over her. I'm not. Not now. Not ever."
"You're crazy," Lulu said under her breath, as Connie turned toward her, waving a gun, "I'm not the crazy one. Kate is."
Dante arrived back at the apartment, noticed the missing squad car and called the precinct, "Hey, Tommie there?"
"He checked in a few minutes ago. He said to tell you he followed your wife to the hospital and they're at the MetroCourt now. Want me to have him call you?" the desk attendant answered.
"No, I'm sure they'll be back soon," Dante replied, a look of worry on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Lulu's at the MetroCourt."
"See. No worries,'' Ronnie told Dante, looking down at the files on the coffee table, "Let's get to work."
"Lulu took Dr. Keenan's files," Ronnie noted, looking up at Dante, "That's why she thought it was you."
"Maybe there is something in these that will tell us who the attacker is," Ronnie suggested, as Dante turned agitated toward the door.
"She's probably visiting Luke. Isn't he staying at the hotel?" Ronnie asked, as Dante walked toward the couch and sat down, "Yeah. He is. But, it's a little early though."
"Let's look at these files," Dante told Ronnie, picking one up.
"This information is confidential," Ronnie told Dante, as he picked up his own file, "We get caught…It's our badges," Ronnie said, handing Dante a folder, "You should start with mine. I got nothing to hide."
Not even five minutes passed, before Dante became more frustrated, tossing the folder onto the coffee table and glancing at the door.
"Why would Lulu go to the MetroCourt?" Dante asked aloud, rising to his feet, "And Tommie? If he left her with Luke, he would have checked in by now. I don't like this."
"Pal, it's called marriage. Unless, you plan on implanting a GPS on her, you gotta realize deep down she's still a Spencer."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Dante replied, reaching for his phone and dialing Lulu's number. Voicemail.
"Hey, baby, it's Dante. Call me, will you? Just need to hear your voice," Dante said, leaving a message.
"Aw. So sweet, it's sickening," Ronnie told his partner, shaking his head, "Give it a few years. The Newlywed thing just hasn't worn off yet."
"You jealous?" Dante grinned, slipping back into his easy comraderie with his pal.
"Me? Not a chance. I wouldn't trade my bachelorhood for anything."
"You're getting divorced?" Dante asked, staring down at the file in front of him.
"Was final on Monday," Ronnie admitted, using his hand to wipe his nose.
"I'm sorry," Dante responded, not sure what to say.
"Dude, I'll be fine. I haven't seen her in over two years. Let's figure out, who attacked your wife. Where's the CF file?"
"What file?"
"Dr. Keenan kept a file on his desk labeled CF. Sometimes tapes, too. It's not here."
"Who the hell is CF?" Dante wondered.
Dante's phone vibrated and he picked it up, placing it against his ear.
"Dante, here," he acknowledged, rising to his feet, "Hey, Tommie. Glad to hear from you. Lulu's phone must have died. Can I speak with her?"
"What do you mean she's not with you? I just called the front desk at the precinct. They said you called to tell me that you left Lulu at the MetroCourt. Crimson? Why would my wife be there?"
"Ronnie, grab your coat," Dante ordered, reaching for his keys, and ending his call, "Didn't Tommie just say that Lulu is with Kate Howard."
"Lulu hasn't worked for my Cousin Connie in months, Ronnie," Dante told him, curious as to why Lulu would leave with her and not tell him.
"Connie Falconeri. She was a trip back in the day. Can't imagine what it was like for Lulu to work for her as Kate Howard," Ronnie answered, closing the door behind him, and stepping aside so Dante could lock it.
"Yeah, Lulu mentioned seeing her at the hospital earlier, outside Dr. Keenan's office," Dante answered, his mind starting to put the pieces together.
CF.
"What?"
"I saw Kate with Dr. Keenan a few weeks ago. I thought there was something more to it, so I told my Dad. He said that she was seeing him…..professionally."
"Connie?"
"No, Kate? She hasn't been Connie Falconeri in a long time," Dante answered, dialing Lulu's phone again, "Hey, baby, not sure if you'll get this, but change in plans. I'm coming to you. See you soon."
Connie Falconeri shoved Lulu inside the storage room of one of Crimson's warehouses, while she tried to figure out what she was going to do next.
"Let me call, Dante," Lulu told her Connie, fearful of the strange light in her former boss's eyes, "He'll figure something out."
"We don't need him to figure anything out, Lulu," Connie responded, as Lulu watched, "Do we Kate?"
"You have to stop," she heard in a whiny voice, ignoring it, while she led Lulu to a nearby chair and secured her to it.
"Lulu's family."
"You should have thought about that while you were singing our life story to Dr. Keenan," Connie responded, stepping back to view her work.
"Not to tight?" Connie asked, as Lulu nodded her head from side to side.
"You're going to kill me, aren't you, Connie?" Lulu asked, angry, "Answer me."
"We haven't decided yet," Connie answered, grinning, as she started to close the door, "but, you'll be the first to know."
"She's Dante's wife, Connie. Your family too," Kate reminded, as Connie argued with herself, "I won't let you get away with it," Kate said, her voice getting stronger.
"You couldn't stop me before? What makes you think you can now?" Connie laughed, ignoring the curious onlookers, as she walked briskly down the pier, talking to herself, "What are you looking at?"
"I'll warn Dante," Kate told Connie, forcing Connie to stop in her tracks, "How? I'm in charge, Kate."
"For now," Kate whispered, settling within.
"Now, I have to clean up the mess you left behind," Connie continued, straightening her clothing and fixing her hair.
"Remind me again, what we're looking for, pal?" Ronnie asked, searching Kate Howard's office.
"We'll know when we find it," Dante answered, rifling through the papers on top of Kate Howard's desk.
"I thought Lulu said Kate was OCD, a clean freak," Ronnie exclaimed, taking in the office clutter, the unemptied trash cans.
"None of this is Kate," Dante replied, brushing the crumbs from her desk and opening the top drawer.
"We're missing something."
"Yeah, the cleaning lady," Ronnie told Dante, tossing a blackened banana peel in a nearby trash can.
"Why would Kate being seeing Dr. Keenan?"
"Why does anyone see a shrink?" Ronnie answered, "They've got problems. She was dating your father."
Dante glanced through a stack of magazines on Kate's desk. Crimson issues, her competitors. He tossed them aside, stopping at a small pamphlet buried at the bottom of the stack.
"Hey, Ronnie," Dante asked, picking up the brochure, "What do you know about Dissociative Identity Disorder?"
"You mean, like split personalities?" Ronnie asked, puzzled, "My wife….correction, ex-wife, used to watch this soap opera that the main character was this High Society Mom by day and at night-"
"Have you come across any cases?" Dante asked, shaking his head.
"Not recently," Ronnie said, pausing, "You don't think? Naw-"
"Can a person commit all of these attacks and not even know they're doing it?" Dante asked, worried.
"Dante, what a surprise?" Connie Falconeri said, stepping into the office and pretending to be Kate, "Did we have an appointment?"
"I was looking for Lulu," Dante told her, as Connie feigned surprise, "I haven't seen her."
"Really? I thought you met up with her at the hospital?"
"Oh, yes, outside Dr. Keenan's room. It was just a few minutes. I forgot," Connie told Dante.
"You been doing that a lot lately," Ronnie replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Is this official business?" Connie asked, straightening a few files on her desk, "My cleaning lady quit and as you can see I really need to get someone in here."
"I'm just worried about Lulu," Dante told her, watching her face for any sign of regret.
"I'm sure she'll turn up somewhere," Connie replied, ushering them toward the door, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some trash to dispose of."
"Shouldn't we call for backup?" Ronnie asked, ten minutes later, huddled next to the bushes, while they waited for Kate Howard, A.K.A. Crazy Connie Falconeri to exit the MetroCourt.
"No backup," Dante responded, still trying to take this all in. Kate/Connie was family.
"I need you to do me a favor, Ronnie," Dante asked, keeping an eye on the door.
"Anything, pal," Ronnie answered.
"I need to you to go to Sonny."
"Anything, but that," Ronnie replied, shaking his head.
"He needs to know, Ronnie. Kate is sick," Dante commented, as Ronnie ran his hand through his hair, "So is Sonny in my book," Ronnie added.
"You can handle this?" Ronnie asked, as Dante looked toward the door, "She's my cousin. Lulu is family. I don't think Kate would hurt her."
"It's not Kate that I'm worried about," Ronnie answered, ducking from behind the bushes, as Kate Howard exited the building.
"I'll owe you," Dante whispered, waiting a few seconds before following her.
"Hey, Olivia, it's Ronnie. She called? I'll call her. Yes, I promise. Look, I need a favor?
Connie Falconeri released Lulu from her restraints, pulling her to her feet and dragging her to the back of the warehouse.
"Where are you taking me?" Lulu asked.
Connie ignored her.
"He knows, doesn't he?"
"He won't stop looking. He'll find me," Lulu continued, as Connie threw her into a pile of crates, nearly knocking her unconscious.
Lulu's arm scraped against one of the boards, a trickle of blood now streaming down her arm.
"I need to think. Too many voices," Connie yelled, pacing back and forth.
"Why don't we ask Kate?" Lulu suggested, "Let me talk to Kate."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Kate to come save the day," she told Lulu, grabbing her injured arm, and pulling her toward the back entrance of the warehouse, out into the alley.
"You know what's funny, Lulu? I never had a problem with the Doc wanting to integrate us, but Kate Howard is the one that needed to go away. NOT CONNIE!" she said forcing Lulu to the ground once more, her body sideways.
"If you do this," Lulu warned, summoning every last bit of strength in her body to enforce her words," and grimacing, as she turned toward Connie, "He won't forgive you."
Connie didn't respond. Eyes trained on the alley surrounding them.
"You think I'm looking for forgiveness? From him?" her Connie asked, crouching over Lulu, "This is your fault. You know that, don't you?" Lulu heard, a hand brushing against her head.
Lulu groaned, feeling the slight press of her Connie's hand against her arm, waiting for the inevitable pain that would send her into unconsciousness. What was mere seconds, felt like minutes, as Lulu felt her arm released and slowly turned her head toward the motion that made her Connie pause; a warehouse door crashed open, rushing footsteps echoing toward them.
"PCPD, drop it," she heard from a few feet away, a shadowy figure lunging from the doorway and revealing himself. Lulu cried out- recognizing her husband's voice, his image a welcome relief.
"You're no fun, Dante. This party was just getting started," Connie smiled, a grin spreading upon her face.
"Baby, are you ok?" Dante responded, blinking, as if the very action would make Lulu's assailant disappear.
Everything that happened next came as a blur, as Lulu's mind worked up a scenario that would help Dante. They didn't even need words, the very idea causing Dante's forehead to furrow and his eyes to send her a warning look.
She sprang into action, knocking Connie to the ground. She struggled for the gun, heard her husband wrestling too. She'd almost had it.
Then, gunfire exploded.
First one shot.
Then, a second shot.
Connie had been shot. A mere flesh wound.
The next sound she heard was Dante's hoarse cry, muffled, as if in a dream. The sound of rushing feet. Ronnie's face, a smoking gun at his side. She glanced over at Connie- no, Kate- sitting on the ground, blood seeping from her shoulder, crying.
"Lulu, baby," Dante told her, tossing his jacket to the side, using his hands to try to stop the flow of blood in her shoulder, as he pulled his tee shirt over his head and pressed it against her wound.
"It's just a flesh wound, Dante," Lulu told him, her shoulder becoming numb, "I can barely feel it."
"Ronnie, where the hell is that ambulance?" Dante yelled, causing Lulu to look toward him.
"Why are you crying? I'll be fine."
"I'm the one that's supposed to take the bullet, Lulu. Me. Not you. I love that you are stubborn. Fearless, even, but baby, I don't know what I would do without you? Understand?" he told her, tears falling.
"I love you," Dante whispered, a huge sigh of relief pouring through him, as he spotted the paramedics carrying a stretcher.
"I love you, too, Dante," Lulu whispered, drifting into unconsciousness.
"Hey, baby," Dante said, the first words she heard, when she awakened, a pale Dante sitting beside her.
"Honey, what-"
The events of the last few hours started rushing back, and Lulu tried to sit up, Dante stopping her.
"Kate?"
"She was taken to Shadybrooke. Sonny and my Ma went with them."
"It wasn't her fault, Dante. She needs help."
"I know. Maybe she can get it now," Dante told Lulu, pulling his chair closer to the bed, and holding Lulu's hand.
"I was so sure it was Ronnie," Lulu admitted, feeling guilty.
"He understands, Lulu. He doesn't blame you."
"What about Dr. Keenan?" Lulu asked, as Dante lowered his head, shaking it.
"Ronnie's going to notify his family."
"I still can't believe Connie shot him. She practically gloated about beating the girls."
"Baby, I love you, but can we-
"It's the Spencer genes," Lulu giggled, her face grimacing, as she jarred her shoulder.
" How badly does it hurt? The nurse gave you something a little while ago, but I can see-"
"I can bare it. I would love some water," Lulu told him, as he reached for a cup and tilted the cup against her lips.
"Can I do anything?" Dante asked, concerned, one hand brushing wet strands from her forehead.
"You're already doing it," Lulu said, as Ronnie walked in, his arms around the young Italian girl, Carmela.
"You know you should leave the bad guys to the cops, Lulu. I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is my daughter, Carmela."
"Nice to meet you," Lulu answered, as his daughter's eyes welled with tears.
"I'm really sorry about everything," Carmela told her, wiping the tears from her eyes, as Ronnie pulled her close, "Hey, just wanted to make sure he was treating you right. We'll talk later, Dante," Ronnie said, turning toward the door.
"She loved him," Lulu told Dante, her eyes wet with tears.
"Who? Dr. Keenan?" Dante asked, his gaze directed to the door, where Ronnie and his daughter had just departed, "Really thought the guy was going to make it."
"You don't think-"
"Oh no, you're off-duty, Lulu. No searching through unsolved cases. Not even dog-napping. Baby, you can't do anything like this…I mean ever," Dante told her, the fear evident in his eyes.
"When I was lying in this bed," Dante told Lulu, stroking her hair, "it never really hit me what you went through…the pain. God, Lulu, I thought I'd lost you."
"But, you didn't, Dante. You found me," Lulu said, using her hand to brush the wetness from beneath his eyes.
"How did you know I would-"
"I never doubted for a second, Dante. I knew you'd come. I love you."
"I love you, too. So, much," Dante whispered, pressing his lips against hers, deepening it, as he leaned over and she returned his kiss.
Alarms started, startling them and Lulu laughed, hearing the hurried footsteps in the hall, and seeing Epiphany's stern face.
"Not again?" Epiphany ordered, resetting the machine attached to Lulu, and folding her arms across her chest. She pointed at both of them, adjusted Lulu's IV and stepped out into the hall.
Lulu and Dante laughed, as the door closed behind her, Epiphany scowling, as she muttered, "Newlyweds."