Bittersweet Days Part 2

by Sammy

Undercover work ends tragically for the Lorenzos...

Bittersweet Days Part 2

written by Sammy

---

---

---

"That's it, we're outta here. I am not gonna spend even one more minute in here."

"Yeah, we're outta here."

Chris swung the sliding door open when he heard a knock at the door. He glanced over at Rita, before he reached for his gun lying on the bureau and walked to the door.

"Who is it?" he called out loud.

"Room boy. I have a message from Mr. Marcos for you."

Chris placed his gun on the ground next to him, before he half opened the door and peered outside. The boy handed him a note and waited for his tip. Chris looked down at himself. Where the hell should he keep money in a towel? He turned to Rita who had already seen him begin to sweat. She chuckled as she handed the boy a bill. He nodded shortly and walked away.

Meanwhile, Chris had opened the note. He raised his eyebrows as he read it.

"What is it?" Rita asked, peering over his shoulder.

Chris frowned, rubbing his temple, "We have a deal. He wants to see us tomorrow morning 11am at the fountain on President's Place."

"We have a deal?" Rita replied disbelieving.

They both looked back at the table where the wire was. If Marcos was willing to make a deal, where were the wires from?

"Something very strange is going on here, Sammy." Chris whispered.

Rita nodded silently, holding up the cell phone. She gestured for him to follow her to the balcony. Once again, she pushed the sliding door closed to talk to Chris in private.

"I have not even one idea what is going on here, but I don't like it, Chris." she said, starting to dial a number.

"Neither do I!"

The phone rang 3 times on the other end before Shelby answered it.

"Shelby, this is Rita."

"You're early. Everything all right?"

"No, nothing is all right. There are some strange things going on here."

"What do you mean?"

"We're being watched by Marcos' buddies, but we expected that. Now, we found two wires in our room. We know that our plans are not our secret any longer, but it apparently wasn't Marcos who wired us. He still wants to make the deal with us."

"You sure about that? I mean, the deal is not asetup or something?"

"No, I don't think so. He asked us to meet him in a crowded place. I don't think he'd be that stupid to bust us there."

"You'll make the deal. We're gonna risk it. When and where?"

"Tomorrow morning, 11am, at the fountain on President's Place."

"Call me at exactly 10:30 tomorrow, and I'll give you further instructions. As for now, enjoy your stay in Key West."

Shelby hung up. Rita placed the phone on the table standing outside and sat down opposite Chris.

"What did she say?" he asked, leaning over the table.

"We're gonna make the deal tomorrow. We'll call her at 10:30, and she'll tell us more."

"I don't have a very good feeling about this, Sammy. We're wired, and we have no idea who placed the bugs there. I hate dealing with Mr. Invisible."

"So do I, but do we have any other choice?"

"Oh yeah, we do. We pack up our stuff and leave ASAP."

"C'mon, Sam, see the positive in this. We have a whole night in Key West just for us."

"Hey, who said this was work and not pleasure earlier today, hum?"

Rita grinned mischieviously and got up. She walked around the table and sat down on Chris' lap.

"Who said working hours were from 9 to 5, hum?" she replied, kissing Chris tenderly on the lips.

"Hmmmm..." Chris frowned, looking deadly serious. He loved to tease Rita, because he knew exactly how much she enjoyed it. "9pm to 5am?"

Chris broke out in laughter when Rita began to tickle him.

"You!" she exclaimed, tickling him even harder.

"I surrender, I surrender!" he laughed, grabbing her hands to stop her. "I surrender, Sammy. I am gonna take you out for dinner tonight."

"I think you just got yourself a date, Mr. Lorenzo."

Chris and Rita were waiting in their car. Chris had just finished his call with Shelby. The deal was going to happen in exactly 15 minutes. There wasn't a sign of Marcos and his men to be seen.

"I have this really bad feeling, Rita. Something is wrong here, I just can't tell what it is."

"C'mon, big boy, everything will go just fine."

"I still think you should have worn the bullet proof vest."

"Are you kidding me? Sam, it's over 100 degrees out there, I would melt like ice cream in that thing. Besides, I don't think I am gonna need it. I have you to cover my back, partner."

"But, I am still not feeling good about this."

Chris quickly looked at his wife, before he turned his gaze back to the outside. He saw Marcos walking up to the fountain with his two guerrilas.

"Here we go! It's party time!"

Both Chris and Rita left the car. Chris grabbed the briefcase from the back of the car, and they made their way over to Marcos.

"Mr. Marcos." Chris uttered, as he nodded his head in his direction.

"Mr. Myers, Nadine, it's my pleasure." He didn't hesitate long, but started business right away. "You have the money?"

Chris patted the briefcase, "The stuff?"

Marcos held up a key, "In the trunk of a red Sedan, parked around the corner."

Chris reached for the key, but Marcos snapped it away.

"I first wanna see what I buy." Chris uttered sternly.

"Well, Mr. Myers, you have to trust me on this one."

Chris and Rita looked at each other shortly.

"Okay, I trust you. The key."

"The money."

Chris and Marcos exchanged their goods. Marcos opened the briefcase shortly, seeing that it was filled with bundles of money till the top.

"It was a pleasure to make business with you, Mr. Myers."

"The pleasure is mine."

Marcos reached for Rita's hand to kiss when suddenly, they were surrounded by people, aiming their guns at them.

"FBI, don't move!" a female voice yelled.

Chris and Rita turned and saw Shelby approaching them. Two men were following her.

"I guess I can this off your hands, Marcos." she uttered sternly, taking the suitcase out of his hands. She opened it and looked inside, whistling softly, "I think that's at least 20 years of jail."

"Why, what for?" Marcos exclaimed. "Can't I just take my money to the bank anymore?"

"Mr. Myers, the key." Shelby said, reaching her hand out towards Chris.

"What key?" Chris replied innocently.

"Oh, what key? The key you have in your pocket."

Shelby reached inside of Chris' jacket pocket and pulled the key out.

"I think that's all we need. Arrest them and read them their rights."

Marcos and his guerrilas were cuffed first and lead away while Shelby cuffed Chris and Rita as well. When Marcos and his men were out of sight, she uncuffed them.

"Great job!" she coaxed.

"Thank you."

"After all this time I have this case finally finished. Without your help, I still would be chasing after Marcos."

Rita smiled, "We're glad we could be of help."

"And now, will you please excuse us? As you said, this case is finished, and all that is left is paper work. We'd really like to get back home to our daughter now."

"No problem. I'll meet ya back in Palm Beach. And, thanks again!"

Chris and Rita went back to the hotel to get their stuff and to check out. They were more than eager to get back home to their daughter. Arm in arm, they walked down the corridor from the elevator towards their room. The door next to their's was opened and a young woman dressed in black stepped out. Rita looked after her, somehow having a feeling she knew her from somewhere, but she just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Did you see that woman, Chris?" she whispered while Chris opened the door to their room. "I think I know her from somewhere."

"Maybe you saw her around here yesterday." Chris replied, leading her inside the room.

"No, no, I know her from somewhere else, I just can't remember from where."

Though this was kinda bothering her, Rita stopped thinking about it. They finished packing in no time and were out of the hotel shortly after noon.

"Mama, mama, mama!" a giggling voice yelled when a car pulled up the driveway of the Lipschitz's home. Rita had not even left the car completely, when she already had a little girl clinging to her leg. Smiling, she scooped her daughter from the ground and kissed her.

"Oh, I missed you so much, pumpkin. Were you a good girl for Frannie and Harry?"

"YAY!" the girl yelled, throwing her arms around her mother's neck and placing a big wet kiss on her cheek.

Chris walked up behind them, "Hey, what about daddy? You give daddy a kiss as well?"

"YES!"

Chelsea extended her arms, so Chris could take her out of Rita's arms. Chelsea pulled her father's face close to her with both her hands and planted a long kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, that's my little girl." Chris chuckled.

Frannie appeared outside, "You're back already? I didn't expect you back this early."

"Yeah, we got this wrapped up faster than we expected."

"Daddy, home!" Chelsea demanded on Chris' arm. He smiled as he placed her down.

"Yep, we go home now. You go inside and get your stuff."

Chelsea nodded and headed off into the house. Chris followed her to get her stuff while Rita remained outside with Frannie.

"I really hope she was nice and didn't throw a tantrum." Rita said.

"She was a little angel, but I think something's wrong with her."

"What?"

"I don't wanna scare you, but she acts a little strange for a little girl. She likes no hugs, no kisses, no cuddling, nothing. I know that little ones usually like that."

Rita began to grin, "Frannie, that's nothing against you, but sometimes I think you just do it too much. A hug and kiss now and then is okay with her, but she doesn't like to constantly be hugged or kissed."

"Oh." Frannie replied, raising her eyebrows. "An occasional hug and kiss then?"

Rita nodded. She saw her husband and daughter leave the house. Chris was carrying a bag, Chelsea was dragging her Pooh Bear with her. Shelby's gift really had taken its place in her heart.

"Say bye bye to Frannie, pumpkin."

"Buh bye." Chelsea murmured as Frannie bent down to her. She was about to place a kiss on the child's forehead, but than thought better of it.

"It was really nice to have you with us, young lady." Frannie smiled. "Harry and I love you very, very, very much."

When Rita returned from cleaning the dishes, she found her husband sitting on the couch, reading a book to his daughter. Little Chelsea sat in his lap, apprehensively listening to what her father was reading to her. Chris looked up when he noticed his wife walking over to them.

"Hey Sam!" he smiled, placing the book down for a moment.

"Hey, what are you reading?"

"Pooh Bear!" Chelsea replied. "Daddy, wead me, wead me!"

"Okay, but only this chapter. It's bed time for you then."

"Ugh, no bed, no, no. Not sweepy!"

"It's late, pumpkin. Daddy will finish this and then I am gonna take you to bed." Rita said as she said down next to Chris.

"Nooo!" Chelsea whined. "Daddy, no, no, say mommy no!"

"I am sorry, pumpkin, but mommy is right. It's late."

Chelsea's whining turned into crying a moment later. Tears trickled down her cheeks, so Rita lifted her on her arm.

"Why do you always have to start crying when you're tried, hum? I bet it was a long day with Frannie and Harry."

"Don't wanna!" Chelsea cried while Rita carried her upstairs to the nursery. Chelsea was fighting her with her arms and feet, even when she'd already placed her down in her bed. The girl tried to climb over the railing, but Rita held her back.

"How about if mommy sings you a song so you can sleep? See, your Pooh Bear is already very tired."

"No." Chelsea objected, pulling her Pooh Bear to her. She put her thumb in her mouth and flashed her best puppy look.

"I really wish you hadn't gotten that look from your father, pumpkin." Rita sighed, smiling. "Here's your dummy and your bottle for the night. You know mommy and daddy don't like it when you suck your thumb."

Chelsea reached for the dummy and put it into her mouth.

"Not sweepy." she murmured.

"Well, you know, tomorrow you need to help me pick out a present for daddy's birthday."

"Pwesent?"

"Yeah. It's his birthday next week, and I guess he would be very sad if he didn't get a present from his little pumpkin. Therefore, you have to sleep now."

"Oh, okay."

Without any complaining, Chelsea lay back, her Pooh tucked under her arm. Rita placed her bottle next to her and pulled the sheets up.

"Sleep well, pumpkin."

She kissed her daughter on her forehead, before she turned off the lights and left the room. Downstairs, she plopped on the couch next to Chris. His arm instantly went around her shoulders as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You know, Sam, something about this case is still bugging me." he said, pulling her closer to him.

"And what's that?"

"The wires. They don't fit anywhere. We know Marcos didn't place them there, so who did?"

"You think too much about, Chris. You'd be better off thinking about this." Rita replied, tenderly kissing him on the lips.

"So, I should think about this?" he smiled, pulling his wife's face up to him and kissing her again.

"Yeah. Think about this."

A moment later, they lay on the couch in each other's arm, kissing passionately. They were lost in each other, so they didn't notice a little girl walking up in front of the couch.

"Din't kiss Pooh night!" a low voice demanded.

Rita's head shot up, "I thought I put you to bed, Chelsea."

"Din't kiss Pooh night!" she repeated, holding her Pooh Bear up.

"Ah, okay, a kiss good night for Pooh."

Rita took the bear out of her daughter's hands and gave him a kiss. Chris did the same.

"And now, back to bed with you."

Rita started to get up to get her daughter back to bed, but Chris held her back.

"I'll tuck her in. You stay here and hold on to these thoughts."

He kissed her one last time, before he scooped Chelsea from her feet and carried her upstairs to her room.

"Chelsea Rose Lorenzo, how often do I have to say this? Put the dolls away, we'll be going in 5 minutes!!" Rita yelled upstairs to the nursery.

"No, not goin'!" was the answer she got immediately.

Rita sighed and moved to the stairs, glancing upstairs. The door to the nursery was open, and she could see her little daughter sitting on the floor, playing with her Pooh Bear.

"I don't wanna repeat this again, young lady! We need to go! You'll be in major trouble if I have to come upstairs to get you."

"Don't wanna!" Chelsea shouted, slamming the door shut to the nursery.

"I am coming upstairs now, you better put the dolls away and get ready to go!"

"No, no, no, not goin'! NOT GOIN'!" yelled through the whole apartment after Rita had entered the nursery to get her daughter.

"Chelsea Rose, this is NOT up for discussion. We'll head to the mall. NOW!"

"Maw?" Chelsea suddenly asked, stopping her pouting. "'kay, go maw."

Rita sighed heavily, "Young lady, will you please explain me why you started this tantrum?"

"Not see Fwannie, no?" Chelsea asked hesitatingly, staring up at her mother with her big blue eyes.

"No, we're not going to visit Frannie." Rita chuckled. "Why do you think we go visit her?"

"Say daddy!"

Rita began to laugh, "Pumpkin, I just told him that cuz he shouldn't know we are going to buy him a birthday present."

Rita knelt down on the floor where Chelsea was sitting. She reached for her shoes and put them on.

"Ooh, I member! Shots!" Chelsea replied, nodding eagerly.

"Shorts? Why shorts?" Rita chuckled.

"Yikes shots. My daddy shots."

Rita laughed as she scooped her daughter from the floor, "We'll see if we can find some shorts for your daddy."

Rita walked past the grocery store at the mall, Chelsea attached to her hand.

"Mama, yook, yook, daddy's shots!" Chelsea shouted, wildly pointing at a shop. She began to run and dragged Rita behind her.

"Slow down for a minute, pumpkin. Not so fast!" Rita demanded.

Chelsea slowed down, but walked right into the store. The little girl searched the racks, suddenly finding what she was looking for.

"Oy, Pooh shots! Mama, mama, daddy Pooh shots! Yike Pooh!" Chelsea giggled, holding up her Pooh.

Rita stifled her laughter, "Chelsea, I don't think daddy likes wearing boxers with Winnie the Pooh."

"Why?"

"It's just..." Rita paused for a moment. She reached for another pair of boxers and showed them to her daughter. "What about these? I think he would like them."

"Uh uh, Winnie Pooh, mama! Pwease!"

Rita took the boxers her daughter had laid her eyes on in her hands. They were dark blue with thousands of little Winnie the Poohs printed on them.

"Okay, we'll buy them, but you shouldn't be disappointed if daddy never wears them, all right?"

"Daddy do! Say daddy do!" Chelsea argued.

"I know that." Rita chuckled. She reached for her daughter's tiny hand and lead her over to the register. For a moment, she thought she was being watched, but when she turned she saw no one. It should only be a matter of minutes, until Rita would find out how right she was...

Chris sat at his desk, finishing the report about Key West for Shelby, when his telephone began to ring. He answered immediately.

"Sgt. Lorenzo."

"If you want to see your wife and daughter again, come to the Palm Crest shopping mall." a dark male voice said on the other end.

Chris raised from his chair, "Who is this?"

"Please, if you don't want them to get hurt, come to the shopping mall. You have ten minutes!"

The stranger hung up. Chris grabbed his jacket from his chair and rushed out of the squadroom. He made his way to the shopping mall where his wife normally went shopping in record time. The breaks screeched when his car came to a halt in front of the entrance. He jumped out and ran inside.

"Rita!" he called in hopes his wife would hear it. He couldn't spot her or their daughter in the crowded mall.

Meanwhile, Rita left the shop with her daughter toddling next to her. Once again, she had the feeling she was being watched. She turned and saw the woman she saw from their hotel in Key West following them. She picked her daughter from the ground, trying not to let her know that someone was following them.

"Wanna walk, wanna walk!" Chelsea pouted, squirming on her mother's arm.

"We need to hurry, pumpkin."

Rita began to walk faster and faster, but the woman still followed her. She walked around one of the stands, when she saw Chris running towards her.

"Chris!" she shrieked, turning back and forth between the woman following her and her husband.

The woman saw Chris and took off in the opposite direction.

"It's the woman from the hotel. She's following Chelsea and me."

"You okay?" Chris asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, we're okay. Get her."

Chris nodded shortly before he took off after the woman. Suddenly, Rita felt something cold in her back.

"Don't turn. I have a gun pointed at your back." a voice whispered into her ear.

"What do you want?" Rita asked, holding her daughter closer to her.

"You and your husband, you made a mistake, a BIG mistake. No one busts Silvio Marcos, do you hear me, no one! Go!"

Rita started to walk towards the mall's entrance. Once outside, Rita was told to stop.

"We're waiting for someone." the man behind her said.

A moment later, she saw the woman from the hotel running up to them, followed by Chris. People walking on the lot stopped and watched. Chris finally caught up with the stranger. They both came crashing down on the ground. Rita watched in horror.

"We go, NOW!" the guy behind Rita exclaimed, pushing her forward.

Rita made a step forward, when she heard a shot. Her head whirled around in direction where Chris and the woman were fighting. She jumped up, but Chris lay motionlessly on the ground.

"CHRIS!" Rita cried. She whirled around to have a look at the guy holding her and her daughter hostage, when suddenly everything faded around her.

When she opened her eyes, she looked into Harry's face. He was leaning over her, while two paramedics lifted her on a stretcher.

"Chris!" she gasped.

"Shh." Harry tried to calm her. "He's on his way to hospital."

"Where's Chelsea? Where's my daughter?"

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, "I thought you could tell me."

"You mean..."

"She's not here, Rita. Maybe she was so scared that she ran away. We're just checking inside the mall, if she ran back inside. We'll find her."

"Shelby, I need to talk to her. Please, Cap, I need to talk to her."

"I'll call her. Don't worry, everything will be all right."

Rita was pacing the floor in the waiting room. Her head was aching and throbbing, she had a mild concussion, but that doesn't matter to her right now. She was more worried about her husband and her daughter. Nobody knew where Chelsea was, and nobody was willing to tell her any news about Chris. He was in surgery, that was all she'd been told.

"Rita, how are you?" Shelby asked, walking up to her.

"Did Cap tell you anything about Chelsea?" Rita inquired immediately, but Shelby just shook her head.

"There were 2 officers checking out the parking lot. Cap. Lipschitz and I checked the mall with 2 other officers. No sign of her."

"But, somebody must have seen her! There were people in the lot!" Rita exclaimed, the desperation in her voice showing.

"I am sorry, but it seemed as if nobody paid attention to Chelsea when Chris was shot."

Rita sat down in one of the chairs, burying her face in her hands.

"This can't be happening, that can't be happening!" she repeated over and over.

"Rita, I know this isn't the right place or time, but I need you to answer my questions."

Rita silently nodded her head. She knew Shelby was only doing her job.

"Cap. Lipschitz is talking to the witnesses from the mall at the moment. We need to know everything about those guys. I think you can help us the most at the moment."

"The woman who shot Chris, I saw her at the hotel in Key West." Rita began. "I saw her leaving the room next to us after we'd made the deal with Marcos. I know her from somewhere, but I can't tell you where from. I was shopping with Chelsea when I noticed that she was following us. Chris came running up to us and chased after her. As for the other one who pointed the gun in my back, I didn't see his face. I just heard his voice. He said that no one busts Silvio Marcos."

"Do you know what Chris was doing at the mall?" Shelby inquired.

Rita shook her head, "No, I have no idea. I told him I wanted to visit Frannie, but then went to the mall to get him a birthday present."

"I know you probably want to stay here with Chris, but I need you to go through the family album. It's probably gonna help us finding Chelsea."

"You mean she was kidnapped?"

"As we don't know where she is, yes, we think that. I am sorry."

"I can't leave. Not now."

"Okay, I understand that. You think you can go through the album here instead?"

"Yeah, I think I can. I just need to be here."

Shelby smiled a bit as she said, "We'll find Chelsea. I promise you that."

There still weren't any news about Chris when Harry walked into the waiting room.

"Rita, I don't even know where to start." he stammered, pulling the young woman opposite him into a hug.

"Oh, Cap!"

"I've done everything to find Chelsea, I did my best, but I couldn't find my goddaughter. I have the best officers working that case. We'll find her, I promise you that."

"I know, I know."

"How's Chris doing?"

Rita shook her head, "I don't know. They only told me he was in surgery, but that was hours ago already. I don't know what I should do, Cap. My daughter is lost, my husband is shot, and all because of me."

"No, it's not your fault, you hear me?" Harry said harshly.

"Why? I talked Chris into working that case. He told me he had a bad feeling from the beginning, but I never listened."

"Hey, no, it's my fault then. I assigned you two to this case."

"It's nobody's fault." a female called from the corridor. Shelby entered the waiting room, an album under her arm.

"Marcos didn't know about the wires. I normally wouldn't trust him, but I think he's telling us the truth. Why would he make the deal with you if he knew you were not who you pretended to be? It just doesn't fit."

"Yeah, that's what Chris said as well."

Rita looked up when she saw Chris' doctor walking down the hallway towards the waiting room. Rita went over to him and met him halfway.

"How's my husband, doctor?" she asked, her voice trembling because the look on the doctor's face told her that there wasn't going to be any good news.

"Mrs. Lorenzo, I am sorry to say, but the injuries your husband is suffering from are more seriously than they looked at the beginning." the doctor started. "The bullet missed his heart only by an inch. It injured the artery of the lung, which caused an internal bleeding. I am not going to lie to you. We couldn't stop the bleeding completely. There's a slight chance it might stop all by itself within the next 48 hours, but if it doesn't..."

"You mean he's gonna die?"

The doctor nodded, "I am sorry, Mrs. Lorenzo. We're doing everything we can at the moment."

Rita couldn't say anything. She just stared at the doctor standing in front of her, shuddering. Harry walked up next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder and leading her back to the waiting room. He forced her to sit down. The look in her eyes scared him. Never had he seen so much fear and sadness before.

"Rita?" he asked carefully. "Rita, what did he say?"

"He's gonna die, Cap." Rita mumbled, trying to hold the tears back, but she wasn't strong enough. "Chris will die!"

Rita was allowed to see Chris a while later. She'd been told that he was hooked up to several machines, but what she saw when she entered the room, shocked her. Tubes were sticking in and out of Chris everywhere, and a half dozen machines controlled his vitals. Rita slid a chair next to Chris' bed and sat down. At first, she didn't dare touch him, but then she reached for his hand and took it in hers. It felt cold, ice cold.

"Don't leave me, Christopher." she pleaded through her tears. "I need you so much. Chelsea needs..."

At the thought of her daughter, Rita began to cry heartbreakingly. She stared up at the ceiling, crying, "Not enough you took my mother when I was born and my father when I was 7, you want my husband and my daughter as well. What did I do to deserve all this? WHAT DID I DO?"

Rita composed herself, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

"Christopher, I am not gonna let you die, you hear me? You need to come back to me! I need your help, Chris! We need to find our daughter. Chelsea is somewhere out there, and she needs us. She needs her daddy to find her. Please, Chris! I love you so much, more than words can say."

2 days passed with no news about Chelsea. Rita sat by Chris' side all the time, while Harry and Shelby did their best to identify the woman who shot Chris, but they had no luck. There had been 12 witnesses on the lot, but everyone saw something different.

The news about Chris' condition wasn't any better. He was still hanging in there, but the bleeding showed no signs of stopping. He'd been in surgery again, but the doctors still couldn't close the small gap in the artery.

"C'mon, Rita, you need some fresh air." Harry uttered upon entering Chris' room. Rita just shook her head no.

"You didn't sleep, you didn't eat, that's not going to do you any good. Somewhere out there, there's a little girl who needs her mother to find her. What have you done the last couple of days to find her?" Harry shouted at her, pulling her up to her feet. "You will go home to eat and sleep."

"I can't leave Chris, don't you understand that?"

"No, I don't understand that. There's nothing you can do here, but there's so much you can do out there. Your daughter is missing, my goddaughter to remind you. She's somewhere out there praying that her mommy will come and find her. I want you to go out there now and do your best to find her. You said you knew the woman who shot Chris, so go through your files and tell me her name, tell me where you know her from. You got that?"

"Yes, Captain!"

Rita sat in the waiting area of the hospital with a laptop in front of her. She was going through her files, one by one, but nothing. No names, nothing familiar. Rita rubbed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes in order to relax for a moment, when the memories turned up....

"You have to make one step at a time, sweetheart."

Chris smiled broadly when he scooped Chelsea from the ground. He kneeled down and stood her back on her tiny little feet.

"One step and another and another... and you walk at daddy's hand!"

Chelsea laughed joyfully while toddling at her father's hand. Rita stood at the sliding door to the balcony and watched father and daughter. Suddenly, Chris stopped and bent down to his daughter.

"You see mommy standing at the door, pumpkin? Now you make two big steps all alone and walk over to her."

Chris gave Chelsea a gentle push. The little girl staggered for a moment, but didn't lose balance. A huge smile was on her face when she slowly placed one foot in front of the other and toddled towards her mother.

"She's walking!" Rita exclaimed. She scooped her daughter from the ground and whirled her through the air. "You're walking, pumpkin, you're walking!"

Chelsea only giggled, not really knowing what she'd done. Chris came over to them and ruffled his daughter's hair.

"She's a big girl, Rita, didn't I tell you?"

A tear fell down on Rita's cheek, which she immediately wiped away. Somehow, Harry had been right. What had she done the last two days to find her daughter? Nothing. Those two days were the most important, and she did not do even one tiny thing to find her daughter.

Rita pulled out the cell phone she had in her purse and dialed Harry's number.

"Cap, it's Rita.... no, I didn't find anything in the computer. But, can you get me Marcos' case files?... I don't know. I just have this feeling.... Shelby has them?... You'll call her?.... Okay. See ya later."

Rita placed the cell phone back in her purse. Than she opened Marcos' file on the computer. She read the usual crap, his previous convictions, everything. Suddenly, something unusual caught Rita's eye. Ever since the FBI had started investigating Marcos, he came up clean on everything. No convictions, nothing. She rubbed her temple while staring at the screen.

"Oh well, I just might be imagening things." she told herself, shutting down the laptop. She placed it in its bag and went back to check on Chris.

When Shelby entered Chris' hospital room, the files under her arm, she found Rita asleep. Her head lay on the bed, her hand was locked with Chris'. As she didn't want to wake her up, she placed the files on the table in the room and turned to leave when Rita woke up.

"Shelby, hi." she mumbled, bringing her hair in order.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I just brought the files you wanted." Shelby coaxed, indicating the folders she'd placed on the table.

"It's okay. I think I musta fallen asleep."

Rita released Chris' hand and carefully placed it back on the bed. She kissed him on the forehead before she went over to the table and grabbed the folders.

"You have some time to go through them with me?" she asked Shelby, who nodded silently.

"Good, let's go to somewhere else."

Folders were scattered all over the chairs in the waiting room. Notes and photos were placed on the floor, where Rita and Shelby were sitting.

"Last try." Rita uttered as she reached for the last unopened folder that remained on one of the chairs. It only contained photos. Rita went through them, when a woman on one of the photos caught her eye.

"That's the woman who shot Chris. I knew I saw her somewhere before."

She handed Shelby the photo, who looked at it closely.

"Rita, that can't be the woman you saw. That's not possible!" Shelby said, placing the photo in front of them.

"I am 100% positive that's who I saw! You know who this is?"

"Oh yeah. Special Agent Michele Cloud. She was the first one to work this case. She was killed in the line of duty about a year ago. They gave the case to me then."

"Are you kidding me? She is dead? Did I see a ghost then?"

"She was working undercover on the case as a mole in Marcos' organization. I guess he found out and killed her. We never had enough evidence to claim that Marcos placed the bomb in her car, but everybody just knew."

"She died in a car bomb?"

"Yeah. There wasn't much left of her body. All they had to identify her by was her left pinky. The rest of the body was unidentifiable."

"Wait a second. You mean all they had was a finger? That's all?"

"That's enough to identify a DB." Shelby argued, placing the photos back in the folder.

Rita rubbed her temple, "But what if the body in the car wasn't Michele Cloud, if it was only her finger..."

"Oh no, I don't believe what you're just saying. You mean she faked her death and cut her finger off? UAGH!"

"There are people who do things like that, crazy people."

"Yeah, but she was a FBI agent. Why should she fake her death? What would be her benefit?"

Rita pulled the laptop closer and opened Marcos' file. She turned it just enough for Shelby to read the screen.

"There's her benefit!"

"What is this?" Shelby inquired, reading what was on the screen. "Oh no, you can't be serious about that!"

"And, why not? Ever since the FBI started investigating, which means ever since Michele Cloud was undercover, Marcos came clean on everything. Didn't you ever ask yourself why Marcos knew exactly what you were planning even before you knew what you'd do?"

"You're talking about FBI agents here! Nobody that I know would be involved in such a thing."

"Face it, Shelby, there are some dirty people in your organization, and they have my daughter. I want her back!"

Shelby got up and paced the floor of the waiting room. What Rita had said sounded reasonable. Someone close to her had to be involved.

"Okay, let's say I believe you, who placed those wires in your room and why?"

"I saw Cloud leaving the room next to us, so I guess she placed the bugs there. She must have guessed that we weren't the ones we pretended to be. As for why Marcos made the deal with us, I don't know. Maybe she couldn't tell him in time, I have no idea."

"Great! We now have a dead agent who shot your husband, a mob in jail and a missing child. How are we gonna get that all to fit together?"

"A leak in your team."

Harry had talked Rita into leaving the hospital while Frannie was sitting at Chris' bedside. She'd promised to call if his condition changed. Shelby had taken Rita to her small condo she'd rented for the time she was in Palm Beach. She'd arranged a meeting with all members of her team. One of them was bad, and they had to find out who it was. Rita was hiding in the room next door, but still could hear what they were talking about.

Nobody had to know that they suspected someone in the FBI to be bad, since Chelsea's life was in danger if they were right. And since Rita had only heard a voice and not seen a face, she found it easier just to listen to the voices than to see their faces as well.

Rita nervously paced the floor. For the last 15 minutes she'd listened to the conversation in the room next door, but she couldn't recognize the voice from the mall. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and another voice topping those of all the others. She froze. That was the voice from the mall!

She heard Shelby calling the guy Jester. Finally, she had a name to the voice, and one lead, even if it was only a tiny one, to her daughter, but she had to wait till everybody was gone to tell Shelby.

Some time later, after her team had left, Shelby walked into the room where Rita was hiding.

"Did you hear the guy's voice?"

"Oh yeah, I did! This bastard is part of your team! It's the guy who arrived late, Jester."

"Jester? Jester is one of the most loyal collueges I've ever had, Rita!"

"So? He was the guy at the mall. I recognized his voice. He held me at gun point and god knows, he probably has my daughter now!"

"Why should he kidnap her?"

"Wait a minute, you were the one who told me you thought she was kidnapped. Two days passed and nobody has seen her, so I guess you were right. My daughter is somewhere out there, and this bastard knows where she is!"

"Okay, okay, calm down! I'll go visit him and talk to him. Maybe, I can find out something. Meanwhile, I want you to stay calm. I don't wanna think about what they could do to Chelsea if they find out we're on them."

Rita knew Shelby was right. They needed to be real careful if they wanted to get Chelsea back in one piece. They shot Chris without a blink of an eye, and nobody knew what else they were capable of.

Shelby knocked at the door of Jester's motel room. She was sure she'd heard a child crying inside, but then thought she'd imagined things when Jester opened the door for her.

"Shelby, what's up?" he asked her. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"I just need to talk to you about something. Work related. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Jester led her inside the room and closed the door behind them. Shelby looked around in the room, when some strange noises emanated from the bathroom. Glass shattered. She glared at Jester for a moment, then pushed the door to the bathroom open, her gun in her hands. The bathroom was empty, but the window above the tub was broken. Shelby peered outside the window, but couldn't see anybody. Suddenly, she stepped onto something lying inside the tub. It was a Pooh Bear. Shelby picked it up.

"Where is she? Where's Chelsea, Jester?"

"Who?" Jester asked innocently.

"Oh, don't you lie to me! That's Chelsea's Pooh Bear, I gave it to her! WHERE IS SHE?"

Jester just crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at her, remaining silent.

"We can also do this downtown. Go!"

Shelby waggled her gun in front of Jester and forced him to leave the room. Once outside, someone grabbed her by her upper arm and whirled her around. A moment later, everything around her faded black.

Rita was surprised when she saw Harry entering Chris' room.

"Cap?" she asked, raising from her chair.

"I need to talk to you, but not here. Let's take a little walk."

Rita followed Harry outside into the corridor and down to the waiting room, unsure of what was going on. Something was bothering him, and it didn't seem to be good.

"Did you find Chelsea? Cap, tell me!" Rita demanded.

Harry shook his head, "I was called to a crime scene. One of Shelby's colleagues, a guy called Jester McDermot, was found dead in his motel room, shot twice in the back of his head. The manager claimed that Shelby was the last to see him. She has disappeared, but we found this in the room."

Harry held up Chelsea's Pooh Bear. Rita silently took it, blinking back a tear.

"Could you please tell me what this all is about? That's Chelsea's bear, but what was it doing in that motel room?"

Rita plopped down on one of the chairs in the waiting room, holding the bear close to her chest.

"Jester was the guy who held me at gun point at the mall, I recognized his voice. Shelby dropped me here and wanted to go ask him some questions. That's all I know. Cap, he had my little girl, but where is she now?"

Harry placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We'll find her, I promise."

Rita spent another night without sleep in Chris' hospital room. Today was Chris' birthday. Rita had planned this day to be totally different. A family day, her, Chris and Chelsea, but now... Their daughter was missing, and the only person who knew where she was, had been shot.

Chelsea's Pooh Bear sat on the bed next to Chris' head. Rita had placed it there. She hoped that the bear would give him a little strength to carry on. Since Chelsea couldn't be there, at least her bear was there.

"Happy birthday." Rita whispered, lowering her head to kiss Chris on the forehead. "This is not exactly how I planned this day to be. You... you have to stay with me, Christopher. I can't lose you. I've lost so many people already, I am not ready to give you away."

Rita paused for a moment, blinking back a tear.

"I know Chelsea should be here with me, but... I don't know where she is, Chris. I don't know if she's still alive! I am going insane! She bought you a pair of boxers with Winnie the Pooh the day when you... got shot. God, wake up, Christopher!! You need to tell me that everything will be all right. You need to tell me that we'll get Chelsea back, alive and in one piece. DAMN YOU! You promised me you'd be there for me every time I needed you!"

Finally, Rita broke out in tears like she did so many times the last couple of days.

When Shelby awoke, she found her wrists tied to the heating unit in a dark and shabby room. It didn't take her long to realize what it was that woke her up - the sobbing of a child. She looked around in the room and noticed a small figure huddled in the corner of the room.

"Chelsea? Hey Chelsea!" she called soothingly, to stop her from crying. "Chelsea, come over here, sweetheart, come here."

Chelsea finally looked up and stared at Shelby with blank eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Chelsea, you remember me? It's me, Shelby. Come here, honey. It's gonna be all right. Come here."

Reluctantly, Chelsea stood up and crossed the room, sitting down next to Shelby.

"Shabby?" Chelsea sobbed, "Shabby, wanna mama 'n daddy!"

"I know, honey, I know."

Shelby looked at the heater where her hands were tied together with a piece of plastic. Then, she looked around the room to see if there was something she could use to cut it, but all she saw were several pieces of metal lying a couple of yards away.

"Chelsea, do you think you can get me one of those pieces of metal over there?"

Chelsea first looked at the metal pieces, than back at Shelby, shaking her head no.

"Honey, I need those to get free. Then, I can take you home to mommy and daddy."

Slowly, Chelsea crawled over the floor and got a small piece of metal for Shelby. Chelsea turned and crawled back to Shelby, when suddenly the light in the room began to flicker and went off. Now it was totally dark in the room. Shelby heard Chelsea starting to cry.

"It's okay, sweetheart, everything's all right." Shelby tried to soothe her, but Chelsea didn't calm down. "Follow my voice, Chelsea, crawl to me."

Suddenly, she felt someone bumping against her feet. A moment later, Shelby had a little girl clutched to her. Shelby slowly took the metal splinter out of Chelsea's tiny hands and began cutting the plastic.

"Chelsea, Chelsea Rose, look at me." she demanded. "It's gonna be all right, you hear me? I am gonna take you home to mommy and daddy soon, but you have to be a big girl and stop crying for me, okay?"

Chelsea still sobbed while Shelby tried to cut the plastic, at the same time pulling at it with all her strength. Soon after, she was free.

"It's okay, Chelsea, I am gonna take you home now. I am gonna take you to mommy and daddy."

Shelby rocked the infant in her arms, as she slowly calmed down, sobbing and hiccuping from time to time. Shelby got up, carrying Chelsea, while she staggered through the dark room, trying to find the door. Finally, she found it, but much to her dismay it was locked. She tried to stand Chelsea on the ground, but she refused.

"Sweetheart, I have to open the door, so we can leave. Be a nice girl for me and let me put you down."

Chelsea was clinging to Shelby's feet after she'd placed her down. Shelby rattled at the door, and suddenly, it sprung open. In a hurry, she picked Chelsea from the ground and rushed out of the room. She found herself outside a barrack. Around them, empty school buses were parked. They had to be at the school bus depot.

Shelby walked around one of the buses, when she heard someone whistling. She stood Chelsea on the ground next to her.

"Listen to me, Chelsea. I know you're a big brave girl, so I need you to crawl under that bus over there and remain there until I come to pick you up. You think you can do that?" Shelby whispered, brushing a strand of loose hair out of Chelsea's tiny face.

"No, no, not go!" Chelsea pleaded as Shelby pushed her under the bus.

"Shhhh, or the bad woman comes back to get you. You have to be real quiet."

The girl frantically shook her head no.

"I promise I will be back as soon as I can. You stay here, sweetheart."

Shelby kissed Chelsea on her forehead before she left her there alone under the bus. She needed a weapon to protect her and Chelsea, a gun would be best. So, where was her gun? Shelby snuck around the bus, when she saw Michele Cloud walking in direction of the barrack. She picked up a piece of wood lying on the ground next to her. When Michele passed her, without seeing her, she smacked it right across her head.

Michele went down, dropping the gun she'd been playing with before. Shelby picked it up immediately and started to run off, but Michele hadn't blacked out like she thought. She caught one of her legs and made her go down as well.

"You bitch!" she screamed, crawling over to Shelby.

Shelby turned on her back and kicked her right in her abdomen. Michele doubled over in pain. Shelby sprung up and ran off in direction where she'd told Chelsea to stay. When she reached the bus, the girl was gone.

"Chelsea!" she screamed. "CHELSEA!!!"

Harry walked down the corridor, the bad news he had to tell Rita was nagging him. How could he tell her, how could he tell anybody such news? He'd done it thousands of times before, but now, now that he needed to tell Rita, he didn't know whether he could do it. Her husband lay dying in a hospital bed, and the news wouldn't make it any easier for her.

He had asked Frannie to get Rita out of Chris' room. He could imagine her reaction oh so well, and he wouldn't want her to be in Chris' room when he had to tell her. He saw Rita waiting for him in the waiting area.

"What is, Cap? Do you have news about Chelsea? Spill it!" she asked impatiently.

"You better sit down first."

"No, I don't need to sit down." She looked at him and saw an expression on his face she'd never seen before, not in all those years she'd known him. "Cap?"

"Rita, I got a call from the morgue." he began, placing his hands on her upper arms, trying to comfort her. "A body was brought in. They think.... they think it might be Chelsea."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rita screamed. She slipped out of Harry's grip and dropped to her knees, crying.

"Rita, listen to me!" he begged, kneeling down next to her.

"My daughter is dead, and my husband is dying!" she sobbed.

"Rita, they are not sure if it's Chelsea. They need someone to identify the body."

Rita looked up with a tear stricken face, "I can't, Cap!"

"You want me to do it?"

Rita nodded silently, tears streaming down her face. Harry pulled her into a tight hug, as the tears began to flow even more.

"I pray to god it's not Chelsea, Rita, I really do."

The way back to the morgue seemed to be longer than ever for Harry. All he could think of was his goddaughter, the little girl he loved so much. Chelsea was a huge bundle of joy, and thinking that someone could have harmed her drove him almost crazy. But, worst of all was the fact that if it really was Chelsea, he had to tell Rita. He had to tell her that she'd lost everything in the blink of an eye.

His heart was throbbing in his chest when he walked into the morgue. Dr. Bedford led him inside. He opened one of the compartments and pulled the body out.

"It's not quite a nice look, Cap. Lipschitz." he uttered as he reached for the blanket the body was covered with.

"Go on. I need to know it."

Dr. Bedford nodded silently and pulled the blanket away. All the color drained from Harry's face when he looked down at the tiny body. Water welled in his eyes as he turned away.

"It's not my goddaughter." he whispered. "It's not Chelsea Rose."

Shelby walked around the empty buses in the depot, her gun drawn. She knew Michele was somewhere here, and so was Chelsea, probably walking around totally lost. Suddenly, a cracking noise emanating from one of the school buses caught her attention. She slowly approached the bus and peered inside. She couldn't see anything, but she heard noises again. Reluctantly, she climbed up the stairs and went inside the bus.

"Sha..." she heard a low voice calling.

Shelby caught a tiny figure hiding in the last row of seats.

"Chelsea?" she asked, her gun still drawn, pointing at the last row.

Shelby was only 2 rows away, when Michele sprung out of hiding, Chelsea in a tight grip. She pointed a gun at Chelsea's head.

"You put your gun down, or she's gonna die." Michele demanded.

"Why are you doing this, Michele?" Shelby asked. "You were a good agent, so why are you doing this now?"

"It's all about money, don't you know that? Today everything that reasons is money. If you have it, it's good, if you don't, you're a loser. I didn't want to be a loser anymore. Marcos gave me the chance to be someone, and not only Special Agent Michele Cloud."

"You made the wrong decision, M! Your choice was wrong, and you know it. Why did you talk Jester into doing something like this? Why did you shoot Chris?"

"Jester was just a kid, he did everything for money. As for why I shot that cop, that was an accident. We only wanted to threaten him a bit by kidnapping his wife and daughter. The gun went off by accident. But when I think about it, it doesn't matter now. He busted Marcos, my boss. It was also my money that went downhill when he got arrested. That was the cop's fault."

"I don't believe you!" Shelby exclaimed. "You killed people you know because of money? You kidnapped a child? M, you know better than that!"

"They made one mistake, Shelby. They busted my boss. If I had been at the hotel in time to listen to the nice little recording I made of their conversations in their room, we wouldn't be here now, cuz they'd already been dead like all the others. But, they were faster, I couldn't tell Marcos in time. You and your team, Shelby, you did a damn good job, but unfortunately, it's going to be your last one."

Shelby slowly understood what Michele was trying to do, "Oh no, you won't dare do what I am just thinking about! You'll kill Chris and Rita, murder my team and me, grab the evidence and Marcos will be free?"

"Shelby, I always knew you were so bright. No wonder you made it so far that fast!"

Shelby thought for a moment. What was she gonna do? She couldn't shoot Michele, she still had Chelsea at gunpoint. But, she needed to act fast. She didn't know what else she had planned, but it didn't sound good.

"M, this is between you and me only." she started. "Chelsea is not part of this, she's an innocent little child. You let her go!!"

"Oh, Shelby, Shelby, I thought you knew better. You KNOW I can't let her go."

"You and me, M. Not Chelsea, you and me."

Michele hesitated for a moment, but then stood Chelsea on the ground. She ran over to Shelby, clinging to her feet.

"You and me, Shelby. Now, alone. You got what you wanted."

"Let me make sure Chelsea is okay. See, it put my gun away."

Shelby held her gun up and slowly placed on a seat next to her. Then she lifted Chelsea up and sat her on one of the empty seats.

"Chelsea, you think you can close your eyes really tight and sing a song for me?" Shelby asked, forcing a weak smile. Chelsea nodded silently.

"Okay, then close your eyes and sing me your song. Keep your eyes closed until I say you can open them again."

Chelsea covered her eyes with her hands and began to sing the lullaby her mother used to sing her every night. Shelby looked up and saw Michele still aiming the gun at her.

"Here, you have me." Shelby shouted, extending her arms to each side. "Just you never touch that child again!"

"Anything you want."

"Since I know I am gonna die, no matter what I do, you can also tell me what you have planned for my team to die."

"Oh, you really wanna know? Ms. Shelby is curious now!!! But, I'll tell you what I have planned for them, since you're gonna die before you can tell anybody. There's gonna be a nice little car accident on the way to the airport. You know, the brakes of a mini van can easily malfunction, and the van goes down a cliff. It happened just too often. And for your cop friends, I have planned something else, something VERY entertaining! You ever thought about what a very tiny bomb can do? I just have to put it together and bring it in. Than it's goodbye cop friends!" Michele rubbed her head with her gun, "Now, who am I gonna kill first? You and then her, or the child and then you."

"YOU FIRST!" Shelby screamed. She dropped to the ground, reached for her gun, aimed and shot Michele right in the head before she even had the chance to aim at her.

Chelsea screamed out loud when she heard the gun shot. She sprung up for her seat and ran right into Shelby's arms, sobbing and crying.

"It's okay, Chelsea, it's okay." she appeased the crying girl. "C'mon, let's go home to mommy and daddy."

Rita paced the floor in Chris' room. Nothing had changed, and she still waited for any news from Harry. The not knowing was almost killing her, but somewhere deep inside of her, she somehow seemed to know that she'd lost everything. Alone, she was alone again. She gnawed at her fingernails when she heard someone knocking at the door. It was Harry. He gestured for her to step out.

Rita stepped out of Chris' room. She saw that Harry had been crying. At that moment, her heart broke. She knew she'd lost Chelsea, and it was only a matter of time until she'd lose Chris as well.

"She's dead, Cap?" she whispered.

"Rita, I..."

Harry was interrupted by a child's voice, calling for her mother, "Mama, mama, mama!"

Rita whirled around and saw Chelsea running towards her. She dropped to her knees, opening her arms as the tears began to trickle down her cheeks. The little girl threw herself right into Rita's waiting arms.

"Chelsea, are you okay?" she asked, studying her daughter intensively.

"Yes, mama. Shabby got me."

Rita stood up, her daughter clinging to her. She saw Shelby approaching them. Shelby nodded at her, a weak smile on her face.

"Mama cwying, why?" Chelsea asked, wiping the tears out of Rita's face.

"I am just so glad I have you back, pumpkin."

Chelsea looked around, hoping to spot Chris, "Daddy?"

"Daddy is sick, pumpkin." Rita sniffed. "Very sick."

"Kiss kiss, make better, mama?"

"No, Chelsea, not this time. Daddy is too sick."

"Why?"

"C'mon, pumpkin, we go sit down first."

Rita carried Chelsea to one of the chairs nearby. She sat down and placed her daughter on her lap, always holding her tight to her chest.

"Some bad guys chased after daddy." Rita began, her voice trembling.

"Why?"

"Because of daddy's work. Those bad guys, they... they shot him. You were there, you remember that?"

Chelsea looked up at her mother with her big blue eyes and nodded.

"Daddy bad booboo?" Chelsea asked, her eyes slowly filling with tears as well.

"Yes, pumpkin, it's pretty bad."

"Mama, wanna daddy!"

Rita shook her head, "It's better you don't see him. He's too sick."

"Wanna daddy!" Chelsea began to cry.

"No, Chelsea, don't cry."

Rita rocked her daughter back and forth and began to cry as well. Everything that had been going on the last couple of days suddenly was too much for her. She had her daughter back, but she knew she'd never get her husband back, her best friend, her soul mate, the father of her daughter.

Suddenly, Harry stepped in front of the two crying persons. He placed his hand on Rita's shoulders, trying to comfort her when she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"C'mon, Rita. Take Chelsea to Chris. I think it might do him some good knowing that she is with him."

"How, Cap?" Rita stammered. "How will he know she's there? He's dying."

"He's not dead as of yet. He will know that there are two people who love him more than anything and who need him. Take Chelsea to her father."

Rita nodded in response and got up, holding her daughter tight to her. She hesitated a moment before she entered Chris' room. Chelsea's face was buried in her mother's shoulder when Rita sat down on a chair next to Chris' bed.

"Mama, wanna go, wanna go!" Chelsea pleaded, scared of all the different sounds the machines in the room made. She didn't dare look up.

"It's okay, pumpkin, you don't need to be afraid. The machines are just here to make daddy better while he sleeps."

Chelsea reluctantly turned her head and stared at her father. They sat there in silence for a while, until Chelsea climbed down from Rita's lap and climbed up on Chris' bed. She sat there and looked at him, taking his big hand in her tiny one.

"Daddy, pway wis me! Wis Pooh!"

Chelsea grabbed her Pooh Bear from the bed and waggled it in front of her father's face, but there was no reaction from Chris. Chelsea scooted closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. Than she lay down next to him, snuggled close to him and within seconds, had drifted to sleep. Rita had watched the whole scene. She blinked back the tears as she sat down on Chris' bed as well. She gently caressed Chelsea's hair and tried to smile a bit when she glanced at the two persons she loved most.

Rita didn't know how long they sat there until the machines and monitors suddenly went crazy. A fast beeping tone emanated from one of the machines, and soon after, the same noise emanated from one of the monitors.

"Chris, no, NO!" Rita cried as she picked Chelsea up.

The girl awoke because of the loud noises and her mother's sobs. She began to whine and cry her Pooh clutched to her chest.

"CHRIS, NO!" Rita cried again when some people rushed into the room, dragging a couple of machines behind them.

"Daddy, daddy!" Chelsea whined, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Mrs. Lorenzo, you have to leave the room." one of the nurses told her, trying to usher her out of the room.

Rita shook her head frantically, "No, I need to be with him. He needs me!"

"Mrs. Lorenzo, please. You need to leave."

Mother and daughter cried and sobbed, holding on close to each other when they walked out of the room. Rita immediately collapsed into one of the chairs down the corridor. She didn't notice Harry walking up next to her. Her head shot up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?" Harry inquired.

"I don't know." Rita sobbed. "The machines went crazy. Cap, it's over, I know it."

"Shh..."

Harry hugged the twosome close when Rita broke out in tears again. He wished he could make her feel better, he wished he could tell her that everything was going to be all right, but everybody knew how bad Chris' condition was. Rita got her daughter back, but on the other hand she would lose her husband and Chelsea would lose her father.

Rita was still crying heartbreakingly when half of the staff left Chris' room. One of the doctor's walked over to them.

"Mrs. Lorenzo?" he asked.

Rita broke out of Harry's embrace and rose from her chair, "It's over, right?"

"Mrs. Lorenzo..."

"I know my husband is dead. I know it!"

"Please, calm down, Mrs. Lorenzo. I want you to follow me."

"Why?" Rita inquired, wiping the tears out of her eyes with her free hand.

"I want to show you something."

Rita slowly handed her crying daughter to Harry before she followed the doctor. He opened the door to Chris' room and gently pushed her inside.

"Christopher!" she gasped when she saw Chris blinking at her.

She rushed to his side, sat down on the bed and kissed him passionately.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear that?"

Chris just shook his head no as he caressed her cheek tenderly, at the same time wiping the tears out of the corner of her eyes.

"I love you." he mouthed, still too weak to say anything.

"I love you, too!" she whispered. "I already had lost hope that you'd come back to me. I thought I lost everything, I thought both you and Chelsea were gone."

Chris' eyes silently darted through the room, but other than Rita and a nurse who checked the machines he couldn't see anybody. His eyes focused back on Rita, desperately asking for his daughter.

"Shhh, Sam. It's okay. Wait a second."

Rita started to get up, but Chris' hand with still locked with hers and he didn't intend to let her go free.

"I'll be right back, Chris, I promise."

She kissed his hand before he let go of her. Rita walked out of the room where Harry was still waiting. Chelsea had buried her face in his shoulder, still crying.

"I couldn't get her to calm down." he explained, handing the girl to her mother.

"I think she'll stop soon. Thank you, Cap, for everything."

Rita smiled shortly before she returned to Chris' room, leaving Harry behind in the corridor. Chelsea occasionally sobbed and sniffed as Rita sat down on Chris' bed again.

"Pumpkin, c'mon, look."

Chelsea shook her head frantically, her fingers clawed into her mother's shirt.

"It's okay, you can look."

Chelsea shook her head again. Rita looked at Chris who slowly moved his hand, placing it on Chelsea's back. Chelsea's head whirled around.

"Daddy?" she whispered, but then exclaimed joyfully, "DADDY WAKE!"

She let go of Rita and climbed around on the bed, snuggling close to Chris.

"She okay?" Chris mouthed after he'd kissed his daughter on her forehead.

Rita nodded silently, "Happy birthday, Chris!"

Chris gestured her to move to the other side of the bed. Rita did as she was told. It was only a matter of time until the threesome had fallen asleep in each other's arms. On his birthday, Chris was given a second life, and a family finally was back together again.

The end

---

Standard Disclaimer: The characters of Christopher Lorenzo, Rita Lee Lance, Harry and Frannie Lipschitz and Shelby Kellman belong to Stephen J. Cannell and USA Network. However, the characters of Chelsea Rose Lorenzo, Jester McDermot and Silvio Marcos (and everybody else that never appeared on Silk Stalkings before) belong to me. BUT a certain person called Michele Cloud doesn't belong to me either.... this certain person belongs all to herself, and that's better that way, cuz I definitely don't wanna own her in any way! ;-) No infringement intended.

I hope you liked part 2 and how it ended. I didn't have the heart to kill Chris off, what I first had planned (please don't bash me for that!!!!).

Thanks go to my sis for her editing and for answering my cry of help when my computer played tricks on me (I just had to add that!!!!)

---

Back To My Main Page