DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Viacom and Spelling/Goldberg
production and the writers. I am not making any money off of this. I just like
to write about them.

Summary: Mike Danko kills an intruder who attacks Jill. Can he get out of this
mess before he loses everything he's worked for?

Setting: Early first season, shortly after the pilot.

TO PROTECT AND TO LOVE

It was a hot summer day. Mike and Jill Danko had only been back together a few
months. She was still getting used to the idea of Mike being a cop. But, the
one thing it didn't take her long to remember was how much she loved him and how
very much she needed him. She was soon going to find out what lengths Mike would go to in order to protect her.

They were curled up on the sofa watching TV, alone for once. The usually ever
present Terry Webster and Willie Gillis were working. Jill had her head on
Mike's shoulder as he was working on a crossword puzzle. It hadn't been often
lately that they had been able to spend an evening at home, alone.

"Jill, I forgot to tell you. An Army buddy of mine called me this morning.
He's going to try to drop by tomorrow. He's on his way back to Vietnam in a
couple of days. If I'm not home, just let him in and I'll get home as soon as I
can."

"Does this friend have a name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Ernie, Ernie Wilson. He said he isn't definite he'll drop by,
but he was going to try. I should be home by five or so."

There were times when Jill was still unspeakably frightened. Waiting for Mike
to come home from work was always among the most frightening times for her.
Just in the past few months, so many things had happened. First, Jared Whitman,
a friend of Mike's from the academy had been killed in the line of duty. Then,
a few months ago, Willie Gillis had been shot in the back during a robbery at a
ball park and had almost died. His young girlfriend had been unable to deal
with the possibilities of life with a cop and had gone back home to Ohio. Mike
had asked Jill if it ever crossed her mind to leave. She told him sometimes.
The only thing that stopped her was the thought that being alone in Alabama was
far scarier than living the life of a cop's wife with Mike.

Jill had gone to the store to pick up some things for dinner. When she went
upstairs, she wasn't aware that she was being watched.

The young man was hiding in some shrubbery when Jill drove up. By watching her,
he could tell that she was home by herself. She was young, dressed in white
like she was a nurse or something and what was best of all, she was pretty. He
liked the pretty ones best of all. He tried to think of what line he was going
to use to get into her apartment. He didn't like breaking in. The last time he
had broken into an apartment, the girl who lived panicked and he had had to hurt
her. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He just liked being with them because they
were so pretty and most of them smelled so good. He decided to just go upstairs
and ring her door bell. He would think of something to say when he got up
there.

Jill was chopping vegetables for dinner when the door bell rang. She looked at
her watch. It was almost quarter after five. Mike should be home any minute.
Jill went to the front door and looked through the peep hole. There was a young
man standing there. He was dressed in paint spattered jeans and a white
tee shirt. His blonde hair was shaggy and unkempt looking and he had what
appeared to be a couple of days' worth of stubble on his face. To Jill, he
didn't look like he was in the Army, but who knows? Jill put the door on the
chain and opened it. He looked at Jill with clouded blue eyes. To Jill, he
looked like he was stoned. She began to feel uneasy.

"Hi, are you Ernie?"

The guy tried to think. This was perfect if she was expecting someone she
didn't know.

"Yeah, I'm Ernie. Is it all right if I come in?"

"I'll tell you what. Why don't you come back in about fifteen minutes. Mike
should be home by then. He told me yesterday that he was expecting you."

"I really don't want to wait. If he's going to be home soon, why don't I just
come in and we'll wait for him together."

Jill's heart began to pound. She didn't know why this guy was scaring her so
badly, but for whatever reason, she decided to act on her instincts and tried to
close the door. The guy was thin, but he was wiry and very strong. He shoved
the door open, breaking the chain. Jill tried to run out the other door, but he
was faster and he grabbed her. He clamped his hand over her mouth before she
had a chance to scream. He had one hand over her mouth and clasped his other
arm around her waist and picked her up and started carrying her toward the back
of the apartment. Jill was kicking and struggling the whole time. The man
didn't like this. He didn't like it when they fought back. He threw Jill on
the floor and began tearing at her clothes. Jill responded by kicking him
squarely in the groin. This enraged him further. He began swinging wild
punches at Jill. Some landed and some didn't. Jill didn't feel the pain, all
she knew was she was in a fight for her life.

"Mike! Mike, please help me!"

"There ain't nobody going to help you, you bitch! This would have been so much
easier if you hadn't fought me! I had to hurt the last one who fought me!"

He put his hands on Jill's throat and was trying to strangle her. Jill put both
of her hands on his and was trying to pull them off, the whole time hoarsely
calling for Mike to help her. She didn't know where he was. He had always come
in the nick of time in the past.

Mike pulled up in the parking lot and was whistling as he walked up the stairs
to the apartment. The whistling stopped when he got to the apartment door and
saw it opened, the safety chain broken. The hair on the back of his neck began
to stand up. Out of instinct, he reached down for her service revolver,
remembering too late that he was off duty. His off duty weapon was locked up in
the bedroom.

"Jill!"

Jill was almost unconscious when she heard probably the most welcome sound she
had ever heard in her life, the sound of her name being called. Her voice was
almost gone, but she managed to croak out a cry for help.

"Mike, please help me!"

Mike ran toward the bedroom and instantly saw red when he saw the grungy looking
man with his hands on Jill's throat. Mike ran over and grabbed the guy by his
shirt. Jill rolled away and tried to get her breath back when she felt the
pressure release from her throat. She could hear the scuffle going on, but
there was nothing she could do to help.

Willie Gillis and Terry Webster got home about ten minutes after Mike. They
could hear something from the bottom of the stairs, but they didn't know what
they were hearing. It became a lot more clear as they walked up the stairs.
There was a terrible fight going on and it was coming from Mike and Jill's
apartment. Willie and Terry ran in and found Mike in the bedroom, with the guy
pinned to the floor where Mike was beating the hell out of him. Jill was laying
in one corner of the bedroom coughing and gagging.

Terry was trying to pull Mike off of the guy, but Mike was angry and strong as
an ox. He finally had to enlist Willie's help to get Mike off of the guy. The
guy's face was a bloody mess from Mike's blows.

"Mike, come on! Get off of him! It's me, Terry!"

Mike stood for a second gasping for breath before he ran over to where Jill was
still laying semi-conscious in a corner of their bedroom. Willie walked over to
the phone.

"I'll call an ambulance."

Terry was checking the guy laying unconscious on the floor. He checked his
pulse and then bent down to listen for a heartbeat. He then looked over at Mike
with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Mike was sitting on the
floor with Jill in his arms. She was crying and moaning and still coughing, but
she appeared to be pretty out of it. Within what seemed like minutes, the
apartment was filled with cops and ambulance attendants. Lt. Ryker showed up
after all of them. Terry pulled him off to one side.

"Webster, what happened?"

"We don't know, sir. We heard noises from downstairs. When we got up here, we
heard that the struggle was coming from in here. When Willie and I came back
here, Mike was on top of the guy. We pulled him off of the guy. He's dead,
Lieutenant."

Ryker turned to the ambulance attendants and asked if Jill was going to be okay.

"She's bruised and battered, but I think she'll be okay. We're going to
transport her now."

"I'm going with you."

"Danko, let them take her. You can join her in a little while. We need to
talk."

"Sir..."

"Now, Danko! The hospital will keep you posted. Gillis, you go to the
hospital."

"Yes, sir. I'll call you as soon as I know anything, Mike."

"Danko, let's you, me and Webster go in the other room and let the detectives
work."

Ryker, Terry and Mike went into the other room. Mike glanced toward the door
way as the ambulance attendants rolled out the gurney with Jill on it. Willie
looked at Mike again as he followed them out the door. It was hard for Mike to
concentrate on Ryker and Terry. His place was with the woman going out the
door. His place had always been with her. He sat down on the sofa and looked
down at his hands. His knuckles were split open and bleeding. He went into the
kitchen and got some paper towels. He knew Jill would have a fit if he used her
good dish towels to clean up blood. He sat down and pressed the paper towels to
his knuckles.

"Danko, what happened?"

"When I came home, the front door was opened and the chain was broken. I heard
Jill crying for help. When I went into the bedroom, he was on top of her with
his hands on her throat, trying to strangle her. I grabbed him and we fought.
That's all I remember until Willie and Terry pulled me off of him."

"He's dead, Danko. You'd better start remembering everything."

"He can't be dead. I only hit him a few times."

"We'd better go down to the precinct. Homicide detectives are going to want to
talk to you."

"Sir, it was self defense."

"Danko, I have no doubt that it was, but you can't take matters into your own
hands. You learned that in the academy."

"I need to be with Jill."

"Jill isn't going anywhere, Danko. Come on, let's go."

They examined Jill and told Willie that except for some pretty severe bruises,
she wasn't seriously hurt. But, they did tell him that they would keep her
heavily sedated until Mike was able to show up. Willie sat with her before he
went to call Mike. She had some horrible bruises around her throat and on her
face. Both eyes were black and blue and her lips were badly cut. She stirred
and tried to open her eyes. She was confused. Had she overslept? She was so
sore she couldn't move. She struggled to open her eyes. She could make out a
shadow of a figure sitting beside her bed. It took her several seconds to
focus. By the time she was able to focus, the figure was no longer by her bed.
Instead, there was someone in white who stuck Jill in the arm with a needle.
Everything soon faded to black.

When Ryker, Terry and Mike got to the precinct, Ryker talked to Terry first.
There were two detectives in the room with them.

"Officer Webster, this is detective Granger and detective Little. Gentlemen,
this is Officer Terry Webster."

Det. Granger spoke first, "Have a seat, Officer Webster. We understand your
partner is at the hospital with Mrs. Danko, so we'll talk to him later. Can you
tell us what happened?"

"I'll tell you what my partner and I saw, which wasn't much. We arrived home at
about 25 after 5 and we both heard noises when we were at the bottom of the
stairs."

"What kind of noises?"

"Scuffling noises, nothing specific."

"Okay, what next?"

"When we got upstairs, we walked past the Danko's apartment and noticed that the
front door was ajar. The noises we heard downstairs were louder when we got to
the Danko's. We entered the apartment and looked for the source of the noise.
It was coming from the back of the apartment, from their bedroom. When we
entered the bedroom, Officer Danko was on top of the suspect."

"What was he doing?"

"Fighting with him."

"What happened next?"

"My partner went to see about Mrs. Danko and I went to get Officer Danko off of
the suspect. He started fighting me, so Officer Gillis came over to help me.
Between the two of us, we were finally able to pull him off of the suspect."

"Did Officer Danko say or do anything after you and Officer Gillis pulled him
off of the suspect?"

"No, sir. He went over to attend to his wife."

"What did you and Officer Gillis do then?"

"Officer Gillis went to call for an ambulance, while I checked on the suspect.
I felt for a pulse and listened for a heartbeat, but there was nothing."

"Okay, Officer Webster. Stick around in case we have more questions for you."

"Sure, no problem. I wasn't exactly planning on leaving the country."

"Lieutenant, go get Officer Danko."

Mike walked into the room looking like he was about to be executed.

"Should I call a lawyer?"

"We're just investigating right now, Officer Danko. Please have a seat. I'm
Detective Granger and this is my partner, Detective Little. You might want to
go to the infirmary and get your hands doctored."

"My hands are fine. Can we get on with this, so I can see about my wife. I
don't like leaving her alone."

"We need to know what happened."

"When I got home, I noticed that my front door was standing opened and the chain
was broken. I then heard Jill calling my name from the bedroom. When I went
into the bedroom, this man was straddling her with one hand on her throat,
trying to choke her. I grabbed him off of her and we began fighting. That's
all I remember until Officers Webster and Gillis pulled me off of him. I only
remember hitting him a few times. I don't see how I could possibly have killed
him."

"Well, you were pretty upset about what he had done to your wife. It's easy to
lose control in the heat of passion."

"What's going to happen now?"

"That's going to depend on what the D.A. wants to do. We'll turn the results of
our investigation over to the D.A.'s office and see what happens after that."

"I could go to prison?"

"I think you're jumping the gun a bit, but yeah, that is a possibility. They're
going to perform an autopsy and get an exact cause of death. I'll tell you like
I told Officer Webster. Don't take any sudden trips out of town."

"I'm not going anywhere except to the hospital to see my wife."

"Speaking of your wife, when can we talk to her?"

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to the doctor and I'll let you know."

"Okay, you can go, Officer Danko. For what it's worth, Officer Danko, I
probably would have reacted in the same manner, but there can't be one law for
criminals and another for cops. You can't go above the law."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else?"

"No, you can go. If we need anything, we'll come to the hospital."

When Mike got to the hospital, it was dark outside. He looked at his watch. It
was almost 11 o'clock. He couldn't believe 6 hours had passed. He went and saw
a doctor about his hands. They x-rayed them and told him nothing was broken,
they were just badly bruised and cut. He got special permission to sit with
Jill. He walked in and saw Willie sitting in a chair by her bed.

"Mike, hi. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. How is she?"

"They've been keeping her heavily sedated so she wouldn't notice you weren't
here and start asking questions. The doc said she's going to be okay. They'll
probably be releasing her in a few days."

"Yeah, I know. I saw him when I got here. Look, there's two detectives that
are looking for you. They just have routine questions for you."

"Okay. Hey, you need to get some sleep."

"I'll be okay. I need to be with Jill when she wakes up."

"Then, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah."

Mike took a seat in Willie's recently vacated chair and picked up Jill's ice
cold hand. Her face was black and blue and horribly swollen, even worse than
the first time he had seen her after Cleve had beat her up. He clasped her hand
in both of his and brought them up to his lips.

"Baby, I am so sorry. I wish I had gotten home sooner. I never would have put
you through this again."

Jill felt like she was in a thick fog. She thought she could hear Mike's voice,
but she couldn't reach him. Her throat was parched like she had been walking
through a desert. She wanted some water. She tried to open her eyes, but it
felt like they were glued shut. She thought she could make out Mike sitting by
her bed, holding her hand in his. She couldn't figure out why he was sitting
beside the bed. Where was she and what had happened? Jill tried to think, but
her mind was so fuzzy. She remembered a man coming to the apartment. She
remembered a fight and...that was it. That was all she could remember. Mike
noticed her stirring.

"Jill? Baby? Can you hear me?"

Jill finally forced her eyes open and tried to smile at the sound of Mike's
voice. Her eyes were blood red from the guy attempting to strangle her. It had
caused blood vessels to burst in her eyes. The doctor had told Mike it was
awful looking, but they would monitor her eyesight and it would probably clear
up in several weeks.

"Hi."

"Hi. You're going to be okay. I talked to the doctor and he says they're going
to keep you here for a few days for observation."

Jill's voice was hoarse as she tried to answer him, "I thought it was your
friend. The one you told me was coming over."

"I know."

"But, he looked...I don't know, there was something about him. I put the door
on the chain after I looked through the peep hole. I got scared. Is he in
jail?"

"We'll talk about him later. Right now, I want you to close your eyes and go
back to sleep."

"Mike, please don't leave me."

"Shh, I'm not going anywhere. Sleep now."

Jill fought to stay awake for a few minutes, finally succumbing to the effects
of the sedative she had been given earlier. Mike fell asleep in the chair
beside her bed. He was still asleep when he felt someone tap him on the
shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Lt. Ryker standing beside him. Ryker
motioned for him to step outside. Mike followed him out into the corridor.

"How is your wife?"

"Lucky to be alive. They're going to keep her for 2 or 3 days. She's going to
be okay."

"I'm glad to hear that. Danko, I've talked to the chief. Pending a formal
investigation, you have been relieved of duty with pay. I need your shield."

Mike took his shield out of his pocket and handed it to Ryker. Mike knew this
was going to be the outcome. He knew police procedure, but it didn't make it
any easier to deal with. But, he knew if he had to do it over again, he would
do the same thing.

"Mike, I'm sorry."

"I am, but I'm not. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I think so. I would probably have done the same thing you did if it had
been my wife I saw being attacked. If she's up to it, the detectives want to
talk to her in the morning, first thing."

"Yes, sir. Can I be there when they talk to her?"

"I don't see why not. I'll see you in the morning, Danko."

Mike was asleep in the chair the next morning when Jill woke up. The first
thing she saw was Mike's hands. He looked like he had been in a vicious fight.
She struggled to sit up. Mike heard her moving and woke up.

"Hey, lay still. What do you need?"

"Water."

Mike poured a cup of water and helped her drink some of it. "I talked to Ryker
earlier this morning. There's some detectives that are going to be coming by to
talk to you. Do you feel up to it?"

"Yeah. Your hands? What happened to your hands?"

"I cut them fighting the guy who attacked you."

"Is he in jail?"

"No."

Tears began to fall down Jill's face. "Mike where is he?"

"Baby, I want you to listen to me. When I came in and I saw that guy on top of
you trying to strangle you, I guess something inside of me snapped. I pulled
him off of you and we began fighting. The next thing I knew, Terry and Willie
were dragging me off of him."

"You killed him?"

"Yeah."

"God, Mike. I'm so glad. I thought he was going to kill me and I was never
going to see you again. I'm glad he's dead!"

"Shh, we don't have to talk about it anymore."

"Mike, what's going to happen now? I mean, won't you be in trouble?"

"Yeah, I might be, but it was worth it. I've been relieved of duty pending an
investigation."

"Mike, what's going to happen after that?"

"I don't know. Depending on what the D.A. decides, I could face criminal
charges."

"What if I don't press charges?"

"Baby, it isn't going to be up to you."

Jill began to cry. "Mike, I don't want you going to jail because of what you
did to save me. Don't they realize that's why you did what you did?"

"Baby, they know, but it doesn't matter. I shouldn't have taken matters into my
own hands."

Now Jill was angry. "What should you have done, Mike? Stand by and let him
kill me? Because, chances are, you would have been next!"

"No, but I should have handled things differently than I did."

There was a knock on the door. Mike went to answer it. Lt. Ryker was standing
there with detectives Little and Granger. Ryker motioned for Mike to come
outside.

"Danko, let's step away from her door. Is Mrs. Danko up to answering
questions?"

"Yeah. It's hard for her to talk because her throat is swollen from the guy
trying to strangle her. Let me go in and tell her that you're here."

"Danko, I'm afraid that I can't let you do that."

"What are you talking about you can't let me do that? Let me do what?"

About that time, Terry and Willie showed up in uniform, looking uncomfortable.
Mike looked at Ryker and then at them. This was his worst nightmare coming to
life.

"Danko, I got off the phone an hour ago with the D.A.'s office. I hate to do
this, Danko, but we have to take you into custody for the murder of Reese
Temple."

"What am I being charged with?"

"Second degree murder. Webster, you know the drill."

"Sir..."

"Webster, if you don't follow procedure and he walks..."

Terry took off his hand cuffs and snapped them on Mike. "Mike, I'm sorry."

"You're only doing your job, man."

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used
against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you
cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed by you by a court of law. Do
you understand these rights I've just read to you?"

"Yeah, I understand them. Lieutenant, who is going to tell Jill?"

"I'll tell her when I go in with the detectives. Danko, for what it's worth,
you can post bond as soon as they book you and be back here in a few hours."

"What happens next?"

"You know the answer to that one. They present the case to the grand jury and
let them decide if they want to proceed or not. Take him in."

"Lieutenant, can I say something?"

"Danko, you're wasting time. The sooner Webster and Gillis get you to Central,
the sooner you can be back here with your wife."

"Just one thing. Terry and Willie know this, but you don't know Jill that well.
Jill is a very complicated person, with an equally complicated past. She's not
going to take this news well. And, she may not take it at all from you."

"Danko, I am doing you a favor by letting Gillis and Webster take you into
custody. The chief didn't want to do that, but I fought him."

"Look, I'm not saying I want to go in there myself and tell Jill what's going
on, but can't you let one of these guys do it for me?"

"No, Danko. I will tell her and she can either accept the news or she won't.
I'm not telling you guys again to go. Now!"

"Yes, sir. Come on, Mike."

Ryker watched as Terry and Willie walked off with Mike between them. He looked
over at the two detectives. "Gentlemen, let me go in and talk to Mrs. Danko
first, then I'll let you go in and talk to her."

Jill was laying in bed waiting for Mike to come back into the room. She was not
expecting Lt. Ryker to walk in, instead. She sat straight up, instantly
apprehensive. Something was wrong or Mike would have come back in.

Lt. Ryker didn't like dealing with the wives of his officers. He always felt
uncomfortable dealing with the tears and the emotions when he had to give them
news about a husband being killed in the line of duty. Now, he had to tell this
dark haired, dark eyed young woman that her husband had just been arrested and
charged with the murder of the man who was trying to kill her. He didn't know
Jill that well. He had seen her a few times and had spoken to her the same
number of times, usually at the hospital dealing with business. He had never
had to deal with her on a personal level before.

"Where is Mike? What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you for a few minutes, Mrs. Danko. Have you talked to Mike
about what happened?"

"Yeah. Mike told me he killed the guy."

"Yes, that he did. But, what he did may have unforeseen consequences. See, the
law works like this. After a crime, the detectives investigate. They then turn
the results of their investigation over to the D.A.'s office, who in turn, also
conduct an investigation of their own and decide whether charges should be
filed. The D.A.'s office has decided in this case that Mike should be charged
with second degree murder."

"Where is Mike now?"

"On his way to be booked. Mrs. Danko, I am sorry. If there was any other way
around it, I would have fought it. The good news is, he can post bond as soon
as he's booked and be back here in a couple, maybe 3 hours."

"What will happen now?"

"The D.A. will present the case before the grand jury and they'll decide if Mike
should be indicted and brought to trial."

"What if the grand jury decides that he doesn't? Can Mike still be a cop?"

"It's called a 'no bill.' That means the grand jury doesn't return an
indictment, in which case, pending the outcome of the police investigation, yes,
more than likely Mike can still be a cop. You would want that? For him to
still be a cop?"

"Well, not exactly, but Mike told me once it's all he's ever wanted since he was
a kid."

"Are you all right?"

"I don't know. Right now, I'm in shock."

"The reason I'm asking is there are two detectives outside who need to talk to
you about what happened. It can't wait until Mike gets back. We need to get
this cleared up."

"Okay, just so they understand that it's hard for me to talk above a whisper."

"Okay, let me go get them."

Terry and Willie led Mike into Central Booking. Terry removed the hand cuffs
from Mike and finger printed him. They both felt sick over what they were
having to do. The cop in booking handed Mike several paper towels.

"Hey, Danko, for what it's worth, I probably would have killed the son of a
bitch, too."

"Yeah, well, if I had to do it again, I'd probably do the same thing, but who
knows? I don't think I'd want to do the same thing again."

The two detectives walked into the room to talk to Jill. To her relief, Ryker
came back in with them. Jill figured if Mike couldn't be there, at least there
would be someone in with her that she did know, even if she didn't know him
well.

"Mrs. Danko, I'm Det. Granger, this is my partner, Det. Little. We need to ask
you a few questions. We'll try to make this as brief as possible. Do you know
the man who attacked you?"

"No, I had never seen him before."

"How did he get into the apartment?"

"Mike told me he was expecting an Army buddy, who might or might not come by. I
had just gotten home when the door bell rang."

"So, he rang the bell?"

"Yeah. I got a bad feeling when I opened the door on the chain."

"A bad feeling? What do you mean?"

"The guy looked...I don't know, he didn't look like he had been in the Army. I
got scared."

"Okay. What happened then?"

"I told him to come back in 15 or 20 minutes. I figured Mike would be home by
then. He said he didn't see why he couldn't wait inside. When I tried to close
the door, he shoved it opened. I tried to run out to the balcony to scream for
help, but he grabbed me and dragged me toward the bedroom."

"Did he say anything?"

"No, not right away."

"What happened after he dragged you to the bedroom?"

"Hold on just a second. Lieutenant, could I get some water?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your question?"

"What happened after he dragged you to the bedroom?"

"He threw me on the floor between the bathroom and our bedroom and began tearing
at my clothes. I started kicking at him and I guess I landed a couple, because
he began punching me in the face. Then, he put his hands on my throat and began
choking me."

"When did your husband come into the room?"

Jill shook her head. "I'm not sure. I remember calling his name for him to
help me. The guy hit me again and told me nobody was going to help me. I guess
Mike came in right after that, because all of a sudden, I could breathe again."

"So, you didn't see your husband attacking Mr. Temple?"

"I couldn't move. I could hear the fight, but I never saw it."

"What about Officers Webster and Gillis? When did they come in?"

"I don't know that, either. You have to understand. The guy had beaten me to
within an inch of my life, then he tried to strangle me. If the president had
walked in, I wouldn't have known it."

"Okay, we're almost done. Just a couple of more questions. Has your husband
ever been violent with you?"

"No, never."

"Have you ever seen him exhibit this kind of behavior in the past?"

Jill thought to the day Mike had chased Cleve around her front yard in Alabama.
He hadn't beaten Cleve up, but he had definitely put the fear of God into him.

"He chased my ex-boyfriend around my yard once after we got engaged."

"Chased him? What do you mean?"

"Look, it wasn't anything. He thought I was being threatened."

"He seems to think he's your knight in shining armor."

Lt. Ryker decided Jill had had enough interviewing for one day.

"Are you guys finished?"

"Yeah, we're finished. Thank you, Mrs. Danko."

Jill stopped Lt. Ryker as he got ready to follow them out the door.
"Lieutenant?"

"Yes?"

"Can you stay for a couple of minutes?"

"Yeah, I can stay for a few minutes?"

"I have to explain something. I can tell you because I don't think you would
take out an ad."

"What do you mean?"

"I met Mike when he was stationed in Alabama. I had just gotten out of an
extremely abusive relationship. The incident I was referring to a while ago was
just a misunderstanding. My ex had come by my house. I was in my yard taking
care of my garden. Mike pulled up and thought I was being threatened by him. I
wasn't, at least, not yet. Mike started chasing him around my yard. They were
ruining my garden, so I turned the water hose on them."

"You did what?"

"I had a sprayer attachment on the hose and I turned it on them. My yard turned
into a sea of mud. Have you ever been to the South?"

"No."

"The earth is red clay. So, you can imagine what my yard looked like."

"Red clay mud."

"Yeah. Lieutenant, I love Mike very much, but maybe that detective is right."

"About what?"

"Mike rescued me once a long time ago when I needed him. Maybe I do kind of
think of him as some kind of a knight in shining armor."

"Is that such a bad thing? You get some rest now."

Mike got a ride back to the hospital. He went to the rest room to clean up
before he went back into Jill's room. When he got to Jill's room, Ryker was
just walking out.

"Danko? See, I told you it wouldn't take long."

"Is Jill okay?"

"She's fine. I explained what happened and I think she took the news pretty
well."

"I'd better get in there. Has she talked...?"

"They just left."

Jill was lying in bed resting her eyes when Mike walked in. She was seeing
spots in front of her eyes. The doctor said she would for a while until the
blood vessels healed up. He went to find her a pair of sunglasses to shield her
eyes from the harsh hospital lights. She gasped with surprise and happiness
when Mike walked in. When he walked over, she threw her arms around his neck
and held him as tight as she could.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'll tell you, though. Jail is not an experience I'd
recommend for anybody."

Jill began to cry as she continued to hold him. "Mike, I'm sorry. I tried to
shove the door closed."

"Baby, it wasn't your fault. He shouldn't have been there. I just wish I had
gotten home a few minutes earlier. I just don't remember hitting him hard
enough or often enough to seriously hurt him. I just thought I had knocked him
out."

"The doctor went to find me some sunglasses. I keep seeing spots in front of my
eyes."

"Will that clear up?"

"Yeah, but he said it might take several weeks. I want to go home, Mike. I
want to sleep in our bed with you beside me. I don't like it here."

"I know. Look, they want to keep you at least one more night. You're safe
here. I'll see if they'll let me stay."

"You don't have to stay. I just don't like it here. Mike, what is going to
happen if...if...

"If they indict me? I'll go on trial. If they find me guilty, I could go to
prison."

"Are you sorry you did it?"

"No, I'm not sorry I did it. I'd do it again. Look, we'll talk more about this
later. Right now, I want you to rest."

"Mike, I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

"Hey, it isn't your fault. I couldn't stand by and let him hurt you. I think
any man would have done the same thing. Now, I want you to lay down and rest."

Mike sat back and tried to think as he watched Jill sleep. He didn't think it
would be possible for him to kill someone with his bare hands. He had never
before experienced that kind of rage in his life. But, coming into the
apartment and seeing the one person he cared more about than anything in this
world being hurt had brought out feelings in him he didn't know he possessed.
Him and Jill still had so much they needed to work through and this attack was
like taking a giant step backwards. The guys and Ryker didn't understand just
how much they meant to each other. How much Mike had feared losing her,
especially after he had fought so hard to get her to return to him after he had
found her again. They didn't understand how scared and vulnerable Jill was at
times. They had never witnessed the sleepless nights and the nightmares. Mike
wasn't sure he could go through that again. In the last few months, things had
been getting better. He knew if he went to prison, Jill would not make it by
herself. She had become too dependent on Mike taking care of her.

Willie and Terry were watching TV that evening when their door bell rang. Terry
opened the door and Mike walked in.

"Mike, hi. How's Jill"

"Good. That's why I'm here. She's coming home tomorrow. I was wondering if
you guys could come over and help me clean up the apartment. I don't want her
to see it the way it is now."

"Sure. Let's go, Willie."

Terry and Willie cleaned up the kitchen and the living room while Mike cleaned
the bedroom. There was stuff knocked over and trampled from a combination of
the attack and all the cops trampling through. Mike straightened up the
furniture, then went to the closet and brought the vacuum cleaner out. He had
just come back into the room when he saw something shiny by the bathroom
doorway. He bent down and picked up Jill's gold bracelet. It had come
unclasped in the attack. He was turning it over in his hands when Terry walked
in.

"Things are in good shape in there. You need a hand in here?"

"No, I just need to vacuum."

"What 'cha got there?"

"Jill's bracelet. It must have come off in the fight. I'll give it back to her
tomorrow."

"It's not broken, is it?"

"No, it just came unclasped. Did I ever tell you that I gave Jill this bracelet
and her engagement ring our first Christmas together?"

Terry nodded as he sat on the edge of Mike and Jill's bed. He was trying to
read Mike's face, trying to understand the conflicting emotions that must have
been going through his mind.

"Mike, are you sorry you did it?"

"I don't know. I know it's hard for you guys to understand how I feel about
Jill."

"She's your wife, Mike. You have an obligation to try to protect her in any way
you can."

"No, it goes deeper than that. It goes much deeper than that."

"Look, Mike, I know there are things about Jill that we don't know. That we may
never know. But, you have to open the door, at least a little and let us in."

"I can't let you guys in. It took Jill a long time to tell me some of these
things and I can't betray her trust by telling you guys the things she has told
me. It took me a long time to gain that trust and I can't blow it now."

"Hey Mike, about this morning. I'm sorry. I didn't want to be the one to have
to take you in, but Ryker hunted me and Willie down. He just thought it would
be easier if it was one of us taking you in."

"Don't worry about it. You had to do what you had to do, just like I had to do
what I had to do."

"She'll bounce back, Mike. You both will."

"I can't afford to lose her, Terry. Not after the last time."

The next morning, the doctor found Jill a pair of wrap around sunglasses to wear
before she went home.

"I want you to wear these as often as possible for the next week or so. If the
spots get worse or you start having problems seeing, come in immediately.
You're good to go as soon as your husband shows up with your clothes."

"Thanks."

"Any questions?"

"No. Wait! I do have one. When can I go back to work?"

"Let's wait a week to see how your eyes are healing. Okay?"

There was a knock on the door. Mike walked in carrying an overnight bag with
Jill's change of clothes in it.

"Hi. You get dressed and I'll go sign you out."

Jill was quiet on the ride home. Her heart was pounding as Mike pulled the car
into their parking space. He put his hand over hers as she reached over to open
her car door. She looked at him with eyes that were too wide and too scared,
even covered by the opaque glasses.

"Sit tight. I'll get the door."

Mike opened the car door and helped Jill from the car. She looked at the top of
the stairs as Mike took her hand and squeezed it. She took a deep breath as
Mike unlocked the front door and led her inside. She lifted the glasses up to
her forehead and looked around.

"The guys came over and helped me straighten the place up last night."

"It looks great."

Jill slowly made her way toward their bedroom. She stood in the doorway,
willing her heartbeat to return to normal. She jumped when Mike put a hand on
her waist.

"It's okay. You're safe now. Hey, come back in the other room. I have
something that belongs to you."

"What?"

Mike took her hand and led her back into the living room. He took her bracelet
and put it back around her wrist. Jill looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I thought it was broken. I was scared to ask about it."

"I found it last night when I was cleaning."

Jill leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Are you hungry?"

"No. I just want to hold onto you for about the next billion years."

Jill wrapped her arms tightly around Mike's neck, fighting hard not to cry. She
didn't want to admit to Mike how scared she was being back in the apartment
again. Mike held her as tightly as he could. He could feel her trembling, but
he didn't understand why she was so scared.

"Hey, you're trembling like a leaf. Baby, it's going to be okay. I'm not going
to let anything happen to you."

Mike put his hands behind him and tried to disengage Jill's arms from around his
neck, but she wasn't about to let go of him so easily. Mike knew that she had
to be terrified. Jill had never been known to be clingy in the past. Mike had
always been the one who did the touching. It had taken Jill months before she
approached Mike, taking his hand or touching him. He again untangled her arms
from his neck as the door bell rang. He gently kissed her on top of her head.

"Let me go get the door."

Mike opened the door and let Willie and Terry in. Jill quickly pulled her
glasses down to her eyes. She didn't want them to see her eyes. They looked
awful. Jill flinched away from Terry as he tried to hug her. Terry looked at
Mike who just shook his head.

"Hi, Miss Jill. Nice glasses. Hey, we won't stay long. We know you need to
rest. Call us if you need anything. Okay?"

Mike stepped outside with the two guys. "She's pretty shook up. I can't get
her to believe she's safe."

Terry patted him on the arm. "Give her some time, Mike."

Jill got up and began walking around the apartment while Mike was outside with
the guys. She went into the bedroom. There was no sign that anything had taken
place. No broken plaster, nothing. She sat on the edge of their bed and hugged
her arms to herself. She was sitting there rocking herself when Mike walked in.
He walked over and sat on the bed beside her and took her into his arms, trying
to stop her from rocking.

"Baby, what's the matter?"

Jill just clung to him tightly. Mike sighed. He didn't know if he liked this
side of Jill. He was beginning to feel like he couldn't breathe. Jill pulled
away from him with tears streaming down her face. He lifted her glasses and
wiped her face.

"Mike, I...I was so scared. I thought he was going to kill me or worse. I
didn't know you had come in. I fought him as hard as I could. I did everything
I couldn't do when I was with Cleve. Everything that you told me to do.
Nothing worked!

"Baby, I was scared, too. I didn't want to lose you. But, it's going to be
okay now. He's dead and he's not going to hurt anybody ever again."

He finally got her to eat and then after dinner, he sat on the sofa with her
sitting beside him with her head on his shoulder. She finally seemed to relax a
little. Mike sat there thinking as he listened to Jill's deep breathing as she
fell asleep. He wanted to move her into their bedroom, but he didn't want to
wake her up. He decided to wait until he knew she was sound asleep so his
moving her wouldn't awaken her. Even in sleep, Jill made sure she kept one hand
on Mike at all times, as if she was afraid he was going to disappear on her.
Finally, after watching her for another 15 minutes, he lifted her up in his arms
and carried her to bed. Jill never moved. He got undressed and got into bed
beside her. Jill stirred in her sleep and then did something she never did.
She nestled closer to Mike. He put an arm around her shoulder and drew her
closer to him, holding her as tightly as he could. Holding her like that, he
finally fell asleep.

He was awakened sometime later by screams. Jill's screams. A sound Mike hadn't
heard in months, but a sound that still continued to send shock waves through
his spine. He woke up and reached for Jill, but her side of the bed was empty.
He turned on the lamp. Jill was huddled in a corner, curled up in a tight ball,
hitting at the air with her fists, as if she was fighting someone only she could
see. Mike ran over and tried to gather her into his arms, but she fought him,
as well.

"Jill, it's me! Jill, it's Mike!"

Mike finally broke through her hysteria just as the door bell rang. He looked
at her before he got up to answer the door. Terry was standing there in his
shorts and tee shirt. Mike ran a hand through his hair.

"Terry, I'm sorry."

"Is this what you were referring to?"

"Yeah. Once upon a time, this was almost a nightly ritual. Look, I'm sorry she
woke you up. Let me get back in there and see if I can get her back to sleep.
I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night."

Mike walked back into the bedroom, sighing. Jill was still huddled in the
corner, but she was quiet now. Mike knelt down in front of her.

"Mike, who did I wake up?"

"Terry. Don't worry about it. Do you want to talk about it?"

"He was in here. He was in here and he had his hands on my throat and he was
choking me again. I tried to scream, but no words came out. At least, I
thought no words were coming out. I'm sorry, Mike. I didn't mean to wake
everybody up."

"It's okay. Do you want some tea?"

"Yeah, some tea would be nice."

Mike went into the kitchen and made two cups of tea and took them back into the
bedroom. He sat beside Jill on the bed and pulled her beside him as they both
sipped their tea in silence.

"Mike, your friend, the one who was supposed to come over? Did you ever seen
him?"

"Ernie? He called me later. He said he got tied up and couldn't make it after
all."

"When the guy came to the door, I asked him if he was Ernie. I realize now that
that was a mistake, because then he knew I was expecting someone. Someone that
I had never seen before."

"It's okay. This wasn't your fault."

After holding her for several minutes, Mike could hear her deep, even breathing
and knew she had once again fallen asleep. He took her tea mug from her hand
and placed it on the bedside table beside his own. He gently laid her down on
her pillow and covered her with the quilt. He then just sat there, watching her
sleep. Watching her sleep had always been one of Mike's favorite pastimes.
Watching her, period, had always been his hobby. But, as much as he wanted to
watch her, he also felt the need to talk to Terry and Willie. He went into the
other room and dialed their number. Terry answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Terry, it's me. I'll be over there in about 5 minutes."

Mike wrote Jill a note and left it on his pillow in case she woke up while he
was gone. He wasn't planning on being gone very long.

Terry and Willie's door was unlocked, so Mike just walked in after ringing the
door bell. Terry offered him a beer. Mike took the bottle and twisted the cap
off. Willie spoke first.

"Mike, what's going on?"

"I wish I knew. I've seen Jill scared in the past, but never like this. I'm a
very physical person. Jill isn't. I've always been the one putting my hands on
her. It took Jill a long time before she would approach me and even so much as
take my hand in her own. She was always afraid I was going to reject her. Now,
she doesn't want to let go of me."

"Mike, you saved her from being raped and probably murdered by that psycho.
Then, you weren't able to be with her for hours after that. She's probably
afraid of losing you."

"Well, she had better face that possibility, because I could very well be going
to prison."

In the apartment next door, Jill was tossing and turning and crying out Mike's
name. If Mike had been beside her, he would have woke her up before she woke up
and started screaming.

Mike was still talking to Willie and Terry when he heard it. The terrified
shrieks coming from their apartment. Mike ran for the door with Willie and
Terry on his heels.

"Here we go again."

Jill, still asleep, ran to the front door and was desperately trying to open it,
but Mike had locked it when he left. When they got to the door, they could hear
Jill frantically trying to open it, to escape. Mike's hands were shaking as he
tried to put his key in the door. Terry finally took the keys from him. Willie
was right behind him.

"Terry, be careful. You don't want to hit Jill with the door when you open it."

"It's okay, Willie. I won't hit her."

When Terry opened the door, Jill ran out of it and into Mike's arms with so much
force she almost knocked both of them over the railing. When Jill made contact
with Mike, she jerked awake. She looked at Mike, then at Willie and Terry, then
Down at her nightgown and bare feet. The guys saw for the first time the reason
for the dark glasses she had been wearing that afternoon. The whites of her
eyes were blood red.

"Why are we outside?"

Terry glanced at Mike, who felt like he was going to lose his mind. Terry had
an idea, which might let everybody get at least one night of decent sleep.

"Jill, would you and Mike like to sleep at our place tonight? You and Mike can
have my room and I'll crash on the sofa. Would that make you feel safer?"

Jill stood there for a minute before slowly nodding her head. Mike walked up to
Terry, furious. He spoke in a whisper to him.

"Oh, this is great, Webster! What is going to happen tomorrow night when we go
through this again? Why don't we just move in with you and Willie!"

"Come on, Mike. You're not being fair."

Terry put fresh linens on his bed and Mike laid down with Jill beside him. She
Finally fell asleep with her head pillowed on Mike's shoulder making sure she
kept one hand on him at all times. Mike finally fell into a deep sleep. He was
awakened the next morning by Terry tapping on the bedroom door. His arm was
asleep where Jill was still sleeping on it. He gently moved her over and got
up, rubbing his arm as he opened the door.

"Mike, Ryker's on the phone."

Mike walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Danko, what are you doing sleeping at Webster's?"

"It's a long story. It's just a one night thing. What's up?"

"You need to come down and talk to IAD. It's just a formality."

"How long will I be gone?"

"I don't know, Danko. I don't know what they're planning on asking you. It'll
probably be an hour or two, maybe longer."

"Okay. Let me take a shower and I'll be down there in half an hour or so."

Jill was watching Mike as he pulled his clothes on and headed back to the
apartment. She followed him in.

"Mike, where are you going?"

"I have to go talk to IAD. I need to take a shower."

Jill got dressed and went over and sat on the bed, waiting for Mike to get out
of the shower. He sighed when he opened the bathroom door and saw Jill sitting
on the edge of the bed, looking at him expectantly. He was beginning to feel
claustrophobic. He walked over and got a shirt and slacks out of the closet.
Jill slid over to him when he sat on the bed to dress. She began to gently kiss
the back of his neck, something that never failed to get his attention. He
tried to ignore her, but it was impossible. He turned toward her and pulled her
into his arms and crushed his mouth down hard on hers. They were kissing and
exploring each other when suddenly Mike pulled away from her, trying to control
his ragged breathing.

"Mike, what's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"Mike..."

"I have to get dressed."

"Can I ride down there with you?"

"I can't do this!"

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

"Jill, I don't understand what you're so afraid of, but I'm beginning to feel
like I can't breathe!"

"Once upon a time, you would have welcomed having me around all the time."

"Babe, I love having you around all the time, but...I don't know, you constantly
have to be touching me."

"What's wrong with that? You have to be touching me all the time. Is there
suddenly a double standard where you can put your hands on me any time you want,
but I'm not allowed to touch you?"

"I do not want to have this discussion now! I have to go talk to IAD! We can
talk when I get back. Are you going to be here when I get back?"

"I'm not going to bolt and run, if that's what you're talking about."

"I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Mike got dressed and headed out the door. Jill cringed as she heard the door
slam shut behind him. He didn't understand how much being back in this
apartment, being back in this bedroom terrified her. Jill couldn't even begin
to explain it to him. In the past, making love had always made her feel closer
to Mike. It had always been a source of comfort and safety. Today had been the
first time since they had been intimate that Mike had refused her. It was rare
that Jill initiated the contact and in the past, Mike had always been overjoyed
when Jill approached him wanting to make love. She didn't understand what was
going on. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to stay in this
apartment until she could make Mike understand how scared she was and she was
beginning to see how difficult her task was going to be.

Mike walked into the meeting with Internal Affairs. He was already feeling
ragged from lack of sleep. He wasn't sure he was ready for a meeting with IAD.

"I'M Capt. Fuller, Officer Danko. We've been reviewing your statements and the
statements of your wife and Officers Webster and Gillis. Pending the outcome of
the Grand Jury, effective tomorrow, we're going to reinstate you back on duty.
But, you will be on desk duty."

"So, in other words, I'm still guilty until proven innocent."

"No, Officer Danko. That is policy. You do understand policy, don't you?"

"Yes, sir. I understand policy."

"Then, I guess we'll see you tomorrow morning, Officer Danko."

Jill was surprised when Mike walked into the apartment barely an hour after he
had left. He walked over to the kitchen and got out the bottle of scotch. Jill
knew he was not happy, but she thought he was still angry at her. She sat and
watched him with wide eyes. Finally, she had to speak. The silence was
deafening.

"What did IAD say?"

"What did they say? Let me see, what did they say?" Oh, yeah, now I remember.
I get to go back on duty tomorrow."

"Mike, that's great!"

"Wait! I haven't gotten to the good part, yet. I get to go back on duty, but
I'm relegated to desk duty. Hell, I might as well stay home!"

"What are you going to do if you do stay home? Sit around and feel sorry for
yourself?"

"If I choose."

"Mike, are you angry at me or angry at yourself for losing control?"

"I'm not angry at you, Jill."

"Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it!"

"Are you talking about this morning? Jill, I had a meeting! I would have loved nothing better than to stay in bed this morning and make love to you."

"You know, if I didn't know you better, I might buy that excuse. About the meeting. I remember times in Alabama when you had meetings with your C.O. and you managed to find time to stay in bed for an extra 20 minutes or so. I know there are times when Roll Call is at 7 o'clock and you barely make it. Times when I'm supposed to be at work and I barely make it. Don't tell me that you couldn't make love to me because you had a meeting! If you couldn't make love to me, then just say so! I can understand that, given the pressure you've been under lately."

"What do you know about the pressure I've been under?"

"Mike, I know you killed a man in our bedroom with your bare hands. That's got to be something awful to have to work through in your mind."

"Speaking of me killing a man in our bedroom, is that why you won't sleep in there?"

"Mike, I can't. I keep seeing his face, the rage in it when I started calling for you. I called for you and called for you, but you didn't come."

"Baby, I'm sorry." I got home as soon as I could. You have to believe me when I tell you that you're safe, that you're not going to get hurt again."

"You don't know that! What if you go to jail? Who is going to take care of me then?"

"I don't even want to talk about that now."

"We're going to have to talk about it eventually."

"No, we don't. Not right now."

"Then, when? When they find you guilty and sentence you? Are we going to talk about it then, Mike?"

"I thought you had more faith in me than that!"

"I do, Mike, but I'm scared."

"And you think I'm not? This is my life that's on the line here!"

"That's where you're wrong! It's our life! Yours and mine! Since the day I met you, it's always been our life!"

"Speaking of our life, where are we going to sleep tonight?"

"I don't know."

"I'll tell you what. What if I pull out the sofa sleeper and we sleep in here?"

"It doesn't matter. I won't sleep, anyway."

Mike poured another glass of scotch. He didn't know what to say to Jill to make her feel better. He didn't know what she wanted from him. He felt drained, emotions he rarely felt with Jill. He had always given himself wholeheartedly to Jill in the past. He had helped her deal with what he referred to as her demons, things that continued to haunt her. There were countless nights she had woke him up with her nightmares and her wanderings. He didn't know why he felt so angry and distant from her this time. Like all he wanted was for her to leave him alone. To give him some breathing room.

"Mike..."

"Jill, I don't want to talk about this, anymore. Just let it go, okay?"

"Mike, why are you shutting me out? That's always been my department."

"Oh, so I guess I'm not allowed to keep anything from you. I have to be open and honest with you at all times. Is that it?"

"Are you throwing what Cleve did to me up in my face? The fact that I didn't want to tell you about what he had done to me until you forced it out of me! How dare you!"

"Jill, for once, this doesn't have anything to do with what Cleve did to you. This is just about you and me."

Jill's eyes blazed angrily into his. "Is it really, Mike?" Things have never been just about you and me since you came into the bowling alley that day. Things have been about the police department and your friends, but they haven't been just about you and me."

"This argument has been building for months. What do you want from me, Jill? Blood? I didn't want to leave you, but I had to go to Vietnam. I didn't know you were going to take off like you did."

"You should have known I would. I told you it was my style to wander."

"I didn't think you meant halfway across the country. Is that why you're so angry? Because I left you?"

"I'm not the one who's angry. I'm just trying to understand why you're treating me like this."

"Why am I treating you like this? Because you're beginning to make me feel like I can't breathe! I can't take two steps without you being right behind me! Right now, I have other things on my mind besides taking care of you."

"Well, if I'm making you feel like you can't breathe, maybe I should leave. Then, you'll have all the breathing room you need."

"I don't want you to leave. I just want you to give me some room. Please? Just until I can sort things out."

"Sure, Mike. I'll give you as much room as you need."

After that, Jill turned as cold as ice. She was worse than she was the night Mike had met her and she had been pretty cold then. Though she was acting cold on the outside, on the inside her heart was splintered into a million pieces. She loved Mike so much. She couldn't deal with his pain as well as his callous treatment of her. She tried to think of somewhere she could go, just to think until this was resolved. Staying with Terry and Willie was out. It would make an already bad situation worse. She decided that for now, she would get a hotel room. She decided to wait until the next day when Mike was gone. She wasn't up to another argument and she didn't want Mike begging her to stay when she knew deep down that he didn't mean it. That night, Mike pulled out the sofa sleeper and they lay down in bed, laying as far apart as two people could possibly lay in the same bed. Neither of them slept the entire night and they didn't speak at all the next morning as Mike ate his breakfast and headed for work with Willie and Terry.

After they left, Jill went into the other room and took her suitcase out of the closet and filled it with some of her things. Then, she sat down and wrote probably the hardest note she had ever had to write in her life. Tears flowed freely as she wrote:

Mike,
First off, I want you to know that I love you very much. But, I can't live like this. I'm sorry if I'm making you feel like you can't breathe. But, if I stay here, I'm not going to be able to breathe, either. I don't know where I'm going to go. All I do know is I can't stay here. I'll call you in a few days about picking up the rest of my things. I love you.
Jill

To be continued...