Jessica walked along the almost-deserted side streets of Washington, DC, backpack over her shoulder, her breath making clouds in front of her, headed home from her friend's house. She only lived a few blocks away, so her mom decided it was ok for her to head home alone. It was her third month in DC. And not a day had gone by she didn't wish she was back home on NYC.
Jessica moved swiftly through the streets and alleys, staying off the main streets. This route was a more roundabout way to get home, but with no traffic, it was actually faster to take this way home.
Suddenly, some voices arguing ahead caused Jessica to slow her pace. She approached the source of the voices, an alleyway just ahead of her, and stopped, peeking her head around the corner. She soon discovered that the voices weren't arguing. One man, she saw, was pinned against the wall with a knife to his throat. He looked terrified. The man pinning him there looked exactly the opposite, completely and totally calm. Jessica, however, was frozen in fear. She watched as the man begged for his life, and then had it taken away from him with a swipe of the knife. Jessica gasped, and then her heart kicked into a gear so high she thought it would explode when the killer turned and looked at her. The two locked eyes, and then instinct took over. Jessica ran faster than she had ever run before, as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't stop until she reached her apartment building, raced up the stairs, fumbled to unlock her door, and burst inside.
Rebecca was on the phone when she saw Jessica. "Hey, Steve? Yeah, I'll have to call you back. Ok, bye," she quickly hung up as Jessica ran over to her, breathing heavily. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"On my way home I saw this guy kill this other guy in an alley!" Jessica told her, shaking. "We have to call Dad and Peter!"
Rebecca sighed. "Look, sweetie, I know this move has been hard on you, but you have to believe me when I say it was for the best."
"Wait," Jessica said, sounding hurt. "You don't believe me?"
"Well, honey, it's just that, ever since we moved here, you've been doing everything you can to get me to take you to see your dad," Rebecca said helplessly.
It was true, of course. Jessica refused to accept that Rebecca wasn't going to let her see her dad. But if there were ever a time for her to believe her, it was now. "I wouldn't lie about something like this, Mom!" Jessica shouted, furious. "How could you even think that?" She didn't wait for an answer before taking off and storming into her room, Shadow, her now-six-month-old golden retriever at her heels, and slammed the door behind her, making sure she locked it before collapsing onto her bed, sobbing as her body shook. Shadow jumped up beside her and laid down, allowing the little girl to bury her face in his fur. After hours of fear- and sadness-filled sobbing and ignoring Rebecca as she knocked, Jessica felt very tired. The last thing she thought before she closed her eyes and fell asleep was: Fine. If she won't believe me, I'll just have to go tell Dad and Peter on my own...
Jessica woke up the next morning, Saturday, the first day of winter vacation, her heart racing, sweating, and shaking. She had just relived the terror from the day before. She sighed, her heart starting to slow down, and glanced at the clock. It was after ten; her mom would already be at work. Good.
Jessica slid out of bed and got changed, then packed a drawstring backpack with a sketchbook, pencils, her wallet, with all her money and her old subway pass in it, and slung it over her shoulder. Shadow whined at her as she unlocked the door, brushed her hair, and got ready to go.
"Don't worry, Shadow," Jessica assured him. "I'll take a train to New York City, and then a subway to Dad's. No problem."
The dog seemed unconvinced, sitting in front of the door, trying to block her from leaving. It took about five minutes for her to manage to get him out of the way and leave the apartment...
Jessica sat on the subway, nervously fidgeting in her seat. She was worried. What if her dad was mad at her? What if he didn't believe her either? She shouldn't have come. This was a bad idea.
Suddenly, a feeling of dread interrupted her thoughts. Someone was watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she glanced around. Finally, she spotted the person who was watching her. When she did, she felt her blood run cold. It was the same man who she saw kill that man in the alley. She was sure of it. She would never be able to forget that face.
He seemed to see her looking and stood up, making his way toward her from the other end of the subway car. Panicked, Jessica looked around, but she had nowhere to go. Just then, the subway shook violently, and the breaks squealed. People screamed as it rocked back and forth, and then finally fell sideways. Jessica, along with several others, fell out of her chair and down to the other side of the subway. She cracked her head on the seat, and then everything went dark.
Neal walked through the glass doors of the bullpen, glancing around. He was surprised to find the room almost empty. But then, looking up, he discovered why. Peter and the others were gathered in the conference room. Neal made his way up the stairs to join them.
"...made an appearance yesterday in Washington, D.C.," Peter was saying. "But this time, things got a little messy." At that moment, Peter noticed Neal leaning against the wall. He sighed, but didn't say anything. Then he continued. "He was found dead yesterday in an alley. Metro police has agreed to hand the case over to us. We need to find out who killed our suspect and why. Now get to work," he said, dismissing the table. Neal made his way over to his partner.
"So nice of you to join us, Neal," Peter said, sounding annoyed.
"I was kind of in the middle of something when I got your text," Neal said wearily. "And then all the subways were closed, so I had no way of making up the time."
"That's because a subway veered off the track and crashed into the wall before turning onto its side," Peter explained. "It was on the news this morning. Three people confirmed dead so far. Dozens have been hospitalized."
"Oh my God," Neal said, shocked.
Peter paused. "What were you doing when I texted you?"
"I was talking to Rebecca," Neal sighed. "Well, more like arguing with Rebecca..."
"She still won't budge on letting you see Jessica?" Peter asked sympathetically. Neal shook his head. "I'm sorry, Neal," Peter said sincerely.
"It's not over," Neal said firmly. "She's my daughter, too. I'm not just going to stand by and let her keep her away from me."
Peter nodded in understanding. Just then, Neal's phone rang. "Excuse me for a second," he said, stepping outside the conference room before answering the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Caffrey?" A man's voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?" Neal asked in return.
"This is Dr. Rhea," he said. A flash of recognition showed in Neal's eyes. When he and Jessica had almost died back when Mason was still alive, Dr. Rhea had been their doctor. He also treated Peter when Mason poisoned him with a synthetic snake venom.
"Hey, Doc," Neal greeted him. "What's going on?"
"Well, Mr. Caffrey, I'm sorry to tell you that Jessica was admitted here earlier today," Dr. Rhea told him.
"What?" Neal asked, alarmed. Peter noticed his change of expression and body language through the glass door and looked at him strangely. "Why? What happened? She's ok, isn't she?"
"She was involved in a subway crash earlier today. She hit her head on a chair and was knocked unconscious," Rhea explained.
"Oh my God," Neal said softly, his voice strained. Peter joined him outside the conference room. "Is she ok?"
"She's in a coma," Rhea said regretfully. "The trauma to her brain is pretty extensive. We just don't know yet."
Neal looked like the wind had just gotten knocked out of him. "Can I see her?" he asked finally.
"Of course," Rhea confirmed.
"Ok, I'm on my way," Neal said, starting down the stairs and hanging up. Peter trotted along after him.
"On your way where?" he asked, concerned.
"The hospital," Neal muttered, pressing the button to call the elevator.
"What? Why?" Peter asked, worried.
"Jessica was on that subway that crashed," Neal told him.
"Oh my God..." Peter said softly as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Neal simply nodded...