Saving Grace

by reilert79

Chris and David and the whole family deal with a crisis involving Lisa.

***Chris and David's Apartment***

Chris woke up on a Saturday morning. She had set the alarm for 6:30, so David could get up. She was excited because David had a conference to go to in Pittsburgh, and she and Bridgit and Lisa were going to spend the day by the pool. Bridgit had arranged a babysitter for Charli.

She got up and put on her pink and green paisley bikini, with pink bottoms, and a coverup. She threw her hair up into a ponytail for low maintenance. She was ready in about 10 minutes.

David got up and showered and finished packing his suitcase. His flight to Pittsburg would only take about an hour and a half. He would be back tomorrow afternoon. She and Bridgit and Lisa were going to have a girls day.

She made him breakfast-scrambled egg whites, tomato, and sausage, plus a bagel with cream cheese. She even squeezed him some fresh orange juice.

While he ate, she unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up from cooking.

"Looks like it's going to be a nice day for you and the girls to hang by the pool, babe. I am kind of jealous. Wish you were going with me".

"Me, in a hotel banquet room full of lawyers? What a wonderful time that would be".

She came and sat with him while he finished eating, and they chatted about things that she wanted to do with the girls-lay by the pool, have a nice dinner, watch a movie on TV, spend time with Charli after they pick her up.

"My flight will be in tomorrow around 5, babe."

"Want me to pick you up from the airport?"

"Nah- I think I am going to take my car. No point in trying to find a cab".

She walked him to the car and they kissed goodbye for a few minutes. She really loved him.

She went back inside and cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, and then sat down and waited for the girls to get there.

8:30 a.m. they showed up, with breakfast in tow.

"Hi Aunt Chris! We brought bagels and cream cheese and lox".

"Morning! Thanks for bringing breakfast. Um, we can eat here, or we can eat upstairs by the pool. Up to you guys".

"Here is fine. I will change after we eat".

"Me too".

They sat down and each of them took a bagel and cream cheese and some lox, except Lisa. She didn't eat lox.

Chris squeezed them some orange juice, and put it in a pitcher. She noticed that Lisa only drank water.

After they were done eating, Chris went to switch out laundry really quickly and Bridgit went to the office to change. Lisa said she was going to Miranda's room to change.

Chris noticed she hadn't eaten any of her bagel or cream cheese, just a nibble. That was all.

Chris packed them a tote bag with sunscreen and towels, and her wireless speaker, and several water bottles and they all met back in the kitchen.

They left and headed to the pool upstairs.

***At the pool***

Chris and Bridgit spread out towels on some chairs. She had brought a float so they could float in the pool if they wanted. She went over and blew it up with the electric pump that her building had. She noticed that Lisa was being very self-conscious about showing her body off. She figured it was just a phase.

She took her cover-up off and put on sunscreen. Bridgit and Lisa did the same, and they were all laying out within about ten minutes.

Bridgit started the conversation first.

"Aunt Chris, can I ask you something?"

"Sure honey, anything."

"Have you ever dated a guy where everything was absolutely perfect-he was charming, hot, gave you butterflies, was sweet to you, romanced you to the hilts, 10 out of 10 in every department-except the sex?"

"Well, once I got to the sex, If it wasn't good I didn't let it progress to the other departments".

They laughed.

"Aunt Chris, I am serious. Everything about Zach is perfect, but then when we get to bed, it's boring. Has that ever happened to you?"

"Not that I can think of honey, but I don't remember a whole lot from my drinking days. After I stopped drinking, I was with David once, and then this guy named Nick, a plumber that I dated. I was also with Jimmy, and a few other people. Sex with Jimmy wasn't mind blowing, but we were married, so I didn't question it. After Jimmy, a few people came along, and then David came back into my life. And sex with David is anything but boring".

"Aunt Chris, you get around!"

"What do you expect Bridgit? She moved to Paris when she was 18!".

"Aunt Chris, I have a question. Have you ever been with a guy who puts you down, but not in a mean way? Like he just makes subtle comments about you that would hurt your feelings if anyone else said them?"

"No. I wouldn't put up with that".

"So since you have been around a lot… what is it supposed to be like? I mean Zach does the same thing each time, and it just does nothing for me. Do you let David decide what you are doing, or do you order him around?"

"Bridgit I don't think Aunt Chris wants to get that personal".

"It's ok. Let me see if I can nicely answer this, without giving away too much. David knows what I like, and I know what he likes and we just kind of let the passion take over. We went through a spell where I was trying to determine if he really wanted me, and I was pushing the boundaries of our sex life, but it didn't really accomplish anything. He and I are very sexually compatible. The only time that he hasn't delivered, so to speak, was when he was taking chemo. He and I love doing things for each other, and most often, that leads to it."

"Like what?"

"Like massages- I mean face down on the bed straddle your back and use aromatherapy massage oil and get all the knots out. I am usually so relaxed after that there isn't much I will say no to". Bridgit chuckled.

"So when Zach and I are getting busy, we usually make out for a long time first and then we are ripping each other's clothes off and then he really gets going and I'm holding my legs up and then….nothing. He does nothing for me. He thinks it's great because I will moan so I don't hurt his feelings, but I'm faking the moans each time. I really don't feel anything".

"Bridgit"- Chris was feeling rather uncomfortable-"I think you should be honest with him. And I think you should try a few things before you give up."

"Like what?"

"Over the counter products. Or an aphrodisiac. David and I like to make drinks with Maca root- we got some in Jamaica- it really revs up the passion".

"He is so good to me and he is so good to Charli, and he does satisfy me in other ways… he does have this one move where he is sitting and he pulls me on his lap facing away from him, that is kinda hot-but I don't want to settle".

"Don't ever settle, girls. Life is too short to settle". Chris knew what she was talking about.

They laid there in silence, baking for a little bit. Then Lisa started asking questions.

"Do you ever just feel like no matter what you do, you won't be good enough?"

"I have had those times in my life, but they are gone now. Once I learned to love my life the way I lived it, all of that went away".

Chris couldn't help but wonder where this dip in self-esteem for Lisa had come from. This wasn't like her.

Lisa got up and said she was going to the bathroom.

After she was gone, Bridigit turned to Chris.

"I am so worried, Aunt Chris. Lisa isn't acting like herself. She says she's starving, but then she won't eat. She keeps making these put downs about herself, and she never used to do that. Like on the way over here, she said she brought two suits because she couldn't decide which one made her look less fat. She's stick thin, always has been. She has this folder in her apartment-it has a photo in it. Full scale, she's in a bikini. She looks so hot! But she has circled all these places and indicated what she wants differently, like boob job, liposuction, etc. She keeps telling me that I am lucky I lost the baby weight from having Charli- it's like she's convinced that she won't lose it. She never used to be this way, ever."

"Maybe this new guy she is seeing is playing with her head."

"I asked her that, but she swears he isn't and she swears she isn't different either."

Bridgit stood up. "I am going to the bathroom too. I'll be right back".

Chris enjoyed the silence for a few minutes. Her phone went off, and she saw a text from David.

"Just landed babe, love you"

"Love you more".

Bridgit came back.

"Maybe Lisa was smart not to eat the bagels this a.m. She is throwing up right now in the bathroom and she ate the least amount out of all of us".

Something in Chris' gut told her this wasn't a bug or food poisoning.

***later***

Lisa came back and grabbed a water bottle. She poured herself a capful of water and drank out of the cap. She made an excuse about what she ate last night with Nick upsetting her stomach.

They stayed at the pool till about 2, and then went inside. Chris made them salads for lunch, and Lisa ate every bite. Chris thought maybe they had overreacted this morning.

Bridgit took a cab to go get Charli, and she was going to bring her back to the apartment for the rest of the day. Lisa said she was going to go nap in Miranda's room, and Chris stated she was going to switch out laundry and then nap as well. She switched out the laundry, and went to put the towels away in Miranda's linen closet. She walked into Miranda's bathroom, and saw that the door to the water closet was closed. She heard the unmistakable sound of Lisa throwing up.

She went back to the kitchen to look through the medicine cabinet to see if she could find her some Pepto Bismol.

She opened the cabinet and 3 packages of cookies fell out. Chris had bought them 2 days prior for David- they were his favorite. All of the packages were empty.

She found the Pepto-Bismol, and put it in the cabinet next to the fridge, where it was supposed to be. She went and laid down on the couch, and started reading. Lisa came out of the bathroom, and grabbed a glass to get some water. Chris noticed that she barely filled the glass not even a ¼ full. She appeared to rinse her mouth out instead of drinking it.

She came and sat down on the other end of the couch.

"I am never eating at Broadway Pizza again. Ugh!".

"Is that what it is?"

"I think so. It's the only thing I have eaten that was out of the ordinary".

Chris knew better, but she didn't know what to say.

***An hour later***

Chris and Lisa had chatted all day, and she was concerned. Lisa had indicated that Nick had a temper, that he put her down, a lot, and she was willing to bet that he was behind this throwing up pattern she was developing.

Bridgit came back with Charli, and she became the focus.

She was such a happy baby, and just smiled and smiled. She loved her Aunt Chris, and she reached out to her when she saw her. Chris held her and played with her for a little bit. Lisa's phone rang and she jumped up and went to Chris' bedroom to take it.

After about 10 minutes, Chris got up to go to the bathroom, and realized that Lisa had gone out on the balcony. She had left the door open. Chris went over to close it, and heard Lisa apologizing over and over and over again. She kept saying that she would do better, and that she would text him every hour on the hour, but to please let her have this time with her Aunt and her sister.

Chris left the door like it was, and went to the bathroom and came back to the den.

Lisa came back a few minutes later, and acted like everything was fine.

"So what do you guys want to do now?"

"How about I take all of us to dinner?"

"Sounds good. Where do you want to go Aunt Chris?"

"We can go to Benihana, or we can go Emilio's, or we can try a new place".

Bridgit and Lisa looked at each other and spoke in unison. "Benihana".

"Benihana it is". Lisa sent a text to Nick then, telling him they were going to Benihana for dinner and then coming back to Aunt Chris' to hang out and watch movies.

***Benihana***

Chris called and made reservations for 3 plus a high chair for 6. They arrived about 10 minutes early, and they were seated almost immediately. Bridgit started feeding Charli some puffs, and then gave her a bottle.

Lisa's phone kept going off and she was looking rather uncomfortable.

"Oh great. Nick wants to come join us".

"Well, that's fine, tell him to come on". Chris was fine with it. She wanted to see how he treated her.

"Lisa, the last time he joined us for a meal, it was rather awkward. Why don't you tell him that this is just for us girls?"

"I did. He keeps saying that if we are going to be together, he should be included in all parts of my life. I don't need 'girl time'."

She kept texting, and then she finally looked up.

"I told him that dinner was girls only, but that I would be home by 10. That seemed to pacify him".

Chris thought long and hard about whether or not she should say anything. "Lisa, honey- remember how this morning I advised you girls not to settle? If you give in to him and his demands, you are settling. He isn't going to change, and in my line of work, I have seen this a lot. It doesn't stop, get better, or anything like that, it gets worse, and more restricted and the longer you stay, the less he will want you to spend time with us, or anyone other than him. So please, think long and hard and make sure that you know what you are doing".

She nodded, and leaned over and hugged her aunt. "I appreciate your concern, but I am fine".

The waitress came and took their drink orders. She came back with their drinks and took their food orders. Bridgit ordered the steak and chicken, and Chris ordered the steak and lobster. Lisa ordered the chicken and shrimp, and they all ordered fried rice.

They chatted about happier times while they were waiting, and pretty soon their first course came and the chef came to their table.

Chris noticed that as soon as the fried rice was put on her plate, Lisa asked for a to-go box. She put half of whatever she was given each time into the to-go box. Chris tried to dismiss it as a clever eating tactic, but she really knew deep down it was more than that.

They ate their dinner, and Chris paid the check. They got up and headed back to the car, to go back to Chris' apartment. Bridgit wanted to watch a movie or something, but Lisa kept saying she needed to go home, she promised Nick she would be home by 10.

Lisa came in and grabbed her bag and then hugged Aunt Chris and thanked her for everything, before she left in a whirlwind.

Bridgit sat down with Charli on the couch and was trying to get her to fall asleep.

"I'm really worried about her, Aunt Chris. She has changed since she started dating Nick. I don't like this new Lisa".

"Well, unless he physically hurts her in some kind of way, we are going to have to let her figure it out for herself, Bridgit. She might just have to learn the hard way".

She nodded.

"You know how we went to Mom and Dad's for a few days after our girl's trip? He flew out there. He insisted on staying in a hotel, and he insisted that she stay with him. We only saw her for an hour a day, each day. And he was on our flight home, and every single time she and I would start having a conversation, he would interrupt and talk over us. Or he would lead her away from me. He was rude to the stewardess, and kept calling her toots, and when she told him to stop, he yelled at her and said if she didn't like it she should stay at home".

"Did your parents witness any of this behavior?"

Bridgit shook her head. "He's very pretentious, and acted like the perfect gentleman around them".

Chris thought for a moment. "She's going to have to come to us, Bridgie, unless something happens, and we can intervene".

Charli had settled down and fallen asleep, and Bridgit laid her on the couch and changed her clothes and diaper, which she slept right through.

Chris grabbed her phone and sent Lisa a text.

"Great seeing you today- my door is always open to you, night and day, no matter what. Love you sweetheart".

A few minutes later, she responded. "Thank you! Love you too".

Bridgit put Charli down in her car seat and sat it in Chris' room so she could sleep in quiet. Then she and Chris turned a movie on and chatted.

"So tell me about this maca root".

Chris got up and got it and brought it to her.

"You mix this in with juices and drink it. It tastes like a kool-aid, kind of. It really revs up the passion."

"Is it for you or for him?"

"Either. David and I drink it together though."

"At this point I will try anything. I am not sure how much longer I can handle having bad sex".

"If you drink that, you won't have bad sex".

"I never thought we would be having this conversation, but it's just that I can ask you anything and I can't do that with my mother or anyone else".

"I am an open book".

"So what attracted you to a plumber?"

"well, I had just broken up with David. He wanted marriage and kids, and I didn't. Because I had stopped drinking, I didn't remember a lot of our relationship, and I just didn't have faith in the marriage aspect. So I wanted us to just be exclusive but not married, but he wanted more, and when he walked away, it stung. I didn't let that deter me though, I continued with my AA meetings. So, as I recall, I had a leak in my apartment, and I needed a plumber. I hadn't had a shower in like 4 days, and I was at a meeting sharing about that, and he approached me afterwards, and offered to come fix it. So we go to my place, and we started talking and then we bonded over what our lives were like without alcohol. He asked me for dinner, and I accepted. It was purely physical, but at the same time, he was the opposite of David and I was seeking that rush that being with David had given me. It worked for a while, until it didn't. He and I were great together physically, but we just couldn't hang on to the rest of it".

"So what attracted you to Jimmy?"

"His looks, his personality. He was a tough guy, but he was a politician too, and he had that charm. He was also great in bed, till we started having issues."

Bridgit was quiet, and just thinking about things.

"Do you feel anything for him, at any other time?"

"Kind of. I guess so".

"Well, honey, there's your answer. You two really aren't compatible if you don't feel anything for him".

Bridgit teared up and nodded. "I know. I just don't know what to do about it".

"Sit down with him and talk to him. Tell him you want to talk about how your relationship is progressing, and mention that you feel you should be in a different place than you are".

"yeah, that might work."

Bridgit stood up and started getting her stuff together.

"Thanks for a great day, Aunt Chris. I hope I wasn't too intrusive with what I asked you".

"No, not at all. I am glad to help, and I am glad that you trust me to help you".

She hugged her and then Bridgit went to get Charli from the bedroom.

She covered her with a blanket so she wouldn't be woken up from the light.

Chris gave her money for cab fare so she wouldn't have to walk.

"See you soon. Text me when you get home".

Chris locked up and turned on the alarm, and grabbed herself a glass of water, and her phone, and headed to the bedroom. She changed into her pj's and then climbed into bed. She sent David a text saying that she was going to bed and that she loved him, and he called her.

"Hi honey".

"You know I can't go to sleep without hearing your voice, babe".

"yeah, I know".

"Did you have fun with the girls?"

"Kind of- Bridgit was asking questions about guys I used to date and did I know they were the one and when did I know they weren't. But Lisa is where I am concerned- she isn't eating, and her boyfriend seems to be controlling her. I think it's messing with her self esteem."

"Well, hopefully she will make the right decision. I am sorry Chris, I know how much she means to you".

"Yeah, it's hard to know whether or not to intervene".

"Unless he does something criminal to her or physically hurts her, it has to be her choice to seek help, babe".

"Yeah, that's what I told Bridgit".

They chatted about his conference a little bit, and then he got quiet.

"This bed is lonely without you, babe".

"Same here. At least it's a one-night conference".

"yes, that's a very good thing. I will be home to you before you know it".

"What do you want me to make you for dinner tomorrow night? Anything special?"

"It's always special when I am with you, babe. What if we do grilled chicken with that special marinade that you have?"

"We don't have any marinade. I can't get any more till Monday".

"Dang. Ok, what about pork tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms, and oven rice?"

"You got it, honey".

"And maybe after dinner, you will put on that shimmery bikini that you have, and we can have some hot tub time?"

"Sounds like a plan, Counselor".

"I love you babe, more than anything. You mean the world to me".

"I love you too, and can't wait till you are home again".

"Goodnight babe, I love you".

"Goodnight honey, I love you too". They hung up, and she climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen, and took out the pork tenderloin from the freezer and put it in the sink, to thaw.

Then she headed to bed, alone.

Just before she fell asleep, she added Bridgit and Lisa to her favorites on her phone, just in case they called her during the night, it would come through.

***Sunday***

She woke up around 8:30, and checked her phone. Everything was good so far. David had sent her a good morning text, and Bridgit had sent her a cute video of Charli dancing.

She made herself breakfast, and sat there and ate it while she read the paper. Lazy Sunday mornings were her favorite.

She got up after she was done and started making the marinade for the pork tenderloin, and after she poured it over the top, she put it in the fridge.

She went and took a shower, and then put on some lounging clothes.

She pulled out her laptop. On a whim, she logged into the database the police uses to track criminals. She typed in Nick's name.

Nick Granger had a long list of priors, mostly for domestic violence.

She grabbed her phone and sent a text to Lisa.

"Hi, can you come over, like right now? And just you?"

Lisa responded. "I am getting dressed, I will be there in about 20".

She got up and straightened up, and then ran and switched out laundry again.

Lisa knocked on the door right on time.

"Hi sweet heart, come on in".

They sat on the couch.

"Honey, I asked you to come over here, because I am worried about you. You haven't been yourself since you started dating Nick. Bridgit is concerned too. And on a hunch, I looked him up and he has a record for domestic violence. Also, how much do you know about him?"

"I know that he is divorced, and had a few mistakes in his past, but he isn't like that now. Not at all."

"When is his birthday?"

"November 4, 1988".

"Well, someone with his name and birthday has had 10 prior convictions for domestic violence, served 4 years on a few of those charges and has at least 4 other court cases pending".

She dug a little deeper into the cases. "And according to this, he is also charged null prosecution fraud".

"What is that?"

"That is the charge you get when you are found to have given false information to a police officer filling out a report."

"What could he have lied about? That doesn't make sense".

"Well let's see." She opened up the record, and found it right away.

"He lied about his birthday. He isn't 28, he's 44".

"I am going home right now, and I am confronting him on all of this".

"Take it easy, honey. Just be gentle".

She sent him a text right then that said "Please tell me you haven't been lying to my face this whole time. Please tell me that my private investigator didn't just tell me that you are 44, that you have been arrested no less than 10 times for domestic violence and that you don't currently have charges pending? Please tell me that's not the case".

"Come to my apartment and we will talk about it".

"No, I don't think we will. We are done".

He sent another one that said 'Stop being dramatic. Come to my house'.

She didn't reply.

"Maybe you should stay at Bridgit's tonight, or stay here".

She nodded.

"And I want you to have your locks changed tomorrow and tell the security team in your building that he isn't allowed to be there".

"I just can't believe this".

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lisa. He did. He lied to you, he beat up other women, and he apparently didn't learn his lesson."

She comforted her, and he kept texting.

She kept texting him 'No', and then she said she was going to go home and would stay at Bridgit's that night.

She called Bridgit and put her on speaker phone.

"Can I stay with you tonight, Sissy?"

"Sure. I am going to bed early though, because I have an early morning, so just let yourself in and I will see you tomorrow".

"Ok great".

They hung up, and Chris walked Lisa to the door and hugged her.

"Call me if you need anything, I mean it. Day or night".

She nodded. "Thanks for looking out for me, Aunt Chris".

She left, and Chris went and took a nap. She was so ready for David to come home.

***Later***

She climbed in her bed and pulled the curtains closed to make the room dark. She texted David that she was napping and would see him when he got home.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Next thing she knew, David had his arm around her.

"Hi, you're home". She kissed him and nestled into his arms.

"I missed you babe".

"I missed you too".

She looked at the clock. She had slept for 2 and a half hours.

She rolled over in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He kissed her forehead and just held her for a few minutes before he started kissing her.

They made sweet, tender, romantic love, and then just laid there chatting for a bit. She finally got up and put her robe on, and went to make him dinner. He got up and put his robe on, and went to help her.

She told him all about the Lisa conversation and how she had broken up with him over text. "She's changing her locks and I think I am going to advise her to change her phone number as well. But if this guy is still as dangerous as his record indicates, she might need to move apartments and switch jobs".

"Hopefully it won't come to that".

They made dinner and got it in the oven, and Chris set the timer for an hour. He picked her up, and sat her on the counter and embraced her. She played with his hair, and scratched his back.

"Did you sleep ok without me last night?"

"Not really. I didn't have anyone to hold, babe". He kissed her neck.

"Same here. I had nowhere to nestle".

She looked at him. "Are you really happy with our sex life, honey? I mean, are you really happy, or are you just settling because you want me in every way but that?"

"Babe, you are the hottest, most beautiful, most gorgeous, and every other adjective that there is. Always. I love you with every fiber of my being and if you and I weren't sexually compatible, we wouldn't have made it nearly as far as we have. We are really great at that, but we aren't just that".

She nodded. "I agree. For me, that's a small, yet important part of our connection".

She kissed him.

He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, and put her on the bed. They laid on the bed, making out and chatting until the timer went off.

As soon as they heard it, they got up and fixed dinner together and set the table.

They ate, and then cleaned up the kitchen together.

"I am going to go shower babe. Then we can get on with our hot tub plans".

"Sounds good to me".

She mixed up some of the Maca root drinks that they loved in Jamaica- Purple passion and Blue Hawaiians. She put them in tall glasses and put them in the fridge.

She went and changed into her bathing suit- she chose the shimmery white one, like he asked for. She grabbed them some towels, and the wireless speaker and headed out to the hot tub to get it ready.

She came back in and got their glasses from the fridge, and turned on the balcony lights.

She set the drinks down, and went and got her phone. She had just finished setting up the music, when David came out.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and started kissing her neck.

"So glad to be here with you, my hot wife".

She turned and kissed him.

He climbed into the hot tub, and she turned on the 80's love songs station. She climbed in, and looked at him. "Want a drink, honey?"

"Sure babe". She leaned over the side and got their glasses.

"Blue Hawaiian for you, Purple Passion for me". They clinked glasses and took a sip.

She sat down next to him and he put his arm around her. They stared at the sky, and soaked for a long time.
"The water feels so good, babe".

"Yes, it does. The hotter the better".

They soaked and sipped on their drinks.

"How was your conference babe?"

"same old, same old. Speakers and lawyers who were just ready to go play golf instead of listening to what they had to say. The one seminar that I found especially interesting was that the Bar association is going to come around and inspect all of the law firms, and make sure that we are using the most up to date technology and that we are utilizing our resources most effectively. It's a waste of time, but thanks to the crooked lawyers out there, it's now necessary".

"Gee, it's too bad that the lawyers have to start actually playing by the rules".

He looked at her.

"You are so cute when you are trying to be snarky".

She swung her legs onto his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"And you are so cute when you know you are wrong". She kissed his cheek.

They made out for a few minutes, and then she sat up and finished her drink, and put the glass on the table.

She turned around and got back in the hot tub, but this time, she sat on his lap. She kissed him and rubbed on his chest, and he pulled her close.

"I can't wait to be in Greece with you, babe. That is going to be one fantastic trip".

"Yes it is. I hope they have a hot tub at our hotels".

"I am sure they will, babe".

"They better, because I have come to really enjoy our hot tub time".

She kissed him.

They started making out, and then the Maca root set in, and they both were overcome with passion.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued kissing him, while he untied her bikini top and pulled it off of her. She reached down and untied his board shorts, and he untied her bathing suit bottoms. He repositioned them so that their backs were facing the privacy wall, and he nibbled on her neck some. "I love you so much babe".

They had hot, passionate, sex right there in the hot tub, and Chris was not one bit concerned about being quiet, or holding back.

The maca root hadn't overtaken her yet, so she knew it would only be a matter of minutes before it happened.

"Let's go in, honey".

He picked her up, and kissed her while he carried her to their bedroom.

They made mad, passionate love 3 times before they stopped. David grabbed his robe and went outside to turn the hot tub off, and get her phone and the speaker, and the towels, and her flip flops, and her suit. He brought all of that inside, and then locked the doors, set the alarm, and got her a glass of water. He came back to the bedroom to find Chris fast asleep in bed. He climbed back in bed with her, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Love you babe". He kissed her forehead and then drifted off to sleep next to her.

***The next morning***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off at 7. She turned the alarm off and realized that she and David hadn't moved all night long. She loved nights like that. As long as she had David, she was doing ok.

She got up and showered, and just as she was getting out of the shower, David came into the bathroom with her phone.

"It's Bridgit-she says it's an emergency".

She took the phone from him.

"Bridgit, what is it? Are you all right?"

"It's Lisa. Can you come to my apartment? She is here".

"I'll be right there".

She quick threw on some palazzo pants and a black sleeveless top, and some black sandals, in case she ended up going to work later. She sent Feldberg and Mary Beth a text stating she would be late, and that she had to deal with a personal matter. She quickly went and made David breakfast, and made a toaster sandwich for herself, and filled her water bottle. Then she grabbed her purse, and ran to the bedroom. David was getting dressed.

"Honey, I have to go. Bridgit says Lisa needs me. I made you breakfast-it's on the counter." She kissed him. "Love you".

"Love you too babe. I am calling you when I leave here".

She nodded. She headed out the door and towards her car.

***Bridgit's apartment***

Chris knocked on Bridgit's apartment door.

Bridgit opened the door, in a panicked state.

"Thank god you are here".

"Where is Lisa?"

"I stayed up till 2 a.m., and she wasn't home. I went to bed. I got up and went to see if she had made it in, and she is lying in her bed moaning and can't move. He beat the shit out of her, Aunt Chris. He beat the shit out of her".

She led Chris to Lisa's room. Lisa was lying on the bed, groaning. Her face was bruised all over, and swollen. She had a cut on her eyebrow, a cut on her cheek, and several cuts on her lips. She appeared to have bruising on her neck and chest, and arms.

"Lisa, honey, can you hear me?"

Lisa nodded.

"It's Aunt Chris. We are going to call an ambulance for you, and we are going to get you help at the hospital, ok honey? I am going to stay with you the whole time."

Lisa nodded.

Bridgit grabbed the phone and called 911, and gave them their address.

Chris held Lisa's hand while they waited. She took a picture while Lisa wasn't aware of it, so that she could show her later what she had looked like. It was a police tactic.

She waited till the ambulance came, and Lisa was able to sit up and stand and walk a few steps and get on the gurney herself. She grimaced some, but she did it.

Chris texted David the picture and said "Nick Granger beat her up. We are heading to Manhattan General".

She looked at Lisa. "Did Nick do this to you?" Tears filled Lisa's eyes. She hesitated, and then she nodded.

"He won't ever hurt you again, I can promise you that, honey".

She called her office and instructed the uniform's to find him, and bring him in for questioning.

***Manhattan General Hospital***

They brought her in, and Chris stayed in the waiting room. Bridgit was taking Charli to her babysitter's and then coming there.

Chris called Brian and Ann, and told them what happened.

"I will take care of things on the legal end. I am with her at the hospital now, and I will keep you updated. I took a picture for police reasons, I can send it to you if you'd like, but I gotta tell you, it's bad. He really worked her over. She has several cuts and bruises. Her eye is swollen shut, and she can't open her mouth. She is lucky that's all that it appears to be".

"I will be on the first flight out, Chris. Thank you for taking care of her. I will see you tonight".

She hung up and sat back down in the waiting room. When Bridgit got there, the nurse told them they could wait in room 212, and Lisa would be brought there when she was done being treated and examined. Just as they were getting their things and going back there, David came in.

"Babe, how is she?"

Chris hugged him. "They took her back and assigned her a room, but we don't know anything yet".

They went to room 212, and got settled. Chris went and found some more chairs, so they could all sit down.

A few minutes later, an orderly came in and brought some equipment. The nurse came in and made sure that her machines were operable.

"How is she?"

"She has some very extensive facial injuries. She has a broken eye socket, a deep cut that needs stitches, and a ruptured ear drum. She also has 4 broken ribs and a broken wrist".

Chris' eyes filled with tears. She just couldn't believe this. She couldn't wait to question him, and listen to his pathetic excuses for this.

Chris spoke up. "I called your parents, Bridgit. They are coming on the next flight."

Bridgit nodded. She was so upset she couldn't speak.

"Has he hit her before, Bridgit?"

"I have seen bruises, but she always had a reason. So I wasn't sure, because her reasons always made sense. But this morning, I just knew".

A few minutes later, they wheeled Lisa in. She was asleep. David cringed when he saw her.

The doctor came in and asked them to step out in the hall so he could speak with them. Chris and Bridgit stepped out in the hall. David stayed in the room with Lisa.

"Lisa has to have a surgery this afternoon. I sedated her so that I could fix it without extreme pain, but I am going to have to operate. She has 4 hairline fractures of the ribs, and several large lung contusions. Those should heal on their own. We are going to watch them though, because I don't want them to liquefy in her lungs. She is going to be on a liquid diet until the swelling in her mouth goes down, and then we slowly add food back in. She can have ice right now. She will be stitched up in a few minutes for the cut on her forehead. That will leave a scar, but there are great procedures now for minimizing scars, so that's a plus. We splinted her wrist and we will cast it later today, after the swelling goes down some. I am required to report this to the police. Do either of you know who did this to her?"

"I am a Lieutenant with the NYPD District Attorney's office. Believe me when I tell you it is being handled".

"Fair enough. I will see you ladies on rounds. She is probably going to have to stay here a few days".

"Thank you doctor".

Chris and Bridgit went back in the room. Bridgit was crying pretty steadily now, and Chris didn't know what to say to comfort her.

She grabbed her phone and texted Ann what the doctor said. "Broken eye socket, she needs stitches for a cut on her forehead and she has a ruptured ear drum, 4 hairline fractures of the ribs and a broken wrist. She has some serious lung contusions that they want to watch so that her lungs don't fill with fluid, and she is going to be on a liquid diet only for a few days. She has to stay in the hospital for a few days for sure. I sent uniforms to round up this boyfriend of hers and as soon as I leave here, I will go question him".

Ann responded back 'Oh my word. Thank you so much Chris. We are booked on the 10 a.m. flight, and we will land at 4'.

Chris responded back- 'Great! We can pick you up at the airport if you'd like. Bridgit is here with me".

"That would be great. See you then".

She texted Feldberg that Nick Granger was being rounded up and brought in because he had beaten her niece very badly, and to throw the book at him. He agreed.

David texted his secretary that he was taking the day off for family time. He and Chris sat there and chatted on and off, and tried to keep Bridgit occupied. The sedative they had given Lisa was still working, so she was probably going to sleep for a couple more hours. The nurse came in and stitched her up, and she didn't even wake up during the procedure. Bridgit fed her some water and she swallowed it, but didn't wake up.

"Wake up sissy….come on, wake up".

"Bridgit, she needs to rest".

Bridgit's face crumpled. "What if she doesn't wake up? I can't live without my sister".

"Honey, come here. That isn't going to happen. I promise you that. This was bad, but really, she got off a lot easier than most people".

"I know. I just hate to see her like this. I mean, we are Cagney's. We are supposed to be strong and fight back".

"Sometimes, in a domestic violence situation, you have to give in to save yourself, and fight back the next time. Or fight back by leaving and walking away".

David turned the TV on, and Chris and Bridgit chatted a bit. Chris looked at her watch and saw that it was almost 12.

She and Bridgit ordered lunch, and waited for them to bring it.

At 12:34, Lisa started waking up and coming to. She wasn't able to talk real well because she was still swollen, but she was able to open her mouth a little bit. Chris went over and sat by the bed.

"Lisa honey, can you hear me?"

She turned her head towards Chris and opened her eyes a little bit. She nodded.

"You are in the hospital. You have a broken eye socket, and a broken wrist, and some cracked ribs, and you have several cuts and bruises, but you are going to be ok. Bridgit and David and I are here with you, and your mom and dad will be here soon. Do you want some water?"

She nodded.

Bridgit helped her sit up, and they locked eyes for a minute, and Lisa grabbed her hand.

"I know, sissy. I know. It's going to be ok".

Chris loved seeing the bond between them.

The nurse came in to take her vitals and saw that the swelling was going down pretty well. She put a medicine into her IV to help it go down some more. After about 20 minutes, Lisa was able to talk almost normally.

"Why didn't you wake me when you came in, Sissy?"

"Because I didn't want you to see me like this. I figured I would just go to bed and then cover it with makeup afterwards".

"Can you tell me in your own words what happened, Lisa?" Chris was going to write all of this down.

"I came home from your house. Nick was at my apartment waiting on me. He was mad that I had gone to your apartment. So he started arguing with me over how I should only spend time with him, and not anyone else, and I told him that I refuse to live that way. He attacked me. He started swinging at me and punching me everywhere. He picked up a bat and hit me in the face with it, and I fell. He started kicking me in the stomach and ribs, and chest. He told me that I was his property, that I was too fat, and that I was ugly and nobody would want me. He was so enraged and I didn't know what to do so I stopped fighting back, and I stopped talking to him. But that made it worse, and he just kept going. I threw up at one point and he kicked me for that. He put a cigarette out on my neck, and he took his belt off and whipped my face with it, and then he put me in a cold shower and left me there. I could hear him snoring, so I somehow managed to crawl out of the tub, turn the water off, change clothes, and sneak out of the apartment. I walked down the stairs to your apartment, and came in. I set the alarm because I figured if he broke the door down, it would set the alarm off and maybe the alarm would call the cops automatically. I am so sorry, I didn't mean to disrupt ya'll's lives today".

"You aren't disrupting our lives. You have nothing to apologize for, Lisa He did this to you, you didn't do anything".

"And don't you listen to him tell you that you are fat! You aren't. You are gorgeous, and he is just a douchebag".

Chris chuckled. "She's right. You aren't fat, and he IS a douchebag."

"He has been limiting me to 16 oz of water per day. No ice. 450 calories. When he saw what was in my to go box, he was livid because he said that I was over the limit".

"That is ridiculous! First of all- 16 oz. of water per day? Even if you didn't drink anything all day long, you would pee more than that. And you are supposed to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water a day. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you drink 50 oz. Second of all, 450 calories isn't enough to fuel your body properly. We need to get you healthy again".

"Everything is so messed up".

"Well, we are going to straighten it out. I am having uniformed officers bring him in and my boss knows that he did this to my niece, so there will be no deals."

She sent Mary Beth a text to please let her know when he was brought in.

"He's here, Chris. Came in about an hour ago. He is being questioned now. Want me to go sit in?"

"Yes please. I am going to send you a picture. I want you to show this to him, and Feldberg".

She sent the picture.

"Oh my god, Chris. Is she going to be ok?"

"She is, but it will take a while. She is pretty beat up. According to her, he was limiting her to 16 oz. of water a day, and 450 calories of food per day. She went over the limit at my house, and he became enraged and Sunday she came back to my house so that I could show her his record and when she confronted him he beat the hell out of her with bats and kicked her over and over and over and put her in a cold bath and left her there".

"Oh, we will throw the book at him. He's a sick, sick individual."

About 20 minutes later, Mary Beth texted Chris. "Call me".

Chris stepped outside and called her. "What a piece of crap he is, Chris. He told us that she threatened to kill him so he had to beat her up to save his life. He also pressed charges against her for harassment and embezzlement. He pulled up his bank account and pointed out charges that he said she made on his account without his permission. Because he filed the charges and filled out the report, uniformed officers are on their way to her hospital room to question her".

"That is ridiculous. I will get to the bottom of this."

"Who questioned him, Mary Beth?"

"Feldberg. He showed him the picture and everything. His response was "Well, she won't threaten me again. He said they were having an argument because she asked him if she looked fat in something and he was honest and said yes, and she became enraged and pulled out a bat and started swinging at him and he was forced to defend himself. Feldberg didn't buy it, and charged him with felonious assault. He has a record as tall as the Empire State building. He won't be getting off easy on this one".

"Great. Hey, Mary Beth, the uniforms are here. Let me call you back".

They hung up, and she spoke to the Uniforms and identified herself. "I assure you that she didn't do this- he beat her up, he wasn't defending himself at all."

"Ok. Can we see her? We won't be long".

She led them in.

"Lisa, Nick has made some accusations against you, and these officers are here to ask you questions about it. Just answer them honestly, ok?"

She nodded.

The female officer went first.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"He and I have been dating about 4 months. We made it exclusive after 2 months, I believe. Anyways, he started about a month ago, telling me that I was fat and needed to lose weight if we were going to be together. He basically forced his way into my apartment and took it over. He told me that I would never be able to kick him out because the police always listen to the man. He limited me to 16 oz. of water a day, and 450 calories of food per day. Saturday, I spent the day with my sister and my aunt. I was gone from like 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.. He knew where I was, but he still got mad about it. We had gone out for dinner, and I knew it was over the calorie limit, so I put at least ½, probably more in a to go box and took it home. He saw what was in it, and became enraged. He left and went to his brother's apartment. Sunday morning, Aunt Chris asked me to come over. While I was gone, he came to my apartment looking for me. When I got home, he and I argued over the fact that he lied to me and he became enraged. He started hitting me, and he grabbed a bat and swung it and hit me in the eye. That knocked me down and he started kicking me everywhere. I gave in and stopped fighting back, but that made him angrier so he kept on doing it. Finally he got tired, and stopped, and picked me up and threw me into the tub and ran cold water on me. He left me there. I managed to use my foot to turn off the faucet. When I heard him snoring, I climbed out of the tub. If I stayed hunched over, it didn't hurt nearly as bad. So I hobbled to my room, and grabbed some clothes, and changed. Then I snuck out and left him on the couch, and went to my sister's. She woke up and found me and called our Aunt, who brought me here".

"You are very brave. He told us that you became enraged and started hitting him so he had to hit you a couple of times to defend himself".

"He is a liar".

"He also says that you took his bank card and made some unauthorized charges".

They handed her the bank statement and showed her the highlighted charges.

"This is my account. He took it over when he basically moved in. He said that he was the man, so he should be in charge of the money. These stores aren't stores that I go to, and I was at work when most of these purchases were made. Call the bank, they can tell you if it was my account first".

"It's ok, we believe you. You aren't going to be charged with anything. We just had to follow due process and check it out".

She nodded.

"How do I get a restraining order against him?"

Chris spoke up. "You talk to my husband".

David spoke up then. "I will be happy to take care of that for you, Lisa".

"Thank you".

The uniforms wrote 'Bogus' at the top of the paperwork, and said their goodbyes. David called one of his lawyers and had them fill out the papers to get Lisa a restraining order.

Lisa closed her eyes for a little bit, and Chris and David sat quietly on the couch. Bridgit had fallen asleep.

About an hour or two later, they came in and woke Lisa up, and told her they were going to put her cast on. They let her pick the colors, and she picked teal zebra. She laid back and let them put the cast on her. It was on her left hand, which was good since she was right handed.

Chris and David were sitting on the couch when David looked at the time. "I better go, If I am going to go to the airport, babe". She nodded.

"Be careful. I love you honey". He kissed her. "Love you too".

"Bye Bridgit, Bye Lisa. I will be back".

Lisa dozed, and Bridgit started talking to Chris about Zach. She had decided to break up with him, but didn't know how to do it.

"Just be straight with him, and just tell him that you think you two should see other people".

Bridgit nodded.

She stood up. "I think I am going to go pick up Charli, and maybe go by Lisa's and get her some of her things so that she will be more comfortable here".

"That's a good idea".

"will you stay with her?"

"Yes, honey, of course".

She grabbed her purse and headed out then, after promising Lisa she would be back.

Chris sat and did Facebook on her phone while Lisa slept. The nurse came in and said that Lisa's surgery was postponed. David texted when they were parking. She put her phone away and waited for them. She was glad Ann and Brian were coming. It would help lift both Bridgit's and Ann's spirits.

They came in and hugged her, and then Ann turned to look at Lisa laying in the bed, sleeping. She started to cry. "My baby…"

Brian came over and hugged his sister. "Thanks sis. You always know how to take care of our girls".

He looked at her then. "Yikes".

Chris filled them in on the fact that he was being held on felonious assault, and she had sent Feldberg Lisa's statement, that said he had kicked her probably around 30 times. Once she told him that she had a broken wrist, 4 broken ribs, a broken eye socket and had to have a deep cut stitched, plus that he had used a belt and a bat, the charges were upgraded. He was now facing 6 counts of especially aggravated assault, and 6 counts of Felony domestic violence.

"I am going to see to it that he stays in a cell or some other kind of lovely barred establishment for many years to come".

"Thank you Chris".

David put his arm around her. "I was able to get Lisa a restraining order. If he makes bond, it will go into effect. If he doesn't, it will be dropped".

Brian had tears in his eyes. "You two are good people".

Ann was sitting next to Lisa, and Brian came and took the chair on the other side.

Chris and David resumed sitting on the couch.

Bridgit came in then, with Charli.

"Hi there princess. Hi there, schnookums". Brian took Charli, and hugged Bridgit. "Hey daddy".

She went over and hugged her mom.

She pulled a chair from the other side and brought it over. Brian was playing with Charli and getting her to laugh.

Lisa started to wake up then.

"Want some water, sissy?" She nodded.

Bridgit sat her up, and Lisa opened her eyes.

"Mom!". She started to cry and reached for Ann.

"It's ok, sweetie. It's ok. I know, It's ok".

Brian came over and kissed Lisa, while Chris and David held Charli. Charli was mesmerized by David's shirt collar and kept trying to eat it.

David looked at Chris and said "You know you would have made a wonderful mother, Chris".

"Maybe. Then again, maybe not".

"I am pretty sure of it. You are great with Bridgit and Lisa, otherwise they wouldn't keep turning to you when they are in trouble or need advice. And you are so good with Miranda and with Charli".

"Thank you. You would have made an excellent daddy yourself".

"Only with you".

Charli was happily playing in Chris' lap, and Bridgit came over and started mixing a bottle.

"Anyone want to feed her?"

"Me!". Ann jumped up and came over and grabbed the baby and the bottle.

Bridgit and Lisa were laughing at how overzealous their mom was about her grandchild.

Lisa begged her daddy to go get her some jello and a Dr. Pepper. He agreed, and headed towards the cafeteria.

Bridgit helped her get up and go to the bathroom. She also helped her change into some pajamas.

As they were walking back to the bed, Lisa looked at what she was wearing.

"Bridgit, these are your pj's".

"Yeah, I have to talk to you about that". She helped her get back into bed.

"I went to your place to get your things, and it was all gone. He cleaned out your apartment, Sissy. Furniture, clothes, all of it. All gone. His stuff too. Nothing left in sight".

"How? When? I can't believe it…."

"So, I just went to my house and got you some of my things to borrow so that you wouldn't have to wear these hospital gowns".

"Thanks Bridge." They held hands.

Chris pulled her phone out. "Aunt Chris is on the case, Lisa".

She called Feldberg. "Feldberg-hey it's Christine. My niece Bridgit went to my niece Lisa's apartment, today, after Nick had been arrested. Everything was gone. He took everything, and left absolutely nothing. Can you tell me where he was when he was arrested, so we can go and try to retrieve her things? Otherwise, I want to charge him with several counts of Grand Theft Larceny".

"Sure, Lieutenant". He gave her the address. "Thanks, Feldberg, I will keep you posted".

She and David stood up. "We are going to go check it out, and we will keep you updated."

Bridgit stood up. "Can I come with you? I can identify what is Lisa's and what isn't".

"Sure, absolutely".

She handed Lisa a legal pad and pen.

"If you have the energy, maybe you could make a list of what you remember owning, so that we can identify your belongings later?"

She nodded.

They left, and headed to 85th street, in Soho.

***Soho***

They found the address that Feldberg gave Chris. She called for uniforms to meet her there.

As soon as they arrived, they went to the leasing office and got a key. They asked the landlord how long Nick Granger had been living there. They stated that he had paid the deposit last week, and was given a key to move in over the weekend.

They went to his apartment and it was a mess. All of the furniture and stuff that he had taken from Lisa was in one room, and all of his things were in another. They were able to identify Lisa's things pretty quickly.

David made some phone calls and called his buddy who owned a moving truck. He came and loaded up all of her things free of charge. Chris and David decided that she could store her things in their storage unit until she decided what she wanted to do.

Bridgit found her laptop. He had trashed it and smashed it. The screen was all cracked and the keys ripped out. There was a huge hole in the bottom where he had cut out the hard drive. Chris found the hard drive in the laundry basket.

They found her TV, and Bridgit said she would take that to her apartment. It was a very nice model. David loaded it into the back of Chris' car. Bridgit and Chris packed some clothes for Lisa, and put them in a bag. They were able to get about 3 weeks worth. They also found her school bag with her books and sketch pads in it. She used those every day at work. Her dishes were destroyed, her pictures were all torn. Bridgit found her makeup and her jewelry box. The rest went into the moving van to go to Chris and David's storage unit. Bridgit grabbed her pillow and her favorite pillow case.

After it was all loaded, they headed back to Chris and David's to wait until the truck was unloaded, and then they were heading back to the hospital.

Chris and David picked up Chinese food for everyone, and they stopped at a diner and got Lisa her favorite milkshake.

They headed back to the hospital. Thanks to David's friends, it had only taken them a few hours to move all of her stuff, which was great considering that wasn't their original plan.

***Lisa's hospital room***

Chris, David and Bridgit walked in.

"We found all of your things. We moved them to our storage unit at our apartment. You can keep them there until you decide what to do. We stopped and picked up Chinese food, and we also got you your favorite Peanut butter and banana shake, from Johnny Rockets".

"Everything was taken to his apartment?"

Chris nodded. "We brought several weeks' worth of clothes, since we figure you might stay at Bridgit's. We found your laptop, but I am sorry, he smashed it. It's a total loss. He cut the hard drive out. I found it. Also, we brought your pillow and your favorite pillowcase. I found your jewelry box, and grabbed that. All of your dishes and bakeware and cooking stuff is broken to pieces. All of your pictures are torn. Your furniture seems to be ok, but it got scratched in the move. We were able to find your school bag and your sketch pads and your art supplies. We have those in the car also".

"The laptop was mine, but he took it over once he moved in. He put a password on it and I wasn't able to use it anymore. There is no telling what was on the hard drive. He was always so defensive about it. I had some really nice pictures on there, and all of my Itunes, and my work documents. Ugh".

Chris called for an officer to come to the hospital.

"Well, we will just have the IT lab analyze the hard drive and see what he had to hide".

Brian pulled out his wallet. "Chris, David, let me reimburse you for the moving expenses".

"No need. A fraternity brother of mine owned the company. He did it free of charge, as a favor".

"Please tell him I said thank you".

Chris decided to ask Feldberg to have Lisa's apartment analyzed for blood. That would help their case. She sent him a text. He readily agreed.

Brian was thinking.

"Girls, do you feel safe in your building?"

They both nodded.

"Lisa, do you want to go back to that apartment, after this happened?"

She thought for a minute, then shook her head no.

"Well, then we will look for a new place while we are here. Simple as that".

Lisa smiled. Her daddy always took great care of her.

They finished eating the Chinese food, and Lisa happily sucked down her shake. Brian had found her some Dr. Pepper, and about 4 jello cups, so she had already eaten them.

Brian got out his Ipad and started playing on it.

Bridgit ran to Chris and David's car and got the jewelry box, because Lisa had asked to see it.

Ann was holding the baby, who was sleeping on her chest, and just loving every minute.

Chris pulled her phone out, and looked up the building 4 streets over from her building. It was a great neighborhood, with low prices and nice apartments. She found a few for sale.

She took her phone to Lisa and she looked at a few of them. She called her Daddy over, and he liked the prices of a couple of them. He told her they would go looking when she got released, if she felt up to it.

"Where are you staying, Daddy?"

"We got a room at the W. "

Bridgit came back in with Lisa's jewelry box. Lisa was feeling more alert, so she was able to sit up and look through it.

"I knew it. He took my expensive stuff. It's all gone".

"What are you missing, Lisa?"

"The diamond earrings mom and dad gave me when I turned 16. They were a whole carat each, on 24k posts. The pearls I got for high school graduation. The emerald ring Grandma Nancy left me-that was 2.5 carat emerald on 24k gold. Also, my sorority pin, which had pink diamonds and was also 24k gold. It is shaped like a triangle."

"Can you put a price value on any of it, Lisa?"

"I would say somewhere around $4,000 dollars. My sorority pin was $800, and I have literally only worn it like 4 times."

Chris was writing all of this down. "I am going to question Nick myself tomorrow. If I don't like his answers, he will be charged with more theft charges".

The uniform officers showed up then. Chris handed them the hard drive, and instructed them to deliver it to the lab immediately, and she wrote a note for them to give the lab that stated that she personally wanted to know what they found as soon as they were done.

By now, it was almost 8 p.m. Chris was getting very tired and so was everyone else.

"Well, I guess we better head, kiddo. I will come back and see you tomorrow, I promise. Get some rest, ok?" Lisa nodded. "Thanks for everything, Aunt Chris".

"You're welcome, sweetie. We are going to nail him, I promise you that".

Bridgit decided to go as well, and she took Charli from Ann and put her in her car seat. Brian hugged Chris and David, and Ann did too. Chris and David were going to give Bridgit a ride to her building.

"Sissy , will you look in the storage for my sorority blanket? And my ipod?"

Bridgit grabbed the bag she had brought Lisa. She had put both things in there. She pulled them out and handed them to Lisa. She was so happy.

David turned to Brian and Ann. "Do you need a lift to your hotel?"

"Sure, that'd be great".

They all said goodbye to Lisa, and she swore she was going to just watch TV and sleep. They promised to see her in the morning.

They all headed to the car.

***Bridgit's apartment***

David and Brian loaded the TV onto a cart and were going to take it up to Bridgit's apartment. Ann was carrying the baby in, and Chris was bringing the rest of Lisa's clothes and her school bag.

They all went to Bridgit's apartment, and then Ann decided she wanted to see where Lisa had lived. So after they put Charli in her crib, Bridgit grabbed the baby monitor, and locked the door behind them, and they went one floor down to Lisa's apartment. Chris opened the door, and Ann gasped. It was empty, but there was blood on the linoleum, and the hardwood was all scratched and dug up. Ann started to cry, and Brian comforted her.

Bridgit noticed something over in the corner of the room. She carefully stepped around the blood, and went over to see what it was. It was Lisa's sorority pin. She also found her diamond earrings in the bathroom. That was going to make Lisa very happy.

They went back to Bridgit's apartment. After they got her squared away, and Ann kissed Charli one more time, even though she was sleeping, they left.

Chris and Ann sat in the back.

"Did she tell you what happened?"

Chris nodded. "she came over to my place on Saturday, with Bridgit. We were going to have a girl's day, just lay by the pool, and watch a movie, and go to dinner. And I noticed all day that she was acting strangely and Bridgit said she was throwing up, and Lisa said it was food poisoning. She was barely eating or drinking anything. So I was all prepared to figure out a way to help her with what I was sure was an eating disorder. We went to dinner, and I noticed that she immediately put ½ in a to go box. He had been blowing up her phone all day, and demanded that she be home by 10. She had made comments that he was subtly putting her down, and things like that. Bridgit was very concerned. So that night, she went home. Then Sunday morning, I looked him up in the system. He has a record as long as my arm, and he is quite a bit older than he represented himself to be. I called her and asked her to come over, and I shared all of it with her. I was just trying to protect her. She sent him a text telling him that she knew he had lied and he kept telling her to come home. She said no, we are done. He said he was at his apartment and wanted her to come there. She texted Bridgit and said that she was going to stay with her. Bridgit told her to just come in when she wanted to, and it would be ok. According to Lisa, he had started restricting her to 16 oz. of water each day, and 450 calories of food each day. He saw what she had brought home Saturday night, and then Sunday, they argued over his lies, and he went into a rage, and started hitting her. He swung a bat at her, and she fell to the ground and decided to give in and just take it instead of fighting back. But it enraged him further that she wouldn't fight back and he just kept kicking her all over, she estimated that she was kicked about 30 times. He finally finished and he picked her up and put her in the tub and ran the faucet as cold as it would go. She said she heard him snoring, and then she turned it off with her foot, and crawled out of the tub, and to her room where she changed clothes, and then snuck out of the apartment, and downstairs to Bridgit's. She came in, locked the door, set the alarm, and went to her room at Bridgit's. This was sometime after 2 a.m.-that's when Bridgit said she went to bed and stopped waiting up for her. When she got up at 7, she said Lisa was groaning and couldn't move. So she called me, and I went over there and we called the ambulance. She told me that he has started calling her fat, and making her call herself fat. She has been throwing up if she eats more than she's allowed. She said they only dated about 4 months, and after about 2 months, he moved in and started treating her like property. She didn't see any way out of it. He threatened her all the time with all kinds of violence if she left him, so she felt stuck".

Ann had tears rolling down her face. Brian was stone faced.

"Can I go with you to talk to him, Chris?"

"I'm sorry, you cannot. But you can go to court when he gets his first appearance later this week, and I can see if we can get you a visit then".

He nodded.

Ann looked at Chris. "I am so grateful my girls have you and David. You guys step in for us so much. They love you both so much and they always tell us how much they enjoy seeing you. I am so thankful you care for my girls like you do". Ann reached over and hugged Chris.

"they are the daughters I never had".

David pulled up to the W.

"Thanks so much for the ride and for picking us up at the airport, David. We appreciate it".

Brian and Ann got out, and got their luggage out. Chris moved up front, and then they headed home.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris and David came in, and Chris headed to put on her pajamas. It was now after 10 p.m.. David locked the door behind them, and set the alarm. He got her a glass of water, and got him some too, and headed to the bedroom.

She was changing into her pajamas. She washed her face and then climbed into bed. They sat up and watched the news for a bit.

"Honey, thank you for spending the day with my family today. I really appreciate it".

"Babe, they are my family too. No thanks necessary. I would love nothing more than to go bust that punk's skull in, but the lawyer in me knows that the Bar association won't approve of that. I tell ya, she is damn lucky".

"I know. I didn't want to tell her how lucky she is."

They snuggled up.

After the news was over, David turned the TV off, and they drifted off to sleep.

***The next morning***

Chris and David woke up when her alarm went off at 6:45. She headed for the shower, and then got ready for work. She decided to be casual today, and she put on a pair of linen pants and a sleeveless blouse, and some sandals. She went and made them breakfast while David was getting ready.

After they ate their omelet's she cleaned up the kitchen and then got her stuff ready for work.

"Do you have court today, honey?"

"No, I will be at the office all day. Want to have lunch together, or want to visit Lisa after work?"

"Yes to both. I should be able to leave about 4 or 4:30. I will keep you posted".

They walked to the car together, and he helped her put her stuff in.

"Love you babe, more than anything. Can't wait to see you tonight".

He kissed her. "Love you honey, you are my knight in shining armor".

She kissed him. "Always". He kissed her one more time, and then they got in their cars and went to work.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris came in and signed in. She filled her water bottle, and then headed to Feldberg's office.

"Hey. Here is my niece's statement. She said it, I wrote it. Here is a picture of what she looked like when I got to the apartment yesterday. Here is a list of her injuries, and here is another statement from her regarding his fraudulent use of her bank account. He also stole all of her stuff, and we were able to retrieve most of it. Here is a list of what is missing and the approximate value. He destroyed her laptop, and cut out the hard drive. She says that he took over the laptop, and wouldn't let her touch it. So I feel that anything we find on the hard drive is his, and not hers, if it's criminal. I sent the hard drive to the lab last night. No word yet on what they have found, if anything. And one final request, my brother, her father, would like to question him as well".

"Thank you for all of the evidence. This will help build our case. I am going to allow him to meet with him as long as you are present and there is another officer present as well. I don't want it to get out of hand. If you think he can handle himself, then I will allow it it's your call, Lieutenant".

"Thanks, Feldberg. I want to question him this morning. Do you know when his court hearing is?"

"Not scheduled till Monday, so that I can file the charges necessary."

"Ok. Thanks'.

She left and headed back to her office.

Mary Beth was waiting on her.

"Morning partner, How is Lisa?"

"Better. Still healing, but better. Brian and Ann got here yesterday afternoon, and Bridgit was with us all day." She told her how he had cleaned out the apartment, and stole her jewelry, and how they got it all back and how Brian was going to buy Lisa a new place and sell that one.

"It was a long day, but I guess that's what parenthood is like".

"Most definitely".

Chris called the lab and asked about the hard drive. "We have a report coming to your desk right now".

"Please don't trash the hard drive. I will call you back after I get the report".

She hung up and waited on the report. Ten minutes later, it was in her hands.

"Holy smokes. We got him! Pay dirt, Mary Beth!".

"What?"

"Quote: More than 65,000 images of child pornography were found on this hard drive. More than 250,000 images of adult pornography including videos were found on this hard drive. More than 15,000 child pornography videos were found on this hard drive". She pulled up the charging scale.

65,000 images of child porn translated to 20 federal child pornography charges, and 15 state charges. Since he was an adult, the adult pornography images aren't illegal, but it could be used to show a jury that he had an interest in pornography. The 15,000 child pornography videos resulted in 15 additional federal child pornography charges, and 10 state charges. He was facing over 220 years in prison based on the child pornography charges alone.

"Whoa, Chris. You gotta go tell Feldberg".

"On my way".

She took it to Feldberg and he agreed to only prosecute Nick for this, provided that Lisa signed a form stating that he had total possession of the laptop prior to the earliest date of pornography on the hard drive.

She then went upstairs to the lab.

"This was my niece's laptop. Her ex-boyfriend took possession of it and wouldn't let her use it anymore and that's why there was kiddie porn on it. I was wondering, as a special favor, if at all possible, if you could pull out any pictures that she had on there, and her Itunes, and any documents that are not kiddie porn related? I can give you a jump drive if you would like".

"No problem. I will have it ready for you this afternoon. If you have an external hard drive, that will help with the Itunes transfer".

"I will send one up right away".

She went back to her office, and called and had Nick Granger brought in for more questioning.

Then, she called Brian.

"Brian, hey it's Chris. Listen, I spoke to my boss, and he is ok with you talking to Nick if you can control yourself. I will be there and so will another officer. It's up to you".

"Give me the address, I will leave right away".

She gave It to him and told him to give security her name when he got there.

She worked on case files with Mary Beth until Brian got there, about 20 minutes.

He came in and hugged her and Mary Beth. She looked at Mary Beth. "Care to join us?"

"After you".

They all three headed downstairs.

***Conference room***

"Mary Beth and I are going to question him first. After we are done, you will have a turn. Just remember to keep your cool". Brian agreed.

They all three sat on one side of the table, and he was brought in to sit on the other. After David was beaten up, new policies came out that stated that the suspects had to be handcuffed at the waist, and the back of their belly chain had to be connected to the chair. This would keep them from being able to get up and come towards anyone.

The officer brought him in, and cuffed him to the chair. The officer then took her place in the corner.

"Mr. Granger, I am Lieutenant Keeler, and this is my partner, Detective Lacey. We would like to ask you some questions regarding Lisa Cagney".

"I ain't got nothing to say".

"Ok. Can we talk about how all of her stuff ended up in an apartment in your name? Or maybe how her bank account ended up with your name on it and hers taken off? Or maybe how her computer hard drive was cut out of her laptop?"

"Yeah, so what of it?"

"I would like an explanation for all of those events."

"It's what I do. I meet, manipulate, move in and then move on. She just didn't want me to go, but I was ready. I was done".

"How did she end up with 24 stitches in her forehead, a broken eye socket, a broken wrist, and 4 cracked ribs?"

"Things got out of hand. She came at me, so I stopped her in her tracks. Bitches gotta learn…"

Chris could feel Brian's blood boiling. She put her hand on his arm and steadied him.

She looked at him. "I will choose to ignore that".

"Care to take a guess as to what we found on the hard drive of her computer?"

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Kiddie porn. You are going upstream for a very long ride, my friend."

"You must be a rookie. You said it yourself. HER computer. Not mine. So if anyone should be going up for kiddie porn, it's her, not me".

"Ahhh.. I see what you did there. But now it's time for you to see what we did here. We have a statement from her that gives us the date that you moved into her apartment, and the date you took over the computer and wouldn't allow her to use it. And when we examined the hard drive, we were able to see not only the first image of child pornography that you accessed on the computer, but also the time and date. So we will know if it was you, or her, and my bet is on you. My niece is not a child pornography connoisseur, Mr. Granger."

He looked shocked.

"Oh, you didn't recognize me? Yes, that's right. I am Lisa's aunt. My husband and I paid for your meal a month or so ago. I paid for the one that Lisa had on Saturday, that she brought more than half of home to you, that you beat her over".

"she had it coming. Women are just pains in the ass. No good for nothing".

"You can expect some child pornography charges, Granger. Both on the state level and the federal. You can expect to never take a breath as a free person, ever again".

She stood up. "Oh, and now, without further ado, your final questioning will come from my brother, Lisa's father."

She got up and went and stood by the door.

"Did you ever love my daughter?"

"Nope. Not a bit. I don't love them. I just meet em, manipulate em, move in, and move on".

"Why did you have to beat her up?"

"It just happened. Wasn't part of the plan, but it happened".

"What happened to her jewelry?"

"Don't know, don't care".

"I sincerely hope that you meet your match in prison. I sincerely hope that someone shanks you in the showers while the guards turn their head. I sincerely hope that you are beaten to within an inch of your life, and that you are never visited by your family or loved ones ever again. My daughter deserves better than you. She always sees the good in people, and that's what I know made her fall for your bullshit. Let's see your mommy get you out of this one. Just remember, while you are breathing in stale, moldy, rat infested air, my daughter, my sunshine will be thriving and flourishing and breathing clean fresh air because you didn't win. You lost. You tried to bring her down with you, but she survived. Sucks to be you".

He got up and walked to the door. He turned back to look at Nick Granger. "If someone twice or even three times your size in prison met you, manipulated you, moved in and then moved on, from your lifeless body, it wouldn't be the worst thing".

He and Chris and Mary Beth left, and headed back to Chris' office.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

"So this is my office, big brother. We share it, it's nice and cozy".

"I can tell. Chris, I gotta tell you, the way you handled him, you were really excellent. You are a really good cop".

"Thanks Brian, you weren't so bad yourself."

"What is he up against?"

"Well, before the porn, he was facing around 15-35 years for felony assault. The porn charges add about 200 years maximum to that. If they put him in general population and word gets out about what he did, my guess is he won't make it a year".

"Glad to hear it. I hope he never gets out or sets foot on free soil ever again".

"Same here".

"Well, I am going to head back to the hospital. Great to see you Mary Beth".

"Tell Lisa I will see her tonight, after work".

"Will do. I will let you tell her all this too".

She laughed. "Ok".

He left and she and Mary Beth got back to work.

She texted David that she had a lot to tell him. He texted that he wasn't able to do lunch, but that he would leave at 4:30 and meet her at the hospital.

'I am going home first, to change clothes. I should be at home by 5, and at the hospital by 5:30".

They worked till 4:15, and then Chris clocked out and headed home.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris came in and changed clothes. She put on yoga pants and a racerback tank and a running jacket. She made herself a club soda with lime, and drank it. She nibbled on a few crackers and then started a load of laundry. She was just about to head out when David showed up.

"Hi babe. Glad I caught you". He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Hi honey".

"Let me quickly change and then we can head to the hospital".

"Ok. Want me to make you a drink or a snack?"

"Just water, babe".

He went and changed lightning fast and then came back to the kitchen. He grabbed the water bottle she had gotten him and they headed out.

***Lisa's hospital room***

Chris and David walked in and said hello to everyone. Chris went over and hugged Lisa, and David did too. "Hey kiddo, how you feeling?"

"Better, just sore".

She looked more alert, and less swollen, but more bruised, which was to be expected.

"They did her eye surgery this afternoon, and she did really well".

"That's great!".

Chris pulled a chair up to Lisa's bed. "Lisa, honey, we need to talk about your case, ok? I questioned him myself this morning, along with your father. Also, we went to your apartment last night, and Bridgit found your diamond earrings and your sorority pin, so I took those off the list. I had the hard drive of the computer analyzed. Now, I figured we would find something criminal, but I was blown away. He was downloading and accessing child porn images, adult porn images, and child porn videos at a staggering rate. He is a legal adult, so he cannot be charged with the adult porn, but it will be used against him to show a pattern when his case goes to trial. Now, the first day that he accessed the pornography is on this form? Would you say that date is after the date that he took over your computer?"

She looked at it. "That day was a Saturday. I was out of town for work. He had moved in a few days prior".

"Ok great. That is perfect. Now, if you will sign this form, it will release you from culpability and pin it on him. Brian, can you sign as a witness?"

They both signed.

"So, where we stand right now is that he is charged with 6 counts especially aggravated assault, 6 counts felonious assault, 6 counts felony domestic violence, 4 counts fraud, 35 federal child pornography charges, and 25 state child pornography charges. The state ones will probably be dropped due to the federal ones, but that's ok, because federal ones carry more weight, and we are going to get him on the assault charges anyways. He is facing 6-30 years on all of the assault charges, and somewhere around 220 years for the porn charges. He's toast".

"He is never going to hurt you again, honey. Your dad and I and your Aunt Chris and Uncle David will see to that".

She nodded. "I feel so stupid. I feel like such a fool".

"You aren't honey, honest. You know what he said to me this morning? Your dad can back me up on this. He said "I met her, manipulated her, moved in and now I have moved on. It's what I do". That's exactly what he said. You aren't the first, but thanks to me, you will be the last".

Brian nodded. "Your aunt is right, and he did say it".

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a lady who was well-dressed and impeccably groomed stepped in.

"Lisa, hi, how are you feeling?"

"Mrs. Watson? Hi, come on in. I am fine, just sore".

"Hi, I'm Brian Cagney, Lisa's father, and this is Ann, my wife, Lisa's mother. This is my sister, Christine Keeler, and her husband David, and my daughter Bridgit Cagney".

"Hello, I'm Meredith Watson, I am Lisa's boss. I am also Nick's mother". They all shook hands.

Meredith looked at Lisa. "I know my son very well, and I know that he would rather walk on hot coals in hell before he admits that he was wrong. So please, if you will let me, let me apologize for our family for what he did to you. He was raised better than that, I assure you. I am so sorry, honey. I really and truly am so, so sorry".

Lisa nodded. "Thank you. I know this isn't a reflection on your parenting".

Brian and Ann shook her hand. "Thank you ma'am".

"I went to visit him in jail tonight. He informed me that you forgave him and that he asked you to marry him when he gets out in two days. Lisa, you are a smart girl. And you are very beautiful, and when he brought you home to meet us, I was so happy that he had found you because you are exactly the kind of girl I had hoped he would find one day, and I was so hopeful that he would straighten up. However, I feel I must tell you-he isn't going to change, and this isn't the last time he will hurt you if you stay with him. You deserve better, and it's time that he hit rock bottom and learn his lesson. Please think long and hard about it".

Chris stood up. "Hi, Meredith, was it? I am Christine Keeler, Lisa's aunt. My other name is Lieutenant Chris Keeler of the NYPD. Did you just say that your son told you that he was getting out of jail in a couple of days? And that they were getting married?"

Meredith nodded. "I went and visited him today, and he said they were overcrowded so that he would be getting out on Thursday, and they were going to get married this weekend."

"Well this morning, I myself, charged him with additional charges involving child pornography, fraud, domestic violence, and felonious assault. If he were only facing porn charges alone and nothing else, he would be facing at minimum 145 years in prison, and the assault charges carry an additional 35 years minimum. Hope he likes orange. As for them getting married, I would kill him myself if he ever laid another hand on her. Now I am sorry that you and your family are going through this, but something tells me this isn't your first rodeo with your son being in jail, so why on earth did you believe him when he said he was getting out?" Chris was trying not to shout.

"There will be no marriage, Mrs. Watson. I am sorry, but I can forgive your son maybe, for what he has done to me. But I will never forget and I will never go back. He needs serious, intensive help, and I sincerely hope he gets it, but it won't be with me at his side".

"I understand. If you would, please let me pay your medical bills. He should, but he cannot, and I want to do whatever my family can do to make this right. Is there anything else that he did to you, besides all of this?"

"He has been telling me that I was fat for weeks. He limited me to only seeing him and not seeing my family or friends. I had to fight with him to get to spend one day with my sister and my aunt, and after 5 hours, he was blowing up my phone texting me trying to get me to come home. He restricted me to 16 oz. of water a day, and 450 calories of food a day, and would get enraged if I ate more than that, to the point where I would eat to stop being hungry and then go make myself puke. I have serious body images because of him. After I snuck out of the apartment the other night, he moved all of my things from my apartment into his. He completely trashed and destroyed my laptop, he stole jewelry from my jewelry box, he trashed my brand new iphone 6splus, and he has traumatized me to the point that I am selling my apartment and moving to a new one as soon as I can. I have a broken eye socket, a gash on my forehead, 4 cracked ribs and a broken wrist. My face was so swollen that I was on a liquid diet till this morning, because I couldn't even open my mouth. So, please, if you want to help him, make sure that he gets the mental help he needs. Make sure that he understands what he did was wrong. Make sure he realizes that he lost me for good before he ever punched me- he lost me when my aunt told me about his prior convictions and the fact that he wasn't 28 like he said, but really 44".

"I will pay all of your medical bills, and I would like to replace what he stole from you or destroyed."

Lisa nodded. "We can work that out. Sorry for my rant".

She sat down on the couch. "When I went to see him today, he signed a form that allowed me to take his personal property home. I was looking at it in the car. He told me that he wanted me to hold onto the jewelry, because it was special to him. Do any of these belong to you?"

She pulled out a baggie that had Lisa's pearls, and emerald ring, along with a box that had a diamond engagement ring in it.

"That's my ring from my grandma. And I think these might be my pearls. I don't know anything about this ring in the box though.".

Chris crossed the emerald ring and the pearls off her list. She texted Feldberg that they would need to update the files in the morning, that some of the property had been found.

Lisa was looking at the engagement ring. On the inside of the band, engraved, were the words "Nick loves Lisa".

"I think he was planning on proposing to me with this ring. But we broke up Sunday afternoon before this happened, so I cannot accept this". She handed it back to Meredith.

Meredith stood up. "Well, I have stayed long enough. As far as my son is concerned, my apologies again, and I am happy to see that you are healing well. Like I said, I will take care of your medical bills and replacing your property. As far as work goes, take as much time as you need, and consider it work from home days". She leaned down to hug her.

"we all miss you and your beautiful smile at the office. Feel better".

Brian and Ann and Chris and David all said goodbye to her, and Chris followed her out to the hallway.

"Mrs. Watson?"

Meredith turned around.

"I apologize for my rant- I just get very passionate about my work, and this is my niece. I'm sorry."

"Oh please don't be. I am glad that someone is getting passionate about this. He has done this to women for too long. Please, Lieutenant- throw the book at him. I hate more than anything having him in jail, and I know that he will probably never get out, but at least I won't be cringing when the phone rings thinking the cops are calling me because he was killed in a shootout or anything. He needs to pay for what he did. Your niece is one of the best employees I have ever had, and she didn't deserve this at all. Please, throw the book at him".

Chris nodded. "He won't get off easy, I assure you".

"Thank you".

Chris went back into Lisa's room.

David was getting up and getting ready to leave. "I will be right back babe. I have a surprise for Lisa".

She kissed him. "Ok".

Lisa was making a list of what she wanted to replace from her belongings that had been destroyed.

Chris told her that the lab was able to save her Itunes and her photos and her documents.

"Yay that makes me so happy".

"they are putting everything onto an external hard drive. So you can just load it up and then you should be all set".

David came back in then. "Lisa- here is your surprise!"

Miranda came in, and handed Lisa a chocolate shake.

They hugged and Miranda ran over and hugged Bridgit.

Ann was holding Charli, so Miranda sat and played with her a bit.

Chris looked at David. "Great surprise. How did you pick her up so fast?"

"I texted Stephanie that we would have to skip her weekly dinner this week because of Lisa, and she said that she would bring Miranda here so that she could see Lisa, if she was feeling up to visitors. So she brought her into the city, and she is going to go have dinner with an old friend, and then pick her up from us when she is done".

Miranda came over and gave Chris a hug. "I'm sorry, I was just excited to see Lisa".

"That's ok, sweetie".

Bridgit took Charli and started giving her a bottle, and Miranda sat next to her to help her. Ann came over to where Chris and David were. Brian and Lisa were looking at houses and apartments on his ipad.

"Miranda is a lovely girl. Bridgit and Lisa love having a cousin to do things with".

"It was instantaneous. The instant they met, they loved each other".

The nurse brought Lisa a Dr. Pepper and some jello cups then, plus some toast. It was all they could do with her diet restrictions. Brian had ordered pizza for everyone, from the place that Bridgit told him was Chris and Grandpa's favorite, in Brooklyn. He got her pepperoni and extra onions, just like she loved. He went downstairs to meet and pay the delivery guy and Ann went to the bag she had brought from the hotel that morning. She had brought a roll of paper towels and some paper plates for everyone.

They all dug into some pizza and Lisa tried it in bite sized pieces. She did well with it.

Physical therapy came in and got her to walk some. The hardest part was getting in and out of the bed. As long as she stayed on top of her pain meds, she was ok.

They stayed and visited a little bit longer, and then David and Chris left to take Miranda to get some ice cream. Bridgit and Charli were heading home also.

Chris hugged Lisa goodbye and told her she would be back tomorrow. Brian and Ann told them they wanted to take them to dinner one night before they left.

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow".

***Ice cream parlor***

Miranda got her favorite-chocolate chip cookie dough, with chocolate sprinkles.

Chris got mint chocolate chip and David got rocky road. Miranda told them all about her new soccer team that she had played on over the summer and how she wanted to play volleyball in the fall instead. David and Chris both thought she would be great at volleyball.

"Did mom tell you she is thinking about moving us to the city?"

"No. When is she going to do that?"

"When I start high school. Mom wants me to go to a private school in the city, and she wants us to have a walkup, or like a 3rd floor apartment in a nice building."

"Well that sounds great!" David would love to have his daughter in the city with him. They could spend a lot more time together.

"I think you will like living in the city, Miranda. I lived here all of my life, except for when I was in Paris".

"I hope we get to. I mean, I love living near Nonna and Poppa, but we are so far from everything and it would be so cool to have the city right outside the door".

They finished their ice cream and then David texted Stephanie that they were going back to their apartment, if she wanted to come pick up Miranda there.

They all got in the car, and headed home.

***Chris and David's apartment***

They came in and Chris went to change clothes while Miranda turned the TV on. David went into the bedroom after Chris.

She was washing her face and then put on some pajama pants and a t-shirt.

She came out and watched TV with Miranda for a bit, and David came and sat next to her. They had watched TV for about 25 minutes when Stephanie texted that she was downstairs. So Chris and Miranda said goodbye and David and Miranda went downstairs to meet Stephanie.

When David came back up, Chris was in bed watching the news.

He locked up, and set the alarm, and then went and put on his pajamas.

He went and grabbed her a glass of water, and then climbed into bed next to her.

They snuggled up to watch the news and just as they were drifting off to sleep, the news anchor announced breaking news.

"This just in, the CEO of Fashion House, Inc, was ousted tonight by the Board of Directors. The Board held an emergency meeting after they learned that her son had been hired and violently assaulted an employee. The Board released a statement:

"We cannot condone the actions of Meredith Watson, who fraudulently hired her son to work here, knowing that he was a dangerous criminal. We have also uncovered a few business transactions that she had no business making. Therefore, we are terminating our business relationship with her and wish her well in her future endeavors".

The anchor continued: "What this means for Fashion week coming up in a month, remains to be seen. No word on who her replacement will be. Mrs. Watson could not be reached tonight for comment".

"That's where Lisa works. I cannot believe it. So she knowingly hired her piece of crap son to work there, and seemingly stood by while he moved in on Lisa. I hope she never gets hired again anywhere".

She turned to look at David, as he turned the TV off. "Does Lisa have a criminal case against her?"

"I don't think so, babe. It would be very hard to prove if she did decide to pursue that. However, I do think she has an excellent case for a civil suit. The only problem with civil suits is that you rarely collect a dime".

"You are so smart". She kissed him.

She grabbed her phone and sent Brian a text, asking him if they had seen the news.

"No, what happened?"

"Lisa's boss was ousted by the Board at her company. They said she knowingly hired her son and knew that he was dangerous and didn't try to stop him, so they ousted her. They are also alleging fraudulent transactions".

"I will tell Lisa. She deserves a better boss than that".

She put her phone away and snuggled up to David. They fell asleep.

***The next morning***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off. She groaned and hit snooze a few times, until she finally got up and headed for the shower. After she was ready for work, she went into the kitchen and made her and David breakfast.

He came out and ate with her, and helped her clean the kitchen.

"Are we going to the hospital tonight, babe?"

"I am. You don't have to if you don't want to".

"No, I want to. I will meet you there after work".

She gathered her things and grabbed her purse and they headed out the door.

He helped her put her things in the car like he always did, and then he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you more than anything, babe. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me". He kissed her.

"You saved me too, honey. Love you more." She kissed him back.

They headed to work.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris had been there about an hour when Officer Bennett told her there was a lady in the conference room waiting to see her.

"She wanted to file a complaint on Nick Granger, and since your niece already has a case pending against him, I figured I would let you handle it".

"Thanks, Bennett."

Chris grabbed a legal pad and a pen, and her water bottle. She and Mary Beth headed to the conference room.

***Conference room***

They walked in and sat down. There were 2 women sitting there.

"Hello, I am Lieutenant Keeler, and this is my partner, Detective Lacey".

"Hi, I am Paige Wilson, and this is my sister, Abby".

"How can we help you, Ms. Wilson?"

"If I can, I would like to press charges against Nick Granger. He and I were in a relationship, if you can call it that, up until 6 months ago. He beat me severely and made me miscarry our child, and then deserted me with nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing. I was unable to find him until last night when I saw his mom on the news, and realized he was still in the city. So here I am".

"Do you have any evidence that he did this to you, like pictures or medical records?"

Paige slid a manilla folder across the table.

"I have a notarized sworn statement from my doctor stating that my miscarriage was most likely caused by blunt force trauma to the stomach, and that my injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma and repeated blows to my ribs and abdomen, chest and head. I have pictures of all of my injuries, and I have a sworn letter from my bank manager stating that he came in and changed the name on my bank account to only his name. He handed them a forged letter supposedly from me indicating that I had given him power of attorney. He then depleted all of my accounts, leaving me with nothing. And the last document is a letter from my landlord, who states that he told him we were moving out, and then when he hadn't heard from me, he came to the apartment to find everything gone, except for me on the bathroom floor, with blood everywhere."

"That should do it. Do you have any witness statements or did anyone witness the abuse?"

Abby spoke up then. "I actually introduced him to my sister at a party; and I found out later that he had dated 2 of my sorority sisters. They both told me after she was beaten that he had beaten them and left them the exact same way.

"Can you give us their names and phone numbers?"

"I can do better than that. They are having lunch in a diner across the street. Can I call them and have them come in and join us?"

"Yes ma'am. Tell them to ask for Lieutenant Keeler at the front desk".

She scanned all of Paige's evidence into the computer to add to the file on Nick Granger. If Feldberg declined to press charges, he could at least show it to the jury as history.

Mary Beth was giving them forms to fill out. "Would you be willing to be a plaintiff if this does go to trial?"

"Absolutely".

The guard showed 2 more ladies in, who introduced themselves as Lindsey Craigmont and Ashli Davis.

"Hello, I am Lieutenant Keeler, and this is my partner Detective Lacey. I understand that you two both dated Nick Granger?"

"If you can call it that. We went on two dates, and then he basically acted like we were married and wouldn't give me a moments peace from him".

"Same. I think it was 4 dates for me, but once he was in, that was it. He started controlling everything and I was trying to not be a bitchy and demanding girlfriend so I didn't stand up to him like I should have. The day we broke up was the most painful and the happiest of my life all at the same time".

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I was at my home and I was going to the bathroom. He always stood outside the door and listened while I went so he could make sure I wasn't talking to anyone. But this time, it was different- this time he put a camera under the door so he could see what I was doing. So I hurried up and got out of there. Then the phone rang, and it was my brother. I had left my car at my mom's house so he could fix it for me, and he was calling to tell me that he found a GPS on my car. It all sort of fell into place; so I told him I was done, and that I wanted him to leave. He said no. I said fine; I will call the cops and make you leave. I tried to tell him that our relationship wasn't working, and that he just needed to accept it. I turned around to go get my phone from the bedroom, and he attacked me and started beating me. He pistol whipped me, he grabbed a bat and head butted me with it, he threw up against a wall about 5 times. Then he put me in the tub, turned the cold water on, and left me there. He came back in, gave me a shot of something in the arm, that paralyzed my muscles. I remember that I had my feet propped up against the wall of the shower; as the drug he gave me took effect, my legs fell into the shower. One of them landed on the drain and opened it slightly, so that kept the water from ever getting over my head. 6 hours later, I managed to crawl out of the tub to find the only thing he had left in my apartment- my cell phone He took everything else-my clothes, my furniture, my personal effects, my Christmas ornaments, he even took the trash in the trash can. I called my brother and he came and took me to the hospital, and then the next day, we discovered he had gone to my bank and added himself to my account, took me off, and wiped it all out".

Chris wrote all of this down, and then pushed a legal pad across the table at her and asked her to write out her statement on what happened. She turned to Lindsay. "I take it that your story is similar?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. He didn't do the camera thing, or the gps, but he did the same thing to my bank accounts and when I broke up with him, because he was so controlling and he wouldn't even let me spend time with my family and friends, and wanted me all to himself, he beat me. He savagely beat me, and then put me in the shower and turned the cold water on. When I came to, he had taken everything I owned, and disappeared".

Chris handed her a legal pad, and a pen and asked her to write her statement as well. She left Mary Beth with them and went to get Feldberg.

She briefed him, and he came to the conference room.

He questioned them about dates and other things that they said in their statements.

"Did any of you ever get your stuff back?"

They all shook their heads no.

"Well ladies, I am going to charge Mr. Granger with 3 more counts of domestic violence, 3 more counts of Grand theft, and 3 more counts of bank fraud. You will all be plaintiffs in the case, and I will try your cases with Lisa Cagney's case, in one shot. So you will all be the plaintiffs. Give Lieutenant Keeler and Detective Lacey your phone numbers and contact information and we will call you when the trial date is set".

"Thank you". They all high fived each other and hugged. "We got him".

Chris took their statements and scanned them into the system, to be put into the file, while Mary Beth had them fill out information forms and sign a form stating the department could use their information in a legal proceeding.

After they were done, the ladies were shown out, and Chris and Mary Beth went back to their office.

Chris ordered them lunch from a deli, and they worked on this till about 4. Mary Beth created a timeline, and Chris put the file together. She also wrote up the new charges against Nick Granger.

At 4 p.m., she gathered her things and then headed to the hospital.

***Lisa's hospital room***

Chris walked in, and found Lisa sitting in the bed, and Ann and Brian sitting on the couch with Charli.

"Hi ya, how ya feeling?"

"Hi Aunt Chris! I am feeling great. Doctor says I can go home tomorrow, wherever that may be".

"You're welcome to stay with David and I till you find a place".

"Thanks, I will consider it".

Brian looked up. "We will get you a room at the W till you feel like looking at apartments, honey".

"I have narrowed it down to 3 places. The one in the building that is 2 buildings west of Aunt Chris' place, the one that is 3 streets away, and one that is about 12 blocks away from where she lives. They all have a doorman, they all have a terrace/patio, and they all have an elevated bedroom, like Bridgit's. Daddy, can you build me something when we get my stuff in there?"

"We will see, honey".

"Well, you will be happy to know we solidified the case against Mr. Granger today- 3 other women came forward to say that he did the exact same things to them. Let me ask you something-did he ever watch you in the bathroom, like put cameras under the door?"

"No. But he would stand outside the door and listen to see if I was talking on my phone and grill me incessantly if he heard me".

"They basically said the same things. So my boss, District Attorney Feldberg, is going to put him on trial against all of you, and the state. So the 4 of you- their names are Paige, Lindsay, and Ashli,-will be the plaintiffs for the state, and the jury will decide each of your cases individually. He was charged today, by me actually, with 3 more counts of domestic violence, 3 more counts of fraud, and 3 more counts of Grand theft. At this point, if he serves the minimum on all of his charges, he will be 212 when he gets out of prison".

"I just cannot believe it".

Just then, a delivery man came and knocked on the door.

"Delivery for Lisa Cagney".

"That's me".

She signed for it and he left her with the big box. Brian tipped him handsomely, and handed her a pocket knife to open the box with.

It was a wrapped package inside with a card on top. The card read "Please accept this as a token of sincere apology".

She opened the box and found a brand new fully loaded MacBook Air, with all the trimmings and software packages and add-ons included. There was another small box in there as well.

She opened that and found a brand new rose gold 128 GB Iphone 6splus.

"Wow, this is really great!".

"Who is it from honey?"

"I don't know. The card wasn't signed".

She grabbed the packing slip that came from Apple, and found the culprit. "It's from Mrs. Watson".

"That was very nice of her to do. That poor lady is really going through a lot".

"I can't believe they fired her. Work won't be the same without her".

"Lisa, honey, she hired her son to work there, knowing that he had a problem with hitting women, and put you directly at risk for being attacked, which you ended up being. I don't really feel all that sorry for her". Brian had a point".

David walked in a short time later. He picked Chris up and spun her around and kissed her. "Hi, babe!"

"Hi honey". He went over and hugged Lisa and then shook Brian's hand.

"Three more women came in and reported Granger for doing the same thing to them he did for her So now it's that kind of trial where there are 4 people for the state and they are all against him".

"Joinder".

"Yeah, that".

Bridgit came in a few minutes later, and ran straight to her baby, and then to her sister.

"Sissy, the doctor says I get to go home tomorrow".

"That's great. Charli and I would love to have you for as long as you need to stay, sissy".

"Thanks, I haven't decided what I am doing yet".

She showed her the computer that Mrs. Watson had sent, and the phone.

She logged on to her computer and then did a chat with a representative from ATT to get her phone turned on. 20 minutes later, she was back in business.

"He stole my purse. I am going to have to get all new driver's license and insurance cards and credit cards….ugh such a nightmare".

"Daddy and I will help you do all of that, sugar. Don't worry".

Her ribs were healing much faster than they had anticipated, so she was now cleared to eat anything, and she was loving it. Brian had ordered her sushi from her favorite place for lunch, and she was now craving ribs for dinner.

She sent Meredith Watson a text telling her thank you for the phone and the computer, and that was great but unnecessary.

Brian paid for BBQ for everyone, and had it delivered. Chris and David were sitting together on the smaller couch, holding the baby. Bridgit and Lisa were playing on the computer and Brian and Ann were on their phones. The nurse came in and took Lisa's vitals, and declared that she was allowed to have a shower, if she put a waterproof bandage over her cut. She happily obliged and jumped up, and headed for the shower. Ann got up to help her with towels and clothes and stuff, and Brian went to meet the delivery guy to pay him for dinner.

After Lisa got out of the shower, she had the biggest smile on her face.

"I feel so clean. I love this".

She was back in pajama pants and a tee-shirt but she was happier and looking better. Her bruises were still pretty significant and dark, but they would heal with time.

"It's great to see you smiling again, Lisa."

"I haven't wanted to in a long time, Aunt Chris. Feels good".

They were all eating dinner, and Brian spoke up. "Bridgit, I was thinking. What if we sold your place, and got you one in the same building as Lisa, or maybe you guys could split a place, if we found one big enough? I don't like the idea of you living in the same building where she was attacked".

"I could totally go for moving, daddy. I don't want to be that far away from Sissy anyways".

"How about after dinner, we go look at one that we found, and we can facetime with Lisa so she can see it too?"

"Sure. Mom, you want to keep Charli while Dad and I go look?"

"Absolutely". Charli was sitting on the floor in her Bumbo, at Ann's feet. She was very content and happy.

After they finished eating, Brian and Bridgit went to look at the apartments they had found, and Chris went over and sat by Lisa.

"How you holding up, honey?"

"Ok, I guess. I keep having nightmares though. I am just so ashamed that I was fooled by him. I told myself to stay smart, and to be like you and be tough and not let anyone hurt me and to get out before they could. And what happened? Everything I was trying to avoid. Everything I imagined and everything I didn't."

"Honey, this isn't your fault. He is a serial domestic violence offender, and he is the one to blame here, not you. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this. He said so himself in our interview-he manipulated you to work his way in".

"I am so glad that Bridgit thought to call you. Who knows what would have happened to me if I had kept laying there. She was really and truly my saving grace that day. You and her together saved my life".

"I don't know how you had the ability to pull yourself out of the bathtub, and walk downstairs to Bridgit's apartment. That had to be painful".

"I was numb. I didn't feel anything".

"You know, I was convinced that you had yourself an eating disorder, after you wouldn't eat at my house. I was looking up ways to have interventions with you over it and make you go to treatment. I never dreamed this would happen".

They continued chatting, but deep down Chris was really questioning her instincts. She was usually spot on, but this time she wasn't. She was close, but it wasn't the usual bullseye.

Lisa's phone rang them, and it was a facetime from Bridgit. She was showing her the first apartment.

It was a really cute apartment, and Lisa liked it. They hung up, and facetimed her back when she was at the second one. Lisa liked that one too, and so did Bridgit. It was their favorite building so far. This building had identical apartments available next door to each other.

They went to the third place, but it was closed, so Bridgit and Brian came back to the hospital.

"My vote is for apartment 2".

"Mine too, Daddy".

"I will call the realtor right now".

He stepped outside to make a phone call, and came back a few minutes later. Chris and David were sitting on the couch with baby Charli, and she was mesmerized by David.

"Chris, we need to have Lisa's old apartment cleaned. Is there a crime-scene cleaning service we can call that can come get the blood up off the floors?"

She nodded. "I can arrange for that tomorrow. It's a free service".

"Great. We need to get them in there as soon as possible so we can put that place on the market".

Chris made a note in her phone to call and have Lisa's place put on the list.

Chris and David decided to go home, and Bridgit and Charli were heading out as well.

Chris went over and hugged Lisa goodbye. "I am so glad you are getting out of here. I cannot wait to see your new apartment again. When you get all settled, let's have a girls day do over".

"Sounds good to me, Aunt Chris. Love you". She hugged her back.

They told Brian and Ann good night and left.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris and David came in, and Chris headed to change clothes. She was getting sleepy.

She decided at the last minute to draw herself a bath, and put some relax and stress relief bath salts in them. She lit the candles and filled the towel rack next to the bath tub.

She climbed in and let the jets do their magic, and she turned the tv on to her favorite relaxing music station. She had been soaking about 15 minutes, when David climbed in joined her.

She smiled at him, and leaned forward so that he could slide behind her. He rubbed her back and shoulders for her, and caressed her a little. He could tell she was worn out, and just wanted to make her feel better.

She almost fell asleep during his massage, and he just wrapped his arms around her when he was done and just held her. They stayed like that till the water got a little cold, and she woke up to him kissing her neck.

She turned to him and kissed him.

"Lisa is going to be ok, babe. She has everything under control now, and you charged him with everything you can. He isn't going to get out and hurt anyone else ever again. It's going to be ok".

She nodded. "I know".

She kissed him. "Let's go to bed, honey".

"With pleasure".

He picked her up, helped her out of the tub, and they headed to bed.