Disclaimer – As cool as it would be to be a member of Team Heller, it's evident I'm not. Therefore I don't own any part of the Mentalist TV series and am not making any money off these stories.

Thanks, Cumberland River Relic, for your generosity with your time by spending it being a beta reader. I'm still looking for "The Disappearing Act" to continue! Neat story!

Chapter 2

To Jane's great frustration, Lisbon refused to go with the ambulance, insisting that a lack of breakfast and an excess of coffee caused her to become lightheaded.

She asked Jane to leave her alone for a few minutes, so he closed the blinds in her office and left, closing the door behind him. When he entered the bullpen, the team gathered around him, large questions on their solemn faces.

"Listen, she knows you want to help her and she's grateful. But you all appreciate that she's a private person and stubborn as… well, stubborn as a boss."

"But what happened?" Van Pelt demanded.

"Tommy was driving from Milwaukee to Chicago late yesterday afternoon. A car traveling in the opposite direction jumped the median and hit his sedan head on, killing him instantly. They think the driver was drunk. Tommy had two passengers in the vehicle who also died. Lisbon said they were Annie and her new husband Jared—"

"'Husband'?" Van Pelt exclaimed.

Jane placed his hand on her arm to quiet her, glancing towards Lisbon's office. "Yes," he said softly. "It's easy to still think of young Annie as that precocious teenager who hung out here a few years ago, but by my math, she's nineteen now. Maybe even twenty."

"Or would be," Cho said.

Rigsby and Van Pelt both frowned at the correction, but Jane ignore it.

"Lisbon just told me Annie married Jared Vogelstein in a civil ceremony in January and they had been living with Tommy since."

Van Pelt gave a little gasp. Jane nodded as he added, "Yes, her cancelled vacation because of the triple homicide in Moro Bluffs State Park."

"How awful! She hadn't been home to Chicago since… since…"

"Christmas, three years ago," Cho said. Softly he added, "Poor boss."

"That's not the worst of it," Jane said. "Annie and Jared had a four-month-old baby. There was no mention of the child involved in the accident so it's probable that he's an orphan now."

Pity flooded the faces of the team. Van Pelt sniffled, forcing her to break for her desk to grab a tissue.

"No wonder she fainted," Rigsby said.

It turned Van Pelt's sniffling into flowing tears. Rigsby gaped for a moment before looking to Jane and Cho helplessly. Cho also looked at Jane who shrugged before gesturing for Rigsby to hold her. When he did, Jane patted Grace on the back consolingly.

"Let's do what we can to help Lisbon get through this," Jane said.

Cho sighed deeply and dropped his hands off his hips. "I'll contact Bertram and let him know that Lisbon is going to be gone for her brother and her niece's funerals. Rigsby, please let the other units know that we're going to be shorthanded for a while."

Rigsby gave Van Pelt a strong hug but then pushed her off his chest, staring into her face with concern. She nodded and straightened her back as she wiped at her cheeks.

Jane tried to distract her. "Grace? Could you do me a very big favor? Could you make airline reservations for Lisbon and me to Chicago, next flight out sometime this afternoon. Business class, please. I hate coach. And here's my credit card."

"You and the boss?" Rigsby asked. The team stared in stunned silence.

Jane shrugged, gesturing with his hands. "Of course! Someone has to stay here to run the unit and fight crime. But she's going to need a friend along to support her, and since I can't arrest more than a cough, her traveling companion needs to be me while you all stay here and carry on. Make her look good, you know?"

Rigsby nodded reluctantly at his logic as Van Pelt pulled away to return to her desk with the card, dabbing tears and sniffling as a determined expression settled on her face. Jane headed toward his couch as Cho went to his own desk but not before quipping, "Personally I think she has troubles enough without having to worry about the kind of trouble you can cause."

Jane paused mid-step but then turned towards the kitchenette. "I promise I'll be nothing more than her trusted chauffeur. Oh, that reminds me. Grace, could you rent a car too? Perhaps an SUV or a crossover vehicle. Put it all on the card. This time of year, there could be snow in Chicago and I really don't want to risk getting stuck because of the weather.

"Right now, I'd better go make her another cup of tea. She's going to need it."

To be continued...