The next morning Don and Jess went about their daily routine getting ready for work. She had the later shift, so she made him some breakfaast while he got dressed for work. He walked through the kitchen and placed a kiss on her lips.
"Thanks for the breakfast" He said grabbing the toasted bagel off the counter. "I'll see ya at work later. I already got an urgent message to report to the precinct immediately." He kissed her one more time and made his way out of the apartment. Once he was gone, she cleaned up the kitchen and started getting ready for work herself.
-----------------------------------------------
Don walked into the precinct and heard a lot of yelling and shouting. He immediately recognize the man causing it all. It was the same guy from yesterday who had left his daughter in the car.
"I'm gonna kill that bitch! Because of her my daughter got taken away from me!!" He yelled.
"You did that your own self, you son of a bitch." Flack said. He joined in helping the other officers try to restrain him, but their efforts were useless. That guy was so large and powerful that he had no trouble getting away from them and fleeing the precinct. Officers went after him, but it was rush hour and he quickly disappeared into the crowd. A young officer approched Flack.
"Who was he making that threat to, Flack?" He asked.
"Detective Angell called it in yesterday when she witnessed it." He said. He was careful not to mention that he was with her. Their relationship wasn't fully out in the open yet.
"Well, where is she now? Isn't she in danger now that he's loose?" It quickly dawned on Flack that he was right. He needed Jess to come down to the precinct right away. He pulled out his cell, dialed her number, and prayed that she'd pick up.
----------------------------------------------
Jess grabbed a bath towel, started the shower, then got in. It was so relaxing feeling the hot water rush over her skin. She washed her hair, then her body while she let the conditioner set. After she rinsed off, she got out and wrapped the towel around her while she rung out her hair. She might just wear it curly today, she thought. As she changed into her jeans and tank top she heard the apartment door open. She walked out into the bedroom and figured it was just Don coming home for some reason.
"Hey Don, what'd you forget?" She called into the other room. No answer. "Don?" She tried again. Then, the door swung open and she was knocked off her feet. She looked up just in time to see the man she had reported yesterday. Before she could defend herself, he wacked her across the head so hard she saw stars dancing in front of her eyes. She couldn't regain her balance quick enough to stop him from binding her hands behind her back. Then she was flung on the bed while he bound her feet together.
"You dumb bitch!" He spat. "Lets see how you like being taken away from someone you love." But before he could hurt her again, She kicked him hard in the groin that sent him tumbling backwards. She used this opportunity to grab her cell phone from beside her on the bed and use her bound hands to hit speed dial number 2. Then she kicked the phone off the other side of the bed in case he tried to hang it up. He recovered from the blow to the groin and was even more furious with her. He flipped her onto her back and straddled her. Then, he proceeded to strangle her into unconciousness.
----------------------------------------------
Flack saw the call on his phone and flipped it open. "Yeah, Jess we have a problem.." He started, but then he heard the noises on the other side. He immediately put a call out to his apartment and raced there himself. When he pulled up in front of his place, following the squad cars, he saw the man from earlier jumping into a parked car. When the man saw the police he drew a gun from under his belt and fired. It didn't take long for Flack to pull out his piece and put two in the man's chest. He watched him fall to the ground before taking the stairs two at a time up to his apartment.
"Jess!" He yelled as he busted into the apartment. He didn't see any sign of struggle in the living room, so he moved on into the bedroom. That was when he saw her lying face first on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together.
"Jess?" He asked moving onto the bed and untieing the binds. Then, he rolled her onto her back and check for a pulse. He didn't know if he wasn't pressing hard enough or what, but he couldn't feel one. He immediately tilted her neck back and started CPR.
"Come on Jess" He said as he pounded 5 times just below her sternum and blew into her mouth. He repeated this act twice more before her eyes fluttered open.
"Jess? Thank God." You're gonna be alright, the paramedics are on their way. He lifted her up into a sitting position against the head board. "What happened Jess?" He questioned. She continued to cough and sputter so he knelt beside her and started gently patting her back. "What happened, Jess?" He asked again in a more softer tone.
"He just walked through the door and I thought he was you at first, then he came into the bedroom and hit me hard in the back of the head. That's when he tied me up and I placed a kick right in his groin so I could grab the phone."
"That's my girl" He said and kissed her temple.
"The next thing I remember is hearing you say my name." she finished.
"Well you and that little girl are both safe now, so there's nothing to worry about." he said
"What happened to the man?" she asked.
"We saw him running out of the apartment and he pulled a gun out and fired. I put two in his chest before I ran up here to you."
She didn't seemed surprised. "And his daughter?" she asked.
"She's with protective custody right now, and they're trying to track down the next of kin on her mom's side. We learned that her mom died in a car accident last year and that's when he started abusing her. You saved her life by reporting him, ya know." He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the apartment. He knew IAB would be waiting outside, and they'd want her statement. She put her hand up to the forming knot at the back of her head and knew she'd be in pain later.
"I guess this is sometimes what it takes to save a life." she said.