Trixie started to become aware of her surroundings, but was afraid to make any kind of movement to show this. She didn't know where she was, so she listened, hoping for a clue. She heard a soft bit of music playing somewhere, but that told her nothing. For all she knew, the crazy man had music somewhere playing.

She could hear a quiet beeping, but Trixie was not certain of what it was. Trixie tried to take stock of everything. As long as he didn't know she was awake, maybe he'd leave her alone. She hurt badly. She felt like something was in her arm, and seriously hoped she was at a hospital.

"Trixie, I don't know if you can hear me," Speed was saying.

Was he here with her? Were they safe? The mere thought that Speed might also be in danger sent her blood pressure up and made her heart beat faster. She could hear the beeping increase, and decided she had better risk opening her eyes.

As soon as she did, relief flooded through her. Hospital. She was in a hospital room. She was not with that man.

"Speed?" she asked.

Speed's smiling face soon came into view. "Hey there, gorgeous."

"Hiya, handsome," she said. Trixie tried to sit up and found she was sore everywhere.

"No, don't move. You have a broken rib. And a lot of bandages," he said gently.

Trixie frowned. "I'm sorry. I should have told you where I was going. I just wanted my journal."

Speed shrugged. "This isn't your fault. He knew where you were anyway."

Trixie furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Speed ran his right hand through his hair. "I don't know how to tell you this." He was worried and upset. "You got a bouquet this morning. On our doorstep."

Trixie's eyes widened. "What did it say?"

"More of what he had said before, and that he mourned your absence."

Trixie paled.

"There's more, Trix," Speed said.

"More?" she asked with an edge of hysteria in her voice.

"There were pictures. He was in your house two nights ago while you slept. And our house last night. Taking pictures."

Trixie started shaking.

"He's in custody," Speed said to assure her.

Trixie nodded, but could not calm down. One of the nurses came in and smiled at her. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked as she approached.

Trixie just looked at her, too terrified to speak.

"Are you in pain?" the nurse asked.

Trixie nodded.

The nurse touched her arm, trying to calm her. Then she took a syringe and put it in Trixie's IV. "That should help some, dear."

Speed smiled at the nurse. "Thank you."

The nurse left, and Trixie looked at Speed. "Don't leave me alone here," she whispered desperately.

He shook his head. "I won't. I do want to let Mom know you're awake."

"Where is she?" Trixie asked plaintively.

"Just down the hall in the visitor's lounge," Speed answered to assure her. "I'll be right back."

Speed took Trixie's hand and gave it a squeeze, but when he tried to release her, she wouldn't let go. He smiled to her, and paged the nurse. When she came back, she asked, "Is there a problem?"

Speed just smiled. "I know this is not your job, but would you mind letting my mother know Trixie is awake? She's in the visitor lounge."

The nurse looked at how tightly Trixie was holding onto Speed's hand, and the look of abject fear in the young woman's eyes, and nodded. "I don't mind."

"Thank you."

She smiled and left the room.

"I'm sorry, Speed. I really was going to let you go and get her, but I –"

"No, don't apologize, Trixie," he said as he sat down next to her. Speed ran his hand by the side of her head. "It's okay." He grinned. "I'm a little leery about letting you out of my sight right now too."

She nodded. "I thought I could fight him off. I – I couldn't!" she said. "He, I just know he wanted to kill me. What did I do? Why would he want to kill me?"

"He's crazy, Trix. You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing. He's just crazy."

She nodded, and Speed could tell she was still terrified. He was actually still very shaken from what he had seen himself. Trixie was a more than capable fighter, and he'd never seen her back down yet. Still, seeing that Trixie was fighting a losing battle with a madman had scared Speed. He could only imagine how scared she must have been, knowing that if she failed, she might well die.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Speed asked, just as Mrs. Racer walked in and saw the look in Trixie's eyes.

"Speed, I don't think that's a good idea," she said to him. "Trixie needs to concentrate on healing, not on that madman."

"He really is in jail, Mom?" Trixie asked.

"Yes, Trixie. Speed knocked him out, and Pops sat on him until the police arrived." She sat on the other side of Trixie, and placed her hand on Trixie's arm. "You gave us quite a scare."

"I'm so sorry about your window," Trixie said in a small voice. "I couldn't think of anything else to do!"

"Hush. I'm glad you did it. We can replace that window a thousand times, but we cannot replace you." Mrs. Racer smiled at her. "You needed help, and that was the only way you were going to get it. I'm proud of you for not being afraid to do whatever you had to do to survive."

Trixie nodded. And as Mrs. Racer's words set in, she started to shake again. Mrs. Racer flicked her eyes up and looked at Speed.

Mrs. Racer smiled at Trixie, "I have been told that if you're a good patient, they may let you go home the day after tomorrow."

Trixie shook her head vigorously.

"You don't want to go home?" Mrs. Racer asked.

Trixie shook her head. "I can't go back there. He'll be waiting for me."

"Trixie, was he in your house when this started?" Mrs. Racer asked.

Trixie nodded. "I just wanted my journal."

"I'll send Pops over to find it. He won't read it, I promise," Mrs. Racer said. "And you can stay with us as long as you need to."

"Not safe there," Trixie said. "He knows I'm there!"

"Trixie, listen to me. He's in jail. He can't hurt you. You're safe," Mrs. Racer said. She then looked at Speed.

"I had to tell her, Mom. She has a right to know!"

"Son, right now, Trixie is terrified and what you told her didn't help her at all," Mrs. Racer said softly. "She needs somewhere she can feel safe."

"Trixie will be safe with us, with me. I'll sleep on her floor if I have to to make sure she feels safe," Speed insisted.

"Trixie, would that make you feel better, if Speed were there?" Mrs. Racer asked Trixie.

Trixie frowned and shook her head. "He'll kill Speed."

Mrs. Racer reached over to Trixie and turned her face so that she could look into her eyes. "Listen to me. He is in jail. He will stay there. You will be safe with us. None of us are going to let him hurt you again. Even Spritle will defend you." She grinned at Trixie. "You should have seen him with his little slingshot yesterday."

"Spritle?" Trixie asked. "He saw?"

"Yeah. He was watching TV when the window broke, saw what was happening, alerted Speed, and fired rocks at that awful man until Speed could tackle him and get him away from you."

Trixie looked worried. "I wondered where the rocks were coming from. Is he okay?"

"He's fine, dear. We will do everything we can do to help you feel safe. And you can say with us as long as you need to. If you need to move, the boys will help you. Won't you, Speed?"

"Of course!" Speed said.

Trixie nodded. "Okay." She didn't feel safe here, and she doubted there was any place she would. So she might as well be near family.

Speed leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Get some rest, beautiful. Okay?"

She nodded and closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

An hour later, the nurse came and told them visiting hours were over. Mrs. Racer talked to her, but the nurse was adamant that they both had to leave. "I'm not leaving without telling her," Speed stated.

"You should not wake her up."

"Do you really want to see how upset she gets if she wakes up and finds I'm not here?" he said dangerously.

"Fine. You've got five minutes."

Speed shook Trixie. "Hey, can you wake up a little?"

Trixie startled awake, and the look of fear in her eyes as she took in her surroundings worried Speed. "Speed?" she asked haltingly.

"Yeah, it's me. The nurse is making me leave. She said visiting hours are over and I have to go."

"No!" Trixie said. "You… you promised. You promised you wouldn't leave me alone."

"You know I don't want to. You know I'd stay here, but the hospital rules won't allow it," Speed tried to reason with her. But Trixie was having none of it. She was agitated, and trying to get up.

"You need to lay down, Trix."

"Help me up, Speed. If you have to go, I have to go. I can't…can't—can't stay here by myself. I know he'll find me," she said.

Speed helped her sit up, only so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Listen to me, Trixie. He's in jail. You're safe. I promise."

"You promised you'd stay," she said, crying against his shoulder.

He just held her. "Oh, Trixie. I'm sorry," he said softly.

The nurse came back in to tell him it was time to go. "What is she doing up?"

"Trixie wants to leave if I can't stay," Speed told her matter of factly.

"Absolutely not. The doctor has not released her."

Trixie turned to the nurse with fire in her eyes. "Are you saying I'm a prisoner here?" she snarled.

Speed was shocked. Trixie was almost always polite.

"No, but you are not well and should not be released. You have some injuries that could be compromised if not properly secured before your release," the nurse said.

"Either Speed stays, or I go," Trixie insisted. "I don't care which it is, but I can't stay here alone."

Speed turned to the nurse to see what she would say. The nurse looked at both of them. "Okay, the young man may stay; however, I expect you to get back in that bed right now, young lady."

Trixie nodded, and Speed helped her lay down. As he covered her, he could see her trembling and realized she was still fighting. She had not really stopped fighting since this morning. "I'm right here," he whispered in her ear.

She turned to him, unsure of everything.

"I'm not going anywhere," Speed said softly.

"Okay," Trixie said softly. "Thank you."

Speed just smiled at her. "Now, you better go back to sleep before that nurse hits me with a clipboard or something."

Trixie nodded and closed her eyes. Speed walked over to the nurse. "I'm sorry. She's just very—"

"I know, Mr. Racer. She's had a bit of a scare and right now, she sees you as safety. I didn't truly realize that was the case until just now. I'll make a note on her chart that if you need to be asked to leave the room, she is given the final say in that."

"Thank you," Speed said softly. "Could I get a blanket and pillow, by any chance?"

She nodded. "I'll have an orderly bring them to you shortly."

He smiled. "Thanks." Then Speed went and sat next to Trixie.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Racer poked her head in the room. "Are you coming?"

Speed shook his head. "No. Trixie pretty much made it very clear to the nurse that either we both stayed or we both left."

"You wouldn't have let her do that, would you?" Mrs. Racer asked him.

"Mom, you didn't see her. She was going to get up with or without my help."

Mrs. Racer frowned. She looked at Speed. "I hope you understand, she's going to have a lot more than physical healing to do before she's okay."

"I do, Mom," Speed said softly. He looked at Trixie. "But I'm going to do my best to help her."

Mrs. Racer kissed her son's cheek. "I know you will, Speed. I hope she will let you."

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

Speed woke up to the sound of a knock on the door. He opened his eyes and, for just a moment, was disoriented. Then he remembered he was at the hospital with Trixie. He looked over at her and smiled. She was still sleeping, and she seemed calm. He stood up as the knock came again and walked over to the door.

Speed opened the door and was very surprised to see both Inspector Detector and Racer X in the hallway.

"Hello," he said uncertainly. "What are you doing here?"

"May we come in, Speed?" Racer X asked.

Speed nodded and let them in. Racer X looked over at Trixie. "How is she doing?"

Speed shrugged. "Truthfully, not well."

Trixie started to whimper, and Speed rushed over to her. "Sssh, Trixie. It's a dream. You're safe. I'm here." She opened her eyes, and took a moment to adjust to where she was. Speed smiled at her. "See, you're safe."

Trixie nodded and smiled. "Thank you for staying."

"You're my girl. Anything for you," he said, kissing her lightly. Speed looked at her. "We have some visitors." Then he looked to his right.

Trixie looked where Speed had and saw Racer X and Inspector Detector. She frowned, puzzled.

"Good morning, Trixie," Inspector Detector said.

"Trixie," intoned Racer X.

"Hi," Trixie said.

"I'm afraid the news we have is not good," Inspector Detector said.

"What exactly do you mean by 'not good'?" Speed asked. He reached over and took Trixie's hand.

"The man who sent the flowers is known as Liam de Fleur, and he has a history of this pattern of behavior. Most of his victims do not recognize what they have been receiving until it is far too late. In fact, this is the first time we have ever had him in our custody."

Speed nodded.

Racer X bore the worst news. "Emphasis here on the word 'had'."

"Had?" Trixie practically screamed. "He's out?"

"I am afraid so," Inspector Detector said. "He escaped from custody last night."

Trixie started to panic and hyperventilate, and Speed went to work trying to calm her down. He shot daggers at Racer X and Inspector Detector, and finally said "Get a nurse in here, will ya?"

Racer X nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, a nurse came in with a syringe. She put it into Trixie's IV and watched. The nurse glared at the two new guests and waited until the sedative took effect.

Once Speed was sure Trixie was asleep, he at Inspector Detector. "You said there were other victims. How many? What happened to them?"

Inspector Detector looked him in the eyes and his tone was expressionless as he said, "Ten. They were all killed. De Fleur dismembered them and buried them in his yard. He has escaped justice for over a decade."

Racer X stared at Speed as the young man took in what he had been told. Speed looked at them. "How can I protect her?"

"You let us do it, Speed," Racer X said.

"You couldn't even keep him in your custody overnight, and we're supposed to trust you with Trixie's life? If you hadn't lost him, she would be safe right now!" Speed shouted. Then he looked over to Trixie, and made sure he had not awakened her.

Just then, the orderly rolled in a cart. "I have flowers for our patient here!" he said with a smile and set them on the table.

Speed stared at them. There was an iris in that arrangement. "Do you have your dictionary, Inspector?"

Racer X stood up and went over to the arrangement. "I memorized it. Other than the Iris, there is blue Hyacinth, Liatris, Phlox, and Tulips." He paused. "Tulips are a declaration of love, blue hyacinth is constancy, Phlox is for a soul mate. And Liatris means 'I will try again.'"

Speed stood up, grasping Trixie's hand. "Is there anything in that arrangement besides flowers?"

Racer X looked in and picked up a book. He opened it up, and found that it was a handwritten journal. Most of the writing looked feminine, but on the last page was a letter written to Trixie.

"He had her journal?!" Speed was angry, and he knew that Trixie would be distressed when she found out.

"And now it is evidence," Inspector Detector said.

Speed looked at them. "Can you do me a favor? Make it so the only pages that can be read are the ones he wrote in?"

Racer X and the inspector looked at each other before Inspector Detector said, "Speed, we have to assume that de Fleur read this journal, and he had gathered information about Trixie from it. Information we may need in order to track him down."

Speed looked at them. "It's her private thoughts. She's already been through a lot. Do you know what it's going to do to her to know that de Fleur read this, and now a bunch of detectives are going to be reading it too?"

Racer X looked at Speed. "I will be the only one who reads it, Speed. And I won't discuss it with anyone, unless it is something that will help bring de Fleur in."

Inspector Detector stood up. "I'm sorry, Speed."

"Just find him, before he comes for her again," Speed said angrily.

Racer X nodded. "We'll do our best, Speed. Do you mind if we take this with us?"

Speed nodded. "I would rather she not see it."

"I will have men posted by her door around the clock, Speed," Inspector Detector said. "And when she leaves, we'll have around the clock surveillance at your home."

Speed looked at them. "Thank you."

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-