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"Ahchoo!, Ahchoo!, Ahchoo!" C.J. sneezed three times straight and hard. Matt's eyes started to squint and then open as she did it again, "Ahchoo!" She seemed to almost sit up with that last one and just collapsed back on his chest.
His arms tightened around her and he kissed her head, "You ok?" he asked in a gravely voice. Then his chin pushed her hair back from her forehead, his eyes only slightly open.
C.J. nodded on his chest and then answered in a very stuffed up voice, "Yes, I don't know what's wrong with me. I wonder if I didn't bring back some bug from the Caribbean."
Matt's brow furrowed and his eyes opened more now. He positioned himself better on the bed to look her over better. He couldn't see much so he turned the lamp on. Rolling her over he found she had a tissue in her hand and her eyes seemed red. "C.J., honey, when did you start feeling like this?"
She started to try to sit up when she sneezed again, "Ahchoo!" Her eyes closed and she let herself fall back, "I just woke up like this a few minutes ago. Its only 4am, you should try to get some sleep." She started trying to get up which confused Matt until she said, "I don't want you to catch this. I'll just go into that spare..."
Before she could finish her sentence he stopped her by putting his arm around her and lightly pushing her back down on the bed, "Oh no you don't, you're staying right here. Just lay back and take it easy."
She started shaking her head, "Matt there's no reason both of us..."
Matt put his finger on her mouth lightly and said, "Shhh, now just lay back. I'm going to get the thermometer. We'll see if you're running a fever and go from there, alright?" After making sure she was complying, he got up and went into the bathroom, coming out with the digital thermometer she had bought that went you put in your ear. After waiting the minute required, he pulled it out after beeping and found her temp was normal.
C.J. asked him, "So...what does it say?"
Matt told her with a small smile on his face, "It says your temperature is normal." She sneezed again, "Stay here and I'll go downstairs and see if we have anything for the sneezing and the stuffiness, ok?"
She smiled and said, "What would I ever do without you?"
Matt smiled, kissed her forehead and said, "I couldn't imagine." She chuckled for a second which is what he intended and then went down to their medicine cabinet in the kitchen. After looking around he found an outdated cold remedy and decided to throw that out. He ran back upstairs and told her as he put on some sweats, "I'm going to go over to that 24 hour pharmacy. You want anything else while I'm there? We have plenty of hot tea downstairs. I can get you a bottle of sparkling water or something too."
He was getting his shoes on when she tried to tell him, "Matt, its 4am, you don't have to go anywhere right now. Why don't you just climb back in bed and wait until you're ready to go into work or..."
Matt stopped her again and said sitting back down on the bed, "Because the sooner I get you this, the sooner you will feel better. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway knowing you aren't feeling well. What kind of husband would I be if I just laid here and listened to you suffering, huh. Come on..." He tucked the blankets around her, "you just lay back and relax here. Before you know it, I'll be back and you'll get your medicine and feel all better."
C.J. smiled and then told him, "I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful husband. I love you so much." Her eyes were starting to close and Matt kissed her again. He was almost out the bedroom door when she said, "Matt...do you think you could get me something with a sleep aid? or just some sleeping pills? I didn't really sleep all that soundly tonight and I just feel exhausted."
Matt told her, "Sure, honey. I'll be back in a minute. You just rest." He blew her a kiss and then left. He never noticed the car in the parking lot watching the beach house.
A few minutes later, C.J. tossed and turned again. "Ahchoo!, Ahchoo! Ahchoo!" Three more sneezes again and she laid back with another tissue. "Ugh!" she said out loud and then heard the door open downstairs. She called out sort of, it wasn't that loud, "Matt! I'm so glad you're back, I..." At that point a man walked in the room with something swinging in his hand. That was all she could see.
The man told her, "Relax...just relax...remember...you know what to do...remember..." At that point C.J. passed completely out.
Matt carried in the paper bag filled with four different cold remedies along with a mild sleeping pill. Each remedy said something different and claimed to be better than the others so he bought one of each and thought C.J. could decide which one she wanted to take. He also had a sparkling water bottle with lime for her too, she had enjoyed those in the Caribbean when they were there.
He noticed the clock in the kitchen read 5am. That meant he might as well get up for the day anyway. Staying up, he would be able to take care of her and watch over her for a little while before having to leave also.
Matt grabbed those four varieties and the bottle and headed upstairs. He found her sound asleep. He smiled for a second and then sat down beside her. Her breathing was typical of when she slept heavy. Actually, he was glad she slept since she told him she hadn't really rested that well that night.
After getting dressed and being ready to go in he sat back down. C.J. hadn't really moved since he found her again. So he made some coffee and took the newspaper up and sat on the bed beside her reading it. He knew Roy would be up on Baby trying to pull what he could on Deborah Parsons' death and figured he would just get caught up when he got in, which he now figured would be around 9.
After reading the first section, his concern for C.J. started to grow. She had really not moved a muscle. So, now that it was after 8 he decided to bring the coffee cup a little closer to her nose. He knew how much she loved coffee and thought it would be a nice way to help her wake up. It did nothing.
He put the cup down and the laid down beside her. Matt brushed the hair from the side of her face and whispered in her ear, "C.J., honey...I love you. You ready to wake up? I just want to talk to you for a minute before I leave. Then you can go back to sleep."
Her eyes fluttered open, slowly. The first thing she saw was Matt and that look of love on his face and in his eyes. He kissed her forehead and then her cheek before pulling back again.
She told him, "I love you too. I'm sorry, I just couldn't stay awake I guess, but I heard you come in. You got back so fast."
Matt looked confused but then said, "Well I'm sure it only seemed fast, but it took me an hour. I got you four different ones. I didn't know which one was best or if you had a preference really so..." He sat up and she did too.
He held out all four to show her and she tucked the hair behind her ears and said, "Well, this is the one I've taken before and it seemed to work well enough. I'll just try this one."
Matt nodded his head, got out the pills for her and the water for her to take them. She did and then laid back down at Matt's request. He told her as he kissed her forehead again, "Now you just rest today. Uncle Roy and I will be working in the penthouse, but if you need me, just call."
She smiled and told him as he tucked his gun behind him, "Just don't work too hard or do anything too dangerous, alright? No new cases without...Ahchoo!" She couldn't even finish her sentence.
Matt told her as he sat back down and she sat up again, "The only case I'm working on right now darlin is yours. Uncle Roy and I are just going to do some research on Baby to see what we can find out and I promise I'll share everything we find with you." She looked down and he took his finger and gently tilted her face up towards him, "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I'm going to be right beside you as we go through all this together...I promise. Whatever you have to face again, you won't face alone."
She nodded her head and then said, "I just don't know what you're going to find. I don't remember much and I...oh..." Her hand went to her head.
Matt was much more concerned now, "Lay back down..." He helped her do just that and then said, "Maybe I should just stay home..."
C.J. shook her head and said, "No, I just think the medicine is kicking in already. I'm just going to go back to sleep. All you would do is watch me sleep." As she started to drift off she said, "You certainly don't want to just sit there and watch me sleep now, right?" At that point she seemed asleep.
Matt kissed her forehead again and whispered to her, "I wouldn't mind at all just watching you sleep. Just sleep now. I love you." He started back down stairs about to call his uncle to tell him to just bring over what he found or that smaller version of Baby. However, the phone rang before he could even get to it to make his own call.
Matt answered, "Houston..."
Uncle Roy answered, "Matlock, you're late. I got into Sacramento's cold case file on Deborah Parsons. You're going to want to see this, but I think you should find something for C.J. to do. She shouldn't see this either its almost as bad..."
Matt looked back up the stairs and decided that perhaps C.J. was right. He would set the alarm and head in. If he only went in for a couple of hours, he could get back, check on her and then head over with Roy to get that gun checked out. He told his uncle, "Alright, I'm on my way in. C.J. woke up with a cold this morning and is staying here anyway. Be there in 20."
He checked on her one more time and then headed out. Matt figured the medicine was kicking in and she would sleep for a while, which she needed. It didn't stop the hairs on the back of his neck from standing up though.
Once he got into the penthouse, he was greeted by both Roy and Hoyt. "Well hello fellas, what brings you over Hoyt?" Matt asked as he walked over to the bar to get a cup of coffee.
Hoyt told him as the two men were sitting down in front of Baby, "Well my friend in Sacramento came through for you. I got Roy and Baby hooked into the computers there, but Houston...its not pretty."
Matt's drink stuck in his throat for a second before he said, "Well I'm not sure how much worse it could be from her Dad's autopsy photos." He walked over and Roy pulled up Deborah's photos while Hoyt closed the doors so Chris wouldn't accidentally see them. It looked as though someone had taken a baseball bat and beaten her to death with it, mangling her face and skull. Matt again had to look down, "I was wrong."
Hoyt sat back down and then told him, "These photos are about all we have. Coroner puts the time of death around 10pm about two weeks after Deborah Parsons went missing."
Matt looked sharply at Hoyt, "What do you mean missing?"
Roy then said after sighing, "All we have in this file is that Deborah Parsons was reported missing about a week after Daniel was killed. Her body was found two weeks later in this condition. An anonymous tip sent police to this warehouse where they found her, about ten hours after the time of death."
Matt shook his head, "She was kidnaped, held, tortured and then killed." He closed his eyes and then asked, "What about C.J.? Where was she when this all happened? Had the state taken her in at that point?"
He looked at both men who just looked back at them before Hoyt said, "There's nothing in the file about her at all."
Matt was confused, "What do you mean? She didn't have any family members she was with...where was she?"
Roy said, "We don't know. None of these files mention her at all."
Matt ran his hand through his hair, "This doesn't make any sense."
Hoyt then said, "We've gone about as far as we can go with the state files, maybe we need to talk to the feds, see what they can tell us. Problem is, they don't tend to appreciate P.I.s or local law getting involved in their business, especially unfinished old business."
Matt then took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, well, C.J.'s old boyfriend, Seth Parkdale may be able to help us there. I'll give him a call and see if he can't help us out." He rubbed his face hoping against hope that she never saw any of this.